biscoff cookie bars

featured on foodgawker and tastespotting

I have a minor obsession with Biscoff, thanks to my friend Nikki. First she sent me a jar of Waffles and Dinges‘ Speculoos spread, then she sent me a $30 gift certificate to Biscoff. I rearranged my pantry the other day to realize I have 4 packages of Biscoff cookies and two jars of spread (smooth and crunchy).

Biscoff is a cinnamon-y, caramel-y biscuit cookie. Delta Airlines commonly gives them out as a snack inflight. They sell it in the form of a spread, which is incredible on toast, waffles, and melted on vanilla ice cream.

First came the Biscoff truffles. Now, Biscoff cookie bars. Here ya go.

Knockoff Trader Joe’s Kale and Edamame Bistro Salad

featured on tastespotting and foodgawker

Continuing my “I love salads but hate making them at home” theme, here’s a salad I pine for: Trader Joe’s Kale and Edamame Bistro Salad.

Now, for the most part (like 90% of the time) I bring lunch to work everyday.

On days when I forget to bring lunch and need to go to Trader Joe’s to pick up groceries anyway, this is my go to selection.

Kale is a nutritional powerhouse, as well as edamame. Cranberries are thrown in for a little sweetness, almonds for additional protein and crunch, tomatoes because duh, they’re yummy, and the tangy lemon dressing balances everything out.

The Trader Joe’s salad is great, BUT okay, #1 it costs $4. #2 there’s too much dressing, which, no surprise, is loaded with calories. Ain’tnobodygottimeforthat. Make your own at home for a fraction of the price and calories.

If you’re just starting to build up your pantry, you may need to buy quite a few of these ingredients, which of course is going to add up to way more than $4. Here’s the great part: nearly ALL of the ingredients are shelf-stable, so once you have everything, all you’ll need to buy if you want to make this salad again in a few weeks is some fresh kale and a tomato!

Oh, and P.S.! This salad, including dressing is only about 300 calories!!

snickerdoodle bars

These snickerdoodle bars are out of control. I’ve been working from home the past few days and it’s really difficult to walk by them and not cut off a little 1×1 square each time I walk by.

The most fun part about these is that they use ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen, if you do any sort of baking. The most exotic ingredient listed here for me is milk, because I usually don’t stock milk in my fridge. But even if you don’t have milk you could probably even try making these with water or watered down half & half or creamer. Not a big deal!

If you love the flavors of cinnamon and sugar, these are just to die for. The middle of the bar is super moist with a tender crumb, while the outsides are slightly a bit more sturdy. The glaze hardens to give a nice crunch on the top. *drool*

And if THAT’S not enough — throw a dollop of vanilla bean ice cream on top of a warm one. I dare you.

homemade cinnamon coconut milk

I got this harebrained idea to make homemade cinnamon coconut milk. It all started when my roommate Lauren decided to buy a Nutribullet. We’ve been “blasting” (blending) up all kinds of Nutriblasts (smoothies). One of the cool things I’ve found out you can do with a super-high-powered blender is make your own coconut milk. This involves draining the water from a whole mature coconut, splitting the coconut in half, and then carving the meat off of the shell.

Now, the last time I tried to open my own coconut, I made the mistake of getting a young coconut, and trying to bust it open using mature coconut instructions. That didn’t work and I just ended up with a small workout and big frustration.

I was hesitant to try opening a coconut again, but I figured it can’t be that bad…

Well. Even though I got the right coconut this time, yeah, it was still kind of bad. The ones I bought were “pre-scored” around the center, which should make it easier to crack open. I watched two different videos, one using a mallet, the other using a meat cleaver. I don’t have a mallet or a meat cleaver, so I used a hammer and the back of a chef’s knife.

To make a long story short, I whacked the coconut as hard as I could, several times, using both tools, and nothing. Finally, I got a screw (the only nails I have are finishing nails which are too small), pounded it into the shell, then started whacking around the perimeter again, and finally it started to crack open.

Once you get the coconut open, and once you get the meat off the shell, the rest comes together quickly. Take a look at the videos I’ve linked to, try to have the tools mentioned, and try to have someone stronger than you on hand to come and save the day if it’s not working for you…

This recipe is for a delicious, sweet cinnamon coconut milk that can be drank on its own or used in smoothies, puddings, oatmeals, cereals…

Coconut is high in potassium, electrolytes, and antioxidants. It also raises your good cholesterol!

You can use the leftover coconut fiber in cookies, to top cakes, or as a coating for chicken, shrimp or fish. Just put it in an airtight container and refrigerate.

This is *not* the easiest recipe in the world, and does require some special equipment and elbow grease. You’ll need a high powered blender, like a Nutribullet or Magic Bullet, or a VitaMix. You can also try it with a very good blender. If your blender doesn’t do too well with ice, you may want to skip out on this recipe. Additionally, you’ll need a nut milk bag OR a paint straining bag OR a cheesecloth. A nut milk bag is basically a fine mesh bag with a drawstring that will run you anywhere from $5-10. I use a paint straining bag from the paint store that cost about $0.85. It doesn’t have a drawstring, but a drawstring isn’t necessary. Especially if it means at least another $4.15 in your pocket

daring bakers’ challenge march 2013: black bean brownies

Ruth from Makey-Cakey was our March 2013 Daring Bakers’ challenge host. She encouraged us all to get experimental in the kitchen and sneak some hidden veggies into our baking, with surprising and delicious results!

I’m finally getting a chance to get back into my Daring Bakers’ Challenges!

It’s been QUITE a busy year so far. I spent all of January transitioning out of my position at Hungry Girl, training my replacement. It was a difficult company to leave, but I knew I needed to make a move in order to continue my personal growth.

For the past two months I’ve been working at a digital marketing agency as a web/social media designer and front-end developer. I’m learning new skills everyday, its’s great!

Coinciding with my job change, I’ve been trying to eat “clean-er.” For quite some time I’ve been straying further and further from over-processed foods, but it’s really hard to avoid when you’re working at a company who uses many of them as their basis for recipes! Now that I’m not in that environment anymore, I’ve been doing a lot of juicing and smoothie-ing. I’m reintroducing healthy fats (like COCONUT!, traditional nuts, seeds) in moderation, as well as power grains like quinoa. ALthough many of the recipes on my blog are “clean,” you may see some “earthy crunchy” recipes like smoothies, homemade nut milks, and chia seed puddings. Things that I don’t normally make or eat, but have taken a recent interest in.

This absolutely does not mean I’ll be giving up baking or entirely switching up ingredients I use when baking. You have to live a little!! So back to making time for Daring Bakers!

I’d been seeing recipes using black beans in brownies for quite awhile, so I decided to find a recipe and give it a whirl. You definitely cannot taste the beans at all, not like I expected one to be able to in the first place. Black beans don’t have THAT distinctive of a taste, just a bit salty. Right?

I changed this recipe up a bit, but if I made it again, I would make some more modifications. They were a bit too thick for my taste. Normally I’d just use a larger pan so they come out more thin, but you’re already using a large pan here. I would try reducing the flour by about 1/2 cup. The brownies are super rich and decadent, so you definitely want to have a glass of milk handy. I ended up cutting them into small squares (the ones pictured, for example, were cut into fours).