Summer-Inspired Veggie Pizza

I know it’s not technically summer yet, but I just have to share this recipe with you. Have you ever had corn on pizza? I hadn’t…and now I never want pizza without it!

As a vegetable-lover, if I make pizza at home, 9 times out of 10, I’ll make a veggie topped pie. And if I order pizza at a restaurant…9 times out of 10, you guessed it, I order veggie. So I didn’t think much of it when I was scouring an old issue of Cooking Light  for pizza recipes, and stumbled across a veggie pizza. However, the addition of corn in this recipe had me intrigued. So I went for it. I bought corn on the cob (already shucked was the only available…shameful, I know!), red peppers, zucchini, summer squash, and onion…and this summer-inspired pizza was born.

The hardest part of this recipe is chopping the vegetables. After that, it’s a piece of cake. Make this, you won’t be disappointed!

Ingredients

-8 ounces store-bought pizza dough ( I used whole wheat)
-Cooking spray
-Store bought tomato sauce (I used fire-roasted tomato, Classico brand)
-Olive oil to coat pan
-2 garlic cloves, crushed ( I used a Tbsp. of minced garlic)
-1 cup sliced onion
-1 red bell pepper, sliced thinly
-1 cup chopped summer squash
-1 cup chopped zucchini
-2 ears corn
-1 tablespoon cornmeal
-3/4 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese ( I combined this with 3-cheese Italian)
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)

Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 425° (or temperature your dough specifies). Chop all vegetables.

2. Heat a small skillet over medium heat, spray with cooking spray. Add 2-3 teaspoons olive oil to pan, swirl to coat. Add garlic to pan. Then add onion, squash, zucchini, and bell pepper; sauté 5 minutes. (I always add I Can’t Believe it’s Not Butter Spray, too). Add salt and pepper to taste while sautéing. Cut corn from cob; add corn to vegetable mixture.

3. Scatter cornmeal over a lightly floured surface; roll dough into a circle on prepared surface. Transfer dough to a baking sheet; top with layer of tomato sauce ( I used about ¾ cup). Sprinkle with cheese, then top with vegetable mixture. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden. Cut into 8 slices.

Unfortunately, this was such a hit, there were no leftovers. So what did I do? I made it again less than a week later. It is so so addicting.  If you don’t feel like pizza, just make the vegetable sauté. I made it as a topping for my lunch salads last week, and it was fantastic!

What’s your favorite pizza recipe?

Easter Egg Cookie Cups

Easter ranks a VERY close second to Christmas as my favorite holiday of each year.  When I was younger, it was because my sisters and I always woke up to stuffed bunny rabbits at the foot of our beds. Now, it’s all because of  one thing: Cadbury eggs.  Sad, but true. The second these babies are on the shelves at CVS, I lose all self control and buy them immediately.  This year was no exception, and just when I finished my first bag, my darling mother sent me another! I absolutely needed to get these out of my house, so….I baked with them!

Here’s a spin on my favorite homemade cookie-dough recipe, filled with Cadbury eggs.

Easter Egg Cookie Cups

Ingredients
1 stick butter
¾ cup light brown sugar
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
2 ¼ cups white flour
1 cup (or as many as desired) Cadbury milk chocolate eggs
1 cup heath-bar bits(optional)
cooking spray

Directions

1)Preheat oven to 350, and prepare cupcake liners in muffin tins. Spray them with butter spray.
2) Soften butter in the microwave on low power—do not melt.
3) Once the butter is softened, mix in sugars with a spatula.

4) Once mixed, add in both eggs and vanilla.  Stir until mixed.

5) Add baking soda, and gradually add the flour.

6) Once mixed, add heath bar and Cadbury eggs.

7) Scoop cookie dough into cupcake liners. Top each cupcake with Cadbury egg.

8) Bake at 350 for 14-16 minutes, or until browned. (I like mine slightly undercooked).

These are super festive and super easy. I’m bringing these into work as a pre-Easter treat. I have NO willpower if they stay in my house! Enjoy J

Barbeque Crock-Pot Chicken

I have to admit…sometimes I crave pulled chicken. Sounds strange, right? Well I blame it on my 6+ summers of working in a barbeque barn. For six summers straight, I pulled countless chickens–breasts, thighs-you name it, we pulled it— every single Friday, Saturday, AND Sunday of every summer, so of course, we naturally ate it too. The “we” I’m speaking of are my favorite girls—my twin sister, and my beautiful friends Tiffany and Monique. I think we all agreed,  you don’t get barbeque chicken more tasty than chicken straight from a smoker! …or at least, that’s what I thought. Now that I’ve made this crock-pot recipe, I’m having second thoughts.

Not only is this simple to make, but the minimal ingredients make it fairly inexpensive, too. Plus, this will last you the work week and it’s extremely versatile. I ate it all week as a main dish, on top of salads, in sandwiches, and in wraps—your chicken, your choice J It’s just.so.tasty. Make this now!

Barbeque Crock-Pot Chicken

Ingredients
-4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (I used 8 thin chicken tenderloin strips)
-1 can Campbell’s French Onion Soup (10 1/2 oz.)
-1 cup ketchup
-1/4 cup cider vinegar
-3 tbsp light brown sugar
-1 bottle smokey bbq sauce (or bbq sauce of your choice—I used honey barbeque)

Directions:

1) Mix soup, ketchup, cider vinegar, and brown sugar in a mixing bowl.

2) Once your chicken is washed and in the crock-pot, pour the mixture over chicken.

3) Cover and cook on low 8-10 hours, or high 4-5 hours,  until done.

4) Remove chicken from slow cooker. Cool slightly, then shred using 2 forks.

5) Return chicken to slow cooker & add bbq sauce. Mix and reheat through, about 5-10 minutes. Enjoy!

Dig in!

Someone please tell me they had a difficult time pulling away from this chicken so that I’m not alone…I am addicted! In a month, I made this 3 times…whoops! Hope you like this as much as I did : )

What’s your favorite chicken dish?

Spinach Lentil Super Soup

This past week, all I’ve craved is a hearty soup. I find myself freezing quite often at work, and soup is one great way to warm me up. However, I rarely have time or energy on weeknights to make a batch. So having today (Monday) off was the perfect excuse! I was able to whip up a monster batch of soup that will last all-week-long.

I don’t know about you, but I much prefer homemade soup to canned soup because you can add or omit ingredients from recipes, and you can monitor the sodium content, too.

Today’s soup featured a protein-packed, fiber-heavy ingredient: lentils. These are kind-of like a miracle food. They’re high in iron, and studies show they are proven to lower-cholesterol, too. Plus, with the addition of spinach to this soup, you’re adding even more iron and fiber to the soup. This will fill you up, warm you up, and won’t slow you down.

Spinach Lentil Super Soup
Ingredients:

3/4 cup chopped onion
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 package (10oz.) fresh baby spinach leaves
1 tablespoon canola oil
4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1 cup water
1 cup lentils, rinsed
3 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 bay leaf
1 cup chopped carrots
1 can (14-1/2oz.) no-sodium added diced tomatoes, undrained

simplest of ingredients!

Directions:
1) In a large saucepan, sauté onion in oil until tender, 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and sauté an additional minute. Add baby spinach leaves, cover, and allow spinach to cook down until wilted.

onion and garlic

sauteed spinach

2)Add the broth, water, lentils, Worcestershire sauce, salt, thyme, pepper, and bay leaf; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

adding in the lentils

3) Add carrots and diced tomatoes; return to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 20-25 minutes longer or until lentils are tender. All done!

super soup!

I already had a bowl for my afternoon snack…just because. Isn’t snacking at home one of the joys of having a Monday off? Hope you enjoy this, I sure am!　

Valentine Oreo Truffles

Baking is easily my favorite part of any holiday…but the worst part about a holiday happening in the middle of the workweek is that I really don’t have much, if any, spare time to bake. So for my valentine, I made a quick, easy, festive, DELICIOUS treat…Oreo truffles! For the basics, you only need two ingredients: Oreos and 1 block of cream cheese, that’s it! To decorate, you’ll need chocolate chips and any decorations of your choice for the truffles.

It may be hard for you to believe that such simple ingredients create a decadent treat. But if you don’t believe me…taste the batter. You’ll be sold! I’ve made these for the last 2 years at Christmas, and now they are a frequently requested dessert in the Rowden household. I really like customizing them for birthdays, holidays, or really any day of the year. Try it, they’re a guaranteed hit!

Oreo Truffles
Ingredients
1 package Oreos (I used reduced fat)
1-8oz block of reduced-fat cream cheese, softened
1 package milk chocolate chips (or chocolate of your choice)
Valentine sprinkles 

Directions
1)In a food processor(or blender), mix Oreos until they become crumbs. Add cream cheese in small pieces, and blend until you have a dough form.
2) Roll dough into balls and place them on a baking sheet. (I lined mine with parchment paper). Set them in the freezer or refrigerator to harden for approximately 1 hour.
3) Once the dough is set, dip in melted chocolate – milk, dark, or white chocolate will do. Add any decoration on top. Store in the freezer and serve cold.

Oreo Truffles in pink

<3 trufflessweets for my sweetie

Mom’s Crunchy Surprise Cookie Bars

 Have you ever had a dessert that combines all of your favorite flavors in one? Chocolate…check. Molasses…check. Peanut-butter…check. I was sold…are you?

First things first…lets thank Mommy Rowden for this recipe. Last year, she told me she had made her “favorite” dessert when I traveled home to Maine for a long weekend. Well, my Mom has a lot of favorites, so I didn’t know what to expect…but this favorite took the cake. When I tell you that once you try one, you won’t be able to eat just one…I’m serious, good luck. I honestly have to tape the pan to stop eating these each time I make them.

The best part about these bars is that they’re good in any form…piping hot from the oven, cold from the fridge, and even at room temperature. I suggest you make them three times, then you can try each way to see what you like best! They saying is true…this recipe is definitely “an oldie but a goodie!!” –check out the recipe card if you don’t believe me! It’s definitley been used over and over again! 

oldie but a goodie!

Mom’s Crunchy Surprise Cookie Bars

Ingredients

1 cup sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup unsulfured molasses
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 package (12 ounces) semi-sweet real chocolate chips
1 cup Sun-Maid seedless raisins
1 cup peanuts (optional—I don’t include these).
1/3 cup peanut butter (Crunchy or creamy works–I used reduced-fat crunchy).

Directions
1) Heat oven to 350°. Mix sugar, butter, molasses, egg yolk and vanilla with spoon. Stir in flour and 1 cup chocolate chips.

first ingredients

Mommy dearest, mixing away

 

mixed

2)Press dough in un-greased 13×9 rectangular pan. Bake until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. *I like mine under-cooked, so I usually take mine out after 22. Watch them closely!

delicious dough, spread evenly

3) While the bars are cooking, mix the remaining chocolate chips, the raisins, and the peanut butter in a saucepan. Heat over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until chocolate chips are melted.

stovetop ingredients

the best chocolate sauce around!

4) Once the bars have been removed from the oven, spread the chocolate/peanut butter mixture over the crust in pan. Refrigerate at least 2 hours ( I usually stick mine in the freezer for 20 minutes, to speed up the process). Cut into bars. Enjoy!

spreading the sauce evenly

Mom's surprise bars!

Make-your-own-granola bars

Make your own granola bars

Lately, I’ve been making a diligent effort to eat less processed foods, and incorporate more protein into my diet. But as I’m sure many of you know, this can prove to be particularly difficult if you’re stuck in an office all day! I have to admit, I really wonder how in the world I get hungry from sitting at a desk and in meetings all day, yet somehow, I do. I don’t exactly enjoy sitting all day, which is my main motivaton that gets me to the gym each and every morning. I know it’s in my head, but I just feel better at 8:30 a.m. knowing I was already active that day, especially since I’m sitting there all day.

Anyway, something that’s even more difficult than sitting at a desk all day is feeling satisfied after breakfast and lunch each day. Up until last month, I continued to realize that I was starving within one hour after eating. I wasn’t eating enough protein at or between my meals, and was eating empty calories of “100 calorie packs” and sugar-laden granola bars, instead of choosing protein-packed snacks or whole-grain options. That’s why I love these granola bars. They’re full of wholesome, high in protein, and they satisfy my sweet-tooth….good things really do come in 3’s!

Make-Your-Own-Granola Bars

Ingredients
½ apple (I used a granny smith)
1 ½ cups whole oats
½ cup raisins
½ cup nuts (pecans or walnuts would work)
½ cup chopped dates
½ cup light maple syrup
¾ cup peanut butter (I used creamy, but chunky would do!)
½ cup chocolate chips (optional)
1-2 scoops vanilla or chocolate protein powder ( I used Arbonne protein powder)

Optional Ingredients
1.5 tsp. Vanilla
1 tsp. Cinnamon

Directions
1) Chop apple, a cook Apple(or your choice of fruit) on stove, then mash in a large bowl.

cooking the apple

2) Add all ingredients to bowl and mix together.

Ingredients, all together

All mixed!

3) Smooth out in 8X8 pan, and chill in refrigerator for 2 hours.

granola bar goodness

One of the best parts about these granola bars is that you can adapt them to your taste. For instance, use a banana instead of an apple. Or, don’t include the chocolate chips and double up on the raisins instead. It’s up to you! Whenever I make these, I package them up in plastic wrap and take one to work each day for my afternoon snack. It’s quite the afternoon treat. Make these!!

Sunday Stuffed Shells

Sunday Stuffed Shells

It’s natural to think that since I’ve lived in the North End “Little Italy” of Boston for 4 years, I’d get sick of pasta…but it’s just not the case. Pizza, gnocchi, and Italian bread have become some of my favorite foods, and I let myself indulge in my favorites. The key is moderation! You can eat anything in moderation. Fortunately, it is possible to make your favorite Italian dishes healthier, without compromising the taste. With the help of part-skim ricotta, part-skim mozzarella cheese, 93/7 lean ground beef, and a healthy tomato sauce, I did just that with these stuffed shells. There’s absolutely no reason to feel guilty about this meal. Plus, it’s great to make ahead on a Sunday (or any day for that matter)and store it in the fridge for the work-week ahead. My taste-testers agreed, this one is a keeper!

Ingredients

1/2 box jumbo shells (you’ll need about 20 shells)
1 lb lean ground beef
2/3 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, chopped (I used canned garlic)
1 jar marinara sauce of choice (I used a “classic chunky tomato” sauce)
1 (15 oz.) container part-skim ricotta cheese
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1 egg
2 cups part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided

Instructions

1)Cook shells according to package direction. Remove from water and spread on paper towels or wax paper to cool.

coolinggg

 

2)While the shells are cooking, cook lean ground beef, onion, and garlic; drain off the fat and return to the pot. Stir in pasta sauce.

saucey sauce

3)In a large mixing bowl, stir together ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, and egg.

the start of cheesy goodness

4)If shells are cool enough at this point, stuff the shells with the cheese mixture.
5)Cover the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish with a thin layer of meat sauce mixture. Now lay shells into the dish. Spoon remaining meat sauce mixture over the stuffed shells, and top with remaining 1 cup mozzarella cheese.

line em' up

 

ready to go!

6)Bake, loosely covered in foil, in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes, or until sauce is bubbling and cheese is melted. Remove foil and broil for a few minutes until the cheese is golden brown.

cheesy goodness

Of course, like most any recipe, you can adapt the stuffed shells to your liking. Vegetarian? Don’t include the meat. Want to include some greens? Add spinach to the cheese mixture. Stuffed shells can be made in a variety of ways…but trust me, this way won’t disappoint!

　

Mint Chocolate Chip Cake Cookies

Today marked the start of my holiday baking. Trust me, I’m extremely ashamed…this is a VERY late start for me. To be honest, I didn’t want to make these. I have been DYING to make gingerbread truffles(recipe is soon to come!) but time was an issue tonight. So instead, I settled on this tasty treat. While they aren’t the fanciest of cookies, they certainly are delicious. And I know what you must be thinking…mint chocolate chip, cake, and cookies? Hey it’s Christmas…why not? Plus, these cookies are as good as they sound. They’re moist like a cake, chewy like a cookie, and chock-full of mint flavor.

The best part about these cookies is how easy they are to make. In less than 20 minutes, I had a batch of two dozen cookies. If you’re looking for a quick, tasty, inexpensive Christmas treat, it’s right here!

Enjoy!

Mint Chocolate Chip Cake Cookies
Ingredients:
1 box Devil’s Food cake mix
1/4 cup canola oil
2 large eggs
1 cup chopped mint chocolate chips (I used Andes)
Powdered sugar for garnish (about 1/2 cup)

Directions

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray cookie sheet with cooking spray or line with parchment paper.
2) Combine cake mix, oil and eggs in a large bowl and mix with a wooden spoon until everything is combined. Then, pour in mint chips and stir.

dough + candies

3) Pour powdered sugar into a small bowl. Roll cookie dough into balls and roll around in bowl of powdered sugar until they are coated in a thin layer of the sugar.

dough ball

rollingggg

4) Place dough balls on cookie sheet and bake for approximately 12 minutes.

dough balls

alllll baked!

 

5) Cool on cooling rack and enjoy.

christmas cookies!

After I taste-tested a few cookies (as every baker should) I packaged them up to give away to my co-workers in these cute little goody bags. If anything gets me excited for work, it’s this! Countdown to Christmas is on!

cookie bags!

Crockpot Chicken Noodle Veggie Soup

Crockpot Chicken Noodle Veggie Soup

A simple Sunday calls for a simple soup…and it doesn’t get more simple than a crockpot soup. Today I was craving a classic: chicken noodle soup. This was super simple to make and it’s a perfect meal for lunch or dinner. To me, the best thing about preparing a crockpot meal is that you can wing it…as in throw anything into it and make it work…hence my desire to throw in all of my almost-spoiled vegetables. Plus, I improvised the recipe even more, tweaking it to involve certain ingredients I had on hand and needed to use. To be truthful, I didn’t feel well enough to leave my house today, so I had no choice but to use what I had! For instance, I didn’t have any celery on hand, so I substituted a sweet potato instead. Also, I used whole wheat linguine instead of egg noodles, because that’s what I had in my pantry.

I do believe I’ll be eating this soup for the next 5 days…join me!!　

Crockpot Chicken Noodle Veggie Soup
Ingredients

1/4 onion, finely chopped
15-20 mini carrots, thinly sliced
1 sweet potato, chopped (or a rib of celery)
1 cup cauliflower
salt & pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
2-3 thin chicken breasts
1 large container of low-sodium chicken broth
¾ cup water
Whole wheat noodles of your choice

　

1) Wash chicken breasts. Place in crockpot, and cover with chicken broth.
2) Cut carrots, onion, sweet potato, cauliflower, and mince garlic. Add to crockpot and cover with remaining broth. Add water and noodles.

the start of the soup!

3) Cook on high in crockpot for 4-5 hours. Add salt and pepper to taste

cooking away!

4) Remove chicken breasts once tender and shred with two forks. Add back into soup, stir, and serve!

Done and done!

I have a feeling I’m going to be awfully sick of chicken noodle soup after this week…but for now, I’m okay with it!

Chicken soup warms the soul