Roasted Asparagus with Lemon

Those who know me well, know that one of my greatest food pet peeves is "soggy" food. I admit I'm that person who can't eat a bowl of cereal like "normal" people. I have to have the milk separate from from the dry cereal and then slowly sprinkle the cereal onto each spoonful of milk. I know it's weird. I promised my husband I wouldn't eat cereal in front of our son lest he learn my strange ways.

Putting the cereal aside, I love roasting vegetables. Boiling vegetables causes some of vitamins to "leech" out and it's easy to create mushy veggies with that method . My two favorite ways to prepare vegetables are steaming and roasting. Roasting the asparagus creates a nice crisp tenderness and preserves it's bright green color. This recipe is just a slight variation to my post Chicken Bundles with Rice Pilaf and Roasted Asparagus. Try this asparagus as a side to Chicken Piccata with Buttery Herb Noodles or Salisbury Steak. Or try roasting the asparagus in small bundles with a slice of Prosciutto tightly wrapped around it. Pretty much you can't go wrong!

Roasted Asparagus with Lemon

1 bunch of asparagus washed and trimmed (I usually trim a good 2 inches of the bottoms)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/3 of a lemon squeezed

Preheat oven to 400F. Place washed and trimmed asparagus in a baking dish. Drizzle olive oil, and sprinkle pepper, salt and garlic powder over the asparagus. Toss asparagus to evenly coat it in the mixture. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until crisp-tender. I like to start my timer at about 7 minutes, flip it then begin checking it every couple minutes until the asparagus is fork tender and still has a slight crunch. Squeeze lemon on asparagus right before serving.

*Hint* When shopping for asparagus looking for the the thinner stalks. The thinner pieces are tender and sweet.

Strawberry-Banana Yogurt Milkshake

As the temperatures have finally started warming up, have you you found yourself wanting that cold, creamy, sweet treat? I love making homemade ice cream and frozen yogurt. Not only can you avoid all the preservatives and artificial flavorings, but you can also control the amount of sugar. This treat is sure to delight! After the hubs and I finished our shakes I saw him with the spatula scraping every last bit from the blender and his glass (I think that means he liked it!). If you want to enjoy this treat even quicker, you can use store-bought frozen vanilla yogurt as your base.

My Milkshake Men

Serves 2

Frozen Yogurt
1 1/2 cups plain Greek yogurt
1 1/2 cups whole milk- or 1 1/4 cups 2% plus 1/4 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 cup sugar

Blend ingredients together until smooth and then add mixture to ice cream/yogurt maker. Process until thick and creamy. In my maker, this takes about 15-20 minutes.

Frozen Yogurt Milkshake
2 cups frozen yogurt
1 frozen banana, broken into small chunks
1 1/2 cups strawberries
1/4 cup milk

Blend ingredients together until smooth and creamy. Top with whipped cream. Serve and enjoy!

Thick and Creamy!

Chicken Piccata and Buttery Herb Noodles

This Chicken Piccata is a restaurant quality meal that can easily be prepared in under 30 minutes. We enjoy the added depth of flavor from the white wine, however, you can easily leave it out and still make a delicious meal. Buttery Herb Noodles are an easy side. When plating, I like to top the chicken piccata over the pasta allowing the fantastic sauce to soak into the noodles. Steamed broccoli florets add a nice pop of color to the plate and turn this dish into a complete meal!

Recipe adapted from Food Network

Chicken Piccata
2-3 chicken breast butterflied and cut in half
2-3 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon pepper
dash of salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons butter
1 lemon juiced
3 tablespoon white cooking wine or favorite white wine
1 cup chicken stock or 1 cup of water and chicken bullion
2 tablespoons heavy cream
fresh or dried parsley

*Hint: A lemon at room temperature will juice much easier than one that has been in the fridge.

Salt and pepper prepared chicken breast. I like to go easy on the salt as your stock and cooking wine both contain salt. In a shallow bowl combine flour, garlic powder, 1/4 teaspoon pepper and a dash of salt. Dredge prepared chicken breast in mixture until completely covered. Gently tap off any excess flour.

In a large skillet over medium heat add butter and olive oil. When the olive oil and butter begin to sizzle add dredged chicken breast. Cook each side for about 3 minutes or until golden brown and then turn and cook the other side for another 3 minutes. Remove chicken from pan and set aside. In the same skillet add the lemon juice, wine and chicken stock. Stir frequently, incorporating the pan drippings into the stock mixture. Bring to a boil and then lower heat, adding the chicken back to the pan and simmering for about 5 minutes or until chicken in fully cooked. Right before serving stir in 2 tablespoons of heavy cream and parsley to taste.

Buttery Herb Noodles
12 oz whole wheat egg noodles
1 tablespoon butter
1 green onion, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves minced
3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 tablespoon olive oil

Prepare noodles according to instructions on package. While noodles are cooking, in a small sauce pan on medium-low heat, add the butter, green onion and minced garlic cloves. Cook and stir for a few minutes, allowing the garlic and onion to soften. Add the butter mixture to drained noodles. Stir in Parmesan cheese, parsley and olive oil.

Chicken simmering in a rich buttery, lemon sauce and of course my FAVORITE pan. If I could only pick one thing from my kitchen, this cast iron skillet would be it!

Healthy Blueberry Greek Yogurt Muffins

Growing up in my family when it was your birthday you got to pick out the entire day's meals. My choices often included something with blueberries, particularly when it came to breakfast. Blueberry pancakes and blueberry muffins were always on the top of my list. As an 11 or 12 year old I remember having the blueberry pancake recipe memorized and had my favorite recipe for blueberry muffins from the Taste of Home magazine my Mom used to receive.

According to my husband, "these muffins are amazing, the best I've had in a really long time, perhaps ever!" I'm not saying he's a muffin connoisseur but these morsels of blueberry goodness are at the top of the muffin pyramid (if there was such a thing).

They are light, moist, soft and not too sweet. Practically perfect in my eyes!

Recipe adapted from It's Always Autumn

1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour- if grinding your own grain use the "pastry" setting
1 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon honey
1/4 cup oil (light olive or coconut would both be good)
1/2 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon orange or pineapple juice
1/4 cup milk
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg at room temperature (a quick way to warm your egg is to place it in a bowl of warm water for about 5 minutes)

Optional Toppings 
cinnamon sugar
chopped nuts (almonds, walnuts, pecans, etc)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees,

Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and blueberries in a bowl. If using frozen blueberries, do not thaw. In a separate bowl whisk together the remaining ingredients until smooth. Gently fold the dry mixture into the wet and stir just until combined. Spoon batter into lined or oiled muffin tins. Sprinkle desired toppings and bake for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

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