Monday, May 4, 2015

Frozen Yogurt Dipped Blueberries

Hi All ~

Two recipes in the span of 24 hours? Astonishing! This recipe was just so good, though, that I had to share it.

I've recently decided to go on a greens-and-protein kick in order to get ready for summer. We'll see how long this lasts - the brownies on the counter are tempting me every day. Anyways, because I love snacking, and know that it's not usually healthy, I decided to look up some healthy snacks!

One of the more intriguing recipes I came across was on familyfreshmeals.com - frozen yogurt dipped blueberries. The recipe called for fresh blueberries, but as those are damn expensive at this time of year I decided to college-ify this recipe and use frozen blueberries instead.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 bag of Trader Joe's frozen blueberries, slightly thawed
  • 1 small tub of Trader Joe's blueberry greek yogurt
Tools:
  • Parchment paper
  • 2 Baking sheets
  • Toothpicks
Directions:
1. Prep your stations
Put the parchment paper on the baking sheet, cutting it so that it covers the entire sheet. Repeat with the other baking sheet. Pour your blueberries into a bowl (I find it easier to pick them out of a bowl than out of the bag).


2. Coat your blueberries
Open your cup of yogurt, and place it near the baking sheets. Then, using a toothpick, stick one of the blueberries and swirl it around in the yogurt so that it gets a nice, even coating. Carefully slide the blueberry onto the baking sheet, then repeat with the remaining blueberries. Make sure the blueberries are spaced out enough so that they aren't touching each other.

3. Spoon on your extra yogurt
This is an optional step. I noticed that I had some yogurt and blueberries left, but it wasn't as easy to cover the blueberries in yogurt once it got down to the end of the cup. Instead, I decided to pour the rest of the blueberries in the cup, stir it around, then spoon little tablespoon-fulls onto the baking sheet. These turned out great! They were like little frozen yogurt chips with frozen blueberries in them.

4. Freeze!
Once all your blueberries (or blueberry bunches) are on the baking sheets, stick both sheets in the freezer. If you don't have enough room, you may want to freeze them one after the other - they take about an hour to freeze. Once they're frozen, you can chip them off of the parchment paper and into a plastic ziplock bag.


These blueberries make a great snack - or if you made the extra blueberry-yogurt dollops, they can be a great breakfast as well!

As always, if you made this dish, let me know how it turned out! You can comment below, or tag or hashtag me at kitchen512 on Instagram or Twitter. If you have any questions, feel free to email me at eatsatkitchen512@gmail.com

Happy Eating!
-Tiffany

Sunday, May 3, 2015

Apple Chicken Pesto Artisan Pizza

Hi All ~


I know it's been a while - blogging and schooling together isn't always easy! But I've got a great recipe for you guys to try as an apology. :)


My roommate, her friends, and I recently had a pizza night, and I decided to go all out - caramelized onions and everything. The result was a gorgeous, delicious, amazing masterpiece that I'm surprised I pulled off (I know I'm being a little self-admiring here, but when you try this recipe you'll see why I'm raving about it).

I couldn't fit all the toppings into the title without it sounding too wordy, but this pizza basically has everything - pesto, mozzarella, caramelized apple, caramelized onion, garlic chicken, artichoke, and arugula. Trust me, you won't be able to eat just one piece.

Ingredients:


  • Trader Joe's Pizza Dough (leave it out for about 25 minutes for best results)
  • 3 Tbsp Pesto Sauce (or to taste)
  • 1/4 Cup Marinated Artichoke Hearts
  • 1/2 Small Apple
  • 1/4 Small Yellow Onion
  • 1 Chicken Breast
  • 1/2 Cup Trader Joe's Garlic Marinating Sauce
  • 1/2 Tsp Oregano
  • 1/2 Tsp Onion Powder
  • 1/2 Tsp Garlic Powder
  • 1/2 Cup Arugula
  • 2 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
  • 1/2 Tbsp Butter
  • 1 Tsp + 1 Tbsp Brown Sugar
  • 1/2 Cup Light Shredded Mozzarella (or to taste)
  • 2 Cloves Garlic
Tools:
  • Rolling Pin
  • Cutting Board
  • Small Sauce Pan with Lid
  • Large Sauce Pan with Lid
  • Chopping Knives
Directions:


1. Caramelize your onions
The first step is to caramelize your onions and apples, as this takes the longest. You can actually leave these to cook as you're prepping your other ingredients, as long as you remember to stir them semi-frequently! Slice your onion in half lengthwise, and then cut one half into slim wedges. Throw these into your small saucepan with the 2 garlic cloves, a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, a teaspoon of brown sugar and a tablespoon of olive oil. Put the pan on medium-high heat, and salt and pepper to taste. Leave them to caramelize in the pan, stirring every so often so they don't burn. This should take about 30-40 minutes. Once they are finished, pour the onions into a bowl, and reserve the pan for the apples.

2. Make your chicken
Mix the onion powder, garlic powder, oregano, and a little salt and pepper into a bowl, then rub down your chicken with it. Pan sear the chicken in your large sauce pan with a tablespoon of olive oil on medium-high heat; once it is mostly cooked (there should be very little pink left), pour in the 1/2 cup of Trader Joe's Garlic Marinating Sauce (this can be found in the pasta sauce aisle of TJ's). Turn the heat down to medium-low and cover the pan to let it simmer for about 5-10 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Once the chicken is cooked, take it out of the pan and shred it with two forks, then pour the garlic sauce from the pan over the chicken and toss to make sure it's thoroughly coated.

3. Caramelize your apples
Caramelizing the apples is essentially the same as caramelizing the onions. Core the apple, and then cut it into thin slices. Heat your small saucepan to medium-high heat again, then melt your 1/2 tablespoon butter in the pan. Add in the apples, a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, and a tablespoon of brown sugar. Cover, and leave to caramelize, lifting the lid and stirring every so often. Once the apples are soft and slightly translucent, take them off of the heat.

4. Roll out your dough and sauce it
There isn't really a right way to roll out pizza dough. I made mine into an oval; you can make yours into a circle, or whatever other geometric shape suits your fancy. What's important is to either flour or breadcrumb your surface so that the pizza dough doesn't stick to it. You can also roll the edges under to create a crust. Once your pizza is your desired shape, transfer it carefully to a baking sheet or pizza stone, then spoon on the pesto sauce to taste; you can spread it around with the back of the spoon. I like less sauce on my pizzas, so I only used about 3 tablespoons of pesto sauce, but you can use more.

5. Pile on the toppings!
The order that I put my toppings was mozzarella first (I put a thin layer, you can put a thicker layer if you like a cheesier pizza), then onions, then apples, then chicken, then artichoke hearts, then arugula. Make sure the toppings are evenly spread out so you get deliciousness in every bite!

6. Broil your pizza
Turn your oven to broil on high; once the oven is heated, put your pizza in. Check to see if it is cooked in about five minutes; if it's not, check again every 2 minutes after that. The crust should be a nice golden-brown, and it shouldn't be soggy or undercooked in the middle.

7. Serve!
Slice your pizza in whatever way you'd like (I ended up slicing it into squares), and enjoy!



 As always, if you made this dish, let me know how it turned out. You can comment below or tag or hashtag me at kitchen512 on Instagram or Twitter. If you have any questions, feel free to email me at eatsatkitchen512@gmail.com.

Happy Eating!
- Tiffany