Chocolate Chip Cookie Bowls

I'M BACK!! Despite my long absence, we are all still alive and kicking. Which, if you follow me on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, you might have noticed since there was continued activity on those sites. Summer is crazy with vacations, swimming, friends and the flu thrown in there for good measure (really - who gets the flu in July?). I figured I would just take a short break... which turned into a really looooooong break. Ha!

I must confess that I really don't enjoy the "writing" part of blogging. Yeah, I do realize that writing is the biggest part of blogging. What I really like is cooking and baking and sharing my recipes with people. So, I put up with writing (and taking pictures of my recipes - which I don't particularly enjoy either. You might have noticed since they aren't the best photos) to be able to get them out there for you to enjoy. Why am I telling you this? Because it most likely means I will take more breaks (short or long) when I just don't feel like writing. Or when I don't have time to bake - which happened this summer as well. It was just too hot and I was either too tired, too sick or too busy.

I finally have a new recipe idea to share. I saw this on Facebook and thought I should try it out. The Princess and The Brother's loved them! It was super easy and made chocolate chip cookies a little more exciting.

Simply make a batch of Egg-less Chocolate Chip Cookies. I have read that using an all butter cookie recipe will cause your dough to spread too much and create a big mess. I used all coconut oil in my recipe, but it made the dough a bit stiff and hard to work with. I would suggest using half butter and half coconut oil.

Once your dough is made, instead of baking them as you normally would, take a muffin tin and turn it over. Smash the cookie dough all over the muffin "bumps". You can put tinfoil over the bumps if you want, but I just greased them down a bit with some coconut oil and smashed the dough on.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 10-15 minutes or until your bowls are a nice, golden brown. Let cool completely before removing bowls from muffin tin. I made 5 bowls and we ate the rest of the dough raw (yum!!).

Fill with ice cream right before serving.

Enjoy!!

Jana

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Banana Bread with Orange Glaze

The Brother's are really picky about bananas cooked in things... which was a big pain when The Princess was allergic to eggs. There are many recipes that use bananas to replace eggs, which The Princess would eat, but The Brother's would not. It drove me crazy. Now, we don't have that problem anymore, but we always seem to have rotten bananas around. I swear my kids will gobble bananas like crazy and complain that we don't have enough. But, when I buy a whole bunch, suddenly no one wants them anymore and the entire bunch goes rotten.

That is what happened recently. I found myself with about 9 rotten bananas and needed to do something with them. We did make a batch of Chunky Monkey Muffins, but that only used 4. Brother #1 told me he would not eat the muffins, but would eat plain banana bread. Plain meaning it didn't have stuff in it like chocolate chips. This is the same Brother #1 who prefers chocolate chips in all other muffins or he won't eat them. Apparently banana and chocolate do not go together in his book. So, I decided to make some "plain" banana bread just for him.

This is a recipe I received in a recipe box as a wedding present. It was my FAVORITE recipe for banana bread up until The Princess was diagnosed with an egg allergy and we switched up our diet. There was just too many eggs, too much sugar and a whole lot more things wrong with this recipe. I decided it was time to "clean" up this recipe. I was nervous it wouldn't turn out since I made quite a few changes. Lucky for me and Brother #1 (and for you), it not only turned out, but Brother #1 said it was amazing! Although he probably won't like it tomorrow (because that is how fast his tastes change), at least it was a hit for one day. I will take that!

Banana Bread with Orange Glaze

Bread
1 cup buttermilk

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup coconut oil, melted

1/2 cup no-sugar added applesauce

3 bananas, mashed

2 eggs

1 chia egg (1 Tbsp chia mixed with 3 Tbsp water, let sit for 15 min before adding)

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 tsp almond extract (optional, but so delicious!)

3 3/4 cups wonder flour*

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup wheat germ

1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts (optional)

Glaze
1/4 cup agave nectar

1/8 cup orange juice

1/4 tsp almond extract (optional)

1/4 tsp vanilla

1 tsp melted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 2 loaf pans with coconut oil.

Combine flour (* if using another whole grain flour besides wonder flour, cut the amount to 3 cups), salt, soda, cinnamon, wheat germ, shredded coconut and chopped walnuts (if using) in a bowl.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine buttermilk, sugar, coconut oil, applesauce, bananas, eggs, chia egg, vanilla and almond extract. Mix well.

Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until just barely combined.

Pour into prepared pans. Bake for 1 hour.

Just before bread is done baking, prepare the glaze. Combine agave, orange juice, almond extract, vanilla and melted butter and whisk to combine.

Remove bread from the oven when done and set pans on wire rack to cool. While bread is still hot, drizzle glaze all over the top of the loaves. Allow to cool slightly before turning out of pans.

Eat one loaf and give the other away to a neighbor in need (otherwise you will eat it too)!

Jana

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Chocolate Pudding

Anything with chocolate is worth eating, right? But it is so much better when it is healthy!

One yummy "chocolate" thing we love is chocolate pudding. I never really thought about making it from scratch until we changed our eating habits. With the box stuff out of the question, I decided to try and make it myself. Turns out, it is super easy!

The best part of making things home-made is being able to customize recipes to your liking. With this pudding, you can sub out the cow's milk for a non-dairy milk if needed.

Chocolate Pudding

1/3 cup cornstarch

1/3 - 1/2 cup sugar (depending on how sweet you want it)

1/4 tsp salt

3 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate

4 cups milk

1 tsp vanilla

In a medium bowl, whisk together the cornstarch, sugar and salt. Set aside.

Roughly chop the baking chocolate (the smaller, the better - but who has the time or patience for that? It will melt faster if it is chopped smaller, but if you are too lazy - like me, you can skip this step).

Put the milk and vanilla in a saucepan. Place over medium heat and warm until tiny bubbles appear around the edges of the pan. Add the chocolate and stir until the chocolate is melted.

Slowly whisk the sugar mixture into the milk mixture until everything is smooth. Stir the mixture until it begins to thicken. Use a spatula to scrape the bottom and sides of the pan, making sure the mixture doesn't burn.

Cook the mixture until very thick - about 2 minutes. Ladle the pudding into bowls and let cool at least 30 minutes. Makes approximately 6 servings.

This pudding is super delicious all by itself or for a "fancier" dessert, you can make chocolate pudding pie. For the pie, put all of the pudding into a large bowl to cool. This will take a few hours.  Make one batch of "Healthy" pie crust. Roll out on lightly floured surface, then fit into a pie plate. Prick bottom and side of shell all over with a fork. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Bake on baking sheet on middle rack until pastry is set and a pale golden brown all over.

Once shell is baked, let cool completely. Mix pudding well, then fill pie shell. Cover with whipped cream (if desired) and serve!

Jana

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Granola

Store-bought granola is often labeled as a health food. But, it generally isn't.  The problem... store-bought granola is often full of preservatives and other such unwanted items.  If that isn't bad enough, they are also often contaminated with peanuts (if the don't actually contain them). And if you can solve both of those problems, the cost usually is not worth the actual granola.

We did not eat much granola before we made our diet switch (because of the above reasons). Homemade healthy granola was one of the first things I started making myself about a year ago when I found out how healthy it could be and how easy it was. I went to a class taught by the Green Smoothie Girl and thought she had some good points on eating whole foods (or real foods). So, I went to her website and began looking at her recipes and tips. When I found this granola recipe and made it for the first time, I was hooked. I made a few changes to suit my tastes better, but it is still as healthy and delicious!

This recipe if full of fiber and will clean you out (in case you need that). If is also full of omega-3 fatty acids. Most Americans get far too many omega-6 fatty acids and not enough omega-3 fatty acids (you can thank processed foods for that). We should be getting a 1:1 ratio of omega-6's to omega-3's (or if that seems too hard, at least a 4:1) where most people get a ratio closer to 20:1 (or even higher!). So, in conclusion, eat lots of healthy granola (yes that would be a plug for my recipe) and less processed foods.  For more information on this subject (fatty acids), read "In Defense of Food" by Michael Pollan.

Granola

Mix well:
4 cups rolled oats (not instant)

1/2 cup raw wheat germ (found in the bulk section of a health food store)

1/2 cup shredded coconut (unsweetened - also found at health food stores in bulk)

1/4 cup ground flax seed (fresh ground is better)

3/4 cup nuts and/or seeds (walnuts, pecans, cashews, almonds, pumpkin seeds or hemp seeds)

1/8 cup sesame seeds (found in the bulk section of a health food store)

1 Tbsp. cinnamon

Heat on stove until barely melted, stirring together:
1/3 cup honey

1/4 cup pure maple syrup or molasses

1/4 cup water

1/3 cup extra virgin coconut oil

1/2 Tbsp vanilla

Once all liquids are melted and stirred together, pour liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until distributed evenly (this takes a few minutes). Spread granola out on greased cookie sheet.

Bake at 250 degrees F for 60-90 minutes or until dry (and enjoy the delicious smell in your house). Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. Once cooled, scrape the granola off the pan with a spatula - the chunkier the better. Keep in the pantry in cooler weather for up to 2 weeks or in the fridge for up to six weeks in a sealed container (I use a ziploc bag).

Here are some ways we like to eat granola:
* directly out of the bag as a snack
* added to homemade trail mix
* in a bowl with milk like cereal
* on top of plain greek yogurt mixed with homemade berry sauce (and a dab of honey)

Recipe adapted from Green Smoothie Girl

Jana

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Chunky Monkey Muffins

As you know, I have a thing for muffins. My kids love them, I love them, and my husband loves them (because they are fast and easy to grab on his way to work). They work for breakfast, lunch, snacks and even dinner (because breakfast for dinner is always a hit to switch things up a bit). I was introduced to this "type" of muffin in a gluten-free version and it looked so yummy, I wanted to find a "regular" version. This is what I have come up with. We LOVE it!! I hope you do too.

Of course, we have Mickey muffin tins!!

Chunky Monkey Muffins

1/2 cup sugar (or raw sugar)
2 eggs *
1 Tbsp vanilla
4 bananas, mashed
3/4 cups buttermilk (I have used regular milk and almond milk with great success)
1 cup butter, melted (or 6 oz. coconut oil, melted)
1 3/4 cups wonder flour **
1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour (or regular whole wheat too)
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp cinnamon
1 cup shredded coconut, unsweetened
1 cup chocolate chips (or 1/2 cup chocolate chips and 1/2 cup cinnamon chips)
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cream together sugar and wet ingredients (eggs through butter). * If you would like to replace the eggs in this recipe, I would use 1/3 cup applesauce for 1 egg and 1 Tbsp ground flax mixed with 3 Tbsp water (let sit until it gels) for the second egg. 

Mix in dry ingredients. ** If you are using a different whole grain flour than wonder flour, cut the amount back to    1 1/2 cups. Fold in the shredded coconut and chocolate chips.

Line or spray muffin tins. Scoop batter into muffin tins and fill 3/4 full. If using chopped nuts, sprinkle on top of the batter.

Bake for about 20 minutes. This recipe makes 2 dozen muffins (which I like - a little work with a big result). These can be frozen and thawed in the refrigerator overnight. I love to eat these with a little coconut oil spread on them (instead of butter) or some all-fruit jam. Yum!!

Recipe adapted from Tasty Kitchen

Disregard the dirty muffin tin - focus on the delicious looking muffins!

Jana

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Nut Butter Granola Bars

Don't ask me how I forgot to post this on Friday?! I had it all ready to go and than it totally slipped my mind. I guess when my routine is thrown off, everything else goes out the window. So, you are getting it Sunday evening so you don't have to wait until Tuesday.  Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

After taking my original granola bars on road trips and realizing that they don't stay together all that well and finding a big mess after any of the kids ate them, I decided that I needed to revamp my recipe. I needed one that held together better, but was still yummy and healthy.

These new granola bars have been with us to Disneyland (twice), Yellowstone, and countless other places. They are so much easier to eat and travel with. I think they taste even better. On our last trip to Disneyland, these are the only thing The Princess would eat - literally. It is a good thing the recipe makes a very large batch!

Nut Butter Granola Bars

1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup coconut oil

1/2 cup sucanat or brown sugar

1/2 cup brown rice syrup (can be found at health food stores)

1/4 cup honey

3/4 cup nut butter (I used this recipe)

3 tsp vanilla extract

3 cups quick oats

3 cups old fashioned oats

2 1/4 cups crispy rice cereal (we like Envirokidz Koala Crunch - regular or chocolate)

1 1/2 cup chopped nuts or seeds (any combo and variety - I used walnuts and pecans)

3/4 cup mini chocolate chips (optional)

Spray bottom of a cookie sheet with non-stick spray or cover with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, mix together quick oats, old fashioned oats, crispy rice cereal and nuts (or seeds).

In a large sauce-pan, add butter, coconut oil, sucanat (or brown sugar), brown rice syrup, honey and nut butter. Heat over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until the mixture starts to bubble. Once bubbling, cook for 2 minutes while stirring. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract.

Pour wet mixture over dry mixture in bowl and stir (very well) until everything is coated.

Pour into prepared pan and press mixture evenly into the pan. I find this is easiest (and best) done with fingers. You want to make sure you press it down tight and compact. This will make your granola bars have maximum stick-togetherness.

Sprinkle mini chocolate chips over the top and gently press into the granola bars - again with your hands. DO NOT mix in chocolate chips with the dry ingredients before adding the wet stuff - you will no longer have chocolate chips in your granola bars but have chocolate granola bars instead (as you can tell from the lack of chocolate chips in my picture).

Place the whole pan of bars in the refrigerator and let cool for at least 30 minutes. Cut into bars as big or small as you want. I like to wrap my bars in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator. They hold together better when cold. We have kept ours in the fridge for up to 2 weeks and they are still tasty. I bet they would last longer, ours just never make it longer before they are gone!

Adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod

Jana

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Green Eggs

This is going to be a quick post... I am working on making some changes (again) to the blog. Stay tuned for some updates.

For now, this is a plug (I guess you could call it) for one of my favorite websites, 100 Days of Real Food (www.100daysofrealfood.com). She has some great ideas and advice on real food eating. Obviously with food allergies, we have to pick and choose what advice and recipes we use but I still love following her.

Since The Princess has outgrown her egg allergy, we have been introducing them slowly into her diet. She is now able to tolerate scrambled eggs - although she doesn't eat them too often. As part of our diet change, we are trying to avoid food colorings and dyes, so when I came across this recipe for "healthy" green eggs on the 100 days website, I knew I had to try it.  We celebrated Dr. Suess's birthday by making green eggs and ham and reading aloud the book while the kids ate.  The Princess and The Brothers didn't even notice a difference - and there really wasn't a taste difference. 

 This is a TERRIBLE picture, but the only one I snapped in the chaos of the morning

While Dr. Suess's birthday has passed, St. Patrick's Day is coming up and healthy green eggs would be a great way to celebrate!

Click here for the recipe and enjoy your own green eggs!!

Jana

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Homemade Ramen Noodles

Brother #1 loves ramen noodles. He could eat them every day. I prefer that he not eat them every day - or ever really. I stopped buying packaged ramen about a year ago and he was so sad. After thinking about it, I decided it wouldn't be that hard to recreate ramen at home, but with healthier ingredients and no preservatives and additives. Luckily, he loves the homemade kind just as much. This might take a few minutes longer than the packaged kind, but it is worth the wait (and is still pretty quick and easy).

Healthy Ramen

Olive oil

Vegetables, diced (we use carrots and celery)

4 cups water (or chicken broth/stock)

3-4 Tbsp chicken flavoring (if not using stock - try and find some without MSG. I get mine at Costco)

Noodles* (approx 6-8 ounces)

Vegetable Seasoning (I have been using McCormick Vegetable, while not the best, it is still better than the eating packaged ramen)

Sriracha Hot Sauce

1 -2 Eggs, beaten (optional)


Heat 1-2 Tbsp olive oil in sauce pan. When hot, add your diced vegetables and cook for 3-5 minutes until soft.

Add water/broth (and chicken flavoring, if using) to your saucepan and bring to a boil. When the water is boiling, add the pasta *(We use basic whole-wheat spaghetti or angel hair pasta but you can get fancy and use an asian noodle. If you are using a noodle with a shorter cooking time, you may need to increase your saute time to ensure the vegetables aren't crunchy.)

About 1 minute before the noodles are finished, add your beaten egg (is using) to the pan and swish around to break up any large egg chunks. When the noodles are finished cooking, add the vegetable seasoning (or whatever seasoning you choose) and hot sauce. The hot sauce is super spicy so a little bit (and I mean a little bit - we use about 1/2 tsp) goes a long way.

Side note: when The Princess's daddy and I were dating, I lived with a Korean roommate. She would make ramen all the time and add the Sriracha hot sauce. She would judge how spicy it was by how many "turns" she made in her bowl with the hot sauce. She thought it was so fun to challenge everyone who came to visit to a competition to see who could handle the most "turns". The Princess's daddy beat everyone with 4 turns (but after living for 2 years in Korea, he had an unfair advantage)! Now, don't try that at home unless you really like spice. 

Ladle soup into a bowl and enjoy!

Jana

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Egg-less Double Chocolate Waffles with Berry Sauce

Chocolate waffles are a tradition in my family. When I was younger, we would have them every Christmas morning at my grandparents house.... smothered in whip cream and strawberries. Yum! I didn't realize until a few years ago that they weren't something my grandpa had just made up but that other people ate them too.

My grandpa used to make them by mixing some dry chocolate milk mix in with prepared waffle batter. As a kid, I didn't care, but as an adult, I wanted something a little more... sophisticated (not to mention made from scratch). I have found a winner! Waffles are notoriously hard to do without eggs, but these waffles taste equally as yummy as their counterparts with eggs.

Obviously it isn't Christmas (when I ate these growing up) but the rest of my family prefers another Christmas breakfast. Since I have to eat these at least once a year, Valentine's is another perfect time for this scrumptious breakfast (although I may or may not eat these more than just once a year).

Egg-less Double Chocolate Waffles
1 3/4 cups wonder flour (or 1 1/2 cups other whole grain flour or all-purpose flour)

1/2 cup cornstarch*

1 Tbsp baking powder

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1/8 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup no-sugar added applesauce

1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar

2 Tbsp raw sugar

1 3/4 cups milk (I used almond milk)

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup coconut oil, softened

1/3 cup chocolate chips

Berry Sauce 
3 cups berries, diced if large**

1/4 cup naturally sweetened jam (any flavor you want!)

2 Tbsp hot tap water

Whipped cream (optional)

**You will need about 3 cups of berries - you can use any combo you would like.You can use fresh berries, frozen berries or a combo of both depending on the season.  I used 1 cup of frozen strawberries and 2 cups of a frozen 3 berry mix from Costco (blackberries, raspberries and blueberries). If you think in advance, you can thaw in the fridge overnight, otherwise, pop frozen berries into the microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Start by making the berry sauce so it can sit while you make the waffle batter. Combine jam and warm water and whisk until combined. Add in the berries and gently stir until combined. Gently mash berries with a fork to break up larger berries (you can leave as chunky as you want). If  your berries are still a bit frozen, you can blend them in a food processor (which I prefer to do).

Set berry sauce aside and make waffle batter.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, cocoa powder and salt. Combine well and set aside.  * If you don't have cornstarch on hand - feel free to just use another 1/2 cup of flour. The cornstarch helps make the waffles more crispy, but using more flour would be just fine!

In another bowl, whisk together the applesauce, vinegar, sugar, milk, vanilla and coconut oil.

Blend the dry ingredients with the wet until just combined. It is ok if your batter is lumpy. Don't overmix! Fold in the chocolate chips into the batter. Pour batter onto a greased waffle iron and bake according to your waffle iron's instructions.

Top waffle with a generous helping of berry sauce and a dollop of whip cream. Try not to moan as you eat... it'll be hard, I promise!

Waffle recipe adapted from Vegan Heartland

Berry sauce from Our Best Bites

This is the yummy, gooey mess you are left with when you have eaten half of your waffle! 

And, I might have overdone the whip cream on this one, maybe. 

Jana

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Teriyaki Bowtie Salad

Since yesterday's post was really supposed to be last weeks post, I decided to reward you and post again today. Yeah!

Everyone needs a delicious go-to salad for family gatherings. Something to spice up a regular green salad or spinach salad. This is one we love. It is great as a side dish or even a main dish (on those warm summer nights which I must be dreaming of since I am posting this when the temperature is barely above freezing). Chicken can be added, but we like it vegetarian.

I use my homemade teriyaki sauce in this recipe. You can make the sauce in advance and keep it in the fridge.

TERIYAKI BOW-TIE SALAD

Salad:
10 oz. egg-free whole grain bow-tie pasta, boiled until just tender (I buy mine at Costco)

1 cup water chestnuts, drained (I like mine sliced in half)

1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped

1/2 bunch green onions, chopped

1/2 cup dried cranberries or cherries

1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds

1/2 cup honey roasted cashews

Grilled chicken breasts, cut into strips (optional)


2 cans mandarin oranges, drained and well-rinsed (optional, we choose not to use these)

5 - 10 oz spinach (or we like using romaine lettuce)

Dressing:
1/2 cup olive oil*

1/4 tsp salt

2 Tbsp raw sugar

1/3 cup white wine vinegar

1/2 cup teriyaki sauce (I like to add a bit more)

1/2 tsp pepper

Whisk all dressing ingredients together.

Combine all ingredients except oranges and spinach (or romaine). Place in a large ziploc bag with dressing and squish the bag until everything is covered in sauce. Place in refrigerator overnight (I have been known to put the recipe together in the morning and eat it that same night - you just need time to let the flavors blend).

Immediately before serving, pour the salad into a bowl and add the oranges. Serve over a bed of spinach or romaine lettuce.

Jana

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Pineapple Bliss Green Smoothie

We have an on/off relationship with green smoothies. The Brothers DO NOT like them, which I find weird since they will eat an entire plate of spinach, but won't drink it when it is mixed with fruit. Go figure.  I get tired of fighting them over it so sometimes we just don't do them. But, lately we are back with daily green smoothies. The Princess LOVES green smoothies and will drink mine if she doesn't have her own. This is her absolute favorite green smoothie (and mine too)! It tastes more like a treat than a good-for-you green smoothie.

I buy green grapes in the summer when the price is good and freeze them in 2 cup portions. I do the same with pineapple. I prefer this made with coconut milk (although it is still good with water) - it makes it nice and creamy. Yum! I think it tastes like pina colada.

This makes a large amount. We like to freeze the extra in "smoothie pops" (using Norpro silicone molds) or into popsicles.

If you aren't a green smoothie fan yet, here are some reasons to get more greens in your diet (whether through smoothies or eaten by themselves).
1. Helps with varicose veins
2. Builds a high red blood cell count
3. Helps prevent cancer
4. Helps clean the liver
5. Helps counteract toxins
6. Provides iron to your organs
7. Improves vision
8. Revitalizes vascular systems in the legs
9. Eliminates body odor
10. Helps with milk production
11. Regulates menstruation
12. High in vitamin K and E
13. Contains more bio available calcium than other foods
14. Contain essential amino acids
15. Loaded with chlorophyll (meaning oxygen)
16. Creates an alkaline environment

Greens are the most nutrient dense food out there. So, give this smoothie a try for a super yummy way to eat greens!

Pineapple Bliss Green Smoothie

2 cups water (or coconut milk - or even coconut water)

1 banana

3-4 handfuls of spinach (I freeze mine so it lasts longer)

1/4 large pineapple (fresh/frozen - not canned)

2 cups frozen green grapes

sliver of lime with the peel (be careful, it is easy to get too much)


Put all ingredients in blender in the order listed (I use my Blendtec and this is the order recommended for it, you can switch up the order for your blender if you need to). Blend until smooth and creamy. Enjoy!!

Recipe from Unconventional Kitchen

Jana

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Cinnamon Chip Scones

Growing up in Utah, scones were bread dough that was deep fried and topped with honey and butter. It wasn't until I visited back east when I was pregnant with The Princess that I learned there were other types of scones. While I still like the "Utah" variety, I prefer the "real" scones (I'm sure I will offend some Utahns by referring to their scones as not the real thing). "Real" scones are much healthier, not so greasy, and definitely not so messy.

I had a bag of cinnamon chips laying around my house (that I bought on a whim because they looked so yummy) and needed to figure out what to do with them. Lately, I have been craving some warm bread or muffins (since the temperature hasn't made it above 25 degrees for more than 2 days in the last 2 weeks) and decided I would combine my need to use my cinnamon chips with my craving... and this was the result. Yummy scones that are healthy enough for a quick breakfast paired with some fruit, a green smoothie (because if you are like me, a green smoothie alone will not last all morning), or some plain greek yogurt mixed with fruit. The Princess says it is like eating a cookie... a cookie for breakfast!

Cinnamon Chip Scones

2 1/4 cups wonder flour (or other whole grain flour)

1 1/4 cups soft white wheat flour

1/4 cup raw sugar

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

3/4 cups cold butter

1 cup buttermilk

1 tsp vanilla

3/4 cup cinnamon chips*

Melted butter (optional)

Coarse sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine dry ingredients. Cut in butter until coarse crumbs form. I used the blade of my mixer to do this instead of doing it by hand and it worked great (and was much easier!). Stir in buttermilk and vanilla. Fold in cinnamon chips. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently for a few minutes.

Here is where you will have two options. I made my scones both ways and they worked out equally as well, just pick the method you prefer.

Method #1: Divide in half and pat into 7-inch round circles. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with coarse sugar (like turbinado sugar). Cut into 6 or 8 wedges. Place on baking sheet.  Bake at 425 degrees F for 10-12 minutes or until the tops begin to brown.

Method #2: Divide in half and pat into two 8-inch pie pans. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with coarse sugar (like turbinado sugar). Bake at 425 degrees F for 12-14 minutes or until the tops begin to brown. Cool slightly, cut into 6 or 8 wedges.

* I was able to find Hershey's brand cinnamon chips that are not manufactured in a facility with peanuts. Don't buy the Nestle brand.

Recipe adapted from How Sweet It Is

Jana

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Asian Sesame Chicken

I don't know what happened at your house in the last 18 hours, but we received almost 24 inches of fresh new powder overnight. Seriously... 2 feet!! Where is all this new snow supposed to go. The piles on the edges of our driveway and sidewalk are so high, there isn't anymore room for snow. Craziness! I spent the morning shoveling, building snow forts, shoveling, helping The Princess and Brother #2 get unstuck and shoveling again. At least I have had my exercise for today, shoveling for my arms and packing down snow (with my feet) at the top of the highest drift for a snow fort worked my legs pretty good. But, now onto the recipe for today.

When The Princess's daddy and I were first married, we moved to South Korea to teach English. While our experience teaching wasn't the best, we LOVED the food. The Princess's daddy had lived there before for 2 years as a missionary, but it was my first experience in an Asian country.  While I had always been a fan of Asian food, eating it in country made it an even bigger favorite of mine. Since having kids, we have continued the tradition of eating a lot of Korean (and Asian food in general) at our house. We gave Brother #1 kimchi at the ripe old age of 1 (which he loved until the heat hit). Despite that incident,  he still loves all Asian food (as do Brother #2 and The Princess). He prefers Asian food over pizza.

One of the hardest parts of The Princess's allergies (for us) that most people wouldn't think about is that we are unable to eat at Asian restaurants. Most obvious is the egg (which she isn't allergic to anymore so that really isn't a concern). What is least obvious but can be most scary is the use of peanuts and/or peanut oils. The best Korean (and Asian) food seems to be in small town restaurants (not chain restaurants) where the owners/cooks don't speak much English. This makes it very difficult to ask about the use of peanuts and peanut oil. The risk of cross contamination is always high at most Asian restaurants and not a chance we are willing to take.

So, that leaves to me do my best at cooking Asian food at home. We have tried many different recipes and have found some that we love. I'm not sure how "authentic" they are, but we like them and I guess that is all the matters. This recipe is probably one of The Princess's favorite recipes of all time!  It is also much healthier than the restaurant version because it isn't deep fried.

This can be paired with plain rice or stir-fry. I hate to admit it (even though you will notice by the pictures) but we mostly eat our Asian food with white rice (GULP!). For everything else, we use brown rice, but somehow, brown rice just doesn't go as well with Asian food. We also like to serve it with a big salad topped with  homemade Asian Ginger salad dressing (maybe I will post this recipe in a future post - if anyone wants it). We like to use our Korean dishes (which we brought back from Korea) and chopsticks - because everything Asian tastes better with chopsticks.

SESAME CHICKEN

1/2 cup whole grain flour

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/8 tsp fresh ground ginger*

1/4 tsp garlic salt

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (or more if you like it spicy!)

Dash of ground cloves

Dash of cinnamon

5 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into chunks

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1/3 cup teriyaki sauce **

1/3 cup raw honey

1 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce (or Bragg's Amino Liquid)

2 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds (these can be found at Asian Markets or you can toast your own)

Heat oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-heat.

In a large resealable bag, combine flour, pepper, ginger, garlic salt, red pepper flakes, cloves and cinnamon. Place chicken into the bag and shake well to coat (make sure the chicken pieces aren't sticking together but that all the individual pieces are coated on all sides).

Place chicken in skillet and brown on both sides, about 5 minutes.

While chicken is browning, make the sauce by combining teriyaki sauce**, honey and soy sauce.

When chicken is done, reduce heat to low. Mix in the teriyaki mixture and stir until sauce thickens. Shake in sesame seeds and serve immediately.

* You can store fresh ginger in a ziploc bag in you freezer. When you want to use it,  simply grate off what you need, no need to thaw it. Fresh ginger tastes much, much better than ground ginger from a jar.

I realize there are no sesame seeds on this chicken. 

I ran out and wan't about to drive 30+ miles to the nearest Asian store to buy more just for this picture

**TERIYAKI SAUCE
I prefer to make my own teriyaki sauce. Store bought sauce has high-fructose corn syrup and is full of preservatives. It is super simple to make at home and can be stored in the fridge for up to a month.

1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce (or Bragg's Amino Liquid)

1 cup water

1/2 tsp fresh ground ginger

1/4 tsp garlic powder (or 2 minces cloves)

1-2 Tbsp raw honey

3 Tbsp sucanat (or equal amounts of agave nectar)

2 Tbsp cornstarch

1/4 cup cold water

In a small sauce pan, combine all ingredients except cornstarch and cold water.Begin heating over medium heat.

Measure out the cornstarch into small bowl and add the cold water (you can use tap water, just make sure it runs until it is really cold). Mix the cornstarch and water well, than add to the teriyaki mixture.

Raise the heat to medium and let it come to a boil. Boil until it comes to a consistency that you like. If it becomes to think, you can simply add more water.

Store any leftover sauce in an air-tight container in the fridge. The sauce becomes very thick after it has been refrigerated. You can add water before refrigerating or after to bring it back to the consistency you like.

Recipe from my recipe book (We have been cooking it for so long, I honestly can't remember where I got the recipe)

Jana

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Cinnamon Caramel Corn

I promised more allergy friendly dessert recipes... so here is another one. I LOVE caramel corn - who doesn't really? OK, Brother #1 thinks he is allergic to caramel because it makes his mouth feel "funny" (aren't kids silly), so he won't eat it, but most people like it.

I like to use an air-popper when I make popcorn. They are inexpensive and so easy to use. Air-popped popcorn also makes a delicious, quick and healthy snack for after school or when you have the munchies.

I discovered brown rice syrup about 6 or 7 months ago and it is one of my new favorite finds. It is so much healthier than corn syrup, but can be used to replace it in recipes. You can also use honey to replace corn syrup  but I like using brown rice syrup better because it doesn't change the flavor of the recipe like honey does. I buy mine through Azure Standard (it is a little bit cheaper than Amazon). I order a few jars when I am ordering my grains and coconut oil in bulk and it will usually get me through 4-6 months (depending on how much popcorn I make). I also buy my molasses through Azure Standard. I prefer to buy unsulphured black strap molasses, but any molasses will do.

Cinnamon Caramel Corn

12 cups air-popped popcorn (about 1/2 cup unpopped kernels)

3/4 cup sucanat

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup brown rice syrup

1 Tbsp molasses

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter*

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp baking soda

2 squares almond bark (optional)

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Line baking sheet with foil or spray with non-stick spray.

Air pop popcorn, pull out all unpopped kernels (I cracked a tooth once on an unpopped kernel and had to get a crown put on. So, for safety sake, it is best to remove them) and set popcorn aside.

Combine sucanat and cinnamon in a 2-liter microwave safe bowl. Mix well. Chop butter into chunks and place on top of sucanat mixture. * I have never used coconut oil, but I bet it would work if there is a dairy allergy. Pour brown rice syrup and molasses over everything in bowl.

Microwave on high for 30 seconds. Remove and stir everything together.

Return to microwave and heat for 2 minutes. Remove and stir than microwave for 2 more minutes.

Remove from microwave and add vanilla and baking soda. Stir to combine. The mixture should foam and rise. Pour over popcorn and stir very well to coat (although don't worry too much if all your popcorn isn't coated - you will be able to stir it better after it has been heated).

Spread popcorn mixture onto baking sheet. Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes, removing every 10 minutes to stir. This is where you can make sure that all of your popcorn kernels are well coated.

Remove from oven and spread out on wax paper or parchment paper.

Melt almond bark (I like to use 1 brick of vanilla and 1 brick of chocolate) according to package instructions. Drizzle over popcorn. When almond bark is hardened and popcorn is cool, break into chunks and give away (or you will be tempted to eat the whole batch!).

Recipe adapted from Our Best Bites

Jana

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