Cranberry Almond Coconut Granola Bars

After making last night's dinner a little too spicy for my liking I wanted that little satisfying something to munch on. The Hubs requested something "barish"  and not "muffiny". I requested something healthier and not full of processed sugars. The compromise? Beautiful, chewy, sweet and nutty granola bars. I added a couple squares of Cadbury Dark Chocolate on of the Hubs side of the 8 x 8 baking pan to satisfy his sweet tooth. You can easily substitute the nuts/dried fruit mixture for your own favorites.

1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil
1 2/3 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
2/3 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1 tablespoon chopped walnuts
1/4 cup raw slivered almonds
1 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of salt
1/2 lemon zested
Dark chocolate (optional)

*Hint* Measure and pour your oil before the honey, and the honey will slide right out of your measuring cup.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl combine all ingredients and mix well. I found that your hands work best for this step. Firmly press mixture in a 8 x 8 square baking dish. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until the edges are barely brown. Overcooking the bars with result in a more crumbly texture. After bars come out the oven use a spatula to press the bars down. Allow bars to cool before cutting. Store in the refrigerator.

Recipe adapted from My Humble Kitchen

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Spice Waffles

Almost every morning for the last year and a half my husband has made me a green smoothie for breakfast. What began as your basic strawberry- banana- orange has matured into more variety, kale, bok choy, spinach, parsley, plain Greek yogurt, mango, pear, and almond milk to name a few of our favorite ingredients. I love The Shiska is Kitchen's post on How to Make Almond Milk. For one I couldn't believe how easy it was to make or how delicious it tasted. After your done straining your almond milk you're left with this fantastic almond meal that you can dry and use in various recipes.

We love waffles at our house and wanted something we wouldn't feel guilty indulging on either. These healthy waffles are the perfect place to sneak in some almond meal. Even with the whole wheat, almond meal and pumpkin puree they're still light, moist and have the nice crisp as you bite into them. Strawberries are currently in season and paired perfectly with our new breakfast favorite.

Recipe adapted from Food.com

Makes about 8 waffles

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1/4 cup almond meal

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon allspice

4 cloves ground or 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1 pinch of salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup pumpkin puree

1 2/3 cups milk

4 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled

In a large bowl combine the flour, almond meal, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, all spice, ground cloves and salt.

In a separate bowl whisk the vanilla, eggs, brown sugar, pumpkin, milk and melted butter until smooth. Gently fold in the flour mixture. Be careful NOT to over mix.

Cook according to your waffle iron instructions. 

I set my waffle iron to the dark setting and they were perfectly golden brown.

Tomato Artichoke Salad

As my Tomato Stuffed Chicken from One Sweet Appetite baked, I knew I wanted a bright, crisp and flavorful side salad as an accompaniment. I had recently picked up some beautiful Roma tomatoes from my local grocery store and used them to build this fun salad. Using pre-marinated artichoke hearts gives a great base for this side and the cucumbers provide that needed crunch I was craving. This dish would also be phenomenal with your favorite dipping cracker. Personally, I'm thinking some Kashi Original 7-Grain or Triscuit Brown Rice. 

3 oz marinated artichoke hearts (about 1/2 of a small 6.5 oz jar) (I like to drain off most of the liquid)
1/2 cucumber peeled and diced
3 roma tomatoes diced
2 garlic cloves minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh basil chopped
1/4 cup mozzeralla cheese shredded

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine. This salad is also great made ahead and even more flavorful after chilling in the fridge for a couple of hours.

Hmm, fresh basil just the smell alone, so refreshing

  

French Toast, Strawberries and Cream

Last night I made my favorite yeast bread. It's an Italian bread recipe that I use for just about everything. Some of my favorites include: Parmesan bread sticks, Braided herb bread and Cinnamon rolls with cream cheese frosting. I'll do a post on this heavenly bread soon. But until then you'll have to be content with dreaming about its goodness. With half of the loaf leftover from last night's dinner I knew just the Sunday lunch I wanted to make. French toast with strawberries and sweetened whip cream. I love the combination of cinnamon, freshly ground cloves and vanilla so used that for my egg mixture.

Serves 4

French Toast
3 eggs
5-6 cloves freshly ground or about 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon butter
12 slices Italian bread sliced to desired thickness (I go about 1/2-3/4 inches thick)

Whisk the eggs, ground cloves, cinnamon, vanilla and milk in a shallow bowl until well blended. Meanwhile add butter to your favorite skillet or griddle. If using your stove keep the heat between medium and medium-high. If using an electric griddle the heat should about 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Dip sliced bread into egg mixture and add to skillet when the butter sizzles. Flip when bead is golden brown on the skillet side down.

Whipped Cream
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 to 1 tablespoon powdered sugar

Using an electric hand mixer or whisk, beat cream until slightly thickened (like a creamy soup). Add vanilla and powdered sugar. Depending on how sweet you want your cream you may want to start with just 1/2 tablespoon of powdered sugar. Taste mixture and add more sugar as desired. Continue beating until stiff peaks form.

*Tip: Freezing your bowl for a few minutes before adding the cream will shorten your whipping time.

Serve French toast with sliced strawberries, whipped cream and syrup if desired.

Braided Italian bread with poppy seeds and an egg wash

Loving my mortar and pestle, before...

And after...

Strawberries and Cream! We could just stop there.

Enjoy!

Classic Vinaigrette Dressing

Five ingredients and one fabulous vinaigrette, sound like a plan? I'm falling in love with the Pompeian brand of Balsamic Vinegar Pomegranate Infused. Vinaigrette's have quickly become my go-to dressings for just about all salads. Strawberry spinach, Greek with feta, Quinoa, you name it! Vinaigrette's are refreshing, a little tangy, a hint of sweetness and complement so many different flavors. The trick to keeping your oil and vinegar mixed is an emulsifier. Sounds fancy doesn't it? Basically an emulsifier helps prevent your vinaigrette from separating. One of the most common emulsifiers is mustard. If you are in to food science take a look at this fun post by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt on Serious Eats. Who knew the power of just a little mustard?

I like my vinaigrette more on the tangy side and use a 1:1 ratio of vinegar to oil.

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 garlic clove minced
Pinch of sugar
Dash of Dijon mustard (about 1/4 teaspoon)

*Note, using more mustard will keep your vinaigrette homogeneous for a longer period of time.

Combine the balsamic vinegar, garlic, sugar and Dijon mustard is a small bowl, slowly whisk in your olive oil. Taste, and adjust flavors to your preference.

My newest T.J Maxx find. You can also use your garlic press, but the pestle and mortar looked more fun. 

Garlic is nice and smashed

Now whisk away!

Mango Lime Quinoa

Hi Friends,

So I realize I haven't posted ANYTHING in a very, very long time. The Hubs and I welcomed our 1st in November. While pregnant, morning sickness hit me for a solid three months. Even the cooking obsessed person that I am couldn't stand the kitchen...(it was rough) Fast forward a few months and our little man was born. Now four months old he loves to smile, chew on his toes and put everything he can in his month. We're probably partial but think he's pretty darn adorable!

With the pregnancy also came a lot of extra weight ugh. I'm not really someone who follows the whole calorie counting thing, rather the hubs and I avoid processed foods, eat desserts minimally and exercise. Four months post pregnancy I'm down 40lbs!!!

But anyway this post isn't about babies and pregnancy it's about one of the most delicious and good for you quinoa recipes you will try. Why I love it...1. It's easy 2. It's delicious 3. It has the perfect springtime flavors that I've been craving since the snow finally melted 4. It's incredibly healthy. If you're not super familiar with cooking quinoa or its health benefits check out this post from my friend Yvonne at Tried and Tasty. She is the queen of quinoa.

Recipe adapted from Moroccan Fish with Mango and Couscous

1 1/4 cup dried quinoa cooked
1 ripe mango diced
1 green onion minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup fresh cilantro chopped
5- 6 teaspoons of fresh squeezed lime juice (more or less depending on your preference)
Black pepper to taste

Serves 4

Prepare quinoa according to instructions. While quinoa is cooking, combine the rest of the ingredients in a bowl. Gently incorporate the fluffed quinoa into dressing mixture. Serve warm.

These pictures don't do this dish justice, so you'll just have to believe me and try it!

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Chicken cordon bleu is the perfect dish to serve when you want to look like you have slaved for hours in the kitchen but really haven't. This dish pairs beautifully with roasted asparagus, mashed red potatoes and Chocolate Souffles.

Chicken Cordon Bleu
4 boneless skinless chicken breast
4 slices swiss cheese
4 slices of ham
1/2 milk
1 egg
Panko- (Japeneese style bread crumb)- about 1 cup
Garlic powder
Paprika
Black pepper
Oregano
Fresh parsley
Canola oil


Begin by gently pounding chicken breast to about 1/3 inch thickness. It's easiest to start in the middle of the breast and with your meat pallet work your way to the edges until the chicken is evenly 1/3 inch thick. Lay one slice of ham and Swiss cheese in the middle of the flattened chicken and begin rolling from the short end. Secure the chicken bundle with toothpicks. In a separate bowl combine the milk and egg. In another bowl add the panko and season to taste with garlic powder, paprika, pepper and oregano. Dip each chicken bundle in the milk and egg mixture and then coat the secured chicken in the panko mix. Once all bundles are complete, heat about two tablespoons of oil in a skillet on medium heat, add chicken and allow to sear to a golden brown, rotating chicken as needed. Bake chicken in a preheated oven at 375 for 20-25 min. Chicken is done with juices run clear. Garnish baked chicken with minced fresh parsley.


Sauce
1 T butter
1 scant T flour
1- 1 1/2 cups milk
2 deli sized slices swiss or motzeralla cheese
black pepper
Garlic powder
Fresh parsley

In a small skillet on medium heat, melt butter and whisk in flour. Cook for two minutes, constantly whisking and then gradually pour in milk, whisking to prevent lumps. Continue stirring. Within a couple minutes your sauce will begin to thicken, when sauce coats the back of a spoon reduce heat and add cheese. Depending on how you like the consistency of your sauce you can add more or less milk. Season to taste with black pepper, garlic powder and minced fresh parsley.

Watch out for toothpicks!