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Kari & Courtney

Creamy Tzatziki Dip with Cucumber and Dill

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I’m not gonna lie, tzatziki is fun to say!  Go ahead, say it!  Sounds like this…”Sa Zee Kee”.  Raise your hand if you love Greek food!! We are huge fans and this delicious, cool, lemony, garlicky, refreshing and light yogurt dip could very well be the main reason!  If you are unaware of what tzatziki is, you are about to be enlightened…and then well, you are just going to have to make this.  It’s beyond easy and you don’t need a lot of ingredients.  (applause!!) Basically, you just need greek yogurt, lemon, cucumber, garlic and dill.  One of the most fun parts about making this dip is grating the cucumber on your cheese grater then squeezing out all of the juice.  Not to mention, that’s pretty much it for the effort part too.  We love to serve this as a simple dip with pita chips or use it as a sauce with chicken and hummus as well.  Say it again…We love Tzatziki!!

tzakiki

Tzatziki
 
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Serves: 2 cups
Ingredients
  • 2 C Fage 0% Greek yogurt
  • ½ English cucumber
  • 2 Tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • zest of 1 lemon
  • 2 Tbsp chopped dill
  • 1 clove garlic, pressed
  • ½ tsp kosher salt
Instructions
  1. In a medium bowl add yogurt. Using a box grater, grate the cucumber. Squeeze excess juice from grated cucumber with a thin dish towel, cheese cloth or with your hand. Add the cucumber and all remaining ingredients to the yogurt. Mix to incorporate all ingredients. Best served chilled.

Banana Bread With Chocolate Chunks

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Banana break with chocolate chunks, really? Behold the holy grail of banana breads.  I don’t know how or why it’s taken us so long to share this recipe with all of you but now you will no longer look at brown bananas the same again. Knowing how good this banana bread is you will buy bananas just so they can turn brown so you can make this bread. It’s always a good day when bananas turn dark brown and mushy!!

Just a little tip…buy extra bananas so you can throw two loaves in the oven instead of one.  Like my Nana always used to say…”It’s best to have 2!” This way you can wrap one up and freeze it for later or make someones day and share the extra loaf with a friend or neighbor. Anyone that knows me knows that I either have a loaf on the counter at all times or bananas sitting out just waiting to turn brown.  Throwing away rotten bananas is just wrong on so many levels.  Friends don’t let friends toss out rotten bananas and since we’re friends I am telling you that you need to put those ooey gooey beautifully brown bananas to good use and make this bread.  STAT!

Want to see more banana recipes?

http://www.goodthymekitchen.com/chocolate-zucchini-banana-muffins/

http://www.goodthymekitchen.com/chocolate-chunk-banana-bread-french-toast-fresh-strawberries/

http://www.goodthymekitchen.com/chocolate-covered-frozen-bananas/


Banana Bread With Chocolate Chunks
 
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Serves: 1 loaf
Ingredients
  • 3 extra ripe bananas mashed
  • 1 large egg
  • ¼ C coconut oil
  • 1 Tbsp 0% plain greek yogurt
  • 1½ tsp vanilla
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 C packed dark brown sugar
  • 1½ C unbleached flour
  • ⅓ C semi sweet chocolate chunks (optional)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a large bowl add all of the wet ingredients and mix thoroughly. Add brown sugar, salt, cinnamon and baking soda and mix. Add flour and mix until ingredients are combined. Fold in chocolate chunks.
  2. Grease loaf pan (we like to use coconut oil spray). Spoon batter into loaf pan. Bake for 45-55 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.
  3. Good Thyme Tip - We love to add shredded coconut to this recipe and even sprinkle shredded coconut on top before baking.

Garlic & Lemon Herb Butter

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Garlic and lemon herb butter is so easy and well, like the best thing ever! How can such a small ingredient change up a recipe so much? Adding flavor to butter like this garlic and lemon herb butter can totally transform your dish taking it form boring to complex and so totally flavorful! It’s an easy process but it packs a big punch. You can experiment with different flavor combinations creating either savory as in this case, or a sweet butter like maple cinnamon or orange vanilla.

Lemon, garlic and fresh herbs make chicken, fish, veggies, pasta, or just about anything better. The process is simple, leave a stick of unsalted butter out until it reaches room temperature. Add butter, juice and rind of 1 lemon, 2 cloves pressed garlic and chopped herbs (rosemary, basil & dill). Add a pinch of kosher salt and mix until incorporated. Place the butter on a piece of parchment paper and roll into a log, tie each end and store in the fridge for 10 days.

Let us know how you use your her butter or what flavor combinations you come up with. We would love to hear from you!


Garlic & Lemon Herb Butter
 
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Serves: 1 stick of butter
Ingredients
  • 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 cloved garlic, pressed (pushed through a garlic press or finely minced)
  • zest of 1 medium lemon
  • juice of 1 medium lemon
  • 1 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
  • 1 Tbsp chopped fresh dill
  • 1 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
  • ¼ tsp kosher salt to taste
Instructions
  1. In a medium bowl mash softened butter with a fork. Add all remaining ingredients except salt and stir until mixed. Add kosher salt to taste - approx ¼ tsp.
  2. Spoon butter onto a piece of parchment paper. Form butter into a log shape. Wrap tightly in parchment paper and store in a ziploc bag. Store in refrigerator for up to 10 days or freeze for up to 6 months.
Good Thyme Tip - Use your favorite herb combinations such as tarragon, sage, parsley, etc. herb butter is great with pasta, seafood, poultry, really anything!

Pasta with Sweet Italian Chicken Sausage & Peas

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So dinner really can’t get easier than this 4 ingredient pasta with sweet Italian chicken sausage and peas.  Well, technically it’s 5 ingredients if you count the sprinkle of cheese on top.  Anyways, not only is this crazy easy it is so delicious!  This is hands down my daughter, Alexa’s, favorite dinner and I know it’s in the rotation at Courtney’s house too.

This is all you need, a package of sweet Italian chicken sausage, a jar of marinara sauce (or make your own if you prefer homemade), a bag of frozen peas and pasta of your choice – we chose gluten free brown rice fusilli, but use whatever floats your boat.

Heat a large pot of boiling water to cook the pasta, while the pasta is boiling you can assemble rest of the meal.  Heat a a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Removes casings from sausage and add the sausage to the skillet, use a sharp edge spatula to break up the sausage as it browns.  Brown the sausage for about 10 minutes, add marinara and peas and cook for an additional 5 minutes.  Drain pasta and spoon the sauce over the top.  Garnish with cheese, optional but really not an option!! Easy 15-20 minute weeknight meal DONE!


Pasta with Sweet Italian Chicken Sausage & Peas
 
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Serves: 6-8
Ingredients
  • 1 lb brown rice pasta (we used fusilli)
  • 1 lb sweet Italian chicken sausage
  • 2 C frozen peas
  • 1 jar pasta sauce (we prefer Victoria by White Linen)
  • grated pecorino romano or parmesan cheese (optional)
Instructions
  1. Fill a large stockpot with water, generously salt and bring to a boil. Once water is boiling add the pasta and cook according to package instructions.
  2. Heat a large skillet with deep sides over medium-high heat. Remove casings on sausage by cutting a knife down the middle of each sausage and removing the insides, discarding the casings. Place the meat of the sausage in the skillet. Using a sharp edge spatula, break up the sausage as it browns. Brown the sausage for approximately 10 minutes. Add frozen peas and marinara sauce and cook for an additional 5 minutes until the peas are cooked and warmed.
  3. Drain pasta and place in a large serving bowl, top with sauce, sausage and peas. If desired, sprinkle with romano or parmesan cheese to serve.

Organic Raw Cacao Butter

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Raw cacao butter is where it’s at!  It’s a natural fat extracted from the cacao bean of the cacao tree and it’s used as a base in chocolate.  It melts easily, sets quickly and gives chocolate the smooth finish we love.  It also has skin moisturizing benefits, it’s used as a hair conditioner, and it improves heart health as well.  The list goes on regarding the ways to utilize raw cacao butter but of course we like to use it in some of our  favorite recipes like our vegan peanut butter cups.

You can buy raw cacao butter at most Whole Foods and Sprouts, or pick up a bag online by clicking on the link below.

(Affiliate)

Ginger Garlic Flank Steak

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Tonight was all about ginger garlic flank steak! Let’s get real…nobody has time to spend 2 hours in the kitchen serving up Martha Stewart style dinners every night.  If you have time on a Sunday or during the holidays that’s obviously when it’s more realistic to be able to dedicate the time to that type of cooking.   For the rest of the days that you are running around like a crazy person trying to get everything accomplished, including dinner, this meal can easily fit into a hectic day.  We really try our best to bring you meals that are healthy and inspiring but don’t require 100 ingredients and hours of cooking.  This ginger flank steak is so simple to make and we promise that you won’t be slaving away in the kitchen all night long!

You can throw the steak in a ziplock bag the night before to marinade overnight.  For the marinade just mix up soy sauce, sesame oil, olive oil, honey, fresh ginger, garlic and fresh squeezed lime juice and add it to the bag with the steak.  When dinner time rolls around the next day, simply sear the steak on each side for about 3 minutes.  Complete cooking by finishing it off in the oven at 425 degrees for about 5 minutes.

Stephanie Heymann Photography

You can serve the steak over rice or cauliflower rice like we have done and add a steamed veggie like green beans or broccoli.  Dinner really doesn’t get much easier than this, and it’s delicious!!!

Stephanie Heymann Photography

Ginger Garlic Flank Steak
 
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Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 1 pound flank steak
For the Marinade:
  • 3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon oilve oil
  • 2 teaspoons honey
  • 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
  • 2 cloves garlic - chopped
  • juice of ½ fresh lime
Instructions
  1. In a small bowl, mix ingredients for marinade and pour over steak in either a large ziploc bag or baking dish. Marinate in refrigerator for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours.
  2. Preheat oven to 425°. Preheat grill pan on high heat. Sear meat on both sides for about 3 minutes each until a deep brown crust achieved. Transfer grill pan to oven and continue cooking for about 5 more minutes for medium rare or a little longer for medium.
  3. Remove from oven and transfer meat to cutting board and let it rest for 10 minutes. You can tent with foil loosley to keep warm.Cut thinly on the diagonal or against the grain to ensure the pieces are tender.
Great served with cauliflower rice and steamed green beans as shown.

Chocolate Espresso Chia Pudding

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Chocolate espresso chia pudding is on our top 10 breakfast list! Dessert for breakfast?  Sounds too good to be true, right?  Not only is this chocolate espresso chia seed pudding super healthy, it will also put an extra pep in your step with the addition of espresso. Chia seeds are one of the best things you can eat and the perfect way to start off your day.  They are a whole grain food and although they are tiny little seeds they are among one of the most nutritious foods you can get your hands on.  They are packed with fiber, protein and omega-3 fatty acids.  So loading up on these tiny little seeds is always a good thing!

This pudding takes all of 5 minutes to put together, but it needs to sit overnight to set up.  Make it before you go to bed, when you wake up breakfast will be ready!  Top with fresh strawberries or raspberries and enjoy!


Chocolate Espresso Chia Pudding
 
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Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 1½ C unsweetened almond milk or other nut milk, or dairy milk of choice
  • ⅓ C chia seeds
  • ¼ C unsweetened cacao powder
  • 3 Tbsp maple syrup
  • 1 Tbsp instant espresso powder
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • ½ tsp cinammon
  • himalayan pink salt or kosher salt to taste
Instructions
  1. Mix all ingredient together with a wire whisk, make sure to thoroughly incorporate the cocao powder. Store in airtight container in the refrigerator for 6 hours or overnight for pudding to set.

Winter Vegetable Soup

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Winter Vegetable Soup please.  It’s a new year and it’s time to get back to healthy eating, starting with this vegetable soup.  This soup is a great way to clear out your vegetable drawer and provide a hearty and healthy meal at the same time.  I have to admit that my kids gave me some major eye rolls when I told them they were having vegetable soup for dinner, they were less than thrilled.  I was pleasantly surprised when we sat down and all 3 ate their entire bowls.  I actually heard one of them say…”wow, this soup is actually really, really good!” Score!  I know this sounds weird but I get a little giddy inside when I throw 10 different types of vegetables in a bowl and my kids eat everything….I’m always hopeful, but it doesn’t always work out that way.

Okay, so this soup is really easy, it just requires a lot of chopping.  You can either chop as you go or have you veggies already chopped before you start assembling the soup.

Once your veggies are chopped and thrown in your dutch oven or soup pan you can add the chicken broth and chopped tomatoes.  Bring the soup to a boil and reduce to simmer and cover for about 10 minutes until the veggies are cooked through.

Remove the bay leaves and add chopped spinach and S&P to taste and you are all set.  Serve it up with some chopped fresh parsley or grated romano cheese and you have a healthy meal that hopefully your kids will eat too! PS, I served this with a side of broiled Naan bread topped with a sprinkle of cheese because it’s somewhat of a soup rule, at least in our house anyways, that you always need to have a little bit of bread to dip into the soup!

 

 

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Winter Vegetable Soup
 
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Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 2 tsp good quality olive oil
  • ½ yellow onion, diced
  • 2 leeks, white parts only chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 1 Tbsp chopped thyme
  • 1 medium zucchini, chopped
  • 1 bell pepper (not green), diced
  • 2 medium carrots, chopped
  • 2 stalks celery with leafy tops, chopped
  • 1 28oz can diced tomatoes
  • 5 C organic chicken broth
  • 2 C spinach, stems removed and chopped
  • S&P to taste
Instructions
  1. Heat olive oil in a large dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and leaks and and saute for 5 minutes. Add garlic and thyme and saute for another minute.
  2. Add remaining ingredients except for spinach and S&P. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer, continue to simmer with lid on until vegetables are cooked through - approximately 10 minutes.
  3. Turn off heat and remove bay leaves and add chopped spinach. Season woth S&P to taste.
  4. Top with fresh chopped parsley or grated romano cheese.

Salmon Poke

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Salmon poke for the win! So the inspiration for making this recipe is all for my sweet husband because of his love of (or obsession with) sushi.  We love to vacation in Hawaii and the one thing that my husband must have (literally like almost every day while we are there), is poke!  He seriously goes to the local market and picks up a fresh batch daily and snacks on it while watching the sunset.  I really wish we were there right now…but unfortunately, we are not, so hopefully these delicious little poke cups at least make him think he’s watching the sunset in Maui…(Instead of cleaning the garage like he is actually doing right now). We love to make both tuna and salmon poke but for today it’s salmon.  It is very important that you buy sushi grade salmon.  You need to check with your local market as sometimes it can be a little more challenging to find, depending on where you live.  (Obviously not an issue in Hawaii!) However, we live in Arizona and we are able to get it so you just have to ask around.

Stephanie Heymann Photography

We really cannot get enough of the way that the flavors of the fresh lemon juice, sesame oil and soy sauce come together and pair with the perfectly delicate fish.  Add in the creamy avocado and you are done!  Yum!  This is an appetizer that your guests will be blown away with.  You can serve these up any way you want to….as a filler in these cute little wonton cups, on a cracker, served over brown rice or just plain.  You cannot believe how easy it is to make, makes a great light lunch option too!

Stephanie Heymann Photography

Salmon Poke
 
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Ingredients
  • 1 lb sushi grade salmon
  • 3 tsp sesame oil
  • 4 Tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 Tbsp thinly sliced green onions, green tops only
  • 2 tsp toasted sesame seeds
  • 1½ tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 avocado, cubed
  • 1 package wonton wrappers - cooked in mini muffin tins to form shell as per package instructions
*optional - ½ jalapeno sliced thin- only if you prefer spicy
chopped chives for garnish (optional)
Instructions
  1. Slice salmon into ½ inch cubes. Add salmon and all remaining ingredients together except for avocado. Store in the refrigerator for 2 hours before serving. Mix in chopped avocado before serving.
  2. Good Thyme Tip - There are a lot of ways to serve the salmon poke. As an appetizer in wonton cups, in a bowl with Taro chips, in a sushi roll with rice...just to name a few!

Mixed Berry Crisp with Coconut Cream

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Our favorite mixed berry crisp with coconut cream is all your’s. Looking for the perfect winter dessert to serve your guests for NYE?  Well, look no further!  We have the answer for you.  You are going to want to make this berry crisp with coconut cream because it’s like the best thing EVER!!  These sweet berries that become hot and bubbling in the oven topped with the warm buttery crisp are so insanely perfect we can hardly stand it.  Wow… getting a little overly excited about a crisp…so what, no shame here.  But really, when you mix the blueberries, raspberries, blackberries and strawberries, and top them with oats, butter and brown sugar, then bake them in the oven, you just can’t go wrong.  And don’t even get me started on the way this dessert makes your house smell when it’s baking!  I wonder if they have a berry crisp candle…I’m sure they do, they have a candle for everything.  Not that a candle even compares to the real deal in the oven…it just made me wonder.  I wouldn’t buy one anyway though.  I prefer the smell of the real crisp in the oven.  One of the ingredients that really changes the game in this dessert is the ground ginger!  Crazy huh? But trust me, it really gives it a perfect bite. This one happened at my house on Christmas Eve and the family was freaking out!  It doesn’t take much these days! Something as simple as a berry crisp and I’m like a food hero!  I’ll take it!

Stephanie Heymann Photography

 

 

Berry Crisp with Coconut Cream
 
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Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 5 Cups mixed berries (we used 1 heaping cup each of fresh blueberries, raspberries, blackberries and strawberries)
For the Berries:
  • ½ teaspoon corn starch (mixed with ½ teaspoon warm water in a small prep bowl to make a paste)
  • 1 ½ tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
For the Crisp Topping:
  • ½ cup flour
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • ½ cup oats
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • 5 tablespoons chilled butter
For the Coconut Whipped Cream:
  • 14 oz can coconut cream (we like Trader Joe's brand)
  • ¼ C powdered sugar (may adjust depending on sweetness preference)
  • ½ tsp vanilla
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375°. In a medium bowl, combine berries with corn starch mixture, sugar and lemon juice. Stir until berries are well coated.
  2. In a medium bowl, combine ingredients for the crisp topping. Cut the chilled butter into cubes and use your hands to mix until you have a crumbly mixture. Sprinkle evenly over the berries.
  3. Bake in center of oven for about 40 minutes until the fruit is bubbling and the topping is golden brown. Remove from oven and transfer to a cooling rack.
For the Coconut Whipped Cream:
  1. Chill can of coconut cream in the refrigerator overnight. At least 15 minutes before making the cream, chill beaters and bowl in the freezer (not mandatory but helps keep the cream chilled when making).
  2. Remove the coconut cream from the fridge, making sure to keep the can upright - do not shake. Removed hardened cream from the can, leaving any liquid behind and place in mixing bowl. Beat until creamy, approx 30 seconds. Add vanilla and powdered sugar and continue to beat for about a minute.
  3. Top berry crisp with coconut cream. Refrigerate remaining in an airtight container in refrigerator for up to 10 days.