Root Beer Float Rice Crispy Treats

Rice crispy treats are the perfect treat for a hot summer day. Add a hint of root beer for an extra special summertime party!

 

Root Beer Float Rice Crispy Treats
1/4 c. (1/2 stick) butter
8 c. miniature marshmallows
1 t. root beer extract
5 c. crispy rice cereal
1 c. white chocolate bark (or white chocolate chips), melted
1/2 c. toffee bits

 

In a large pot, melt butter over medium-low heat. Stir in marshmallows and heat until melted. Remove from heat and stir in root beer extract.

Stir in crispy rice cereal.

Press into a greased 9x13" pan.

Drizzle with melted white chocolate.

Sprinkle toffee bits on top.

Cool completely before cutting into bars.

A whole new world opens up when adding flavors to rice crispy treats. I'm quite excited about trying lots of other flavors too. Enjoy!

Summer Squash & Mushroom Pasta

 I just love the abundance of fresh veggies this time of year. You can throw any number of fresh summer veggies in this simple dish.

Summer Squash & Mushroom Pasta
12 oz. rotini
2 T. olive oil
1-2 c. pearl onions
1 1/2 c. zucchini, thinly sliced
1 1/2 c. yellow summer squash, thinly sliced
1 lb. sliced mushrooms (I used criminis)
1 (25 oz.) jar butternut squash pasta sauce (or your favorite sauce)
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper

Prepare rotini according to package directions. Drain and set aside. In the same pot, heat oil and add pearl onions. Season with a little salt and saute for 1-2 minutes.



Add zucchini, summer squash, and mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper and saute until tender (5-7 minutes).

Remove from heat and stir in sauce and minced garlic. (This is amazing sauce that I found at Costco. It's also available online at Dave's Gourmet or Amazon.)

 

 Stir in cooked rotini.

 Serve with a little parmesan sprinkled on top.

 This is such a fast dinner to throw together for a busy summer evening. Enjoy!

Five Spice Carrot Zucchini Cake

 

This is a great cake to use up some of that zucchini you've got in the garden. (Unfortunately, I don't have a garden, but I have sweet neighbors who often give me some of theirs!) And instead of using only cinnamon, I opted to use chinese five spice powder. Chinese five spice powder is a blend of cinnamon, anise, fennel, ginger, cloves, and licorice root ... which is six spices ... Anyway, it give this cake a fun flavor. People will never guess that this is a healthy dessert!

Five Spice Carrot Zucchini Cake

2 c. whole wheat flour
1 c. all purpose flour
1 1/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. ground flaxseed
3 t. chinese five spice powder
2 t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
2 c. finely grated zucchini
1 c. finely grated carrot
1/2 c. oil
1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce
1/2 c. water

 

Combine all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.

 Then add wet ingredients and mix until well combined.

 Grease and flour a bundt pan (or two loaf pans, if you prefer).

 Pour batter into prepared pan.

 Bake at 325 F for 40-50 minutes. It might need more, depending on your oven. Just keep an eye on it.

 Cool for about 20 minutes and then invert cake onto a platter. Then cool completely.

You might notice that I drizzled glaze on mine, but I wasn't very happy with it. It was too runny. I suggest dusting it with powdered sugar or finding a glaze that you like. 

 

Enjoy!

Farmer's Markets

My city has a local farmer's market every Saturday August-October. I've just started going the past couple weeks, but it's been AWESOME! I think it's so great to support the local farmers, plus everything is really fresh. Here's what I got last week:

7 ears of corn

7 jalapenos

1 lb. or so pearl onions

5 lbs. red potatoes

1 bunch green onions

2 banana peppers

cherry tomatoes

1 apple pastry (that was about 5 times bigger when we bought it...)

blackberries

2 heads garlic

total price: $17.25

If you have a farmer's market where you live, go check it out! You get to meet new people and get fresh fruits & veggies! Good times.



Sweet & Hot Peanut Sauce

This is an awesome asian style sauce that is so versatile! It goes with chicken, beef, veggies, tofu, or even as a dressing on a salad (that's how I ate it).

Sweet & Hot Peanut Sauce

2 T. peanut butter

1 T. tamari (or regular soy sauce)

1 T. oil

1 T. water (or more if you want it thinner)

1 T. honey

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 green onion, thinly sliced

1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

1 t. fresh grated ginger

It's almost too simple: just combine all ingredients...



 ...and mix well.

 Serve with whatever you feel like eating!

 I made an easy salad with romaine, sauteed tofu, and the sauce. Enjoy!

Tilapia with Simple Chimichurri

I've always been a seafood lover! My only problem with seafood is that it's often very expensive. I chose tilapia for this recipe because it was cheap (I believe I paid $2.78/lb). With such a mild flavor, tilapia was an excellent choice to pair with a bold chimichurri.

Tilapia with Simple Chimichurri

1 lb. boneless & skinless tilapia, thawed
olive oil
lemon pepper seasoning

Simple Chimichurri:

1/2 c. packed flat leaf parsley
big handful of cilantro
2-3 T. olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic
1 t. apple cider vinegar
1/2 t. onion powder (or 1 T. fresh chopped)
salt to taste

For tilapia, line a cookie sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray. Place fish on greased foil, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with lemon pepper seasoning. Bake at 400 F for about 12-15 minutes, or until it's white and flakes easily with a fork.

Meanwhile, in a small chopper or food processor, combine all chimichurri ingredients. Pulse until well combined.

When tilapia is done, serve with a dollop of chimichurri.

This recipe would serve 3 adults. Next time I might double or even triple the chimichurri to save for later. Enjoy!

Vegan Zucchini Bread

Okay, I know what you might be thinking. No I'm not a vegan, but lately I've been experimenting with vegan and vegetarian recipes. It's actually been really fun! This recipe is heavily adapted from this cake recipe I found. Don't be afraid of vegan recipes. You'll be surprised by how great they can be!

 Vegan Zucchini Bread

2 T. ground flaxseed
6 T. water
1 1/2 c. flour
1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
1 1/2 t. cinnamon
3 c. finely grated zucchini
1/2 c. oil
1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce
1 t. vanilla

In a small bowl, combine flaxseed and water and set aside. (After a few mintues it will turn gelatinous like an egg.) In a large bowl, mix flours, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. 

 Add zucchini, oil, applesauce, vanilla, and flaxseed mixture.

 Mix well. Mixture might seem thick! (I just love my sweet little helping hands in this picture!)

 Prepare two bread pans by greasing them, laying a sheet of parchment in the bottom, and greasing the parchment.

 Pour batter into prepared pans.

 Bake at 325 F for 45-60 minutes.

This is my lovely kitchen after a day of baking...which is most days. And yes, that is another cake already on the counter. I can't help myself.

 Cool for about 15 minutes before removing from pan.

I personally like this best when it's completely cool. I shared this bread with my mom and she said, "I think people like to pretend that zucchini bread is healthy, but this recipe really IS healthy. You could eat it for breakfast!" And yes, I would totally eat this for breakfast. Enjoy!