Crock Pot Italian Beef Sandwiches

 

Ingredients:

• 3 lbs. chuck roast, trimmed of visible fat and cut into large pieces
• 1 envelope Italian salad dressing mix
• 8 oz. pepperoncini pepper slices + splash of juice (I use mild.)
• 8 oz. Chicago-Style Giardiniera, drained (I use mild.)
• 14.5 ounces beef broth/stock
• provolone cheese slices
• buns

Directions:

Place chuck roast into the bottom of a 6 quart crock pot and sprinkle with salad dressing mix. Add pepperoncini peppers plus a splash of juice, drained Giardiniera, and beef broth.  Lift chuck roast pieces to be sure that beef broth is evenly distributed underneath meat. 
Place a lid on top then cook on low for 9 hours, or until meat shreds easily with a fork. Shred then place meat back into juices inside crock pot and cook on low for 1 more hour.
Split buns in half, then scoop the shredded meat mixture on top and add provolone cheese slices. Top with additional pepperoncini peppers and Giardiniera, if desired, then serve.

*www.iowagirleats.com

Easy Chicken Tacos

Ingredients:

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken thighs

1/2 tablespoon soy sauce

1/2 tablespoon avocado oil

1 clove garlic, grated (I used one frozen Dorot cube.)

2–3 tablespoons taco seasoning (I use Siete brand.)

Siete's Creamy Jalapeño Botana Sauce (optional)

Directions:

In a bowl, combine soy sauce, avocado oil, garlic, and taco seasoning.

Trim the fat off the chicken thighs.  Place thighs into the bowl with soy, oil, garlic, and taco seasoning and toss to combine.

Place the chicken in the basket of an air fryer (alternate cooking instructions in the notes). Air fry at 400 degrees for about 12 minutes – at this point it should be very crusty, golden, juicy, and delicious. 

When the chicken is done, let it stand for a few minutes and then roughly chop into bite-sized pieces. If desired, squeeze some lime juice over it + my fave green sauce + cheese of choice.

Notes: Alternative cooking method: Bake at 425 degrees for 20 mins! If using chicken breasts, slice them in half if they’re thick and bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes.  Cook chicken to 165 degrees.

*www.pinchofyum.com

Taco Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

1 cup plain Greek yogurt

2 tablespoons lime juice

2 tablespoons taco seasoning

2 garlic cloves

4 cups rotisserie chicken

1 cup diced red bell pepper (I used 1/2 cup.)

1 cup diced yellow/orange bell pepper (I used 1/2 cup.)

2/3 cup diced red onion (I used 1/3 cup.)

1/2 cup diced celery (I omitted entirely.)

1/2 cup chopped cilantro (I used 1/4 cup.)

2 tablespoons jalapeño

salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the Greek yogurt, lime juice, taco seasoning, and garlic.

2. Add the shredded chicken, peppers, onion, celery, cilantro, and jalapeño.

3. Stir until well coated.  Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

*www.twopeasandtheirpod.com

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Marshmallow Treats

Ingredients:

• 1 cup salted butter
• 2, 10 oz. bags mini marshmallows
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 10 cups Cinnamon Toast Crunch

• ½ cup white chocolate chips
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:

• Line a 9x13 inch pan with parchment paper. Lightly mist with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. In a large pot, melt your butter over medium high heat. Once melted, continually stir until the butter just begins to brown. The butter should foam up and begin to give off a nutty aroma with an amber hue. Immediately remove from heat so the butter does not burn.
• Stir in the two teaspoons of vanilla extract. The hot mixture will bubble up, so continue to stir an additional thirty seconds until the sizzling subsides. Add salt.
• Add in one bag of marshmallows and mix until almost completely melted before adding the second bag.  Using a rubber spatula, stir until all of the marshmallows are mostly melted. Add in the Cinnamon Toast Crunch, 2 cups at a time, and lightly stir until combined. Continue to add the Cinnamon Toast Crunch until everything is evenly combined. If your spatula is sticking, spray with nonstick cooking spray!
• Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Lightly wet your hands and gently push into the pan to the edges. You don't want to crush it, so really be gentle with it!
• Add the white chocolate chips to a heat proof bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds and stir repeat until completely melted. Add in the ground cinnamon and stir to combine. Drizzle white chocolate onto the treat. Let the chocolate harden and enjoy!
  *www.mymessykitchen.com

Brown Butter Rice Krispie Treats

 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup salted butter (2 sticks!)
• 2, 10 oz. bags mini marshmallows
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 10 cups Rice Krispies (Family Size box works!)
• ½ cup white chocolate chips

Directions:

• Line a 9x13 pan with parchment paper. Lightly mist with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. In a large pot, melt your butter over medium high. Once melted, continually stir until the butter just begins to brown. The butter should foam up and begin to give off a nutty aroma with an amber hue. Immediately remove from heat so the butter does not burn.
• Stir in the two teaspoons of vanilla extract. The hot mixture will bubble up, so continue to stir an additional thirty seconds until the sizzling subsides. Add salt.
• Add in one bag of marshmallows and mix until almost completely melted before adding the second bag. Stir until all of the marshmallows are entirely combined and melted. At this point, add in the Rice Krispies, 2 cups at a time, and lightly stir until combined. Continue to add the Rice Krispies until everything is evenly combined. 
• Pour the mixture into the 9x13 pan. Lightly wet your hands and gently push into the pan to the edges. You don't want to crush it, so really be gentle with it!
• Add white chocolate chips to a heat proof bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds and stir and repeat until completely melted. Drizzle white chocolate onto the treats. Decorate withe rainbow sprinkles and enjoy!
  *www.mymessykitchen.com

Cottage Cheese Protein Bagels

Ingredients:

• 1 cup self-rising flour 
• 1 cup full-fat cottage cheese (I like Good Culture.)
• 1 large egg, beaten (for egg wash)
• Toppings: sesame seeds, everything bagel seasoning, shredded asiago cheese, mini chocolate chips, jalapeño slices, cheddar cheese, raisins, or poppy seeds

Directions:

1.  Preheat the oven to 375 and position the rack to the top position. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

2.  Blend cottage cheese.  Place the cottage cheese in the food processor, Ninja, or blender and pulse or blend on high until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed.

3.  Add flour.  Transfer it to a medium bowl and add the flour. Mix until completely combined and the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Transfer the dough to a generously floured work surface and knead the dough 8-10 times, until smooth. Add more flour to the work surface as needed until the dough is no longer sticky.

4.  Shape and season.  Roll the dough into a ball and divide it into 4 equal balls. (If you want them to be the exact same size you can weigh out each piece of dough to approximately 80g.) Roll each ball out into a 6-7-inch rope, about 1-inch thick. (If you're adding ingredients INTO your bagel (mini chocolate chips, raisins, cheddar, jalapeño), I laid my loose ingredients on the counter, and "vacuumed" them up as rolled dough into the rope shape.) Join the ends to make a circle and pinch the seam tightly to seal. Brush the tops with a beaten egg and top with your seasoning of choice (everything bagel seasoning, shredded asiago, poppy seeds, cinnamon sugar, etc).

5.  Bake in the preheated oven until puffed and golden brown for 25 minutes. Allow to cool for 15 minutes before slicing and serving. *Or...you can also bake in air fryer! Preheat the air fryer to 350 for 5 minutes. Spray the air fryer basket with nonstick spray and air fry for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

Bagels stay fresh in an airtight container at room temp for up to 4 days.

*www.whatmollymade.com

Fall Veggie Sheet Pan Dinner with Maple Mustard Sauce

 Ingredients:

• 12 ounces Italian chicken sausage or sausage of choice, cut into 1/4 inch slices (See my note below ingredients.)
• 2 cups Brussels sprouts, roughly chopped (I bought a one pound bag and cut the Brussels into halves.)
• 1 medium sweet potato, diced (I peeled mine; original recipe does not.)
• 1/2 red onion, sliced (I very thinly sliced mine into half moons.)
• 1/3 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• Generous drizzle of Maple Mustard Sauce
• Steamed quinoa, to serve (optional)

This is the chicken sausage I use (see above picture).  For as long as it is sold at Costco, I will never use anything differently; it's the best.  For this recipe, four of these links are about equal to 12 ounces.

Maple Mustard Sauce:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons pure (real) maple syrup
• 1 clove garlic, minced (I used frozen Dorot.)
• 1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1-2 tablespoons water, (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl, combine sausage of choice, Brussels sprouts, sweet potato, onion, and walnuts.  (I like to mix olive oil and spices together before next step...)
2. Toss ingredients in the olive oil, salt, garlic powder, and pepper until evenly coated, and transfer to a large sheet pan.  To ensure everything gets crispy, spread the ingredients out as evenly as possible on the sheet pan. (It won't look very "coated," but it doesn't need to be; the Maple Mustard Sauce will help that!)  Bake for about 30-45 minutes or until the sweet potato is tender when pierced with a fork.
3. While it bakes, make the Maple Mustard Sauce. Whisk together all ingredients and if needed, add a tablespoon or two of water to thin out the sauce.
4. Remove the sheet pan from oven and toss medley with a spatula.  Top with Parmesan and if needed, add a pinch or two of salt and pepper.  If desired, serve on a bed of quinoa with a generous drizzle of sauce!  (Personally, I would NOT pour the sauce over the entire sheet pan.  I would drizzle the sauce on each plate after serving, especially for leftover purposes.)  

*www.broccyourbody.com