Blueberry-Peach Crisp

If you follow me on Twitter, you'll know that at the end of last week, our fridge stopped working (and I was tweeting with excessive exclamation points).  It just wasn't getting cold; the freezer worked perfectly, the fridge not so much.  So while Bo researched ways to fix it, I researched ways to use up ingredients before they went bad.  Enter... Blueberry-Peach Crisp!  I had fresh blueberries and peaches sitting in my fridge drawer, just waiting to get used in something yummy.  I grabbed a stick of butter from the freezer and set to it.

Food Rule 78 and Fruit Salsa and Cinnamon Chips

Yum Yum Yum Yum Yum Yummmmmm!  Is it obvious how much I love this recipe?

As I've mentioned in the past (here and here), I really struggle with getting more fruit into my diet.  Veggies?  Delicious!  Fruit?  Not so much.  So anytime I find a way to eat fruit that has me reaching for seconds and gobbling up leftovers, it's a definite keeper.  Something about these tiny pieces of mixed fruit with a touch of apricot preserves leaves me feeling so happy.  And those baked cinnamon chips aren't anything to shake a stick at either.  I'm so excited to make this recipe on Sunday for the Super Bowl party we're hosting!

Healthy and delicious and perfect for sharing - talk about a triple threat recipe!

Please Don't Ask Me Which Teams Are Playing,

         

Fruit Salsa and Cinnamon Chips
adapted from Allrecipes

2 kiwis
2 apples, peeled and cored
8 oz. peaches (frozen & thawed work perfectly)
1 lb. strawberries
3 Tbsp. all-fruit preserves (apricot flavor is fantastic)

10, 10" flour tortillas
butter flavored cooking spray
1/4 c. cinnamon sugar mixture (1/4 c. sugar + 1 Tbsp. cinnamon)

Finely dice all fruit and toss together in a large bowl.  Stir in fruit preserves and chill in the refrigerator while you prepare the cinnamon chips.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Coat one side of each flour tortilla with butter flavored cooking spray and sprinkle with desired amount of cinnamon sugar. Flip tortilla over and repeat for other side.  Using a pizza cutter, cut tortilla into wedges and arrange in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven 8 to 10 minutes. Repeat with any remaining tortilla wedges. Tortilla chips will continue to crisp up as they cool.  Serve with chilled fruit mixture.  Makes 8 servings.

         

Fruit Salsa Ingredient Lineup:

Cinnamon Chips Ingredient Lineup:

Blackberry and Peach Crisp

I have been on the lookout for a great dessert that I can enjoy without feeling guilty about all the added calories. This crisp found on Self.com features not only fresh fruit which I absolutely adore but also only sports 159 calories. While I was able to find fresh blackberries - there were no peaches to be found. So I had to go with canned. Turns out I am a bit ahead of myself. Blackberries won't come into season here in OK until June, and peaches until right after that. Here is a handy site to bookmark so that you can see what is in season around you: What Fruits and Veggies are in Season?

I'm so excited for my kids. A girl I work with has offered to let my kids come out and pick fresh blackberries this summer. I can still remember grabbing a bowl from my Grandma's kitchen and picking blackberries from the side of the road. I can't wait to make this again when I am able to get fresh and ripe blackberries and peaches. It was yummy and while I would have preferred more of the cake like topping, I know that with in season fruit it won't need it.


INGREDIENTS

 Canola-oil cooking spray
1 cup fresh blackberries
1 cup fresh peaches, pitted and sliced
4 tablespoons fresh orange juice <- I had to substitute lemon juice since my kids drank all the OJ.
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons whole-wheat flour
3 tablespoons rolled oats
2 tablespoons brown sugar
4 teaspoons canola oil
2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoons nutmeg

PREPARATION


Heat oven to 375°. Coat four 4-oz ramekins with cooking spray. Combine berries, peaches, juice and vanilla in a bowl and mix well. In a separate bowl, combine remaining ingredients with hands until moist and crumbly. Spoon fruit mixture into ramekins; scatter crumb mixture evenly over the top of each. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until fruit bubbles and top is golden brown.

I love these tiny little coffee cups that I found at an antique store. They are just the right portion size for my kids fruit crisp.

Enjoy!

Grilled Chicken, Peach and Arugula Salad

This recipe comes from my All You Eat Well, Save Big Cookbook.  I think this is the perfect summer meal for a hot day.  No need to turn on the oven and make your house hot and it left me feeling satisfied but not stuffed.  I give this one a 4 spoons rating.

 Visit me at Life in the BAT Cave

Ingredients:
5 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp. finely chopped shallot
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
Salt
4 peaches, halved, pits removed
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (about 4 oz. each)
8 cups baby arugula or other tender salad greens (I used an arugla and spinach blend)

Directions:
1.  Preheat grill to medium-high.  In a large bowl, whisk together 4 Tbsp. oil, vinegar, shallot, mustard and 1/2 tsp. salt. 

2.  Brush peaches with 1 tsp. oil.  Grill, cut side down, until peaches are warmed through, about 4 minutes.  Remove fruit from grill. 

3.  Brush chicken on both sides with remaining 2 tsp. oil and sprinkle with salt.  Grill until cooked through, turning once, about 8 minutes total.  Cut chicken into thin diagonal slices.  Cut the peaches into 1/2-inch-thick slices.

4.  Add greens to bowl with dressing and toss.  Divide greens among serving plates, top with peaches and sliced chicken, and serve. 

Easy Peasy Popsicles

It seems to be heating up everywhere around the country right now, so I thought we could all use some easy - and relatively healthy - cooling off.  Basically, all you need to make popsicles at home is fruit, a blender, and a popsicle mold.  The directions are nearly always:  Blend, Pour, Freeze.  And the recipes can be modified and changed up a thousand different ways.

I opted to make a creamy coconutty popsicle because it sounded just so yum.  The Limber de Coco recipe ended up tasting like frozen rice pudding - Yum!  Because I limit my dairy, I may try making them next time with all coconut milk, or just substituting almond milk for the evaporated milk.  I gave this one a 4 Spoons.

The Berry popsicles are yummy and definitely an easy way to get in a ton of fruit.  They aren't as sweet as a grocery-store popsicle, so you can add more honey if you like.  I rated these a 4 Spoons.  I might try making them with strawberries next.

The Prosecco popsicles were a great idea in theory.  I think my mistake was in using a Prosecco that I don't absolutely love.  I'm pretty sure that if I made them with my favorite Moscato, they'd be to-die-for.  Yes, you can still taste the champagne flavor when you pull them out of the freezer.  So, if you love champagne, these could be fun.  I rated these a 3.5 Spoons (probably a 4 Spoons with my Moscato).

My popsicle mold is a cheapy from Ikea.  But I've seen them at craft stores, too.  Here's a link for snazzy ones onlines.  I'm seriously tempted to order them.  I'd be the coolest non-mom on the block, right? :)   Popsicle Molds on Amazon

Enjoy!

My favorites: Berry and Coconut Cream

Berry Popsicles

adapted from this lady

1 pint blueberries

3 Tbsp. agave or honey

1/2 100% fruit juice

squeeze of lemon juice

pinch salt

Dump all ingredients into your blender or food processor and blend to make a slurry.  Pour into your popsicle mold and freeze 5 hours or until solid.

Limber de Coco (Coconut Cream Popsicles)

courtesy of Tasty Kitchen

7 oz coconut milk (1/2 the can)

6 oz evaporated milk (1/2 the can)
1/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. shredded coconut, optional
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 egg yolk

Whisk all ingredients and pour into your popsicle mold.  Freeze 5 hours or until solid.  (Yes, there's an egg in here.  Crazy!  The original recipe says you don't have to use it, but I figured, why not.  I love raw cookie dough and egg nog; what's not to lose.)




Prosecco Popsicles
adapted from this lady
2 peaches, sliced
1 c. strawberries (I used frozen, whole strawberries)
3 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 bottle Prosecco (next time, I'll use Moscato)

Dump fruit, sugar, and a splash of Prosecco into your blender or food processor.  Blend until you have a slurry.  Stir in remaining Prosecco.  Pour into your popsicle mold and freeze 5 hours, or until solid.




The Prosecco popsicles expanded the most.  Note to self: When making popsicles with fizzy alcohol, don't fill the mold as high as usual.

Voila!

Pizza and Peaches

I have always wanted to make pizza on the grill and I have finally gotten a chance to do it! I'll say this, some of it is easier said than done but the result is absolutely delicious. The flavor is so much different than pizza cooked in an oven. In my daughter's words: "this is the best pizza I ever had!". Now what mom doesn't want to hear that after cooking dinner?


The best part about these pizzas is that you can make them to your liking. You can use different cheeses and toppings and even create something different for everyone in your family. They will definitely be making a repeat appearance on our dinner table. Our family rated this a 5.

While I had the grill on I gave dessert a try as well. I tried a recipe I found in Family Circle magazine for Grilled Georgia Peaches. Mmmm. I'm giving this a 3 1/2. I think if I used peaches that were a little more ripe they would have been easier to halve and pit and tasted a bit sweeter

 Life in the BAT Cave
 
PIZZA
1 package of pizza dough (pick up from local pizza place or grocery store)
1 cup shredded mozarella cheese
1 jar marinara sauce (or be good and make your own!)
olive oil
your favorite toppings  (we did plain and pepperoni pizza's)
 
1.  Heat grill to medium-high hat.
 
2.  Dust dough and surface with flour.  Divide dough into quarters.  Roll each piece as thin as you can.  (this was the part that was easier said than done!)
 
3.  Drape dough onto grill.  When it bubbles and puffs, flip it, brush on olive oil and add sauce, cheese and toppings.
 

 

 

4.  Close lid and grill 2 more minutes to melt cheese and get a nice, smoky flavor.  Remove pizza, slice and serve. 

 

 

PEACHES

3 peaches, halved and pitted

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

3 tablespoons packed dark-brown sugar

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

vanilla ice cream (optional)

 

1.  Heat grill to medium-high heat.  Brush cut sides of peaches with a little butter. 

In small bowl, blend remaining butter, sugar and cinnamon.

 

2.  Grill peaches, cut side down, 3 minutes. 

Flip over and carefully brush with butter mixture (remove from grill to do this).  Retrn peaches to grill, cut-side up.  Grill 2 minutes until butter is bubbly.

 

Serve warm, with ice cream, if desired.