Dessert Hummus

This is one of those odd recipes... you don't think it should work but it does.  The original blogger doesn't call it dessert hummus, she calls it cookie dough dip, but I think my husband called it dessert hummus and I thought it was kind of funny.  To start... I'm generally a pretty adventurous eater, I'll try anything once.  I am not opposed to using regular ingredients in different ways so when I saw dessert that used chickpeas instead of flour, I was pretty excited. My husband... was not.  He made me try it first then give it to my daughter (who really liked it) before he would try it.  The idea of a bean being used to make dessert didn't sit that well with him. I recently tried making cookies with black beans as a base and they turned out pretty well, so I was interested to see how this would work.

Here is the original Pin:

Healthy Raw Cookie Dough

It kind of looks gross in this pic.  It's not.

This is one of those throw everything into a food processor kind of recipes. I used brown sugar (because artificial sweeteners are the devil), vanilla soy milk and regular chocolate chips.

After it is mixed smooth, fold in the chips.  You could definitely vary up this recipe with other sweeteners, nut butters, milks and chips.  I find my original recipe pretty effective.  I actually made up a second batch a few days later without measuring (because I'm lazy like that) and it turned out great.  I started my second batch with honey rather that sugar and didn't like it as much.  I think the brown sugar gives it a more of a dessert mouth feel... a little bit of sugar crunch.

Nugget liked it quite a bit and I feel ok giving it to her since even though there's sugar in it, there's some nice bean protein in there too.  BTW, the blog that this recipe comes from is worth exploring a bit.  It's full of intriguing vegan dessert recipes.  I'm certain I'll try more of them.

Cost: I already had all the ingredients I needed and since it is so modifiable, it shouldn't ever cost too much to make.

Time: Mix, mix, done.  Make a bigger batch and put them into little containers.  I used them as a snack when I came home from work late.

Difficulty: Probably the hardest part is getting over the name "dessert hummus."

Aesthetic Appeal: It's not that pretty, but it's not as ugly as the chia seed chocolate pudding.  I wouldn't serve it to guests unless it was on a really pretty dish.

Life Enhancement: Actually, a great deal.  It made me think about desserts in a different way.  I've always felt that dessert is very much a sometimes thing since it's not good for you, but this recipe and others like it, make it possible to eat dessert and not just consume empty sugar calories.

Pretzel Chocolate Chip Cookies

This post is a little delayed but here goes... I worked Thanksgiving and wanted to bring some treats for my coworkers.  I made some pumpkin oatmeal cookies and tried to make some peanut bars (which I didn't like enough to bring to work).  I wanted a second cookie.  I saw these and although not very seasonal seemed novel enough to try.  They were a pretty big hit at work and were consumed much more quickly than the oatmeal cookies.

Here is the original Pin:

Pretzel Chocolate Chip Cookies

Another basic cookie recipe... wet ingredients in the mixer, dry ingredients added, then chunky parts added at end.  I decided to go with all chocolate chips instead of including peanut butter chips because... well, I didn't have any... and I had chocolate chips.  Part of the reason I made these too, is because we had a bunch of pretzels left over from our Halloween party (I know).

It helps to have a husband that is willing to do some chopping... it comes in handy in life.

                

These cookies are nice and simple, but the added crunch of the pretzels is a happy surprise.  I forgot to add the chunky salt to the top before baking them, but I bet that would make them extra tasty. I made these cookies on the small side so there would be more to go around so the baking time was on the low end of the recipe spectrum.

I highly recommend using silicone liners for all cookie baking

These cookies were quite popular at work and I think I would make them again.  I don't know why I never thought of combining chocolate and pretzels in a cookie.

Cost: This actually helped to use up some leftovers (the pretzels) so I call it a win in the cost department.

Time: Didn't take long at all.

Difficulty: Chopping pretzels is the hard part.  Get someone else to do it for you and you'll be all set.

Aesthetic Appeal: They're pretty simple and not terribly impressive looking but mine actually compare favorably to the originals.

Life Enhancement: Coworkers like cookies.  That is all.

Lemon Blueberry Loaf

I made this recipe for no other reason but it sounded delicious.  It's not full of particularly fall flavors, but it's tasty any time of year.  It was pretty easy to make and turned out nicely, though not quite as pretty as the original.

Here is the original Pin:

Lemon Blueberry Loaf

Original Pin                                                                  My Pic

First flour the loaf pan so it doesn't stick.

It's the same basic procedure as most baking recipes... whisk together wet ingredients, add in dry ingredients, then fold in chunky ingredients, in this case the blueberries that you've coated with flour.

Pour your batter into your loaf dish and bake.

I'm not entirely sure why there's both a syrup and a glaze.  I guess to keep it moist and sweet.  My glaze stayed a little bit lumpy.  Oh well.

I liked this recipe although there was nothing terribly remarkable about it.  It was tasty but since it is "normal" baking and full of sugar, I probably wouldn't make this very often.

Cost: Only things I had to buy were the frozen blueberries and organic lemon.

Time: Mixing time, baking time... normal.

Difficulty: Easy peasy.

Aesthetic Appeal: It's pretty when it's cut because you see all the pretty blueberries.  My glaze could be a little thicker and smoother.

Life Enhancement: I'd serve it to guests for sure, but I wouldn't make it for myself just to snack on.

Enchilada Casserole

To start off, I just want to say of the dozen or so things I've made so far for this blog, this is by far my husband's favorite dish.  It's not super healthy, although I don't think it's terrible for you and it's gluten free if you use corn tortillas.  It's basically a Mexican lasagne with tortillas instead of noodles.  I didn't make this recipe exactly right, I definitely took some liberties, but it turned out delicious.  A few days after I made it, my husband made an entire second casserole, but he used the leftover Thanksgiving turkey instead of chicken. That, by the way, turned out great too.

Here's the original pin:

Chicken & Black Bean Casserole

I forgot to take a picture of it cooked.  It was just too delicious.

This recipe is pretty easy and quite adaptable. I didn't have the cumin, coriander or garlic powder so I used red chili pepper and onion powder.  Also, didn't bother to buy fresh cilantro, I just used dried.  This recipe is plenty flavorful, so no harm done.  You start by cooking the chicken with a little oil and the dried seasoning, then pull it apart. I had my husband buy the groceries for this recipe and he couldn't find diced peppers so he bought a second can of enchilada sauce, which ended up being just fine.  The second can was medium rather than mild, so it gave it a little punch while keping it edible, even for Nugget.  Apparently, you're not supposed to mix in the enchilada sauce in with the other ingredients, but I did and it was fine.  I combined the chicken with the beans and sauce.  Then begin layering in a casserole dish like you would a lasagne... sauce, sour cream, cheese, tortillas... repeat. I also didn't reserve any cheese for the end, I just pulled off the tin foil a few minutes before the cooking time was up.

                 

Like I said, this has been my husband's favorite Pin I've done by far, and I thought it was great too.  Spicy but not too spicy, and I do love a good casserole.  There are tons of changes you can make to adapt to your taste: change the cheese, level of spiciness, beans, meat (the turkey version was delicious too).

Cost: Fairly reasonable for a full meal for a family plus freezer leftovers.

Time: Not long.  You could certainly prepare it the day before and pop it in the oven after a long day at work or just do it day of, it's maybe only 20 minutes of prep.

Difficulty: Very easy, very tasty... a perfect combination.

Aesthetic Appeal: Doesn't really matter.  Anytime cheese is bubbling on top of a meal, it's a good thing.

Life Enhancement: It certainly enhanced my husband's life.  It would be a nice casserole to bring a sick friend or someone who just had a baby, so that's nice too.

Polka Dot Finger Nails

I've always liked keeping my nails polished but I'm not what you'd call "good" at it. I'm a little messy, kind of impatient and don't have a very steady non-dominant hand so nail art is a challenge to me.  When I saw this, I thought it looked pretty simple so I decided to try it.  Results: not terrible, I must say.

Here is the original pin:

Polka Dot Nails

Original Pin                                                                    My Pic

So I started the way you would any manicure, clear base coat then color.  I thought this green and blue looked pretty good together.  You need pretty dense colors to make this work.  Anything too transparent wouldn't bee seen.  I tried to choose 2 colors that were the same tone and intensity.  I think color choice is everything here.  If you use the wrong colors it could just look weird.  After the clear base, 2 coats of your nail color.  After that, wait awhile before doing the dots so it doesn't get gummy.  The original blogger said to use a cuticle pusher, but I used the back of a pin.  I guess that's why my dots are a bit bigger.  I've seen many variations of polka dots on Pinterest, some with variable sizes of dots.  You probably just need to use a couple different tools for the dots.

Use the end of a pin stuck into an eraser to make your dots 

As you can see below, I'm pretty messy, but the next day after I'd peeled off the excess polish, it looks pretty nice.

Overall, I think this is pretty cute.  It's pretty and easy to do.
Cost: Really just the nail polish.
Time: Doing your own nails always takes a bit of time.  I do it after Nugget is in bed while watching tv.  It's about the only time during the day that I know I won't be interrupted.
Difficulty: Easy.  Like I said, I'm not so good at neatness, but this turned out nice.
Aesthetic Appeal: Well, that's the whole point, if they're not pretty, it's not worth doing.
Life Enhancement: Worth doing.  Hard to mess up. Something a little different than single color nails.

No Flour Banana Muffins

I have been flirting with gluten free for a few months now, and while I have decided that it's not for me (I'm certainly not celiac, but I had other issues that I thought might be influenced by diet) I do think it's probably a good idea to try and limit flour from my diet. While I was on the bandwagon I tried many recipes and some turned out pretty good.  I'm constantly looking for less "carby" breakfasts that I can prepare ahead of time and have available quickly in the morning. And sometimes... you just don't feel like eggs again. This Pin hits the mark and I think they're pretty tasty.

Here is the original Pin:

Oatmeal Banana Breakfast Muffins

Their Muffins                                                   My Muffins

I followed this recipe closely, using regular sugar as I believe that artificial sweeteners are the devil. Basically you mix the bananas with the eggs, then add the yogurt, oatmeal, sugar and baking soda. From my dabbling with gluten free, I learned that oats are naturally gluten free but are often prepared and packaged with gluten products, so if you are celieac (you probably alreay know this) or are very sensitive, you have to purchase oats that specify that they're packaged in a gluten free facility.

Ok, so I'm not exactly the neatest baker.  Maybe I'll get better?

I like this recipe.  The muffins were tasty and I think they're ripe for variations.  Certainly seasonings like vanilla or cinnamon would be welcome.  I'm not sure if adding fresh or frozen fruit would change the chemistry enough to ruin the texture.  As is, the texture is a little on the chewy side, not light and fluffy like an ordinary flour muffin, so don't expect it to be airy. You definitely need paper muffin liners and you'd be wise to let them cool for awhile otherwise they can get pretty sticky.  They were delicious with peanut butter and Nugget definitely approved.

Cost: They're great for using up ripe bananas, so score! The only thing I bought especially for this recipe was the yoghurt. My husband bought fat free instead of low fat, but that didn't seem to be any trouble.  They would also be fine with the nice thick 10% we buy for the little one.

Time: They're muffins, nothing fancy.

Difficulty: My only difficulty was pouring them into the tin without making a mess. Maybe you have steadier hands?

Aesthetic Appeal: They're not light and fluffy with a round crunchy shell like you'd find at a coffee shop, but they certainly don't look bad.

Life Enhancement: If you're celiac or just trying to cut down on refined carbs, this recipe is great.  It should fulfill any craving you might have for breakfast baked goods.

Healthy Chicken Casserole

Food on Pinterest, by and large, is divided into two categories, super, rediculously healthy food that may or may not fall into a "diet" category like vegan or gluten free or... the reason why America is fat, gooey, sweet, deep-fried monstrosities. It's like Pinterest people have those little angels and devils on their shoulders like you see in cartoons. These Pins represent what we aspire to be and what most of us really are (and eat). I, myself try and live mostly on the angel side (hence this Pin) but that's not to say I don't sometimes enjoy some good devil food.  Closer to Christmas you'll see that a lot more.

Here is the original Pin:

Balsamic Chicken

Original                                                                      Mine 

The first problem I have with this pin is it's name.  There is but a mere teaspoon of balsamic vinegar and it is not noticeable at all. First tip for this recipe... add more balsamic... it's delicious and flavorful.

The only things that I altered about this recipe was that I used a yellow onion instead of a red one (because that's what I already had at the house) and I used garlic from a jug instead of peeling and chopping the little bulbs.  I swear none of my cooking would have any flavor if it wasn't for those jugs of prepared garlic.  To start, you brown off the chicken.  I used smaller pieces instead of whole breasts because that's what I could find, and I used a little olive oil instead of cooking spray. When the chicken is cooked through, you place it at the bottom of a casserole dish.

Then you make your pesto topping with the basil, garlic, oil, etc.  Blend until smooth. 

Add the pesto to the casserole dish, then the onions, tomatoes and mushrooms.  Any number of other veggies would be fine in this recipe.  I think spinach would be especially nice.

Cover and put in the oven for about 40 minutes. While it was cooking I put some brown rice in my rice cooker and it timed out pretty well.

Overall, this recipe is definitely healthy, as for tasty... it's pretty good, but not great.  It tastes like you're eating a healthy meal, which isn't a bad thing, it's just not particularly inspirational.  If I were to make this again, I would try and up the flavor a little bit... more garlic, some salt, and definitely more balsamic vinegar.

Cost: About what you'd expect to pay for a home cooked meal.  I had to buy the chicken, tomatoes, mushrooms and basil, but I already had everything else. It's about 4 portions, so we were able to put some leftovers away for lunch for Nugget another day.

Time: Maybe 10-15 minutes prep, then 40 minutes cooking.

Difficulty: I think it would be difficult to ruin this, but there's any number of things you can do to make it better.

Aesthetic Appeal: The red tomatoes and green pesto make it a fairly attractive meal.

Life Enhancement: I think this recipe is a good base for future ideas rather than an excellent meal as is.  It is very healthy, no doubt... gluten free, low fat, but the seasoning needs to be bumped up to make it memorable.