Monday, April 30, 2012

triple chocolate muffins

These muffins are so great, they are healthy yet rich and so good! I made them as dessert, but if you are a big chocolate fan, I bet you could force yourself to eat them for breakfast ;)

what you need:
  • 1 3/4 oats
  • 3 egg whites
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
  • 2 tsp vinegar
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 cup hot water
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup dark chocolate chips, separated

how you'll do it:
  • preheat oven to 350*
  • line muffin pans with liners
  • mix all ingredients (except chocolate chips) in a food processor *note, I mixed ingredients in a bowl and used my hand mixer "stick" with the blade adapter*
  • mix in 1/2 cup chocolate chips
  • scoop into muffin tins and bake for about 10 minutes
  • open oven and distribute the remaining chocolate chips on the tops of muffins
  • bake 2-3 more minutes

Be sure to watch the muffins as they bake for 10 minutes-my oven cooks hot so by the time my timer went off they were already completely done and you want them to need to cook a little longer for the top chips to melt into the tops. Still, these didn't turn out bad at all! Hope you enjoy.

Variation:
-Next time I am going to reduce the sugar to 1/2 and see how that works because the dark chocolate is so rich, I don't think you need THAT much added sugar. Suit your taste buds.  :)

Monday, April 23, 2012

coconut chicken

First things first... YUM!! I love trying to cook new things and this one was an adventure. And SO worth it. I really enjoy the slight sweetness that the coconut brings in, and when dipped in Sweet Chili sauce it's just a match made in Heaven!

what you'll need:
  • 3 chicken breasts
  • 1/4 vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup panko crumbs
  • 1 cup coconut flakes

how you'll do it:
cut chicken breasts in strips diagonally

set up your "dipping" station
L-R: flour & salt, eggs, plain panko (for Ryan), panko w/coconut

pour oil in skillet and let it get hot while you:
dip all chicken strips in flour

then dip flour-covered strips in eggs, then panko w/coconut

 oil should be ready now (test by flicking flour in it to see if it sizzles)
place strips in skillet and cook 2-3 minutes on each side or until brown

Be sure to dip in Sweet Chili dipping sauce, which can be found in the Asian food section at a grocery store near you ;)

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

bbq chicken (in the skillet)

I'm always looking for a variation from just regular ol' chicken. When I stumbled upon this recipe and decided to tweek to my liking, I definitely found a keeper. It's not slow cooking style that is known to give BBQ its tenderness, but it's full of flavor and doesn't take much time.

what you need:
  • 3 chicken breasts
  • bbq sauce (I use Sweet Baby Ray's, original)
  • buffalo wing sauce (I use Moore's)
  • ketchup
how you'll do it:

boil your chicken.
shred it your cooked chicken.
I used to shred chicken with 2 forks but never again! if you have a kitchenaid mixer, all you need to do is put the cooked chicken in the bowl, use the paddle and go until it's shredded! *amazing*

get your sauces ready (ketchup was an afterthought, but definitely needed!)

put chicken in skillet

cover in sauce 
[although I didn't measure, I would suggest a 4:1:1 ratio of bbq:hot sauce:ketchup]

stir together well until fully covered in sauce, adding more if needed.
cover with lid, or upside-down larger skillet and let simmer about 10-15 minutes.

served in whole wheat tortilla with cheese, baked zucchini, and mashed red potatoes

Variations:
  • add lettuce, peppers, onions, and other veggies to the tortilla
  • serve on bun like regular bbq ;)

Sunday, April 15, 2012

(eggless) chocolate chip cookie dough

Although this may surprise some of you, some of us like to sit around and take a spoon to the cookie dough package and eat until our hearts are content. But there is usually that ever-present mother's voice in your head warning you against eating it because of the eggs in the batter!! I hope you enjoy this eggless "cookie dough" (for eating, not baking ;) ) but be warned that it's hard to put back in the fridge after your first bite!

what you need:
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2-ish tsp. salt
  • 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  • water
how you'll do it:

in medium bowl, blend butter and brown sugar until smooth

add flour, salt, and vanilla

when well blended, add in chocolate chips

you won't have trouble finding someone to lick the mixing sticks on this recipe!