Curried Coconut Chicken

I'm really excited to share this recipe...If you love Indian food then this is a must try! This recipe has definitely been added to my top favorite recipes! Husband loved it too, which is always a plus. I ate the leftovers for lunch two days later and it might have tasted even better at that point because the sauce became thicker and the flavors had the chance to become even more blended. I feel like this dish is way better than take out and comes without the guilt of all the calories, as well!

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lbs. bonless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1/2 inch chuncks
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp curry powder
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 2 tsp garlic, minced
• 1 (14 oz.) can light coconut milk
• 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• Serve over spinach and a tad of rice

Directions:

Season chicken with salt and pepper.

Heat oil in pan and add in curry powder and cook for 2 minutes.

Add in onions and cook until they begin to soften.

Add in garlic, cook for 1 minute.

Add in chicken and stir to coat with curry mixture. Cook until chicken is cooked through.

Pour in coconut milk, tomatoes, sauce and sugar.

Simmer for 30-45 minutes

Serve over spinach and 1/4 cup of rice

Mud Hen Bars

My favorite dessert is by far chocolate chip cookies. I love chocolate chips cookies that are soft, chewy and oozing melted chocolate chips. When I came across this recipe on pinterest I knew I had to try it. These were amazingggg. I LOVED them. They are exactly the kind of dessert I crave. This dessert is a chocolate chip cookie bar with a brown sugar meringue... stop it! I made this for my church group because there was no way I was going to leave the whole tray at my house. I have willpower....but my willpower is only so strong when it comes to chocolate chip anything!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar, divided

1 large egg + 2 egg whites, divided

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°. Line an 9x9” pan with foil and spray with cooking spray.

Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir and set aside.

Cream butter, granulated sugar, and 1/2 cup brown sugar until combined. Turn mixer on low. Add 1 egg, mixing completely. Mix in vanilla extract. Add flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix until combined. Mix in 1 cup chocolate chips. Press into prepared pan. Chill dough until egg whites are ready.

Beat 2 egg whites with a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until stiff peaks form (about 3-5 minutes on speed “6” if using a stand mixer). Sprinkle 1 cup of brown sugar over the beaten egg whites, making sure there are no clumps. Fold in the brown sugar and spread evenly over the cookie layer.

Bake for 28-33 minutes or until the meringue is golden brown. If the top starts to brown too quickly, cover it with a layer of parchment paper. Let cool to at least room temperature before cutting. (Chill in the refrigerator for quicker cooling.) Peel away the foil carefully before cutting. **Be sure to spray your knife with cooking spray before cutting. After each cut wipe away excess and spray the knife again.**

Skinny Strawberry Muffins

I love anything strawberry and I wanted to make some kind of strawberry dessert, but didn't want to feel guilty about eating that dessert and thank goodness I stumbled on this recipe! I made these muffins and took them to my church group and all the girls loved them! They couldn't believe they were low-fat, low sugar and made with whole wheat flour. These are a definite keeper for dessert or a morning breakfast treat!

Ingredients:

• 1 and 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
• 1 egg white, beaten
• 2/3 cup diced strawberries
• 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray a muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.

In a large bowl, gently toss the flour, baking soda, and cinnamon. Set aside. In a separate bowl, mix the brown sugar, granulated sugar, and applesauce until together until no brown sugar lumps remain - a fork works well to break up the brown sugar here. Add the beaten egg white until fully incorporated. Add the wet ingredients to the dry until *just* combined - do not overmix. Fold in the strawberries and chocolate chips.

Divide the batter evenly between 10 muffin cups. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Muffins will be lightly golden in color and a toothpick inserted in the middle should come out clean. Mine took about 17 minutes. Allow muffins to cool and enjoy!

Muffins stay fresh in an airtight container at room temperature for 7 days. Muffins can be frozen.

Lemon Sugar Cookie Bars

Whenever I ask my husband what kind of dessert he wants me to make...I always get the same response - anything lemon! So, over the July 4th weekend, I ended up trying this Lemon Sugar Cookie bar recipe. It turned out great! This recipe makes a lot of bars and what didn't end up getting eaten during the day, I took to my sister-in-law's baby shower the next day and they ended up being a hit there, as well! This took a little time to make, but way worth it! These are not low-fat by any means...but they are lemony and delish and on special occasions... it's OK to splurge!

Ingredients:

For the bars:

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• Zest of 1 large lemon
• 3/4 cup butter, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the lemon cream cheese frosting:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 8 ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature
• Zest of 2 lemons
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 5 cups powdered sugar
• Colored sugar or sprinkles, optional ( I used red sprinkles b/c of the July 4th holiday)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a 9x13 pan (I use a glass Pyrex dish) with cooking spray and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine granulated sugar and lemon zest. Rub together with your fingers until fragrant.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter and and lemon sugar mixture together until combined. Slowly add the powdered sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add in the eggs, lemon juice, and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Slowly add the flour mixture and beat until just combined.

Evenly spread the cookie dough into the prepared pan with a spatula. Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until the bars are slightly set in the middle. You don't want the bars to brown. Remove from the oven and let the bars cool completely.

While the bars are cooling, make the lemon cream cheese frosting. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add the lemon zest and lemon juice. Slowly add the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time. Mix until smooth.

Frost the cooled cookie bars with lemon cream cheese frosting. Decorate with colored sugar or sprinkles, if desired. Cut the bars into squares and serve.

Crockpot Cauliflower Bolognese with Zoodles

So, it's clear to see I've been on a cauliflower kick lately...but honestly, this veggie is amazing to work with and can be used in so many recipes as a substitute for rice and meat. In this recipe I used it to replace turkey, which I would normally use. I try to eat vegetarian at least twice a week and this came out so good that my husband actually thought it was turkey and didn't believe me when I told him it was cauliflower. I also loveee to use my crockpot and spiralizer , so this recipe was a win, win! If you don't own a spiralizer , here is the link to the one I bought on amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Paderno-World-Cuisine-A4982799-Tri-Blade/dp/B0007Y9WHQ

The spiralizer is amazing! I have stopped using pasta all together now and have replaced pasta with zucchini noddles, carrot noodles or any other veggie I can get my hand on that I'm able to substitute... bye, bye unnecessary carbs!

Ingredients:

• For bolognese:
• 
  
• 1 head of cauliflower, cut up into florets
• 3/4 cup diced red onion
• 2 small garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tsp dried oregano flakes
• 1 tsp dried basil flakes
• 2 14oz cans diced tomatoes, no salt added
• 1/2 cup vegetable broth, low-sodium
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 
  
• For the pasta:
• 
  
• 5 large zucchinis, Blade A

Directions:

Place all of the ingredients for the bolognese into a crockpot. Place the crockpot on high and let cook for 3.5 hours.

When done, smash the cauliflower with a potato masher, fork or kitchen aid mixer until the florets break up to create a "bolognese."

Spoon the bolognese over bowls of zucchini noodles.

Cauliflower Fried Rice

I love fried rice...who doesn't, right? But... regular fried rice is full of grease and calories and when I work out so hard during the week...I don't want to eat all those extra calories when I can make this amazing cauliflower fried rice recipe and it tastes just as good! One change I made to the recipe below is that I used the stir-fry veggies from Trader Joes instead of the onion and frozen peas and carrots. I wanted more of a variety of veggies and the Trader Joe's stir-fry mix worked perfectly! 

Ingredients:

• 1 medium head (about 24 oz) cauliflower, rinsed
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 2 egg whites
• 1 large egg
• pinch of salt
• cooking spray
• 1/2 small onion, diced fine
• 1/2 cup frozen peas and carrots
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 5 scallions, diced, whites and greens separated
• 3 tbsp soy sauce, or more to taste

Directions:

Remove the core and let the cauliflower dry completely. Coarsely chop into florets, then place half of the cauliflower in a food processor and pulse until the cauliflower is small and has the texture of rice or couscous – don't over process or it will get mushy. Set aside and repeat with the remaining cauliflower.

Combine egg and egg whites in a small bowl and beat with a fork. Season with salt.

Heat a large saute pan or wok over medium heat and spray with oil. Add the eggs and cook, turning a few times until set; set aside.

Add the sesame oil and saute onions, scallion whites, peas and carrots (or stir-fry veggies) and garlic about 3 to 4 minutes, or until soft.

Raise the heat to medium-high. Add the cauliflower "rice" to the saute pan along with soy sauce. Mix, cover and cook approximately 5 to 6 minutes, stirring frequently, until the cauliflower is slightly crispy on the outside but tender on the inside. Add the egg then remove from heat and mix in scallion greens.