Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 large egg
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup grated zucchini
2/3 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F. Spray muffin tin or use liners.

In a large bowl, stir together the flours, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, whist together the egg, applesauce, vegetable oil, milk and vanilla extract. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Fold in the zucchini and the chocolate chips.

Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin tins. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Makes 12 large muffins.

*From http://eat-drink-love.com/chocolate-zucchini-muffins/

Cheesy Zucchini Bake

Hi! How's it going? I've been on a bit of a "hiatus" from blogging, but I'm back! Its zucchini season and I've been trying new recipes to use up my harvest. Here's something a little different from the usual. Great for breakfast, lunch or dinner!

1 can refrigerated crescent rolls
2 tbsp butter
1 cup chopped onion
4 cups chopped zucchini
3 eggs
1 tbsp dried basil
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp dried mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 cup shredded mozza cheese

Press crescent rolls into a greased 8x8 pan.

Melt butter in a medium skillet; add chopped onion and chopped zucchini and saute over medium heat 5 minutes (or until tender-crisp).

In a medium bowl, beat eggs and stir in spices. Add a small amount of the onion/zucchini mixture to the eggs to temper them. Then add remainder of mix and stir together.

Stir in shredded mozza cheese and pour mixture into the unbaked crust. Bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

*From http://www.lemontreedwelling.com/

Vanilla Yogurt Chia Seed Pudding

Good morning! If you're looking for a new (easy) breakfast idea, you've come to the right place. I've recently starting making chia pudding and I'm quite enjoying it. I didn't know what to expect, but it was all over Pinterest, so I thought I'd try it out. Plus it's super good for you!

3/4 cup milk
1 cup plain yogurt
2 tbsp pure maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt
1/4 chia seeds

Add all ingredients, except chia seeds, to a medium bowl and whisk until smooth. Add chia seeds and whisk to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. In the morning it should be fairly thick like pudding. Give it a good stir and then scoop a portion into a bowl and top with granola and fruit. Leftovers will keep for 2-3 days in the refrigerator. Makes about 4 servings.

*From http://www.littlebroken.com/

Biscuit-Topped Casserole

Wow! So apparently I haven't posted anything since July. I usually forget to take pictures when I make something. But this time I thought this is a good winter dish and made sure to get a picture.

1 tsp oil
1 lb lean ground beef
1 cup thinly sliced carrots
1/2 cup corn
1/2 cup green or yellow beans
1/2 cup chopped onion

4 oz cream cheese, softened
10 oz can of condensed cream of mushroom soup

1/3 cup milk
1/4 cup salsa
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Tube of refrigerator country-style biscuits (10 biscuits per tube)

Heat oil in large frying pan on medium. Add ground beef and cook until mostly browned, then add the veggies (feel free to change up the veggies depending on what you have in your freezer). Cook until ground beef is no longer pink and veggies are starting to cook. Remove from heat. Drain.

Beat cream cheese in a large bowl until smooth. Add soup and stir.

Add beef mixture and next 4 ingredients to the bowl. Stir. Transfer to ungreased 3 quart casserole or 9x13 dish. Bake, uncovered, in 375F oven for 15 minutes.

Arrange biscuits on beef mixture and bake, uncovered, for another 20-25 minutes until biscuits are golden.

Strawberry Banana Bread

As per my last post, its strawberry season! Yum! With some of the last strawberries that I hadn't done anything with yet, I thought I'd bake something. This recipe caught my eye as I also had some ripe bananas that needed to be used up. I just pulled the loaves out of the oven and they smell delicious!

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
3 ripe bananas, mashed
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups fresh strawberries, chopped and tossed in 1 tbsp flour

Preheat oven to 375F degrees. Spray 2 loaf pans and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs to the sugar mixture and beat until combined. Add the mashed bananas and mix until combined.

Sift all dry ingredients together and then slowly add into the banana mixture. Mix just until combined. Do not over mix. Fold in floured strawberries.

Pour batter into the two prepared loaf pans and bake at 375F for 15 minutes. Then turn oven down to 350F and bake another 25-30 minutes until edges are brown or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool before removing from pans.

*From http://therecipecritic.com/2015/07/strawberry-banana-bread/

Strawberry Rhubarb Sauce

It's strawberry season! Yesterday morning I went strawberry picking with my family and went home with four ice cream pails of strawberries. I love fresh strawberries! So far I have made 10 half pint jars of strawberry jam and frozen several bags for future smoothies. I also discovered this recipe. I happened to have some frozen rhubarb in my freezer, so this seemed like a good way to use it up. I was right, its delicious! So easy to make and makes a great topping for ice cream, yogurt, waffles, etc. The options are endless. Enjoy!

2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup orange juice
5 tsps cornstarch
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
4 cups sliced strawberries
1 cup sliced rhubarb

Combine sugar, orange juice, cornstarch and vanilla extract in a large sauce pan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Add strawberries and rhubarb; reduce heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and blend with immersion blender or manually mash if you don't have an immersion blender. I like to leave some fruit chunks, but you can blend to smooth if you wish. Enjoy warm or cold. Makes 2 large pasta sauce sized jars.

*Adapted from http://allrecipes.com/recipe/200454/strawberry-rhubarb-sauce/

Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Fettuccini

8 oz fettuccine 

3 tbsp butter

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 - 300 ml jar of roasted red peppers, drained

1 cup cream

4 oz feta cheese, crumbled 

1/4 cup Parmesan 

Fresh basil

Cook pasta according to package directions. 

Meanwhile melt butter in pan and sauté minced garlic until fragrant (about 2 minutes). Add roasted red peppers, cream, feta cheese and Parmesan cheese. Sauté for about 4-5 minutes. Using an immersion blender, purée the red pepper sauce. Feel free to leave some chunks of red pepper. 

Add cooked fettuccine to the sauce and toss to coat. Top with some fresh basil and additional Parmesan.

*From http://laughingspatula.com/

Tuscan Bean Soup

If there's one person who loves soup (and new recipes) as much as me, it's my Mom. This one's for you. :)

2 tbsps extra virgin olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, diced

2 medium carrots, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

2 medium zucchini, diced

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp dried rosemary 

4 cups vegetable or chicken broth

1 (19 oz) can cannelloni beans

1 (19 oz) can chick peas

1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes 

3 cups chopped kale, ribs removed

1 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

1 tbsp white sugar

1 tbsp white wine vinegar 

Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium high heat. Add onions, carrots, celery and zucchini. Sauté for 4 minutes. 

Add the garlic, thyme and rosemary. Cook 30 seconds.

Stir in the broth, beans, chick peas and tomatoes. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce heat to low and add the chopped kale. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. 

Using an immersion blender partially blend, leaving some chunks of vegetables and beans for texture. 

Add the salt, pepper, sugar and vinegar. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Serve topped with freshly grated Parmesan. 

Adapted from http://thewanderlustkitchen.com/easy-tuscan-bean-soup/

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

Light and fluffy with a fresh lemony taste. Perfect for a weekend brunch!

1 1/2 cups flour

3 1/2 Tbsp sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup milk

1 cup ricotta cheese

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1 Tbsp lemon zest (about 2 lemons)

2 Tbsp butter, melted

In a large bowl mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Create a well in the middle and set aside.

In another large bowl, whisk together the milk, ricotta cheese, eggs and vanilla extract until well blended. Whisk together the lemon juice and zest, then add to milk mixture, along with the melted butter. The lemon juice may cause the milk mixture to curdle a bit, so quickly stir together and then add to the flour mixture and whisk just until combined. The batter may be a bit lumpy. Pour about 1/4 or 1/3 cup of batter onto a greased griddle or skillet over medium heat and cook until bubbles appear on the surface and the bottom is golden brown. Flip and cook until the other side is also golden brown. Serve with berries and maple syrup.

* Adapted from http://www.cookingclassy.com/

Homemade Granola

Wow! Apparently I haven't posted anything since September. I didn't realize it has been so long. Finally I have a good recipe to share. I've made this a couple times now and its a keeper. I love putting granola on my yogurt, but its a good snack too! And the great thing about this recipe is its versatility. Use whatever you have in your pantry.

Line a large cookie sheet with aluminum foil and spray with Pam. Heat oven to 300F.

In a large bowl, combine the following ingredients:
4 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1 cup seeds/nuts (slivered almonds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, etc)
1/2 cup dried fruit (raisins, dried cranberries, apricots, etc)
1 pinch of salt
1 tbsp of your favourite spice combo (I used pumpkin pie spice, but you could use cinnamon, cloves, ginger)

Combine the following and stir into the above mix:
1/4 cup oil/fat (butter, canola oil or coconut oil)
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp sweetener (brown sugar, honey, maple syrup, etc)
1 1/2 tsp flavouring (vanilla extract, almond extract, etc)

Spread evenly in pan and bake for 30 minutes. Let cool and break up into pieces and store at room temperature.

*From http://www.trueaimeducation.com/easy-healthy-homemade-granola-recipe/

Chicken Yakisoba

Don't ask me what chicken yakisoba is. I found this recipe on Pinterest and thought it looked good. All I can tell you is that it tastes delicious!

1/2 head of small green cabbage, sliced

1 medium onion, sliced

2 medium carrots, grated

1 small crown broccoli, cut into bite-sized pieces 

2 inches fresh ginger

1 chicken breast

2 tbsp vegetable oil

2 packages ramen noodles (seasoning packs discarded)

1 tsp sesame oil (optional)

1/4 cup reduced sodium soy sauce

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce (I reduced slightly)

2 tbsp ketchup

(Up to) 1 tbsp hot sauce

1 tbsp sugar

Begin boiling a medium pot of water for the noodles. Peel and grate ginger. Heat oil in large frying pan over medium-high heat, add ginger and saute for up to a minute. Slice chicken and add to pan. Cook about 5 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken from pan.

Add all the veggies to the pan. Stir and cook until wilted (about 5-10 minutes), then add chicken back to the pan. Meanwhile, once the water boils, add the noodles and cook just until done (2-3 minutes). Remove from heat, drain, return to pot and toss with the sesame oil to keep from sticking. 

In a measuring cup mix together the soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, hot sauce, and sugar. Stir until dissolved, then pour over the veggies and chicken. Add the noodles, stir to coat everything in the sauce and heat through. 

* from www.budgetbytes.com/2012/03/chicken-yakisoba/

My Favourite Iced Coffee

It's summer and it's hot hot hot! I love it, especially when I have some of this delicious iced coffee. Add some sweetened condensed milk and it's just divine! 

3 1/4 cups ground coffee

8 cups boiling water

8 cups cold water

Ice cubes

1 can sweetened condensed milk

Put coffee grounds in large heat safe bowl. Add the boiling water and stir so all the grounds are mixed in. Let sit for at least 5 minutes.

Place a sieve lined with several layers of cheesecloth over another large bowl. Pour the coffee mixture through the sieve/cheesecloth straining out the grounds. Pour the coffee concentrate into a large pitcher and add the 8 cups of cold water. Refrigerate until cold. 

To serve: Fill glass 3/4 full with ice. Add coffee and some sweetened condensed milk. I usually add about 1-2 tablespoons, but it depends how sweet you like it. Make sure to stir because the condensed milk tends to sink to the bottom. Enjoy!

Note: this coffee concentrate will keep in the refrigerator for up to a month. But let's be honest, it's not going to take that long to consume. :)

*adapted from www.natashaskitchen.com

Belgian Waffles

2 eggs

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 3/4 cups milk

1 Tbsp sugar

4 tsps baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

Heat waffle iron. Beat eggs with whisk or hand beater in medium bowl until fluffy. 

Beat in remaining ingredients just until smooth. Pour about 2/3 cup batter onto centre of hot waffle iron and lower the lid.

Bake about 5 minutes or until the ready light on the waffle iron comes on. Remove waffle carefully. Makes about ten 4-inch waffle squares. 

Top with fruit, syrup, or with whatever you desire. Enjoy!

Pasta e Fagioli Soup

I love soup! Have I mentioned that before? Makes for great leftovers. This recipe is a copycat version of a soup you can order at Olive Garden. Don't be scared off by the long list of ingredients. It's really not hard to make. And the flavour it so good!

1 lb mild Italian sausage (or ground beef)
2 tbsp olive oil, divided
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced celery
3/4 cup chopped onion
1 large clove garlic, minced
3 (8 oz) cans tomato sauce
3-4 cups broth (I used vegetable, but beef or chicken would work too)
1 cup water
1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
3/4 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried marjoram
salt & pepper to taste
1 cup ditalini pasta, uncooked
1 (15 oz) can kidney beans, drained & rinsed
1 (15 oz) can great northern beans, drained & rinsed
Romano cheese, for serving

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in non-stick skillet and brown the sausage (or ground beef) over medium heat. Set aside.

Heat the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil in large pot and saute the carrots, celery and onion over medium heat for about 4 minutes. Add garlic and saute about another minute. Reduce heat to low, add tomato sauce, broth, diced tomatoes, sugar, basil, oregano, thyme, marjoram and cooked sausage. Season with salt & pepper. Cover and allow to simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally until vegetables are soft. Meanwhile prepare the ditalini pasta according to package directions; cooking to al dente.

Add cooked & drained pasta to the soup, along with the kidney beans and great northern beans. If soup is too thick, add an additional cup of broth. Allow to cook another 5 minutes. Serve warm with grated Romano cheese, if desired.

Enjoy!

* From www.cookingclassy.com

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

So I was looking in my freezer the other day and realized I have shredded zucchini from the summer of 2013 still in my freezer. I thought I better use it before it gets too freezer burnt, but what to make? I came across this recipe. Looked pretty easy to whip up, and it tastes good too!

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
3 eggs
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 cups sugar
1 tbsp vanilla
2 cups grated zucchini
1 1/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F. Line 2 9x5-inch loaf pans with parchment paper then grease the parchment paper with cooking spray.

In large bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, applesauce, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients just until combined (the batter will be very thick). Fold in the grated zucchini and chocolate chips.

Divide the batter between the two prepared pans and bake for 45 to 50 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove the loaves from the oven and allow them to cool for 20 minutes in the pans. Then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Enjoy!

*Adapted from http://www.justataste.com/

Chicken & Barley Soup

Okay, so it's been quite cold here. I guess since it's not even mid-January I shouldn't be surprised. Nonetheless, soup is always a good option on a cold winter day.

1 tsp olive oil

1 cup diced onion 

1 cup diced celery 

2 cups diced carrot

1 clove garlic 

1 large chicken breast, chopped into bite sized pieced

1/2 tsp oregano 

1/2 cup barley, rinsed

2 cups chicken broth

4 cups water

1/2 tsp black pepper

In a large stock pot, heat oil over medium heat. Cook onion, celery and carrots until onions are soft. About 10 minutes. 

Add garlic and chicken and cook until chicken is no longer pink inside. 

Add oregano, barely, stock and water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer for an hour. 

Season with black pepper and serve. 

* from http://www.heartandstroke.com/

Country Style Beef Stew

2-3 tbsp vegetable oil
2 lbs lean stewing beef
2 tsp salt
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1 can condensed beef broth
3 1/4 cups water, divided
4 medium carrots, sliced
2 medium potatoes, cubed
1/2 large onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 cup frozen corn kernals
1/4 cup cornstarch

In large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add beef and brown well on all sides. Add salt, pepper, bay leaf, and thyme, along with the condensed beef broth and 3 cups of water.

Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 1 1/2 hours. Add vegetables; simmer for about 30 minutes longer or until vegetables are tender. Combine cornstarch and 1/4 cup water; stir into stew and let simmer until thickened.

Homemade Salsa

Homemade salsa, one of the best ways to use all those delicious veggies that have been growing in the garden all summer. I put 2 jalapeno peppers in, including seeds, hoping for a bit of zip, but the jalapenos were pretty mild. So this version isn't very hot, but the flavour is still great. I think next summer I'll have to grow my own hot peppers.

8 cups chopped tomatoes, peeled (about 1 ice cream pail whole tomatoes)
2 chopped green peppers
2-3 jalapeno peppers (or more if you like it HOT)
1 cup chopped onion
1 tsp crushed garlic
a couple sprigs of parsley, chopped
2 tbsp salt
3 tbsp sugar
3/4 cup vinegar

Combine all ingredients in large pot. Bring to a boil and boil for 20 minutes. Add one small tin of tomato paste. Mix together 4 tbsp cornstarch with 4 tbsp water. Add to salsa and cook five minutes. Put into jars and steam 10 minutes.

I used the oven canning method for my salsa. To do this, put the empty clean jars in the oven for 8-10 minutes at 275F. To sterilize the lids, put in a pot of water, bring to a boil then reduce heat to low. I try to time this so my salsa is ready when the jars have been in the oven for about 10 minutes. Carefully remove the jars from the oven, place on a tea towel and fill with salsa. Using tongs, remove the lids from the hot water and screw onto jars (make sure the jar rims are clean or they won't seal). Then put the filled jars back in the oven for another 10 minutes. Remove to tea towel and wait for the pops of the lids sealing. :)

This recipe will make about 3 jars (large pasta sauce size jars).

Mom's Freezer Pizza Sauce

It's that time of year, tomato season! I love tomatoes and nothing compares to tomatoes fresh from the garden. After numerous toasted tomatoes sandwiches, I couldn't keep up so it was time to do something with them. This year I decided I'd try making my Mom's pizza sauce. She's made this sauce or a variation of it for as long as I can remember. It's  probably more of a tomato sauce than a pizza sauce as it tends to be fairly runny, but its packed with delicious ingredients and you can freeze it!

1 ice cream pail full of tomatoes, quartered (scald & peel if you like)
1-2 large onions, chopped
1-2 peppers, green or red chopped
4 large carrots, grated
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
Optional seasonings (see below)
Boil 1 1/2 hours and then either blend with an immersion blender or let cool slightly and blend in batches.

Then add
3 tbsp. sugar
2 tbsp. pickling salt
3/4 tbsp. pepper
Bring to a boil and pour into margarine tubs. Makes about 5-6 tubs full. Cool and  store these in the freezer.

Optional seasonings:
1/2 hot chili pepper shredded
or
1 tbsp. chili powder
1 tbsp. Italian seasoning
1/4 tbsp. oregano

Spicy Orange-Ginger Chicken

Here's a sort-of Chinese recipe with a bit of a kick to it, depending on how much hot sauce you add... Feel free to adapt. It was delicious and not very hard to make at all.

1 1/4 cups orange juice
2 tsp orange zest
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons fresh ginger, shredded
6 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tbsp olive oil, divided
1 tsp hot sauce
1 1/2 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp black pepper
4 medium chicken breasts, cut into 1/4 inch strips
1 tbsp corn starch
1 tbsp water
green onions or chives, sliced
sesame seeds

In a bowl, whisk together the orange juice, zest, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, 1 tablespoon olive oil, hot sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar and black pepper. Place cut up chicken in a large ziploc bag and pour in 1/3 of the marinade. Seal the bag and let marinade for 1 hour.

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Cook chicken (in 2 batches) in frying pan until lightly browned. Discard used marinade. Once chicken is cooked, remove from pan.

In the same frying pan add the reserved marinade and bring to a boil. In a small bowl, mix together the corn starch and water. Whisk into the marinade, making sure it doesn't clump. Let boil for a minute to thicken.

Return chicken to the pan and heat through. Serve over cooked rice. Garnish with green onions or chives and sesame seeds.

*Adapted from http://www.foolproofliving.com/spicy-orange-ginger-chicken/