Chocolate Chocolate Chip Nutella Cookie Bars with Sea Salt

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Nutella Cookie Bars with Sea Salt

I got this recipe from Two Peas in a Pod and then made a couple changes to suit my taste. These were really yummy.

-2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
-1 teaspoon baking soda
-1/4 teaspoon sea salt, plus more for sprinkling
-3/4 cup processed cocoa
-1 cup butter, at room temperature
-1 cup granulated sugar
-1 cup light brown sugar
-2 eggs
-1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
-1 cup chocolate chips
-1/2 cup Nutella

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 pan and set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, sea salt, and cocoa. Set aside. With a mixer, cream butter and sugars together until smooth. Add in eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla extract and mix until combined. Gradually add flour mixture and beat until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips. Divide the dough in half. Press half of the dough into the prepared pan. Spread the Nutella over the dough. Top the Nutella evenly with the remaining cookie dough. It is ok if some of the Nutella peaks out, but try to cover it as much as possible. Sprinkle the cookie bars with sea salt. Bake cookies for 30 minutes, or until cookie bars are set around the edges, but still a little soft in the center. Don't overbake. Remove from oven and cool on a cooling rack. Cut into squares and serve.

Lemon Chicken Soup with Spinach

Lemon Chicken Soup with Spinach

This is a nice twist on the classic chicken noodle soup. The lemon brightens the flavors and adds an unexpected touch. I based this soup on the classic Greek lemon chicken soup, but then added spinach for extra nutrition. Any rice or pasta would work in this soup, but adjust your cooking times based on what you use (add a cup or two of extra water if you use brown rice). You could use white beans instead of the chicken and veggie broth in  place of the chicken broth for a vegan version of this soup. You could use a rotisserie chicken for this soup, or any leftover chicken that you have on hand. This recipe makes a large pot of soup,

-2 Tbsp olive oil
-1 onion, diced
-3 carrots, diced
-4 cloves garlic, minced
-8 cups chicken broth
-1 tsp salt
-1/2 tsp pepper
-2 tsp oregano
-1 tsp thyme
-1 tsp rosemary
-2 cups desired pasta or rice (I used whole wheat shells)
-3 cups cooked chicken, diced or shredded
-1/2 lb spinach, torn into bite sized pieces
-juice of 2 lemons

Heat olive oil in a soup pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and carrots, stirring and sauteing until softened (5-10 minutes). Add garlic; cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute. Add broth, salt, pepper, oregano, thyme and rosemary. Bring soup to a boil. Add pasta or rice, reduce heat to medium and simmer according to package directions. Add chicken and spinach., cook 5 additional minutes, stirring intermittently. Stir in lemon juice and serve.

Toasted Brie and Nutella Croissants with Red Wine Cherry Compote

Toasted Brie and Nutella Croissants with Red Wine Cherry Compote

This my knock off of a dessert at a local restaurant. One of our friends requested that I attempt this dish for his birthday. This was such a fun, delicious, sophisticated, unexpected dessert. This cherry sauce would also be delicious served alongside a pork tenderloin.

Croissants

-croissants
-nutella
-brie

Split the croissants in half; spread the bottom with nutella, then cover with sliced brie. Place the top on the croissant and bake at 350 for 5-10 minutes until warm and crispy. Serve croissant with the cherry compote and dust with powdered sugar if desired.

Red Wine Cherry Compote

-1/2 cup sugar
-1 1/4 cups red wine

-1 lb fresh or frozen cherries, stemmed and pitted
-2 Tbsp cornstarch, mixed with 2 Tbsp water
-1/4 teaspoon almond extract

Bring the red wine and sugar to a boil in a medium pan, stirring to mix. Add the cherries; reduce heat to low, and simmer 5-10 minutes. Add the cornstarch mixture, stirring constantly, cook until thickened. Remove sauce from heat, allow to cool and serve at room temperature.

Mexican Street Corn Salad

Mexican Street Corn Salad

This is such a yummy, summery side dish. You get all the flavors of Mexican street corn, but none of the gunk stuck in your teeth. This is my go to when I have leftover corn on the cob after dinner one night.

-6 ears of corn; roasted, grilled or sauteed until browned and then cut off the cob
-3 Tbsp mayo
-zest and juice of 1 lime
-1 tsp salt
-1/2 tsp chili powder
-1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
-3 Tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
-(optional) 1/2 cup queso fresco, cotija or parmesan cheese

In a medium bowl whisk together mayo, lime zest and juice, salt, chili powder and cayenne. Stir in cilantro and cheese (if using). Serve immediately