Sunday

Chinese Green Beans with Ground Turkey over Rice

I played pretty fast and loose with these measurements and basically eyeballed everything. It was definitely still quite mild. Very quick and easy.

Ingredients
1 c. medium grain rice, uncooked
1 tbsp. sesame oil
1 small bunch green onions, sliced thin
2 cloves garlic, minced or crushed
1 lb. ground turkey
2 tbsp. chili garlic sauce (which I didn't have on hand so I used sweet chili sauce)
2 tbsp. hoisin sauce
1 tsp. crushed ginger
1 lb. washed and trimmed green beans
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. seasoned rice vinegar

Instructions:
Start rice cooking in lightly salted water.
When rice is about 15 minutes from done, heat large skillet over high heat. Add sesame oil, and sauté green onions and garlic for about 2 minutes. Stir in ground turkey and sauté 3-5 minutes, until meat is mostly cooked. Crumble meat as much as possible.
Stir in chili garlic sauce, hoisin sauce, and ginger. Add green beans and soy sauce, and stir to coat. Continue cooking over high heat for 7-9 minutes longer, stirring frequently, until beans are slightly tender.
Stir in rice vinegar, and cook one minute longer. Serve over cooked rice.



Thursday

Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

Our Christmas morning tradition

Ingredients
for cake batter:
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup sour cream
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

for cream cheese filling
2 - 8 oz packages cream cheese, softened
1 egg yolk
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

for crumb topping:
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup butter


Set oven to 350F with oven rack set to second-lowest position.
Grease a 13 x 9-inch (or an 11 x 7-inch, baking time will need to be increased slightly).
Cream butter with sugar (about 3-4 minutes), add in eggs and sour cream; beat well (about another 3 minutes).  In a bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt.Add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture; beat well until combined (batter will be thick). Spread more than half of the batter in the prepared baking pan. In another bowl, cream together all filling ingredients, then carefully spread over the cake batter. Spoon the remaining cake batter over the top of the cheese mixture. Mix all topping ingredients, pinching together with fingers until the consistency is like crumbs, and sprinkle over the top. Bake for about 50-55 minutes or until middle feels set.

Recipe from KitchenLab

Sunday

Coconut Curry Red Lentil Bowl with Kale and Chickpeas

This is fast and easy. You can serve it over rice or naan bread.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup red lentils
1 (15 1/2) ounce can diced tomatoes
1 (15 1/2) can lite coconut milk
1 cup water or broth
1 heaping tablespoon curry powder
~1 1/2 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
1 tsp garlic, minced
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon salt
1 (15 1/2 oz.) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
4 cups roughly chopped, deveined kale
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/3 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro


In a large high-sided skillet, combine the red lentils, tomatoes with their juices, coconut milk, water or broth, curry powder, ginger, turmeric, and salt. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for about 18 minutes. Stir in the chickpeas and kale and allow to cook another 3-5 minutes, until the kale is wilted and bright green. Stir in the lime and cilantro and serve. Enjoy!

Friday

Apple Pie

Made this for Thanksgiving and it was delish.

Ingredients:
4 pounds mixed apples (such as Granny Smith, Gala and McIntosh)
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon or apple pie spice
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 disks pie dough
1 large egg, beaten
Coarse sugar, for sprinkling (optional)

Peel and core the apples; slice 1/4 inch thick. Transfer to a bowl and toss with the granulated sugar and lemon juice. Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the apples and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 12 to 15 minutes. Add the flour, cinnamon and salt and stir until the juices thicken, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool completely. (The filling can be made up to 2 days ahead; cover and refrigerate.)

Roll out 1 disk of dough into a 12-inch round on a lightly floured surface. Ease into a 9-inch pie plate. Add the cooled filling and dot with the remaining 2 tablespoons butter.

Roll out the remaining disk of dough into a 12-inch round. Lay the dough over the filling and press the two crusts together around the edges. Fold the overhanging dough under itself and crimp with your fingers. Brush the top crust with the beaten egg and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Cut a few slits in the top crust to let steam escape. Chill 1 hour.

Put a baking sheet on the bottom oven rack and preheat to 425 degrees F for at least 30 minutes. Put the pie directly on the hot baking sheet and reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees F; bake until the pie is golden and the filling is bubbly, 1 hour to 1 hour, 10 minutes, rotating the pie as needed. (Cover the edges with foil if they are browning too quickly.) Transfer to a rack and let cool until the filling is set, about 3 hours

From Food Network

Thursday

Chuck Roast with Balsamic and Dijon

Ingredients
2-3 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
4 pounds Chuck Roast
1 medium to large yellow onion, chopped
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
2-3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
5 sprigs fresh thyme
2 cups reduced-sodium beef broth
2 bunches small carrots, or baby carrots
1 pound very small baby potatoes, white or red
kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 300F.
Heat oil in a large dutch oven over high heat. Season chuck roast well with salt and pepper, add to pan and brown well on all sides (a few minutes a side). Remove roast and set aside.
Add chopped onion to drippings in pot and reduce heat to medium. Saute onions until soft, about 5 minutes. Add balsamic vinegar, increase heat to medium-high and boil until reduced and slightly syrupy, about 4-5 more minutes. Stir in Dijon.
Set roast on top of onions in pot. Pour in 2 cups beef broth and add thyme sprigs. Cover and place in oven for 2 1/2 - 3 hours or until very tender.
Add carrots and potatoes to pot and return to oven. Continue cooking until carrots and potatoes are tender, 30-60 minutes more. Season well then serve and enjoy!

White Chicken Chili with Quinoa

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon oil
1 onion, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, diced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon cumin, toasted and ground
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup salsa verde
1 pound boneless and skinless chicken breasts
2 (15 ounce) cans white beans
1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 tablespoon lime juice (~1/2 lime)
2 tablespoon cilantro, chopped
salt and pepper to taste


Heat the oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat, add the onion and jalapeno pepper and cook until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
Add the garlic and cumin and cook until fragrant, about a minute.
Add the broth, salsa verde, chicken, beans, quinoa and oregano, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the chicken is cooked and the quinoa is tender, about 10-15 minutes.
Remove the chicken, shred or dice, return to soup along with the lime juice and cilantro, season with salt and pepper and remove from heat.

From Closet Cooking

Monday

Zucchini Boats



Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups marinara sauce
4 medium zucchini
1 teaspoon oil
1/2 teaspoon small onion diced
3 cloves garlic crushed
1/2 cup red bell pepper diced
14 ounces lean italian chicken sausage removed from casing
1/2 cups part skim shredded mozzarella
8 teaspoons grated parmesan cheese


Bring a large pot of water to boil.

Preheat oven to 400°. Cut zucchini in half lengthwise and using a spoon or melon baller, scoop out flesh, leaving 1/4" thick. Chop the scooped out flesh of the zucchini in small pieces and set aside.

Drop zucchini halves in boiling water and cook 1 minute. Remove from water.

Place 1/4 cup of sauce in the bottom of a 9 x 12" baking dish, and place zucchini halves cut side up.

In a large saute pan, brown sausage, breaking up as it cooks into smaller pieces until browned; set aside. Heat oil and add onion, garlic and bell pepper. Cook on a medium-low heat for about 2-3 minutes, until onions are translucent. Add chopped zucchini, season with salt and pepper and cook about 2-3 minutes. Combine with sausage and cook a few more minutes.

Using a spoon, fill each hollowed zucchini with 1/3 cup cooked sausage, pressing firmly. Top each with 2 tablespoons each of sauce, 1 tablespoon each of shredded mozzarella cheese and 1 teaspoon each of parmesan cheese. Cover with foil and bake 35 minutes until cheese is melted and zucchini is cooked through.

8 servings, 3WWP+ each

Sunday

Slow cooker Chipotle-Maple Beef Tacos

3 chiles from a can of chipotle in adobo
1 cup pineapple juice
½ cup pure maple syrup
3 Tbls tomato paste
2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 4-5 pound boneless chuck roast

Corn Tortillas
Shredded Cabbage
Diced Avocado
Diced Tomato
Other desired toppings

Instructions
In a blender or small food processor puree all of the ingredients for the roast.
Place chuck roast in the slow cooker. Pour sauce over the top, turning to coat. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
Remove and shred using 2 forks. Place back in the liquid.
Heat corn tortillas. Fill tortillas with a little shredded beef, and top with desired toppings

Use leftovers to make beef noodle bowls with thai noodles, scallions, sesame oil and soy sauce.

Recipe from 
http://dinnersdishesanddesserts.com/slow-cooker-chipotle-beef-tacos/

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting



For the cake:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp allspice
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
4 eggs
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line muffin pans with cupcake liners.
In large bowl combine dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice.
In bowl of stand mixer cream butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until creamy.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Add dry ingredients and milk, alternating until well combined. Scrape down sides of bowl as necessary.
Mix in pumpkin puree.
Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full with batter.
Bake for 18 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Let cupcakes cool in pans for 5 minutes, then remove to wire racks to finish cooling.
Once cupcakes are completely cool frost with Cinnamon Cream Cheese icing.

For the icing:
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
8 oz cream cheese, softened
4 cups confectioner’s sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon

In bowl of stand mixer beat butter and cream cheese on medium speed until well combined.
Gradually add in confectioner’s sugar one cup at a time, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary.
Add vanilla and cinnamon and mix until combined.

From the Cake Blog

Summer Puttanesca

With so many cherry tomatoes, I had to find more recipes to use them! This recipe is initially from Cooks Illustrated but when I tried it the liquid amount and cooking times were vastly different. Perhaps my tomatoes were very juicy?

Ingredients
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon anchovy paste
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1 1/2 pounds grape or cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, chopped coarse
3 tablespoons capers, rinsed and minced
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley

Combine oil, garlic, anchovy paste, pepper flakes, and oregano in bowl. Process tomatoes in blender until finely chopped but not pureed, 15 to 45 seconds. Transfer to fine-mesh strainer set in large bowl and let drain for 5 minutes, occasionally pressing gently on solids with rubber spatula to extract liquid (this should yield about 3/4 cup- but I got more than double that). Reserve tomato liquid in bowl and tomato pulp in strainer.

Cook garlic-anchovy mixture in 12-inch skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until garlic is fragrant but not brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Add tomato liquid and simmer until reduced to 1/3 cup, 2 to 3 minutes (so I easily simmered for 15 minutes to nice thickness, but it was far more than 1/3c). Add tomato pulp, olives, and capers; cook until just heated through, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in parsley.

I froze mine without the parsley.

Friday

Roasted Cherry Tomato Sauce

Made with homegrown cherry tomatoes served over a little linguine? Delish.

Ingredients:
1.5-2 pounds cherry tomatoes
3-4 cloves garlic, smashed
1/2c extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbs balsamic vinegar
1 Tbs fresh thyme
2 tsp light brown sugar
1 tsp coarse salt

Preaheat oven to 325*. Place tomatoes and garlic in a glass 13x9 baking dish.
Whisk oil, vinegar, thyme, sugar and salt and drizzle over tomatoes.
Bake until tomatoes are softened and caramalized 60-80 minutes. Serve warm or room temperature.
Can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days.

From Martha Stewart

Wednesday

Kung Pao Chicken with Zucchini Noodles

I love my spiralizer. Use the thicker setting for hearty veggie noodles.

Ingredients
2 medium zucchini, about 8 oz each, ends trimmed
1 teaspoon grapeseed or canola oil
6 oz skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 red bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp fresh ground ginger
2 tbsp crushed dry roasted peanuts
2 tbsp thinly sliced scallions along diagonal

For the sauce:
1 1/2 tbsp reduced soy sauce (tamari for gluten free)
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp hoisin sauce
2 1/2 tbsp water
1/2 tbsp Sambal Oelek Red Chili Paste (or more to taste)
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp cornstarch

Using a spiralizer fitted with a shredder blade (this makes a thicker noodle), cut the zucchini into long spaghetti-like strips. If using a spiralizer, use kitchen scissors to cut the strands into pieces that are about 8 inches long so they’re easier to eat.

In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, balsamic, hoisin, water, red chili paste, sugar and cornstarch; set aside.

Season chicken with salt and pepper, to taste. Heat oil in a large, deep nonstick pan or wok over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until browned and cooked through, about 4 to 5 minutes. Set aside.

Reduce heat to medium, add sesame oil, garlic and ginger to the skillet and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the bell pepper, stir in soy sauce mixture and bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until thickened and bubbling, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in zucchini noodles and cook, mixing for about two minutes until just tender and mixed with the sauce. If it seems dry, don't worry the zucchini will release moisture which helps create a sauce. Once cooked, mix in chicken and divide between 2 bowls (about 2 cups each) and top with peanuts and scallions.

2 servings
WWP+7

From http://www.skinnytaste.com/2014/08/kung-pao-chicken-zoodles-for-two.html 

Turkey Chili

Ingredients:
2 lbs 99% fat-free ground turkey 
1 yellow onion, chopped 
5 cloves garlic, minced 
1 Tbsp olive oil 
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
1 (15 oz) can petite diced tomatoes
3 Tbsp tomato paste 
1 (15 oz) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed 
1 red bell pepper, chopped 
1 green bell pepper, chopped 
1 jalapeno, chopped 
1 1/2 tsp. sea salt 
Pinch of pepper  
3 Tbsp chili powder 
2 tsp. oregano 
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper 

Cook the ground turkey in a bit of oil. When cooked through, transfer to paper towels to drain. Add olive oil to pot and cook onion until softened. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 minute. 
Add remaining ingredients simmer on medium heat for at least an hour.

Serves 8, 1cup portions.
WWP+ 6

Adapted from http://www.eat-yourself-skinny.com/2013/09/the-best-turkey-chili-youll-ever-taste.html 

Sunday

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Overnight Oats

Breakfast in a mason jar!

Ingredients:
1 pint size or 8 ounce mason jar
½ cup unsweetened almond milk
2 tablespoons peanut butter and chocolate powder
2 teaspoons pure maple syrup
¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ cup rolled oats

In the mason jar mix together almond milk, peanut butter powder, and unsweetened cocoa. This takes about 30 seconds or a minute. Then whisk in maple syrup and vanilla.
Stir in rolled oats until all ingredients are combined.
Place lid securely on and store overnight in the refrigerator.

6pp

Blueberry Almond Overnight Oats

A breakfast in a half pint mason jar. Make it the night before. It will keep 2-3 days in the fridge.

Ingredients:
½ cup rolled oats
½ cup almond milk
1/3 cup frozen blueberries
⅛ teaspoon pure almond extract
⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons pure maple syrup
small tiny pinch of salt


In a pint size glass mason jar add oats, almond milk, blueberries, almond extract, cinnamon, maple syrup, and salt. Stir until combine. Put lid on a store in the refrigerator overnight.

7pp

Thursday

Cucumber Noodle Salad

Ingredients:
10oz lo mein or spaghetti (I used whole wheat spaghetti)
1 large cucumber, cut to a medium dice
6 Tbs soy sauce
4.5 tsp rice wine vinegar
3 Tbs toasted sesame oil
3 Tbs natural peanut butter (like Adam's)
1 Tbs dark molasses
7oz thinly sliced Chinese sausage, lop chong. If you can't find this, you can substitute bacon.
1c chopped cilantro
1/2c sliced basil leaves
3c loosely packed salad greens
1/4c chopped roasted salted peanuts

Cook noodles until just tender. Drain, rinse well with cold water, and set aside.
Whisk together soy sauve, vinegar, peanut butter and molasses in a large bowl. Set aside.
Lightly brown sausage (or cook bacon). Drain on paper towels.
Add noodles to peanut butter sauce, tossing to coast, then add remaining ingredients.
Serve on a bed of salad greens garnished with peanuts.

From Sunset August 2014

Slow Cooker Italian Meatballs

This makes a ton of meatballs - about 40. Eat some and freeze the rest.

Ingredients:
½ cup milk
4 eggs
2 lbs ground beef
12 ounces bulk mild Italian sausage
1 ¼ cups Italian seasoned breadcrumbs (I used stuffing I had on hand)
¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon pepper
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
6 cups of your preferred marinara which is also 2 (24 oz) jars if you're short on time

In a large bowl, whisk together milk and eggs until combined. Add ground beef, Italian sausage, breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper and garlic powder; stir with a wooden spoon or mix with your fingers until well combined.

Heat broiler to high; place an oven rack about 4 to 5 inches from the broiler. Lightly grease 2 baking sheets with cooking spray or oil. I used a cookie scoop to shape (about 40) 1.5-inch meatballs from the mixture; place on prepared baking sheets.

Broil meatballs 6 to 8 minutes, flipping halfway through, until browned. Transfer to a 6-quart slow cooker.
Top meatballs evenly with sauce. Cover and cook on low 4 to 5 hours in the slow cooker until meatballs are cooked through to an internal temperature of at least 160 degrees F.

Scampi with Zucchini Noodles

Rather than pasta, these zucchini noodles are a great option. I threw in some cherry tomatoes as well for good measure.

Ingredients
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 pound jumbo shrimp, shelled and deveined
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
1/4 cup white wine
2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 medium zucchini, cut into noodles with a mandolin or spiralizer
Chopped parsley, for garnish

Place a large sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add the olive oil and heat it for 1 minute. Add the garlic and crushed red pepper flakes and cook them for 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Add the shrimp to the pan and cook them, stirring as needed, until they are cooked throughout and pink on all sides, about 3 minutes. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper and then using a slotted spoon, transfer them to a bowl, leaving any liquid in the pan.

Increase the heat to medium. Add the white wine and lemon juice to the pan. Using a wooden spoon, scrape any brown bits from the bottom of the pan, cooking the wine and lemon juice for 2 minutes. Add the zucchini noodles and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes. Return the shrimp to the pan and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper, garish with parsley and serve immediately.

Original recipe here.

Sunday

Salted Brown Butter Rice Krispie Treats

A grown up version of a childhood classic.
From Smitten Kitchen.

Ingredients:
1 stick butter
10oz marshmallows
6c rice krispie cereal
heaping 1/4 tsp coarse salt

Melt butter in large, high sided pan over medium high heat, stirring constantly until it browns and smells nutty. Remove from heat and dump in marshmallows. Stir until smooth. There should be enough residual heat to melt all the marshmallows, but if not, you can put it back on the burner on low.

Add salt and cereal and stir well. Pour into a buttered 8x8 pan and push flat with buttered hands or a silicone spatula. Allow to cool and cut into squares.

Saturday

Mexi Salad Dressing

I used this as a dressing on romaine with sweet corn and black beans when I served carne asada. Creamy, lime-y, a hint of sweet -- very tasty.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons freshly chopped cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon lime zest
1/4 cup lime juice
1/2 cup sour cream
1 clove garlic, smashed
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Mix all ingredients with an immersion blender.

Recipe from Food Network

Tuesday

Shrimp Enchiladas

Ingredients:
1 pound cooked bay shrimp
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, diced
2 cups shredded green cabbage or cole slaw mix
1 carrot, peeled and grated
~3 cups baby spinach (I used a whole container of baby spinach which was probably 4ish cups)
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
8 tortillas
2 cups Monterey Jack cheese

1/4c butter
1/4c flour
1 - 15oz can of chicken broth
1c sour cream
1 - 4oz can diced green chilis
1/4c chopped cilantro

Heat oven  to 375 degrees F. Lightly oil a 9×13 baking dish or coat with nonstick spray.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large, high sided skillet. Cook onion , stirring occasionally, until the onions become translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant about 1 minute. Add cabbage, carrot, spinach, oregano and cayenne. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the spinach just begins to wilt, about 1-2 minutes. Add shrimp and gently toss to combine.

To make the sauce, melt butter in a large saucepan. Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1-2 minutes. Gradually whisk in chicken stock and cook, whisking constantly, until incorporated, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in sour cream. Add green chilis and simmer until the sauce has thickened, about 2 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro.

To assemble the enchiladas, lay tortilla on a flat surface and spoon 1/3 - 1/2 cup of the shrimp mixture in the center; sprinkle with cheese. Roll the tortilla and place seam side down onto prepared baking dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas and shrimp mixture.
Pour the cream sauce evenly over the top. Place into oven and bake, covered, until lightly golden and bubbly, about 20 minutes.

Adapted from Damn Delicious

Sunday

Butterscotch Sauce

This sauce is for drizzling on ice cream, pound cake, poached pears or what have you. The longer you cook it the thicker it will be. Following these recipes on a light boil I got a pretty loose sauce when cool.

Yield: About 2/3 to 3/4 cup sauce

Ingredients:
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons, 2 ounces or 1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup (about 109 grams) packed dark or light brown sugar (I used dark)
1/2 cup (118 ml) heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon (2 grams) flaky sea salt (or 1/4 teaspoon regular salt), plus more to taste
1 1/2 teaspoons (8 ml) vanilla extract, plus more to taste

Melt butter in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Add the sugar, cream and salt and whisk until well blended. Bring to a very gentle boil and cook for about five minutes, whisking occasionally.

Remove from heat and add one teaspoon of the vanilla extract, stirring to combine. Dip a spoon in the sauce and carefully taste the sauce to see if you want to add additional pinches or salt or splashes of vanilla. Tweak it to your taste, whisking well after each addition. I ended up using a full teaspoon of flaky salt and the listed amount of vanilla to get a butterscotch sauce with a very loud, impressive butterscotch flavor but the strength of your vanilla and intensity of your salt may vary.

From Smitten Kitchen




Brown Butter Layer Cake

This cake is made with a vanilla bean frosting and is meant to be topped with a drizzle of salted caramel sauce. The recipe is also from an Australian blog, hence the measures in grams.

Makes a 4-layer 6" or a 3-layer 7", 2-layer 8" cake

For the brown butter cake:
300g (2 & 2/3 sticks) butter (I used salted, add 1/4 tsp salt if using unsalted)
360g (approx 2 & 1/2 cups) plain/all-purpose flour
4 tsp baking powder
240ml (about 1 cup) milk
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
330g (approx 1 & 1/2 cups) granulated sugar (I used caster/superfine)
4 large eggs

Prepare the brown butter ahead of time as you will need to chill it:
Place butter in a small saucepan on low-medium heat and stir until it melts completely.
Continue cooking, stirring frequently until the milk solids turn brown and the butter smells nutty, about 5 minutes longer (or as long as it takes to turn golden brown). Take care not to burn (it will continue to brown even after you remove it from the heat, so take it off early).
Scrape the melted butter and browned bits into small bowl and chill until solidified (about half an hour in the freezer, an hour or so in the fridge). When ready to make cake, remove from the fridge long enough that the butter is soft enough to be beaten with an electric mixer.

For the cake:
Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) and grease four 15cm (6 inch) or three 18cm (7 inch)  or two 8 inch round cake tins. Line the base of the tins with baking paper.
Combine flour and baking powder in a medium bowl and set aside. Mix milk and vanilla together in a measuring jug.
Using an electric mixer on low speed, beat sugar and brown butter in a large bowl until blended. Increase speed to high and beat well until very pale and creamy, at least 5 minutes.
Reduce speed to medium low, add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
Alternately add flour mix and milk mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture (I did it by adding 1/4 of of the dry mixture followed by 1/3 of the wet mixture at a time). Beat until smooth, occasionally scraping bowl with a spatula.
Pour equal amounts of mixture into prepared tins and bake until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean and the outside is golden, about 30-35 minutes (will vary depending on your cake tin size). Take cake not to overbake or cake will be dry.
Cool in tins for 15 minutes, then carefully turn out on to a wire rack to cool completely. Can be stored in an airtight container overnight if you want to prep the cakes a day ahead.

For the icing:
400g salted butter (add 1/4 tsp salt if using unsalted), softened
600g icing sugar (confectioner's sugar), sifted
1/3 cup milk
2 vanilla bean pods, seeds scraped (or 2 tsp vanilla bean paste)

Place butter in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on high.
With the mixer on low, gradually add icing sugar and mix until incorporated.
Add vanilla bean seeds and milk and beat on high until very pale and fluffy.
Place first layer of cake on your cake stand or plate. Spread a layer of icing over the top of the cake, using an offset spatula. Sandwich with another layer of cake and then repeat with remaining cake layers.
Crumb coat cake and then chill cake for about 30 mins.
Cover cake with the remaining icing and chill again for another hour before pouring salted caramel over the top of the cake.
Keep cake chilled in the fridge, remove 30 mins before serving to allow it to come back to room temperature.

Wednesday

Broccoli Salad

A great recipe from Smitten Kitchen. A delicious alternative to cole slaw, in my opinion.

Ingredients
2 heads of broccoli
1/2 cup thinly sliced almonds, toasted
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup buttermilk, well-shaken
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
3 tablespoons finely chopped shallot (or, you could just use a little extra red onion to simplify it)

Trim broccoli and cut it into large chunks. From here, you can either feed it through your food processor’s slicing blade, use a mandoline to cut it into thin slices, or simply had chop it into smaller pieces. 

Toss the sliced broccoli with the almonds, cranberries and red onion in a large bowl. Meanwhile, whisk the dressing ingredients in a smaller one, with a good pinch of salt and black pepper. Pour the dressing over the broccoli (if you’ve skipped using the stems, you might not want it all; I otherwise found this to be the perfect amount) and toss it well. Season well with salt and pepper to taste.

Thursday

Spicy (or not) Peanut Sauce

As a sauce for noodles or chicken or what have you.

Ingredients:
5 tablespoons peanut butter
5 tablespoons water
5 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon minced garlic
diced jalapeño pepper to taste, or omit completely
½ cup peanuts

Mix all the ingredients with an immersion blender, leaving the desired level of peanut chunkiness.

Adapted from http://pinchofyum.com/spicy-peanut-chicken-soba-noodle-salad 

Wednesday

Cheeseburger Casserole

I was entirely skeptical of this, but the hubby really likes burgers. We did use ground beef, but I'm confident we could sub ground turkey.

Ingredients
2 cups whole wheat elbow macaroni, uncooked
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
½ onion, diced
1 Tbsp garlic, minced
1 lb lean ground beef
½ tsp burger seasoning
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
2 - 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes
2 Tbsp tomato paste
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
2 cups reduced-fat, shredded cheddar cheese
non-stick cooking spray
Optional: ¼ cup hamburger dill chips, chopped


Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and spray a 9x13 inch casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.
In a large stock pot, cook pasta according to package directions, drain and set aside.
In a medium skillet, add olive oil and cook onions and garlic for 1-2 minutes.
Add ground beef and cook until browned. Add salt, pepper and burger seasoning to ground beef while cooking.
Add in tomatoes, tomato paste and mustard.
Allow the mixture to cook and thicken until bubbly.
Add the pasta to sauce and mix to cover evenly.
Transfer mixture to casserole dish.
Top with cheese and bake for 20-25 minutes.
Remove from oven and top with chopped dill pickles before serving (optional).

1cup = 6WWP+

Monday

Lasagna Rolls

This recipe definitely exceeded my expectations. Simple, delicious, filling and healthy.

Ingredients
8 whole-wheat lasagna noodles (cook 1-2 extra in case you get one that breaks while cooking)
10 oz frozen spinach, thawed
15 oz part-skim ricotta cheese
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg
¼ tsp Italian seasoning
⅛ tsp salt
⅛ tsp black pepper
~24 oz jar Marinara sauce
½ cup low moisture, part-skim, shredded mozzarella cheese


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour half of the pasta sauce in a 10x7 baking dish.

Begin boiling water for your lasagna noodles and defrosting the spinach in the microwave. After the spinach is thawed, press and drain out the extra water. (I like to use my potato ricer for this.)
Place spinach in a medium size bowl with ricotta, parmesan, egg, and seasonings. Stir until combined.

Cook your lasagna noodles until al dente. Strain and pat dry. Place a piece of wax paper on the counter and lay out lasagna noodles. Spread about ¼ cup of the spinach mixture evenly over each noodle. Roll noodles carefully and place seam side down onto the baking dish.

Pour the remaining sauce over the rolls. Spoon sauce over any uncovered noodle areas. The sauce will keep the noodles hydrated and soft while baking. Top each one with mozzarella cheese.
Loosely cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 40 minutes.

From Skinny Mom
5 WWP+ per roll

Sunday

Dr. Burnett's Chicken

This is one of those silly viral recipes on Pintrest that I finally tried. Deemed a success, it has been renamed for Becky Burnett, who loved the recipe but not the name. The original recipe calls for chicken thighs, but I prefer this with chicken breast.

Ingredients:
1.5 lbs Chicken breast
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup Maple syrup
1 Tbs Rice wine vinegar
Fresh rosemary
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 450*
Line 13x9 pan with tin foil. Mix together mustard, syrup and vinegar. Place chicken in pan, salt and pepper liberally. Pour sauce over chicken and turn chicken to coat. Place in oven. Baste chicken 15 minutes in. Cook until internal temp is 165. Approximately 30-40 minutes.

Frosting Recipe

Although my default preference is generally cream cheese frosting, I needed a mint frosting for a mint chocolate chip cake for my sister's birthday celebration. This was light, fluffy and not cloyingly sweet. I'll definitely use it again. I also used this site's recipes for frosting tints. Turns out, 10 drops of blue and 10 drops of green makes a convincing mint chip color.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups milk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
24 tablespoons (3 sticks) butter, cut into 24 pieces and softened at room temperature

In a medium bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cornstarch and salt. Slowly whisk in the milk until the mixture is smooth. Cook the mixture over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture boils and is thick enough that it starts to become difficult to easily whisk. This could take anywhere between 5-10 minutes, depending on your stove, heat, etc. It should bubble quite a bit at the end (be careful of the splatters) and thicken considerably.

Transfer the mixture to a clean bowl and cool to room temperature – this is extremely important! If it is even slightly warm, the frosting won’t beat up properly. I put mine in the bowl of my Kitchenaid stand mixer with the paddle attachment and let it run on low speed for a while to assist in the cooling. I did drop it in the fridge for 5-10 minutes, but make sure you have it at room temp before you start. If you try to proceed with the rest of the recipe and the mixture is too cold, the butter won’t absorb into the frosting like it should.

Once the frosting is completely cooled to room temperature (it should have no hint of warmth at all!), beat the mixture with the vanilla on low speed until it is well combined, about 30 seconds (a stand mixer will work best for this). Add the butter, one piece at a time, and beat the frosting until all the butter has been incorporated fully, about 2 minutes. Increase the speed to medium-high and let the mixer work it’s magic. Beat the frosting for five minutes, until it is light and fluffy.
 

Variations:
Mint Chip: Rather than vanilla, add 2.5tsp mint extract instead. Then add finely chopped dark chocolate before frosting the cake.

Chocolate Version: Add 1/4 cup cocoa powder to the sugar, flour, cornstarch, salt mixture in the first step. Once the frosting has been mixed for five minutes and is light and fluffy, mix in 3 ounces of semisweet chocolate that has been melted and completely cooled to room temperature

Wednesday

One Pan Orecchiette with Chickpeas and Olives

I've tried another one pan pasta dish and was a little underwhelmed. The sauce seemed too runny and the pasta was sticky. This, on the other hand, worked great.
I adapted this from a Martha Stewart recipe and expanded it to 16oz of pasta rather than 12oz (since I wanted to use my whole box up). So I didn't really measure my pastes. These are reasonable estimates, but you could totally adjust based on preferences.

1# orcecchiette pasta
1 can (15.5oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
~1c kalamata olives (I kept them whole, but halved might distribute them more evenly)
~3 Tbs tomato paste
~1 Tbs Unami Paste
~3 Tbs Better than Bouillon chicken stock paste
3-4 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
1 - 6inch sprig of fresh rosemary
3 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
coarse salt and pepper
Parmigiano-Reggiano for serving
Baby arugula for serving

In a straight sided pot, add 6.5 cups of water and all the ingredients except for the cheese and arugula. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn heat down to medium-high and cook uncovered and stirring occasionally for 12-15 minutes. The liquid will reduce and make a sauce that coats the pasta.

Remove from heat. Remove rosemary and divide between bowls. (Makes 5 generous servings.) Top with cheese and a handful of arugula.

Adapted from Martha Stewart: http://www.marthastewart.com/1062404/one-pan-orecchiette-chickpeas-and-olives

Thursday

Chinese Lemon Pepper Shrimp

The original recipe was to coat the shrimp in corn starch and fry them in oil. I used pre-cooked shrimp and simply warmed them in the sauce at the end.

Ingredients:
1# cooked shrimp, peeled
green onions, for garnish
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons fresh garlic (chopped)
½ teaspoon fresh ginger (minced)
4 lemon slices
1/3 cup soy sauce
¾ cup water
2 teaspoons cornstarch
¼ cup dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons course ground black pepper

Prepare by dissolving cornstarch into 3/4c of cold water. Heat oil in wok or frying pan, add garlic, ginger and lemon slices and fry for 30 seconds. Add soy sauce, cornstarch and water and bring to a boil. Add brown sugar, lemon juice and black pepper. Cook for 2 minutes until sauce thickens. Add shrimp and cook until warmed through. Serve over rice and garnish with green onions.

adapted from http://blogchef.net/chinese-lemon-pepper-shrimp-recipe/ 

Monday

Tangy Vinegar Coleslaw

Ingredients:
1 head green cabbage, finely shredded
1/2 head red cabbage, finely shredded (or 1 head radicchio for a spicy kick)
1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar (or use white vinegar, if you prefer)
3 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard (or 1/2 Tbs prepared Dijon)
1/2 teaspoon celery seed

In a large bowl toss the green cabbage, red cabbage, and red onion until mixed. Set aside.

In a small saucepan combine the vinegar, honey, and oil. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove from the heat and stir in the salt, dry mustard, and the celery seed. Pour the dressing over the cabbage. Toss to combine.

Allow the slaw to cool, then refrigerate until cold. Serve chilled

From http://foodformyfamily.com 

Blender Hollandaise

My favorite hollandaise sauce shortcut. All the butter, none of the whisking.

Ingredients:
10 Tbs butter
3 egg yolks
1/4 tsp salt, less if you are using salted butter
1/8 tsp cayenne
1 Tbs lemon juice

Heat up your blender by pouring hot water into it and letting it sit while you prepare everything else.
Heat the butter up (microwave or stove top). Don't boil it excessively so that you lose moisture to steam, but do get it bubbling hot.
Once you're ready, blend the egg yolks, lemon juice, salt and cayenne in the blender for about 30 seconds. Then, with the blender running, slowly pour a thin stream of butter in. Blend just for a second or two after you've added all the butter. Taste for salt and lemon. If you add anything, blend for 5 seconds. If it is too thick, you can add hot water and blend briefly to incorporate.

Chia Breakfast Pudding

A high energy pre-made breakfast with low calories.

Ingredients
¼ cup plus 3 tablespoons raw chia seeds
1 cup almond milk 
1 cup nonfat greek yogurt
1¼ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons good quality maple syrup
Pinch of kosher salt

Mix together in a large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit in fridge for at least 4 hours. Divide into indiviual servings (approximately 1/2c). Keeps refrigerated for at least a week.
Top with fruit, nuts or whatever you please.

A batch makes 4 servings, each serving is 4 WWP+.

Lazy Turkey, Bean and Spinach Soup

The best thing about this - it's very quick to make. The original recipe had some processed items I steer clear of (faux parmesean, for example), but when you upgrade the ingredients this was a nice weeknight dinner with leftovers.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 pound extra lean ground turkey
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
pinch of red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (15.8 ounce) can great northern beans, drained and rinsed
8 ounces fresh baby spinach
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus extra for garnish

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. 
Saute the onions until beginning to turn translucent. Add garlic, red pepper flakes and pepper and cook until fragrant (1 min). Add the ground turkey and cook completely (about 7 minutes). Add the oregano, basil, tomatoes and beans. Stir to combine. Reduce heat to medium-low, add spinach and cover for about 2 minutes or until spinach is wilted. Stir to combine. Add broth, stir, and increase heat to medium. Continue to cook until heated through - about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in cheese, and serve.

Adapted from http://www.rachelcooks.com/

Kitchen Sink Salad Dressing

This was one of those funny recipes you see on Pintrest - "world's best salad dressing" or another hyperbolic claim. But it looked interesting and different so I did give it a try with a few tweaks and it was a nice change.

Ingredients:
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1-2 teaspoons seasoned salt (to taste)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon granulated onion
1 small clove garlic, grated on a microplane

Put all ingredients in a glass jar. Seal tightly and shake vigorously. Will store refrigerated up to 1 week.

Adapted from http://www.anediblemosaic.com/ 

Chicken Florentine Pasta

Ingredients

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed + cooked
8 oz whole wheat pasta
5 oz frozen spinach, thawed + squeezed to remove as much liquid as possible
1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
⅔ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp flour
15 oz can reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp lemon juice

Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly coat a 9x13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
Cook pasta according to package directions for al dente, drain - set aside.
Mix spinach, cottage cheese, and Parmesan cheese together until smooth.
In a large pot, heat olive oil. Add flour and whisk for 30 seconds.
Add chicken broth and stir until thickened, about 3 minutes. Add lemon juice and garlic and bring to a simmer.
Remove from heat and add blended spinach/cheese mixture, chicken, and pasta. Stir to combine.
Spread evenly baking dish dish.
Bake for 30 minutes.


1 cup = 7WWP+

Skinny Spinach Quiche

Quick, simple and low cal quiche filling.

1 (12 ounce) can fat-free evaporated milk
1/3 cup low-fat or fat-free cottage cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 large eggs
3 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 Basic pie Crust baked and cooled
1 box frozen spinach thawed, drained and squeezed dry (10 oz box)

Pre-cook the crust and let cool.
Preheat oven to 400*
Sprinkle the drained and squeezed spinach on top of the crust.
Whisk together all other ingredients and pour into crust.
Bake at 400* for 10 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350* and cook for another 25-30 minutes.
Let set for 5 minutes before serving.

1/6 of the quiche is 6 WWP+

Saturday

Cherry Lemonade Donuts

These are wonderful baked mini donuts

Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
Zest of 1 lemon
2 eggs
1/2 cup cherry juice
1 1/2 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp cherry juice
1 – 2 cups powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and position a rack in the center. Butter and flour your mini doughnut pans and set them aside.

Cream together the butter, sugar and lemon zest until it's light and fluffy. Add the eggs and blend them until they're just incorporated. Mix in the 1/2 cup of cherry juice.

In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt then combine it well with the cherry mixture until the color is smooth.

Fill a large pastry bag fitted with a round tip with the batter and pipe it carefully into the prepared mini doughnut pans. I found that filing each circle about 2/3 – 3/4 of the way makes perfect mini doughnuts. Filling them any more than that will create shrunken or non-existent doughnut holes.

Bake them for about 5 minutes or until the edges are a light golden brown and the tops are matte and springy to the touch. Don't be afraid of under-baking, be more afraid of over-baking. Gooey doughnuts can be fixed with a little more oven time and crunchy burned doughnuts can't. Allow the doughnuts a few minutes in the pans to cool off before flipping them out onto a cooling rack. The pan may need a few encouraging taps, but they should come out easily.

In a small bowl whisk together the lemon juice, cherry juice and powdered sugar until you get your desired consistency. When stirred, the glaze should leave swirls on the surface that disappear slowly but are not permanent. If the swirls disappear almost instantly, you need more powdered sugar. Dip the top of each doughnut in the glaze, give it a few taps then set it on a rack to drip and set. For easy cleanup, place a piece of wax paper under the rack to catch all the drips. Enjoy!

London Fog Layer Cake

This is a delightful cake. I made it with cream cheese frosting with a vanilla bean added, but your preference of vanilla frosting would be fine too.

Ingredients:

2/3c milk
4 early grey tea bags
2 whole eggs, plus 1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1.25c + 2Tbs cake flour (160g)
1c sugar
2.25tsp baking powder
1/4tsp salt
1/2c butter, room temp
blue or purple food coloring, if desired

Preheat your oven to 350° F. Line two 8" round cake pans with parchment paper.  Grease and flour.


In a small saucepan, heat the milk until simmering.  Remove from heat, add the tea bags, and steep for 5 minutes.  Remove the tea bags and allow the milk to cool completely.


Whisk together the whole eggs, egg yolk, and vanilla in a small bowl.  Set aside. 

Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.

Add the butter and cooled milk to the dry ingredients.  Beat on low until well-blended.  Raise the speed to medium and beat for another minute.


Add the egg/vanilla mixture in three additions, beating well after each addition. If desired, beat in food coloring.


Divide the batter between the two pans and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes.  Remove from the pan and allow to cool completely.

Chocolate Salted Caramel Layer Cake

This recipe comes in several steps. Make the cake, make the caramel, make the buttercream, assemble the cake, make the ganache. Phew!

CHOCOLATE CAKE

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup whole milk
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Oil and flour three 8-inch baking tins.  Begin by filling a sauce pan with water.  Set it on high heat until it boils. While you are waiting for the water to boil, whisk to gather the flour, sugar, cocoa, salt, baking powder and baking soda until it is completely blended.  You can begin to add in the wet ingredients, starting with the oil and milk. Continue beating in each egg, one at a time, into the mixture.  Next beat in the vanilla .  


Ok, remember that boiling water? Beat 1 cup of boiling water into the batter.  THE BATTER WILL BE REALLY THIN, don't worry! Immediately fill you cake tins with the batter and put it in the oven.

If making cupcakes, bake for exactly 18 minutes, no more, no less.  If making cake, start by checking them at 22 minutes, and continue to check on the cakes using the "stick a for in it test".  My cakes usually take between 25 and 30 minutes.

SALTED CARAMEL SYRUP (this gets added to the buttercream)
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup corn syrup
1 stick of butter, softened and cut into cubes
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
Sea salt to taste
In a medium saucepan with high sides, combine the sugar and corn syrup with 1/2 cup water. Stir the mixture gently so you don’t slosh any of it up the sides of the pan. Turn the heat to medium-high and continue stirring until the sugar dissolves. Increase heat to high, stop stirring, and allow the mixture to boil. Once it begins to turn a rich caramel color (if you don’t want to eyeball it, take the caramel to 300 degrees F on a candy thermometer), remove it from the heat, add the butter and cream, and a generous amount of sea salt and stir until combined. 


SALTED CARAMEL BUTTERCREAM
Ingredients:
1½ cups sugar 
1⁄3 cup all-purpose flour 
1 1/2 cups whole milk 
1⁄3 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, soft but cool, cut into small pieces 
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1⁄3 cup plus 2 tablespoons Salted Caramel Sauce (above), at room temperature
In a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan, whisk the sugar and flour together. Add the milk and cream and cook over medium heat, whisking occasionally, until the mixture comes to a boil and has thickened, about 10 to 15 minutes. 

Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl. Beat on high speed until cool. Reduce the speed to low and add the butter and vanilla; mix until thoroughly incorporated. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until the frosting is light and fluffy. Add 1⁄2-3/4 cup of the caramel (to taste) and continue mixing until combined. 


CHOCOLATE GANACHE FROSTING
Ingredients:
12 oz. good quality semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ cup very hot water
1 cup plus 2 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp. confectioners’ sugar
Pinch of salt
Sea Salt for finishing

To make the chocolate ganache frosting, place the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water.  Heat, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth.  Set aside and let cool to room temperature.  In a small bowl, combine the cocoa powder and water and stir until smooth.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter, confectioners’ sugar and salt.  Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.  With the mixer on low speed, gradually blend in the melted and cooled chocolate until well incorporated.  Blend in the cocoa powder-water mixture until smooth.


ASSEMBLE THE CAKE

To assemble the cake, level the cake layers if necessary.  Place one of the cake layers on a cake board or serving platter.  Top with half of the caramel buttercream and smooth in a thick, even layer.  Place a second cake layer on top and smooth the remaining salted caramel buttercream over that.  Place the final cake layer on top.  Cover the top and sides of the cake with the chocolate frosting and smooth with an offset spatula.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.  Before serving, sprinkle with sea salt.

Biscuit-style Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients
3 cups Swanson’s reduced-sodium chicken broth or your favorite
1½ cups onions, chopped
1 cup potato, peeled and cubed (½ inch cubes)
1 cup sweet potato, peeled and cubed (½ inch cubes)
1 cup carrots, peeled and chopped
1 cup celery, sliced
1 lb chicken breasts (boneless, skinless), cut into bite-size pieces
1½ cups frozen peas (not defrosted)
1½ cup reduced-fat milk
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped or 1 teaspoon dried
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 pkg. Pillsbury Golden Layer Flaky Biscuits (100 calories for each biscuit)

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large pan, add chicken broth and bring to a boil.
2. Stir in onions, potato, sweet potato, carrots and celery. Bring back to a boil, reduce heat and cover. Simmer for 6 minutes.
3. Add chicken pieces and frozen peas, breaking them up. Bring back to a boil, turn heat to simmer, cover, and cook for 5 minutes.
4. Place a colander into a large bowl. Pour chicken, vegetables and broth into colander. Add strained broth back to the pan. Set aside chicken and vegetables.
5. In a separate small bowl, add flour. Gradually add milk to the flour stirring with a whisk, until well blended.
6. Increase heat to medium with the broth. Stir in milk/flour mixture with a whisk. Cook for 5 minutes or until thicken. Stir often.
7. Add back chicken and vegetables, along with thyme, salt and pepper. Mix well.
8. Coat an 11 x 7 baking dish with cooking spray and pour in the chicken stew.
9. Open the package of biscuits, separate them and place on top of chicken stew. Line them evenly over top.
10. Place the pie on a foil lined baking sheet and bake for 14 minutes until the biscuits are golden brown.
11. To serve, spoon into each bowl and top with 1 biscuit. There will be two extra biscuits for whoever wants it.

Serves 8 (each serving, ⅛ of recipe and 1 biscuit); 7PP

Orange Chicken

    Orange Chicken Ingredients:
  • 2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • salt and pepper
  • 2 Tbsp. olive oil
  • orange chicken sauce (ingredients below)
  • toppings: thinly-sliced green onions, toasted sesame seeds, orange zest
  • Orange Chicken Sauce Ingredients:
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 cup orange juice
  • 1/2 cup honey (add more to sweeten, if desired)
  • 1/3 cup soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
  • 3 Tbsp. cornstarch
  • 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
  • 1/2 tsp. white pepper
  • zest of one orange
  • pinch of crushed red pepper flakes

Season chicken generously with salt and pepper. Whisk all the sauce ingredients together.
Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken and saute for about 4-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is browned and nearly cooked through.
Pour in the orange chicken sauce, and stir to combine. Let the sauce come to a boil, then boil for an additional minute or two until thickened. Remove from heat and serve immediately over quinoa or rice. Garnish with green onions, sesame seeds and additional orange zest.

Crockpot Mediterranean Chicken

Ingredients:
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 can diced tomatoes (14.5 oz)
1 can tomato sauce (14.5 oz)
1 onion thinly sliced
4- 6 garlic cloves, whole
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
2 T olive oil
12 pitted kalamata olives
palmful Italian herb mix (thyme, basil, rosemary, oregano)
ground black pepper and salt to taste

Pour the olive oil in to the bottom of the slow cooker. Place the chicken breasts into the slow cooker. Season with salt and pepper. Top each breast with sliced onion, garlic cloves and Italian herbs.

Mix vinegar, tomatoes and tomato sauce and pour over chicken. Cook on high about 4 hours. 

Remove the chicken breasts, slice on the bias, and place back in the tomato/vinegar sauce. Add olives and let them warm through for ten minutes. Serve with crumbled feta over whole wheat spaghetti.

Sunday

Slow Cooker Chicken Verde

Good over rice or as a burrito filling.

Ingredients:
1.5 lbs chicken breasts
1 medium onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp pepper
1 Tbs lime juice
16oz jar of your favorite salsa verde
1 can white beans, drained and rinsed
1.5c low fat sour cream

Place chicken in slow cooker. Mix all other ingredients, excepts beans and sour cream, and pour over chicken. Cook on low 6-8 hours. Remove chicken and shrd. Add sour cream and beans into the sauce, stir well. Place shredded chicken back in slow cooker. Serve when beans are warmed through, about 10 minutes.

6 WWP+