Almond Meal pancakes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup almond meal
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup water (for puffier pancakes, you can use sparkling water)
• 2 T oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 T sweetener (we used stevia)

Preparation:

Mix ingredients together and cook as you would other pancakes. I like to use a nonstick pan with a little oil. The only real difference is that they won't "bubble" on top the same way as regular pancakes. Flip them when the underside is brown. 

*Claire loved these! Picky kids might not, but they are really good. Texture wise, they don't hold together like regular pancakes, but still good. 

http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/breakfast1/r/lowcarbpancakes.htm

Coconut Milk Whipped Cream

Ingredients
One 15-ounce can full-fat coconut milk (I use the can of coconut cream from TJs, no water to drain)
1 tablespoon sugar or more to taste (optional, can sub stevia) 
1 teaspoon vanilla or more to taste (optional)

Equipment
Large bowl
Hand beaters or a stand mixer

Instructions

1. Place the can of coconut milk in the refrigerator and leave it there until well-chilled; I left mine in overnight.

2. Open the can of coconut milk. There will be a firm, waxy layer on top.

3. Scoop out this firm layer coconut cream that has solidified at the top of the can.

4. Stop as soon as you reach the water at the bottom of the can; don't include anything but the solid cream. (You can use the water in smoothies, or just drink it straight.)

5. Place this cream in the bowl of a stand mixer, or a large bowl.

6. Turn your mixer or hand beaters to high speed, and whip the coconut cream for 3 to 5 minutes.

7. Whip until it becomes fluffy and light, with soft peaks. Mix in sugar or vanilla, if using.

8. Serve with fresh fruit, pie, or cobbler.

http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-whipped-cream-from-152490

Chipotle Steak Burrito

ingredients

1 teaspoon dried oregano 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder 1/4 teaspoon onion powder 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper or scant 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper pinch of salt and pepper 2 teaspoons vegetable oil 1 pound skirt steak 4 roma tomatoes, cored and diced small 1 cup finely diced red onion 1 jalapeño chile, seeded and minced 2 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro (or parsley) 2 cups cooked basmati rice, warm 1 1/2 tablespoons lime juice 1 teaspoon vegetable oil 2 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro (or parsley) 1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt 1 can (15 ounce) low sodium black beans, rinsed, drained, and warmed 1/2 cup sour cream 4 (10-inch) flour tortillas

directions

Combine oregano, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, crushed red pepper, salt and pepper. Rub spice mixture over both sides of steak, along with the vegetable oil. Refrigerate while preparing your other ingredients. In a small bowl, combine the tomatoes, red onion, jalapeño, and 2 tablespoons of chopped cilantro. Drizzle the lime juice and oil over the top of warm rice, sprinkle with 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro and salt; fluff with a fork. Heat a grill to medium-high. Coat grill grates with oil or nonstick spray. Cook steak for about 4 minutes per side, or to your liking. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes. Slice thinly against the grain. Warm tortillas over a gas burner or in the microwave for about 15 seconds. Place on a flat surface, evenly distribute the rice, then steak, topped with beans, the pico de gallo and sour cream. Fold the flap nearest you over the filling, then fold in the sides. Roll burrito away from you, keeping it tight to form a log. Rest, seam side down. Serve with tortilla chips! *I modify this so make it a burrito bowl, use microwave rice, cuban black beans (TJ's) and serve with guac!

http://veryculinary.com/2013/07/22/chipotle-steak-burrito/

Raw Banana and Chocolate Breakfast Smoothie

1/2 banana (frozen is best, or you can add some ice)
1 medjool date
1 Tbs almond butter (or other "butter" of choice)
1/2 cup almond milk (or milk of choice)
1+ tsp freshly ground flaxseed
1 Tbsp raw cacoa powder or 2 Tbsp cocoa powder

Put it all in a blender and enjoy. 

Strawberry Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

Ingredients

• 1 cup whole milk
• 3/4-1 cup Sugar
• 1 tsp mint extract
• 2-3 whole Large Egg Yolks
• 2 cups Heavy Cream
• 1 pound Strawberries, Hulled
• 1 Tablespoons Sugar
• 3/4 cup chopped dark chocolate

Preparation Instructions

Stir together the milk and 1 cup sugar in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Heat the mixture until it's hot but not simmering or boiling.

In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks vigorously with a whisk until they start to lighten in color, about 2 minutes.

Next, grab a ladle of the hot milk mixture and very slowly drizzle it into the bowl with the egg yolks, whisking the whole time. (The purpose of this is to temper the egg yolks and bring them to a good temperature before adding them to the pan.) Repeat with a second ladle of hot milk mixture, making sure to whisk the whole time.

Pour the tempered yolks into the saucepan with the rest of the milk mixture and stir gently with a wooden spoon for 2 to 4 minutes, cooking it slowly until it's thick enough to coat the spoon.

Pour the thick liquid through a fine mesh strainer and into a clean bowl. Add the heavy cream to the bowl and stir gently to combine. Refrigerate this mixture for 2 hours, or until chilled.

Meanwhile, combine the strawberries and 1 tablespoon of sugar in a blender. Puree until smooth (or you can stop just short of smooth if you want a little texture.) Pour the pureed strawberries into the chilled custard mixture and stir (I like to use a strainer to avoid getting the seeds in the ice cream). Stir in mint extract. Taste. 

Now pour this mixture into your ice cream maker and freeze it according to its directions. After it's been about 10 minutes add the chopped chocolate. After it freezes, transfer it to a freezer-safe container and freeze it for at least 4 hours, or until frozen firm.

Mini Cinnamon Rolls

Makes 16 mini cinnamon rolls

Ingredients:
1-8oz tube crescent roll dough
2 Tablespoons butter
cinnamon
brown sugar

For the maple icing:
1 teaspoon maple syrup
1 Tablespoon skim milk
3/4 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven according to crescent roll dough package directions. Layout half the dough (4 triangles) and pinch all the seams together. Flip over and pinch the seams on the back side together too.
2. Using a rolling pin, smooth the seams and roll the dough into a square about 1/4″ thick. Brush with half the butter, and sprinkle with as much cinnamon and brown sugar as you want. Roll into a log and cut into 8 pieces.
3. Place mini cinnamon rolls into a non-stick sprayed mini muffin tin. Repeat steps 1 and 2 with the other half of the crescent roll dough. Bake according to package directions.
4. Meanwhile whisk together maple syrup and milk in a bowl. Add in powdered sugar until desired consistency is reached. Drizzle over warm cinnamon rolls.

You can get them ready to go the night before, cover with saran wrap and put them in the fridge. Bake the next morning. Don't use too much brown sugar or they take a long time to cook and end up caramalizing on the bottom.  

http://iowagirleats.com/2011/11/23/8-minute-mini-cinnamon-rolls/

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 cup white sugar

½ cup vegetable oil (I used coconut oil)

1 egg

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp ground cinnamon (I used 1 tsp cinnamon, and the other tsp was a mix of nutmeg, cloves, and ginger)

½ tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp milk

1 TBS vanilla

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Combine pumpkin, sugar, oil, and egg. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Dissolve the baking soda with the milk and stir in (I added it to the pumpkin mixture rather than the flour, and added the vanilla here). Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and mix well.

Add vanilla, chocolate chips and nuts

Drop by spoonful on greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 10 minutes (I did 12) or until lightly brown and firm.

Makes 2 dozen

 http://allrecipes.com/recipe/pumpkin-chocolate-chip-cookies-iii/

Chicken Tortellini Soup

Bring to a boil, simmer:

4 cans chicken broth or equivalent (58 oz total) 

2 cans cream of chicken soup

4 chicken breasts, cooked & cubed

3 T. minced onion 

1 can carrots, drained 

3/4 cup water

3 cloves garlic, diced

3/4 tsp. basil leaves

3/4 tsp. oregano

Add 1 9oz pkg. cheese tortellini, simmer 30 minutes. Add bag frozen broccoli, simmer 5-10 minutes until broccoli is tender. Serve topped with Parmesan cheese. 

*I changed this up quite a bit, but it's really good! I used fresh carrots and broccoli (more veggies would be good too), and the organic cooked chicken from costco. I also added more water and some more seasoning. Easy and fast. 

Meyer lemon cut-out sugar cookies

Ingredients:

2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
4 Tablespoons whipping cream
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 teaspoons Meyer Lemon Juice, freshly squeezed
zest from 2 medium Meyer lemons
6 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon baking powder

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Combine butter and sugar. Beat until smooth but not fluffy.

3. In a small bowl mix eggs, cream, vanilla extract, lemon juice and lemon juice. Add this mixture all at once to the butter and sugar. Mix just until combined. The mixture will appear 'curdled.'

4. In another small bowl, whisk the flour, salt and baking powder. Add these dry ingredients to the liquid ingredients in the mixing bowl. Mix to form dough. This dough does not need to be chilled before rolling!

5. Flour a work surface. Knead the dough a few times to smooth it out and with a rolling pin- roll the dough. Add flour as needed, if dough appears sticky. Cut into desired shapes. The dough scraps can be re-rolled and cut several times.

6. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, or until edges turn golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

Recipe here. 

Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

2 cups cherry tomatoes (I used one 16 oz container of Trader Joe's grape tomatoes)

3 tablespoons olive oil (I used olive oil over the tomatoes, and coconut oil to sauté the onion and garlic)

1 teaspoon salt and pepper

3 garlic cloves, minced

salt to taste (sorry, I just ground up some salt....don't know how much)

1/2 yellow onion, diced

3 cups chicken broth

1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Rinse and dry cherry tomatoes and place on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place baking sheet in the oven and roast tomatoes for about 30 minutes or until tomatoes are squishy and have a brown roasted color to them.

In a large pot, drizzling remaining olive oil and turn stove to a medium high heat. Add in the garlic and onion, sautéing for 4-6 minutes or until onions are translucent. Add in the roasted tomatoes, chicken broth, canned tomatoes (with the juices), salt, black pepper, and basil. Bring soup to a boil, then turn down to a low simmer. Partially cover pot and allow to simmer for about 20 minutes. With an emersion blender (or Blendtec, blend up the soup to your desired consistency.  I left it with a little texture.  Optional....Serve with grilled cheese chunk croutons.

I made the soup like this, but next time I am going to double the cherry tomatoes and add more broth to make a larger batch.  Here are the two websites with the original recipes and some great pics. 

http://www.stephsbitebybite.com/2012/08/14/roasted-tomato-basil-soup/

http://spoonful.com/recipes/roasted-tomato-soup

Chocolate cake in a mug

Ingredients

5 Tablespoons flour (all-purpose)

4 1/2 Tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoons cocoa (unsweetened)

1/4 teaspoon baking soda
Dash of salt

1/2 teaspoon white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 teaspoons vegetable oil (or canola)
4 1/2 Tablespoons water 

Directions 

(step by step photos below)

Using a large microwave safe mug, spray the inside with non-stick cooking spray. Next, mix the first 5 dry ingredients in the mug.  After mixing well, make 3 depressions in dry ingredients.  Pour vinegar in one depression, vanilla in the other and the vegetable oil in third depression.  Pour water over top.  Mix well until smooth using a fork.  Place in microwave and cook on high for *2 minutes, uncovered. Check with toothpick to make sure it comes out clean.  Be sure not to over cook!  Top with whatever you like - powdered sugar, frosting, chocolate chips, caramel or whipped cream! Enjoy hot or cold! 

TIPS:

*Each microwave cooks differently, adjust time accordingly!  One person made the cake in 1 minute 40 seconds, and another in 1 minute 20 seconds.  If you overcook the cake, it may ruin it.  Be sure to watch as it bakes. 

http://www.sweetlittlebluebird.com/2013/04/crazy-cake-in-mug-no-eggs-milk-or.html

Fruit Dip

French Cream:
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 lemon, zested and juiced
Pineapple juice


Directions
Soften cream cheese and then whip with powdered sugar. Whip cream and sugar together until it forms soft peaks. Combine beaten cream cheese, whipped cream, lemon juice and zest; continue to beat, adding just enough pineapple juice to achieve desired consistency. Serve with fresh fruit tray or fruit salad.

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/fruit-tray-with-fruit-dip-recipe/index.html?oc=linkback

Eggless Strawberry Ice Cream

1.5 cups whole milk

1.5 cups cream

1 cup white sugar

2 cups pureed strawberries

1/4 tsp salt

2 tsp vanilla extract

Combine all the ingredients and freeze in an ice cream maker.  This is a little too much for my ice cream maker, but you can use the rest for popsicles or pretend it's a milkshake and drink it like I did. 

Chocolate Coconut Milk Ice Cream

2 cans of unsweetened coconut milk (3 cups)
2/3 cup of cocoa powder
6 tablespoons agave syrup or sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whisk cocoa powder in a small amount of coconut milk, until smooth. Then add the rest of the ingredients and whisk until well combined. Or dump all ingredients together and blend with a blender. Make according to your machines instructions.

I like to add about half a cup of shaved/chopped up dark chocolate. 

Nutella-Stuffed Brown Butter + Sea Salt Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter
• 1 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon plain greek yogurt
• 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
• 1 jar of Nutella, chilled in refrigerator
• Coarse sea salt for sprinkling

Instructions

1. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl and set aside (note - I (Kelli) added too much flour, so I would start with 2 cups next time and only add more if I needed it). Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat (instructions on browning butter here). The butter will begin to foam. Make sure you whisk consistently during this process. After a couple of minutes, the butter will begin to brown on the bottom of the saucepan; continue to whisk and remove from heat as soon as the butter begins to brown and give off a nutty aroma. Immediately transfer the butter to a bowl to prevent burning. Set aside to cool for a few minutes.
2. With an electric mixer, mix the butter and sugars until thoroughly blended. Beat in the egg, yolk, vanilla, and yogurt until combined. Add the dry ingredients slowly and beat on low-speed just until combined. Gently fold in all of the chocolate chips.
3. Chill your dough for 2 hours in the refrigerator, or place in freezer for 30 minutes if you are super eager, although I cannot promise the same results if you do this.
4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Once dough is chilled measure about 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough and roll into a ball. Flatten the dough ball very thinly into the palm of your hand. Place 1 teaspoon of chilled nutella in the middle and fold dough around it; gently roll into a ball — it doesn’t have to be perfectly rolled! Make sure that the nutella is not seeping out of the dough. Add more dough if necessary. Place dough balls on cookie sheet, 2 inches apart and flatten with your hand VERY gently. (Really only the tops need to be flattened a bit!)
5. Bake the cookies 9-11 minutes or until the edges of the cookies begin to turn golden brown. They will look a bit underdone in the middle, but will continue to cook once out of the oven. Cool the cookies on the sheets at least 2 minutes. Sprinkle with a little sea salt. Remove the cooled cookies from the baking sheets after a few minutes and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough.

Recipe from here.