Banana Bread Lara Bar

Last week the local "health food" store had a sale on Larabars, which I love, but I can't eat most of them because of the nuts they use and they are usually very expensive.  I looked at the ingredients and did some searching online and found out that they whole process of making these wouldn't be very hard and I could customize them with non-allergy causing ingredients.

I hope you try these; they are especially good for breakfast and will keep you full for a long time.  Although I highly recommend trying the real thing, this is a great recipe and ends up being a lot cheaper.

Banana Bread Lara Bars

• 3 cups dates (make sure you pit them, I initially forgot this step!)
• 1/2 cup banana chips
• 1 cup walnuts
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1. Chop up the dates in a food processor (a blender may work, but you might burn out the engine, not sure).
2. Remove the dates from the food processor and put in the banana chips and walnuts.  Pulse the nuts and fruit a few times until chopped into little pieces.
3. Place the dates, walnuts, and bananas into a bowl and sprinkle with cinnamon.  Mix with your hands until fully combined.
4. On parchment or wax paper, spread the mixture out into a rectangle.  It should be about 1/2 inch thick.  Cut into eight pieces.  They should look like granola bars, or similar to that.  If you have ever had a Lara Bar, it should look pretty similar.  If you haven't had one, well, I probably should have taken a picture!!!

Heavenly Chocolate Mousse

Another post already?  Why, yes!  I have made this chocolate mousse three times now and it is so yummy.  I have not made it the same way twice because sometimes I have one type of chocolate and sometimes I am missing eggs (oops!) and sometimes I really want a dark chocolate orange mousse, which was the case tonight.

For those of you who don't know, I work at a chocolate factory.  Because of this, I usually have a surplus of chocolate on hand and I don't usually eat any of it.  If you're lucky enough to live close to me, you've probably benefited from this, and if you haven't then I apologize.  I had some wonderful orange dark chocolate (which is one of my favorites) and was craving a dessert.

Now this is not low fat or low anything in fact, but it a nice indulgence at the end of a long day.  I'm going to post the original recipe, but feel free to play with the flavors a bit.  Even if you mess this up, it will be a delicious mistake!

Heavenly Chocolate Mousse
from: All Recipes

Ingredients

• 8 (1 ounce) squares semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (if you prefer milk, use it, if you like flavored chocolate, use it!!)
• 1/2 cup water, divided
• 2 tablespoons butter (no substitutes)
• 3 egg yolks
• 2 tablespoons sugar (If you use a sweeter chocolate, such as milk, reduce to 1 tablespoon)
• 1 1/4 cups whipping cream, whipped

Directions

1. In a microwave or double boiler, heat chocolate, 1/4 cup water and butter until the chocolate and butter are melted. Cool for 10 minutes. 
2. In a small heavy saucepan, whisk egg yolks, sugar and remaining water. Cook and stir over low heat until mixture reaches 160 degrees F (it will feel slightly thicker under your whisk), about 1-2 minutes. 
3. Remove from the heat; whisk in chocolate mixture. Set saucepan in ice and stir until cooled, about 5-10 minutes (or, as I did, whisk egg mixture into chocolate and place in fridge, whisking every few minutes.  Don't forget about it or your chocolate may seize up). 
4. Fold in whipped cream (Don't use cool whip or the stuff from a can!  It won't work or taste good.  Tip for great whipped cream: place whisk and bowl in freezer for 15 minutes before making). Spoon into dessert dishes. Refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.  Then lick the bowl!!!

I'm back again!

Hello there!  Its been a long while and things have changed so much.  Max and I are now living in our own little apartment with our kitty, Lela.  It is a small, one bedroom apartment, that is often messier than it should be and I'm pretty happy here!  As much as I love my parents, its nice to be on our own again.

Now, reason for my absence this time: I haven't been baking much.  Shocking, I know.  The reason for my lack of baking: I have lost twenty pounds.  Part of the reason for my weight loss is cutting back on the carbs and I have gone gluten free for the most part (with some MAJOR lapses during Christmas).  I also use a website called myfitnesspal.com, which is an awesome place for losing weight (as Allison and Joann can also attest to).

I will be playing with some gluten free baking soon, but for now I've been making some delicious, healthy, real food for dinner, breakfast and lunch.  I have not gone low fat or vegetarian or anything like that.  I am eating the realest foods that I can, which I am finding much more filling than processed food.  Real fats and protein also help with satiety, making this weight loss effort much easier than previous.

I am planning on sharing more healthy foods and I will share my gluten free baking ventures when I get a chance to try them!!  Enjoy!

Carrot Soup
from: All Recipes

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup butter
• 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 3 large carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 apple, peeled, cored and chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup red lentils
• 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper (or more)
• 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 4 cups chicken broth
• plain yogurt (optional)
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon of agave nectar (or sweetener of your choice)

Directions

1. Melt the butter in a large, heavy bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Place the chopped sweet potatoes, carrots, apple, and onion in the pot. Stir and cook the apples and vegetables until the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes.
2. Stir the lentils, ginger, ground black pepper, salt, cumin, chili powder, paprika, and chicken broth into the pot with the apple and vegetable mixture. Bring the soup to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the lentils and vegetables are soft, about 30 minutes.
3. Working in batches, pour the soup into a blender, filling the pitcher no more than halfway full. Hold down the lid of the blender with a folded kitchen towel, and carefully start the blender, using a few quick pulses to get the soup moving before leaving it on to puree. Puree in batches until smooth and pour into a clean pot. Alternately, you can use a stick blender and puree the soup right in the cooking pot.
4. Return the pureed soup to the cooking pot. Bring back to a simmer over medium-high heat, about 10 minutes. Add cream, agave nectar, and milk as needed to thin the soup to your preferred consistency. Serve with yogurt for garnish if you would like.

This recipe has great reviews on All recipes.  I thought it was really delicious, you can taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.  I made some adjustments from the website's version and I added them above.  If you would like the original version, following the link above.  

Sweet and Spicy Candied Walnuts

Healthy eating: not always very exciting.  I am trying to eat more healthy fats, which includes nuts.  I can't eat some nuts (almonds and hazelnuts, sad right?) so I was eating plain, un-roasted walnuts.  Well, that got boring very quickly, but they were filling and good for me.

I decided I needed to make them more exciting and did a quick search for sweet and spicy walnuts.  This recipe does have a lot of sugar, but you don't add any extra oil and I always feel like homemade is better than store bought.  A quarter of a cup of these is filling, crunchy, sweet, salty, and so yummy!!!  The added cayenne pepper adds a little kick at the end, which you could leave out if you want (bought don't, please!).

Sweet and Spicy Candied Walnuts
by:Smitten Kitchen


Ingredients

• 1/3 cup dark-brown sugar
• 2/3 cup white granulated sugar
• 11/2 teaspoon kosher salt 
• Generous pinch of cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 pound walnut or pecan halves or whole peeled hazelnuts (or a mix)
• 1 egg white, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon water

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. 
2. Mix sugars, salt, cayenne, and cinnamon, making sure there are no lumps; set aside. 
3. Beat egg white and water until frothy but not stiff. Add walnuts, and stir to coat evenly. 
4. Sprinkle nuts with sugar mixture, and toss until evenly coated. 
5. Spread sugared nuts in a single layer on a cookie sheet fitted with parchment paper. 
6. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from oven, and separate nuts as they cool. 
7. When completely cool, pour the nuts into a bowl, breaking up any that stick together.

Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler

I have been trying to eat healthy and make a general lifestyle change lately.  I think I mentioned that in the last post.  It has been going pretty well, but I haven't been baking as much because it is so hard to find light baked goods that taste goods and use good ingredients.

Since I went strawbery picking a few weeks ago, I had an abundance.  I found this recipe from Cooks Illustrated and figured it must be good since it was on their list of best light recipes.  I was right!!  I used rhubarb, but you don't have to.  I forgot to add the cinnamon and sugar to the top of the biscuits, but it was still delish!  Also, I found that I need about double the cornstarch that the recipe called for because the fruit was extremely juicy; you can adjust this after it cooks for a bit in the oven.  I hope you enjoy!

Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler
from: Swim Bake Run

Filling

• 1 quart fresh strawberries , rinsed and hulled
• 10 ounces rhubarb , cut into 1/2-inch chunks
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

Biscuit Topping

• 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (5 ounces)
• 3 tablespoons yellow cornmeal
• 1/4 cup sugar plus 2 teaspoons
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon table salt
• 1/3 cup buttermilk
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 400 degrees. Toss the fruit filling ingredients together in a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate. Place the pie plate on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until the fruit releases its liquid and is hot and bubbling around the edges, 20 to 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, whisk the flour, cornmeal, 1/4 cup of the sugar, the baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl; set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk the buttermilk, butter, and vanilla together; set aside. In a third small bowl, mix the remaining 2 teaspoons sugar with the cinnamon; set aside.
3. When the filling is ready, stir the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture with a rubber spatula until just combined and no pockets of flour remain. Remove the cobbler filling from the oven and stir. Pinch off 8 equal pieces of the biscuit dough and arrange them on top of the hot filling, spaced 1/2 inch apart. Sprinkle the tops of the biscuits with the cinnamon sugar.
4. Continue to bake the cobbler until the biscuits are golden brown on top and cooked through and the filling is again hot and bubbling, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool the cobbler on a wire rack for 15 minutes before serving.

Mini Pineapple Upside Down Cakes

[Channeling Michael from the Office] "There has been....a MURDER!!!"

This weekend Max and I went to a murder mystery.  It was set in the 1920s, so me and Max got to dress up fancy and make some Prohibition era cocktails.  I was Torchy, the lounge singer, and Max was Ernie G. Ambler.

We wanted to stay true to the times, so I searched foods that were popular in the '20s.  Apparently jello molds were a big hit, but I was not really interested in making one of those.  Another popular dessert choice was Pineapple Upside Down Cake.  That sounded much more interesting.  Deviled eggs were also a big hit in the '20s, so Max whipped up a batch of those and everyone loved them.

Since I thought individual sizes would be much more manageable for a party, I found this recipe for mini pineapple upside down cakes.  Enjoy!!

Mini Pineapple Upside Down Cakes
from: AllRecipes

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 2 (20 ounce) cans sliced pineapple (save the juice)
• 1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
• 3 eggs
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 24 maraschino cherries

Directions

1. In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar and butter; mix well. Spoon into 24 greased muffin cups. Drain pineapple, reserving the juice. Trim pineapple to fit the muffin cups; place one ring in each cup.  Place one cherry in the center of the pineapple ring.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the cake mix, eggs, oils and 1-1/4 cups of the reserved pineapple juice; mix well. Spoon over pineapple, filling each cup two-thirds full. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
3. Wait 3-5 minutes.  Run a knife around the cake to loosen it.  Place a cooling rack on top of the muffin pan and then invert to free the cakes.

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

So after my long hiatus, I'm going to update already!  Its nice to be baking and creating again.  I've been cooking dinners for my family almost every night and I've been experimenting with healthy desserts.  


I've been trying to create less of me, but I can't stop baking!  So far, I've made low-fat banana muffins and this delicious strawberry-rhubarb crisp.  


I've never made anything with rhubarb before and, I hate to admit this, but I'm pretty sure I've never even eaten rhubarb before.  I'm glad to report that I loved it!  It was tart and soft, not what I expected at all.  Rhubarb is pretty seasonal, so make this while its still around!


Sorry for the lack of pics lately, I keep eating the dessert before I get a chance to take a picture.  I'm not crazy about pictures of half eaten desserts...


Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisp
From: Cooking Light

• Ingredients

Filling:

• 6 cups (1/2-inch) slices rhubarb (about 2 pounds)
• 2 1/2 cups halved strawberries
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon grated orange rind
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Cooking spray

Topping:

• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour (about 3 ounces)
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup regular oats
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Dash of salt
• 6 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces

• Preparation
• 1. Preheat oven to 375°.
  2. To prepare filling, combine the first 6 ingredients. Spoon into a 13 x 9–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.
  3. To prepare topping, lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups. Combine flour and next 4 ingredients (including salt) in a medium bowl; cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle topping over filling. Bake at 375° for 30 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes.