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Friday, April 29, 2016

Flourless Chocolate Chip Blondie




At home today nursing a cold.  Was flipping through magazines and came across an ad for a prepackaged Flourless Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Blondie.  That got me thinking.....couldn't I just make some at home?  Certainly you have heard the old adage "Feed a cold?"  Well I'm a true believer!  A quick google search resulted in finding this recipe, that had great ingredients (all of which I had in my kitchen already!) and looked very easy to make.  

30 minutes later I was up and in the kitchen making these super yummy treats.   Because there are no eggs needed, you can safely eat the batter.  YUM.  I had to force myself to pour the rest into the pan, it was not easy.   I decided to be patient and just wait for them to cook to eat more.... and again, YUM.

I love ingredient lists like this:  Peanut Butter, Maple Syrup, Chocolate, Chickpeas, .... lots of good stuff in there.  By the way, did you you know Maple Syrup is loaded with antioxidants?  Truth. Here are 8 Benefits of enjoying a little Maple Syrup.

Meanwhile here is the link to the full original recipe from Ambitious Kitchen.  I pretty much followed it to the T. We didn't have chocolate chips, so I just chopped up a bunch of chocolate kisses we had leftover from some kid event.  I also forgot to sprinkle additional chocolate on top, but I didn't miss it, there was plenty of chocolate goodness in every bite.  Here is how I did it, but check out the Ambitious Kitchen recipe for variations and more tips on technique!


Flourless Chocolate Chip Blondie 
  
Preheat oven to 350.   
Spray brownie pan with Canola Oil Spray.

Into food processor drop:  
 1 can Chickpeas (rinsed/ drained)
 1/2 cup Peanut Butter
 1/3 cup Maple Syrup
 2 tsp Vanilla extract
 1/4 tsp baking powder
 1/4 baking soda
 1/2 tsp salt

Run it til its all mixed up, then pour in 1/3 cup Chocolate Chips and pulse a few times.   Pour into baking pan and bake for 25 minutes. Allow to cool on rack for 20-30 minutes. Then taste!  Enjoy, you may want to eat two.


Raw Batter in Glass Pan

Dee Lish Us.


Top has a nice crust after baking,  yet is still gooey inside!


Note:  Be careful not to overcook, likely these would dry out and become a bit crumbly.  Of course, if that happens you can just sprinkle it on top of a little ice cream.  Yes I just said that!


Wednesday, April 13, 2016

Asian Chicken Thighs over Arugula & Zucchini

Asian Chicken Thighs over Arugula & Zucchini

Delicious lunch today!  Everything was ready to go in the fridge and came together in less than 5 minutes: Asian Chicken Thighs over Arugula & Zucchini.   

Standout ingredient to me here is the Chicken Thighs.  They really do get a bum rap due to higher fat levels, compared to Chicken Breasts, BUT they are full of flavor, and always moist and delicious!    And they are also higher in Iron.  You don't have to believe me, check this out from WebMD: "Bad" Foods That Are Really Good!

Every so often I buy a large bag of frozen skinless, boneless Chicken Thighs at my fav store ALDI.   When I'm ready to use them I just thaw them overnight in the fridge and then chop them up into bite sized pieces the next day.  All they need is a little Canola Oil spray and some Salt and Garlic Powder, roasted at 375 degrees for 40 minutes, and out they come, delicious morsels ready to be enjoyed!  And then there are the leftovers....for the next day's lunch of course.

So this is how I did it:

This is how it looked going into Microwave


1 large handful of Organic Arugula, topped with 1 cup of Grated Zucchini (I use my food processor grating attachment, but a box cutter can do just as well!)  Then I spooned some of my Roasted Chicken bites on top.  I covered it with a large microwave food cover and put it into microwave for two minutes.  Then I drizzled 1 Tbsp of my fav Asian Sesame Sauce from Trader Joe's on top and added some fresh snipped Cilantro.

Done. 

Then I mixed it all up and ate it; YUM!

Everything all mixed up and ready to eat!