This recipe for Strawberry Almond Baked Steel Cut Oatmeal was created in partnership with Bob’s Red Mill.

I’ve been wanting to make baked oatmeal for as long as I can remember. I could tell by the recipes I’ve found online that I would love it, mostly because of it’s texture. I’ve mentioned before, I’m more of a savory breakfast girl (eggs!) but I do enjoy a bowl of oatmeal or overnight oats every now and then. It’s so good for you and lucky for me, my kids love it too.

Baked oatmeal is exactly what it is – prepared oatmeal, baked instead of cooked on the stove top. I love using steel cut oats when I can, but I had a feeling that they could be tricky in a recipe for baked oatmeal because of their heartier texture and cook time. After doing a little research, I decided to follow Lisa’s method of baking steel cut oatmeal, and it turned out wonderfully.

(more…)

The post Strawberry Almond Baked Steel Cut Oatmeal appeared first on Aggie's Kitchen.

Vinaigrettes are my absolute favorite way to dress a salad. I believe my love of vinaigrettes come from my parents and grandparents because growing up, there were no bottles of ranch or blue cheese on our dinner table, there was oil and vinegar.

Fast forward a few years to my parents’ second restaurant and that is where I learned how to make a proper vinaigrette (aka house dressing).

(more…)

The post Maple Vinaigrette Dressing appeared first on Aggie's Kitchen.

I don’t always crave heavy meat and potato meals like this one but recently I picked up a package of short ribs from Costco and wanted to treat my husband with something a little different than what we usually have for dinner. He loves short ribs and it’s something he would typically order out. My friend Julie has posted some pretty amazing looking short rib recipes over the years and I’ve always wanted to try making them myself. These Slow Cooker Barbecue Short Ribs turned out absolutely amazing – I was pretty proud of myself considering how inexperienced I am with cooking cuts of beef like this. Let’s be honest though, it’s hard to mess up tender beef like short ribs in the slow cooker.

I quickly browned the short ribs before setting them to cook in the slow cooker for several hours. If you are in the market for a new slow cooker I highly recommend this Crock-Pot Slow Cooker with Stovetop Browning, I’ve been using it for the past year and it has been so awesome to skip the whole brown in a skillet step when it comes to slow cooker recipes!! Seriously, a game changer. Love it.

(more…)

The post Slow Cooker Barbecue Short Ribs appeared first on Aggie's Kitchen.

This recipe was created in partnership with Fisher Nuts.

It’s that time of year again. The time of year when everyone is either loving or hating Brussels sprouts. I’m a big fan, but it wasn’t until college that I was actually introduced to these little green gems so I guess I’m sort of a late bloomer in the I love Brussels sprouts club. I’m hoping to convert my family (specifically my kids) to the club so I’m always trying new ways to cook them up. Roasting them is my absolute favorite (how can you not love those crispy outer leaves?).

My kids are still on the fence, my husband is a big no, but my 2 year old loves them…he devoured multiple servings of this Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Brussels Sprouts with Pecans dish when I made it last week.

That’s my boy!

(more…)

The post Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Brussels Sprouts with Pecans appeared first on Aggie's Kitchen.

The last couple of weeks, my grocery store has had avocados and mangos on sale. Would it be too obvious to tell you my produce drawer is filled with plenty of both right now?

Yep. I have a few more mangos & avocados than I know what to do with at the moment. This is not a bad thing.

(more…)

The post Maple Mustard Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Sweet Potatoes and Mango appeared first on Aggie's Kitchen.

Roasted vegetables are definitely my go-to when it comes to side dishes at dinnertime. I just love how easy it is to toss some veggies with some seasoning, crank up the oven and let the magic happen without much involvement from my part. You know I am ALL about easy.

I make these roasted carrots all the time. I recently made them to serve with this Slow Cooker Asian Citrus Pork Tenderloin recipe. Since carrots are naturally sweet I don’t need to add too much (pure) maple syrup to them, just enough to give them some more flavor. The chili and smoked paprika gives them a subtle kick of spice, but not in a way that little ones can’t enjoy them. In fact, my little ones LOVE these carrots, which is a big reason I try to make them often.

(more…)

The post Chili Maple Roasted Carrots appeared first on Aggie's Kitchen.

I have never been one to only eat salads in the warm weather months. Maybe that’s because I live in Florida and we have warm weather almost all year long?

I’d like to believe that I would enjoy a salad here and there in the cold winters that some of you experience in the North (and/or West I guess I should say). For me, building a salad comes from whatever is in season, looks good in the produce section or whatever you are craving really. I can never say no to a crisp bowl of crunchy salad veggies with a good homemade dressing or vinaigrette.

Now, though I can eat salad any day of the year, I don’t necessarily always want to make a salad for myself. That’s another story. Lately I have been in a salad rut, but was inspired to create this one with the newly arrived fruits of the season that I’ve been seeing lots of – apples and pears. What goes perfectly with a salad chock full of apples and pears? Why, pecans of course.

I have a hard time choosing a favorite when it comes to nuts, but I will say that pecans are definitely up there on the list. Especially when it comes to fall inspired dishes, like this salad. I created a simple pecan vinaigrette using Fisher Nut Pecan Halves and it is absolutely delicious, as you can imagine a nutty vinaigrette to be. Toasting up the pecans and adding them to the vinaigrette base while still warm infuses a little extra flavor into the mixture – so good! It was a perfect dressing for this simple seasonal salad, but honestly I can’t wait to drizzle it over other fall roasted veggies like butternut squash and Brussels sprouts.

(more…)

The post Autumn Spinach Salad with Pecan Vinaigrette appeared first on Aggie's Kitchen.

I had a major clean out the produce drawer cooking session yesterday. My lack of meal planning and shopping without a list the week before Thanksgiving left me with a few too many straggling veggies to be dealt with. No regrets though, because in result, this bowl of roasted veggie goodness happened.

A couple of months ago I stumbled onto this recipe for Maple Glazed “Medley” over on Skinny Mommy. This is honestly my favorite kind of recipe, one that I know that pretty much everyone in my family would eat with no complaints. I always have chicken and apple sausages in my freezer (I  leave Costco with a huge pack every single time!) so it’s a great stand-by recipe to make with whatever veggies you have on hand. The maple syrup really makes it extra special and if you like a little heat then a little drizzle of hot chili sauce will pair up perfectly to create that “sweet heat” so many of us crave.

It doesn’t take much to put this together.  A little chop, a little toss and in the oven it goes.

(more…)

The post Maple Roasted Fall Vegetables with Chicken-Apple Sausage appeared first on Aggie's Kitchen.

Ellie Krieger’s Nutty Granola

Ingredients:

• Cooking Spray
• 3 cups old-fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup chopped raw, unsalted walnuts (used raw cashews instead)
• 1/2 cup chopped unsalted almonds (used sliced)
• 1/2 cup chopped unsalted pecans
• 1/2 cup maple syrup (I reduced it to 1/4 cup, and added 1/4 cup agave nectar)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (didn't have any so I subbed 1 tsp vanilla)
• 1/2 cup raisins, optional (didn't include these)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Spray a large baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. In a medium bowl combine the oats, nuts, maple syrup, salt, cinnamon and the raisins, if using. Spread the mixture onto the baking sheet and bake until golden brown, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. Transfer the sheet to a cooling rack and let cool completely. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

Recipe from Ellie Krieger, Healthy Appetite with Ellie Krieger

Follow Aggie’s Kitchen’s board Breakfast on Pinterest.

The post Ellie Krieger’s Nutty Granola appeared first on Aggie's Kitchen.