Cookie Butter Granola

I've been a huge fan of Trader Joe's cookie butter for quite awhile now, but since we don't have one close to our house I rarely can get my hands on it. Until recently, that is. We went last weekend and I made sure to grab a jar (or two) of this absolutely amazing stuff! 

It’s thick and creamy like peanut butter but with the spicy flavor of gingerbread, and just a slight crunch from the ground cookies. Seriously daaaangerous! My husband and I have gone through an entire jar in a matter of days. We love just scooping it out of the jar with a pretzel...so good.
I knew I wanted to use it in a recipe before it all disappeared, and this is by far one of the best things I have made. I wanted to try to and make it somewhat healthy, so I loaded this baby up with some goodies. The quinoa, almonds, and sunflower seeds gives it great crunch and it has a nutty and super cookie buttery flavor. 

It's the perfect little snack to munch on, or you could put it over some Greek yogurt. Either way, it's pretty darn delicious. 

Looks like I can have cookie butter as a snack, for breakfast, and for dessert...that's my kind of granola! Enjoy! :)

Cookie Butter Granola
Ingredients:
2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1/4 whole almonds
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup uncooked quinoa
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup cookie butter
1/4 cup honey

Directions: 
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line a baking pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper,

In a large mixing bowl, combine oats, sliced and whole almonds, sunflower seeds, and quinoa. Stir until combined. Add cinnamon, allspice, ginger, and salt. Stir again and set aside.

In a microwave safe bowl add coconut oil, brown sugar, cookie butter, and honey. Melt for about 25-30 seconds. Whisk together until combined. Pour over dry ingredients and mix until everything is coated. 

Spread onto baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes, making sure to stir the granola every 10-15 minutes to prevent burning. Allow granola to cool for 20 minutes before removing from baking sheet. Cover tightly and store at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

Broccoli and Cheddar Fritters

There is a special place in my heart for the combination of broccoli and cheese. They were just made for each other. 

I was inspired by Smitten Kitchen's recipe, but I substituted the Parmesan with cheddar instead and swapped the flour for Panko breadcrumbs. I also baked them instead of pan frying them.

When you want to eat a vegetable that is savory and scrumptious this is the recipe to make. This is the healthier version of the fried fritters you typically get at restaurants. Plus there is only a small amount of breadcrumbs and no oil used to prepare these little goodies!

These are absolutely perfect served with a dollop of creamy yogurt sauce. 

Broccoli and Cheddar Fritters
recipe adapted from smitten kitchen

Ingredients:

for the fritters

3 cups fresh steamed broccoli, chopped
1 1/2 cup of reduced fat grated cheddar cheese

3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

pinch of red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 cup of Panko breadcrumbs
Cooking spray

for the yogurt sauce

1 cup plain, fat free Greek yogurt

1 lemon, juice and zest

1/4 tsp garlic powder

salt & pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Chop the broccoli into tiny pieces, and steam for about 3 minutes in boiling water with a lid on. Mash with a potato masher until you get a nice rough consistency.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs. Season with red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Mix in grated cheese and breadcrumbs. Add the mashed broccoli to the egg flour mixture and mix.

With your hands, form small patties and lay on a parchment lined baking sheet. Lightly spray the patties with cooking spray. Bake for 25 minutes, turning the patties after the first 15 minutes.

For the yogurt sauce, combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Mix well. 

Kale Chips

I don’t know why I resisted making kale chips for so long.

Everyone seems to be blogging, tweeting, facebooking, and instagramming about how delicious and healthy they are. So...here I am. I'm jumping on the bandwagon and joining the kale chips CRAZE! I seem to be about two years late to the party...but better late than never, right?

Talk about a recipe that is super easy and satisfying — after only 12 minutes in the oven, the kale had reached a gorgeous dark green color, was perfectly crisp, and ready to be devoured! I read a lot of recipes where you could season them with a million different spices, but I figured since this was my first attempt I would keep it simple. 

Olive oil + salt = perfection.

These are the perfect snack. Oh, and by the way, in case you didn't know...they’re pretty good for you, too.   :-)

Kale Chips
Ingredients:
1 bunch fresh kale leaves, well-washed and dried
2 Tbsp. olive oil
coarse sea salt

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
• Rinse the kale leaves, then put them in a salad spinner and spin away. After it comes out, dry it even more with paper towels. You want the leaves to be very dry.
• Using a knife, chop the kale into bite-size pieces (about an inch). Place pieces in a large bowl, and drizzle with olive oil. Using your hands, massage the kale until the leaves are evenly coated with the oil.
• Lay the kale pieces out evenly on the parchment-lined baking sheet, and then sprinkle with salt. Bake for about 12 minutes, or until kale is dark green and crunchy. Remove from oven, let cool, and then serve.

Roasted Edamame

I came across this recipe in a Rachael Ray magazine a while back and then saw it again on Pinterest. It caught my eye and I realized it's sort of like the roasted chickpeas I made a few months ago. 

This little snack or appetizer is smoky, salty, and very addictive! They're crunchy on the outside and slightly chewy in the middle. It is super simple to make...just throw all of the ingredients in a bowl, mix, and spread them out on a baking sheet. 

Roasted Edamame
Recipe adapted from Rachael Ray

Ingredients:
2 cups fresh or frozen edamame

*If using frozen edamame, rinse beans under water and place on paper towels to dry completely. If using fresh edamame, dry the beans as well as possible.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon red chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place edamame in a mixing bowl. Combine olive oil, salt, pepper, chili powder, and cumin. Drizzle over edamame and stir to combine. Place on a large baking sheet and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, stirring once or twice, until beans are completely dry and slightly crunchy.