French toast muffin cups

French Toast Muffin Cups

• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 5 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 6 cups cubed bread I used croissants. White, challah or brioche would also work
• powdered sugar for serving if desired
• maple syrup for serving if desired

Streusel Topping

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter cold
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• pinch of salt

INSTRUCTIONS

French Toast Muffin Cups

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a regular sized muffin tin with non stick cooking spray, set aside.

2. In a large bowl combine the milk, sugar, eggs, vanilla and cinnamon.

3. Gently toss in the cubed bread.
4. Divide the mixture between the 12 muffin cups. There should be about 1/3 cup in each cavity.

5. Prepare the streusel topping and sprinkle on top of the muffins. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before removing.

6. Serve immediately with maple syrup and powdered sugar if desired.

Streusel Topping

1. Add butter, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt to a food processor. Pulse for a few seconds till the mixture begins to crumble. Alternately you can use a pastry blender or your fingers to combine the mixture. Sprinkle mixture on muffins.

Coconut chicken and lentil curry

 

Ingredients

For the curry paste

• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tbs of freshly grated ginger
• 2 green chillies, deseeded and chopped​
• 1 teaspoon of chili powder
• 2 teaspoons of ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons of ground coriander
• 1.5 teaspoons of turmeric
• 2 tablespoons of tomato paste
• 1/2 cup of water

For the curry

• 1 cup (190g) of dried green lentils, rinsed
• 3 cups (720ml)of water
• 1 tsp of salt
• 2 cups (250g) of diced cooked chicken (breast)
• 1 cup (240ml) of coconut milk
• cooking oil spray (I use avocado)
• fresh coriander​

Instructions

1. Spray a deep frying pan or saucepan over a medium high heat with cooking oil spray.
2. Add the onion and fry for a couple of minutes to soften, add in a little splash of water to prevent from burning (if needed)
3. Add in the garlic, ginger, chillies, chili powder, cumin, coriander and turmeric and continue to fry for about a minute
4. Add the paste to a mini food processor with the tomato paste (puree) and half a cup of water and blend to a paste.
5. Add the paste back to the pan with the lentils and 3 cups of water, salt and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes until lentils are tender, stir a few times through cooking to prevent any sticking to the bottom (if you prefer a softer lentil you can cook for a little longer (note: you may need some more water, if it is all absorbed).
6. Once lentils are cooked, add in the two cups of cooked chicken and cup of coconut milk and continue to simmer until chicken is heated through and curry is creamy.
7. Taste and season with salt and black pepper as needed.

 

Ingredients

• 1 lb. 90% lean ground beef
• 1 cup dried bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup diced yellow onion
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 large egg beaten
• 2 tbsp. ketchup
• 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp. dried parsley leaves
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
• For the glaze:
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 2 tbsp. packed light brown sugar
• 1 tbsp. red wine vinegar
• Garlic and onion powder
• Dijon mustard
• Worcestershire sauce

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
• In a large bowl, add the beef, bread crumbs, onion, milk, egg, 2 tablespoons ketchup, worcestershire sauce, parsley, salt, garlic powder, and pepper. Use your hands to mush and mix these ingredients together until well combined.*
• Add the meat mixture to a loaf pan. Pat the meat down into an even layer.
• In a small bowl, add all glaze ingredients. Stir to combine. Pour the glaze on top of the meatloaf and spread it into an even layer.
• Bake uncovered for 55 minutes.
• Let the meatloaf rest for 8-10 minutes before serving (or it may fall apart).**

Instant pot lentil soup

 

Ingredients  

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion small diced
• 4 medium carrots
• 3 stalks celery
• 4 springs fresh thyme
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups French green lentils
• 4 cloves garlic minced (about 4 teaspoons)
• 1 can fire-roasted diced tomatoes (15 ounces)
• 1 can crushed tomatoes (15 ounces)
• 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
• Chopped fresh parsley for serving
• Optional: add ground sausage

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Instructions

 

• Drizzle the oil into the Instant Pot. Set to SAUTE. Once the oil is hot, add the onion and stir. Continue to cook the onion, stirring often, until the onions are very soft and beginning to nicely brown and break down, about 8 minutes.
• While the onion cooks, peel the carrots and cut into small dice. Small dice the celery as well. Add the carrots, celery, thyme springs (you can tie them together if you like to make them easier to fish out later), salt, smoked paprika, and pepper. Sauté until the carrots and celery are barely soft, about 2 minutes.
• Add the lentils and garlic to the pot and stir to coat them in the spices. Let cook 30 seconds, until the garlic is fragrant. Add the diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, and vegetable broth.
• Cover and seal the Instant Pot, and then set to cook on HIGH pressure for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes of high pressure, allow the cooker to release pressure naturally. This will take about 10 to 15 additional minutes.
• Open the lid and stir the soup. Remove the thyme stems, leaving the leaves in the soup. If the soup is too thick for your liking, thin with a bit of water or additional stock until you reach your desired consistency. (We tend to like our soups pretty thick and hearty around here.) Taste and adjust the seasonings as desired.
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Lasagna

 

Ingredients

• 1 pounds lean ground beef
• 1 teaspoons dried basil leaves
• 1 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoons Kosher salt
• 0.25 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 3 cups marinara sauce
• 0.13 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 0.5 box lasagna noodles, ready for oven version
• 8 ounces ricotta cheese
• 0.5 egg
• 0.25 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 0.25 pound mozzarella cheese , sliced or shredded
• 0.5 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

2. In a large pot, brown the beef in one large piece until it is browned on the bottom, 2-3 minutes, breaking apart the beef into slightly larger chunks.

3. Cook until the beef is browned and add in the basil, oregano, 2 teaspoons Kosher salt, and crushed red pepper flakes

4. Drain the fat and add in the marinara sauce.
5. In your ricotta container add the egg and 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt and mix well.
6. Add your no boil noodles to the meat sauce (we are not looking to cook them, just coat them in the sauce to ensure they don't get dry in the oven).
7. Put 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking pan 
8. Add the dried no boil noodles in an even layer, 
9. Add cheese, another 1 1/2 cups of the meat sauce, and ricotta in spoonfuls dotting across the pan.
10. Repeat with the same noodle/cheese/meat sauce process.

11. Finally, add a top layer of lasagna noodles and cover with remaining Parmesan and mozzarella. Cover with foil.

12. Bake for 40 minutes, then remove foil and bake for an additional ten minutes to brown the cheese.

13. Let cool for 20-25 minutes before serving.

14. Garnish with parsley.

Lettuce Wraps

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound ground chicken
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 onion, diced
• 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
• 1 tablespoon Sriracha, optional
• 1 (8-ounce) can whole water chestnuts, drained and diced
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 head butter lettuce

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium high heat. Add ground chicken and cook until browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the chicken as it cooks; drain excess fat.
2. Stir in garlic, onion, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ginger and Sriracha until onions have become translucent, about 1-2 minutes.
3. Stir in chestnuts and green onions until tender, about 1-2 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
4. To serve, spoon several tablespoons of the chicken mixture into the center of a lettuce leaf, taco-style.

 

Spinach Mushroom Pasta Skillet

Ingredients:

• 14 oz (400g) farfalle pasta
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 14 oz (400 g)  mushrooms, sliced
• Chicken, in 1 inch cubes
• 10 oz (300g) fresh spinach
• 1/2 cup (125ml) low-sodium vegetable broth
• Fresh cracked pepper, to taste
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
• 1 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes, optional

DIRECTIONS

1. Cook the pasta in salted water until al dente, according to the package instructions.  Season and cook chicken in a skillet.  Then remove chicken

2. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in skillet. Add the mushrooms and sauté for about 3 minutes until lightly browned.

3. Add the chopped garlic and cook for about 30 seconds longer. Then deglaze with a bit of vegetable broth. Reduce the heat and cook for about 1-2 minutes longer. Remove mushrooms to a plate and set aside.

4. In the same skillet, add the spinach and cook for 2 minutes until wilted. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

5. Once the pasta is ready, pour off the cooking water. Push spinach on the side in the skillet and add mushroom back, then put drained pasta in the pan and toss to combine. Add Italian seasoning and give a quick stir. Add chicken back in.

Sausage and spinach frittata

Ingredients

• 5 eggs
• 2 sausage links  chopped
• 1 cup spinach chopped
• ½ cup onion chopped
• ½ cup red bell pepper chopped
• 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• ½ cup cheddar cheese
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• ½ tsp cayenne pepper
• ½ tsp thyme
• dash of salt and black pepper 

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 F.
• Chop onions, red bell pepper, spinach, and sausage.
• Pour in olive oil in a skillet on medium heat.
• When heated add onions.
• After about a minute, add the red bell pepper and sausage and stir.
• Add in a pinch of salt and black pepper and stir and let it cook for about 5 minutes.
• While waiting, break 5 eggs in a bowl.
• Pour in the heavy whipping cream, cheese (OPTIONAL!) and add salt, thyme, cayenne pepper, and black pepper.
• Whisk thoroughly and set aside.
• Pour the chopped spinach into the skillet with the other veggies and stir for a minute just until it begins to wilt.
• Pour in the egg mixture and give a big stir, making sure everything is well incorporated and spread out.
• Let cook for a minute just until the outer edges begin to turn yellow.
• Carefully transfer the skillet to the lower or middle rack of your oven and set a timer for 7 minutes.
• After about 7 minutes, check if it’s done. It will be mostly set with the top just a bit jiggly.
• If not done, leave for 2 more minutes.
• Bring it out and let sit for 5 more minutes. The residual heat will still continue to cook it from the inside.
• Serve and enjoy!