Blackberry Cardamom Oatmeal
I enjoyed this amazing, fruity breakfast this morning and it is definitely something you should NOT miss out on!
Get the recipe at Vegan Yack Attack!
Alice Springs Chicken
Honey Mustard Marinade:
1 c. Grey Poupon Dijon mustard
1 c. honey
2 tsp. vegetable oil
1 tsp. lemon juiceChicken:
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 c. sliced mushrooms (10−12 mushrooms)
2 Tbsp. butter
salt and pepper
paprika
8 slices bacon, cooked
1 c. shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 c. shredded Cheddar cheese
2 tsp. finely chopped fresh parsleyUse an electric mixer to combine the mustard, honey, 1 1/2 teaspoons oil and lemon juice in a small bowl. Whip the mixture for about 30 seconds. Pour about half of the marinade over the chicken breasts and marinate them, covered, in the refrigerator for about 2 hours.
Chill the remaining marinade until later. After the chicken has marinated, preheat the oven to 375 degrees and heat an ovenproof frying pan large enough to hold all four breasts and 1 Tbsp. oil over medium heat. (If you don’t have an ovenproof frying pan, transfer the chicken to a baking dish).
Sear the chicken in the pan for 3-4 minutes per side or until golden brown. Remove pan from heat but keep chicken in the pan. As the chicken is cooking, in a small frying pan saute the mushrooms in the butter. Brush each seared chicken breast with a little of the reserved honey mustard marinade (not the portion that the chicken soaked in) being sure to save a little extra that you can serve on the side later with the dish.
Season the chicken with salt, pepper and paprika. Stack two pieces of cooked bacon, crosswise on each chicken breast. Spoon the sauteed mushrooms onto the bacon, being sure to coat each breast evenly. Sprinkle 1/4 cup Monterey Jack cheese evenly onto each breast followed by 1/4 cup of Cheddar.
Bake the pan of prepared chicken breasts for 7-10 minutes or until cheese is thoroughly melted and starting to bubble. Sprinkle each breast with 1/2 teaspoon parsley before serving. Put extra honey mustard marinade into a small bowl to serve on the side.
(Source: shopruche)
Healthy Mocha Crinkle Cookies AKA Cappuccino Crinkle Cookies
This is a healthy cookie recipe. It is very coffee like, very chocolate like, and very light tasting. The cookies come out puffy and looks hard, but when you go to pick it up, the cookie can be easily crumbled and you’ll be surprised at how soft they are.
This recipe was on the Better Homes and Garden website. They named them cappuccino crinkles, but since I had instant mocha on hand, they are now renamed Mocha Crinkle Cookies.
The fun part about this recipe is dropping sticky heaping spoonfuls of dough into a bowl of sugar and coating them with sugar and then rolling them in between the palms of your hands and then coating them again in sugar so that they bake up nicely. It seems like there is a lot of sugar in these cookies but when you go to eat one (one?? You’ll probably end up eating three…four…five…okay I’m not going by experience……just saying..) you’ll notice that they are not that sweet at all. I was kind of hoping they would be sweeter but they are actually really tasty. It’s like eating coffee.. yes eating coffee… :)
P.S. These were two points each.. if you’re doing Weight Watchers and you’re curious.
Cappuccino Crinkles Recipe was from the Better Homes and Garden website. My notations are italicized.
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup butter (no substitutes), softened (I used unsalted)
- 1 cup packed brown sugar (I used light brown, what I had in the pantry)
- 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon instant coffee granules (I used a packet of instant Starbucks VIA Mocha)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 egg whites
- 1/3 cup vanilla yogurt
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- I wanted to put mini chocolate chips into the batter..but I forgot. It would have went awesome with the whole mocha theme…but doh! my thinking failed me. =/ So if you make this recipe… try it with mini chocolate chips!
Directions
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Beat butter in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add the brown sugar, cocoa powder, coffee granules, baking soda, and cinnamon. Beat until combined, scraping sides of the bowl occasionally. Beat in egg whites and yogurt until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in remaining flour with a wooden spoon.
3. Place granulated sugar in a small bowl. Drop dough by heaping teaspoons into sugar and roll into balls between the palms of your hand (will be very sticky until you coat it with sugar).
4. Roll again in sugar. Place balls 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
5. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are firm. Transfer cookies to wire racks and cool. Makes about 32 (I made about 38 from the batter).
Nutella Lovers Cheesecake
Ingredients:
- 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
- 3/4 cup hazelnuts, toasted
- 5 tablespoons melted butter
- 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 3 (8 ounce) blocks cream cheese, softened
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 3 eggs, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup Nutella
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts, for garnish
Directions:
- In a food processor, pulse together the graham crackers, powdered sugar and hazelnuts.
- Add the butter and pulse a couple more times to incorporate.
- Press into a 9 inch springform pan. Chill in the fridge until ready to use.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the cream cheese and sugar.
- Add the vanilla extract.
- Blend in the eggs, one at a time and mix until full incorporated before adding the next.
- Pour into the prepared pan.
- Bake for 45 minutes. Cool at room temperature and then chill at least 6 hours.
- To make the ganache, stir together the Nutella and cream over low heat until completely blended together.
- Cool 30 minutes. Spread on top of cheesecake and sprinkle with chopped hazelnuts. Chill until firm. Cut and serve.
(Source: abusynest.com)
Currently Reading: French Women Don’t Get Fat by Mireille Guiliano
“Portion control. Learn it slowly. Portion size has been a losing battle for Americans, a gastronomic Waterloo, in fact. Cut back gently, especially if your problem is too much of a good thing.”
(via thenommables)
Fudgy Chocolate and Hazelnut Cake
It’s nutty, chocolatey, rich and moist. Cake or brownie, whatever you decide to call it, the name will serve it’s purpose of fulfilling the cravings of a chocoholic, AKA people like me! I love cutting into the slightly crispy top of the cake and finding a dense fudgy chocolate cake inside. Let’s face it. This cake is definitely not guilt-free.
It’s still April! Which means that I could still bake desserts from my April edition of the Masterchef Magazine. And in a week from today, Masterchef Australia Season 4 will be starting, which is something that I’m definitely looking forward to. What a great way to celebrate than with a recipe from the magazine!
Like all recipes I work with, I like to change things around to suit my taste (and family’s!). The original recipe uses apricots and ricotta as the decoration on the top, but I thought that was a bit out there for me so I substituted for pecans and white chocolate. If you try it with the apricots and ricotta, let me know how that turns out!
Fudgy Chocolate and Hazelnut Cake (from the Masterchef Australia Magazine, Issue 22, April 2012)
Ingredients
- 75g dried apricots, halved
- 70g roasted peeled hazelnuts
- 50g dutch cocoa, sifted, plus extra to dust (I used plain unsweetened)
- 150g dark chocolate, finely chopped
- 150g unsalted butter, chopped
- 5 eggs, separated
- 220g caster sugar
- 60g sour cream
- 150g fresh ricotta
Method
- Preheat oven to 160 degrees. Grease a 23cm square cake pan, then line base and sides with baking paper, extending paper beyond the rim. Place apricots in a bowl, pour over 60ml boiling water then set aside. Process nuts and cocoa in a food processor until finely ground.
- Place chocolate and butter in a large heatproof bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water and stir until melted and combined. Cool for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, using an electric mixer, whisk egg yolks and 110g sugar until very thick and pale.
- Fold egg yolk mixture into chocolate mixture with sour cream, then stir in hazelnut mixture. In a clean bowl, whisk egg whites to soft peaks. Gradually add 110g sugar and whisk to almost stiff peaks. Fold into chocolate mixture in 2 batches, until just combined.
- Pour batter into pan, then level with a spoon. Dollop over spoonfuls of ricotta in rows. Drain apricots, then scatter over the top. Bake for 45 minutes or until puffed and a skewer inserted into centre comes out with a few moist crumbs attached. Cool cake completely in pan.
- Lift out using baking paper. Cut into pieces. Dust with extra cocoa to serve.
ENJOY! :D
