Mocha Nutella Bread Pudding

 One of the things I love about bread pudding is that it is so versatile. You can be creative when making it and use any number of ingredients that you probably have on hand. It can be savory or sweet, somewhat healthy or definitely not! In this case, it definitely is on the decadent side with the use of heavy cream! We had some in the refrigerator and Nick just hated seeing it go to waste so it had to be used ;) You can always just use milk and still have great results. We also had some Nutella left from the palmiers so when I found this recipe for Nutella bread pudding, I knew it was something I should make! I did change the recipe a little by substituting coffee for some of the milk giving it a mocha flavor, which also brought out the chocolate flavor. It was a good combo!

Ingredients:

• 4 cups of day old bread cubes (I used ciabatta bread)
• 1/4 cup Nutella
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup 2% milk
• 1/2 cup brewed coffee
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Spray an 8x8 pan with nonstick cooking spray with flour.
3. Spread a bit of Nutella on each bread cube. This doesn't have to be exact in any way just slather or dab it on however you want.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, brown sugar and vanilla until smooth. Stir in milk, coffee and cream. Add the bread. Let the mixture sit for 30 minutes.
4. Pour the mixture into the pan. Bake until the pudding is set in the center, about 45 minutes or until set and edges begin to brown. Let cool for at least 15 minutes before serving

Chicken with Tomatoes, Goat Cheese, and Caramelized Onions

Chicken is a great ingredient because it is so versatile, but at the same time it is difficult because sometimes it just ends up being boring! I had seen this recipe on For the Love of Cooking, and while it looked delicious (I can't resist recipes with tomatoes!), I was a little reluctant to try it because I was afraid it would disappoint. There was just no way it could look as good as the picture! Well, I finally tried it, and I am SO glad I did. I think this just may be my new favorite chicken recipe. Yes, I realize that is a bold statement, but I think it's a true one. I'm already looking forward to the next time I make it!

Chicken with Tomatoes, Goat Cheese, and Caramelized Onions

Serves 4-6 (adapted from For the Love of Cooking)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 sweet yellow onion, sliced thinly
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1.5 tbsp olive oil, divided
• 1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I had 3 that were 8 oz each so I cut them in half lengthwise- was perfect size)
• 1 cup of baby heirloom tomatoes (or grape tomatoes)
• Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper
• Garlic powder
• 2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
• 2-3 tbsp of crumbled goat cheese

Directions:
1. Heat 1/2 Tbsp olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onions, sprinkle with salt and saute until golden brown and caramelized.
2. In large skillet, heat the the remaining 1 Tbsp of olive oil over medium high heat and season the chicken with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. (Make sure pan is hot before adding the chicken.) Cook for 4-6 minutes and flip. Cook for additional 3-4 minutes depending on thickness. Remove chicken from pan and let rest for about 5 minutes.
3. In the same skillet as the onions, add the baby tomatoes then season with salt and pepper, to taste. 

4. Cook for 3-4 minutes until the tomatoes are soft. Add minced garlic, stirring frequently for about a minute.

5. Pour the tomatoes and onions on top of the sliced chicken. Top with goat cheese and fresh basil.

Easy Peanut Butter Cookies

The best thing about these cookies is that you probably have all the ingredients in your pantry right now, and they come together in just a few minutes. Oh, and they are delicious. They have a chewy texture and strong peanut butter flavor. They would also be good with chocolate chips or even dipped in chocolate!

Ingredients:(adapted from Joy the Baker)

• 1 cup creamy or crunchy peanut butter (I used Jif creamy)
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt (optional)
• 1 tsp baking powder

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  
2. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. In a bowl, stir together peanut butter and sugars until well combined.  Add egg, salt, and baking soda and stir until completely incorporated.  
4. Roll into tablespoon-sized balls and create a cris-cross pattern with a fork. 
5. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until lightly browned.  
6. Slide parchment paper off baking sheet and let cool for at least 10 minutes, and enjoy!

Summer Squash Gratin

One of the best things about summer is the bounty of fresh vegetables- Squash, zucchini, and tomatoes are some of my favorites! We were given some squash and zucchini from my dad's garden, and when I stumbled across this recipe, I knew exactly what I wanted to make! I really loved this dish- it was fresh, healthy, and had great flavor. I strongly recommend you give it a try. I know I will be making it again!

Ingredients: (yield: 6 servings)

• 2 tomatoes
• 2-3 medium zucchini
• 3 medium squash
• 1 cup baby spinach
• 1/2 cup reduced fat italian blend shredded cheese
• salt and pepper
• olive oil

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2.  Slice tomato into fairly thick slices and place on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray or lined with parchment. Sprinkle tomato slices with salt, pepper, and olive oil. Roast for about 30 minutes. You may want to start checking them earlier.
3. Using a mandolin, slice the squash and zucchini into thin pieces. If you don't have a mandolin, you can do this with a knife- it will just take a steady hand and more time!
4. Spray an 8x8 or 2 4x8 pans with cooking spray. 
5. Layer the zucchini and squash. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. On top of that layer add slices of tomatoes and spinach. Sprinkle 1/2 of the cheese. Layer the rest of the zucchini and squash, seasoning every other layer. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top.
6. Bake for 45 minutes or until spinach is cooked and cheese is browned and crispy on top.

Nutella Palmiers

  I had never even heard of a "palmier" before I stumbled across this recipe. In fact, I had to google it to see what it was! Turns out that Epicurious defines it as, "puff pastry dough that is sprinkled with granulated sugar, folded and rolled several times, then cut into thin strips. After baking, these golden brown, caramelized pastries are served with coffee or tea or as a dessert accompaniment" Sounds good to me! These are actually a little different than the traditional palmier because they are made with Nutella and walnuts rather than cinnamon and sugar. Chocolate makes everything better, right? One of the best things about this recipe is how easy and quick it is (not to mention delicious!)

Ingredients:
13 oz Puff Pastry, thawed
1/2 cup Nutella
1/4 to 1/2 c walnuts, chopped
granulated sugar

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425F degrees. Lightly grease a cookie sheet or line the sheet with a Silpat silicone baking mat.
2. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the puff pastry into a rectangular shape (approximately 15 x 9 inches).
3. Spread the Nutella evenly over the puff pastry. Then sprinkle the nuts over the top.
4. Roll both long ends toward the center until they meet. Where the pieces meet, try to press the edges together as best you can. (It was suggested to dampen them with water, but that didn't really work for me).
5. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into thin slices. Place on the prepared cookie sheet.
6. Sprinkle the tops of the cookies with the sugar, then bake for 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown. 7. Let cool before serving them with coffee.

Baked Carrot Fries

 I love trying new side dishes, but I don't want to put a lot of effort into them because it's just a side and during the week there is just so little time! Tonight I made carrot fries to go with our turkey burgers. They were so delicious! Carrots have such a natural sweetness that really comes through when you cook them. They were quick and easy to make and healthy and delicious to eat!

Ingredients

• 1 lb carrots
• olive oil
• garlic powder (optional)
• salt and pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Peel and cut one pound of carrots in half, then slice lengthwise into "fry size" strips.
3. Spray with or toss lightly with olive oil.
4. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and garlic powder, if you wish. 
5. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until they are slightly browned and tender.   

Turkey Chili Burgers

I am always looking at new turkey burger recipes to try but rarely do I actually stray away from my go-to recipe. I saw a recipe for Chicken Chili Burgers on this blog that I read pretty often so I decided to make them... with a few changes of course! One change I made was to use ground turkey breast instead of chicken. While they were good, I think in the future I would stick to chicken or ground turkey that is a mixture of light and dark meat as they were a little bit dry. Or maybe mix in a little bit of actual chili....hmmm, something to try in the future! Anyway, I liked the addition of the beans for both texture and nutrition.  Also, the flavoring was pretty subtle so if you love spicy, you may want to add extra spice. We topped them with reduced fat white cheddar with jalapenos, which was delicious!

We enjoyed them on buns from Nature's Pride that I received as a part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program. Nick was quite excited because we got both white AND wheat buns! These buns were huge! I thought the wheat one was pretty good, and Nick really liked the taste and texture of the white ones.

 Ingredients

•  3/4 cup canned kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1 small onion, minced
• juice of 1 lime
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• 1 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 2 Tbsp diced green chiles
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper  
• Reduced fat jalapeno cheddar cheese (or your own favorite)

Directions

1. Slightly mash the kidney beans and then add all remaining ingredients. 
2. Mix together so that all the spices are incorporated pretty evenly into the meat.
3. Form into 4-5 burgers, depending on how big you want them. (We made 5 and they were plenty big).
4. Grill or cook in a skillet (with nonstick cooking spray or olive oil) over medium heat until cooked through. During the last couple minutes, place cheese on burger so it can melt (we put ours on a little late...as you can tell by the photo but it was still good!)

Spinach and Artichoke Frittata

I rarely actually "cook' breakfast in the morning, but I do love to cook breakfast for dinner! Frittatas are one of my favorite things to make because you can adapt them to your tastes or whatever you happen to have in your refrigerator. Also, they are quite easy to make, which is a huge plus! I saw the idea for this spinach and artichoke fritatta on Cara's Cravings and wondered why I hadn't thought of that before! I love spinach and artichoke dip, and this is like that in a healthier form! It was quite tasty, and I plan on enjoying this again in the future!

Ingredients
1 9oz box frozen spinach
3 eggs
3/4 cup egg substitute
4oz nonfat plain Greek yogurt
1/2 tsp salt
freshly ground pepper
1/2 tsp dried dill
1 oz grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 14oz can of artichokes, drained and quartered
3 oz goat cheese, crumbled

Directions
1.  Preheat oven to 400ºF. Microwave spinach just until thawed.
2. Whisk together the eggs, egg substitute, yogurt, salt, pepper, dill, and Parmesan cheese.
3. Heat the olive oil in a large, oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Cook the onion until softened, about 5 minutes.
4. Add the garlic and artichokes, and cook 1 minute more.
5. Finally stir in the spinach and distribute the mixture evenly throughout the pan. Increase heat to high, then pour in the egg mixture. Cook, stirring gently, for a few minutes, letting the bottom start to set.
6. Crumble the goat cheese on top of the frittata, and place the skillet in the oven for 10-15 minutes, or until the frittata is set. Let rest for a few minutes before slicing and serving.