Monday, April 23, 2012

Zucchini Tots


Zucchini Tots by raylynntexas
Zucchini Tots, a photo by raylynntexas on Flickr.

  The original name for these was Zucchini Bites, which was okay. But when these were baking, they smelled just like tater tots. I changed up the recipe a little (by using seasoned bread crumbs,parm. cheese, & I drained the zucchini) so I decided to change the name too and called them "Zucchini Tots instead.And "tots" does mean small and these are small (baked in a mini muffin pan) so the name fits.


Zucchini Bites
Recipe adapted: The Naptime Chef
yields: 12 mini muffins


1 cups zucchini, grated
1 egg
1/4 yellow onion, diced
1/4 cup cheese (cheddar or Parmesan work the best)
1/4 cup bread crumbs - I used Italian style
Salt and Pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Spray a mini-muffin tin with non-stick spray, set aside.
2. Grate the zucchini and then place in a dish towel to squeeze out the excess water- like when using frozen spinach; if you skip this part, the middle of the zucchini tots will be really soggy while the outside gets crispy and no one wants that.
3. In a bowl combine, the egg, onion, cheese, bread crumbs, zucchini, salt and pepper.
4. Using a spoon or a cookie scoop, fill the muffin cups to the top. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until the top is browned and set.

http://curiouscountrycook.blogspot.com/2012/03/zucchini-tots.html


Sunday, April 15, 2012

Almond Butter Dark Chocolate Chip Oat Cookies


Almond Butter Dark Chocolate Chip Oat Cookies

Makes about 16 cookies

1 cup white whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup almond butter

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 egg

1/2 cup rolled oats

1 cup bittersweet or dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

Whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.

On medium speed, cream together the butter, almond butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and beat to combine. On low speed, gradually add the flour until just combined. Stir in the oats, and then the chocolate chips.

Use a large cookie scoop (3 tablespoons) and drop dough onto prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly golden. Cool completely on the baking sheet and then store in an airtight container at room temperature.


http://www.madebymichellec.com/?p=3677

Friday, April 13, 2012

balsamic vinagrette

  • 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons dark brown sugar, optional*
  • 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 3/4 cup olive oil

Beat the vinegar in a bowl with the optional sugar, garlic, salt and pepper until sugar and salt dissolves. Then beat in the oil by droplets, whisking constantly. (Or place all the ingredients in a screw-top jar and shake to combine.) Taste and adjust the seasonings.

Toss a few tablespoons of the dressing with the salad mix and desired salad ingredients, top with blue cheese and serve immediately.

If not using dressing right away, cover and refrigerate, whisking or shaking again before use.

*If using a good quality balsamic vinegar you should not need the sugar, but if using a lesser quality you might want the sugar to round out the dressing.

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Balsamic Chicken with Spring Vegetables CrockPot Recipe

The Ingredients.

--4-6 boneless skinless frozen chicken thighs
--1 whole head of garlic
--2 zucchinis
--2 yellow squash
--1 orange bell pepper
--1 yellow bell pepper
--1 red onion
--1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
--2 t Worcestershire sauce
--salt and pepper

The Directions.

salt and pepper your chicken pieces. Mine were still frozen, so a lot of it fell off, so I had to just dump it on top.

put the chicken into the crock.


Wash and cut all your vegetables and put into a mixing bowl. Peel the head of garlic, but keep the cloves intact.

toss the vegetables with balsamic vinegar and Worcestershire sauce.




pour the vegetables on top of the meat.

cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

I cooked this for 8, and then clicked it over to warm for another hour.

We ate this on top of quinoa.

Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings

Ingredients:
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast
halves
2 tablespoons butter
2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream
of chicken soup
1 onion, finely diced
2 (10 ounce) packages refrigerated
biscuit dough, torn into pieces
Directions:
1. Place the chicken, butter, soup, and onion in a slow cooker, and fill with enough water to cover.
2. Cover, and cook for 5 to 6 hours on High. About 30 minutes before serving, place the torn biscuit dough in the slow cooker. Cook until the dough is no longer raw in the center.

Slow-Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

Ingredients:
1 pound shredded, cooked chicken
1 (15 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes,
mashed
1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce
1 medium onion, chopped
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile
peppers
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups water
1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 (10 ounce) package frozen corn
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
7 corn tortillas
vegetable oil
Directions:
1. Place chicken, tomatoes, enchilada sauce, onion, green chiles, and garlic into a slow cooker. Pour in water and chicken broth, and season with cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Stir in corn and cilantro. Cover, and cook on Low setting for 6 to 8 hours or on High setting for 3 to 4 hours.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
3. Lightly brush both sides of tortillas with oil. Cut tortillas into strips, then spread on a baking sheet.
4. Bake in preheated oven until crisp, about 10 to 15 minutes. To serve, sprinkle tortilla strips over soup.

Garnish with grated Cheddar, avocadoes, and a splash of fresh lime juice."

Friday, April 06, 2012

Chocolate Kahlua Cake

  • 1 box chocolate cake mix (without pudding)
  • 1 box (3.75-ounce) chocolate pudding mix
  • 2 cups sour cream
  • 4 eggs
  • 3/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/3 cup Kahlua
  • 1 (6-ounce) package chocolate chips

  • Kahlua Glaze:

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 4 Tablespoons Kahlua

Instructions

  1. Put everything in the bowl except for the chocolate chips.
  2. Mix for a few minutes until it is well combined.
  3. Fold in the chocolate chips. I had a few half empty chocolate chip packages laying around, so I used a mixture of milk and semi-sweet chips.
  4. Put the batter in a greased Bundt pan.
  5. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 1 hour.
  6. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then turn out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.
  7. Start the glaze.
  8. Whisk together the powdered sugar and Kahlua until smooth.
  9. Pour the glaze over the top of the cake.

Monday, April 02, 2012

Slow Cooker Apricot Glazed Pork Tenderloin