Fruit and Granola Smoothies

1 container of your favorite yogurt ( I love greek yogurt but I find regular yogurt makes for a better smoothie)
1 cup of mixed frozen fruit such as blueberries strawberries bananas and mango
(when fruit is on sale I freeze it all together in baggies so I can just dump the bag right in)
1/2 cup ice
1/2 cup to 1 cup of orange juice
1/2 cup of granola

Combine all ingredients except granola in blender. Blend until smooth adding more juice if needed. Depending on how well your blender works you may have to sop a few times and mix it with a spoon.
Serve smoothie topped with granola

Chocolate Banana Faux Ice Cream

This is a quick recipe if you're one of those people like me, who buy bananas and then let them go bad before you eat them...I always just stick mine in the freezer for breads or pancakes but I wanted something different and a bit easier.

Ingredients
4 Frozen Bananas
1/4 cup milk
2 tbs of vanilla or plain yogurt
1/2 tbs cocoa powder
1 tbs hot chocolate mix
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 chocolate chips or a couple pieces of a chocolate bar

Mix all ingredients in blender until smooth. Freeze for about 2 to 3 hours then serve!

*Add peanut butter for an extra kick!

Pumpkin Cookies

Is it too early to be thinking about pumpkins and cider? Well with the temperature barely hitting 60 today I decided it would be fine. I made this recipe last fall and we couldn't keep our hands off them. This heavenly treat is almost a cross between cake and cookie. 


Ingredients

1 medium egg

             

2 cups flour

1 cup each of: Butter, Sugar, Pumpkin

1 teaspoon each of: Baking powder, Baking Soda, Cinnamon, Vanilla

½ teaspoon salt

Cream sugar and butter /Add pumpkin then egg and vanilla/Add dry ingredients

Bake @ 350F for about 10-12 minutes.

Cookies will be soft almost cake like. Can be topped with icing or confectioners sugar!

          

Buffalo Chicken Wrap

I have been craving some spicy style buffalo sauce and thought what's a better way to enjoy them other than just wings? So I decided to make a wrap. Served with all your favorite toppings such as, ranch, blue cheese some celery sticks and a ice cold beer this spicy wrap will surely fix any cravings. 

Ingredients-yields 4 servings

§  1 Package of chicken strips or boneless chicken breast that you cut into strips

§  ¼ cup canola oil

§  ¼ cup buttermilk or any milk

§  1 cup flour

§  1 teaspoon minced garlic

§  1 ½ teaspoon each of cayenne pepper, paprika, chili powder and pepper

§  1 cup + teaspoon of Franks RedHot Sauce

§  ¼ cup BBQ sauce

§  ¼ tbs butter

§  Tortillas

§  3 leafs of romaine lettuce

§  shredded cheese of choice or blue cheese

§  Ranch

Directions

Cut chicken in to desired strip size. Mine were about inch to inch and half long. Combine chicken, oil, ½ teaspoon each of the seasonings, garlic and a teaspoon of Franks RedHot.

Refrigerate for 15mins. After 15mins, drain a little of the oil and add buttermilk and refrigerate for another 15 mins.

In the meantime combine flour and rest of seasonings. Then add a little milk to the flour while stirring to create a lumpy but still loose mixture to coat the chicken in. Dredge the strips in the mixture.

Heat 1 inch of vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-low to medium You want it to be hot enough to sizzle and cook the chicken strips, careful not too hot or will burn.

Add chicken to oil a few at a time and cook for about 1 to 2 minutes on each side, looking for that golden brown color.

Carefully remove strips on to a paper towel lined plate. After all the chicken is fried, I like to get it extra crispy and keep it warm by placing it on a sheet pan in 275* oven.

Combine Franks RedHot Sauce, BBQ sauce and butter in a sauce pan. Simmer until combined and warm. Pour over cooked chicken strips. Fill tortilla with chicken strips, lettuce, cheese and ranch or any other toppings you like. Serve with celery sticks. 

The Pioneer Woman

I am so happy that the Pioneer Woman will now have a show on Food Network! Her blog is awesome and is more than just delicious recipes. Can't wait for the premiere this Saturday at 11:30...take a look at this sneak peek!

Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Tortellini Soup

Perfect for a rainy day this soup is an upgrade to your basic tomato soup! Can be made with or without the tortellini depending on how hearty you prefer your soup.

Ingredients-Yields 4-6 servings

1 red pepper roughly chopped

1 tomato roughly chopped

1 onion roughly chopped

1 tbs garlic

1 tbs basil

1 tsp crushed red pepper, salt, pepper

2 tbs olive oil

1 can diced tomatoes

¼ cup heavy cream

4 cups chicken or vegetable broth

10 oz of cheese tortellini

Directions

1.     Preheat oven to 375.  Combine first 7 ingredients in a baking dish and roast for 35minutes. After 35 minutes add the entire can of diced tomatoes and cook for an additional 25 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes and puree in blender. * if too hot blender lid will come off from the steam. If your blender has that small clear lid that comes off remove that and cover with paper towel to let some of the steam escape. Puree in batches if necessary.

2.     Add puree and 4 cups of chicken broth to a large soup pan. Simmer for 25 minutes. In the meantime boil water for tortellini. (I added the tortellini right to the soup last time and it absorbed too much of the liquid so I recommend cooking separately.)

3.     In the last 5 minutes of cooking add the heavy cream to finish off the soup. Spoon desired amount of tortellini into each bowl and pour soup over top. Garnish with fresh Parmesan cheese. 

Sesame Ginger Mahi Mahi

The marinade for this recipe is very similar to my Asian Pork Tenderloin recipe. The difference is mainly marinade time. Fish does not need to marinade nearly as long as a tough meat such as pork or beef. An hour would be plenty and the sauce is more of a glaze on the fish. Can be served with a mash potato, spinach, or any of your favorite Asian veggies.

Ingredients

1/4 Cup Soy Sauce

1/4 Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons Honey
2 Tablespoon Sesame Oil
1 to 2 Tablespoons fresh ginger (depending on how much you like)
1 Tablespoons garlic
2 Tablespoons green onion
1 shallot diced
pinch of crushed red pepper and regular pepper
4  Mahi Mahi filets


Mix all ingredients except fish together in bowl. Pour marinade over fish and refrigerate for 1 hour. After 1 hour remove fish from marinade and grill for 3 to 5 minutes on each side or bake in oven at 400 for 15-20 mins until fish is white and flaky. You can cook and reduce marinade if extra sauce is desired.