Alex Masica

Ingredients

• For The Apples
• 5 pounds apples
• Zest of 1 orange
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 2 tablespoons freshly-squeezed orange juice
• 2 tablespoons freshly-squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• For the Topping
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 cup oatmeal
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 pound diced cold butter

Steps

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9"x14"x2" oval baking dish.
2. Slice the apples with an apple slicer, and then cut the wedges in half to make rough cubes. Combine the apples with the zests, juices, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Pour into the baking dish.
3. To make the topping, combine the flour, sugars, salt, oatmeal, and cold butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until the mixture is crumbly and the butter is the size of peas. Scatter evenly over the apples.
4. Place the baking dish on a sheet pan and bake for 1 hour until the top is brown and the apples are bubbly. Serve warm.

Ingredients

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• Salt and pepper
• Red pepper flakes
• 1 12″ pre-made / store-bought pizza crust
• 1 recipe Thai peanut sauce (see below)
• 2 cups mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup shaved carrots
• 1/2 diced red onion
• 1 small can pineapple chunks, drained
• 1/3 cup cashews
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Thai Peanut Sauce
• 3 heaping tablespoons smooth peanut butter
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Steps

1. 1. Preheat oven according to package directions.
2. 2. Dice chicken into small, bite-sized pieces. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and a few (or a lot of) shakes of red pepper flakes. I probably used about 1 tablespoon. Cook chicken in a pan with olive oil until cooked through. Set aside.
3. 3. Meanwhile, combine Thai peanut sauce ingredients in a blender or food processor and process until smooth.
4. 4. Spread Thai peanut sauce onto pizza crust, then top with chicken, cheese, carrots, onions, pineapple, and cashews. Bake according to package directions, or until cheese is golden brown.
5. 5. Top with cilantro. Then chow down!

Ingredients

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 3/4 cup cornstarch (optional, for breading)
• 3 eggs, beaten (optional, for breading)
• 1/4 cup canola oil or olive oil
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 3/4 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/3–1/2 cup apple cider vinegar (depending on your preferences)
• 1 t sesame oil
• 1 t minced garlic
• Optional: sesame seeds, for garnish

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Chop chicken breasts into bite-size pieces. I went with about 1/2-inch pieces. If you go with the unbreaded option, make your pieces a little bit larger.
2. Optional, for breading (Skip to #3 for no breading):In separate bowls, place cornstarch and eggs. Dip chicken into cornstarch and then in the eggs. Alternative method: place cornstarch, eggs, and chicken in a gallon-size plastic bag. Shake and mix for two minutes to evenly coat. (See note at bottom)
3. Heat canola or olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook chicken until browned (they do not need to be fully cooked). Place the chicken in a 9×13 greased baking dish.
4. In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine honey, soy sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, sesame oil, and garlic.
5. Pour over chicken and bake for one hour or until chicken is cooked through and sauce has just started to crisp around the edges of the baking dish, stirring every 15 minutes.
6. Top with sesame seeds and serve with brown rice and a vegetable of choice (I used broccoli).
7. Note: if you use the plastic bag option to bread the chicken, remove chicken pieces individually with a small spoon and place in the skillet. Do not pour the entire contents into the skillet, as clumps of cornstarch will form and cook with the chicken. This makes it hard to tell the difference between pieces of chicken and cornstarch after removing from the oven.

Ingredients

• Mini pretzels (I used Old Dutch fat free thins)
• Individually-wrapped caramel squares, unwrapped
• Kosher salt
• Pecan halves
• 16oz milk chocolate chips

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
3. Lay mini pretzels in rows on parchment paper, leaving about an inch in between each.
4. Place a caramel square on top of each pretzel. Place baking sheets in oven for about six minutes, or until the caramels have have softened but are not melting. Remove from oven.
5. Sprinkle the top of each caramel with a pinch kosher salt.
6. Place a pecan half on each caramel and press until the caramel has filled the pretzel holes but has not overflowed. Let caramel cool completely. You can expedite this process by placing baking sheets in the freezer or fridge for about 10 minutes.
7. Meanwhile, melt the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl, heating for 20 seconds and then stirring until soft and runny.
8. When caramels are cooled, remove from baking sheet. Spoon about 1 teaspoon of melted chocolate onto the parchment paper, followed by a pinch of salt. Place a pretzel on top and press gently. Repeat until all pretzels have been used.
9. Let cool completely. Again, you can expedite this process by placing the baking sheets in a freezer or fridge. But be careful—caramel will be too firm to chew when you initially remove from the cold if using this method.

Ingredients

• Chopped romaine lettuce
• 1 handful red grapes
• 1 carrot, shaved
• 1/3 cucumber, quartered
• 1/2 cup cooked quinoa
• 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, cooked and chopped
• Light honey mustard dressing

Steps

1. Place all ingredients in a large bowl and toss to combine with tongs or salad spoons. Place in a salad bowl and enjoy!