Spinach/Carrot Brownies

Spinach and carrots in brownies? Sounds gross, but is remarkably good!

Ingredients

1. 3 oz. semisweet or bittersweet chocolate
2. 1/2 c. carrot puree
3. 1/2 c. spinach puree
4. 1/2 c. firmly packed brown sugar
5. 1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
6. 2 T. trans-fat-free soft tub margarine spread
7. 2 tsp. vanilla
8. 2 large egg whites
9. 3/4 c. oat flour or all-purpose flour
10. 1/2 tsp. baking powder
11. 1/2 tsp. salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Spray an 8x8 baking pan with cooking spray
3. Melt the chocolate in double boiler, over low flame, or in microwave (according to package directions)
4. In a large (deep) bowl, combine the melted chocolate, vegetable purees, sugar, cocoa, margarine and vanilla. Whisk 1-2 mins, or until smooth and creamy.
5. Whisk in egg whites
6. Stir in flour, baking powder and salt with a wooden spoon.
7. Pour batter into pan.
8. Bake 35-40 mins, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
9. Cook completely before cutting.

French Toast Sticks

We made this for a freezer meal and BJ and I fell in love with the recipe. It is SO GOOD. We've made it several times since then and it rarely makes it into the freezer.

Ingredients:

10 slices thick-cut bread
1/4 cup butter, melted
4 eggs
1/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp cinnamon
pinch salt

• Preheat oven to 350ºF.
• Cut the thick bread slices into thirds.
• Combine remaining ingredients in a mixing bowl, beat well to combine.
• Dip bread sticks into the egg mixture one at a time, and place on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray.
• Bake in a 350º oven for about 30 minutes.
• Flip the sticks over halfway through baking time to crisp both sides.
• To freeze, allow to cool completely before wrapping well in a freezer bag.
• To serve: pop in a 350 oven for about 8 minutes to refresh. Alternatively, they can be reheated in a microwave for a minute or two, but they will lose their crispness.

Recipe courtesy of Once a Month Mom and Erika at tummytreasure.com

Mozzarella Stuffed Red Peppers

This is one of BJ's favorite dishes. On a scale of 1-10, he once ranked it as a 9.5. That's equivalent to Cafe Rio, folks. (I'm not quite as of fond of it, though, so it doesn't get made often. But it's still good.)

Ingredients:

4 red bell peppers

3 T. olive oil, divided

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 1/4 c. cherry tomatoes* (from a 1-pint container)

4 1/2 oz. mozzarella cheese, cubed*

1/4 c. finely shredded fresh basil

1/8 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

1/4 cup prepared pesto sauce (if you can't find it prepared, look for a mix in with the gravy mixes)

1 T. lemon juice

1. Preheat oven to 475.
2. Spray a small roasting pan with nonstick cooking spray. (A 9x9 or smaller. You'll want your peppers to be able to stand up in it. You don't want it too big else they fall over.)
3. Slice the tops off the peppers (keep these!) and deseed. Stand them upright in the prepared pan. If needed, trim the bottom of the peppers so that they sit flat.
4. Bake 20 minutes, or until softened.
5. Meanwhile, place bell pepper tops on a baking sheet.
6. Combine garlic and 1 T. oil in a medium bowl.
7. Toss the tomatoes in the garlic mixture and place on baking sheet with the pepper tops.
8. Bake next to the pepper bases for the last 10 minutes of their baking time.
9. Take peppers and tomatoes out of oven. (Do not turn off oven!)
10. Put tomatoes in a large bowl with the mozzarella cubes, basil, salt and pepper.
11. Stir until combined.
12. Spoon tomato mixture into peppers and replace tops.
13. Put peppers back into oven until the cheese has just melted, about 5 minutes. (You can turn off the oven after this.)
14. Meanwhile, combine the pesto sauce, lemon juice and 2 T. olive oil in a small bowl.
15. Transfer peppers to a serving platter.
16. Drizzle with pesto sauce.
17. Serve hot and enjoy.

*I find these measurements to be an estimate. If you have larger peppers, you'll need a bit more to fill them up. If you want to add more, go for it.

Recipe based off Great American Recipes: Easy Everyday Cooking