Lemon Chicken

Found a recipe on pinterest, my new obsession, and was inspired to make this chicken. Love love love it.

Ingredients:
2 tbsp. lemon zest
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
 3 cloves garlic, minced finely
2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
1 tsp fresh rosemary leaves, finely minced
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded thing
2-3 tbsp. melted butter

Directions:

Combine lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper in a large zipper-lock plastic bag.  Seal the bag and shake well to blend.  Place the chicken pieces in the bag with the marinade and let marinate for 2 hours.

Preheat oven too 350 degrees and cook for about 20 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink.

Chocolate Pumpkin Butter

I was inspired to make this butter from one of my favorite blogs, Oh She Glows. In light of fall, I thought it would be the perfect thing to make and have in the morning on top of toast. If you're a fan of pumpkin pie, you'll love this recipe. I serve it on top of blueberry toast. It would also taste great on top of some pancakes!

Ingredients:
1 (29 ounce) can pumpkin puree
3/4 cup apple juice
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 cup cocoa powder, sifted
3-4 tbsp maple syrup, to taste

Directions:
Combine pumpkin, apple juice, spices, and sugar in a large pot and stir well. Cover with lid and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Sift in cocoa powder and stir well. Cover with lid, keep ajar, and simmer for about 35 minutes, stirring often, until it is thick and looks like butter.

Remove from heat and stir in maple syrup.

Italian Stuffed Peppers

Simply delicious. Stuffed peppers usually take awhile to cook, but this version shortens the time by about 20 minutes. I made them with brown rice and ground turkey to make a lightened version of the usually high in calorie dish. I promise the flavor isn't compromised!

Ingredients:
2 bell peppers, cut in half, seeds removed (green or red)
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 lb ground turkey
1/2 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup cooked brown rice
1 1/2 cups marinara sauce
1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese
Dried oregano, thyme, marjoram, rosemary, parsley, salt, and pepper to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375.

Cut peppers in half and place in a baking dish. Pour hot water into dish so it covers 1/4 of the peppers. Cook for 20 minutes. (the water creats steam so the peppers remain soft)

While peppers are cooking, prepare stuffing. Cook rice according to package directions. Heat skillet over medium heat and add olive oil.

Saute garlic and onions until softened. Add ground turkey and spices and cook until turkey is done. Stir in rice and marinara sauce.

Remove peppers from oven and add stuffing. Top with cheese and bake for another 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and peppers are fork tender.

Serves 4.

Veggies and Brown Rice

As I was walking home from class last night, I kept thinking of what I could possibly make for dinner. I literally have no food in my house. I have some random veggies. No bread. A tiny bit of cheese. Random condiments. Nothing to make a sauce. It's actually kind of embarrassing. As I'm racking my brain of things I could possibly through together, I came up with this dish. I threw in the random ingredients that I have in my apartment and it turned out to be really good. This literally took me 7 minutes tops to make. (I forgot to take a picture... my bad)

Ingredients:
1 cup brown rice
1/2 cup frozen spinach
1/2 cup frozen broccoli
1/2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
dash garlic salt
1 tbsp ranch
1/4 cup grated mozzarella

Directions:
Cook rice according to package.

Heat olive oil over medium heat and cook onion and garlic until softened.

Cook spinach and broccoli according to package. (I just threw it in the microwave with some water for about a minute)

Add veggies, garlic salt, ranch, and mozzarella to rice. Stir until combined and cheese has melted.

DELISH

Thai Noodles with Spicy Peanut Sauce

If you think the Pad Thai noodles from Noodle's and Company are good, then you need to try this dish. I have no clue how on my first try I made an amazing Thai dish, but I did. And I'm ok with that.

It tastes a million times better than it looks, I swear.

Ingredients:
Noodles:
1 package of rice sticks (this is a super thin rice noodle. I found it in the international food isle) 2 tbsp sesame oil

Sauce:
2tbsp sesame oil
1/2 cup green onion, chopped
1 1/2 cup shredded carrot
2 cups frozen stir fry vegetables
1 cup frozen broccoli
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tbsp fresh minced ginger
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup GF soy sauce
3 tbsp rice vinegar
*1/2 tbsp chili-garlic sauce


Directions:
Cook rice sticks according to package directions. Mix in sesame oil and set aside.

Heat sesame oil in large saute pan over medium heat. Add green onions, carrots, stir-fry veggies, broccoli, garlic and ginger. Saute until vegetables soften, about 4 minutes. Add honey, peanut butter, soy sauce, vinegar and chili-garlic sauce and mix well. Simmer sauce 2 minutes. Pour over pasta and toss well. Serve warm and enjoy!

*This is a very mild dish. Add more chili-garlic sauce if you want it spicier.

Meat sauce & Spaghetti Squash

This is a simple, delicious, and relatively healthy dish to make. Way healthier than your traditional spaghetti and meat sauce recipe without compromising the flavor. Like I've said before, I love cooking with spaghetti squash. It has a slightly sweet taste which works perfectly with this recipe.

Ingredients:
1/2 lb ground turkey (or ground beef- I used turkey just because it's healthier)
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
1/4 green pepper, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
Dried oregano, thyme, marjoram, rosemary, parsley, salt, and pepper to taste (Fresh would be better but I'm on a budget and this combination worked out fine)
1/2 cup cottage cheese
2 cups GF pasta sauce (I used organic Ragu)
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese

Directions:
Cook spaghetti squash. (There are several ways to do this which have been mentioned in the entry called "It's almost like pasta..")

Heat oil in saute pan over medium heat. Add onions, pepper, and garlic. Cook until softened- about 4 minutes. Set aside.

Heat large saute pan over medium heat. If you are using ground turkey, you might have to add a little olive oil because there is a very small amount of fat content in the meat.( No need to add anything if you are cooking with ground beef- if you are, you will have to drain excess oil once beef has cooked.) Season meat with spices and cook until done.

Add onion and pepper mixture to meat then add in the marinara sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes. Combine mixture in bowl with cottage cheese and squash. Transfer to baking dish and top with cheese.

Put pan in oven and broil on High for about 5 minutes- keep an eye on it so it doesn't burn.

Hope you guys try this recipe! It's one of my favorites :)

Sometimes you just gotta treat yourself!

I was craving pizza last night and decided to give in. This pizza was the epitome of pure deliciousness. I want to eat it every day of my life. Enough said. That's kind of a lie. I need to find a recipe for a better crust because I find Udi's brand to be pretty dry. I haven't made one yet due to laziness and not wanting to spend the money for the ingredients. Maybe one day..  But still. This recipe is better than any pizza I've had in a restaurant so I'm still winning.

Ingredients:
1 gf pizza crust (I used Udi's)
1/4 cup tomato sauce
a whole lot of goat cheese
1/2 cup frozen spinach, dethawed and water removed
a few things of asparagus
1/4 yellow pepper, sliced thin

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cover pizza crust with sauce and add spinach. Top with goat cheese and arrange pepper and asparagus. Bake in over for 6 minutes. EAT.