Lovin' From the Oven

Cran-Pistachio Cookies

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With March coming to an end, I’m already thinking about April. It’s Earth Month! I’ve taken the pledge by the Bulk is Green Council (BIG) to purchase bulk foods once a week during Earth Month. BIG is a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing awareness of the environmental and economic benefits of purchasing foods from the bulk bins.

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Did you know that:

  • “If Americans purchased all of their almonds in bulk for 1 month, 6,000,000 pounds of waste would be saved from landfills. That’s the equivalent weight of 522.5 elephants.
  • Purchasing oatmeal from the bulk bins saves 5x the waste of its packaged equivalent.
  • If the average American family bought peanut butter in bulk for 1 month, 172 pounds of waste per family would be saved from entering landfills.
  • If Americans purchased all of their coffee from the bulk bins for 1 month (Earth Month), 20,000,000 pounds of foil packaging would be saved from landfills. That’s the equivalent weight of 7,667 compact cars.”

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That’s a whole lot one person/family can do for the world. Come and take the Love Bulk Foods pledge every week in April with me over at lovebulkfoods.com! You’ll be entered to win a prize pack filled with everything you need to create a natural pantry stocked with foods from the bulk bins. The prize pack includes:

  • two 100% recycled glass storage jars for an eco-friendly way to store bulk foods
  • one “Love Bulk” branded canvas, all-purpose , reusable tote bag for your grocery shopping trips
  • samples of food from the following companies that can be found in most bulk foods aisles of grocery stores nationwide:
  • non-GMO Certified whole grains from Lundberg Family Farms
  • natural and USDA-Organic trail mix from SunRidge Farms
  • USDA-Organic spices and tea from Frontier Natural Products Co-op
  • All natural French Vanilla and Wild Bluberry Flax granola from Attune Foods

Approximate value of the pack is $75. Winners will be drawn once a week during Earth Month.

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This is a soft cookie recipe from AllRecipes. The pistachio flavor from the pudding is very light, so the actual pistachios are a pleasant touch. It’s a great recipe that you can make with the kids, since most of the ingredients come from a box. This would also be a great recipe for Christmas because of the festive colors.

Print
Cran-Pistachio Cookies

Ingredients

  • 1 (1 pound 1.5 ounce) pouch Betty Crocker® sugar cookie mix
  • 1 (4 serving size) package pistachio instant pudding and pie filling mix
  • 1/4 cup Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup dry-roasted salted pistachio nuts, chopped
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries, chopped

Directions

  1. Mix cookie mix, pudding mix and flour in bowl. Stir in melted butter and eggs until soft dough forms. Add pistachios and cranberries; blend well.
  2. Using small cookie scoop or teaspoon, drop dough 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Press with fingers to slightly flatten.
  3. Bake at 350 degrees F for 9 to 11 minutes. Cool 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. Store tightly covered at room temperature.
https://lovintheoven.com/cran-pistachio-cookies/

Mini German Pancakes

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These pancakes are AWESOME. Mostly because they change so much and shape while baking, but they taste great too. They rise and puff in the oven, and I was amazed at how pretty they came out despite my skeptical thinking.

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I added a sweet blueberry mixture in the middle, but the pancakes would taste great plain with maple syrup. You can even squeeze some whipped cream on top and add sliced strawberries if you want something a little fancier. It’s a great base recipe for you to get creative with.

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You could even make a breakfast bar and let people make their own personalized mini German pancakes! Leave out some chocolate chips, agave, peanut butter, powdered sugar, fresh fruit, jam, butter, bacon, Nutella, chocolate syrup… the possibilities are endless.

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See what I mean about them puffing up so perfectly from a thin batter? It’s amazing! Each pancake is unique in appearance, but all are equally delicious.

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I can’t praise this recipe enough. Even the ingredient list is simple! You should already have everything in your kitchen pantry right now. Don’t believe me? Go check!

You don’t even need to use your mixer. Whisk the batter by hand since it’s so light and airy anyways. You won’t even break a sweat.

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The recipe makes a lot so if you’re only feeding yourself, there’s no need to make the entire recipe. I cut the recipe in to 1/3 and made that. It was still plenty for my DF and I.

I also got a little impatient waiting for the sauce to thicken so I added more corn starch, but it wasn’t necessary. If I would have used less, the syrup would have been clearer (see how it’s just a little foggy?). Don’t make the same mistake I did! Be patient with your syrup thickening.

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Recipe from Chef in Training. Happy breakfast baking!

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Mini German Pancakes

Ingredients

  • 6 eggs
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 1/4 cup butter melted
    • BLUEBERRY SAUCE/SYRUP
  • 1 cup water
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 3/4 tsp. lemon juice
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 2 1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch
  • 1 package (6 ounces or 1 1/4 cups) Driscoll’s Blueberries

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. Whisk together eggs, flour, milk, salt vanilla and butter until smooth.
  3. Pour evenly into greased muffin tins about 1/2 way full.
  4. Bake for 15-18 minutes until done and puffed up.
    5. TO MAKE THE BLUEBERRY SAUCE/SYRUP:
  5. Cook water, sugar, lemon juice, vanilla and cornstarch in a medium saucepan over medium heat until it begins to thicken. Stir in blueberries and simmer for about 10 minutes.
  6. Fill each mini german pancake with blueberry sauce.
https://lovintheoven.com/mini-german-pancakes/

Avocado, Spinach, and Egg McMuffin

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It’s a great day for a hearty breakfast. By that, I mean it’s pouring rain outside with no sun in sight so I might as well spend the morning inside creating something fulfilling to eat. Doesn’t food just made gloomy days that much better?

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I practically grew up on Sausage McMuffins from McDonald’s, so I wanted to make a healthier “McMuffin” (not to mention more adult-like!). This one has some more color and not as much fat or sodium. It will, however, still leave you full for a good couple of hours.

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Some people are very anti McDonald’s and would never feed their child something from there. I have no shame eating McDonald’s as a child. As a matter of fact, I loved it and have fond memories from spending my afternoons on the playground. I still eat it now— definitely not as much as I used to and in moderation, but I won’t turn down a McDonald’s run for breakfast if asked.

Did I ever tell you guys that my parent’s first date was at Carl’s Jr? My dad was broke and couldn’t afford more than that. My mom came from Paris, so she never really tasted a hamburger until then. I don’t even think she knew what fast food was. She thought it was delicious! About 239048 Carl’s Jr dates later, they got married and it was a match made in heaven.

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This green McMuffin may take a little more time to make, but the end result is worth it. The creamy avocado and the slight saltiness from the spinach truly brings together every single bite. I left one side of the muffin off to save some carbs, but you can certainly make it a closed face sandwich if you prefer. It’s also less messy to eat when you have two pieces of bread to hold onto instead of one.

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I just like looking at the perfectly toasted cheese on top. Isn’t she a thing of beauty?

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Print
Avocado, Spinach, and Egg McMuffin

Ingredients

  • 1 whole wheat english muffin (I only used half of one to make it open faced, but you can use both)
  • 1 egg, scrambled
  • handful of spinach
  • drizzle of olive oil
  • pinch of sea salt
  • half of an avocado, sliced
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons shredded mozzarella

Directions

  1. In a small skillet over medium heat, warm up the olive oil and toss in your handful of spinach. Sprinkle sea salt on top. Cook until the spinach has fully wilted, about 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat, drain, and set aside.
  2. Place the scrambled egg on top of your english muffin. Layer it with the spinach, avocado, and cheese.
  3. Toast your open faced sandwich for a minute or two. You can also do this under the broiler in your oven until your cheese begins to melt, but make sure to keep an eye on it because it can burn quickly. Enjoy!
https://lovintheoven.com/avocado-spinach-egg-mcmuffin/

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