Chewy Coconut Lime Sugar Cookies

Adapted from: My Baking Addiction

Ingredients:

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 ½ cups white sugar
1 egg
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
zest of one large lime, finely minced
3 tbsp lime juice
1 cup toasted coconut, divided (part for cookie dough, and part for the glaze topping)
½ cup sugar for rolling cookies

Glaze:

2 cups powdered sugar

1 TBSP lime zest

1/3 cup fresh lime juice

1/2 cup toasted coconut

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. If you haven’t already toasted your coconut just put a layer of coconut on a cookie sheet and bake it at 350 degrees for 5-7 minutes. Watch out. It goes from white to burnt really quick if you aren’t watching closely.
2. In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
3. Using a mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until smooth and very fluffy.
4. Beat in egg, vanilla extract, lime juice and lime zest.
5. Gradually blend in the dry ingredients and 1/2 cup toasted coconut.
6. Roll rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into balls, and roll in sugar. Place on lined cookie sheets about 1 1/2 inches apart. I made mine too big and they ran together. These do spread quite a bit.
7. Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until lightly browned.
8. Let stand on cookie sheet two minutes before removing to cool on wire racks. 

9. Prepare the glaze by mixing powdered sugar, lime zest, and lime juice. Mix well. After the cookies are completely cool, drizzle a TBSP of glaze over each cookie, spreading the with underside of the spoon. Sprinkle toasted coconut on top of the glaze. Let glaze harden before serving.

Mini Tostada Salads

**From Our Best Bites cookbook "Savoring the Seasons"

6-8 small flour tortillas

2 cups shredded romaine lettuce

1 tomato, diced

1/4 frozen corn, thawed

1/4 cup canned black beans, rinsed

2 TBSP sliced green onions

2 TBSP chopped Cilantro

1/2-1 cup shredded, or finely diced, grilled chicken (optional)

Vinaigrette:

2 TBSP white wine vinegar

2 TBSP canola oil

2 tsp honey

1/8 tsp kosher salt

2 cracks black pepper

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 tsp garlic powder

Dash hot sauce

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees

2) Warm tortillas in microwave for 20-30 seconds until soft and pliable. Quickly press each one into the well of a muffin tin, carefully overlapping sides if necessary and making the bottom as flat as possible. Bake 10-15 minutes, until golden brown.

3) While tortillas are baking, combine lettuce, tomato, corn, beans, green onions, and cilantro. 

4) For the Vinaigrette: Place all ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake vigorously for 1 minute. Dressing can be prepared up to several days in advance and stored in the fridge.

5) When tortillas are done, remove from muffin tin and set on a wire rack to cool. Once completely cooked, toss salad, adding in grilled chicken (optional) and desired amount of dressing together and fill each tortilla cup.

Spinach and Feta Stuffed Pork Chops

4 boneless pork chops
1 TBSP olive oil
1 tsp minced garlic
2 cups frozen spinach, thawed
3/4-1 cup Feta cheese
1 cup Dijon mustard
Panko breadcrumbs

**Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

1) Lay chops on a cutting board and cut a slit through the center, cutting parallel with the cutting board. Make sure the slit is large enough to stuff the pork chop to the edges, but that 3 of the 4 sides are still in tact.

2) Heat olive oil in frying pan, then saute minced garlic for 2 minutes, until the garlic begins to brown. Add spinach to oil and garlic and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently. After spinach is heated through, turn off heat and sprinkle in Feta. Stir to combine (feta will melt into the mixture and make it somewhat creamy.

3) Spray the bottom and sides of a 9x13 pan. Pour dijon mustard into a shallow bowl, and pout 1-2 cups panko breadcrumbs into an additional shallow bowl.

4) Spoon spinach and feta into each pork chop. Carefully dip all sides of the pork chops in dijon mustard, then in the breadcrumbs, and place in the greased pan.

5) Bake for 40-45 minutes.

Green Monster Breakfast Smoothie

*This smoothie is SOOOO awesome. It keeps my stomach full until lunch, which never happens with hot or cold cereal, and most other breakfast foods!!!!

adapted from: Iowa Girl

1 banana, sliced and frozen
1 TBSP peanut butter
1 cup Almond milk (or fat free milk)
2-4 cups baby spinach
2 tsp ground flax seed (meal)

Blend well, scraping the sides of the blender after 1 minute. I usually let my Ninja blender run for about 2 minutes total.

Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup

*adapted from utah.todaysmama.com*

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 cup finely diced celery

1 cup finely diced onions

1 cup finely diced carrots

1 tsp dried Oregano

1 Tbsp dried Basil

2-14.5 oz. cans diced tomatoes with juice

4 cups chicken broth

ROUX:

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup flour

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated

1-12 oz. can of fat free evaporated milk

1.  Heat oil in 4 quart soup pot.  Add celery, onions and carrots.  Saute 5 minutes.  Add basil, oregano, bay leaf, tomatoes, and chicken broth.  Bring it to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until carrots are tender (15 minutes).

2.  While soup simmers, prepare a roux.  Melt butter over low heat, add flour and cook, stirring constantly with a whisk, 5-7 minutes. Add salt and pepper and stir about 30 seconds. Slowly whisk in 1 cup hot soup.  Add another 3 cups and whisk until smooth.  Add back into soup pot.

3.  Simmer, stirring constantly, until soup begins to thicken.  Add Parmesan cheese and whisk to blend. Stir in evaporated milk. Simmer over low heat 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

4) Turn off heat and blend with an immersion blender until it's the consistency that you want.

Take 5 Brownies

*adapted from a recipe I found on Pinterest*

1 recipe of Kirsten's Brownies

1-2 cups crushed thin pretzels

1/2 cup melted semi-sweet chocolate chips

11 oz. bag Kraft Caramel Bits

2 TBSP of heavy cream

Directions:

1) Make Kirsten's brownies, and put in a GREASED 9x13 inch pan. On top of un-cooked brownie batter, sprinkle crushed pretzels. Bake brownies at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes, until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let brownies cool.

2) Drizzle melted chocolate chips all over the brownies.

3) Combine the caramels and heavy cream in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring until smooth. Use a whisk to combine after the caramels are mostly melted. Drizzle caramel over the brownies. Let rest for at least an hour before serving.