Chicken Lettuce Wraps

(Recipe courtesy of  Iowa Girl Eats)

Ingredients:
1lb ground chicken or turkey
1/2 medium onion, minced
salt & pepper, a dash of each
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 inch nob fresh ginger, peeled & minced
1 Tablespoon sesame oil
2 1/2 Tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 Tablespoon water
1 Tablespoon natural peanut butter
1/2 Tablespoon honey
1 Tablespoons + 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce (or more if you like it hotter)
dash of fresh pepper
3 green onions, chopped
1/2-8oz can sliced water chestnuts, drained & chopped
1/4 cup peanuts, chopped
10-12 large outer lettuce leaves, rinsed and patted dry

Directions:
 Heat a large, non-stick skillet on high. Add chicken, onion, salt & pepper, and cook until chicken is nearly done, stirring often to break up the meat. Add in minced garlic and ginger, and continue cooking until chicken is no longer pink.

In a microwave safe bowl, combine sesame oil, soy sauce, water, peanut butter, honey, rice vinegar, chili garlic sauce and pepper. Microwave for 20 seconds, then stir until smooth. Add into the skillet and stir to combine. Next add green onion and water chestnuts into the skillet then cook for 1-2 minutes until the onions are soft and the water chestnuts are heated through. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts, and serve with cold lettuce leaves

Raspberry Chicken Salad

Bag of Spinach leaves
Diced avocado
Raspberries
Sliced Pears
Feta Cheese
Crispy or Grilled Chicken

Assemble salad and pour dressing over right before serving


Raspberry Poppyseed Dressing
(Recipe courtesy of The Yummy Life)

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup grated/minced onion (half of a small onion)
• 1/2 cup raspberry vinegar
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup sugar, to taste
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1-1/2 teaspoons poppy seeds

In a blender or food processor. Mince the onion. Add vinegar, sugar, mustard, & salt to the blender or food processor and mix until combined. With the blender/food processor running, add the oils in a thin stream through the hole in the top. Blend until well mixed. Add poppy seeds and pulse just until mixed.

Raspberry Cheesecake Brownies

(Recipe courtesy of Chico's Kitchen)

 

 I drizzled raspberry sauce over these brownies and they were really yummy.

 

Ingredients:
1 cup flour, sifted
2 cups sugar, divided
7 oz butter, cut into pieces
7 oz  dark chocolate, chopped
5 oz  raspberries, fresh or frozen
14 oz  cream cheese, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
5 eggs, room temperature

 

For the brownie batter:

Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Butter a 8″x 12″ (20 x 30) baking tray. Line with baking paper.

Beat the softened butter with 1 cup of sugar until slightly fluffy. Add 3 eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Let cool slightly. Stir into the butter and sugar mixture. Add the sieved flour and carefully fold it in.

 

For the cheesecake batter:

Put the cream cheese in the bowl of your stand mixer. Add the 2 remaining eggs, 1 cup of sugar, and 1 tsp vanilla extract. Beat until it’s a smooth, creamy mixture.

Putting it all together:

Spread 2/3 of the chocolate mix on the bottom of your baking tray. Pour the cream cheese on top and spread it out evenly. Now drop little pieces of chocolate mix on top of the cream cheese. Lightly work it in with a fork—like you’re marbling a cake. Push the raspberries into the cream cheese.

Bake at 350°F (180ºC) for 40 to 45 minutes or until the cake feels set when gently touched in the center. Let the brownies cool off completely, preferably overnight, before cutting them in squares.

Microwave Raspberry Sauce

(Courtesy of The Yummy Life)

Ingredients

• 12 oz. (approx. 3 cups) fresh or frozen raspberries, divided
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (1 lemon should yield enough juice)

Directions

In 2 quart microwave-safe bowl, stir together 2 cups of the raspberries, brown sugar and lemon juice. (Don't use a smaller bowl or the mixture may overflow as it cooks.) Microwave uncovered at full power for 8 minutes total, stopping and stirring after 4 minutes. Remove from microwave and stir remaining raspberries into hot mixture just until combined. Cool at room temperature, uncovered, for 30 minutes; sauce will thicken some as it cools. Cover and store in refrigerator. Keeps for at least 1 week.

Serve over ice cream, cheesecake, angel food cake, pancakes, waffles or toast.

Bowtie Chicken Pasta Salad

1 package fresh spinach-chop up a little bit

1 package bowtie pasta-cooked and drained

3 tablespoons sesame seeds

3 chicken breasts shredded (boiled, and seasoned with lemon pepper)

1 cup sunflower seeds

Dressing

 

1 cup oil

1/2 cup sugar

1 minced garlic clove

1 teaspoon sesame seeds

4 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons vinegar

salt and pepper to season

 

Pour dressing on right before serving

Kneaders French Toast and Carmel Syrup

(Recipe courtesy of Our Family Treat)

Ingredients:

1-2 loaves of Kneaders Chunky Cinnamon Bread (cut into 8 slices)

(if you don't have a Kneader's by you, use any sort of cinnamon bread)

8 eggs

3 cups milk

1 tablespoon brown sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon vanilla

butter

Butter baking dish generously. Slice bread. Lay bread in the bottom of 9x13 pan. Whisk together eggs, milk, brown sugar, salt and vanilla.  Pour mixture over the top of the bread . Cut butter into pieces and place a piece over each slice of bread. Refrigerate for an hour. Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes.

*Bread was still soggy after cooking so next I would dip each piece of bread into mixture then place bread in pan.*

Kneader's Caramel Syrup

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup Karo syrup

1 cup heavy cream

Whisk ingredients together and heat on the stove until smooth.

Serve french toast with syrup, whipped cream and berries.

Stuffed French Toast Strata

1 loaf french or white bread, cubed

8 ounce package blueberry cream cheese
8 eggs
2 1/2 cups milk, cream, or half and half
6 tablespoons melted butter
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
Blueberries

Layer half of the bread cubes on the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Dollop cream cheese evenly and sprinkle berries. Layer the rest of the bread cubes on top

Mix together eggs, milk, butter, maple syrup, cinnamon, and vanilla. Pour mixture over bread - making sure all layers are moistened. Cover and refrigerate for 2-24 hours.

Bake at 325 degrees for 50-60 mins until cooked through and golden brown.

Let stand 10 mins. Serve with buttermilk syrup and whipped cream.

Make 6-8 servings

Blackberry Cobbler

*recipe courtesy of Pioneer Woman

1 stick Butter
1-¼ cup Sugar
1 cup Self-Rising Flour
1 cup Milk
2 cups Blackberries (frozen Or Fresh)

Melt butter in a microwavable dish. Pour 1 cup of sugar and flour into a mixing bowl, whisking in milk. Mix well. Then, pour in melted butter and whisk it all well together. Butter a baking dish.

Now rinse and pat dry the blackberries. Pour the batter into the buttered baking dish. Sprinkle blackberries over the top of the batter; distributing evenly. Sprinkle ¼ cup sugar over the top.

Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 1 hour, or until golden and bubbly. If you desire, sprinkle an additional teaspoon of sugar over the cobbler 10 minutes before it’s done.

Thai Peanut Noodle Salad

*recipe courtesy of Our Best Bites

Salad
8 oz Linguine Fini (or regular linguine)
4 C shredded greens: any combo of napa cabbage & romaine lettuce
2 C thinly sliced purple cabbage
1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 yellow pepper, thinly sliced
1 medium carrot, julienned
1/2 medium cucumber, halved and sliced
1/4 of a red onion, thinly sliced
3 C diced grilled chicken
honey roasted peanuts (about 1/2 cup)
Thai Peanut Salad Dressing *see below

Start by bringing a pot of water to a boil. Add a spoonful of salt and then add your pasta. While pasta is cooking, start chopping those veggies.

You can really use any mix of veggies you want.

As soon as your pasta is done drain it and run some cold water over it until it's cool. If you're not going to use it right away, add a drizzle of the salad dressing and stir to coat. This will prevent the noodles from getting all clumpy. Keep in the fridge until ready to use.

When you're ready to assemble the salad, place noodles, veggies, and chicken in a large bowl.

Pour the Thai Peanut Dressing over everything, stirring as you go until you have enough to coat.

Dressing
1/2 C peanut butter
1 lime, juiced and zested
2 1/2 t sesame oil
1 T seasoned rice wine vinegar
2 T soy sauce
3 T honey
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 T minced ginger
1/2 C roughly chopped cilantro (stems and all)
1/2 C vegetable oil
1/4 t kosher salt
2-3 t sriracha chili sauce
2-4 T water (thin to desired consistency)

Place everything in a blender and mix until smooth. Makes about 2 cups.

Orzo Shrimp Salad

I had this dish last summer when I visited my brother. I have been in love with it ever since! I am generally not a big pasta lover but, this dish is so light and delicious, I instantly fell in love with it. Plus, there is shrimp! How can you go wrong with shrimp!! This is truly a combination of some of my very favorite culinary flavors.

Ingredients

• Kosher salt
• Good olive oil
• 3/4 pound orzo pasta (rice-shaped pasta)
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (3 lemons)
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 pounds (16 to 18 count) shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 cup minced scallions, white and green parts
• 1 T dill weed
• 1 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 english cucumber, diced
• 1/2 cup small-diced red onion
• 3/4 pound good feta cheese, crumbled

• Directions

  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

  Fill a large pot with water, add 1 tablespoon of salt and a splash of oil, and bring the water to a boil. Add the orzo and simmer for 9 to 11 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it's cooked al dente. Drain and pour into a large bowl. Whisk together the lemon juice, 1/2 cup olive oil, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Pour over the hot pasta and stir well.

  Meanwhile, place the shrimp on a sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to combine and spread out in a single layer. Roast for 5 to 6 minutes, until the shrimp are cooked through. Don't overcook!

  Add the shrimp to the orzo and then add the scallions, dill, parsley, cucumber, onion, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Toss well. Add the feta and stir carefully. Set aside at room temperature for 1 hour to allow the flavors to blend, or refrigerate overnight. If refrigerated, taste again for seasonings and bring back to room temperature before serving.

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