Brunch-Off: Asparagus Risotto Cakes

I was invited to participate in a Brunch-Off over at Blisstree.com this weekend! The "special ingredient" that we had to work with was asparagus, so I made asparagus risotto cakes, topped with a sunny-side up egg. It was delicious  and a great way to use leftover risotto.

My contender made an awesome-looking creamy asparagus soup with goat cheese. Be sure to head over to Blisstree to check out my participation in Brunch-Off and the others as well (so many great recipes over there!). Thanks to Blisstree for hosting me and thanks to all of you for supporting me!

Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

I had some super-ripe bananas left over this week and yes, I love banana bread, but I really don't want to eat it every time my bananas get too ripe. (Seriously -- this is a recurring problem that probably could be fixed by my buying less bananas. Oh well.) Anyway, it hit me. Bananas. Peanut Butter. Chocolate. YES. A quick Google search pulled up a few recipes (like this one from How Sweet It is) & I was off to preheating my oven. These cookies were delicious, and next time I might sprinkle a bit of cinnamon in them, or something wild like that. This recipe makes a dozen large cookies & I hope you enjoy!

Guest Post: Sweet Potato & Bean Fritters

This week, welcome my friend Sam, a health & wellness blogger, who made these amazing sweet potato & bean fritters. She is also currently running an awesome indiegogo campaign to bring whole food nutrition to cancer survivors, so be sure to check it out & pledge if you can!
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You have probably seen this awesome Sweet Potato Veggie Burger recipe by Kathy over at Happy.Healthy.Life pinned all over Pinterest.  I've basically taken that recipe and made a few modifications to that to better fit my preferences. This recipe is crispy on the outside, creamy, sweet & tangy on the inside. The coconut oil really adds to the depth of flavor, something you wouldn't find when using other cooking oils. This recipe makes 6-8 medium-sized fritters.

 

Chik'n & Mushroom Arugula Salad

This salad was a spur-of-the-moment, let's-clean-out-the-fridge salad. Sometimes that can go poorly, but this time it went wonderfully. The flavors worked really well together and we didn't waste any produce. This recipe makes two servings. Enjoy!

St. Paddy's Day: Cheddar Ale Potato Soup

To follow up the delicious Irish soda bread recipe I posted earlier today, here is an amazing cheddar ale potato soup to pair along with it (and trust me, I did). I hope that you all had a happy St. Paddy's Day & enjoy the soup! This recipe is an altered version of this one and makes about six servings.

St Paddy's Day: Irish Soda Bread

This year, I stepped it up for St Paddy's Day with Irish soda bread and cheddar ale potato soup! Here's the recipe for the delicious bread (the soup recipe will be posted later on today). This recipe is pretty standard, but doesn't include raisins because of my fiery hatred for them (ha!). This recipe is based off of a Country Momma Cooks recipe and will make one loaf of bread.

Roasted Red Pepper Pesto

I saw this recipe on Table for Two's blog and I could not resist. I mean, this pesto is perfect on sandwiches, in pasta, and you can dip things like bread, veggies, and even your fingers directly into it. No, seriously, it's that good.

Leftovers Club: Coconut Lime Cake from Diethood

Update to my last post about The Leftovers Club! I sent out my vanilla biscotti and I received a delicious food package in return. (Can I please mention how much I love the concept of this food bloggers' club?) Katerina from Diethood (which she has self-titled 'not a diet-food food blog') sent me quite a few slices of an amazing Coconut Lime Cake.

The cake was dense and moist (even after being shipped across state lines), with a sweet, but not overpowering flavor. Because she used cream of coconut, I could definitely taste the coconut, but the texture of the coconut was absent (which is great for those folks that are weird about the texture of coconut). The lime flavor was a very light accent taste, but definitely complemented the coconut flavor. In summary: I'm in love with this cake.

Be sure to follow Katerina on Pinterest, like her on Facebook, follow her blog, and follow her on Twitter. She's lovely and I'm so glad I was paired with such a great blogger for The Leftovers Club's first month!



Sound like fun? Visit The Leftovers Club website for more information!

Leftovers Club: Spiced Vanilla Honey Biscotti

Jennifer of Savory Simple is spearheading The Leftovers Club, which is a network of food bloggers sending non-perishable leftovers from the recipes that we make. Most of the time, especially with baked goods, I end up making at least a dozen, if not more, of one recipe. For the most part, I bring the leftovers to work, but why not send them over to other food bloggers and receive some treats in return? It's a great idea!

 This week, I decided to make a spiced vanilla honey biscotti. Biscotti is perfect to send in the mail to my Leftovers Club partner, but also because I hosted a clothing swap this weekend and it was a great treat for my guests. This recipe makes one dozen biscotti (or two loaves).