Mini Zucchini Quiches

It's that time of year... Happy Zucchini Harvest! I found this recipe on Weight Watchers. It's actually not very diet friendly, as each little mini muffin is about 100 calories, but they sure are tasty. These would be a great thing to bring as an appetizer or for a brunch. I'm thinking they probably freeze well, too!

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup shredded zucchini, uncooked
1 small onion, finely chopped   

1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

3 large eggs

1/4 cup flour (I used whole wheat, but you could use all-purpose as well)

1/8 cup basil, fresh, finely chopped   

1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil, extra virgin   

1 tsp baking powder   

1/2 tsp sugar   

1/2 tsp kosher salt   

1/5 tsp black pepper   

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven to 375°F. Coat a 24-hole nonstick mini muffin pan with cooking spray.

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl; spoon about 1 heaping tablespoon egg mixture into each prepared hole.

Bake until bottoms are golden brown and quiche are cooked through, about 15 minutes. Remove pan from oven and let quiche cool for a few minutes in pan; remove quiche to a wire rack to cool more. 

Yield: 24 mini quiches

Crunchy Granola

This is the best granola I've ever tasted! It makes a TON, too, so it's worth the effort to make, since it will last for a while. We eat it like cereal with milk and also on top of homemade yogurt. Yummy! All the nuts in this are what put it over the top, in my opinion.


INGREDIENTS
8 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cups wheat germ
1 1/2 cups oat bran (*For more fiber, use all wheat germ)
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup finely chopped almonds
1 cup finely chopped pecans
1 cup finely chopped walnuts
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
3/4 cup honey
1 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup raisins
1 cup sweetened dried cranberries

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line three large baking sheets (with sides) with parchment or aluminum foil.
2. Combine the oats, wheat germ, oat bran, sunflower seeds, almonds, pecans, and walnuts in a large bowl. Stir together the salt, brown sugar, maple syrup, honey, oil, cinnamon, and vanilla in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then pour over the dry ingredients, and stir to coat. Spread the mixture out evenly on the baking sheets.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until crispy and toasted, about 20 minutes. Stir once halfway through. Cool, then stir in the raisins or cranberries before storing in an airtight container.

* Note on the bake time: This will still seem chewy at 20 minutes. Resist the temptation to bake it until it is completely crisp, as it will continue to cook a bit after it is removed from the oven and may burn. It will be crispy after it is cooled.

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

Once a year my "Nye-sista" Sharon and hubby Chaz come to stay with us for a weekend. Usually we pick apples, but this year all the orchards lost most of the crop to an early frost. Anyways, in honor of their long-anticipated arrival, I made these pumpkin cinnamon rolls for breakfast. WOWSA. I think they will come back next year...


INGREDIENTS

Cinnamon Roll Dough
1 cup milk
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
15 oz can OR 1 3/4 cups pureed pumpkin
1/4 cup warm (not hot) water
1 packet of yeast (1 tablespoon)
5 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
1-2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (optional but will enhance pumpkin flavor)
Filling
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) butter - softened
1 cups brown sugar
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (optional)
Glaze
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp maple extract/maple syrup
pinch of salt (optional)


DIRECTIONS:

Combine butter and milk in a sauce pan and heat on low until butter has melted. Once butter has melted, add sugar and stir well to combine, cooking on low heat.

Add yeast to 1/4 cup of warm water (make sure it's not too hot, just warm to the touch). Let the yeast dissolve into the water.

While yeast is dissolving, pull butter, milk and sugar mixture off stove and let cool.

Once butter, milk and sugar has cooled down to warm (not hot), combine it with the yeast and water mixture in a large mixing bowl. Add in pumpkin puree, flour, pumpkin pie spice (optional) and salt. Stir to combine, you may need to work the ingredients together with your hands to fully incorporate flour.

Once combined, set bowl, covered, in a warm draft free spot for 1-2 hours to rise.

After dough has risen (it should double in size), punch it down and prepare to roll it out. Cover your work surface in flour and set dough on surface. Knead dough six to seven times. Roll out with a rolling pin into a large rectangle. If dough is sticky, add a bit of flour to it, as well as your rolling pin.

Once dough is rolled out, brush softened butter over dough. Sprinkle on cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice followed by brown (or white) sugar.

Tightly roll dough up, starting from edge furthest from you. Continue to roll until you've reached the end. Slice cinnamon rolls (I made 12 big ones but you could make 24 small ones in two pans if you want). Set cinnamon rolls in buttered pan (one 9x13 pan per dozen).

At this point you can bake your rolls, or cover and place in the fridge for up to twenty four hours.

Preheat your oven to 375. While oven preheats, let cinnamon rolls sit at room temperature (approx 20 minutes). If cinnamon rolls have been in the fridge and are cold, it's best to give them 30-40 minutes at room temperature prior to baking.

Bake the cinnamon rolls for 18-25 minutes, until tops are golden brown and centers look firm. Remove from oven and let cool for approx five minutes.

While cinnamon rolls are cooling, mix up glaze, combining milk, powdered sugar, melted butter, vanilla extract, maple extract and pinch of salt in a large bowl and mixing well. The glaze should be pourable. If it's too thick, add additional milk, one tablespoon at a time.

Pour glaze over cinnamon rolls. Serve immediately or allow to sit. Store covered. Enjoy!

Apple Cider Doughnuts

Recipe courtesy Food Network Magazine

Prep Time:

50 min

Inactive Prep Time:

2 hr 0 min

Cook Time:

20 min

Level:

Easy

Serves:

12 doughnuts

Ingredients

• 2 red apples, such as Cortland or McIntosh
• 2 1/2 cups apple cider
• 3 1/2 cups all-pourpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 3 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons vegetable shortening
• 1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
• Vegetable oil, for frying

Directions

Core and coarsely chop the apples (do not peel). Combine with 1 1/2 cups cider in a medium saucepan over medium heat; cover and cook until softened, about 8 minutes. Uncover and continue cooking until the apples are tender and the cider is almost completely reduced, about 5 minutes. Puree with an immersion blender or in a food processor until smooth. Measure the sauce; you should have 1 cup. (Boil to reduce further, if necessary.) Let cool slightly.

Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, salt and nutmeg in a medium bowl.

Beat 2/3 cup granulated sugar and the shortening in another bowl with a mixer on medium speed until sandy. Beat in the egg and yolk, then gradually mix in the applesauce, scraping the bowl. Beat in half of the flour mixture, then the buttermilk and vanilla, and then the remaining flour mixture. Mix to make a sticky dough; do not overmix.

Scrape the dough onto a lightly floured sheet of parchment paper and pat into a 7-by-11-inch rectangle, about 1/2 inch thick. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Meanwhile, make the glaze: Simmer the remaining 1 cup cider in a small saucepan over medium heat until reduced to 1/4 cup. Whisk in the confectioners' sugar until smooth and glossy, then set aside. Mix the remaining 1 cup granulated sugar and 2 teaspoons cinnamon in a shallow bowl; set aside for the topping.

Heat 2 inches of vegetable oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat until a deep-frythermometer registers 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with paper towels. Cut the chilled dough into 12 rounds, using a floured 2 1/2- or 3-inch biscuit cutter, then cut out the middles with a 1-inch cutter (or use a doughnut cutter). Slip 2 or 3 doughnuts at a time into the hot oil and fry until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes per side, adjusting the heat as needed. Transfer to the paper towels to drain.

Dip one side of each doughnut in the cider glaze, letting the excess drip off; dip just the glazed side in the cinnamon-sugar or roll all over in cinnamon-sugar, if desired. Serve warm.

Chewy Chocolate Chip Granola Bars (aka Fiber Bars)

When I needed to look for ways to increase my youngest's daily fiber intake, Fiber Bars were a lifesaver. Fiberful, yummy and a quick way to eat breakfast. However, I didn't like how processed the store-bought fiber bars are. I set out to find a recipe that was a bit more healthy, but still high in fiber. Here is what I came up with. With 16 servings, they don't have as much fiber as a store-bought bar. These are 4.5 grams per bar, but it's all natural!

INGREDIENTS:
3 cups rolled oats
1 cup wheat bran
1 cup All Bran cereal
1 cup Koala Crisp cereal (or rice krispies-type cereal)
1 cup honey
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 cup peanut butter
1/4 - 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:

1. Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray.
2. Combine dry ingredients in large bowl.
3. On stove, heat honey and sugar until it bubbles and froths. Stir constantly for 1 minute. This will caramelize the sugars and help the bars stick together.
4. Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter until smooth.
5. Add this to the dry ingredients and mix well.
6. Stir in mini chocolate chips - if honey mixture is too hot, this will melt the chips. Doesn't look as good, but it still tastes great! Another alternative is to omit chocolate chips at the this point and sprinkle 1/4 cup of them on the top after they are pressed into the pan. 
7. Dump granola mixture into pan. Use a piece of wax paper to press the mixture flat and into the corners.Peel wax paper off bars.
8. Cool completely. Invert onto a large cutting board and cut into 16 - 20 rectangles.
9. Wrap bars individually with saran wrap and store in a air-tight container.

Yield: 16 bars

Breakfast Cookies

Cookies for breakfast? I'm in! These are a tasty, healthy way to start your day. I combined recipes from Food Network, King Arthur Flour and Eat Better America to make my own concoction. 


INGREDIENTS:
1 large banana (the riper the better)
1/2 c. peanut butter
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. baby food carrots (1 small container)
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. oats
1/2 c. whole wheat flour (I used white whole wheat flour)
1/4 c. nonfat dry milk powder
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 cup "mix ins" (craisins, raisins, coconut, chopped nuts, m&m's, choc chips, etc.)

DIRECTIONS:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
• Using a hand mixer, beat banana, peanut butter, brown sugar, carrots and vanilla until smooth.
• In separate bowl, mix oats, flour, milk powder, cinnamon and baking soda. Stire into wet mixture until combined.
• Stir in mix-ins.
• Prepare two cookie sheets with parchment paper or cooking spray or, my favorite, Silpats.
• Drop 1/4 cup mounds of dough 3 inches apart on sheets. With a metal spoon dipped in water, flatten mounds into cookie shapes (will not spread much during baking).
• Bake for 15 minutes or until browned. 
• Cool completely and store in airtight container or freeze.

Yield: 10 cookies

Cracker Barrel Hashbrown Casserole

INGREDIENTS:
2 lbs frozen hash browns
1/2 cup margarine or 1/2 cup butter , melted
1 (10 1/4 ounce) can cream of chicken soup
1 pint sour cream
1/2 cup onion , peeled and chopped
2 cups cheddar cheese , grated
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

DIRECTIONS:
1 Preheat oven to 350°F and spray an 11 x 14 baking dish with cooking spray.
2 Mix the above ingredients together, place in prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes or until brown on top.

Servings: 10-12

Read more: http://www.food.com/recipe/cracker-barrels-hashbrowns-casserole-copycat-15242#ixzz1iWRhDOHQ

Crab and Cheese Brunch Bake

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 6 English muffins, split
• 8 ounces lump crabmeat, drained
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
• 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded white cheddar cheese
• 12 eggs
• 1 cup half-and-half cream
• 1 cup 2% milk
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Swiss cheese
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 4 green onions, chopped
• 1/4 cup finely chopped sweet red pepper
• 1/4 cup finely chopped sweet yellow pepper

Directions

• Spread mustard over bottom half of muffins. Place in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Top with crab, lemon juice and peel. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Top with muffin tops; set aside.
• In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, cream, milk, mayonnaise, salt, cayenne and pepper. Pour over muffins; sprinkle with Swiss cheese, Parmesan cheese, onions and peppers. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
• Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Cover and bake at 375° for 30 minutes. Uncover; bake 20-25 minutes longer or until set. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Yield: 12 servings.

Baked Blueberry Pecan French Toast Bake

• Ingredients:
• 1 cup pecan halves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 (12 ounce) baguette , preferably day-old
• 5 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar , packed and divided
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter , cut into pieces
• 2 cups blueberries

BLUEBERRY SYRUP

• 1 cup blueberries
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Directions:

1. 1
   Preheat the oven to 350°F
2. 2
   Spread the pecan halves evenly on a baking sheet.
3. 3
   Toast them until fragrant, about 8 minutes.
4. 4
   Sprinkle the salt over the pecans and toss evenly to coat; set aside.
5. 5
   Butter a 9- by 13-inch baking dish.
6. 6
   Cut the baguette into 1 1/2 inch thick slices and arrange them in an even layer in the baking dish. If some of the bread slices won't fit, save them for another use - note that if you stack slices, the cooking time will increase.
7. 7
   Whisk together the eggs, milk, 1/2 cup of the brown sugar, vanilla, and nutmeg in a large bowl, and pour the mixture evenly over the bread. Turn the bread slices to coat them evenly.
8. 8
   Chill the mixture, covered with plastic wrap, until all the liquid is absorbed by the bread, at least 8 hours or overnight.
9. 9
   Preheat the oven to 400°F Take the baking dish from the refrigerator and let sit for about 30 minutes to take some of the chill off.
10. 10
    Just before baking, sprinkle the pecans and blueberries evenly over the soaked bread.
11. 11
    Combine the butter with the remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar in a small saucepan and warm over medium heat, stirring, until the butter is melted. Drizzle the butter mixture over the bread.
12. 12
    Bake until blueberry juices are bubbling around the edge of the pan and the bread is heated through, 20 to 25 minutes.
13. 13
    To make blueberry syrup:.
14. 14
    Cook the blueberries and maple syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat until most of the blueberries burst, 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
15. 15
    Pour the syrup through a sieve into a heatproof pitcher, pressing on the solids to extract as much blueberry flavor as possible.
16. 16
    Stir in the lemon juice.
17. 17
    Set the pitcher in a pan of warm water to keep warm until ready to serve.

Read more: http://www.food.com/recipe/baked-blueberry-pecan-french-toast-with-blueberry-syrup-267586#ixzz1iWQhrzFW