Chicken Rollatini stuffed with Zucchini and Mozzarella

I've been searching for low-carb recipes lately and have been having a really hard time finding ones that I thought the kids and hubby would enjoy too.  We had this for dinner tonight and it was absolutely amazing!  The kids loved it too so it was a win-win!

Ingredients
1 tsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/2 c zucchini, chopped (I used 2 small)
1/4 c + 2 T Romano or Parmesan, shredded
3 oz part skim mozzarella, shredded
3 chicken thighs (~6oz each)
1/2 c italian seasoned bread crumbs
Juice of 1 lemon
1 T olive oil
pepper
non stick cooking spray

Directions
Saute garlic in olive oil until brown.  Add zucchini and 1/4c Romano and cook another 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat and let cool.  Once cool, mix in mozzarella.  Make 2 mixtures in 2 seperate bowls - 1 with bread crumbs and 2T Romano, and 1 with lemon, olive oil, and pepper.  Meanwhile trim fat off chicken thighs and lay flat on chopping board or other working surface.  Spread zucchini mixture over each thigh and roll tight.  Then dip the thighs in the olive oil mixture and then the breadcrumb mixture and place in a casserole dish that has been lightly coated with cooking spray.  Spray all chicken with more cooking spray when done and cook for 25-30 minutes in a 450 degree oven.

Source
Gina's Skinny Recipes

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Biscotti

Yes, another pumpkin recipe.  But, oh boy, are these delicious!  A very nice friend said these are "Starbucks-worthy" if that gives you any clue about how amazing they are!

Ingredients
1 1/2c packed brown sugar
1 stick butter, room temperature
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 c pumpkin puree
3c flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2c chocolate chips
1c semi sweet chocolate chips

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease and flour a baking sheet.  Cream together butter, sugar, and eggs in a large mixing bowl.  Mix in vanilla and pumpkin puree.  Add dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated.  Fold in both types of chocolate chips.  Your dough will look and feel like chocolate chip cookie dough - fairly sticky.  Shape into 3 log-looking shapes on the baking sheet.  (These will not expand too much, so try to get them the width you would like your biscotti to be).  Bake for 30 minutes, reduce heat to 300 degrees and bake for 30 minutes more.  Remove from oven and slice into biscotti.  Return the slices to the baking sheet and bake 10 more minutes.  Let cool before serving.  Enjoy!

Source
The Entertaining Kitchen

Pumpkin Mac & Cheese

If you know me, you know I have a slight obsession with pumpkin.  Just looking at my blog, my recipes in the fall are unfairly represented by pumpkin inspired creations.  I've been looking for a good pumpkin mac & cheese recipe for a while, and this recipe definitely fits the bill!  The only complaint I had was that it was not quite cheesy enough, so I would definitely add more cheese on top, and perhaps even a handful or two more to the sauce!

Ingredients
8oz elbow macaroni
2 T butter
2T flour
3/4c milk
3/4 c canned pumpkin
 1 c aged white cheddar cheese, shredded and divided
dash nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 and lightly spray an 8x8 casserole dish w/ cooking spray.  Cook macaroni according to package directions.  Meanwhile, melt butter in a pan until in begins to brown.  Add flour and whisk until browned.  Add remaining ingredients (remember to reserve half of your cheese), whisking constantly.  Drain the pasta and combine with the sauce.  Pour into the casserole dish, top with remaining cheese, and bake for 18-22 minutes, or until the cheese on top is bubbly and brown.

Source
Minimally adapted from BrokeAss Gourmet

Pumpkin Nutella Muffins (Muffin Monday)

If you know me, you know that I am obsessed with all things Nutella, and all things pumpkin.  And this obsession only intensifies when I pregnant.  Needless to say these little muffins made me a very VERY happy woman today!

Ingredients
3/4 c + 1/8 c flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
heaping 1/2 tsp nutmeg
3/4 c granulated sugar (can subsitute 1/4c brown sugar)
1/4 c canola oil (I ran out and used extra light olive oil)
1/6 c water
1/2 c canned pumpkin (not pie filling)
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 and spray muffin cups w/ cooking spray.  Whisk wet ingredients + sugar in large mixing bowl, then whisk the rest of the dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl.  Then fold dry ingredients into wet.  Divide mixture evenly into muffin cups, then add a spoonful of Nutella to the top of each.  Swirl with toothpick until marbled.  Cook for 15-18 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Note
This recipe yields about 8 regular size muffins.  Since I had a large playgroup I doubled the recipe.

Source
Originally saw idea on 2 Peas and Their Pod, but found the muffin adaptation from Baking with Buttermilk in the comments.

Swiss Chard & Artichoke Dip

Don't be fooled by the name, this stuff is awesome!  I started getting a CSA box recently and have had to really push outside of my comfort zone to find new ways to use up all the interesting veggies.  This is a delicious variation on Spinach and Artichoke dip, and was the perfect dish to take to a recent Moms Night Out with my girlfriends.

Ingredients
1/4c olive oil
1c onion, finely chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch Swiss chard, leaves & stalks separated and each chopped into small pieces
1 14oz can artichoke hearts, drained, rinsed, and chopped into small pieces
4oz chive & onion cream cheese spread (or plain cream cheese)
1/2c plain yogurt
1/4c mayo (I used Miracle Whip since it was all I had on hand)
1 1/2c Pecorino Romano, finely shredded
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions
Saute onion and chard stalks in olive oil until soft and onion is translucent.  Add garlic and cook a minute or two more.  Add chard leaves and artichoke hearts, then cover and cook until soft (remove lid if there is too much moisture).  Add remaining ingredients and cook until soft and thick (10-15 minutes).  Serve with crackers or bread and enjoy!

Source
In My Kitchen Garden

Notes
I topped a burger with this for lunch yesterday and it was so yummy!!!  Might try it as an out of the ordinary nacho topping too!!!

Chocolate Waffles

I was looking for something to make breakfast special for my kiddos on Valentine's Day.  These were a perfect way to start the day and show my little ones a little extra love.

Ingredients
1c all purpose flour
1/2 c wheat flour
3 Tbsp sugar
1/2 c cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
3 large eggs, beaten
4 Tbsp butter, melted & slightly cooled
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 c buttermilk, room temp.
3/4 c mini chocolate chips

Directions
Preheat waffle iron.  Whisk together dry ingredients.  In a seperate bowl, mix together wet ingredients.  Mix wet and dry until just combined.  Add chocolate chips.  Cook until crispy.

Source
Annie's Eats

Notes
The batter seems way too liquid-y for waffle batter, but it turned out great!  Make sure to cook it long enough to get the crisp!

Real World Wednesday - The Deacon's Wife's Pasta

A few months ago, we were invited to a liturgical minister's appreciation dinner at church.  I thought the food was delicious, but I like most food, so no surprise there.  It wasn't until Philip said "If you made dinner's where the vegetables actually tasted good, like this one, I'd eat it all the time!," that I knew I HAD to have this recipe.  This is so easy to make, and is definitely a crowd pleaser.  It also makes a lot!  I would halve this if you are making it just for your family.  Otherwise, this would freeze well if you want to freeze half and then reheat in a casserole dish in the oven.

Ingredients
16 oz penne, cooked according to package directions
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 lb smoked sausage, cut in half lenthwise and then cut in 1/2 inch slices
2 medium zucchini, cut in half lenghtwise and then cut in 1/2 inch slices
1/2 c corn
italian seasonings of choice, to taste
1 24oz jar marinara sauce (or equal of homemade)
Shredded parmesan

Directions
Brown the sausage in a skillet and set aside.  Saute onion, bell pepper, and zucchini in same skillet, adding olive oil if needed, until onion is translucent and veggies are crisp tender.  Return the sausage to the pan, add the corn, seasonings and marinara sauce and toss all.  Top with shredded parmesan and serve!