Happy Passover!

Passover is here again and I just want to wish all my Jewish friends out there a nice pesach!  My favorite part of Passover, besides the seder with my family, is finding a good passover dessert.  Here are some of my favorite Passover recipes for sweets from past celebrations:

Flourless Chocolate Cake

Dark Chocolate Raspberry Macaroons

Gluten Free Nutella Brownies

What are some of your favorite Passover recipes?

Gluten Free Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Muffins

Yay Passover! I just love not being about to eat bread for a week...

Okay, I am very excited to eat bread again! In fact, every year, I take a break from Passover to enjoy Easter! My mom's side of the family has an Easter party every year and it is a lot of fun.  I love doing the colored eggs and sharing a big family meal.  She even brings a Lamb Cake! It's really cute and then we fight over who gets the butt (typical).  So, today I am off to my cousin's to celebrate Easter and I am very excited to enjoy the food and take a little vacation from Passover.

If you didn't see yesterday, I fell while running, and today I am still feeling very sore and beaten up.  My knee has developed a small bump this morning and I am not sure if I am going to make it through my Sunday morning Jillian Michaels work-out.  Wish me luck because I am going to try!

After my work out, I have homework to do for an online class that I am taking and then I am going to attempt to cook a few meals so that we are all ready for the week.  This is all before we drive to my cousins (about an hour away) for Easter.  So, I am up bright and early to share this with you all and then get to work!

Keeping with the Passover theme, today I am telling you about some amazing Gluten Free Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Muffins.  They are crazy simply and crazy yummy.  I have made these multiple times and I even brought them in to school to share with my fellow teachers.  Everyone loved them!

Gluten Free Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Muffins
(adapted from Averie Cooks)

Ingredients: 
1 medium ripe banana
1 egg
1/2 cup creamy, natural peanut butter
3 tbsp honey
1/2 tbsp vanilla
1/4 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (mini or regular)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Place everything except the chocolate chips into a bowl and beat with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy.  Stir in the chocolate chips.
3. Spoon into a greased mini-muffin pan until about 3/4 full, or regular muffin pan.  Bake for 7-8 minutes if a regular muffin pan and 8-10 minutes for a mini muffin pan.

Enjoy!

Crock Pot Chicken Marsala

This morning I went for a run.  It started off great. I had planned out 9.5 miles and it was a beautiful morning.  Around mile 6, I totally wiped out because I tripped on the uneven pavement.  I proceeded to limp/run my way home and cut my run short by about 1 mile.  Now, I am sitting here with bandaids all over my knees, elbow, and palms and all I can think about is: "Only 17 more miles!"

I just signed up for the Chicago Marathon and I am very nervous and excited about it.  Right now, I'm in a little bit of pain due to my tripping injuries, but once I am better I am going to start training! I can't wait!

Today I am sharing with you one of my family's favorite chicken recipes.  In honor of Passover where we don't eat bread, this is a great dish! It is really yummy and the chicken comes out great in the crock pot!

Crock Pot Chicken Marsala

Ingredients

• 2  cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1  tablespoon vegetable oil
• 8  boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1/2  teaspoon salt
• 1/2  teaspoon pepper
• 2  jars (6 oz each) Green Giant® sliced mushrooms, drained
• 1  cup sweet Marsala wine or Progresso® chicken broth (from 32-oz carton)
• 1/2  cup water
• 1/4  cup cornstarch

Directions

1. 1Spray 4- to 5-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. In cooker, place garlic and oil. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper; place in cooker over garlic. Place mushrooms over chicken; pour wine over all.
2. 2Cover; cook on Low heat setting 5 to 6 hours.
3. 3Remove chicken from cooker; place on plate and cover to keep warm. In small bowl, mix water and cornstarch until smooth; stir into liquid in cooker. Increase heat setting to High; cover and cook about 10 minutes or until sauce is slightly thickened.
4. 4Return chicken to cooker. Cover; cook on High heat setting 5 minutes longer or until chicken is hot.
5. 5To serve, spoon mushroom mixture over chicken breasts; sprinkle with parsley.

Puppy Chow-Two Ways!

I can't believe the week is already winding down.  I have had such a nice break.  Between a visit to St. Louis, Passover Seders, a getaway to a spa with my mom, and now a trip to Champaign-Urbana to visit my little brother, it has been an amazing Spring Break.  I am in for a rude awakening when my alarm goes off at 5:55 on Monday!

Need another Passover snack? I know I do!  Guess what? Puppy Chow can be totally Passover friendly! I keep passover by basically going gluten free for the week.  This has not been that much of a challenge and it has been fun to come up with ideas for every meal of the day.

Puppy chow is great because you can use Chex Cereal that comes in many different gluten free flavors! Then, I substituted butter for coconut oil and went a little crazy with some different flavors for my puppy chow.  I hope you enjoy...I did!

Basic Puppy Chow

Ingredients:
4 1/2 cups Chex Cereal
1/2 cup chocolate chips (semi-sweet or milk)
1/4 cup natural, creamy peanut butter
2 tbsp coconut oil
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar (about)

Cookie Butter Puppy Chow

Ingredients:
4 1/2 cups Chex Cereal
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1/4 cup Cookie Butter (from Trader Joe's)
2 tbsp coconut oil
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar (about)

Directions (They are the same for both types):
1. Place chex in a large bowl, set aside.
2. Place coconut oil, peanut butter/cookie butter, and chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl.  Microwave for 1 minute, stirring after 30 seconds.  Stir in vanilla.
3.  Pour mixture over the chex and toss until well coated.  Place chex in a large plastic bag and add about 1/2 cup of powdered sugar.  Shake the bag.  Keep adding powdered sugar and shaking until your puppy chow is well coated in powdered sugar.

Enjoy :)

Simple Greek Yogurt Fruit Dip

Looking for a healthy and gluten free dessert to have during Passover?  Actually, this is perfect for your Easter brunch as well!  This versatile fruit dip is the perfect thing to have on hand for a healthy dessert, great breakfast, or snack during the day! Just mix some honey in with some non-fat plain greek yogurt and serve with fruit! It tastes sweet and delicious and it is perfect healthy!

Today is my Spa Day with my Mom and I felt like this was the perfect sweet treat to talk about.  Plus, it is perfect for Passover when you basically have to be on a gluten free diet.  This is one awesome fruit dip!

Simple Greek Yogurt Fruit Dip

Ingredients:
1 cup non-fat plain greek yogurt (I used Chobani)
2 tbsp honey

Directions:
1. Mix together and serve with fruit! I had tons of strawberries and this was a great dip!

Enjoy :)

Mini Broccoli and Cheese Omelets

I am off on a mini vacation with my mom but I just had to share this lovely little recipe that is perfect for breakfast during Passover!

I made these mini broccoli and cheese omelets at school when I needed to use up some eggs. They are so simple and super yummy! Plus they are healthy and perfect for this week where breads are not allowed! This recipe makes 8 mini omelets.  You can serve them all at your Passover/Easter Brunch or wrap them up and stick them in the fridge for later.  They reheat really well.  I even brought leftovers with me for school lunch!

Mini Broccoli and Cheese Omelets

Ingredients:
8 eggs
1 cup low fat sharp cheddar cheese
2 cups frozen broccoli, cooked and drained
Salt and pepper

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 and lightly grease a cupcake pan.
2. In a large bowl, beat eggs until scrambled. Stir in cheese and broccoli. Season with salt and pepper. Divide egg mixture among 8 cupcake wells. Sprinkle with more cheese if you want.
3. Bake in oven for 20 minutes.

Enjoy :)

Farmer's Market Veggie Burgers with Chipotle Avocado Sauce

I have another great Kosher for Passover recipe and it's vegetarian! Bri and I recently went to the Soulard Farmers Market and we got: sweet potatoes, spinach, red peppers, onions, avocados, and a chipotle spice mix.  We then, made some Homemade Sweet Potato Veggie Burgers with a Chipotle Avocado Cream Sauce.  This was some delicious food and to keep the veggie burgers together we used a little quinoa and eggs.  Everything is Gluten Free and everything is healthy! It was an amazing meal and definitely a great option for your vegetarians on Passover!

I am also on Spring Break and so in between Passover Seders and getting some much needed sleep, I'm doing a lot of running, cooking, and applying for jobs.  So relaxing? It's a tad stressful, but I'm glad I have all this time to get some applications complete.  Anyone hiring teachers in the Chicago-land area?  I'm pretty good...and I make a mean veggie burger!

Sweet Potato Veggie Burgers with Avocado Cream Sauce

Ingredients:
For the Burgers:
2 lbs. sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced
2 red peppers, chopped
1 medium sweet onion, chopped
1/2 lb. fresh spinach
4 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup white wine
1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
olive oil
salt and pepper
1 tsp chile power
2 eggs, lightly beaten

For the Avocado Sauce:
3 small avocados, peeled and sliced
1 packaged chipotle spice seasoning (about 2 tbsp)
1 cup non-fat greek yogurt (I used Chobani)
1/2 fresh lime juice

Directions:
1. Cook quinoa according to directions and set aside.
2. Place sweet potato slices in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for about 7 minutes or until you can pierce the pieces with a fork.  Smash sweet potatoes with a fork.
3. Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a saucepan.  Place in minced garlic and onion.  Sautee until onion starts to become translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add in red pepper and wine.  Let cook until wine mostly evaporates, about 10 minutes.  Add in spinach and stir until wilted.  Season with salt, pepper and chile powder.
4.  Stir the sweet potato with the veggie mixture.  Add in the cooked quinoa and stir to combined. Stir in the eggs until mixture is well combined.
5.  In a non-stick skillet, form veggie burgers and cook for about 4 minutes on each side.  Burgers will be lightly browned and should stay together when flipped.
6. To make the sauce, puree the avocado in a food processor until creamy.  Stir in greek yogurt and spices.  Stir in the lime juice and serve with the burgers.

Enjoy :)

Happy Passover! Flourless Chocolate Cake

Last night my family and I had a lovely Passover Seder.  We had a feast of delicious food and my mom even baked a flourless chocolate cake.  Everything was perfect and it really made me appreciate my family and being able to be together for this special holiday.

Passover celebrates our freedom from slavery in Egypt and I love how the entire ceremony presents objects that represent various things about the story.  If you don't know the story of Passover, just run out and watch the movie, The Prince of Egypt.  First of all, its a great movie, second, it does a great job of telling the story and third, it has awesome music.  I even watched this movie while I was in Hebrew school.

The Seder Plate 

Matzo Ball Soup!

During Passover, for eight days you are not supposed to eat any leavened bread.  So, I think I am going to attempt to be gluten free for the week and try out some gluten free cooking and baking.  We will see how it goes!

The Feast! Grilled Veggies, Boiled Potatoes,
Brisket, and Chicken!

Today I have that great cake my mom made.  It had an amazing chocolate flavor, was rich, moist, and simply amazing.  We topped it off with some powdered sugar and TruWhip (healthy cool whip) and it was perfect!

Flourless Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:
1 lb of chocolate (we used half bittersweet and half semi-sweet)
1 cup hazelnut liqueur
1 cup unsalted butter
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
7 eggs
1 cup sugar

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 and line or lightly grease a 9 inch springform pan.
2. In a medium saucepan, over medium heat, stir the chocolate, liqueur and butter until melted and smooth.  Stir in the vanilla. Remove from heat.
3.  In a large bowl, beat eggs with the sugar on medium-high for 5 minutes or until pale yellow and fluffy.  Slowly pour in the chocolate mixture and beat on medium until just combined.
4. Pour the batter into your prepared pan and bake for 1 hour.  Cake should look crisp on the sides and an inserted toothpick should come out with a few crumbs.  Remove and let cool in pan for 1 hour.  Top with powdered sugar.

Enjoy :)

Dark Chocolate Raspberry Macaroons

Today is a pretty big day in my life.  I have my very own facebook page!!! Please head on over there to give it a "like" and enjoy! I have been having so much fun with this blog.  I just love getting my thoughts down in writing and sharing fun recipes with you all.  I think food is really special because it is so easy to share and enjoy.  Cooking has really impacted my life in a significant way.  I will have to share more of that story in the future.  I know that I must not be the only person who feels that way and it is so fun to hear how other people are affected by cooking in their lives.  I hope that this blog as well as that facebook page allow people to get fun ideas from me and feel free to share their ideas with me!

Head on over: http://www.facebook.com/BinomialBaker

Passover is here and last night I was at my sister's house for dinner.  I decided that I wanted to make something delish to help her out.  Passover desserts are typically terrible, in my opinion.  If anyone has any good ones I would love to hear them.  Usually I find them dry and looking way better than they actually taste.  However, I found, what looked like, a good recipe for coconut macaroons and I had heard that it is yummy to mix in some sort of fruit with the coconut.  I decided to give it a try.  I made the Coconut Macaroons from Epicurious, but I did 4 times the recipe, mixed in raspberries, made them smaller, and topped them with some dark chocolate...they were AMAZING.  The only problem I had was  that the raspberries made them TOO moist and they fell apart a little when you bit into them.  This is messy, but considering how much I hate dry Passover desserts, I didn't think it was too bad of a problem.  Plus, they are totally not bad for you.  They are pretty sweet, next time I would add a little less sugar, but they were a huge hit!

Dark Chocolate Raspberry Macaroons (adapted from Epicurious)

Ingredients:
3 cups sweetened flaked coconut
4 tbsp sugar
4 egg whites
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp almond extract
6 oz fresh raspberries
1 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees and grease a foiled cookie sheet with oil.
2. Mix sugar, egg whites, vanilla, and almond extract together.  Mix in the coconut and raspberries until well coated.  Drop tbsp sized balls onto the prepared cookie sheet.  Bake for 20 minutes or until coconut starts to brown a little (mine didn't get very brown). Let cool for 5 minutes and then lift foil to move to a cooling rack to cool completely.
3. Melt the dark chocolate and drizzle over the macaroons.  Peel macaroons off the foil and enjoy!!  I put mine in the fridge to cool faster (we were running late).
Enjoy :)