Fake Peanut Butter Cookies

I've been craving cookies for days, but I'm trying to eat clean again because my winter coats don't fit and my jeans are tight. 

As you can see, my willpower was nonexistent because I baked these yummy "Peanut Butter" cookies. Except there is no peanut butter in my kitchen and I replaced it with my favourite nut free blend called Superbutter. I buy it at Costco. 

"Peanut Butter" Cookies:

1 cup peanut butter (or peanut free replacement like Superbutter or Wow Butter)

1 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. Baking soda

Optional: chocolate chips

1. Mix peanut butter, sugar, and egg in a bowl with a spoon or hand mixer.

2. Add baking soda. Add chocolate chips if you are using them. 

3. Use a spoon to scoop dough and roll into balls. Use a fork to press down gently. 

4. Place on a baking sheet. (They do spread)

5. Bake at 350 degrees F for 8-10 minutes. Let cool on tray for a few minutes because they will be soft. 

These cookies are soft and chewy and gluten free too! They mixed up in less than five minutes so they are a quick and easy recipe, which is good and bad depending on if you are trying to be healthy or not. Luckily the recipe only made about 15 cookies. In my case, they were delicious enough to be worth the cheat and I made sure I packed them in Tyler's lunch so they weren't hanging around the house. 

Pumpkin Loaf

I've made this pumpkin loaf a hundred times but am just getting around to posting the recipe. The original recipe makes 4 loaves, but I cut it in half. Sometimes I make one loaf and then a pan of muffins instead.

This loaf is crispy on the outside and moist on the inside and you can load it with chocolate chips! Or in my case, carob chips.




Pumpkin Loaf

2 3/4 Cups Flour (I use gluten free)

1 1/2 tsp. Baking Soda

1 tsp. Salt

2 tsp. Cinnamon

2 tsp. Nut Meg

2 1/4 Cups Sugar

3/4 Cup Cooking oil

3 Eggs

1/2 Cup Water

1/2 Cup Pumpkin

Optional

1½ Cup Chpped Nuts

1½ Cup Chocolate Chips

Butterscotch Chips

Topping:

Brown Sugar

Chocolate Chips/Butterscotch Chips

1. Mix dry ingredients together.
2. Make a hole in the middle and add the other ingredients. Mix until smooth.
3. Pour mixture into bread pans. Sprinkle the top with brown sugar and chocolate chips to taste.
4. Bake at 350º F. for 50 minutes. (Less time for muffins)

Dill Pickle Soup

One of my favourite foods is dill pickles and oddly enough, they are Tyler's too. I have told him about this delicious soup for over a year but it wasn't until he ordered a bowl at a restaurant last week and was disgusted by it that I actually made my recipe for him. 

Unfortunately I am allergic to dill so for a few years I didn't eat pickles. Then I discovered one brand that leaves dill out of their recipe and started eating them like crazy. 

This recipe is quick and easy so make it soon! Let me know how you like it.

Dill Pickle Soup

2 potatoes, washed and shredded 

2 medium carrots, peeled and shredded

1 small onion, finely diced

1/4 cup butter

2 boxes chicken stock

1 cup plain greek yogurt or sour cream

1/2 cup flour (I use gluten free) 

1/4 cup water

2 cups pickle juice

2 cups chopped pickles (you can grate these too if you want) 

Pepper to taste

1 tsp. Thyme 

1. Melt butter in a large pot. Add the onion. 

2. Shred the potato and carrots. Add to pot. 

3. Add the chicken stock to the pot. Stir and bring to a boil. In a bowl mix the greek yogurt, water, and flour together. Stir in a ladle full of hot soup into this mixture to temper it and prevent lumps. Then add the mixture to the soup to thicken it.  

4. Once the potatoes are tender, add the diced pickles. Use an immersion blender or blend in batches (not necessary but I like the texture) to purée the soup. 

5. Add the pickle juice, pepper, and thyme. Simmer for 10 minutes and serve. 

Meringues

 

I made a lemon curd filling for a cake and had a bunch of egg whites left over. I didn't want to make another omelet out of them so I tried meringues. They turned out so great I was afraid I would eat them all so I took them to work instead. They got rave reviews so I thought I would share the recipe.

 

Meringues

• 4 egg whites, room temperature (very important)
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
• 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips (I used carob chips)

Method:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Line a baking sheet (or two, or three) with parchment paper.

Using a stand mixer, beat egg whites, salt, cream of tartar and vanilla on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. Slowly add sugar and beat until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes. Gently fold in chocolate chips by hand until combined.

Drop batter by heaping tablespoon-fulls onto cookie sheet. Bake at 300 degrees for 25-30 minutes until the cookies are cooked and slightly golden. Turn the oven off, and let the cookies cool in the oven for an additional 20-30 minutes until cool. Remove and serve immediately, or store in an airtight container.

 

I found this recipe on Pinterest and if you visit this site she has tips for perfect meringues every time. She also explains what soft and stiff peaks are.

Try out the recipe! It is very easy and the meringues are the perfect chewy texture that remind me of smores.

Black Bean Brownies

I have been struggling to eat clean and keep the weight off. And my sugar cravings? Insane! Luckily I found a website that I swear I took a screenshot of 15 recipes on my iPad so I could make them sometime.

The blogger turns unhealthy recipes into healthy(ier) treats and the first one I tried was the Black Bean Brownies recipe. I ate 3 fresh from the oven then I took the rest to work and they were a hit there too! Check out http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/!

These brownies aren't chewy like regular brownies, but if you can live with that then you will love this recipe! And they don't have flour in them so they are gluten free.

I didn't take any pictures...I was too busy eating brownies, so check out the link to see Katie's lovely pics. I also adapted her recipe to suit my needs (caffeine free using carob instead) and added dried cranberries.

Black Bean Brownies

• 1 1/2 cups black beans (1 15-oz can, drained and rinsed very well) (250g after draining)
• 2 tbsp carob powder (or cocoa powder)
• 1/2 cup quick oats (40g)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup honey (pure maple syrup or agave work too)
• 2 nunaturals stevia packs or 2 tbsp sugar (or omit and increase honey to 1/2 cup)
• 1/4 cup coconut or vegetable oil (40g)
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup to 2/3 cup carob chips (115-140g) (or chocolate chips)
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries

Black Bean Brownies Recipe: Preheat oven to 350 F. Combine all ingredients except chips in a good food processor, and blend until completely smooth. Really blend well. (A blender can work if you absolutely must, but the texture—and even the taste—will be much better in a food processor.) Stir in the chips and cranberries, then pour into a greased 8×8 pan. Optional: sprinkle extra chocolate chips over the top. Cook the black bean brownies 15-18 minutes, then let cool at least 10 minutes before trying to cut. Makes 9-12 brownies.

Roasted Chickpeas

Happy New Year! It's the first day of 2014 and that means everyone has made their resolutions, probably to do with living a healthier lifestyle, losing weight, and all that usual stuff. 

I didn't really make a resolution this year because I feel like most people make them and only follow through for a week or month and then that's it. I know what I need to do to be happier and healthier because I've done it before and need to get back on track. I'll just use the new year to get back to clean eating, working out more often, and feeling better about myself. 

Here is a quick and easy snack recipe.

Roasted Chickpeas

2 cans chickpeas 

Olive oil

Spices of your choice: cinnamon and all spice, sugar, garlic powder, chili powder, dry mustard..any flavour you'd like really.

Rinse the chickpeas and spread them out on a large baking pan. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle seasoning on them. Stir the chickpeas around. Bake in a 425 degree F oven for approximately one to two hours, stirring occasionally. When they are all crispy they are done. Store in an airtight container. 

New Years Resolution one month early

Spin class has started again and I'm so excited! I'm also trying to eat cleaner than I have been and cut out some of the junk I'm started eating. So let's see how it goes.



First class- Monday