Good day, everyone!
No need to remind me that it's been almost a month since my last post. I know.
Work has me very busy (I'm full-time with a schedule ALL over the place) and I honestly haven't much time to cook, let alone blog it.
I promise I'll get better at managing my time.
Here's a link post for you all, though.
Things I'm loving lately:
BREAKFAST:
I make a mish-mash of these two recipes: http://mouthwateringfoods.blogspot.com/2013/03/chocolate-steel-cut-oats.html and http://budgetbytes.blogspot.com/2012/04/chocolate-banana-baked-oatmeal-359.html. I'm obsessed with overnight oats. So simple (throw everything in your slow-cooker and leave it!) and delicious, with so many options! It makes morning meals really quick and tasty. The browned bits on the edges are sometimes the best thing ever.
Protein pancakes are awesome! Some recipes are paleo, some are low-carb, but all are delicious!
DINNERS:
Brisket! Brisket is so easy to find here! We made this BBQ brisket recipe with my parents one night. *drools* So good. We used a local place's barbecue sauces and it was divine.
This vegan kabocha-lentil curry is fantastic and flavorful, though I recommend doubling the spices (and definitely add the tomatoes.
I would have these sweet potato burgers daily if I could! I used coconut flour instead of quinoa and added flax and another egg. They weren't as solid as the photos seem but oh my gosh were they tasty!
DESSERT:
The last two weeks have been filled with one dessert requested twice by my husband: Lemon meringue pie. We've used Alton Brown's recipe and it's soooo good! For gluten-free people, I suggest this pie crust recipe. It's still not 100% foolprood, but it tastes great.
Showing posts with label chocolate. Show all posts
Showing posts with label chocolate. Show all posts
Monday, April 22, 2013
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Vegan Mondays Continued: Chocolate Pots-de-"Creme"
These were very, very tasty little pots-de-creme made with a few simple ingredients. No butter or cream to be found here!
Ingredients:
1 14-oz. can full-fat coconut milk
5 oz. bittersweet chocolate (I used Baker's), roughly chopped
1 t. grated orange zest
2-3 T. sugar
1/2 t. vanilla extract
Instructions:
Heat a double-boiler over high heat. Add coconut milk and chocolate and stir until the chocolate is melted.
Ingredients:
1 14-oz. can full-fat coconut milk
5 oz. bittersweet chocolate (I used Baker's), roughly chopped
1 t. grated orange zest
2-3 T. sugar
1/2 t. vanilla extract
Instructions:
Heat a double-boiler over high heat. Add coconut milk and chocolate and stir until the chocolate is melted.
Add the rest of the ingredients and stir until smooth.
Pour into 2-3 mini-cocottes or small bowls, and refrigerate for 2-3 hours, until set.
My only complaint was that the texture was a tad bit grainy--I might try whisking it next time while it's heating.
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Almond Meal Chocolate Chip Cookies
These are a great substitute for normal chocolate chip cookies! They definitely satisfy my craving whenever I want some.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups almond meal
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. baking soda
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
1/4 cup sugar substitute (as always, I use Splenda)
1 egg
1/2 t. vanilla extract
1/4 cup chocolate chips
Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
Combine almond meal, salt, and baking soda in a small bowl. Set aside.
Cream together butter and sugar substitute until combined. Add egg and vanilla and mix well.
Add the dry ingredients, mixing well.
Stir in the chocolate chips.
Drop onto a prepared baking sheet (I think rolling them into balls and squashing them down looks best, but they cook the same either way).
Bake for 10-15 minutes (depends on your oven), or until they are golden brown.
For the lowest carbs possible, use a less sweetened chocolate chip :). These are so tasty! But watch out; once they sit out for a couple of days, they get dry and crumbly, so keep them in a tightly sealed container.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups almond meal
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. baking soda
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
1/4 cup sugar substitute (as always, I use Splenda)
1 egg
1/2 t. vanilla extract
1/4 cup chocolate chips
Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
Combine almond meal, salt, and baking soda in a small bowl. Set aside.
Cream together butter and sugar substitute until combined. Add egg and vanilla and mix well.
Add the dry ingredients, mixing well.
Stir in the chocolate chips.
Drop onto a prepared baking sheet (I think rolling them into balls and squashing them down looks best, but they cook the same either way).
Bake for 10-15 minutes (depends on your oven), or until they are golden brown.
For the lowest carbs possible, use a less sweetened chocolate chip :). These are so tasty! But watch out; once they sit out for a couple of days, they get dry and crumbly, so keep them in a tightly sealed container.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Valentine's Day Overview
Two posts in one day?! MADNESS!!
But I had to share what I made for Valentine's Day :D.
Here is a lovely tidbit of information, first: IT IS FAR EASIER TO PUT ON WEIGHT THAN IT IS TO LOSE IT. And NONE of this is low-carb (except maybe the sugar snap peas) or, really, diet friendly. You are warned.
So, on to our Valentine's Day Menu.
Creamy sweet potato and leek soup. This recipe was pulled from a book I have, and will be posted if requested.
Seared duck breast with a cherry glaze, with sugar snap peas in orange zest.
The snap peas were sauteed in a pan with about 1 T. orange zest and 2 cloves of minced garlic, then salted and peppered.
5-layer chocolate cake with a Swiss-meringue-buttercream frosting and chocolate-covered strawberries.
The cake was from this recipe. I attempted to make the strawberry buttercream, but when I added the strawberry puree, it became a soup (I have great difficulty with buttercream frosting). So I just made another batch of vanilla buttercream and skipped the strawberries. Also, the cake should have been 6 layers, but one of my layers came out too thin and crumbled. I then punched out heart-shaped cake layers with a cookie cutter to make a cute themed cake :D.
Oh, hello!
And there you have it. Our tasty meal :D. Plus Iago, our African Grey parrot and my personal sous-chef, for fun.
But I had to share what I made for Valentine's Day :D.
Here is a lovely tidbit of information, first: IT IS FAR EASIER TO PUT ON WEIGHT THAN IT IS TO LOSE IT. And NONE of this is low-carb (except maybe the sugar snap peas) or, really, diet friendly. You are warned.
So, on to our Valentine's Day Menu.
Creamy sweet potato and leek soup. This recipe was pulled from a book I have, and will be posted if requested.
Seared duck breast with a cherry glaze, with sugar snap peas in orange zest.
The snap peas were sauteed in a pan with about 1 T. orange zest and 2 cloves of minced garlic, then salted and peppered.
5-layer chocolate cake with a Swiss-meringue-buttercream frosting and chocolate-covered strawberries.
The cake was from this recipe. I attempted to make the strawberry buttercream, but when I added the strawberry puree, it became a soup (I have great difficulty with buttercream frosting). So I just made another batch of vanilla buttercream and skipped the strawberries. Also, the cake should have been 6 layers, but one of my layers came out too thin and crumbled. I then punched out heart-shaped cake layers with a cookie cutter to make a cute themed cake :D.
Oh, hello!
And there you have it. Our tasty meal :D. Plus Iago, our African Grey parrot and my personal sous-chef, for fun.
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Low(er) Carb Chocolate Chip Banana Bread with Walnuts (and How to Make Your Own Almond Flour)
I love banana bread. It has been a staple in my house since I was a small, small child and I hate going without it. I also have a big sweet tooth when it comes to cookies and cake (banana bread falls under cake in my mind). When we went low-carb, I thought, "How? How will I get my precious banana bread? How will I have my delicious desserts?"
Then I discovered almond flour through this lovely website. But, alas, I wanted to use my banana bread recipe that everyone raved about. So what did I do?
Through trial and error (so many errors), I finally have a low(er) carb banana bread that I can rave about. And I am sharing it with you.
Ingredients:
2 cups almond flour
¼ cup ground flax seed
¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
½ t. salt
1 t. ground cinnamon
1 cup Splenda (or substitute sugar of your choice—just make sure it’s equal to 1 cup sugar)
½ cup cooking oil
2 large eggs
¼ cup Greek yogurt
1 t. vanilla extract
3 overripe bananas, mashed
½ cup walnuts, chopped
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional, but delicious)
1/3 cup walnuts, chopped
A small handful of rolled oats
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (approx. 175 degrees C). Butter and flour a bread loaf pan.
Combine almond flour, flax seed, all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Set aside.
Using a hand mixer, combine the oil, Splenda, and 2 eggs in a large bowl until the mixture is pale and frothy. Add ½ of the dry ingredient mixture to the bowl, mixing well. Add the Greek yogurt and vanilla extract. Mix well. Add the rest of the dry mixture, and mix again. Your batter will probably be quite thick.
Mix in the mashed bananas.
Stir in ½ cup chopped walnuts and chocolate chips.
Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan. Top with remaining 1/3 cup of chopped walnuts and handful of oats. Lightly press the topping into the batter (this will prevent it from not sticking).
Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hr. to 1 hr. 15 minutes, or whenever a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Notes:
You CAN make this gluten free (and lower carb) by using entirely almond flour, but be aware that it will not be as fluffy as using the ¼ cup of flour. It tastes perfectly fine, but it falls a bit flat and has a more moist texture. This is my final recipe after much trial and error, and the yogurt seems to help the bread hold a more cake-y texture (before, I tried using milk, buttermilk, etc).
If you want to go even lower in carbs, I suggest using the darkest chocolate chips you can find (or eliminating them completely) and substituting more walnuts (they help hold the bread’s structure).
Almond Flour
Now, almond flour is often readily available at your local supermarket (I often find it in the gluten free section) or your local health food shop. Unfortunately, it's very expensive for a small amount of flour--where I live, it's about $12 for approx. 3 cups of almond flour. I can easily go out and buy a 2 pound bag of almonds for $20 and have far more almond flour for my disposal.
What you'll need:
A food processor
Almonds (whether raw or blanched is your preference)
Patience
Place the almonds in batches into the food processor. Mine is tiny, so I do my almond flour about 1/2 cup at a time.
I first use the "Chop" setting and pulse it until the almonds are entirely chopped. Then I grind.
Pulse the almonds until you start to see a layer of almond meal building up at the bottom of the processor like this:
That's almost almond butter! This tells you that the flour is getting very finely ground.
Stir it up (I use a whisk or a fork), put into a container and save it for your baking. Ta-daaa, almond flour!
If you want to get REALLY technical about it and get your almond flour down to a flour consistency, you can sift your almond flour and grind down the larger pieces even more. I have even done this in a mortar and pestle. Does it make for a more flour-like consistency? Absolutely. Is it worth the time? Not in my opinion. If you're trying to impress guests or hide the fact that it's not normal flour, maybe. I find for everything else, having some more mealy type pieces doesn't bother me at all.
Then I discovered almond flour through this lovely website. But, alas, I wanted to use my banana bread recipe that everyone raved about. So what did I do?
Through trial and error (so many errors), I finally have a low(er) carb banana bread that I can rave about. And I am sharing it with you.
Ingredients:
2 cups almond flour
¼ cup ground flax seed
¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
½ t. salt
1 t. ground cinnamon
1 cup Splenda (or substitute sugar of your choice—just make sure it’s equal to 1 cup sugar)
½ cup cooking oil
2 large eggs
¼ cup Greek yogurt
1 t. vanilla extract
3 overripe bananas, mashed
½ cup walnuts, chopped
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional, but delicious)
1/3 cup walnuts, chopped
A small handful of rolled oats
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (approx. 175 degrees C). Butter and flour a bread loaf pan.
Combine almond flour, flax seed, all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Set aside.
Using a hand mixer, combine the oil, Splenda, and 2 eggs in a large bowl until the mixture is pale and frothy. Add ½ of the dry ingredient mixture to the bowl, mixing well. Add the Greek yogurt and vanilla extract. Mix well. Add the rest of the dry mixture, and mix again. Your batter will probably be quite thick.
Mix in the mashed bananas.
Stir in ½ cup chopped walnuts and chocolate chips.
Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan. Top with remaining 1/3 cup of chopped walnuts and handful of oats. Lightly press the topping into the batter (this will prevent it from not sticking).
Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hr. to 1 hr. 15 minutes, or whenever a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Notes:
You CAN make this gluten free (and lower carb) by using entirely almond flour, but be aware that it will not be as fluffy as using the ¼ cup of flour. It tastes perfectly fine, but it falls a bit flat and has a more moist texture. This is my final recipe after much trial and error, and the yogurt seems to help the bread hold a more cake-y texture (before, I tried using milk, buttermilk, etc).
If you want to go even lower in carbs, I suggest using the darkest chocolate chips you can find (or eliminating them completely) and substituting more walnuts (they help hold the bread’s structure).
Almond Flour
Now, almond flour is often readily available at your local supermarket (I often find it in the gluten free section) or your local health food shop. Unfortunately, it's very expensive for a small amount of flour--where I live, it's about $12 for approx. 3 cups of almond flour. I can easily go out and buy a 2 pound bag of almonds for $20 and have far more almond flour for my disposal.
What you'll need:
A food processor
Almonds (whether raw or blanched is your preference)
Patience
Place the almonds in batches into the food processor. Mine is tiny, so I do my almond flour about 1/2 cup at a time.
I first use the "Chop" setting and pulse it until the almonds are entirely chopped. Then I grind.
Pulse the almonds until you start to see a layer of almond meal building up at the bottom of the processor like this:
That's almost almond butter! This tells you that the flour is getting very finely ground.
Stir it up (I use a whisk or a fork), put into a container and save it for your baking. Ta-daaa, almond flour!
If you want to get REALLY technical about it and get your almond flour down to a flour consistency, you can sift your almond flour and grind down the larger pieces even more. I have even done this in a mortar and pestle. Does it make for a more flour-like consistency? Absolutely. Is it worth the time? Not in my opinion. If you're trying to impress guests or hide the fact that it's not normal flour, maybe. I find for everything else, having some more mealy type pieces doesn't bother me at all.
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