Sweet & Spicy Pineapple Chicken

INGREDIENTS

• 2 pounds chicken breasts (3 large breasts) - frozen is fine
• 1/2 cup mild chunky salsa
• 2 tablespoons - 1/3 cup Franks Buffalo Hot WINGS sauce (NOT regular hot sauce)*
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1 20 oz. can pineapple chunks (drained)
• 1 15 oz. can black beans (rinsed & drained)
• 1 15 oz. can sweet corn (rinsed & drained)
• 1 4 oz. can diced green chillies
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 
  Garnishes (optional)
• Serve with tortillas, tortilla chips and/or rice
• sour cream
• cheese
• tomatoes
• avocados
• lettuce
• limes

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place the chicken in the slow cooker then add the rest of the ingredients. Start with 3 tablespoons hot wings sauce and add more at the end of cooking if you aren't sure how hot you want it.
2. Cook on low for 6-7 hours or on high 4-6 hours. When chicken can shred easily, remove to a cutting board and shred. Mix the chicken back in the crockpot and allow to cook 30 more minutes. Taste and add additional hot wings sauce, brown sugar salt, pepper if desired.**
3. Transfer chicken to a strainer and drain off any excess liquid.
4. Serve chicken over rice or in tortillas, on salad, etc. with desired garnishes.

NOTES

*Regular hot sauce will NOT work in this recipe as hot WINGS sauce is much spicer and creamier. If you are not sure how spicy want it, start with 3 tablespoons hot wings sauce and add more at the end of cooking time. SEE BELOW for a list of more recipes using Frank's Hot WINGS sauce.
**If you are using the total 1/3 cup hot sauce, you might want to add more brown sugar to taste at the end of cooking to balance out the heat

Roasted Head of Cauliflower

• 1 medium-sized head cauliflower
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
• kosher salt
• 2 Tbsp finely-grated Parmesan
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes

let's do it

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9" pie dish with cooking spray. Trim the leaves and stems from the underside of the cauliflower and cut the bottom stem even with the florets so that the cauliflower sits flat.
2. Stir together the olive oil and garlic. Begin by brushing the bottom side of the cauliflower with the garlic oil. Season the underside and up inside the cauliflower with salt. Turn the head over and brush the top liberally with the garlic oil. Season the head with salt and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes.
3. Place the cauliflower into the pie dish and bake for 50–60 minutes or until the center of the cauliflower is tender when pierced with a knife and the exterior is golden brown.
4. Slice into wedges and serve nice and hot. Enjoy!

Beef Stew

Ingredients

2 pounds beef stew meat, (cut into bite-sized pieces)
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp pepper
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 celery ribs, sliced
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
6oz can tomato paste
32oz beef broth
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 cups baby carrots carrots
4-5 small red potatoes,cut into bite-sized pieces (about 3 cups)
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon oregano
1 cups frozen peas
1 cup frozen corn
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup water

Directions:

1.  Combine beef, celery, carrots, red onion, potatoes, salt,  pepper, garlic, parsley, oregano, Worcestershire sauce, beef broth, and tomato paste in the crock pot. I used a 6 qt crockpot for this stew.  Cook on LOW for 10 hours or on HIGH for 6-7 hours.

2.  About 30 minutes before serving, mix the flour and the water together in a small dish and pour into the crockpot. Mix until well combined. This will add a nice thickness to the stew. Next add in your frozen peas and corn. Continue cooking covered for 30 minutes.

I left out the peas and corn.

Oatmeal Muffins

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• ¼ cup canola oil
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• ½ cup applesauce
• 1½ cups skim milk (or whatever milk you like)
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1 tbsp. ground cinnamon
• 3 cups old fashioned rolled oats
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• Optional: your favorite toppings (fruit, nuts, chocolate chips, etc.)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin tin with paper or paper/foil muffin liners.
2. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, oil, and brown sugar until sugar is dissolved. Add the applesauce, milk, vanilla, salt, and cinnamon. Whisk until well combined. Stir in the oats and baking powder.
3. Fill the muffin tin with ¼ cup of the oat mixture in each muffin cup. Add your favorite toppings. Push the toppings down into the oat mixture with a spoon.
4. Bake for 30 minutes. Let them cool for 5 minutes before eating. Store in an airtight container or freeze in a zip top storage bag.

Notes

Don't skip the muffin liners in this recipe

Lemon Greek Yogurt Cheesecake

Lemony Greek Yogurt Cheesecake Recipe

(serves 8-10)

Graham Cracker Crust (you can also use a store-bought crust):

1 ½ cups Graham Cracker crumbs (6-8 whole cookies)

¼ cup sugar

¼ cup melted butter (plus 1-2 tsp for preparing pan)

Preheat oven to 300. Break cookies and place in food processor. Pulse until ground into medium-fine crumbs (you can also make crumbs in blender or place crackers in a heavy duty plastic freezer bag and crush with a rolling pin.) Put into medium mixing bowl and stir in butter and sugar. Turn out into a buttered nine-inch springform pan and, using your fingers, press mixture into an even crust along the bottom. You can also use a buttered glass pie plate and form the crumbs into a traditional crust along the bottom and up the sides. Bake for 10-15 minutes until firm and dry. Remove from oven and set on a wire rack.

Lemon Greek Yogurt Filling:

4 eggs

¾ cup sugar

1 tbs. cornstarch

¼ tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 cups plain Greek Yogurt (whole or 2%)

1 tbs. fresh lemon juice

1 tsp. lemon zest

If you used a food processor to make the crust, just wipe it out with a dry paper towel and clean off the blade. Pulse eggs a few times to beat (or use an electric mixer). Pulse in sugar, cornstarch, salt, vanilla, and yogurt until light and slightly bubbly. Add lemon and lemon zest and pulse or beat briefly to incorporate. Pour mixture into prepared crust (its fine if the crust is still warm).

Place in center of oven. Start checking cheesecake after 50 minutes and then every 5-10 minutes after that. Shake pan gently, the filling should look creamy but firm at the edges but still be slightly jiggly in the center. It will firm up as it cools. Remove from oven and set on a wire rack and cool to room temperature. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours (or overnight) before serving.

Optional topping: 2 cups sliced strawberries, raspberries, blackberries or mixed berries tossed with one tablespoon sugar. Let mixture sit in the refrigerator for at least an hour so the berries get nice and juicy. Spoon topping over a slice of cheesecake before serving.

Cinnamon Banana Pancakes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup old-fashioned oats
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 ripe medium bananas, cut into chunks
• 3/4 cup milk (almond milk, skim milk, etc)
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (or more if you prefer)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

In a blender, add chunks of banana and milk. Puree for 30 seconds or until throughly blended and smooth. Next add oats, baking powder, and salt into the blender; blend again until batter is well-combined; about 1 minute. Set aside to thicken up. After a few minutes check the consistency of the pancake batter; it should be somewhat thick. If it appears too thick, add a tablespoon or two of milk and blend again.

Lightly coat a large nonstick skillet or griddle with vegan cooking spray or olive oil and heat over medium. Drop batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto skillet and gently spread out a bit with a spoon. Cook until bubbles appear on top, about 1-2 minutes. Gently flip cakes and cook until golden brown on underside, 1-2 minutes. Wipe skillet clean and repeat with more oil or cooking spray. Top with peanut butter, maple syrup, fruit, or chocolate chips.

Honey Mustard Chicken

Ingredients

• 1/4 to 1/3 cup smooth Dijon mustard
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup honey
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 2-3 pounds chicken thighs (or legs) - says to get skin-on but I think you could do skinless too
• Salt
• 2 sprigs rosemary (or a generous sprinkling of dried rosemary)
• Freshly ground black pepper

Method

1 Preheat the oven to 350°. In a medium bowl, whisk together the mustard, honey, and olive oil. Add a pinch of salt and taste. Add more salt and mustard until you get the flavor where you want it.

2 Salt the chicken lightly and lay the pieces skin-side up in a shallow casserole dish. Spoon the honey mustard sauce over the chicken. Place the rosemary sprigs in between the pieces of chicken.

3 Bake for 45 minutes, or until the thighs read 175° on a meat thermometer, or the juices run clear when the meat is pierced with a knife. Remove the casserole pan from the oven, use a spoon to spoon off any excess chicken fat that has rendered during the cooking.

Sprinkle some freshly ground black pepper over the chicken before you serve.

Smothered Pork Chops

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons onion powder
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 pork chops, 3/4-inch thick, bone-in
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup buttermilk
Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish
Directions
Put the flour in a shallow platter and add the onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne, salt, and pepper; mix with a fork to distribute evenly. Pat the pork chops dry with paper towels to remove any moisture and then dredge them in the seasoned flour; shaking off the excess.

Heat a large saute pan or cast iron skillet over medium heat and coat with the oil. When the oil is nice and hot, lay the pork chops in the pan in a single layer and fry for 3 minutes on each side until golden brown. Remove the pork chops from the pan and add a little sprinkle of seasoned flour to the pan drippings. Mix the flour into the fat to dissolve and then pour in the chicken broth in. Let the liquid cook down for 5 minutes to reduce and thicken slightly. Stir in the buttermilk to make a creamy gravy and return the pork chops to the pan, covering them with the sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes until the pork is cooked through. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with chopped parsley before serving.

Brussel Sprouts with Blue Cheese and Pancetta

Serves 4

1 lb Brussels sprouts, quartered

3 tablespoons olive oil

salt & pepper, to taste

½ cup pancetta, cubed

½ cup crumbled blue cheese (the saltier the better)

2 tablespoons chives, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Place the Brussels sprouts on a baking tray and drizzle with oil.
3. Season with salt and pepper and mix well.
4. Add pancetta and roast in the oven for about 5–6 minutes, or until the pancetta starts to crisp.
5. Place in a bowl and top with blue cheese and chives.
6. Give it a gentle toss and serve.

Brown Sugar Brie

Ingredients:

1 wheel of brie cheese
Raspberry jam
¼ cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon brown sugar
Pillsbury crescent dinner rolls

Directions:

1. Cut the rind off of the top of a large wheel of brie cheese. Refrigerate overnight.  (I DID NOT DO THIS!)

2. Preheat oven to 350°F.
3. Spread the uncovered top of the brie with raspberry jam.

4. On a stick free cookie sheet, lay out crescent roll dough.

5. Place the brie on top of the dough

6. Fold over the ends of the crescent roll dough so that it covers the top of the brie. Remove excess dough.

7. Drizzle with maple syrup and put brown sugar on top (as much as you want!)

8. Bake for 25-30 minutes and serve with apple slices and crackers!