Cherry Chocolate Scones with Almond Glaze

I've never made scones before and found them a little intimidating. I've red many recipes that said you needed a special attachment for your mixer or had to cut the butter in a specific way. This made me nervous, so I kind of avoided scone recipes before. However, I recently read a version that used a cheese grater to cut the frozen butter, and I thought I would give it a shot. I recently bought some delicious sweet black cherries and thought they would be great combined with some chocolate chunks I had in my pantry. I finished it off with a delicious almond glaze. I wish I would have made scones sooner, because they were actually really easy to pull off! Mine didn't turn out that pretty, but they tasted good! I'll definitely be experimenting with different combinations in the future. Enjoy! 

Cherry Chocolate Scones with Almond Glaze

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

1/3 cup sugar

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda 

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, frozen

1/2 cup fresh (or frozen and de-thawed) black cherries, pitted and quartered

1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips or chocolate chunks

1/2 cup vanilla yogurt (I used Dannon Light and Fit)

1 large egg

For glaze:

3/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted

1/4 tsp. almond extract

3-4 tsp. non-fat milk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

2. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large mixing bowl and stir until well combined. 

3. Grate butter with large holed cheese grater. Use fingers to mix butter in with flour mixture until coarse crumbly texture is reached. Gently stir in cherries and chocolate. 

4. In separate bowl, whisk together yogurt and egg until smooth. Stir sour cream mixture into flour mixture until large dough clumps form. Press the dough into a ball. 

5. Transfer dough ball onto lightly floured wax paper and pat into a circle about 8 inches thick. Cut dough into 8 equal triangles using a knife. 

6. Place triangles onto greased cookie sheet and bake 15-17 minutes or until golden brown. 

7. While scones are baking, combine powdered sugar, almond extract and milk in mixing bowl. Whisk until smooth and desired consistency is reached. Allow scones to cool 5-10 minutes before applying glaze. Enjoy! 

Bang Bang Chicken Wings

Recipe coming soon!

Turkey & Veggie Lasagna Soup

In the winter I can't get enough soup! Besides the fact that soup is the ultimate comfort food I also love it because it's amazing leftover. However, my picky boyfriend "doesn't really like soup." Who doesn't like soup?!? Well, I finally found out that he doesn't like brothy soups, so I had to come up with something hearty that he would enjoy. There was no way I was going to be able to finish a whole bowl of soup by myself. 

So I made a healthy spin on a classic. This recipe uses ground turkey and low fat cheeses to lighten the calories without loosing that yummy classic lasagna flavor. I also snuck in a bunch of veggies in the mix. So yummy, healthy, and perfect for a cold winter day!

Turkey and Veggie Lasagna Soup

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. olive oil, divided

1 lb. ground turkey breast (99% lean)

½ large yellow onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

4 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth

1 (14.5 oz.) can Italian-style diced tomatoes

1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce

1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste

1 medium zucchini, diced

1 medium yellow squash, diced

2 tsp. fresh oregano 

1 tsp. fresh thyme

1 tsp. fresh rosemary

1 tbsp. fresh basil leaves, chopped

1 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped

1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes 

2 tsp. salt 

8 lasagna noodles 

4 cups fresh spinach leaves

 

Cheese topping:

8 oz. container part-skim ricotta cheese

½ cup reduced-fat mozzarella cheese, shredded

½ cup grated parmesan cheese

¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped

¼ cup basil leaves, chopped

½ tsp. salt

Directions:

1. In large fry pan, heat 1 tbsp. olive oil over medium heat. Add turkey and cook until fully cooked, stirring and crumbling frequently.

2. In large kettle, heat remaining 1 tbsp. olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and sautee until onion begins to soften, about 3-5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds more.

3. Add broth, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, zucchini, squash, and all spices. Mix, cover and simmer 30-45 minutes, stirring every 10 or 15 minutes.

4. For cheese topping, mix all ingredients together in a small bowl. Refrigerate until ready to serve. 

5. When soup is fully cooked, add the lasagna noodles to the soup. Cut them into bite-sized pieces if you'd like. Cook 9-12 minutes or until noodles are soft. Add the spinach and warm until wilted then ladle into soup bowls and top with a dollop of the ricotta cheese topping. Enjoy!

Maple & Brown Sugar Oat Muffins

Maple and Brown Sugar Oatmeal Muffins

Ingredients:

3 medium over-ripe bananas, peeled

2 tbsp. butter, melted

2 large eggs

¾ cup brown sugar

¼ cup pure maple syrup

½ tsp. vanilla extract

¾ cup white whole wheat flour

¾ cup old fashioned oats

¾ tsp. baking soda

¼ tsp. salt

 

For Brown Sugar Crumble:

¼ cup brown sugar

¼ cup flour

2 tbsp. butter, melted

 

For maple glaze:

2 tbsp. butter, melted

¼ cup pure maple syrup 

½ cup powdered sugar 

½ tsp. vanilla extract

 

 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325.

2. In large mixing bowl mash bananas. Add butter, eggs, sugar, syrup, and vanilla. Stir until well-combined.   

3. In separate bowl, combine flour, oats, baking soda and salt. Wisk together until incorporated.

4. Gradually add ¼ of dry ingredients at a time to wet ingredients, mixing until combined each time. 

5. In separate bowl, combine sugar, flour and butter for crumble topping. Mix with hands until desired consistency is reached.

6. Pour batter evenly in to greased muffin tin, filling each cup about 3/4 full. Sprinkle evenly with crumble topping.

7. Bake muffins at 325 for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown and an inserted toothpick comes out clean. 

8. While muffins are baking, make glaze by combining butter, maple syrup, and vanilla extract until completely dissolved. Sift in powdered sugar and whisk until fully combined. Allow glaze to cool a bit so that it can thicken up (about 8-10 minutes). Give the glaze a quick stir and pour over the banana bread. Allow the glaze to harden before enjoying muffins!

Homemade Cinnamon Apple Sauce

Applesauce makes a great breakfast or snack! And this recipe is completely natural with no sugar added! Tip: use applesauce in baking to add moisture instead of butter or oils.

Homemade Cinnamon Apple Sauce

Ingredients:

1 bag apples, peeled, cored and sliced

1 cup water

2 tbsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. lemon juice

Directions:

1. Place prepared apples in saucepan and add water. Cover and cook on medium heat 30-45 minutes or until apples are tender, stirring about every 10 minutes. 

2. For chunkier consistency, use a potato masher and mash apples to desired consistency. For smoother consistency, use immersion blender or food processor. 

3. Add cinnamon and lemon juice. Enjoy hot and fresh or refrigerate and keep up to 1 week. 

Skinny Chicken Parm with Homemade Marinara Sauce

Skinny Chicken Parm with Homemade Marinara Sauce

Recipe coming soon!

Italian Simmered Eggs

My boyfriend and I are pretty obsessed with breakfast, usually at 2 in the afternoon. I'm especially partial to my breakfast sandwiches, but every once and awhile, I like to change it up a little bit. 

I made some home made marinara sauce about a week ago that needed to be used up, and this was my solution. The result is cheesy and delicious eggs baked in marinara sauce! Yummy!

Italian Simmered Eggs

Ingredients:

1 cup marinara sauce

4 eggs

1/4 cup skim milk

3 small fresh mozzarella balls, quartered

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper, to taste

1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning

Toasted bread for dipping 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425. Pour sauce in to oven-safe dish or pan. For individual portions, divide evenly in two ramekins. 

2. Top with eggs, milk, cheese, salt, pepper, and seasoning. Bake 10-15 minutes or until whites of eggs are cooked throughly. 

3. Serve with toasted bread and enjoy!

Jalapeño, Jack & Bacon Breakfast Grits

Grits are one of those foods that can be completely disgusting or simply amazing. It's all in the way they are prepared. Luckily, working at a BBQ restaurant for 4 years gave me exposure to some delicious cheddar grits, and I have always been a fan. 

My boyfriend was reluctant to try this, as he has only tried the slimy, tasteless version. I promised him that he would like my recipe, I mean, how could he not? My grits have cheese, bacon, and jalapeños. That's a winning combination. Is decided to top it all off with a fried egg, and it was amazing! The yolk combined with the spice of the peppers, the salt of the bacon, and the richness of the cheese is simply amazing! 

Jalapeño, Jack & Bacon Breakfast Grits

Ingredients:

8 slices thick-cut bacon, diced

2 small or 1 large jalapeño, seeded and diced

1 cup skimmed milk

3 cups low sodium chicken broth 

1 1/2 cups hot water

1/2 cups corn grits/polenta

1 tsp. salt

2 cups reduced fat shredded Colby Jack cheese, divided

4 eggs

1/4 cup green onions, sliced (for garnish)

Directions:

1. In large sauté pan or cast iron, add bacon and jalapeños. Cook over medium heat until bacon is crispy. 

2. Remove from heat, transfer bacon and peppers on to plate with paper towel. Pat with towel to remove grease. Drain grease from pan and set aside. 

3. In large sauce pan, add milk, chicken broth and water. Bring to a boil and slowly add the grits and stir with whisk. Reduce heat and continue simmering 5-7 minutes or until grits have thickened, stirring frequently. 

4. In the mean time, fry eggs in frypan used for cooking bacon. I prefer mine sunny-side up, but cook eggs however you like them. Remove eggs from pan and set aside. 

5. Once grits reach desired consistency, add salt, bacon, jalapeños and half of the cheese. 

6. Transfer to fry pan, top with remaining cheese and broil in oven 2-3 minutes to melt cheese.  

7. Top with green onions, spoon evenly in to four bowls and top each with 1 fried egg. Enjoy!

Homemade Pepper Jelly

When people first hear "pepper jelly" their first reaction may be, "Ew!" or "Weird!", but this stuff is seriously amazing. I've been eating jalapeño jelly since I can remember. It's perfectly sweet and spicy at the same time. My favorite way to eat it is on Wheat Thins with cream cheese. However, it's also amazing as a dipping sauce for chicken nuggets, as a stir fry sauce, or as a glaze when roasting meat. The possibilities are endless! Bonus: it also makes a great gift!

Homemade Pepper Jelly

Ingredients:

1 large red pepper, seeded and cut in to strips

1 large green pepper, seeded and cut in to strips

10 jalapeños, seeded for less spicy jelly (I left the seeds in half of my peppers and I thought the spice was perfect)

1 1/2 cups white vinegar

1/2 tsp. salt

6 cups sugar

3 tbs. Ball RealFruit Low or No-Sugar Needed Pectin

Directions:

1. In food processor or blender, finely chop peppers. Put in large saucepan with vinegar, salt, and sugar. Boil for 10 minutes, stirring often. Add pectin and boil 1 more minute. 

2. If canning (recommended) pour in to sterilized jars and water bath for 10 minutes. Wait a day to serve so jelly has time to firm. This recipe makes 12+ small jelly jars. 

3. If refrigerating, potion into containers, allow to cool and refrigerate for up to 1 month. Enjoy!

Czech-Style Potato Soup

Czech-Style Potato Soup

Ingredients:

6 potatoes, peeled, rinsed, and chopped into large pieces 

1 large container chicken broth

6 eggs

1 qt. half and half

1 tbsp. dried dill weed

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In large pan, add the potatoes and chicken broth. Bring to a boil and cook just until potatoes are tender. Mash the potatoes in the broth to form bite sized-pieces. 

2. Lower the temperature to a simmer and drop each egg into the mixture. (It helps to drop them in different places in the pan so they don't stick together.) Do not stir. Allow eggs to cook about 10 minutes.  

3. Add the half and half to the pan. Stir gently to combine. Add the dill and salt and pepper to taste. Allow to hear through, but do not boil. 

4. To serve, place one egg at the bottom of each bowl, then fill with potatoes and broth. Enjoy!

 

Ground Turkey Lasagna Rolls

Now that Chicago has decided to be extremely cold and stay frigid until spring, I find myself craving warm comfort food. Usually these dishes are super high calorie, so I like to find healthier substitutions. This recipe uses ground turkey instead of greasy pork or beef, skim milk ricotta, and fat free mozz. Each roll is only 260 calories each! Yum! 

Ground Turkey Lasagna Rolls

Ingredients:

32 oz. jar spaghetti sauce

1 lb. Jennie-O Italian Seasoned Lean Ground Turkey

12 lasagna noodles, cooked and drained

1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese

1 3/4 cup (1 bag) fat free shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. 

2. In large fry pan, cook turkey until browned, stirring occasionally. Once turkey is cooked, remove from heat.  Pour 1/2 container of spaghetti sauce in pan with cooked turkey. Stir until well combined. 

3. Cover bottom of lasagna pan with 1/4 jar of spaghetti sauce, spreading evenly. 

4. Place cooked noodles flat on wax paper. Spread a thin coating of ricotta cheese, covering each noodle. Spoon thin layer of meat mixture over ricotta. Sprinkle small amount of shredded mozzarella over meat mixture. Roll up noodles slowly and place seam sides down in baking dish. 

5. Ladle the remaining 1/4 jar of spaghetti sauce on top of lasagna rolls. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese.

6. Cover dish with aluminum foil and bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes or until cheese is melty. Enjoy!