Raw Chocolate Pudding

I am so sorry that my family wasn’t here to enjoy this. You see, on Labor Day weekend, I set out to make this Lemon Chiffon Pudding, and something went terribly wrong. The avocados weren’t ripe enough I think, and it was all downhill from there in terms of texture. Good thing my sister had made some chocolate chip cookies as Plan B!

Of course, I had to try to make another avocado based dessert, and this time I used the Raw Chocolate Pudding recipe. The avocado was perfectly ripe. The dates were ripe and sweet, and I didn’t need to use any other sweetener. The result was quite good! No, it’s not Jell-O chocolate pudding from the box, it is different altogether, but just as chocolatey and satisfying.

Salmon Burger

This salmon burger recipe from Real Simple is certainly simple, although I did choose to chop the salmon by hand. I am not sure if they would have held together on a real grill, but I cooked them in a frying pan and it worked out well. You can dress them up however you like, and of course I used Arnold Sandwich Thins from my large stash in the freezer. A great weeknight meal!

Spicy Sugar Snap Peas

I don’t normally cook recipes that have “spicy” in the title, but I am trying to branch out. This is a very simple recipe from Weight Watchers, and would complement many different main dishes. I used sesame oil in place of olive oil, and cayenne pepper in place of red pepper flakes. They certainly did have a kick, but they were good!

Beef in Pomegranate Sauce

My cooking club theme this month was Crockpots. I decided to try this recipe which would also give me a reason to buy Pom. Unfortunately, I did not use grass fed beef as the recipe suggests, I used a top round roast. I believe that grass fed beef is better for many reasons, but have not started to purchase it regularly yet – but that’s a whole ‘nother story.

In the end, this was pretty much a typical pot roast. Although I liked the pomegranate juice and fresh cranberries, the flavors were very subtle. Next time I may try simmering the gravy on the stovetop after the meat has finished cooking. Our meal was rounded out with an excellent ratatouille, and oh yes, chocolate cake in the crockpot!

Banana Pancakes with Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirls

I made these pancakes not too long ago with peanut butter swirls. But this time, I took it up a notch. I used this whole wheat banana pancake recipe, because I had ripe bananas on hand and they are great for making pancakes naturally sweet. This was a simple pancake recipe that could easily stand on it’s own. While I was working on the pancakes, my Mom was putting together the swirl mixture, and found the peanut butter jar almost empty. A quick scan of available ingredients yielded leftover hot fudge sauce, and well, it was destiny.

We mixed 1 T peanut butter and 2 T hot fudge sauce in a small bowl, and microwaved at low power until smooth. Then we poured the mixture into a sealable bag, and cut the corner in order to pipe the swirls into the pancakes as shown below. A decadent breakfast!

Cucumber Cream Cheese Sandwich

These aren’t just for tea parties. And while there are many recipes which call for mixing the cream cheese with mayonnaise or salad dressing, I kept things very simple with just cream cheese, cucumber, and a pinch of salt on an Arnold Sandwich Thin.

Zucchini Fries

I know, I promised no more zucchini recipes, but you could use this concept with other vegetables too. The batter is definitely light, so you can increase the quantity of flour and cheese if you would like it thicker. These were a great addition to the balsamic chicken lurking in the background. And the best part is that these were even good reheated the next day, and that’s a rarity with fries.

2 zucchini, quartered lengthwise and halved crosswise
1 egg, well beaten in a small bowl
2 T whole wheat flour
2 T Parmesan cheese
1 t garlic powder

Mix flour, Parmesan, and garlic powder in a sealable bag. Dip zucchini pieces into egg, and add to bag. Shake well to distribute coating.

Coat cookie sheet with cooking spray, and place zucchini in a single layer. Coat with cooking spray, and bake at 475 for 7-8 minutes. Turn zucchini, and bake for an additional 7-8 minutes. Serve with salt and pepper.

Cassoulet with Lots of Vegetables

I was flipping through my latest issue of Runner’s World, and spotted this cassoulet recipe. Mark Bittman wrote about the benefits of a “plant-heavy diet”, using meat as an accent, rather than the focal point of a dish. I took that one step further, and used just 10 oz. of boneless pork loin, cut into very small pieces to distribute the flavor. I also added about 2 cups of sliced mushrooms, which extended this to 6 servings. This was a fantastic dish, which is good because I’ll be eating it for a while.

Blueberry Bread

This recipe from Kalyn’s Kitchen is called Low Sugar Whole Wheat Zucchini Bread with Blueberries and Pecans. I shortened up the name to give center stage to the blueberries, which were purchased at their summer peak and frozen. I followed the recipe as written, using half sugar and half Splenda and substituting walnuts for pecans. It needed more time in the oven than indicated, which may have been due to a different pan size.

It was worth the wait though, and I think the sweet and juicy blueberries were the key.

Bulgur Bean Burger

I have always wanted to find the perfect recipe for a homemade veggie burger. I tried these Lentil Burgers a while back, which were good, but I wasn’t ready to settle. Most recently, I used this recipe with bulgur and black beans, and added in some diced onion and carrot for good measure. The burgers were served with a cucumber yogurt sauce, although they tasted pretty good with more traditional burger toppings as well. The biggest issue was that they didn’t hold together very well. So I am still on the hunt for exactly the right blend of whole grains, beans, and vegetables which come together in burger form.