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Easter Egg Cookies

Easter is only 10 days a way!  Besides your traditional Easter egg hunt and dying of Easter eggs, what do you have planned?  Have you ever thought about starting a new tradition with your family in the kitchen?  Don’t just create Easter eggs with your family this Easter, establish the new custom of designing your own Easter egg cookies!  Let your imagine go wild with the unique designs and vibrant colors of spring.  Share your creations with us on Facebook or Twitter!

 

Photo Courtesy of Cooking Light
Photo Courtesy of Cooking Light

Ingredients:

Cookie:

  • 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour (about 6 ½ ounces)
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup butter, softened
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 large egg
Icing:
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 3 tablespoons milk
  • ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Food Coloring Optional

 

Preparation:

1. To prepare cookies, spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, stirring with a whisk.

2. Place granulated sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 5 minutes). Beat in 1 teaspoon vanilla and egg. Add flour mixture, beating at low speed until blended.

3. Place dough between two sheets of plastic wrap. Roll dough to a 1/4-inch thickness. Chill 1 hour.

4. Preheat oven to 375°F.

5. Cut dough with a 2 ¼ inch egg-shaped cutter. Place cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 375°F for 8 minutes or until edges of cookies are browned. Cool cookies 1 minute on pan. Remove cookies from parchment; cool completely on a wire rack.

6. To prepare icing, combine powdered sugar, milk, and ¼ teaspoon vanilla; stir until smooth. Add food coloring, if desired. Stir well. Spread or pipe icing onto cookies.

The recipe and photo used in this post were courtesy of Cooking Light. To see the originally posted recipe please click here.

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Chicken and Strawberry Salad

Do you love strawberries as much as we do? They are offer a great source of fiber and antioxidants, and they taste good to boot! Looking for a great way to add some more strawberries to your meals? Try them in your next salad – like this great recipe from Cooking Light:

Ingredients

Dressing:

  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Salad:

  • 4 cups torn romaine lettuce
  • 4 cups arugula
  • 2 cups quartered strawberries
  • 1/3 cup vertically sliced red onion
  • 12 ounces skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken breast, sliced
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted cashews, halved
  • 1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled blue cheese

 

Preparation

  1. To prepare dressing, combine first 5 ingredients in a small bowl. Gradually drizzle in oil, stirring constantly with a whisk.
  2. To prepare salad, combine romaine and next 4 ingredients (through chicken) in a bowl; toss gently. Place about 2 cups chicken mixture on each of 4 plates. Top each serving with 1 1/2 teaspoons cashews and 2 tablespoons cheese. Drizzle about 4 teaspoons dressing over each serving.

 

 

The recipe and photograph in this post are from Cooking Light’s 20 Favorite Strawberry Recipes feature.
To find more delicious strawberry recipes head on over to cooking light to view them here.

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Sun-Dried Tomato Polenta

The weather is certainly warming up here in NYC and we just love it! My family and I can finally spend more time outdoors and I can try new recipes perfect for Spring. When the weather warms up, I love to use herbs like fresh basil. It adds such a fresh flavor. When I was reading the Diabetes Forecast Magazine and saw their Polenta recipe, I thought that basil would be a great addition to it. So here’s an adapted recipe for a deliciously fresh Sun-Dried Tomato Polenta.

Photo Credit: ranjit via Compfight cc

Sun-Dried Tomato Polenta
Serves 4

 

Ingredients

  • 2 cups of water
  • ½ cup of coarse ground yellow polenta or cornmeal (do not use instant)
  • ½ cup coarsely chopped rehydrated sun-dried tomatoes (not oil-packed)
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp shredded Parmesan cheese
  • 1 tbsp of chopped basil
  • ½ tsp sea salt

 

Method

  1. In a 1-quart saucepan, bring the water to a boil.  Slowly add the polenta in a thin, steady stream, whisking constantly.
  2. Continue to whisk or stir with a long-handled wooden spoon over medium heat for 10-15 minutes, until mixture looks creamy.
  3. Once mixture is creamy, remove saucepan from the heat and add the remaining ingredients (sundried-tomatoes, olive oil, shredded Parmesan cheese, chopped basil, and salt).
  4. Mix well and serve immediately.

 

This recipe was adapted from the Diabetes Forecast Magazine.

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Easter Bunny Carrots!

I don’t know about you, but when I was little my family and I would leave carrots on a plate out for the Easter Bunny the night before Easter. Then every Easter Sunday I’d wake up to find an empty plate and a Easter basket. I always found this to be a great tradition and I continue to honor it with my own children. However, instead of disposing of the Easter Bunny’s carrots, I usually put them to good use and whip up a delicious side to go with Easter supper.

Photo Credit: ccharmon via Compfight cc

 

Sauteed Carrots
Serves 4-6

Ingredients

  • 5-7 jumbo-sized carrots, sliced (or one 1lb bag of baby carrots)
  • 1 small white onion, diced
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp fresh basil
  • 1 tsp dried rosemary
  • Salt and pepper to taste

 

Preparation

  1. In a large skillet, heat olive oil. Add sliced carrots and cook for 5-7 minutes or until they begin to soften slightly.
  2. Add onion and spices, allow to cook for 3-5 minutes, or until the onions appear translucent.
  3. Set aside and allow to cool.
  4. Serve and enjoy!

 

For some more festive holiday sides, check out Cooking Light’s Easter ideas! There are some tasty recipe options!

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Coconut Macaroons with a Chocolate-y Drizzle

Photo Credit: anna.xie via Compfight cc

Coconut Macaroons with a Chocolatey Drizzle

With Passover right around the corner, we had the idea of trying out some Kosher for Passover recipes. While this recipe makes a delicious macaroon, it also allows you the opportunity to get your kids helping in the kitchen and to teach them the traditions of Passover.  Make these delectable desserts with your little ones and share with family and friends at your next gathering!

 

Ingredients:

  • 4 egg whites
  • 3 ½ cups of shredded coconut, unsweetened
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • 1 tsp of vanilla extract
  • 1/8 tsp of salt

Optional:

½ cup of semisweet chocolate chips

 

Method:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350˚F.
  2. Combine the egg whites, coconut, sugar, vanilla extract, and salt into a bowl.
  3. Place the bowl over a pot of simmering water.  Do not let the bowl and the pot touch.
  4. Stir the ingredients until the sugar has melted, roughly 5 minutes.
  5. When the mixture is slightly thick and begins to appear opaque, remove the bowl from the heat.
  6. On parchment paper or a non-stick baking sheet, spoon out 2 tbsp of the batter for each cookie.  Leaving approximately 2 inches of space between each cookie.
  7. Bake for 5 minutes.
  8. Lower the temperature to 325˚F and bake for another 10 minutes so that the outside is a deep golden brown.
  9. Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool before serving.
  10. (Optional)- Melt the chocolate chips in a small saucepan over low heat.  With a fork dipped into the chocolate, drizzle the chocolate over the macaroons.
  11. (Optional)- Let the cookies sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes until the chocolate has cooled.
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Artichoke Antipasto

Spring is here and so is the warm and sunny weather. We just can’t wait to break out our favorite spring dishes and to try out some new recipes! To help us get started on our Spring recipes we wanted to share this Spring-y Artichoke Antipasto dish from our friends at Cooking Light. Check out the delicious details  and be sure to let us know what your favorite Spring recipes are in the comments below!

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Styling: Cindy Barr. Cooking Light.

Ingredients

  • 6 cups water
  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, divided $
  • 4 medium artichokes (each about 12 ounces)
  • 1 (7-ounce) bag whole baby carrots with tops $
  • 3 cups small cauliflower florets $
  • 1 (8-ounce) bag baby pattypan squash, halved
  • 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons extravirgin olive oil $
  • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar $
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt $
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/2 cup vertically sliced red onion $
  • 1/3 cup pitted kalamata olives, halved
  • 1/3 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

Preparation

  1. Combine water and 2 tablespoons juice in a large bowl. Cut off stem from an artichoke to within 1 inch of base; peel stem. Remove bottom leaves and tough outer leaves, leaving tender heart and bottom. Cut lengthwise into quarters. Remove fuzzy thistle from bottom with a spoon; place in lemon water. Repeat procedure with remaining artichokes. Drain artichokes. Cook artichokes in boiling water 6 minutes or until tender. Remove from pan with a slotted spoon; plunge into a large bowl of ice water. Add carrots to pan; cook 1 minute. Add cauliflower and squash to pan; cook an additional minute or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Drain and plunge in ice water with artichokes. Drain artichoke mixture well.
  2. Combine remaining 2 tablespoons juice, vinegar, and next 6 ingredients (through garlic) in a large bowl; stir with a whisk. Add artichoke mixture, onion, and olives; toss gently to coat. Cover and chill. Sprinkle with the parsley just before serving.

 

Both recipe and photograph courtesy of Cooking Light.

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A Likable Lunch Giveaway!

With Spring officially here, we’ve been looking for ways to spruce up our lunches and on-the-go meals. Soon there will be sports practices to go to, play dates, and afternoon excursions to the park, so we wanted to host a giveaway to give our readers a chance to win some awesome items that will help you pack meals and snacks on-the-go. So keep reading to learn how to enter to win these great prizes:

An OOTs Lunchbox

A gift from gnu foods
FiberLove Bars

 a Rafflecopter giveaway
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