Knead to Cook

Food & fitness obsessed girl.

Indian Style Chicken with Lentils and Chobani.

by Filed Under: Chicken, Gluten Free, Wheat Free, Yogurt 13 Comments

I always feel the need to apologize for not taking pictures (when I do this) during daylight hours but with winter time here and some late night dinners… I have to work with what I’ve got.

As you know, I’m doing a joint giveaway with my awesome friend Lauren Kelly who wrote the following book:

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Our giveaway is this Friday and the details are listed on my Facebook page on how to enter.  I jumped at the chance to try some recipes from this book.  So far, both recipes have knocked my socks off!  Yesterday I made her oatmeal cookie bars – to die for.  Last night for dinner, I made this Indian Style Chicken with Lentils and my all time fave Chobani.  Everyone loved it and we had no leftovers!  {good sign.}

INGREDIENTS | SERVES 4–6

1 cup lentils (I used pre-cooked lentils from Trader Joe’s last night.)

3 cups water

1⁄2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced (I used 4 but I love garlic)

1 medium onion, peeled and finely minced

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon cumin

1⁄4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1⁄2 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces

1 cup plain Chobani Greek low fat yogurt

1 tablespoon curry powder

1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce (I used Sriracha)

Directions:

  1. Preheat broiler.  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
  2. Place the lentils and water in a saucepan.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer.
  3. Just before the lentils are cooked (when barely tender, after about 25 minutes), add 1⁄4 teaspoon salt, pepper, garlic, onion, lemon juice, cumin, red pepper flakes and parsley.
  4. Toss the chicken with the yogurt, curry powder, remaining salt, and Tabasco sauce. Place chicken on foil-lined baking sheet and broil for 5 minutes per side.
  5. Mix the chicken into the lentils and serve with rice.

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— Knead to Cook

Whole Wheat Chobani Pear Muffins with an Oatmeal Crunch topping.

by Filed Under: Breads, Muffins, Vegetarian, Yogurt 13 Comments

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Chobani is sending me a case of their new flavors in February and I have to tell you… I cannot wait!  I did hear from my friend Julianne that my local Target store had pear and I KNEW I had to run over and get some.  I bought two containers the other day and just ran out for fresh pears.  I come home to find one container of pear left.  Thank God!  I had enough for this recipe that I wanted to create.  These muffins are heavenly… not overly sweet and would be perfect for a snack or breakfast!  Protein-packed.  Hello, gorgeous!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup of butter or butter substitute
1/2 cup of sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1 -6 oz container of pear Chobani yogurt
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 cup of all purpose flour (Used King Arthur’s)
1 cup of whole wheat flour (Used King Arthur’s)
1 tablespoon of ground flax seed
1/8 teaspoon salt (pinch)
2 pears, I used Bosc (peared and cored) finely chopped

Oatmeal crunch topping:
1 tablespoon of butter – cut into little cubes (cold)
1/4 cup of brown sugar
1/4 cup of all purpose flour
1/4 cup of oats
1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

Muffins:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Spray your mini muffin pan with baking spray and set aside.

In your stand mixer, blend butter (room temp.) with sugar for 3-4 minutes or until light and fluffy.  Then add your room temperature eggs & Chobani yogurt.  In a separate bowl blend your flours, soda, salt and flax.  Then add it to the creamy mixture.  Add the pears.  Blend until just combined.

Scoop 3/4 of the way filled into each well.  Then start on making your crunchy topping.  In a bowl add your cold butter pieces, brown sugar, flour, oats and cinnamon.  Blend with your hands, pinching the mixture until the butter is well incorporated.  Then drop some on top of each muffin with your fingers.  Bake for 12-14 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean and they’re golden brown.

Enjoy!

 

— Knead to Cook

Peanut Butter Banana Chobani Mini Muffins. I’m channeling Elvis!

by Filed Under: Breakfast, Muffins, Snacks, Yogurt 2 Comments

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I’m all about peanut butter and bananas.  I think I channel Elvis on some weird level.  But hey, the combination in undeniably good.  Creamy or crunchy and the sweetness of the banana… I’m swooning.

Today, I wanted to make my family a protein-packed after-school snack with my favorite – CHOBANI!  Not junk food… just tasty food in compact form.  🙂

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of butter or buttery substitute
2 eggs
1 cup of All Purpose Flour (King Arthur’s)
1 cup of Whole Wheat Flour (King Arthur’s)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 ripe bananas
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup of vanilla Chobani yogurt
1/4 cup of peanut butter

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 and spray baking spray into your mini muffin pans.

Cream together in your stand mixer the butter and sugar.  Beat for 3 minutes.  Then add the eggs.  Scrape down the side of the bowl.  Then add the flours, salt and soda.  Then blend in the bananas, vanilla and Chobani.  Mix until incorporated.  Then add the peanut butter.  Blend until incorporated.

Scoop about 3/4 of the batter into each well.  Bake for 18 minutes or until golden.  Remove and let cool.

 

— Knead to Cook

Red & Green Christmas Chobani.

by Filed Under: Desserts, Holiday, Snacks, Vegetarian, Yogurt Leave a Comment

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Take one single serving of vanilla or plain Chobani.  Divide it in half placing each in a separate bowl.  Add either strawberries or raspberries (handful) into the one bowl.  Using a hand immersion blender, blend it until all of the berries are blended.  Then add kiwi (I used two) to the other bowl and repeat with the hand immersion blender.  Layer in a cute bowl and top with extra fruit of nuts (I used sliced kiwi and chopped pistachios).  Chill until serving.  Kids love it and it won’t blow all of your gym efforts!

— Knead to Cook

Green Ginger Smoothie.

by Filed Under: Breakfast, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, No bake/cooking required!, Smoothies, Snacks, Vegetarian, Vitamix, Yogurt 10 Comments

This is truly one of the best smoothies I’ve ever had – and I’ve had a lot of smoothies!  Sunday night my husband wanted to finally try out our new Vitamix machine and we had a late lunch so, the smoothie sounded light and delicious.  It was and I recreated it today for my girls and again, the lovefest continued!


Ingredients:

1 cup of orange juice
1 green apple, skin on yet cored
1 large handful of organic baby spinach (about 1 heaping cup of the leaves)
1/2 of a pineapple, peeled but not cored if using a Vitamix (if using a blender then core it)
1-2 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled
1 scoop of protein powder (vanilla)
1/4 cup of vanilla Chobani yogurt
8 ice cubes

Directions:

Place all of the ingredients into your Vitamix or blender and blend on the smoothie setting.  Pour into glasses and enjoy!  The ginger puts this one over the top!  Fresh and ginger is so good for your stomach.  Vitamin and protein packed.  And, I swear, your kids won’t even suspect that there’s spinach in there!

— Knead to Cook

Lemon Chobani Pound Cake.

by Filed Under: Cakes, Vegetarian, Yogurt Leave a Comment

This is a recipe from Ina Garten that I tweaked to make a bit healthier… well as healthy as you can get for pound cake.  Ha!  I made this with my best friend Leslie this afternoon, who has graciously opened her kitchen to me to cook in this week while the final phase of renovations happens in my own kitchen.  We should’ve talked and laughed less and paid more attention to the recipe but it came out great and tastes like lemony heaven.


Ingredients:

Baking spray
1/4 cup of turbinado sugar
3 cups of sifted cake flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 stick of butter (or Smart Balance)
1/4 cup of Chobani lemon or vanilla Greek yogurt
2 cups of sugar
6 eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Zest from one lemon
1 cup of heavy cream

Directions:

DO NOT preheat the oven.  Place the baking rack in the middle of the oven.  Spray your bundt cake pan or loaf pans and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.  Sprinkle it as a nice layer on your pan.

Combine sifted flour and salt.  Sift this mixture 3 times.

In your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar.  This should be mixed for about 4-5 minutes.  Then add one egg at a time, mixing before the next addition.  Add Chobani, vanilla extract and zest.  Blend this well.  Then alternate adding the flour to the butter mixture with the cream.  Pour the batter into the prepared pan.  Turn the oven on to 350 degrees and bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Let the cake cool completely before removing from the pan.  Slice and top with whipped cream, fruit or ganache.

— Knead to Cook

Healthier Double Chocolate Chobani Brownies.

by Filed Under: Snacks, Vegetarian, Yogurt 6 Comments

I’m unsure of the original origin of this recipe.  I received it from a friend about 4 years ago. I’ve morphed it into my own over time but I’m not the recipe creator on this one.

I’m not a huge brownie fan but my kids love them.   These are a bit healthier than traditional brownies, which I’m all over.  I use Wilbur Chocolate cocoa (it’s a local chocolate company that we love).  Always use the best ingredients that you can to make the recipe the best it can be.  You also can control the toppings or not use any to make them even healthier.  My daughters always sneak something on top of them tho.  Okay so without further adieu….

Ingredients:

3/4 cup of sugar
1/3 cup light butter (or butter spread – I used Smart Balance butter)
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 egg
1/3 cup of al-purpose flour (I used King Arthur’s)
1/3 cup of cocoa powder (I used Wilbur Chocolate)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup of vanilla Chobani Greek yogurt
1/4 cup of dark chocolate chips into the batter
Optional toppings:  M&M’s, white chocolate chips, dark or milk chocolate chips, nuts, pretzel pieces, sprinkles

Directions: 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray your 9×9 baking pan with baking spray.  Set aside.  

In your stand mixer beat  your sugar and butter until light and fluffy.  Then add the egg and extract.

Then in a dry mixing bowl whisk the flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon and baking powder.  Add to the butter mixture.  Blend to combine.  Then add the Chobani.  Mix until incorporated.  Add chocolate chips if using them and stir by hand.  Pour into your prepared pan.  At this point, if you wish to add additional toppings, do that here.  Then bake for 16-18 minute or until it starts to pull away from edges of the pan and firms up.  Undercooking yields a very moist brownie.  Let cool and then slice and serve.

— Knead to Cook

Cake batter yogurt. Celebrating Chobani’s Birthday!

by Filed Under: Desserts, Gluten Free, Snacks, Valentine's Day, Vegetarian, Vitamix, Yogurt 28 Comments

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Chobani is hand’s down one of the BEST companies & I’ve been blessed to have them be such an incredible supporter of my blog/website.  Today they celebrate 5 years and to help I whipped up a cake batter themed yogurt that can be frozen as well, to help ring in this 5th birthday!  I was thrilled to use my little glass Chobani bowls and it was so appropriate to serve at their party.

[Read more…]

— Knead to Cook

Jalapeño yogurt dip.

by Filed Under: Dips, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gluten Free, Vegetarian, Yogurt 1 Comment

I whipped this dip up for topping my roasted tomato soup that I made for dinner this evening but I can be used for so many other things.  I would definitely make this again for a  party as a dip for chips or veggies.  It would also be fantastic as a sandwich spread or to top a burger or chicken.  Super easy and very flexible recipe.  Protein packed and non-fat… what more could you ask for?!   You adjust the spices to your preference.

Ingredients:

1 cup of Chobani non-fat plain yogurt
1 large jalapeño, finely diced with seeds
1 teaspoon of ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
Pinch salt
Freshly ground pepper
Zest from half of a lime

Directions:

All all of the ingredients into a bowl, mix well and then cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.  Adjust the spices after the dip has time to “rest”.

— Knead to Cook

Pineapple smoothie.

by Filed Under: Beverages, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Ice cream, Smoothies, Vegetarian, Yogurt Leave a Comment

Oh the heat of summer has certainly arrived.  Nearing 100 degrees today & tomorrow have prompted me to make a cool & refreshing beverage that we can enjoy. Pineapple, Chobani… it’s all so good!

Ingredients:

1 pineapple, skin & core removed, chopped into large pieces
1/2 cup of Chobani vanilla yogurt
3/4 cup of almond milk
6 ice cubes
1 tablespoon flax seed meal
1/2 cup of vanilla frozen yogurt

Directions:

Add all of the ingredients to your blender and blend until blended completely.  Pour into glasses and enjoy!

— Knead to Cook