Nutella Brownies

Last week I teased on facebook that I was baking something delicious with Nutella. Here they are - Nutella brownies aka my new favorite way to use Nutella. These brownies are little bites of heaven. Soft, chewy, moist and flavored with Nutella. I think they'd be even better with chocolate chips mixed in, but I used chocolate sprinkles to jazz these up a bit. I made them for dessert last week when we had friends over for dinner. They didn't last long and they won't in your house either!

Nutella Brownies
From Photo A Day
Printable Version
Ingredients
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt (didn't use salt as I used salted butter)
2 eggs 
1 1/2 cup Nutella
1/2  cup brown sugar 
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup melted unsalted butter, cooled slightly (used salted butter)

Directions

With the rack in the middle position, preheat the oven to 170°C (325°F). Line the bottom of an 8-inch square cake pan with parchment paper, letting the paper extend over two opposite sides. Butter the two other sides.

In a bowl, combine the flour and salt. Set aside.

In another bowl, beat the eggs, hazelnut spread, brown sugar and vanilla extract with an electric mixer until smooth, about 2 minutes. 

With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture, alternating with the melted butter.

Scrape the batter into the cake pan. 

Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few crumbs attached (not completely clean) about 40 minutes (Baked them about 10 more minutes as they didn't seem firm enough).

Cool in the pan for about 2 hours. Cut into squares and serve warm or at room temperature.

Okonomiyaki (Japanese "As-You-Like-It" Pancake)

For our latest dining out in Okinawa experience, hubby and I went to an Okonomiyaki Restaurant. We happened upon it while out shopping and sight-seeing. We had heard of this type of restaurant, where you choose ingredients for a cabbage batter pancake and cook it on a griddle at your table. It sounds strange, but they are really very tasty! The ingredients all compliment one another and the result is a savory, filling meal. At the restaurant my husband ordered a pork Okonomiyaki very similar to the one I recreated at home. Here is hubby's dinner at the restaurant:

I got a "Mexican" flavored Okonomiyaki. Bad choice. It wasn't terrible, but the spices were strange and I really preferred hubby's over mine. The next day my neighbor and friend Louise asked me if I knew what my next Japanese recipe was going to be and I said I wasn't sure. She gave me a recipe for Okonomiyaki without her even knowing we had just tried it the night before! It was cooking fate, I tell you! I "Americanized" the recipe because I realize you won't be able to find hakurikko flour, pickled ginger or dried fish flakes and I didn't use them in my recipe anyway. The next time you are feeling adventurous or want to try something exotic, I hope you will consider making your own Okonomiyaki. Just the name is cool, don't you think!? :) I listed variations after the recipe, as the sky is the limit with these!

Okonomiyaki (Japanese "As-You-Like-It" Pancake)
Serves 2
Printable Version

Ingredients
2 2/3 ounces flour
1 ounce yam (sweet potato)
3 1/3 ounce fish stock or water
2 think slices of bacon
3 1/2 ounces cabbage
Green onion
1 egg
1 ounce Worcestershire Sauce
1 ounce Mayonnaise
1 ounce Vegetable Oil

Directions
Rinse the cabbage and green onion in cold water. Cut the cabbage into julienne strips and the chop the green onions. Peel the yam and grate. Chop one slice of bacon thinly and leave the other.

Place the flour, stock (or water), and grated yam into a bowl and whisk throughly to create the batter.

Add the cabbage, green onion, bacon and egg to the bowl and mix well. 

Heat a griddle to 400 degrees and add some vegetable oil. Pour the batter onto the griddle and place the other slice of bacon on top. 

Heat for three minutes. Turn the pancake over and allow the other side to cook for five minutes. Flip again and cook for five minutes. Flip again and cook for three minutes. Flip on more time and cook another three minutes. 

Whisk the Worcestershire Sauce and Mayonnaise together and spread on the top layer. Serve immediately!

Variations: Shrimp, cheese, squid, corn, etc. in addition to or instead of the bacon. 

Smashed White Bean & Avocado Sandwich

I have a thing for avocado. An obsession and a never-ending yearning. I could eat it everyday. I have an entire pin board on pinterest devoted to avocados. If I just lost you, then you need to immediately go to pinterest.com and get with it! :) Through my pinning of avocado recipes I came across this recipe and I instantly fell in love. I went out right away and bought a can of white beans. I didn't have to buy avocados because they are always in my house. Always. 

This sandwich was awesome! The creamy salty white bean spread with fresh tomatoes, spinach, and velvety avocado was a delicious lunch for hubby and I. I modified the original recipe because after all, it is a sandwich and there are about 1 million variations of sandwiches. You can add or subtract whatever fresh veggies you have on hand or like to combine with avocados. Satisfying, heart healthy, and avocado in every bite. I don't need much more in life that what this sandwich has to offer. :)

Smashed White Bean & Avocado Sandwich
Modified From Real Simple Recipes
Printable Version
Makes 2 sandwiches (go to the link above for 4 sandwiches)
Ingredients
1 15 ounce can of white beans, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 slices multi-grain or wheat bread
1 avocado, sliced lengthwise
1 tomato, sliced
1 cup spinach 


Directions
In a bowl combine the beans, olive oil, salt and pepper. Roughly mash the mixture with the back of a fork. 

Place the slices of bread on a work surface. Top two slices with spinach and tomato slices. Spread the smashed white beans on the other two slices of bread and top with avocado slices. 

Place the two different slices together and slice each sandwich in half if desired.

Jalapeno Popper Dip

This weekend was the first party in our new neighborhood. I wanted to try recipe I'd never made before and bring something for a crowd. Since I'd been wanting to make jalapeno popper dip for a while and I decided this was the perfect occasion. It was a toss up whether the commissary (military grocery store) would have jalapenos because we get limited produce over here in Okinawa. Thankfully there was a bag of fresh jalapenos just waiting for me to use it in this creamy, cheesy, spicy, and intensely flavorful dip. 

If you don't like too much heat I would recommend using only 2 fresh jalapenos instead of 4. Served with lime tortilla chips for scooping this dip was a hit at the party and will be at yours too!

Jalapeno Popper Dip
From Closet Cooking 
Makes a 9X13 casserole dish 
Printable Version
Ingredients
2 (8 ounce) packages of cream cheese at room temperature
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
1 cup parmigiano reggiano, grated
8 ounces sliced jalapenos (canned)
4 fresh jalapenos peppers, chopped
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup parmigiano reggiano 


Directions
Preheat oven to 374 degrees. Combine the cream cheese, mayonnaise, cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup parmigiano reggiano and jalapenos in a large bowl.

Mix until completely combined. Spread into a 9X13 casserole dish.

Mix together the panko bread crumbs and remaining 1/2 cup of parmigiano reggiano and sprinkle over the top of the dip. 

Bake uncovered until bubbling and sides and golden brown on top about 15-20 minutes. Serve immediately.

Chicken, Pasta, and Mixed Vegetable Bake

Okay, I know I'm not fooling anyone, this dish is actually a casserole. But I grew up eating waaaaay too many casseroles (sorry, Mom) so I have a problem calling anything I make a casserole. I hope that you will just humor me and play along and call this a "bake". Thank you! :) 

I made this the first week we were in our new house because I was short on time but hubby and I were hungry from all the manual labor of painting rooms and hauling boxes. We both enjoyed the creamy combinations of pasta, diced chicken, and veggies along with the breaded topping. It made a big serving so that we could both have the leftovers for lunch the next day. 

Chicken, Pasta, and Mixed Vegetable Bake
From allrecipes.com
Printable Version
Ingredients
1 cup dry pasta (any kind will do but I'm partial to bow tie)
3 tablespoons olive oil
6 chicken tenderloins cut into chunks (or 2 small chicken breasts)
2 stalks of celery, diced
1 tablespoon minced onion (I omitted this)
salt and pepper to taste
garlic powder to taste
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 (10.75 ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
2 cups frozen vegetables (fresh would work too!)
1 cup bread crumbs
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons butter, melted


Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a medium baking dish. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until al dente, according to package instructions. Drain. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Place chicken  and the celery in the skillet and season with the onion, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Cook until chicken juices run clear, about 5 minutes.

Mix in the cooked pasta along with the soups and mixed vegetables. Transfer to the prepared baking dish. 

In a small bowl combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, and butter.

Spread evenly over the casserole. Bake for 30 minutes until bubbly and lightly browned.