Biscotti with Thyme and Lemon Glaze

These are DELICIOUS! And seeing as my first attempt at biscotti nearly two years ago was an epic failure, I'm pretty proud of how they turned out. Don't even worry about what the rest of them looked like! Ha ha...take 2 should be even better. :)

½ c amaranth flour
½ c corn flour/cornmeal
¼ tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
2 egg whites
¾ c raw sugar
2 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
zest and juice of 2 small lemons
2 tsp fresh thyme leaves

Preheat oven to 350. Coat 2 baking sheets with cooking spray. In a large bowl, stir together the amaranth flour, corn flour, baking soda, and salt. Using an electric mixer, beat in the egg whites at low speed until a crumbly dough forms.

In another bowl, beat ½ c of the sugar, the butter, vanilla, lemon zest (reserve the juice), and thyme, until combined. Scrape the mixture into the flour mixture, and beat at medium speed, until a soft, sticky dough forms.

Divide the dough into 2 mounds and transfer one to each baking sheet. Form each into an 8 inch long cylinder. Pat the cylinders into loaves about 2 inches wide and ¾ inch thick. Bake for about 20 minutes, until the loaves are puffed and springy to the touch. Rotate the pans halfway through baking. Carefully transfer the loaves to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 200.

Using a sharp knife, cut the loaves crosswise into scant half inch thick slices. Each will yield about 8 slices. Return the slices to the baking sheets, each slice lying on its side, and bake for about 30 minutes longer, flipping after 15 minutes, until crisp. Transfer to racks to cool.

Place the remaining ¼ c sugar in a small saucepan with the lemon juice. Bring to a boil, and cook 1-2 minutes more, stirring occasionally, until the mixture reduces by half. Cool slightly, then drizzle over the biscotti.

Cranberry-Lime Muffins

These are so so good! Mine were a little bitter on Day 2, which may have been because I used too much lime zest or they were undercooked, I'm not really sure, but I'm leaning toward the latter. Anyway, they're worth a try!

2 cups gluten-free all-purpose baking flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
zest and juice of two limes
2/3 c raw sugar
2/3 c soy milk
¼ c corn oil
2 egg whites
1 Tbsp vanilla
½ c craisins

Preheat oven to 325. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.

Stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the lime zest and juice, sugar, soy milk, oil, egg whites, and vanilla to the dry ingredients, stirring until the batter is smooth. Gently fold in the craisins until they are evenly distributed.

Pour ¼ c of the batter into each prepared cup, almost filling the cup. Bake the muffins on the center rack for 22 minutes, rotating the pan 180 degrees after 15 minutes. When done, the muffins will bounce back slightly when pressed, and a toothpick inserted in the center will come out clean.

Remove the muffins from the oven and let stand for 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack, and cool completely. Store the muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Cream of Broccoli Soup

I really liked this soup! Initially, I thought the blending part sounded nasty, but having tried it before and after just to make sure, I assure you it's better if you put it through the blender. ;)

1 head of broccoli
1 Tbsp sunflower oil
3 large leeks, white part only, chopped
2 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only
1 sprig rosemary, leaves only
½ tsp paprika
¼ tsp cayenne
¼ tsp pepper
2 c vegetable broth
2 c soy milk
1 c cooked navy beans
½ tsp salt

Remove the stalk of the broccoli. Peel the stalk, and cut into 1 inch pieces. Cut the broccoli tops into florets, and set aside. Warm the sunflower oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add the broccoli stalks, leeks, thyme, rosemary, paprika, cayenne, and pepper. Cook 8-10 minutes, until the leeks soften and the spices become fragrant.

Add the broth and bring to a boil. Cover, and cook 10 minutes, until the broccoli stalks are fork tender. Add the reserved broccoli florets, and cover, cooking 10 minutes more, until they are soft but still bright green. Add the soy milk, beans, and salt. Use an immersion blender to puree directly in the pot, or transfer to a blender in batches to blend. Serve immediately.

The Great Salad

Go me! My first post on this blog! =) So this has a cheesy name, but there's no better name for it! =) This stuff is so so good I think. Kind of a lot of steps, but it's worth it!

nickel-sized bunch of spaghetti - break in half, boil, rinse in cold water

1/2 head cabbage - chopped

1/2 head lettuce - chopped

1 carrot - grated

3/4 C frozen peas (strain w/ hot water)

1 bunch green onion

1/2 cucumber - cut in bite sizes

1 tomato

1/2 C grated motz cheese

handful of broccoli

handful of cauliflower

(I double the recipe for the dressing, so that's why there's some weird measurements. I don't know how to convert them!) =)

Dressing:

1/2 C sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 C milk

1 C mayo

3 Tbsp vinegar

5 tsp lemon juice

4 Tbsp sour cream

2 tsp mustard

1/2 tsp horse radish

1/4 garlic pwd

1 C parm cheese

Bake and slice breaded chicken and put in on!

Yum yum!

Cherry Bar Squares

1 3/4 C sugar
1 C butter, softned
1 tsp vanilla or almond extract (I used almond)
4 eggs
3 C flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 21 oz can Cherry pie filling

Cream sugar, butter, and extract until light and fluffy. Then add eggs, one at a time and beat until smooth. Add flour and baking powder.

Spread 2/3 of batter into greased 15x10 pan. Pour on pie filling and spread evenly over the top. Drop remaining batter on top by spoonfuls.

Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes.*

When it is cooled drizzle glaze over the top!

Glaze:
1 C powdered sugar
1/2 tsp almond extract
1-2 T milk

*I had to almost double this recipe so I could fill a cookie sheet. It might almost work better in a smaller pan, but I needed a lot of it, so it worked out good. Also, I cooked mine for 55 minutes before it was cooked all the way through. You might have to watch it.

Sooooo yummy!

Honey Dijon Chicken

This recipe might sound wierd, but it is sooo yummy. My family just eats it up!

You need enough diced chicken to feed your family.

1 1/2 lb diced chicken tenders
1 bottle Honey Dijon salad dressing


Just dice your chicken, cook in a little oil, then add this dressing. I didn't use the whole bottle, only about 2/3 of the bottle. Then we serve it over rice. Super SUPER easy and yummy.

Yay Successful Experimenting!

Those of you that know me know that I am a recipe-using cook. I hardly ever experiment, because it hardly ever works out for me. Well, my luck is changing!


The other night I was hungry and didn't have a lot of time, so I opened up a can of black beans, sauteed some garlic in olive oil, added the beans and some onion powder and cayenne pepper and heated it through. Then I added some spinach and cooked it until the spinach was perfect. Voila! It was really yummy, especially in a whole wheat pita. Ok, I'm feeling braver...


So I experimented with my buckwheat banana pancake recipe (next post down) by using whole wheat flour instead of white flour, which was way yummier! And I experimented with different toppings. Remember how I said applesauce was the best? Well, I lied. Cinnamon and honey are definitely the best topping! Hands down. Yummy, yummy, yummy. :) Try it! Feeling braver still...


I was cleaning my fridge out last night, and again didn't have a lot of time to cook dinner. So I cut up a cucumber, some tomatoes, and a bell pepper and tossed them altogether with a little bit of French vinaigrette dressing. So yummy! I cooked up some bulgur to go with it, and it was delicious.


Hey, this cooking stuff is kinda fun!