Tuna Casserole

Tuna casserole is a guilty pleasure of mine. It's one of the dumbest things to make, but I could eat the entire casserole in one sitting. It's one of my favorite things my mom would make me as a kid. I've taken her recipe and added my twists to make it a teeny bit healthier:

8oz whole wheat egg noodles (cooked)
2 cans of tuna
1 can organic cream of mushroom soup (use Amy's semi condensed-the flavor is richer)
Splash of organic milk
1 small package organic peas (cooked)
Potato chips

Spray a casserole dish. Dilute the mushroom soup with a bit of milk, but keep it thick. Put the noodles, tuna, peas, soup and crushed potato chips in single layers, ending with the chips on top. Dot with Smart Balance Light and bake for 45 minutes to an hour in a 350 degree oven.

Chocolate Chip Cookies (vegan)

I had this laying around and wanted to use it...
so I threw it into a batch of vegan cookies that kicked ass! Try it before you nay-say it. Jesse was blown away!

2 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 tbsp baking soda
dash of sea salt
1 1/2 cups evaporated cane sugar
1 1/4 cups refined coconut oil
1/4 cup ice water
1 tbsp molasses
1/2 tablespoon organic pure vanilla extract
1 package vegan chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 175 and line baking sheets with parchment.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the sugar and coconut oil until creamy. (I used medium, maybe 2-3 minutes) Add the water, molasses and vanilla and mix well. On low, add the flour mixture in 3-4 additions, mixing each addition until almost fully incorporated. Add the chocolate chips and mix by hand until they're really in there.

Arrange 2-tablespoon sized balls of the dough 2 inches apart on the sheets.
Bake about 15 minutes and after cooling, each enough to make yourself sick.

The McGangBang

A McChicken sandwich inside a double cheeseburger.

Would someone actually eat this?!

Type Brighter: You know how Mcdonalds sometimes gets criticized for trying to hide the fact that their food is unhealthy (pretty much the basis for the movie Supersize Me). Well that's bullshit! People just need to learn to read properly. Here is a pic that is found on all the burger packages.
It's what i eat and what i do. The pic shows Ronald McDonald recklessly walking on what appears to be a construction beam (we can only assume many many stories in the air). I think the message is pretty clear what he eats and what he does is dangerous. Hahaha!

French Onion Soup

I posted this on my other blog quite some time ago, but I'm making it again today and thought I'd share. I'm making it only with my 5 pound bag or organic red onions I have laying around.

I made french onion soup last night. It turned out so well that Jesse lowered his head closer to the bowl and made an odd humming noise while he ate it. We had the soup with steak, crab stuffed mushrooms and steamed vegetables. If it's chilly outside, make this recipe. It's an easy version and it doesn't take all day to make.

French Onion Soup (an easy version):

1 clove garlic

2 organic shallots

1 organic Spanish onion

1 organic red onion

2 organic leeks

2 tablespoons Smart Balance Light

3 turns of the pot organic extra virgin olive oil

dash of sea salt

3 tablespoons organic whole wheat pastry flour

4-5 cups organic beef stock

freshly ground pepper

2 big pinches of Asiago cheese

1 small cube of Gruyere cheese

a pinch of Jarlsberg cheese

2 slices of french bread or pumpernickel

Finely chop garlic with shallots. Slice onions almost into julienne. Finely slice leeks and mix all together and put aside.

Heat butter and olive oil in a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Add garlic and onion mixture and stir to coat with butter and olive oil. Lower the heat, cover loosely and allow the onions to cook over low heat for 10-12 minutes to soften. Add the salt and stir to combine and cook the onion mixture over low heat for 25-35 minutes to caramelize, stirring every 4-5 minutes. The onions should become the color of toffee. Sprinkle with the flour. Cook for 4 minutes, stirring. While stirring, add the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, loosely covered, for about 30 minutes. Add pepper and taste and adjust seasonings.

While the soup is cooking, grate the Asiago, Jarlsberg (or Parmesan) and Gruyere. Put aside.

Slice the bread and brush with olive oil and rub with a crushed glove of garlic. Toast in a 400 degree oven until golden and crispy.

Serve the soup in warmed bowls topped with a slice of toasted bread and a sprinkling of the cheese blend. Place the bowls under the broiler until cheese has melted over the sides and is bubbly.

And the BEST beverage to enjoy with this...1554 by New Belgium. It's one of my favorite beers and it pairs well with flavors like the soup.