What’s one to do with leftover goat cheese and asparagus? Why make a goat cheese risotto with spring veggies, of course!

Risotto has been a little controversial on Top Chef lately. Apparently, it’s supposed to spread on the plate and be a certain consistency to be considered a proper risotto. I don’t think the judges would like my version because it’s completely packed with goodies like chicken, asparagus, artichoke hearts, and peas – the rice just barely holds everything all together! I love that it’s a one pot meal though and the goat cheese just makes me smile.

Spring Goat Cheese Risotto
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bit sized pieces
1 pound asparagus, ends trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
1 15-ounce can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup chopped shallots (2 large)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup Arborio rice
4 cups chicken stock
4 ounces goat cheese
1 teaspoon salt

Directions:
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat in a nonstick skillet and sauté chicken for 5 to 7 minutes or until cooked through and no longer pink in the center. Place cooked chicken in a large bowl and add asparagus to pan. Cook asparagus until tender, about 8 to 10 minutes, then place in the bowl with the cooked chicken, artichoke hearts, and peas.

Meanwhile, heat 1 remaining tablespoon olive oil and butter over medium-high heat in a large stockpot. Sauté the shallots for 5 to 7 minutes or until tender; add garlic and sauté for an additional minute. Add the rice and stir until well-coated and translucent, about 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and stir in 1 cup of chicken stock. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the stock has been absorbed; add another cup and continue in this way until all the chicken stock has been absorbed, for about 30 minutes. Stir in the goat cheese and salt and simmer an additional 5 minutes or until desired consistency is reached. Stir in chicken and veggies. Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition: 652 calories, 20.2g fat, 9.3g fiber, 46.3g protein per serving
Cost: $3.08 per serving

Speaking of birthday treats, I made a very festive one for our lab technician Juliana this week. I topped a chocolate chip cookie base with a thick layer of eggless mini M&M cookie dough and then decorated the top with more M&Ms!

I always like to add some oats to my chocolate chip bar cookies because it makes them a little more sturdy and chewy, so I went ahead and did that with the base layer, which I baked in a 9-inch springform pan. Then I mixed very cute semisweet mini M&Ms into the eggless cookie dough layer that topped the tart.

Between my messy handwriting and lack of word centering skills, I have no talent at all when it comes to writing on the top of cakes. But, using the M&Ms to write “Happy Bday!” worked really well, even for me, because I could make sure all M&Ms were in exactly the correct position and that the words were centered before pushing the M&Ms down into the cookie dough and finalizing everything. Big and little kids alike would love this, and you can customize it for almost any occasion by using different colored M&Ms!

M&M Cookie Dough Tart
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

Chocolate Chip Cookie Base Layer:
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Cookie Dough Layer:
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup semisweet mini M&Ms
1/2 cup plain chocolate M&Ms

Directions:
To prepare the baked cookie base, heat oven to 350F. Mix butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar in a large bowl until creamed; add egg and vanilla and mix until well blended. Gradually mix in flour, baking soda, and salt; stir in oats and chocolate chips. Spread cookie dough evenly into a greased 9-inch springform pan and bake at 350°F for 20 to 24 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely, about 1 hour.

To prepare the eggless cookie dough, mix butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar in a large bowl until creamy; add milk and vanilla and mix until well blended. Gradually mix in flour and salt; stir in mini M&Ms. Spread cookie dough evenly over cooled cookie crust and decorate the tart with plain chocolate M&Ms. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve, then remove from pan and cut into wedges. Makes 16 servings.

Nutrition: 392 calories, 20.7g fat, 2.7g fiber, 3.8g protein per serving
Cost: $0.52 per serving

Apolinaras always gives me the cutest sad puppy dog face when I’m whipping up treats to bring into lab for birthday celebrations. If I’m making cupcakes, I always save a couple for him to enjoy, but I can’t just cut into a pie or cake and give him a slice before it’s served! Poor guy. I rarely make special desserts just for us, but this week decided we were in need of a sweet spring treat!

I also had a little goal in mind – I wanted to finally use my 12 cup mini bundt pan for the first time. I bought it at the Williams Sonoma outlet store the last time we headed to Wrentham over a year ago but never got around to using it…oops. Since we’re going to the outlets next weekend, I felt like I couldn’t justify anymore specialty pan purchases unless I had actually used what I’ve already bought. Now I can browse guilt-free to my heart’s content!

These little bundt cakes are just the right size. They have a nice dose of lemon zest and are packed with strawberries, which makes them super moist. And most importantly, Apolinaras loved them!

Strawberry Lemon Mini Bundt Cakes
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup buttermilk
Zest of 1 lemon
2 cups chopped strawberries (16 ounces)

Directions:
Heat the oven to 350˚F. Mix together flour, baking soda, and salt and sift the mixture into a large bowl. Beat butter and sugar with a mixer in a large bowl until creamed. Add in eggs and vanilla extract and mix until smooth. Slowly mix in half the flour mixture, followed by half the buttermilk, until smooth. Repeat with remaining flour and buttermilk. Fill 12 1/2-cup cavities of a greased nonstick mini bundt pan 3/4 full (I had a little batter left over and also made 2 cupcakes!). Bake cakes at 350˚F for 16 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes in the pan, flip over onto a wire rack, and cool cakes completely, about 30 minutes. Makes 12 mini bundt cakes (and 2 cupcakes!).

Nutrition: 170 calories, 7.6g fat, 2.2g fat, 2.9g protein per cake
Cost: $0.52 per cake

Dinner party time! Shannon, Elina, and I decided to follow up our Spanish tapas party with a spring themed feast. Shannon rocked the appetizer course with a radish and polenta masterpiece and Elina’s scrumptious lemon strawberry shortcakes were the perfect sweet ending to an amazing spring meal!

I was in charge of the main course. Since we were hosting on a weeknight, I wanted to make something I could completely prep the day before and then just heat up prior to serving so I wouldn’t have to leave work too early. So, I decided to make a lasagna! A special spring lasagna, similar to this one, with layers of lemony ricotta, chicken, asparagus, mushrooms, and spinach nestled between whole wheat noodles, goat cheese sauce, and mozzarella cheese. I assembled everything the night before and then just popped it in the oven for 45 minutes while we caught up and enjoyed our appetizers.

p.s. Thanks so much for all your sweet comments on my pregnancy announcement post!!

Asparagus, Mushroom, Spinach, and Chicken Lasagna with Goat Cheese Sauce
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

Chicken and Veggie Layer:
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
1 pound asparagus, tough ends trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
1 large leek, white and light green part only, chopped
16 ounces baby bella mushrooms, sliced
1 pound fresh baby spinach
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon salt

Ricotta Layer:
32 ounces part-skim ricotta
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon dried basil
1/2 tablespoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1 large egg

Sauce:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk (I used 2%)
1/2 cup freshly grated pecorino romano
10.5 ounces goat cheese (1 log from costco)
1/2 teaspoon salt

Assembly:
1 box whole wheat lasagna noodles
4 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Directions:
To make the chicken and veggie layer, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat and cook chicken for 5 to 7 minutes, or until cooked through and no longer pink in the center. Place chicken in a large bowl and add asparagus to the same hot pan; sauté 7 to 8 minutes or until crisp tender and place in the bowl with the chicken. Add 1 remaining tablespoon olive oil to the pan, along with the leeks and mushrooms and sauté 5 to 7 minutes or until veggies are tender; add spinach and sauté an additional 2 to 3 minutes or spinach is wilted. Add garlic and sauté one additional minute. Stir mushroom and spinach mixture in with the chicken, asparagus, and salt.

To make the ricotta layer, place ricotta, lemon zest, basil, oregano, salt, and egg in a large bowl and mix until smooth.

To make the sauce, melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth and cook one more minute or until mixture starts to brown. Whisk in milk and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and whisk in pecorino romano, goat cheese, and salt. Heat 5 minutes, stirring frequently, or until cheese is melted and mixture is smooth.

Heat oven to 350˚F. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook lasagna noodles according to the directions on the package. To assemble the lasagna, place a layer of 4 noodles in a 13×9-inch pan and top it with half the ricotta mixture, half the chicken and veggie mix, half the sauce, and 1 cup of mozzarella cheese. Repeat this layer. Then place the remaining 4 noodles on top and sprinkle evenly with the 2 remaining cups of mozzarella cheese. Bake at 350˚F for 45 minutes or until cheesy is light brown and bubbly. Let cool for 10 minutes before cutting and serving. Makes 12 servings.

Nutrition: 516 calories, 24.7g fat, 4.9g fiber, 43.4g protein per serving
Cost: $1.95 per serving

I’m 22 weeks along and happy to report that now that I’m in the second trimester, I’m finally starting to feel like myself again. My energy has returned, and although I still find myself heading to bed earlier than usual, I’m working out regularly once more and wanting more than just cereal or bagels for dinner. And, my little belly bump is starting to make an appearance as well – it’s taken awhile because I’m so tall, but here I am 5 months along!

As far as cravings go, one night I sent Apolinaras out to get French fries, and another day at work I couldn’t think of anything but an asiago bagel with cream cheese and had to immediately run across the street to Au Bon Pain to pick one up. We’ll see what the remaining months bring!

I already know what my first post-baby meal with be though – sushi! I miss it so much. I’ve had the cooked stuff several times, and while it’s not quite the same, it has been holding me over. And, one of the first meals I whipped up once I finally felt like cooking again were these delicious sushi-inspired spring rolls. I filled the wrappers with shrimp, cucumber, avocado, edamame, and brown rice, and dipped the rolls in soy sauce with wasabi – so good!

Sushi Spring Rolls
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups cooked brown rice (1 cup uncooked)
1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar
1 cup chopped cucumber
1 cup chopped avocado
1 cup cooked shrimp, chopped
1 cup frozen edamame, thawed
12 spring roll wrappers
Soy sauce and wasabi to taste

Directions:
Stir brown rice and rice vinegar in a large bowl until well mixed; stir in cucumber, avocado, shrimp, and edamame. Place one spring roll wrapper in warm water for about 10 seconds and lay on a flat surface one pliable. Place about 1/2 cup filling in each wrapper and roll up according to package directions (for tips on filling and rolling spring roll wrappers click here). Mix desired amount of soy sauce and wasabi and serve alongside the sushi spring rolls. Makes 6 servings.

Nutrition: 217 calories, 5.2g fat, 3.5g fiber, 12.6g protein per serving
Cost: $0.98 per serving

Although I make vegetarian meals a couple times a week, it’s usually because I’m feeling too lazy to really cook. I often whip up simple meals like pizza, tofu fried rice, or breakfast for dinner when I’m super busy, but I rarely put extra effort into making really special vegetarian entrees when I have extra time in the kitchen. I decided I should work on this a bit more though because it would be nice to have a couple dinner party worthy options up my sleeve when vegetarian guests come over. These Mediterranean Portobello Mushroom and Eggplant Stacks are my latest attempt to give veggies and beans a little extra love!

I started things off with a sturdy roasted Portobello mushroom and then layered slices of eggplant, basil, and a creamy chickpea, sun dried tomato, and goat cheese spread on top – so good! You could add some pine nuts for a little crunch too!

Mediterranean Portobello Mushroom and Eggplant Stacks
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
4 Portobello mushroom caps
1 large eggplant, cut into 8 1/2-inch thick rounds
5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 15.5-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
4 ounces goat cheese
1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons chopped basil

Directions:
Heat oven to 400°F. Brush Portobello mushroom caps and eggplant slices evenly with 3 tablespoons olive oil and place on a large baking sheet in a single layer. Bake at 400°F for 15 to 17 minutes or until veggies are tender.

Meanwhile, place chickpeas, goat cheese, sun dried tomatoes, remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, and salt in a food processor and pulse for 1 to 2 minutes, or until smooth.

To assemble the stacks, top each Portobello mushroom with a layer of chickpea spread, followed by layers of chopped basil, slice of eggplant, layer of chickpea spread, slice of eggplant, and chopped basil. Makes 4 stacks.

Nutrition: 401 calories, 24.6g fat, 9.1g fiber, 14.3g protein per serving
Cost: $2.43 per serving

I’m always on the hunt for new chicken recipes and often times will just write “chicken” on my blog recipe idea list as motivation to dream up something new! Stuffed chicken is one of our favorites, and I especially love using a little mascarpone cheese in the filling because it makes a little built in sauce with each bite. This time I used bacon and mushrooms in the filling and in the sweet potato and Brussels sprouts hash underneath the chicken, which really tied the dish together – yum!

Bacon and Mushroom Stuffed Chicken Breasts over Sweet Potato Hash
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
2 large sweet potatoes, scrubbed and cut into bite-sized cubes (about 4 cups or 20 ounces)
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed of the brown bottom and cut in half
1 1/4 teaspoons salt, divided
4 strips applewood smoked bacon, chopped
8 ounces baby bella mushrooms, sliced
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup mascarpone cheese
4 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts
1/4 cup flour
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Directions:
Heat oven to 400°F. Place potato cubes on a large baking sheet and drizzle with 1 tablespoons olive oil. Stir well so all potatoes are coated evenly with the oil and spread on the baking sheet. Bake at 400˚F for 15 minutes. Add Brussels sprouts to the pan and drizzle with one more tablespoon olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Mix well and roast at 400˚F for 20 minutes or until sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts are browned and tender.

Meanwhile, place chopped bacon in a large nonstick skillet and sauté for 6 to 8 minutes or until crispy; drain on paper towels. Place mushrooms and onions in the pan with the bacon grease and sauté for 5 to 7 minutes or until softened; add garlic and sauté 1 additional minute. Remove from heat and place in a medium bowl with the drained bacon and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Mix well and allow mixture to cool to room temperature. Mix half the mushroom mixture with the sweet potato hash. Stir mascarpone cheese in with the remaining mushroom mixture.

Reduce oven heat to 350˚F. Cut a lengthwise slit in the fattest side of the chicken breast and form a pocket in the center of each chicken breast. Stuff the chicken breasts evenly with the mascarpone mushroom mixture and secure closed with toothpicks. Place flour and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt in a shallow dish and mix well. Cut ends of toothpicks as needed and dredge the stuffed chicken breasts in the flour mixture. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and butter over medium high heat in a large nonstick pan and place two chicken breasts in the pan. Use large tongs to rotate the chicken and sear it on both sides, about 2 to 3 minutes on each sides. Place seared chicken breasts in a large baking pan and repeat with remaining chicken breasts. Bake at 350˚F for 13 to 17 minutes or until cooked through and no longer pink in the center. Allow to rest 5 minutes, then remove toothpicks. Serve chicken over sweet potato hash. Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition: 556 calories, 25.6g fat, 4.3g fiber, 60.8g protein per serving
Cost: $4.38 per serving

Man, ice cream is hard to photograph, especially when it’s smothered with warm tempura bananas and caramel sauce – major melt factor! I first swooned over tempura bananas in New Zealand at a Japanese restaurant in Auckland. They were crispy on the outside and gooey on the inside and simply served with a bit of chocolate sauce drizzled on top. I immediately started dreaming of a vanilla ice cream sundae covered with the tempura bananas and caramel sauce and recently put this idea into motion!

Since it was my first time making tempura, I did a little online research and based my batter on this recipe. Yum, I don’t get my fryer out often, but these sundaes were definitely worth the extra effort!

Tempura Banana Sundaes with Caramel Sauce
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
Canola oil for frying
3/4 cup seltzer water
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 bananas, sliced
8 small scoops vanilla ice cream (about 4 cup)
1/4 cup caramel sauce

Directions:
Heat canola oil in a deep-fryer to 375˚F. Place seltzer water, flour, cornstarch, and salt in a large bowl and whisk until well combined. Place 1/4 the banana slices in the batter and deep fry the battered banana slices until golden brown on both sides, about 3 to 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bananas to a paper towel-lined pan to drain. Repeat with remaining banana slices, working in batches. To assemble the sundaes, place 2 scoops of ice cream in each dish. Top evenly with tempura bananas and drizzle with caramel sauce. Enjoy immediately! Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition: 427 calories, 18.4g fat, 2.8g fiber, 5.7g protein per serving
Cost: $1.30 per serving

Apolinaras headed to the grocery store the other weekend and accidently brought home tortilla chips from Trader Joe’s instead of the tortillas on my list….oops. It was pretty obvious the only solution to this problem was to make chicken fajita nachos instead of chicken fajitas for dinner!

I layered tortilla chips with chicken spiced with cumin, chili powder, and paprika, and a healthy dose of onions, bright orange bell peppers, tomatoes, and sharp cheddar cheese. I broiled the nachos until the cheese melted and then sprinkled some cilantro on top – yum! The amount included in the recipe below is perfect for a party.

Chicken Fajita Nachos
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

Chicken:
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into small bite sized pieces
1 tablespoon canola oil

Nachos:
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 red or orange bell peppers, thinly sliced
1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 12-ounce bag tortilla chips (I used soy flaxseed chips from Trader Joe’s)
1 large beefsteak tomato, finely chopped
3 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/3 cup chopped cilantro

Directions:
To make the chicken, place cumin, chili powder, paprika, Mexican oregano, and salt in a small dish and mix well. Sprinkle spice rub evenly over chicken pieces and mix until well covered. Heat canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat and sauté chicken for 5 to 7 minutes or until fully cooked and no longer pink in the center.

To make the nachos, heat oven broiler. Heat canola oil over medium heat in a large nonstick skillet and sauté bell pepper and onions for 7 to 10 minutes or until tender. To assemble the nachos, place half the tortilla chips on a large cookie sheet or oven-safe serving dish. Evenly top with have the onion/bell pepper mixture, tomatoes, and cheddar cheese. Layer the remaining tortilla chips on top, followed by the remaining onion/bell pepper mixture, tomatoes, and cheddar cheese. Broil for 3 to 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle evenly with cilantro and serve. Makes 10 servings.

Nutrition: 298 calories, 14.8g fat, 3.0g fiber, 16.7g protein per serving
Cost: $1.23 per serving

I’ve been trying to work on clearing out the clutter from our pantry and recently found a lonely can of red bean paste hidden away in the very back corner. How did I forget about such a treasure? It jumped into our cart at HMart a few months ago, and I was originally planning on making an Asian inspired dessert of some sort with it but instead decided to use it in French toast one weekend morning!

I just mixed the red bean paste with a bit of mascarpone cheese for the filling, which I sandwiched between nice thick slices of challah bread. Mmm, this French toast is perfect to enjoy with a nice generous amount of maple syrup since red bean paste isn’t very sweet.

Red Bean Paste Stuffed French Toast
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1/2 cup red bean paste (from a 17 ounce can)
1/4 cup mascarpone cheese
4 thick slices challah bread (I used 6 ounces total, each slice was 3/4”-1” thick)
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup maple syrup

Directions:
Place red bean paste and mascarpone cheese in a small bowl and mix until smooth. Evenly spread mixture on two slices of challah bread and place the other two slices of bread on top to make two sandwiches.

Whisk milk and eggs together in a shallow dish and dip the sandwiches in the egg mixture on each side. Heat 1/2 tablespoon butter over medium heat in a large nonstick skillet. Place one soaked sandwich in the pan and fry until golden brown on both sides, about 5 minutes. Repeat with remaining sandwich and butter. Makes 2 large servings.

Nutrition: 749 calories, 29.3g fat, 6.1g fiber, 23.6g protein per serving
Cost: $2.15 per serving

So we goofed around to our heart’s content.

And then had dinner by Lake Matheson and took a hike to see some more glowworms in the forest. We stayed in a rustic lodge that night which had a breakfast room where you basically just helped yourself to whatever you wanted, so Apolinaras made us eggs and toast from homemade bread, mmmm. I was glad we fueled up so well because we tackled the Franz Joseph Glacier hike that morning.

And really enjoyed checking out not one,

or two,

but three waterfalls!  It’s hard to tell in the last picture, but Apolinaras is actually underneath part of the falls and got pretty wet!

After lunch, we snuck in another hike through the rainforest before heading to Queenstown.

On the way, we spontaneously stopped at a beautiful beach so Apolinaras could go swimming in the ocean again. I call him my water baby sometimes – he just loves swimming, even in freezing cold water!

The roads and views while driving were just incredible. We stopped here for a quick picture – imagine scenes like this around every corner!

After arriving in Queenstown, we headed to Fergburger, which I talked about here. The next morning we went to Fergbakery and shared a brunch spread of lamb pie, carrot cake, chocolate croissants, and coffee, which we enjoyed in a quaint park.

Then we took a gondola up to the top of a mountain for breathtaking views of Queenstown and a ski lift up even further so we could race in a couple of luge rides.

Then we walked all around the city and explored a couple of parks. We enjoyed some fantastic Indian food and one of our bottles of wine from Marlborough that night and sat outside and fed the ducks. It was so peaceful.

The next morning we flew back to Auckland and went up in Sky Tower.

People regularly pay big bucks to jump off Sky Tower and you can also walk around an outside rim of the tower, while attached to safety cords, of course. I would be way too scared to do either, but it was fun watching the brave ones!

We also had coffee and pavlova in Sky Tower and really tasty pizza and gelato that night for our last dinner.

The next morning we checked out the Auckland Museum, where we learned even more about Maori culture.  Then we had lunch in the Parnell Quarter, which brought things full circle since it’s also where we had breakfast our very first day of the trip, before flying home. We love hiking, exploring, and being outdoors, so visiting New Zealand was just a perfect vacation for us!

I’ve never been a huge meringue fan, but I really enjoyed my pavlova in Sky Tower. In fact, pavlova just happens to be New Zealand’s national dessert! It’s a meringue shell with a marshmellowy center topped with whipped cream and kiwifruit. I bought a cute retro magnet in Queenstown with a pavlova recipe on it, which I only modified below by adding a bit of cocoa powder. Of course, I had to give my dessert a little twist and topped my pavlova with Nutella mousse and chopped strawberries. This was my first time making meringue so I was pretty proud about how it turned out! Ah New Zealand, I miss you and already want to go back!

Nutella Pavlova with Strawberries
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

Pavlova:
4 large egg whites, at room temperature
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup castor sugar (also called superfine sugar – the granules are larger than powdered sugar but smaller than granulated sugar – I found some at Whole Foods)
2 tablespoons cocoa powder, sifted
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon white vinegar

Nutella Mousse and Strawberry Topping:
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup Nutella
2 cups chopped strawberries

Directions:
Heat oven to 300°F. Place the egg whites and salt in the bowl of a mixer with the whisk attachment and beat on medium high until stiff peaks form, about 10 minutes. Gradually pour in the caster sugar while beating, making sure all the sugar is dissolved. Use a spatula to lightly fold in the cocoa powder, cornstarch, vanilla extract, and vinegar. Turn the mixture into the center of a pizza pan lined with parchment paper and shape into a circle with the spatula. Turn the oven down to 285°F and bake for 15 minutes. Turn the oven down to 250°F and bake for an 1 hour. Turn off oven and let cool completely in the oven.

Meanwhile, make the Nutella mousse. Place heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract in a well chilled large bowl and beat with a mixer with whisk attachment until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes. Stir in Nutella until smooth. Top cooled pavlova with Nutella mousse and chopped strawberries. Slice into wedges. Makes 8 servings.

Nutrition: 329 calories, 16.8g fat, 1.8g fiber, 4.6g protein per serving
Cost: $0.97 per serving

Taupo is a resort town with a super cute downtown, and I had a very tasty bowl of seafood chowder with mussels, shrimp, calamari in a light creamy broth, at Replete Cafe.

After lunch, we headed down to Tongariro National Park to go white water river rafting with Tongariro River Rafting! It ended up just being us and two guides on our raft, so it was really fun.

We took a break to jump off a few cliffs.

And the rafting company even had a photographer ready on the shore to capture some action shots!

Our picture perfect hotel that night was right next to the three prominent volcanoes in the area, Mount Ruapehu, Mount Ngauruhoe, and Mount Tongariro.

We drove to the top of Mount Ruapehu for some gorgeous views.

And yes, Mount Ngauruhoe was Mount Doom in the Lord of the Rings movies. Here it is peeking out from behind the clouds.

The next morning we drove down to Wellington, which is on the Southernmost tip of the North Island and a bustling big city like Auckland. The five hour drive was a bit of a journey, but a little pit stop for some traditional savory Raetihi pies at Kristy’s Café in Whanganui helped break the drive up a bit. I was also pretty tickled when we saw these sheep crossing the road!

In Wellington, we took the cable cars up to the Wellington Botanic Gardens.

Where we took in a lovely view of the city.

And I really enjoyed the many rose gardens.

We also had our very favorite meal of the trip in Wellington at Ortega Fish Shack that evening. I didn’t take any pictures, but everything was just amazing. We started with whitebait fitters, which are a New Zealand specialty. Whitebait are exactly what they sound like – tiny little fish used for bait. The fritters contained 100s of the little fish all cooked into a patty – really meaty and delicious, but probably not something I would have tried unless it was so highly recommended to us! For dinner, I had gurnard over a mushroom cream sauce with pasta and Apolinars had lightly smoked fish with pork and shrimp fried rice. We decided to drink our dessert at Mac’s BrewBar, right on the ocean that night.

The next morning we took the 3 hour Interislander ferry ride from the North Island to the South Island. Even though the boat was huge, the water was rough, and I got really seasick, ugh, so I don’t have much to say about our time on the ocean. Here’s a cute pic of Apolinaras though.

Then we drove to Marlborough wine country and checked into a lovely B&B called Hillsfield House, which I highly recommend you stay at if you’re ever in New Zealand. We had a causal English pub dinner of fish and chips and beef hot pie at Cork and Keg, which was a short stroll from our B&B.

One of the perks of Hillsfield House is that the hostess, Jo, delivers breakfast to your room whenever you request it. After filling up on hot croissants, fruit, coffee, and freshly squeezed orange juice, we drove to several wineries for tastings!

This wine region is most well known for their sauvignon blanc and Cloudy Bay is probably the most famous winery.

Since Apolinaras isn’t a huge wine fan, we also did a tasting at the only brewery close by – Moa!

We stopped at Wither Hills Winery for lunch and then left our car at the B&B and took some bikes out for a spin to explore a couple more wineries, including one of our favorites, Forrest Estate.

The next morning we drove to Kaikoura, a beautiful town on the ocean with seal colonies, and opportunities for whale and dolphin watching. Along the way, we stopped at Nin’s Bin for freshly caught crayfish (called spiny lobster here in the US) for lunch.

And my very first video on CB&B! I spontaneously recorded Apolinaras’ trick for the easiest way to remove meat from your lobster- no fancy tools needed!

We also visited a seal colony.

And then Apolinaras went for a dip in the ocean. Just gorgeous!

After taking a beautiful hike by the water, we had dinner at Tuti’s, which featured Indonesian/Singaporean dishes. I had a super flavorful green shrimp curry and Apolinaras had duck with an Asian orange sauce, which inspired today’s recipe.

I roasted a chicken with an Asian orange marinade and glaze of orange marmalade, soy sauce, rice vinegar, canola oil, sesame oil, and garlic. I stuffed the cavity of the chicken with an orange and some more garlic. Very juicy and delicious! Oh, and the recipe below is for one bird, but I actually roasted two because one chicken doesn’t last very long in our house! One more NZ recap post to go!

Orange Roasted Chicken
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1/2 cup orange marmalade
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 4 1/2 to 5 pound chicken, giblets removed, washed inside and out, and patted dry
1 small orange, cut in half
1 head of garlic, cut in half
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:
To prepare the marinade, stir together orange marmalade, soy sauce, rice vinegar, canola oil, sesame oil, and garlic cloves in small bowl. Stuff the chicken cavity the orange and head of garlic. Tie the legs together with kitchen twice and tuck the wings under the body of the chicken. Place chicken in a baking pan and cover with 1/2 cup of the marinade. Refrigerate remaining 1/2 cup marinade. Cover chicken with foil and marinate in the refrigerator for 3 hours to overnight.

To roast the chicken, remove chicken 30 minutes prior to roasting, to allow it to come to room temperature, and heat oven to 400°F. Remove any large pieces of orange rind leftover from the orange marmalade marinade (otherwise they may burn). Place chicken in a roasting pan and sprinkle evenly with salt. Roast chicken at 400°F for 1 hour and 15 minutes to 1 hour and 30 minutes or until the juices between the leg and thigh run clear and temperature of the thickest part of the thigh is 160°F. Cover chicken with foil while roasting if the skin starts to get too brown (I covered mine after 45 minutes). Remove chicken from the oven and cover with a tent of aluminum foil for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, place reserved 1/2 cup marinade in a small stockpot and simmer over medium high heat for 5 minutes or until thickened. Carve and serve the chicken and top with the sauce. Makes 6 servings.

Nutrition: 328 calories, 13.4g fat, 0.2g fiber, 32.7g protein per serving
Cost: $1.43 per serving

We flew into Auckland in mid-November, which is late spring/early summer in New Zealand, and then rented a car to explore both the north and south islands. After making it all the way down to Queenstown, we flew back up to Auckland for another night before heading home.

Our flight arrived at 5am in Auckland, and after renting our car, and attempting to get used to driving on the left side of the road, we enjoyed breakfast in the Parnell Quarter, which is home to many art galleries and cute boutiques. Then we wandered all around Auckland until our hotel room was ready. There just happened to be a World Cup triathlon taking place, so it was pretty cool watching the world class athletes speed past us during the biking and running legs of the race. I totally embarrassed Apolinaras by loudly cheering for all the US competitors!

We were in great need of coffee after our early morning and somewhat sleepless night on the plane, so I had a couple flat whites (regular coffee with milk). I also enjoyed a few iced holiday drinks at Starbucks during our trip. Since it’s hot during Christmas, they sell gingerbread, toffee chip, and cranberry white chocolate Frappachinos! Unexpected, but delicious.

Since we had an apartment suite for a couple nights, we also headed to Countdown, a local grocery store chain, to pick up stuff for our breakfasts and picnic lunch for our hike the next day. I just love wandering through grocery stores in other countries! We tried as many local products as possible, including New Zealand beer, Feijoa juice, and hard cider, amazing yogurt and cheese that I wish we could get here, and of course kiwifruit! They have golden kiwis in NZ, which I’d never seen before. They’re a bit sweeter than the green variety and apparently don’t ship very well, which is why they’re not available in the States.

The next morning we took a ferry to Rangitoto, which is a young volcanic island formed just 600 years ago.

We meandered through the lava fields,

explored the lava caves,

and hiked to the top of the crater to take in a gorgeous view of Auckland.

Due to New Zealand’s location, about 10% of Kiwis are Asian, so we enjoyed a lot of excellent Asian food in Auckland, including Japanese and Thai.

The next day we headed off to the Waitomo Caves, where we were pretty excited to slip into some sexy wetsuits and go caving with Black Water Rafting!

The caves in Waitomo are filled with glowworms on the ceilings, which sparkle like stars on a dark night. Imagine floating in an inner tube down a river through a pitch black cave while trying to take in all the sparkling glowworms above you – so cool!

We also enjoyed one of our favorite meals of the trip that night at Huhu. I had slow roasted lamb shoulder with gnocchi and smoked tomato sauce (which inspired today’s recipe!) and Apolinaras had braised beef with celeriac puree, mushrooms, and broccoli. We split a yummy rhubarb tart for dessert.

The next morning we enjoyed a lovely meal of farm fresh eggs and French toast with bacon at our bed and breakfast, and then checked out the Otorohanga Kiwi House and Native Bird Park. Kiwis, of course, are New Zealand’s national bird, but they’re nocturnal so the only way to really see them is to visit a sanctuary or zoo.

We also thought it was pretty funny there is a bird called a Kaka in New Zealand, because that’s our cockatiel’s name!  On our way to Rotoroua, I finally got out of the car and attempted to get a picture with some of the many roaming sheep, but they all sort of ran away – oh well.  The highways in New Zealand are mostly two lane roads and the countryside is just gorgeous.

Rotorua is home to many geothermal springs and Maori cultural events. The Maori are the native Polynesians who arrived in New Zealand sometime before 1300.

We spent the afternoon soaking in the tranquil and rejuvenating Waikite Valley thermal pools.

Feeling completely refreshed, we hiked around the lake in Rotorua.

I couldn’t help attempting a ballet pose when we ran into a flock of black swans, haha.

We also encountered some sweet smelling geothermal sulfur ponds.

That evening we attended a Maori cultural show and enjoyed a feast called a hangi, in which the food is slowly cooked in underground pits, at Tamaki Maori Village.

The experience was a little cheesy, but I really enjoyed watching the traditional tribal dancing and singing. Whew, I can’t believe I’ve only recapped 4 days – 9 more to go!

I knew I had to feature a lamb dish in my first New Zealand post, so I used my entrée at Huhu as an inspiration and braised some lamb that I served with gnocchi in a Mediterranean tomato sauce that included chickpeas, roasted red peppers and sun dried tomatoes. Make sure to have some crusty bread on hand to sop up all the extra sauce!

Mediterranean Lamb with Gnocchi
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cups chickpeas, washed and drained
1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes
1 cup chopped roasted red peppers
2 tablespoons tomato paste
Juice of one lemon
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 pounds stewing lamb (ours was cut into 4 pieces), at room temperature
1 yellow onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 17.6-ounce package whole wheat gnocchi
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Directions:
Heat oven to 300°F. Place chicken broth, chickpeas, diced tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, tomato paste, lemon juice, dried oregano, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a food processor and pulse for 1 to 2 minutes or until smooth. Place sauce in a large Dutch oven.

Rub olive oil onto all sides of the lamb pieces and sprinkle evenly with remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Sear lamb pieces, about 1 minute per side, over medium high heat in a large skillet. Remove lamb pieces and place chopped onions in the pan. Sauté onions for 5 to 7 minutes or until softened; add garlic and sauté 1 additional minute. Stir onions into the sauce and place seared lamb pieces into the sauce in the Dutch oven. Cover the Dutch oven and bake for 1 1/2 hours at 300°F; remove Dutch oven lid and bake at 300°F for an additional 30 minutes or until lamb is tender and sauce is reduced.

Meanwhile, prepare gnocchi according to the package directions. Stir gnocchi into the sauce around the lamb pieces. To serve, divide sauce onto 4 plates and place a piece of lamb onto each one. Sprinkle plates evenly with feta cheese. Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition: 729 calories, 22.6g fat, 11.9g fiber, 53.0g protein per serving
Cost: $4.16 per serving

It’s peanut butter jelly time, peanut butter jelly time, peanut butter jelly time!

Growing up, my mom always packed me a peanut butter sandwich, raisins, pretzels or chips, and a cookie for lunch, and then I picked up a carton of milk at school. I was such a picky eater that I wouldn’t eat anything else! Surprisingly, I never got tired of peanut butter – it’s just so good! No jelly ever touched my sandwiches though. I actually still leave the jelly off my PB&Js (ahem, or PBs more accurately), mostly out of habit, since I’ve come to my senses and like jelly now. I often think about how some schools now ban peanut butter due to peanut allergies – I think I would have starved!

Peanut butter and jelly are just perfect together, so I decided to make a dessert tart featuring a peanut butter cookie crust and layers of peanut butter mousse and strawberry jam. If only I could eat this for lunch every day now!

Peanut Butter and Jelly Tart
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

Peanut Butter Cookie Crust:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt

Peanut Butter and Jelly Filling and Topping:
1 (3.4-oz) package instant vanilla pudding
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 1/2 cups low sugar strawberry jam
1/4 cup lightly salted roasted peanuts, chopped

Directions:
To make the peanut butter cookie crust, heat oven to 350˚F. Mix butter and sugar until creamed in a large bowl. Mix in egg and peanut butter until smooth; stir in flour and salt. Grease a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom; press cookie dough evenly over bottom and up the sides of the tart pan. Bake at 350˚F for 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown. With back of spoon, press down crust so bottom and sides are evenly covered; bake 2 to 3 minutes longer, or until deep golden brown and a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Press down crust again with spoon, if needed. Completely cool the crust, about 1 hour.

Meanwhile, make the peanut butter filling by placing instant vanilla pudding, milk, and sweetened condensed milk in a large bowl and mix until smooth. Stir in peanut butter until smooth.

To assemble the tart, pour 1/2 cup of the jam into the cooled peanut butter cookie crust and spread evenly with the back of a spoon. Top jam layer with peanut butter mousse. Spread remaining 1 cup jam evenly on top of the peanut butter mousse and top evenly with chopped peanuts. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Remove from tart pan (use a toothpick to gently remove any parts of the cookie crust stuck to the top edges of the tart pan, if needed) and cut into 16 wedges.

Nutrition: 460 calories, 24.9g fat, 2.7g fiber, 11.6g protein per serving
Cost: $0.54 per serving

It’s been almost 10 months since I’ve entered a recipe contest, how sad is that? I tend to pick posting on my blog over entering contests, but I wish there were more hours in the day to do it all! I recently came across the Skinny Mama Cooking with Mustard Contest, a healthy recipe contest just for bloggers sponsored by Saucy Mama Mustards, and it sounded like the best of both worlds – creating a new recipe for a contest I can immediately share? Sign me up!

Saucy Mama sent me a complimentary package of six mustards to try. I had no idea there were so many different mustard variations out there – Tarragon Lemon, Dijon, Champagne Honey, Chipotle, Smoky Garlic, and Yellow. Of course, Apolinaras got into the chipotle first, and put a hefty dose in some meatballs, which was really tasty. For the contest, I wanted to do something very healthy but also satisfying and was stuck on the idea of using quinoa – it’s just such a super grain packed full of protein and fiber!

I brainstormed until the very last minute (entries are due today, eeek!) and finally came up with a worthy idea to feature two kinds of their mustard. I decided to do a little twist on my Avocado Chicken Cakes and mixed up some shredded chicken with Saucy Mama Smoky Garlic Mustard, quinoa, panko, and Greek yogurt. I baked the cakes until they were golden brown and served them atop a salad featuring a creamy honey mustard dressing that tastes decadent but is surprisingly good for you since it’s made with protein-packed Greek yogurt, Saucy Mama Champagne Honey Mustard, and a touch of honey. I did a double take when I calculated the nutritional information – there are just 300 calories per serving and 32.9g protein, wow, this has to be my healthiest low calorie recipe yet! Double the mustard, double the fun!

p.s.  If you have a Facebook account and like my recipe, I’d love your vote!  Thanks!!

p.p.s.  I somehow missed this when I first published the post, but Saucy Mama would also like to give one of my readers a Saucy Mama condiment kit containing a bottle of Saucy Mama Tarragon Lemon Mustard, Smoky Garlic Mustard and Dijon! To enter to win, just leave a comment on this post by Tuesday, March 6 at 11:59pm EST.

The fine print: Sorry, this giveaway is open to U.S. readers only.  Saucy Mama is sponsoring this giveaway and sent me a package of six mustards to try, but I received no compensation for this post and all opinions are mine. The winner will be picked with random.org on Wednesday, March 7 and announced shortly thereafter.

Honey Mustard Spinach Salad with Chicken Quinoa Cakes
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

Chicken Quinoa Cakes:
1/2 cup quinoa
1 cup low sodium chicken broth
2 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken (I poached two large chicken breasts and shredded them)
1/2 cup panko
1/4 cup chopped red onions
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
1/4 cup Saucy Mama Smoky Garlic Mustard
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon salt

Honey Mustard Dressing:
1/2 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
1/4 cup Saucy Mama Champagne Honey Mustard
1 tablespoon honey

For assembly:
5 cups packed fresh baby spinach leaves (about 6 ounces)
1 red pepper, cored and thinly sliced
1/2 English cucumber, sliced

Directions:
To prepare the chicken quinoa cakes, heat oven to 350°F. Place quinoa and chicken broth in a large stockpot over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 10 to 15 minutes or until all water is absorbed and quinoa is soft. Place cooked quinoa, shredded chicken, panko, onions, garlic, yogurt, mustard, egg, and salt in a large bowl and mix until well combined. Shape mixture into 10 patties and place on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350°F for 20 to 25 minutes or until set; heat oven broiler and broil for 2 minutes or until golden brown.

To make the dressing, place yogurt, mustard, and honey in a small bowl and stir until smooth.

To assemble the salad, mix spinach, red pepper, and cucumber in a large bowl. Evenly distribute greens onto 5 plates and top each with 2 chicken quinoa cake. Drizzle evenly with dressing. Makes 5 servings.

Nutrition: 284 calories, 4.6g fat, 3.8g fiber, 32.9g protein per serving
Cost: $2.64 per serving

I can’t believe it, but my little blog turned three today! It seems like just yesterday I hit publish on my Pesto Lasagna and wondered if anyone would ever find my tiny corner of the web. Thank you all for reading and commenting, and I’d especially like to thank those of you who have taken a chance and tried one of my recipes and left feedback. I know trying recipes without reviews from some random food blogger may feel a little “risky” so it really makes my day when people go out of their way and give one of my recipes a try! I truly appreciate each and every one of my readers!

As a small thank you, I thought it would be fun to have a giveaway. There are two prizes, but you can only enter to win one – just pick which one you’d most like and leave a comment letting me know!

1. Any cookbook you’d like on Amazon. Please leave a link to the book you’d like in your comment.

OR

2. A magazine subscription to one my favorite foodie magazines – Bon Appetit, Cooking Light, InStyle, or Real Simple. I just love InStyle and Real Simple and they always have a recipe section, so they totally count as being foodie magazines, right? Again, let me know which one you’d like in your comment.

Entries must be in by 11:59 pm EST on Sunday, March 4. Good luck!

The fine print: I’m sponsoring this giveaway myself. The winners will be picked with random.org on Monday, March 5 and announced shortly thereafter.

It’s been a couple months since we’ve had a lab birthday to celebrate, but I finally got the chance to whip up some cupcakes for our lab manager’s big day this week! I’m usually up pretty late when I undertake a baking project in the middle of the week, but this time I somehow managed to have the cupcakes completely decorated AND the entire kitchen cleaned by 11pm. Usually the kitchen is a complete disaster the next day and I have huge bags under my eyes, so I was pretty proud of my efficiency! Anyway, one of Christina’s favorite treats is black forest cake, so I decided to make chocolate cherry cupcakes.

I brushed the top of my chocolate cupcakes with a generous layer of cherry puree. Since cherries aren’t in season right now, I used frozen pitted sweet cherries from Dole, and they worked just beautifully. I also folded some of the cherry puree into whipped cream that I piped on top of the cupcakes. Of course, they weren’t complete without a sprinkle of dark chocolate shavings and a maraschino cherry on top too!

Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

Chocolate Cupcakes:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons espresso powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
3/4 cup canola oil
2 large eggs
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cherry Puree:
12 ounces frozen dark sweet cherries, thawed
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tablespoon lemon juice

Cherry Whipped Cream:
2 cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Garnishes:
1/2 ounce shaved dark chocolate
16 maraschino cherries

Directions:
To make the chocolate cupcakes, heat oven to 350˚F. Fill 16 cups of 2 12-cup muffin pans with cupcake liners. Sift flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, espresso powder, and salt together into the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla extract in a medium bowl until well combined. Add whisked liquids to dry ingredients and mix for 1 minute or until combined on medium speed. Scrape down sides of the bowl and mix again briefly. Evenly distribute cake batter into the 16 prepared cupcake liners, filling each about 3/4 full, and bake at 350˚F for 20 to 24 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of each cupcake comes out clean. Let cool 5 minutes in the pans, then remove cupcakes and place on a wire rack.

To make the cherry puree, place thawed cherries in a food processor and pulse until smooth, about one minute. Place puree in a small stockpot and stir in sugar and lemon juice; bring to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer 2 minutes, stirring frequently, or until sugar is dissolved. Cool 1/2 cup of the puree to room temperature (I stuck mine in the freezer for 15 minutes) and set aside to use in the cherry whipped cream. Pierce each cupcake with a fork 5 times and use a pastry brush to evenly cover the cupcakes with the remaining cherry puree; evenly cover with one layer, allow to dry, and then add another layer, as needed.

To make the cherry whipped cream, place heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla extract in a well chilled bowl and whisk on high speed until stiff peaks form, about 1 1/2 minutes. Fold 1/2 cup cooled cherry puree into the whipped cream until smooth.

To assemble the cupcakes, place cherry whipped cream in a decorating bag with a 1M decorating tip. Quickly frost cupcakes evenly and top with shaved chocolate and the maraschino cherries. Store in the refrigerator until serving. Makes 16 cupcakes.

Nutrition: 368 calories, 22.9g fat, 2.1g fiber, 4.3g protein per cupcake
Cost: $0.56 per cupcake

I’ve slowly been working on a few recipes to go with my recap posts about our amazing trip to New Zealand, but I haven’t even started to go through all our pictures. The task just seems too overwhelming…but today I have a little teaser post – Thai turkey burgers inspired by the ones we enjoyed at Fergburger in the bungee jumping capital of the world, Queenstown! Queenstown is a beautiful resort town on the Southern Island of New Zealand with amazing skiing.

We arrived in Queenstown late one night after a long 5 hour drive and immediately headed to Fergburger, which had been recommended to us by multiple Kiwis during our trip. Mmm, the burgers really spot. And they’re also huge – see they were almost as big as my head! Apolinaras got a burger with a Thai plum sauce that I immediately became smitten with and it inspired today’s recipe. I gave mine a little twist and topped my burgers with a spicy slaw. Ok, back to sifting through all our pictures!

Thai Burgers with Plum Sauce and Spicy Slaw
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

Spicy Slaw:
1/2 cucumber, coarsely grated
1 carrot, coarsely grated
1/2 cup thinly sliced roasted red peppers
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon salt

Plum Sauce:
1/3 cup plum jam
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced

Burger Patties:
1 1/2 pounds ground turkey
1/2 cup grated red onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon salt

Assembly:
6 whole wheat hamburger buns, split and toasted

Directions:
To make the spicy slaw, mix shredded cucumber, carrot, and red pepper in a medium bowl. Mix rice vinegar, fish sauce, sugar, garlic, red pepper flakes, and salt in a small bowl. Pour dressing over veggies and stir well. Place in the fridge for an hour to allow the flavors to meld.

To make the plum sauce, mix plum jam, rice vinegar, and garlic in a small bowl and stir until smooth.

To make the burger patties, heat oven broiler. Place ground turkey, grated onion, garlic, and salt in a large bowl and gently mix all the ingredients together with your hands; form 6 burgers that are slightly larger than your buns. Place patties on a large cookie sheet and broil for 5 to 6 minutes on each side or until cooked through and no longer pink in the center.

To assemble the burgers, place a patty on top of the bottom half of each bun and evenly spread the plum sauce on top of each burger. Drain any excess liquid off the slaw and spread evenly on the burgers. Add the burger tops and serve. Makes 6 burgers.

Nutrition: 383 calories, 10.0g fat, 2.2g fiber, 26.7g protein per serving
Cost: $1.97 per serving

We’ve been so busy lately that I’ve baked more “emergency” frozen pizzas for dinner than I’d care to admit. I have managed to whip up some soba noodles a couple of times though. They’re so quick and tasty, and there’s nothing better than a one pot meal. For this version I mixed in tamarind eggplant, snow peas, and tofu, along with my favorite sesame soy dressing – yum!

Soba Noodles with Eggplant, Snow Peas, and Tofu
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

5 tablespoons canola oil, divided
1 large eggplant, chopped into bite-sized cubes
1 tablespoon tamarind concentrate
1/2 cup hot water
9 ounces snow peas
15 ounces extra firm tofu, cut into bite-sized cubes
1 pound soba noodles
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon honey
2 cloves garlic, minced

Directions:
Heat 2 tablespoons canola oil over medium high heat in a large pan or wok; add eggplant to the pan and sauté for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until lightly browned. Stir tamarind concentrate into hot water until well dissolved and pour into the pan. Simmer eggplant in tamarind liquid over medium heat for 8 minutes; add snow peas and tofu to the pan, stir well, and simmer an additional 5 to 8 minutes or until eggplant and snow peas are tender and all the liquid has evaporated.

Prepare soba noodles according to package directions, drain, and rinse with cold water. Place soba noodles in a large bowl. Mix soy sauce, rice vinegar, 3 remaining tablespoons canola oil, sesame oil, honey, and garlic in a small bowl and mix well. Pour dressing over soba noodles and toss until evenly coated; stir in eggplant, snow peas, and tofu. Makes 6 servings. Serve cold or at room temperature, if desired.

Nutrition: 454 calories, 19.3g fat, 3.3g fiber, 19.0g fiber per serving
Cost: $1.67 per serving

Apolinaras and I enjoyed a fun Spanish themed dinner party last week. Elina hosted and made fideos with ham, shrimp, and clams, which was just delicious, and Shannon covered dessert and brought cupcakes filled with dulce de leche and topped with almond cream cheese frosting! I decided to whip up a couple of tapas.

The first was spicy Spanish potatoes. Meghan very kindly typed out the recipe for me from one of her cookbooks when I told her they were one of my very favorite tapas, ummm, only about 2 years ago! I tend to collect more recipes than I actually have time to make, but I’m glad I finally found the perfect occasion to make these potatoes because they really hit the spot.

My second contribution was these manchego stuffed Spanish meatballs. I mixed organic ground beef and pork with sweet paprika, panko, egg, and garlic, and stuffed each meatball with a small chunk of Spanich manchego cheese. Then I topped them with a diced tomato sauce that also had roasted red peppers, sun dried tomatoes, and sherry vinegar in the mix. Yum, what a fun little party appetizer!

Manchego Stuffed Spanish Meatballs
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

Sauce:
1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 cup low sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup chopped roasted red peppers
1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt

Meatballs:
1 pound ground sirloin (93% fat free)
1 pound ground pork
1 large egg
3/4 cup panko
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon salt
6 ounces machengo cheese, cut into 40 small chunks
1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:
To make the sauce, place diced tomatoes, chicken broth, roasted red peppers, sun dried tomatoes, sherry vinegar, and salt in a food processor and pulse for 1 to 2 minutes or until smooth.

To make the meatballs, place ground sirloin, ground pork, egg, panko, garlic, paprika, and salt in a large bowl and knead with your hands until well mixed. Shape into 40 meatballs and put one piece of cheese in the middle of each one, making sure to seal the cheese in well. Heat olive oil over medium high heat in a large nonstick skillet and cook until browned on all sides, working in batches as needed. Add the pureed sauce mixture to pan, along with all the meatballs, and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until meatballs are cooked through. Remove meatballs from the pan and simmer sauce an additional 5 to 10 minutes, to thicken, if needed. To serve, spoon sauce over meatballs. Makes 20 servings of 2 meatballs each.

Nutrition: 152 calories, 10.3g fat, 0.6g fiber, 11.3g protein per serving
Cost: $1.05 per serving