Quiona Vegetable and Egg Sushi

I really loved this quiona version of sushi! A little bit experimental, definitely, but it's was great. The nuts give it a really unexpected texture.

Quiona Vegetable and Egg Sushi
based off of Wholesome Cook and Turntable Kitchen

Ingredients:
1 cup quinoa
1.5 cups water
2 Tbs nut mix, roughly chopped (sunflower, almond, and pepitas)
4 sheets nori
2 Tbs. rice vinegar
1 Tbs water
1 tsp honey
1 tsp salt

Instructions:
1. Combine quinoa and water in a small sauce pan, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
2. Once at a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 12 - 15 minutes until no liquid remains. Let sit for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork.
3. In a small bowl, combine vinegar, water, honey, and salt. Stir mixture into quinoa until evenly distributed. Add nuts and stir in as well.
4. For each nori wrap, distribute quinoa as you would sushi rice, then place fillings for either roll on top, then roll. Seal with water.
(Hint: youtube will show you how to roll more effectively than I could describe here, if you don't know how to roll sushi)

Cucumber Carrot Avocado Roll:
1/4 cucumber, sliced into 1 cm. length
1/2 carrot, grated lengthwise on a mandolin
1/4 avocado, sliced into strips

Sriracha Egg Omelette Roll:
2 eggs
1 Tbs. ice cold water
1 Tbs. Sriracha
Optional: a few snow pea spouts

Instructions:
1. Heat a tsp. of oil in a small pan over medium heat.
2. Whisk together eggs and cold water. Pour egg mixture into the pan and cook for 3 minutes. Reduce heat to low.
3. Drizzle Sriracha over the omelette and cover with a lid. Cover and cook for another 2 minutes or until eggs are set.
4. Remove from pan and cut into 1 cm. strips.

Hot Pot

This Asian dish is more of a general format, as you can add any kind of broth, vegetables, seasonings, protein, etc.

The flavor gets more intense as you go along ending in the last batch which has the best flavor as the broth left over from each batch gets more and more concentrated with delicious flavors. It's a fun group event where everyone contributes to the chopping, cooking, seasoning and, of course, eating. :  D

Hot Pot

Ingredients:
vegetable broth
soy sauce
hot sauce
ginger
garlic
vegetables:
- carrot, halved length-wise and sliced 2" long
- broccoli florettes and stems, peeled and cut length-wise and sliced 2" long
- cabbage
- mushroom
- mushroom (dried shiitaki)
tofu, cut into 1/2" cubes
rice noodles

Instructions:
1. Place an electric skillet on the dining table, and fill 2/3rds with broth. Add soy sauce, hot sauce, ginger, and garlic to taste (experiment and find out what you like).
2. Turn on skillet to 375F. Add long-cooking vegetables (like carrots, broccoli stems, and dried mushrooms). Once broth comes to a boil, turn down to warm/simmer and add short-cooking time vegetables (cabbage, fresh mushrooms, tofu, and broccoli florettes) and add rice noodles.
3. Cover pot and let simmer sit for another 3-5 minutes until noodles are soft and vegetables are slightly tender, but still retaining most of their raw crispiness.
4. Spoon out noodles into bowls, then noodles, then vegetables and tofu, then spoon some broth into the bowls. Season with additional hot sauce and soy sauce if desired.
5. The last one to serve there food to their bowl makes the next batch, adding broth and long-cooking ingredients, then bringing to a boil, etc. 

Fluffernutter Brownie Batter Ice Cream

This is by far my favorite ice cream that I've made so far. If you don't like peanut butter that much, use 1/4 cup. Also: I want to eventually figure out a better way to do the brownie chunks, which may involve making a brownie recipe without eggs, then balling up the thick fudge and using that. We will see, but this recipe is so easy to make, I can't imagine not doing so again in the future. A little bit goes a long way with this ice cream, though it has such a light, heavenly texture it's still very dense taste-wise.

Fluffernutter Brownie Batter Ice Cream
from Nat's Adventures in Baking

Ingredients:
1 - 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
2 cups cream
1/4 - 1/2 cup peanut butter (depending on affinity for pb)
1/2 cup marshmallow fluff

for the brownie chunks:
1/4 box brownie mix
2 Tbs butter
1 Tbs water

Instructions:
1. Place a large mixing bowl in the freezer for 10 minutes.
2. In a medium sized mixing bowl, beat the peanut butter and condensed milk together until well blended. Fold in the marshmallow fluff until just combined.
3. Combine all brownie chunk ingredients, and roll into small balls. Set aside.
4. Take the bowl out of the freezer, and beat the heavy cream with an electric whisk until  stuff peaks form.
5. Fold the whipped cream into the peanut butter mixture, then add the brownie bits and fold until dispersed throughout.
6. Place mixture into a covered container and freeze overnight before scooping.

Carrot Cranberry Muffins

These are by far the most delicious healthy muffins I've ever had! They're the perfect balance of oats, flour, and carrot. The banana makes them the perfect amount of moist and the cranberries, coconut, and pepitas give it great texture (and flavor!) I'm definitely making these again for quick grab-and-go breakfasts.

Carrot Cranberry Muffins
from Princess in the Kitchen
makes 12 muffins

Ingredients:
1.25 cups flour
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/4 cup dried cranberries (craisins)
1/4 cup shredded coconut
3 Tbs vegetable oil
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
4 medium carrots, shredded
1 medium ripe banana, mashed
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds (pepitas) or chopped walnuts

Instructions:
1. Pre-heat oven to 400F.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, nutmeg, and salt. Stir in oats, cranberries, and coconut.
3. In a separate bowl, combine rest of the ingredients (oil, egg, milk, carrots, banana, and pepitas).
4. Make a well in the center of the dry mixture and add wet mixture. Stir until just combined.
5. Coat muffin tin with oil, and place 1/4 cup batter into each well. Top with additional pepitas for garnish if you wish.
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack.

Sweet Potato Black Bean Burger Hash

Delicious! I wanted to make this a stuffed sweet potato like the original, but unfortunately I had too many bad spots to chunk out, so I ended up making this as hash. It's nice and spicy, though, and I suggest definitely serving with avocado and/or sour cream to help cut the bite.

Sweet Potato Black Bean Burger Hash
from BetsyLife

Ingredients:
1 large sweet potato, diced
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 spicy black bean burger
2 scallions, thinly sliced (or 1/2 onion, diced and sautéed)
1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1 T. pepper jack cheese, shredded

Optional (to garnish):
- 1/2 avocado, diced
2 Tbs. sour cream
cilantro

Instructions:
1.  Preheat oven to 400F.
2. On a baking pan, toss sweet potato with a 1 Tbs. of the oil, and spread evenly. Bake for 30 minutes, or until soft.
3. While potato is cooking, pan fry the black bean burger according to manufacturer's directions. Chop into 1/2" squares.
3. In a large bowl, combine sweet potato, black bean burger, scallions, chili powder, and cumin. Scoop into 4 ramekins, top each with cheese, and bake for an additional 3-5 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly and turning golden.
4. Add garnishes and serve.

Cranberry Gingerbread Cookies

These delicious gingerbread cookies are soft will still having the gingerbread dry-texture. Enjoy with a glass of milk!

Cranberry Gingerbread Cookies
from Hy-Vee Seasons Magazine

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1.5 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup molasses
1 large egg
1 tsp grated orange peel
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup dried cranberries (craisins)
powdered sugar for dusting

Instructions:
1. In a medium bowl, stir together flour, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
2. In another medium (or large) bowl, beat butter and brown sugar with a mixter until smooth. Beat in molassas, egg, and orange peel.
3. With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture to wet ingredients, and beat until just combined. Fold in walnuts and cranberries.
4. Divide dough in half. Roll each half into a 7" log, wrap in plastic wrap, and refridgerate for 1.5 hours (or freeze for 45 minutes).
5. Pre-heat oven to 350F. Unwrap logs, cut into 3/8" slides, and place 2" apart on an un-greased cookie sheet (use a silicon pad if you have one). Bake for 12 - 14 minutes, until light brown on the bottom. Lightly sift powdered sugar over cookies.