Avocado Egg Bake

Breakfast is by far my favorite meal, and I am always up for trying a new breakfast recipe. This one was a lot easier to make than I thought, and I felt great after eating it! Perfect for a Saturday or Sunday morning with a large cup of coffee :)

Ingredients: 
1 ripe avocado
2 eggs
2 slices turkey bacon
Salt and pepper to taste















Instructions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees
Cut avocado in half and remove the pit
Scoop out about 1 tablespoon from each half of the avocado (so the egg can fit)
Place avocado on baking sheet
Crack one egg into each avocado half
Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the egg white set
While eggs are baking, place turkey bacon in frying pan and cook until crispy and crumble into small pieces
Remove avocado eggs from over and sprinkle with turkey bacon, salt and pepper to taste

Makes 2 servings.. Enjoy!

Dark Chocolate Dipped Clementines with Sea Salt

This is SUCH a simple recipe, yet healthy and delicious. I now find myself making them at least once a week for a tasty dessert that won't leave me feeling gross.  I've also heard of sprinkling a spice, like cayenne pepper, on top instead of the sea salt for a spicy flavor. I haven't tried it yet because I love the sea salt so much!


Ingredients: 
Half cup dark chocolate melting wavers
3 clementines
2 teaspoons sea salt

Instructions:
Peel clementines and divide into individual pieces
Melt dark chocolate in microwave for 30 seconds, stir, and if not melted completely put back in microwave for 10 seconds
Dip about half of each clementine slice in the melted chocolate and set on wax paper
Sprinkle a tiny bit of sea salt on each clementine slice (over melted chocolate)--- when I was doing this it was challenging to have the sea salt stick if the chocolate was already dry, so many sure you are sprinkling the sea salt no more than 30 seconds after you dip the slice in the chocolate

Makes 25-30 slices.... Enjoy

!

Risotto Minanese

Whenever I'm craving something with a little more substance, risotto is my go-to. My favorite risotto I've ever made is asparagus risotto, although my spring vegetable risotto with poached eggs is a close second. I came across this recipe and wasn't too sure because it didn't contain a main vegetable. I'm so glad I gave it a try because it turned out really good! You think the cheese would give it a yellow/orange color, but it is actually the saffron threads (this was obviously my first time cooking with them...).

Ingredients: 
3 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon saffron threads
3 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup chopped yellow onion
3 gloves garlic (minced)
1 cup (dry) arborio rice
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/4 cup romano cheese
1/4 cup dry white wine










Instructions:
Heat chicken broth and saffron threads in low heat in a pan
In a large pot, heat 1 1/2 tablespoons butter
Once melted add garlic and onion---cook for 2 minutes on medium heat
Stir in rice and mix well
Add dry white wine
Add chicken broth with saffron threads one cup and a time--- when broth is absorbed, add another cup until the broth runs out
Remove from heat and add the remaining butter and both cheeses

Makes 3-4 servings... Enjoy!

Spaghetti Squash Mac and Cheese Broccoli Bake

One of the dishes I always crave is mac and cheese. Its so painful when I see other people eating this amazing comfort food, so I decided to try out a gluten free, healthier version of this (using squash and adding broccoli) to try and satisfy my craving. This dish definitely hit the spot, plus I had leftovers for 2 days!

Ingredients:
2 small spaghetti squash
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 small minced yellow onion
2 tablespoon corn starch
3 cups broccoli
8 ounces reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
2 cups reduced fat milk
1 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
Salt and Pepper, to taste







Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
Cut each squash lengthways and discard the seeds
Bake squash about 45 minutes until you can run a fork through the squash and it is stringy
Place squash in a bowl and set aside

Heat butter and oil in a pan, add in onions and cook for 3-4 minutes
Turn to medium heat and add in corn starch, cook for another 2-4 minutes
Add in chicken broth and milk and raise heat to high, bring sauce to a boil
Season with salt and pepper
Once the sauce starts to thicken, remove from heat and add in the reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese
After cheese is melted, add in squash and broccoli
After mixing, pour into a baking dish
Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and bake for another 15 minutes

Makes about 6 cups...Enjoy!

Zucchini Chips

Ingredients:
2 medium zucchinis
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt to taste















Instructions:
Preheat oven to 250 degrees
Slice zucchini into thin circular slices, some use a mandolin but I didn't have one so I just cut them about half a pea size thick)
Place zucchini slices on a paper towel and place another paper towel over them and press down to try and get some of the liquid out
Place zucchini on a lightly greased baking sheet (make sure they are not overlapping)
Brush olive oil over the slices of zucchini
Sprinkle a very small amount salt over the zucchini
Bake about an hour and a half until the chips are crispy

Makes 60-70 chips... Enjoy!

Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus

Ingredients:
12 asparagus spears (I prefer thinner asparagus, but they were out of season and the only ones at the store are thick)
6 slices of prosciutto
1 tablespoon butter














Instructions:
Wash asparagus and cut off 2-3 cm of the ends
Cut each slice of prosciutto in half (lengthways, should have 12 strips)
Wrap each asparagus spear in a prosciutto strip (I found it most effective to wrap at a 45 degree angle so the prosciutto stays on while frying)
Heat butter in a frying pan until sizzling hot
Place wrapped asparagus spears in pan (be careful...if the butter spatters it is really hot!)
Cook for 2 minutes on each side

Makes 12 asparagus spears...Enjoy!

Brown Sugar Spiced Baked Chicken

Ingredients: 
3 chicken breasts
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons light brown sugar










Instructions: 
Preheat oven to 425 degrees
Create the rub by mixing paprika, cumin, salt, pepper, oregano, garlic powder and brown sugar in a bowl
Place chicken breast on a baking sheet and coat the top of each breast thoroughly with the sugar and spice rub

Bake for 20-25 minutes until cooked through

Makes 2-3 servings...Enjoy!