Vanilla Coffee Creamer

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Start to finish: 5 minutes
Makes: 1 cup

Ingredients
1 cup nonfat dry milk
½ cup sugar
1 vanilla bean


Method
Add nonfat dry milk and sugar to blender.

Using a knife, make a slit vertically in the vanilla bean. Slightly open up the slit to expose the beans inside and using the back of the knife, scrape the beans out of the pod.

Add beans to blender.

Blend all ingredients together for 30 seconds to a minute, or until a fine powder forms.

Store in an airtight container until ready to use.

To enjoy, mix 1 tablespoon, or more, into a cup of hot coffee.

Cheddar-Thyme Biscuits

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Start to finish: 30 minutes
Makes: 12 biscuits

Ingredients
2½ cups flour, plus extra for kneading
½ cup nonfat dry milk
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup (1 stick) butter, diced and cold, plus more for brushing
1 cup cold water
4 ounces sharp cheddar, freshly grated
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

Method
Pulse together flour, nonfat dry milk, baking powder and salt in a food processor to combine.

Add in butter and pulse until a fine meal forms. Continue pulsing and drizzle in cold water until the dough starts to come together.

Sprinkle flour on a piece of parchment paper and turn dough onto floured surface. Add cheddar and thyme and knead into dough.

Form into a disc and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for 30 minutes in
the refrigerator. 

Heat oven to 425 F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Remove dough from refrigerator, unwrap and place on floured surface. Dust with a little extra flour and slightly flatten with the palm of your hand. Using a rolling pin, roll until dough is ½-inch thick.

Using a cup or biscuit cutter, cut out rounds out of dough and place 2-inches apart on prepared baking sheets.

Bake 11–13 minutes, or until browned on top.

Serve warm.

Breakfast Banana Muffins

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Start to finish: 40 minutes
Makes: 12

Ingredients
2 ripe bananas
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1½ cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Method
Heat oven to 400 F and grease a muffin tin with baking spray.

In a large bowl, mash together bananas, butter, sugar, egg, vanilla and heavy cream. Set aside.

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice.

Using a spatula, fold dry ingredients into the banana mixture in three batches, until just combined.

Using an ice cream scoop, fill muffin tins 2/3 full. Bake 15–18 minutes, or until tops are brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Serve warm with butter, if desired.

Simply Perfect Roasted Chicken

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Start to finish: 1 hour 30 minutes
Impresses: 6 for dinner

Ingredients
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups carrots, roughly chopped
2 cups baby potatoes, halved
1 yellow onion, quartered
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 roasting chicken, patted dry
1 teaspoon black pepper

Method
Heat oven to 425 F.

In a small bowl, mash together butter, parsley, thyme, oregano and garlic. Set aside.

On a large baking sheet, toss together carrots, potatoes, onion, rosemary, olive oil and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Spread in an even layer.

Set roasting chicken atop veggies and sprinkle with remaining salt and pepper. Spread compound butter onto chicken skin and into the cavity.

Roast 50 minutes to an hour until the internal temperature of the chicken thigh reads 165 F or juices run clear.

Remove from oven and let cool until able to touch.

Roasted Veggie Quinoa Bowls

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Start to finish: 25 minutes
Impresses: 4

Ingredients
2 cups quinoa
4 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
Roasted veggies (from Simply Perfect Roasted Chicken recipe)
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
½ teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
½ cup shaved Parmesan cheese

Method
Heat oven to 350 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

In a medium-sized pot, mix together quinoa, water and salt. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Once cooked, remove from heat and fluff with a fork.

Spread roasted veggies on prepared pan and place in oven to reheat, about
10 minutes.

While quinoa cooks and veggies reheat, make the vinaigrette by combining Dijon, honey, olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper into a blender. Pulse until emulsified. 

To serve, add quinoa to a bowl and top with warmed veggies, a drizzle of vinaigrette and Parmesan cheese.

Quick Tip
Make the quinoa on Sunday while the chicken is roasting and reheat on Monday with the veggies when you’re ready for dinner.


Chicken and Bean Enchiladas

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Start to finish: 45 minutes
Impresses: 4

Ingredients
15-ounce can verde enchilada sauce
8 corn tortillas
15-ounce can refried black beans
2 cups shredded chicken (from Simply Perfect Roasted Chicken recipe)
2½ cups shredded pepper jack cheese

Method
Heat oven to 400 F.

Spread ½ cup enchilada sauce onto bottom of baking dish.

Spread 1–2 tablespoons of refried beans onto tortilla, along with 2 tablespoons chicken and pepper jack. Roll up and place seam-side down into baking dish.

Repeat with remaining ingredients to make 8 enchiladas.

Pour remaining enchilada sauce on top of rolled enchiladas and top with remaining pepper jack.

Cover with foil and bake 15 minutes until cheese begins to melt. Remove foil and bake an additional 10 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes before serving.

Quick Tip

Build in advance and store in the fridge. While oven preheats, set on counter to come to room temperature before cooking as listed above.

BBQ Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

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Start to finish: 1 hour 30 minutes
Impresses: 4

Ingredients
4 medium-sized sweet potatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon kosher salt
¼ cup barbecue sauce
2 cups shredded chicken (from Simply Perfect Roasted Chicken recipe)
1 jalapeño, sliced
¼ cup cilantro, chopped
½ cup queso fresco, crumbled

Method
Heat oven to 400 F.

Poke potatoes all over with a fork and place on baking sheet. Toss with olive oil and salt. Bake until a fork pierces through easily — about 55 minutes.

Add chicken and barbecue sauce to a skillet over medium heat. Warm, stirring constantly, about 10 minutes.

Once potatoes are done baking, make a middle split to open. Stuff each potato with ½ cup chicken mixture and top with jalapeño, cilantro and queso fresco.

Quick Tip

Bake sweet potatoes on Sunday (reduce cook time to 40 minutes if baking with chicken) for quick assembly on Wednesday.

Noodle Stroganoff

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Start to finish: 1 hour 45 minutes
Impresses: 4

Ingredients
Chicken bones and skin (from Simply Perfect Roasted Chicken recipe)
2 carrots, chopped in half
2 celery stalks, chopped in half
1 onion, quartered
1 head garlic, halved
8 cups water
4 ounces wide egg noodles
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
½ cup heavy cream (if opting for a soup, sub heavy cream for 1 cup half and half)

Method
Add chicken bones and skin to a large pot, top with carrots, celery, onion, garlic and water. Bring to boil, then reduce to a simmer for 1 hour. Strain, reserving the broth.

Add broth back to pot and bring to a boil. Add in egg noodles, salt, pepper and seasoning. Cook 2 minutes shy of package instructions.

Reduce heat to low and stir in heavy cream (or half and half if opting for soup). Simmer until thickened.

Serve immediately.

Quick Tip

Make the broth on Sunday and store until ready to cook on Thursday.

Thai Chicken Pizza with Lime Slaw

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Start to finish: 25 minutes
Impresses: 4

Ingredients
1 premade thin pizza crust
¼ cup sweet chili sauce (can be found in the Asian aisle of your grocery store)
¼ red onion, thinly sliced
2 cups shredded chicken (from Simply Perfect Roasted Chicken recipe)
2 cups coleslaw mix
¼ cup Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon lime zest

Method
Heat oven to 450 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Spread pizza crust with sweet chili sauce and top with chicken, red onion and mozzarella.

Bake 12–15 minutes, or until edges start to brown.

While pizza bakes, make slaw. Mix together yogurt, lime juice and lime zest. Toss with slaw.

Remove pizza from oven and let rest 2 minutes before cutting into 8 slices. Top with slaw and serve immediately.

Quick Tip

Bake the pizza in advance and store slices and slaw separately in the refrigerator. Heat up slices individually when ready to eat and top with slaw.

Cashew Fried Rice

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Start to finish: 40 minutes
Impresses: 4

Ingredients
For the rice:
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 cups cold, cooked rice
2 tablespoon soy sauce
¼ cup cashews, chopped
2 eggs

For the aioli:
¼ cup Greek yogurt
1 tablespoons sriracha
1 tablespoon lime juice

Method
For the rice:
Melt 1 tablespoon butter with sesame oil over medium heat.

Add in rice and toss to coat. Increase heat to medium-high and cook, stirring constantly until slightly toasted, about 7 minutes. Add in soy sauce and cashews and stir to combine.

Remove from heat. 

Heat a separate pan over medium-high heat. Melt two tablespoons butter and fry two eggs until desired doneness. 

Serve rice by drizzling with aioli and topping with fried egg. 

For the aioli:
Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl and drizzle to serve.

Serve warm.

Falafel-Feta Wraps

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Start to finish: 45 minutes
Impresses: 4

Ingredients
For the falafel:
 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 cup parsley leaves
1 tablespoon lemon juice
4 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne
pepper
¼ cup flour

For the spread:
¼ cup heavy cream
½ cup crumbled feta
2 tablespoons sundried tomatoes

To build:
4 pita breads
Use up whatever is left in your fridge, you’ll need about two cups of greens and vegetables. We had sprouts and baby kale.

Method
For the falafel:
Heat oven to 400 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Combine all ingredients but flour in a food processor until a fine meal forms. Scrape down sides, add in flour and pulse until mixture starts to lump together. 

Using a cookie scoop, roll scoopfuls into balls.

Gently flatten balls between your palms and place on prepared baking sheet.

Bake 15 minutes, flip, and bake another 10 minutes.

For the spread:
Using an electric mixer, beat all ingredients together in a medium-sized bowl. 

To build: 
Smear 2 tablespoons of the feta spread onto a pita. Top with 4–5 falafel patties and veggies of choice. 

Wrap and serve.

Coconut-Caramel Shortbread Bars

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Start to finish: 7 hours; 1 hour active; 6 hours inactive
Impresses: 16

Ingredients
1 roll prepared sugar cookie dough
2 cups granulated sugar
½ cup water
4 tablespoons butter, diced
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup Original Oat Dairy Plus Milk Blends (can also use Original or Vanilla Almond)
2 cups dark chocolate chips
1 cup shredded coconut

Method
Heat oven to 350 F and line a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with parchment paper.

Remove prepared cookie dough from package and evenly press into the bottom of the baking pan. Bake 18–20 minutes or until edges are brown and center is set.

While the cookie bakes, make caramel.

Combine sugar and water in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir constantly until sugar is dissolved. Let boil until the mixture starts to brown. Once a light amber, immediately remove from heat.

Using a wire whisk, mix in butter and vanilla until combined. Slowly whisk in Original Oat Dairy Plus Milk Blends until combined. Set aside until ready to assemble bars.

Once sugar cookie base is cooked, sprinkle dark chocolate chips and shredded coconut on top. Pour caramel on top. Using a flat spatula, gently spread caramel from edge to edge. Chocolate will begin to melt.

Return to oven and bake another 15–18 minutes or until edges are browned and bubbling. 

Cool completely on a wire rack at room temperature before transferring to the refrigerator and chill at least four hours before cutting into bars and serving. Store bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Elvis-Style Overnight Oats

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Start to finish: Active 15 minutes; Inactive 8 hours
Impresses: 1

Ingredients
1 overripe banana, sliced
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2/3 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Almost-empty jar of peanut butter (about 1 tablespoon left)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup old-fashioned oats

Method
Heat a nonstick pan over medium heat.

Add banana slices in a single layer and sear 1 minute. Flip slices and sprinkle with brown sugar.

Mash and caramelize another minute. Remove from heat and let cool.

Add milk and vanilla to jar of peanut butter.

Shake to combine. Add in cinnamon, oats and caramelized bananas. 

Stir and refrigerate overnight, at least 6 hours, until the oats have absorbed the milk.

Enjoy cold.

Apple Bundt Cake

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Start to finish: 2 hours
Impresses: 12

Ingredients
For the cake:
1 cup butter (2 sticks), melted
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons instant coffee
3 eggs
1 tablespoon buttermilk powder
3 cups flour
1½ teaspoons baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
3 cups apples, peeled and grated

For the glaze:
3 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon instant coffee
¼ cup whole milk

Method
For the cake:
Heat oven to 350 F and coat a bundt pan with baking spray.

In a large bowl, combine butter, sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, instant coffee and eggs.

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together buttermilk powder, flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.

Fold dry ingredients into wet in three batches, gently stirring to combine after each addition.

Fold in the grated apples. Pour into greased bundt pan and bake 55–60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. 

Let cool in pan for 15 minutes before inverting on a cooling rack to cool completely.

For the glaze:
Whisk all ingredients together in a medium-sized bowl until smooth, but thick. If needed, whisk in additional milk 1 tablespoon at a time to reach desired consistency. 

Drizzle onto cake once completely cool.

Cobb-style Caesar

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Start to finish: 40 minutes
Impresses: 2 for dinner; 4 as a side dish

Ingredients
1 cup French bread, cubed
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon garlic salt
½ cup Greek yogurt
½ cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 clove garlic
2 teaspoons black pepper
2 heads romaine lettuce, leaves removed and trimmed
2 eggs, hard boiled and quartered
¼ cup spring peas
½ cup shaved Parmesan cheese

Method
Heat oven to 400 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Add bread cubes to prepared baking sheet and toss with butter and garlic salt. Spread out in a single layer and bake until browned, about 8–10 minutes. Set aside once toasted.

While bread toasts, make dressing. In a blender, combine yogurt, mayonnaise, Worcestershire, Dijon, lemon juice, garlic and black pepper until smooth. Set aside.

Arrange romaine lettuce leaves on a platter. Top with eggs, peas, Parmesan, croutons and drizzle with dressing.

Toss and serve.