Super Easy Blue Cheese Dressing Recipe

Easy yogurt-based blue cheese dressing which is great for salads or dipping veggies in.

Yogurt Blue Cheese Dressing Recipe:

1/2 cup whole-milk yogurt
1/3 cup blue cheese crumbles
1 tsp Wildtree Garlic Galore Seasoning Blend (or more to taste, but the flavor will develop as it sits)
fresh cracked black pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl. Tastes best when refrigerated for several hours before using, but can be served right away.

Easy Insalata Caprese

This is my go-to snack lately. It's a fancy way of saying Italian tomato and mozzarella salad. It's low-glycemic, super easy, and delicious. The sure-fire way to make this extraordinary is to use the freshest, highest quality ingredients.

Insalata Caprese Recipe

4-5 slices fresh buffalo mozzarella
1 ripe organic tomato, sliced into 4 or 5 rounds
4-5 big basil leaves
high quality extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
fresh cracked black pepper
high quality sea salt

Layer the mozzarella slices, tomato rounds and basil. Drizzle with EVOO. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Enjoy!

Roasted Eggplant and Tomatoes with Goat Cheese

This is adapted from a Door To Door Organics recipe. I used it as part of a dinner along with the Quinoa Egg Veggie bake. I really love the flavors of the eggplant and tomatoes and it makes a great vegetarian and low-glycemic appetizer or side.

Roasted Eggplant with Tomatoes and Goat Cheese Recipe
1 eggplant, sliced about ½" thick (could slice the short or long way, it's up to you)
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
EVOO
sea salt and cracked black pepper
goat cheese for topping

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Pour a couple tablespoons of EVOO on a large rimmed baking sheet. Toss tomatoes thoroughly in the oil and spread out evenly. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Brush both sides of eggplant slices with EVOO and sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. If you have room on the same baking sheet as the tomatoes, lay eggplant in single layer on it, otherwise use a separate baking sheet. Roast about 10 mins, flip eggplant slices and continue roasting another 10 mins or until eggplant is tender and tomatoes are caramelized. Remove from oven, arrange eggplant on serving dish, top with tomatoes and their juices, and sprinkle crumbled goat cheese over the top. Enjoy!

Week 5 1/2

I am going to attempt getting my meal plans done on Tuesdays now. Firstly because I hate shopping on the weekends, secondly because our Sprouts Farmer's Market does double-ad Wednesdays, and thirdly because I get my fresh produce box on Thursdays (but find out what's in it earlier). It just makes more sense to get the planning done on Tuesday so I can be ready. So, since I already had meals planned out through the end of the week, this will be a short one.

Wed - Pumpkin Risotto
Thu - White Chicken Chili
Fri - Bison Roast


Sun - Superbowl Sweet Potato Skins
Heat oven to 425 degrees F. Cut 1/4" thick skins from 8 small sweet potatoes or yams (keep the insides for something yummy like mashed sweet potatoes). Place skins on rimmed baking sheet and bake 20-25 mins or until tender. Meanwhile, combine 1 oz grated parmesan cheese and 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper in small bowl. Remove skins from oven and heat broiler. Lightly brush skins with olive oil or grapeseed oil and sprinkle w/cheese mixture. Broil until golden, about 4-5 mins.Other good seasonings could be sea salt and smoked paprika; cumin with a dash of brown sugar; or any other cheese of your liking.


Mon - Slow Cooker Beef and Butternut Squash Stew (adapted from Giada De Laurentiis' recipe)
3Tbs EVOO or grapeseed oil
1 onion, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 pounds stew beef, cut into 2-inch cubes (I'm using 1 lb beef and 1 lb bison)
1/2 tsp salt, plus more to taste
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried thyme
1 cup Marsala wine
1 pound butternut squash, trimmed and cut into 2-inch cubes
1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
3 cups beef stock (try making your own!)
2 Tbs flour
2 tablespoons fresh chopped flat-leaf parsley

Mix salt, pepper and flour and dredge the meat in it. Heat oil and brown meat in skillet about 5 mins. Transfer to slow cooker. Deglaze pan w/marsala wine, scraping up browned bits. Transfer to slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients except flour and parsley to slow cooker. Cover and cook on low 8 hours or until meat is tender. Turn up to high, mix in flour, cover and cook about 15 more mins or until slightly thickened. Sprinkle parsley on before serving and serve with side salad if desired.


Tues - Meatloaf w/Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Remember those lonely sweet potato insides leftover from Superbowl Sunday? Well they are getting cooked and mashed with butter and milk and served w/this meatloaf!

1 lb ground beef or bison
1-2 slices bread, torn into small bits (I like to use the ends of the loaf for this)
1 egg
1/2 onion, chopped fine
1/2 bell pepper, chopped fine
2 cloves garlic, pressed 
S&P
1/2 tsp sage
1/4 tsp thyme
1/4 cup milk

Mix all ingredients, shape into loaf on a cookie sheet. You can brush the top with ketchup or barbecue sauce if desired. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 mins to 1 hr. You can stick a meat thermometer in it and bake until it reads 160-170. (Edit - I just did this w/ground bison and cooked to 160 and it was bordering on dry. If you're using bison or grass-fed beef, I'd stay below 160). Serve w/mashed sweet potatoes and a side salad.