Buffalo Chicken Dip with Homemade Tortilla Chips

-2-12.5 oz cans of white chicken in the broth

-1 cup of fat free sour cream

-1- 8 oz. light cream cheese- room temperature

-2/3 cup of Franks hot sauce

-1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

-1/2 cup of scallions

Strain and rinse chicken. Transfer into a bowl and add sour cream, cream cheese and franks. Mix together. Transfer mixture into a baking dish. Add cheese and bake for 15 minutes. Add scallions at the end and serve with chips and/or celery. 

Homemade Tortilla Chips

FRIED:

-1 package of flour tortillas (use flavored to add a kick- I used jalapeño tortillas)

-Seasoning: pinch of garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, cumin and salt

-Vegetable oil

Fill a skillet with 1 inch high with vegetable oil. Heat over medium-high. Meanwhile mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Stack the tortillas evenly into a pile. Take a sharp knife and cut tortillas in half, then into quarters, then into eighths. Test if the oil is hot enough by placing a piece of tortilla in it. It will sizzle if it is ready.

Carefully place tortillas into oil, about 8 sliced at a time. Let them fry for about 1 minute or until they’re golden brown then flip. Repeat on the other side.

Remove and place into a large paper bag and add a pinch of seasoning. Shake bag then transfer chips to paper towel to absorb some of the oil. Repeat with the remaining tortilla.

BAKED- I generally bake these but on special occasions-such as the Super Bowl when I photographed the chips above- I fry them. I will be honest, they're incredible fried...

-1 package of flour tortillas (or corn tortillas)

-Seasoning: pinch of garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, cayenne pepper and salt

-Extra virgin olive oil

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. With a pastry brush, paint a thin layer of oil on each side of tortilla and sprinkle seasoning on top. Stack the tortillas evenly into a pile. Take a sharp knife and cut tortillas in half, then into quarters, then into eighths.

Arrange tortillas on a baking pan and bake for 10-12 minutes or until they are slightly brown and crispy.

Healthier Option:

Use wheat or corn tortilla

Chocolate Covered Strawberries & Cranberry Spitzer

This recipe is super simple and dairy free for those of you who need it.

-3 cups dark chocolate morsels

-1 1/2 tablespoons of soy/almond creamer (of course use plain cream if you would like)

-1/4 teaspoon salt

-1 tablespoon extra strong coffee or espresso 

-8-10 strawberries

-Ground nuts of choice, optional

Pour chocolate chips into a bowl. I learned this trick watching Ina Garten Place bowl in the microwave for 20 seconds. Remove and stir chocolate. Return to the microwave for 10 seconds. Remove, stir and cook for an additional ten sconds. Continue this cycle until it is almost fully melted. Add creamer, salt, coffee and mix. Continue with cooking cycle until fully melted.

Line a tray with parchment paper. Dip strawberries into chocolate, pull out, twist and place on paper. If you would like to add nuts, roll strawberries in nuts after chocolate.

Place in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

Serve with this cocktail below.

 Cranberry Spitzer

 Unfortunately I did not get a picture of the cocktail, but i think you all can imagine what it looks like. 

-Brut or extra dry Champagne (or prosecco)

-100% Cranberry juice from concentrate

-Raspberries

Personally, I am not a big fan of very sweet cocktails. For this reason, I recommend buying brut or extra dry Champagne. *If you only have prosecco or sparkling wine, that will suffice. I also recommend using this cranberry juice because there is no added sugar and the tart, bitter flavor cuts the sweet taste from the champagne. They pair well together.

Fill a champagne glass about 85%, add about 1 tablespoon of cranberry and finish with a raspberry or two for a nice presentation. 

Decadent Chocolate Chip Pancakes with Strawberries

Last year I woke up early to make a big breakfast for my boyfriend. I was in a surprisingly festive mood, given the time, and decided that in light of Valentines Day I would decorate the meal in hearts and the color red. Below is a delicious chocolate chip pancake recipe. The pancakes are in the shape of hearts- well some are- and are topped with red heart-shaped strawberries. 

If you want to make them in the shape of hearts, instructions are below the recipe. Otherwise,  ignore the instructions and make these pancakes on any old occasion. They're delicious. Perfect balance of moisture and fluff. The pancakes are not too sweet so the dark chocolate compliments them well. 

I have such fond memories of my sister, mom and me making pancakes from scratch when I was younger. We always used the Joy of Cooking pancake recipe.  Naturally, I turned to this recipe as a base. I tweaked it a bit, making it a bit healthier and tastier in my opinion. Enjoy!

Serves 4

-1 Cookie Cutter in the shape of a heart

-1 cup all-purpose flour (healthier: use wheat flour)

-1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder

-1/2 teaspoon baking soda

-1/2 teaspoon of salt

-1 ½ cups of almond milk

-2 large eggs

-3 tablespoons unsalted butter (healthier choice: substitute for ½ cup unsweetened applesauce- or what I like to do is use 1 tablespoon of butter and a few tablespoons of apple sauce. Do this if you like moist pancakes- like I do)

-3-4 tablespoons of agave (really depends on desired sweetness)

-1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

-2/3 cup dark chocolate chips

-Strawberries, as many as your little heart desires –no pun intended

-Bananas, optional

Mix all the dry ingredients into a large bowl. Make sure there are no lumps. Whisk eggs in a small bowl and add all the wet ingredients. Make a whole in the center of the dry ingredients and pour wet mixture into the whole. Slowly mix the wet and dry together. Mix until you no longer see lumps.

Spray griddle with non-stick olive oil spray. Heat over medium-high flame. Pour about ¼ cup sized scoop on to the griddle. Brown on both sides. Hint: once you see the batter slightly bubbling around the sides, it should be about time to flip. Slowly lift the side with you spatula to check if it is golden in color underneath. If the pancake lifts and is not still wet underneath, flip.

HEART SHAPED PANCAKES: I advise using an oven mit, as the cookie cutter will get hot. Spray cookie cutter with non-stick spray. Use your best judgment on how much batter you should use. Since cookie cutters come in all sizes, it’s hard for me to tell you how much to use. You batter should come up about 1/4 inch on the sides of the cutter.

Place the cookie cover on the griddle. Pour batter inside. Press down on the cutter to keep batter from seeping out. After about 1 minute, slowly lift cutter. Flip pancake to brown on the other side. Cut around the sides if they do not come out perfectly.

To cut the strawberries in heart shapes, lay the strawberry on the cutting board with the stem on top. Cut off the stems in the shape of a v. Then, cut strawberry in half, from the right hump to the left- wahlah heart. Cut the bananas up, place heart strawberries and bananas in a bowl. If desired, add 1 teaspoon of agave and ½ teaspoon of vanilla and mix. Pour on top of pancakes and serve.

FOR GLUTEN-FREE VERSION

I almost always look out for my gluten and wheat intolerant folk, being pretty sensitive to wheat myself. I want to provide a gluten-free or wheat-free version of this fun recipe.

My very thoughtful sister made pancakes out of buckwheat for me the other morning. Lets just say I would have rather stuck to eggs for breakfast. So instead, lets make things simple. I saw this recipe all over Pinterest.

So as promised, I made this pancakes. They were surprisingly good. I added few things to make them taste more like pancakes. I found maple extract in my house, which to be honest, I did not know existed. If you don't have this then vanilla extract will suffice. I also added a pinch of cinnamon. I think this really made them taste more like pancakes. I would absolutely recommend making these. Unfortunately, since so many people posted this recipe on Pinterest, I do not know how created it, but props to them.

-Two ingredients: 1 extra ripe banana, 2 eggs. A pinch of salt, a pinch of cinnamon and ½ teaspoon of vanilla. 

Mix all the ingredients together and follow the instructions above.

Morning Rice Paper Wraps

This is hands down my favorite breakfast recipe. I get so many compliments when I make it. Plus it is a super healthy way to start your day. 

I cannot for the life of me remember why my family started making these nor can I remember who had this ingenious idea, but we have been making these wraps for years. I would highly recommend trying these soon.

Note in this picture I added cilantro and green onions. These are optional. I generally use whatever fresh herbs and veggies I have in the house. 

Makes 5 Medium-Sized Wraps

-3 eggs

-5 rice paper wraps

-8 cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

-1/2 avocado, thinly sliced

-4 inner leaves of romaine lettuce, sliced very thinly option: sometimes I use alfalfa spouts instead

-Siracha chili sauce

-If you want to add some more protein, scramble eggs with turkey or ham or cook small turkey sausage links in the microwave, slice in half and add one half slice per wrap.

-Salt and pepper to taste

Whisk eggs in a small bowl. Add salt and pepper. Spray a pan with non-stick olive oil spray. Turn flame to medium-high and pour in eggs. Cook eggs through.

To assemble the rolls, fill a shallow dish with hot water. Soak one rice paper at a time in the water for about 10 seconds, or until it’s soft. Gently shake water off excess water and lay flat on a clean work space.

Add egg, tomatoes, avocado, lettuce, hot sauce and protein (if you decided to include it) in a row across the center-right of the paper. Fold uncovered sides inward and tightly roll the wrap. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve.  

My friends enjoyed them!

Pad Thai

Well, I guess i'll just stick with the Asian theme i've got going. We're moving from China to Thailand my friends. Many of the ingredients in these dishes are similar. This way if you already bought the ingredients, such as that fresh ginger and cilantro, you may as well cook several dishes with them. These recipes are healthy, rice-based (for those wheat intolerant people) and delicious. 

Serves 2-3

-4 tablespoons soy sauce (add more soy per preference)

-1 teaspoon of cornstarch

-1 ½ cups boneless chicken, sliced 

-1/2 packet Rice Noodles

-2 tablespoons of vegetable oil Healthier choice: use extra virgin olive oil

-1 shallot, minced

-2 medium cloves garlic, minced

-Juice of ½ lime- serve with lime slices

-1/2 teaspoon of chili paste (I use Saracha)

-3 tablespoons of rice vinegar

-2 tablespoons of sugar

-1/2 cup shredded carrots- or any veggies you want to add

-1 egg

-2 tablespoons green onion

-2 tablespoons of peanuts, crushed

-1/3 cup of cilantro

-1 cup bean sprouts

Mix 2 tablespoons soy sauce and cornstarch in a bowl. Mix chicken in the marinade and set aside. Meanwhile, place noodles in warm water.

Heat oil in wok or pan over medium flame. Add shallot and cook for about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another 3 minutes.

In a small bowl add the remaining soy sauce, lime juice, chili paste, vinegar and sugar. Mix together.

Add carrots and any additional veggies to the pan/wok.

Add chicken into wok and half the sauce. Cook until no longer pink- about ten minutes.

Make room to cook the egg and scramble with the spatula until cooked. Add green onions. Cook for a few minutes then noodles and the remaining sauce. Mix everything together. Plate and sprinkle green onion, cilantro, peanuts and bean sprouts on top. Serve with a slice of lime.