Chocolate Chip Blondies

These are not your average blondie bars.




They have a secret ingredient. One that I love to use in many recipes, both savory and sweet...

Garbanzo beans! Muahaha. It's my way of cheating and making delicious things healthier. I mean seriously, garbanzo beans have lots of fiber and protein so you SHOULD eat this entire recipe. Right?



Chocolate Chip Blondies Recipe:

• 1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/8 tsp baking soda
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup peanut butter (or butter, applesauce, margarine, etc. Any "fat source")
• 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Blend everything except for the chocolate chips in a food processor until smooth. I actually only have a blender, and let me tell you, it took forever to get this batter smooth. I ended up baking it with a few lumps anyway so I definitely recommend a food processor. Once smooth, add chocolate chips, mix well, and poor into a greased 8x8 pan. Bake for about 40 minutes or longer, until the inside is not longer mushy. Let cool in pan at least 20 minutes before cutting.

I promise, no one will be able to tell there are beans in these. It's like eating delicious, sweet, chocolate chip cookie bars. And if you don't bake them quite as long, they're still warm and gooey inside like cookie dough. Mmmm.

Carrot Oatmeal Muffins

Good morning!



I'm hungry. I don't want toast or cereal. Oatmeal sounds pretty good, but I'm craving something a bit heartier. With cinnamon. Like carrot cake..but for breakfast. Ah ha...carrot oatmeal muffins. Perfect!

This recipe takes like 25 minutes tops. 10 to prepare, 15 to bake. Eat straight out of the oven (don't burn your mouth!) with a little smear of butter, cream cheese or margarine.

Carrot Oatmeal Muffins Recipe:

• 1 large carrot, grated (about 2/3 cup shredded)
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup oats
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp allspice/nutmeg
• 1/2 cup almonds, chopped finely

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Combine the first 5 ingredients (the wet ones) in a small bowl. Mix the remaining ingredients in a large bowl until well incorporated. Pour the wet on the dry and stir just until everything is moistened. It'll be lumpy, but that's okay. Don't over-mix. 

Grease a 12-cup muffin tin and fill with batter. I actually only ended up with about 9 muffins, but that will depend on how big you want them. Bake for 15 minutes. Eat!

    (Bad lighting)

Asian Pineapple Pulled Pork

Alright, here's where I get all Rachel Ray on you.

I made some (excellent) bbq pulled pork in the slow cooker yesterday and served it with tortillas and Texas Caviar. Wish I had taken pictures so I could document that recipe, but I was in a rush. Then, of course, I was left with all of this extra pulled pork; what's a girl to do? So tonight, I decided to transform the leftover bbq pork into something completely different : Asian Pineapple Pulled Pork. I'm a true believer that pineapple + pork = one of the greatest flavor combos ever. Add some habanero, rice wine vinegar, fresh cucumber (among other things) and serve over rice. Best part is that the meat is already cooked so it takes no time at all. Actually I take that back, the best part is that it tastes freaking great.





Asian Pineapple Pulled Pork Recipe:

• 1 lb bbq pulled pork* (see below for general recipe)
• 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp white vinegar
• 1 tbsp red chili paste
• 1 tsp Hoisin sauce
• 1 tsp honey
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• fresh black pepper
• 1/2 tsp ginger powder (would recommend minced fresh ginger)
• 1 1/2 cup fresh pineapple, diced
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1 habanero, diced
• 2 tbsp fresh basil, diced
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, diced
• 1/4 cucumber, sliced thinly

*To make bbq pulled pork, rub a pork roast or shoulder with salt, pepper, paprika and garlic powder. Place in slow cooker. Added 1 cup chopped onion and 1 cup chopped celery. In a small bowl, combine 2 cups of water with 1-2 tbsp bbq sauce. Mix well and then pour over pork. Cook on low for 8 hours. Remove pork and drain the juice from the slow cooker into a bowl to reserve. Add the pork and cooked onions and celery back to cooker and shred the pork. Add the rest of the bbq sauce in the bottle with just enough of the reserved juice to moisten the meat. Keep warm for about 20 minutes before serving. 

Combine the vinegar, chili paste, Hoisin, honey, garlic, soy sauce, pepper and ginger in a small bowl. Whisk together until well-blended. Add the diced pineapple, carrot, habanero and basil. Let sit for 3 minutes. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the diced veggies and sauce and bring to a light boil. Add the leftover pork, reduce to low, cover and let simmer for about 20 minutes. When ready, serve over rice and garnish with fresh cilantro and cucumber. 

Cookies & Cream Cake

Do you like cake? Do you like Oreo cookies?

Of course you do. And even if you don't, you will love them combined in this easy cake. Especially if you bake it in a cute giant cupcake pan like I did. 

I made this cake for a friend's birthday and will definitely keep the recipe in the back of my mind (or on my blog!) I was originally going to try and make an "Oreo" cake and use Devil's food cake + cream cheese frosting and Oreo bits. I then realized that I, like many others, don't reeeeally love chocolate cake that much. I don't know why; I LOVE chocolate, but sometimes I think it is better accentuated when paired with a different flavor. So anyway, I decided to go with a "Cookies & Cream" cake and use white cake + cream cheese frosting and Oreo bits. I definitely think it highlights the cookie flavor and makes it more creamy. 

I will probably still try the other version some day, when I'm really craving chocolate cake. 

Cookies & Cream Cake Recipe:

• 1 pkg white cake mix (or your own recipe)
• 3 large egg whites (this gives the cake a fluffier texture)
• 2 tbsp oil
• 1 1/3 cup water
• 1 1/2 cup crushed Oreo cookies

• 1 8oz pkg cream cheese
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tub whipped dessert topping
• 1 cup crushed Oreo cookies

Preheat oven to 350 degree. Grease a giant cupcake pan (or whatever baking apparatus). Combine the first set of ingredients minus the cookies in a large bowl. Blend until smooth. Then carefully fold in the cookies. Pour evenly into the pan and bake for 30 minutes (adjust baking time depending on pan). When finished, let cake cool for about 10 minutes in pan, then carefully run a knife around the edges and remove. Let cool completely on a clean, dry surface.

To create the frosting, first bring the cream cheese and whipped topping to room temp. When ready, beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until light and smooth. Gently fold in the whipped topping.

I won't go into frosting detail for the giant cupcake cake, but it required some intense trimming and assembling. Basically, once your cake is cool, frost and add the crushed cookies on top. 

Congratulations, you've just made the best.cake.ever.

I love the cat present in the background :)

Shepherd's Pie

This. is. awesome.

It might not be the ideal meal on a hot summer day, but I would sweat through it anyway.

It's a classic Scottish dish that has been prepared for centuries, usually with lamb or mutton. I used ground beef, but you could really use ground anything: turkey, chicken...maybe not seafood. Shepherd's Pie was a common peasant dish given its cheap, simple and abundant ingredients. I spiced mine up a little, but really all you need is some meat, potatoes and veggies. You first create the meat and veggie layer and then top with mashed potatoes. Bake it in the oven to get all bubbly and brown the potato layer. You will not believe how something so simple could taste so amazing.

Shepherd's Pie Recipe:

• 1/2 lb ground beef
• 1/4 yellow onion
• 2 stalks celery + leaves
• 1 large carrot
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1/2 cup corn
• 1/2 cup peas
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp allspice
• 1 tbsp fresh rosemary
• 1/2 tbsp garlic powder
• salt, pepper to taste

• 1 1/2 lbs potato
• 2 tbsp sour cream
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tbsp chives
• salt, pepper, garlic powder

• Hot paprika
• Roasted garlic powder
• Worcestershire powder
• Greek oregano

Peel and cut your potatoes into 1-inch cubes. Place in a large pot and cover with about 1-2 inches of cold water. Season with salt and bring to a boil over high heat with the lid on. When the water is boiling, remove the lid and reduce to medium-high heat. Boil for about 10 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender.

While the water is boiling, heat a medium pot over medium heat. Place the ground beef in the pot and brown, breaking it apart with a spoon. When just barely done, add the onions, celery and carrots. Cook together for a few minutes and season liberally with salt and pepper. Then add the garlic and cook for another couple minutes, and finally add the peas and corn. Once all the veggies are warm and a bit softer, add the remaining set of ingredients in the first list. Bring to a boil then reduce and let simmer to thicken the sauce, about 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

When the potatoes are done, drain and return to the pot off the heat. Add the milk, sour cream, seasonings and mash with a fork. Using an electric mixer (or good, old-fashioned elbow grease), blend the potatoes until soft and light.

When the meat and veggie mixture is finished, pour into a 9-inch glass pie pan (or casserole dish, whatever is handy). Then spread the mashed potato layer on top. Finally sprinkle with last set of seasoning ingredients and bake, uncovered, for about 25 minutes. Then set oven to broil and bake for about 8-10 minutes, or until potato layer is browned and a bit crispy.

A Pasta Experiment Gone Wrong

I ventured over to the clearance section of the grocery store the other day and saw packages of King Soba Sweet Potato and Buckwheat Noodles for 50 cents. I love sweet potatoes, so thought they would be a delicious and unique alternative to the usual pasta.

Unfortunately upon tasting, I soon realized they are not very good. Maybe it was because they were almost expired (hence the clearance) or maybe it was because they only contained 5% sweet potato (as I discovered on the label after I purchased). I guess I'm just not a fan of buckwheat. My boyfriend, who I thought would HATE them, actually really enjoyed it.

Go figure.

Anyway, the badass honey-mustard-curry chicken I made to go along with the pasta made up for the weird noodles. In the future, I would recommend eating it with a whole wheat noodle or maybe spaghetti squash.

Sweet Curry Chicken and Noodles Recipe:

• 1-2 skinless chicken breast
• 1 tbsp oil (I used a hot pepper oil, but any would work)
• 1/4 cup mustard
• 3 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp curry powder (yes, just the generic stuff)
• 1 tbsp applesauce
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• dash of salt, black pepper and Sriracha

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Rinse and pat dry the chicken; lay in baking dish. Combine the other ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until well blended. Adjust according to preference (more honey for sweeter, more Sriracha for spicy, etc.) Pour over chicken, cover with foil and bake for about 40 minutes. Serve with gross buckwheat noodles and assorted veggies.

Peanut Butter Truffles

Little balls of rich, gooey peanut butter covered in various toppings.

So simple, yet so delectable.

Although it was kind of time consuming to form each one and carefully roll in toppings, this is probably the easiest dessert ever. AND, it's vegan and gluten-free (at least my toppings were) so it's perfect for a party, which is why I made them.

Peanut Butter Truffles Recipe:

• 1 whole container of peanut butter
• About 2 cups powdered sugar
• Pinch of salt
• TOPPINGS! (Do whatever you want. I used finely chopped almonds, flaked coconut, flax seed, cinnamon sugar and dark cocoa powder).

Combine the pb, sugar and salt in a bowl. Mix so it's all incorporated and smooth. Roll about a tsp size amount in the palm of your hand to form a little ball, coat in topping, place on large baking sheet and store in freezer to harden. Serve when ready! Because of the high-fat content, they don't really freeze or stay hard for very long. After sitting out for about 20 minutes, they were kind of melty and gooey, but still very tasty!