JuBella.com – Get Your Creative Dose

It has taken me forever and a day to come up with a really good pancake recipe that suits my taste. You know the perfect pancake..light, fluffy, sweet, and tender. This version uses lemon extract and blueberries and tastes divine with a really good warm maple or blueberry syrup.

Lemon Blueberry Pancakes
1 1/2 C. All Purpose Flour
1/2 C. Sugar
1 tsp. Baking Powder
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1/4 tsp. Salt
1 Egg, beaten
1/2 tsp. Lemon Extract
1/2 C. Plain Nonfat Yogurt or 1/2 C. Buttermilk
1/2 C. Unsweetened Almond Milk or regular whole milk
2/3 C. Water
2 Tbsp. Canola Oil
1 C. Fresh Blueberries, slightly smashed

Directions:

1. Combine all of your dry ingredients except your blueberries. stir in egg, then yogurt, extract, and milk, and then your oil and water. Stir lightly. You do not want to over mix your batter to avoid tough pancakes. Gently fold in your blueberries. Let your batter sit for about 5 minutes.

2. Using a 1/4 measuring cup, pour your batter into a non stick pan or onto your griddle. spread the batter around. I like to cover my pan with the top to let my pancake sort of stem as it cooks. Once you begin to see the edges firm up and small bubbles appear on top, your pancake is ready to be flipped. Serve with your favorite syrup!

Tonight we had a delightful combination of Jamaica and Italy. I know I know, what a combo right, but both items blended so well together! This morning I started off by making my dough for my Jamaican Chicken Patties and within minutes I whipped up a pot of comforting minestrone soup. This happens to be one of my favorite soups to prepare and eat, as it is super easy and super tasty.

For the chicken patties I pretty much followed Emerils recipe that I found on the Food Network, although I made several adjustments and additions to the filling, as seen below the pic!

My Alterations To Emerils Jamaican Meat Patties:

1. Instead of ground beef, I used Ground Chicken

2. I only used 3 cloves of garlic

3. Cumin seeds instead of cumin powder

4. I added in a bit of the following spices: cinnamon, coriander, paprika, salt, and Jamaican jerk spice blend.

5. Instead of beef broth, I used low sodium chicken broth

6. I did not use any Jamaican rum

7. Towards the end I added in 1 T. of flour and a little bit of brown sugar

My pot of minestrone took minutes to prepare, thanks to some left over cabbage! I did not worry about exact measurements as I was preparing for this, so I will only be able to share with you the seasonings that I used, but it’s a super easy soup to make and you can taste and add to as you go to enhance it to your liking. See recipe below pic!

Minestrone Soup

Ingredients
1lb 12 oz Can of Whole Tomatoes
2 C. Cooked & Seasoned Cabbage (Again I used leftover cabbage which I seasoned with: salt, sugar, pepper, a dash of hot sauce, and sometimes smoked turkey wings. Cook until tender, but not mushy)
1 1/2 C. Chicken Broth (you can also use water and one chicken bouillon cube)
15 oz Can of Organic Cannellini or Northern Beans
Thyme
Black Pepper
Salt
Paprika
Worcestershire Sauce
Thinly Sliced Zucchini
Cooked Macaroni Noodles (boiled in salt water)

Directions: Pour your tomatoes into a large pot. Bring to a simmer. Add in your beans, zucchini, and cabbage. Now stir in your seasonings. Pour your broth into the pot and bring to a low boil. Reduce heat. Stir in your cooked noodles. Scoop soup into your bowls and garnish with shredded mozzarella on top!

Recently my husband brought home 3 pounds of almonds…so what’s a girl to do? Make many batches of almond milk..that’s what she does! While for the most part, it may be cheaper to just buy almond milk already prepared and packaged, I must say that it was quite exciting and super easy to make my own. Here is what you will need to make approximately 32oz, which is the same size as one Blue Diamond Almond Milk containers:

Almond Milk
1 1/2 – 2C. Raw Almonds, soaked for at least 6 hours or overnight
1/2oz. Raisins or Chopped Dates, soaked for at least 6 hours or overnight
5C. Filtered Water
1/8 tsp. salt
2/4tsp. Pure Vanilla Extract or one Vanilla Bean
4-6tsp. Agave Nectar
Mesh Strainer
2 Large Bowls
Cheesecloth or any kind of thin fabric

Directions:
1. Place all of your almonds, raisins, and water into your blender and blend until there are no large almond pieces left(you will have small granules). Using your strainer, strain the almond milk into your bowl. At this point you can store your almond pulp in a sandwich bag for baking sweet breads or muffins…it adds great moisture.

2. Now place your cheesecloth over your other bowl and pour all of the strained almond milk over the cloth. This step will catch all of the fine almond granules that believe me, you do not want in your milk! Squeeze any remaining milk out of cloth and throw away the remaining pulp.

3. Flavor your milk with the salt, vanilla, and agave nectar. You can add or take away the amount of agave nectar recommended for a milder or sweeter milk. I like mine somewhere in the middle and 4 teaspoons of nectar usually satisfies my taste. You can also sweeten your milk with regular sugar,, but it would add a lot more calories…we don’t want that now do we! The agave nectar in my opinion is the perfect sweetener..not too sweet and it does not have that pungent after taste that honey leaves.

As time goes on, you may notice a lack in pasta dishes. This is not because I do not like it, but we just simply so not eat much of it. Every now and then I may whip up a bowl of pasta salad or some sort of orzo dish, but that’s about all. Nevertheless, i love lasagna, but sometimes, I just don’t feel like carrying all of the carbs that come along with the pasta portion of it. So, I enjoy this dish in which i lovingly call it my “no pasta lasagna”. It’s made up of layers of seasoned veggies and cheese then baked until golden brown and bubbly!

No Pasta Lasagna Bake
2 Zucchinis OR 1 eggplant, sliced (i myself prefer eggplant)
Grated Parmesean
Black Pepper
Salt
1 Egg
1 C. Italian Bread Crumbs
2 C. All Purpose Flour
Canola or Vegetable Oil for Frying

Combine your flour and your breadcrumbs in a large bowl and set aside. Season your zucchini or eggplant slices with salt and pepper. Dip each one into your egg. Place slices in your flour mixture and make sure both sides of all of your zucchini or eggplant is covered with flour and bread crumbs. Fry your zucchini or eggplant until golden brown. Place on a baking sheet and generously sprinkle with grated parmesean.

1 Crown of Broccoli: Cut and season your broccoli with a bit of salt and let steam in a bit of warm water. Remove broccoli once tender and toss in 1tbsp butter.

Baby Portobella Mushrooms: Slice your desired amount of mushrooms and set aside

2 Small Yellow Squash: Slice and season with salt, pepper, and grated parmesean cheese and set aside.

The Sauce
I love to use Barillas Marinara sauce. It’s absolutely perfect straight out of the jar…good stuff indeed!

Ground Turkey: Season 1 lb. of ground turkey meat with the following and cook until done. Add your sauce after meat has cooked fully:
1 tsp. Fennel Seeds
1/8 tsp. Cinnamon
1/2 tsp. Black Pepper
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Paprika
1 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce
1 Tbsp. Grated Parmesean
1 Tbsp. Dried Basil
1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp. Thyme
1 Tbsp. Marsala Wine
1 Large Pinch of Sage
1 C. Barillas Marinara Sauce

The Cheese
1 C. Cottage Cheese
3 C. Shredded Mozarella
1/4 C. Grated Parmesean

The Layers
Spray your baking dish with a little non-stick spray and layer as follows:
Fried zuchinni or eggplant
Cottage Cheese
1 C. Mozarella
Broccoli
1 C. Mozarella
Ground Turkey
Mushrooms
Squash
1 C. Mozarella
Parmesean Cheese

Bake your dish until your cheese becomes bubbly and golden brown. Let cool. Pour a bit of your sauce onto your plate and then place a portion of the lasagna on top. Serve with extra sauce.

This soup is super easy & quick to make and tastes so delicious! If you can, I would suggest preparing this one day before you plan to have it for dinner to let all the flavors marinate, or if you cannot make it a day in advance, try making it in the morning & let marinate in the fridge! The measurements used below was enough for 4 servings, so feel free to add more depending on the size of your family!

Ingredients:
1 Chicken Breast, thawed
Taco Seasoning
Cayenne Pepper
Garlic Powder
Cilantro, dries or freshly chopped
Salt for seasoning
Olive Oil
1 yellow Onion, chopped
1 Stalk of celery, chopped
1 dried/roasted red chili pepper
1 Tbsp. Poblano Pepper, finely chopped
2 Cloves of Garlic
3 Cups of Chicken broth
1 Can of Diced Tomatoes
1 Can of Black Beans
1 Stalk of White Corn
1/2 tsp. Ground Coriander
1/2 tsp. Ground Cumin
Black pepper
4-5 Tbsp. Sour Cream
3 Tbsp. Flour
Tortillas
Vegetable Oil, for frying
1 Avocado, mashed
Salsa
Shredded Cheese

Directions for Chicken: Season your chicken with: salt, desires amount of cayenne & garlic powder, taco seasoning, and cilantro. Drizzle the top with a bit of olive oil and bake at 350 degrees until tender and done. Cut into small thin strips.

Preparing The Soup: Place about 2 Tbsp of your olive oil into your pot. Saute your onions, celery, garlic, and peppers until onion has browned and celery is tender. Add about 1/2 a cup of your broth to your pot, then add your chicken.

Add tomatoes and black beans. Stir. Now add the remainder of your broth and your fresh corn. Season with black pepper, coriander & cumin, and salt only if necessary.let simmer for about 10 minutes. Mix your sour cream with your flower. Now add a few spoon fulls of your soup into your sour cream and flour mixture & stir well. Pour & stir mixture into pot.

For Your Fried Tortillas: Simply cut your tortillas into short 1/2 inch strips. Fry your strips in your heated oil(make sure your oil is not too hot). STRIPS WILL BROWN VERY QUICKLY therefore you will only need to keep them in the oil for two or three seconds. Place your strips on a plate. Top with shredded cheese and cilantro. Place in the microwave long enough to let the cheese melt.

To Serve: Pour your soup into a bowl and garnish with shredded cheese. Serve salsa, sour cream and avocado on the side for both your soup and tortilla strips! Enjoy.

This meal would go great with a lime/lemonade over ice or if you really need a kick..a lime margarita:)

Hi Everybody! So, I was up late and had a major craving for a cool smoothie, but since I did not want to wake everyone in the house up with my incredibly loud blender, I changed my mood to something warm. Anyhow, I came up with this super easy and quite delightful chai inspired recipe. Its made with sweet & spicy spices and a dash of cocoa which leaves a silky, smooth, sweet, & chocolate aftertaste! Ok, have I convinced you enough to try it? Here is the recipe.

Tip: You can cool this recipe off by chilling it in the fridge and garnishing it with some shaved chocolate and whip cream or serve along side a scone, or biscotti, or a light shortbread cookie!

For The Spiced Tea Bags:

1/4 tsp: of: Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Ginger, Black Pepper, and Fennel Seeds

2/4 tsp. Cardamon

1 clove

2 Pieces of Muslin or Light Cotton, cut into squares

Cotton String

For The Tea Base:

2 C. Sweetened Vanilla Almond Milk (I used the Blue Diamond Brand)

1 small Black Tea Bag

1/4 tsp. Pure Vanilla Extract

1/4 tsp. Unsweetened Cocoa

2 tsp. Sugar

Directions: Take your first cloth square and place all of your spices except your cardamon in the center. Pull up the sides and tightly tie a piece of string around the top to close(as seen in the photo above). Do the same with your other piece of cloth for your cardamon. Make sure you have your cloth tied tightly as you do not want any spices coming out.

Now take a saucepan and pour in your milk, put in your small black tea bag, your two handmade spiced tea bags, and your vanilla. bring to a light boil. bring it down to a simmer and let your tea steep for at least 15-20 minutes. For a stronger blend, you can let your tea steep much longer . Now whisk in your sugar and cocoa until both have dissolved. Pour into your favorite tea cup and enjoy!

Tip: if you want a spicier tea, simply add more ginger to your spiced tea bag.

Good Morning Everybody! So, I totally could not resist posting this video, as he makes me more than excited to cook up some pancakes…he is quite enthused indeed! Nevertheless, this is a recipe for Spanish pancakes made with chocolate and olive oil(two of my favorite ingredients)!

I hope your weekend went well? Mine was pretty good. It was quite rainy and gloomy for the entire weekend, but I didn’t mind as I love to open up the window to enjoy the cool breeze and the sound of raindrops hitting the window and ground. Ok, enough of my ramble…Enjoy!

image by norjam8

What inspires you to be creative in your kitchen?

There are many reasons why we hate going in the kitchen to cook dinner or even to prepare a snack. Here are five tips to get you on your way to being creative in the kitchen!

1. Clean Kitchen: This is the most important thing to remember. Having a clean kitchen will motivate you to actually want to cook.

2. The Decorative Kitchen: Adding some personality to your kitchen space really can effect how creative and inspired you are in the kitchen. This can be done inexpensively with magazine tear-outs, tea towels, decorative aprons, and so on. You will also want to stock your kitchen with creative and pretty cookbooks. Also, disguising all of your kitchen cleaning products such as sponges and dish detergent by using decorative bottles & containers can make the tasks of cleaning a bit more pleasurable.

3. The Refrigerator: When you go to cook, there is nothing worse than having to dig around plastic zip-lock bags and tons of tupper-ware to find all of your ingredients. Don’t forget that making the inside of your fridge pretty is just as important as making your entire kitchen pleasing to the eye.

4. Fresh & New Ingredients: We all have our basic items that we need to pick up from the market, but try buying just a few items if you can that has a packaging design that you love. Something that makes you feel special, such as: specialty teas in pretty tin cans, unique bottles soda or fresh juice. Also, make sure that your ingredients are fresh and beautiful!

5. Tools That Works: Last but most definitely not least, make sure you invest in quality kitchen utensils, cookware, bakeware, and storage containers. In the long run it will save you a lot more money if you buy quality first! Good tools will result in good food, and that alone will motivate you to want to experiment more in the kitchen!

Here is a lovely winter soup to tantalize all of your taste buds! My husband took me to a local cafe that served tomato basil apple soup and I thought it was fantastic, yet their version was a bit too sweet for my liking. So, what to do…make my own! It’s super easy and only calls for a few simple ingredients.

I love honey crisp apples so I highly suggest you use them if you can find them at your local market. They are the BEST apples that I have ever had. Super crisp, and has a perfect balance of sweet and tart. If honey crisps are not available try to go for a Gala or a Fuji apple…something with a bite, but not too sweet or too tart. Granny Smith apples can be a bit to sour to balance out the acidity of the tomatoes. We had this tonight along with smoked turkey deli style sandwiches!

Tomato Basil Apple Soup

Ingredients
2 Honey Crisp apples, peeled, and diced into chunks
1 Clove of Garlic or 1tsp. Garlic Paste
Salt
Olive Oil
1 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce
10 Oz. Condensed Tomato Soup
12 oz. Whole Tomatoes
2 Tbsp. Dried or Fresh Basil
1 1/2 C. Fresh or Natural Apple Juice

Directions: Bake your apples in your oven for 15-20 minutes or until tender on 350 degrees. Set aside. Make a garlic paste by mincing your garlic, add a dash of salt and a drizzle of olive oil and continue mincing until a paste has formed. Pour your condensed soup into a large pot. Coarsely blend your whole tomatoes, garlic paste and 1 C. of your apples. Add blended mixture to your condensed soup and begin to simmer. Add in the rest of your apples, worcestershire sauce, basil, 1/4 tsp. salt, and apple juice. Continue simmering. Salt to taste. Serve with a homemade deli turkey or veggie sandwich.

Good Morning Everybody! Hoping all is beautiful in your part of the world? It has been a while since I have done a true “Good Morning Monday” post, so, this morning for breakfast we are having Tartelettes Lavender Oatmeal Squares! I am a huge fan of Tartelette as her recipes as well as her photos are so decadent and inspiring & I really love how she presented/packaged these little oat squares! Click Here For The Recipe!

Also, I wanted to let you all know that I have started two new blogs to further help categorize the many facets of my life! One focuses on the many faces of fashion which is called Style Gypsy, and the other is a motherhood blog called Inspiring Mama. So, for all of you who love fashion and/or motherhood then do feel free to stop by and visit! I have found some fantastic eye candy to post this week, so stay tuned and I hope you all have a wonderful day!

Ingredients for Crab Sauce:
Crab Legs, fresh
2-3 C. Water
Salt for water
Beer (optional, yet the alcohol cooks out and adds a GREAT sweetness to your crab)
1/2 Lemon, fresh & cut into small wedges
3-4 Garlic Cloves
1 Tbsp.Olive Oil
2 Tbsp. Flat Leaf Parsley
4 Tbsp. Butter/Margarine
1 Tbsp. Sour Cream
1 Roma Tomato, diced
1 tsp. Garlic Powder
1 Bay Leaf
1/8 tsp. Black pepper
Pinch of Crushed/fresh Basil
1/2 Tbsp. Red Wine

Ingredients for Linguine:
Salt for Boiling Water
3 Cups Spinach Leaves
1 Tbsp. Sour Cream
1/4 Tsp. Crushed Basil
Dash of Black Pepper
1/2 Tsp. Garlic Powder
1 Tbsp. Butter
Drizzle of Olive Oil

Topping/Garnish: Fresh Parmesean Cheese

Directions for Crab Sauce: Pour your water, salt, lemon, & beer(optional) into a large pot. Add crab legs & let steam until warmed. Remove from heat. Crack open your crab legs and remove the meat from them. Place meat into a bowl or onto a plate.

With stove OFF, drizzle your olive oil into a pan. Add remaining ingredients including the lemon wedges from your steamed crab and simmer on high until your butter has melted. Continue simmering on low for about 10 minutes. Turn off heat, cover, and set to the side, as you do not want your crab meat to overcook.

Directions for Linguine: After your linguine has boiled to a tender texture in your salt water, add all of your ingredients and toss together.

To Plate: lay a bed of linguine onto your plate and top with your crab sauce. Garnish with fresh parmesean cheese!

So, just the other night I prepared a great dish for the family that involved some orzo stuffed tomatoes. I served it alongside a shrimp ceasar salad (psst..I made the ceasar dressing myself..this was the first time making a creamy dressing, and I was so excited…the hubby loved it!) Ok, so back to the orzo. After cooking the orzo in salted water, I seasoned it with the following ingredients:

Garlic powder
Pesto
Marinara
Blackened sun dried tomatoes, julienne cut(sear tomatoes in some olive oil until blackened and crisp)
Olive oil
Dash of salt
Crushed basil
Feta Cheese
Red wine

I must say that the red wine really topped it off. It brought out ALL of the flavors and the sweetness from the tomatoes. This is definitely a dish that I will be making again! You will want to cut the tops and the bottoms slightly off some large steak tomatoes. Rub them all over w/ a bit of olive oil and bake them in the oven on 350 degrees & for a few minutes I put it under the broiler to get a mice “roasted” effect along the edges of the tomatoes(be sure that you so not leave it under the broiler or baking for too long as your tomatoes could burst)! Then stuff with your seasoned orzo. This meal is truly delish and is vegetarian friendly also, but you can easily add some roasted chicken breast to the orzo to make it more filling. Bon Appetit!

Good morning everybody! Oh, I am feeling so much better in the past few days! I have not been bothered with morning sickness, but the fatigue and lack of energy is something to deal with, especially when you have a running list of things you have to/would like to do! Nevertheless, it’s a beautiful Monday morning and I hope your week is off to a creative one! I wanted to share this recipe that I found via Cream Puffs In Venice. It’s called Lemony Bread Pudding French Toast(does that nor make your mouth water as you read it?). I must try this, even if it is just as a dessert or a guilty pleasure snack! Just click on the link above for the full interview, and while you are there you will definitely want to bookmark the following that really caught my appetite:

Jam Crostada

Strawberry Lemonade

Three Cheese & Mushroom Pizza

Stuffed Eggplant

Chocolate Toffee Biscotti

Okay everybody, i hope you enjoy these tasty finds and I have some inspiring posts for this week! Have a wonderful Monday to you all!

Oh my, yes, I have missed my Monday routine, but all is not lost because we still have Tuesday afternoons! I ran across this recipe from the lovely Heidi Swansons: 101 Cookbooks and thought I just have to try this next week! It’s an Artichoke Dip recipe made with silken tofu! It looks so good. I would probably add a bit more cheese to mine, and I wish I had some cute mini iron “pots” to serve mine in!

Click here for the recipe!

Hi there everybody! How was your weekend? Our weekend went pretty well. I was hoping for rain, yet not a drop was in sight. There is nothing better on a fall Sunday than napping with the rain, snacking on yummy food, and an entertaining stack of old and new movies!

So, I ran across this scrumptious recipe for cranberry pancakes! Oh my, they look so enticing, and this recipe is pretty healthy, especially healthier than the boxed mixes you may pick up at the market. Serve alongside some fresh oranges or orange juice or even some hot orange spice tea, and you have yourself a comforting treat for a fall morning!

Cranberry Pancakes
Ingredients:
1/2 cup fresh cranberries
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons whole-wheat flour
1 tablespoon yellow cornmeal
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg or 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoons nonfat milk
2 tablespoons pasteurized egg substitute, such as Egg Beaters
1 1/2 teaspoons walnut or canola oil

Directions:
1. Bring 2 inches of water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add cranberries; boil for 2 minutes. Drain and cool for 5 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, whisk all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, salt and nutmeg (if using) in a large bowl.

3. Whisk milk, egg substitute, oil and vanilla (if using) in a small bowl until combined.

4. Coarsely chop the cranberries; stir into the milk mixture. Stir the milk mixture into the dry ingredients just until combined.

5. Coat a griddle or large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium heat. Using 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake, cook 2 pancakes at a time until bubbles dot the surface, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip and continue cooking until browned, 1 to 2 minutes more. Repeat with the remaining batter.

recipe & image from eatingwell.com