Everyday with Rachael Ray magazine recently published a bunch of muffin recipes and this one looked like the best to me! I love anything with coconut, and the tangy lemon zest goes great with it. I used applesauce instead of vegetable oil to make these muffins light and healthy. This is a nice alternative to those overly sweet muffins at the store!
Ingredients
• 2 cups flour
• 2 t baking powder
• 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes, plus more for topping
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup buttermilk
• 2/3 cup applesauce
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 4 T lemon zest
• 2 eggs
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners
3. In a bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, coconut flakes and salt.
4. In a large bowl, whisk the buttermilk, applesauce, sugar, lemon zest and eggs.
5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and fold until just barely blended.
2. Divide the batter among the liners (fill about three-quarters). Top each with coconut flakes, pressing to adhere. Bake until puffed and golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 13 to 17 minutes. Cool in the pan.
My mom made this dish growing up and I always loved it, especially when it was served with cheesy green beans on the side! It is tough to find cans of Spanish rice these days, so when you do, stock up! This extra healthy version fills you up with plenty of veggies and lean ground turkey. My fiancé enjoyed his topped with lots of hot sauce!
Ingredients
1 can of Spanish rice (I found it in the international aisle at Hillers)
1 green pepper
1 white onion
1 lb lean ground turkey
1 T vegetable oil
Hot sauce (optional)
Directions
1. Slice the green pepper and onion.
2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced pepper and onion and cook until the onions are soft.
3. Add the ground turkey to the skillet and brown.
4. Open the can of Spanish rice and mix into the skillet. Stir occasionally until the rice is warm. Serve warm.
Hot and cheesy dips are always a hit at get-togethers, and this dip was no exception! It disappeared fast at my book club last weekend; I may make a double-batch next time. I love the flavors of supreme pizza, but this could easily be altered to include any pizza toppings.
Ingredients
1 8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup marinara sauce
1/2 cup thinly sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
1/2 cup sliced black olives (I skipped these)
14 slices pepperoni
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella
1/2 t Italian seasoning
Pretzel-thins, for dipping
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a 9-inch pie plate (or brownie pan), spread the cream cheese in an even layer.
3. Top with the marinara and half the mushrooms, peppers, olives and pepperoni.
4. Sprinkle with the mozzarella. Top with the remaining veggies and pepperoni.
5. Bake until the cheese melts, about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with the Italian seasoning. Serve with the pretzel-thins.
From Rachael Ray
My book club met for a brunch potluck today, so I thought this cereal mix would be a great dish to share. Everyone enjoyed the crunchy, vanilla-scented mix! It was incredibly easy to throw together; I loved that I only needed to use my microwave for cooking.
Ingredients
6cups Rice Chex cereal (I used Wheat Waffles from Whole Foods)
1 cup chopped pecans
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 T pure maple syrup
2 t pure vanilla
Directions
1. Measure cereal and pecans in large microwaveable bowl.
2. In 2-cup microwavable measuring cup, microwave butter uncovered on high for 30 seconds or until melted.
3. Add brown sugar and maple syrup; microwave uncovered on high for 30 seconds, until mixture is boiling.
4. Stir in vanilla. Pour over cereal and pecans, stirring until evenly coated.
5. Microwave uncovered on high for 3-4 minutes, stirring every minute. Spread on waxed paper or foil (I didn’t have time so I skipped this step). Store tightly covered.
From Chex
I’m not much of a mixologist, but this was easy enough for me! I bought a dry wine so it would not be too sweet and everyone loved it. This is a great drink for a hot day!
Ingredients
1 (750 milliliter) bottle white wine
3/4 cup rum
1/2 cup orange juice
1/3 cup white sugar
1 lemon, sliced
1 lime, sliced
1 green apple, cored and sliced
1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle lemon-lime soda
Directions
1. Slice lemon, lime and apple. Place in a large pitcher and mix with white wine, rum and sugar. Refrigerate for up to a day (I made mine the night before).
2. Before serving, stir in the lemon-lime soda (I used 7-up).
From AllRecipes
I made this earlier in the month when I had some friends over, including a few vegetarians. This dish got a good reaction from veggies and meat-lovers alike. The cheesiness will win everyone over, and this tastes especially good in the summer with local, fresh zucchini.
Ingredients
6 medium zucchini (thinly sliced)
1 medium onion (chopped)
1 large fresh tomato (chopped)
1 garlic clove (minced)
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 t Italian spices
1 T olive oil
1 t garlic salt
Shredded Parmesan (if desired)
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and chop all veggies.
2. Heat oil in large skillet.
3. Add zucchini, onion, tomato & garlic.
4. Cover & cook until desired tenderness, about 10 minutes. Drain if needed.
5. Stir in tomato sauce & seasonings.
6. In a 13 x 9-inch baking dish, place a layer of the zucchini mixture, then top with shredded cheese.
7. Continue layers until pan is full, ending with the remaining cheese (just one more layer in my case).
8. Bake uncovered, in a 350°F oven, for 25 minutes.
9. Top with shredded Parmesan or Romano cheese, if desired.
From food.com.
I love one-pot recipes, especially in the summer when I don’t want to stand near a hot stove all day! This easy brownie recipe is rich, chewy and sooo chocolatey. It came from the May 2014 issue of Everyday with Rachael Ray, which included ideas on how to spruce them up – such as adding pecans or kettle corn. I think they would go well with the add-ins, but they are great on their own too!
Ingredients
1.5 sticks butter
1 ¾ cups sugar
1.5 t vanilla extract
¼ t salt
3 eggs
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup flour
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line an 8-inch (I used 9-inch) square baking pan with foil, leaving a 2-inch overhang.
3. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Once melted, remove from heat.
4. While the pan is off heat, whisk in the sugar, vanilla and salt. Whisk until creamy, about 1 minute.
5. Add the eggs, one at a time, whisking between additions.
6. Add the cocoa powder and flour; stir until just blended.
7. Pour into baking pan and bake for about 40 to 45 minutes.
8. Cool in pan set on wire rack.
From Rachael Ray.
