Roasted onions & artichoke hearts

From me myself & I

INGREDIENTS

1 cup of frozen artichoke hearts, defrosted
1 medium onion cut in 8ths
Good olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 pinches hot red pepper flakes
2 tbs of crumbled goat cheese


DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the artichoke hearts and onion pieces in a bowl with 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, red pepper flakes and toss until coated. Dump the artichoke hearts and onion pieces onto a sheet pan and spread out into 1 layer; roast in the oven for 25 minutes. Five minutes before they're done, sprinkle the goat cheese and put back in the oven.

Delicious skinny mashed "potatoes" (cauliflower)

Not a fan of cauliflower but this is AMAZING!

From: delightedmomma.com

INGREDIENTS

1 head of cauliflower
1 tablespoon of cream cheese (& 1 tablespoon of butter)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon of minced garlic
salt & pepper
Chives for garnish

DIRECTIONS

Wash and cut cauliflower into small pieces. Boil in a pot of water for about 10-15 minutes or until soft and cooked.
Drain and dry using paper towels. Immediately place in food processor or blender (I used an immersion blender). You do not want the cauliflower to cool.
Puree the cauliflower with the cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, garlic, salt and pepper.
Sprinkle the top with chives and a few dashes of pepper. Serve!

Best Chipotle Sauce and Tilapia

Best & easiest Chipotle Sauce!

Here with Tilapia, but can be used with pretty much every meat, fish or poultry.

INGREDIENTS

• 
  
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro (You can use 2 frozen cilantro cubes)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 canned chipotles in adobo
• 1 tablespoon of low fat mayo
• 1/3 cup skim milk
• salt to taste
• 4 tilapia fillets

DIRECTIONS

Preheat broiler.

Put all the ingredients in a tall container and use an immersion blender until smooth.

Grill fish until just cooked through, 6 to 9 minutes.

Put fillet on the plate and then pour the sauce on it.

Serve with wild rice and tomato salad.

Artichoke & Spinach Dip

From Emeril Lagasse foodnetwork.com

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
Salt
Cayenne pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan (about 2 ounces)
1/2 cup grated Monterey Jack (about 2 ounces)
1 cup chopped onions
1 (10-ounce) bag fresh spinach, stemmed, rinsed and chopped
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
2 (15-ounce) cans artichoke hearts, drained and julienned

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Combine 1/4 cup of the vegetable oil and flour in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir the mixture constantly 5 to 6 minutes for a blond roux. Whisk in the milk and bring the liquid up to a boil. Season the liquid with salt and cayenne. Simmer the liquid for 5 to 6 minutes, or until the liquid is thick and coats the back of a spoon. Remove the sauce from the heat and stir in the cheeses. Set the sauce aside.
In a saute pan, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. When the oil is hot, add the onions and saute for 2 minutes. Stir in handfuls of spinach at a time, until all the spinach is incorporated. Add the garlic and artichoke and saute for 2 minutes. Season the vegetables with salt and cayenne. Remove the vegetables from the heat and turn into a mixing bowl. Fold the cheese sauce into the vegetables. 
Turn the mixture into a baking pan. 
Bake the dip for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.

Frangipane au poires et chocolat (pear chocolate tart)

From http://cuisine.journaldesfemmes.com/

INGREDIENTS

3 ripe pears 
100g rich chocolat
1puff pastry sheet (Pâtte Brisée on this one)
2 eggs
100g soft butter
100g ground almonds
125g granulated sugar

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 220 °C (gas 7).


In a large bowl, mix the butter, ground almonds and sugar until smooth. Add 2 previously beaten eggs and mix well. 
Peel and slice pears


Put pastry on your bakin pan


Melt chocolate in double boiler (bain Marie) and cover the pastry with it . Then pour the almonds butter mix and arrange pears on top.


Bake in the bottom of the oven for about 30 minutes (keep an eye on the pastry so it does not burn).



Délicieux!

Cinnamon Rolls ... butter, butter, butter!

From foodnetwork.com (Barefoot Contessa)

INGREDIENTS:

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1/2 cup pecans, chopped in very large pieces (I did not put any nuts)
1 package (17.3-ounces/ 2-sheets) frozen puff pastry, defrosted

For the filling:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 cup raisins (I did not use any raisins)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place a 12-cup standard muffin tin on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. (Butter's gonna drip all over your oven if you don't use a sheet pan underneath!)

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the 12 tablespoons butter and 1/3 cup brown sugar. Place 1 rounded tablespoon of the mixture in each of the 12 muffin cups. If adding pecans, this is when to do so... Distribute the pecans evenly among the 12 muffin cups on top of the butter and sugar mixture.

Lightly flour a wooden board or stone surface. Unfold 1 sheet of puff pastry with the folds going left to right. Brush the whole sheet with the melted butter. Leaving a 1-inch border on the puff pastry, sprinkle each sheet with 1/3 cup of the brown sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons of the cinnamon, and 1/2 cup of the raisins if so. Starting with the end nearest you, roll the pastry up snugly like a jelly roll around the filling, finishing the roll with the seam side down. Trim the ends of the roll about 1/2-inch and discard. Slice the roll in 6 equal pieces, each about 1 1/2 inches wide. Place each piece, spiral side up, in 6 of the muffin cups. Repeat with the second sheet of puff pastry to make 12 sticky buns.

Bake for 30 minutes, until the sticky buns are golden to dark brown on top and firm to the touch. Be careful - they're hot! Allow to cool for 5 minutes only, invert the buns onto the parchment paper (ease the filling and pecans out onto the buns with a spoon) and cool completely.

I used a loaf pan but I think it would've been easier to pull out and eat if done in muffin cups.

Now we know ;-)

Flourless carrot mini muffins

From pccnaturalmarkets.com w/ minor tweaks

INGREDIENTS:

1 unsalted toasted almonds or walnuts or mixed

1/2 cup almond meal
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
4 large eggs
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups finely grated carrots (about 10 ounces)

DIRECTIONS: 

Preheat oven to 350° F with a rack in the middle. Oil a mini muffin pan.

Combine the almonds or/and walnuts and the brown sugar in a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Blend until the nuts are finely ground. Add the almond meal, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and lemon zest, and pulse together.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs with an electric beater until thick. (You also may use a stand mixer.) Add the granulated sugar and continue to beat until the mixture forms a ribbon when lifted from the bowl with a spatula. Beat in the vanilla. Add the almond mixture and the carrots in three alternating additions, and slowly beat or fold in each time.

Scrape the batter (mine turned out somewhat runny) into the mini muffin pan. Bake 25 min or until firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool on a rack for 10 minutes.

Remove carefully with a small plastic spoon. Allow the ini muffins to cool completely before serving.

These keep well in the fridge for up to 5 days if wrapped well.

Makes 30 mini muffins!