Tag Archive: Food

5 Vegetarian Super Bowl Dip Recipes

This weekend might be the biggest weekend for football, but it’s also the biggest weekend for dips. As a vegetarian I usually live off of nachos whenever I’m at a party or sports bar. I could never get tired of spicy salsa and creamy guacamole, but making your own dips always tastes better than buying a pre-packaged one from the store. Here are 5 recipes to satisfy the vegetarians and meat-lovers alike at your party who just want to dip on in.

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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

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.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Ingredients(Serves 6 people):

  • 2 cups chickpeas
  • 1 roasted red pepper with the skin peeled
  • 1/4 cup tahini
  • 2 Tablespoons neutral oil
  • 1 Tablespoon white vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoons sugar

Method:

  1. For the roasted pepper, heat an oven to 425 degrees.
  2. Cut the pit out of the pepper and lay it on a baking tray.
  3. Brush the pepper with olive oil and roast it for 15-20 minutes until the skin starts to blister away. Let the pepper cool before trying to peel off the skin.
  4. Add all of the ingredients into a food processor and blend until the hummus is completely smooth.
  5. Move into a bowl to serve or store in the refrigerator in a sealed container for up to a week.

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Firecracker Guacamole

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 0 minutes

Ingredients(Serves 6 people):

  • 3 ripe medium-sized avocadoes
  • 1 small tomato
  • 1/2 yellow onion
  • 1 habanero pepper
  • 1/2 Tablespoon lemon or lime juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 Tablespoons chopped cilantro(optional)

Method:

  1. Peel and mash your avocadoes together in a large bowl.
  2. Carefully dice the onion, tomato, and pepper. Add the tomato and pepper in with the avocado reserving the onion.
  3. Heat a large pan over medium with a little water in the bottom. Quickly sauté the onion in the water for a couple minutes until the diced onions are semi-translucent. Remove from the heat and add in with the avocado.
  4. Add in your citrus and salt and cilantro if using and mix all of the ingredients together.
  5. Serve at room temperature. Store in the refrigerator for up to a day.

Avocado Sour Cream Dip

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 0 minutes

Ingredients(Makes about 8 servings):

  • 1 ripe medium avocado, peeled and pitted
  • 3/4 cup sour cream or low-fat sour cream
  • ½ teaspoon onion powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 3 Tablespoons freshly chopped chives

Method:

  1. In a food processor(or however you’d like to do it), puree the avocado until it’s completely smooth.
  2. Fold together the avocado puree, sour cream, onion powder, salt, and 2 ½ Tablespoons of chopped chives.
  3. Transfer the dip to a serving bowl and garnish with the remaining chives.
  4. Serve with Kettle Brand Chips and veggie crudités

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Creamy Avocado Onion Dip

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 1 minute

Ingredients(Serves about 4 people):

  • 1 medium-sized avocado
  • 2 Tablespoons plain 0% Stonyfield Greek
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 Tablespoons minced onions
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder

Method:

  1. Pit and seed the avocado and put the meet in a small mixing bowl.
  2. Mash the avocado with a fork until it’s smooth and uniform in color.
  3. Add in the Stonyfield Greek, salt, and olive oil and mix.
  4. In a small pan, heat some cooking oil and sauté the minced onions quickly until they turn brown(this shouldn’t take more than 30 seconds). Keep the pan moving so that they don’t burn.
  5. Add the onions and onion powder to the dip and mix until smooth.
  6. Transfer the dip to a serving bowl and serve with chips and crudités.

 

Creamy Avocado Onion Dip

Creamy Avocado Onion Dip

Stonyfield partnered with Late July this month to challenge their Clean Plate Club members to make a perfect dip recipe using Stonyfield Greek.

When it comes to dips, sour cream and onion is a clear winner for me. It’s just the right amount of sweetness and tag. But it’s also probably as unhealthy as you can go. This is a dip that’ll treat you just as nice and that you can really fill up on.

Using Stonyfield Greek in this dip gives you the creaminess and tang of sour cream but with protein instead of fat. The avocado and olive oil add richness but are both fats you can feel good about dipping into.

My favorites with the dip were the Mild Green Mojo and Red Hot Mojo tortilla chips. The Mild Green Mojo have a slight tang from sour cream powder that pairs well with the creamy Greek in the dip. The Red Hot Mojo’s the spiciest of their flavors(which automatically made it a favorite of mine) and adds a kick to the dip’s sweetness.

Creamy Avocado Onion Dip

Creamy Avocado Onion Dip

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 1 minute

Ingredients(Serves about 4 people):

  • 1 medium-sized avocado
  • 2 Tablespoons plain 0% Stonyfield Greek
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 Tablespoons minced onions
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder

Method:

  1. Pit and seed the avocado and put the meet in a small mixing bowl.
  2. Mash the avocado with a fork until it’s smooth and uniform in color.
  3. Add in the Stonyfield Greek, salt, and olive oil and mix.
  4. In a small pan, heat some cooking oil and sauté the minced onions quickly until they turn brown(this shouldn’t take more than 30 seconds). Keep the pan moving so that they don’t burn.
  5. Add the onions and onion powder to the dip and mix until smooth.
  6. Transfer the dip to a serving bowl and serve with chips and crudités.

Healthy Mocha Frappe

Healthy Mocha Frappe

As a Clean Plate Club member Stonyfield sent me their 2 newest flavors of Greek yogurt, cafe latte and black cherry, as well as their re-perfected traditional flavors. I was super excited because if there’s one flavor of yogurt I’ve been wanting for the past couple of years it’s coffee(seriously, just check my Twitter archive). You gotta try this #StonyfieldGreek!

The cafe latte won’t be for everyone but it was just what I was hoping for—sweet, slightly bitter from the coffee, and a little tangy. I liked the black cherry, too, but thought the cafe latte was more unique and delicious.

This mocha frappe is just like any fancy Starbucks drink you could get but just a little healthier. Using Greek yogurt instead of whole milk keeps the thick, rich consistency but with added protein and 0% of the fat. Try having it for dessert or as a breakfast drink when the weather starts heating up.

Healthy Mocha Frappe

Getting the right amount of ice to liquid is the hardest part of making a good smoothie. Play around to find what works best for the blender or food processor that you’re using.

Healthy Mocha Frappe

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 0 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 1 serving):

  • 1 container Stonyfield cafe latte Greek
  • 2 Tablespoons black coffee
  • 1 1/2 Tabespoons maple syrup
  • 2 Tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 8 ice cubes

Method:

  1. Combine all of the ingredients in a blender or food processer.
  2. Pulse until the ingredients are well-mixed and the ingredients are fluffy.
  3. Pour into a clean glass. Garnish with whipped cream as desired.

Bailey’s Frosted Brownies

Bailey's Frosted Brownies

Some weekends I don’t want to cook a thing.

I want to go out to eat for every meal, forget I have a blog, and never pick my camera up.

Maybe it’s guilt, or maybe it’s sensibility. Maybe it’s something in between. I’ll inevitably find something to make, for myself or a friend, and at the end I’ll be happy I have something delicious that’s homemade, that I can call my own, and that cost a quarter as much as if I got it somewhere else.

I baked these brownies reluctantly, took photos of them frantically, and shared them happily. Sometimes the best push to cook something comes not from doing it for yourself, but from doing it for others. Do yourself a favor and bake some brownies for someone else.

Bailey's Frosted Brownies

Oat flour is more crumbly than regular flour and even other gluten-free flours. When baking with it, make sure to grease your pans liberally and add a dusting of powdered sugar on top before frosting to keep the top intact.

Bailey’s Frosted Brownies

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 1 8 x 8 pan):

For the brownies:

  • 3/4 cup oat flour
  • 1/4 cup cocoa powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons cup sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 4oz bittersweet baking chocolate
  • 1/3 cup Irish cream

For the frosting:

  • 6 Tablespoons butter, room temperature
  • 1 1/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoons Irish cream

Bailey's Frosted Brownies

Method:

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Mix together the oat flour, salt, cocoa powder, and baking powder and set aside.
  3. In a separate bowl, melt together the chocolate and butter.
  4. While the chocolate is melting, beat together the eggs, sugar, vanilla, and Irish cream.
  5. Slowly pour the melted chocolate and butter into the egg/sugar mixture while whisking until fully incorporated. Don’t go too fast so that the raw eggs don’t cook upon contact.
  6. Add the chocolate mixture in with the dry ingredients and mix completely.
  7. Pour the batter in a greased 8 x 8 pan.
  8. Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick poked into the center comes out clean. Let these cool completely before frosting.
  9. To make the buttercream, beat the powdered sugar, butter, and Irish cream heavily until it’s entirely mixed. Add a touch more buttercream if it’s too dry at first.

4 Healthy New Year’s Recipes

New Year’s resolutions are hard. It’s easy to shoot to high and make resolutions impossible to keep up with; the best kind are little changes you can work into your everyday routine and maintain without even thinking about it.

I didn’t make a food or fitness resolution this year. Mine is to get whiter teeth, so I bought special toothpaste and mouthwash. We’ll see how that goes with the horde of coffee and chocolate I eat.

If you did make a resolution to eat healthier, here are 4 simple recipes you can work into your every week to hit that goal. All of them have common, simple ingredients and are probably foods you already eat, so working them into your diet should be a breeze.

Breakfast:

LowFatCinnamonBrownSugarGranola_thumb

Low-Fat Cinnamon Raisin Granola is a great quick and filling alternative to heftier breakfasts like bagels and cream cheese or a donut. You can make a big batch on the weekend and portion out servings for the weekday mornings to grab and go.

Snack:

Fruity-Peanut-Butter-Yogurt-Dip-Yield-807x1024

Fruity Peanut Butter Yogurt Dip will satisfy your sweet tooth in the afternoon and still be tasty enough to enjoy. It’s a simple mix of yogurt, peanut butter, and sweetener that’s good for kids or grown-ups.

Entree:

EasyBroccoliFrittata_thumb

Easy Broccoli Frittata is another recipe you can make in bulk over the weekend and reheat throughout the week whenever you’re less than motivated to make a meal. The eggs and cheese are full of protein while the broccoli adds a boost of healthy nutrients, too. Add a simple side and you’ve got a whole dinner.

Dessert:

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Raw Vegan Chocolate Hazelnut Cake proves that you can still have dessert even when you’re eating healthy. The bulk of this “cake” is dates and hazelnuts, making for a delicious and nutritious end to a meal.

Did you make a New Year’s resolution? What was it?

Chocolate Caramel Chex Mix + T-Shirt Giftaway

Chocolate Caramel Chex Mix

Since 2014 started, I’ve been to the gym 3 times, the grocery store once, and the kitchen to grab another handful of this Chex mix about 17 times.

Before the holidays General Mills had sent me a box of inspiring ingredients and blogger recipes including Julie’s, Caitlin’s, and my own. For a while they stumped me, but chocolate Chex and caramel candies couldn’t be passed up.

This mix has rich chocolate coated Chex, sweet powdered Chex, and white chocolate chips for a delicious trio that’s hard to beat. It’s more of a dessert but if you want to sneak a few handfuls before dinner, I won’t say a word.

Chocolate Caramel Chex Mix

Chocolate Caramel Chex Mix

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 5 minutes

Ingredients(Makes about 10 cups):

  • 10 .5oz caramels(or an equal equivalent)
  • 1/3 cup chocolate spread*
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoons milk
  • 4 cups Chex cereal
  • 4 cups chocolate Chex cereal
  • 3/4 cup white chocolate chips

*I used Hershey’s chocolate spread. A spread like Nutella would work as well.

Method:

  1. In a small sauce pan, melt the caramels and chocolate spread.
  2. Once the ingredients are almost melted, add in the milk and stir until it makes a smooth and shiny sauce.
  3. In a large bowl, mix together 4 cups Chex cereal and the chocolate caramel sauce until the cereal is evenly coated.
  4. Lay the Chex out in a single layer on a non-stick surface for about 20 minutes to cool.
  5. Once cooled, gently break apart the large chunks of cereal to smaller bite-sized pieces.
  6. Toss the chocolate caramel Chex with the chocolate Chex cereal and white chocolate chips until evenly mixed.
  7. Store in a sealed container at room temperature when not enjoying.

SWAGSTORE_BANNER2

General Mills, the company that makes Chex, recently opened up the “Cinnamon Toast Crunch Swag Shop” with funny merchandise and gave me 2 coupon codes for me and a reader to get a t-shirt. If you want a free Cinnamon Toast Crunch tee for yourself or a friend, comment with your favorite cereal and I’ll randomly pick a winner Friday.

12 Months Of Recipes: 2013

“Oh God, not another list!” is admittedly what I think whenever someone posts one of these year-end roundups. Bear with me if you feel the same.

Last year I had gone through all my posts from 2012 and picked my favorites from each month. I liked the idea a lot and wanted to do it again. Most months were a struggle to pick just one recipe—a good problem to have I imagine.

Here are all of my favorite recipes from each month of 2013. I hope you browse through them and find a favorite, too.

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January: Vegetarian Buffalo Chicken Dip

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February: White Chocolate Peppermint Brownies

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March: Maple Hazelnut Granola

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April: Homemade Strawberry Sauce

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May: Red, White, and Blue Stuffed Strawberries

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June: Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread

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July: Reese’s Lovers Bark

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August: Gluten-Free Cornbread

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September: Coconut Caramel Muffins

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October: Low-Fat Butternut Squash Casserole

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November: Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies

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December: Hot Amaretto Mochas

Here’s to another delicious year of recipes!

Last Minute Christmas Desserts

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T’was the day before Christmas

When all through the house

Not a stove pot was stirring

So I went and grabbed my mouse.

 

Click after click,

Page after page

I searched for a dessert

That’d be all the rage.

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Chocolate or Nutella,

Peanut butter or not,

I just needed something quick

I could make on the spot.

 

I found a list

With time to spare

And blogged about it

For all to share.

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Easy Nutella Brownies

Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

Coconut Pistachio Bark

Bailey’s Hot Chocolate Truffles

Chubby Hubby Cheesecake

No-Bake Peanut Butter S’mores Bars

Dark Chocolate Peppermint Bark

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Hot Amaretto Mochas

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I’ve gone through stages of coffee drinking. First was the “decaf black coffee is the way to go.” Then came the “I don’t drink coffee, just tea,”  followed by “I only drink coffee when my coworkers do.”

Now comes the “I’ll drink coffee when you put Bailey’s in it” time of year.

This drink is so easy it’s a little scary(scary that you can make it whenever you want, that is). Be sure to keep all the ingredients on hand for a dessert aperitif on Christmas day or for any holiday party and watch the pot of coffee disappear.

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You can use any flavored liqueur instead of the amaretto, or even make a non-alcoholic version with coffee creamer and a splash of almond extract for the kiddos.

Hot Amaretto Mochas

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 0 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 1 serving):

  • 6oz fresh brewed coffee
  • 1 Tablespoon hot cocoa mix
  • 1 1/2oz Irish cream
  • 1/2oz amaretto

Method:

  1. Make sure the coffee you’re using is steaming hot. If not, heat it up gently.
  2. Stir in the hot cocoa mix until it’s completely dissolved.
  3. Pour in the Irish cream and almond liqueur and stir well until blended.
  4. Garnish with whipped cream and chocolate if desired. Serve hot.

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Homemade Buckeyes Recipe

Homemade Buckeyes Recipe Portion

As fun as it is to try new recipes and explore new flavors, some recipes you inevitably come back to season after season, year after year.

Last week I made these buckeyes for a holiday party, only to realize I did the same exact thing last year. Desserts like this are just too easy not to choose and always please a crowd. They’re also naturally gluten-free and can be made vegan by using margarine instead of butter.

These didn’t come out nearly as pretty as store-bought candies, but I always like it when you can tell something’s homemade.

Homemade Buckeyes Recipe

A recipe like this may not seem too versatile, but you can use any kind of peanut butter or other nut butter to make it unique. Chocolate peanut butter would be a perfect substitution for any chocolate lover.

Peanut Butter Buckeyes

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 0 minutes

Ingredients(Makes about 20 buckeyes):

  • 1 cup creamy peanut butter, softened
  • 6 Tablespoons butter, melted
  • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 1/4 cups bittersweet chocolate chips OR 10oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped

Method:

  1. In a large bowl mix together the peanut butter, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla extract and salt until it forms a dough that sticks to itself. If for some reason your dough is too thin, slowly add more powdered sugar until it’s workable.
  2. Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and place them on a non-stick surface.
  3. Put the peanut butter balls in the freezer to set.
  4. While the peanut butter balls are hardening, melt the chocolate in a microwave or over a double boiler.
  5. One by one dip the peanut butter balls into the melted chocolate to coat their outside and put them back on the non-stick surface.
  6. Refrigerate the peanut butter balls until the chocolate has set. Keep cold until ready to serve.