Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Chocolate Orange Oatmeal Cookies For Your Valentine!


These would be perfect to make for your valentine tomorrow. They have no sugar, no oil, and no flour so they're the perfect treat, even for breakfast! I may or may not have made these five times over the last week. I got the idea from this blog and I've been enjoying them immensely.

 They're super easy and there are endless variations. The basic recipe is this:
  • 1 banana
  • 1/2 cup oats -- I like old fashioned
And my favorite variations are:
  • add the zest of an orange, 1/4 tsp stevia, and 1 square of dark chocolate chopped up
  • or 1 tsp cinnamon and 3 tablespoons waalnuts
Directions:
  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Smash up the banana with a spoon or fork, add the oats and other ingredients and mix.
  • Drop by the tablespoonful onto a greased cookie sheet.
  • Bake for 15-20 minutes.
  • Enjoy with your loved one! Or by yourself. They're really pretty healthy, I promise.
Check out the bits of orange zest -- so yummy!
 Nutrition for 1/9th of recipe, or 1 cookie: cals: 37kcal | fat: 0.89g | carbs: 6.99g | prot: 0.87g



Also, check out the facebook page for Direct Relief. 105 year old Edythe wants 105,000 "likes" for her favorite charity. Please help her out by "liking" Direct Relief's page!

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Southwest Eggrolls

You guys, I don't even know what's been up with me. I've wanted to write a new post for so long and it just hasn't happened! I've gotten out of the habit of taking pictures and of writing up posts, but at least there's one for you today. And it's awesome.

These bad boys are inspired by Chili's southwest eggrolls.  They are so tasty since they're baked, they're pretty darn good for you, too!


 
Southwest Eggroll Ingredients: 
  • 1 tube vegan chorizo - I used Cacique
  • 3 cups frozen spinach
  • 1.25 cups frozen corn
  • 3/4 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 11 vegan eggroll wrappers (or however many it ends up taking to roll up your ingredients!)
Directions:
  • Ok, so here we go: brown the chorizo, thaw the spinach and drain it in a colander to remove excess moisture. Thaw the corn and drain and rinse your beans.
  • Mix all of that together and set it at your work station. Also prep 2 baking pans (I think, maybe just 1) with cooking spray.
  • Set out your wrappers and a small glass of water and make a little space on a plate or cutting board to role up your eggrolls.
  • I know all of that sounds ridiculous but it's really ok! It's not too bad once you get used to the rolling process!
  • Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Here's a diagram: Take your wrapper and lay it out in front of you. Add about 3 tablespoons (one big scoop with a spoon), and wrap according to the diagram. Wet your fingers in the cup of water, use them to wet the corner (the top corner in the last drawing) and finish rolling-- this will seal the edge.
    http://dunkincookingthesemi-homemadeway.blogspot.com/2009/12/turkey-stuffing-egg-rolls.html
  • Continuing.... Line all of your little rolls up on the pans, spray the tops of them with a little more spray, and sprinkle with salt if you wish.
  • Bake for.... I think about 18 minutes, until golden on top, then flip and bake until golden again.
  • Make the ranch while its baking!
  • Make sure to reheat these in the oven, so they aren't too soggy -- unless you happen to like them cold, which I do.
Nutrition info for the eggrolls -- per eggroll (1/11th of recipe):
cals: 135kcal | fat: 2.30g | carbs: 21.13g | prot: 7.20g


Avocado Ranch Ingredients:
  • 1 avocado 
  • 1 cup almond milk (or other non-dairy milk)
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 dash cayenne
  • 1/2 tsp dried dill
 Directions:
  •  Blend everything but the dill in a blender, add the dill and pulse to mix slightly. That's it! Not too bad, right?
Nutrition info for 1/4 cup dressing: cals: 44kcal | fat: 3.79g | carbs: 2.74g | prot: 0.66g

Check out that nutrition info! 44 calories for a whole 1/4 cup -- that's craziness!

Check out this yumminess! Hope you guys enjoy!