Peanut Butter M&M Blondies

Many months ago, I made peanut butter cup blondies.  They were incredible, but also left me wondering about other candy possibilities.  The options seem limitless.  Since Peanut Butter M&Ms rank in my top 5 favorite candies, if not top 3 (after Nutrageous and Peanut Butter Cups, of course), Peanut Butter M&M Blondies were a logical progression.

Let's just say the experiment was a success.  I used a generous helping of M&Ms instead of peanut butter cups.  I also used peanut butter chips to boost the peanut buttery goodness.  The result was dangerous.  Lots of tasty M&Ms in every bite, lots of good peanut butter flavor...yet they still come in around 210 calories.  Gotta love it!

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Enchiladas

Sweet potatoes and black beans are two of my favorite foods, though the thought of combining the two had me wondering.  I like my sweet potatoes plain and my black beans spicy...would they be good together?   When I came across a recipe for Sweet Potato and Black Bean Enchiladas, they looked so good, I had to to give it a try.  And I'm so glad!  Whoever decided to put these two flavors together in a tasty Mexican-inspired dish is pure genius.  The sweetness and spicy pair beautifully in this dish, and the queso fresco rounds everything out quite nicely. 

I like that you can make the sauce and/or filling ahead of time, since they are the most labor intensive (by labor, I mean time to stand over the stove...they're really quite easy).  Assembly is a cinch, and then bake until warmed throughout and the cheese is all bubbly.  This recipe makes a lot, which is a very good thing ~ leftovers heat up perfectly!

Banana Cornbread Muffins

These  Banana Cornbread Muffins were whipped together as a result of a request from my little Adam.  For weeks, he had been asking me to make cornbread ~ specifically rosemary cornbread.   Since I did not have any fresh rosemary on hand (and let's be honest...it's just not the same with dried), I decided to come up with something new.  I spotted an overripe banana, got out a pen and a yellow sticky note and started jotting down what became this recipe.

The result is a muffin with a nice balance of banana and cornbread.  They are light and fluffy, like any good muffin should be (so more muffin-y than cornbread-y).  I made half with a banana slice on top and half without.  They look nicer with a slice, but the banana turns brown after a day or so.  It still tastes good, but just not as pretty.

Pulled Chicken Sandwiches

Our weather has been all over the place lately. We had a stretch of 80-degree days in March, yet just awe got some snow. It's all a bit confusing, but we know summer is near.  This has me thinking about summertime eats, which led me to these Pulled Chicken Sandwiches.  These healthy sandwiches taste like a summer barbeque, but can easily be enjoyed all year long.

Inspired from my Chicken Tostada Salad, I decided to poach the chicken breasts and then used 2 forks to shred the chicken. Actually, Mike shredded the chicken while I wiped out the pan and heated up the sauce. At that point, it's just a matter of minutes until dinner is served.  The original recipe calls for shredded rotisserie chicken, which would be a great time saver (just skip to step 3).  Either way, these Pulled Chicken Sandwiches can be made in less than 30 minutes, making them a great weeknight dinner, or any time!

Oreo Cookies and Cream Cupcakes

As I'm sure you've heard, the Oreo cookie has been celebrating a big birthday.  As a result, our local grocery store was giving away a free package of Oreos.  That's my kind of celebration!  I never buy Oreos, so wanted to make something special.  In the keeping with the festive spirit, I decided Oreo Cupcakes were definitely in order.

These Oreo Cupcakes were an indulgence, and an absolute treat.  The vanilla cake and the cream cheese frosting complement each other perfectly, while letting the Oreo cookies shine through in all their glory.  It doesn't hurt there is half a cookie (the cream-filled half at that!) resting at the bottom of the cupcake, there are big cookie chunks studded throughout the cakes, and there is a dusting of chocolate cookie crumbs on the top.  These are the ultimate cupcakes for cookies and cream lovers!

So, back to birthdays...it just so happens today is my brother's birthday. It's a big birthday too ~ the kind with a 0 at the end. We can't let a day like that go under-celebrated. He lives on the West coast, which makes an in-person cake celebration a bit tricky. So instead, we can celebrate with a virtual birthday cake, and these Oreo Cupcakes are posted in his honor!  Happy Birthday!

Chicken Tostada Salad

This Chicken Tostada Salad recipe uses a technique for chicken that simply doesn't cross my mind often enough - poaching!  Poaching is an easy and healthy way to cook chicken, without any added fat, in about 20 minutes.  In this recipe, the poached chicken is shredded and serves as a perfect blank slate for the salad, which combines simple but flavorful ingredients, such as red onions, chili powder, garlic, and lime juice. 

The base of the salad is a crispy, toasted tortilla, with cheese baked right on it.  I have used both romaine lettuce and mixed greens.  It is good either way, but since I have mixed greens on hand at all times, that is what I tend to use.  Go with what you like best!  We enjoyed this tostada salad so much for dinner, I decided to make it for lunch again the next day.  It was that good!

Mushroom and Leek Pita Pizzas

After a long day of work and play, it's nice to have some healthy quick and easy meals ideas on hand.  These Mushroom and Leek Pita Pizzas fit that bill quite nicely.  Mushrooms and leeks are a delicious combination, and a little garlic and crushed red pepper give this pizza a little pizazz.  The whole wheat pitas serve as a sturdy crust.  Topped with some low fat ricotta and lots of vegetables, these pitas turned pizzas become a healthy dinner in less than 20 minutes. 

Your Online Recipe Box with ZipList!

I am excited to tell you about a new feature here at Alida's Kitchen.

As you may have noticed, I added a handy little button  at the bottom of each post (It's right next to the 'Print Friendly' button, pictured below).

You can now can save your favorite recipes to your very own personal recipe box!  You can also save recipe ingredients to an online shopping list with just one click.

I’ve teamed up with ZipList to make this happen.  ZipList is a free online recipe box. They have free mobile apps, or you can use their website. You can access your recipe box from your phone or computer any time you want. 

ZipList powers the online recipe boxes and shopping lists you see at MarthaStewart.com, The Daily Meal and Joy of Baking, as well as many food blogs. You can save recipes from any of these websites, including mine, and they’ll all be saved in one place. No more hunting from site-to-site to track down your favorite recipes.

To make it easy for you to access your recipe box and shopping list, I have added a couple places for you to access them on the website:
In the navigation bar, you will find the link 'Recipe Box'

And on the right sidebar, under ZipList, you will find links to your Recipe Box and Shopping List.    

As mentioned, you can also access your recipe box from ZipList.com and using free mobile apps so you have what you need to plan meals and grocery shop wherever you go.  I have been using ZipList for year and love it.  So go click on the icon to create your personal recipe box..and let me know what you think!