Garlic Balsamic Roasted Brussels Sprouts

December 6, 2013 by Christine Skari

Fabulously delicious balsamic and garlic roasted brussel sprouts! They'll turn anyone into a vegetable lover!

You know how you have that one food growing up that you just can’t stand? For me, that was without a doubt, brussels sprouts. I couldn’t stand them and made a huge point to complain whenever I was forced to eat them (I know- such a brat!).

{some words of wisdom}

However, after trying them prepared with roasting technique instead of boiling them, I’ve been completely turned into a brussels sprout fanatic! They’re delicious and so easy to make!

These are really, really good and even Kyle exclaimed “Oh, WOW” after trying them. Honestly, I think that the ‘sprouts are officially now on my list of favorite vegetables and I’m definitely going to be preparing them this way in the future!

Not only are they mouthwatering, they’re also great for your body and have a mountain of nutritional value!

Here are some facts about their benefits:

Their high fiber content helps to reduce cholesterol.
They may have unique benefits in DNA protection by improving the stability of the DNA inside of our white blood cells.
They help fight and prevent cancer.
They contain a host of antioxidants.

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The garlic gives the recipe such wonderful flavor and the balsamic vinegar adds the most perfect amount of tang and zest! Trust me on this one, this recipe won’t disappoint!

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Let me know how you like them!

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Skinny Pumpkin Spice Bread

November 24, 2013 by Christine Skari

Hello all you lovely people!

I know, I know, I’ve been AWOL again lately. I feel like this a reoccurring trend once I hit midterms (I’m on the quarter system instead of the semester system, so this is basically every couple of weeks… le sigh) and it really bums me out that I feel too drained to blog. I miss you guys!

Anyways, one of my favorite ways to de-stress is to cook and bake and am so excited to share this recipe. It’s everything you could want in a good sweet bread: moist, bursting with flavor, and perfectly sweet. I’m not exaggerating when I say it’s the best pumpkin bread I’ve ever had (HAH- take that Starbucks!).

And guess what? It contains no butter, mostly egg whites, and mostly whole wheat flour!

While I wouldn’t say that it has the nutritional stats of a carrot, it’s a great option for a healthier treat that still tastes absolutely delicious and like the real deal. Since I live in an apartment complex with well over 20 friends to share it with, the bread was gone in no time and nobody could even guess that they were enjoying a healthier treat. I promise, it won’t disappoint!

If you’re going to pin this recipe, please pin this picture below! Thank you!

Note: this recipe makes enough for one loaf and a some muffins. I haven’t yet mastered converting the recipe into two full loaves, but I’m working on it!

Enjoy and let me know how it turns out for ya!

Skinny Pumpkin Spice Muffins with Walnut Streusel

October 8, 2013 by Christine Skari

I know, I know, this makes two pumpkin recipes in less than 3 days. If I keep it up, I’ll be turning bright orange and secreting pumpkin spice from my skin (I actually think the second symptom sounds a-okay).

But, YOU GUYS, there are some recipes you just can’t not share, like these Skinny Pumpkin Spice Muffins with Walnut Streusel. I mean, I just want to eat the name of the recipe itself.

These are everything you’d want a muffin to be: moist, dense, bursting with flavor, and topped with a tasty streusel and drizzle of sweetness. And guess what? All for under 150 calories a pop!

This may be a bold statement, but I think that these muffins, along with my Pumpkin Spice Apple Butter recipe, are two of my favorite pumpkin recipes of all time. For me, they both embody the comforts of Fall and I know that they will be making another appearance soon!

If my testimony isn’t enough, my friends are always glad to help. I’m lucky that I have plenty of willing taste testers around me, and none of them guessed that these little jewels were made with almost all whole wheat flour and only two tbsps of butter! The only comments I got on them involved “OMG these are so good” and even my non-pumpkin loving friend said that they were delicious!

As a matter of fact, the entire batch was eaten in one day.

Trust me, these look as good as they do in the pictures. Beauties!

Please pin this image if you’re pinning to Pinterst :)!

I’m also linking up to WIAW to share! Take a look at some other great eats:

Pumpkin Spice Apple Butter

October 2, 2013 by Christine Skari

I’ll admit it. I’m a complete Fall snob when it comes to cooking and baking. I’m obnoxiously obsessed with ANYTHING pumpkin spice/apple/salted carmel and embrace the cooler weather (which is relative since I live in California, please don’t hate me if you live anywhere that actually gets cold).

Now that it’s finally October, I can launch myself completely into the spirit of Fall-cooking without getting ostracized by my friends for being THAT girl who orders a pumpkin spice latte in September.

And man, do I have a fantastic recipe for you guys today! Think pumpkin spice. Think apples. Think butter! That’s right, pumpkin spice apple butter!

I can’t get over how delicious this recipe turned out. Honestly, it’s perfection! It has a sweet flavor that embodies the flavors of Fall and tastes like the inside of an apple pie. Another bonus? It goes fantastically on anything! Toast, bananas, oatmeal, ice-cream, you name it! I couldn’t help but sneak bites as it was cooking and loved the texture and flavor.

If the “it tastes like the inside of an apple pie” hasn’t convinced you, take the testimonies of a half dozen friends that randomly walked into my apartment as it was cooking. The air was thick with “oh my god”, “that’s DELICIOUS”, and “hold on, I need to make a bowl of oatmeal!”

The last one being my friend Ryan. I think that when a recipe can convince a 6″3 male college student that the thing he needs to do most in the world is make a bowl of oatmeal to top with your creation, it can be called a success. ;). This is him proceeding to feed everyone in his vicinity some of his oats hahah. Look at the glee on that boy’s face!

MAKE THIS. Then eat all of it.

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Lightened Up Parmesan Sausage Orecchiette

September 20, 2013 by Christine Skari

I have to admit, I’m a serious food magazine hoarder. Really, you should see me whenever I find a new Cooking Light or Food Network magazine in the mail- It feels like Christmas! I end up storing them in my designated cookbook bookcase (only me?) and might make one or *gasp* two recipes that can be found in their magical pages.

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I guess if I were to sum it up, I love the possibility that prospective recipes bring. The idea that food can take you to exotic places with one sweet or savory bite make me ooze excitement and potential. I imagine myself sitting outside a french bakery, mesmerized by the beautiful people passing by on vintage bikes, chatting casually and occasionally filling the air with the sounds of their laughter tinkling like small bells. I can just picture myself languidly lying on the softest of sands on a beach in Hawaii, sipping at my Mai Tai and taking in the therapeutic roaring of the waves and the singsong chirping of the fantastically colored birds.

And all of this brought on by a simple picture of a croissant or exotic drink that grace the thousands of recipes I have stored in that old wooden bookcase. I have a glorified idea that food has the power to bring people together and unite them under a common love and I have always felt that cooking or baking with someone is such an intimate experience.

The potential and promise with each beautifully taken picture is almost like a drug to me, bringing me comfort and allowing me to curl up quietly with some warm cocoa, completely at peace with the world as I try to decide what my next meal will be.

That being said, while I hardly ever make more than a couple of recipes within a magazine issue, they fill my thoughts with ideas that I file away in my mind and eventually put into practice.

The same goes for this delicious and light Orecchiette with Parmesan and Chicken Sausage, which was roughly imagined up from a recipe on the cover of Cooking Light. And by that I mean that I thought the pasta shapes were adorable and that anything with some sort of sausage had to, by law, taste marvelous. It was go time! And let me tell you, this recipe is a keeper! It’s bursting with flavor and was ready in under 30 minutes, not to mention it only required one pot. Since moving in to my apartment with a bunch of my main girlfriends, I feel like I’m in a constant state of dish washing, so that fact makes my world go round. So let’s see: Easy? Check. Delicious? Check. Under 400 calories per serving?!?! Let’s party!!

This dish tastes anything but light and just oozes garlicky and cheesy goodness. I love the crunch and texture that the broccolini adds, along with the beautiful green color that makes the dish look so light and vibrant.

And don’t even get me started on the sausage. My viking genes (Go Norway!) require that I get in my meaty protein fix and I was pleasantly surprised by how well the chicken sausage satisfied my cravings. I used the garlic basil edition from Trader Joe’s and found that just two delectable and savory pieces were plenty for the entire dish and that they added the perfect amount of extra flavor to balance the dish.

Also, if you don’t have garlic salt in your life yet, you’re probably miserable. Even if you don’t know it yet. Garlic salt is my remedy for everything bad in the world and is the glue that holds Kyle and my relationship together. We put it on everything savory and it makes and recipe 10 times better!

Let me know how it goes for you!