Peach Pizza with Goat Cheese and Balsamic Reduction

Ingredients:
1 ball of pizza dough
1/2 clove of minced garlic
olive oil or avocado oil
1 white peach (or peach variety of your choice)
3-4 oz of goat cheese
1/4 cup of four cheese blend
1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar
2 Tablespooons of honey
A leaf or two of basil
Sprig or two of thyme

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425. Pour a tablespoon or 2 of oil on cookie sheet. Pull, stretch, press pizza dough into desired shape and place on oil covered cookie sheet. Rub a tablespoon of oil on top of pizza dough with minced garlic. Sprinkle the four cheese blend all over dough. Crumble goat cheese all over dough. Slice peach in thin slices after removing pit. Arrange them over the pizza.
Place pizza in oven for 10 minutes.
Put balsamic and honey in pot over medium heat. Stir occasionally with rubber spatula at first and then constant as it begins to reduce. Usually takes about 10 minutes to reduce. Remove from heat once reduced by half.
Once pizza is removed from oven, drizzle a little bit of the balsamic reduction over the pizza. Store the remainder in the fridge. Chop up basil and thyme and sprinkle over. Cut and serve.

S'more Cheesecake Cupcake

Adapted from: this recipe!

Ingredients:

Crust
18 crushed graham crackers
1 TB granulated sugar
3/4 cups butter, melted
mini marshmallows
warmed hot fudge ice cream topping
Cheesecake
16 oz cream cheese (2, 8 oz blocks), room temperature
14 oz sweetened condensed milk
2 tsp vanilla
3 eggs
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup mini marshmallows, divided
Garnish
1-2 Hershey bars broken into pieces
1/4 cup - 1/2 cup Hot Fudge Sauce

 Directions

 Preheat oven to 325.

Mix GC crumbs and butter together. Use a tablespoon to spoon it into cupcake liners and then press down with glass. Place 5-7 marshmallows on top of each crust and then drizzle hot fudge sauce over that and set aside.
In bowl of stand mixer combine cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk, mixing on low speed until smooth. Add in eggs, one at a time and then vanilla.
Stir in chocolate chips and mini marshmallows. Pour over crust.
Bake for 30 minutes. Then remove from oven and sprinkle 5 more marshmallow on top of each cupcake and place back in the over for 5 more minutes.
Cool them down and once cool, drizzle with hot fudge and place a piece of Hershey bar on top.

Makes 24 cupcakes.

 

 

Broccoli Cheese Soup

 

Ingredients: 

1 Tablespoon melted butter
1 chopped shallot

1 Tablespoon of chopped chives

1 chopped clove of garlic
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups of whole milk
2 cups chicken broth

1/2 lb of broccoli
1 cup of chopped carrots

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
8 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese

1/2 cup of asiago cheese
salt and pepper

Directions:

Saute shallot, chives and garlic in butter in a small pan. Set aside.
In a dutch oven, melt butter, then add flour and whisk constantly over medium heat for 3-5 minutes. Stir in milk and chicken broth. Simmer for 20 minutes. 

Add the broccoli, carrots, shallots, chives and garlic. Cook covered, over low heat 20-25 minutes.
Add salt and pepper. Use an immersion blender to get the soup to a consistency of your liking. Then add cheeses and stir in nutmeg.

Pour into bread bowls, sprinkle with leftover cheese and enjoy.

 

Brown Sugar Pumpkin Cheesecake Cupcakes

This recipe is adapted from one found here by The Hungry Mouse. :)

Ingredients:

1 package of Oreos

4 Tablespoons of melted butter

24 oz. cream cheese  (3 8-oz. bricks), at room temperature

1 3/4 cups dark brown sugar

4 eggs (at room temp)

1 15-oz. can 100% pure pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)

1 Tablespoon of Vanilla

2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice
1/4 cup flour

For the Crust:

Crush your oreos in the food processor and then pour in the melted butter. Spoon about a tablespoon or so of the crust into cupcake liners and then press down with a glass. 

For the Filling:

Beat the cream cheese in your mixer until smooth. Add the brown sugar and mix again. Break your eggs into another bowl and then break them up with a fork. Add to the mixer. Beat well. Add the pumpkin, vanilla, pie spice, flour and mix until well combined. Pour filling into crusts. Bake at 325 for 35 minutes then turn off heat and crack the oven door for an additional 30 minutes. Then remove from oven and cool in kitchen for another 30. Then refridgerate 6 hours or overnight. You can top with whipped cream or eat as is.

Makes 36 cupcakes

Chicken Sweet Potato Black Bean Baked Flautas

Ingredients:

9 Mission Carb Balance Flour Tortillas

1 grilled shredded or cubed chicken breast

1 sweet potato

1 cup of black beans

1 cup of corn

1/4 of julienned carrots

1/4 of mild salsa

1/2 of feta cheese

2 tablespoons of cream cheese

1 teaspoon of basil paste

1/8 teaspoon of cumin

1/8 teaspoon of garlic salt

a pinch of red pepper flakes

3 dashes of tabasco sauce

salt and pepper to taste

shredded mexican cheese

Directions:

Put oven at 425. Cover a cookie sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray. Poke some holes in your sweet potato, wrap in damp paper towel and microwave for 7 minutes. Grill your chicken breast and shred or cube. Place in a large bowl and add the insides of the sweet potato, add everything else EXCEPT the mexican cheese. Mix! Take a tortilla and sprinkle with mexican cheese, add filling, sprinkle again with mexican cheese and then roll and place seam side down on cookie sheet until all are made. Spray the tops with cooking spray and bake for 7 minutes. Then take out and flip and cook for another 8 minutes on the other side.

I served mine with avocado on top. Super delicious and fairly healthy dinner. Enjoy!

Heirloom Tomato Panzanella

This recipe was introduced to me by my sister in law. She adds lemon cucumbers and red onions. We have also discussed how good it would be with avocado. So start with the below base and add whatever you like. 

Ingredients:

One baguette, sliced into 1 inch cubes

4 heirloom tomatos (I prefer Cherokee Purple and Pineapple)

A few chopped basil leaves

garlic

Olive Oil

Balsamic Vinegar

Your favorite cheese (I used a garlic Jersey cheese from my farmer's market but my SIL used small mozzarella balls. You could also use feta or goat.)

Directions

Mix bread cubes with olive oil, salt, pepper and minced garlic. Bake at 375 until crispy and golden brown. 

Take them out and let them cool. 

Slice the tomatoes into bite sized pieces. 

Toss everything but the bread in a bowl with vinegar and olive oil to taste. 

Toss with cooled bread cubes and taste for seasoning. 

Serves 4-6 people

Coconut Vanilla Quinoa Pudding

1 cup of uncooked quinoa

1/2 cup of sugar

3 13.5 oz cans of coconut milk

1 teaspoon of Nielson-Massey Vanilla Bean Paste

pinch of sea salt

Rinse quinoa in cold water to get rid of the bitterness. In a medium-sized sauce pan, add the coconut milk, cream, sugar and vanilla bean paste. Set the stove to medium-high until the milk comes to a simmer. Add the quinoa and set the stove to low. Stir every few minutes for one hour or the milk reduces to your desired pudding consistency.
I like to serve mine with frozen berries or chocolate chips.