Blue Cheese Croutons

When I own an oven again, these are getting made SO HARD.

Chocolate Banana Smoothie

I never expected this to be as delicious as it was. MAKE IT.

Ingredients (serves 2 people)

• 1 peeled, frozen banana
• 3/4 cup light chocolate almond milk
• 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons fat-free Greek yogurt
• 1 tablespoon peanut butter (or a bit more if you like peanut butter a lot)
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 6-8 ice cubes

Instructions

1. Unpeel the banana and put it either a Ziplock baggie or container and freeze for 12 hours.
2. Put all the ingredients in a blender and puree until your desired consistency. 

I've been drinking these either late at night for a snack or when I'm in a hurry in the morning and can't make breakfast. My God, it's tasty. (Oh, and if you like that glass up top there, it's from Ikea and it was $2.50 and I love it. I bought two of them and one is my Q-tip holder in the washroom. Such great glasses.)

Overnight French Toast Bake

I just made this for Christmas morning and it tasted INCREDIBLE. And I'm not even a breakfast person. If you have any sort of special occasion coming up (or even if you don't), you really should make this. It feeds a bunch of people (maybe 5-10) so keep that in mind. 

Ingredients

1 loaf sourdough bread
8 eggs
2 cups milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons of vanilla

Topping:
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cold butter, cut into pieces

Instructions

NOTE: There are two separate things that need to be refrigerated overnight.

1. Cut up the loaf into cubes and place evenly in a greased 9x13 pan (or something similarly sized).

2. In a bowl, mix together the eggs, milk, heavy cream, sugar and vanilla. Pour evenly over bread.

3. Cover your pan with Saran Wrap and refrigerate overnight.

4. Mix together the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl.

5. Cut in butter with this mixture until crumbly and place in a Ziploc bag and refrigerate overnight as well.

6. In the morning, take the pan and Ziploc bag out of the fridge when ready to bake. Sprinkle crumbly mixture evenly over the bread.

7. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes to 1 hour depending on how soft you like it.

Original recipe from Lil Luna.

Slow Cooker Turkey Breast

Before I begin, let me just say that I will NEVER SHUT UP ABOUT HOW YOU NEED TO GET A SLOW COOKER. Okay? You should be aware of this already. Moving on.

Look, I know that I've already had my Thanksgiving (over a month ago). But who says that you can't celebrate another country's special days as well? WHO? 

So I decided to make the following recipe because:

• It's Thanksgiving
• I don't have an oven
• LOOK HOW GOOD IT LOOKS

Photo Credit: Butter with a side of Bread

This is technically the first kind of real (not ground) turkey I've ever cooked (and if you're side-eyeing me right now because I didn't get a "whole" bird to cook, you can f off) and it turned out ridiculously well. Who the hell knew it was so easy to cook a turkey? Why have sitcoms always made it seem so difficult? I must insist on you making this immediately, it was so crazy good.

Ingredients

• 1 turkey breast** {mine was bone-in and weighed a little under 3 lbs}
• 1 apple, sliced into rings
• 4 TBSP butter, cut into small cubes
• 2 tsp coarse salt
• 1 tsp chopped rosemary
• 1 tsp chopped thyme
• 1/2 tsp chopped sage
• 2 tsp onion powder

Instructions

1. Cover the bottom of your slow cooker in half of the apple rings in the slow cooker. Combine the seasonings in a small bowl. 
2. Rub the seasonings onto the turkey breast, making sure to get some underneath the skin. Dot the turkey with butter cubes (again, put some underneath the skin). Then place the turkey in the slow cooker and put some apple rings on top of the turkey.
3. There's no need to add any additional liquid, so don't fret.
4. Cook on LOW for 5-6 hours, until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F. {After 4 hours, check every half hour to make sure you don't over cook it - though I happen to think that overcooked turkey is waaaay more delicious than it's "properly" cooked, almost-wet counterpart.
5. **If your turkey breast is boneless, then you'll need to cook it for 3-4 hours on low. 
6. Let the turkey rest after cooking.

This recipe has been adapted slightly from Bread with a side of Butter. 

Asparagus & Chicken in Peanut Sauce

I will never be a fan of the combination of chicken and peanuts. Ever. I've never thought they tasted good together, I don't know why I feel that way but I'm certain that I can't change. I've been making this recipe a lot recently, though, because a certain someone has told me it's among the best things that have come out of our kitchen. 

Ingredients

• 1/2 of a small red onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil (or peanut oil, if you have it)
• 2 pounds boneless chicken breast, chopped into 1 inch pieces
• 1/2 cup natural peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons fresh grated ginger
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1/2 cup water, more if you like less chunky sauces
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 bunch of asparagus, chopped into 1 inch pieces, ends trimmed

Instructions

1. In a large skillet, cook the onion and garlic over medium heat for 1-2 minutes until softened.
2. Add chicken and cook until no longer pink.
3. In a blender, mix together peanut butter, soy sauce, honey, ginger, lime juice, 1/2 cup water, cumin and red pepper flakes until combined.
4. Add asparagus to the skillet and stir well. Cook for a few minutes until asparagus turn bright green.
5. Add the peanut mixture and mix well. Cook over low heat for 3-4 minutes until chicken and vegetables are thoroughly coated. Serve immediately over quinoa, rice, noodles or alongside some corn.

The recipe has been adapted slightly from Lauren Kelly Nutrition. 

Arugula, Pear and Goat Cheese Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette

I made this salad for Thanksgiving and IT IS INCREDIBLE. The next time you need to make a salad for a group of people, I aggressively encourage you to use this recipe. Other than the obnoxious pomegranate-cutting, it's ridiculously easy to make. 

For The Vinaigrette

• 1 large shallot, halved and thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepepr
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

For The Salad

• 4 cups arugula
• 2 ripe pears, cored and cut into 1/2" cubes
• 1/3 cup pomegranate seeds
• 3 ounces fresh goat cheese, crumbled
• 1/4 cup pistachios, toasted and coarsely chopped

Instructions

In a small bowl combine the shallot, vinegar, salt and pepper and whisk until the salt is dissolved. Whisk in the olive oil and let vinaigrette stand at room temperature until salad is assembled. Combine the arugula, romaine, pears and half of the pomegranate seeds in a large bowl. Crumble half of the goat cheese over the ingredients in the bowl (this works best if the cheese is very cold). Whisk the vinaigrette until uniform and add all but 2 tablespoons of it to the bowl. Gently toss the salad with your hands or salad tongs, coating the ingredients well with the vinaigrette. If the salad seems dry, add the vinaigrette in small increments until it is dressed to your liking. Crumble the remaining cheese over the salad and sprinkle the remaining pomegranate seeds and the pistachios over the top. Serve immediately.

Recipe slightly adapted from Food 52.

Slow Cooker Turkey Chili

This has been my go-to chili to make for the past year. I can't believe that I haven't posted it sooner, to be honest. Not only is it the easiest thing in the world to make, but it tastes crazy good.

Ingredients

• Cooking spray
• 1 pound lean ground turkey
•  1 (28 ounce) can of crushed tomatoes (and compare the different brands' sodium levels 'cause some of them are outrageous)
•  2 (15 ounce) cans low-sodium kidney beans, drained
•  1 (15 ounce) can low-sodium black beans, drained
•  1/2 medium onion, chopped
•  2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
•  1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
•  1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
•  1 pinch ground black pepper
•  1 pinch ground allspice
•  salt to taste

Instructions

1. Spray some cooking spray in a skillet over medium heat. Place the turkey in the skillet, and cook until evenly brown. Drain the fat from the pan as the turkey gets cooked.
2. Coat the inside of a slow cooker with cooking spray, and mix in turkey, crushed tomatoes, kidney beans, black beans and onion. Season with chili powder, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, cumin, black pepper, allspice and salt.
3. Cover, and cook 8 hours on Low or 4 hours on High.
4. When you serve it, you can top it with some non-fat Greek yogurt in place of sour cream if you're feeling fancy.

The original recipe can be found here, but my version is slightly adapted/better.

Grilled Chicken with Rosemary Aioli

I can't stop making this sandwich. The rosemary sauce tastes like nothing i've ever had before. (Quick tip: don't substitute the rosemary for tarragon, I tried that as an alternative one time and it was pretty gross.) MAKE THIS SANDWICH!

Ingredients

For the Chicken Club
½ pound boneless skinless chicken breast
4 slices of turkey bacon
4 slices whole wheat bread or sourdough (your choice)
Iceberg lettuce to cover two sandwiches
2 thick slices fresh tomato

For the Rosemary Aioli
1 semi-hard boiled egg (the original recipe calls for a coddled egg and I tried that and failed, but a semi-hard boiled egg tastes just as good)
1 large clove garlic crushed
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
Pinch of salt
Pinch of pepper
2 teaspoons lemon juice
4 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary
1/3 cup olive oil (or less depending on your love of olive oil)

Instructions

1. Cut the chicken into two equal portions and pound each out to about ¼ inch thick. Put it aside. 
2. Boil that one egg until it's semi-hard (if the water is already boiling, I put the egg in for 7-8 minutes then take it out and put it aside).
3. Cook bacon until crisp, drain on paper towels and set aside.
4. To prepare the aioli, place the egg, crushed garlic, mustard, salt, pepper, lemon juice and rosemary in a food processor and pulse to combine. With the machine running, slowly dribble in oil until the mixture resembles the consistency of mayonnaise. Use more or less oil as needed. But also, if you don't have a food processor, this can be done by hand and it's just as good (you just have to finely chop that garlic and rosemary).
5. Grill the chicken on both sides until cooked through. 
6. After you toast your bread, rub a piece of raw garlic against each piece of bread.
7. To assemble, place a piece of toast on your cutting board and smear with the aioli. Then lay a cooked chicken breast portion over the aioli and put the bacon, lettuce and tomato on top. Smear more aioli on the other piece of bread. If you can get the nice long rosemary stems, you can use them to skewer your sandwich, if not long tooth picks will work just fine.
8. If you have a slow cooker, you could also just cook the chicken in there on low for eight hours or high for four hours.

This recipe was adapted slightly from A Family Feast.

Asparagus & Cauliflower Soup

I've made it quite clear how much I love Chef John and I just tried this soup recipe of his recently that is insanely good and crazy easy to make. You can find the full recipe over here. (I omitted the flower garnish because, well, we don't care for garnish in our household. Also, I feel like you have to make a certain amount of money to be classified as a person who garnishes.)

Peanut Butter, Strawberry & Banana Quesadillas

I can't tell you how CRAZY GOOD THESE ARE.

I'm still not sure if this is an acceptable dish to be served at breakfast, but that's what I've been doing so you should, too. (Also, if you want to turn this into a dessert, then I suggest replacing the peanut butter with Nutella. Your mind will implode.)

Photo Credit: Ambitious Kitchen

Ingredients

Cooking spray

Natural creamy peanut butter

2 wholewheat tortillas

1 large ripe banana, sliced

3-4 strawberries, sliced

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions

1. Heat a medium skillet over medium high heat and spray the pan with cooking spray.
2. Spread a thin layer of peanut butter on one side of each tortilla.
3. Arrange both the banana and strawberry slices over one tortilla, sprinkle with a pinch of cinnamon, and top with the remaining tortilla, peanut butter side down. Press gently to help them stick together.
4. When the skillet is hot, add the quesadilla, flipping once or twice, until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Cut each quesadilla into quarters with a pizza slicer. Serves 1-2.

I adapted the recipe slightly, but you can find the original one here.