Frosted Pumpkin “Blondies”

October 31, 2014 / ktbuchs87

I’m really making myself a hypocrite by saying I’m not a baker and then giving you two dessert recipes in a row. Oh well, I think you’ll forgive me once you try these! My biggest struggle with this recipe was what to call it. They have the texture of a fudgy brownie, but don’t have any chocolate. It’s a lot thinner than a brownie or blondie, but it’s not really a bread either. What I do know is that they taste like fall and the frosting adds a nice creamy/salty touch to the sweetness of the blondie. You can also make these into mini muffins which are great to share at your Halloween party or make a batch for me for my birthday!

Frosted Pumpkin “Blondies”

For the blondies

1 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tbsp molasses
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp ground flaxseed (buy whole flax seeds and grind them at home)
4 tbsp water
3 tbsp brown rice flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

For the frosting

1 can full fat coconut milk, refrigerated (do NOT shake the can, just put it in the fridge)
1 tbsp maple syrup
2 tsp molasses
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4-1/2 tsp salt

1. Preheat oven to 350. Mix 2 tbsp flaxseed and 4 tbsp water in a little bowl and place in the fridge while you assemble the rest of the ingredients.

2. In a medium bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and whisk together. In a separate bowl, mix the pumpkin, maple syrup, molasses, and vanilla extract.

3. Add the dry to the wet and mix well. Once everything is combined, add in the flaxseed mixture and mix well. Pour the batter into a greased 9×9 pan or mini muffin tin and place in the oven. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Remove and let cool on a rack for at least 5 minutes.

4. While the blondie is baking make your frosting. Take your can of coconut milk and open it from the BOTTOM and scoop out only the solid parts. Add the rest of the frosting ingredients to the coconut cream and either with an immersion or hand blender, blend all the ingredients until smooth and fluffy. It will be a little runny, but just place the frosting in the fridge for 10 to 15 minutes to firm up.

5. Once the blondies are completely cool spread a decent amount of frosting on top. Cut into slices and enjoy!

Keep the leftovers, if there are any, in the refrigerator. I really like the combination of the salty/sweet frosting and the spicy fall-like flavor of the blondie. It’s a great treat for your Halloween party or even for Thanksgiving. I hope you have a spooktacular Halloween and an excellent weekend. Now I’m going to go enjoy these pumpkin blondies and my birthday!

Maple Candy

October 24, 2014 / ktbuchs87

I am not that good at baking. When I come up with recipes, I like having freedom to add or subtract or substitute ingredients and that tends to not work as well with baking. Yes, there are ways to make things healthier or try different ingredients with baking, but you have to be very precise or else you end up with a lot of inedible failures. And I really hate throwing away food so I tend to shy away from baking. But I have been trying to come up with some good treats to share with you so that there is a good variety of recipes on this blog. There has been some success, but there has also been some failure. This maple candy believe it or not was a failure that ended up turning into a success. What I was trying to make was a frosting recipe I had made a few times before, what I ended up with was candy. Figure that one out! Either way, this is a tasty little candy that is actually good for you. It is a little salty, a little sweet, and satisfies the craving for a little treat. No more stalling, onto my frosting failure but candy succes!

Maple Candy

1 cup shredded or flaked coconut, unsweetened
2 to 3 tbsp coconut oil, melted
1 tbsp maple syrup
2 tsp molasses
1/2 tsp salt

1. In a blender or food processor, blend the coconut shreds until it starts to make a paste. This might take some time and you will have to stop and scrape the sides down. You don’t need a perfectly smooth mixture, but it should be sticking together

2. Add in the maple syrup, molasses, salt and 2 tablespoons of the coconut oil. Blend together, if you need more oil to help it come together add in another tbsp.

3. Either on a baking sheet lined with wax paper or silicone molds (I used a silicone ice cube tray) scoop out about 2 teaspoons of the candy mixture. Place the baking sheet or mold in the freezer for at least an hour. Remove and keep the candy in a container in either the fridge or freezer.

I like the salty flavor that these candies have but if you would like it a little sweeter, use 1/4 teaspoon salt instead of a 1/2 teaspoon. Make sure you keep the candy in a cool place or else they will start to melt. Hope you enjoy my rather fortunate failure and have a great weekend!

Olaf wanted to get in on these candies!

Friday Favorites

October 17, 2014 / ktbuchs87

Hello everyone! I thought it would be a good day to update you on some of my favorite things lately, mostly because I don’t have a new recipe for you this Friday. But don’t you worry, I have plenty of new and delicious fall meals coming your way! Now onto things that I’m enjoying because I know you’re all dying to find out.

Fall-Flavored Tea

Yes, this is the season of Pumpkin Spice Lattes. Everyone goes gaga over them this time of year, and while I do enjoy a good pumpkin drink just like the rest of the country, I also like the tea that comes out this time of year. The change of seasons from warm to cold is generally also the time to change from cold drinks to warm drinks and I love sipping tea on chilly drizzly fall days. Right now my two teas of choice are Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Spice Rooibos and Teekanne’s Cinnamon Apple Spice tea. Both have that fall spice blend going on and they make me think of crunchy leaves and other fall things. Plus the pumpkin tea comes in this awesome tin that will forever smell like pumpkin spice and what could be better than that?

All the Squash

I mentioned in my post on Wednesday that a great way to enjoy fall was to eat squash. Obviously that means I’m gorging myself on all the squash. I think that my two favorites are butternut and delicata, but I am no squash snob and I will gladly eat any squash put in front of me. The best way to eat them in my humble opinion is to roast them. Preheat your oven to 425, peel, deseed, and dice whatever squash you choose, then toss with some oil (I like to use coconut oil), sprinkle with your favorite seasoning (I like to go savory with garlic and chili powder or smoked paprika) and spread in an even layer on a baking sheet. Cook for 30 minutes, rotating halfway through, until the squash starts to get golden on the edges. Then eat as is, put on top of salads, or puree for soup or a mashed potato substitute.

Fitness Blender

While running will always be my first fitness love, I do also like to lift weights. It’s important to cross-train to prevent injuries and to add some variety to your workout routine. For the past few months I have been doing the workouts provided by the couple behind Fitness Blender. There are a ton of different workouts to choose from, whether you want to tone, strengthen, do cardio or HIIT. They have yoga and pilates and tabata style workouts. Pretty much anything your heart desires fitness wise, they provide. Their videos are simple to follow and they make sure to teach you how to properly do each exercise so you don’t hurt yourself. Plus they’re workouts are free! What could be better than free fitness? Go check them out at fitnessblender.com and do one of their videos. I promise you won’t be disappointed!

Pretending to be a Model

I don’t look awkward at all….

So, I’m pretty much a professional model now don’t ya know? A few weeks back, I was asked if I wanted to start writing a health column for a local magazine. I said, uhhhh YES and I am really excited to be contributing and reaching a bigger audience. The first issue that I’ll be writing in is their Nov/Dec issue, and along with the article I included two holiday recipes. They also had me come out so they could get a headshot for the magazine and thus I am now a professional model. But not really because I had to have my sister help me pick out my clothes and do my makeup since I really have no fashion sense at all. Good thing I have her around so I don’t look like a two year old playing dress up!

Those are the things captivating my attention these days. Sometimes it’s really the simple things in life that make me happy, like tea and squash. I hope you all are having a fabulous Friday and that your weekend is awesome! I’ll see you back here on Monday!

Date and Almond Sauce

October 10, 2014 / ktbuchs87

I have been testing out a few new recipes for another project that I’m working on (details later), which means that I have 3 batches of different healthy frostings sitting around my kitchen. This has been a good thing for Adam because he gets to eat and try all the things that I have been testing, but I still haven’t totally nailed down what I am looking for. Don’t worry I’m close, and along the way I have made a really great sauce that can be used for a multitude of things. I don’t usually post sweet recipes here, but I want to make sure I have a good variety for whatever culinary mood you’re in. And yes, there is sour cream in this recipe. Trust me on this one. After the recipe, I’ll give you some ways to use this tasty sauce!

Date and Almond Sauce

6 large Medjool dates, pitted and chopped
2 tsp molasses
1 tbsp sour cream*
1 tbsp smooth almond butter

* I use a dairy-free, homemade version of sour cream but you can use whatever you normally have on hand. You can also use greek yogurt if you would prefer.

1. Soak the pitted and chopped dates in warm water for about 15 minutes. Drain the water, reserving a few tablespoons. Add the dates and the rest of the ingredients to a food processor or blender. Process until you have a smooth sauce, adding some of the reserved water to reach the consistency you want.

You can use this sauce right away, but I like it a little better after it has been in the fridge for a few hours. You can use this sauce in oatmeal, smoothies, ice cream, yogurt, spread on bread, muffins, cookies, or if you’re totally wild you can just eat it with a spoon. Get creative and see what else this sauce tastes delicious on! I hope you have a great Friday and an awesome weekend!

Carrot Fennel Soup

October 3, 2014 / ktbuchs87

With the weather getting chillier, I start craving warm and hearty meals. I also break out my trusty slow cooker to make those warm and hearty meals. Soup is a great fall meal and is is really simple to make. I would love to say that this recipe was meticulously thought out and planned and prepared, but…. I pretty much found what I had in my fridge/pantry, put it in my slow cooker, and hoped for the best. And I got super lucky, because this was an awesome meal and will be made again! Plus it makes a lot of leftovers so you can start freezing a few batches and building up your freezer stock.

Carrot Fennel Soup

1 pound of carrots, peeled and sliced into rounds
1 bulb of fresh fennel, diced
1 large onion, diced
4 stalks celery, washed and sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 in. knob of fresh ginger, minced
5 cups vegetable broth
2 cups water, extra if needed
3 tsp dill
salt and pepper

1. Heat a little olive oil in a pan over medium high heat and saute the carrots and celery. Once they have a little brown on them put them in the slow cooker. In the same pan, saute the onion, fennel, ginger, and garlic. Once the onion is soft and translucent add to the slow cooker.

2. Pour the vegetable broth over the vegetables and add enough water to cover all the vegetables. Add in the dill and salt and pepper to taste.

3. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until you have a smooth puree. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can puree your soup in a blender in batches.

The fennel in this soup is surprising and delicious addition. You should be able to find fresh fennel at most grocery stores, I found mine at Trader Joes. Enjoy this soup on it’s own, topped with sour cream, or with a nice slice of bread. Happy October!