Organic Chocolate Chip, Peanut Butter, Oatmeal Cookies!

These cookies are so delicious and gluten free! I love cooking with oats instead of flour because for some reason, it feels healthier... and then I eat more.  I could eat these cookies for breakfast.  I do want to mention though that if you are making these truly gluten free, then you have to make sure to read your oat packages.  Most oats contain traces of gluten so make sure they say "organic" and "gluten free."  Somewhere on the package, it'll let you know that they are truly gluten free.

Anyway, our grocery store started selling organic chocolate chips and they are sooooo delicious! I think I ate a cup of straight up chocolate chips before I even added any to the cookies.  Organic ingredients just have more care put into them and are just higher quality ingredients all together.  They are like how all ingredients should be.   Using organic ingredients will just make everything you make tastier! Enjoy!

Organic Chocolate Chip, Peanut Butter & Oatmeal Cookies

Makes: 24 cookies

Ingredients:

1 stick of organic butter, softened

1/2 cup organic brown sugar

1/2 cup organic white sugar 

1 organic egg

1/4 tsp. real vanilla

1 tsp organic baking soda

3/4 cup organic creamy peanut butter

2 1/4 cup organic oats (make sure they are gluten free)

1 1/2 cup organic semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream butter and sugars.  Add egg, vanilla, baking soda, and peanut butter.  Mix well until smooth.  Add oats and mix well, scraping side of bowl.  Add chocolate chips and mix until combined. 

Drop batter by rounded tablespoonful onto ungreased cookie sheet.  (I used parchment paper, easy clean up!)

Bake until cookies are golden brown, about 9 minutes. Let cool on cooling racks... if they make it that far.  

Zucchini and Goat Cheese Enchiladas

You know what's awesome?  Getting 11 ounces of goat cheese from the grocery store for $3.00 because it's "close to the expiration date" (the expiration date was March 29, I think we're okay)!  Since we had such a huge amount of goat cheese, I had to some up with some recipes to use it up, which isn't too hard because goat cheese is awesome. 

Anyway, we also have a plethora of white corn tortillas so I decided that enchiladas were in store.  These were so delicious!  It really pays to make your own enchilada sauce. Canned enchilada sauce shouldn't even exist when it's so simple to make your own AND you can make it ahead of time and either stick it in the freezer or can it yourself.  So easy!

I do have to say though... I highly recommend the white corn tortillas from Trader Joe's.  They are way delicious and so much better than the cheap corn tortillas that you get from the grocery store.  We're going to try Whole Foods brand next and see how they turn out.  

Anyway here is the recipe! P.S. I put absolutely no effort into this photo because they smelled so good and we were so hungry.... I snapped the photo and devoured the enchiladas. Enjoy!

Zucchini and Goat Cheese Enchiladas

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

Enchiladas:

3 large zucchini, cut into 1/4 inch dice

1 small onion, coarsely chopped

1 Tbs olive oil

zest and juice from 1 lemon

salt to taste

1 cup cooked black beans (if you don't feel like rinsing and cooking beans, you can use 1 can, rinsed and drained)

6 oz goat cheese, divided

12 white corn tortillas

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

4 lime wedges

Sauce:

1 tsp oil

1/2 small onion, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 Tbs chili powder

1 tsp chipotle chili powder, optional

1/2 Tbs ground cumin

1 tsp sugar

1/2 cup veggie brother (or water)

1 (8-oz) can tomato sauce

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  On a large rimmed baking sheet, combine the zucchini, onion, oil, lemon zest & juice, and salt; toss to coat. Roast, stirring occasionally, until the zucchini is softened, about 30 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl; stir in the black beans and 5 ounces of goat cheese.

Meanwhile , heat 1 tsp. oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent and slightly browned around the edges, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic, chili powder, cumin, and sugar; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the water and tomato sauce. Increase the heat to medium-high, bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Maintain a low simmer until slightly thickened, 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Reduce the oven temperature to 350 F.

To soften the tortillas, spray them with a light layer of oil. Arrange 6 tortillas in a single layer on a baking sheet; transfer to the oven and cook for about 3 minutes; flip the tortillas and continue baking for 2 more minutes, until the tortillas are pliable. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.

Spread a thin layer of sauce over the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Divide the filling evenly between the 12 tortillas. Roll the tortillas over the filling, arranging the filled tortillas seam-side down in the baking dish. Cover the rolled tortillas with the remaining enchilada sauce. Sprinkle the remaining 1 ounce of goat cheese over the top of the sauce.

Bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes, until the enchiladas are evenly heated. Let set for 2-3 minutes before serving with cilantro and lime.

Mexican Veggie Burgers

I've attempted to make veggie burgers in the past and they haven't turned out, but these puppies were so delicious!  They weren't dry at all, which tends to be the case with veggie burgers, and tasted amazing!  I served them on corn tortillas because I didn't have time to make buns (store bought buns are gross).  They were really good on tortillas! So much flavor.  I topped them with an avocado.  I can't wait to make these again.  This would be a really good meal to make ahead and freeze (the patties anyway).  YUM! Enjoy!

Mexican Veggie Burgers

Serves: 8

Ingredients:

1/2 cup brown rice, uncooked

One 15 oz can black beans (I cooked my own black beans, I think it was about a half cup uncooked)

1 small red bell pepper, diced

1 small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:

Cook brown rice and beans (unless you're using canned) according to instructions, set aside. 

Meanwhile, in a large saute pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and red pepper. Cook until onions are soft. Add garlic, stir for about 30 seconds. Add seasonings and  black beans. Stir on high heat for about a minute. Turn off heat. Add salt to taste.

Using a potato masher or fork, mash the black bean mixture. Mash roughly, so that some black bean pieces remain. Add cooked, brown rice. Using a spatula, mix everything together. Taste and adjust salt and seasoning.

When the black bean brown rice mixture is cool enough to handle, divide it into 8 equal portions. Roll mixture into 8 balls (mixture will be sticky so you may want to flour your hands first). Flatten the balls down to shape into burgers. 

(You can freeze the patties at this point in a single layer in air tight containers).

Heat about 1 tablespoon oil in a non-stick skillet.  Place 2 burger patties on the skillet. Cook for 1-2 minutes on medium-high heat on each side. Remove when a crispy golden crust forms on both sides. Add more oil to the skillet and fry up 2 more patties at a time. Repeat till all patties are cooked.

Roasted Poblano and Corn Salsa

Ingredients:

1 Poblano pepper

1 1/2 cup frozen organic corn, thawed

1 cup chopped tomatoes

zest of 1/2 a lime

2 tablespoons lime juice (juice of about 1 large lime)

1-2 tablespoon chopped cilantro

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 tablespoon red chili powder

1/2 tablespoon cumin powder

Directions:

Roast the poblano pepper over an open flame either on your stove or an out door grill. Char the pepper on all sides. Then wrap it in foil and let it sit for about 5 minutes. When the pepper is cool enough to handle, open the foil and peel off the charred poblano skin. Wipe off any remaining charred skin with a paper towel. Remove the seeds inside. Dice the roasted poblano. (I totally burnt my pepper and tried to salvage it, but just added chili sauce since I ruined my pepper, Jalapeno would work too.)

Mix together the roasted poblano and all other ingredients. Refrigerate till ready to serve.

Serve on toasted buns or corn tortillas!

Mushroom & Kale Risotto

I just have to put this out there.... Gordon Ramsey is my idol.  He's good looking and a great chef!  

Kidding, but risotto always reminds me of Gordon Ramsey because he always yells at people for over/under cooking it.  If you don't know who Gordon Ramsey is, he's an amazing chef.  And  you don't ever want to mess up risotto or scallops and serve it to him. 

Anyway, the first time I tried risotto was at Dukes in Hawaii and it was pretty amazing, but I really didn't see what the big deal was.  It wasn't the absolute best thing I've ever eaten, but it was good.  So I went about my business, never really curious. Then... last month, Nick's sister, Rachel, brought us out to a restaurant and I ordered a kale and mushroom risotto and it was amazing.  I had to recreate this dish.  Since I had to buy kale for my last recipe, I decided that Valentines Day was the perfect day to try tackling risotto.  There is always Papa Murphy's heart shaped pizza in case anything goes wrong. 

It was awesome! I ate way too much because it was so delicious, but it was the perfect Valentines Day dinner.  Nick and I sat by the stove, stirring our risotto, drinking our wine, and chatting away until it was complete.  One of my favorite parts about dinner is cooking it with my husband.  We make a night of it and have so much fun.  And then he cleans up, which makes it even better.  This was a perfect Valentines Day dinner AND, we have chocolate ice cream for dessert!!!

Mushroom & Kale Risotto

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

6 cups of vegetable broth, divided

3 tbs olive oil, divided

16 oz of assorted mushrooms (I used baby bella, shitake, crimini, and oyster)

3 cups chopped kale

1 shallot, dices

6 cloves of garlic, sliced

1 1/2 cups Arborio rice (I got mine from Trader Joe's)

1/2 cup dry white wine (Chardonnay)

Salt and pepper to taste

2 tbs butter

1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

3 tablespoons chives, chopped

Directions:

In a sauce pot, warm the broth over medium-low heat. Warm 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in the mushrooms, and cook until soft, about 2 minutes. Add chopped kale and cook until green and wilted, about another minute. Remove mushrooms and kale, and set aside. 

Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to skillet, and stir in the shallot and garlic. Cook 1 minute. Add rice, stirring to coat with oil, about 2 minutes. When the rice has taken on a pale, golden color, pour in wine, stirring constantly until the wine is fully absorbed. Add 1/2 cup broth to the rice, and stir until the broth is absorbed. Continue adding broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring continuously, until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is al dente, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Remove from heat, and stir in mushrooms with their liquid, butter, chives, and parmesan. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Shrimp, Kale, & Goat Cheese Tostadas!

We're always looking for awesome restaurants, and a lady from work recommended a Mexican place in a very eclectic neighborhood.  So we went for our anniversary and we were very impressed.  It reminded me of a mixture of the beautiful Downtown Minneapolis and the very awesome Sir Benedict's in Duluth, MN.  In other words, it was the highlight of our 7 year anniversary.  We had a shrimp taco with goat cheese and my heart melted.  It was amazing.  I thought about those silly tacos for 4 days straight.  They were awesome and I had to recreate them.  I wanted to make tostadas, but ours ended up being regular tacos because I got too impatient trying to fry the shells.  If it takes longer than 30 seconds and everything else is ready, I'm not waiting.  These were so amazing.  I'm definitely making these again and again.  Enjoy!

Shrimp, Kale & Goat Cheese Tostadas!

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

2 pounds of raw wild caught shrimp (tails removed)

1/4 cup roasted pumpkin seeds

1 tbs chili sauce (or a chopped chili)

1 cup plain yogurt

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

2 tbs white wine vinegar

1 clove minced garlic

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

2 tbs olive oil

2 cups chopped kale

1/2 avocado, cubed

2 oz creamy goat cheese

1 tbs olive oil

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

12 white corn tortillas (we got ours from Trader Joe's, they were delicious!)

2 tbs coconut oil

Sweet Chili Sauce:

1 tbs Thai garlic chili sauce

1 tbs honey

3 tbs water

Directions:

Place the pumpkin seeds, chili sauce, cilantro, white wine vinegar, garlic, salt, pepper, and 2 tbs of olive oil in a blender and pulse until blended.  Transfer to a large mixing bowl and add yogurt.  Whisk until combined.  Add shrimp and toss to coat.  Marinade for 1 hour. 

After 1 hour, remove shrimp from marinade and lightly fry in a saute pan over medium heat or grill (if I had a grill, I would totally use a grill)

Meanwhile, mix goat cheese, 1 tbs olive oil, and 1/2 cup chopped cilantro in a small bowl until combined.  

In a small saute pan, lightly fry the tortillas in coconut oil until crispy, or bake at 350 for about 10 minutes or until crispy.  

To assemble, spread some goat cheese mixture over the crispy tortilla, top with raw kale (I actually sauteed the kale for about a minute, just to get the nice green color), cooked shrimp and top with avocado. 

Mix ingredients for the Sweet Chili Sauce and drizzle over top of tostadas.  YUM!!!

Seafood Orecchiette with a Lemony Cream Sauce

So I'm not much of a seafood person, unless it's battered and deep fried, then I'm totally okay with it.  I don't really like the "seafoody" taste, but then I read that if it tastes "seafoody," then it's really not fresh.  That's why I could eat anything from the ocean in Hawaii, because it was always fresh.  Well, finding fresh seafood in Cincinnati is nearly impossible so I decided to go out on a whim and buy a bag of frozen mixed seafood from Trader Joe's.  It had shrimp, calamari, and scallops, pretty intimidating for a non-seafood eating person.  I gave it a shot though and it actually turned quite delicious!  I read some complaints online that the bag of frozen seafood from Trader Joe's doesn't have much flavor, but that's probably why I liked it so much.  I tasted the nice lemony flavor and the wine... mmmm... but if you're in to the seafood flavor, I'd just substitute the vegetable stock for fish stock.  Enjoy!

Seafood Orecchiette with Lemon Cream Sauce

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

1 package of Orecchiette Pasta (I got one from Trader Joe's)

1 package of raw Seafood blend from Trader Joe's

1 tbs butter

1 tbs rice flour (or regular flour, but I like rice flour better as a thickener)

4 cloves of garlic, minced

1 shallot, chopped

1/2 cup vegetable stock

1/4 cup white wine

1/2 lemon zested and juiced

6 chives, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

cooking oil of choice

Directions:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it and add the Orecchiette pasta and boil for about 12 minutes, until almost done. 

Rinse the frozen seafood under cool water for about 2 minutes until mostly defrosted.  Pat with a paper towel to dry.  In a large saute pan over medium heat, add a drizzle of cooking oil (I used coconut oil) add the seafood and cook for about 5 minutes stirring frequently, until all the seafood is cooked.  Transfer to plate.

In the same saucepan, saute the garlic and shallot in some oil until softened, about 2 minutes add butter.  When it is melted, add rice flour and whisk until foamy, about a minute.  Gradually add white wine and vegetable stock.  Whisk continuously until slightly thickened.  Gradually add the cream and bring to a slight boil.  Turn town heat and wait until it thickens. Towards the end, add the lemon zest & juice and chives.  Salt and pepper to taste. 

Gluten Free Browned Butter Brownie Souffles!

Nick and I were really craving dessert tonight.  We don't usually crave sweets like this, but it was pretty bad.  However, we were also feeling incredibly lazy and didn't want to take the 1 block trek to the grocery store to pick something up.  So I decided to make something with ingredients that I have on hand.  I always have the essentials, sugar, cocoa powder, flour, eggs, vanilla, butter, and red wine. I also had peanuts on hand so I threw those in as well.  Holy cow these were awesome!! They are amazing warm and just melt in your mouth. It's definitely something for chocoholics.  
I want you to know that these are not souffles at all.  I just made them in cute little ramekins and wanted to call them souffles, so I did.  A souffle is way too intense for a lazy Sunday.
I halved this recipe so we wouldn't have an entire pan of brownies to eat, because we would do just that.  But I'm giving you the whole recipe, and you can bake it in a 9X9 square pan, unless you want to be awesome and cook them in ramekins.

Browned Butter Brownies

Serves: 4

Ingredients: 

10 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed

1 3/4 cups sugar

3/4 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons red wine (I used a Cabernet)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cold large eggs

1/3 cup rice flour

1 cup peanuts, chopped (you may also use walnuts, or whatever nut you like)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325F. Line an 8 inch square baking pan with parchment paper and spray with a neutral oil (I rubbed with coconut oil).

2. Add the cocoa, salt, sugar, wine, and vanilla in a large glass mixing bowl. There is no need to mix the ingredients at this stage (the only rising agent, the lecithin in the egg yolks are mixed in later in the form of whole eggs).

3. Melt the butter in a saucepan and stir. As the butter melts it will foam and the milk solids will separate from the fat and begin to turn reddish brown. (This took about 5 minutes over medium heat for me, keep stirring!) At this point remove the butter from the stove and quickly pour it into the mixing bowl with the cocoa. Stir it with a spatula to blend. Let it cool for 3 minutes, it will still be hot.

4. Add one egg at a time, mixing it in vigorously with the spatula until completely combined. At this point the chocolate mixture will be silky smooth.

5. Add the rice flour and again mix it into the chocolate batter vigorously until you see no more white flecks of flour. 

6. Roughly chop the peanuts and fold them into the brownie batter.

7. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and allow spread it evenly with an offset spatula. Bake the brownie batter in the middle rack of the preheated oven. The brownies will be done after 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out almost clean from the center. The brownies can still be hot and gooey even if the toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the baking pan for 20 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack for another 20 minutes to cool. Once cool, transfer the brownies to a cutting board and cut them with a clean serrated knife into approximately 16 squares of equal size.