Sugar Free Chocolate Brownies

It’s official, I’m a fan of sugar. Hello, captain obvious.

Deciding to change it up a bit and give sugar free a try, brownies here we come. I have to say, kudos to those of you who either have to live sugar free or live sugar free just to be healthy. I couldn’t do it. I’m not a fan.

I really haven’t educated myself on the art of artificial or naturally sugar free options. My motto has always been to use real sugar in moderation. Here’s what I typically use in my baking:

• natural cane sugar
• honey
• maple syrup
• agave nectar
• puréed fruit

I know that artificial sugars are just bad news, but I’m haven’t been won over with those ‘natural’ sugar free sweeteners like stevia. I’m a statistics girl, so if you can prove that it’s safe to use it, win me over. I’m not quite sold yet.

I digress.

For those of you who love sugar as much as I do, I wouldn’t suggest making these brownies. But, for those of you that can’t have sugar, they’re a great way of satisfying that chocolate craving. The end.

Sugar Free Brownies

slightly adapted from Sugar-Free Mom

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons refined coconut oil (in liquid form)
• 4 tablespoons milk (I used unsweetened almond milk)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2 cup Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa powder
• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 2-3 packets Stevia (I used some samples of NuStevia)
• (Optional) 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips or sugar free chocolate chips

How-To

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F.
2. Line an 8″ square pan with non-stick foil or parchment paper. Set aside.
3. In a bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, milk, vanilla, and applesauce until combined.
4. Whisk in the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, and stevia.
5. Pour into the prepared pan.
6. (Optional) Sprinkle with chocolate chips.
7. Bake for 15-20 minutes.
8. Cut into squares and enjoy!

Spinach Ice Cream {Halloween}

If you’re a woman, you’ve probably made that really annoying high pitched ‘awww!’ or ‘eeee!’ and if you’re a man…I’m sorry that you had to listen to it.

Those were the sounds coming out of my mouth as I was taking these photos.

I mean, is that not the cutest little monster dessert you’ve ever seen!?

It couldn’t be easier to make or healthier, too! No way does it taste anything remotely like spinach, but like a decadent banana treat. Plus, no one will suspect spinach. It’s Halloween, I bet they’ll think you just put food coloring in it. We win!

See, I told you I had something awesome to fill these chocolate dipped ice cream cones. And now, I’ve gone all elementary school on you, just for fun. I think Halloween brings out the kid in me. Ready and go:

Healthy,
Awesome,
Low sugar,
Low fat and
Outrageously monstrous. And…
When it doubt, eat a spinach monster. Now,
Eat another one.
Eat until your stomach’s content.
Now, have a happy Halloween!

Now go make this for yourself and everyone you love. They’ll love it!

Spinach Ice Cream

Ingredients

• 1 cup milk
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups fresh spinach
• 2 frozen bananas, sliced

How-To

1. Blend (I use a Blendtec) all of the ingredients together until fully combined. Serve immediately or freeze for a couple of hours until easier to work with.
2. Scoop into cups or chocolate dipped ice cream cones.

Servings: 2-3

Note: If you leave it in the freezer too long, just set it out on the counter for 10-15 minutes to thaw a little bit before serving.

Ghost Cupcakes

 Today I’m sharing another favorite flavorful recipe.

First of all, how is it already October? I mean, it’s my favorite time of year with all of these amazing excuses to bake, but boy does time fly!

Speaking of flying…

These ghost cupcakes will fly right into your mouth and be gone in minutes!

The flavor is outrageously delicious. The vanilla and chocolate go hand-in-hand in every bite. And the layers of flavor go from the cupcake, to the icing and to the meringue!

Don’t be alarmed. I basically took three recipes and combined them into one giant one. To make it easier on yourself, simply follow the instructions to make the meringues one day and then make the cupcakes and frosting the next! Easy peasy.

You’ll have cupcakes in your face very soon!

I could not for the life of me decide how to do the eyes for the ghosts either…so I did both! Welcome to my indecisive world. Half of the ghosts have mini chocolate chips and half have drawn eyes (both gel food coloring and food-safe decorating pen).

I think they’re both so cute! Don’t you?

More Halloween cupcakes for you!

• Owl Cupcakes
• Candy Corn Cupcakes
• Spider Cupcakes
• Witch Cupcakes
• Vampire Cupcakes
• Eyeball Cupcakes

Also, if you hadn’t seen it, check out the most awesome Spinach Monster Ice Cream!

Now enjoy these last few ghostly cupcakes before you step into the kitchen to make your own. 

Ghost Cupcakes

meringues from King Arthur Flour, cupcakes and frosting from Chocolate & Carrots

Ingredients

• (meringues) 4 egg whites, room temperature
• (meringues) 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• (meringues) 1 cup natural cane sugar
• (meringues) mini chocolate chips, black or brown food coloring or a food safe black pen (for eyes)
• (cupcakes) 1 cup milk (I used unsweetened almond milk)
• (cupcakes) 1 cup natural cane sugar
• (cupcakes) 1/3 cup olive oil
• (cupcakes) 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• (cupcakes) 1 tablespoon McCormick vanilla extract
• (cupcakes) 1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
• (cupcakes) 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• (cupcakes) 1 teaspoon baking soda
• (frosting) 1/2 cup high quality dark chocolate chips
• (frosting) 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• (frosting) 1 teaspoon McCormick vanilla extract
• (frosting) 1/3 heavy cream
• (frosting) 3 cups powdered sugar
• 5 chocolate cream filled cookies, cream removed (I used Who-Ku)

How-To

1. First, you have to prepare the meringues. You may want to do this the night before.
   1. To do so, in your stand mixer or with your electric mixer, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar on low until foamy. Now, slowly increase the mixer’s speed until your mixture has doubled in size and begin to look opaque.
   2. While continuing to beat, slowly add half of the sugar and continue to beat until it becomes glossy and stiff. Slowly add the remaining sugar and beat until it can hold a stiff peak.
   3. Preheat the oven to 200°F.
   4. With a large pastry bag and round pastry tip, squeeze out tall mounds of the meringues. If you’re using the mini chocolate chips as the ghost’s eyes, gently place them on the meringues (otherwise you’ll add the eyes later).
   5. Bake for 60-90 minutes until hard to the touch.
   6. Turn off the oven and crack the oven 1-2 inches and let sit until the oven is cool (I left mine in overnight). Once they’re completely dry, gently peel off the baking sheets and if you haven’t added eyes, draw them on now with the food color and a toothpick or with the food safe pen.
2. Next, you’ll make the cupcakes.
   1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
   2. Line a muffin pan with paper liners.
   3. Beat the milk, sugar, olive oil, apple cider vinegar and vanilla until combined and uniform in consistency (about 1 minute with an electric beater).
   4. Add in the remaining ingredients and beat until combined.
   5. Fill the cupcake liners in a muffin tin 2/3rds full (don’t over fill, they’ll spill over the top). Mine made 13 cupcakes, so I did it with two muffin pans.
   6. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
   7. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Allow to cool completely. Place in the fridge for 15 minutes to quickly and completely cool.
3. To make the frosting:
   1. In a microwavable bowl, microwave the chocolate chips in 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until melted. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes.
   2. In a large bowl (or your stand mixer), beat the butter until creamy (20 seconds).
   3. Beat in the vanilla and heavy cream.
   4. Beat in the powdered sugar (1 cup at a time) until incorporated.
   5. Pour in the melted chocolate and beat until mixed.
   6. Place in a pastry bag with a large round tip.
4. To make the ‘dirt’:
   1. In a blender or food processor, blend the chocolate cookies until fine.
   2. Place in a small ramekin.
5. Finally, to assemble the cupcakes:
   1. Squeeze a large circle of frosting on top of the cupcakes.
   2. Dip the cupcakes in the ‘dirt’.
   3. Squeeze a small amount of frosting underneath the ghosts and place the ghosts on top of the cupcakes.
   4. Enjoy!

Monster Sandwiches

You can find the full details on the Little Monster 1st Birthday HERE

My absolute favorite part of the things I made for my son's Little Monster birthday party was the monster sandwiches.

I originally planned on making 3 different kind of monsters, but after I made this guy, I thought "how can they get any cuter than this?"

Here's what you need to make your own monster sandwiches:

• Bread
• Olives 
• Lunch meat
• Cheese slices
• Toothpicks
• A round cookie cutter or a glass and a knife

First, take a cookie cutter and cut the center out of your bread slices. Don't have a round cookie cutter on hand? No problem, do what I did and turn a glass turned upside down and use a knife to cut around the edges.

Next, put your choice of fillings inside (I went with ham and turkey lunch meat) and any other condiments you think your guests would like.

To make the teeth, simply cut jagged edges around half of a  slice of cheese and insert the cheese inside the sandwich on the bottom.

Make the eyes by snapping a toothpick in half, and inserting each half into an olive. Stick the olives in the top of your sandwich.

Ta-dah! Monster sandwich!

How fun would it be to make your child a whole monster-themed lunch for school one day?

If you had the time (and the endurance to cut out multiple monster cheese teeth), you could always make a whole pack of monster sandwiches for a crowd.

Smoked Paprika Roasted Chicken

Updated recipe, from the recipe archive, first posted in 2007. Check out the comments section for some great ideas on other things to cook with smoked paprika! ~Elise

I first experienced smoked paprika on a trip to New Zealand several years ago in a sweet potato soup. My host laughed as my eyes lit up with “Wow, what’s in this?!” At the time, smoked paprika could only be found in specialty stores or Penzeys. Soon after though, McCormick started selling it and promoting it as a spice, so it’s much easier to come by, and we are always looking for an excuse to cook with it. If you’ve never used it, smoked paprika is to regular paprika what chipotle powder is to red chile powder. I like to think of it as the flavor of my favorite barbecued potato chips. The following recipe we’ve adapted from one in a free magazine by our local Raley’s grocery store. The flavor of this chicken is terrific, well worth seeking out this spice if you don’t already have some. Do you use smoked paprika in your cooking? If so, please let us know your favorite uses for it in the comments.

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Smoked Paprika Roasted Chicken Recipe

• Prep time: 10 minutes
• Cook time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
• Yield: Serves 4.

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INGREDIENTS

• 2 Tbsp smoked paprika
• 2 Tbsp melted unsalted butter*
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 whole 4-5 pound roasting chicken
• 4 Tbsp honey
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice

*If using salted butter, use only one teaspoon of salt in the rub, not two.

METHOD

1 Preheat oven to 325°F. Rinse the chicken off with cold water. Pat dry thoroughly with paper towels (otherwise the paste won't stick).

2 Mix together the paprika, melted butter, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Spread over the entire surface of the chicken and place on a shallow baking pan.

3 Heat the honey and lemon juice in a small pot and set aside.

4 Bake at 325°F for approximately 1 hour to an hour and 15 minutes. Baste with the lemon-honey mixture after 35 minutes, and then every 15 minutes after that. You may need to adjust total cooking time depending on how big your chicken is. The bird is done when the juices run clear (not pink) when a knife tip is inserted into both the chicken breast and thigh, about 160°F for the breast and 165°F for the thigh.

Add more salt and pepper to taste.

Arroz con pollo

Arroz con pollo means “Rice with Chicken” in Spanish. It is a classic dish of Spain and Latin America, with many different traditional ways to prepare it, unique to various countries. An arroz con pollo you find in Cuba may be quite different than one you find in Peru. Please read the comments at the end of this recipe to see some wonderful classic versions of this dish. What follows is my mother’s basic arroz con pollo recipe, which she adjusts depending on her mood and what she has on hand. For instance, she might substitute chipotle chile powder or red chile powder for the paprika. We never use saffron in our arroz con pollo, but many people do. You can also add chopped bell peppers (cook with the onions) or peas (mix in at the end). It’s an easy, stove-top, one pan dish, great for family meals.

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Arroz Con Pollo Recipe

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INGREDIENTS

Chicken

• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 broiler-fryer chicken, about 2 1/2-3 pounds, cut into serving pieces, or 2 1/2 to 3 pounds of chicken thighs or breasts, bone-in, with skin on, rinsed and patted dry
• 1/2 cup of flour for dredging
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Paprika

Rice

• 2 tablespoons olive oil (can use up to 1/4 cup)
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 cups of medium or long-grain white rice
• 3 cups* chicken stock
• 1 heaping tablespoon tomato paste or 1 cup of diced fresh or cooked tomatoes, strained
• Pinch of oregano
• 1 teaspoon salt

*Check the instructions on the rice package for the proportions of liquid to rice. They can range from 1:1 to 2:1. If your rice calls for 2 cups of water for every cup of rice, then for this recipe, use 4 cups of stock for 2 cups of rice.

METHOD

1 Heat 3 Tbsp olive oil in a large skillet (a skillet that has a cover) on medium high heat. Put the flour in a wide bowl, mix in a generous sprinkling of salt, pepper, and paprika. Dredge the chicken pieces lightly in the flour mixture and put in the pan to brown. (You can skip the flour dredging part if you want. It just makes a nicer coating for the chicken.) Cook a few minutes on each side, just enough so that the chicken has browned. Use a slotted spoon to remove from pan and set aside.

2 Add the rice to the pan to brown. Add a little more olive oil if necessary. Stir first to coat the rice with the olive oil in the pan. Then don't stir too much or you will prevent it from browning. Let it brown and then stir a little to let more of it brown. Then add the onion and garlic. Cook the onion, garlic and rice mixture, stirring frequently, until the onions have softened, about 4 minutes.

 
3 Place the chicken pieces, skin-side up, on top of the rice. In a separate bowl, mix together the stock, tomato, salt, and oregano. Pour the stock mixture over the rice and chicken. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to low, and cover. Let cook for 20-25 minutes, depending on the type of rice and the instructions on the rice package, until the rice and chicken are done. Fluff the rice with a fork. If you want you can sprinkle with some peas. Add more salt and pepper to taste.

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