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

From SkinnyTaste

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.

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

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 

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

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.

From Girl versus Dough

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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 

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+