Peanut Butter Chocolate Smoothie

I found this on Pinterest and had to make it, as I was having a serious peanut butter craving. Let me say, that this is so simple but SO DELICIOUS. I didn't use honey, and I don't think it needs it. It was a little more liquidy than I prefer (I like milkshake consistency), so the next time I made it, I used about a third of the milk. I also ran out of yogurt, and it was just as tasty. So here's my slimmed down version of the original:

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 heaping tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1-1/2 tablespoons of natural creamy peanut butter (you can use more or less to taste)
• 1 very ripe banana, sliced, and frozen (I always keep a bunch of cut up frozen bananas in the freezer)

INSTRUCTIONS:

Put ingredients in blender in order given, and blend til smooth. 

Original Recipe: Sally's Baking Addiction

Berry Crumb Cake

This is another recipe from The Pioneer Woman. I have made this using just blueberries (like the original recipe), as well as mixed berries (blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries). Both ways are scrumptuous!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 stick Butter, softened
• 1 Tablespoon (additional) Butter
• 3/4 cups Sugar
• 1 whole Egg
• 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 cups All-purpose Flour
• 2-1/4 teaspoons Baking Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 3/4 cups Whole Milk
• 2 cups Fresh Blueberries (or a combo of berries)

  FOR THE TOPPING:

• 3/4 sticks Butter, softened
• 1/2 cup Sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
• 1/2 cup Flour
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine flour, baking powder, and a salt in a medium bowl. Stir and set aside.

Cream 1/2 stick plus 1 tablespoon butter with cinnamon and sugar in a large bowl. Add egg and mix until combined. Add vanilla and mix. Add flour mixture and milk alternately until totally incorporated. Do not overbeat. Stir in blueberries until evenly distributed.

Grease a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with butter. Pour in batter.

In a separate large bowl, combine topping ingredients and cut together using a fork or a pastry cutter. Sprinkle over the top of the cake.

Bake cake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until golden brown (mine took 42 minutes).

Original Recipe: The Pioneer Woman

Pulled Pork Tacos with Sweet Chili Slaw & Avocado Cream

I just made these last night, and they were wonderful! The sweet chili slaw added a nice zing to the taco, and the avocado cream was a good twist on the usual guacamole topping we do. These will now be in our regular dinner rotation.

I made a few minor adjustments to the original recipe:

INGREDIENTS:

• 1.5-2 lbs. pork tenderloin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 8 ounces low sodium chicken broth
• Tortillas, for serving
• Cheese for topping (I had jack cheese on hand)

SWEET CHILI SLAW:

• 2 cups sliced green cabbage
• 3 tablespoons sweet chili sauce
• 1/2 lime, juiced

AVOCADO CREAM: 

• 1 ripe avocado, chopped
• 1/2 lime, juiced
• 2 tablespoons greek yogurt

DIRECTIONS:

Mix together the salt, pepper, smoked paprika, onion powder, and garlic powder in a small bowl. Pat the pork tenderloin dry with paper towels. Rub the spice mix on the pork til it's totally covered. 

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add olive oil. Make sure the skillet is really hot before adding the pork (should immediately sizzle). Sear the pork on all sides just until it is golden brown, about 1 to 2 minutes per side. Remove the pork and place it in the crockpot. 

Pour the chicken broth into the hot pan and scrape the bottom of the pan to incorporate the seared pork deliciousness into the broth. Then pour over the pork in the crockpot. Cook for 6-8 hours on Low (Mine was super tender and done at 6 hours).

After the pork is done, remove the top and pull the pork apart with two forks. Toss it well with the broth and then cover it and let it cook for another 15 minutes or so. Taste the pork and season it additionally if desired.

To make the slaw, add the cabbage to a medium bowl. Toss it with the sweet chili sauce and the lime juice, adding in a pinch of salt. You can make this a few hours ahead of time and keep it in the fridge if desired.

To make the avocado cream, add the avocado, lime juice, and greek yogurt to a medium bowl and blend with a fork until creamy.

Assemble the tacos by adding some pork to each tortilla and covering it with a drizzle of the avocado cream. Add the slaw on top and sprinkle on a bit of cheese.

Original Recipe: How Sweet It Is

Thai Chicken Quinoa Bowl

This is similar to the Peanut Ginger Quinoa recipe I blogged about last month, but just different enough that it warrants another blog post. Instead of a very strong peanut flavor, it has a bit of kick to it with the addition of the sweet chili sauce. I doubled the recipe, and made some minor adjustments to the original. 

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
• 1 chicken breast
• large handful shredded carrots
• 2/3 cup shelled edamame
• 2/3 cup chopped green onions
• 1/2 cup chopped peanuts

SAUCE: 

• 4 tablespoons sweet chili sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons creamy peanut butter
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Cook chicken breast. I put a chicken breast in my small crockpot, covered it with garlic powder, onion powder, sweet chili sauce, and some water to cover the bottom of the crockpot, and cooked on low for 5 hours (or until you can easily shred it). 

Prepare quinoa according to directions. I used low-sodium chicken broth, and it was so much more flavorful than water, so use it if you have it. 

While quinoa is cooking, combine all of the sauce ingredients together in a large bowl and whisk well to combine. Combine all the dry ingredients in a medium bowl. 

Once quinoa has absorbed all of the liquid, mix quinoa in the large sauce bowl and toss well to coat. 

Add in dry ingredients to the large bowl and mix well. 

Original Recipe: How Sweet It Is

Spicy Sausage Pasta

I made the recipe a couple weeks ago, and we both liked it. I cooked the pasta too much, so I'm decreasing the cook time, but other than that, it was delicious!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 lb smoked sausage
• 1.5 cups diced onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 (10 oz) can Ro-Tel tomatoes and green chiles, Mild
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 8 oz penne pasta
• 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper, each
• 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
• 1/3 cup thinly sliced scallions

Add olive oil to an oven-safe skillet over medium high heat until just smoking. Add sausage and onions and cook until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add broth, tomatoes, cream, pasta, salt and pepper and stir. Bring to a boil, cover skillet, and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until pasta is tender, about 10 minutes.

Remove skillet from heat and stir in 1/2 cup cheese. Top with remaining cheese and sprinkle with scallions. 

Makes 4 servings.

Original Recipe:  Kevin and Amanda

Malted Hazelnut & Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookies

I just made these this weekend....sooooo good. No need to deviate from the original recipe (though I'm adjusting instructions since I don't have an electric mixer, boo).

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 and 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unbleached all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup malted milk powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
• 2/3 cup chocolate hazelnut spread, such as nutella
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 2/3 cup toasted hazelnuts, skinned and chopped

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside. 

Whisk together the flour, malted milk powder, baking soda, and salt until well blended in a medium-sized bowl.

Cream together the butter and both sugars in a large bowl. Add the hazelnut chocolate spread and mix until combined. Add the egg and the vanilla and mix until incorporated. 

Add 1/2 the flour mixture and stir then add the other 1/2 and stir until just combined. Don't overmix.

Stir in the chocolate chips and hazelnuts until evenly distributed (a couple stirs). Take tablespoons of dough and drop them onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them out about 2 inches from each other, until the sheets are full.

Bake in the oven for 13 minutes for a softer cookie, and 15 minutes for a crisper cookie. Remove from oven and allow to cool enough to handle, then transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling completely. Kept in an airtight container at room temperature, the cookies will keep for 2 to 3 days.

Original Recipe: Adventures in Cooking

Easy Pad Thai

This isn't an authentic Pad Thai dish, but it's a quick and tasty weeknight meal. I double the amount of sauce from the original recipe, as the first time I made it, it was quite dry. I also add chicken, because Trip doesn't consider it dinner unless there's meat in it. And of course, I take out the cilantro. :)

INGREDIENTS:

CHICKEN:

• 1 chicken breast
• garlic powder
• onion powder
• kosher salt
• black pepper

SAUCE:

• 4 tablespoons brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice, plus wedges for serving
• 6 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 squirt (about 1/8 teaspoon) Sriracha (optional)

OTHER INGREDIENTS:

• 8 ounces dried, wide and flat rice noodles
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 3 scallions (green onions), white and green parts, separated and thinly sliced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 large eggs, light beaten (optional)
• 1/4 cup chopped roasted, salted peanuts

Cook chicken as preferred. I either bake it in the oven at 375 degrees for 35 minutes, or stick it in the crockpot if I remember. Sprinkle some garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper on it before cooking. 

Cook noodles according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together brown sugar, lime juice, soy sauce, and Sriracha.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat.

Add scallion whites and garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant (about 30 seconds). Add eggs and cook, scraping skillet with spatula until eggs are almost set (about 30 seconds). Transfer eggs to a plate.

Add noodles, scallion greens, and sauce to skillet. Cook, tossing constantly, until noodles are soft (about 1 minute). Add egg mixture and toss to coat, breaking eggs up gently.

Serve noodles with lime wedges, topped with peanuts.

Original Recipe: Brownies for Dinner