Recipe Roundup

Here’s a roundup of recipes I’ve made and enjoyed recently.

Paleo Banana Bread

img source: http://www.threedietsonedinner.com/

In an attempt to eat less grains lately, I made this paleo banana bread to have on hand as a snack when I wanted something besides veggies and fruit. It’s surprising how often I crave something bread-like. The only substitutions I made was replacing the butter with coconut oil (which luckily is still paleo) and since I didn’t have coconut flour, I just threw in 1/4 cup of unsweetened shredded coconut instead. I also left out the pecans as I feel the bread didn’t need ’em with all the almond flour in the recipe.  This banana bread was surprisingly good, especially since it had no added sugar nor any flour. I enjoyed it most with a smear of peanut butter (not paelo) as well as the cashew almond butter I recently made.

Single Serving Deep Dish Oatmeal Choc Chip Cookie

img source: http://www.edibleperspective.com/

As I’ve mentioned before, I often find myself in need of something sweet at night and don’t want to make an entire batch of cookies. So I was happy when I stumbled upon this great gluten free and vegan single serving cookie recipe from edible perspective.  As usual, I attempted to make this a little healthier with the use of my favorite fat replacer, prune puree. Although the deep dish option was tempting, I made three regular cookies since I didn’t have any ice cream in the house. I just think a warm, gooey deep dish cookie without a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top is just plain wrong. The cookies were a little fluffier than normal, but I attribute that to the prune puree, not the recipe itself.  I’ll definitely be trying the deep dish version soon, perhaps with a scoop of soft serve banana “ice cream” on top to keep things vegan and healthy.

Cakey Oaty Energy Bars

img source: http://www.thekitchn.com/

I don’t even know how many different granola-ish bar recipes I’ve made. Definitely too many to count.  While this recipe will probably always be my favorite, they are not the healthiest option and are closer to cookies than a nutritious snack or breakfast. So I am always looking for new recipes. This particular recipe caught my eye because of the low sugar, healthy fats (from the nuts) and the option to make them gluten free (with the use of gluten free oats). I only used ½ cup of dried cranberries instead of a full cup of dried fruit (since that’s all I had on hand) but threw in some shredded unsweetened coconut to make up for it.  I definitely enjoyed these bars and will be keeping the recipe bookmarked for sure.  They weren’t very sweet and just like the banana bread tasted best topped with some nut butter.  When I wanted to turn them into more of a dessert I topped them with pumpkin butter.  Delish.

Chocolate Macarons

The quest for the perfect macaron continues… My last attempt was with this recipe, which uses the same method I usually follow except it beats the egg whites a bit less.  Results?  I’m not quite there yet, but am getting closer.  Of course they ended up tasting great, but the shells were still a bit hollow. However, they did get much softer after filling, sandwiching and letting them sit for 24 hours to age properly.  Although I beat the egg whites for about 3 minutes less than normal, the consistency of the meringue seemed the same as my old attempts.  Next time I’ll whip the whites for even less time. I will also be going back to my pistachio recipe as they are by far my favorite flavor. Wish me luck!

Chocolate Buttercream

img source: http://www.joythebaker.com

To fill the macarons, I whipped up a batch of this Chocolate Buttercream frosting from Joy the Baker (recipe also found in her cookbook).  It was the perfect filling for the cookies and I was even thinking about using it as the frosting for the mini chocolate cakes I’m making for my cousin’s wedding.  Unfortunately I don’t think the consistency will hold up so I’m opting for something a little more stable.  Lucky for me, this just means more leftover ovaltine (the frosting’s secret ingredient) which I have been enjoying in the form of deliciously smooth and rich chocolate milk. Although I must admit I’m more of a Hershey’s syrup girl.

This week I’ll be busy making the chocolate cakes for the wedding on Saturday!  I am very much looking forward to the wedding as well as spending a couple of days in my kitchen.