Fashionably Organic

Chocolate Frosting with Angel Food Cake

Posted by Rachel Ashley on Mar 7, 2013 in Fashionably Organic | 15 comments

Yesterday, was my amazing husbands birthday!  I spent the day shopping for him and making him his favorite cake!  His mom lives out of the country and I knew if she was in town she would have made homemade chocolate frosting and angel food cake with strawberries for his special day!  The caked turned out beautiful and the chocolate frosting was so good!  The recipe is super easy and you can find it on the back of most cocoa canisters.  Hope you enjoy!

XO,

Rachel Ashley

Ingredients

Classic Brie en Croute

Posted by Rachel Ashley on Feb 8, 2013 in Appetizers, Fashionably Organic | 12 comments

Happy Friday!  Doesn’t this recipe, make your mouth water!  I love cheese and I love sweet and savory food combinations!  This appetizer takes less than 45 minutes to make, and is great for a party!  Serve with your favorite wine and artisan crackers and I guarantee you will be the hit of the party!  I hope you enjoy my Classic Brie en Croute!

Enjoy!

Xo,

Rachel Ashley

Ingredients

1 sheet frozen puff pastry (package comes with 2 sheets)
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup chopped almonds (or pecans or walnuts)
1 small (8-ounce) wheel Brie
1/2 cup apricot jam
2 eggs, beaten

Recipe

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Defrost 1 sheet of puff pastry for approximately 15 to 20 minutes and unfold (place remaining sheet in freezer for later use).   Unfold pastry sheet on lightly floured surface.  Roll into 14 inch square.  Cut off corners to make a circle. Spread preserves to within 1 inch of pastry edge.   Sprinkle cranberries and almonds over preserves.  Center the wheel of Brie on top of the pastry sheet.   Brush edge of circle with egg mixture.   Fold two opposite sides over cheese.   Trim remaining two sides to 2 inch from edge of cheese.   Fold these two sides over the cheese.    Press edges to seal.   Place seam-side down on baking sheet.   Take the access dough and roll it out, cut into stripes, and criss-cross the dough over the cheese to create a lattice design.  Place the  brie in the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until pastry is golden brown.  Place the golden brown bundle of brie on a serving plate and serve with artisan crackers.

Rolled Green Chile Enchiladas

Posted by Rachel Ashley on Jan 30, 2013 in Fashionably Organic | 9 comments

Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients:
4 cooked chicken breasts shredded
Pinch cumin
Pinch oregano
1 tablespoon whole wheat flour
28 oz can of green enchilada sauce
4 oz can of diced green chilies
1 8 oz can of organic black beans
1 8 oz can of organic corn
Green chile corn tortillas (I used seven tortillas, but it depends how titghtly you wrap them and how big your baking dish is)
8 oz (one brick) sharp cheddar cheese, coarsely grated
8 oz (one brick) jack cheese, coarsely grated
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Serve alongside:  iceberg lettuce, diced tomato, sour cream and beans (re-fried if you’re feeling really saucy)

Recipe:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Heat olive oil in a heavy bottomed stockpot or Dutch oven. Season the chicken breast with, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper and place in the Dutch oven.   Cook each side of the chicken until golden brown.  Remove from Dutch oven and set aside for a few minutes.  Add flour, let cook until it starts to turn golden brown and the moisture is gone from the pan. Add green chilies  green enchilada sauce, black beans and organic corn and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, and then add the chicken back in the Dutch oven and let simmer, until the chicken is fully cooked through.  Also letting it reduce a bit, until the green chile thickens.
3. Once the chicken is cooked through, remove from green chile mixture and shred using two forks.  Then add it back to the green chile mixture.
4. Spread the bottom of a baking dish with a bit of the green chile mixture.  Take a green chili corn tortilla (these tortillas are so flavorful, I purchased them at Sprouts) and fill it with the green chile chicken mixture. Add a sprinkle of cheese inside the tortilla, roll the tortilla and place in the baking dish.  Continue this process with the rest of your tortillas until the baking dish is full.  Pour some sauce on top, making sure to get some chicken spread evenly throughout. Add a layer of cheese. Pour a bit more sauce on top and cover with cheese.  
5. Bake 30 minutes-ish, or until the whole thing is bubbling and the cheese on top has completely melted. Let rest for 5 minutes or so, then serve in heaping piles with shredded iceberg lettuce, diced tomato, sour cream and beans on the side.
6. Garnish with a sprig of cilantro or sweet basil

Dipped

Posted by Rachel Ashley on Jan 16, 2013 in Dessert, Fashionably Organic | 11 comments

Happy Hump Day!  What better way to get through the rest of your day and/or week than pretzels dipped in chocolate!  Chocolate paired with anything is good enough to get me through the rest of my week.  I have a love for chocolate that goes way back!  Chocolate has a lushness and rich flavor that is so very addicting (at least it is for me)!  These sweet little sparkly blue treats are perfect for winter and for some reason reminds me of snowflakes (I think it’s the blue sprinkles!).  This recipe is super easy and only takes four ingredients!

Ingredients:
1 bag of Pretzels Sticks
8 oz of White chocolate and/or Milk Chocolate
1 or 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil (or a tablespoon of butter)
Blue Sprinkles (or any color you prefer)

Recipe:
Begin by putting a pot with about 2 inches of water on medium-high heat with a glass bowl on top.  Wait until the water has boiled and then turn the heat down.  Pour in an 8 oz of organic chocolate chips in the glass bowl with 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil (or a tablespoon of butter).  The oil (or butter) gives the chocolate a glossy finish, and also helps keep the chocolate smooth.  Begin stirring the chocolate right away; it should melt in less than two minutes.  With a mitten remove the glass bowl of melted chocolate and move to your working area.  Lay out a piece of was wax paper or a piece of foil sprayed with non-stick spray on a baking sheet.  Begin dipping each pretzel in chocolate, the chocolate should cover about half of the pretzel stick.  Lay the pretzel(s) down on the wax paper and sprinkle with your favorite colored sprinkles!  Be as creative as you would like!  Once you have used all the chocolate you can repeat the process like I did and start it all over again with white chocolate.  Place the pretzels in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to help the chocolate set.

Enjoy!
XO,
Rachel Ashley

Cheese Platter

Posted by Rachel Ashley on Dec 17, 2012 in Appetizers, Fashionably Organic, Side Dishes | 11 comments

For our Christmas party everyone was responsible for bringing an appetizer and drinks.  I decided to do wine and a cheese platter.  The platter turned out wonderful!  See below how I prepared my appetizer!

Ingredients:
Dijon mustard
Habanero hot pepper cheddar
Pear slices
Brie
Cranrasins
Sharp cheddar
Apricot jam
Goat cheese

Recipe:
The cheese platter was pretty simple; it just took a little preparation!  I had four cheeses and four toppings to go with each cheese.  I also created a platter of crackers and garlic crostini to go along with the cheese platter.  I began assembling the cheese platter by taking a long cutting board and four small silver bowls.  Each silver bowl contained a topping to be used along with the cheese.  Be sure to offer all sorts of accompaniments with your cheese platter: crackers, baguette slices, sauces, chutneys, jams, berries, sliced fruit and don’t forget the red and white wine.  I used dijon mustard with habanero hot pepper cheddar, pear slices with brie, cranrasins with sharp cheddar, and apricot jam with goat cheese.    I like to go ahead and slice all hard cheeses (no need if the cheese is already soft enough for spreading, i.e. goat cheese).  Having each cheese pre-cut invites guests to go head and dig in!  Make sure to label each cheese, so your guests know what they are eating.  I used tooth picks, tape, paper that I cut into flags and used a DYMO label maker.  The best part about a cheese platter is the accompaniments don’t have to only be used with one type of cheese.  I used apricot jam on brie with cranrasins, trying different flavor combinations I always find is the fun part! Cheese makes a great appetizer and it looks like a lot of work, but they are easy and so tasty!

A few pictures from our Christmas party!  We played life-size Jenga, had girl talk while we sat around and drank wine, danced, and laughed a lot!  Two successful Christmas parties in one weekend, can we say intense, but successful!

Hope you had an enjoyable weekend too!  Did you throw or attend any Christmas parties?

XO,

Rachel Ashley

Chicken and Spinach Béchamel Pasta

Posted by Rachel Ashley on Nov 23, 2012 in Fashionably Organic, Italian, Organic, Pasta | 0 comments

Italian food is my favorite! And guess what? I love pasta!  Besides chocolate, its definitely a guilty pleasure of mine!  This Chicken and Spinach Béchamel is quick and easy and of course super delish!  I love cooking with spinach, because it is rich in vitamins and minerals, it is also concentrated in health-promoting phytonutrients and flavonoids to provide you with powerful antioxidant protection. We all know that spinach is the source of Popeye’s superhuman strength, which of course is a good reason to eat it, right!?!  I love to cook, but the most important thing to me when I cook, is to cook meals that are healthy and good for you!  There are so many foods out there that taste great, but they are horrible for you and the ingredients have damaging lasting effects!  At Fashionably Organic, I have always made my dishes with a healthy spin, so you can feel comfortable eating each and every bite!  I hope you enjoy this dish as much as my family did!  Bon Appétit!

XO,

Rachel Ashley

Ingredients:

Organic Whole Wheat Linguine noodles

1 Bag of Organic Spinach

2 Organic Chicken Breast

1/2 sweet onion

2 cloves of garlic

Handful Fresh Basil

EVOO

Salt and Pepper

Béchamel Sauce (Or 1 jar of Alfredo Sauce)

Recipe:

Place a grill pan with a couple tablespoons of EVOO over a medium high heat and brown each side of the chicken breast about 3 minutes on each side.  Then turn to medium heat and cover, for about 15 minutes, while you prepare the pasta and the Béchamel sauce.  Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Add the linguine pasta and cook until tender, but still firm to the bite, stirring constantly in the beginning to prevent it from sticking together, about 8 minutes.  Meanwhile, in a large saute pan, heat the EVOO over medium high heat. Add the diced sweet onion and saute until soft, about 3 minutes.  Add the minced garlic and saute until the garlic is golden brown and the sweet onion is translucent, about 3 minutes (being careful not to burn the garlic).  Add the bag of spinach to the pan, season with salt and pepper and cook the spinach down, about 3 minutes.  Meanwhile, chop a handful of fresh basil and set aside. Remove the garlic, onion, and spinach and place in a bowl to the side, while you prepare the Béchamel sauce.  Once the Béchamel suace is prepared add the spinach, garlic, and onion back into the pan and stir.  Drain the pasta and toss in the Béchamel, making sure each strand is coated.  Uncover the chicken and shred. Add the shredded chicken and freshly chopped basil to the pasta and toss.  Place the pasta in a shallow serving bowl and serve immediately! Garnish with a sprig of fresh basil.  (QUICK TIP: If you decide to use a jar of Alfredo sauce, add the jar of Alfredo to the onion, garlic, and spinach.  Drain the pasta, shred the chicken, add freshly chopped basil, more salt and pepper to taste, place pasta in a shallow serving bowls and serve immediately.  Garnish with a sprig of fresh basil).

Ingredients for Béchamel Sauce:

5 tablespoons of unsalted organic butter

1/2 cup of whole wheat flour

4 cups of organic skim milk (for a richer flavor use whole milk)

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of pepper

Pinch of freshly grate nutmeg

Recipe for Béchamel Sauce:

In a saucepan, melt the organic butter over medium heat.  Add the whole wheat flour and whisk until smooth, about 2 minutes.  Gradually add the organic skim milk, whisking constantly to prevent any lumps from forming.  Simmer over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the sauce is thick, smooth and creamy, about 10 minutes (do not let the Béchamel sauce boil).  Remove from the heat and stir in 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of pepper and a pinch of nutmeg.  If need be, season the sauce with more salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste.  (The sauce can be made up to 3 days ahead of time, cool and pour into a mason jar, and refrigerate).