Chocolate Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Yes, you read that right.  Chocolate, peanut butter, AND chocolate chips -- in a pancake. Yum!

Since Jeremy and I are preparing to move, we're working on using up all the ingredients we have around our apartment.  We've been doing well with this but now I'm completely out of sugar.  Most of the pancakes I make call for sugar so most of my recipes were out.  In thinking about what I had around to use, I realized that I had all the ingredients to make these -- and it would help use up more flour.  (Yeah... using up flour... that's why I make pancakes...)

These tasted like cookies and were nice and soft and fluffy.  The chocolate flavor in the actual pancake wasn't too overpowering for the peanut butter.  The chocolate chips added a nice burst of flavor.  We didn't use any butter or syrup or anything on top of these.  Just picked them up and ate them as is (which is normal for Jeremy... but I usually dump syrup on any pancake.  I didn't have any syrup or honey left in the apartment but these really didn't need it.).

This recipe made 20 pancakes.  And we have 11 left over.  I'm looking forward to eating these again. Did I mention that I love pancakes... nothing like a soft, fluffy, yummy little cake to perk up your morning. :)

Just about ready to flip...

Ta Da! Nicely golden brown. :) 

Recipe (makes 20 pancakes... for me at least):
2 c. white whole wheat flour
1 tbs. baking powder
1/4 c. baking cocoa (dutch process. NOT hot cocoa mix.)
1/4 tsp. salt
1 c. creamy peanut butter
3 c. skim milk
2 eggs
2 tbs. vegetable oil

1. In a large bowl mix together the dry ingredients (the flour, baking powder, baking cocoa, and salt).
2. Place peanut butter in a medium bowl (large enough to hold all the wet ingredients). Microwave for approximately 30 seconds until it loosens up and is easily mixable.
3. Add the rest of the wet ingredients to the peanut butter (eggs should be after the milk to make sure the peanut butter isn't too hot for them).  Mix to combine.
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until just combined (don't overmix).
5. Heat a griddle* over medium to medium-low heat (adjust heat as needed for your stove so that they brown, but not too quickly).  Add pancake batter in 1/4 c. portions, top each with a few chocolate chips.  Cook the pancakes until they start to bubble and begin to dry on the edges.  Flip and continue cooking until cooked through. (Only like 2 minutes per side I think... I don't time this.)
6. Serve with desired toppings (if any)**.

* I have a non-stick griddle so I don't use any added fat to grease it.  If you don't have a non-stick griddle, you might need to use some margarine or cooking spray to make sure these don't stick.  (Or invest in a non-stick griddle... I love mine.)

**You can keep the pancakes warm in a 200 degree oven if you want them to all come out at the same time.  Jeremy and I just eat them as they come off the griddle (which means I'm eating while cooking...).  Works for us. :)

Turkey Florentine Meatballs

A close-up of the meal. Topped with some additional freshly grated parm.

Tonight I made turkey meatballs -- with tons of spinach inside.  They were amazing. I made my own marinara sauce to go with them and just cooked up some spaghetti.  We had a small salad with it and it was an all-around great meal.

These meatballs stayed nice and moist and had a great flavor from the spinach.  These would be great in a cream sauce or a tomato-based sauce like I made.  We ate about half of the meatballs so we'll have enough leftovers -- if Jeremy doesn't get to them tonight.  I made one pound of whole wheat spaghetti to go with this so we have about half of the pasta left over as well.

I was using 85% lean ground turkey for these meatballs.  They were really easy to put together since it just took some mixing and baking.  It's also possible to fry them in a frying pan but that takes a lot more work than just throwing them on a baking sheet.

I used fresh spinach leaves for this since I had a lot of spinach in the fridge that I wanted to use up.  You could certainly substitute chopped frozen spinach and get the same result.

These meatballs were nice and garlicky.  I used about half a head of garlic -- you could certainly cut back on that if you don't like garlic as much as I do.  These weren't spicy to us but you could cut back or eliminate the crushed red pepper flake if you're sensitive to spicy foods.  They would still be delicious without it.

Overall, this was a great meal -- and it didn't take too long to pull together.  I will definitely be making these meatballs again.

The raw meatballs, moments before they hit the oven.

Recipe:
1 lb. lean ground turkey
1 c. cooked, drained, and chopped spinach*
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flake
1 tbs. dried parsley flakes
1/2 c. grated parmesan cheese
1/2 c. plain breadcrumbs
2 tbs. olive oil
1 large egg

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients.  Mix until everything is combined and evenly distributed.
3. Roll the balls into 1" meatballs and evenly space them on a large baking sheet. (I got 28 meatballs out of this.)
4. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the internal temperature is 165 degrees (there shouldn't be any pink remaining in the center).
(The meatballs are ready to eat now... if you want.  I simmered mine in the sauce for approximately 20 minutes before serving with the spaghetti.)

* I started with about 3 cups of fresh baby spinach leaves.  I cooked them in the microwave for 5 minutes with a little water, just to wilt them.  Then I let them cool slightly before squeezing the liquid out and chopping them into itsy-bitsy pieces.  You could use 1 c. frozen chopped spinach, just defrost and squeeze the liquid out.

Penne and Spinach with Roasted Red Pepper Alfredo Sauce

Tonight I decided to make a roasted red pepper alfredo sauce.  I had a jar of roasted red peppers in the fridge so it was pretty easy to pull together.  You could roast your own bell peppers, but it's not necessary.  I didn't have any garlic on hand, so I used garlic powder.  You could certainly replace that with some minced garlic if you have it.

I added spinach to the pasta to add some additional veggies.  This would be delicious with some chicken or other meat thrown in as well.  Really, this sauce would probably be good on pretty much anything.  I know traditional alfredo sauces are made with cream... but I can't bring myself to make something where I'd be eating so much cream in one sitting.  So I thicken skim milk with some flour instead... more or less the same taste and whole lot healthier.

There are plenty of leftovers for this dish.  (Although Jeremy tells me they might not be there very long...)  We ate just over half of the meal (so far) and the rest will be leftovers, or I guess a late-night snack.

This meal was really quick to pull together.  I pureed the roasted red peppers first, then the sauce was done in the amount of time that it took me to boil the water and cook the pasta.  Not bad overall.  Certainly not much more time than opening a jar of sauce -- and this tastes wayyyy better.  Hope you enjoy!

Recipe:
4 roasted red bell peppers
1 box (13.25 oz.) whole wheat penne (or regular... if you wanted)
2 c. fresh baby spinach leaves
1/2 c. grated parmesan cheese
1 3/4 c. skim milk
2 tbs. white whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. garlic powder (or a couple cloves of garlic, minced)
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flake (or more or less to taste)
1/2 tsp. parsley flakes
salt and pepper to taste

1. Put the roasted red bell peppers in a food processor or blender.  Process until smooth.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Add a large pinch of salt and the penne.  Cook until al dente.  Drain.
3. While the pasta is cooking, heat a medium sauce pan over medium heat.  Add olive oil, garlic powder, and crushed red pepper flake.  When the oil becomes fragrant, add the roasted red pepper puree with a pinch of salt and pepper.  Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the flour and mix until combine.  Cook for 1-2 minutes, just to cook out the raw flour taste.  Add the milk and whisk to combine.  Bring the sauce to a boil to thicken it. Add the parsley flakes and parmesan cheese.  Whisk to combine.  Reduce heat to low until the sauce is thickened and the cheese is all melted.  Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
4. When the pasta is done and drained, add the spinach.  Pour the roasted red pepper sauce on top.  Mix to combine.  If necessary heat over low heat until the spinach is wilted (There was enough residual heat in the pasta/sauce that the spinach wilted by just mixing it in for a minute or so... I didn't need to turn the heat on).  Serve.  Top with additional parmesan, if desired.

Venison Shepherd's Pie

Tonight I'm using up the last of my venison until after we move to Rochester.  I will sadly not be getting another delivery from my mom and dad.  But I'm doing well clearing out our pantry so that we don't have to waste or move too much food.  Once again for this meal, I used instant mashed potatoes.  This was to use them up... they're not as good as real mashed potatoes, but they're easy.

This had a great savory flavor to it and was a really comforting dish.  It took a long time to make but that was because I simmered the meat for a long time to get it to break down.  The flour I dredged the meat in thickened the sauce into a delicious gravy.  All-in-all a great meal.

You could substitute any veggies you wanted in this.  Mushrooms too, I suppose (blech!).  This would be great with other types of meat as well.  You'd just need to adjust the cooking time/method to make the meat tender and delicious.

I cooked these in 5" pie plates.  It was probably a little more food than we needed but it was delicious.  I overfilled them a little bit... so it was lucky that I had placed the pie plates on a baking sheet.  That way it caught all the drips.  Definitely a great meal. Jeremy kept laughing at me for how many times I said "yum" while cooking/eating. :)

Recipe:
1 lb. venison (or lean steak), sliced into small bite-sized pieces
2 small carrots (about 3/4 c.) diced
3 stalks celery, diced
1 large onion, diced
1 tbs. minced garlic
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 c. frozen peas
1 c. water
1/2 c. chicken stock
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. dried rosemary, crushed
1 tsp. worchestershire sauce
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flake
1/3 c. AP flour
1/2 tsp salt (plus more to taste)
1/4 tsp. pepper (plus more to taste)
1 1/3 c. mashed potatoes (or more if you like...)(this is for 2 servings... we like our potatoes)

1. Place the flour, salt, and pepper in a large resealable bag.  Add the steak and mix well to coat. (Just shake the bag around for a few seconds...)
2. Heat a large soup pot over medium heat.  Add 2-3 tbs. olive oil.  Add the steak and cook, stirring occasionally until browned.  Add the onion and cook until the onion begins to soften, 2-3 minutes.  Add the diced tomatoes, celery, carrot, garlic, worchestershire sauce, crushed red pepper flake, rosemary, bay leaf and water.  Stir to combine.
3. Reduce heat to a simmer and simmer until the meat is tender (for the venison, I let it go several hours (like 3 1/2 today) to break it down... some cuts of beef won't require more than a few minutes -- but you can use cheaper, tougher cuts if you have the time to braise it slowly like I do with the venison).  Add chicken stock as needed to keep enough liquid in the pan so that it doesn't stick to the bottom and scorch.
4. Once the meat is tender, add the peas.  Adjust seasoning as needed.
5. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Portion out the meat mixture into oven-proof bowls or individual 5" pie plates.  Top with mashed potatoes, pricking the mashed potatoes with a fork to create some peaks.
6.  Bake at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes until slightly browned on top.  Serve and enjoy.  (Be careful... they're HOT... don't burn your mouth!)

Moroccan Chickpeas, Veggies, and Couscous

Tonight I decided to make a moroccan-inspired dish.  I love combining couscous and chickpeas.  This has great flavor from the mix of spices but tonight I decided not to make it spicy.  It could easily be spiced up with some crushed red pepper flake or cayenne.  But it was good as is.

This is a vegan recipe... not that it matters to me.  But the mix of ingredients is quite satisfying so that Jeremy and I don't miss the lack of meat.  It's always great when I can make something healthy like this and it's just as comforting.

You could substitute other veggies if you wanted.  This would work well with other peppers, tomatoes, and even nuts and dried fruit.  And other than cooking the chickpeas, this comes together in less than half an hour, easily.

I use dried chickpeas so that I can control the amount of sodium in the beans (not to mention that they're cheaper).  You can certainly substitute canned chickpeas and skip the soaking/cooking them step.  The spices in this are adjustable.  You can adjust them to your taste and add/subtract whatever you like.

Recipe:
2 c. baby spinach leaves
1 1/2 red bell peppers, diced
1 red onion, diced
4 celery stalks, diced
1 tbs. minced garlic
1 c. couscous
2 tbs. olive oil, divided
1 c. dried chickpeas, soaked for 8 hours or overnight (or 2 15 oz. cans, drained and rinsed)
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. ground turmeric
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. ground allspice
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
salt & pepper to taste
1 3/4 c. water, divided

1. Drain and rinse the chickpeas (if using dried), place in a medium sauce pot and cover with water.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for approximately 45 minutes until tender.  Drain and set aside.
2. In a small sauce pan, combine 1 c. water and 1 tbs. olive oil.  Bring to a boil.  Add couscous and stir to combine.  Turn off heat and allow to sit for 5 minutes until liquid is absorbed.
3. Heat a large saute pan over medium heat.  At 1 tbs. olive oil.  Add onion, bell pepper, celery, salt and pepper.  Saute for 5-7 minutes until slightly tender.  Add garlic and spinach, mix until the spinach wilts.
4.  Add paprika, turmeric, cumin, allspice, and coriander to the veggies.  Mix to combine.  Add 3/4 c. water and stir to distribute the spices.  Add the chickpeas to the veggies and mix to combine.
5.  Add the couscous to the veggies.  Mix to distribute the couscous throughout.  Adjust the salt and pepper to taste.  Serve and enjoy.

Veggie Scram-tata

After a late night out last night, Jeremy and I were both pretty hungry this morning. So instead of our usual run to a diner for a huge plate of bad food, I decided to make a veggie scramble.  It turned into more of a fritata, hence the name. (Name courtesy of Jeremy... since he came up with it when I put the plate of food on his lap.)

This was really simple to make and fairly healthy too!  It definitely hit the spot this morning and did a good job of rejuvenating both of us.  :)  It was nice to have so many veggies in the eggs this morning.  And the combo I used was so pretty!

You could certainly substitute whatever veggies you wanted for this (or add some cheese or meat or whatever).  This was what I had on hand so it's what went into it.  I also made sweet potato cakes to go with them (like hash browns but baked...).  But they didn't turn out quite how I expected so I'm not including that recipe.  I'll have to keep working on that...

Recipe:
1/2 red onion, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1 c. baby spinach leaves
3 eggs
2 tbs. skim milk
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbs. margarine
1/2 tbs. vegetable oil

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Heat a 10" oven-proof frying pan over medium heat.  Add margarine and vegetable oil.  When the margarine is melted, add the onion and bell pepper.  Season with salt and pepper.  Saute until tender, 4-5 minutes.  Add the spinach and continue to saute until the spinach wilts.
2. Beat the eggs and milk together in a small bowl.  Pour the eggs into the veggie mixture and stir to combine.  Spread out the veggies so that everything is in an even layer.  Cook for 1-2 minutes on the stove-top until the bottom is set and most of the egg is cooked.
3. Put the frying pan into the oven and cook for 3-5 minutes until the egg is cooked through.  Remove from oven, slice and serve.

Agave Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Another dessert craving struck tonight.  As usual this left me searching for a recipe that (a) was reasonably healthy and (b) didn't make several dozen cookies.  I came across a few recipes that intrigued me... but none that quite hit the spot.  So after some tinkering I figured out how to combine them.

I used chocolate chips in this recipe but you could substitute nuts or fruit -- or a mixture of whatever you like.  You could substitute honey for the agave syrup if you want -- it works as a 1 to 1 substitution.  I like agave syrup because it has its own unique flavor.  It also has the benefit of having a lower glycemic index than other sugars.

I use agave in margaritas and smoothies as well.  While I've started seeing agave syrup in my local grocery store, it comes in much smaller bottles and is expensive.  I still buy it on Amazon so that I get a bit of a price break.

This recipe made 15 cookies -- a perfect amount for me and Jeremy.  We'll eat them up over the next few days so it isn't too bad for us.  Overall a delicious treat. :)

Recipe:
1/2 c. amber agave syrup
1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1 1/2 c. rolled oats
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
3 tbs. margarine
1 egg
1/3 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a mixer, combine the margarine, agave syrup, and egg.  Mix until well combined.
2. Add the flour, rolled oats, salt, and baking soda.  Mix until a soft dough forms.
3. Add chocolate chips and mix until the chips are evenly distributed (do this on a low speed so you don't crush the chips too much).
4. Place parchment paper on a baking sheet. Portion the dough out (about 2 tbs. per cookie).  The cookies should be 2"-3" apart.
5. Bake for approximately 12 minutes until golden brown.