The Secrets of Orange Zest, Roasted Sweet Potatoes, and Lemon Juice

I had a lot of extra barley in my freezer, so I scrounged around on Pinterest for a good Turkey and Barley soup recipe. I found one that called for orange zest. "That sounds fun," I thought. It turned out great! Never underestimate the power of citrus! And that brings me to the amazing potential found in lemon juice. I included it in both salads I made this week. And it even found it's way into my pancakes. I've been eating a lot of roasted sweet potatoes this week. They are so good, and great additions to any salad. Baking them with their skins on really helps to keep in the flavor. 

And lastly, those marvelous no-bake cookies. I don't know how I come up with these things, but this was positively genius! Bananas and nutella have always been close friends, but then I thought of marshmallows as a bonding agent. I didn't have any rice krispies on hand, but I did have oats. After the cookies sit for a while, the oats begin to soak up the yumminess and makes these little no-bake cookies simply splendid. 

 

Turkey Barley Vegetable Soup with Orange Zest

Multiple servings (including 3 servings of vegetables)

 

1 Onion, diced

3 cloves Garlic, diced

1/2 tube of Ground Turkey

1/2 cup Carrots, diced

1 can low sodium Diced Tomatoes

1/2 cup Peas (frozen)

1 carton low sodium Chicken Broth

1 ½-2 cups cooked Pearl Barley (or 1 cup uncooked)

Black Pepper

Paprika

2 Tbsp. White Vinegar

2 tsp. Basil

1/2 tsp. Thyme

Garlic Powder

2 Tbsp. Water

1-2 tsp. Orange Zest

Saute onions, carrots, and turkey until browned/tender. Add peas, tomatoes and barley. Pour in broth, black pepper and paprika. In a small bowl, combine basil, thyme, garlic and water (to make a pseudo pesto sauce). Add 1-2 tsp. orange zest. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer. If using dry barley, simmer until barley is cooked. Add vinegar.

Roasted Sweet Potato, Bulgar Wheat and Spinach with Goat Cheese

1 serving (includes 2 servings of vegetables)

Vegetable Oil

1 medium/small Sweet Potato

1/4 cup Bulgar Wheat

1 Tbsp. Lemon Juice

1/4 tsp. Ginger

1 cup Baby Spinach

2 Tbsp. Goat Cheese

Wash sweet potato well. Cut into 1/2 inch disks. Coat in oil and roast on a baking tray at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until browned. Flip half way through.

Cook bulgar wheat according to package instructions. Add lemon juice and ginger.

Cut disks into quarters. Add to spinach, bulgar wheat, and goat cheese.

Roasted Sweet Potato and Red Onion Kale Salad

Multiple servings (includes 3 servings of vegetables)

Sweet Potatoes

Red Onion, sliced

Kale

Red Wine Vinegar

Lemon Juice

Ginger powder

Honey

Paprika

Olive Oil

Wash sweet potato well. Cut into 1/2 inch disks, and then dice into small wedges. Coat sweet potatoes and onions in oil and roast on a baking tray at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until browned. Flip half way through.

Wash Kale and chop. In a small bowl combine ingredients for dressing. Pour roasted vegetables and dressing over kale.

Marshmallow, Nutella, Banana and Oat No-Bake Cookies

Multiple servings

1/2 stick of Butter

5 oz Mini Marshmallows (half a bag)

2 Tbsp. Nutella

1 Banana (frozen and then thawed)

1 tsp. Vanilla Extract

3 cups Oats

In a non-stick pot, melt butter. Add marshmallow and stir until melted.

Discard water from thawed banana and then mash. Pour into pot with nutella, and stir well. Add oats and stir until well combined.

Spoon mixture onto wax paper. Allow to sit for 45-60 minutes before serving.

Apple Sauce Pancakes

2 Servings (includes 1 serving of fruit)

1 cup Homemade Chunky Apple Sauce

3/4 cup Milk

1 Egg

1 Tbsp Lemon Juice

1 Tbsp Vanilla Extract

1 cup Flour

1/3 cup Quick Oats

1 tsp. Baking Powder

1/4 tsp. Baking Soda

1/2 tsp. Cinnamon

Dash of Cloves

Combine wet ingredients. Add dry ingredients and stir. Fry on a buttered griddle.