Simple Skillet Green Beans

Have mercy. These are amazing. Simple, so so delicious, and healthy-ish.

Photo Credit to Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Simple Skillet Green Beans
1 teaspoon oil or butter
1 pound fresh green beans, ends trimmed
3/4 cup low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat the oil or butter over medium heat. Add the green beans and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring often, to crisp up the edges of the beans just slightly.
Pour in the broth and bring the beans/broth to a simmer. Cover the skillet and cook anywhere from 6-10 minutes, depending on how tender you like your green beans. Keep an eye on the skillet - if it is simmering too vigorously and the liquid evaporates out, add a bit more as needed.
Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.

Recipe Source: Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Grilled Ginger-Sesame Chicken Chopped Salad

This was super yummy. I love the marinade, but I might put less cabbage and more romaine {especially for Scott}.

Photo Credit to Cooking Classy

Grilled Ginger-Sesame Chicken Chopped Salad

Dressing and Marinade
1/4 c low-sodium soy sauce
2 Tbsp finely minced ginger
3 Tbsp canola oil
2 Tbsp hoisin sauce
1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil (I used regular un-toasted since it's all I had)
1 tsp Sriracha (I didn't even notice it, so if you like heat add a little more)
1/2 tsp salt, then more to taste as desired
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup chopped green onions, green and white parts
Salad
2 (9 oz) boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 lb napa cabbage, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise {or Romaine lettuce}
1 1/2 - 2 cups matchstick carrots, or 2 medium carrots cut into matchsticks
2/3 cup slivered or sliced almonds, toasted
1/2 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
3 chopped green onions, green and white parts
1 tsp white sesame seeds, toasted
1 tsp black sesame seeds (or an additional 1 tsp white, toasted)

For the marinade:
In a mixing bowl (or 2-cup liquid measuring cup), whisk together soy sauce, ginger, canola oil, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, Sriracha and 1/2 tsp salt (adding more salt to taste as desired, original recipe calls for 1 tsp salt, I added 3/4 tsp and I still thought that was too much, especially for a healthy salad). Add chicken breasts to a large resealable bag and add 3 Tbsp of the marinade mixture, reserving remaining. Seal bag and rub marinade over chicken, then transfer chicken to refrigerator and let rest at least 30 minutes, or up to 1 day.
For the dressing:
Add red wine vinegar and 1/4 cup chopped green onions to marinade mixture and whisk to blend. Set aside (chill in refrigerator if marinating chicken longer than 1 hour).
For the salad:
Heat a grill or grill pan over stove top over medium-high heat. Brush grill lightly with canola or vegetable oil, then place marinated chicken on grill and cook, about 4 minutes per side, or until chicken has cooked through (it should register to 165 degrees in center of chicken when tested with a meat thermometer). Transfer to a cutting board and let rest 10 minutes. Then, cut chicken crosswise into strips about 1/4-inch thick.

In a large bowl toss together cabbage, chicken, carrots, almonds, 3 chopped green onions, and cilantro with enough dressing to coat salad. Sprinkle top with sesame seeds and serve.

Recipe Source: Cooking Classy

Strawberry Cream Puff Cake

Oh man, the orange in this cake was so delicious. I loved it!

Photo Credit to Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Strawberry Cream Puff Cake
Cream Puff Base:
5 tablespoons butter
2/3 cup water
1 tablespoon sugar
2/3 cup flour
3 eggs
Cream Cheese Mixture:
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon fresh orange zest
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2/3 cup powdered sugar
1-1.5 clam shell strawberries {mixed with sugar and let sit}

For the cream puff layer, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Bring the butter, water and sugar to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the flour all at once and stir quickly until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan. Remove the pan from the heat and stir the mixture until smooth. Let cool for 5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time and beat until the mixture is shiny with a satiny sheen. Don’t overbeat. Lightly grease the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan (or in a pinch, you could use a 9-inch circle cake pan). Using an offset spatula, spread the mixture on the bottom and one inch up the sides of the prepared pan. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and prick pastry with a toothpick 10-12 times. Return to the oven and bake 5-10 minutes more until golden brown but not overbaked (you can insert a toothpick into the center and if it comes out with sticky dough, it still needs longer in the oven). Cool completely.
For the cream cheese mixture, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Gradually add the powdered sugar (if you want to ensure there are no lumps, sift the powdered sugar into the cream cheese) and beat with the cream cheese until mixture is smooth and light. Add the remaining ingredients and beat until stiff peaks form. Spread onto the cooled cream puff shell.
Top with strawberries, or you can use a 16-ounce bag of frozen strawberries that have been thawed. Mix the thawed strawberries and juice with 1-2 teaspoons sugar and bring to a simmer in a saucepan. Cook until slightly thickened. Cool completely and use as topping for the cake.

Recipe Source: Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Oreo-Crusted White Chocolate Mousse Torte

This is super rich {but it's white chocolate so it's amazing!} I made this with Bret and Laurel and even though it has quite a few calories...totally worth it.

Photo Credit to Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Oreo-Crusted White Chocolate Mousse Torte
For the crust and garnish:
Butter for preparing the pan
24 Oreo cookies, roughly broken in thirds
6 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 cup (4 ounces) heavy cream
For the filling:
10 ounces white chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 cups (16 ounces) heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin

Coat the interior of a 9-inch springform pan with butter. Place a circle of parchment in the bottom and butter it as well (I omitted this step and it didn’t stick).
Place the bowl of an electric mixer and wire whip attachment or the beaters in the freezer to chill.
To make the crust, place the broken cookies in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Pulse until medium-size crumbs are formed. They won’t be uniform but don’t process long enough to make mush- just to grind the cookies into uneven crumbs. Leave the crumbs in the food processor. Place the semisweet chocolate in a medium metal bowl. Pour the 1/2 cup heavy cream into a small saucepan; set over medium heat and bring the cream to a very gentle simmer. Pour it over the chocolate and stir until the mixture is smooth. Add two-thirds of the cookie crumbs; reserve the remaining crumbs. Stir the crumbs to coat them with the chocolate. Spoon and scrape the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Press the chocolate-coated crumbs evenly over the bottom all the way to the edge of the pan, but not up the sides. Set aside.
To prepare the filling, place the white chocolate and 2/3 cup of the heavy cream in a metal bowl placed over, but not touching, a pan of simmering water. Stir occasionally as the chocolate melts. When the mixture is smooth, remove it from over the water and set aside to cool.
In a chilled bowl using the chilled beaters, whip the remaining 1 1/3 cups of heavy cream and the vanilla until soft peaks form.
Pour 3 tablespoons of water into a small saucepan and sprinkle the gelatin over it. When the gelatin has softened, place the saucepan over very low heat and stir the mixture just until the gelatin has dissolved and liquefied. Immediately scrape the gelatin mixture into the white chocolate mixture, and fold gently until well combined. Fold the white chocolate-gelatin mixture into the whipped cream until the mixture is uniform. Scrape the filling into the prepared crust.
Refrigerate the torte until the gelatin has set, at least 4 hours or overnight (I refrigerated mine overnight). To serve, loosen the edges of the torte from the sides of the pan with a small knife. Remove the sides of the pan and run a wide metal spatula between the bottom of the torte and the parchment liner, then lift the torte onto a flat serving plate. Just before serving, sprinkle the torte with the reserved cookie crumbs.

Recipe Source: Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Andes Mint Brownies

So I haven't actually made the brownie part of this recipe, but I'm sure it's amazing. I just threw some Andes "chips" in a brownie mix and it was divine.

Photo Credit to Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Andes Mint Brownies
1 cup butter (2 sticks)
2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup cocoa
½ teaspoon salt
1 package Andes mints {or 1/2-3/4 bag of Andes "chips"}

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9X13-inch pan with foil and lightly grease with cooking spray. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cocoa and salt. Set aside.
Unwrap all the mints and coarsely chop. Set aside.
In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Remove from the heat and add the sugar, stirring well to combine. Whisk in the vanilla and then the eggs. Blend well.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix well. Gently stir in the chopped Andes mints. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 32-35 minutes, until the brownies are set in the middle but not overbaked. Let cool completely, slice into squares and serve.

Recipe Source: Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad Sandwiches

These were delicious and so much more healthy than any other chicken salad sandwiches I've ever made. I made them for Lilian's 3rd birthday at the park and it was perfect. The recipe was just a template, I changed a lot about it. Except for the ingredients you see...

Photo Credit to Damn Delicious

Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad Sandwiches

1 pound cooked chicken breast, shredded {I used a whole roasted chicken, so good}
1/2 cup diced red onion
1/2 cup diced apple
2/3 cup grapes, halved
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup sliced almonds {or cashews, or peanuts...}
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, or more, to taste {I used red wine vinegar}
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 rolls ciabatta bread, toasted, for serving {I used whatever bread I had, white rolls, wheat bread...}

In a large bowl, combine chicken, red onion, apple, grapes, dried cranberries, sliced almonds, In another bowl, whisk the Greek yogurt, lemon juice, garlic powder, salt and pepper, to taste. Combine the dry stuff and chicken mixture and fold gently.
Serve sandwiches on bread with chicken mixture.

Recipe Source: Damn Delicious

Moist White Cake

I made this for my mother to take to a young women function, and it only got rave reviews!!

Photo Credit to I am Baker

Moist White Cake

2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. shortening
2 eggs
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract {or1 1/2, I don't really measure}
1 1/4 c. milk

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Mix shortening, eggs, sugar, vanilla, and milk. Then mix flour, baking powder and salt in another bowl. Then add dry ingredients to other mixture. Pour into a well-greased 9 x 12 pan.

Bake at 350°F for 30-35 minutes.

Recipe Source: Cooks.com