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Baked Pickle Chips

March 29, 2013 · by Ari ·

Baked Pickle ChipsOne of my favorite things about food is the way it has the ability to bring up so many memories an emotions. Kraft Mac & Cheese will always remind me of living with my friend Heather in college. The gross greasy food at Denny’s that I loved as a teenager still reminds me of my best friends.

Baked Pickle Chips

The first time I ever ate fried pickles was at the peak of marathon training with Nicole. It was the best night. We had an amazing run that morning (wahhhhh, want to run 21 miles again), and we celebrated by eating more food than I usually eat in a week. It was awesome, and I even called the pickle chips “life changing”. I think I liked them even better than the beer, which is saying a lot. 😉

bakedpicklechips-11

Today, I’m guest posting my recreation of them–at home, baked, way healthier–over at Around My Family Table, so click over to get the full recipe!

Filed Under: Uncategorized · Tagged: baked, pickle chips, pickles, recipe, side, snack

Crispy Ranch Chicken Strips

March 8, 2013 · by Ari ·

Crispy Ranch Chicken: Easy, healthy and budget friendly, the entire family will love this dinner!

Crispy Ranch Chicken #glutenfree

I’m so excited to share this with you today. You see, I’ve been making this chicken for almost 4 years. It was one of the first healthy recipes I ever cooked!

Crispy Ranch Chicken #glutenfree

I started making this chicken when no one else in my life was quite used to my new healthier habits. I had gone away to college weighing 23o lbs, eating fast food for every meal, and calling a pint of ice cream one night’s dessert. Of course everyone was happy for me, but it also takes some getting used to when someone comes back with such drastically altered priorities.

Crispy Ranch Chicken #glutenfree

I made this recipe for Steve and some of our best friends before I even knew how to cook, but it was so easy and fool-proof that everyone loved it!

Crispy Ranch Chicken #glutenfree

Ever since, it’s been Steve’s #1 favorite dish. He always requests it, and I continue to surprise him with it on special occasions. It’s always the simplest things that people seem to love the most. I love to over complicate things, but when it comes down to it, 90% of the time, simple ends up being the way to go.

Crispy Ranch Chicken #glutenfree

I love this dish because anyone can make it. It doesn’t require a lot of prep work, or a long list of ingredients. It’s approachable, and it tastes like indulgent comfort food–crispy baked chicken, zesty ranch seasonings browned to perfection. It is one of those healthy meals that makes you love eating healthy, and shows just how easy it can be. If you can boil spaghetti, you can make this chicken. 😉

 

Crispy Ranch Chicken Strips

barely adapted from Spark People

yield 6 servings

  • 1 and 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into strips
  • 2 egg whites, beaten
  • 1 oz ranch seasoning (store bought or homemade)
  • 2 cups crispy brown rice cereal
  • 1/4 cup reduced fat parmesan cheese

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375. Place a cooling rack inside of a large baking sheet. Line with tinfoil and spray with nonstick spray. Set aside.
  2. Place beaten egg whites in a shallow bowl. In a large separate shallow bowl, combine ranch seasoning, cereal and cheese.
  3. Dip each chicken strip in egg whites, then fully coat in cereal mixture. Place on the lined cooling rack. Repeat with remaining chicken slices.
  4. Bake until golden brown and chicken is cooked throughout, about 30 minutes (depending on how thick you slice the chicken). Serve immediately. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Filed Under: Entree, Gluten-free · Tagged: baked, chicken, dinner, fried chicken, gluten free, ranch, recipe

Chocolate Frosted Orange Donuts

February 4, 2013 · by Ari ·

I have something really embarrassing to tell you.

Chocolate Frosted Orange (baked) Donuts #vegan #glutenfree

So I pretty much never know the correct way to store my baked goods. Either I wrap it all up super close in an airtight container when it is still entirely too warm resulting in a big gooey mess of cookies/cupcakes/etc. basically unbaking themselves; or I leave everything out chillin’ with all the breezy air flowing freely throughout my house resulting in stale baked goods in something like 48 hours.

Chocolate Frosted Orange (baked) Donuts #vegan #glutenfree

It is a particularly sad experience to spend 75% of your life baking cookies, only to end up not being able to enjoy them the next day. Life is hard when you have a food blog.

Chocolate Frosted Orange (baked) Donuts #vegan #glutenfree

Okay, but we’re not even to the embarrassing part yet. This happened when I chose option B, letting my baked goods hang out (read: I was lazy, and didn’t store anything properly). You see, this became a problem because I was unbelievably head over heels for these donuts. That’s part of the reason I didn’t store them in the first place. They were so tempting. I was scared to keep them.

Chocolate Frosted Orange (baked) Donuts #vegan #glutenfree

Well, my plans to trick myself into not eating all of the donuts failed miserably when I found myself picking at the lone stale donut still standing 3 days later. That’s the embarrassing part. But if you baked  the most perfect tasting orange donuts that were melt-in-your-mouth soft, and covered with sweet chocolatey goodness, you would be picking at the stale leftovers too.

Chocolate Frosted Orange (baked) Donuts #vegan #glutenfree

Oh, and by the way, they’re vegan, and gluten-free. 😉

 

Chocolate Frosted Orange Donuts

yield 8-10 donuts

For the donuts:

  • 2 cups almond meal
  • zest of 1 orange
  • 3 tbsp corn starch
  • 3/4 tsp baking powder
  • dash salt
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
  • 1/4 cup honey or agave
  • 1/3 cup orange juice
  • 1/2 tsp orange extract

For the frosting:

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2-4 tbsp hot water
  • 1 and 1/2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted

Directions:

  1. Start with the donuts. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray donut pan with nonstick spray. Set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together almond meal, orange zest, corn starch, baking powder and salt. Stir in almond milk, honey/agave, orange juice and orange extract until combined.
  3. Fill donut molds about 2/3 – 3/4 full. Bake for 12-16 minutes until golden and set. Let stand for 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack (I flipped mine over onto the rack and they came right out) to cool completely.
  4. To make the frosting, place powdered sugar in a medium bowl. Slowly add in water 1 tbsp at a time, stirring constantly, until it reaches a spreadable glaze consistency. Stir in melted chocolate. If glaze becomes too thick, add an other tbsp hot water. Spread glaze on top of cooled donuts.
  5. Top with extra orange zest and/or sprinkles if desired. Store in an airtight container (so you don’t pick at stale donuts) for up to one week.

**Note: If while spreading the glaze it becomes too stiff, stick the bowl in the microwave for 10 seconds, and it will thin out again.

Filed Under: Breakfast, Dessert, Donuts, Gluten-free, Vegan · Tagged: almond meal, baked, chocolate, dessert, donuts, doughnuts, gluten free, orange, recipe, vegan

Skinny Mini Corn Dogs

September 19, 2012 · by Ari ·

Last Thanksgiving, I made and posted these Skinny Mini Corn Dogs. Well, you may have noticed that since then, the photography on the blog has gotten…umm…better.

Then

Now

Although Steve takes most of the photography, I’ve learned oh so much about food styling since I started this blog. It’s still a challenge for me, as I’m not a visual person, and I have always identified with the “I don’t care what it looks like if it tastes good” way of thought, but I’ve definitely come a long way, and I definitely no longer throw my food on the plate and hope for the best 😉

Now, I employ hand models. Thanks Jas 😉 Anyway, THESE CORN DOGS!! I think of all the food I’ve made in my life, these and my cake batter dip are the two things that ALWAYS disappear. What’s even better is they are so easy!! It’s maybe 15 minutes of working time to make a huge amount perfect for any party, or tailgating if you do that sort of thing (says the girl who despises football).

These babies are dangerous. I could easily go through a dozen without even thinking twice! The good news is, they really are healthy–baked, no oil or butter, and the leanest hot dogs around. In fact, you could probably eat the entire mini muffin tin full for the same amount of fat and calories as 1 regular corn dog!

Skinny Mini Corn Dogs

yield 24-36

  • 1 box cornbread of choice (use gluten-free if desired)
  • Fat free plain Greek yogurt (amount depends on box)
  • Unsweetened almond milk (amount depends on box)
  • 1/2 small can medium green chilis
  • 8-10 98% fat free turkey dogs

Directions:

  1. Mix cornbread according to package instructions replacing butter/oil with yogurt and milk with almond milk (reduced fat buttermilk or skim milk would also work), and adding green chilis.
  2. Pour batter into sprayed mini muffin tins, filling only about 1/3-1/2 of each tin.
  3. Divide each turkey dog into 6 equal pieces.
  4. Press a piece of turkey dog into each muffin tin.
  5. Bake according to package instructions until golden brown.

 

 

Filed Under: Appetizers, Gluten-free, savory, Snacks · Tagged: baked, corn dogs, hot dogs, party food, recipe

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