The Mobbies

The Mobbies are annual Baltimore Sun-promoted social media and blogging awards. This year, I am so excited to be nominated for three categories (this blog has been nominated for two!). Each person out there (you don't have to live in Baltimore) can vote once per day between now and November 9th to choose your favorite blogger out there. Here's what I've been nominated for:

Best Food Blog -- Let's Give Peas a Chance
Best New Blog -- Let's Give Peas a Chance
Best Personal Twitter -- @annmariebrok

Click on the image above or follow this link and vote today!

Please feel free to vote for me in any or all of these categories; it'd be much appreciated!

Ann Marie

Vegetarian Chik'n and Waffles

I've been wanting to make this recipe for a long time, but was utterly overwhelmed with how difficult I thought it would be. It's actually fairly easy; definitely a lot easier than I thought it'd be! While this is a vegetarian recipe, it is not vegan because of the eggs that I use for both the chik'n and the waffles. If you have a great egg-substitute, you can easily make this vegan and just as delicious! This recipe feeds two people.

 

Blueberry Cream Cheese Purses

These little blueberry purses are so easy and are so delicious. Like, party-in-my-mouth delicious. This is a great breakfast, brunch or dessert item to serve for just a couple people or an entire house. I'm sure that if you're not a huge fan of blueberries (gasp!) you can also swap out any fruit that you'd like. Keep in mind that this recipe equals four purses.

Apple-Cinnamon Crumble Muffins

These muffins were a product of my apple-picking day last weekend and I'm so glad that I made them. They were delicious and I was able to share them (muffins make wonderful gifts!). Don't be afraid of this recipe; I know there are a lot of ingredients, but most of them are dry ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry. This recipe will make about 16-18 muffins. The original recipe can be found here.

Prep Time: 10-15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients
For muffins
Two (2) cups of all-purpose flour
Two (2) cups of finely chopped, seasonal apples -- Your apples should be peeled and cored. Then, use a serrated knife to chop very finely.
One (1) teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 cup of butter
One (1) cup of granulated sugar
Two (2) eggs, beaten
1 1/4 teaspoons of vanilla extract
1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon
For crumble topping
1/3 cup of light brown sugar
One (1) tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1/2 tablespoon of butter

Directions
Preheat your oven to 375F degrees.
In a mixing bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
In a separate larger mixing bowl, beat together butter, vanilla, sugar and eggs until smooth. 
Gently mix the chopped apple into the larger bowl.

Slowly and incrementally mix the dry ingredients into the larger bowl.
Spoon the mixture into a greased muffin tin.
In a smaller separate bowl, mix brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and small pieces of butter. This will create a chunky, crumbly topping for your muffins. Sprinkle over the muffin batter.
Bake the muffins for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. 
Let muffins cool and enjoy with a hot cup of coffee.

Miniature Quiche

Like I mentioned previously, I am currently trying to eat a bit healthier. These mini quiches are perfect to eat on your way out of the door in the morning and really help me portion (because I can honestly eat half of a full-size crusted quiche if you let me). Make these on a Sunday night and keep them in your fridge all week or freeze them until you're ready to eat them. This recipe make six mini quiches.

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

Saute your veggies!

Four (4) large eggs
One (1) cup of fresh spinach
1/4 cup of red onion, diced
1/4 cup of sun-dried tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup of shredded cheese -- I used mozzarella and sharp cheddar
One (1) garlic clove, minced
One (1) tablespoon of olive oil

Directions
Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
Heat garlic and olive oil in a pan over medium heat.

Before baking.

Add onions and sun-dried tomatoes to pan. Saute.
Slowly add spinach and cover until the leaves wilt.
Pull the pan off of the heat and set aside.
Whisk eggs together in a mixing bowl and add the sauteed vegetables.
Portion into a greased muffin tin. This mixture should fill six muffin cups.
Sprinkle cheese evenly over each mixture.
Bake for 20 minutes.
Eat right away, or save for later!

Cinnamon Apple Chips

I went to a Pick-Your-Own farm yesterday and came back with local pumpkin, squash, green tomatoes, and apples. I am all pumped up over making meals from each of these things, so keep an eye out; autumn recipes are coming! These cinnamon apple chips take awhile to bake (because you're essentially dehydrating them in your oven), but they are very delicious and healthy. Enjoy!

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours

Ingredients
Three (3) seasonal apples
1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
Two (2) tablespoons of granulated sugar



Directions
Preheat oven to 200F degrees. Don't increase the heat because you want to decrease the cook time; we are dehydrating the chips, not cooking them.

Slice apples thinly with a mandolin or sharp knife.
Lay the apple slices out on a parchment paper-covered baking pan.
Mix cinnamon and sugar in a separate bowl.
Sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar mixture lightly on the apple slices. Flip them over and sprinkle the other side as well.

Bake in the oven for one hour, then flip the apple slices and bake for another hour.

Remove from oven and let cool for a delicious snack!

Tomato Chickpea Pesto Soup

This soup is hearty, flavorful, and perfect for my Autumn Soup Exchange. You can add your own spices to personalize the taste. The garlic, salt & pepper, and pesto really added enough flavor for me. This recipe makes 6-7 cups of soup.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients
One (1) medium onion, chopped
Two (2) cloves of garlic, minced
One (1) 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes -- You can make this at home, but canned works well too.
One (1) 15.5 oz. can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
One (1) tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
One (1) cup of water
Five (5) tablespoons of basil pesto
One (1) teaspoon of sugar
1/2 teaspoon of salt
Pepper to taste

Directions
In a saucepan, use the oil to saute the onions first, and then add the garlic. Cook until onions are soft.
Add the water and the crushed tomatoes. Heat until lightly boiling.
Stir in sugar, salt, and pepper. Reduce the heat.
Add the chickpeas and let simmer for ten minutes.
Finally, add the pesto. You can either dollop pesto on each serving or stir in if the soup will be refrigerated.

Enjoy!