Cauliflower Tots

Golden, crispy tater tots have been one of America’s star side dishes for decades. They can be added to so many great recipes to bulk up ordinary dishes. This simple recipes allows for a lighter, healthier version of this classic snack!

 

Ingredients

2 cups riced cauliflower, steamed

1/2-3/4 cup shredded mozzarella

1 TB butter

1 large egg

1/4 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp garlic powder

Salt and pepper to taste

 

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 425F
  2. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
  3. Using a tablespoon, measure out little tots from the mix.
  4. Refrigerate tots for 10 minutes on a cookie sheet to let them firm up.
  5. Bake 18-20 minutes, until golden brown
  6. Serve warm and enjoy!

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Almond and Rhubarb Cupcakes

Rhubarb Curd

  • 4 long stalks rhubarb
  • 3 eggs
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter, cubed
  • 3 tsp cornstarch
  • 2 drops pink food coloring
  1. Make one day in advance.
  2. Wash and cut rhubarb stalks into 2″ sections.
  3. Place them in the bowl of a food processor and process until they turn into a pulp.
  4. Push pulp through a fine sieve with a spoon to extract the juice. Discard the pulp. You should have 1 cup of juice at the end of the process.
  5. In food processor mix eggs, sugar and corn starch until no lumps remain.
  6. In a saucepan combine the sugar and corn starch mixture with the butter and rhubarb juice. Set pan over low heat, stir with a whisk the entire time until the butter melts. The curd should be the consistency of sour cream.
  7. Add food coloring and chill for at least 3 hours or overnight.

Cake

  • 5 eggs at room temperature
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 TB vanilla extract
  • 1 cup flour
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line 2 muffin tins.
  2. Crack the eggs in the bowl of a stand mixer and add sugar and vanilla. Beat on high for 5 minutes.
  3. Fold in flour in 3 additions. Blending gently so as to keep the volume of the egg mixture.
  4. Divide batter and bake 13-15 minutes.

Almond Mascarpone Cream

  • 2 cups mascarpone
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1/2 c powdered sugar
  • 1 TB almond extract
  • 1 drop red and blue food coloring, 1 drop green food coloring
  1. Whip well-chilled mascarpone for 30 seconds with the balloon attachment.
  2. Add heavy cream, sugar, and almond extract.
  3. Whip until the frosting is the consistency of whipped cream. If the frosting doesn’t move in a flexible consistency, then add a dash of heavy cream.

Use a small ice-cream scoop to core the center of the cupcake. Fill the hole with a scoop of the rhubarb curd. I used Russian piping tips to pipe the flowers and the leaves.

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Raspberry Coconut Chia Pudding

Ingredients

  • 13.5 oz can of coconut milk
  • 3 TB sugar
  • 6 oz fresh raspberries
  • 6 TB chia seeds
  • 1 tsp lime zest
  1. If your coconut milk is refrigerated, the best way bring it to a liquid state is to heat it on medium in a saucepan until it begins to simmer. After all of the solids have melted, let the milk cool until it is at room temperature.
  2. Once the liquid has cooled, mix the sugar until combined.
  3. Add raspberries, chia seeds, and lime zest, whisk until combined.
  4. Refrigerate the mixture for at least one hour. I topped mine with almond butter, raspberries, and coconut strips.

One Pan Honey Garlic Chicken and Veggies

Ingredients

  • 4 TB Olive oil
  • 1 TB Dijon mustard
  • 2 TB Honey
  • 2 TB Brown sugar
  • 1/2 Tsp Oregano, dried
  • 1/2 Tsp Basil, dried
  • 1 TB Garlic powder
  • Freshly ground salt and pepper
  • 16 oz baby potatoes/halved
  • 1 head broccoli, cut into small florets
  • 4 chicken breasts, boneless skinless

Mise en Place

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

In a small bowl whisk together 3 tablespoons olive oil, honey, brown sugar, oregano, basil, garlic powder, salt and pepper until blended. Placed chicken breasts in bowl and let marinate 1-3 hours.

Place potatoes on baking sheet in a single layer. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil. Place chicken and all marinade over the potatoes in another layer. Place tray in oven and cook for 25-30 minutes or until the chicken is completely cooked through, reaching an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.

Place broccoli in steamer and cook 3-5 minutes. This allows the broccoli to cook about half of the way before being added to the pan.

Add broccoli to pan in the last 10 minutes of cooking time. Then broil for 2-3 minutes or until caramelized and slightly charred.

fullpanchicken

angledchicken

Sweet Potato Toasts

Many of you may have heard of or even tried avocado toast. I thought I would take that idea one step further and eliminate the bread element from that snack. This recipe is an easy-to-prep and pack option for breakfasts or snacks.

Ingredients:

  • 2 sweet potatoes
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • Toppings of your choice

Preheat oven to 425. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Cut sweet potatoes into 1/4 inch thick slices. Toss slices in olive oil and place onto the prepared pans in a single layer. Cook 15 minutes and then flip each slice and cook for an additional 15 minutes until a fork can easily pierce the sweet potato. Remove from oven and top with toppings of your choice.

These are the combinations that I created for my sweet potato toasts.

  1. Peanut butter, banana, and granola
  2. Sunflower butter, apple, and cinnamon
  3. Avocado mash
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Ingredients for avocado mash:

  • 1 avocado
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic
  • 1/8 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt

Add all ingredients in a bowl and use a fork to mix all together.

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Mashed Potato Waffles with Turkey, Brie and Eggs

Have you been looking for a new recipe for all of those Thanksgiving leftovers filling your fridge? Here is something new to try that you can make for breakfast, lunch or dinner!

INGREDIENTS

Waffles

  • 1 1/2 cups mashed potatoes
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/4 cup butter, melted
  • 4-5 dried sage leaves, crumbled
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated

Sandwiches

  • Leftover turkey, enough for 6 sandwiches
  • 1 TB butter
  • 4 ounces of brie, sliced (or more)
  • 6 eggs cooked to your liking

INSTRUCTIONS

To make the waffles. In a medium bowl whisk together the mashed potatoes, buttermilk, eggs, sage and melted butter until smooth.  Add flour, baking soda and baking powder with a hand sieve to prevent the flour from clumping. Fold in the cheese.

Mashed potatoes, buttermilk, eggs, melted butter, and sage
After using a whisk, your waffle batter should be fairly smooth
Use a hand sieve when adding the dry ingredients to prevent clumping

Preheat the waffle iron. When ready scoop the batter into a greased waffle iron and cook to your preference. Repeat with the rest of the batter. This should make 5-6 waffles.

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Prep the sandwiches. Heat a skillet over medium heat and melt the butter. Once the skillet is hot, add the turkey and get it buttery and crisp all over, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Slice the brie to your desired thickness. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Place waffles on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Layer with brie and then turkey. Place pan in oven for 5 minutes. Take this time to cook the eggs. Once the sandwiches are warmed and the brie is melted, remove from the oven and top each waffle with one egg.

 

 

 

 

 

 

S’mores Bars

 

August 11th is National S’mores Day, so I decided to create a recipe to celebrate this holiday. It is very simple to assemble and you should definitely double or triple the recipe because they disappear quickly!

 

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup + 2Tb graham 20160811_145758

cracker crumbs

2/3 cup AP flour

2 sticks unsalted butter (room temperature)

2/3 cup brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup Nutella

1 (7 oz jar) marshmallow fluff

1 egg

PROCESS:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 8″ by 10″ baking dish with cooking spray or make a foil sling and spray the foil with cooking spray.
  2. Combine graham cracker crumbs and flour. Blend to combine.
  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the butter and brown sugar. Beat until light and fluffy, around 3 minutes. Add the vanilla and the egg and beat until well combined. Add the cracker crumb mixture and stir until just incorporated.
  4. Place 2/3 of the dough in the bottom of the prepared dish and press it flat with your hands. Add Nutella and spread it to cover the dough. Add the marshmallow fluff and spread it to cover the Nutella. Place the remaining dough over the previous layer. It is ok if you can see marshmallow fluff poking out.
  5. Bake for 35 minutes until the top layer is golden brown. Let the bars cool before serving.

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Nutella layer
Marshmallow Fluff Layer
Final Crumb Layer
Baked til Golden

pasta salad with teriyaki dressing

 

Salad

  • 10 oz spinach linguine pasta
  • 4 cups baby spinach leaves
  • 1 cup craisins
  • ½ cup sliced almonds
  • 4 oz can mandarin oranges, drained

Dressing:

  • 1/3 cup teriyaki sauce
  • 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • ½ cup of olive oil
  • 1 TB sugar
  1. Prepare pasta according to directions on package. Once cooked, drain in a strainer and run the colander of pasta under cold water Once pasta is completely cool, set aside to let it drain. In a separate bowl, toss spinach, craisins, almonds and mandarin oranges together and set aside. 20160321_112249
  2. It is easiest to prepare the dressing by using a jar with a lid. Add all ingredients into the jar except the olive oil. Pour half of the oil into the jar, and shake until emulsified. Repeat the process with the second half of the oil. See photos below to see what the dressing looks like before and after mixing.
  3. Toss the pasta, salad mix, and the dressing and serve immediately. This is a great dish to make ahead of time and take out for an easy meal. It is best to store the dressing, pasta, and spinach mixture in separate containers so that your greens and pasta can maintain their original textures. 20160321_113137