Cinnamon Apple Oatmeal Cookies

These are AMAZING! Had to share. :)

Cinnamon Apple Oatmeal Cookies 

(joythebaker.com)

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/4 cup oats, old fashioned or quick cooking

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

scant 1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

generous pinch fresh grated nutmeg

3/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

1 medium apple, peeled, diced small (i used a granny smith apple)

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Place a rack in the center and upper third of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

Peel and dice the apple and toss with lemon juice.  Set aside.

Beat the sugar and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fit with a paddle attachment.  Beat until creamy, about 3 to 4 minutes.  Add egg one,  beating for 1 minute..  Add the vanilla extract and beat until blended.

Whisk together the oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt.  Add to the butter and egg mixture slowly beating on low speed until just incorporated.  Stir in the walnuts and apple chunks last.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 10 to 13 minutes or until they’ve reached your desired doneness.  I like mine a little underdone and cook them for 10 minutes.  Allow to cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.  Or you could just eat them warm.  That’s probably the best idea.  Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Pita Pocket Bread & Chips

Elias just tried this recipe for the first time today and it was delicious!! Pretty simple too...


Pita Pocket Bread

• 1 tsp. active dry yeast
• 1/2 c. warm water
• 1 1/4 c. flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Add flour and salt, and stir to make a soft dough. Knead well, adding a little flour if needed. Place in greased bowl. Cover and let rise 15 minutes. Divide dough into 4 balls. Cover and let rise 10 minutes. Flatten each ball and use rolling pin to roll into a thin circle (about 1/4 inch thick). Place on greased baking sheet. Bake @ 500 for 4-6 minutes until puffed and lightly browned.

Perfect Pita Chips

• 2 T. olive oil
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. garlic salt
• 1 tsp. Italian seasoning 

After you bake the above bread, brush one side of each piece pita pocket with olive oil. Sprinkle salt, garlic salt, and Italian seasoning over the pita pockets. Cut each pocket into 4 even triangles. 
Bake @ 350 until the triangles turn a light brown color, 15 to 20 minutes.

**Goes great with hummus!!

Turkey Burgers

1 lb. of ground turkey meat
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup of fresh parsley (or whatever fresh herbs you like. I liked cilantro)
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
cheese

Mix ingredients together and form 4-6 patties. Grill on medium heat for 7 minutes on each side. 2 minutes before burgers are done place cheese on each patty.

 *really yummy on pretzel buns.

Famous Porkchops

Ingredients

Original recipe makes 4 servings

• 1 cup crushed butter crackers
• garlic salt to taste
• ground black pepper to taste

• 3 eggs, beaten
• 4 pork chops
• 1/2 cup butter

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. In a shallow bowl combine crushed crackers, garlic salt and pepper; mix well. In a separate bowl beat eggs.
3. Dip your pork chops in the egg batter and then in the cracker mixture. Place the pork chops in a casserole dish. Place chunks of the butter around the pork chops. Cover and bake for 45 minutes. Take the foil off the last 15 minutes.

• PREP15 mins
• COOK45 mins
• READY IN1 hr
  
  

Bruschetta Chicken

1/2 cup flour
2 eggs, beaten
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup crushed garlic croutons
1 tablespoon butter, melted
2 large tomatoes
3 tablespoons minced fresh basil
2 garlic cloves, minced (appox. 1 teaspoon)
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease 9x13 baking dish. Place flour & beaten eggs in separate shallow bowls. Dip chicken into flour, then into eggs. Place into baking dish. Combine parmesan cheese, crushed croutons, & melted butter then sprinkle on chicken. Loosely cover with foil. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until top is browned and chicken is cooked through. Chop tomatoes and combine with last ingredients. Spoon mixture over chicken, and return to oven for 5-7 minutes or until tomato mixture is heated through.

*note: bruschetta (tomatoes, garlic, basil, olive oil) can also be made in blender.

Lemon Orzo Salad with Asparagus and Tomatoes

12 oz. orzo
1 bunch fresh asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
1 lemon, zested and juiced
4 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbs. fresh parsley, minced
Kosher salt
Fresh ground pepper
Grated Parmigiano Reggiano*

Bring 2 large pots of water to boil.  Add a big pinch of salt in each.

To one pot, add asparagus and blanch, about 2 to 3 minutes, depending on the thickness of your asparagus.  Place blanched asparagus in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking and keep them green.

To the second pot, add the orzo.  Cook per package instructions.  When tender, drain and place in a large bowl.  Add blanched asparagus and tomato halves.

Mix olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper in a small bowl.  Stir into orzo and vegetables.  Stir in parsley and grated Parmigiano Reggiano.

This can be served warm, room temperature or cold.

Blackened Chicken and Cilantro Lime Quinoa

 

Print

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

30 mins

 

Author: Sarcastic Cooking

Recipe type: Entree

Serves: 2-4

Ingredients

• 2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
• ½ Teaspoon of Paprika
• ¼ Teaspoon of Salt
• ¼ Teaspoon of Pepper
• ¼ Teaspoon of Cayenne Pepper
• ¼ Teaspoon of Onion Powder
• ¼ Teaspoon of Cumin
• 1 Teaspoon of Olive Oil
• 2 Cups of Low Sodium Chicken Stock
• 1 Cup of Quinoa
• Juice and Zest from One Lime
• A Dash of Salt and Pepper
• 2 Tablespoons of Cilantro, chopped

Instructions

1. Combine all the dry seasonings in a small bowl. Mix them together and then season both sides of each chicken breast.
2. Add the teaspoon of olive oil to a large pan or skillet. Heat the olive oil for a minute over medium/high heat. Add the chicken breasts to the pan. Cook for seven minutes on each side with the lid on.
3. Add the chicken stock and quinoa to a medium sauce pan. Bring to a simmer over medium/low heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for ten to fifteen minutes with the lid on, until all the stock has been absorbed.
4. After the chicken breasts have cooked all the way through, remove them from the pan and let them rest for seven minutes before slicing them.
5. Add the warm quinoa to a large bowl. Toss in the lime zest, lime juice, salt and pepper, and chopped cilantro. Mix to combine.
6. Serve the sliced chicken breast on top of the quinoa. If you find the blackened seasoning too spicy, you can add a quick and easy avocado cream sauce to cool it down.
7. Just place the flesh from an avocado along with two tablespoons of Greek yogurt in a food processor and puree until smooth.

Crunchy Black Beans Tacos

Makes 8 tacos (serves 4).Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:
2 C. black beans, cooked
½ C. red onion, minced
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. paprika
2 Tbsp. cilantro, chopped
4-6 ounces pepper jack cheese, grated
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 avocado, sliced
Pinch of salt and pepper
8 corn tortillas
Hot sauce
Salsa
Sour cream

*i added a little garlic*

Directions:
1) In a medium bowl, add beans along with red onion, cilantro, and spices. Add a pinch of salt and lightly mash all of the ingredients together. Grate your cheese and have it ready as well.

2) In a large, non-stick skillet or cast iron skillet, add a few tablespoons of oil and heat over medium-high heat.

3) Add one corn tortilla at a time and let each get hot in the oil for a few seconds. Then add about 1?4 cup of the bean filling to one half of the tortilla. Top with a sprinkle of grated cheese.

4) Using a spatula, carefully fold the tortilla over so it forms a shell. Press down lightly on the tortilla so it holds its shape.

5) As the first tortilla cooks, move it to the side and do a second one. Depending on the size of your pan, you should be able to get 2 or 3 tacos at once. If you have a griddle you can do even more at once.

6) Cook each taco for about 3 minutes per side until they are nicely browned and crispy.

7) When flipping the taco to cook on the other side, use a spatula and flip the taco toward the fold so the filling doesn’t fall out.

8) Serve tacos with toppings like hot sauce, salsa, avocados, and sour cream.

Note: Corn tortillas are resilent to heat. Don’t worry about burning them. They are very flexible. Just be sure to cook them on each side long enough to get them really crispy.