Bad Day Be Gone Baking

Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Cookies

These cookies are kind of awesome, and as far as cookies go, they're kind of awesome for you as well. 

There's only 1/4 cup of whole wheat flour in these cookies and the rest of the dough is oatmeal.  There's no butter, no white sugar, and less than a cup of brown sugar in these babies.  The sweetness comes from the bananas and the flavor comes from the peanut butter.  They're soft and chewy.

In short, they're delicious. 

It's quite a cozy day in Baltimore.  The temperatures are a little cool and the sky is quite grey.  After a vicious leg workout this morning (I might not be able to walk tomorrow), I have now set up camp in the cozy corner of my "L" couch. 

I am going to attempt to get lots of work done today.  I am dangling a Margherita pizza in front of my face for dinner as a reward if I get most of it done.  I know we're not supposed to reward ourselves with food, like dogs, but let's be real here.  

Bribery works and pizza is delicious. 

If you need me, I'll be here on the couch. Trying not to eat all the cookies in the kitchen. Please feel free to come take some off my hands. I don't deliver, but I'm not opposed to self-serve. :) 

Happy weekend!!

Here's the recipe!

Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Cookies

Recipe from Greens and Chocolate

Makes 2 dozen large cookies

Ingredients:

2 ripe bananas, mashed

1/3 cup natural creamy peanut butter

1/3 cup canola oil

¾ cup light brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

3 ¼ cup old-fashioned oatmeal

¼ cup whole wheat flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

1 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a cookie sheet with a piece of parchment paper.  (Alternatively, you could just grease the pan.)

In a large bowl, mix together mashed bananas, peanut butter, oil, and brown sugar using a wooden spoon until it is smooth and creamy.  Mix in the egg and vanilla. 

In a separate bowl, mix together the oatmeal, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet ones and mix until they are completely incorporated.  The dough will be thick and pretty wet.  Fold in the chocolate chips.

Use a medium cookie scoop (or 2 spoons) to drop dough onto prepared baking sheet.  Leave plenty of room between the cookies as they will spread when they bake.

Bake for 10 minutes until the tops are browned.  Allow the cookies to cool for 5 minutes on the pan before moving them to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Store cookies in an airtight container for several days.

Enjoy!

Protein Pancake

You might have noticed that the recipes on my blog have shifted ever so slightly. A little less butter and sugar.  A little more flaxseed and quinoa.

No less chocolate or peanut butter, as you're about to see.

I haven't totally swung 180 degrees in the other direction, but lately, I have really become interested in nutrition and looking at food as fuel for my body being able to do all the crazy things I want it to do. 

Like run 3 miles, do 200 squats, 200 lunges, 200 jumping jacks, and 100 jump squats in 45 minutes. 

Yeah, that happened tonight.  And I didn't die so I'm thinking that might have had something to do with this protein pancake I ate this morning.

You know I love my pancakes. I mean, LOVE pancakes.  Blueberry, chocolate chip, banana, potato.  If it's made in a pan and called a cake, I pretty much will love it.  That being said, I can't say I loved this the way I love a stack of Miss. Shirley's blueberry pancakes.  However, I did love that this was a super fast and healthy breakfast that actually kept me completely full until lunch.

Apparently when they say protein keeps you full longer, they weren't lying...

The texture of this guy wasn't my favorite, but I am a bit of a texture freak.  However, after slathering it in peanut butter (extra protein!) and chocolate chips, I actually found it to be quite tasty.  Not exactly the same as a chocolate peanut butter cupcake, but I felt zero guilt scarfing this down at 7am.

Anyhow, I don't know if eating more cleanly, as I have been, will change the way I look, but I do appreciate the way I feel, which as of late has been healthy, happy, and ready to tackle whatever the Big Guy wants to throw at me. 

Perhaps this pancake will do the same for you.

Or at least make you feel less guilty about the chocolate peanut butter cupcake you end up eating later in the day for dessert. ;)

Here's the recipe!

Protein Pancake

Serves 1

Ingredients:

½ cup egg whites

1/3 cup oatmeal (I used old-fashioned but instant would work too)

1-2 tsp ground flaxseed

Pinch of sugar

Dash of cinnamon

Splash of vanilla

Chocolate chips, peanut butter, fresh fruit, real maple syrup (for topping)

Directions:

Heat a small nonstick skillet over medium heat and spray with cooking spray.

Mix together all of the ingredients except the toppings.  Pour them into the greased pan.  Cook for 3-4 minutes on one side until lightly browned.  Flip it over and cook for another 2-3 minutes. 

Serve immediately with toppings.  I spread peanut butter on mine, drizzled it with maple syrup, and liberally sprinkled it with chocolate chips.  When the chocolate chips were soft, I spread them around to coat the entire top of my pancake.  Because that’s how I roll.

Enjoy!

Browned Butter Peanut Butter Snickers Potato Chip Cookies

Imagine taking everything you love and putting it all in your mouth at once.

I don't have to imagine it. I did it.

With these.

I set about breaking in my new kitchen on Saturday because I got the baking itch.  I haven't really had it in awhile (hence the influx of savory recipes), but I got it and I got it bad this weekend so I indulged with a recipe that epitomizes the word indulgence.

If you're going to be bad...Be. Very. Bad.

I was.  A couple weeks ago, Shelley posted this recipe for Late Night Snack Cookies based off the Ben & Jerry's ice cream flavor that swirls caramel into vanilla ice cream with chocolate covered potato chips.  Since I saw her recipe, I've been obsessed with baking potato chips into cookies. 

Salty and sweet makes me swoon.

I took her concept, but I used a peanut butter cookie base instead of a traditional chocolate chip cookie base.  Because I was feeling particularly high maintence on Saturday, I also browned my butter. 

So here's the breakdown of this cookie:

Browned butter = flavorful aromatic nutty goodness

Peanut Butter Cookie base = cripsy and chewy cookies

Snickers = melty caramelly happiness

Potato Chips = salty crunch to balance out the sweet and add crazy texture

It sounds like a lot, but it all works together. Trust me. 

So, who wants to be bad?

Here's the recipe!

Browned Butter Peanut Butter Snickers Potato Chip Cookies

Inspired by Cookies and Cups

Makes 4 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

¼ cup sugar

1 egg + 1 egg yolk

2 tsp vanilla bean paste

½ cup creamy peanut butter

2 ½ cups flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp cornstarch

3 TBSP milk (preferably not Skim)

1 bag of mini Snickers, frozen for at least 30 minutes, quartered

4 cups Kettle Cooked potato chips, crushed (but not pulverized)

Sea salt (optional)

Directions:

To brown the butter, cut it into large pieces and place in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  As the butter starts to melt, whisk it continuously while it melts for several minutes.  As the butter melts, it will go from being yellow and creamy to more translucent and oily.  The whisking may cause it to foam – that is fine.  After 4-5 minutes (don’t worry if it takes a little longer, just watch it carefully), small brown bits will start to form in the bottom of the pan.  As soon as you see them, turn the heat off the butter, but continue whisking it on the hot burner for an additional 30 seconds.   The butter should be browned and smell nutty and caramelly.  Pour the butter into a bowl to cool for 30 minutes, making sure to scrape out all the browned bits from the pan. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Pour cooled brown butter into the bowl of a stand mixer and add the brown sugar and white sugar.  Beat for 3 minutes until light and fluffy.  Add the egg, egg yolk, vanilla bean paste, and peanut butter beating for another 2 minutes until creamy. 

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, and cornstarch.  Add ½ these dry ingredients to the mixing bowl, followed by the milk, followed by the rest of the dry ingredients mixing on low just until everything is incorporated. 

Add the chopped Snickers and crushed potato chips and mix for a minute until everything is evenly distributed.  You might need to use a rubber spatula to fully incorporate the good stuff into the bottom of the dough.  Chill the dough for 20 minutes and then use your hands to roll 1 ½ inch balls.  Place them 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheets.   If desired, sprinkle the tops with a little sea salt.   Bake for 8-10 minutes until the tops are lightly browned.  Cool on the tray for 10 minutes before moving to a cooling rack to finish cooling.  (Cooling them on the trays allows the oozy caramel to set up so your cookies don’t fall apart.)

Enjoy! 

Mostly Minestrone

I know. It's May 1st and I'm sharing a soup recipe.

Shame!

Whateves. This soup was really yummy especially since it was rainy and dreary for 48 hours straight here in Baltimore.  Not anymore though! The sun is shining and it is a beautiful day!

I'm off from work because my sofa and bed are being delivered today! WAHOO!!! :) I'm a real live adult again. (well, sort of.)  Conveniently my delivery window is 11-2 so taking a half day was not an option.

Oh darn.

My favorite thing about being off (well, aside from not having to commute to work or deal with children all day) is eating a leisurely breakfast.  On a normal day, I'm inhaling something at my desk while simultaneously doing 3 other things that have to be done before the kids come.  However, when I'm off, I can just take my time eating my breakfast while simultaneously doing 3 other things I want to be doing, like blogging or catching up on Buzzfeed and Suri's Burn Book or reading about ways to strengthen my glute medius so my hip doesn't keep popping out of place.

I mean, that's totally normal, right?

Don't answer that.

Today's morning fuel.

Anyhow, this Mostly Minestrone is "mostly" because I didn't put any pasta in it, but in every other way, it's very minestrone-esque.  Lots of veggies, a tiny bit of chicken sausage (for flavor and added protein), and lots of beans in a mild tomato broth make for a quick and healthy dinner.  Although this is a soup, it's actually very light. 

I've been enjoying it reheated for a couple days now and I'm going to freeze the rest for a quick dinner when I don't feel like cooking.  Obviously, today is Waffle Wednesday so I will not be eating soup for dinner this evening. 

Alright, I need to go be a productive human being and get lots of work on my National Boards done while I wait for (hopefully cute but probably old and sketchy) furniture delivery men.

Happy May! Have the most beautiful blessed day!!

Image from Tumblr

Here's the recipe!

Mostly Minstrone

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

1 TBSP extra virgin olive oil

2 large chicken sausage links, cut into small pieces (I used 1 Italian and 1 Andouille)

½ large onion, diced

½ bell pepper, diced

½ - ¾ cup chopped carrots

1 -2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 TBSP oregano

1 quart low sodium chicken stock

29 oz can diced tomatoes in juice

14.5 oz can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

14.5 oz can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

5 cups fresh spinach

¼ cup fresh basil, julienned

grated Parmesan cheese and crushed red pepper flakes, for serving

Directions:

In a large heavy-duty pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat.   Add the sausage, onion, pepper, and carrots.  Allow them to cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally until the veggies start to soften and the sausage browns.  Add the garlic and oregano and cook for another 2 minutes. 

Add the chicken stock, tomatoes, garbanzo beans, and cannellini beans.  Turn the heat down to medium and cook everything until the soup starts to barely bubble.  Add the spinach and carefully press it down into the liquid, wilting it.  Allow the soup to simmer for at least 15 minutes.  Add the basil just before serving. 

Serve hot with Parmesan cheese and crushed red pepper.

Enjoy!

Spring Veggie & Chicken Quinoa Salad with Lemon Basil Dressing

The lengthiness of this title is directly proportional to how delicious this tastes.

Since it's a grey and dreary day here in Baltimore, I thought we could use a little pop of color and some fresh flavors to kick off the week. 

Speaking of pop of color.....wait until you see my new bathroom and bedroom. Holy moly. 

3 words:  Celery.  Sassy violet.

The man in Lowe's who mixed my paint's comment was, "You're not going to miss these.  You're going to need sunglasses to look at this one (in reference to the Celery color)."

How perfect since my sunglasses are permanently affixed to my face. :)

Anyhow, back to the recipe.  This one is very green, very clean, and very simple to make.  It's light and fresh and perfect for Spring and Summer.  It makes for a quick weeknight dinner and the perfect leftover lunch. 

You could certainly mix up the veggies, and if you're vegetarian you could omit the chicken altogether.  I liked the added protein, but I think I'll try some asparagus in here next time. 

The dressing is light, but flavorful and comes together in about 5 minutes.  Don't skimp on the salt and pepper as this really brings out the flavors of the lemon and basil. 

Okay, it's Monday.  Let's eat healthy, be happy, and embrace whatever this week wants to throw at us!

Image from Wookmark

Here's the recipe!

Spring Veggie Chicken Quinoa Salad with Lemon Basil Dressing

Inspired by Two Peas and Their Pod

Serves 4

Ingredients for the dressing:

3 TBSP extra virgin olive oil

3 TBSP fresh lemon juice

1 tsp honey

1 clove garlic, minced

1 TBSP fresh basil, julienned very finely

Salt and pepper

Ingredients for the salad:

1 cup quinoa, well-rinsed and cooked according to package directions

2 tsp olive oil

1 small zucchini or yellow squash, chopped into 1 inch size pieces

3 cups fresh spinach

1 TBSP fresh lemon juice

1 cup frozen peas

1 avocado, chopped

1 cup chopped chicken breast (I used a rotisserie chicken)

Salt and pepper

¼ cup fresh basil, julienned

Directions:

In a small bowl, whisk together all the ingredients for the dressing and set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat.  Add the zucchini and fresh lemon juice and cook for 5 minutes until the zucchini starts to soften.  Add the spinach and toss gently with tongs allowing it to wilt.  Add the frozen peas and cook for 3-4 minutes until they defrost. 

In a large bowl, combine the cooked quinoa, chopped chicken, cooked veggies, and prepared dressing.  Gently toss coating everything with the dressing.  Top with the chopped avocado, fresh basil, and salt & pepper to taste.  Serve warm or at room temperature for best flavor, but can be eaten cold.

Enjoy!

Banana Bread S'mores

This is not a joke.  This is not a mirage. 

This is real life.

Remember that Whole Wheat Graham Cracker Banana Bread from yesterday?  And how I told you I did something really obscene with it?

Yeah, I wasn't lying.

I made these homemade vanilla bean marshmallows and then I sandwiched them with a piece of chocolate between that bread.  I toasted the whole thing in a nonstick pan for about 90 seconds per side so that the chocolate melted and the marshmallow got super gooey.

And then I literally ate every last crumb and licked the plate.

Obviously these aren't technically health food, but if you consider what they did for my quality of life, I think we could qualify these as "mental" health food. 

No actual recipe here....just make the banana bread and the marshmallows.  Or just make the banana bread and buy a bag of Jet Puffed.  Seriously, I am not in any position to judge.  (Did you not catch how I literally licked my plate above??)

Slide a piece of chocolate (preferably Hershey's) in the middle, heat that bad boy up, and call it a day.  Pour yourself a tall glass of milk and allow yourself to enter dessert nirvana.

You deserve it.  I said so.

Whole Wheat Graham Cracker Banana Bread

Disclaimer:  No photos. Just words today because all the good photos for part 2 of this post comes tomorrow.

photo source: Trip Advisor

Today was the 4th grade field trip.  We went to the Baltimore Museum of Industry (which if you live in or are visiting Baltimore, you should check out.  It was SO COOL! In other news, I'm also a giant nerd.) . 

I bet you have really fond memories of your elementary school field trips.  I bet you remember playing MASH-IT on the bus, eating lunch out of a brown bag, hittin' up the gift shop, and getting out of a whole day of learning.

Allow me to give you some insight into what was going on for your teacher while you had the best day ever.

1. A bus ride that involves trying not to throw up (because she gets viciously motion sick) while 30 children all talk really loudly at once.  Bonus points for your teacher if your field trip involved driving through a tunnel, which I learned today is apparently the coolest, scariest, most scream-worthy thing that can happen to a 4th grader.

2. Growing gray hairs counting, recounting, and role-calling numerous times so as not to lose any children.  (Even if there are a few who she wouldn't mind ending up in the harbor. Just kidding!)

3. Soaking up knowledge herself, being the giant nerd she is, while being simultaneously mortified that the most enlightened comment one of the kids makes is that the first electric car "looks like a duck!" 

4. A second torturous nausea-inducing bus ride home only to have 2 hours of teaching to do before the children go home.  Field trips should always end immediately with the children going home.

Whew!  I need a drink.  Or a piece of bread.  Maybe a glass of wine with a piece of bread? Oh, sweet baby Jesus that sounds phenomenal. 

Not going to happen right now so let's talk about this recipe I'm actually so excited to share with you.

For bread.

Banana bread.

Healthy(ish) banana bread.

Who doesn't love a good banana bread?  Nobody I want to know, that's who.  The trouble with a lot of banana breads is that they are often full of oil and sugar, and while I'm more than happy to induldge on occasion, sometimes you just want to be able to eat a piece of banana bread with your coffee and not feel like your entire calorie count for the day has been shot.

Enter this bread.

Graham cracker crumbs take the place of nearly all the flour in this bread, and the only 1/2 cup of flour that is used is whole wheat.   I also omitted all the vegetable oil and instead used Greek yogurt and a very small amount of coconut oil. 

In doing so, you're shaving off calories (there's only 155 per slice if you cut it into 10 slices!)without sacrificing any texture or taste.  This bread was soooo moist and stayed that way for days! It made a perfect snack or treat with my coffee for nearly a week.

I also did something really obscene with this bread which I'll share tomorrow in Part 2 of this post.  I mean seriously food pornographic obscene.  So prepare yourselves.  If you don't follow me on instagram or facebook, you're in for quite a surprise.  ;)

Here's the recipe!

Whole Wheat Graham Cracker Banana Bread

Inspired by Half Baked Harvest

Makes 9x5 loaf

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs

½ cup white whole wheat flour

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

¼ ts cinnamon

2 eggs

½ cup sugar

6 oz vanilla Greek yogurt

2 TBSP coconut oil, melted and cooled

¼ cup milk (I used skim)

4 very ripe bananas, mashed

1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Grease a 9x5” loaf pan with baking spray.

In a small bowl, mix together graham cracker crumbs, flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.  Set aside. 

In a separate large bowl, whisk together eggs and sugar.  Add the yogurt, oil, and milk whisking until smooth.  Stir in the mashed bananas and vanilla.  Add the dry ingredients and stir just until they’re combined.  (Inhale deeply.  This batter smells goooooood.)

Pour into greased pan.  Bake for 75-85 minutes, but check it after 45 to make sure the top isn’t getting too brown.  When it starts to really brown, cover it with foil and continue baking it. 

Allow the bread to cool at least 30 min. in the pan before removing it to cooling rack, cutting, and serving. 

Enjoy!

Spicy Veggie Fried Quinoa

I ate pretzels with nutella for dinner. And I drank wine right out of the bottle.  And in 5 minutes, I'm walking to get fro-yo for dessert.

Sunday Freaking Funday.

I was really good all weekend. I worked out (as much as I could).  I did a ton of schoolwork.  I didn't go out at all.  And now tomorrow is Monday and I'm borderline tipsy and I just want to have a dance party in my neon pants.  And it's Sunday night so obviously:

A. That's not happening.

B. That's not appropriate.

What is happening and appropriate is this Spicy Veggie Fried Quinoa.  It's like fried rice only healthier.  It's quick and easy and delicious.  I ate it without any protein and a side of edamame for dinner as my main course, but it would make an awesome side dish.

I know there are a couple strange ingredients, but they're fairly inexpensive and can be found in most Asian aisles at the grocery store.  If you buy them, you'll use them infrequently enough that you'll have them for a loonnnnggg time so they're worth the investment.

Okay, that's all. My tipsiness is going to make me ramble and nobody wants to know what's going on in my head right now. Trust me.

Have a great start to your week!

Here's the recipe!

Spicy Veggie Fried Quinoa

Inspired by Eat Live Run

Serves 2 as a meal or 4 as a side

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked quinoa

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 TBSP high-heat cooking oil (I used coconut), divided

1 small bell pepper, diced

¼ cup chopped scallions

¼ cup shredded carrots

1/3 cup frozen peas

1 tsp sesame oil

1 TBSP fish sauce

1 TBSP soy sauce

dash of crushed red pepper flakes

Sriracha sauce (to taste)

Directions:

Heat a wok (or large frying pan if you don’t have one) over high heat with ½ the high-heat cooking oil in it.  Once it is hot, add the eggs and stir them around using a spatula until they are cooked.  This will happen very fast, probably just a minute or two.  Remove the eggs from the pan and set aside.

Heat the remaining ½ of the oil back in the wok.  Once smoking, add the pepper, scallions, carrots, and peas cooking for about 3 minutes until veggies are just slightly softened.  Add the quinoa, cooked eggs, sesame oil, fish sauce, soy sauce, red pepper flakes, and sriracha.  Stir to combine while cooking for 5 minutes until everything is heated through.  Serve immediately with additional sriracha on top.

Enjoy!

Thursday Thoughts

I feel like I've done a lot of thinking this past month.  I've  had a lot to think about in my own life and just with the world in general.  In general, I don't think people take time to think enough.  As a society, we're very impulsive.  Maybe if we all took some time to be more thoughtful, things wouldn't be the way that they are in some respects...

Not that anybody really cares (and believe me, I don't think I'm important enough to feel like anyone does), but here are my thoughts:

1.  The warmer weather seems to be around to stay, and I'm really glad for this.  I've been listening to a lot of country music again.  I don't know what the correlation is, but around this time of year my love for Kenny Chesney, Rascal Flatts, and Garth Brooks really just becomes enhanced.  (I'm also an old school country music fan.  Some of the new stuff really doesn't do it for me...)

2.  I'm moving next weekend to a 7 minute walk to this.

3. I'm very blessed.

4.  If you're in your 20s, just leaving your 20s, ever were in your 20s, or will be soon in your 20s, you need to read this.  They are all true.  (Even #4. I ate a raw kale salad the other day. I hate kale.)

5.  This guy here got a haircut yesterday. I can't post a picture because he was so nappy they had to shave him bald and he looks utterly ridiculous.  In about 3 weeks, he'll be extremely adorable again and my dog posting pictures will resume.

6.  Chobani Key Lime Greek Yogurt "Flip" with the graham cracker crumbs and mini white chocolate chips is life-changing. 

7.  Panda and I started having Waffle Wednesdays.  This is where we make chocolate chip waffles.  And then we eat them.  It's awesome.

8.  I designed my next tattoo today. If you're reading this, mom, I'm just kidding!  If you're not  my mom, I totally can't wait to get it.

9.  The world is becoming a really ridiculous place.  I look at the kids I teach and I just really worry about what our legacy is going to be for them.  Violence? Terrorism? Fear?  I want to have faith in people. I want to believe that people are inherently good.  I want to be inherently good.  So I'm making a really conscience effort to be more good. More positive. More peaceful. More prayerful.

These men lived what they spoke and what they wanted for the world.  That's pretty much the most badass thing you can do.

10.  Laugh!  Everyday!

And keep people around who make you laugh. 

Crazy Healthy Fudgy Brownie Bites

I've crossed to the dark side. 

I'm sharing a vegan, gluten-free, no-bake recipe.  Well, mine weren't exactly because I didn't use vegan chocolate chips, but it was as close to vegan as anything that's ever grazed my lips.

I saw this recipe on Averie's blog and they just looked soo fudgy and delicious I felt compelled to give them a try.  Added bonus that they fit into my (mostly) healthy lifestyle. 

I have to say, and I totally wouldn't if it wasn't true, but these actually are really fudgy and delicious.  The consistency is just like undercooked brownies and if you use good cocoa powder and with my add-in of chocolate chips, they are chocolatey in all the right ways.

Obviously I rolled mine in sprinkles because EVERYTHING is better with sprinkles.  I'll definitely be keeping these on hand in my fridge from here on out.  Perfect for a late-night chocolate craving.

On a completely unrelated note, I've discovered one of the perks of my dislocated shoulder.  Since I'm relegated to just power incline walking at the gym, I'm now able to divert my attention to watching all the other people working out at the gym.  And by people, I mean men.  And by watching I mean, enjoying. 

See? Every injury has a sweaty manly silver lining.

On another completed unrelated note, I don't what's going on with the world, but I am feeling some perspective in my little life.  Spread some kindness. Share some laughter. Give some peace. Love it forward.

Here's the recipe!

Crazy Healthy Fudgy Brownie Bites

Makes about 24 bites

Barely adapted from Averie Cooks

Ingredients:

2/3 cup raw (untoasted unsalted) cashews

1/3 cup good unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup soft pitted dates (about 21 medium dates)

1 TBSP vanilla extract

1-4 TBSP agave nectar or honey

¼ cup mini chocolate chips (optional- prevents these from being vegan)

sprinkles (optional)

Directions:

In a food processor, add the cashews and cocoa powder.  Blend for about 15 seconds and then pulse until you have fine crumbs.  Be careful because if you go too long, you will make cashew butter.  (Delicious but not what we’re going for here.) 

Add the dates and vanilla and allow the food processor to run until the dates are completely broken down and the whole mixture looks like sand.  With the food processor running, add the honey/agave 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough becomes wet enough to come all together in one big ball around the blade.  Add the chocolate chips and mix them into the dough with a wooden spoon.

Consistency is key here.  I think I needed about 2 TBSP of honey because my dates were very moist.  Don’t add it too fast.  You want a consistency that resembles cookie dough.  Too wet and it will be like peanut butter, too dry and it will be like sand. 

Chill the dough for at least 2 hours and then roll it into ¾ inch balls.  The colder the dough is, the easier it is to form the balls.  Roll them immediately sprinkles if you’re sane….I mean, if you’re using.

I like mine cold so I’m storing them in the fridge, but you don’t have to.

Enjoy!