Nutella Banana Bread

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/4 cups mashed ripe banana
1/3 cup skim milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 heaping cup Nutella 
  
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 8×4-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda & salt.
3. In a separate large bowl, beat sugar and butter with an electric mixer at medium speed until blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add banana, milk and vanilla. Beat until blended.
4. Add flour mixture, beat at low speed just until flour is incorporated (don’t over mix).
5. Spoon Nutella into a small dish and soften in the microwave for about 15 seconds. Add 1 cup of the banana bread batter to the Nutella and stir until blended well. Spoon Nutella batter alternately with plain banana bread batter into the prepared pan. Swirl batters together with a knife.
5. Bake 50 to 60 minutes, it will seem a tiny bit undercooked but that’s what makes it good. Cool for at least 15 minutes in the pan, and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Recipe from sixsistersstuff.com

Mashed Cauliflower

- 1 medium head cauliflower, trimmed and cut into small florets (about 6 to 7 cups) 
- 1 to 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 
- Sea salt and ground black pepper to taste


Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add cauliflower and cook until very tender, about 10 minutes. Reserve 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid and then drain well and transfer cauliflower to a food processor. Add oil and reserved water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and puree until smooth. (Or, mash cauliflower with a potato masher). Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Recipe from wholefoodsmarket.com

Zucchini Squash

1 clove garlic, sliced
3 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
8 medium zucchini, unpeeled, thinly sliced
3/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
salt and pepper to taste
freshly grated Parmesan cheese for topping
chopped fresh parsley and/or chives for garnish (if desired)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. Brown garlic in oil and butter in large heavy skillet. Discard garlic and add zucchini slices. Add 3/4 cup cheese and basil and toss gently. Season with salt and pepper and transfer to lightly greased shallow baking dish. Sprinkle over with freshly grated cheese, cover, and bake at 350°F. for 10 minutes or until zucchini is tender but still crisp.

3. Garnish with parsley and chives and serve immediately.

Recipe from recipegirl.com

Cranberry Lemon Cake with Lemon Icing

For the Cake:

·         1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

·         1 tsp baking powder

·         1/4 tsp baking soda

·         1/2 tsp salt

·         1/4 cup sour cream

·         2 tbsp finely grated lemon zest (from 2 lemons)

·         1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon)

·         1 tsp vanilla

·         1 cup butter, softened

·         1 1/4 cup sugar

·         4 eggs, room temperature

·         1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan, or line with parchment paper. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk together sour cream, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla. Set this aside as well.

2. In the large bowl of a standing mixer, beat butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until fully incorporated.

3. Reduce mixer speed and alternatively beat in 1/3 of flour mixture, followed by 1/2 of sour cream mixture, and repeat, ending with the last 1/3 of the flour mixture. Be sure to pause the mixer occasionally to scrape down sides of the bowl. Use a spatula to gently fold in cranberries.

4. Spoon batter into prepared loaf pan and bake 55-60 minutes, until top springs back when lightly pressed or a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes in pan, then transfer to a cooling rack. Cool completely before icing.

For the Icing:

·         1/4 cup lemon juice (from 1 lemon)

·         1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted

1. Whisk together lemon juice and confectioners’ sugar until there are no lumps. Drizzle over cooled cake.

Recipe from foodess.com

Baked Chicken Parmesan

• 3 ounces baked whole-grain wheat crackers, such as Triscuits (about 12). Or use Italian Bread Crumbs.
• 1/3 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes (no salt added), with juice
• 1/2 medium onion (3 ounces), coarsely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped (2 teaspoons)
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 large egg whites
• 6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (6 ounces each)
• 3 ounces part-skim mozzarella cheese, grated (about 1 cup)
• 1 ounce pecorino Romano cheese, finely grated (about 1/2 cup)
• 
  

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Pulse crackers, parsley, oregano, and 1 teaspoon salt in a food processor until finely ground. Season with pepper, and transfer to a plate. Puree tomatoes with juice, onion, garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon salt with an immersion blender or in clean food processor until smooth.
2. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with oil. Lightly whisk egg whites, and transfer to a shallow dish. Dip each chicken breast half in whites to fully coat; let excess drip off. Dredge chicken in crumb mixture, lightly pressing, to coat both sides.
3. Transfer chicken to prepared baking dish, and flip once to coat in oil. Bake until crisp, about 10 minutes.
4. Pour tomato sauce over chicken, allowing some sauce underneath each piece. Top with cheeses, and bake until bubbling and top is lightly browned, 15 to 20 minutes.
   
   Recipe from wholeliving.com
   
   

Chocolate Covered Marshmallows

Ramekin Baked Spaghetti Squash

-1/2 pound ground turkey or chicken (optional)
-1 tablespoon olive oil
-1 large spaghetti squash
-1 egg
-2 cups good sauce (we use Roa’s)
-1 cup part skim ricotta cheese
-1 1/2 cups part skim shredded mozzarella cheese
-1 teaspoon fresh oregano
-5 fresh basil leaves, torn
-salt & fresh ground pepper
-4, 10 oz ramekins


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Poke the spaghetti squash 10 times and microwave for 10 to 12 minutes stopping every 3 to 4 minutes to turn. You’ll know it’s done when the skin starts to buckle. Remove and split open. While it’s cooling off heat a non-stick pan over medium high heat for 3 or 4 minutes. Add oil to the pan and blot the turkey meat dry before adding to the pan. Space the meat out in the pan and cook until it is just brown on both sides. As long as it is browned, it can be a little under cooked. It will cook the rest of the way in the oven. Set aside and begin scraping out your squash with a fork. Transfer scraped squash into a colander and let drain while you are prepping the rest of the ingredients. In a large bowl, mix together sauce, ricotta, egg, 1 cup of cheese, oregano, basil and salt & pepper to taste. Mix in the drained spaghetti squash until it’s all well combined. Place one scoop of squash mixture in each ramekin covering the bottom. Layer browned meat on top of squash mixture and then place another scoop of squash on top of the meat. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top of each and place on a cookie sheet. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly and squash looks set. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Recipe from cookingwithmykid.com