Baked Apple Smores (my new favorite!)

Hey all,

I am so excited for fall that I’ve begun dreaming of fall foods (as well as fall-themed pinups, of course!)

In the midst of my day-dreaming, I created my new favorite (healthy) everyday fall dessert: Baked Apple Smores. (Okay, I know it’s not fall yet, but I love apples and Smores! Who doesn’t??) And last week I made the mistake of not having any of my usual “healthy” desserts on hand, and after having a vodka soda… or two… with friends, I was a little less careful about my eating when I came home. So less disciplined, in fact, that I made a batch of chocolate chip cookies and ate three! Bah!

How about making Smores with apples and adding cinnamon and coconut on top? That’s right–Baked Apple Smores with cinnamon, spice, and everything nice!

I baked open face, cored apples with dark chocolate chips, mini marshmallows, tiny smidgeons of butter and coconut, and cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice for some added sweet and spiciness. These are so fun for the fall! I also love that they’re kid-friendly, healthy, nutritious, and indulgent (without all the guilt!). I am making multiple Baked Apple Smores and storing them in tupperware for dessert at night during the week. Yum!

Homemade Mocha Fudge Brownies (with black beans)

Hey all,

Things have been turning around for me this summer. I don’t know if I told you, but Ron and I have had some not-so-great summer adventures.  First, when we came back from that national conference a few weeks ago, Ron woke up with 15-20 bug bites. We were convinced we had bed bugs in our hotel room and might have brought them home! We had multiple days of cleaning, steaming, and fumigating our entire apartment ourselves. Things came to a close when we realized that the previous tenants had a carpet beetle infestation–bugs that look like bed bugs but are much less invasive. Sigh of relief.

Then, literally a few days later, Ron’s computer stopped working. After trying EVERYTHING (re-formatting, resetting his computer PRAM), he reluctantly had to give his expensive Mac up to the genius bar.

I also ended up having Chronic Hives all summer. (Yes, I have had hives this whole time! 3 months of summer.) In fact, I still have them! I can’t wear fragrance, I can only use sensitive skin everything, and I have to take 3 antihistamines a day. I’m actually going in for blood-testing this week to make sure everything is okay.

After all that, my point is that Ron and I have had a strange summer. But, things weren’t all bad, and we’re actually having a great time! We moved in together, which feels SO much better than having to constantly pack our stuff and move one place to the next. One of my jobs ended, too, and everything feels just a little less stressful. Life is good! Life’s a beach!

Anyway, now that things have slowed down, we had two dinners this week (two nights in a row!) to show our friends our new place! We created two dinner menus and desserts. The first night we made dressed-up brownies from a box–I added a cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk swirl. But when Ron and I both woke up feeling blah from too many brownies and red wine, I decided to try and make things a little healthier. How about Extra Fudgey Mocha Brownies? Made with-gasp–black beans!

These fudge brownies are SO good. I cannot stress that enough. (Ron is obsessed with them!) And at 100 calories per square, you can’t beat ‘em. They have an interesting texture–too smooth and dense (not cake-like) to be a brownie, but not quite oily enough to be a fudge. It’s something in between! A guest who tried them said, “You’d never know these had black beans in them! They taste like a dense mousse!”

I adapted Melissa d’Arabian’s Black Bean Brownie recipe to make these squares of heaven. I replaced the necessary oil with applesauce (using only a tsp of coconut oil), used Oat flour instead of regular flour, used dark chocolate chips instead of semi-sweet or milk chocolate, used all Stevia in the recipe (no sugar), added extra vanilla and instant coffee, and added 3-4 dates to the recipe. I also used Trader Joe’s Cocoa powder, which has more cocoa solids and is a darker chocolate than Hershey’s Cocoa powder. These brownies pack quite a punch of protein with black beans, oat flour, and eggs. (And don’t forget the fiber from the beans, dates, and oats!) I think I’m going to freeze these and see how they taste cold. Definitely try these! You won’t be disappointed. And enjoy!

Rustic Chocolate Cake (dates and whole wheat flour)

Hey all,

As I told you, I’ve been busy, and my cooking/baking time has dwindled. However, I finally had some free time this past weekend, AND it was the first weekend below the mid 80s. (Yay for cooling off periods!) I’ve told you I hate hot weather, right? I grew up going to school on the coast of California (from San Luis Obispo and Santa Cruz to my parent’s house by San Francisco!), and I grew to love cool, coastal weather. Bring on the sweater weather! I want to see overcast skies and fog! Anyway, because of it being a weekend with cool weather, I went kinda crazy on the baking and cooking. I’m pretty sure I made 5 different dishes, and one of which was for Ron.

Ron has made great strides with his health since we started dating. He went from being a smoker with high blood pressure to a healthy and fit person. He has come so far! I made Ron this healthy rustic cake to say “I love you!” and to give him something enticing to eat for after dinner.

Guess what is the base of this cake? Wait for it…….Dates and whole wheat flour! I am really trying to learn how to change my baking AND eating patterns; why not make a recipe that is heart-healthy and delicious? Ron couldn’t tell that this delicious dessert was full of fiber and whole wheat flour! Considering half of this cake is gone, I’d say it was a success!

Mocha Pumpkin “Pudding” (vegan, high protein, fiber)

Hey all,

Yay, I’ve actually been sticking to my new healthy eating plan, everyone! I’m so excited! I’ve been trying to avoid processed foods and fake sugar, and I’ve creeped into losing about 6-7 pounds now, wooooo! And this is without significant exercise. I’m not going to lie, I am still eating some of the same processed stuff (like yesterday, when I bought a small coffee and used one packet of raw sugar and one packet of Splenda), but I’m trying to limit the amounts of the processed/fake foods and eat lots of healthy, homemade meals that contains lots of vegetables and produce. One morning I even made what I’d call “virgin” fruit cake oatmeal: oats, almond milk, carrots, dates, dried cranberries, nuts, and spices. It was so good, and I felt great about eating it! I’m trying to make small, healthy changes that I enjoy eating, so I can make this new lifestyle stick.

Speaking of yummy dishes, I had some sweet fun in the kitchen this morning! First, I found another fun healthy blog to tell everyone about: Oh She Glows. Angela (the author of Oh She Glows) is dedicated to making healthy and fun vegan eats. Even though I’m not vegan, I love some of her healthy recipes! She takes some familiar comfort foods and makes them vegan friendly and healthy! One recipe I spotted that seemed easy-to-make was a Chocolate Carob Pudding. Angela uses pumpkin as a base to make a healthy “pudding” flavored with protein powder and other things. I’ve been loving having something sweet in the morning to temper my sweet tooth. A bowl of fibrous pumpkin, high anti-oxidant dark cocoa powder, and protein powder with only a little honey seems like a filling, healthy breakfast idea, right?

I didn’t have all of her required ingredients, though (like chocolate protein powder and carob powder). I did have cocoa powder and vanilla protein powder, along with instant coffee. How about making this a Mocha Pumpkin “Pudding” that could be eaten for breakfast, as a snack, or even to squash a chocolate craving?

I bet you would never guess the base of this is pumpkin!

Ok, granted, this healthy of an item will never taste like a creamy, high fat, heavy cream-based pudding. But for a healthy alternative, I sure loved this recipe! I felt like I was having a rich, filling breakfast item (so much fiber!) and the pudding itself is real chocolatey with only a hint of the pumpkin–I won’t crave sweets today, that’s for sure! My recipe is a mixture of pumpkin, vanilla protein powder, cocoa powder, almond milk, instant coffee, honey, cinnamon, and vanilla extract.  Protein powder and instant coffee may sound like unnecessary ingredients to carry in your household all the time, but I’ve found that I use them both quite often! Protein keeps me feeling fuller for longer, and I love the taste of coffee with chocolate and tend to add it to all of my sweet recipes. Happy eats, everyone! Here is my recipe with new ingredients (adapted from Angela’s original).

Mocha Pumpkin Pudding (high protein and fiber)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup pumpkin puree

1/3 cup vanilla protein powder

3 tbsp dark cocoa powder

2 tbsp honey

1/4 cup stevia

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp instant coffee

3/4 cup almond milk (with your instant coffee already mixed and dissolved into the milk!)

a tiny sprinkle of salt!

cinnamon, to taste

Optional: dried coconut, cherries, fruit, chocolate chips

Directions:

In a small bowl, mix together the dry ingredients (protein powder, salt, cinnamon, stevia, cocoa powder). Now, dissolve your instant coffee into your almond milk, and add your “coffee” almond milk to the bowl. Stir together, making sure you eliminate all the lumps, and then set aside.

In a medium bowl, add the pumpkin, vanilla extract, and honey, and mix together. Now, incorporate your small (coffee milk and dry ingredient) bowl into the medium bowl full of pumpkin, and give it a good stir.

Now, build a yummy parfait or dessert with the mixture. I made a breakfast “dessert” pudding by adding dried coconut and cherries on top. I’m off to hang pictures in our new apartment. Enjoy! Hope you all have a sweet Saturday!

Coconut-Chocolate Chip Cookies (made with chickpeas)

Hey all,

I am back..with a vengeance! I went to the gym again today, and I’ve been eating well. In fact, every day I’ve been eating different variations of the healthy oatmeal-smoothie breakfast! (This morning I made a cantaloupe smoothie, mmmmm.) I’m also loving having coleslaw with protein (like chicken) at lunch. Isn’t it funny how just a day or two of good eating and sleeping can make you feel like a million bucks?Anyway, I am excited to keep going with these changes, because in two months I visit California. And I want to be ready for beach days! In fact, I will post pictures (maybe) when I’ve gotten pin-up ready!

from the pinupartblogspot.com

Some of my lifestyle changes involve eating more fruits and vegetables at every meal and making healthy choices and substitutions. No, Colleen, don’t eat that bread with a ton of butter! Don’t drink full-sugar lemonade! This is why (on my blog) I’ve begun swapping some of my favorite guilty pleasures for healthier options: light butter instead of real butter, low-carb, thin crust wheat pizza with slaw instead of frozen pizza, orange applesauce as a snack instead of chips. Having healthy food on hand, planning my meals, and exercising is key for me. That way, I can feel good when I experiment in the kitchen, lie around with Ron, and read…

One of my favorite pin ups, Betty Brosmer! So cute, right?

Speaking of planning and healthy food, I perused more of RFFMBT’s site (Rabbit Food for My Bunny Teeth) for inspiration. I saw she had a vegan chocolate chip cookie recipe. I was intrigued! Her cookies are flourless with no refined sugar. And she made the dough from…wait for it….chick peas and dates! Considering I love dates, I had to make these cookies. I was really curious as to how a flourless and no added sugar cookie would taste. However, I looked at her standard chocolate chip cookie recipe and knew I wanted to change the flavors. I used less water and added a bit of honey, a packet of stevia, reduced fat, unsweetened shredded coconut, cinnamon, and a little more chocolate chips.  (I got the reduced fat, unsweetened shredded coconut at Whole Foods!!) Next time, I might even add some instant decaf coffee to these little lovelies to make them taste more like coconut mocha. I want more complex flavors to spruce up my cookie.

The results of my endeavors? Um, hell YES. A delish, almost replica of a chocolate chip cookie with no flour or added sugar and made from heart healthy chickpeas and dates? Bring me more of those cookies, ASAP!

This is a GREAT base recipe. These cookies (with my changes, at least) come out crisp on the outside and gooey on the inside, and naturally sweet because of the dates. Honestly, there is a long process to make these cookies: you have to let the dates sit overnight in water, rinse and dry chick peas, and then process them together. And I may or may not have soaked my dates for only an hour (which is why the cookies look less “smooth” and more chunky). But, even so, this is by far the BEST “healthy” or “light” chocolate chip cookie I’ve ever eaten. They are 70 calories each! And let’s just say you binge on 4-5 of these cookies in one day (who would do that, cough cough)… you wake up with a flat stomach! You’re binging on mainly dates and chickpeas! This is also a great base recipe for other sweets, too, like bars or dip.  I’m so impressed! I never, in a million years, would have imagined chick peas making a tasty cookie. But they totally did. And, by the way, they are great refrigerated. (It keeps them harder.) I put mine in a tupperware in the fridge and just had one at lunch. YUM! And after trying these cookies over a couple of days, I’ve decided I will ALWAYS have these around, whether in the fridge or freezer. They are a great, healthy alternative to satisfy my sweets craving. Thanks RFFMBT for another great recipe! Enjoy!

Chocolate Kahlua Cake in a Jar (with Almond Whipped Cream)

Hey Burlesquers!

I woke up to humid weather and a weather forecast of almost triple digits. It’s going to be a hot one today, folks! Try and stay cool out there!

Cocoa Cola art, from Pop and Roll.com

Nothing new around my neck of the woods, although I’ve noticed something…..The 90s are back! You may not know, but I love 90s and turn-of-the-millenium culture in the US. Give me Britney Spears, boy bands, and other sappy, cliched pop songs! Give me Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Brian Setzer, and other bands of the Swing Revival in the 90s! Give me all the great Ska punk bands, like No Doubt and Save Ferris! I want to see Greasers, swing kids, hepcats, 2-tone shoes, and Ska lovers out there with their adapted 50 styles!

Honestly, when Emo and the rise of the Hipster started taking over culture—you know, the supposed ironic display of working man’s culture with skinny jeans, flannel, full beards and mustaches, and the consumption of cheap, lower to middle class products, like Pabst Blue Ribbon—I immediately became sad.

(Image from SkinnyDip blog!)

I cannot identify with this trend… at all. Half the population doesn’t even understand that they’re ironically assuming and fetishizing the look of the working class (factory-worker, etc.) as part of the trend. People credit this irony as brilliant, but when most of the hipster populations don’t even know that they’re doing that (or even understand what class consciousness is), I can’t agree.

Anyway, you can imagine my delight when, in a week’s span, I learned that No Doubt, Fiona Apple, and Smashing Pumpkins are out with new albums (if not now, soon), and I spotted students wearing Doc Martins (remember those?) and a ska t-shirt. Then I heard the Aquabats had returned and are on tour, AND Goldfinger and Reel Big Fish announced the “Summer of Ska” tour!  Wooohoo, the 90s are back, folks!  I am so excited!

from Children of the 90s blogspot!

“American Skathic” album art by Jump Up Records

Anyway, in celebration of these fun changes in pop culture (and because of the HOT weather), I decided to debut my cool cakes in a jar. Behold, burlesquers, my BBQ treat: Kahlua Cake with Sweet Almond Whipped Cream.

Sweet to see you!

Barbecuties! Two Kahlua Cakes in Jars for our BBQ dinner with the happy couple.

Ok, these cakes were relatively easy, but there’s definitely a learning curve to this process. For example, I used a bundt-type cake recipe, which actually needs the bundt pan to cook correctly because of its numerous wet ingredients (sour cream, oil, eggs).  (The “hole” in the bundt cake pan allows for an even, overall bake.) However, I cooked the  bundt cake batter right in the jars, and the cakes ended up baking unevenly. My original cooking time was off! Next time, I’m going to limit some of the “wet” ingredients or simply cook a normal “cake” recipe in my jars (nothing too thick or moist). I also quickly figured out that it is damn near impossible NOT to drip cake batter or topping on the sides of the jar. I ended up cooking the cakes in jars and transferring the cakes to new, clean jars for the final prep. I recommend reading the cake-in-a-jar tutorial at the  Beehive and Birds Nest blog. Very helpful!

Overall, the presentation of these cakes was so fun for a BBQ, and I am happy I finally gave this dessert a whirl! Enjoy!

(Light) Chocolate Peanut Butter Spread

Huzzah! I made my deadline yesterday! I ended up celebrating…..by going to the outlet malls.

(From “Sailorette’s” vintage Blog…cute!)

I bought this cute mug that is printed with an old-time map:

….And I may have also later made some homemade Chocolate Peanut Butter Spread! I put my spread in an old Trader Joe’s jar…that darn label wouldn’t easily come off!

Mmmmmmmm…….

So, no, this isn’t Trader Joe’s Cocoa Almond Butter (although, that’s good, too).

What’s funny is that just yesterday Ron double-dog dared me to go just two weeks without anything sugary: cakes, cookies, ice cream, chocolate bars. Gasp! Bah! Inconceivable. You now how I love my sweets. I’m also competitive though, and I have never denied myself sugary sweets, really. Challenge accepted!!!

To begin my challenge, I gave Ron everything sugary I own.  (With a heavy heart, I watched him leave my house with my bag of goodness.) I did leave my cocoa powder. Unsweetened Cocoa powder is actually quite good for you. You get all the healthy antioxidants for the cocoa solids without the sugar. I then woke up this morning and knew what I had to do: make a semi-homemade nut butter spread with cocoa powder that’s chocolatey but not sugary. This is what I came up with:

Breakfast of champions!

This chocolatey spread is easy to make, delicious, great for kids, and dairy free! I’m never buying Nutella again! There’s so much junk they put in Nutella–why would I buy it when I can have a spread that has half the sugar and bad fats? I simply took a bottle of  creamy, low sugar peanut butter and heated it on low on the stove. I then added cocoa powder, stevia (or splenda/powdered sugar), a touch of honey, a tablespoon of vanilla extract or coffee, and cinnamon. Lovely!!

From “Found in Mom’s Basement” blog, a vintage advertising blog! Fun, right?

Hip hip hurray! Easter in May! Chocolate Banana Bites

Today is Day 2 of my writing marathon. I have a third draft of my prospectus due this Friday, and my advisor told me that I need to get a basic outline done. In fact, he is convinced I should just turn in a final sketch of something soon…. because my project will probably change later anyway.  He said, “And if the other members of your committee don’t approve your prospectus, I will lay my body down on the table and refuse to leave til they do.” I love my advisor. Who can say no to that? Looks like it’s you, me, and my computer today, everyone.

Yet another Elvgren pin up, “Joan”

To make my loooooong afternoon go by a little quicker, I thought I should do a project of some kind, as a break from work. Hmmm, how about transforming leftover Easter chocolate into something delicious? Ron had gone on a cleaning craze and was going to throw these leftover chocolate Easter bunnies out. They’re not the best quality chocolate, and they’re also milk chocolate (him and I prefer dark chocolate!). But I insisted we use them up—who throws away perfectly good chocolate?? No way!

(I know I know, my breaks always end up being associated with chocolate and sweets! But I can’t help it! I’m a creature of habit! Plus, I’m always looking for healthy, yet decadent, sweet recipes for myself. I want to try to live a fun but healthful lifestyle, which means lots of wholesome, good-tasting fare.)

These bites are super easy and fun to make, especially if you have children. You can dip them in sprinkles or “Jimmies”, as New England folks call them. (I swear, I had NO clue what Jimmies were. I only figured out that Jimmies were sprinkles when I went to a donut shop and saw a Sprinkle-covered donut, which they called  a Frosted Donut with Jimmies.) You could also dip your frozen banana bites into toffee, graham cracker crumbs, granola, coconut, or nuts, like chopped pecans or peanuts, mmmmmm! If you only have milk chocolate on hand, you could try melting that with extra unsweetened cocoa powder and/or add extra dark chocolate (to add more cocoa solids and fats). I did this, and my melted chocolate then became a semi-sweet chocolate (as shown). If you find your melted chocolate clumping (usually lower grade chocolate has less cocoa fats, which means it doesn’t melt as well!), add a half tbsp of butter or cream to thin and smooth out the mixture. Enjoy!

Hello, chocolate banana bites! You’re delicious!

(Drunk) Chocolate Cherry Cake

While I am indeed trying to live a healthier lifestyle, that doesn’t mean I am giving up some sweets. I wanted to give my recipe for easy (Drunk) Chocolate Cherry Cake.

I am actually not a big drinker, really, but I love the taste of fine liquors and wines in food: soups, sauces, desserts. This recipe is no exception! Here’s a chocolate cherry cake  that is made with chocolate cake mix, liquor, and cherry pie filling. MMM! (I modified this basic chocolate recipe for a Burlesque-approved treat!) You actually don’t need to frost the cake if you don’t want to–the cake itself is very moist! But I like the frosting, if only for decoration and extra decadence.

Ingredients:

• 1 box Devil’s Food Cake Mix or Chocolate Cake mix
• 2/3 can cherry pie filling (or all, depending on your taste)
• 2 eggs
• 1 tbsp Amaretto (or maybe Brandy? Be creative!)
• 1 teaspoon almond flavoring
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips (optional! For the insane chocolate lovers only)

Frosting:

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 5 tablespoons butter
• 1/3 cup milk
• 6 oz package of semisweet chocolate chips

Preparation:

Mix cake mix, cherry pie filling, eggs, and flavoring by hand. Pour batter into greased and floured 13x9x2-inch pan and bake at 350° about 30 minutes, or until a wooden pick or cake tester inserted in center comes out clean.For frosting, place sugar, butter, and milk in a saucepan. Bring to a boil stirring constantly. Boil for one minute. Remove from the heat and stir in chocolate chips until smooth. Pour over warm cake.