Recipes

Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry

I am a sucker for a good chinese food take out night. The flavor, the greasiness, the dumplings (I am obsessed with dumplings), and the overall deliciousness of the cuisine. I know that American-style chinese food is not necessarily compatible to the real deal in China, and American-style chinese food tends to have a significant amount of sugars, sodium, and soy sauce, which causes my belly to get upset pretty quickly. I have always wanted to dabble at making a stir fry, so I figured tonight was the perfect night to do so.

I love recipes that call for simple ingredients, such as this one. I’ll keep the narrative light on this recipe but will say that I swear by Coconut Aminos. Coconut aminos acts as soy sauce and even sometimes a teriyaki when sugar is added, as it’s made directly from a coconut and has a lot more nutrients than soy sauce. I don’t prefer soy products so this is a great alternative, especially when paired with rice wine vinegar and a toasted sesame oil.

Here’s what you’ll need:

  • 1 bag pre-cut broccoli florets (or two small heads of broccoli cut at the florets)
  • 1 lb chicken breast
  • 3-4 tbsp rice wine vinegar
  • 3-4 tbsp toasted sesame oil
  • 3-4 tbsp coconut aminos
  • 1 tbsp minced garlic
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 bundle of stir fry rice noodles

To start, dice the chicken breasts into smaller bite size pieces. Heat a large pan to medium heat and add in oil and minced garlic. Add the chicken to the pan and begin to cook until all pieces are fully white, they are more than likely not cooked through but the chicken will cook as you layer in the sauce and broccoli. Add the broccoli and the sauces (coconut aminos, rice wine, and sesame oil). I would also add that you can lessen or increase the amount of each sauce as you desire. I also added a sprinkle of salt and pepper and red pepper flakes for good measure and a nice kick! Cover and let sit for a few minutes until broccoli becomes soft, and stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, Boil 4-5 quarts of water. Add in the stir fry noodles and turn off the heat. Let the noodles soak for 8-10 minutes and add them to the chicken and broccoli. The sauce will start off thin, but as the noodles are added and stirred, the noodles will absorb the sauce so feel free to add a bit more of rice wine vinegar or even 1/4 cup water if you desire. I promise frontloading the 3-4 tbsp of all of the liquids will be just enough.

The results are a lighter, healthier, and umami-satisfying version of the OG Chicken and Broccoli from your local take-out. NOMaste 🙂

Almond Butter Collagen Muffins

Fall is in the air, everywhere you look around! (admit that you legit sang that song in your head as you read it…) It’s definitely crisper outside and as the seasons change and the leaves fall, my taste buds turn to all things apple and cinnamon and almond butter. Yep, you heard that right: ALMOND BUTTER. I have a very slight sensitivity to peanut butter and so I have to have PB in very small doses, however, bring on all the almond butter.

I went through several different brands, and finally fell in love with Barney Butter. Sure, there’s a little sugar in it, and it’s made with sustainable palm oil, and for me this is fine, as I don’t have globs of it at a time (although I really could if I didn’t control myself). I buy my Barney Butter on Thrive Market, an online grocer that takes out the middle-person and sells all their products at 30-50% off. Plus, you get free shipping if you purchase $49 worth of products. I SWEAR by Thrive Market, and have been a member since 2016. *click the banner on the right if you are interested in trying!*

With this particular muffin recipe, I threw in an extra egg and a scoop of Vital Proteins collagen powder. I am halfway through my pregnancy and am really trying hard to stay as healthy and active as I can (except for the occasional pizza and grilled cheese), so by adding a little extra collagen it gives me a boost with bone development and quality protein.

Here’s what you’ll need to make these babies (no pun on my actual bun in the oven…)

  • 3 ripe bananas
  • 1/2 cup whole milk
  • 1/2 cup coconut sugar
    • Coconut sugar is low on the glycemic index and is a great substitute for brown sugar and regular cane sugar. It is almost a 1:1 replacement.
  • 2 large eggs
  • 3-4 tbsp almond butter (based on preference, the more the creamier the muffins!)
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1/2 scoop collagen powder (I use Vital Proteins)
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • Pinch of salt

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Begin with adding the wet ingredients into a bowl (bananas, coconut sugar, milk, eggs, almond butter). Whisk using a hand whisk or a hand blender (I use the KitchenAid hand blender and it works magic).

In a separate bowl, add the dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking soda, and collagen powder). Whisk together or sift to blend. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and blend until well mixed. It is okay if there are are some chunks of banana, it will actually make the texture stronger and spongier.

Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Serve warm! Enjoy 🙂

Cinnamon Apple French Toast Bake

Ever have one of those moments where something comes to you in the middle of the night and you’re almost certain it’s going to work? That’s exactly how I felt when I thought of this French toast casserole, or bake. I have always loved french toast, but had a vision for making this into a bake and caramelize some of my favorite apples to go along with it.

I have fallen in love with apples all over again after I found these SweetTango apples from Whole Foods. They are super juicy, slightly tart, and the perfect amount of sweet. They resemble Gala apples pretty closely, but are not as sweet. As I caramelized them, they held up to the butter and brown sugar, and were very tender when they baked. I was quite pleased. What I also love about this particular French toast bake is that the ingredients are super simple. Here’s what you’ll need:

  • 3 large eggs
    • I use Organic Valley for all my dairy products, and you can find out why by visiting their website here. They are one of the only farms I know that really lives up to their pasture-raised and organic mission and donate regularly to charities and causes.
  • 1 1/2 cup whole milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • Ground nutmeg
  • Ground cloves
  • 1 brioche loaf
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 6 tbsp butter
  • 2 apples, diced into smaller chunks
  • Ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 375* degrees. Begin with chopping and dicing the apples into smaller chunks. Take three tbsp of butter and melt into a large pan. Add the apples and toss/coat until all of the apples are coated with butter. Let sit and begin to soften on a medium heat. Add in ground cinnamon and toss. Take 1/4 cup brown sugar and add to the apples, this will help the apples brown and soften more. Lower the heat to simmer and set aside after 5 minutes. Be sure to check that the apples are not burning.

In the meantime, whisk the eggs and milk together, adding in the spices and vanilla. You can let this sit as you cut the brioche into smaller chunks. Using a baking pan or dish, assemble the diced brioche and pour the egg mixture into the brioche, letting it soak up the egg and milk; make sure you coat all of the bread! Once the apples are done, layer the apples onto the bread and fill all open spaces with apples.

Take the remaining butter and brown sugar and whisk together (or by hand) to form a crumble. Sprinkle on top of the casserole as evenly as you can. Place the casserole in the oven and bake for 40 minutes or until there is no bubbling and all the egg has cooked and set. Serve with a dollop of creme fraiche or whipped cream and you’ve got a delicious brunch treat! NOMaste 🙂

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Cinnamon Apple French Toast bake

A fun and simple twist to a classic savory breakfast

Course Breakfast
Cuisine American
Keyword apples, baked, casserole, cinnamon, easy, fall recipes, french toast, savory, simple recipe, sweet breakfast
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Author nomastehungry

Ingredients

  • 1 loaf Brioche bread could also use a day or two stale sourdough or brioche.
  • 3 large Eggs
  • 1.5 cup Whole milk
  • 1 tsp Vanilla extract
  • 6 tbsp Unsalted butter
  • 2 Apples diced
  • 1/2 cup Brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp Ground nutmeg
  • 1 tbsp Ground cloves

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 375*

  2. Begin with chopping and dicing the apples into smaller chunks. Take three tbsp of butter and melt into a large pan.

  3. Add the apples and toss/coat until all of the apples are coated with butter. Let sit and begin to soften on a medium heat. Add in ground cinnamon and toss. Take 1/4 cup brown sugar and add to the apples, this will help the apples brown and soften more. Lower the heat to simmer and set aside after 5 minutes.

  4. Whisk eggs and milk together, adding in the spices and vanilla. Slice the brioche and pour the egg mixture into the brioche, letting it soak up the egg and milk; make sure you coat all of the bread.

  5. Once the apples are done, layer the apples onto the bread and fill all open spaces with apples.

  6. Take the remaining butter and brown sugar and whisk together (or by hand) to form a crumble. Sprinkle on top of the casserole as evenly as you can. Place the casserole in the oven and bake for 40 minutes or until there is no bubbling and all the egg has cooked and set.

Recipe Notes

This recipe will make a softer french toast bake, whereas if you were to use a staler bread it would be a bit firmer.

You may also opt to pour the egg mixture over the bread overnight to let the egg fully soak.

Baked Ziti

Happy fall everyone! Gosh, it’s been a while since I’ve been on here blogging but I have had a pretty good excuse… I’m 15 weeks PREGNANT! Which then means, for my first trimester I was having a significant problem with keeping food down and even wanting foods other than bagels, pizza, and snacky foods. Now that I am cruising into the second trimester, I am slowly getting back into cooking and experimenting with a variety of different foods, and have always wanted to create a simple but delicious version of Baked Ziti.

This recipe features two of my favorite products from Organic Valley, a company that I hold dear to my heart. I love their values and mission to ensure all of their coops are pasture raised and do not cut corners, which is clear when you drink their milk or use their eggs. For this particular baked ziti, I opted for regular pasta, marinara, some dried seasonings (oregano and parsley) and ricotta and eggs from Organic Valley.

To start, I boiled a pot of water and cooked the pasta to al dente, about a minute less than what the box suggested. I strained the pasta and added it to a 9×13 pyrex baking dish, pre-lined with some marinara. I mixed in the ricotta, fresh mozzarella, and more sauce. I repeated this step until it was fully coated with sauce and ricotta. One thing I’ve learned from experimenting with baked ziti in the past is ensuring that there is plenty of sauce and ricotta so that it does not dry out.

Preheated the oven to 375 degrees. I dolloped some ricotta on top, sprinkled my Organic Valley cheese on top. Once the oven preheated, I baked the ziti for 15 minutes, then turned the oven to broil and broiled the ziti for 7 minutes just into most of the cheese turned brown. My husband, who is a pasta aficionado, even commended me for this one. Looks like I’ll be making this again soon. NOMaste 🙂

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Baked Ziti

Course Dinner
Cuisine American, Italian
Keyword baked food, baked ziti, pasta, traditional
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings 8 people
Author nomastehungry

Ingredients

  • 2 containers Organic Valley ricotta cheese
  • 1 box Pasta (I used mezzi rigatoni)
  • 1 24oz jar Rao's marinara
  • 2 cups Organic Valley shredded mozzarella cheese
  • Dried oregano
  • Dried parsley
  • Salt
  • Pepper

Instructions

  1. Bring 5 quarts of water to a boil. Add salt to water and pour in pasta. Cook to desired doneness or box directions. Once done, drain pasta.

  2. Line a 9×13 pyrex baking dish with marinara sauce.

  3. Pour drained pasta into dish. Pour more marinara sauce, scoops of ricotta, and a sprinkle of mozzarella cheese into the pasta and mix well.

  4. Continue to add marinara and ricotta until the pasta is fully coated and wet. Sprinkle with dried oregano and parsley.

    Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

  5. Spread mozzarella cheese on top. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes.

  6. Turn oven to broil and broil for 7 minutes until cheese is melted and browned. Let stand for 5 minutes.

Recipe Notes

Use gluten free pasta if you desire!  Banza works very well!

Roasted Rosemary Potatoes with Onions and Peppers

Wow it’s been a while since I’ve shared a recipe with you, can you forgive my absence? It’s been quite a busy summer with unpacking, several trips upstate, and getting acclimated to my new job. So. Much. New! All I can say is I am happy and content and am even more excited to share more recipes on a weekly basis.

This recipe came to me this weekend at my sister in law’s Bachelorette party. I made breakfast for the girls and we opted to make eggs, french toast, and potatoes. My sister gave me the idea to sauté some peppers and onions and then add them to the potatoes as they baked. MIND BLOWN. Obviously I needed to do this again at home.

I opted to use baby yukon/yellow potatoes and tossed them in avocado oil, and amped up the flavor with dried rosemary and pink sea salt. These baked for 20 minutes at 375*. Halfway through I flipped and tossed the potatoes around.

Once the 20 minutes passed, I cranked the heat up to 425* for 15 minutes, and added in the sautéed peppers and onions. I cannot begin to tell you the flavor profile that was added when the peppers and onions roasted with the potatoes. I mean, I could eat these over and over again, in fact I’ll most likely play with a variety of seasonings next week with baby red bliss potatoes. Stay tuned 🙂

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