Brown Sugar Pecan Muffins

I had some extra pecans laying around so I thought I would make some muffins for a couple friend who had just moved in to a new place. I found the recipe on a really random website and some of the ingredients amounts were off (editing mistake, I'm assuming?). But with a few adjustments, the muffins turned out to be awesome.

Brown Sugar Pecan Muffins

Yields 12 muffins

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

1 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1 cup well-shaken buttermilk

1/2 cup oil

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon maple extract

1/4 cup dark brown sugar - (packed)

1.5 tablespoons butter -- melted

1/4 cup finely-chopped pecans

Directions:

Combine flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and pecans in bowl. Whisk buttermilk, oil, egg and maple extract in small bowl. Add to dry ingredients. Stir just until combined. Let batter sit 15 minutes.

Divide among 12 paper-lined muffin cups.

Combine brown sugar and butter in small bowl until smooth. Evenly spoon 1 teaspoons over each muffin. Sprinkle each with 1 teaspoon pecans.

Bake at 375 degrees until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool on rack 15 minutes before serving.

Balsamic Chicken and Peppers

Are you having a dinner party but want to keep it healthy? This would be the recipe to go for! It looks fancy and colorful and the flavor is great. My only minor complaint was that I thought the amount of shallots and peppers were not enough. Next time I will increase that but I left the original amount here. Other then that, this is awesome. With some cous cous and garlic spinach on the side you will have yourself an awesome meal!

Balsamic Chicken and Peppers

Serves 4

Ingredients:

3/4tsp salt

3/4 fennel seeds

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4tsp garlic powder

1/4tsp dried oregano

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2tbsp olive oil

2 cups thinly sliced red bell peppers

1 cup thinly sliced yellow bell pepper

1/2 cup thinly sliced shallots (about 1 large)

1 1/2tsp chopped fresh rosemary

1 cup fat free, less-sodium chicken broth

1tbsp balsamic vinegar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Combine 1/2tsp salt, black pepper, garlic powder and oregano. Brush chicken with 1 1/2 tsp soil and sprinkle spice rub over it. Add 1 1/2 tsp oil to pan. Add chicken, cook 3 minutes or until brown. Turn chicken over and cook 1 minute. Arrange chicken in 7 inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake for 10 minutes or until done.

Heat remaining oil over medium-high heat. Add peppers, shallots, and rosemary. Saute 3 minutes. Stir in broth, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Reduce heat, simmer 5 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high. Stir in vinegar, 1/4tsp salt and 1/4tsp pepper. Cook another 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Serve bell pepper mixture over chicken.

Mexican Casserole

Thanks to Santa (otherwise known as my sister) I received a years subscription to Cooking Light. I was super excited to see a Mexican Casserole in the vegetarian section but needed to make a few changes since "meatless, fat free crumbles" were a main ingredient. Yeah, no thanks. You think meat is processed? You should see the ingredient list for those "crumbles". I also made a few other directional changes that turned out really well.

The only thing I wasn't super crazy about was the tortilla chips. Since we re-heat our food everyday (I make everything on Sunday and we eat throughout the week), the chips got a bit mushy. While it wasn't a huge deal nor did it take away from the rest of the awesome taste, I just thought it deserved a heads up. Also, this isn't super spicy so you might want to throw in some diced chili's or more jalapeno pepper, complete with seeds.

Side Note: For our fans out there who have families and/or husbands who won't eat healthy food, they seriously won't be able to tell this is healthy. I promise.

Side Note Part Deux: I wasn't about to sit and count out 48 chips. I wasn't going to use the extras anyhow so I crushed them in the bag and then eyeballed what looked right.

Mexican Casserole

Serves 6

Ingredients:

4 teaspoons olive oil

1 cup chopped onion

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 jalapeno pepper, minced

1 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 package (1.25lb) lean ground turkey

48 baked tortilla chips

2 cans beans (either pinto, black or a combo of the two), rinsed and drained

1tbsp fresh lime juice

2 cups chopped plum tomato's

1/4tsp salt

1 cup low fat cheese (mexican blend, monterey jack, whatever you want)

1 bunch of chopped green onions

1 small can chopped olives

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Heat 2 tsp oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and turkey until turkey is just cooked. Add garlic and jalapeno, cook one minute. Add in chili powder and black pepper, cook another 3 minutes or heated through. Arrange a thin layer of chips in a 11x7 baking dish coated with cooking spray. Top evenly with onion, turkey mixture.

Heat remaining 2 tsp oil in skillet over medium heat. Add beans, mashing with the back of a wooden spoon until chunky and thick. Cook 2 minutes or until heated, stirring constantly. Stir in lime juice

Combine tomato's and salt. Layer beans and tomato mixture on top of the turkey mixture. Top with remaining tortilla chips. Sprinkle evenly with cheese, green onions and olives. Bake for 13 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.

Shrimp and Grits

As my close friends know, I'm pretty sure I was a southern girl in a former life based merely on my love of grits (well and fried chicken. And layer cakes). I still remember my high school best friends Texan mother (did you get that one) introducing me to said grits. I love to travel in the south because grits are always on the breakfast menu, complete with cheese and black pepper. YUM! However, since I try to watch what I eat as best I can, grits have become a special treat I occasionally make at home for Saturday breakfast. You can imagine my joy when I found this recipe. Don't let the picture fool you...this is delish especially topped with a wee bit of hot sauce. and there is a lot to go around.

Side note: I served on a bed of fresh spinach

Shrimp and Grits Casserole

Serves 6 (about 1 cup each)

Ingredients:

2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
3/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 cup uncooked quick-cooking grits
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons butter
3 oz. 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 large egg whites
1 pound peeled and deveined medium shrimp, coarsely chopped
Hot pepper sauce (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°.

Combine milk and broth in a medium heavy saucepan; bring to a boil. Gradually add grits and salt to pan, stirring constantly with a whisk. Cook 5 minutes or until thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in Parmesan, butter, and cream cheese. Stir in parsley and next 4 ingredients (through shrimp). Spoon mixture into an 11 x 7–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375° for 25 minutes or until set. Serve with hot pepper sauce, if desired.

New and Improved Chicken Parm

I'm always on a hunt to improve an old recipe and the Chicken Parmesan recipe posted earlier on this blog became my latest target. I hesitated when I saw this one in Cooking Light mainly because it said fried (seriously cooking light, use your heads and don't use scary words like "fried" when talking about healthy recipes). However, with a few modifications (mainly a decrease in the amount of oil) and a slight decrease in the amount of cheese, out came a beautiful dish full of yummy looking chicken. You won't even miss the pasta with this one!

Side note: I get nervous about putting my pans in the oven (don't ask me why) so I "fried" the breasts in a pan on the stove top and then transferred them into an oven safe dish.

Oven Fried Chicken Parmesan

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large egg whites, lightly beaten
3/4 cup panko
4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless thin chicken breasts (pound them slightly if you can't them like that at the store)

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup jarred tomato-basil pasta sauce
1/3 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450°.

Combine first 3 ingredients in a shallow dish; place egg whites in a bowl. Place panko in a shallow dish. Dip each breast in egg whites; Dredge 1 half in flour mixture and the other half in panko. Repeat procedure with remaining chicken, flour mixture, egg whites, and panko.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken to pan; cook 2 minutes. Turn chicken over; cook 2 minutes. Top each breast half with 2 tablespoons sauce, 2 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano, and 3 tablespoons mozzarella. Place pan in oven or transfer breasts in a oven safe dish. Bake at 450° for 5 minutes. Turn chicken over; Bake 6 minutes or until chicken is done.

Bacon Corn Chowder

I saw this recipe on cookinglight.com and was immediately drawn to it. Why, might you ask? Basically because it has my 3 favorite things in the world...bacon, corn and cheese. I did make a few changes however, the most important to note was the increase of the amount of bacon called for. 2 pieces of bacon for 6 servings? Come on. I used a slice of bacon/serving. I taste tested this last night and while I thought it was awesome, I couldn't really taste the cheddar cheese. I'm not super crazy about the idea of adding more but I might actually just top each serving with the cheese to see if that adds to the taste. If not, I will just omit it next time. I also prefer a chunkier soup so I didn't blend part of the corn and milk, as the original recipe called for. If you prefer less chunk, blend 1 bag of corn and 1 cup of milk together and add in once the peppers, onion and corn have been sauteed.

Bacon Corn Chowder

Serves 6 (about 1 cup/serving)

Ingredients:

6 bacon slices
1/2 chopped onion

1 yellow pepper, chopped
2 (16-ounce) packages frozen baby gold and white corn, thawed and divided
2 cups 1% low-fat milk, divided
3/4 cup reduced-fat shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Cook bacon in a Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan; crumble and set aside. Add onion, pepper and 1 package corn to drippings in pan; sauté 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Stir in milk, second bag of corn, salt, black pepper, and cheese. Cook over medium heat (do not boil), stirring constantly, until cheese melts. Add in reserved crumbled bacon and stir to combine. Sprinkle with additional black pepper, if desired.

Mediterranean Pasta

Yum Town! For a first time try, this turned out really well. Next time I think I am going to add in some artichoke hearts as well. This is tasty served hot or cold.

Side note: Not sure if I have mentioned this before but the brown rice pasta at Trader Joes is about 1/3 the price of the grocery stores. GO TO TJs!

Mediterranean Pasta

Serves 6

Ingredients:

3/4lb brown rice spiral noodles

1 1/4 lb chicken breasts, cubed

2 cloves garlic, minced

Greek seasoning

1 (12oz) bag frozen brocolli

1 carton grape tomatoes, halved

1/2 cup Kalamata olives, halved

1 cucumber, peeled and diced

1/2 containor feta cheese

olive oil

merlot/red wine vinegar

Directions:

Cook pasta. As I have mentioned before, watch brown rice pasta carefully! It goes from done to mush in minutes.

In a large saucepan, cook chicken and season with garlic and greek seasoning. When chicken is just cooked through, add in broccoli and cucumbers until warm. Toss in tomatos, olives and feta cheese and combine with pasta. Using as much olive oil and merlot/red wine vinegar as desired, toss pasta until correct level of taste is achieved.

Baked Burritos

SUPER BLOGGAL SIDE NOTE: Because Amber and I are making some of this recipes up, some of the measurements may be a bit wonky. I tried my hardest to write them all down but this is an experiment in the making.

As it is the new year, the sister and I are trying to put our heads together for some new food ideas. This is sort of like a chimichanga, right?!?! Ok, not really but still tastes great and is a much better choice. You can put whatever you want in these, I think next time I am going to add in the sauteed onions and peppers from the fajita recipe!

Side note: Don't feel pressure to use the green sauce...we just prefer those over the red sauces.

Baked Burritos

Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 small package ground beef

1 half onion

1 can black beans

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1-2 cups mexican green sauce

6 flour tortillas

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook beef and onion on stove top until cooked through. Rinse black beans well (really well, the stuff they store those beans in is GROSS and full of salt). In each tortilla, layer a scoop of the meat mixture, a scoop of the black beans a pinch of the cheese. Wrap up tortilla and place in baking dish. (Don't know how to wrap a burrito? Fold down the top and bottom and roll the sides over. Place seam side down. Don't freak out if it doesn't look great...it all taste the same. Refer to the broken one in my picture.)

Pour green sauce and remaining cheese over burritos. Bake until crispy and cheese is melted, about 12-15 minutes.

Slow Cooker Goodness: French Onion Soup

Tired of the slow cooker yet?

(yeah, I like the book, what can I say?)




I made a few changes to this recipe just based on the availability of oven proof soup bowls. I tend NOT to buy kitchen equipment I won't use frequently (ie large ramekins) as kitchen space is at a premium. If you do have those soup bowls, feel free to place them in the oven, on a cookie sheet, under the broiler in order to melt the cheese. Or, you can do it my way and toss it in the microwave for a few. This was SO good and tasted even better the day after!





French Onion Soup


Serves 6





Ingredients:





6 large yellow onions


3 tbsp olive oil


1 (14oz) can chicken broth


1 (10.5 oz) can beef broth


salt and pepper to taste


3 cups cubed slightly stale french bread


8 oz shredded or sliced Gruyere cheese





Directions:





Do yourself a favor and don't try to mince 6 large onions by hand. Use the food processor. Put onions in slow cooker and toss with olive oil. Cook on low for 3-4 hours, stir, and continue to cook for several more hours or until onions are well cooked and caramelized. Total cooking time will be 8-10 hours. When the onions are done, add the broths and cook on high until hot, another 15-30 minutes.





Place cubed bread in each bowl and pour soup over top. Throw on cheese and heat in microwave, if desired.

Slow Cooker Goodness: Beef Fajitas

Good God.

Thank you again to the ladies of Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook!

Yes, this recipe is THAT good. And, it literally took 5 minutes to put together. Everyone raved about this and it was even better the next day when I used the leftovers to make quesadillas! (Again, sorry, don't have a picture, I'll be better, I promise)

Beef Fajitas
Serves 6

3/4 cup chunky salsa
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tbsp fresh lime juice
1tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1.5 lb flank steak
1 large white onion, thinly sliced into half moons
3 red bell peppers, seeded and cut into 1/4 inch-wide strips

Directions:

In a small bowl, combine first 7 ingredients. Lay the flank steak in the slow cooker and pour mixture over top, making sure to coat all exposed surfaces. Throw onion and peppers on top. Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours until meat is tender.

Crock Pot Goodness: Easy Cheesy Ravioli Casserole

Because my brothers girlfriend rocks, she bought me a great slow-cooker book for Christmas. She was also nice enough to loan me her son for a day to experiment with. The day I made this recipe we also lost gas to the condo because our neighbors are crazy SO I had to play around with the original recipe a bit. I ended up cutting out the most labor intensive part of the meal since I had no functioning stove top and I am SO glad I did. This turned out really well so I'm not including those first steps as this is a much easier version. Also, the original recipe called for some red wine which I substituted with chicken broth since I figured a 10 year old wouldn't much be into that. Just in case you couldn't figure it out, this isn't healthy. But, it's warm, cozy and easy when you feel like treating yourself and was loved by kid and adults alike! (Also, I have no picture of this so get over it ;))

Side note: Try to find the frozen ravioli as they are MUCH less expensive then the refrigerated kind. If you can't find frozen, just toss the refrigerated kind in the freezer overnight.

Easy Cheesy Ravioli Casserole
Serves 8-10

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 (26-28oz) tomato-based pasta sauce (I used Pomi)
3/4 chicken broth
1 (8oz) can tomato sauce
2 tsp dried basil
2 (25oz) package frozen ravioli
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Combine onion, garlic, pasta sauce, chicken broth and basil in a bowl and stir together to combine.

Layer 2 cups of the tomato sauce into the cooker. Ass one package of the frozen ravioli, then sprinkle with half the mozzarella and 2 tbsp of the Parmesan. Repeat process. Cover with remaining sauce.

Cover and cook on high for 2.5-3.5 hours or on low for 5-6 hours. The casserole is done when the ravioli from the center is hot throughout. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan and let cook for 10 more minutes.