Red Velvet Cookies with a Cream Cheese Glaze

So I was doing some grocery shopping at Walmart yesterday and I saw these red velvet cookies.  Of course I thought to myself..."I can totally make those...better than Walmart".  And while I did not buy them to compare, I did make up this recipe tonight...on a Friday night...just me and my oven.  Well I lied--I did go to Starbucks first, which is why I am still awake baking at 11:30pm.  For those of you who love my red velvet cake, I will never share that recipe.  That is for the bakery some day.  BUT, I will share this recipe with you.  Its delicious, like yummy yummy yummy.  Enjoy.

 

Ingredients:

1 C unsalted softened butter (2 sticks)

1/2  C sugar

1 1/2 Cups packed brown sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp red food coloring

2 1/2 tsps. vanilla extract

2 1/2 C flour

3/4 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

2 Tbsp cocoa powder

 

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugars until well combined.  Add eggs, vanilla, and red food coloring.

 

In a separate bowl mix together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cocoa powder.  Gently and slowly add this mixture to your butter mixture and stir until well combined.

 

 

Side note:  Let your kids help in the kitchen.  They love to put on an apron, put in ingredients, and just help you bake.  My favorite part was always licking the beaters as a kid!  I ALWAYS let my daughter taste the batter.  Just don't let them have more than a few tastes, nobody should eat raw eggs.

 

 

Drop about a tablespoon sized scoop around 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. 

 

 

My cookie sheet is getting dingy, huh?  Hey mom-take note...Christmas is coming up!  Anyways bake for 10-12 minutes.  Gently remove from cookie sheet and let cool.  Let's prepare the glaze!

 

Cream Cheese Glaze:

4oz softened cream cheese

1 1/2 C powdered sugar

1-2 Tbsp milk

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 Tbsp light corn syrup

 

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl.  Frost your cooled cookies and let the frosting harden.

 

 

These are good.  Sinfully good.  Not healthy.  But perfectly soul warming.

Gluten Free Chocolate Garbage Cookies

So have y'all seen the garbanzo bean cookies going around your Facebook posts?  A friend of mine "shared" a recipe, so of course I decided to modify it and make it my own.  Now this is my very first gluten free cookie.  Is it as good as a ooey gooey butter and sugar filled cookie?  Of course not.  Butter makes everything better, lets be honest folks.  But this recipe is nearly all natural AND gluten free.  And you can feel good about feeding these to your family.

 

Ingredients:

1 15.5oz can of garbanzo beans

2/3 c all natural peanut butter

2 tsp baking soda

1/8 c unsweetened cocoa powder

1/3 c unsweetened shredded coconut

2 Tbsp all natural honey

1 ripe banana

1 tsp vanilla extract

5oz dark chocolate chip (I prefer Ghiradelli 60% dark chocolate chips, but they were out of them at my grocery store)

 

 

 

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Combine all ingredients, except dark chocolate chips in a food processor.  Process until combined and looks like cookie dough.  Add dark chocolate chips and pulse until just incorporated. 

 

Refrigerate for 20-30 minutes.  Using about one tablespoon of dough, form a ball and gently press down...looks like a mini hamburger, right?  Fill cookie sheet and bake in preheated oven for 12 minutes.  Allow cookies to cool on a wire rack.  Serve with a glass of milk...or almond milk...or soy milk...or whatever milk your diet allows you.  These cookies are chocolatey! 

 

Morning Breakfast Smoothie

Breakfast is the hardest meal for me.  I don't particularly love eggs, unless I'm dipping toast into a runny yolk.  Since I'm reducing grains, it's extremely difficult to find breakfast options that don't involve bread, cereal, or oatmeal.  Basically I alternate between two breakfasts:  two eggs with a sausage or a smoothie.  Neither of them keep me full for more than two hours, but they are both packed with protein.  My favorite smoothie recipe to date is:

 

 

 

Ingredients:

1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk

1 banana

1 cup frozen fruit (I get a mixture of strawberries, peaches, pineapple and mangoes)

1 scoop of strawberry protein powder.

 

Put it all in a blender and mix it up! 

 

I haven't ventured into "greens" for my smoothies yet, but maybe soon!

Gringo Stuffed Chicken

So we had dinner with our dear friends/family this evening and Miss Trish merely "suggested" I make this stuffed chicken that I had made for her months ago.  In all honesty, I remember making it, but like every other recipe, I just made it up at the time.  I'm good at that...just winging it.  So that's why I need this blog--so I can keep track of what I make.  Someday when I have dementia, I'm gonna need something to remind me how to cook.  Anywho, Trish remembered a few of the ingredients I used, so re-made it up.  And voila, it turned out delicious again :)

Ingredients:
3lbs chicken breasts (I had a package of 4 very large chicken boobs)
1 package of cream cheese (the square block...you know?)
4oz can of chopped green chilies (use only 3oz)
1 1/2 C shredded cheddar cheese
2 Tbsp salsa
15 slices of bacon, cooked, drained and crumbled
1 egg
1 C panko bread crumbs
1 1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp garlic salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Get yourself either a large zipper bag or two sheets of wax paper and pound out your chicken breasts until they're flattened.  How thin?  Oh I have no idea, just get it thinner. 

 

 

Raw chicken breasts are so gross, aren't they?  Just be sanitary, you know wash your hands and your prepping surface when you handle raw meats.

 

In a separate bowl, add cream cheese, 3oz diced chilies, cheddar cheese, salsa, and bacon.  Use a hand mixer and beat until well combined.

 

 

Get out two more dishes: one for the egg and one for the bread crumbs.  Add your egg to the dish and beat it.  In the second dish, mix together the bread crumbs, paprika, and garlic salt.  Set it up like so:

 

Next you will need to figure out how many chicken breasts you have versus the filling.  Since I had four breasts, I needed to "eyeball" 1/4 of the filling per breast.  Scoop the filling onto the middle of the chicken breast.

 

Roll up the ends and meet at the top.  Secure with toothpicks.

 

 

Now you will need to dip this chicken roll into the egg then into the panko mixture until all sides are covered.  Repeat this with all chicken breasts.

 

Align your breasts into a greased glass baking dish and bake for 35-40 minutes.  When they come out, the panko will be beautifully browned...and some of the filling will have oozed out and burned in some parts, which is absolutely delicious.  Eat the burned parts.  Don't let your spouse or your crumb snatching kids get any of that goodness...its your work of art...enjoy it :)

 

 

Look at that...you see that goodness coming out from each end?  You can thank me by leaving some feedback on my recipe :)  Good night folks. 

 

 Side note:  I really need to get better about taking "pretty" pictures.  Food is art, and you definitely eat with your eyes.

 

 

Chicken Tacos with Black Beans

I love Mexican food...and Italian food.  I cook a lot of variations of both of these.  Tonight I had a taste for tacos.  And while I love the typical Americanized tacos with loads of cheese and sour cream, I am trying to eat healthy.  So tonight I made a fast, low fat, low calorie, and potentially Paleo version of Chicken Tacos.  And bonus...I get to use my dutch oven!  If you don't have one, buy one ASAP...best.invention.ever.

 

For the Chicken Tacos:
1 28oz can of diced tomatoes
1 medium yellow onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, diced
1 1/2lbs of chicken breasts
1 1/2 Tbsp ancho chili powder
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp oregano
Salt an pepper to taste

Combine all 8 ingredients in your dutch oven (or pot).  Stir and let simmer over medium to low heat for 20 minutes.

 

 

In the meantime, lets start the black beans!

 

Black Beans

1 green pepper, diced

1 small yellow onion, diced

1 15oz can of black beans

2 Tbsp garlic

2 tsp cumin

 

 

 

Combine all ingredients in a pot on low and simmer for 20 minutes, until veggies are cooked down.  That's it!  So super easy.

 

While your chicken is still simmering, make your taco topping.  This is also delicious on top of the black beans!

 

Topping

1 small red onion, finely diced

1 good sized handful of cilantro (mmm I love cilantro!)

1 1/2 tsp freshly squeezed lime juice

dash of salt

 

 

Combine all ingredients and set aside.

 

After your chicken has cooked for 20 minutes, begin shredding the chicken with a fork and knife.  It should look somewhat like this:

 

 

Cover and reduce heat.  Cook for another 10 minutes, or as long as you would like the flavors to marry.  I have no patience, so I'm ready to eat now!

 

If you are using tortillas, pick corn tortillas please.  Heat them up individually on a skillet.  Using a slotted spoon to drain the liquid, drop chicken onto your tortilla.  Generously top with your onion & cilantro topping and add a side of black beans.  These beans also are fantastic on top of my garlic rice.  Yeah and they're also delish with a scoop of sour cream ;)

 

 

If you are going Paleo, use a romaine leaf as your "tortilla".  Same deal...use a slotted spoon to drain the chicken and scoop onto your leaf.  Top it with your onion & cilantro topping and add a side of not-so-paleo black beans :)

 

 

 

Easy right?  And fast!

Paleo...Sorta

In some of my posts, you will find Paleo-friendly variations of recipes, some will be pure Paleo, and some will be the complete opposite of Paleo.  I have been trying hard to reduce grains and sugar in my diet, while increasing my workouts.  A lot of people haven't heard about the Paleo Diet, and I'm sure some people don't agree with it.  I have had a lot of success losing weight on this diet, and it helps me remain full throughout the day.  Its very difficult to get started, but becomes easier after the first few days.  To those who know me personally, they know how much I love bread...like love it...like sit down for a meal of only bread and dipping oil, or bread and butter.  But I have decided to cut back for many reasons.  If you are curious what the Paleo Diet can do for you, please use that wonderful tool we call Google.  There are so many great websites to browse plus some GREAT recipes.  Some of my favorites are PaleOMG or NomNomPaleo

Now I must confess, I don't follow it 100%.  People debate dairy in this diet, but I still occasionally use cheese or heavy cream.  I also eat beans.  But whatever...its my choice and it works for me.  So my what's my point?  Um...consider this your disclaimer that some of my Paleo recipes may contain dairy...or beans.  Deal with it.  Moving on...

Coconut Cream Shrimp Surprise

So...this is my first recipe post after setting up this blog months ago.  And...I have to give credit to my husband for this (not so clever) recipe name.  I came up with this during one of my Paleo spurts, and it quickly became a family favorite!  In the future I promise to have more to say.  For now, I'm just trying to get through this first post.

Garlic Rice
3 Cups Water
1 3/4 Cups White Rice
1 Tbsp Butter
1 Tbsp Garlic

Add water, butter & garlic to a pan over medium heat and bring to a slight boil.  Stir in rice.  Once everything is boiling, reduce heat to low and cover.  After 25 minutes fluff rice using a fork.

In the meantime...

Coconut Cream Shrimp Surprise
Few Tbsp Coconut Oil
1 Yellow Onion, diced
1 Green Pepper, diced
2 Tbsp Garlic, diced
1 20oz Can of Pineapple Chunks, WELL drained
1 13.5oz Can of Coconut Milk
Salt & Pepper
2 Tsp Ancho Chili Pepper
12oz Shrimp, Peeled, Tails Off, & Deveined
Cilantro

Dice up onion & green pepper and add to pan with coconut oil.  You can also use olive oil instead of coconut oil.

 

 

Saute until translucent, 5-8 minutes.

 

 

Add garlic and salt & pepper (to taste).  You should know how you like to S&P your meals.  I personally do not use a lot of salt in my cooking, but feel free to add more as needed.  Add coconut milk and ancho chili pepper and stir well.  Simmer 3-5 minutes, letting the sauce thicken slightly.  Then stir in your well drained pineapple, and simmer 1-2 minutes.  I cannot stress the importance of having your pineapple drained!  This sauce is thin enough...you def don't need any extra liquids.

 

 

Stir in shrimp and simmer until cooked thoroughly, around 4-5 minutes or until your shrimp are all pink.

 

 

By now your rice should be done.  Serve your shrimp with sauce over the cooked white rice.  Top with fresh cilantro....lots!  I LOVE cilantro and I think it helps brighten this dish. 

 

Enjoy!

Side Note:  This makes AWESOME leftovers :)

 

 

Variations:

Paleo Friendly-Omit the rice, and use cauliflower rice

Spicy-Add diced jalapenos



 

 

 

 

 

Lets Get this Shiznit Started!!

Hello friends & family!  I decided to start this recipe blog for one reason...I wanted to share my love for cooking and baking!  Unfortunately for you, there is no theme for my madness.  I don't cook 100% healthy, I don't make dinner in less than 30 minutes, and I definitely don't believe in over processed boxed meals.  What do I believe in?  I believe in family dinners.  I believe in eating a variety of foods including fresh veggies.  And most importantly I believe in desserts!!  Follow me as I prepare meals ranging from Paleo-friendly to low fat to low calorie to comfort foods.