Carrot Pineapple Muffins

I went overboard and bought the five pound bag of baby carrots at Costco. It sounded like a great idea at the time; however, I wasn't sure how we could possibly eat all those carrots once I got home. I can only put so many carrots in the Vitamix for smoothies and juices and there are only so many raw baby carrots we can eat per day so I decided to shred them in the food processor. I figured we could eat a lot more carrots if they were shredded and made into a carrot salad. I was also thinking along the lines of carrot cake but we're trying to cut back on the amount of sweets we're eating so I decided muffins would be a better choice. I cut the amount of butter and sugar by half and made changes to make them egg-free for my allergy boy. They're tasty treats and I'm not worried about the boys eating them up since they're not that sugary. :)

Carrot Pineapple Muffins

Yield: 12 muffins

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup apple sauce
• 1/2 cup crushed pineapple
• 1 cup finely shredded carrots
• coarse sugar crystals (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Line a muffin tin with paper liners.
3. In a large bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger together.
4. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or with a hand-held electric mixer in a large bowl, cream the butter on medium speed. With the speed on low, slowly add the sugar. Increase speed to medium high and beat until light and fluffy.
5. Add apple sauce and crushed pineapple. Scrape down the bowl as necessary with rubber spatula.
6. Add shredded carrots and beat until well combined. With the mixer set on low, slowly add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Do not overbeat.
7. Evenly divide the batter among the lined muffin cups and sprinkle a little sugar over the top of each if desired.
8. Bake approximately 25-30 minutes in the center of the oven until light golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
9. Cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes. Remove muffins from the pan and transfer to a rack to cool completely. Serve warm or at room temperature. ENJOY!

Source: adapted from foodnetwork.comhttp://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/cranberry-carrot-muffins-recipe/index.html

Crockpot Hawaiian Chicken

I've been so busy lately with school and work that I've been making a lot of crock pot meals. I made Hawaiian Chicken for tonight's dinner. Crock pot meals are quick and easy to put together considering the little prep work that needs to be done. Throw in the ingredients, turn on the crock pot, and let it do its thing. I had two very ripe pineapples that needed to get eaten up so I put together Hawaiian Chicken. It was delish!

This meal is easy peasy! There's no need to brown the chicken or sauté veggies. In my opinion, the point of making a crockpot meal is for its simplicity, and browning and sautéing beforehand is not my idea of an easy crockpot meal if I have to cook it first. My boys like the texture of shredded chicken but if you don't, then I recommend browning the chicken in a separate pan before you add to the crockpot.

For the freezer: Lately, I've been freezing a lot of crockpot meals and I'm adding this to my "freezer meal" list. To make it a "freezer meal," throw all the ingredients into a gallon-size ziploc bag. I double-bag my ziplocs just in case as I don't want sauce leaking all over my fridge or freezer. Anyways, throw ALL of the ingredients into a gallon-size ziploc, squeeze air out, zip shut, and carefully squish and shake the bag to incorporate sauce throughout the ingredients. Store flat in the freezer. Place "freezer meal" in the fridge the day before you want to cook your crockpot meal. I put my "freezer meal" in a rectangular tupperware in the fridge just in case the sauce thaws and there's a hole in the bag or the bag comes "unzipped." The next morning, carefully dump all ziploc ingredients into the crockpot. It'll still be frozen but you should be able to loosen the ingredients so it all fits inside the crockpot. Cook on high for 4-6 hours or low 6-8 hours. The time depends on your crockpot and the amount of food you're cooking. I keep 4-6 different "freezer meals" in my freezer for busy week nights so I can still serve a homemade dinner that doesn't take a lot of effort. Good stuff!

Crockpot Cookin'...my idea of "fast food."

Crockpot Hawaiian Chicken

Yield: 6-8 servings

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs chicken (I used thighs.)
• 1 onion- sliced
• 4-5 baby gold potatoes (or 1-2 russet potatoes)- cubed
• 4-5 garlic cloves- sliced
• 1/2 c soy sauce
• 1/2 c water
• 2 Tbs brown sugar (add 1/4 c if you prefer sweet)
• 2 c pineapple (canned or fresh)

Directions:

1. Slice onion and garlic- spread around bottom of crockpot.
2. Cube potatoes- place on top of onions.
3. Spread out chicken over veggies.
4. Layer pineapple over everything. 
5. Combine soy sauce, water, and brown sugar- mix well. Pour over chicken and veggies.
6. Place lid on crockpot, plug it in, and cook on high for 4 hours. Do NOT open lid while cooking.
7. Stir AFTER the 4 hour cook time. Make sure the chicken is cooked thoroughly. If using breasts, it may take longer to cook. 
8. Serve over rice. ENJOY! 

Note: This recipe makes a great "freezer meal." Place all ingredients in a gallon-size ziploc and freeze flat. Store in fridge the day before cooking, dump all ingredients in crockpot the next morning, and cook on high 4-6 hours or low 6-8 hours.

Egg-Free Brownies

While my boys were vacationing in Lake Tahoe with my parents, my ten year-old's first pet, a cute Crested Gecko, died on my watch. :( I'm not sure what happened, but my best guess is that it got too warm upstairs and with the additional heat from the warming lamp, the poor little guy overheated. So. Sad. My boys were devastated and a lot of tears were shed when I told them last night.

Luckily, I had already arranged a play-day/sleep-over for my ten year-old so he's been in good company and his buddy has kept his mind off his gecko. Unfortunately, my eight year-old is missing his brother's pet so I needed to cheer him up. Chocolate always works for me so I figured it would work for him, too. It worked! A big piece of brownie brightened my son's day.  :)

I've baked egg-free brownies a few times and haven't had much luck. They were too "cakey," too flat, hard and asphalt-like, didn't have the right flavor, or lacked the right brownie-like consistency. I finally found a decent recipe and modified it quite a bit to have less sugar and butter. Mine was a pretty good version if I say so myself and my allergy-boy definitely approves. This recipe's a keeper!

All this needed was a big scoop of vanilla ice cream!

Egg-Free Brownies


Yield:  8"x8" 


Ingredients:

• 1/4 c butter (1/2 stick)- softened
• 1 1/2 c flour
• 3/4 c cocoa powder
• 3/4 c sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 Tbs corn starch
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 c "buttermilk" (1 c milk + 1 Tbs apple cider vinegar: mix together and let sit for 3-5 mins.)
• 1/2 c chocolate chips
• optional: powdered sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Grease 8"x8" brownie dish.
3. Place softened butter in mixing bowl and add flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, and corn starch. Mix well.
4. Add vanilla and "buttermilk." Mix until combined well but do not over-mix.
5. Fold in chocolate chips last.
6. Spread mixture evenly into baking dish.
7. Bake for 30-35 mins.
8. Optional: dust with powdered sugar 

Source: Adapted from allrecipes.com.

Homemade Croutons

It's so easy to make homemade croutons and they're delicious, too.  Make your own because they seriously taste better than the store-bought ones!  I ate lunch at Lee's Sandwiches and saw a big ol' bag of "one day old" french bread pieces for a dollar.  One dollar!  The bag was bigger than a gallon-size ziploc.  What a deal!  They were the ends of the baguettes and they were of various sizes but they were still soft to the touch and seemed pretty fresh.  I bought the bag with intentions of making croutons but I'm saving a few of the bigger pieces and making mini sandwiches for my boys.  They'll love that!  FYI, Lee's serves Vietnamese sandwiches called Banh Mi and they're delicious.  If you haven't tried one, you should!

Ok, back to the croutons.  Rather than making my own combination of seasonings, I use Johnny's Garlic Spread & Seasoning that I bought at Costco.  I love that seasoning for my garlic bread and on fish, too.  It's the perfect combination of garlic, parmesan cheese, salt, and whatever else they put in there.  It's good!  Day old french bread, italian bread, and even the heels of regular loaves are perfect for croutons.  I've tried all three types of bread but my favorite is the french bread croutons.  They're airy and crunchy and can be eaten alone as a tasty little snack.  Yum!  The croutons will last 2-3 weeks in an airtight container.

Bag o' Bread

Toss oil mixture and bread cubes in a large bowl then spread evenly onto baking sheet.

Golden.

Crunchy goodness.

Homemade Croutons

Yield:  4 to 8 cups: depends on the amount of bread you use.

Ingredients:

• 1 loaf bread
• 1/2 c  extra virgin olive oil- amount of oil and seasoning depends on the amount of bread you use.
• 2 tbs Johnny's Garlic Spread & Seasoning- or seasonings of choice (salt, pepper, parmesan cheese, basil, oregano, rosemary, garlic powder, seasoning salt, etc.)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Measure out oil and seasonings.  Stir and set aside.
3. Cut bread into bite size cubes.  Try to keep cubes uniform in size so they bake evenly.
4. Cut all the bread and put cubes into large bowl.
5. Stir the oil/seasoning mixture and slowly pour over bread cubes.  Toss well to coat.
6. Spread cubes evenly onto lined baking sheet.
7. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until bread is golden brown.  Toss cubes several times during baking.
8. ENJOY on salad or by the handfuls!

Must Go Soup

I was on a soup kick last week when it was finally feeling like winter in So Cal, but now that it's in the 80s again, it's weird to post about soup.  I'll post it anyways because it's an easy meal and tastes good, too.  I've made several different soups with my vitamix blender and they always taste a little different because I use whatever ingredients I have in my fridge that "must go."  I use a chicken bouillon cube as my base along with carrots and celery and the rest of the veggies depends on what "must go."  

What's awesome about making soup in the vitamix is that I can liquify fresh veggies to make soup and can have a hot, yes HOT, soup on the table in 10 minutes.  Easy peasy!  Sometimes I'll make my soup and let it simmer in the dutch oven for an hour or more as that really heightens the flavor of the soup.  But...if I'm pressed for time, it goes straight from blender to bowl.  What's great about the Must Go Soup is that you use it as your base and then throw additional veggies and/or meat to make it a heartier soup.  My boys love Chicken Tortilla Soup so I add a few extra ingredients and they scarf it down.  Tasty for sure!

Chicken Tortilla Soup using a tomato as part of the soup base and topped with fresh cilantro and salsa, grilled chicken, shredded cheese, and chips.

Another version of Chicken Tortilla Soup but without the tomato as part of the base.

Instead, I threw in a handful of "must go" cilantro and blended it for 10 seconds before putting the soup in the dutch oven to simmer for an hour.  

Must Go Soup

Yield:  4-6 servings

Ingredients:

• 2 c hot water
• 2 carrots- cut into 2" pieces (it's easier on the blender)
• 4 celery stalks- cut into 2" pieces (it's easier on the blender)
• 1 slice onion- don't add too much unless you're cooking down the soup.
• 1/2 red bell pepper- I buy the red, orange, yellow pepper pack from Costco and use whatever I have.
• 1 clove garlic- If I'm cooking down the soup, I'll add 2-3 garlic cloves.
• 1 chicken (or veggie) bouillon cube- if you don't have bouillon, you can use 2 c chicken stock (or veggie) instead of water and bouillon.

Optional ingredients:

• 1 small jalapeno if you like heat - seeded and ribs removed
• Have another veggie that "must go?"  Throw it in!
• black beans- drained and rinsed
• corn- drained
• cilantro- washed
• chicken- cooked and cubed

Toppings:

• avocado
• sour cream
• shredded cheese
• tortilla chips
• olives
• cilantro
• red onions
• salsa/hot sauce

Directions:

1. Put ingredients into Vitamix in the order listed.  If you don't have a Vitamix, you might be able to use your food processor.  Since I've only liquified fresh veggies in my Vitamix, I don't know how the food processor would work out but you can try with caution.
2. Always start with dial on "Variable 1."  Turn on vitamix and slowly increase speed to Variable 10 and within 1-2 minutes, flick switch to "High."  Blend on high speed approx. 6 minutes or until steaming hot.
3. If making Tortilla Soup, reduce speed to Variable 2, remove the lid plug, carefully drop in additional ingredients (black beans, corn, cilantro, tortilla chips, chicken, etc.), and blend for 10 seconds.  Don't over-do it or you'll end up liquifying the add-ins.  The add-ins are great because it creates a nice texture to the soup.  
4. Pour into soup bowls, add toppings of choice, and ENJOY!

Quiche

I have a super tasty crustless quiche recipe that I got from a friend several years ago (thanks, TL!) but it's really rich and makes a lot of quiche.  Because Son #2 is allergic to eggs and can't even eat one single bite, I opted for a smaller quiche baked in a 9" pie dish.  Since I have an easy pie crust recipe, I opted for a quiche with a crust.  I had to adjust the new recipe I was trying because it seemed too "wet" so I added a little flour and baking powder and crossed my fingers in hopes it would turn out.  It did!

I found this "My No Roll Pie Crust" recipe a while back and it's the only pie crust I'll make.  It's easy, flaky, and ohhhhh sooooooo goooooooood!  I've used this crust for apple pie, berry pie, and now quiche.  This is the perfect crust! 

Easy Pie Crust

Yield:  1-  9" pie crust

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 c flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1/2 c  canola oil (can use vegetable oil)
• 2 tbs milk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. Put dry ingredients in pie dish and mix together with a fork.
3. Make a well in the center and add the oil and milk.
4. Using a fork, carefully mix dry mixture into wet mixture and keep mixing until a ball is formed.
5. Flatten and press into pie dish.
6. Bake at 375F for 10-12 minutes or until golden.
7. Makes one pie crust.

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No photos as the quiche got eaten up before I could snap a pic.

Guess I have to make another quiche soon!

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As for the quiche, it isn't an "eggy" quiche.  It's light, fluffy, and delicious.  My sister doesn't like eggs but she liked this quiche.  Good stuff!

Quiche

Yield:  1-  9" quiche

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs, beaten
• 1 1/2 c  milk
• 1 c shredded cheese
• 3/4 c  sliced sausage  (can use ham, bacon, or veggies of choice)
• 8 oz can diced green chile (optional)
• 1/2 c flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1- 9" pie crust

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Combine eggs, milk, cheese, sausage, and chile in mixing bowl.  Mix well.
3. Add flour and baking powder to egg mixture and mix well.
4. Pour into pie crust but don't over-fill.  Discard extra egg mixture.
5. * Bake for 45 minutes or until knife inserted into center of quiche comes out clean.
6. After fully baked, let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

* NOTE:  I didn't want to cut into the quiche so I baked it for 1 hour.  To test for doneness, I gave the pie dish a little shake to see if the top was set or jiggly.  A fully cooked quiche shouldn't jiggle when you shake it.

Garlic Lemon Parsley Chicken

Whoa, I just realized that I haven't blogged in a year.  One year and two days to be exact.  Last January, I went back to school so I set my blog aside and focused on my classes.  I continued to cook and bake but didn't have time to post my recipes.  Lately, I've been making lots of great stuff in my Vitamix blender and friends have been asking for recipes so I'll get back to blogging.  Let's see if I can keep it up...

A couple years ago, we went to a barbecue and our friend grilled Moroccan Chicken Kabobs.  The marinade was super tasty and he was kind enough to share the recipe.  I never made the chicken because the recipe called for 14 ingredients and he didn't measure what he put into his marinade.  Wow, 14 ingredients and I had to wing it?  I don't think so.  I wasn't confident enough to try it until today.  BUT.....I changed up the recipe and simplified it.  I cut out so many ingredients that it's not even the same marinade but it turned out great and the fam ate it up.  It was delicious!  This recipe's a keeper and I'll definitely make it again.  

This was a fast and easy marinade thanks to my Vitamix blender.  I love that thing!  If you don't have a Vitamix, use your food processor.  You need to puree the ingredients to get the best flavor for your marinade.

Marinate your chicken for 2 hours so consider the wait time if you're making it for dinner.  Don't marinate it too long as the acidity of the lemon will "cook" the chicken.

Grilled to perfection.

Garlic Lemon Parsley Chicken

Yield:  4-6 servings

Ingredients:

• 3-4 lbs chicken (breast, thighs, legs...your choice)

Marinade:

• 1 lemon- juiced
• 1/4 c  extra virgin olive oil
• 3-4 garlic cloves
• half "bunch" Italian Flat Leaf Parsley
• 1/2 tbs ground cumin
• 1/2 tbs paprika
• salt/pepper to taste

 Directions:

1. Put marinade ingredients into the Vitamix (or food processor) and blend it well.  Texture will be slightly thick. 
2. Taste the marinade and add more salt and pepper if needed.  
3. Put chicken into ziploc bag and add marinade.  
4. Zip bag shut and massage the marinade all over the chicken.
5. Marinate for 2 hours in the fridge.
6. Then, grill chicken until cooked thoroughly.  
7. Serve with salad, rice, and a veggie.  ENJOY!

Source:  A.E. from San Diego.  :)