Also known as a heart attack on a plate, but if you’re like me, you reward yourself with stuff like this on occasion. And your guilt level is pretty much zero.

Kody is obsessed with stumble upon, and this recipe comes to you courtesy of that site and my very excited son, who was beaming when he showed it to me.

I didn’t use the recipe featured at stumble upon, but my concept was somewhat the same.

Recipe:
2 lbs sirloin burger
8 oz Bleu cheese crumbles (or whatever cheese you favor)
2 tbsp minced garlic
1 small onion, chopped
celery salt
pepper
3 lbs bacon
1 tsp olive oil

Saute onion and garlic in olive oil. Don’t use more than recommended, because you’re going to be mixing these aromatics into your beef, and too much grease will change the consistency and the beef will fall apart during cooking. Remove from heat and mix with ground sirloin. Mold sirloin into 10 1/8 lb patties. This is the gross part. Wash your hands.

On top of small patties, add small amounts of whatever cheese you are using.

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Mold ten more patties out of remaining sirloin and place on top of bottom patties topped with cheese. Then use your fingers to press bottom and top patties firmly together.

Wrap bacon around patties using the lattice method, just as you would with the top of an apple pie. Grill or broil ten minutes each side.

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After eating this, you'll want to do some push ups, go for a run, or do some jumping jacks, because eating this is like breaking a commandment good.

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I guess that's a creative enough title for a dinner recipe?

Tonight I literally had 10 minutes to grab dinner ingredients from the store.  Ten minutes until I had to be home and caring for the kids because Maurice has to be at work by 5:00, and it was 4:51, and I was stressing.  No time to tap into my hankerings or cravings; I had to come up with a healthy idea, pay for it, and be home within ten minutes.

So I headed for the produce aisle with some kind of salad on my mind.  I really wasn't in the mood for salad; I wanted something warm and hearty.  That's when it struck me: baked pears topped with blue cheese is one of my favorite devour-able items, ever.  Once the wheels were turning, here is what I came up with:

Baked yams with honey, cinnamon, and brown sugar, tossed greens with homemade apricot/raspberry dressing, and baked apples and pears topped with blue cheese crumbles.  Recipes are as follows:

Baked Yams
6 medium-sized yams
honey
cinnamon
brown sugar

Bake yams in 400* oven for an hour to an hour, ten minutes.  Cut open and pour on about a tsp of honey (I used local honey).  Sprinkle with cinnamon and brown sugar.  Simple!

Berry/Apricot Dressing
1 cup red wine, reduced
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 lb. raspberries
1/2 lb. blackberries
4 apricots, peeled and quartered
Pepper to taste

Blend all ingredients in a blender or juicer until consistency is thin enough to drizzle. (I hate the word "drizzle".)  Pour over mix of spinach and romaine lettuce, toss.  You can also top this salad with toasted walnuts or almonds.  I used almonds tonight only because I burned the walnuts when I tried to toast them.  :-/

Baked apples/pears
4 apples, thick sliced
4 pears, thick sliced
Bleu cheese crumbles

Bake in 400* oven for half an hour or until tender but not mushy.  Remove and top with bleu cheese crumbles.

Aromatics

That's the name I came up with on the fly.  This soup was so good, and what I loved is that none of the ingredients are impossible to find (a huge plus if you live in rural Alaska).

Ingredients:
1 bag baby carrots, chopped
1/2 onion
2 braeburn apples, peeled and chopped
1 yam, peeled and chopped
3 cups of Red Mill veggie soup mix (alternatives: red lentil, brown lentil, split pea mix, or any variation of lentils, or split peas alone. It should be a type of dried bean that needs no pre-soaking)

Fall colors

9 cups water
2 cans veggie broth
1 can pumpkin puree
1 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp chili powder
dash salt
1 tbsp olive oil
Gorgonzola cheese, for topping

Boil beans in salted water for 30 minutes.  In the meantime, chop the apple, onion, carrots, and yam and sautee in olive oil to create aromatics. Once tender, remove from heat and set aside. (Note: The yam will cook faster and be easier to peel if you boil it in water for ten minutes and then let it cool before peeling and chopping and adding to aromatics blend.)

Once beans are boiled, add water, pumpkin puree, veggie broth, and the sauteed fruit and vegetables.  Bring to boil.  Add spices.  Allow to simmer for half an hour or more, until flavors are well-blended.  Serve topped with gorgonzola.  (Trust me when I say, the gorgonzola adds so much awesomeness to this recipe.)

It does look quite a bit like baby poop, but I promise, it's good superfood.

(A lot of) gorgonzola on top!

This one came to me just as I was making beef enchiladas for Maurice’s birthday dinner. What I like about this recipe is its simplicity. It’s literally a dump, wrap, bake, and done recipe.

1 can black beans
1/2 cup salsa
cilantro
4 flour tortillas
shredded cheese
1 can enchilada sauce

Drain the black beans and add to pan with salsa. Warm and add cilantro. Once mixture is warmed and flavors are well blended, remove from heat. Place 1 cup each of mixture on 4 burrito-size flour tortillas. Top with enchilada sauce and cheese. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes. Serve with rice. Voila.

*1 cup lentils
*4 carrots
*4 celery stalks
*2 small yukon gold potatoes
*2 small zuccini
*3 tsp minced garlic
*1/2 medium yellow onion
*16 oz (or half a box) organic vegetable broth
*1 or 2 cups water
*2 cups spinach
*1 can organic navy beans
*1 can low sodium organic diced tomatoes
*1 bay leaf
*2 tsp parsley
*salt and pepper to taste

Chop the carrots, celery, zuccini, potatoes, and onion and combine in pot with garlic and lentils. Boil until veggies are tender but not soft. Add bay leaf, spinach, parsley, salt, pepper, tomatoes and navy beans and boil another 15 – 20 minutes.

Serve with garlic bread and lots of love.

My kids ate thirds of this. It is so delicious (side note: I hate the word ‘delicious’) and packed with good stuff. It’s that simple.

I ganked this one straight from my husband, who ganked it from light cooking’s website. (Don’t quote me on that. I am a total recipe plagiarizer, apparently.) I found this recipe to be very time-consuming. I’m guessing partly because I could not find organic whole wheat no-bake lasagna noodles. This is one of those recipes you may want to make on a Sunday and freeze for pulling out on a busy week night. In any case, it is very hearty and has a rich, nutty flavor. I will make it again. When I have an entire afternoon at my disposal.

Butternut Squash Lasagna

Time Savers: Roast the squash and caramelize the onions the night before. You can refrigerate each until you’re ready to put the lasagna together.

Ingredients

1 medium butternut squash (about 2 lbs)
2 tsp olive oil, divided
3 medium Spanish onions, thinly sliced
1 cup low fat ricotta cheese
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
4 large egg whites
1/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
10 sage leaves, finely chopped
1/8 tsp sea salt
fresh ground black pepper to taste
2 cups part-skim fresh mozzarella
2 and 1/2 cups marinara sauce
1/2 lb. oven ready whole wheat lasagna
1/3 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cut squash in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds Lightly brush cut sides with 1 tsp olive oil and place, cut sides down, onto a parchment lined baking tray. Bake in oven for 25 minutes, until squash is tender when pierced with a fork. Remove from oven and let cool to room temperature.

Meanwhile, heat remaining 1 tsp olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add onions, stir and saute for 2-3 minutes, until onions begin to soften. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to cook for about 40 minutes, stirring frequently, until onions are very soft and golden brown. Remove from heat and set aside until cooled to room temperature.

Scoop out flesh of squash into the bowl of a food processor. Add ricotta, nutmeg, egg whites and Parmesan and process until smooth. Add sage and season with salt and pepper. Transfer mixture to a large mixing bowl and gently fold in caramelized onions.

Reserve 1/2 cup mozzarella, cover and refrigerate until needed.

Assemble lasagna:
Cover bottom of 9×13 inch casserole dish with about 1/2 cup marinara sauce. Top with a single layer of lasagna noodles, overlapping slightly, then 1 cup butternut squash mixture and 1/2 cup mozzarella. Repeat layers once, starting with 1/2 cup marinara sauce. Sprinkle walnuts evenly over mozzarella. Repeat layers once again. Finish with 1/2 cup marinara sauce, a layer of noodles, remaining butternut squash mixture, and remaining marinara sauce.

Cover dish with foil, place onto a baking tray and bake in oven for 45 minutes at 375 degrees. remove foil, top lasagna with reserved 1/2 cup of mozzarella and bake an additional 15 minutes.

Remove lasagna and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Serve in bowls with bottoms coated in about 2 tbsps heated marinara. Garnish with parsley or fresh basil.

Okay so this eggplant stack recipe is derived from like five sources (Including me. I did have some of my own revisions to this recipe so I can claim at least part ownership) and it is one of my new favorites.’

Eggplant Stacks

1 (1 lb) eggplant, cut crosswise into 1/2″ thick slices
3/4 tsp salt, divided
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup dry red wine
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 small zuccini,
2 baby portabella mushroom
1 tsp olive oil
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 cup goat cheese
1 tbsp chopped fresh basil
1 tsp chopped fresh oregano

Preparation

Place eggplant slices in a colander. Sprinkle evenly with 1/2 teaspoon salt; toss well. Let stand 10 minutes. Rinse slices thoroughly; dry with paper towels.

Combine vinegar, wine, and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer until reduced to 1/4 cup (about 8 minutes).

Prepare grill. Or if cooking in Alaska during winter, prepare pan for sauteeing or oven for roasting.

Trim ends from the zucchini; slice each lengthwise into 4 (1/4-inch-thick) slices. Rinse and slice portabellas. Flatten pepper pieces with hand. Brush eggplant, zucchini, squash, and pepper pieces with oil; sprinkle with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and black pepper. Place pepper pieces, skin side down, eggplant, zucchini, and squash on a grill rack; grill 8 minutes or until tender, turning once. *If using stovetop, simply follow grilling instructions. If roasting in oven, roast at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes until veggies are tender but not soft.

Combine cheese, basil, and oregano.

To assemble stack, place 1 eggplant slice on a plate; top with one-fourth of cheese mixture. Lay one portabella slice and one strip of zucchini side by side. Drizzle with 1 1/2 teaspoons balsamic mixture. Top with one pepper piece. Top with one eggplant slice and drizzle with 1 1/2 teaspoons balsamic mixture. Repeat procedure three times with remaining eggplant, cheese, portabella, zucchini, peppers, and balsamic mixture. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Notes: The original recipe calls for yellow squash instead of mushrooms. I thought the mushrooms were great, especially with the balsamic vinegar and red wine reduction. These are good kept in the fridge overnight and reheated in the oven for lunch the following day.

This recipe is packed with goodness. The best part is, its taste is as excellent as its nutritional value. I included in parentheses my small modifications (due to the fact that none of the stores in my area had sweet potatoes or red lentils on their shelves).

1/4 cup butter
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped (I used yams today.)
3 large carrots, peeled and chopped
1 apple, peeled, cored and chopped
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup red lentils
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
4 cups vegetable broth
plain yogurt

Directions
Melt the butter in a large, heavy bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Place the chopped sweet potatoes, carrots, apple, and onion in the pot. Stir and cook the apples and vegetables until the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes.
Stir the lentils, ginger, ground black pepper, salt, cumin, chili powder, paprika, and vegetable broth into the pot with the apple and vegetable mixture. Bring the soup to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the lentils and vegetables are soft, about 30 minutes.

Working in batches, pour the soup into a blender, filling the pitcher no more than halfway full. Hold down the lid of the blender with a folded kitchen towel, and carefully start the blender, using a few quick pulses to get the soup moving before leaving it on to puree. Puree in batches until smooth and pour into a clean pot. Alternately, you can use a stick blender and puree the soup right in the cooking pot.
Return the pureed soup to the cooking pot. Bring back to a simmer over medium-high heat, about 10 minutes. Add water as needed to thin the soup to your preferred consistency. Serve with yogurt for garnish. (Feta is also a good topping, although not as righteous as nonfat plain yogurt. I tried it with both, and both are good garnishes. Yogurt makes it sweeter; feta makes it tangier.)

Note: I did not puree this soup, as I don’t like the texture of pureed soups. I served it straight from the pot and it was yum!

Enjoy!

For those that do not know, that is a play on the Feist song “Mushaboom”. A great song, but the following recipes are deeeeelicious and both incorporate mushrooms.

Erica Neuman { http://networkedblogs.com/bAlq4 } posted this recipe a few days ago and although I have not tried it yet, I plan to make this pot of goodness over the weekend. Like Erica, I also try to have something on-hand in the fridge or the freezer to heat up at a moment’s notice…This practice serves as a real life-saver in a situation where you are too busy to plan a meal, but want to avoid eating over-processed, over-salted foods. Thank you for this recipe, Miss America.

Lentil, Mushroom, and Spinach Soup

1 tbsp Olive Oil
2 large Carrots, chopped
1 large Onion, chopped
2 stalks of Celery, chopped
5 cloves of Garlic, finely minced or pushed thru a garlic press
16 ounces of Mushrooms, sliced (I used baby portabella but feel free to use whatever type you love)
4 sprigs of fresh Thyme
1/4 cup Red Wine
1 cup brown Lentils, rinsed
7 cups Water or Vegetable Stock
1 Bay Leaf
2 cups Baby Spinach
Salt & Pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the carrots, onions and celery and saute about 5 minutes. Add the garlic & mushrooms and continue to saute an additional 5 minutes. Add the fresh thyme (you can add the entire sprig and then remove the stalks later) and red wine and cook until the wine is completely reduced. Add the lentils, water or vegetable stock & the bay leaf. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the the heat and simmer for 30-40 minutes until the lentils are done.
If you are serving right away, stir in the spinach and allow to wilt. if you are serving at a later time, add the spinach to the soup right before reheating.
Season with salt & pepper to taste.
Enjoy!

And this recipe is one that I made up on the fly. The rest of my family are meat-eaters and quite enjoy my homemade spaghetti sauce. I had a portabella mushroom left from the 2-pack I bought earlier in the week, and decided to modify my old spaghetti sauce recipe for Kyleigh and I. Here’s how it went down (measurements are approximate and the final serving size is about 3):

1/2 cup tomato sauce. I use plain old unsalted from the can.
1/3 cup diced roma tomatoes
1 celery stalk, chopped
1/4 yellow onion, diced
1 tsp minced fresh garlic
1 portabella mushroom, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil. I use (again, plain old) Bertoli extra virgin and when I say 1 tbsp, I MEAN only 1 tbsp. A little goes far.)
1 tsp parsley or 2 sprigs fresh
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp oregano

Heat olive oil over medium heat and add celery, onions, and garlic. Saute until tender (to taste…I like my celery still a bit firm and not soggy.) Add chopped portabella and saute to desired tenderness. Turn heat off and allow veggies to sit for ten minutes. Add tomato sauce, diced roma tomatoes, parsley, bay leaf, and oregano and simmer on low while your pasta cooks. (We served over whole wheat penne.) This recipe is even better after it’s refrigerated overnight or frozen for a few days!

This recipe is brought to you by mexgrocer.com…or by googling, “vegetarian mexican recipes”.

8 each Mission® Soft Taco Size Flour Tortillas
4 tsp. Olive Oil
2 cups Mozzarella Cheese grated
1 cup homemade (see below) or purchased Pesto sauce
8 each sundried Tomatoes packed in oil, cut into strips
4 oz. Goat Cheese
2 tsp. Pinenuts (optional)

1. Lay a tortilla down on an oiled baking pan. Lightly brush the tortilla with 1/8 cup of the pesto. Next, sprinkle 1/4 cup of the cheese over the pesto. Lay another tortilla over the pesto and cheese and repeat the procedure of pesto and cheese. Then, arrange the sundried tomatoes, goat cheese and pinenuts (if desired) on the top tortilla over the pesto and cheese.
2. Repeat whole procedure with remaining tortillas and ingredients. Bake in 400 degree F. oven until crispy, about 10 minutes.

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Let’s face it….Between the tortillas and the cheese and the olive oil, this recipe is probably not very righteous. But it’s good and I cannot wait to eat it for dinner tonight!

I’m a big tapenade fan, so I’m thinking some olives or artichokes might make a great addition to this recipe. Also, I’m going to downsize the measurement for the mozzarella and goat cheeses to 2 oz.