Kale Chips

Ingredients

• 1 head kale, washed and thoroughly dried
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Sea salt or Season Salt (I like Tony's Cajun Seasoning), for sprinkling 

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.
2. Remove the ribs from the kale and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces. Toss in a bowl with olive oil and salt. Lay on a baking sheet and do not layer kale pieces. Bake until crisp, turning the leaves halfway through, about 20 minutes.

Homemade Low-Sugar Energy Bars

These were kind of an experiment when I was dying without sugar and really wanted a dessert.  Don't think of them as a dessert and you'll likely like them.  They are similar to a cliff bar, but definitely better tasting.

Ingredients:
-2 cups oats (regular, not instant although instant would probably suffice if you're willing to sacrifice nutrition.
-1 cup natural peanut butter
-2/3 cup no-sugar added applesauce (I used an actual apple, cored and ground up in a food processor)
-2 eggs
-1 tablespoon vanilla
-1 tablespoon cinnamon
-semi-sweet chocolate chips (use sparingly, can omit)

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients minus the chocolate chips and the oats until well blended stir in oats and chips.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and pile on the mixture.  Spray a spoon with non-stick spray or coat with olive oil. Use the spoon to spread the mixture on the cookie sheet.  Re-apply non-stick spray/olive oil as necessary. The mixture should be about 1/2 - 3/4 inch thick. Don't worry about making the mixture reach the edge of the sheet. Bake the mixture for about 10 minutes or until top feels slightly crusty and not sticky.  Cool for 5 minutes then cut into bars.

Buffalo Chicken Wraps

I'm on a training diet these days and finding good, flavorful, nutritious food that won't make me miss the old stuff is getting harder and harder to find.  This recipe is something I would eat whether I was on a diet or not and it's so easy!

Ingredients:

• Green Leaf whole lettuce leaves, washed.
• 1/2 chopped, uncooked chicken.
• 2-3 Tablespoons of olive oil
• Crumbled blue cheese
• 1-2 sliced avocados
• 1 diced tomato
• Buffalo sauce (mix together ingredients below)
• 1/2 cup hot pepper sauce (such as Frank's RedHot)
• 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon red wine vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• Salt to taste (I usually use just a small sprinkle)

Directions:
Lightly coat the bottom of a skillet pan with olive oil and heat over medium-high heat.  Sauté chicken in oil until cooked through and browned on both sides. Once chicken is cooked, stir buffalo sauce into chicken and remove from heat.  Use one leaf of lettuce per wrap.  Top with chicken, tomatoes, avocados, and blue cheese.  Fold and serve. Makes about 4 servings (two lettuce wraps per serving).

One Sweet Slice Chocolate Cupcakes

Daniel and I first came across One Sweet Slice at a bridal show when we were engaged.  We fell in love with their black and white cupcakes and decided to have a black and white wedding case because of it.  We've tried a couple of times to make a cake like the one we tasted at One Sweet Slice, but with no luck.  Today, however, I struck gold when I found that they posted their recipe for chocolate cupcakes on Facebook.  Here it is:

Ingredients:
1 cup granulated sugar
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
¾ teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 egg
½ cup sour cream
¼ cup oil
1 tablespoon real vanilla extract
½ cup boiling water.

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners.
In a large heatproof mixing bowl, whisk together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the egg, sour cream, oil and the vanilla. Mix with a wooden spoon or silicon spatula (which I prefer) just until smooth and combined. Pour in the boiling water, and slowly mix starting from the center working your way out (this makes it easier to mix without the splattering.). The batter will be liquidy, but fear not, this is normal.
Divide the batter evenly among the lined cups.
Bake for 15-19 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through, until a cake tester or a wooden toothpick inserted into the center of each cupcake comes out clean.
Let cupcakes cool completely before frosting.

Alterations:
Decrease sugar by 1 Tablespoon
Decrease baking soda to just over ½ teaspoon
Decrease baking powder to just over ½ teaspoon
Increase flour by 1 Tablespoon
Increase egg by 1 (so add 2 eggs instead of 1 to the recipe)
Increase temperature to 370 degrees F

Also, I recommend checking the place out if you have never been there.  Best cupcakes I have ever had. http://www.onesweetslice.com/.

Gourmet Macaroni and Cheese

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 cups uncooked macaroni (can use any pasta really; I used one box of Barilla brand cavatelli)
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 1/4 cups milk
• 1/4 cup (2 oz.) cream cheese
• 2 teaspoons mustard
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 clove garlic (pressed)
• 1 1/4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 cup shredded swiss cheese
• 1/2 - 1 lb chopped cooked ham (I used leftover baked ham)
• 12 oz. package frozen chopped brocolli or peas
• 1 - 1 1/2 cups bread crumbs

DIRECTIONS:

 Cook pasta and vegetables according to package directions (to save time, I often just combine the pasta and vegetables in one pot and cook according to pasta directions). 

While pasta cooks, place flour, salt, and pepper in a large saucepan.  Add milk, stirring with a whisk until well blended.  Drop cream cheese by teaspoonfuls into milk mixture.  Bring to boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly.  Reduce heat; simmer 2 minutes or until thick and cream cheese melts, stirring occasionally. Stir in mustard, Worcestershire sauce and garlic.  Simmer 1 minute.  Remove from heat.  Add cheddar cheese, stirring until cheese melts. Combine pasta, cheese sauce and vegetables and toss well.  Transfer to glass baking dish.  Top pasta mixture with shredded swiss cheese, then with breadcrumbs.  Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Makes about 8 large servings.

Stuffed Peppers

INGREDIENTS:

• Six large green bell peppers - tops and seeds removed.
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1 jar marinara sauce (I like Barilla brand)
• 1 1/4 cups instant brown rice
• 1/4 cups finely chopped onion
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 lb ground turkey
• 4-5 button mushrooms, finely chooped
• 1 Italian sausage link, casing removed
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• Shredded cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and cook bell peppers in the boiling water until slightly softened, about 5 minutes.  Drain and rinse peppers with cold water.
3. Stir eggs, marinary sauce, instant rice, onion, salt, Worcestershire sauce, and black pepper together in a bowl. Crumble ground turkey, sausage link, and mushrooms into the mixture and stir until thoroughly combined.
4. Stand peppers in a large baking dish and fill each pepper with the mixture. Cover dish with aluminum foil.
5. Bake in the preheated oven until peppers are tender, the filling is set, and an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the middle of a pepper reads at least 160 degrees, 55-60 minutes. Uncover and top each pepper with Cheddar cheese. Bake until cheese is melted (about 2-3 more minutes).  

Makes six large servings.