Buffalo Bites

Makes ~24 Bites

I found this little bites on pinterest this morning, realized I had all the ingredients I needed and made them right away! I was craving something tasty and fun for dinner but still healthy and these were perfect. They were spicy for me but I'm a baby when it comes to spiciness. I had 8 of them and that was more than enough for dinner!

Ingredients

1 cup heaping cooked quinoa

1 large egg

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 can of chicken (12.5 oz Costco size)

1/4 cup Franks buffalo sauce

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese ( I used a combo of feta and cheddar)

1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

1 tsp minced garlic

salt and pepper to taste

Dip:

6 oz plain greek yogurt

dill, parsley, basil, onion powder, garlic powder and pepper

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.  Mix together all ingredients.

3.  Distribute mixture into a greased mini muffin tin, filling each cup halfway and press down gently to compact.

4.  Bake for 25-30 minutes.

5. Mix yogurt with spices. I did about a 1/2 tsp of each and then added more parsley, garlic powder and dill to taste. 

Ranch-ish yogurt dip

Thanks Becky for this great recipe! I didn't have mozzarella on hand so I used half feta half cheddar and I thought they still tasted fine. Side note: never buy fat free feta, it is gross. But I was able to hide it in the Buffalo Bites :)


And for dessert? Homemade Portuguese Sweet Bread! My aunt gave me her recipe and this is the second time I have tried it. It takes all day to make and it is totally worth it but I have not even come close to making it like my aunt makes it...someday!

Hey! Who has been nibbling off that loaf??

Red Beans and Rice

Red beans and rice

Crockpot recipes, how can you go wrong? Iowa Girl posted this on Fat Tuesday and I wanted to make it so badly but I had to wait until Friday. I invited Ian and our friends Michael and Erin over to enjoy the meal. We still had tons of leftovers but I sent the boys home with a huge tupperware full of it and kept two servings for myself for dinners this week. It turned out pretty good, it was spicy though! A tad too spicy for me but not too spicy for everyone else. We also had homemade garlic bread, salad and beer with it. 

Ingredients:

1 bell pepper, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

3 celery stalks, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

14oz andouille sausage, sliced

3 tablespoons Creole seasoning (I made 1/3 of this recipe (16 servings))

1lb dried red kidney beans

7 cups water

white rice

Directions:

Place first 8 ingredients into a 4-quart crock pot and cook on high for 7.5 hours. Remove the lid partway for the last 30 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken slightly. Serve over cooked white rice.

For the Creole seasoning, I didn't have any cayenne or thyme on hand so I used Franks hot sauce (1 TBS) and left out the thyme. 

Thanks IGE for this yummy recipe!

Mini Pink Lady Apple Pies

(makes 3 mini pies)

How cute are these!?!

Ingredients

1 refrigerated pie crust

1 Pink Lady apple, diced

2 TBS butter

¼ cup heaping brown sugar

1 tsp cornstarch

< ¼ tsp cinnamon ( a little less than ¼ tsp)

Dash of salt

Dash of vanilla

Directions

-       Melt butter in saucepan on medium heat. Add diced apple and sauté for 4-5 minutes.

-       In bowl, mix together sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and salt.

-       Add the dry ingredients into the saucepan and cook for 5 or more minutes, until the sugar is bubbling and it starts to thicken.

-       Remove saucepan and let it cool to room temperature.

-       Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

-       Cut pie bottoms out of dough and cut out strips or shapes for the pie tops.

-       Spoon the cooled apple mixture into the pies and put their tops on!

-       Bake 16-20 minutes, until pastry is golden brown. Let pies cool for 10 minutes and enjoy!!

Sprouted 3-bean salad

Sprouted Bean Salad

I bought these sprouted beans at Costco over Christmas break and haven’t used them yet so I decided to make the recipe on the back of the bag, with some alterations of course J

 Ingredients

1 cup dried beans

1 cup diced cucumber

½ cup diced red onion

1 cup feta

½ cup chopped fresh parsley

2 TBS lemon juice

3 TBS olive oil

½ tsp cumin

Salt

Directions

-       Cook beans with 3 cups water on medium heat until they boil. Turn to simmer and cook for 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat and cover for 10 minutes. Drain.

-       Chop your veggies.

-       Let the beans cool and mix everything together.

Fiber, yum yum!

Review

Well it turned out okay. Cumin doesn’t have much zip to it so next time I would try different seasoning. Other than that I did enjoy it and it surprisingly passed the Ian test! It is packed full of protein and fiber so it's a great dish to take to work for lunch. It’s also great for a potluck, especially if you have veggie/vegan friends (just don’t add feta). I will continue to search for new recipes for these healthy sprouted beans!

Spinach Smoothie

Green Green!

Ingredients:

1 frozen sliced banana

1 Tablespoon peanut butter

6 oz Vanilla Greek yogurt

½ cup Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Breeze

3 cups baby spinach

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

I got this idea from Iowa Girl Eats, she is amazing! I have had people try this smoothie and they couldn’t figure out why it was bright green! The peanut butter totally covers up any spinach taste and the sweet yogurt and milk make it yummy. Try it, you will be addicted like me!

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

Cooked pizza, pepperoni and mozzarella!

Ingredients:

1 cup cooked, riced cauliflower

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1 egg, beaten

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp crushed garlic

1/2 tsp garlic salt

olive oil (optional)

pizza sauce, shredded cheese and your choice of toppings

Directions:

To "Rice" the Cauliflower:

Take 1 large head of fresh cauliflower, remove stems and leaves, and chop the florets into chunks. Add to food processor and pulse until it looks like grain. Do not over-do pulse or you will puree it. (If you don't have a food processor, you can grate the whole head with a cheese grater). Place the riced cauliflower into a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 8 minutes. There is no need to add water, as the natural moisture in the cauliflower is enough to cook itself.

One large head should produce approximately 3 cups of riced cauliflower. The remainder can be used to make additional pizza crusts immediately, or can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one week.

Riced cauliflower

To Make the Pizza Crust:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup cauliflower, egg and mozzarella. Add oregano, crushed garlic and garlic salt, stir. Transfer to the cookie sheet, and using your hands, pat out into a 9" round. 

My sous chef making our crust :)

Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes.

Remove from oven. To the crust, add sauce, toppings and cheese. Place under a broiler at high heat just until cheese is melted (approximately 3-4 minutes).

Review:

The first time Ian and I tried it I forgot to measure out a cup of the cauliflower and ended up using the whole head of riced cauliflower to make two crusts. It tasted like cauliflower. The second time we tried it we measured the cauliflower and made three crusts out of one head of cauliflower. We made three different pizzas for the Burns ladies in Coeur d'Alene this past weekend: chicken and BBQ sauce, italian sausage with pizza sauce (for ian) and a veggie pizza. They turned out great, especially the chicken with BBQ sauce pizza.  I don't think anyone could really notice the cauliflower (except after I microwaved it, left it in the kitchen while we were at church and the whole house smelled gross when we came back!). 


Thank you Beth for this great recipe!

Yummy chicken salad! (No mayo)

So good, try this for lunch!

Ingredients

2 cups diced cooked chicken breasts (use cold)
1 small red onion, diced
1 small apple, diced
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 avocado, mashed
2 tablespoons lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. In a bowl, combine the yogurt, avocado, red onion, apple, and salt and pepper to taste. Add lemon juice and stir to coat evenly.
2. Add the cooled chicken to mixture, Taste and adjust the seasonings if needed.

I tried this out and it was delicious! I chilled it and put it on a toasted piece of Dave's Killer Good Seed bread!

Ian's Birthday Cupcakes - Blue Moon Cupcakes!

I took these to Ian's surprise bowling party and I think they were a hit because they disappeared quickly!

Ingredients

3/4 a stick/6 tbsp butter, melted

2 eggs, room temperature

4 oz buttermilk

6 oz Blue Moon beer

2 tsp vanilla

zest of one orange

1 cup brown sugar

2 cups flour

2 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp baking soda


1 tub of white whipped frosting
orange extract

Watch your eggs or they might commit suicide off of the counter...

Directions

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2) Melt butter and set aside to cool down.

3) Bowl 1: Whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, beer, vanilla, and orange zest in one bowl.


4)Bowl 2: Mix together the sugar, flour, coriander, and baking soda in another.

5) Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in two parts, using a mixer to combine. Add the melted butter and combine.

5) Pour batter into cupcake cups and bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool.

6) Let cupcakes cool. Put some orange extract in with the frosting and mix until it has a slight taste of orange. Frost cupcakes once they are cooled and enjoy!

Frozen Peanut Butter Cream Pie w/Oreo crust

For the Crust:
1¾ cups chocolate cookie crumbs (about 20 Oreos)
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Pinch of salt

For the Filling:
6 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
¾ cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1¼ cups creamy peanut butter (not chunky or natural)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups heavy cream

For the Topping Drizzle:
1 ounce semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 tablespoons peanut butter

1. To make the crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine the cookie crumbs, brown sugar and salt in a medium bowl. Add the butter and toss with a fork until all of the crumbs are moistened. Press into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie plate. Refrigerate for 15 minutes, then bake until set, about 8-10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

2. To make the filling: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar and salt on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. 

Add the peanut butter and vanilla. 

Wipe out the mixing bowl, switch to the whisk attachment and whip the heavy cream on medium-high until soft peaks form. 

Stir 1/3 of the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture to lighten it up. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold in the remaining whipped cream. 

Transfer the filling to the cooled crust and spread in an even layer. Freeze uncovered for at least 4 hours or up to 1 day covered with plastic wrap.

3. To garnish the pie: Put the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and heat in 30 second increments at 50% power, stirring after each. Continue until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Transfer to a resealable plastic bag and snip a tiny bit off the corner. Hold the bag over the pie and drizzle the melted chocolate in a zig-zag pattern. Melt the peanut butter in the microwave using the same method used for the chocolate. Add the melted peanut butter to a resealable plastic bag, snip off a corner and drizzle over the pie. Let stand for about 10 minutes to set. Return to the freeze if not serving immediately.

4. Remove the pie from the freezer about 10-15 minutes before you are ready to serve. If you have trouble cutting it, running your knife under warm water will help. Cover leftovers tightly with plastic wrap and foil, and store in the freezer.

I am entering this pie into the Inaugural ODOT Pie Contest tomorrow! I will let you all know how it does :) The filling is pretty rich but I guess that's a good thing right?

Green Tea Noodle Salad

I made this dish for a recent book club get-together. Everyone enjoyed it and Ian is still enjoying the leftovers J.  Our friends Michael and Erin took us to an Asian food store called Uwajimaya and I found these awesome noodles so I had to get them! Here is a simple dish you can make. If you don’t have green tea noodles you can use udon or other Japanese noodles instead.

Ingredients

1 package green tea noodles

Chopped veggies: red pepper, green beans, onion, carrots.

Dressing:

2 TBS soy sauce

1 TBS rice vinegar

1 TBS sesame oil

Directions

Boil water and drop noodles in for 6 minutes. Strain and let cool.

Steam veggies in water and sesame oil (optional) until tender.

Mix dressing and add everything together! Let chill in fridge for 30 minutes.

Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookies

Somebody at work was giving away candy canes so I grabbed a box and decided to make these yummy cookies! I took a chocolate chip cookie recipe and substituted crushed candy cane for half of the chocolate chips. I also cut it in half so the amounts are a little weird.  At work, February is the month where we do most of our charitable fund drive fundraising and my unit had a Bake Sale so I decided to make these cookies.

Ingredients

1.9 cups flour

¾ tsp baking soda

3/8 tsp salt

½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature

3/8 cup sugar

1 egg

½ cup brown sugar

¾ TBS vanilla

¾ cups chocolate chips

6 candy canes

Use rolling pin to crush candy canes

Directions

1.       Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray baking pan.

2.       In Bowl 1: mix flour, baking soda and salt.

3.       In Bowl 2: Cream butter and sugars. Add vanilla and egg and mix.

4.       In parts, mix Bowl 1 into Bowl 2.

5.       Add chocolate chips and crushed candy canes and mix up.

6.       Bake 8-10 minutes.

These were so yummy, they went really quickly at work. I kept some for myself they were so good. I will definitely be using this chocolate chip cookie recipe in the future. I know I have been baking a lot but get used to it for a couple of weeks. Valentine’s day, Ian’s birthday, Pie Contest at work and International Food Fair at work (I will be making my aunt’s Portuguese sweet bread!)  are all coming up!