Homemade Granola Bars

I've been wanting to make this recipe for a while and finally used my sister as an excuse to do it. She's about to have my nephew any day (or minute) now and I thought I'd make her some treats (she doesn't know there are more treats coming... ssshhhh!). These granola bars are great because she, John (brother-in-law), or Madison (my beautiful niece) can enjoy them.

Homemade Granola Bars

Adapted from Barefoot Contessa

Ingredients

2 c old fashioned oats

1/2 c toasted wheat germ (toast in a dry skillet over low-med heat for 3-4 min)

1 c sliced almonds

1 c shredded coconut, loosely packed

3 tbsp butter

2/3 c honey

1/4 c brown sugar, lightly packed

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 c raisins (original recipe calls for dates, but really use what you like)

1/2 c chopped dried apricots

1/2 c dried cranberries

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8x12 in baking dish and line with parchment paper (just the bottom, which makes the bars easier to get out).

Toss the oatmeal, coconut, and almonds together on a baking sheet pan and bake for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and add the toasted wheat germ.

Reduce the oven temp to 300 degrees.

Place the butter, honey, brown sugar, salt, and vanilla, in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook and stir for a minute, then pour over the toasted oatmeal mixture. Add the dried fruits and mix.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Wet your fingers and lightly press the mixture evenly into the bottom of the pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until light golden brown. Cool for at least 2-3 hours before cutting into squares. Enjoy!

Chocolate Bundles

So, I'm on day 3 of being sick with the flu or something equally awful. I've been very bored and wanted something dessert-y now that I got my appetite back. Being that I couldn't make it to the mail box let alone the grocery store, I had to use what was on hand. Luckily for me, the ingredients for this were in my freezer (and are subsequently in my stomach). This is SO easy and would be really nice for company. You can make them as small as large as you want so you get just the desired amount of dessert.

Chocolate Bundles

Adapted from Puffpastry.com

Ingredients

1 sheet puff pastry

6 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/4 c chopped walnuts

Confectioners sugar

Directions

Thaw sheet of puff pastry for 30 minutes prior to baking. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix walnuts and chocolate chips together.

On a floured surface, roll out puff pastry to 12-in square. Cut into 9 4-in squares. Place about 2 tbsp chocolate chip/walnut mixture in center of pastry. Brush edges of squares with water. Fold corners into center on top of filling and twist slightly to seal and fan out corners. Place 2-in apart of a baking sheet.

Bake 15 min or until golden. Let cool 10 min before serving. Sprinkle with confectioners sugar and serve.

Mexican Pizzas

I'm always craving Mexican food and made this for Kasey and I last night for dinner. It was so easy because really it's just all assembling and eating. I loved it and will be making this again and again.

Mexican Pizzas

Adapted from For the Love of Cooking

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef

1/2 yellow onion, diced

1 can diced green chilies

1 package taco seasoning

3/4 c water

flour tortillas

salsa

sour cream

refried beans

avocado

hot sauce

cheese

cilantro

Directions

Brown ground beef in a skillet and drain excess oil, if necessary. Add taco seasoning, water, onion and green chilies. Simmer for 5-7 minutes until mixture thickens and onions soften.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place one flour tortilla on a baking sheet and layer with refried beans then beef mixture and top with another flour tortilla. Bake 10 minutes.

Remove from the oven and top the tortilla with salsa and cheese. Return to the oven until cheese melts. Top with your favorite ingredients; sour cream, cilantro, avocado, hot sauce, etc.

Mocha Chocolate Chip Cookies

I made these cookies as gift mixes for baby shower gifts for my sister's baby shower. They were the perfect cookie for my sister because she loves coffee and chocolate. They are really delicious and the instant coffee really brings out the chocolate flavor, rather than tasting like coffee.

Mocha Chocolate Chip Cookies

Adapted from Gifts from the Cookie Jar Cookbook

Ingredients

3/4 c dark brown sugar

1/2 c sugar

1/4 c cocoa

2 tbsp instant coffee

1 3/4 c flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 c semi-sweet chocolate chips

3/4 c butter, melted

1 egg, beaten

1 tsp vanilla

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put all dry ingredients into a bowl. Add butter, egg and vanilla. Beat or mix until combined.

Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cookies cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute, then transfer to a cooling rack.

Chicken Zucchini Alfredo

Or as Madison said... "Fettu-what?" She ate it though, which is all that counts. (I told her the zucchini was cucumber though ;)

I originally noticed this recipe because my dear friend, Jesseca, loves alfredo and it doesn't love her (nor any of us allergic to dairy, so I feel your pain, Jess). I sent the recipe to her and she made it and enjoyed it, then she even sent it to another friend, Kelly, who told me to try it. Today, I did. Madison and I had it for lunch and it was great! A major plus is that it's about half the fat and calories of regular alfredo!

Chicken Zucchini Alfredo

Adapted from Food Network Magazine

Ingredients

3 tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 zucchini, thinly sliced into half moons

4 4oz skinless, boneless chicken breasts

12 oz fettuccine

1 tbsp flour

1 c cold low fat milk

1/2 c evaporated nonfat milk

3/4 c Parmesan cheese

1/4 c parsley, chopped

Salt and pepper

Directions

Bring pot of water to a boil for the pasta. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add 1 clove of garlic and cook 30 seconds. Add the zucchini, cover and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

Heat another tbsp oil in the skillet over medium high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and cook through, 2-3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.

Cook the pasta as label directs. Drain, reserving 1/2 c cooking water, return pasta to the pot.

Meanwhile, whisk the low fat milk and flour in a bowl. Place the remaining clove of garlic and 1 tbsp oil in the skillet and cook over medium heat for 30 seconds. Add the flour-milk mixture and bring to a boil, stirring. Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Add the evaporated milk, 1/2 tsp salt and the cheese, stir to melt.

Cut the chicken into strips. Toss with the pasta, sauce , zucchini and parsley. Add the reserved pasta water as needed to loosen the sauce.

Risotto with Asparagus and Fennel

My dear friend Kasey is moving to Florida soon to be a real-life doctor but I'm worried she's going to live on eggs and frozen vegetables. Because of this, I'm trying to feed her as much as possible right now and tonight was no exception. We made this risotto because we were looking for a light but filling dish. Kasey really liked it!

If you've never used fennel, it's normally in the store by the cabbage and zucchini. It looks like a big bulb on the bottom with large fronds. For this recipe you just use the bulb, but you can use the fronds like you would dill in a recipe. It's anise or black licorice flavored though, but don't worry because the cooking process totally mellows it out.

Risotto with Asparagus and Fennel
Adapted from Mario Batali

Ingredients
1/2 pound asparagus, rough ends removed
2 medium bulbs fennel, with stalks trimmed and set aside
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium Spanish onion, chopped into 1/8-inch dice
1 1/2 cups rice, Arborio
4 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 bunch Italian parsley, finely chopped to yield 1/4 cup

Directions
Measure 4 quarts of water and bring to a boil. Add asparagus stalks and 2 tablespoons salt. Set up ice bath next to the pot. Blanch asparagus for 1 minute, place in an ice bath and keep the asparagus cooking water until later.

In the meantime, chop fennel into 1/2-inch batons and place in a 12 to 14-inch fry pan with 3-inch sides. Place over medium heat with olive oil and onion. Cook over medium heat until softened but not browned. Add rice and, stirring constantly, cook until rice turns opaque, about 2 minutes. Add asparagus cooking water until it covers the rice. Turn the heat up to high, stirring constantly, and cook the rice until the liquid level goes below the level of the rice.

Continue adding the warm asparagus cooking liquid, 1 ladle at a time, to maintain the liquid level above the rice for 15 minutes. Drain asparagus and chop into 1-inch pieces. Add asparagus to rice and cook until rice is soft but still al dente. Remove from heat, add butter, Parmigiano and parsley and stir through. Serve immediately.

Rock fish with Roasted Corn

This recipe is SO easy and was really delicious. The fish came out so moist and the sauce is just enough. It does have mayonnaise in the sauce, but you can't taste it. If you don't believe me, ask Kasey and Liz because they both don't do mayo and they loved it! Oh, and the corn is roasted and sweet. I could go on and on, actually. Definitely try this one! And if you don't dig rock fish, try tilapia or cod or some whitefish you do like.

Rock fish with Roasted Corn
Adapted from Rachel Ray

Ingredients
1/4 mayonnaise
2 tsp chili powder
4 rock fish fillets (about 1lb)
1 1/2 c frozen corn (or fresh, if you've got it)
1 lime, cut into 4 wedges

Directions
Preheat the broiler. In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, chili powder and 1/4 tsp salt. Grease a 9-inch baking dish with 1 tsp of mayonnaise mixture. Place fillets in the dish and coat with the remaining sauce. Top with the corn. Broil until the corn is lightly browned and the fish is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Serve with a lime wedge.

Quinoa with Garlic, Pine Nuts, and Raisins

Quinoa is a really delicious high-protein whole grain that you can add anything to and serve alongside anything else. I made it as a side dish for the above fish recipe. Once you know how to cook it, you can switch up the recipe and add dried cranberries in stead of raisins, or maybe cilantro for a mexican spin, and even sun-dried tomatoes for italian. Really a great go to recipe friends!

Quinoa with Garlic, Pine Nuts, and Raisins
Adapted from Ellie Kreiger

Ingredients
1 c quinoa
1/4 pine nuts, toasted
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/3 c fresh parsley, finely chopped
1/4 raisins
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Salt and Pepper

Directions
Place quinoa in a pan and cook over medium heat until toasted, about 2 minutes. Add 1 3/4 c water (or use low-sodium chicken broth) and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, until the liquid is absorbed, 10-15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let sit, covered, about 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, toast the pine nuts in a dry skillet over medium-high heat, stirring until golden, about 3 minutes then set aside. Heat olive oil and garlic in a skillet over medium heat, until golden, about 2 minutes.

Fluff the quinoa with a fork. Add the pine nuts, garlic oil, parsley, lemon juice, and raisins. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Working Lunch

Today I needed something easy, but tasty for lunch. I had recently bought baby artichokes at Trader Joe's so I decided to make two of those for lunch and a dip to go with. It was delicious and felt kinda fancy! I don't know why we don't use artichokes more often because they are good!

Steamed Artichokes

Ingredients

2 small artichokes (if you have large, adjust cooking time)
1 lemon
1/4 c mayonnaise
1 tsp basil, chopped
Salt and pepper

Directions

Clean artichokes: cut off bottoms so that the artichoke sits up, trim off any little leaves or tough ones.

Put artichokes into a pot and fill halfway with water. Salt water like you would if you were boiling pasta. Squeeze half of the lemon into the water and bring to a boil. Boil about 30-45 minutes depending on size of artichokes. To test if they're ready, try pulling off a leaf. If it comes off easily, they're done. Set aside to cool for a few minutes.

For dipping sauce; mix mayonnaise, juice from other half of the lemon, basil, salt and pepper. Stir and enjoy with your delicious artichokes.

Penne with Goat Cheese and Roasted Butternut Squash

I've been taking a break from cooking lately, but was finally inspired today while watching Giada (who isn't?). As I think I've mentioned before, I'm obsessed with butternut squash lately, so it was only fitting that this got me off the couch and to the store. This is a great dish and would be great room temp for a potluck or bbq.

Penne with Goat Cheese and Roasted Butternut Squash
Adapted from Giada De Laurentis

Ingredients
Vegetable oil cooking spray
1 (2-pound) butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1 onion, diced into 1/2-inch pieces
Olive oil, for drizzling
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound penne pasta
1 cup (8 ounces) goat cheese, crumbled
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted
1 packed cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan

Directions
Put an oven rack in the upper third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Spray a baking sheet, liberally, with vegetable oil cooking spray. Set aside. Mix the squash and onion together and arrange in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bake for to 40 to 45 minutes until the vegetables are golden and cooked through. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool slightly.

While the squash mixture is cooling, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and reserve about 2 cups of the pasta water. Put the pasta, goat cheese and 1 cup of pasta water in a large serving bowl. Toss until the cheese has melted and forms a creamy sauce. Add the squash and onion mixture, the walnuts and the basil. Toss well and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Garnish with Parmesan and serve.

*To toast the walnuts, arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 350 degree F oven until lightly toasted, about 6 to 8 minutes Cool completely before using.