Peanut Butter Doggie Treats

Have a dog? Have friends with dogs? Ever try one of their treats, even just a little nibble to see what they taste like? Well try these on for size- homemade peanut butter dog treats! I don't even have a dog, but I was a bit at a loss for what to make for the holidays this year for some of my friends. And somehow, I arrived at the idea to make some dog treats. That way I can kind of give a gift to my friend for being a good friend, and their dog for being a good dog. Perfect! I have a little bone shaped cookie cutter that was perfect for the job, but you should cut these into whatever shape and size will suit the dog or dogs they are intended for. Your dog(s) will be in for quite the...treat! (Sorry couldn't avoid the pun on that one...) Enjoy! :)

1 C. wheat flour (regular all-purpose flour is suitable as well)
1 C. corn flour
1 C. corn meal
1/2 C. smooth peanut butter
1 C. water
1/3 C. oil
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg

Preheat oven to 375F, and grease baking sheet. In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients. In a microwave safe cup, heat peanut butter until it is a thinner liquid so it will be easier to mix in your dough. In a smaller bowl combine waiter, oil, vanilla, egg, and liquefied peanut butter. Stir this mixture into the dry ingredients bowl, and mix to make a stiff dough you can roll out. On a floured surface, roll out the dough to about 1/4" thick and cut it into whatever shape you choose. Bake for 12-15 minutes, and allow to cool before storing. 

Put cooled treats in a large jar with a tag sent to the lucky puppy to make personalized gifts!

Love,
H.

Parsnip and Carrot Fries: Sweet or Savory

For a second serving of the root flavor of the month, LHF brings you a healthier alternative to those deep fried potatoes at your local fast food stop: sweet or savory parsnip and carrot fries.

Here what you'll need:
Parsnips (I only used one for myself, so the number depends on how much you want to eat)
Carrots (Again, I only used one)
Olive oil
Sea salt
Pepper
Garlic
Brown sugar
Cane sugar

I couldn't decide whether to make the fries sweet or savory, so I opted for both in two separate batches.

Begin by preheating the oven to 425 degrees. Once the parsnips and carrots are cut into long, medium-thin slices, you can coat them in olive oil. Then, lay them out on a baking sheet (you may want to cover it in tin foil to help with the clean up, since the brown sugar sticks), and sprinkle the savory fries with sea salt, pepper, and garlic. On the sweeter side, sprinkle the remaining fries with brown sugar and lightly with cane sugar (I sprinkled some extra brown sugar on the fries once they were done baking as well).

Bake for about 10-12 minutes, and enjoy your sweet and savory root delights.

-Ianna

Rooting for Ginger

Hello Love Handlers. After a bit of a break since LHF's last post, the last ten days of November are going to be packed with new recipies. It should be very exciting, since with Thanksgiving right around the corner, November is a month that truly needs special attention.

To fit right in with the feel of fall, the flavor featured this month is: roots!

It's amazing just how much can be made with roots and LHF has some yummy treats, a fun craft, and a soothing drink in store. To start us off, I want to share that soothing drink, and also let everyone know why they should go out and buy a tea ball if they don't already have one.

Tonight, after a long day of work, I needed something to wind down. I opted to made some fresh ginger and honey tea, which is one of my favorites because not only is it incredibly good for you, it is also very easy to make if you have the right tools.

To make this, you will need:
Fresh ginger root
Honey (I bought mine from a local producer in Julian)
Tea ball (or a tea straw)
Grater

Simply grate enough of your fresh ginger root to fill your tea ball. Then, place your tea ball filled with ginger in a mug and let it steep in boiling water. Add honey.

Relax. Enjoy.

-Ianna

Pumpkin Pizza

Today, we have a fun and collaborative post with fellow blogger and friend, Katy, from Eat. Live. Thrive. She helped make the latest recipe for the pumpkin flavor of the month extra delicious...and nutritious.

What we decided to make was a pizza that used a pumpkin sage sauce rather than one with a highly salty tomato base. It was a unique take on a old-time favorite. Here's what you will need:

Photo courtesy of Eat.Live.Thrive.

Ingredients:
Pizza dough (we used pre-made whole wheat dough from Trader Joe's)
Pumpkin filling (we used about 3/4 can)
Fresh sage (about 2 tbs., chopped)
Fresh rosemary
2 tsp. crushed garlic
Mushrooms (sliced and grilled)
Red onions (chopped)
Spring mix (we used Trader Joe's "Power to the Greens" mix, which has
           baby kale, chard, and spinach)
Gorgonzola cheese
Mozzarella cheese
Balsamic glaze/balsamic reduction

Instructions:

Before you prep your ingredients, make sure to leave your dough out according the package directions. It needs a little time to adjust to room temperature. While you are waiting, you can prepare your other ingredients or maybe enjoy a nice cold beer and conversation with a friend. You can also take a moment to preheat your oven to 450 degrees. :)

To make the sauce is very simple. Simply sautee the chopped sage in olive oil with 1 tsp. crushed garlic. This helps to release the sage's flavor. Once the sage has become a darker green and softer in consistency, simply stir in the sage with the pumpkin filling. That's it! 

Photo courtesy of Eat.Live.Thrive.

 The only other topping that requires a little preparation is the mushrooms. We sauteed them in olive oil and 1 tsp. crushed garlic just so they would not dry out while baking. So, once your sauce and mushrooms are ready, you can prepare your pizza dough by spreading it out, and layering it will all the yummy ingredients. As a note though, for the Gorgonzola cheese, make sure it is still cold when you put it on. This will help it to crumble and spread easily on the pizza.

At this point, you should be ready to bake your pumpkin pizza. The bake time will vary based on the dough, size, and thickness of your pizza, so just make sure to keep an eye on it. You can be pretty sure that it's ready when the cheese is lightly browned and bubbly.

I promise that the pizza is nearly as fun to make as it is to eat....but maybe I'm biased. If you want, adding a balsamic glaze or balsamic reduction (accomplished by cooking balsamic vinaigrette) to your pizza adds a tangy-ness that nicely compliments the sweet sauce. We found that Gorgonzola cheese was also the perfect addition to the pumpkin flavor. 

As Katy is studying nutritional science, I was elated when she informed me how healthy pumpkin filling is for you (not the spiced one with sugar). She also packed in the nutrition with extra greens to top the pizza. I gobbled every cheesy bite with a mouth full of baby kale, chard, and spinach, and I loved every moment of it. Of course, I quenched my thirst with a Stone Pale Ale, which might not be too healthy for my body, but I insist that it's good for my heart.

If you want some fantastic and healthy recipes and advice, or if you just want to go check out some food porn, please visit Katy's blog here! It's totally safe for work!

-Ianna

Pumpkin Spice Wontons

 It's that time of year again. And by that, I mean it's that time when pumpkins are in abundance! We're off to a belated start for October, but here's the first recipe to introduce the PUMPKIN flavor of the month!

Pumpkin Spice Wontons

This has got to be one of the easiest and quickest recipes I have done to date for Love Handling Food. I'm not big on frying foods, but hey, the taste of these eliminates my fried food guilt. And I do like a good treat around Halloween season.

I was inspired to make these after recently trying those fried cream cheese wontons you can get at Chinese restaurants (I know right...how have I never tried these before?!). My thought was that these would be very good as a sweeter dessert, so that's where the pumpkin pie filling came in handy.

Ingredients
6 oz cream cheese (softened)
8 oz pumpkin pie filling (I used plain pumpkin and spiced it myself, but it
             could be even more simple if you purchased already spiced filling)
Wonton wrappers
Canola oil (you can also use shortening, or any other oil you prefer to fry in)
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 tbs brown sugar
            *You can change up proportions, because these measurements make a
             lot of wontons! I didn't end up using the whole can of pumpkin pie
            filling, or the whole package of cream cheese

Instructions
This will seriously take about 10-15 minutes to make! First off, fill a small pot with about 2 inches of oil, and put on a high heat. Then, continue by mixing your softened cream cheese and pumpkin pie filling in a bowl until smooth. Next, mix in your spices, sugar and vanila. Once blended, you are now ready to create your wontons!

Put about a teaspoon sized amount of your filling in the middle of each wonton wrapper. After this, wet the edges of the wrapper with water, and press together. I made triangular shaped wontons, because I found it was much more difficult to fold into different shapes. Once you're done creating your wontons, simply put each one, one by one, into the hot oil. If the oil is hot enough, they should brown in just a couple of seconds. You can test if the oil is hot enough with a test wrapper, or with a candy thermometer (should be about 350 degrees). Have a drying tray with a paper towel ready to place the fried wontons. They're now ready to eat!

I found that they are complimented greatly by whipped cream and a dash of cinnamon. They were a hit with my friend Sarah (who made a yummy cashew tofu) and her family.

Happy pumpkin season!

Ianna

Nuts For Fruity Pasta Salad

Uncooked pasta (I used tri-colored rotini)
1/2 Granny Smith apple
1/2 Gala apple
1/2 Bartlett pear
1 cup walnuts (chopped, to your preference)
Feta cheese
Balsamic vinaigrette

Upon having one of my weekly dinners with my friend, Sarah, I opted to get a little creative with pasta salad. In my attempt to successfully mix sweet and savory, I think this recipe turned out to be a great success. Even Sarah, who was nervous to try the dish, loved it!

It's a super simple meal that can be prepared in about 10-15 minutes, and it fits a variety of occasions. All you have to do is cook the amount of pasta that you desire, and while it is cooking, chop up the amount of apple, pear, and walnuts that you wish to toss in the pasta salad. You can use more or less than I did, because it really all about personal preference for this dish. When the pasta is done cooking, drain it and run it under cold water until it has reached a cool temperature. Then, let it drain further, and add it to a serving bowl. Toss the pasta with the chopped fruit mix, and add the crumbled feta cheese. Drizzle with balsamic vinaigrette.

If you're trying to lessen your carb intake, this dish would also taste great as an apple, pear, walnut, feta salad.

Enjoy!

-Ianna

Granny Apple Quesadilla

Flour tortillas (whatever your preference)
1 Granny Smith apple
2 medium sweet yellow onions, chopped (These will be caramelized. They cook down a lot!)
baby spinach and arugula
crumbled goat cheese
sharp white cheddar cheese
chicken breast fillet
balsamic vinaigrette
rosemary (dried or fresh)
1 tsp white sugar
1 tsp salt
olive oil
*Makes 2-3 quesadillas

Apples can put an unexpected and unique twist on a variety of savory dishes. Quesadillas are one of my go-to options if I'm wanting something to eat fast, so I thought it would be a cool idea to throw some apple in the mix when making dinner with my friend, Zara.

For the most part, this meal can be prepared fairly quickly, however, caramelizing the onions does take time (20-30 min). So, I would begin with this step. Heat your olive oil on a medium-low heat in a large skillet, and add your onions, making sure that they are coated in the oil. Then sprinkle the salt on them, as it helps them caramelize a little faster. Also, don't worry, because your onions will cook down a lot, even if it looks like there are way too many onions in the pan for a couple of quesadillas. Stir the onions occasionally. If they slightly stick to the pan, this is ok. It is all part of the browning and caramelizing process. Just be sure there is enough oil in the pan that they are not burning. After about 20 minutes, you can add sugar to heighten sweetness and aid in the caramelizing process, and by about 25-30 minutes, your onions should be done!

While your onions are cooking, you can prepare the chicken. Chopping up the chicken breast first helps it to cook quickly, just be sure not too over-cook it! Simply saute the chicken in some olive oil, balsamic vinaigrette, and rosemary until thoroughly cooked.

Now that both the onions and chicken are done, you are ready to assemble the quesadilla. I spread a thin layer of margarine on the sides of the tortillas that would be on the pan so that they would get nice and crispy. Then, I layered the crumbled goat and cheddar cheeses, caramelized onions, chicken, thin apple slices, spinach and arugula between the tortillas, and cooked the quesadilla on a medium heat for a few minutes. The trickiest part, is flipping the layers of deliciousness!

This is one of the best quesadillas I have had. I hope you can say the same if you try it!

-Ianna