10easy recipes

for the busy cook

R A C H E LG U R K

www.rachelcooks.com

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VITAMINFRESH.NET

Introduction- what's here for you -

If you're reading this, it's probably because you subscribed to my emailnewsletter -- thank you! I'm so honored to be in your inbox.

In this ebook, you'll find a compilation of the top recipes from Rachel Cooks.All are family favorites, but most are also reader favorites. All of the recipesare easy recipes that you can make with two toddlers clinging to your legs.Even if you don't have two toddlers there's still something here for you.

Easy recipes, great food, and more time left to do whateveryou enjoy doing.

I'm a firm believer that greatfood doesn't have to keep youslaving away in the kitchen all

day long.

And of course, if you've followedmy blog for any period of time,you probably already know that

I live by the "everything inmoderation" philosophy. Thatmeans lots of healthy food butalso decadent treats and snacks.

And of course, if you're anythinglike me, lots and lots of popcorn.

I hope you love all these recipes-- and remember to pop over to

www.rachelcooks.com for myfull recipe database!

VITAMINFRESH.NET

Table of Contents- find it fast -

page 520 Minute Italian Turkey Bean Soup

page 7 &8Pepperoni Pizza Lasagna Rolls

page 10Roasted Broccoli

page 12Homemade Taco Seasoning

page 14Easiest Ever Baked Macaroni and Cheese

page 16 Shish Tawook

page 18Funfetti Pudding Pops

page 20Fresh Blueberry Pie

page 22Ginger Sparkle Cookies

page 24Skinny Banana Bread Muffins

20 Minute ItalianTurkey Bean Soup

- healthy comfort -This recipe is not only a reader favorite, but it's a favorite among my

friends and family. I couldn't imagine leaving it out of my e-book. Thegreat thing about soups are their flexibility. If you don't have great

northerns, garbanzo beans make a great substitute. You can also try kaleinstead of spinach.

tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

pound extra lean ground turkey

medium yellow onion, diced

clove garlic, minced

pinch of red pepper flakes

/ teaspoon black pepper

teaspoon dried oregano

. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Brown the turkey with the onions,

garlic, red pepper flakes, and pepper until the turkey is cooked through and the onions are

translucent about minutes .

. Add the oregano, basil, tomatoes with liquid , and beans. Stir to combine.

. Reduce heat to medium-low, add spinach and cover for about minutes or until spinach

is wilted. Stir to combine.

. Add broth, stir, and increase heat to medium. Continue to cook until heated through -

about minutes.

. Remove from heat, stir in parmesan cheese, and serve.

5

/ teaspoon dried basil

. ounce can diced tomatoes

. ounce can great northern beans,

drained and rinsed

ounces baby spinach

cups low-sodium chicken broth

/ cup grated parmesan cheese, plus

extra for garnish

Pepperoni PizzaLasagna Rolls

- two irresistible favorites in one dish -This recipe is not only visually appealing, but it's also irresistible. Whatcould be better than pepperoni pizza in lasagna form? Bonus points for

the adorable little rolls.

For the Sauce:

tablespoon unsalted butter

teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

garlic cloves, minced

/ of a medium yellow onion, diced small

ounce can diced tomatoes

ounces tomato paste

teaspoon dried basil

/ teaspoon dried oregano

/ teaspoon sugar

pinch of red pepper flakes

salt and pepper to taste

7

For the Lasagna Rolls

traditional lasagna noodles, cooked,

drained and rinsed with cold water

cups of the pizza sauce you prepared

egg, lightly beaten

/ cup part-skim ricotta cheese

/ cups shredded part-skim

mozzarella cheese, divided

/ cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided

/ cup chopped fresh parsley

/ teaspoon pepper

ounces sliced pepperoni - slices

Ingredients

Pepperoni PizzaLasagna Rolls

DirectionsFor the Sauce:

In a large pan over medium-low heat, heat the butter and olive oil until the butter is

melted. Add the garlic and onion and saute until tender, about five minutes. Stir in

tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, oregano, sugar, and red pepper flakes. Bring the sauce to a

boil and then reduce heat to low. Place a cover on the pan, tilted slightly to let some steam

out.

Simmer for minutes. Cool slightly. With an immersion blender, CAREFULLY blend

until sauce has desired texture. I love it slightly chunky. If you like it really smooth you can

also throw it in a blender. Store in fridge unless using immediately. It makes more than is

needed for this recipe. Refrigerate or freeze extras.

For the Lasagna Rolls:

Preheat oven to degrees Fahrenheit. Cook noodles according to directions on package

-- once cooked, drain and rinse with cold water and lay out on sheets of wax paper so they

don’t stick together.

Spray a baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and spread / cup of pizza sauce into the

bottom of the pan. Set aside.

Meanwhile, prepare filling in a large bowl by mixing beaten egg, ricotta cheese, cup

mozzarella, / cup grated Parmesan cheese, parsley and pepper until well combined.

To prepare lasagna rolls, lay out one lasagna noodle and spread it with about tablespoons

of cheese filling. Lay out - pepperoni on top of cheese filling. Roll up each noodle

starting at one of the short ends. Place in prepared baking dish, seam side down. Repeat

until all noodles have been filled and rolled. Pour and / cups pizza sauce over the rolls

and top with / cup mozzarella cheese and / cup Parmesan cheese.

Cover baking dish with foil and bake for - minutes remove foil for last - minutes

or until hot and cheese is melted. Let stand about minutes prior to serving.

Note: May be prepared in advance and baked the next day. 8

Roasted Broccoli- turn broccoli haters into broccoli lovers -

Yes, even the pickiest of toddlers will love this crispy and flavorfulbroccoli. Bonus points to mom or dad if you let them pick it up and eat

it with their fingers.

large bunch of broccoli about / pound

- tablespoons olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

. Preheat oven to degrees Fahrenheit. Wash broccoli and

dry very thoroughly. Don’t skip drying -- it’s important. You

can even use a salad spinner if you have one, or just shake,

shake, shake all the water out and then pat dry with a towel.

. Cut into medium-sized spears and coat well with olive oil.

Spread onto rimmed baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and

pepper.

. Bake for minutes, flip each piece over, and bake for

more minutes.

. Serve immediately.

10

Homemade TacoSeasoning

- toss the packet -

No more MSG or weird ingredients that you can't pronounce. This tacoseasoning comes together in a flash from ingredients you probably

already have in your spice cabinet.

tablespoon chili powder

/ teaspoon garlic powder

/ teaspoon onion powder

/ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

/ teaspoon dried oregano

/ teaspoon paprika

and / teaspoon ground cumin

/ to teaspoon sea salt more or less to taste

teaspoon black pepper

. In small bowl, mix all ingredients and store in airtight container. Or you can mix it

together in the container you are going to store it in–just give it a shake!

. Add to tablespoons of this mixture plus / to / cup of water to one pound of

cooked meat of your choice . If you use tablespoon, it will be fairly mild with just a bit of

heat. Using tablespoons will yield a quite spicy taco meat. Simmer over medium heat,

stirring frequently until there is very little liquid left in the pan.

Note: Add a tablespoon of all-purpose flour to the pound of cooked meat to thicken up

the mixture a bit, before adding the water.

12

Easiest Ever BakedMacaroni & Cheese

- a crowd pleaser -

I may be prone to exaggeration, but this really is the easiest EVER bakedmacaroni and cheese. Great for crowds or potlucks!

pound elbow macaroni I often use whole wheat

pound cups shredded extra sharp or sharp cheddar cheese

tablespoons all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon ground mustard

Salt and pepper to taste

cups low-fat milk or go with whole if you’re feeling indulgent!

and / tablespoons butter optional

. Preheat oven to °F. Spray or grease a casserole dish or a 9x pan.

. Cook macaroni as directed on the package in salted water until tender.

. While macaroni is cooking, combine and / cups of cheese with dry ingredients

flour, ground mustard, salt and pepper .

. Combine cheese and dry ingredient mixture with hot macaroni and pour into the

greased pan. Pour milk over macaroni. Top with remaining cheese and dot with butter

optional, but recommended .

. Bake for minutes or until firm and golden brown. I stick a knife in it to see if the milk

is still runny or if it has firmed up.

. Optional Let sit for minutes before serving to further firm up.

Note: I like my noodles a little extra crispy. If you like a softer noodle, I’d recommend

covering this with foil for the first minutes of baking.

14

Shish Tawook- Lebanese Marinated Chicken Skewers -

This has for a long time been a favorite carry-out item for me...so Idecided to make it myself at home. Turns out that I like this version

even better than its carry-out counterpart.

pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into cubes

½ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice lemons

cloves garlic, crushed

/ cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt

tablespoons olive oil

tablespoons apple cider vinegar

teaspoon ground pepper

¼ teaspoon ground ginger

½ teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon paprika

teaspoon salt

teaspoon tomato paste

. Mix all ingredients together in a large zip-top bag. Rub and move around chicken to

coat.

. Place in a glass baking dish or bowl in case of leakage and refrigerate and marinate for

at least hours.

. Meanwhile, if using wooden skewers, soak in water.

. Skewer the chicken onto skewers and place on a broiler pan. Broil on high for -

minutes, turning once, or until chicken is browned and cooked through.

. Serve with rice and salad or on a pita.

16

Funfetti Pudding Pops- for the kid in you -

These fun and festive pudding pops are the perfect summer treat. Thekids will go crazy for them, but even the oldest person at your party will

love the taste of these pops.

one . ounce package of instant vanilla pudding

/ cup % milk

/ cup multi-colored jimmies sprinkles

. Whisk milk and pudding mix for about minute or until it begins

to thicken.

. Whisk in jimmies, pour into popsicle molds, and freeze until

firm at least hours .

. Once frozen, remove from popsicle molds and enjoy

immediately.

18

Fresh Blueberry Pie- summertime perfection -

This is my favorite pie. I love the freshness of the fresh blueberries, plusit's super easy to make. And it doesn't require the oven to be on for too

long which is a bonus on hot summer days.

refrigerated pie crust or your own recipe if you prefer!

cups fresh blueberries

teaspoon salt

/ cups granulated sugar

/ cup water

tablespoons cornstarch

tablespoons unsalted butter

tablespoons fresh lemon juice

whipped cream optional --I whipped my own with just a touch of sugar since the pie is

very sweet.

. Cook the pie crust as directed on the package for a single crust pie. Cool completely

before adding filling

. Meanwhile, wash the blueberries and pick out any duds and any stems.

. Combine cups of blueberries, sugar, salt and cornstarch in a medium to large-sized

saucepan you'll be adding everything else to the same pan later . Pour in the water. Mix

together and cook ever medium-high heat. Cook until the mixture comes to a boil, and

then continue to cook for two minutes. You want it to get super thick and for your

blueberries to start breaking down.

. Finish this mixture by adding butter and lemon juice. Cool before adding the fresh

blueberries. You want them to stay plump and fresh!. When mixture has cooled, fold in

the remaining cups of berries. Pour into cooled, prepared crust.

. Chill for at least - hours before serving with whipped cream.

20

Ginger Sparkles- aka gingersnaps -

These cookies are perfect at Christmas time but really who wouldn'twant to eat these year-round? I grew up making and eating these cookies

and they come with such great memories of my childhood.

cups all-purpose flour

tablespoon ground ginger

teaspoon baking powder

teaspoon ground cinnamon

/ teaspoon salt

/ cups shortening

cup white granulated sugar + extra for rolling

large egg

/ cup molasses

. Preheat oven to degrees Fahrenheit. Mix dry ingredients.

. In a separate bowl, cream shortening and sugar together. Beat in eggs and molasses.

. Sift in dry ingredients.

. Form into small balls.

. Roll balls in sugar and place ~ -inches apart on cookie sheet.

. Bake for minutes or until crackled and firm around the edges.

Note: If you like crisper cookies, bake for one or two minutes longer and/or roll them

smaller. I like them a little chewy, while my mom prefers them crispy.

22

Skinny Banana Bread Muffins- all the taste, less calories -

I often make this recipe in loaf form but the muffins are perfect for busymornings - grab and go! They are moist and flavorful.

cups whole wheat flour

teaspoon baking soda

/ teaspoon baking powder

/ teaspoon salt

/ cup sugar

/ cup applesauce

tablespoons canola oil

teaspoon pure vanilla extract

large eggs, beaten

/ cups mashed ripe bananas about

. Heat oven to degrees Fahrenheit. Spray muffin tins with nonstick cooking spray.

. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In

another bowl, whisk together sugar, applesauce, oil, and vanilla extract. Whisk in eggs until

combined. Using a large spoon, stir in banana. Gradually stir in flour mixture until just

combined. Evenly pour batter into prepared muffin tins.

. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a muffin comes out clean and muffins are

golden brown, about minutes. Transfer muffin tins to a wire rack and let cool

minutes. Remove muffins from tin and let stand until cooled completely, or better yet,

enjoy warm.

22

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