Savory Ham, Cheese, and Scallion Muffins

So this recipe calls for Corn Flakes, which is a bit strange, but they add some delicious texture to these muffins!  I made these twice this weekend (Thank you 4-day weekend!), the first version a sweet version with vanilla and this version, which I based on the original recipe. 
These are super tasty!  I'm always looking for easy breakfasts which I can grab and take with me.  I've been making different kinds of muffins lately and these might be my new go-to. 
Don't worry if the batter seems thick, it will bake up just fine! 
Also, normally I'm lazy and try to make everything in one bowl for less clean up.  This recipe you HAVE to have everything ready to go because if you don't the cereal will get really soggy and you will lose all the texture.

Savory Ham, Cheese, and Scallion Muffins

Savory Ham, Cheese, and Scallion Muffins

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups + 1/2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 cups Corn Flakes
1 1/4 cups milk (whatever kind you already have, I used Almond milk)
1 large egg, beaten
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup cheese
1 scallion, sliced
1/2 cup ham, diced

Recipe:
Stir together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar; set aside.
Stir together egg, cheese, and oil; set aside.
Stir together ham, scallions, and 1/2 Tbsp. flour; set aside.  (The flour will assure your ham doesn't all sink to the bottom).
Combine crushed corn flakes and milk in large mixing bowl.
Let stand about 2 minutes or until cereal is slightly softened. (DO NOT let corn flakes soak in milk any longer than 2 minutes!).
Add flour mixture, stirring only until combined.
Add ham mixture, stirring only until combined.
Portion batter evenly into 12 greased 2 1/2-inch muffin pan cups.
Bake at 400° about 18 minutes or until lightly browned.
Serve warm.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Genius Kitchen

Hot Cheesy Corn Dip

I have been off from school for three weeks.  I should have had two days last week, but those turned into snow days so I was productive and decided to have a friend over to celebrate my productiveness!  I made this hot cheesy corn dip and we didn't even let it go from the stove to a table, we ate it right there.  It was delish and a perfect compliment to the beef tenderloin and fennel tacos I made!

Hot Cheesy Corn Dip

Hot Cheesy Corn Dip

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon butter
2 cups corn (fresh or frozen)
1 small onion, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1/2 pound Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1 Tbsp. mayonnaise
1 lime, juiced
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped (optional)
2 Scallions, sliced (optional)

Preparation:
Melt the butter in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat, add the corn, onion, and red pepper.
Toss and let it sit until slightly charred, mix it up and let it char again, about 6-10 minutes.
Mix the cheese, mayo, lime juice, salt and pepper, place back into the pan and cook over medium-low heat until the cheese has melted.
Top with cilantro and scallions.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Closet Cooking

Chai Spiced Apple Butter

If you're like me, you buy apples hoping someone will eat them and then they just sit there.  (Okay, maybe you're not like me and eat a lot of fruit.)  Anyway, this small batch apple butter is perfect for those 4 or 5 apples that now no one will eat because they're a tiny bit mushy.  This makes about 1.5 cups and will last about 3 weeks in the fridge.
I added in some chai flavors to make this more wintry. 
Enjoy on an English muffin, in a cookie, or straight out of the jar!

Chai Spiced Apple Butter

Chai Spiced Apple Butter

Ingredients:
5 medium apples (I used honeycrisp, use whatever you have!)
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cardamom
1 Chai tea bag
1/4 cup water

Preparation:
Boil 1/4 cup water and steep Chai tea while prepping the rest of your ingredients (at least 5 minutes).
Peel and chop apples.
Put apples, cinnamon, cardamom, and tea in a medium pot.
Bring to a boil and simmer until apples are soft and you can easily pierce them with a fork.
Place apple mixture in a blender or use an immersion blender off the heat to blend.
Return to sauce pan and simmer.  Stir every 10 minutes for about 1 hour, or until apple butter has grown darker and thicker.
Take off the heat and cool completely before placing in the fridge.
Enjoy!

Cranberry Scones

If you've read my blog before, you know my aversion to baking.  I don't like that you have to use exact measurments and I never quiet know how things are supposed to look before they go into the oven.  I've been watching the British Baking show lately and gave myself false confidence.  "Oh, I can do that!" I said.  Nope.
Well, I shouldn't say I couldn't do it because these scones turned out good... it was just the making them that wasn't great.  The dough was far stickier than it should have been and subsequetnly I couldn't really shape them into scones.  A more accurate description would be cranberry blobs.  I'm sure that if you have baked in your life (more than just a box of brownies) you probably would fair much better than I did.  I also increased the amount of cranberry for my version because I didn't think it had enough.

Cranberry Scones

Cranberry Scones

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 cup butter, cut into pieces
1 cup dried cranberries
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup buttermilk or sour milk

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a large bowl stir together flour, powdered sugar, baking powder, and baking soda. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Stir in dried cranberries.
Make a well in center of flour mixture.
In a small bowl combine eggs and the 1/2 cup buttermilk.
Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture.
Using a fork, stir just until moistened.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface.
Knead dough by folding and gently pressing it for 10 to 12 strokes or until dough is nearly smooth. Divide dough in half. Pat or lightly roll each portion into a 1/2-inch-thick circle.
Cut each circle into six wedges.
Place scones 1 inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet.
Bake for 12 to 18 minutes or until golden brown.
Transfer to a wire rack; cool for 5 minutes. Serve warm with butter.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Better Homes and Gardens

Cornbread

Are you ready for the best cornbread?  This recipe is so good.  For real.  I feel like most cornbreads are really dry and crumbly but this is not at all. It's super moist from the creamed corn and it's healthy because there's real corn in there, right?  Right.
It goes perfectly with anyone of my chili recipes (including my sweet potato black bean chili) and any leftovers can go into some cornbread stuffing.  With only 4 ingredients, how can you go wrong?

Cornbread

Ingredients:
2 boxes Jiffy cornbread
2 Eggs
1 15 ounce can creamed corn
1 Tbsp. sugar

Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Mix all ingredients until combined in a medium bowl.
Scrape mixture into a 9x9 cake pan that has been sprayed well with cooking spray.
Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the center is done.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from the Pinning Mama

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chili

Yum!  This chili is on point.  It's a bit spicy, but not in an overpowering way and it's so hearty you won't even miss the meat.  You get lots of vitamins by using sweet potatoes and it's full of vegetables and beans for protein.  Serve with a side of cornbread and scoop some sour cream (or Greek yogurt) on top.  Of course, if you're vegan, skip the sour cream and enjoy!

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chili

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chili

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. dried oregano
¼ tsp. cayenne, adjust to taste
2 10 ounce cans  diced tomatoes with chiles, undrained
1 15 ounce can black beans, drained
2 cups vegetable broth
Optional toppings: sour cream (Greek yogurt), shredded cheese

Preparation:
In a large Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat.
Add sweet potato, onion, garlic and bell pepper and saute until onion softens, about 5 to 7 minutes.
Stir in chili powder, cumin, oregano and cayenne, and saute for 1 minute.
Add diced tomatoes, black beans, and broth and stir until combined.
Bring to a boil and then simmer for 30 minutes, or until sweet potatoes are tender.
Serve with any toppings you wish.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Alida's Kitchen

Sausage Ragu

Looking over my recent posts, I realized that they've all been vegetarian!  I often try to cook at least 2 meals a week that are vegetarian, but I've been adding in a few more vegetarin meals, I'm up to about 3 or 4 per week.  I find that fall and winter cooking lends itself to vegetarian meals much easier for me; I love fall vegetables and they feel heartier than spring and summer ones. 
That being said, this recipe does have meat, but there are plenty of carrots, onions, and tomato (sauce) to give you your veggie intake.  Yum!

Sausage Ragu

Sausage Ragu 

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound ounces bulk pork Italian sausage
2 medium onions, diced
1 1/2 cups carrot, diced 
3 garlic cloves, chopped
10 oz. tomato sauce
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup red wine

Preparation: 
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add sausage; cook 5 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble.
Remove sausage mixture to a bowl with a slotted spoon. Remove pan from heat (do not wipe out pan).
Return pan to medium-high. Add onion, carrots, and garlic to pan; cook 5 minutes.
Add sausage mixture, water, wine, and tomato sauce to pan; cook 5 minutes.
Serve over cheesy polenta.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Cooking Light

Vegetarian Enchilada Casserole

If you read my blog a lot, you know about my love affair with enchiladas.  Vegetarian, meat, breakfast, homemade sauce, canned sauce, green sauce, avocado sauce... they're all delicious to me.  This recipe is actually a lot like my crockpot enchiladas, but in an even easier way.  Just cook a package of boca soy crumbles with some enchilada sauce and layer up tortillas in a pan with some cheese.  Delicious! 

Vegetarian Enchilada Casserole

Vegetarian Enchilada Casserole

Ingredients:
2 15 oz. red enchilada sauce cans
12 oz. frozen soy crumbles (I used Boca brand)
4 oz. frozen corn
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
20 4-inch round corn tortillas, cut into thin strips
2 cups cheese
Salt and pepper, to taste
Optional toppings: avocado, sour cream, tomatoes, cilantro

Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Heat the oil in a large skillet and add the crumbles to the pan.
Add 1 can of sauce to the skillet and simmer for about 5 minutes minutes.
Add corn and simmer for about 5 more minutes.
Taste and season with salt and pepper.
In a greased 9x13 pan, spread a thin layer of sauce on the bottom.
Layer the tortillas, crumbles and corn mixture, sauce, and cheese (I did three layers, ending with cheese on top).
Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
Remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes, or until the cheese is slightly browned.
Add any toppings you like.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Pinch of Yum

Fennel and Carrot Soup

This is not normally a recipe I would try on a weeknight, it takes about an hour and a half to complete and though it isn't super labor intensive, it does take time.  Tonight I got home super energized, went grocery shopping, and then changed my menu (this was going to be made on Sunday!) to make this tonight!
This turned out super yummy, I made a few changes to make it more affordable/so I was able to find all the ingredients in my grocery store.  This was more fennel-y than carrot-y, but still was very tasty and definitely was a perfect cool fall night dinner.  I accompanied my dinner with Nightmare Before Christmas and a nice blanket.  Perfect!

Fennel and Carrot Soup

Fennel and Carrot Soup

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large fennel bulb, chopped
1 small onion, thinly sliced
3 carrots, peeled, chopped
1 small russett potato, peeled, halved
1/4 tsp. thyme
1 bay leaf
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth (or vegetable if you're vegetarian)
1/4 cup roasted unsalted almonds, chopped
¼ cup plain Greek Yogurt
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup

Preparation:
Heat 4 Tbsp. butter in a large heavy pot over medium. Add fennel, onion, carrots, potato, thyme, and bay leaf; season with salt and pepper.
Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally and reducing heat if needed, until vegetables are soft but not browned and have released their moisture, 40-50 minutes.
Add broth, bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer until potato is falling apart, 8–10 minutes. Let cool slightly. Remove bay leaf.
Working in batches, purée in a blender until smooth. Strain into a clean pot; season with salt and pepper.
Mix yogurt and maple syrup in a small bowl. Serve soup topped with maple yogurt and almonds.

Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit

Chickpea Peanutbutter Curry

Fall is here!  It's finally time to start making soups and stews and curries are in the mix too!  If you read my blog a lot, you know that I try to include vegetarian or vegan meals several times a week into our diet.  I always want to make sure that the vegetarian and vegan recipes I pick are filling and not so so full of cheese.  This recipe is both!  The chickpeas and peanut butter add protein and it's vegan so no cheese!  

You can always use another nut butter if you're allergic to peanuts and vegetable stock instead of chicken stock to make to vegan or vegetarian; if you're not, feel free to use chicken stock.  Other great news is that this recipe is gluten free!

Chickpea Peanut Butter Curry

Chickpea Peanut Butter Curry

Ingredients:

1/2 medium onion, chopped

4 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 tsp coconut oil 

3/4 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

3/4 tsp. ground coriander

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. cayenne 

1/2 tsp. tumeric

1/2 tsp. curry powder

3 Tbsp. peanut butter or almond butter

1/2 cup coconut milk

3/4 cup chicken stock (or vegetable stock to make vegan)

1 red pepper, chopped

1 small zucchini, chopped

1 15 oz can chickpeas, drained

1 tsp. salt, or more to taste

1/2 tsp. sugar

1/2 lime, juiced 

Preparation:

Add oil to a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat.  Add garlic, onion, ginger, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, cayenne, turmeric, and curry.  

Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. 

Add in the nut butter, coconut milk and stir. Add broth. 

Add the veggies and chickpeas, salt, sugar. 

Mix, cover and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium low and continue to cook for 5 minutes. 

Stir in the lime juice. Taste and adjust salt.  

At this point, if you want a thinner curry, add more coconut milk or if you want it thicker, uncover and keep simmering. 

Serve over rice.

Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Vegan Richa