Ari's Menu

Little changes making a big difference.


Mango Lime Yogurt Pops (Guest Post)

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Friends, I am playing on the beach, eating lots of fish and sweet Hawaiian rolls, ignoring all of my work emails, and enjoying the company of the most awesome man alive. I didn’t want to peace out for too long without giving you an awesome recipe from my BBFF (Blog Best Friend Forever. Don’t judge.) Nicole. She is an amazing cook, a creative and unique recipe creator, and all around one of the most amazing people I know. If you haven’t checked out her blog yet, DO IT!!!! Nicole says:

Hi guys! I’m Nicole and I blog over at The Marvelous Misadventures of a Foodie where I share my passion for food, recipes, running, photography and travel. I’m excited to be here guest-posting for Ari while she and Steve are in living it up in Maui this week! I am a huge fan of Ari’s blog and have had the pleasure of trying quite a few of her recipes first hand 🙂

 

Growing up we always had either ice cream or popsicles (or both!) in our freezer. I have lots of memories of playing outside or splashing around in the pool and coming in to enjoy a nice cold popsicle. They never failed me. They were my ultimate summer treat.

Now that I am older I can barely eat one without ending up in a sugar induced coma.  I guess you could say my tastes have matured a bit over the years 😉 Summer wouldn’t be the same without popsicles so I like to make my own at home! Not only are they easy to make, but without even trying you get a healthier end result that is still indulgent!

These yogurt pops make a great afternoon snack or dessert. Better yet, they would make a pretty excellent breakfast – they are made out of yogurt after all 😉 The sweet mangos play really well with the tartness of the yogurt and the lime juice livens it up with that extra bit of freshness. Feel free to add more or less sweetener based on your taste. I used honey, but agave or any other liquid sweetener would work well too.

 

Mango Lime Yogurt Pops

Recipe by: Nicole White

Makes 4-6 popsicles, depending on the size of your mold

Ingredients:

  • ¾ cup plain non fat Greek yogurt
  • 2 mangos, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice
  • 2 tablespoon honey or agave

Directions:

  1. In the bold of a food processor or blender, combine all ingredients and puree until smooth. Carefully pour the mixture into Popsicle molds, leaving space at the top to ensure room for Popsicle sticks.
  2. Freeze for 6 hours (or overnight) before serving.

Starburst Cookies

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That sounds weird, right?

But think about it. Cookies are good. Starburst are good.

You like fruit in your cookies. Starbursts are like fruit, but bad for you. But don’t worry, the cookie part if less than bad for you, so it all evens out. Trust me.

Did you know that now there are packages of Starburst that come with just the red and pink ones??? Amazing. Is there any reason to eat a fruit flavored candy that isn’t red or pink? Like gummy bears…why do they even make the other colors? Why can’t they just stick to the red ones?!

You know what I think is weird? Gummy bears in ice cream! I do not prefer that. The cold ice cream makes them hard, and not gummy at all really. But a warm cookie makes a Starburst warm and gooey, like when you put taffy in the microwave. Yummmm.

Taffy, on the other hand, should only come in yellow. But that’s neither here nor there. As it turns out, Starburst inside a cookie is actually not weird, but delicious.

Especially if the cookie gets just a little crunch on the outside. Then all the textures and flavors work out in harmony and all that crap. Yes, my cookies are freaking harmonious. What are your cookies? Just melodic? Pssshhhh. Okay, I’m sorry. I had a music nerd baker moment. Don’t give up–LOOK AT THE COOKIES!!

 

Starburst Cookies

yield 1 dozen

  • 2/3 cup white whole wheat flour
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/8 tsp baking powder
  • 3 tbs fat free cream cheese, softened
  • 1 tbs light whipped butter, softened
  • 3 tbs turbinado sugar
  • 3 tbs Splenda
  • 1 tbs egg substitute
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 12 Starburst candies

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
  2. In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, beat together cream cheese, butter, sugar, and Splenda until smooth. Beat in egg substitute and vanilla.  Gradually blend in the dry ingredients.
  4. Roll dough into 1 inch balls, and stuff each dough ball with 1 Starburst. Re-roll dough around Starburst, so that it is completely covered, then place on prepared cookie sheet,
  5. Bake 8 to 10 min, or until golden. Let stand on cookie sheet for 2 min before serving.
  6. Serve warm, fresh out of the oven for optimal Starburst consistency. If you make them ahead of time, you may wish to rewarm before serving.

Skinnified Sunday: S’mores Brownies

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My girl Nicole knows her brownies, and when she posted her recipe for her favorite S’mores Brownies, I almost ended my friendship with her because she didn’t share any with me knew I had to make my own version!

Okay, so don’t go look at her blog, because hers are sooooo much prettier. We all know that presentation is not my forte, but they were delicious, so you know…

Honestly, with gooey, browned marshmallows, chocolate and graham cracker, how could that be bad???

These had everything I love about s’mores combined with everything I love about brownies. I had to send them all home with Jason, so I wouldn’t devour them in one sitting!

No, I don’t think it’s weird to add more chocolate to a brownie. I think you’re weird if you don’t always enjoy the idea of more chocolate.

Original Recipe:

via Nicole @ Foodie Misadventures

My swaps:
  • Nonfat vanilla yogurt for butter (-fat, -saturated fat, -calories, -cholesterol)
  • Turbinado/Splenda combo for sugar (-sugar, -calories)
  • Egg substitute for whole eggs (-fat, -calories, -cholesterol)
  • White whole wheat flour for all purpose (+fiber, +protein)
  • Whole wheat graham crackers for regular (+fiber, +protein)
  • Natural dark chocolate for Hershey’s bars (-sugar)

 

Skinnified S’mores Brownies

yield 16 brownies

  • 3/4 cup nonfat vanilla yogurt
  • 1 cup turbinado sugar
  • 1/2 cup Splenda
  • 3/4 cup egg substitute
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 cup white whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • dash salt
  • 6 whole wheat graham cracker squares + crumbs for sprinkling
  • 1/2 cup all natural dark chocolate chips
  • 5 oz marshmallows (regular or mini)
Directions:
  1. Preheat oven to 350 F°. Grease an 8 inch square pan.
  2. In a large bowl, beat together yogurt, vanilla, egg substitute, Splenda, and sugar until thoroughly combined. Mix in cocoa powder, flour, baking powder and salt until well blended.
  3. Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan. Layer graham crackers side by side over the top of the brownie batter until completely covered. Next pour chocolate chocolate chips evenly over the graham crackers. Then lay the marshmallows out over the chocolate. Pour remaining batter evenly over the marshmallows, spreading with a spatula if necessary.
  4. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes. Let cool completely before slicing and serving.

Skinnified Sunday: Homemade Nutter Butter Bites

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Remember those cute little mini Nutter Butters? The Nutter Butter Bites? They’re half the size, so you get to eat twice as many. That’s the way it works, right?

Is there anything better than crunchy peanut butter cookie stuffed with sweet, creamy peanut butter filling?

Maybe if you mixed them into peanut butter fro yo. Will you please mix them into peanut butter fro yo??? I WANT TO EAT THAT!!!!

Before I left, I had an order for a dozen cookies from the bike shop, and they said they didn’t care what kind, so I made them these. The next time Steve went in, apparently they were all talking about it, because I got this awesome voicemail while I was in Ashland telling me how much the bike people loved my cookies. Sometimes I can’t even believe how much my life has changed–people buying my cookies?? What????

These totally brought me back to my childhood. Nutter Butters were always one of my favs, and they are even better homemade!

I got the original recipe from one of my very favorite blogs. Here’s the original recipe:

My swaps:
  • Light whipped butter + apple butter for real butter (-fat, -calories, -saturated fat, -cholesterol)
  • Less sugar (-sugar, -calories)
  • Liquid egg whites for real eggs (-fat, -calories, -cholesterol)
  • White whole wheat flour for regular (+ protein, +fiber)
  • Extra sugar (-sugar, -calories)
  • Milk
  • Less filling (-fat, -sugar, -calories)
Skinnified Homemade Nutter Butter Bites
yield about 6 dozen
For the cookies:
  • 1/2 cup light whipped butter, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup apple butter
  • 1 cup creamy peanut butter (I suggest PB&Co White Chocolate Wonderful)
  • 3/4 cup turbinado sugar
  • 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 6 tbs liquid egg whites
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 2 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
For the filling:
  • 3/4 cup light whipped butter, room temperature
  • 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter (Again, WCW is best)
  • 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Directions:
    1. Begin with the cookies. In a large bowl with mixer beat butter, apple butter, peanut butter, and sugars until light and fluffy. Add liquid egg whites, and vanilla. Continuing beating until well combined. Turn mixer to low and add in flour, baking soda and baking powder. Mix until combined. Refrigerate dough for 1 hour.
    2. Preheat oven to 375°. Using an extra small cookie scoop, transfer dough to a baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Using a fork, press down on cookie creating a criss-cross pattern.
    3. Bake for 6-8 minutes until edges are lightly golden. Cool on baking sheet 2-3 minutes and then transfer to wire rack to continue cooling.
    4. To make the filling, beat butter and peanut butter together in a large mixing bowl until smooth. Slowly add in your powdered sugar and turn mixer speed up to medium and beat until filling is smooth.
    5. Spread an even layer of filling onto the bottom of one of the peanut butter cookies and then top with another cookie to create sandwich. Repeat with all remaining cookies.

 

3 Cheese Apple Cranberry Pizza

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I don’t know about you, but my taste buds totally change in the summer time. Most of my favorite foods (other than fro yo which is 100 times better in the summer) are hot and cheesy, and just don’t sound good when it’s 115 outside.

Well, this pizza is still hot and cheesy, so it wins for taste, but it is also fruity and refreshing which is perfect for the summer heat!

Confession: My favorite pizza used to be the kind that got delivered. Greasy, drippy Pizza Hut or Dominoes pizza was a staple in my diet, and something I continued to crave until I realized that pizza didn’t have to be off limits. That was like the best day of my life–when I started eating pizza again. Maybe I should be embarrassed by that?

Oh, whatever, I don’t care–I LOVE PIZZA!!! And I am now head over heels for making my own pizza, and how ridiculously easy it is! You just put whatever you want on top of some dough…

Then toss it in the oven!

Taaaaaddddaaaa!

3 Cheese Apple Cranberry Pizza

yield 6 servings

  • 1 package refrigerated whole wheat pizza crust
  • 3/4 cup fat free ricotta cheese
  • 1/4 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
  • 2-3 tbs unsweetened almond milk
  • 1 tbs fresh rosemary leaves, finely chopped
  • 1 tbs balsamic vinegar
  • 1/2 cup part skin mozzarella
  • 1.5 oz herbed goat cheese, crumbled
  • 1 apple, thinly sliced
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries

Directions:

  1. Spray a medium-large cookie sheet with nonstick spray, then roll dough out using a rolling pin to fill out the sheet.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together ricotta, Greek yogurt, milk, rosemary, and balsamic vinegar. Spread evenly onto rolled out dough, then top with mozzarella and goat cheese, followed by apple slices and dried cranberries.
  3. Cook according to instructions on the prepared pizza dough package.

White Chocolate Vanilla Bean Pistachio Butter

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Have I ever mentioned that nut butter is my absolute favorite thing in the world?

I’m sorry. I don’t know a less funny thing to call it that is not “nut butter”. The other options are not better. Trust me. I’ve tried.

Anyway. I could eat peanut butter from the jar. I could down spoonful after spoonful of almond butter. I could pretty much live on the stuff. As long as I could also have fro yo. Then my life would be content.

It’s weird because, as a kid, I was never the type to ask for pb&j. This love didn’t come until much later in life. Probably when I discovered apple + pb was my very favorite snack (It’s the best one in the world. Fact.), or when I realized I could eat my oatmeal out of the jar, after reading that brilliant idea on some of my favorite healthy living blogs. It’s versatile, delicious, and there are a million combinations you could create.

Pistachios are probably my favorite nut. Hazelnuts give them a run for their money, and I really love cashews too, but I would have to say pistachios are my tried and true fav. I’ve seen some pretty interesting spreads at local shops–cinnamon cashew butter, hazelnut butter (or even better–NUTELLA!), etc., but I’ve never seen pistachio butter. I should put a patent on it, because, clearly, I’m a genius. I should be famous. Selling signed pistachio butter jars with my picture on the label. It’ll catch on faster than cookie butter. Okay, maybe not, but coming from someone OBSESSED with cookie butter, I can honestly say that it is just as delicious.

Not only was this pistachio butter a huge hit, but it is also available for sale to contribute to my fundraising. Bethany loved it so much, that she bough a jar right away. In fact, the one jar I kept for myself kept getting lower and lower, and before I realized it, I had to make more just to have enough to photograph. Whoops. I just could.not.stop.

It has the thick, gooey texture of homemade peanut butter, with the perfect subtle sweetness of the white chocolate, and one of my all time favorite flavors of pure, natural vanilla bean. I can’t think of a more perfect combination.

Perfect on bread, rice cakes, bananas, apples, spoons, fingers….

And, also, a great gift! In fact, I sent it in my foodie penpal package to Kristin who was asking for the recipe. Here you go Kristin!! I’m so glad you like it! 🙂

 

White Chocolate Vanilla Bean Pistachio Butter
Inspired by How Sweet It Is
yield approx 1/2 pint (+ a little extra)

  • 8oz pistachio nutmeat
  • 1 vanilla bean, split length wise
  • 1 1/2 tbs coconut oil
  • 1/3 cup all natural white chocolate chips, melted
  • heavy pinch sea salt

Directions:

  1. Add pistachios to a food processor and blend until a thick nut butter forms. Stream in oil and scrape in seeds from vanilla bean with the processor on, continuing to run it until the mixture is smooth (about 3-4 minutes).
  2. Turn off processor, add melted chocolate and sea salt, and turn processor back on. Blend until smooth.

**Best at room temp, but you may refrigerate for freshness, especially if keeping longer than 2 weeks.

Red White & Blue Cookies

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It’s almost the 4th of July!!!

One of my very favorite things in the world is fireworks. I missed them for years when I was working at camp, and I will never forget the summer I stayed in Idaho, going to see fireworks was a huge deal for me! You know me…I like bright, pretty colors. They make me happy. I’m 5 years old on the inside, so it doesn’t take a whole lot to impress me.

Last year, I stayed in Phoenix for the summer, and we had a big BBQ around the 4th, and that’s when I got the idea for these cookies. In fact, I posted them waaaayyy back when I first started blogging, but the pictures were pretty bad, and I loved them so sooooo much, that I had to make them again!

In fact, a year ago, they were Steve’s very favorite dessert I’d ever made. Now, I think there may be a new favorite, but these cookies are still pretty high up on the list. We took them to the bike shop, and I left with a fundraising order! Sweet!

I realllllly love these cookies. I love the combination of flavors and the soft, gooey texture, but I especially love the way the blueberries burst when you take a bit. It’s like the most amazingly fresh blueberry muffin, but a cookie.

Also, they’re pretty. That pretty much never happens with my food. In fact, the other day Steve told me that my brownies were photogenic, and it was, like, the best compliment ever. Usually my food looks like a kindergartner put it together. Which is almost true. Maturity wise.

And now I want to eat a dozen. And not share. Good thing we don’t have a cookie sheet up here yet…


Red White & Blue Cookies

yield approx 3 dozen

  • 1 cup brandy (to soak the berries in, then saving 2 tsp for later)
  • 2/3 cup dried cranberries
  • 2/3 cup small blueberries
  • 1/2 cup honey apple butter
  • 1/2 cup non fat plain greek yogurt
  • 3/4 cup turbinado sugar
  • 2/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup + 2 tbs liquid egg whites (or other egg substitute, or 3 egg whites)
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • dash salt
  • 2 1/4 cups white whole wheat flour
  • 2/3 cup all natural white chocolate chips
  1. Put the blueberries in a wide and shallow bowl, pour in a bit of brandy. Enough so they’re surrounded by it, but not drowning. Cover and place in the fridge for at least one hour. Afterwards, place a colander over a bowl and pour the berries and brandy through, putting the cranberries and the brandy they soaked in aside.
  2. Preheat oven to 375°F. In a large bowl, beat apple butter, yogurt, and sugars until combined. Add liquid egg whites, and 2 tsp berry soaked brandy. Beat well, scraping sides of the bowl as necessary.
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt, then slowly add to wet mixture, beating until just incorporated. Fold in the brandy soaked blueberries, dried cranberries, and white chocolate chips. Let chill for 15 minutes in the fridge.
  4. Spray baking sheet with non stick spray or parchment paper. Use a small-medium sized cookie scoop to transfer dough onto the baking sheet. Bake at 375°F for 8-10 minutes until just set, and the edged are slightly golden. Let cool for a minute, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

 

Triple Chocolate Cupcakes

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My mom loves chocolate. She used to tell me that a dessert without chocolate was a total waste.

Most of my life, I was more of a vanilla person. I liked chocolate in things, but I never liked chocolate based desserts–I always thought they were too overwhelming. In fact, at one point in my life, I swore off chocolate thinking it would help with my weight loss. It didn’t. Turns out when you replace your mocha with a caramel macchiato, and make your chocolate chip cookies with butterscotch chips, it actually makes no difference at all. Funny how that works.

When I did the awful carb diets and swore off sweets for entirely too long (if you can imagine me eating no dessert–it’s a scary thought), my tastes entirely changed. Suddenly, the richer, deeper, and more intense the flavor was, the more I loved it! Dark chocolate became more appealing than my once favorite white, and I started craving brownies instead of snickerdoodle cookies.

These days, it depends on my mood, and if you offered me a chocolate and a vanilla cupcake, I would probably want a vanilla one with chocolate frosting. Or a chocolate one with vanilla frosting. But my mother–she will choose all chocolate. Well, to be honest, it probably doesn’t matter what kind of cupcake it is, because all she really wants is the frosting 😉

Frosting is an other thing I used to not like. But I think that’s because I was eating store bought frosting, and that’s gross. In fact, I find most buttercream kind of disgusting. So sickeningly sweet that it makes your mouth feel funny. I look at the amount of sugar in most frosting recipes, and usually end up taking almost a cup of it away! Now don’t get me wrong, this frosting has plenty of sugar, but it isn’t overwhelming. You can taste the cream cheese, and the chocolate, and not just get a mouthful of sugar. Cream cheese and whipped cream frostings are something I can get behind. You can keep your buttercream and fondant.

These were my mom’s birthday cupcakes. Chocolate cupcakes made with coffee to enhance the chocolate flavor, filled with white chocolate, and topped with my very favorite chocolate cream cheese frosting. Rich chocolatey flavor, without feeling heavy. That is my kind of cupcake. Especially delicious with a glass of almond milk. Mmmmm.

 

Triple Chocolate Cupcakes
yield 1 dozen

Cupcakes inspired by Brown Eyed Baker

  • 1 1/3 cup white whole wheat flour
  • 1/3 cup dutch process cocoa powder (or Hershey’s special dark)
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • dash salt
  • ½ cup unsweetened almond milk
  • 1/2 cup strong brewed coffee
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 1 cup turbinado sugar
  • 1/4 cup egg substitute
  • 1/2 cup all natural white chocolate chips
  • 1/2 batch Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
Directions:
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 12 muffin tins with paper liners, and spray lightly with nonstick spray.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, beat together applesauce, sugar, and egg substitute until well combined. In a measuring cup, combine the milk, coffee, and vanilla. Slowly add the flour mixture, alternating with the coffee mixture, ending with the flour mixture. Fold in white chocolate chips.
  4. Divide the batter evenly between the 12 liners. Baking for 17-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean.
  5. Cool cupcakes completely on wire racks. Meanwhile, prepare frosting. When cupcakes are completely cooled, frost and enjoy.

 

Heath Bar Fro-yo

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Well, I guess whether or not we had a perfect 85 degree Memorial Day weekend, that is long gone, and summer is here to stay. Although, I’m not. Come Sunday, I will be on a plane to Oregon where I will be spending most of the summer! I get to do theatre in a beautiful location with some of the most amazing people. I cannot wait! But while I’m still here “enjoying” the triple digits, you better believe I am getting my fro yo fill.

Not that I need warm temperatures to eat frozen yogurt. We all know that it’s my weakness in any temperature. But there is something special about the cool treat in the hot weather, especially when it’s made at home.

And can we talk for a second about Heath toffee bits? Is there anything more delicious to put into a cookie, cupcake, bowl of cereal ice cream? They’ve always been one of my favorite additions. I used to make these super unhealthy cookies filled with white and dark chocolate chips, and ridiculous amounts of toffee bits that gave it a slight crunch, and made the whole thing taste like toffee. You should try it sometime. But keep them far away from me, because I will eat the whole batch. Then make more.

It’s okay, I have this bowl of deliciousness to keep me occupied. And it has Greek yogurt, so I can eat it for breakfast, and call it healthy. I love dessert for breakfast. I am totally my mother’s daughter. She never likes to eat her dessert at night. Instead, she saves it, and eats it for breakfast the next morning. She also loved ice cream. And chocolate. She’s basically me, with a New York accent.

Mom, come over and eat fro yo. Okay, actually, it’s all gone (I’m sure you’re shocked), but it honestly is the easiest thing to make ever, and it is basically fool proof. Even I can’t mess it up!

So, I know my house is not Yogurtland. I will never forget the first time I made frozen yogurt for my friends, and they asked me where the toppings were. But, I would say Heath and chocolate are among the best of toppings. And Yogurtland’s sprinkles suck. I love my sprinkles crunchy. I can’t stand a soft sprinkle. Is that weird? Do other people out there have a sprinkle preference?

Rainbow and crunchy. Or pink and crunchy. No chocolate sprinkles. Those are lame, and boring. Apparently, I’m a sprinkle connoisseur. That is because sprinkles go on fro yo (they may not be in the picture, but you better believe they made it onto my bowl), and I am, without a doubt, a fro yo connoisseur. And this fro yo is creamy, filled with delicious vanilla bean (if you’ve never used one, you don’t know what you’re missing!!), and the delicious crunch of one of the best candy bars around.

Heath Bar Fro-yo

yield 12 4oz servings

  • 3 cups nonfat plain Greek yogurt
  • 3/4 cup turbinado sugar
  • 1/2 vanilla bean, split length wise
  • 1/3 cup Heath toffee bits
  • 1/3 cup mini dark chocolate chips

Directions:

  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together yogurt, and sugar. Scrape seeds from vanilla bean into the bowl, and combine. Cover and chill for 1 hour.
  2. Freeze according to ice cream maker instructions.
  3. When yogurt is frozen, gently fold in toffee and chocolate chips before serving, or transferring to a container to freeze for later.

Speculoos Cookie Dough Truffles

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Sometimes, you just need to eat raw cookie dough dipped in chocolate.

Okay, at all times I really need raw cookie dough dipped in chocolate. Who am I kidding? But, for some greater good, or something, I surpress my need, and save it for the days where I need a little pick me up.

Like, you know, when you find out you need surgery, and you’re going to miss out on the race you’ve spent the last 3 months training for. Wahhhh. It’s okay though, because these made me feel better. A lot better. Like in Ratatouille when that little rat takes the bite and the fireworks go off around him, and the whole world stops. I heart Pixar.

I would tell you that these are a huge problem. And they are were. I ate them all up. Problem solved. I am so good at solutions. Have a food problem? Here is the solution: Give it to me. Unless it’s strawberries. Or pineapple. Or beets. Yuck. Also, crisco, but is that even food???? It can’t be! It gives me the creeps. Some people I know keep pounds of it in their pantry. I have strange friends. 😉

Anyway, I made 3 kinds of truffles. When you’re indecisive like me, and you can think of a million ways that these truffles could taste good, it would be silly to choose just one. So I made some with fleur de sel (fancy for sea salt–don’t worry, you don’t have to spend $15 on your salt; regular sea salt will do), and I topped some with cinnamon chips, and drizzled white chocolate over the rest. The salted ones were my favorite. Shocking, right?

All I can say is you’re welcome. Or, I’m sorry. Depending on how you take eating a dozen truffles in one sitting….

Speculoos Cookie Dough Truffles

yield 1 1/2-2 dozen truffles

  • 2 tbs light whipped butter
  • 1/2 cup TJ’s Speculoos Cookie Butter (or Biscoff spread, or any other Speculoos spread you prefer)
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp almond extract
  • 1/4 cup white whole wheat flour
  • 2/3 cup dark chocolate, melted
  • optional toppings: fleur de sel, cinnamon chips, white chocolate

Directions:

  1. In a medium bowl, beat together butter, cookie butter, vanilla and flour until well combined.  Cover and chill for 30min-1 hour.
  2. Roll dough into 1/2 tbs sized balls, and use a fork to dip and fully coat in melted chocolate. Set on parchment paper, and repeat with remaining dough.  Freeze for 1 hour to set, then keep in freezer or refrigerator.

Toppings:

  • If using fleur de sel, or cinnamon chips, top before freezing. Sprinkle fleur de sel on top, or place 2-3 small cinnamon chips into the top.
  • If using white chocolate, wait until set. Melt desired amount of white chocolate and drizzle lightly using a toothpick. Refreeze to set.

BBQ Ranch Turkey Burgers

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Once upon a time, ranch dressing was my food of choice. Have I ever mentioned my undying love for french fries dipped in ranch? I actually used to eat cheese fries dipped in ranch. From Denny’s. Clearly, I’ve always been an example of clean, intuitive eating. What body doesn’t need cheese fries dipped in ranch?!?! Freaks. Weirdos. Crazies.

 

You know what else ranch is delicious on? Pizza. Is that weird? Maybe. I swear, unless it was ice cream, I put ranch on it. Ice cream is good enough on its own, I guess. Actually, it’s probably the only food I loved more than ranch and cheese. Mmmmmmmm, ice cream. Okay, but seriously. Burger. Barbecue. Bacon. Ranch. Heaven. Just like you’d find at any burger joint.

Only, you know, more delicious. And minus the side of heart attack 😉

This is one of my favorite ways to cook. Taking my favorite meals from my unhealthier days, and turning them into something equally (and often more) delicious that I can feel good about enjoying! I spent a long time thinking that eating healthy meant I had to give up everything I loved, and that healthy food would be gross, and unsatisfying, but I have proven myself wrong time, and time again. These burgers are no exception–they taste like comfort food, and leave you feeling energized, rather than weighed down. Perfect for summer!

BBQ Ranch Turkey Burgers

yield 5 servings

  • 20 oz lean ground turkey (at least 93%, but 99% ground turkey breast is the best)
  • 1 tbs egg substitute
  • 1/4 cup + 2 tbs all natural barbecue sauce, divided
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped red onion + more for topping
  • 3 slices center cut bacon, cooked and chopped + (extra slices for topping–optional)
  • freshly ground salt & pepper
  • 1/3 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
  • 1-2 tsp ranch seasoning
  • 5 100% whole grain buns (whole wheat, brown rice, etc.), toasted

Directions:

  1. Preheat grill. In a large bowl, combine ground turkey, egg substitute, 2 tbs barbecue sauce, 0nion, chopped bacon, salt and pepper. Thoroughly combine, and form into 5 even patties.
  2. Grill until cooked throughout (approx 5 minutes per side). Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, Greek yogurt, 1/4 cup barbecue sauce, and ranch seasoning. Mix until well combined.
  3. Place cooked patties on toasted wheat buns, then top with barbecue ranch sauce, bacon, onions, and any other desired toppings (lettuce, tomato, cheese, bell pepper, etc.)

 

Vegan Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

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This never happens. We eat a lot of bananas in this house, so they never stick around long enough to make banana bread/muffins/etc.

But I guess one day I got overzealous on my banana buying. Or we got sick of them for a while, because all of the sudden I had more over ripe bananas than I knew what to do with.

Okay, that’s a lie. I knew exactly what to do with them!

Note to self: bananas don’t typically stick around too long. Banana muffins don’t make it through the night.

I always talk about how I love experimenting with cooking for different diets. I won’t ever, ever, ever do an other diet with rules again, unless I develop some medical condition in which it is necessary or I’m going to die, and even then I’d still consider my options. Kidding. Mostly. 😉 I do love trying different things, however, and cooking in different ways. I’ve been dying to find some amazing looking recipe to make Diana some candida baked goods! Soon, soon, soon. But for now, amazing people like Jen that can’t have dairy, can eat delicious muffins (and Jen, I promise I am sending your cookies before I leave for camp!).

I could not get over how soft and moist these muffins were! Honestly, what is the point of butter in a muffin? Bananas and applesauce do the same thing and, in my opinion, like a million times better. I mean, don’t get me wrong…I love butter. It’s sick, really, how much I love butter, but well…now I feel slightly embarrassed because about my last statement, so let’s get back to these muffins which don’t fill my love of butter, but fill my bigger love of baked goods and chocolate. And now I am reminded of how sad I am that there are no longer any left in my house. First world problems people. This means you should make them, and enjoy them for me!

Like, perhaps, while lounging by the pool. 😉

 

Vegan Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

yield 1 dozen

  • 2 1/3 cup white whole wheat flour
  • 3/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • dash salt
  • 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 3 extra-ripe bananas, mashed
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 3/4 cup turbinado sugar + more for sprinkling
  • 1/3 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
  • 1/2 cup non dairy dark chocolate chips (I recommend using the mini size)

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350. Line muffin tin with paper liners, and spray lightly with nonstick spray.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. Set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, beat together bananas, vanilla, applesauce, 3/4 cup sugar, and almond milk, until well combined. Slowly, beat in dry ingredients, then fold in chocolate chips.
  4. Evenly divide batter between the 12 muffin tins. Sprinkle an extra pinch of turbinado sugar on the top of each muffin (optional), and bake for 25-30 minutes until golden, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer immediately to wire racks to cool.

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