Hit The Trail Mix Clusters

Crunchy, chewy and chocolaty goodness

    While packing for the weekend I decided to make a batch of trail mix.  It's a great recipe for junior cooks to join in.  You don't need exact measurements so they can pick whatever they want and "dump" it in.  I was thinking of a simple combination of Cheerios and raisins.  Then I saw a bit of carob powder and the mini-Marshmallows leftover from the Lego cake.   I couldn't see how I could roast those tiny marshmallows over the campfire.  I thought of combining the ingredients to make a s'more cookie.

    I decided my fudge recipe would make a good base.  As my helpers were washing up and donning their aprons,  I searched for the needed ingredients.  The bad news was we were low on honey.  I used one half cup honey and one half cup agave nectar. The good news was, we had a whole shelf of trail mix ingredients.  I found unsweetened coconut, walnuts, and a 15 ounce box of raisins. I was planning to give my assistants measuring cups to add a cup of each item.   While I was whipping up the fudge in the food processor they had a ball pouring all of the items together.  I moved everything to my biggest bowl and added the fudge to it.  We decided to add 3/4 cup of peanut butter to the batch. They stirred and got their spoons in there like they were tossing a salad.

    Then we took out the cookie scoop and dropped the batter onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.  I took the second sheet and spread the mixture out to cut into squares.  The trays went into the freezer to chill the fudge.  We had enough to share with friends and enjoy over the long holiday weekend!

Micky's Hit the Trail Mix Clusters


Trail Mix: empty out the pantry of Cheerios, nuts, chips, dried fruit, mini-marshmallows
One batch of fudge
3/4 cup Teddie Bear natural peanut butter

Mix the dry ingredients.  Make the fudge.  Pour the fudge and peanut butter over the dry mixture.  Drop by spoonfuls or smooth onto parchment paper.  Chill for 30 minutes.  Use a pizza cutters to make squares.

Lucky Seven

Lego cake for a lucky 7-year-old

    I had a request for a Lego cake.  I pulled out my favorite cake recipe.  It is made with carob, but comes out moist and rich and nobody guesses it isn't chocolate!  I have tested the recipe out, unlike my interesting results in Dinosaur Delights.

   Two things, I need to share with you.  First of all, the cake serves 12 so I figured I needed to double the recipe.  The original recipe was for a double layer round cake.  The doubled recipe produced so much batter that I made two sheet cakes.  That was on Wednesday. I froze both cakes.   I learned the hard way that it is easier to shape cakes when they are frozen. The first cake became the party cake.  The day before the party, I mixed up my favorite frosting and added giant mega blocks in the shape of a seven.  I had found interesting Lego cake ideas, but this one came to me and I stuck with my idea.
   
   The second detail  worth noting is that I usually use oat flour to create a gluten-free cake.  I have tried brown rice flour, but it doesn't seem to raise well.  This time I used regular flour and the cake was drier than I expected.  I may have to go back to oat flour only or try a mixture of flours.

 
   The second cake stayed in the freezer for school visit day.  I mixed up a fresh batch of frosting and iced the cake, adding mini-marshmallows to each piece to create Lego blocks.  Note to self: cupcakes are easier to serve at school, since you don't need to slice and serve.  It would also eliminate the need to bring forks and plates.

   This recipe is time consuming compared with a box mix or calling the grocery bakery.  I really like knowing that my kids are eating a caffeine and sugar free cake that is a wonderful treat for their special day.  By baking the cake on Wednesday, I was able to make my mess ahead of time and that freed me up to get the activities (and cleaning) prepped for the party.

   The last time I made this recipe it got smudged with carob powder.  This time I learned my lesson and cut and pasted it to fit on one page.  Then I add I plastic sheet protector.  This time I got to keep my copy, although I did have to sponge it down!

Vegan Carob Cake with Fudgy Carob Frosting
alteredplates.blogspot.com
Serves 12

Cake Ingredients:

2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 cup carob powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup oil (I used grapeseed.)
2 cups agave nectar (I know this sounds like a lot, but the original called for 3 cups of maple syrup -- an expensive recipe, for sure. Still, it's a LOT of cake.)
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar (Don't omit this ingredient, whatever you do!)
2 tablespoons vanilla
2 cups filtered water



Cake Directions:

1. In a large bowl, sift together all the dry ingredients. Give them a stir for about 2 minutes, until all the ingredients are evenly distributed.
2. In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer, mix the wet ingredients for 3 to 5 minutes, until they are well combined.
3. Stir the wet mixture into the dry mixture. Here's where things are very weird. It's going to be extremely lumpy. Don't overmix this no matter what your head tells you. Mix until the dry ingredients have been moistened -- about 3 minutes.
4. Let the cake batter rest a few minutes while you preheat your oven to 325 degrees F and oil and flour your two 9-in. cake pans. You definitely want to line the bottoms of your pans with a circle of parchment paper as well. Trust me on this. The cakes WILL stick if you don't.
5. When the pans are prepared, pour the batter into the pans. Don't be concerned that there is a lot of batter, it won't over flow. However, feel free to put the pans on top of a cookie sheet with a lip.
6. Bake the cakes for 35 minutes or until a tester comes out with just the barest of crumbs. Do NOT open the oven for the first half hour. This important for the lump-killing abilities of the cider vinegar. You will regret it if you don't leave the layers alone.
7. Cool the layers completely before frosting.
 
For my favorite buttercream frosting, I use salted butter, rather than adding salt at the end.

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
 from www.madhavasagave.com

1/2 cup unsalted butter
6 tbl Agave Nectar
1 cup nonfat dry milk
1 1/2 tsp Vanilla extract
4 tbl whole milk
pinch of sea salt

Cream the butter with an electric mixer until light in color. Slowly add the agave nectar and beat until fluffy, about one to two minutes. Gradually add the dry milk and beat again.  Add the salt, turn the mixer to high speed, and beat about two minutes, or until very fluffy.  Makes 2 cups. Store in refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.

Just Desserts

Blueberry Baked Apples

    As the rain is pouring down outside it is time for a cozy meal.  A nice roast chicken or pork in the oven makes the house fragrant and warm.  Since the oven is already on, I make baked apples to go with the meal. 

    There are about eight Macintosh growing old in the fruit bowl so it is time to get out the Pampered Chef Wedger and Corer.  This makes quick work of slicing a bunch of apples.  Next I line the apples in the bottom of my little roaster and add pats of butter.  Now it is time to sprinkle on the cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and ginger.  I pour a couple of cups of frozen blueberries on for a change.  As they cook down, they create a syrup over the apples.   After an hour the apples will be cooked through.  I leave them in the oven while we eat to keep them warm.

   Green apples are my favorite to bake.  You can add a bit of honey.  Cooked apples are sweet enough to my taste. I like to use up a bunch of apples since leftover baked apples make a great oatmeal topper. 

Pumpkin Pudding



Whipped Pumpkin Pudding Surprise

    I remember a time when the question, "What's for dessert?"  was not a nightly occasion.  I like a treat as much as anyone, but I don't like to indulge every night.  My answer is to come up with something reasonably healthy and trying to present it in a fun manner.

   Halfway through dinner, the perennial question surfaced.  Well I did some quick thinking and came up with, "It's a surprise."  Which really means, I have no idea so I am stalling for time.  Also, I really don't want the amount of meal consumed to be reflected by the quality of the promised dessert.  Please just eat your dinner and don't tell me, "I didn't eat my asparagus so I could leave room for my dessert." It really doesn't work that way.

   After dinner, I found a can of pumpkin and heavy cream.  I made a double batch of whipped cream with vanilla that I previously  featured in Peaches 'N Cream and folded in the pumpkin with a squirt of honey.  The pumpkin pudding was well received by my dessert connoisseurs.  According to my research pumpkins are a good source of fiber, beta carotene, antioxidants, and vitamin C. Therefore, the sweet tooth crowd is satisfied and so is the nutrition minded cook.

Muffins, Muffins, Galore

Blueberry Muffins

  I wanted to make a big batch of muffins for a busy weekend.  It would serve as both a fun activity to do together and an easy breakfast the next morning. Not wanting to jack everyone up on sugar, I searched for a recipe using stevia.  It took me some browsing time to decide since I had canned pumpkin and bananas,  but lacked some ingredients such as pineapple juice. 

   My bakers decided for me with an emphatic "We want blueberry!"  I added more oat flour since I had no graham flour. Having only frozen blueberries in stock, I was concerned the colors would streak when baked.  As you can see it was not a problem.  Now to solve the mystery of the missing muffin!

http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=674642 

Submitted by: DREAMERCHICK83

Minutes to Cook: 25

Number of Servings: 12

Ingredients

2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries 1 cup minus 1TBS ww graham flour 3/4 cup oat flour 1 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1TBS stevia 2 egg whites 3/4 c plain fat free yogurt 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

Directions

Preheat oven to 375. Grease muffin tin .Combine dry ingredients. Combine in separate bowl, eggs yogurt, applesauce and mix. Combine the two mixtures. drain blueberries and add to mixture with 1tbs of flour.

Smoothie Operator

Peach Smoothie

   Our featured smoothie in the picture is courtesy of our August peach picking.  I threw in some frozen peaches, vanilla, and yogurt.  It is a little summer memory in a glass.

   Smoothies are fun to make with kids and include a variety of fruit in their diet.  I let them pour everything in and making sure the lid is on tight, they get to push the button.

    My favorite smoothie uses frozen strawberries and blueberries, plain yogurt, a splash of orange juice, fresh or frozen bananas and sometimes milk.  If there are any leftovers, pour them in some Dixie cups and add sticks to make Popsicles in the freezer.

   Smoothies use up the fruit bowl like soup cleans out the refrigerator.  If  bananas are getting spotty, I freeze them for later or throw them in the blender.  Dan makes an awesome banana smoothie with yogurt, honey and vanilla.  It is so good!

   Smoothies are a versatile treat.  I serve them for breakfast, snacks and dessert.  You can sneak secret ingredients like flax oil in and nobody knows they are there.  Carrot juice alone is one thing.  Blend it with frozen strawberries, and the reception is completely different.   

Ants on a Blog

Banana Split

    With a request for a banana split and no ice-cream in the house there's no need to panic.  Cut a banana in half and top it with peanut butter.  The best part is  letting your junior assistant "sprinkle" the raisins on. 

  Ants on a log are another fun snack to make with peanut butter.  I let the kids use small cream cheese spreaders instead of knives.  With no sharp edges and no cooking, let them have a ball sticking  peanut butter to the celery.

   At one point I had an apple bandit in my house.  There would be two or three bite marks in the apples in the fruit bowl, but never a finished apple.  I use the Pampered Chef apple wedger and corer to make apple slices.  Then I fan them out to make a flower or sunrise shape.  I put a dollop of peanut butter in the middle for a fun dipping treat. 

   If you have peanut butter allergies in your household, I often use pumpkin seed butter as an alternative.  It is green which looks unusual, but it works for dipping and is great spread on a banana or pink lady apple.

Snack Attack

Cinnamon Raisin Pumpkin Seeds

   I searched the cupboard for an afternoon snack and came up with nada.  There was food in there, but nothing looked interesting at the moment.  I had a bulk bag of pumpkin seeds from the co-op.    I bought a ton of them since they were on sale, but when I brought them home I realized they were raw.  For some reason I didn't feel like roasting them in the oven in August.  With the blustery weather, it is cozy to have the oven warming the house.
 
    These are not like the jack-o-lantern variety of pumpkin seeds .  They are much smaller and don't have the shell on.  They are high in zinc so they make a great snack without the junk food guilt. I usually bake the pumpkin seeds plain and then add season salt.

  Since we had a plethora of pumpkin seeds I decided to make two batches, one savory and one sweet.  I lined two cookie sheets with foil and olive oil.  Then I put a single layer of pumpkin seeds on each one.  I sprinkled the first pan with cinnamon and the second pan with oregano and garlic salt.

  I baked the pumpkin seeds for about 20 minutes or until they popped.  When they cooled, I added raisins to the cinnamon batch.  These would be great with nuts, cereal and dried fruit to make trail mix or sprinkled over yogurt.  The "pizza" flavored seeds were a salty, crunchy treat.  Another variation to try would be a cayenne, spicy blend.  Happy Snacking!

Pizza flavored pumpkin seeds

Sweet Hearts

   I found this recipe for a Valentine's day treat a while back and decided this was the year to make it.  The directions said to shape the treat like a Hershey's kiss using a funnel.  I thought I had a few funnels around the house, but all I could find was a really big one.  I opted to use some heart shaped pans instead to create two large rice krispie treats . 

Peanut butter crispy rice treat

   I used natural peanut butter since I prefer the sugar free, no corn syrup brands.  It may turn out differently with regular peanut butter with no oil separation.  I also used Erewhon Crispy Brown Rice Cereal since it is gluten and sugar free.

  We liked the results so much that I made them again the next day, this time using a cookie cutter to shape them like hearts.  This created 2 dozen tiny cookies. It was a very sticky job, but fun!

 Crispy-Rice Kisses
from: A Year of Fun Just For Four's

Mix together 3 tablespoons each peanut butter and honey, and 2 cups crispy rice cereal. Pack some of the cereal mixture into a small funnel to mold it. Carefully remove the cereal "kiss" shape. Continue making kisses with the rest of the mixture. Freeze kisses until firm, about 2 hours. Keep frozen until served.

Piece of Cake



Dan's Birthday Cheesecake

      I know I should know better.  I actually thought of making things easy on myself.  I told myself it was okay to pick up a cake for my husband's birthday this year since it was in the middle of the week and he had a meeting that night so we weren't going to have much time for a big celebration that night.  I was out at lunch with a friend on Friday and saw that our local coffeehouse sells cheesecakes.  I e-mailed them to see if I could order one.  In the meantime, I remembered that I had a healthy recipe for cheesecake in a cookbook at home.  I decided to go ahead and make the effort to have a homemade cake.  Plus, I googled the Cheesecake Factory and I could make this whole cake for the price of one slice of theirs. 
     The cookbook suggested a cranberry-raspberry sauce, but I wasn't sure how that would be received.  I decided to save my fresh cranberries for Thanksgiving and made a strawberry-raspberry sauce variation instead.  I used regular cottage cheese instead of lowfat. I opted for the food processor rather than the blender. My cake baked up shorter than I expected, but I used a wider springform pan than recommended in the cookbook. The cake was very popular.  I had to grab the last slice off the table to share over tea in the morning with my favorite blogger: http://cleaninguptheclutter.blogspot.com/.

Cheesecake
from: Fat Flush Cookbook by Anne Louise Gittleman

1 pound 2 percent cottage cheese
1 cup mashed ripe banana
2 packets Stevia Plus
Juice of 1 lemon
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preaheat oven to 350 degrees. Place cottage cheese in a blender and blend until smooth. Add mashed banana, lemon juice and Stevia Plus and blend until mixed. Beat eggs one at a time and add to the mixture, blending well after each addition. Pour the mixture into a lightly greased (use butter), 8-inch springform pan. Bake for 35 minutes. Remove from oven and loosen cake from sides of pan with a knife. Cool and then chill for several hours or overnight before serving.

Quick Cran-Raspberry Sauce (also from Fat Flush Cookbook)

1/2 cup cranberries
1/2 cup raspberries
1/2 teaspoon orange zest
3/4 teaspoon Stevia Plus

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Heat in a saucepan for about 2 minutes or until hot. Serves 1.

My Stawberry-Raspberry Sauce
2 cups frozen raspberries
2 cups frozen strawberries
2 packets PureVia (Stevia)
3 Tablespoons Orange Juice

Thaw berries for 2 minutes in the microwave. Blend all ingredients in the food processor adding just enough orange juice to moisten the berries. Place berry sauce in pastry bag and dot on plate for serving or decorate cake.  This produced a large quantity of sauce to use up on another project later.






Dinosaur Delights

     I attempted to make a cake from scratch.  Here's a little advice from my experience: leave your self plenty of time for a "dry run" before making something that you will serve to company.  Or you can be like me and have 7-10 different recipes for carob cake that you juggle to see which one has ingredients you may have heard of while you are trying to make a cake for a party tomorrow. In this case I went with the recipe for "Wacky Cake" since it looked less complicated than the 3 page long number that called for arrowroot and several other ingredients that were non-existent in my pantry.  I mixed the ingredients and it looked like brown soup, but I tried to keep positive and hope it would miraculously rise during the baking process.
     I doubled the recipe and cut it to look like a dinosaur.  I used carob chips for the eyes and toenails. There was a bit of cake leftover so we called that the swamp that the dinosaur swam in. You can catch a glimpse of the swamp in the picture.   The cake turned out super moist.  It didn't rise much although it did solidify while baking.  It took on more of a brownie quality than cake consistency. The frosting was amazing with a little dab of food coloring for the dinosaur green.  Next time, I think I will experiment more before debuting a new recipe, but I will keep the frosting on file.

"Wacky Cake" (Poor Man's Cake)

1 1/2 cup flour
1 cup honey
3 tbsp cocoa or carob powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
6 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp vinegar
1 cup water
1 egg (optional)

Stir and mix with electric mixer and bake at 350 degrees in ungreased 9 x 13 baking pan , 25 to 30 minutes.


 Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
 from www.madhavasagave.com

1/2 cup unsalted butter
6 tbl Agave Nectar
1 cup nonfat dry milk
1 1/2 tsp Vanilla extract
4 tbl whole milk
pinch of sea salt

Cream the butter with an electric mixer until light in color. Slowly add the agave nectar and beat until fluffy, about one to two minutes. Gradually add the dry milk and beat again.  Add the salt, turn the mixer to high speed, and beat about two minutes, or until very fluffy.  Makes 2 cups. Store in refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.

Yes We Have More Bananas

   Unlike the song that I'm sure you will thank me for placing in your head we always have bananas.  When they don't disappear into snackers or cereal I look forward to them turning spotty so I can make up a batch of my favorite muffins.  I usually double the recipe to make one dozen regular sized muffins and 2 dozen mini muffins.  Then I promptly freeze about half in Ziploc containers to have a handy snack or breakfast on a busy day.  That way I can enjoy baked goods on another day without having to clean up the kitchen again.  If you pop the frozen muffins on a plate in the microwave it gives them that "just out of the oven" warmth.
    To be honest with you the muffins in the picture are from a new recipe that was okay.  I'm sharing with you my favorite recipe instead.  These muffins always turn out moist and can be served as a dessert.  If you want to go all out, I'll include the icing recipe, though I usually serve them plain.

Banana Cupcakes
From Covered in Honey by Mani Niall

2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp each: baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt
7 1/2 tbsp butter
1/3 cup honey
1 1/2 cup ripe banana
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup yogurt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Oil muffin tin. Sift dry ingredients. Cream butter and honey. Add banana, egg, and vanilla. Add half the flour and mix on low. Add yogurt and the rest of the flour. On high blend for 1 minute. Bake 18-20 minutes.

Icing:
4 oz cream cheese
1/4 cup honey
1/2 tsp orange zest
Whip in mixer.

Cupcake Therapy

   
    I just read Joan Bauer's young adult novel Close to Famous in which Foster McFee bakes to get through the bad days. In Foster's words, "Cooking is about life. It gives us what we need to keep going, and it gives us something to share with other people." I have not broken my pact since the book does not contain lists of recipes.   Joan Bauer's signature quirky books don't have your typical teenagers or teen angst situations.  Foster is a tough twelve-year-old who is dealing with a move to a new town and getting over her fear of Elvis impersonators.  When her father passed away she started watching the Food Network and dreams of being the first kid to have her own cooking show.  Many colorful Southern townspeople pepper her summer experience.  I'd love to tell you more, but I don't want to give away the whole book.  Let me just tell you her cupcake creations are described in such detail that you will be inspired to close the book and rev up the mixer.   Stay tuned for the banana muffins and zucchini bread recipes that I cooked up after reading this tasty novel!

Peaches 'N Cream

    We brought out the basket to pick the hundred peaches off our tree.  The baseball sized fruit is ready and I am not letting any birds peck at them before I get them.  You can eat them right off the branch, but it's best to have 2 napkins for these juicy beauties. Somewhere in the back of my mind is the goal to can this abundance, but in the meantime my favorite treat is to serve them up sliced with whipped cream.  No there isn't any cobbler in there, just peaches and cream.  It's a wonderful, easy treat on a hot night. 

Whipped Cream
from: Betty Crocker's Cookbook

For 1 cup whipped cream: Beat 1/2 cup whipping (heavy) cream and 1 tbs powdered sugar in a chilled small bowl with electric mixer on high speed until soft peaks form. I omit the sugar and opt for 1 tsp vanilla.

Fingerprint Fudge

   I've made this recipe a few times with mixed success.  It always comes out like "real fudge" in taste; it is the presentation that doesn't fare well. The first time I made it I planned to bring some on a visit to my friend to see her new baby.  I skipped the parchment paper and used a baking pan to try to get more squares. I spread it too thin and tried to cut it with a pizza cutter.  It stuck so badly I had to pull it off the cutter with my fingers, hence my re-naming of the recipe. I had softened the butter in the microwave and thought that might have affected the consistency. 
    The second time I spread the fudge out on aluminum foil, thinking it would be easier.  Boy was I wrong.  It was really interesting trying to peel it off and not get any Reynold's wrap in your dessert.  Thinking the third time must be the charm, I persevered. I planned on using cookie cutters to make a holiday treat and it just didn't want to come out of the pan.  I finally gave up and cut little squares and put them on a plate to go.  It almost looked more like hard cake frosting.
    I gave it one last shot.  This time,  I followed the recipe's advice to use parchment paper in the proper size pan and hey, it actually worked!  I don't have a picture to share, not because I'm embarrassed, but because it all got eaten!  I have stuck by this recipe because the fudge is deliciously sweet while the fact that it is caffeine and sugar free makes it a guilt-free dessert.  It may take a little patience, but it is worth the work.  Or you could try reading the recipe and actually following directions if you want to make things easier on yourself.  Please take my advice and use the parchment paper.  Otherwise, you are just asking for fudge heartache.  Trust me; I've been there.

Carob Fudge
(source unknown, I got this one from my nutritionist Anne)

makes about 1 dozen small squares

1 cup softened butter, preferably raw butter
1 cup raw honey
1 cup carob powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp chocolate extract (optional)
1/2 tsp sea salt

    Place all ingredients in food processor and process until well blended. Line a large loaf pan with parchment paper and spread mixture about 1/2 inch thick.  Wrap up in parchment paper and refrigerate several hours. Cut into small squares and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.