Hazelnut Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

Today is World Nutella Day so of course I had to find a new way to experiment with this chocolaty, hazelnut goodness. My kids just LOVE Nutella and a jar really doesn't last very long in our house. They love it on toast, combined with peanut butter on sandwiches or just eaten out of the jar with a spoon.

For today's recipe I mixed the Nutella in with the batter from my Banana Chocolate Chip Bread (which is in my cookbook) since my youngest was craving some banana muffins for breakfast. The Nutella really added another delicious layer of flavor to these muffins and there is nothing better than fresh baked muffins to start your day. ~Enjoy!

Recipe ReRun: Copycat Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls

Looking for another breakfast idea for Christmas morning? How about these Copycat Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls! (click for recipe)

Recipe ReRun:Bacon and Havarti Quiche

This week I'll be running a few favorite recipes and I'm starting with this Bacon and Havarti Quiche. This dish not only makes a wonderful brunch menu item, it is also a fabulous dish to serve Christmas morning.

Chocolate Carrot Bundt Cake

So technically, this Chocolate Carrot Bundt Cake is a quickbread; however, I was being lazy and decided to pour all of the batter into one pan. I also had a TON of carrots to use up. I usually never have a lot of carrots on hand, but I forgot I had already purchased a bag when I was food shopping then bought another one. I used the base recipe for my Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread and this really came out well. The kids liked it, but said they would have preferred it better if I added some mini chocolate chips to it. Maybe I will next time and make muffins out of these instead!


Chocolate Carrot Bundt Cake
Prep Time: 15 minutes    Cook Time: 50-60 minutes    Yield: 16 slices

Ingredients

• 4 Large Eggs
• 2 c. Granulated Sugar
• 1 c. Canola Oil
• 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
• 3 1/2 c. All-Purpose Flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
• 1 1/2 tsp. Salt
• 1 tsp. Baking Powder
• 1/4 c. Cocoa Powder
• 3 c. Grated Carrots
• Cooking Spray

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar until well blended; then whisk in the oil and vanilla extract. 
3. In a separate small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt. baking and cocoa powder. Stir the dry mixture into the wet mixture with a spoon. 
4. Next, mix in the grated carrots until they are well blended. 
5. Spray a bundt pan with cooking spray and pour in the mixture. Bake for 50-60 minutes until the top springs back when touched or a toothpick comes out clean when inserted. Let cool before slicing. 

Enjoy! 

Nutrition Facts per Half

Calories 318, Carbs 47.6g, Fat 13.4g, Protein 3.8g, Fiber 2.2g, Sugar 26g

*Calculations based on ingredients entered into Calorie Count and may not be 100% accurate. 

Chocolate Carrot Bundt Cake Shopping List

Mother's Day Brunch Ideas

Mother's Day is this coming Sunday (as I'm sure you're all aware), but did you know that Brunch is the most popular meal eaten on this day? Well at least it will be in other homes. I don't really care for breakfast food; which is why there aren't that many of them here on the blog. Give me oatmeal or a simple egg white omelet with mushrooms or fresh spinach and I'm happy. I'm not even sure what we're doing yet for Mother's Day as we weren't supposed to be in town this weekend, but it's the one day I don't plan an activity for during the year.  I just hope I don't wind up cooking! 

Here are some breakfast ideas, that you might enjoy: 

Apricot Pistachio Oatmeal

Sweet Potatoes and Chorizo

Cheesy Hash Browns

Tomato, Basil and Fresh Mozzarella Frittata

Bacon & Havarti Quiche

Homemade Pancakes

Taylor Ham, Egg and Cheese on a Hard Roll (aka The Jersey Breakfast)

Copycat Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls

Low Fat Blueberry Muffins

Whole Wheat Apple Walnut Muffin Tops

Mimosa's

And then there is the ENTIRE website filled with what I like to call "real" food to round out your Brunch. Click on the 'Search This Blog' box at the top, left hand side of the page. :)

Wishing everyone in the CEK family a Happy Mother's Day!

Here are some of the Mom's in my life...

Me, Rachael, Don and Gab

My MIL-Linda, Rachael and my FIL-Don

My Mom, her husband Dieter and my grandmother Grace

My Dad, Rachael and my stepmother Michele

My SIL-Donna with Rachael

My SIL Barbara with Rachael

And a special Mother's Day wish to all of my aunts, cousins, friends and niece Jessica, 

who will have a new addition joining our family any day now. :)

...Enjoy your day! xo 

Apricot Pistachio Oatmeal

Did you know that February is Hot Breakfast Month?  Studies show that eating breakfast gives your body the energy it needs to get through the day, as well as help improve focus and performance at work or school. 

I was never a big fan of breakfast. I used to grab the quickest thing on my way to work, which was usually the bagel store, but have you seen a NJ/NY bagel lately? My goodness it's like eating an entire loaf of bread in one sitting!  I don't particularly like cereal as most of the ones I like (taste-wise) make my tongue swell. I'm not joking, it's the WEIRDEST thing! I've tried eating plain oatmeal, which I do like on occasion, but mainly I prefer egg whites with sauteed mushrooms or a whole grain, extra fiber English Muffin with peanut butter. 

That is until I found a new product by Quaker Oats called Real Medleys. Have you tried them yet? They're a little expensive, but taste great and are packed with whole grain, fruit and nuts. I especially like them if you're short on time and need a quick, healthy breakfast. Just boil water, let it sit a minute or two and breakfast is ready. However, since the sodium counts are higher, as with many pre-packaged foods, I wanted to see if I could make my own version.  This Apricot Pistachio Oatmeal was great and very filling. It did take a little longer than instant, but the homemade version had 44 less calories, 3 grams less fat, and 95 grams less sodium. 

Apricot Pistachio Oatmeal
1 c. Water
1/2 c.Quaker Oats 
4 Dried Apricots, chopped
1 tbsp. Pistachios, shelled and chopped
1 tbsp. Honey

Directions:
1. Add water to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil; then add in the oatmeal. 
2. Reduce heat and allow to simmer until the water has been absorbed into the oats; approximately 6-8 minutes. 
3. Stir in the apricots, pistachios and honey. Serves 1. 

*Nutritional Information Serving: Calories 246, Carbs 47.4g, Fat 5g, Protein 6.2g, Fiber 4.8g

Enjoy! 

Bacon & Havarti Quiche

I know what you're thinking and you're right. I don't usually eat bacon because it gives me a headache, but the rest of my family does. And on Sunday's, we generally make what we call a "big breakfast"; which includes eggs, potatoes, bacon or sausage. We only eat this way once a week and sometimes only 1-2 times per month, and it's usually more of a brunch than a breakfast as we generally don't eat until about 10am. Last Sunday we happened to make bacon, and since I was going to be busy cooking for Thanksgiving the next week, I wanted to make a few things that my family could pick on for lunches and dinner during the week. 

This is another one of those recipes that I have had in my trusty recipe box that I got from my Mom many years ago, but have never made. The recipe was originally for Quiche Lorraine, which is made with Swiss cheese instead of the Havarti and I must have copied it down wrong, because the first time I tried to make this, it wound up too runny. I guess that would happen if you add heavy cream AND milk...oh well, try and try again!   

The second time was a success and the family loved it! It's a great dish for breakfast as well as lunch or dinner served with a side salad. Or, if you're really ambitious, make individual quiches in a mini muffin pan for appetizers.

Bacon & Havarti Quiche

1 Pie Crust (I used Pillsbury Refrigerated Pie Crusts)

½ c. Crumbled Cooked Bacon (approx. 4-6 strips)

½ c. Havarti Cheese, shredded

¼ c. Pecorino Romano Cheese, grated

4 Eggs

1 ½ c. Heavy Cream

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Roll out the dough so it thins out and fits in the tart pan; then line the tart pan with the pie crust and par bake for 5-7 minutes.

3. In a bowl, whisk the eggs and heavy cream;  then stir in the cheeses and bacon.

4. Add the egg mixture to the pie crust, place the tart pan on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes or until the top starts to puff up and turn lightly brown. Serves 8.

*You can also make this in a pie dish. If you do, cut the eggs down to three, heavy cream down to 1 cup and then add an additional 10-15 minutes to the cooking time.

Enjoy! 

Shared at Thursday's Treasures 11/29/12

Pumpkin Pancakes

I'm not a huge fan of pancakes, mainly because I can't eat a lot of maple syrup (gives me a headache). But every once in a while I crave them. So, in keeping with the experimental theme of this blog, I decided to jazz up my regular homemade pancake recipe for the fall by adding some pumpkin puree and spice. These were INCREDIBLE and I loved the fact that they had so much flavor I didn't even miss eating them without the syrup. 

Pumpkin Pancakes
2 c. All-Purpose Flour
2 tbsp. Baking Powder
3 tbsp. Granulated Sugar
1 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp. Pumpkin Spice
2 Eggs
1/2 c. Pumpkin Puree
1 1/2 c. Milk
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
Cooking Spray


Directions:
1. In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and pumpkin spice; mix well. 
2. In a separate larger bowl, whisk the eggs, then add in the pumpkin, milk and vanilla; mix well. 
3. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk together until there are no lumps. 
4. Heat your frying pan or griddle on medium heat. When you sprinkle a few flecks of water on your pan and the water 'dances' or jumps off the pan, then you know the pan is hot enough to cook on. 
5. Spray the pan with cooking spray and ladle some of the batter onto the pan (approx. 4" in diameter)
6. Cook for approximately 2 minutes or until the pancake starts to bubble on the top and around the edges. Flip the pancake and cook the other side until it is golden and remove. Makes 12 pancakes. 

*Tip #1: Heat your syrup in a pan or in the microwave in a microwave safe carafe or pitcher before pouring over your pancakes!

*Tip #2: You can also use butter to cook the pancakes, but I prefer using cooking spray with a non-stick pan to reduce the calories. 

*Nutritional Information per Pancake: Calories 107, Carbs 20.8g, Fat .6g, Protein 3.7g, Fiber 1g

*Calculations based on ingredients entered into CalorieCount and may not be 100% accurate.

Enjoy! 

Whole Wheat Apple Walnut Muffin Tops

My kids hate to eat breakfast so I'm always trying to find new ways for them to take something with them. These muffins were delicious, filling and healthier than other muffins you would buy prepackaged and they loved them. You could also make this as a loaf bread or regular muffin, but I prefer the tops myself. 

Whole Wheat Apple Walnut Muffin Tops
2 c. Whole Wheat Flour
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
1/2 c. Brown Sugar (I used Organic)
2 Apples (I used Cortland), cored, peeled and thinly chopped
2 tbsp. 2% Milk
1/2 c. Applesauce
1 Egg
3/4 c. Apple Cider
1/4 c. Walnuts, chopped

Directions:
1. In a bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and sugar. 
2. In a separate bowl, combine the apples, milk, applesauce, egg and cider; mix well. 
3. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix well. Then stir in the walnuts. 
4. Pour batter into muffin top pans and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Makes 12 muffin tops. 

*Nutritional Information: Calories 175, Carbs 34.5g, Fat 2.9g, Protein 4.5g, Fiber 3.8g

*Calculations based on ingredients entered into CalorieCount and may not be 100% accurate.

Enjoy!

Shared on Weekend Potluck at The Country Cook 10/12/12

Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Muffins

Did you ever have one of those days (who are we kidding...weeks, months, years!) where you just can't handle the stress of other people putting demands on you and your personal time so you bake...I like to call it "stress baking". Well it's been a little stressful around here since I've come back from vacation. You see, I'm the ultimate planner, list writer, and schedule keeper. I hate to be late and I hate it even more when I make plans that I have to keep canceling or changing because Joe Blow from So and So company can only come on THAT particular day/time. Well isn't that convenient for you...hello, my name is CUSTOMER! Ok, I think I'm done ranting now. 

Guest Blogger-Strawberry Shortcake Pancakes from Knead to Cook

Good Saturday Morning to All of You! Today I'm thrilled to have Robin here from Knead to Cook. She has wonderful, healthy recipes that you're going to LOVE! Please join me in welcoming Robin to CEK!

Hi my name is Robin and I am the creator of the food blog Knead to Cook .I’m married to my best friend and the man of my dreams for the past 15 years.  Bill and I have two wonderful daughters that keep life very busy.  We have two cats and one black lab – all rescued animals.  I’m also a stay at home mom who rarely stays at home.  Thankfully, I love to workout as much as I love to eat!  Keeps me in check.  I’m not a crazy calorie counter, dieter etc.  I love to eat good food and I work out hard to keep myself in balance.  We try to eat as organic as possible.  I shop local farm stands and markets to buy local produce and dairy.  I love weightlifting, yoga, pilates and running

I’m an Italian girl who grew up watching and eating whatever my grandmother & aunt cooked.  My passion for food grew as I got older.  I understood that food was more than just a vehicle to fueling the body – it was a way to connect with loved ones.  I am addicted to food.  Reading recipes, creating, cooking and of course, eating!  I love it all.  I enjoy cooking for my family and friends.  It’s simply a way for me to share my love with each of them.  Plain and simple. I believe that when you cook with love, it comes through in the food and I know that people can sense that and of course, taste it as well. In life you must be passionate about what you do, otherwise, there is no sense in doing it.

Happy Eating!
~Robin

I won’t lie… I adore strawberry season!  We grow them and we still can’t get enough.  I run to pick or just buy strawberries from the farm at least 4 times a week.  Seriously, we have a problem. When I got home from my run this morning I thought of strawberry shortcake and why not turn that into a pancake?!  How bad could that be.  YES – it turned out fabulously and I made a Chobani banana sauce for the top to enhance these sweet pancakes even more.  The best part… they are very healthy so I wouldn’t blow the efforts of my very hot, sweaty run.  Can’t wait for you to try these!!

Strawberry Shortcake Pancakes with Chobani Sauce (healthy)

Ingredients:

3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons of whole wheat flour


3/4 cup of all-purpose unbleached flour


3 tablespoons of sugar (I used Truvia for way less calories)


2 tablespoons of ground flax seed meal


1 tablespoon baking powder


1/2 teaspoon salt


1 1/4 cups of milk, almond milk or whatever type you have on hand


1/2 stick of melted butter


2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract


1 cup of sliced strawberries (fresh)

Directions:

Whisk together the flours, sugar, powder, flax seed and salt.  Then in my large measuring cup I whisk together the milk, melted butter, eggs and vanilla.  Add the liquid mixture to the dry and blend well.  Then add the strawberry and mix until incorporated.

Ladle into hot griddle (sprayed with non stick spray) and flip and cook until golden on each side.

Sauce:

1 -6 ounce container of strawberry banana Chobani


2 large ripe bananas


10 strawberries, washed and hulled


1/4 cup of milk

Blend this together with a hand immersion blender.  Pour on top of the pancakes in lieu of syrup

 Enjoy!

Almond Blueberry Lemon Muffins

I'm not home as much lately with all of the running around I'm doing getting ready for the kitchen reno, vacation and school/sports activities, but I continue to buy food like I am. For example, I bought so much fruit last week that we could never possibly eat it all. In fact, I still have a half of watermelon I have to cut up! Anyway, I had purchased 2 large containers of fresh blueberries and the second one wasn't going to make it much longer. So I decided to make these muffins for the kids to take for breakfast. They both aren't fond of a big breakfast, so these little muffins were perfect and had a great flavor. I just love the combination of lemons and blueberries, don't you?

Almond Blueberry Lemon Muffins
1 c. Almond Meal/Flour (I used Trader Joe's brand)
1 c. Bread Flour (I used King Arthur)
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 c. Brown Sugar
1/2 c. Canola Oil
1 Egg
2 c. Blueberries (I used fresh but you can use frozen)
1 Lemon, zest and juice
1/2 c. Water

In a bowl, mix together both flours, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In another larger bowl, mix together the sugar, oil, egg, lemon zest and juice and water until it's smooth. Add in the flour mixture and mix well, then fold in the blueberries. Pour batter into lined or sprayed (with cooking spray) muffin/cupcake pans and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes (until top springs back when touched). Makes 16 standard size muffins. 

Nutritional Information: Calories 266, Carbs 31g, Fat 15g, Protein 4g

Enjoy!

*Calculations based on ingredients entered into MyFitnessPal and may not be 100% accurate.

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

Do you go shopping at those big box stores like BJ's, Costco or Sams? Well if you do, you know that everything comes in bulk. During my last visit, I decided to buy a bag of zucchini. Yes, a bag, with about 10 zucchini in there. Don't get me wrong, I love it but when you have that much of it at the same time, you get tired of eating it. So I did the next best thing and made some of this zucchini bread. I tried to make it a little healthier by using only half of the oil and substituting yogurt and applesauce to help moisten it, but then the kids came in and demanded that it HAD to have chocolate chips in it. They like to eat  a slice of this for breakfast because it's quick and they can eat it on the go. You can certainly leave out the chocolate altogether or opt for carob chips instead, whatever your preference. 

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread
4 Eggs
1 c. Light Brown Sugar, packed
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
6oz. Chobani Plain Greek Yogurt
6oz. Natural Applesauce
1/2 c. Canola Oil
2c. Zucchini, skins washed and grated
3 1/2 c. All Purpose Flour
1 1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
1 1/2 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 c. Chocolate Chips


In a bowl, cream together the eggs, sugar, vanilla, yogurt, applesauce and oil until well blended. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, salt and baking powder. Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture, mix well then add in the zucchini and chocolate chips. Spray two separate loaf pans with cooking spray and distribute the batter into both of them. (It should only come up 1/2-3/4 up the side of the pan). Bake at 350 degrees for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean (not with any batter stuck to it). Let cool and slice. Yields 12 Slices Per Loaf

*Nutritional Information: Calories 176, Carbs 27g, Fat 7g, Protein 3g

*Nutritional Information without Chocolate Chips: Calories 153, Carbs 24g, Fat 6g, Protein 3g

Enjoy!

*Calculations based on ingredients entered into MyFitnessPal and may not be 100% accurate.