Belgian Waffles

This has become mine and Jev's favorite Belgian waffle recipe. It doesn't use yeast like most other recipes I've found in my waffle book so it is quick and easy. And if you've been looking for a super awesome Belgian Waffle maker, I have the Waring Pro Double-Belgian Waffle Maker and I love it.

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 Tbsp sugar
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
3 tsp vanilla
3 eggs
1/2 tsp salt

Combine all ingredients in a blender for a minute or two.

Pour into waffle iron.

*When you put the eggs in a blender it makes them really puffy so your waffle iron may pop open like mine does. Just mix everything with a wisk instead if you don't want
this to happen.

Coconut Chicken w/ Apricot Sauce

 

{recipe and picture from Seeded at the Table}

1 egg
1 cup sweetened coconut flakes
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 boneless chicken breasts
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup apricot preserves
*2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

Preheat the oven to 400˚F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Lightly beat the egg in a medium bowl; set aside.  Mix the coconut, flour, garlic powder, salt and pepper in a shallow bowl.  Working with one chicken breast at a time, dip the chicken in the bowl with the beaten egg and then coat with the coconut mixture.  Place on the baking sheet.  Once all chicken breasts are coated and on the baking sheet, evenly drizzle with the melted butter.  Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, flipping once halfway.

To prepare the apricot sauce, mix the apricot preserves and the Dijon mustard in a small bowl.  Chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Freezer Friendly:  After baking the chicken, let cool completely then freeze in a freezer bag for up to 1 month.  To reheat, bake in a preheated oven at 400˚F for 20 minutes.

* I didn't have Dijon mustard {plus, my husband doesn't like it}, so I just used regular mustard.  

Smoothie

So I know a lot of you have smoothie recipes you love already but I thought I'd share one I like.  A friend shared it with me and I believe she got it from the book Eat to Live but I could be wrong.  Anyways here is the recipe.

2 cups spinach
1 banana frozen (Peel them, toss in ziplock, then freeze)
1 cup frozen fruit (I like 1/2 cup blueberries and 1/2 cup strawberries)
1/2 cup OJ
1/2 almond milk

Blend and enjoy! It's seriously like Jamba Juice good and my kids love it! I'd love to hear your favorite smoothie recipes so please share them :)

Tortellini Sausage Soup

This recipe is from melskitchencafe.com. I just love her recipes and her pictures are absolutely beautiful so of course I want to make something that looks delicious. We had this for dinner tonight and Jev loved it (which says a lot because he hates soup). I do have to confess though that I didn't have some of the ingredients. No zucchini, no apple cider, and only half the chicken broth so it pretty much was just a pasta dish because most of the water boiled off but it was still delicious.


Tortellini Sausage Soup

*Note: If zucchini isn’t in season, you could easily sub chopped spinach or frozen peas here. Also, if you absolutely can’t find apple cider, try apple juice and in a last ditch effort, leave it out (although it does add a delicious hint of unique flavor).

*Serves 4-6

INGREDIENTS:
3 links Italian sausage (the kind that is uncooked in casings – see note above)
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 onion, diced
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup apple cider
1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 cup chopped carrots
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 medium zucchini, grated (no need to peel)
2 tablespoons dried parsley
8-10 ounce package refrigerated or frozen cheese tortellini

DIRECTIONS:
Remove the casings by slicing down one side of the sausage and peeling the casing back from the sausage. In a large pot, cook the sausage over medium heat until it starts to brown, using a wooden spoon to crumble as it cooks. Add the chopped onion and garlic. Continue cooking until the onions are translucent and the sausage is cooked through. Drain any excess grease, if needed (alternately, if your sausage is extra lean, you may need to add a drizzle of olive oil to keep it from sticking).

Stir in the chicken broth, apple cider, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, carrots, oregano, and basil. Bring the soup to a simmer, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes. Stir in zucchini and parsley simmer for 10-12 minutes. Add the tortellini and cook until tender (usually only a couple of minutes, even when the packages call for 7-9 minutes cooking time, I only cook the tortellini for 4-5 minutes so it doesn’t fall apart). Serve immediately with freshly grated Parmesan, if desired.

Cheesy Broccoli Soup

This is a 5 star recipe from allrecipes.com, and an instant favorite for our family.

3 cups water
2 Tb chicken bouillon granules
2 bunches broccoli (or one bag frozen)
1/2 onion diced
2 cups milk
1/2 cup margarine
5 Tb all purpose flour
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese.

1. Bring water and chicken bouillon granules to a boil in a pot. Add broccoli and onion; cook at a boil until tender, 10-12 minutes.
2. Combine milk, margarine, flour, and cream cheese in a large pot over medium heat; cook and stir until the margarine melts and the mixture begins to thicken, about 5 minutes.
3. Stir Cheddar cheese into the milk mixture; cook and stir until the cheddar melts completely.
4. Pour the broccoli mixture into the cheese mixture in the large pot; stir well.

Original recipe can be found here. The only thing I did differently is I used butter instead of margarine, and about half as much called for.

Enchilada Sauce

This is Richie's Grandma's recipe for enchilada sauce (red).   It's the meal he requests the most.  He loves it!


oil in bottom of a sauce pan  (doesn't take a lot)

3 T. chili powder

3 T. flour (maybe a little more)

1-8 oz. can tomato sauce

1/2-1 can el pato (depending on how spicy you want it)

3 c. water

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. garlic salt

1 T. sugar

Heat oil. Add chili powder and flour to make a paste. Wisk in tomato sauce and add water. Add seasonings. Simmer for one hour.

Dip corn tortillas in hot oil to soften them. Fill them with a little bit of sauce, meat (usually do ground hamburger), and cheese. Roll and put into casserole dish (13x9 works great). Cover with remaining sauce and some cheese (and onions if you want. We hate onions but i like green onions and will garnish the top with them).

Bake at 375-400 until cheese is melted on top.

*Note: I use flour tortillas and skip the softening phase, and it turns out fine.

For all of you in Pittsburgh, there is only one place I could find the El Pato sauce there.  The super walmart by Mills Mall.
 s in the 
preheated oven, or until done.

Marshmallow Brownies

Recipe from: Six Sisters Stuff

1 c. margarine

2 c. sugar

1/3 c. cocoa

4 eggs

1 1/2 c. flour

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. vanilla

Soften margarine and blend in 2 cups sugar and cocoa.  Beat together and add 4 eggs, one at a time.  Add flour, salt and vanilla.

Spread on large (10x15x1 inch) greased cookie sheet.  Bake 25 minutes at 350.  Remove from oven and cover entire top with 1 package of miniature marshmallows.  Return to oven for 3 minutes, until soft and puffy.  Cool and frost with chocolate frosting.

Chocolate Frosting:

1 stick margarine (1/2 c.), softened
1/4 cup milk
1-2 tsp vanilla (depending on your taste)
3 tablespoons of cocoa
2-3 cups of powdered sugar

Mix all ingredients with a hand mixer until smooth.  Add more powdered sugar or milk until you reach desired consistency and spread on top of bars.