Delicious Nutella Cupcakes

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one of my favourite cupcakes to make - everyone loves them!

This is definitely a crowd pleaser, in my experience, regardless what time of year - it always seems to be the season of Ferrero Rocher.  Everyone seems to love the delicious combination of chocolate and hazelnuts (and Nutella!), so I’ve combined them into one of eveyone's favourite desserts - cupcakes! 

Thanks to the olive oil, this cake has a slightly nutty flavour which I like to enhance by icing it with Nutella and sprinkling roasted hazelnuts on top. 

You can get raw hazelnuts at Bulk Barn and simply roast them in the oven with a bit of vegetable oil.  (Do keep an eye on them – they can burn very quickly!)  Once cooled, I roll them in a towel to get the dries skin off of the hazelnuts. I then crush them the old school way by putting the hazelnuts in a towel and beating and rolling them with a rolling pin. (Careful - this can get messy!) You’ll want to keep some of them whole or at least chunky simply for the aesthetics.

This is perfect for any occasion. My 9 year old nephew loves these cupcakes as he loves anything with chocolate – especially Nutella!

   Nutella Cupcakes

 

 

Makes: 24 cupcakes

Preptime: 20 minutes

Cook time: 40-45 minutes

Ingredients:

1 cup melted semi-sweet chocolate

3/4 cups good quality olive oil 

3 large eggs (room temperature)1 tbsp vanilla extract

2/3 cups sugar 

1/2 cup skim milk

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda 

pinch of salt

2 cups nutella

1 1/2 cups roasted hazelnuts

 

Instructions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350F 
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine eggs, vanilla extract, and sugar and whisk until a bit frothy. Add melted chocolate, olive oil and milk. Mix well.
3. Combine flour, salt and baking powder. Add to the bowl of wet ingredients. Mix well. 
4. Pour batter into a lined cupcake tin.  Fill approximately halfway.
5. Bake for 40-45 minutes. 
6. Once well cooled, spread nutella on top of cupcakes and sprinkel hazelnut on top. 

 

Hearty Turkey Soup

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Every year, I make the Turkey dinner for Thanksgiving. And every year, there are so many leftovers! (Better to have too much food than not enough, right?)

Instead of having the same thanksgiving meal on repeat until the leftovers are finished, this year, I decided to turn those leftovers into something slightly different. I made turkey soup!

If you think about it, pretty much all of your thanksgiving dinner elements can just be thrown into a pot with broth - carrots, potatoes, just throw them all in!

Usually, I need something to eat alongside my soup as I never really feel full with just soup alone - but not with this recipe! Both the Mister and I were full! (And he's never full after just one serving. Oh how I wish I had his metabolism.) This hearty turkey soup recipe truly eats like a meal!

   Hearty Turkey Soup
   

 

 

Makes: 6 servings<

Preptime: 10 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

 

Ingredients:

2-3 cups cooked turkey meat (shredded or diced)

1/2 cup turkey drippings 

4 cups chicken or vegetable stock 1 cup pasta noodles

2 celery stalks, chopped 

2 clove garlic, minced 

1/2 onion, diced

1 carrot, sliced

2 tablespoons vegetable oil 

salt and pepper to taste 

  

 

Instructions:

1. In a large pot heat the oil over medium heat. Saute onions and garlic until tender (approximately 2-3 minutes). 
2. Add broth, vegetables, turkey and turkey drippings and continue to simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Add pasta noodles and cook until desired tenderness. 
   

Dynamite Sushi Bowl

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I have a severe allergy to fish (but not shellfish) so my sushi selection is quite limited. I usually stay on the safe side and get myself the vegetarian roll, but one day, the Mister surprised me by bringing me home a dynamite sushi roll. I previously ignored this selection without even reading the ingredients to find out there is NO FISH!

While I did love the Dynamite Roll, I usually find that the tempura shrimp is a lot of batter - which, although light, I'm just not much of a fan.

I decided to try to make this at home for myself - without the tempura batter. I also like to increase my intake of vegetables so I've added crispy brussels sprouts.

My version of the Dynamite Sushi Bowl is incredibly filling - but with all good and healthy things. Lots of protein and vegetables and a bit of carbs, which, yes, your body does need. It's the perfect meal for either lunch or dinner.

Dynamite Sushi Bowl

Makes: 2 servings

Preptime: 10 minutes

Cook time:10 minutes

 

Ingredients:

10 raw medium to large sized shrimp

1 1/2 teaspoon salt (set aside a pinch)

1/2 teaspoon onion powder tomato, diced

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (set aside a pinch)

1 clove garlic, chopped

1/2 avocado, diced

1 carrot, sliced into thin strips (julienne)

10 brussel sprouts, sliced in half

2 tablespoons sesame oil, divided

1 cup cooked brown rice

OPTIONAL: sesame seeds

   

 

Instructions:

1. In a pan, heat 1 tablespoon of oil on medium-high heat.
2. Add shrimp, pinch of salt, pinch of cayenne pepper, chopped garlic and onion powder.
3. Cook shrimp for 5 - 7 minutes or until pink and opaque. Set aside
4. At the same time, place brussel sprouts on a baking a baking pan, Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of oil, remaining salt, cayenne pepper, and garlic powder and roast in the oven at 425 for approximately 15 minutes.
5. In a bowl, add the rice and then top with shrimp, brussel sprouts, carrots and avocado.
6. OPTIONAL: garnish with sesame seeds.

 

Roasted Veggie Pasta

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This is actually one of my favourite summer pastas to make. It's quick and easy.  Even better, it's full of flavour without being too heavy. 

I love the flavour of the roasted broccoli - it has a different kind of sweetness to it that you don't get from steaming it. And the roasted chickpeas adds a bit more texture to this pasta dish.  Nobody wants mushy chickpeas in their pasta. 

This is the type of summer pasta you can make this in big batches for any sort of summer get-togethers. 

I personally like smaller pasta shapes for this recipe, but honestly, you can use whatever you have. 

Roasted Veggie Pasta
 

Makes: 2 servings

Preptime: 15 minutes

Cook time:25 minutes

 

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked whole grain pasta

1 can chickpeas, washed and drained

2 cups broccoli, chopped

2 tbsp olive oil

1 lemon, juice and rind

1 tbsp basil

1 tsp chili flakes

salt and pepper to taste

grated parmesan cheese, to taste

    

 

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, add chickpeas, broccoli, olive oil, basil, chili flakes and salt and pepper. Mix well to get chickpeas and broccoli well coated.
3. Place seasoned chickpeas and broccoli on a baking sheet lined with foil or parchment paper.
4. Place on the middle rack and roast for 15-20 minutes, making sure the broccoli doesn't burn.
5. Place on to a lightly greased baking sheet
6. Once veggies are roasted, toss with the pasta.
7. Add the juice and grated rind of 1 lemon and mix well.
8. Top with grated parmesan and serve.