Peanut Butter Nutella Brownies

Posted by: Annie

These brownies almost didn’t happen - but I am oh so glad they did. Last weekend, Scott and I moved into our first place together! Super exciting, super fun, but also SUPER exhausting. I designated Wednesday as my first free opportunity to bake and I set forth to make Peanut Butter & Nutella brownies. Well, the universe was certainly working against me.

First, I realized that I did not have baking soda (woes of moving into a new place - baking staples need to be replaced,) so I had to stop at the food store on my way home. I arrived home, put on How I Met Your Mother, began to bake and finally began to relax… and then I realized I did not have any eggs. I literally sat on the floor of my kitchen in defeat (or maybe because we don’t have a kitchen table yet) and briefly considered giving up on my brownies, but decided that it was a waste of perfectly good ingredients, so I bundled back up and went out to the store. 

When I arrived at the store I ended up buying not only eggs, but American cheese and beer?? I took my eggs and impulse purchases home and finished mixing up the brownie batter, to only realize that I had greased a 9x13 pan, did not have my 8x8 pan and the recipe clearly was made for a smaller pan…

At this point I stomped around and was debating cooking my brownies in a sauce pan (just kidding - sorta,) and then realized that duh… I could just double my recipe.

So, many issues later, I give to you Peanut Butter Nutella Brownies!

What you will need:

1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 stick of butter (melted)
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup nutella 
1/4 cup peanut butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Next, grease a 8x8 baking pan or line with parchment paper.

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.

Next, in a large bowl combine melted butter and sugar. Stir in eggs individually, and then add vanilla. Stir in dry ingredients and chocolate chips.

In a small microwaveable bowl, melt Nutella and peanut butter (approximately thirty seconds) until runny. Fold into brownie batter.

Transfer batter to the prepared pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool completely before cutting. 

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Source: Adapted from Food Fondness 

Chipotle Sweet Potato Soup

Posted by: Maggie

Let me tell you a story about a gal named Bethany.* 

*Totally not her real name.

I used to work with Bethany, and while she was a decent person deep down, she drove me batshizz crazy. Pardon my salty language.

I could probably write a good thirty blog posts about things Bethany did that made me want to put her in a poorly constructed cardboard box and ship her to [redacted state that she desperately wanted to move back to,] but you don't come here for that kind of negativity. Instead, I'm just going to share one Bethany story.

Most people know that it's rude to comment negatively on the appearance of someone's food - particularly while they're eating it. Bethany was not most people. She was blissfully unaware of manners and social mores, and informed me one day that the homemade black bean soup I was enjoying for lunch looked like "runny cow poop." That, my friends, is a direct quote. She then proceeded to talk about cow poop for 5 minutes, while I attempted to tune her out by playing scenes from The Room in my head.

Anyway, the point of me sharing this story is to acknowledge that this soup, at best, looks like regurgitated baby food. I can say that because I made it. I encourage all of you to make it as well because it's spicy, healthy, and gosh-darn delicious, and that's what matters. However, if the Bethany in your life comes into your office while you're eating leftovers for lunch and tells you that it looks like you're eating the sludge from the bottom of a spray tan booth drain, I fully support your right to:

a) pour this soup in her hair
b) punch her in the ears
c) call her a whiny strumpet
d) all of the above

Just don't come crying to me when you're charged with assault.

What you'll need:

15 baby carrots, diced
2 stalks of celery, diced
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 teaspoons minced garlic (about 4 cloves)
2 pounds sweet potatoes (about 2 large potatoes or 3 small ones,) peeled and cubed
4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
2-4 chipotles in adobo, chopped
2-3 tablespoons adobo sauce, from can of chipotles in adobo
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
Juice of 1 lime
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Garnishes: sour cream or greek yogurt, pecans

In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium low. Add the baby carrots, celery, and onion, and cook for 10 minutes (if they start to stick add in a tablespoon or two of water.) Add in the garlic and cook for 1 additional minute.

Add in the sweet potatoes, vegetable broth, chipotles, adobo sauce, and spices. Bring to a boil, then simmer with the lid on for 20-25 minutes, or until the potatoes are very tender. Remove the soup from heat, and using an immersion blender puree completely. You can probably use a regular blender for this too, but I think you're supposed to let it cool first to avoid a freak steam explosion.

Season to taste with lime juice, salt, and pepper. Garnish with sour cream and/or pecans, and serve. This soup tastes even better the day after making it!

P.S. Christmas present shout-outs! Thanks Emma for the immersion blender, and thanks Annie for the creme brûlée dishes that I repurposed as soup dishes for this photo!

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Source: Adapted from Homesick Texan

Chicken Gyros

Posted by: Maggie

Happy New Year everyone! 

I'm pretty sure if I posted a cookie or cupcake recipe today, on the day after 83%* of people vow to eat healthier, you'd all find out my address, break into my apartment, pin me down, and force feed me leafy greens and oatmeal. That's not to say that I don't like greens and oatmeal...I just don't want a bunch of angry health nuts assaulting me.

In the interest of not being a diet saboteur, I bring you this chicken gyro recipe. It's one of my favorite low-calorie dinners that doesn't taste low-calorie. If you want, you can make it healthier with whole wheat pita...I just couldn't do that. I've expressed how I feel about most whole wheat bread products before. I love whole wheat sandwich bread, but I just can't do whole wheat pita bread.

You will have a lot of leftover tzatziki sauce if you follow the recipe as written, but I like to have it on hand as a dip for baby carrots and pita triangles, so I make the full amount!

*I made up this statistic.

What you'll need:

For serving:

4 pitas or flatbreads, warmed for 20 seconds in the microwave between damp paper towels
Diced tomatoes
Diced red onion
Dried parsley

For the chicken:

2 teaspoons garlic, minced (about 4 cloves)
Juice of 1 lemon
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 heaping tablespoons non-fat greek yogurt (I recommend Fage)
1 tablespoon dried oregano
A few shakes of salt and pepper
4 boneless, skinless, chicken breast halves

Combine all of the above ingredients except for the chicken in a dish, and whisk together to make a marinade. Add in chicken, and turn to coat. Cover, and place in the fridge for 1 hour to marinate.

Meanwhile, make the tzatziki sauce:

16 ounces non-fat Greek yogurt
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and very finely diced
1 1/2 - 2 teaspoons minced garlic (3-4 cloves)
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
Salt, pepper, and fresh lemon juice to taste

Using a thick stack of paper towels, squeeze the diced cucumbers to remove as much water as possible. Repeat if necessary. In a medium bowl, combine cucumbers with all of the above ingredients. Cover, and place in the fridge.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

After the chicken is done marinating, place on a foil lined baking sheet and bake for 20-30 minutes, or until it is cooked thoroughly and juices run clear. 99% of the time that I make chicken I use these. They are relatively small, cook evenly, and are done in 20 minutes flat. The ginormous breasts (heheh) that I often see at the store might need even longer. Make sure they're cooked to 165 degrees to be safe. (Can you tell I'm kind of neurotic about cooking chicken?)

After your chicken is thoroughly cooked, allow it to rest for a few minutes, and then slice it into strips.

Assemble gyros with chicken, tzatziki sauce, tomatoes, onions, and dried parsley, wrap in foil for ease of eating, and enjoy!

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Source: Adapted from Elly Says Opa