Double Chocolate Chip Cookies and Mint Chip Ice Cream Sandwich

These lovelies are basically to-die for. First you start off with the most fudgey, chocolatey cookies on the planet. Seriously I'm in love with these Double Chocolate Cookies from the Let's Dish recipes blog. I've made them several times, and they always turn out.  Although I've found that the recipe requires a little more flour- I use 2 1/2 cups instead of 2 cups and bake them for 10 minutes at least. I tried 8-9 and it was not enough, they were a little gooey, but still awesome!

Directions:

So, basically make the above cookies (follow the link to the blog). Eat the dough and eat a bunch of cookies before you realize you only have a dozen left to make ice cream sandwiches with.  Then whip out some mint ice cream (I used Dreyer's Mint Cookie Crunch) and soften it in the microwave for about 30 seconds. (You could leave it on the counter for 10 minutes or so but I did not think ahead and was not patient enough to wait).  Then take a big dollop of ice cream and place it on one cookie, and then sandwich it with another.  Press down gently so that the ice cream flattens out, and use the back of a spoon to evenly spread the ice cream between the two cookies.  It doesn't have to be perfect.  In fact mine were pretty messy. Doesn't affect the taste! Then wrap in a piece of aluminum foil. (It helps if you tear a bunch of pieces of foil off before starting the process, as then you don't have to tear each one off with your messy, ice-cream fingers.) Place each cookie directly into the freezer after wrapping. Let freeze for a few hours until solid, then eat straight from the freezer!

I love these so much. I'm so excited to make different cookie/ice cream combinations... chocolate chip cookie and vanilla or chocolate or strawberry ice cream, peanut butter cookie and chocolate or Reeses ice cream... ah there's so many possibilities! Love.

Homemade Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta

Look at these beauties.  I'm seriously so happy about them right now.  I saw the idea to make homemade sun-dried tomatoes on Pinterest and pretty much immediately went into the kitchen to make them yesterday.  All you need is a little basket of grape or cherry tomatoes, sliced in half (if you only had regular tomatoes, I'm sure you could slice or chop them up and it'd also work just fine!), some olive oil, and spices.  I used salt, pepper, oregano and garlic powder.  I just sprinkled it all on without any measurements.  Then, toss it all together on a aluminum foil sheet-lined baking pan and stick in the oven at 250 for 2 hours.  Yes, 2 hours! Once you bite into one of these babies, you will be in heaven.  Ah-mazing!! Oh and to warn you, your house will smell incredible while these are in the oven.

Then I had the marvelous idea to mix these babies with some leftover whole-wheat spaghetti in the fridge along with pesto and parmesan cheese.  Best decision ever! I very much recommend making this for lunch. Or dinner.  Just whenever. It's super easy and VERY TASTY and healthy too!

Homemade Sun-dried Tomato Pesto Pasta

1 carton of grape or cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
dash of oregano
dash of garlic powder
dash of salt and pepper
Pesto sauce (can be homemade or jarred- I used jarred)
whole-wheat spaghetti, cooked
parmesan cheese, for sprinkling (optional)

Heat oven to 250 degrees F. On a foil-lined baking sheet, place the tomatoes and combine with olive oil, salt and pepper, oregano and garlic powder.  Just sprinkle the spices on until you feel like it's enough.  Toss until all tomatoes are coated and then spread out evenly on baking sheet.  Bake in oven for 2 hours.  When they are done, combine whole-wheat spaghetti with pesto sauce (1/4 cup of pesto for every 1 cup of pasta) and top with sun-dried tomatoes and parmesan cheese. Yum!

Baked Mushroom Rice

Oookayy so I truly am a mushroom lover.  Honestly, I think my favorite kind of pizza is cheese with mushrooms. I must be 80 years old or something.  But I feel a tad better because my meat-loving husband also adores mushroom pizza.  So there.  It's cool to love mushrooms.
Anyway... even if you don't love mushrooms all that much, you will most likely, probably still love this dish.  I pretty much am obsessed with it and want to make it again right now.  It's got a TON of flavor.  a ton.  The only thing I think I will change next time is that I will use brown rice instead of white because brown rice is much healthier.  This recipe is from the Our Best Bites cookbook- a really awesome blog with awesome recipes.

P.S. I tried this with chicken broth as well, and it did NOT taste the same- it is much better with the beef broth.


Baked Mushroom Rice
from Our Best Bites, published on Sue's Favorites
Yield: 6-8 servings

2 Tbsp. butter
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 cup sliced mushrooms
3 cups beef broth
1/2 cup apple juice
1 Tbsp. white vinegar
3/4 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 cups long grain rice, uncooked
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9x13 inch dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. Melt butter over medium heat. Add chopped onion and cook, stirring frequently for 2 minutes. Add mushrooms. Continue cooking until onions are translucent and mushrooms are tender. Remove from heat. Combine remaining ingredients in the pan. Transfer mixture into 9x13 dish. Cover tightly with foil. Bake for 45-60 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Stir before serving.

Nutrition Facts: (1/6 of recipe) 158 calories, 5g fat (3g saturated), 10mg cholesterol, 1400mg sodium, 1g fiber, 5g protein

Salted Brown Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

 

Hey.  Don't wanna deceive you, so right away I will tell you that these are not a "healthy" recipe.  Okay glad we got that straight. I know that my blog is gonna focus on healthy eating and all, but like I said in my first post and in my About Me page, I make unhealthified recipes as well.  All in moderation!

So basically this was my first time browning butter. Oh my heavens.  It is so amazingly amazing. It takes normal choc-chip cookies to over-the-top incredible morsels of deliciousness. Browning the butter takes a little time, and since you have to chill the dough for an hour after, this recipe is a little tiny bit more time consuming than regular chocolate chip cookies.  Not that either recipe is time consuming.  Just thought I'd let you know.  Oh and be patient when browning the butter.  I was getting a little antsy to see the color change and it was "taking forever," but when it DOES change color its pretty immediate and you gotta take it off the burner right then so it doesn't burn!  The salt on top is the final touch.  Adds the salty & sweet effect which is reaaaallly good.  So don't skip the salt!

Salted Brown Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
adapted from What's Gaby Cooking

8 oz butter
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 3/4 cups old-fashioned oats
2 cups chocolate chips
flaky salt (I used coarse Kosher) for topping

Cut the butter into small pieces and place them in small pot over medium heat.  Stir the butter so it all melts.  When it's completely melted, it will start to foam and you'll smell a little nuttiness.  The color will start to change from yellow to a golden color.  Once the butter is golden brown or tan, remove the pot from the heat and transfer the butter to another bowl to cool.  Once the butter is just cooled, you can strain out the little sediments in the butter and you'll be left with a brown nutty butter.

In a large mixer, combine melted browned butter and brown sugar with paddle attachment.  Let whisk for 2 minutes.  Add eggs one at a time, followed by vanilla.  Add the flour, baking soda, salt and baking powder and slowly combine, making sure to not over-mix the batter.  Add the oats and chocolate chips and combine.  Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.  It's very important to chill the dough since we started with melted butter.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.  Using a 1-inch scoop, scoop 12 cookies onto each parchment lined baking sheet and sprinkle with some flaky salt. Transfer sheets into oven and bake for 10-12 minutes until cookies just slightly turn a golden brown color on edges but are still soft and chewy in the middle.  Remove from oven, transfer to cooling rack and repeat for remaining dough.

Vegetable Lime Chickpea Chili

K what is up with the Arizona weather lately? Seriously three days ago it was 60 degrees and now this week it's forecasted to get into the 90's.  What the what? Not to mention it snowed a couple weeks ago! Snow in Arizona. Fur-real. Anyways I'm kinda bummed because chili and soup is technically a lot yummier to eat and more appropriate when it is at least slightly chilly outside.  And now the weather has (almost) screwed up my plans to give you this great recipe.  'Cause I figure that guess what? This will still taste just as good in 80 degree weather as it will in 50 degree weather. No warm spell is gonna bring me down! Anddd maybe, just maybe, you are actually somewhere where it IS still chilly! Yay for you!  But, seriously, this chickpea chili is very fabulous at any time of the year.  My meat-loving husband loved it in all its veggie glory.  I have an idea- if it is warm where you are (like AZ) simply blast your AC to winter conditions.  (Oh my husband would just LOVE that!) Then enjoy this soup? Sounds good to me.

Vegetable Lime Chickpea Chili
from the Picky Palate cookbook, published on Two Peas and Their Pod
Yield: 6-8 servings

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups finely chopped white onion
1 1/2 cups chopped zucchini
1 1/2 cups yellow squash
1 cup chopped mini sweet peppers (I just chopped one red bell pepper)
1 8-ounce package baby bella mushrooms, sliced
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 15-ounce cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
2 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
3 tablespoons lime juice
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Optional: shredded cheese and sour cream as toppings

Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, zucchini, yellow squash, sweet peppers, and baby bells and cook, stirring, until tender, 5-8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the chickpeas, tomatoes, broth, cilantro, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper, stir to combine and cook until hot, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until ready to serve. Top with cheese and sour cream if desired.

Nutrition Facts: (1/6 of recipe) 265 calories, 6.5g fat (0.9g saturated), 1513mg sodium, 11g fiber, 10g protein

Healthy Whole-Wheat Blueberry Muffins

I am totally on a muffin kick lately.  Yeah of course I love the buttery, streusel-y cinnamon-y muffins such as one would get at Costco or Starbucks or someplace like that... but these are NOT those muffins!  They are healthy with hardly any added sugar and are full of fiber.  Don't be turned away from the saturated fat in the nutrition facts.  It is from the coconut oil, however the saturated fat in coconut oil has been shown in studies to have no adverse effects in the body.  However, these are still pretty dang tasty! Perfect for breakfast or an afternoon snack.  I am loving making muffins lately to freeze and put in my husband's lunch to take to work.
These are 100% whole-wheat.  The recipe calls for only whole-wheat flour, but I used half whole-wheat, and half whole-wheat pastry flour.  The pastry flour adds a lighter texture since the whole-wheat tends to produce a heavier, denser baked good.  The original recipe, from the blog 100 Days of Real Food (all about eating zero processed foods- read it, it's great!), also has zero added sugar.  However I did sprinkle some brown sugar on top of each muffin before baking to add a little added sweetness.  I am glad I did! If you want even more sweetness, you could add maybe 1/4-1/2 cup of additional browns sugar to the batter.


Whole-Wheat Blueberry Muffins
adapted from 100 Days of Real Food
Yield: 12 muffins

3/4 cup white whole-wheat flour
3/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
2 eggs
1/4-1/3 cup honey
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup coconut oil (or other oil)
3/4 cup apple juice or orange juice
1 cup frozen or fresh blueberries (or other fruit or nuts)

Heat oven to 400 degrees F.  In a large bowl with a fork or whisk, mix the flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Make a well (hole) in the center of the flour mixture and pour in eggs, honey, vanilla, oil and juice.  Mix the dry and wet ingredients together- do not overmix.  Add blueberries or other fruit.
Line muffin pan with liners or spray muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray and then fill 2/3 to 3/4 of the way full with batter.  Bake for 10-15 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.  Serve warm or at room temperature or freeze some to eat later!

Nutrition Facts: (per muffin) 136 calories, 5.7g fat (4.3 sat. fat), 31mg cholesterol, 208mg sodium, 2.2g fiber, 8.5g sugar, 3.1g protein

The BEST Chocolate Cake

So the picture is really blurry (I KNOW- I want a better camera so bad...) but I'm gonna keep this super short n' sweet. (Just like I said in my last post- ha)  This is the BEST CHOCOLATE CAKE you will ever eat! Hands down, most definitely the richest, and fudgiest and most chocolatey cake on this earth!

 

I know you may not believe me, but TRUST me! At first when I saw the post on Kevin & Amanda I wasn't sure whether I should believe it...

But after seeing this batter and sticking my finger in it trying it with a spoon, I was not the least bit skeptical anymore.

 

The batter is so thick and chocolatey and tastes amazing. And the cake is even better. Here is my cake after I frosted it... (my first time frosting a cake, by the way...)

 

The frosting is homemade too- Buttercream frosting and it is fabulous on this cake.  I would say you need to make the frosting if you're gonna make the cake.

 

And yes, I made this for my Mom.  Not for Mother's Day as you would assume, but actually for her birthday, which was the week before!

 

And here she is blowing out the candles!  She's so cute, and only 41! I love her :)

The Best Chocolate Cake Ever

from Kevin and Amanda

 

1 box devil’s food cake mix
1 small pkg Jello instant chocolate pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups mini chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a very large bowl, mix together everything except chocolate chips. Batter will be thick. Stir in the chocolate chips. Pour batter into cake pan of choice (I normally use two 9-inch pie pans). For cooking time, I use the cooking times on the back of the devil’s food cake box as a guide and usually add 10 mins to whatever it says. Then I do the toothpick check, and if it’s not done, I check on it every 5 mins after that. It usually takes around 45 mins for two, 9-inch pie pans.

Buttercream Frosting

1 cup shortening (Crisco)
4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
In a mixing bowl, cream shortening until fluffy. Add sugar and continue creaming until well blended. Add salt, vanilla, and whipping cream. Blend on low speed until moistened. Beat at high speed until frosting is fluffy.