Super Simple Frozen Yogurt Treat

Some days you just need something sweet. Maybe the weather is warm outside and you are craving ice cream to cool you down. Maybe you’re one of those people that buys a bag of Twizzler’s bites at the grocery store because it is on sale and then proceeds to eat the entire bag yourself within two days. Maybe a steaming cup of hot cocoa is what satisfies your sweet tooth. Or a gooey, straight from the oven, burning the roof of your mouth chocolate chip cookie is more your style. Whatever your sugar (or sugar substitute) of choice is, you cannot deny that we all need a dessert now and again.

I’ve told you before that I don’t make desserts that often. Most of the time, I need a special occasion (and people to share the dessert with). You may not guess this if you glanced at my Pinterest board that is full of sweet and decadent desserts. I’m just saving those up for later… let me know if you have a special birthday request. ;) Actually, I really like desserts but I avoid them because since I have no self-control I have trouble eating only a handful of Reese’s pieces or one cookie or really doing any of it in moderation. Especially when there is no one looking at me and judging my second piece of cheesecake. My body is thankful, I have the restraint to at least avoid keeping lots of goodies in the apartment.

However, as I mentioned above, we all need a little sweet something from time to time. My new “favorite”, super easy, super adaptable dessert is homemade frozen yogurt. I got this idea from my parents; so, thanks, Mom and Dad!

There really isn’t a recipe. All you do is take an individual pot of yogurt (whatever kind you want) and mix it with a cup of cool whip (can be regular, lite or fat free). Then you scoop the mixture into a muffin tin containing a cookie crust. For the cookie crust, the easiest is to grind up your cookie (I like graham crackers) and mix with a little bit of melted butter. Then press into muffin liners in the muffin tin. Once you’ve added your yogurt mixture, you just pop them in the freezer. Should be ready to go within a few hours or at least by the next day. I’ve found that one pot will make about 6-8 regular muffin sized treats. However, I’ve also made them in mini-muffin tins as well and those are adorable and bit sized. Or if you want, you can buy the premade individual graham cracker pie crusts and load those up with the filling. Or if you are making it for a crowd, go ahead and do a full pie. I would guess you would need two pots of yogurt and two cups of cool whip. But really, just play around with it.

Next time, I’m making an oreo crust. I betcha that would be great.

Also, in case you were wondering, what is my sweet of choice? Just like with all food, I don’t have one. I may or may not have done each of those things I listed above. :)

Chicken and Barley Greek Salad

One of my favorite grains is barley. I love the way it can be malted into a delicious, refreshing beer that quenches my thirst at the end of a summer (or winter or fall or spring) day. :)

When it comes to cooking with barley, I used to classify it with hearty stews like beef and barley in the crockpot. Perfect for the winter months. However, a few years ago I came across this cold barley salad in a Cooking Light magazine. I love the flavors of a Greek salad-- the salty feta cheese with the refreshing dressing and the pop of black olives. I thought this salad was be a perfect way to turn barley into a yummy summer salad. Boy, did Cooking Light do it right! This is the second (or is it third?) time I've made this salad. It is great because you can make the large batch on the weekend for dinner and continue to eat it for lunch throughout the week. You may find that the cucumbers, tomatoes and peppers get a little soggy by the end of the week, but my guess is it won't last that long. It never does in my house; that's for sure!

Chicken and Barley Greek Salad (adapted from Cooking Light)
Ingredients:
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 tsp olive oil
3 cups chicken broth (fat free, low sodium, preferred)
2/3 cup uncooked pearl barley
1 1/2 cup cucumber, cubed
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup red bell pepper (or any color), cubed
1/2 cup feta cheese (reduced fat, preferred)
1/4 cup black olives, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp grated lemon rind
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp red wine vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced

Directions:
Heat 1 tsp oil in a skillet over med high heat. Add chicken and cook 2 minutes on each side until browned. Add 1 cup broth, cover, reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes or until cooked thoroughly. Discard broth and shred chicken when cool enough to handle.

Bring the other 2 cups of broth to a boil in a large pan. Add barley, cover, reduce heat and simmer 35 minutes or until the liquid is completely absorbed. Fluff with a fork and cool.

Combine chicken, barley, cucumber, tomatoes, pepper, cheese and olives in a large bowl.

Whisk the olive oil, lemon rind, lemon juice, seasonings, garlic and vinegar in another bowl. Add the dressing to the larger bowl and toss to combine. Cover and chill in fridge until ready to eat.

Avocado Egg Salad

This one's for you, Mom.



Do you have those certain meals that you always eat the same sides with?

Like pork chops, applesauce and macaroni and cheese? Or lasagna, garlic bread and salad with Italian dressing? Or meatballs, mashed potatoes and green beans? Those are just a few that we had in my house growing up. Even to this day, I have trouble eating certain main dishes without the sides that I have been trained to eat alongside them.

So, this weekend when I decided to finally try my hand at the avocado egg salad from Skinnytaste that has been sweeping the Pinterest and blogging communities, I knew I was missing something. You see, whenever my mom makes egg salad (which at her house, and typically at mine, consists of hard boiled eggs chopped and mixed with light Miracle Whip, no mayo), she ALWAYS has barbecue potato chips. Now, I don't normally keep chips in my house this days (because I'll eat them all since I have no self control when it comes to food), so I decided to try my hand at making some homemade bbq potato chips. I cut the potatoes really thin with my mandolin, then brushed them with some bbq sauce mixed with a little salt. I baked them until they got crispy. I must admit that they were pretty good, but that the bbq flavor was not quite as good as a bag of Lays. I need to come up with a spice mix to toss with the chips as opposed to the sauce... that would be better, I think. I'll keep you posted. As for the egg salad, I adapted the recipe slightly to adjust for size and flavor preferences. If you like avocado, I would definitely suggest making this. Although, I won't be removing the old faithful Miracle Whip egg salad from the rotation quite yet.

Avocado Egg Salad (adapted from Skinnytaste)
Ingredients:
2 hard boiled eggs, chopped
1/2 avocado, chopped
1 tbsp light mayo
1 tsp red wine vinegar
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
Combine the avocado, mayo and vinegar and mash with a fork until smooth. Add the eggs and mix to combine. Season with salt and pepper.

Baked Barbecue Potato Chips
Ingredients:
1 medium potato, sliced very thinly
2 tbsp barbecue sauce
1/4 cup water
1/2 tsp salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 F.

Spread the potato slices on a baking sheet.

Mix the barbecue sauce, water and salt in a small bowl until the salt dissolves completely. Brush on both sides of the potato slices.

Bake for approximately 20 minutes, flipping over halfway through. When you pull the potatoes out they should be slightly crispy, but they will become crispier as they sit out of the oven. If they are not crispy after 2 minutes out of oven, bake for longer. Watch closely because the cooking time really depends on the size of your potato slices.

Serve egg salad as a sandwich, wrap or whatever you desire with potato chips on the side.



Oh and don't forget a pickle. We always have a pickle with this meal as well.

Let me introduce...

the newest member of my household:

Hello, sexy!!

This beautiful new KitchenAid Food Processor is making it's debut in my kitchen. I've been collecting credit card points for awhile and after my old food processor died in the process of making homemade almond butter (which was totally worth it... besides the fact that I was out of a food processor for a few months), I decided to splurge my points on this beauty. It has a 13 cup and 4 cup bowl plus a dough hook. It is waaay more suped up than my last one.

I can't wait to start processing. :)

Now I need a little help. What are you favorite uses for your food processor? What types of recipes would you like to see me try out? Please leave a comment below to help me best utilize this baby.

Chinese Noodle Salad

I told you that I traveled to NC for a wedding this past weekend. I can’t help it, but every time that I fly I HAVE to purchase a new food magazine. I currently get Food Network Magazine and Everyday Food by Martha Stewart and will soon be getting Everyday with Rachael Ray (thanks, Living Social $7 deal!) delivered directly to my house. I used to get Cooking Light but for some reason I let my subscription run out. Fortunately, that meant I hadn’t read the June 2012 edition so when I was perusing the magazine selections at the airport, I just HAD to buy it. :) Don’t judge me. I flipped through the magazine reading the articles and the recipes marking the pages that I was interested in making one day.

When I got home on Sunday evening, I sat down to make my weekly meal plans and decided to plan something from the new magazine. I also took a look at the Meijer ad and saw that it was 10 for $10 (get the 11^th free) week. Some of the 10 for $10 included cherry tomatoes, English cucumbers and green onions. In my fridge I had some sugar snap peas from the farmer’s market the week before. So, essentially everything was setting up perfectly for this Chinese Noodle Salad. Of course when I got to Meijer, I couldn’t find the Chinese-flat noodles that the recipe called for so I went for somen noodles which are thin Japanese wheat noodles. They worked great. Although, maybe I shoulda changed the name to Japanese Noodle Salad. Oh well.  

Now for those of you afraid of tofu, I would totally suggest trying this recipe. I used to be afraid like you. However, I find that any stir fry/saucy meal can really up the flavor of tofu, and it is certainly waaaay better than the first time I tried it from the salad bar in college (super wet and slimy with no taste whatsoever). 

Chinese Noodle Salad with Tangy Cucumbers (adapted from Cooking Light, June 2012)

Ingredients:

Noodles:

4 oz package uncooked noodles (I used somen noodles, but could use udon or spaghetti or whatever you desire)

1 cup sugar snap peas, trimmed

2 tsp peanut oil

1/2 cup cubed firm water-packed tofu (about 3 ounces)

1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

1/4 cup drained, sliced water chestnuts

1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions 

1.5 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar 

1/2 tbsp lower-sodium soy sauce 

1 tsp dark sesame oil

1 tsp chile paste with garlic

Pinch of kosher salt

1/2 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted

Tangy cucumbers:

1/8 cup seasoned rice vinegar 

1/2 tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, more or less to taste

1 cup thinly sliced English cucumber 

Directions:

For the cucumbers, whisk together vinegar, sugar and CRP. Add the cucumbers and toss to coat. Chill until ready to eat.

Cook noodles according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Add peas during last 1 minute of cooking. Drain; rinse with cold water.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add peanut oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add tofu to pan and cook 5-10 minutes until browned, stirring frequently.

Combine noodle mixture, tofu, tomatoes, water chestnuts, and onions in a large bowl. Combine vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, chile paste, salt and sesame seeds in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add vinegar mixture to noodle mixture, tossing gently to coat.

Serves 2.

The Crunchiest Baked Chicken Nuggets of Your Life

Chicken McNuggets. Who didn’t love those growing up? You would get your happy meal, open up the spicy mustard sauce, dip in a nugget and bite into the greasy, yet somehow delicious, breaded chicken (?). Every now and then you would get one of those hard as rock pieces that looking back on it today was probably ground up chicken bone or something. But you loved it (or at least I did). Thank goodness, in 2003, McDonald’s switched to an all-white meat nugget.

Besides McDonald’s chicken nuggets, my mom used to buy the frozen nuggets and bake them for my sister and me when she and my dad were heading out for a date night. We’d eat our dinner, which usually consisted of the chicken nuggets, yogurt (grape and cherry that she would split between the two of us), and probably other things that I’m forgetting right now, at the kitchen table while our parents would proceed to close all of the curtains and shades in the downstairs of our house before they left. I know they were doing it so no one could see that we had a babysitter and they weren’t home, but looking back on it, it would have been a complete green light for anyone who wanted to come into our house and attack as the downstairs curtains were barely ever closed. Ha.

Anyway, now that I’m older, I ask myself (and you), why are chicken nuggets such a “kid’s food”? I mean, they are delicious. Us adults should not have to limit our chicken eating to tenders or full breasts or thighs or whatever we are supposed to grow into liking. Now, I’m not encouraging everyone to rush out to Mickey D’s right now and get a happy meal, but I’m proposing an alternative. Baked chicken nuggets! These chicken nuggets are great. I promise that kids from 1 to 91 (cue the Christmas music) will enjoy them. They are not fried in oil, but they still turn out super crispy (hence, the crunchiest baked chicken nuggets of your life). The key ingredient is the panko breadcrumbs; however, it is essential to bake the panko before you bread the nuggets. The first time I made them, I wasn’t exactly sure how much panko I would need for my individual serving so I just guesstimated. Of course, I ran out of the baked panko, so I proceeded to finish up a couple more nuggets with panko straight from the box—they were not nearly as crispy.

I have also included a recipe for a delish honey-mustard dipping sauce. Not quite the same as McDonald’s spicy mustard, but definitely tasty. Feel free to dip in whatever you prefer, be it ranch, ketchup, honey, etc.

Note: I suppose I will allow you to make them as chicken tenders. Just cut the chicken into strips instead of nuggets and you may need to increase the baking time. But I really think the nuggets are more fun. And if you have kiddos, they will love them. I promise! :)

Baked Chicken Nuggets (from Everyday Food Magazine)

Ingredients:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-2 inch pieces

1 cup panko breadcrumbs

1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 tbsp peanut oil (or other vegetable oil)

1/2 cup flour (any kind, I used wheat)

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Cooking spray

3 tbsp Dijon mustard

2 tbsp light mayonnaise

2 tbsp honey

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Spread panko on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until golden brown, approximately 6 minutes. Transfer to a shallow dish and add parmesan and salt. Drizzle with the oil and stir to combine.

Place flour and egg in separate shallow dishes.

Set a wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet and lightly coat with cooking spray.

In batches, coat the chicken in flour, shaking off the excess, dip in egg and then coat with panko, pressing to adhere. Place on wire rack.

Bake until the chicken in cooked through, 12-15 minutes, flipping halfway through.

While baking, mix the mustard, mayo and honey in a small bowl.

Dip nuggets in sauce and eat!

Serves 4.

Two for One Kale Pesto

HI!! Sorry I’ve been a little MIA from the blog for the past few days. I was off to the beach to watch some of my friends get hitched. I got to spend an extended weekend with some friends from grad school that I haven't seen for a while. We had a great time on the beach, ate some yummy food, drank some beers and enjoyed our time together. Of course, as always, when I get back from a vacation, I feel like I need another vacation to just catch up on sleep. Anyone else feel that way after trips?

But I’m back in town and back to the grind in lab and in the kitchen. 

I’ve been wanting to post this recipe (actually, multiple recipes) for a little while. I was debating calling the post “One for Two Kale Pesto” but then I thought you would think I was gypping you out of a recipe so I went with the more traditional “Two for One.” Technically, I could have called it “A Pesto for All Occasions”.

Okay, I’m rambling…

So I need to give a few stories/lessons before I jump into the cooking:

1. I DO NOT HAVE A GREEN THUMB! I continue to try (this year I’m hoping for some herbs and a variety of peppers to survive my mini apartment garden), but I just am not the best. You would think I would be better because when I was younger I convinced my parents on convert a third of our sandbox in the backyard into a garden so I could grow some vegetables. Okay, maybe that was the first sign- we only kept the garden for one summer. Anyway, I have killed almost every basil plant I’ve tried to keep alive (this year, so far so good). While a number of friends always seem to be swimming in basil and making pesto left and right, my little green leaves tend to dry up and die. I think I’ll blame it on my lack of sun in my apartment(s) over the years. That sounds like a good excuse.

2. When we were doing the CSA box last summer, we kept getting kale. I didn’t really know what to do with this green (we didn’t really eat hearty greens growing up) so I went searching for some new recipes. In one of my “Everyday with Rachael Ray” magazines, I found this great pesto recipe using kale in place of the pesto.

3. I have come to learn that you can use many different greens (basil, kale, spinach, etc.) with a variety of toasted nuts (pine nuts, walnuts, almonds, peanuts, etc.) to make a fresh and great pesto.

4. Pesto is not only great on pasta but as a base for pizza, pies or as a dip for veggies. Be creative and think outside the box (hmm… I think this may be my cooking mantra).

Here I’m sharing with you the recipe for the pesto and two different meals I’ve used it in- pasta and calzone. I also make the pesto and freeze it in smaller portions to use whenever I want.

Kale and Walnut Pesto (adapted from Everyday with Rachael Ray)

Ingredients:

1/2 bunch kale, stems discarded and leaves coarsely chopped

1/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

1 clove garlic, chopped

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more for sprinkling**

Salt and pepper, to taste

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:

In a large pot of salted water, cook the kale until tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Drain and squeeze kale to remove the excess water.

In a food processor, combine kale, walnuts, garlic and parmesan until almost smooth. Season with salt and pepper. With the machine running, add the olive oil.

Use pesto immediately or freeze for later.

**It is important here to use good quality parmesan cheese. Get the stuff from the refrigerated section that is strongly flavored.

Pesto Pasta with Kielbasa

Ingredients:

1/3 cup Kale and Walnut Pesto (see above)

½ lb pasta (any kind will work, I used rotini)

½ kielbasa sausage, cut into ¼ inch pieces

Parmesan cheese, for garnish

Directions:

Cook pasta according to package. Drain, reserving approximately ¼ cup cooking water.

While the pasta cooks, add the kielbasa to a skillet and cook over medium heat until browned, flipping the pieces, approximately 7-8 minutes.

Mix the pasta, kielbasa and pesto in a bowl. Add the reserved cooking water and toss to coat everything completely. Garnish with additional parmesan cheese.

Serves 2.

Pesto and Vegetable Calzones

Ingredients:

Individual size pizza crust (homemade, or 1/3 to ½ of refrigerated tube)

1/4 cup Kale and Walnut Pesto (see above)

1/3 cup sliced mushrooms

1 small tomato, sliced thinly

¼ mozzarella cheese, shredded

Cornmeal, for dusting

Directions:

Preheat oven to 500 F. Preheat a baking stone (or upside down baking sheet) in the oven as well.

Cook the mushrooms in a skillet over medium heat until soft, approximately 5 minutes.

Sprinkle a work surface with cornmeal and roll out the pizza crust. Spread the pesto over half of the crust and cover with mushroom, tomato and mozzarella cheese. Fold other half of crust over and seal.

Transfer to the heated baking stone and bake for 8-10 minutes.

Serves 1.