Chocolate Mascarpone Tart with Berries

Crust Ingredients:

1 cup flour

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup butter

2 teaspoons ice water

1 egg yolk

Instructions:

Combine flour, cocoa powder, sugar and salt in food processor and pulse until combined. Add butter and pulse. Add ice water and egg yolk and pulse. Pack into ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Pack into tart dishes or small ramekins. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Filling Ingredients:

1/2 cup mascarpone cheese

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup sugar

2 Tablespoons flour

Pinch of salt

Instructions:

Fully combine all ingredients together. Pour into cooled crust. Bake at 325 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden.

Berry Topping Ingredients:

3 cups berries (used strawberries and raspberries)

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon lemon juice

2 Tablespoons water

1 Tablespoon corn starch

Instructions:

Over medium-high heat cook berries, lemon juice and sugar. Mash berries. Cook for 5 minutes. Mix water and corn starch in a bowl until fully combined. Whisk corn starch mixture into berries. Simmer until thickened.  Pour berry topping over tarts and refrigerate. 

Beer Cheese Soup

Ingredients:

4 cups (32 oz) chicken broth

8 oz shredded sharp cheddar (Tillamook Extra Sharp)

1 12 oz amber or brown ale

2-4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup flour

2 cups milk of choice (unsweetened original almond milk works great)

Pepper to taste

Instructions:

Sauté minced garlic with a small amount of vegetable oil over medium heat.  Add beer and broth and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to a simmer. 

Warm 1 cup of milk in microwave, not hot. Whisk in flour until fully dissolved.  Add mixture to beer and broth.  Whisk together and add another cup of milk. Slowly add in cheese a small handful at a time, whisking until smooth. Simmer and continue to whisk for 10-12 minutes. The soup will begin to thicken.

Orange Chicken

Here is a healthier version of this delicious meal from Skinny Taste. I altered it just a little bit, but check out her blog too, so many amazing recipes.

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts, cut into small pieces

2 Tablespoons corn starch

1 teaspoon ground ginger

salt & pepper

4 cloves chopped garlic

1 cup fresh or frozen vegetables of choice

Sauce:

1/3 cup orange juice

1/4 cup chicken broth

2 Tablespoons soy sauce

1-2 Tablespoons chili sauce (to taste)

2 teaspoons corn starch

1 Tablespoon orange zest

Instructions:

Mix all sauce ingredients together and set aside. Cut the chicken into bite size pieces and coat in corn starch, ground ginger, salt and pepper. Bring medium pan to medium-high heat with 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. Add the chicken and cook for about 5 minutes, or until golden and cooked through. Add the garlic and cook for about a minute. Add the sauce. Simmer until sauce has thickened.

If adding vegetables, add when you add the sauce. If using frozen vegetables, steam before adding to sauce. Serve over rice or rice noodles. Garnish with sesame seeds.

Garlic Chicken with Israeli Couscous & Butternut Squash

Ingredients:

1 small butternut squash, cubed

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1 8 oz box Israeli couscous

1 3/4 cup water

2 chicken breast

4-6 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
salt & pepper to taste

1 tablespoon pesto

4 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Place chopped butternut squash on baking sheet and sprinkle with cinnamon, ginger, salt and pepper.

Mix together minced garlic, oil, lemon juice, salt & pepper. In a separate baking dish pour garlic sauce oven chicken breast. Bake for about 20 minutes or until squash is caramelized and chicken is cooked through.

Bring box of couscous and water to a boil in medium pot. Reduce to low and cover for 8-10 minutes or until water is absorbed. Mix pesto and Greek yogurt together with couscous. 

Serve all together. Leftovers are great reheated or served over a salad with more pesto & Greek yogurt mixed together for a dressing.

Seared Scallop & Apple Salad

Ingredients:
1/2 pound bay scallops

1/2 Granny Smith apple

1-2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

Salt & pepper

Slivered almonds

Parmesan cheese

Vinaigrette

Lettuce

Instructions:

Rinse and pat dry scallops. Top with salt and pepper. Bring pan to medium-high heat with vegetable oil. Cook scallops for 1-2 minutes each side, careful not to over cook. Thinly slice apple. Toss all ingredients together.

Broccoli & Swiss Stuffed Chicken

I found this delicious and easy recipe on Skinny Taste.

Ingredients:
1 large chicken breast, or 2 chicken breast cutlets

1 egg

1 Tablespoon water

1/2 cup bread crumbs or panko

1 slice of Swiss cheese
1/2 cup broccoli

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Whisk egg and water together in a small bowl. Pour breadcrumbs or panko in another small bowl. If using chicken breast, filet the breast into two thin halves. Place a half of slice of swiss on each filet. Place broccoli on top of swiss. Roll the chicken breast and secure with a toothpick. Dip into egg/water then into breadcrumbs. Place in a baking dish lined with foil and bake for 25-30 minutes, until cooked through.

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

I found this recipe from Sally's Baking Addiction. The three secrets to an absolutely wonderful chewy cookie are using melted butter, using one egg and one additional egg yolk, and adding in corn starch. The key for this to be successful is allowing the dough to chill for at least 2 hours, but preferably overnight. 

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons corn starch

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup melted butter

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg & 1 egg yolk

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup chocolate chips

Instructions:

Start by mixing all of the dry ingredients together in a large bowl: flour, baking soda, corn starch, and salt. In a medium bowl mix together the melted butter, brown sugar and sugar until fully combined. Add the egg and egg yolk as well as the vanilla. Mix the wet and dry ingredients together. 

Add the chocolate chips. The chocolate chips won't stick to the cookie dough very well since the butter is melted, just try to incorporate them in as well as you can.

This step is KEY. Refrigerate the dough for a minimum of 2 hours, but preferably over night.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Roll the dough into balls and place onto a lined or lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet.

I rolled the remaining dough into balls and placed in a zip-lock bag in the freezer. You can bake these directly out of the freezer, no thawing required.