Oreo Brownies

Serving: 20

Ingredients:

1. 1 Duncan Hines Fudge Brownie Mix or a brownie mix of your liking. 

2. 1 1/2 cups Oreo Cereal

3. 3 large eggs

4. 3/4 cup vegetable oil

5. 12 Oreos

Directions:

1.   Spray a 9"x 9" pan with cooking spray.

2.   Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.

3. Follow the Duncan Hines baking instructions. Before placing in the oven, break the Oreo pieces into fourths and place into the brownie mixture. Press them down so they are almost fully covered in the mixture. It's okay if they stick out a little! 

4.   Top the brownie mixture with Oreo Cereal. Sprinkle evenly. 

5.   Bake for 30 minutes or until desired consistency. Ovens will vary baking time. 

Winter Couscous

Serving: 3

Ingredients:

1.    1 (6 oz) box of couscous (I used Near East Pearled Couscous - Original Plain)

2.    2 garlic heads

3.    1/2 cup of olive oil

4.    1/4 cup of chopped parsley

5.    2 sweet potatoes

6.    2 1/2 cups of vegetable broth (or however much liquid is needed to cook your couscous)

6.   Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

Roasted Garlic:

1.  Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees F

2.  Remove the paper layers of the garlic of the garlic head. Slice the top of the cloves. 

3.  Place the garlic in tin foil and drizzle 2 - 3 tablespoons of olive oil over it. Seal the garlic in the tin foil. 

4.  Cook the garlic for 40 minutes or until the garlic has browned and softened.

Sweet Potato:

1.  Slice your sweet potatoes into 1/2 inch pieces. 

2.  Place in a small bowl and mix with 2 tablespoons of olive oil.

3. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix well.

4. Spray your baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Evenly spread the sweet potatoes on the baking sheet. 

5. Bake the sweet potatoes for 30 minutes. 

Couscous:

1. While the garlic and sweet potatoes are cooking, cook the couscous in vegetable broth.

2. Once the garlic and sweet potatoes are finished cooking add into the couscous along with the parsley.

3. Add some salt and pepper to taste if desired.

Apple Pie Puff Pastry

Servings: 8

Ingredients:

1. 5 medium sized apples - about 3 to 3 1/2 cups of diced apples (I used Honey Crisp)

2. 1 teaspoon lemon juice

3. 2 tablespoons brown sugar

4. 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

5. 3 tablespoons flour

6. 1 puff pastry sheet (I used Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry)

7. 1 Egg

Directions:

1. Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees.

2. Spray baking sheet with non-stick spray. Place your pastry sheet flat down and let defrost. 

3. Peel and cut the apples into 1/2 inch pieces.

4. Place your diced apples in a bowl with the lemon juice, brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour. Mix well!

5. Evenly spread your apple mixture on the puff pastry. 

6. Tightly roll your pastry mixture. 

7. In a small bowl, whisk the egg and brush on top of the puff pastry. This will give your pastry a beautiful golden-brown color.

8. Place in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until your pastry begins to brown. 

*Note: If you have powdered sugar, feel free to sprinkle some on top of your pastry to give a nice coloring. 

Lemon Za'atar Chicken

Serving: 6

Ingredients:

1. 1 pack 8-piece chicken

2. 1/4 cup za'atar seasoning

3. 1/3 cup olive oil

4. 1 large lemon

Directions:

1. Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees.

2. Mix za'atar and olive oil.

3. Brush the za'atar mixture on all sides of your chicken - under the skin too!

4. Place in a baking pan and slice lemons around the chicken.

5. Cook the chicken for 30 minutes.

6. Take the chicken out and squeeze the lemon juice over the chicken.

*Note: The lemons are very hot - to avoid burning your fingers, take tongs to squeeze the lemons

7. Place the chicken back in the oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour longer.

*Note: I usually leave my dark meat in longer than my white meat to avoid drying it out. 

Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie

Serving: 3

Ingredients:

1.    2 frozen bananas

2.    1.5 cups of almond milk 

*I use Vanilla Almond Milk unsweetened to give it a little more flavor

3.    2 tablespoons of peanut butter

4.   1 teaspoon of chia seeds

5. Around 3-5 ice cubes - depending on how thick you'd like your smoothie to be

Directions:

1. Add all ingredients to a blender. 

2. Blend for approximately 1 minute - or until desired consistency

Spicy Garlic Edamame

Serving: 4

Ingredients

1.     1 (16 oz bag) of lightly salted Edamame

2.     2 tablespoons of Garlic Chili Sauce (Huey Fong is the best!)

3.     2 teaspoons of toasted sesame oil

Directions

1. Microwave or steam edamame

2. Mix the garlic chili sauce and toasted sesame oil

3. Add your sauce mixture and edamame into a frying pan

4. Sauté your edamame until the skin darkens

**Note: Depending on your tolerance for spice, the amount of chili garlic sauce can be altered to your liking. 

Gluten Free Meatballs

Serving: 4

Ingredients

1.     1 lb of ground beef 

2.      2/3 cup of Almond Crumbs or Almond Meal 

(I used Cooper's Crumbs Savory Italian Blend)

3.     1/2 an onion finely chopped

4.    1 tablespoon of crushed garlic

5.    1 egg

6.     3 tablespoons of olive oil

7.    1 jar of your favorite Marinara Sauce

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F

2. Mix the ground beef, almond crumbs, onion, crushed garlic and egg. 

3. Roll the meat into balls (1 inch)

4. Lightly coat a skillet with olive. Once heated, add your meatballs and cook on all sides until your meatballs develop a crust. 

5. In a 9x11 pan add half a jar of marinara sauce. Place the meatballs into the pan and coat the top with the rest of the marinara sauce. 

6. Place in the oven for 15 minutes. 

I partnered with Cooper's Crumbs to make this dish. Using these crumbs gave the meatballs more texture. This is a great alternative to using breadcrumbs if you're avoiding gluten. Click here to learn more about Cooper's Crumbs: https://cooperscrumbs.com/