Cucumber Chips

So my in-laws' vegetable garden produced an abundance of giant cucumbers. They kindly shared their bounty with us. But I don't like cucumbers. Eric does, but he has only eaten them in salads. Even Eric couldn't eat enough salads to use up three huge cucumbers. So I got creative. Rather Eric did. Since I like to make veggies into chips, he suggested cucumber chips.

Well, I finally found a cucumber I like. Eric liked them too. I seasoned mine with lemon pepper seasoning, but you could use plain old salt and pepper, garlic powder, or if you want something spicy, cayenne powder.

Ingredients:
Cucumber (I've found that smaller cucumbers work better)
Seasoning of choice
Cooking spray

Directions:
Line a microwave-safe plate with waxed paper and spray generously with cooking spray.

With a mandoline slice your cucumber into rounds that are just a step above paper thin (I use the second setting on my mandoline). If you make your slices too thick, they won't crisp. 

Place your cucumber slices in a single layer on the plate. Sprinkle seasoning over the cucumber.
On high power, microwave for 4 to 6 minutes. Allow the chips to rest for 1 minute. Microwave for another 2 to 3 minutes or until light brown spots appear on the chips. Keep in mind each microwave cooks differently. My chips turned out best when cooked for 4 minutes then 3 minutes.

Remove from microwave. Beware, the plate will be very hot. Serve right away. Chips do not keep.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

More Chip Recipes:
Baked Apple Chips
Banana Chips
Homemade Pita Chips
Homemade Tortilla Chips
Kale Chips 
Parmesan Veggie Crisps
Pepperoni Chips
Potato Chips in the Microwave
Snowflake Tortilla Chips
Yellow Squash Chips 
Zucchini Chips 2.0

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread in a Mug

Banana bread, is it a breakfast food or a dessert? You make the call. But I will tell you how to make chocolate chip banana banana bread in about five minutes--that's prep and bake time!

Recipe has been adapted from here.

Ingredients:
Cooking spray
3 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon milk
1 ripe banana, mushed
2 tablespoon chocolate chips

Directions:
You will need a large, oversized mug for this recipe. The site I got the original recipe from did not forewarn me of this and this is what happened:

It's still delicious and cooked through, just a bit messy. So use a large coffee mug. Spray it with cooking spray. In the mug combine the flour, white sugar, brown sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda . Add egg and mix well. Add vanilla, milk, and banana; combine well. Fold in chocolate chips.*

Microwave for three minutes. (Almost immediately it smells just like banana bread baking in the oven). Your mug is going to be very hot so make either let it cool in the microwave or be very careful when taking it out. Allow bread to cool before devouring.

*The chocolate chips kind of sink to the bottom of the banana bread. I don't mind this. It's kind of like a special treat at the bottom of the dessert, but fair warning.

Personally, I feel like this is a lot of banana bread. It's more than I can eat in one sitting. It's like a mini loaf of bread. So I dumped it out of the mug, sliced it, and shared it.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

Check out these other mug recipes:
French Toast in a Mug
Quiche in a Mug
3-Ingredient Gluten-Free Mug Cake
Chocolate Chip Cookie in a Mug!
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Mug Cake
Chocolate-Hazelnut Mug Cake
Chocolate Peanut Butter Mug Cake
Fluffernutter Mug Cake
Pumpkin Mug Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting 

French Toast in the Mug

Warning: This is highly addictive. When I was little, I remember my mom asking my brother and me if we wanted pancakes or French toast for dinner (breakfast for dinner, is there anything better in this world?). Ken would always say pancakes. I always voted for French toast. Now I can have French toast for breakfast, dinner, or just a snack with incredible ease.

Recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients:
2 slices of bread, torn into bite-size pieces
1 egg white
1 1/2 tablespoon milk
1-2 drops of vanilla extract
cinnamon, to taste (I probably use about a tablespoon but I love cinnamon!) 
cooking spray
maple syrup, optional

Directions:
Spray the inside of a coffee mug with cooking spray. Add bread to the mug. You'll have to mash it down a little. In a small bowl, combine egg whites, milk, vanilla, and cinnamon. Pour over the bread. Let the mug sit for about a minute so the egg mixture and sink down and absorb into the bread.

Microwave for about 1 minute 20 seconds on high. However, all microwaves cook different. Start at 1 minute and progressively add 10 seconds until cooked. Add syrup if desired. Allow to cool before eating (I burnt my tongue because I was too impatient).

As it cooks in the microwave, it smells just like regular French toast.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

Check out these other mug recipes:
Chocolate Chip Banana Bread in a Mug
Quiche in a Mug
3-Ingredient Gluten-Free Mug Cake
Chocolate Chip Cookie in a Mug!
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Mug Cake
Chocolate-Hazelnut Mug Cake
Chocolate Peanut Butter Mug Cake
Fluffernutter Mug Cake
Pumpkin Mug Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting 

Quiche in a Mug

I love eggs. But I hate cleaning eggy pans. Of course, I hate cleaning pans, period. Doesn't everyone? One of the great things about this quiche in a mug, no clean up. You make it, cook it, and eat it out of the mug. Talk about a quick easy breakfast (or lunch or dinner). Now, since there isn't a crust, I guess this doesn't technically qualify as a quiche. But that's what it reminds me of. And you could add cubed bread for a deconstructed quiche. This is also a very basic recipe. You can change it up by adding different ingredients to have different eggs every morning.

I can't even begin to tell you how much I wish I knew about all these mug recipes when I was in college. I would have eaten so much better.

Recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients:
2 eggs
1 1/2 tablespoons milk
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
cooking spray
cheese, optional
onions, optional
peppers, optional
ham, optional

Directions:
Spray the inside of the mug with the cooking spray. Scrabble the eggs and milk in the mug. Salt and pepper to taste. Add whatever other ingredients you'd like. Thyme, oregano, basil, rosemary . . . I always add cheese--cheddar being my favorite. If you have some green onions or peppers lying around, dice them and toss them in. Or if you have any leftover ham, sausage, or chicken, add it too. Just make sure it's all precooked. I love using quiches as a way to recycle leftovers into a new dish. They're also fun to experiment with.

Microwave on high for approximately 1 minute 20 seconds. All microwaves cook differently so you may need to cook it a little longer or a little shorter. I recommend starting with 1 minute and go up by 10 seconds from there.

Here are some quiche ideas to inspire you:
The Pizza Quiche
Spicy Sausage Spinach Quiche
Ham and Broccoli Quiche

Enjoy!

~Krissy

Check out these other mug recipes:
French Toast in a Mug
Chocolate Chip Banana Bread in a Mug
3-Ingredient Gluten-Free Mug Cake
Chocolate Chip Cookie in a Mug!
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Mug Cake
Chocolate-Hazelnut Mug Cake
Chocolate Peanut Butter Mug Cake
Fluffernutter Mug Cake
Pumpkin Mug Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting