19

Feb

Cookie Dough Truffles

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Cookie Dough Truffles. Those words are heavenly, right? And this little sweet treat sums up Matt’s & my vacation for the last 10 days…sweet, something we craved, and it was gone a little too quickly. HOWEVER, in the moment (like these truffles), spending time with our family and friends was HEAVEN.

photo (1)    A lot happened, from a 6:00am flight on Wednesday the 5th, to picking up groceries and getting to my parents’ house at 4:30, to a party that was going to start at 7:00. Matt & I cooked furiously (and joyfully!) to get everything done and, in true Laurel style, I took on way too much, it was messy, and *in the end* the party was a success. My mom was surprised on her birthday with friends from childhood all the way up to new friends. She was thrilled! Every smushed lemon bar from jostling in the overhead bins on the plane and every bead of sweat on Matt & my rushed foreheads was totally worth the surprised/shocked/thrilled look on her face. Success.

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Matt & me in Galveston!

Then we went to a wedding in Galveston, the beach I grew up on and have hundreds of fond and crazy memories of in my mind and heart. Matt has just as many memories (if not more), and I love that this one location stirs up the times we spent there as children, teenagers, adults and as a couple. Our friends Kate & Russell were wed in a beautiful church and we danced all night to a New Orleans band’s incredible sounds. We caught up with friends that are more like family to me, and a huge aching hole in my heart was filled after our time together. (I missed them!) I’m thankful to Russell & Kate, an awesome pair, for allowing us to be present on their special weekend.

We spent some time with my amazing cousin, Jeremy, before heading off to Kansas to see Matt’s family. He is the closest thing I have to a brother, and it’s always fun to hang out with him, roll our eyes at my parents’ corny jokes, and glutton-ize a bit with amazing Tex-Mex.

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Pat (MIL), Abby (niece), me & Maura (sister-in-law)

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Libby (niece), Matt & me

And then off to Kansas, to see the big family. Our nieces and nephews are growing up (the oldest niece, Abby, turned 14 while we were there!), and they are each such incredible people. Their parents are pretty awesome, too, and we got some good quality time with Maura & Jake, our favorite vinyl-loving, toy-collecting duo. My world traveler mother-in-law, Pat, spent several days with us before jet-setting to Peru for a medical mission trip. She’s always moving.

 

 

 

 

 

So on to cookie dough…eggless treats that it’s fun to indulge every once in a while. One is plenty…they’re rich!

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Cookie Dough Truffles

Adapted from Annie’s Eats

  • 8 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • ¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 2¼ cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk OR 2/3 cup almond milk + 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • ½ cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1 lb. semisweet (or bittersweet) chocolate, coarsely chopped
  • Mini chocolate chips (for garnish)

Step 1: In a mixer, blend utter and brown sugar for 3 minutes, or until creamy. Add flour, condensed milk, and vanilla and blend until smooth. Stir in 1/2 cup of mini chocolate chips, cover bowl with plastic wrap and set in fridge for 30 minutes.

Step 2: Next, spoon 1 TB of dough and roll into balls. Set on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet, and set in the fridge for 30 minutes to harden (or the freezer for 15, if you’re in a rush, like I was).

Step 3: Melt the coarsely chopped chocolate in the microwave and stir in between 30-second increments until melted. Coat each dough ball in chocolate and set back on the parchment paper to cool. Add a few mini chips on top of the cooling truffles for garnish. Try not to eat them all! (Store in the fridge for up to a week.)

12 years ago Short URL

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18

Feb

Chocolate Chia Pudding

There are a few really perfect foods out there…margherita pizza, blueberry muffins, and vanilla ice cream. Chocolate pudding makes the cut for me, too. Creamy, not-too-sweet, chocolatey happiness. When I saw a recipe for chia pudding, about a year ago, I meant to try to make it and got distracted by life. It didn’t even make my “will try to make in the future” list, and I admit that I have one of those that grows monthly. But Susan over at Fat Free Vegan posted a recipe a few weeks ago, and I knew that it was time to stop procrastinating and try it! Susan is good at making healthy (or not unhealthy) recipes for her family that are simple, classic and do-able. Thanks, Susan!

Chocolate Chia Pudding
slightly adapted from Susan at Fat Free Vegan
 makes 3-4 servings

Ingredients

  • 2 cups unsweetened  milk (I used vanilla almond milk–unsweetened)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 2 TB sucanat (or 1 1/2 TB agave syrup)
  • 6 tablespoons chia seeds
  • optional: 1/2 to 1 cup raspberries, cherries, or other fruit
  • optional: vegan or dairy whipped cream and choc chips to top

Instructions

  1. Place the milk, vanilla, and cocoa into the blender and add sweetener to taste (about 2 servings worth). Blend until cocoa is completely incorporated. (You can also use a whisk, but this takes longer.)
  2. Pour milk mixture into a bowl and add the chia seeds. Stir well, making sure that all the seeds are moistened. Leave out on the counter and stir periodically (about every 15 minutes or so), breaking up any clusters that form. Allow it to stand until the pudding has thickened and all liquid has been absorbed, at least 30 minutes.
  3. Refrigerate. Just before serving, stir in fruit. Serve topped with additional fruit.

Preparation time: 5 minute(s) | Cooking (standing) time: 30 minutes

That’s it! So easy. It’s a texture like tapioca pudding, a bit seedy but gives you a little something to munch on, texture-wise.  

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Chia seeds (yes, like the ch-ch-ch-chia pet!!) are 

  • high in Omega-3 oils
  • provide soluble and insoluble fiber (balance your blood sugar)
  • are filling (ancient texts have evidence that European armies provided their soldiers with these seeds to fill their bellies on long excursions, where their feet were their modes of transportation). The seeds expand to up to 20 times their size! Note: It does not expand like bread…this is a healthy full.
  • are relatively inexpensive. I’ve found them in the bulk sections of grocery stores like Whole Foods and Kroger. Two cups of the stuff lasts me a couple of months and costs $2 or less.
  • are a great addition in puddings, yogurt, oatmeal, even pastas. Get creative!

I hope your weekend is full of fun or work or whatever you need to get done to relax and enjoy life! (Can you tell I have homework? ha)
Happy eating! Laurel

~Laurel~

14 years ago Short URL 813 Comments

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15

Sep

Apple Olacakes

Sitting in our freezer are several little baggies containing 3 mini muffins each, the perfect grab and go breakfast (after 30 seconds in the zapper). I’m continuing the homemade grab-and-go breakfast kick with a new addition…OLACAKES (oh-la-cakes).
Olacakes–easy to grab, healthy
and tasty pancakes topped and 
cooked with granOLA on one side
I admit it, they’re good! My first try at these are as follows:

Apple Cinnamon Olacakes
Makes 14 olacakes, or 6-7 servings
PANCAKE:
1 medium apple, grated (I kept the peel)
1 1/3 cup wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 t. each: baking powder and baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 egg whites
2/3 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (2% cow’s milk works, too, or 1/2 cup lowfat buttermilk)
TOPPING:
1/2 cup uncooked, dry oats
1/2 cup shredded sweetened coconut
DIRECTIONS:
ONE: Spread coconut and oats onto a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes, or until coconut is toasted. Set aside.
TWO: Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon together in a large bowl. 
THREE: In a small bowl, whisk egg whites for one minutes. Add grated apple to the egg whites and gently stir. Pour into dry mix bowl, along with almond milk. Stir until just moistened.
FOUR: In a non-stick pan, drop pancakes, 2-3 TB at a time. When pancakes are 75% cooked (before flipping), sprinkle 1 TB of the toasted coconut/oats mix on top of each pancake. Press down a bit with a spatula. Then flip and cook for 1-2 minutes, or when coconut/oat mix has stuck to the top of the pancake. You have now made an OLACAKE!
Serve warm, cold, topped with syrup, caramel, agave syrup, peanut butter, or eat plain (which is still so tasty!). A great breakfast grab-and-go, snack or guilt-free dessert. 

Happy eating! 

~Laurel~

15 years ago Short URL

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