Thai Chicken

Thai Chicken
adapted from JoEllen Woods

2 chicken breasts, cooked in pressure cooker or grilled

Stir fry the following:
1 green onion
2 zucchini, cut julienne
2 Asian eggplant, cut julienne
2 whole carrots, finely chopped
1/2 head cabbage, shredded
2 cloves garlic
1 t fresh ginger
2 T oil

In a small saucepan, brig to a boil:
1/4 c creamy PB
1/4 c sugar
3 T soy sauce
4 cloves garlic
3 T water
2 T oil

Serve in tortillas or on top of rice.

Crockpot Butternut Squash & Quinoa Soup

Crockpot Butternut Squash & Quinoa Soup
adapted from Cookin' Canuck

2 1/2 lbs chicken breast, quartered
3 cups chicken broth
2 lbs cooked butternut squash, mashed
1/2 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
1/2 tsp kosher salt
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (14 oz) petite diced tomatoes
2/3 cup uncooked quinoa
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro

Cook chicken in chicken broth in a crockpot on high for 3 hours. Remove chicken pieces and shred. Add everything else to the crockpot, except cilantro. Add shredded chicken back to crockpot and cook on low for 1-2 hours. Serve and garnish with cilantro and a scoop of sour cream.

Avocado Cilantro Hummus

Avocado Cilantro Hummus
adapted from the Vitamix cookbook

1 T olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup raw sesame seeds
1 can chickpeas, with liquid
1 can chickpeas, drained
1 clove garlic
1 t cumin
salt to taste
2 avocados
1/2 bunch cilantro

Throw everything in a blender and puree for 45 seconds or until smooth.

BBQ White Pizza

Using these recipes, you will have enough dough and sauce to make three small pizzas.

Favorite Dough
3/4 cup hot water (as hot as my tap gets)
1 T sugar
1 t yeast
1 T olive oil
1/2 t salt
2 1/4 cups flour
1 T dry milk
Mix ingredients in order given. Knead until a soft dough forms. Let rise in covered bowl for one hour.

Favorite Alfredo
1 T butter
1 T flour
1/2 cup milk
1 oz. cream cheese
2 1/2 t minced garlic
Salt & pepper
Make a roux first with the butter and flour. Add milk. Cook over medium heat for 1 minute before adding other ingredients. Let simmer 5 minutes.

Toppings (any or all):
Chicken
Spinach
Rosemary
Tomatoes, thinly sliced
Zucchini, thinly sliced
Ricotta cheese
Mozzarella cheese

Grill dough on the BBQ for about 5 minutes. Flip. Cover with toppings and grill another 5 minutes with the lid closed.

Granola

Homemade Granola

from JoEllen Woods

4 cups old fashioned oats
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup chopped almonds
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup of flax seed meal

1/4 cup quinoa
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup oil
1/4 cup honey
1 tablespoon vanilla

In a large bowl mix the dry ingredients. In a microwave safe bowl heat oil and honey until warm, about 30 seconds. Remove from heat and whisk in vanilla extract. Pour this mixture over the oat mixture and mix thoroughly until everything is completely coated. Spread evenly on a greased jelly roll pan. Bake at 300º for about 20 minutes until slightly golden brown. Don’t stir during baking. Cool completely and break into pieces.

Black Bean Brownies

There are so many recipes on the web for black bean brownies and I looked at several. You can mess with oil substitutes, egg substitutes, or sugar substitutes, and some recipes even snuck in more pureed fruits and vegetables.This one looked right for me.

Black Bean Brownies
adapted from Allergen Free Lifestyle

1 can of black beans
3 eggs
1/2 cup agave or honey
1/3 cup cocoa
2 Tbs. oil
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla

Blend all ingredients together in a blender or food processor until smooth. Pour into a greased 8 by 8 baking dish. Sprinkle with chocolate chips or nuts. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Three Grain Waffles & Blueberry Syrup

Three Grain Waffles
adapted from the Pillsbury Complete Cookbook

1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup quick oats
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 Tbs oil
2 eggs, beaten

Mix dry ingredients together in a bowl. Mix wet ingredients together separately, then add to dry.

Blueberry Syrup
from Cooks.com

1 cup blueberries
1/4 cup sugar 
1/4 cup water

Combine ingredients in small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Crush berries with back of spoon. Simmer 2 to 3 minutes. Serve hot.

Chocolate Chip Muffins

This recipe came from the March 2012 Friend. Jack begs me to make the Friend recipes. Usually they don't excite me too much, but these turned out pretty good and they were really easy.

Chocolate Chip Muffins

1 egg beaten

1 cup milk

¼  cup oil (I used applesauce)

2 cups flour (I did a mix of whole wheat and white)

½  cup sugar

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

Semi-sweet chips

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Line a muffin pan with 12 liners. Mix together the egg, milk, and oil in a bowl. Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Mix until just combined. Add chocolate chips. Fill each muffin cup half full with batter. Bake for 20 minutes.

Zebra Popcorn

I guess I've been in a popcorn mood lately, because it's the first thing I think of when it's time to make a treat. Our family really enjoyed this one.

Zebra Popcorn
adapted from Alpine 9th Ward Recipes
 
12 cups popped popcorn (1/2 cup unpopped)
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. baking soda
Almond bark or white chocolate chips
Semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 250. Put brown sugar in a microwave bowl. Chop the butter into chunks and place on top of brown sugar. Pour corn syrup over brown sugar and butter. Microwave on high for 30 seconds, then stir to combine. Return to microwave and heat for 2 min. Remove and stir, then microwave for 2 min. more. Remove from microwave and add vanilla and baking soda. Stir to combine. The mixture will foam and rise and turn a creamy light brown color. Pour over the popcorn and stir very well so everything is coated. Spread popcorn mixture onto a foil lined jelly roll pan. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 30 min., stirring every 10 min. Remove the pan from the oven and spread mixture out on a large piece of parchment or wax paper. Melt the almond bark according to package directions. Drizzle over popcorn mixture. Let harden. Melt the chocolate and drizzle over the popcorn, same as the almond bark. Let harden. Break into chunks.

Note: If you're having trouble getting your chocolate to drizzle, put it in a ziploc bag, cut off a tiny corner, and squeeze it out over the popcorn.

Sugar 'n' Spice Popcorn

My sad little picture does not do this treat justice. This popcorn is amazing and so simple. We made it tonight for movie night and it was a hit!

Sugar 'n' Spice Popcorn
from Lori Frost

3 T butter
1/4 t nutmeg
2 T sugar
1/2 t cinnamon
8 cups popped popcorn (1/3 cup unpopped)

Melt butter in a small saucepan over med-low heat. Stir in the nutmeg, sugar, and cinnamon. Continue stirring until the mixture is smooth and the sugar has dissolved. Do not overcook! Pour mixture over popped popcorn and stir until coated.

Best Chocolate Chip Cookies Ever

One of my pet peeves with cookies is when they turn out really flat. I want a cookie with some substance to it. That's why I love this recipe. The dough is a little on the dry side and it makes for a nice thick cookie with a crunchy outside and soft inside.

Best Chocolate Chip Cookies Ever (that's the official name)
from Loralee Bowen and Michelle Johnson

1 cup butter or margarine

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

2 3/4 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

semi-sweet chocolate chips

Cream butter and sugars well (until light and fluffy). Add eggs and vanilla and mix. Add dry ingredients and chocolate chips. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. Cool on pan for 1 minutes then transfer to wire rack. Makes about 2 to 3 dozen cookies.

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

Last weekend, I was searching for a new cookie recipe and found this one. It's very simple and delicious. I like that they didn't taste overly sweet or rich. They almost reminded me more of a chocolate muffin top. I made them again for the second time tonight.

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
adapted from Allrecipes.com

1 c butter, soft
1 1/2 c sugar
2 eggs
2 t vanilla
1 c whole wheat flour
1 c white flour
2/3 c cocoa
3/4 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
chocolate chips 

Preheat oven to 350. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Then beat in the eggs and vanilla. Add flour, cocoa, soda, and salt and mix in gently. Dough will feel a little dry, almost like play dough. Mix in chocolate chips. Bake for 8 minutes. These would also be great with butterscotch or peanut butter chips.

Pumpkin Pancakes & Apple Syrup

We did these the for the first time in November and have had to repeat them over and over again. I think they're good enough to eat year round.

Pumpkin Pancakes
adapted from Allrecipes.com

1 c whole wheat flour
1 c white flour
3 T brown sugar
2 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t ginger
1/2 t salt
1 1/2 c milk
1 c pumpkin
1 egg
2 T unsweetened applesauce
2 T white vinegar

Combine the wet and dry ingredients separately, then mix together just enough to combine. Optional: add milk chocolate chips.

Apple Syrup
from JoEllen Woods

1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup water
2 Tbsp. butter
1 tsp. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 apple, peeled and chopped

Mix all ingredients together before heating, to prevent the cornstarch from clumping. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 10 minutes.

Cinnamon Raisin Bread

I know there are a billion bread recipes out there, and most of them are probably delicious. I guess I love this recipe so much, because my mom made this bread when I was a kid.

Cinnamon Raisin Bread
from Deanne Jefferies

2 1/2 cups hot water
1/4 cup honey
4 Tbs oil
1 Tbs salt
2/3 cup powdered milk
2 Tbs yeast
2 1/2 cups Hard Red wheat flour
Mix all of the above together in order. Knead for several minutes. Then add:
2 cups Hard White wheat flour
1 cup bread flour
Don't mix the additional 3 cups of flour in, just let them sit on top of the dough mixture. Let sit for 45 minutes. By then, bubbles should dhow through the flour. Knead for 10 minutes, adding flour as needed. Dough should be slightly sticky. Cover bowl with dam cloth and raise in warm over until double in size. Then pull out dough and divide into two balls. Roll out each ball into a large rectangle and sprinkle on raisins, cinnamon, and sugar. Roll up and put in greased bread pan. Raise again in warm over with a towel over the dough. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Apple Crisp

I am usually not a huge fan of cobblers and crisps, but this one was so simple and delicious that it is going to be a new family favorite.

Apple Crisp
from Nancy Hansen

6 large apples, peeled and thinly sliced
Cinnamon
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
3 cups oats
1 cup melted butter

Preheat oven to 375. Layer sliced apples on bottom of 9 x 13 pan. Sprinkle generously with cinnamon. Combine flour, sugar, and oats, add butter and mix until crumbly. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Serve warm with cream and pecans. Also works well with peaches.

Bread Twists

These are my absolute favorite side to any pasta dish. They are fast and simple and fun to pull apart.

Bread Twists
from Tia Sherwood

1 1/2 cups warm water
1 Tbs yeast
2 Tbs sugar
1/2 Tbs salt
4 cups flour
1 clove minced garlic (optional)

Dissolve yeast in water. Add sugar and salt. Stir in flour--start with 2 cups and slowly increase until dough is soft. Knead for several minutes. Cover with damp cloth and let raise for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, melt 4 Tbs butter and pour into a 9 x 13 pan. Preheat oven to 375. When the dough is ready, roll it out on a floured surface into a rectangle about the same size as the pan. Cut the dough lengthwise in 1-inch strips then cut the dough once widthwise. Dip each piece in the butter then twist it before placing it in the pan. The bread twists should all be smashed together when you are done. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and bake for 15 minutes.