DoughSeeDough

a balanced plate with room for dessert

Tag Archives: quick and easy


by Leave a comment

Lightened Up Pesto Chicken Florentine

Lightened Up Pesto Chicken Florentine | doughseedough.net

Being split between two cities is going to be difficult for me. I have to learn to live without my fully-stocked pantry and fridge, my stand mixer, endless pots and pans, and my million different cake, cupcake, bread, and cookie pans. I’m going to have to adjust to cooking with the bare minimum.

This dish will have no problem in my “new” life. It requires no special equipment and can be tossed together in no time. The leftovers make for a pretty great lunch the next day, too.

I lightened up this dish by making my own Alfredo sauce. The canned stuff (or worse, the packet stuff) scares me and has no place in my kitchen! This homemade Alfredo also passes on the heavy cream and copious amounts of butter. Trust me, this sauce is delish and you won’t even miss the cream or butter!

Lightened Up Chicken Pesto Florentine | doughseedough.net

Lightened Up Pesto Chicken Florentine
adapted from All Recipes

8 ounces dried whole wheat penne
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
1 3/4 cup lightened-up Alfredo sauce, recipe below (jarred will work as well)
2 tablespoons pesto
4 cups fresh baby spinach
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved

  1. Cook pasta according to package directions.
  2. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add in chicken strips and cook until no longer pink on the inside, about 10 minutes.
  3. Stir in spinach and tomatoes and cook for an additional 1 – 2 minutes, or until spinach is wilted.
  4. Mix together Alfredo sauce and pesto and pour into cooked pasta. Stir in chicken and spinach and mix well to combine.
  5. Serve immediately.

Lightened Up Alfredo Sauce
makes 1 3/4 cup

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 clove garlic
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 ounce reduced fat (Neufchatel) cream cheese
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

  1. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in garlic and cook for 2 – 3 minutes or until soft.
  2. Whisk in flour, salt, and pepper and stir until smooth. Cook for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in milk and cook for 3 – 5 minutes or until mixture has thickened slightly.
  3. Whisk in cream cheese and Parmesan cheese until smooth.


by 1 Comment

Salted Fudge Brownies

Holy smokes, I can’t believe it’s August already! Life is a little crazy right now. We have the Big (-ish) Move on Saturday to prepare for and our house is a disaster. I can’t figure out what I want to bring down to Madison and what I want to leave in Appleton. I have a new job starting on Monday. Don’t get me wrong – my life is hectic, but I love it.

After speaking with a friend recently, I realized just how blessed I am. I got into a dietetic internship on my first try. I passed my RD exam the first time I attempted it. I landed a job right away. And now? Now I’m moving on to an even better job. Best of all, I have the most amazing and supportive husband next to me. I have so much to be thankful for.

I haven’t been cooking much because we have very little food in the house and I don’t want to buy more before the move. Stupid me didn’t prepare for this move very well. If I had any sense, I would have stockpiled some posts and scheduled them for the next few weeks. Instead, I have nothing. So DSD might be a little empty for a couple weeks while I rebuild my life in Madison.

That brings me to these brownies. Mike asked if I could make a treat for him to bring in to work. I heard several rave reviews about these salted fudge brownies and I decided that those were definitely the treat I would make. It worked out perfectly because I already had all the ingredients at home. The results are definitely rave-worthy. I’m a little sad that I had to give them away because they were so good. So good that I snagged a piece for Mike and I to share and sent 15 instead of 16 brownies to work. Oops 🙂

I plan on stocking up on more unsweetened chocolate soon because I need to make more of these. I have even heard that these are perfect for freezing individually and then microwaving for 15 seconds later on for a magnificent, fudgy treat.

Salted Fudge Brownies | doughseedough.net

Salted Fudge Brownies
very slightly adapted from Eva Bakes, via Food and Wine

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, roughly chopped
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed light brown sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon Maldon sea salt

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8×8 metal pan with foil, draping foil over the edges. Generously butter the foil.
  2. In a large saucepan over low heat, melt the butter and unsweetened chocolate, whisking occasionally, until completely melted.
  3. Remove pan from heat and whisk in cocoa powder until smooth. One at a time, whisk in sugar, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, and flour, mixing well after each addition.
  4. Pour batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle salt on top and gently swirl into batter using a toothpick.
  5. Bake in preheated oven for 30 – 35 minutes, or until edges are done but center is still slightly gooey. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out with a little batter.
  6. Let brownies cool for 1 hour at room temperature. Place in refrigerator and chill for 1 more hour.
  7. Life brownies from pan by grasping the foil overhang and place on a cutting board. Cut into 16 squares. Serve at room temperature.


by Leave a comment

Healthy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have been craving cookies like crazy lately. On Sunday night the craving was so bad and I (sadly) didn’t have any cookies in the house. Wait, I take that back. I had Girl Scout cookies, but those weren’t going to cut it.

I decided to experiment and whip up some peanut butter cookies. Then I decided to make them better with mini chocolate chips and some chopped peanuts. Mini chips are my newest baking fave. I don’t know why I don’t use them more! They are perfect for cookies because they distribute more evenly in the batter than big chips. You’re pretty much guaranteed chocolate in every nibble!

If you’re a fan of soft, cake-y cookies, these are for you. They are so light in texture and absolutely delish. I was a bit hesitant to use the word “healthy” for this cookie, but this is probably one of the better-for-you cookies that I’ve made. After all, there is not a trace of added oil or butter in this recipe. And no butter or oil means I can eat more cookies, right? Right.

Healthy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies | doughseedough.net

Healthy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 cup natural creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 2/3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup mini chocolate chips
1/3 cup dry roasted peanuts, chopped

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl, beat together peanut butter, applesauce, sugars, vanilla, and eggs until smooth and well combined.
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Stir into wet ingredients until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips and peanuts.
  4. Wet hands with water* and roll dough into 1-inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 12 – 14 minutes, or until edges are lightly browned. Let cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes before moving to wire rack to cool completely.

*I had to wet mine with water because this dough is really darn sticky. Alarmingly sticky. But don’t fret. Wet your hands, roll the dough, and the cookies will bake up perfectly!


by 2 Comments

Roasted Veggie Wraps with Goat Cheese Yogurt Spread

I hope you all had a fabulous weekend. I know I did! I spent a lot of time in the kitchen… like 8 hours a day Friday, Saturday and Sunday. And, surprisingly, the majority of that time was not spent on cooking or baking! You see, last Tuesday morning Mike and I were out for a run. While on this run, I saw a hideous/beautiful dresser on the side of the road. We ran past it once, then twice, and then a third time. The final time I stopped and inspected it. It was in good condition, the drawers appeared clean and the construction was solid. We called my father in law and he came right away with his trailer and helped us drag it home. At 6 in the morning. Bless him.

So, that became my weekend project. The dresser got moved into the kitchen and I disinfected the whole dang thing twice and then got to work. I spent all weekend sanding, priming, painting, sanding, painting, sanding… You get the picture. As I type, all 9 dresser drawers have been painted an amazing shade of blue and have their first coat of polycrylic on it. They need to be sanded and coated with 2 more coats of polycrylic. The dresser itself has been primed and painted, but needs a third layer of paint. Then it will get the same polycrylic treatment as the drawers. Then the hardware needs to get spray painted. All this needs to happen before we move to Madison in 2 weeks.

The other highlight of my weekend was going to the farmers’ market. It’s one of my favorite Saturday morning activities. We usually walk away with one thing: kettle corn. This weekend, we walked away with a bit more: kettle corn, fougasse, and some eggplant. I tend to do my menu planning on Sunday or Mondays and then go shopping on Wednesdays. I think I need to rethink my timing so I can incorporate some more farmers’ market goodies into our weekly meals. There is seriously nothing better than eating market goodies for dinner 🙂

Roasted Veggie Wraps with Goat Cheese Yogurt Spread | doughseedough.net

Roasted Veggie Wraps with Goat Cheese Yogurt Spread

for the roasted vegetables:
3 carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/2″ x 3″ pieces
3 Japanese eggplant, sliced into 1/2″ x 3″ pieces
1 pound cremini mushrooms, quartered
1 large red onion, chopped
3 red or yellow bell peppers, sliced into strips
1 1/2 tablespoons Arizona Dreaming seasoning or other seasoning of choice
salt and pepper
olive oil

for the goat cheese yogurt spread:
4 oz goat cheese
1/2 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper, to taste

8 large whole wheat tortillas
4 cups baby spinach

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Toss vegetables with seasoning, salt, pepper, and olive oil until well combined. Spread into an even layer on a large baking sheet. Roast for 20 minutes or until just tender. Set aside to cool.
  2. Meanwhile, make the goat cheese yogurt spread. Combine all spread ingredients in a food processor. Blend until smooth.
  3. To assemble, spread 2 tablespoons of the spread onto a whole wheat tortilla. Lay down 1/2 cup of baby spinach and 1/8 of the roasted vegetable mixture on one end of the tortilla. Roll up tightly. Repeat with the remaining tortillas. Slice in half and serve.


by 1 Comment

Oatmeal Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Oatmeal Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies | doughseedough.net

I think I have a problem. I can’t stop eating these cookies. Seriously. They are making their way into my mouth 3 at a time, several times a day. I’m eating so many of them that I haven’t really eaten a proper dinner in a few days because I’m seriously just stuffed full of cookies. The only time that I am sans-cookie is at work. And that’s only because I force myself to walk out the door without a bag full of them. I need to keep a few hours of my life cookie-free, after all.

I have 2 sad cookies left in my cookie jar. The good news is they are super easy to whip together. The bad news is that it’s a million degrees (and humid!) out and the thought of turning on the oven makes me want to cry. I think I’ll have to wait until it cools off so I can bake more of these. And this time I probably won’t share.

Oatmeal Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies | doughseedough.net

Oatmeal Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies
slightly adapted from Cooking Light

1 1/4 cup all-purpose or whole wheat flour
1 cup old fashioned oats
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 large egg
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup semisweet mini chocolate chips

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl, gently whisk together flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
  3. In a separate bowl with an electric mixer set on medium speed, beat together sugar, brown sugar, and butter until well blended. Mix in vanilla and egg until just blended.
  4. Stir in flour mixture by hand until just combined. Stir in pecans and chocolate chips.
  5. Roll dough into 1″ balls and place 2″ apart on prepared baking sheets. Bake for about 12 minutes, or until edges of the cookies are lightly browned. Let cool on pan for 2 minutes before placing on a wire rack to cool completely.


by 1 Comment

Cold Peanut Noodles with Tofu and Bell Peppers

This summery pasta dish is perfect for those nights where it’s just too dang hot to spend hours sweating in the kitchen. Or for those nights where you need something on the table in less than 30 minutes. Or for those nights where you are just really craving tofu.

What? You don’t crave tofu? I do. I also really hate cooking when it’s hot and humid out. So this dish was perfect.

Cold Peanut Noodles with Tofu and Bell Peppers | doughseedough.net

Cold Peanut Noodles with Tofu and Bell Peppers
adapted from Food and Wine

3/4 pound cold tofu, cut into 1/2 – 3/4″ cubes
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
1 pound Chinese shan dong noodles or other wide, flat noodle
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
3/4 teaspoon Chinese chile-black bean sauce
1″ piece of ginger, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
3/4 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
2 large bell peppers, thinly sliced
3 large green onions, thinly sliced
cilantro, optional

  1. Toss tofu with 1/3 cup soy sauce in a medium bowl. Let sit for 10 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add noodles and cook according to package directions until they are al dente. Drain and rinse under cold water. Place into a large bowl.
  3. Combine the remaining soy sauce with peanut butter, broth, vinegar, chile sauce, ginger, garlic and sesame oil. Puree until smooth. Pour over the noodles and toss to combine.
  4. To serve, place noodles into a bowl and top with tofu, bell peppers, and green onions. Serve immediately.


by Leave a comment

Easy Quinoa with Roasted Mini Bell Peppers

This simple salad is packed full of flavor and makes the perfect accompaniment to pretty much any summer dish. If you’re ever asked to bring a salad or side dish for a potluck, throw this together… I’m 99% sure that no one else will show up with the same dish as you 😉

I’ll tell you a little secret though – this dish is also perfect alone as a main. I meant to grill some chicken to go with it, but sometimes I just run out of gas at the end of the day. This was one of those days. So we each had nice, large bowls of this instead. Perfect 🙂

Easy Quinoa with Roasted Mini Bell Peppers | doughseedough.net

Easy Quinoa with Roasted Mini Bell Peppers

4 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
2 cups quinoa
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup garlic olive oil, divided
1 package mini bell peppers
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
2 tablespoons flat leaf parsley, chopped

  1. Bring chicken broth to a boil in a large pot over high heat. Add in quinoa and garlic. Reduce heat to medium-low and cover pot. Simmer until chicken broth is absorbed, about 20 minutes.
  2. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Place peppers in skillet in a single layer and cook until blistered on all sides. Set aside in a large bowl.
  3. Add quinoa to bowl along with remaining olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss to combine. Top dish with feta and parsley and serve.


by 2 Comments

Hot Italian Sausage & Pepper Hash

It finally feels like summer to me. I’m taking a week off work  to explore some great things out west with my family. Mike, my dad, step-mom, brother and I are trekking out there to do some serious exploring.

trip out west

We’re doing a little bit of everything, from Vegas to Grand Canyon North & South Rim, Zion National Park, and Bryce Canyon with a bunch of stuff in between. I’m super excited since it’s going to be my first time ’round those parts 🙂

Downside(s)? The heat. I melt in the Wisconsin summer. I will surely die in the heat of Vegas (100°F? Why does this temperature even exist?) and surrounding areas. I’m also a little worried about my workouts. I’m bringing my running gear and I bought a travel yoga mat to help me stay on track. My plan is to run 3 times and do yoga 3 times while we’re out there. My regular routine, essentially. Hopefully I can stick to it!

We’re leaving for the airport in a few short hours and I still have a huge list of things to finish up (like the apple crisp in the oven). I’m running off to do some last minute packing now, but I’ll leave you with a super simple and super delicious recipe – enjoy!

Hot Italian Sausage & Pepper Hash | doughseedough.net

Hot Italian Sausage and Pepper Hash 

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 large onions, quartered and thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1-19 ounce package hot Italian sausage links, casings removed
3 pounds red potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
10 mini bell peppers or 3 large bell peppers, sliced
salt and pepper, to taste
6 large eggs

  1. Preheat oven to 450°F.
  2. Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add onions and sprinkle with about 1/2 teaspoon salt. Lower the heat to medium-low and cook onions, stirring frequently, until caramelized, about 15 minutes. Add in garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, place sausage in a medium pan over medium-high heat and brown, chopping up links into crumbles with a wooden spoon or a spatula. Cook until browned and drain off excess fat.
  4. Stir sausage into onions and add in potatoes. Season with salt and pepper  to taste. Cook for 10 minutes. Pour potatoes and sausage mixture into a large baking sheet and sprinkle sliced peppers on top. Bake in preheated oven for about 30 minutes, or until potatoes are cooked through.
  5. In the last few minutes of baking, heat olive oil in a nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Cook eggs until desired doneness is reached. Scoop hash into bowls and top with an egg. Serve immediately.


by 2 Comments

Ultimate Veggie Burger

I lost my favorite work perk last week with the end of the school year.

Salads. Delivered to me. Every day.

I never had to worry about what I was going to eat, never had to pack leftovers for lunch, never had to resort to a sad PB&J or turkey & cheese sandwich. I had an amazing salad sent to me. Now it’s all over. The kitchens are closed until September and I’m… hungry.

I’ll admit that I have been really bad about remembering to bring lunch with me. In the 7 work days that I have been salad-less, I have forgotten lunch 3 times. Not good, Jen, not good. I’m at least smart enough to keep our office fridge well-stocked with Greek yogurt and I have a fairly impressive stash of snacks in my desk drawer as well. Wheat crackers and Greek yogurt make for a sad lunch, though, and 3 days of it is more than enough for me.

I’m making an effort to pack a lunch, and these veggie burgers were first up on my list. I made a huge batch of it and have enough to feed Mike and me for a week.

Ultimate Veggie Burger | DoughSeeDough.net

Ultimate Veggie Burger

for the patties:
2 cans black beans drained, liquid reserved
4 large carrots, grated
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1 tablespoon Mexican chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

for the burgers:
olive oil
whole wheat hamburger buns
optional toppings: thinly sliced tomato, lettuce, onion

  1. Combine all veggie patty ingredients (black beans through black pepper) in a food processor. Pulse until combined, being careful not to puree. If mixture does not easily stick together, add reserved bean liquid 1 tablespoon at a time, until it does.
  2. Shape mixture into 4 or 5 patties 1″ thick.
  3. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large nonstick pan over medium heat. Add patties and cook for 2 – 3 minutes on each side or until browned on both sides. Serve hot on a bun and garnish with lettuce, tomato, and any other toppings you desire!


by 2 Comments

Lightened Up Cream Cheese Chicken Enchiladas

It’s swap time again! The theme this month was Mexican food and I received a recipe for Cream Cheese Enchiladas from Carrie’s Sweet Life. I read only the name of the dish and raised my eyebrows. I jumped to the conclusion that these were going to be filled with cream cheese and only cream cheese.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I love cream cheese. Seriously. But the thought of eating a cream cheese enchilada was a bit too much for me. I read on and was very relieved to see that there were several other ingredients in the enchiladas in addition to cream cheese. Whew!

I absolutely loved these. They were super simple to make and had a great flavor, too. I followed in Carrie’s footsteps and made the filling and shredded all the cheese the night before. Then, the next day I assembled and baked them off. While they were in the oven I threw together a quick apple slaw to go with it.

Lightened Up Cream Cheese Chicken Enchiladas | doughseedough.net

Lightened Up Cream Cheese Chicken Enchiladas
slightly adapted from Carrie’s Sweet Life

1 package Neufchatel or reduced fat cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
2 cup prepared salsa (I used some homemade stuff I canned last summer)
1 cup shredded colby cheese
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle pepper
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon cumin
salt and pepper, to taste
8-8 inch flour tortillas

  1. Preheat oven to 325°F.
  2. In a medium bowl, beat together cream cheese and Greek yogurt until smooth. Stir in 1/2 cup salsa, 1/2 cup colby, and 1/2 cup cheddar.
  3. In a separate bowl, mix chicken, corn, cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Fold into cheese mixture and stir until thoroughly combined.
  4. Spread 1/2 cup salsa into the bottom of a large baking dish.
  5. Place 1/3 – 1/2 cup of filling into the bottom third of a tortilla. Roll up and place seam-side down in baking dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas. Pour remaining 1/2 cup salsa on top and sprinkle with remaining cheese.
  6. Bake in preheated oven for 25 – 30 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly and center of enchiladas are hot. Serve immediately.

Thanks to Taste of Home Cooking for organizing! Make sure to check out the other recipe swap posts!