Popular Recipes

Nutella Yogurt Dip

Written on February 21, 2013 by in Snack

Nutella Yogurt Dip

Nutella is one of those foods that I think everyone likes. Maybe it’s not for everyone, but it has 17 million fans on Facebook so it must feel pretty loved. I’m sure all those birthday notifications must be a bitch.

Two years ago I shared a fruity peanut butter yogurt dip recipe and since then it’s been pinned on Pinterest almost 190,000 times; who knew there were even that many Pinterest users? I’ve seen countless reviews and variations of it and this is another one to add to the list.

Nutella Yogurt Dip Nutella

Nutella isn’t exactly a health food but that doesn’t mean you have to pass up on this delicious dip. There are plenty of all-natural varieties of chocolate hazelnut spreads out there and you can even make your own. If you’re using a brand that’s less sugar-laden you might want to add a touch more honey.

Nutella Yogurt Dip

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 0 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 1 cup):

  • 1/2 cup Nutella
  • 1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoons honey(optional)

Method:

  1. Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
  2. Store in the refrigerator when not eating.

Nutella Yogurt Dip Fruit

Serve on fruit, graham crackers, and fingers.

5 Comments - Leave a comment!

White Chocolate Almond Blondies

Written on February 19, 2013 by in Dessert

White Chocolate Almond Blondies

*National Almond Day may have been two days ago but there’s still time to enter to win an almond prize pack.*

I get asked a lot whether almond flour can be used in a recipe in place of almond meal and vice versa. I’ve never found much of a difference when baking with either one. Almond flour is lighter and finer than almond meal and generally better for light and airy baked goods.

I used a very fine almond flour for these and couldn’t believe how much they melted in your mouth for something that’s grain-free. The almond butter and almond flour together make a great flavor that’s more than your average blondie has.

White Chocolate Almond Blondies Butter

These are definitely on the cakier side of blondies. I would love to figure out how to make them more fudgy, but still had no complaints with this recipe. Next time I would consider making a buttercream frosting to put on top of them.

White Chocolate Almond Blondies

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup almond flour or almond meal
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/4 cup natural almond butter
  • 1/2 cup butter, melted
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup white chocolate chips

White Chocolate Almond Blondies Stack

Method:

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
  2. In a large bowl, mix together the almond flour, sugar, baking soda and salt.
  3. Beat in the eggs and almond butter until fully incorporated.
  4. Slowly mix in the melted butter and vanilla extract until evenly mixed.
  5. Pour the batter into a greased 8 x 8 baking pan.
  6. Sprinkle the white chocolate chips over the batter and gently press them in.
  7. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the center of the blondies has set.
  8. Let them cool before cutting.
8 Comments - Leave a comment!

Almond Butter Fudge + Giveaway

Written on February 15, 2013 by in Dessert, Giveaway

Almond Butter Fudge Yield

It’s no surprise that I’m a fan of almonds in all form on this blog, whether its almond butter, almond flour or just almonds. I’m still trying to wrap my mind around where the milk comes from though.

The Almond Board of California alerted me that tomorrow, February 16th, is National Almond Day and what better way to celebrate than with a recipe and a giveaway?

I came across this crazy delicious recipe for coconut fudge on the Whole Foods recipe blog and had to try it out with almonds. I knew if the finished result tasted anything like chocolate covered almonds it would be right up my alley.

Almond Butter Fudge Almond Butter

Salt and almonds are the perfect way to dress up a simple fudge recipe. You could add a little sugar into the melted chocolate but the simple flavor and crunch of the almonds shine through without anything added.

Almond Butter Fudge

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 0 minutes

Ingredients(Makes about 20 servings):

  • 1 1/4 cups chocolate chips
  • 3 Tablespoons butter
  • 2 Tablespoons natural almond butter
  • 3 Tablespoons water
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/4 cup shaved almonds

Almond Butter Fudge

Method:

  1. In a medium-sized bowl, melt together the chocolate chips and butter until they are runny and smooth.
  2. In a separate bowl, beat the almond butter, water, vanilla extract and salt together until evenly mixed.
  3. Stir the wet mixture into the melted chocolate and mix until smooth.
  4. Grease the bottom and sides of an 8-inch loaf pan or other small Tupperware.
  5. Pour the fudge into the load pan and lightly shake until it has set in an even layer.
  6. Sprinkle the sliced almonds over the top of the fudge and press them in gently.
  7. Refrigerate for 30 minutes until the fudge has set before cutting into 1-inch squares.

Almond Day Giveaway

Now for the exciting part. The Almond Board of California is giving away an almond prize pack to one random US reader. You’ll get the same package I received including almond butter, almonds, slivered almonds, almond flour, and flavored almonds. To enter, leave a comment for each entry below.

The giveaway is open until Wednesday, February 20th. Good luck!

110 Comments - Leave a comment!

Homemade Honey Roasted Cashews

Written on February 13, 2013 by in Snack

Homemade Honey Roasted Cashews

I’m not sure when but at some point nuts became one of the most expensive items in the grocery store. It’s a shame. They’re one of the healthy foods that are naturally delicious, but dressing them up never hurts.

These have become my go-to afternoon snack. They’re perfect for a slight sweet craving or to throw on yogurt or even a tofu stir-fry.

I’m not sure if the egg white is completely necessary for this recipe but I love the texture of the sugar on the cashews after they’re baked. You can spice these up easily by adding in some cinnamon.

Homemade Honey Roasted Cashews

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 15-20 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups cashews
  • 1 Tablespoon egg white
  • 1 Tablespoon honey
  • 3 Tablespoons sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

    • Homemade Honey Roasted Cashews Roasted

Method:

  1. Preheat you oven to 325 degrees.
  2. In a small bowl, mix together the egg white, honey, sugar and salt until the sugar and salt have dissolved.
  3. Mix the cashews with the wet ingredients until they are covered.
  4. Lay the cashews out on a non-stick surface in a single layer.
  5. Roast for 15-20 minutes until the edges begin to darken slightly, taking care not to burn them.
  6. Remove the cashews from the oven and let them cool completely.
  7. Break the cashews apart and store them in an air-tight container at room temperature.

Homemade Honey Roasted Cashews Yield

Purely addicting.

7 Comments - Leave a comment!

Scrambled Tofu

Written on February 11, 2013 by in Breakfast

Scrambled Tofu

This recipe is an oldie but a goodie.

If I had to recommend one dish for someone who wants to eat less animal products it would be scrambled tofu. It looks just like eggs and you can really flavor it however you like. Not to mention it only takes about 10 minutes from start to finish.

I started eating less scrambled eggs and more scrambled tofu after watching Vegucated on Netflix. I won’t go into personal ethics on why I made the switch but it’s a good documentary to watch on Netflix in between marathons of Being Human and United States of Tara.

Scrambled Tofu Yield

You can easily change this recipe to make it more flavorful by adding herbs and sautéed vegetables into the mix. I usually use curry powder to make mine a little spicy.

Scrambled Tofu

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 5 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 2 servings):

  • 1 block extra firm tofu
  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon onion powder

Scarmbled Tofu Easy

Method:

  1. In a large bowl, mash the tofu with a fork lightly until it’s textured to resemble scrambled eggs.
  2. Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat.
  3. Mix the turmeric, salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder in with the tofu until it’s evenly coated.
  4. Sauté the tofu in the oil until it’s heated through and takes on a vibrant color.
  5. Remove from the pan and serve hot.

Afterwards I put a big pile of ketchup on the side of the plate. What’re eggs and hash browns without ketchup?

9 Comments - Leave a comment!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bark

Written on February 8, 2013 by in Dessert

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bark

Whoever decided Cookies N’ Cream would get so much attention? There are Cookies N’ Cream ice creams, milk shakes, chocolate bars, granola bars—everything–Cookies N’ Cream.

I’m a bigger fan of the classic chocolate chip cookie; there’s nothing that you shouldn’t be able to do with a chocolate chip cookie. With chocolate, brown sugar, butter, and vanilla, there aren’t any other flavors you could ask for.

This bark, like most others, is simple to make but always a huge hit. Anyone who likes the taste of a chocolate chip cookie won’t be able to pass it up.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bark Cookies

For this recipe you don’t want to use your grandmother’s fresh-out-of-the-oven chocolate chip cookies but instead something from the store shelf like Chips Ahoy! or Lucy’s that’s crunchy and won’t get stale in the bark.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bark

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 0 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 16-20 servings):

  • 8.5 ounces white chocolate OR 1 cup white chocolate chips
  • 1/4 cup chocolate chips
  • 5 chocolate chip cookies, broken into pieces

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bark Yield

Method:

  1. Melt the white chocolate chips in a microwave or over a double boiler.
  2. Spread the melted chocolate out onto non-stick wax paper in a thin layer.
  3. Spread the broken chocolate chip cookie pieces out on top and then the chocolate chips so that they evenly cover the bark.
  4. Lightly press the toppings into the bark.
  5. Refrigerate or freeze the bark for 20-30 minutes until it has solidified. Break the bark into equal-sized pieces to serve.
  6. Keep refrigerated when not eating.

6 Comments - Leave a comment!

Orange Spinach Smoothie

Written on February 6, 2013 by in Drink

Orange Spinach Smoothie

This is one of those moments where I have to eat my words.

I’m sure if you searched through all my tweets you’d find one about how I’d never, ever eat a smoothie with spinach in it. Well the joke’s on me because I’ve been having one or more of these a day for the past few weeks.

Once you get past the color that makes you think you’re drinking Kermit the Frog, you’d be surprised how good green smoothies can taste. And you know they’re better for you than whatever you can get at an Orange Julius in the mall.

Orange Spinach Smoothie Fruits

If you do add chia seeds or protein powder then I would recommend adding more water so the mixture doesn’t thicken up too much. For an ice-cold smoothie, freeze the banana ahead of time.

Orange Spinach Smoothie

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 0 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 2 cups):

  • 1 banana
  • 1 orange
  • 1/2 cup frozen spinach
  • 1/2 cup water
  • chia seeds(optional)
  • protein powder(optional)

Orange Spinach Smoothie Blender

Method:

  1. Combine all of the ingredients in your blender.
  2. Process until smooth.
  3. Drink immediately while still fresh.

Orange Spinach Smoothie Yield

I promise it tastes better than it looks.

9 Comments - Leave a comment!

Brown Rice Flour Banana Bread

Written on February 4, 2013 by in Breakfast

Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Banana Bread

I’ll be the first to admit that gluten-free baking is tougher than baking with flour. Instead of just wheat you have a hundred different varieties of flour and starches to work with and if you’ve never used them before you have no idea how they work in recipes. It’s a hassle.

I’m always drawn to making recipes that use just one type of flour because I don’t like to have to go out and buy 6 or 7 to make a single loaf of bread. This recipe only uses brown rice flour, which is a gluten-free whole grain flour that bakes well and doesn’t overpower any of the other flavors. You’ll have a hard time telling this bread is gluten-free.

Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Banana Bread Serving

I used Bob’s Red Mill’s brown rice flour for this recipe which is the least grainy I’ve found and has a great texture when baked. In baking, weight’s always the most reliable measure so if you can

Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Banana Bread

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 60 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 1 loaf):

  • 2 large bananas
  • 4 eggs
  • 3/4 cups sugar
  • 1/2 cup peanut butter
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 1/2 cups(240 grams) brown rice flour
  • 1/2 Tablespoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup water

Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Banana Bread Slice

Method:

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Mash the bananas until they’re completely smooth.
  3. In a large bowl, stir together the bananas, eggs, sugar, peanut butter, and oil until mixed.
  4. Add in the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, vanilla, and chocolate chips and stir.
  5. Slowly add the water until the batter has a loose consistency.
  6. Grease a 9-inch loaf pan.
  7. Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake for 60 minutes until the center has set.
  8. Remove from the oven and let the loaf cool before cutting in.

I found my loaf got stale sitting on the counter after a day but microwaving a slice for 60 seconds between two paper towels made it taste fresh out of the oven.

15 Comments - Leave a comment!

Low-Fat Garlic & Herb Mashed Potatoes

Written on February 1, 2013 by in Side Dish

Yogurt Mashed Potatoes

There are two things that you can expect with every new year: A host of people looking for healthy recipes online and about triple the normal crowd at the gym.

When Stonyfield asked their Clean Plate Club members to lighten their favorite comfort food with yogurt, I knew exactly what I wanted to make. Few things are as comforting as mashed potatoes and they’re perfect for lightening up.

Yogurt instead of butter makes these potatoes soft and creamy while garlic and herbs adds a ton of flavor without adding any fat. You’d never guess that they were better for you.

Yogurt Mashed Potatoes Potatoes

Like most cooking, you should work with the ingredients to however you taste the finish dish best. Use 1 garlic clove for a subtle flavor or 3 for a garlic-lover’s helping of potatoes.

Low-Fat Garlic & Herb Mashed Potatoes

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 60 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 4-6 servings):

  • 1lb yukon gold potatoes
  • 4oz Stonyfield low-fat plain yogurt
  • 1-3 garlic cloves, roasted and grated
  • 1/2 Tablespoon dried herbes de Provence
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1-2 Tablespoons milk

Yogurt Mashed Potatoes Yogurt

Method:

  1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Roast the potatoes for an hour until the insides are tender. Remove the potatoes from the oven and let them cool until they’re cold enough to handle.
  3. Peel off the skins and collect the rest of the potato in a pot or bowl.
  4. Mash the potatoes along with the yogurt, garlic, herbs, salt, and pepper until smooth. Add a touch of milk depending on how starchy the potatoes are until they’re the right consistency.
  5. Serve hot.
0 Comments - Leave a comment!

Vegetarian Buffalo Chicken Dip

Written on January 30, 2013 by in Miscellaneous, Side Dish

Vegetarian Buffalo Chicken Dip

I’ve never been a vegetarian who claims he doesn’t miss certain food. I used to love buffalo chicken dip; what’s a Superbowl party without it? This year I finally got fed up with being dip-less and decided to make my own.

Too often the impulse for making meat-free dishes is to reach for something with tofu or the name “fak’n” in front of it. Beans are a great substitute that are also cheap, tasty, and something everyone can recognize.

Vegetarian Buffalo Chicken Dip Hot Sauce

To lighten this dip up slightly you can use a reduced fat cream cheese instead of full-fat. I would avoid fat-free because the taste and texture would be off. Similarly you can swap in reduced fat cheese as well.

Vegetarian Buffalo Chicken Dip

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 25 minutes

Ingredients(Serves 8-12 people):

  • 8oz cream cheese
  • 1/2 cup hot sauce
  • 8oz shredded cheddar or Mexican-blend cheese, divided
  • 1 15oz can white beans, rinsed and drained

Vegetarian Buffalo Chicken Dip Uncooked

Method:

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
  2. In a large bowl, beat together the hot sauce, cream cheese, and 6 ounces(about 1 1/2 cups) of shredded until mixed.
  3. Fold in the beans, adding a little bit of water if necessary until fully incorporated.
  4. Scoop the dip into an oven-safe bowl and spread out the remaining cheese on top to cover it.
  5. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the cheese begins to brown and the center is hot.
  6. Remove from the oven and serve hot with crudité and nachos. 

Vegetarian Buffalo Chicken Dip Cooked

You will not miss the chicken; I swear it.

30 Comments - Leave a comment!
« Older Posts
Newer Posts »