Honey Garlic Chicken with Stir Fried Vegetables

Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken recipe courtesy of Slender Kitchen, Sitr-Fried Vegetables adapted from Weight Watchers.

Ingredients:
Honey Garlic Chicken
2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into chunks
3 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 tsp. dried basil
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup ketchup
1/4 cup honey
Pinch red pepper flakes

Vegetables
1 tsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1 1/2 Tbsp ginger root, finely chopped
3 clove(s) (medium) garlic clove(s), finely chopped
Assorted vegetables: I used 1 sweet red pepper, 1 head of broccoli and half a pound of sugar snap peas
2 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce

Directions:
Honey Garlic Chicken

Whisk together the garlic, basil, soy sauce, ketchup, and honey. Add the chicken to the crockpot. Pour the sauce over and mix everything together. Cook on low for 4 hours. If at any point the chicken seems to be drying out, then add a but of chicken broth. For crispy outside, spread onto a baking sheet and broil for 3-5 minutes.

Vegetables

Heat a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add vegetable oil, sesame oil, ginger and garlic; cook 15 seconds. Add vegetables; stir-fry for 3 minutes. Pour in soy sauce and cook, stirring, about 2 minutes more.

Chana Saag

Recipe based off of this one from Vegan Dad.

Ingredients:
2 tbsp oil
1 large sweet onion, halved and sliced
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp minced ginger
14 oz can of chopped or crushed tomatoes
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp chili powder
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
10 oz spinach
juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup plain fat free yogurt
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Heat oil on a large pot over medium heat. Saute onions for 12-15 mins, until nicely browned. Add garlic and ginger and saute for 2 mins. Add tomatoes and spices and bring to bubbling. Cook for 5-7 mins, stirring regularly, until tomatoes have reduced to a paste.

Add chickpeas and cook for about 5 mins. Add spinach and cook 2-3 mins, until tender. Stir in lemon juice and yogurt. 4. Season to taste with salt and pepper, adjust spices to your liking, and serve.

Double Chocolate "Football" Cupcakes

Recipe courtesy of The Baker Chick.

Ingredients:
Cupcakes
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup warm water
3/4 cup buttermilk
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Frosting
8 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
6 cups confectioners' sugar
16 Tbs. (2 sticks) unsalted butter
6 Tbs. milk, plus more, if needed
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners; set aside.

Sift together cocoa powder, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. Add eggs, warm water, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla, and mix until smooth. Scrape down the sides and bottom of bowl to assure batter is well mixed. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full. Bake until tops spring back when touched, about 20 minutes, rotating pan once if needed. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely.

For the Frosting: Have all the ingredients at room temperature. Put the chocolate in the top pan of a double boiler set over but not touching simmering water in the bottom pan. Stir until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Let cool to room temperature.

In a large bowl combine the confectioners' sugar, butter, the 6 Tbs. milk, the vanilla and salt and beat with an electric mixer on low speed until combined, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Increase the speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes, then reduce the speed to low.

Reserve about a 1/2 cup of the frosting at this point to make the laces.

Add the chocolate gradually and beat until combined, then increase the speed to medium and beat for 1 minute more. If the frosting is dry, add more milk, 1 tsp. at a time, until it is creamy but still holds peaks.

To Decorate: Using a small star tip in a pastry bag, zig-zag the chocolate frosting in a diamond shape on the cooled cupcakes. Then put the reserved vanilla frosting into a bag with a small round tip and pipe on the laces.

Turkey Meatballs in Tomato Sauce

Recipe courtesy of Inspired Taste.

Ingredients:
Tomato Basil Sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Two 28-ounce cans crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 large basil sprig plus 2 tablespoons torn basil leaves

Turkey Meatballs
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup milk
1 egg

1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
2 tablespoons chopped parsley, chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 pound ground turkey (93% lean)

Directions:
In a large skillet with sides, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add minced garlic and red pepper flakes then cook 30 seconds to 1 minute until fragrant. Stir in tomatoes and tomato paste then bring to a simmer. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt, and add basil spring. Allow sauce to simmer gently while preparing meatballs.

To make meatballs, combine panko breadcrumbs and milk in a large bowl, and then let sit 5 minutes.

Add egg, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, parsley, oregano and salt to bowl. Stir until combined.
Next, add turkey then use a fork or fingers to mix everything together until barely combined. For tender meatballs, try not to over mix.

Wet your hands and form mixture into 1-inch meatballs. This should make about 24 meatballs.Gently drop meatballs into tomato sauce. (It’s okay if some are not completely covered by the sauce). Cover skillet with a lid and cook 20 minutes then gently shimmy or shake the skillet to move the meatballs around a little. Cook another 5 to 10 minutes or until turkey is cooked through. Before serving, scatter about 2 tablespoons of torn basil leaves over meatballs and sauce.

Huevos Rancheros

Recipe based off this one from Cooking Light.


Ingredients:
4 (6-inch) corn tortillas
Cooking spray
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup canned chopped green chiles
2 teaspoons New Mexico chile powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
1 (14.5-ounce) can salsa
4 large eggs
1/4 cup (1 ounce) shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°. Coat tortillas with cooking spray; place on a baking sheet. Bake for 12 minutes or until crisp.

Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell pepper, and garlic; sauté 3 minutes. Add green chiles and next 5 ingredients (green chiles through salsa). Bring to a boil; cook 3 minutes or until thick.

Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-low heat. Add eggs to pan; cook 3 minutes or until done.

Place 1 tortilla on each of 4 plates. Top each tortilla with 1/2 cup tomato mixture and 1 egg. Sprinkle each serving with 1 tablespoon cheese.

Honey Mustard-Whipped Sweet Potatoes

Recipe courtesy of Cooking Light.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon margarine
1/2 cup sliced onion
3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup low-salt chicken broth

Directions:
Melt margarine in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and sweet potatoes; sauté 5 minutes. Add mustard and remaining ingredients; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until sweet potatoes are very tender. Place sweet potato mixture in a food processor; process until smooth.

Mini Pies

I had very big baking eyes this year for Christmas - mini pies! 3 kinds! It was a bit of a disaster. Mini-pies, while adorable, are much more work than regular sized pies, especially when you're attempting to make several different types. If I were to try again, I would stick to one kind of pie and just make a double recipe. I made 2 of the 3 in this Serious Eats article, Apple and Pear Cranberry Crumble - I ended up with LOADS more apple than I needed, and too much crumb topping for the Pear Cranberry, which led me to put (probably) too much on top of each pie and therefore made it impossible to scoop out of the muffin tin after baking. I ended up getting them up and putting them immediately into ramekins. The Pear Cran was my favorite, and think it would work great without the pie dough at all and just baked in the ramekin with the topping. Lastly, there was an error in the pie dough recipe provided, so I ended up making my favorite Martha Stewart Pate Sucree.

PIE CRUST
Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon ice water

Directions:
Pulse flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor until combined. Add butter, and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some larger pieces remaining, about 5 seconds.

 Drizzle water evenly over mixture. Pulse until mixture just begins to hold together, about 10 seconds. (Dough should not be wet or sticky.) Press dough into 1 large disk. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour or overnight.

Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough out into an even rectangle, that’s at least 9- by 13-inches. Use a bowl or the lid of a takeout container and a pizza slicer to cut 4-inch circles from the sheet of dough. Carefully transfer to a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and chill for 30 minutes.

If the scraps are still cold, you can re-roll them and use the pizza slicer to slice thin strips for lattice. Place those into the refrigerator to chill separately for later use (if you are making fruit lattice mini pies).

Melt about 2 tablespoons of butter in the microwave and use a pastry brush or a paper towel to generously grease the top and cups of a muffin tin.

Fit your circles into the muffin tin, making sure that there are no air bubbles on the bottom or sides of the pan. Chill for 30 minutes while you make your filling.

PEAR CRANBERRY CRUMBLE
Ingredients:
For Topping
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup flour
3 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons white sugar
8 tablespoons melted butter
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt

For Filling
1 1/2 pounds pears, thinly sliced and then cut crosswise into small pieces
3 1/2 ounces cranberries, cooked with 3 tablespoons water and 3 tablespoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons lemon zest
2 tablespoons cornstarch

Directions:
For Topping: In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the dry ingredients bowl. Pour the melted butter over the dry ingredients and mix until completely incorporated. Set aside.

For Filling: 
Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. In a small bowl, mix together the salt, cinnamon, and sugar.

In a sauce pan over medium heat, cook the cranberries with sugar and water. After the cranberries have burst and the sauce starts forming, add in the pears and cook, while covered, until the pears are tender (5-10 minutes). Let cool, then sprinkle in the sugar/cinnamon/salt mixture and mix until well incorporated. Add in the lemon juice and zest, and mix again, being careful not to crush the pears.

Add in the cornstarch, and mix until completely incorporated, then spoon the filling into the muffin cups lined with pie crust, pressing the filling with the back of a spoon to eliminate any air pockets. Fill the cups all the way to the top. Sprinkle crumble generously over the top.

Bake in oven for 20 minutes, then rotate and bake for 5-10 minutes, removing when they are very well browned.

After removing the mini pies from the oven, allow them to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing them with an offset spatula and placing them on a sheet pan to cool completely.

APPLE LATTICE
Ingredients:
1 3/4 pounds apples, washed, cored and chopped into pieces the size of dimes
1.5 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon allspice
1 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Directions:
Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.

Upon prepping the apples, sprinkle the lemon juice over the slices to prevent browning. Mix the flour, sugar and spices together and add to the apple slices. Then add the lemon zest and butter, and mix.

Add the apple mixture to a baking dish and cover with aluminum foil. Bake for approximately 10 minutes until the apples are barely fork tender. Remove foil, mix, and cool completely.

Spoon the cooled apple filling into shells, all the way to the top. Lay four strips of lattice horizontally over each mini pie, and four strips vertically. Trim the over hang of the lattice strips, then push the ends of the lattice into the edge of the shells.

Brush all exposed crust with cream or egg wash, and sprinkle liberally with coarse sugar. At this point, if the pastry has gotten a bit warm, place directly into the freezer for 5-10 minutes.

Bake pies for 20 minutes, then rotate and bake for 5-10 minutes, removing when they are very well browned.

After removing the mini pies from the oven, allow them to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing them with an offset spatula and placing them on a sheet pan to cool completely.

Sweet Potato Wedges

Recipe courtesy of Cooking Light.

Ingredients:
2 medium sweet potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450°. Peel sweet potatoes; cut in half lengthwise. Cut each half lengthwise into thirds. Place potatoes in a bowl; add olive oil, kosher salt, and ground red pepper, tossing to coat. Arrange potato wedges on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray; bake at 450° for 10 minutes. Turn potatoes; bake 10 to 12 minutes or until tender.

Balsamic-Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Recipe adapted from Ina Garten's (minus the pancetta).

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed and cut in half through the core
1/4 cup good olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon syrupy balsamic vinegar

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the Brussels sprouts in a bowl and add olive oil, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Toss until the sprouts are coated then spread them out in a single layer on a sheet pan. 

Roast the Brussels sprouts for 20 to 30 minutes, until they're tender and nicely browned. Toss once during roasting. Remove from the oven, drizzle immediately with the balsamic vinegar, and toss again. Taste for seasonings, and serve hot.

Chimichurri Sauce

Delicious over steak and for dipping bread, courtesy of Serious Eats.

Ingredients:
1 cup packed fresh parsley, washed and dried
5 medium cloves garlic, peeled
2 tablespoons oregano leaves
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Directions:
Place parsley, garlic, and oregano in the workbowl of a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.

Transfer to a medium bowl and whisk in oil, vinegar, salt, and red pepper flakes. Use immediately or store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Baked Jelly Donuts

For Thanksgivikah this year, I wanted to make some jelly donuts to share with my family, but the idea of yeast and frying still scared me. Then I found this baked donut recipe online and tried it out!I didn't get a full 12 out of my batter, I probably put too much in each muffin cup, but they were delicious fresh. Not as good the day after when I was serving them - the jelly gets soaked into the donut. 

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
1 egg (lightly beaten)
1 6 oz container of non fat organic vanilla bean yogurt
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon+ 1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons butter (melted)
1 jar of your favorite jelly

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Toss the cinnamon and 1/2 cup sugar together and set aside. In a large bowl whisk together all the dry ingredients. In another bowl stir together oil, lemon juice, sugar, egg and yogurt. Make a hole in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients into the hole. Gently fold everything together until combined. Place batter in a plastic baggie, seal and cut off the corner then pipe dollops of batter into a greased muffin tin. Each muffin cup should only be 1/3 to 1/2 full. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for a few moments and then flip over onto a cooling rack while still warm. Dip the tops of the donuts into butter and then sprinkle the tops with cinnamon sugar. Let cool slightly. Fit a pastry bag with the 1/2 round tip and fill the bag with jelly. Insert the tip into the end of each donut and pipe a squirt into each donut. Makes 12.

Plum Blackberry Galette

Recipe courtesy of Martha Stewart.

Ingredients:
For Dough:
2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup ice water

For Filling:
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for parchment
2 pounds mixed plums (about 8), halved, pitted, and cut into 1/2-inch wedges if large
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Pinch of coarse salt
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, divided
6 ounces blackberries
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons coarse sanding sugar

Directions:
For Dough:
Lay roughly three quarters of butter on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze until hard, at least 30 minutes. Meanwhile, refrigerate remaining butter.

Combine flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor. Add refrigerated butter and pulse to combine, about 10 times. Add frozen butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal with some blueberry-size clumps.

Add ice water and immediately pulse until just incorporated, about 10 times more. Squeeze a small amount of dough to make sure it holds together. Pulse a few more times, if necessary.

Empty dough onto a piece of plastic wrap. Bring edges together to gather dough, pressing so it comes together into a mass. Form dough into a disk and wrap in plastic. Roll out dough, still wrapped in plastic, to a 1/2-inch-thick disk. Refrigerate at least 45 minutes and up to 2 days; dough can be wrapped in plastic, then in foil, and frozen up to 1 month.

Roll out dough to an 18-inch round on lightly floured parchment (parchment should measure at least 18 inches square; overlap 2 pieces, if necessary).

For Filling:
Combine plums, lemon juice, flour, salt, and 3/4 cup granulated sugar. Gently stir in blackberries and place in middle of pastry, leaving a 3-inch border. Dot top of fruit mixture with butter. Fold up edges of pastry to partially cover fruit; brush pastry with egg wash and sprinkle with sanding sugar. Slide galette on parchment onto a rimmed baking sheet (trim parchment to fit, if necessary). Refrigerate until dough is firm, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 425 degrees. Bake galette 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 375 degrees and bake until pastry is golden and juices are bubbling, about 30 minutes more. Let cool completely on a wire rack, about 2 hours.

Baked Turkey and Jack Cheese Chimichangas

Recipe adapted from Weight Watchers.

Ingredients:
2 spray(s) cooking spray
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium zucchini, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1/2 pound(s) uncooked ground turkey breast
16 oz fat free canned refried beans
1 3/4 cup(s) fat free salsa
4 1/2 oz canned green chili peppers, mild, drained and diced
1 tsp chili powder
3 Tbsp uncooked scallion(s), thinly sliced
1 cup(s) reduced-fat shredded Monterey Jack cheese
8 item(s) (large) burrito-size wheat flour tortilla(s)
1 cup(s) fat free salsa (Optional)
1/2 cup(s) fat free sour cream (Optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Coat a large skillet with cooking spray. Coat a 13- X 9- X 2-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

Add garlic, zucchini, pepper, and onion to skillet and cook over medium-high heat until softened. Add turkey to skillet and cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Drain any excess liquid from pan and then add beans, 1 3/4 cups of salsa, chili peppers, chili powder and scallions. Cook until heated through, about 3 minutes; stir in most of the cheese (reserve about 1/4 cup to sprinkle on top of chimichangas).

Assemble chimichangas by spooning about 1/2 cup of turkey mixture onto each tortilla; fold in sides and roll up.

Place chimichangas, seam-side down, in prepared baking dish. Bake, uncovered, until tortillas are crisp and browned, about 20 minutes. Serve each topped with 2 tablespoons of salsa and 1 tablespoon of sour cream, if desired.

French Onion Dip

 From my favorite, Alton Brown.

 

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups diced onions
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 cups sour cream
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions:
In a saute pan over medium heat add oil, heat and add onions and salt. Cook the onions until they are caramelized, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. Mix the rest of the ingredients, and then add the cooled onions. Refrigerate and stir again before serving.

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/onion-dip-from-scratch-recipe/index.html?oc=linkback

White Chocolate Coconut & Banana S’more Bars

Recipe courtesy of Top with Cinnamon.

Ingredients:
1 ½ cups shredded coconut
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt
2 egg whites
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup white chocolate, chopped
2 large bananas
4 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 cups mini marshmallows

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8-inch square tin with foil, then spray the foil with non-stick cooking spray or oil.

In a medium bowl, combine the coconut, vanilla, salt and egg whites. Stir in the chopped white chocolate and sugar. Press into the lined tin.

Wrap the bananas in foil. Place the foil-wrapped bananas and the coconut base into the oven separately. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the coconut base is golden brown and the bananas are dark and starting to seep a bit.

Immediately peel the bananas into a bowl and mash roughly with a fork. Spread the mashed banana over the coconut base and sprinkle on the chopped chocolate. Spread the chocolate evenly to cover the entire base and sprinkle with marshmallows.

Turn your broiler on and put the oven rack on the top third of the oven. Place the pan under the broiler for less than one minute, just until the marshmallows are toasted. Watch them closely! Remove from the pan and peel away the foil. Cut s’mores bars into 12 or 16 squares. You could also make these s’mores over the barbecue by making the base in the oven ahead of time and roasting the remaining ingredients over the heat. Enjoy!