Recipes

We have to eat

Rhonda’s Crock Pot Chicken Cacciatore

I don’t know a cook who doesn’t appreciate the awesomeness of a home cooked meal ready for you when you’re ready for it. Crock pot meals are the bees knees. I love that with a little bit of assembly, you can get a whole lot of pay off at the end of the day- a great return on your investment. Chicken Cacciatore is hearty and healthy, and really great served on a warm bed of rice. This variation has a rich tomato base with a hint of white wine and fire roasted red peppers. Yum!

Also, please note that if you feel the need to add more liquid, water will do. Of course, chicken stock seems like the most flavorful option- but trust me the flavor is there. So save your stock!

As organic as possible:

2 lbs Boneless skinless Chicken, cut into bite size pieces

1 large yellow Onion, rustically diced

3-4 cloves Garlic, minced

1 – 12 oz. jar Fire Roasted Red Peppers, drained and chopped into bite size pieces

12 oz. Tomato paste

2 tsp Sugar

1/2 cup White Wine

2 tsp Oregano

1 tsp dried Basil

1 tsp Salt

3 Tbsp Olive oil (Plus 1 Tbsp optional)

1 tsp Crushed Red Pepper flakes

If you have one of those cool crock pots that can go from stove top to crock pot warmer, it is optional to heat a tablespoon of olive oil and sauté the onions until they have a little color (to develop flavor). It is also a possibility to sauté them in a pan and transfer them to the crock pot. And lastly it is also an option to omit this step all together and save time.

Place the onions on the bottom of the crock pot. Top with the chicken pieces.

In a bowl add the garlic, red peppers, tomato paste, sugar, wine, oregano, basil, salt, oil and red pepper flakes. Stir until incorporated and pour on top of chicken.

Cook on low for about 8 hours or on high for about 4. If sauce seems to thick add a 1/4 cup of water. Serve with rice or pasta. Enjoy!

Maple Raisin Scones

Scones, either you get them or you don’t. It’s like jazz. I love ’em both. I was trying to explain them to my kids, “They’re kind of like a cross between a cookie and a biscuit, a muffin-cracker…” I appreciate their dryer and less sweet nature. I love that you can load them with fun dried fruits and citrus zests. And of course I think anything that complements my cup of coffee is pretty fantastic.

As organic as possible:

1 cup Whole wheat flour

1 cup Flour

2 tsp Baking powder

2 Tbsp Sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup Butter (cold), cut into cubes

1/2 cup (rounded) dried Raisins

1 1/2 Tbsp Lemon zest

1 Egg

3 Tbsp Maple Syrup

3/4 cup Cream

 

Preheat the oven to 375°.

Whisk the dry ingredients; whole wheat flour, flour, baking powder, sugar, salt. Using a pastry blender or two table knives cut the butter into the dry mixture until it resembles pea sized crumbs. Add the raisins and zest, toss until evenly distributed.

In a small bowl whisk the egg. Add the maple syrup and continue to whisk until blended. Pour in the cream and whisk a little more.

Add the egg mixture into the dry ingredients. Gently stir until all is combined. Then place the dough onto a lightly floured surface and shape into a rectangle. (An oval will do fine, just try to cut even pieces.) Using a dough lift or knife, cut the dough in half lengthwise and across the center width making 4 small rectangles. Then cut those small rectangles in half through the width (making 8 squares). Next cut diagonally from corner to corner (making 16 triangles). Use the lift and place the triangles onto a Silpat or parchment lined baking sheet. Bake 20-25 minutes. Until the bottom is just browning.

Enjoy warm with cream… and a cup of coffee.

Adapted from Brown Eggs and Jam Jars Make Ahead Currant Scones

Chocolate Chip-Cinnamon Muffins

It’s a well publicized fact (on my personal blog) that I am a breakfast person. I am also a coffee person, a baked good person, a chocolate person… I really enjoy a freshly baked muffin in the morning with my cup of joe. This hits the mark on a number of levels. And it’s so easy to whip up- to appease the craving. Please note: it’s very satisfying eating this warm, while the chocolate is still soft… The cinnamon adding just another little hint of depth. (It’s really like eating a cupcake. But don’t tell anyone.) So sit back and relax. You have my permission to take in the moment.

As organic as possible:

1/2 cup Butter, melted

3/4 cup Milk

2 Eggs, beaten

1 Tbsp Vanilla

2 cups Flour

3/4 cup Sugar

1 Tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp Salt

1/4 tsp Cinnamon

11.5 oz Milk Chocolate Chips

 

Preheat the oven to 350°. Using non-stick spray or butter, grease a 12 cup muffin pan. (Or line with pretty papers)

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Remove about 3 tablespoons of the dry mixture and in a small bowl toss with the chocolate chips. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk the butter, milk, eggs, and vanilla. Slowly add the dry flour mixture and stir until combined. Gently fold in the chocolate chips.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin pan, filling to the brim. Bake for 20-25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool slightly before indulgence.

Pour yourself a cup of coffee (or tea, or milk… or whatever you like to drink) and serve. Enjoy!

 

Buffalo Chicken Dip

I know what you’re thinking. That is an unnatural shade of orange. And yes, I agree. But don’t let that stop you from trying this… because it’s SO GOOD! I mean super delicious. It’s flavor packed in every bite. I’m crazy about the stuff. It lets you enjoy the taste of buffalo chicken wings without the mess! But here’s the secret, you have to use Frank’s Original Red Hot Sauce. I know, I know, it’s not organic. (Hey, I always say as organic as possible.) There is no comparison. You just have to believe me on this.

As organic as possible:

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast

8 oz cream cheese, softened

2 Tbsp butter, softened

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup Frank’s Original Red Hot Sauce

4 oz. Gouda, shredded and divided (or cheddar, but really Gouda)

 

I love using organic chicken that has already been cut into tenders for dips like this (although that may not be the most economical). They are so quick to boil, about 10 minutes, and easy to cut. If you are using whole breasts it could take longer (about 20 mins), make sure the chicken is cooked through.

In the meantime preheat the oven to 350°. Using a standing mixer (or your powerful arm and a utensil), cream the cheese, butter and salt together.

When the chicken is cooked, chop it into small diced pieces. (Shredding is an option, but I really prefer the small dices.) Add the chicken, hot sauce and a 1/3 of the Gouda shredded cheese to the cream cheese blend. Mix until all is well combined. Then spread the mixture in a 9 x 9 inch baking dish (or equivalent). Top with the remaining cheese (*note it won’t cover the dip completely). Place the dish in the oven and bake until bubbly, about 15-20 minutes.

Serve with corn chips (not flimsy corn chips)… and maybe a personal bowl for yourself? Enjoy immensely.

 

The Richmond Avenue’s Black Bean Brownies

I love how Jasmine at The Richmond Avenue can take something that usually holds very little nutritional value and turn it into health food. (That’s what I call it, with complete justification.) In this case incorporating the black beans added protein and fiber. I can honestly say the brownies were moist and tasted like chocolate. So much so that my chocolate lover approved of them, and I felt guilt-free saying he could have them for an after school snack.

As organic as possible (from me as usual)

1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp instant coffee
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup raw sugar
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp honey
1/4 cup coconut or olive oil
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 semi-sweet chocolate chips
Optional toppings: Chocolate Chips, Walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine all ingredients (except for toppings and chocolate chips) in a food processor and blend until smooth. Mix in chocolate chips. Pour batter into greased baking pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean.

*Jasmine left this “1/4” chocolate chips up to personal interpretation and some might have opted for a 1/4 cup, but I knew it meant a 1/4 of the bag 😉

*As you can see I used walnuts on half, for the non-nut loving members of my family

Banoffee Pie

I love trying new things. Especially when they turn out to be awesome! Banoffee Pie, short for Banana-Toffee Pie, is a recipe that caught my attention a while back for my must try list. I mean come on, what’s not to like, right? Then along came Lina of Lin’s Recipes. She hosts recipe challenges for bloggers who’d like to participate in creating a themed list of dishes. This time around it was for “Cakes we have to try this Feb,” a collection of unusually named cakes/desserts that she gathered. Well, that struck a chord with me too. (The combined excitement was almost too much to contain.) This pie is sweet and creamy, luscious with an almost candy like crust. And if I may suggest: you should put this on your list.

As found in PIES delicious recipes for perfect pies:

Serves 4

Filling

generous 3 1/2 cups canned sweetened condensed milk (I used 2 – 14 oz cans)

4 ripe bananas

juice of 1/2 lemon

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups heavy cream, whipped

2 3/4 oz/75 g semisweet chocolate, grated

 

Cookie Crust

3 oz/85 g butter, melted, plus extra for greasing

5 1/2 oz/150 g graham crackers, crushed into crumbs

scant 1/3 cup shelled almonds, toasted and ground

scant 1/3 cup shelled hazelnuts, toasted and ground

Place the unopened cans of milk in a large pan and add enough water to cover them. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and let simmer for 2 hours, topping up the water level to keep the cans covered. Carefully lift out the hot cans from the pan and let cool.

Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C. Grease a 9 inch/23-cm tart pan with butter. Place the remaining butter in a bowl and add the crushed graham crackers and ground nuts. Mix together well, then press the mixture evenly into the base and side of the tart pan. Bake for 10-12 minutes, then remove from the oven and let cool.

Peel and slice the bananas and place in a bowl. Squeeze over the juice from the lemon, add the vanilla extract, and mix together. Spread the banana mixture over the cookie crust in the pan, then spoon the contents of the cooled cans of condensed milk over the bananas. Sprinkle over 1 3/4 oz/50 g of the chocolate then top with a layer of whipped cream. Sprinkle over the remaining grated chocolate and serve the pie at room temperature.

 

A Valentine’s Day Gift – Almost Nigella Lawson’s Everyday Brownies

It’s Valentine’s Day! Which is practically synonymous with chocolate and love. And I can’t think of a better way to highlight both than to make a batch of homemade brownies. As Nigella says in her book, “It’s not as if I were short of a brownie recipe or two.” I understand that the brownie (chocolatey, gooey, warm…) is highly subjective to personal taste. But I’m going to come right out and say it: This is the best from scratch brownie I’ve ever had.

Makes 16

1 1/4 sticks (10 Tbsp) unsalted Butter

1 3/4 cups (packed) light Brown Sugar

3/4 cup unsweetened Cocoa powder, sifted

1 cup all-purpose Flour

1 tsp Baking Soda

1/4 tsp Salt

4 Eggs

1 tsp Vanilla extract

Confectioner’s sugar, to dust (optional)

1 x aluminum foil-lined baking pan approx 13x9x2 (I used parchment paper)

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Melt the butter over a gentle heat in a medium-sized saucepan.

When it’s melted, add the sugar, stirring with a wooden spoon (still over a low heat) to help it blend with the melted butter.

Whisk together the cocoa powder, flour, baking soda, and salt, and then stir into the pan; when mixed (this will be a very dry mixture, and not wholly blended at this stage), remove from the heat.

In a bowl or pitcher, whisk the eggs with the vanilla extract and then mix into the brownie mixture in the pan.

Quickly pour and scrape mixture into a foil-lined baking pan or disposable foil pan, spreading the mixture with a spatula, and cook in the preheated oven for approx. 20-25 minutes. It will look set, dark and dry on top, but when you feel the surface, you will sense it is still wibbly underneath and a cake tester will come out gungy. This is desirable.

Transfer the pan to a rack to cool a little before cutting into 16 pieces and dusting with confectioner’s sugar. I love these gorgeously warm. But then again, I love them cold, too. Actually, when cold they are properly speaking more brownie-like; gooily tender within and chewy on top.

I agree with Nigella completely about the texture… mine were perfectly done in 20 minutes. If you’d like, use a heart-shaped cookie cutter before dusting with powdered sugar and serving. Have a great day full of love (and chocolate)!

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Pasta Carbonara

My husband has been in Germany all week on business. So what’s a girl to do, except make dishes that I want to try; that I know he wouldn’t eat anyway! Carbonara in general is a bacon and cream sauce; in this case they are whisked with eggs which are actually cooked by the hot pasta, creating this amazingly creamy and flavorful dish. If you haven’t had it, you might (as I did) be skeptical and think it’s going to taste like breakfast on noodles. I promise you that is not the case. It creates this delicious coating of velvety yum that when paired with the Parmesan and caramelized onion (nod to Tyler Florence) makes a meal into an event to remember. Now if I could only get my husband to like bacon.

As organic as possible:

1 lb Linguine (easily substituted by spaghetti or long noodle of your choice)

2 Tbsp Olive oil

10 slices bacon, cut crosswise into thin strips

1 yellow Onion, diced

4 Eggs

6 Tbsp heavy Cream

1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus more for serving

Freshly ground Black Pepper

 

Start the cooking process for the pasta according to package directions, but be sure to salt your water!

Heat the olive oil in a skillet, add bacon and onion. Let cook until bacon is crispy and onion is caramelized, about 8 minutes give or take. In the meantime crack eggs into a large bowl and whisk with cream, Parmesan and a little freshly cracked black pepper. When bacon and onion are ready, spoon some of it into the cream and egg and whisk, add the rest including all of the fat and continue to whisk a little until it makes an emulsion.

If we have our timing right, the noodles should be al dente and ready to come out of the boiling water. Using tongs or a pasta scoop, place a portion of the noodles into the egg sauce, and toss. Add the rest of the noodles and gently toss until all noodles are coated with the creamy mixture of deliciousness.

Serve with a little freshly cracked pepper and light grating of Parmesan. Buon appetito!

Recipe adapted from Tyler Florence’s Spaghetti Carbonara

No-Bake Cookies

I know, I know- everyone has a no-bake cookie recipe. But I don’t think I could have a food blog without mentioning my family’s go-to cookie. In fact, this is my second published no-bake cookie recipe. My kids and I make these often, and like to play around with ingredients, chocolates, etc.. But this is the original tried and true recipe. I got it from a book, a gift- from a collection of recipes from the Trinity Wesleyan Church in Jackson, MI… but I know it by heart.

As organic as possible:

1/2 cup (1 stick) Butter (I like salted for this recipe) *And sometimes I add a pinch of salt anyway

2 cups Sugar

1/2 cup Milk

1/2 cup Cocoa Powder

1 tsp Vanilla

1/2 cup Peanut Butter (rounded)

3 cups Oats

In a large heavy bottomed sauce pan, heat butter, sugar, milk, and cocoa powder stirring often. Bring to boil and let it bubble for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the peanut butter and vanilla. When it’s all melted and mixed well, add the oats and stir until all of them are coated with chocolatey goodness. Use a spoon to drop little mounds onto sheets of waxed paper. Allow to cool and harden slightly before eating.

Happy Eating!

Yogurt Chicken Chili

The Super Bowl is two days away! And if you’re looking for a something to feed your home team that’s full of flavor and won’t bog them down, I’ve got the perfect idea. This chili is healthy and hearty, light and appetizing. It’s a crowd pleaser for sports fanatics, athletes, moms and kids alike. So regardless of the Game Day outcome, you’ll be a winner. Trust me on this.

As organic as possible

1 1/2 lbs boneless Chicken

1 Tbsp Olive oil

1 yellow Onion, chopped

3 cloves Garlic, minced

4 cups Chicken broth

1 Tbsp Cumin

2 Tbsp Chili Powder

1/2 Tbsp dried Basil

1 1/2 – 2 tsp salt (to taste!)

1 tsp freshly ground Black pepper

2 15.5 oz cans Cannelloni beans, rinsed and drained

1 cup Non-fat Greek Yogurt, (Organic or Chobani) divided, plus more for serving (optional)

1 Scallion, sliced for garnish (optional)

 

In a large pot boil the chicken in water until cooked and tender. I used organic chicken tenders (which are cut thin) and took about 10 minutes. If you are using halved breasts, it could take 15-20 minutes.

Meanwhile in another pot or dutch oven, heat the olive oil. Add the onion and let sauté for 2-3 minutes until starting to turn soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook a minute more. Pour the chicken stock into the onion and garlic, and stir. Add the cumin, chili powder, basil, salt, pepper, and beans. Stir and let sit over medium heat, bringing to simmer. Reduce heat to low (keeping at a nice low simmer).

Using a slotted spoon or tongs carefully remove the chicken to a cutting board. When cool enough to handle I like to tear the chicken into rustic bite-size pieces. However, you can shred with a fork or chop with a knife if you prefer. Place the chicken into the pot of simmering broth, and stir. Allow the flavors to combine for at least 20-25 minutes. Add 3/4 cup of the Chobani Greek yogurt into the chicken chili and stir. Taste for seasonings and adjust accordingly. Allow flavors to meld for at least another 15 minutes. Top the chili with the remaining quarter cup of plain greek yogurt and scallions for serving. If desired, set bowls of the yogurt and additional sliced scallions for guests (or family) to dress their individual bowls. #madewithchobani

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