Love the ingredients, not the food.

Peanut Butter Banana Breakfast Smoothie

Written on January 28, 2013 by Wannabe Chef in Drink

Have you entered the Blendtec and Stonyfield Blends giveaway yet? There’s still a few days left!

Having a reliable blender has improved my eating habits in a lot of unexpected ways. I’ve started having more fruit smoothies and vegetable juices throughout the day. A lot of the time I enjoy them so much I forget they’re healthy.

By far my favorite is a chocolate peanut butter smoothie; I don’t think there’s any surprise there. It’s similar to having a Reese’s cup but you can have it everyday and still feel good. How does something like that even exist?

You can use milk, almond milk, or coconut milk in place of the water; however, I think this is deliciously creamy as is on account of the peanut butter. If you ever need to make peanut or almond milk in a jiffy, you can make it by blending ~1 Tablespoon of nut butter with a cup of water.

Peanut Butter Banana Breakfast Smoothie

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 0 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 1 serving):

1 banana, chopped
2 Tablespoons peanut butter
2 heaping Tablespoons cocoa powder
1 Tablespoon honey(optional)
1/2 cup water
2/3 cup ice
1 scoop protein powder(optional)

Method:

Combine all of the ingredients in a blender.
Blend until smooth and creamy.
Pour and serve cold.

Simple and delicious.

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Amaretto Sour with Grenadine

Written on January 25, 2013 by Wannabe Chef in Drink

Whether it’s desserts or drinks, I’m always drawn to the sweetest ones. My favorite drink to order at restaurants growing up was always Shirley Temples. I couldn’t describe the flavor if I had to other than sugary; but really that was never a concern.

Even now I’m still drawn to that syrupy-sweet taste of grenadine. And I’ve come to learn it’s even better with a tart and salty contrast and some deeper flavor to it like amaretto.

This is drink is definitely on the sweet side. You can add a splash of seltzer to dilute the flavor slightly and add a carbonated twist to it or add a little vodka to make the drink stronger without changing the flavor too much.

Amaretto Sour with Grenadine

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 0 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 2 servings):

3oz Amaretto
1.5oz Sweet & sour mix
Splash(~1 Tablespoon) of grenadine
Splash of vodka(optional)
Ice
Cherries and lime wedges for garnish

Method:

Combine the amaretto, sweet and sour mix, grenadine, and ice in a cocktail shaker. Add in a splash of vodka for a less-sweet drink.
Shake hard. Pour into 2 glasses.
Garnish with a lime wedge and/or a cherry. Serve cold.

Enjoy!

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Coconut Pistachio Bark

Written on January 23, 2013 by Wannabe Chef in Dessert

I know Christmas was almost a month ago but bear with me for one more Christmas recipe. It’s easy to find delicious red food but green? Not so much. Unless you want to sneak spinach, kale, or peppers into a dessert, it’s hard to get the red and green theme naturally.

This bark looks like Christmas. The coconut seems like snow on the ground while the green and red toppings make it fun and festive. And it’s as fun to eat as it is to look at. The meaty pistachios and coconut match up against the tart craisins and bitter chocolate.

This bark shouldn’t last long, but if you happen to have leftovers make sure to keep them in the refrigerator to keep the chocolate solid.

Coconut Pistachio Bark

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes

Ingredients(Makes about 16 servings):

8.5oz dark chocolate OR 1 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut
3 Tablespoons dried cranberries
3 Tablespoons pistachios

Method:

Melt the chocolate in a microwave or over a double boiler.
Spread the melted chocolate out on a sheet of wax paper or other non-stick surface.
Sprinkle the coconut, cranberries and pistachios out along the surface of the chocolate.
Gently press the toppings into the bark to make sure they stick to the chocolate.
Refrigerate the chocolate for 20-30 minutes until it has set.
Remove the bark from the wax paper and break it apart into 16-20 uneven pieces.

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Homemade Sweet & Sour Mix

Written on January 21, 2013 by Wannabe Chef in Drink

The drink I always go through the fastest is sweet & sour mix. I’m a sucker for sours and my roommate loves margaritas so it’s a hot ticket in our refrigerator. We used to buy our mix from the liquor store until I realized how easy it is to make. With this recipe, you’ll never have to overpay for sweet & sour mix again.

At the heart of it, sweet & sour mix is just lemon juice, lime juice, water, and sugar. The basic ration is equal parts sugar water and citrus juice. You can always make it sweeter or more tart to fix your preference.

This keeps for a while so it’s a great thing to make ahead of time and leave in your refrigerator for the right occasion. If you’re using this to make margaritas or a tropical drink, consider swapping in orange juice in place of the lemon juice.

Homemade Sweet & Sour Mix

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 5 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 2 cups):

1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1/2 cup lime juice(from about 2 limes)
1/2 cup lemon juice(from about 2 lemons)

Method:

Combine the sugar and water in a pot and boil the water until the sugar has dissolved.
Take the sugar water off the heat. Add in the lemon juice and lime juice.
If you’re fresh-squeezing the lemons and limes, remove the pulp and seeds from the mix with a strainer.
Store the sweet & sour mix in the refrigerator when not using. It will last for a couple weeks.

Who knew it was that simple?

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Stonyfield Blends & Blendtec Giveaway

Written on January 18, 2013 by Wannabe Chef in Giveaway

This is by far my favorite opportunity of 2013 so far.

As a recipe developer for the Clean Plate Club, I had the opportunity to try Stonyfield’s newest yogurt Blends as well as a Blendtec to play around in the kitchen with. Since I’ve got it I’ve been bookmarking smoothie, juices, and soup recipes left and right. The best part is that I have an identical pack to giveaway to a reader–more on that at the end of the post!

The first thing I blended up was fruity peanut butter yogurt dip made with french vanilla Stonyfield Blends. After almost 2 years that recipe needed a facelift. With the vanilla yogurt, it tasted more like a peanut butter frosting than a dip and was deliciously smooth.

I’ve found I like the Blends better than the regular variety of Stonyfield yogurt. The texture seems a little creamier even though the flavors I received were non-fat, and I’ve never been a fan of having the fruit on the bottom of the yogurt anyway. And because it’s Stonyfield they’re all entirely organic. I would say the Blends are a win-win.

My favorite thing about the Blendtec so far has been how easy it is to use. I’ve been working with a Black & Decker food processor for years now and the Blendtec is lighter, sturdier, has less pieces to it, can handle heavier loads, and is much easier to clean. It’s blown my old processor away in just about every aspect. It can be hard to clean under the blade after processing something sticky like peanut butter; that’s been my only trouble so far.

Giveaway

Here’s my favorite part: I get to giveaway an identical prize pack to one of you, which includes a Blendtec and package of the new Stonyfield Blends. There are 7 ways to win!

Mandatory entry: What would your favorite flavor of blended yogurt be? It can be one of the new ones or one you just made up!

Other entries:

Like Stonyfield on Facebook
Like Blendtec on Facebook
Follow Stonyfield on Twitter
Follow Blendtec on Twitter
Sign up for the Blendtec Recipe of the Week
Tweet “I want to win a Blendtec and #StonyfieldBlends http://tinyurl.com/bclecev #giveaway”

I’ll leave this contest going for 2 weeks, ending on February 1st. Good luck!

Edit: This giveaway has closed and the winner has been contacted.

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Chocolate-Coffee Meringue Sandwiches

Written on January 16, 2013 by Wannabe Chef in Dessert

Even though I stopped drinking coffee years ago, I still love coffee flavored things. Occasionally I’ll have a cup of decaf coffee, but more likely I’ll look for coffee ice cream or chocolate covered espresso beans. Coffee and chocolate are a wonderful things.

These aren’t technically macarons because there isn’t any almond paste in the recipe but the taste and texture are similar: Crunchy, soft coffee meringues held together with a rich chocolate ganache. The best touch is the added Irish cream in the ganache; it’s much better than a morning cup of coffee.

You can use regular cream in place of the Irish cream for the ganache or even a coffee liqueur like Kahlua.

Chocolate-Coffee Meringue Sandwiches

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 2 hours

Ingredients(Makes about 15 sandwiches):

4 egg whites
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon instant coffee granules
1/2 cup chocolate chips
2 Tablespoons butter
3 Tablespoons Irish cream

Method:

Preheat your oven to 225 degrees.
In a glass bowl, beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks.
Sift the powdered sugar, cream of tartar, and instant coffee together and then slowly beat them into the egg whites.
Continue beating until all of the sugar is incorporated and the whites form stiff peaks.
Scoop the meringue into a pastry bag or Ziploc bag with a corner cut out.
Squeeze the batter into discs on non-stick baking trays.
Bake for 90 minutes until the meringues are hard. Remove from the oven and let them cool.
Melt the chocolate and butter together. Mix in the Irish cream until it makes a smooth ganache.
Scoop about a Tablespoon of ganache on the bottom of one meringue and sandwich it with another.
Let the sandwiches sit for about 15 minutes until the ganache hardens.
Serve at room temperature.

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Adult Peppermint Milkshakes

Written on January 14, 2013 by Wannabe Chef in Drink

Is there anything that doesn’t go well mixed with Irish cream? If there is, I haven’t found it yet.

Irish cream is probably my favorite drink of choice this time of year when it’s cold outside and there’s snow on the ground. The rich, caramel flavor tastes like a white hot chocolate with an extra kick to it. Mixing in some ice cream and peppermint liquor adds a seasonal touch that puts this drink over the edge.

I’d recommend using an ice cream with a strong vanilla flavor like French vanilla or vanilla bean. If you really want a stronger peppermint flavor you can use a mint chocolate chip ice cream instead.

Adult Peppermint Milkshakes

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 0 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 2 servings):

1/2 cup vanilla ice cream, softened
4oz Irish cream
1.5oz Peppermint liqueur
Ice
Crushed mints for garnish
Extra vanilla ice cream

Method:

Combine the softened ice cream, Irish cream, and peppermint liqueur in a cocktail shaker and shake until the ice cream has melted.
Garnish the rim of two drinking glasses with crushed peppermints by wetting the rim and dipping it into a bowl of the crushed mints.
Fill the glasses to the top with ice.
Pour 1/2 cup of the drink into each glass.
Top with extra ice cream and crushed mints. Drink immediately.

What else could you want?

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Lemon Cornmeal Cake

Written on January 12, 2013 by Wannabe Chef in Dessert

When it comes to dessert, I love lemon just as much as any chocolate torte or cake. Even though it’s typically a Summer flavor, I think it’s great to end a heavy Winter meal on a light and refreshing note.

Cornmeal is one of my favorite underrated gluten-free flours. It’s made to use polenta and corn tortillas all the time but hardly ever makes it into desserts. The texture is certainly more coarse than your typical flour but it has a charming rusticness to it.

Make sure to find a finely ground cornmeal rather than a coarse one. The cake will bake either way but the coarse cornmeal will have a tougher texture to it once baked.

Lemon Cornmeal Cake

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups finely ground cornmeal
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 Tablespoons cornstarch
3 eggs
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup milk, divided
1/2 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon lemon extract, divided
1/2 Tablespoon lemon zest
1 cup powdered sugar

Method:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, sugar, cornstarch and baking soda until mixed.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, 6 1/2 Tablespoons of milk, 1/2 Tablespoon of lemon extract and the lemon zest.
Mix the dry and wet ingredients and whisk well.
Grease an 8-inch cake pan on all sides.
Pour the batter into the cake pan. Place in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes until the top is browning and the center is cooked.
Remove from the oven and let the cake cool.
After the cake is cooled, make the icing by mixing the powdered sugar with the extra milk and lemon extract until it’s smooth and runny. If you need to, add 1/2 – 1 extra Tablespoon of milk to get it to the right consistency.
Drizzle the icing on top of the cake before slicing and serve.

An icing is an easy and light way to frost this but you could also make a lemon or vanilla buttercream for something richer.

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Loaded Coconut Cake Squares

Written on January 9, 2013 by Wannabe Chef in Dessert

As I’ve been eating my way through yogurt that Chobani sent me, I’ve been trying to get creative on new ways to cook with it. Everyone knows yogurt is a great low-fat alternative for baking so I took that as my starting point and took off from there.

While a good base recipe is essential, a lot of the fun of cakes and brownies is what you put inside or on top of them. Chocolate chips and coconut are among my favorites. These might not seem healthy but with Greek yogurt in place of oil and butter and craisins and coconut filling it up(in addition to some chocolate chips, of course) these won’t do you wrong or steer you off your New Year resolutions.

If you want to make this more of a healthy snack, swap in 1/2 cup of crushed walnuts or slivered almonds in for the chocolate chips. Either way it’ll taste great.

Loaded Coconut Cake Squares

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 1 8 x 8 pan):

1 1/2 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour
1/2 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1/4 cup white chocolate chips
1/4 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup vanilla Chobani greek yogurt
2 eggs

Method:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl sift together the gluten-free flour and baking powder.
Add in the craisins, 1/4 cup shredded coconut, white and dark chocolate chips and mix.
In a separate bowl, mix together the yogurt, brown sugar, and eggs until homogenous.
Mix the wet ingredients in with the dry until the batter is well mixed.
Lightly grease an 8 x 8 baking pan.
Pour the batter into the pan and press down evenly.
Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup coconut on top of the batter and press in lightly.
Bake for 25-30 minutes until the center of the cake has set and the coconut on top begins to toast.
Remove from the oven and let cool before cutting into squares.

Don’t forget to add caramel or fudge sauce just in case this doesn’t have enough flavors going on for you.

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Organic Sweet Tea Vodka Lemonade

Written on January 7, 2013 by Wannabe Chef in Drink

A new year brings new changes, right? I’m hoping in 2013 to share more drink recipes as I get comfortable trying to make them myself. When it comes to alcohol I’m not a big fan of gluten-free beer, cider, or wine, but I love hard liquor and mixed drinks which are just as fun to drink as they are to make.

One of the first mixed drinks I ordered was a sweet tea vodka lemonade. My roommate being from Texas always orders these and turned me on to them. They get a name for being a Summer drink given the flavors but these are delicious any time of the year.

I like to make the tea in advanced and refrigerate it for a day to get it extra cold. You can buy the lemonade or sweet tea on their own but the drink tastes noticeably fresher when you make it from scratch.

Organic Sweet Tea Vodka Lemonade

Prep time: 1 hour

Cook time: 0 minutes

Ingredients(Make about 4 cups or 12 servings):

4 black tea bags
3 1/2 cups water, separated
1/2-3/4 cup agave or maple syrup
3 Tablespoons lemon juice
Vodka
Mint and lemon to garnish

Method:

Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a small pot.
Remove the water from the heat and add in the tea bags. Let them steep for about 30 minutes up to an hour.
Remove the tea bags and add in 1/2 cup of sweetener and the lemon juice. Stir well.
Dilute the tea with 1 1/2 cups cold water. Add extra sweetener to your preferred sweetness.
Pour about 1/3 cup sweet tea lemonade over ice. Add an ounce of vodka into each glass and stir well.
Garnish with mint or an extra lemon slice before serving if desired.

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