Grain-free Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate chip cookies have to be one of my ultimate comfort foods.  The other day I knew someone that needed some cheering up who has lots of dietary issues so I thought it was a perfect excuse to try out this recipe.  I don't know if I have mentioned it before but when I try out a new recipe that I am uncertain of I like to have people to share it with.  That way if I don't like it, I have other people around to eat it.  It turns out for this recipe I didn't need to any back up for eating, I think my husband would have preferred if I hadn't told this individual to expect the cookies because it means there is less for us to enjoy.
As far as cookies go, this is a pretty healthy recipe and you get some protein when you eat them.

Grain-free Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 1/4 cup chick peas, rinsed and patted dry

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup + 2 tbsp natural peanut butter

1/4 honey or agave

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup chocolate chips.

1. Preheat the oven to 350.
2. In a blender or food processor combine all the ingredients except for the chocolate chips until they are smooth.
3. Stir in chocolate chips.
4. Wet you hands and roll into 1 1/2 inch balls.  Lightly press the cookies onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.
5. Bake for 10-12 minutes.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

I am a huge fan of Red Velvet Cupcakes but until today I have only ever gotten store bought ones.  I am not sure why it took me so long to try making them but they are very easy to make and taste more amazing than the store bought ones.  I know I have my own biases towards my own cooking but I also like to use the best ingredients when I cook.  I used a good quality cocoa powder and the chocolate flavour in these is amazing.  I know the recipe calls for a lot of food colouring, I tried halving it and they didn't turn out really red.  So I recommend using the full amount if you have your heart set on a red cupcake otherwise half or none is fine too.

I hope you had a Happy Valentine's Day!

Red Velvet Cupcakes

1/2 cup butter

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 cup buttermilk

2 tbsp red food colouring

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tbsp distilled white vinegar

2 cups all purpose flour

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1 tsp salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line muffin cups with baking cups.
2. In a large bowl, beat together the eggs and sugar until they are light and fluffy.
3. Mix in eggs, butter milk, food colouring and vanilla.
4. Stir in the baking soda and vinegar.
5. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cocoa and salt.
6. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet, until just combined.
7. Spoon the batter into prepared cups.
8. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
9. Frost if desired. 

Garlic Aioli

I am a big fan of yam fries and since they are an easy, no fuss meal I make them fairly regularly.  I will often make a balsamic reduction to put over them but I was in the mood for an garlic aioli the other night so I found this recipe and gave it a try.  It turned out wonderful, my husband even made sure that every last drop was used up so there was none that went to waste.

Garlic Aioli

3/4 cup mayonnaise

3 cloves minced garlic

2 1/2 tbsp lemon juice

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Mix together all of the ingredients.  Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Apple Raisin Cinnamon Buns

I am a big fan of cinnamon buns and where I live there is this one bakery that makes what I would consider to be some of the best in the world.  The only thing that would make them better is the addition of some raisins but I know not everyone is a fan of raisins.
I decided that it was about time for me to try making my own cinnamon buns.  I put my own little spin on them by adding apples and raisins but it turned out great as far as I am concerned.  I didn't ice them but regular or cream cheese icing would be superb on top.

Apple Raisin Cinnamon Buns

1/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 dry active yeast

2/3 cup milk

1 egg

2 tbsp melted butter

1/2 tsp vanilla

3 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 pinch ground cloves

1 pinch salt

1/3 cup melted butter

2 cups grated apple

1. In bowl, dissolve 1 tsp of the granulated sugar in 1/3 cup warm water; sprinkle yeast over top. Let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes. 
2. In separate bowl, whisk together milk, egg, butter, vanilla and remaining sugar; stir in yeast mixture.
3. In large bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour and salt. Stir in yeast mixture until ragged dough forms. Turn out onto floured surface and knead, adding up to 2 tbsp more all-purpose flour if needed, until soft, smooth but not sticky dough forms, about 10 minutes.
4. Transfer to greased bowl and turn to grease all over. Cover and let stand in warm draft-free place until doubled in bulk, about 2 hours.
5. Meanwhile, in small bowl, stir together the grated apple, brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves and salt, then set aside.
6. Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface; roll out into 20- x 12-inch (50 x 30 cm) rectangle. Brush with all but 2 tbsp of the melted butter, leaving 1/2-inch (1 cm) border uncovered at 1 long side. Sprinkle with sugar mixture, leaving same 1/2-inch (1 cm) border uncovered. 
7. Starting at long side opposite border, tightly roll up dough; pinch seam to seal. Brush all over with remaining butter.
8. With sharp knife, cut into 12 pieces; place, cut side up, in greased 13- x 9-inch (3 L) baking dish. Cover and let rise in warm draft-free place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.(Make-ahead: Cover and refrigerate overnight or for up to 12 hours. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking.)
9. Bake in 375ºF (190ºC) oven until tops are golden and buns sound hollow when gently tapped, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve warm.

Recipe adapted from here.

Blushing Broccoli and Cauliflower

It is always nice to find simple recipes to make vegetables more interesting as sides to dinner.  One of my favourites growing up was steamed broccoli and or cauliflower with melted cheddar cheese on top. Simple enough and very tasty!
The other day when I was looking through different recipes I came across this one and thought it was a simple twist to an old staple so I tried it out.  It only added a couple of minutes to the prep time of the veggie with just melted cheese and it add so much more flavour!

Blushing Broccoli and Cauliflower

1 head cauliflower

1 bunch broccoli (about the same amount as the cauliflower)

1 can low sodium tomato soup

3 tbsp skim milk

2 tsp vegetable seasoning

1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese

salt and pepper to taste

1. Cut the broccoli and cauliflower into small florets.
2. Steam the vegetables until tender crisp, about 8 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, bring the tomato soup, milk and vegetable seasoning to a simmer.  
4. Remove from heat and stir in the cheese, allowing it to melt.  Return it to the heat it if needs help.
5. Place the steamed vegetables in a serving bowl and pour the sauce over top. Serve immediately. 

Banana Muffins

I know I already have a few banana muffin recipes up here but I like to have a couple of different ones to choose from because it gets boring using the same recipes over and over again.  I went looking for a new recipe the other day because I wanted to use up some bananas from the freezer but I didn't want to have to go out to buy any ingredients.  I had all of the stuff I needed for this one in the house so it was the winner.  It turned out really well and I plan on using it again.

Banana Muffins

2 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 cup flax seeds or ground flax

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup honey

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

pinch of nutmeg

1 egg

3/4 cup milk

1/3 cup pureed apples or applesauce

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup mashed bananas

1. Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
2. In a separate bowl, beat the egg and whisk in the milk, apple, vanilla and honey.
3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, stirring until just combined.
4. Fold in the bananas.
5. Divide into muffin tins.
6. Bake at 400 for 15-18 minutes or when a toothpick comes out clean.

Marinated Mushrooms

This recipe was a huge discovery!  The marinated mushrooms were a perfect accompaniment for a roasted chicken but the could go well as a side to just about any meat.  It was very easy to make, tasted very sophisticated and allowed me to use it to make a salad with the leftovers.  I love finding recipes so diverse that I can use them for a dinner party one night and then make an entirely new dish with the remaining for lunches!  Another great thing about this recipe is that you can make it up to two days in advance.  Below I have included both the recipe for the original dish and what I did to turn it into a pasta salad.

Marinated Mushrooms

5 cups small white mushrooms

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup wine vinegar

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

6 cloves garlic thinly sliced

1 shallot thinly sliced

2 roasted red peppers, seeded and diced

1 tbsp freshly chopped thyme

1. In a large sauce pan, cover and cook mushrooms and salt over medium heat until the mushrooms begin to release liquid.  Stir the mushrooms once or twice. 
2. Uncover and cook until the liquid has evaporated (about 5 minutes).
3. Remove from heat.  Add the remaining ingredients; let cool.  Place in an airtight container in the fridge for 4 hours.

Marinated Mushrooms Pasta Salad

remaining marinated mushrooms

cooked pasta

2 carrots, thinly sliced

2 ribs celery, thinly sliced

1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes

1 cup cooked cubed chicken

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp wine vinegar

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tsp dried thyme

1. Combine the marinated mushrooms, pasta, carrots, celery, tomatoes and chicken.
2. Mix together the oil, vinegars and thyme.
3. Pour over the salad and enjoy.