No-Bake Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

No-Bake Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

recipe from Two Peas and Their Pod 

 

Ingredients:

1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups quick oats
1 cup crispy rice cereal
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions:

1.      Line 8 inch square baking pan with parchment paper.

2.      In a large sauce pan, add butter, brown sugar, honey and peanut butter. Heat over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until the mixture starts to bubble. Cook 2 minutes, remove from heat, and stir in vanilla.

3.      Stir in the oats and crispy rice cereal. Stir until well coated. Pour into the prepared pan. Press the mixture firmly into the pan. Sprinkle the mini chocolate chips over the top and gently press into the granola bars with your hands.

4.      Cool bars completely before cutting (if desired, refrigerate at least 30 minutes to make cutting easier). Store at room temperature or in the fridge (they are chewier, but a little crumblier at room temperature, but that is how I like them best).

***You can substitute ½ cup chopped pretzels for ½ cup of the rice crispies for a sweet/salty combo—my favorite!

***If you like, you can omit the brown sugar and use a total of 1/3 cup honey instead.

Little Quinoa Patties

Little Quinoa Patties

adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

2 1/2 cups cooked quinoa, room temperature (I always cook my quinoa in chicken broth, with some sautéed onions, red bell peppers, and garlic. If you cook it in water, add a little extra salt to compensate)
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup finely shredded carrots
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 cup finely crushed saltine or Ritz crackers or bread crumbs, plus more if needed
extra-virgin olive oil

Combine all ingredients except olive oil.. Stir the mixture until combined. If the mixture seems overly wet, add a tablespoon or two more of cracker or bread crumbs. If it seems too dry, add a tablespoon or two of water or broth. Let it stand for about five minutes so the liquid can be somewhat absorbed. Take small handfuls of the mixture and form into little patties, about 1-inch thick, yielding about 11 or 12 patties.

In a large, nonstick skillet, heat a little olive oil over medium heat until it is hot. Add a single layer of patties (about half of them if you are using a 12-inch skillet) and cook until the bottoms are well-browned, about 5-7 minutes, adjusting the heat as necessary to prevent burning (or increase heat if the patties aren’t browning well). Flip the patties and cook about 5 minutes more until the second side is golden brown. Remove from the skillet and repeat with the remaining patties (adding a bit more olive oil, if needed). Serve warm or at room temperature, plain, with ranch dipping sauce, or on buns with ketchup and mustard as “burgers.”

Chicken Tikka Masala

Chicken Tikka Masala

adapted from allrecipes.com

1 cup plain yogurt

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1-2 teaspoons cayenne pepper (I used 1)

2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 tablespoon butter

1 clove garlic, minced

1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped (I seeded mine, leave the seeds in for more spice)

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon salt

1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce

1 cup heavy cream (I used half cream and half fat-free evaporated milk)

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1. In a large bowl, combine yogurt, lemon juice, 2 teaspoons cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, black pepper, ginger, and 4 teaspoons salt. Stir in chicken, cover, and refrigerate at least 1 hour (I marinade it overnight). When ready to eat, grill chicken until juices run clear, 7-9 minutes per side.

2. Melt butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic and jalapeno for 1 minute. Season with 2 teaspoons cumin, paprika, and 1 teaspoon salt. Stir in tomato sauce and cream. Simmer on low heat until sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. Cut grilled chicken into bite-size pieces, then add to sauce and simmer for 10 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter, and garnish with fresh cilantro. Serve over rice (I like jasmine or basmati rice)

Nutella Cream Pie

Nutella Cream Pie (see below for Nutella S'more Pie variation)

adapted from Food Network Magazine

1 prepared pie crust (regular pie crust or Oreo pie crust, both are delicious!)

2 cups milk

¼ cup sugar

¼ cup cornstarch

1/2 tsp. salt

4 large egg yolks

1 tsp. vanilla

4 oz. chopped bittersweet chocolate

3/4 cup nutella

1 cup whipping cream, whipped to soft peaks.

additional whipped cream and chocolate shavings for topping, if desired

Heat the milk in a large saucepan until hot but not boiling. Whisk the sugar, cornstarch and salt in a large bowl, then whisk in the egg yolks and vanilla. Whisk half of the hot milk into the egg mixture until smooth, then gradually whisk the egg mixture into the pan with the remaining milk. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture boils and thickens, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the chocolate and nutella until melted. Cool slightly, stirring to prevent a skin from forming. When slightly cooled, transfer to a bowl, press plastic wrap to surface of filling, and refrigerate until completely cool. Fold in whipped cream. Spread in crust and chill. Serve topped with whipped cream and chocolate shavings, if desired

 If you want to make this into a Nutella S'mores Pie instead, prepare in graham cracker crust and top with marshmallow topping (below).

Marshmallow Topping:

3 egg whites

1 tsp. cream of tartar

1 ¼ cups powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

 

Combine egg whites, cream of tartar, powdered sugar, and vanilla in large heatproof bowl set over simmering water. Beat with hand mixer until sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and beat until stiff. Spread over pie and toast with kitchen torch until golden. Refrigerate until ready to serve (best served immediately).