recipes

Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies [adapted from giant rainbow cookies] makes about 18-20 cookies 2 cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 8 tablespoons of unsalted butter, melted and cooled 6 tablespoons of creamy peanut butter, melted and cooled 1 cup loosely packed brown sugar 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1 egg yolk, at room temperature 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 1/2 ripe medium bananas, mashed 1 1/4 cups milk chocolate chips Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Mix the flour, salt and baking soda in a bowl and set aside. In another large bowl, whisk together cooled peanut butter and butter with both sugars until combined. Whisk in egg yolk and vanilla extract until smooth. Add in the mashed banana and mix until combined – mixture will not be smooth. Gradually add in the dry ingredients, mixing with a large spoon until a dough forms – I even use my hands to bring it together sometimes. Fold in chocolate chips. Shape the dough into the size of a golfball (or size of your choice) and place on a nonstick baking sheet about 2 inches apart from each other. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until [...]

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Mini Whole Wheat BBQ Chicken Calzones.

Mini Whole Wheat BBQ Chicken Calzones makes 6-8 calzones pizza dough [slightly adapted from my garlic bread pizza crust] 1 1/8 cups warm water (100-105 degrees) 3 teaspoons active dry yeast 1 1/2 tablespoons honey 1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil 2 cups 100% whole wheat flour 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt In a large bowl, combine water, yeast, honey and olive oil. Mix with a spoon, then let sit until foamy, about 10 minutes. Add in the whole wheat flour and salt, mixing until the dough begins to come together. Since it will probably still be sticky, add in another 1/2 cup of all purpose flour, kneading the dough with your hands and then turning it onto a work surface to knead for a few minutes. If dough is still sticky, add the remaining flour until it is soft, smooth and stretchy. Rub the same bowl with olive oil then place the dough inside, turning to coat. Cover with a towel and place in a warm place to rise for about 1 1/2 hours. Once risen, punch down the dough and knead a few times, adding a few spoonfuls of flour if sticky. Separate the dough into 6 or [...]

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Coconut Mango Mojitos.

Coconut Mango Mojitos [slightly adapted from my triple berry mojitos] makes 1 mojito, but is easily quadrupled 6-8 fresh mint leaves 2 1/2 ounces of mint simple syrup 1 ounce of coconut rum 1 1/2 ounces of club soda 1-2 ounces of mango puree the juice of one lime To make the mango puree, combine 1 peeled + chopped, ripe mango in a food processor (or high speed blender) with the juice of 1 lime, and process until smooth (or at least almost smooth). In the bottom of a glass, add 1 ounce of simple syrup and the mint leaves. Muddle with a muddler or use the clean bottom of something blunt, like a screwdriver! Add ice to the glass, and pour rum, syrup, mango puree, lime juice and club soda over top. Mix with a long spoon or knife and serve with an additional sprig of mint. Note: depending on the sweetness of your fruit, you may want to add more/less simply syrup, so I suggest tasting as you go. Same with the rum – add more if you like your drinks strong. Malibu also makes a mango rum that you could combine with traditional coconut rum. Pin It

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Caramelized Onion Greek Yogurt Dip.

Caramelized Onion Greek Yogurt Dip makes about 2 cups of dip 1 medium red onion, chopped 1 medium sweet onion, chopped 1 tablespoon olive oil 1/2 tablespoon salted butter 1 16-ounce container of plain 2% Greek yogurt 1 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons brown sugar 1 teaspoon black pepper 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder In a large pot, add olive oil and butter over low heat. Once melted, add in chopped onions with 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and stir until all onions are coated in the oil mixture. Cover the pot and cook for approximately 45 minutes, stirring every 5-10 minutes. After 45 minutes, stir in 1 teaspoon of brown sugar and let cook for 5 minutes more. Remove onions from heat (as long as they are caramelized) and stir in remaining brown sugar. In a large bowl, mix together yogurt and onions, stirring in salt, pepper and garlic powder. Taste and add more seasoning if desired. Serve with chips, pretzels or (ugh) veggie sticks. Note: if Greek yogurt is still to tart with all the mix-ins or tastes too “healthy” for you, feel free to do half sour cream/half yogurt. Still better than the stuff from the store! Pin It

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Green Chili Chicken Burgers.

Green Chili Chicken Burgers makes 4 burgers 1 pound ground chicken breast 1 tablespoon olive oil 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 1/2 teaspoon onion powder 2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed 2 (4 ounce) cans of diced green chilis 2.5 ounces of monterey jack cheese, cut into tiny cubes + more for topping 1/2 tablespoon honey juice of half a lime Preheat your grill or heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. In a bowl, combine chicken, oil, salt, pepper, onion powder, cumin, garlic, cheese cubes and 1/2 a can of green chilis. Mix until just combined, then divide into four sections and form into four patties. Place on grill or skillet and cook on each side until golden and cooked through, about 2-3 minutes per side. Once you flip the burgers, add additional cheese on top to melt. While the burgers are cooking, toast buns if desired and combine remaining green chilis in a bowl with honey, lime juice, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper (green chili sauce here adapted from bobby flay). When ready to serve, spoon green chilis on top of cheeseburgers and eat! Note: if you use ground chicken [...]

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Blueberry Bacon Breakfast Cake.

Blueberry Bacon Breakfast Cake [adapted from my eggnog crumble cake] makes a 9×13 dish 6 slices thick-cut bacon 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 2 tablespoons bacon fat, cooled 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled 1/2 cup loosely packed brown sugar 1/3 cup granulated sugar 2 large eggs 1 cup milk 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 8 ounces fresh blueberries (frozen work too – just thaw and pay completely dry) Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add bacon. Fry until completely crisp and fat is rendered. Remove bacon and place on a paper towel to drain, reserving 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a small bowl, combine flours, baking powder, salt and cinnamon and mix thoroughly. Set aside. In a large bowl, whisk butter and bacon fat with sugar until combined. Whisk in eggs until completely smooth, then whisk in vanilla extract. Slowly add dry ingredients, mixing with a large spoon. Add in milk and stir until combined. Toss blueberries with 1-2 tablespoons of flour. Fold in bacon and blueberries, then pour batter into a greased 9 [...]

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Portobello and Leek Carbonara.

Portobello and Leek Carbonara [adapted from Tyler Florence] serves 2-4 4 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped 2 leeks, trimmed, cleaned and patted dry 12 ounces baby portobello mushrooms, quartered 1/2 pound whole wheat linguine 2 large eggs 3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese Bring water for pasta to a boil. Heat a large skillet oven medium heat and add bacon. Cook until fat is rendered and bacon is crispy – about 6-7 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel to drain. Reduce heat to low. Add in leeks with a pinch of salt, then toss mushrooms on top. Stir everything together to coat, then let cook until ingredients are softened – about 5 minutes. At this time, throw the pasta in the water to cook – it is really important that the pasta is hot. While the pasta is cooking, mix eggs and cheese together in a large bowl. The mixture will be thick. As soon as pasta is finished, reserve 1/2-3/4 cup liquid, drain pasta and immediately throw into the skillet. Toss with the leeks and mushrooms to coat, then remove from heat. With a large spoon in one hand, add the egg mixture right [...]

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A Quick and Easy Treat: Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Peanut Butter.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Peanut Butter [cookie dough came from the cookie dough pb cups] 2 cups unsalted peanuts for cookie dough: 6 tablespoons unsalted butter 1/3 cup brown sugar 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 cup powdered sugar 2 tablespoons flour (I used coconut flour!) 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips In a small saucepan, heat butter until melted. Whisk in brown sugar until dissolved, then let it bubble for 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk vanilla extract. Let sit and cool completely, about 20 minutes. Stir in powdered sugar, salt and flour, then once mixed, add in mini chocolate chips and then place in the fridge to set for 20-30 minutes. Add peanuts to the bowl of your food processor. Pulse and process until smooth, about 2-3 minutes. Taste and if desired, add a bit of salt. Remove “dough” from the fridge and crumble with your hands. Fold as much of the dough you’d like into the peanut butter, then store in a seal-tight container. It is usually recommended that homemade nut butters be refrigerated – depending on how quickly we consume them (like this one), I will often let them sit out for a week and [...]

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Coconut Tres Leches Cupcakes.

Coconut Tres Leches Cupcakes [slightly adapted from Alton Brown] makes 12-14 cupcakes 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour + 1 tablespoon (6.75 ounces) 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature 1 cup granulated sugar (8 ounces) 5 large eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon coconut extract 1 cup evaporated milk 1 cup sweetened condensed milk 1 cup full-fat canned coconut milk whipped cream: 2 cups whipping cream, cold + 3-4 tablespoons powdered sugar garnish: 2 cups toasted flaked coconut + maraschino cherries Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin tin with liners. Because you will be soaking the cake in liquid, I highly suggest using the double liners with foil. If you can’t find those, double the liners yourself. In a bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In the bowl of your electric mixer, beat butter until smooth and creamy. Add in sugar and beat on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 2-3 minutes, scraping down the sides if needed. With the mixer on low speed add in each egg one at a time, mixing to combine and again scraping down the sides. Add in 1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla extract [...]

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Pecan Crusted Chicken Wraps with Strawberry Honey Mustard.

Pecan Crusted Chicken Wraps makes 4 wraps 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts 1 1/4 cups ground/finely chopped pecans 1/4 cup flour (I used whole wheat pastry) 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 2 egg whites 4 large whole wheat tortillas 4 strawberries, sliced 1/2 avocado, chopped 1 11-ounce can of mandarin oranges, drained butter lettuce for wraps 3 tablespoons dijon mustard 3 tablespoons honey Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil then place a wire rack over top. Spray the rack with nonstick spray. In a bowl, mix together pecans, flour, salt, pepper and cinnamon. In another bowl, whisk together egg whites until frothy. Dip each piece of chicken into the egg whites, coating completely, then dredge through the pecan mixture, covering the chicken and pressing gently to adhere. Place the chicken on the wire rack, the spray with canola oil or olive oil spray until coated. Bake for 15 minutes, then gently flip (if coating doesn’t seem to be sticking, you don’t have to flip) and bake for 15 minutes more. Remove and let cool slightly, then cut into pieces. While chicken is cooking, take two of the sliced strawberries [...]

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