Cheddar-Ranch Baking Powder Biscuits

2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dried parsley
2 T. butter
1/2 c. light ranch dressing
1/2 c. skim milk
4 oz. shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt & parsley in a large bowl. Cut in butter until coarse crumbs form. Add ranch, milk & cheese and mix until a shaggy dough forms. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead until dough is smooth. Pat or roll dough out to 1/2-inch thickness and cut with a 3-inch biscuit cutter. Place biscuits on a lightly greased baking sheet and chill in fridge for 15 minutes. Bake at 450 for 10-12 minutes or until golden and wonderfully puffed. Makes about 10 delicious biscuits!

* I made these to go with my Buffalo-Style Spaghetti!

Cookie Crumb Truffles

Cookie Crumb Truffles. 

Doesn't that sound better than Cake Balls? (hint: the right answer is 'yes')

We tend  to have extra cookies and my M.O. is to throw extra chocolate chip or sugar cookies in the freezer and use them as bases for ice cream cakes or in marshmallow treats (yes, that can be your top for the day - add crumbled cookies into your rice krispie treats and you'll never make them any other way).

I digress....

The girl made sprinkle sugar cookies the other week and we had TOO many left over so into the freezer they went. yesterday I had the idea to crumble them up, mix them with homemade icing, ball them, dip them, drizzle them and serve.





Pretty, eh?


So here's the thing (always a thing with inventive cooks). There's no official recipe to follow. This is a gut thing. Here's what I did.

Crumble up cookies into a bowl. 

Make favorite buttercream (or use store-bought). Add to the crumbs a couple scoops at a time, mixing with your hands until it's sticky enough to hold together but not nasty. Make into balls.

Melt white chocolate (I used Ghirardelli white chips) with a little shortening to extend it. Dip balls until covered.  Place on wax paper-lined trays.

I then used a little food coloring int he remaining chocolate to drizzle over the tops.  I let them firm up in the fridge before transferring to serving tray.

(At this point small fingers liked peeling and eating the hardened chocolate drips off the wax paper)

Salmon Rice Salad

May. June. Those are the months I start wanting cool main dishes. No more oven, no more standing over hot skillets. This salad is a huge hit with my family.
 
Salmon Rice Salad

1 can salmon, skin and bones removed
1 cup uncooked rice, prepared according to directions on  package
20 black olives, halved
1/4 c fresh cilantro, chopped

Mix all ingredients well in bowl.


Stir together:


2 Tbs olive oil
1/4 c lemon juice
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt

Pour dressing over mixture until well coated. Chill at least an hour to let flavors meld.

Orange-Zucchini Loaf with Orange Glaze

I LOVE zucchini bread! My inspiration for this recipe can be found here. I chose orange instead of lemon - just because. The use of wheat flour and applesauce make this a healthier loaf than the original. I knocked off about 100 calories and 11g of fat per slice! The texture of this bread is almost like that of a pound cake.

• 1 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 c. whole wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• Juice of 1 orange (or 2 Tablespoons orange juice)
• Zest of 2 oranges
• 1 cup grated zucchini

Please go to NancyCreative for directions! I followed what she did there.

10 slices

168 calories

1.2g fat

34g carbs

4.3g protein

Cream-Filled Ginger Crisps

Get ready to die. This recipe takes a bit of patience but it is well worth it in the end.

Cream-Filled Ginger Crisps

Ginger Crisps

1/2 c sugar
1 stick butter
1/3 c dark corn syrup
3/4 c flour
1/2  tsp ground ginger

Preheat oven to 350*. Line a cookie sheet with foil; Grease foil.

In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, butter and corn syrup. Cook over low heat until the butter melts. Remove from heat.

Mix the flour and ginger in a bowl. Slowly add the butter mixture, stirring well. Drop mixture by the tablespoon onto prepared sheet. These will spread, so space them 2-3 per sheet.

Bake until bubbly, about 9 minutes. Allow to cool for 30 seconds before carefully peeling them from the foil. I found using my fingers was easier than using a spatula. Stack and allow to harden fully.

Cream Filling

1 c sugar
1/2 c shortening
1/2 c butter
1/2 c milk
3 Tbs flour
1 Tbs vanilla
1 tsp lemon juice

Place all ingredients into the bowl of a standing mixer (or use a hand-held mixer, if preferred). Beat for 10 minutes until fluffy. (be patient...this goes through a weird lumpy/wet stage before smoothing into a whipped cream-like consistency). Refrigerate until ready to assemble cookies.

Scoop a dollop of filling onto a crisp, top with another. Store in fridge until ready to serve.

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Cakes

This recipe was the product of needing to use up some leftover sweet potatoes we had last night. There weren't enough to go around a second time (yes, we DO eat leftovers at our house). I had already put together a chicken and red pepper nacho bake. I wanted to keep with the pseudo-Hispanic theme and decided to mix them into a black bean cake. The results were a perfect blend of sweet and spicy.

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Cakes

1 can black beans, drained
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled, quartered and baked
3 green onions, roots  and tips removed
1 tsp each, chili powder, cumin, and garlic powder 

1/2 c whole wheat flour (or other preferred flour/cracker coating)

Blend all ingredients in food processor until to desired smoothness (we liked ours a little chunky). Scoop into 1/4 c balls and dredge in flour. Sprinkle with additional spices as desired (I used cumin and chili powder). Place on greased pan and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, flipping at the halfway point.

Serve with lime and sour cream.

Serves: 8
Calories: 157

Total Carbohydrates: 31.9g

Dietary Fiber: 5.6g

Sugars: 0.8g

Protein: 6.7g

Applesauce Oat Cakes

These make a big batch and freeze well! Just pop them in the toaster for a quick, healthy breakfast or snack! Awesome smeared with peanut butter & drizzled with a little honey.

2 c. old fashioned rolled oats
1 c. whole wheat flour
1/8 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 T. baking powder
2 T. honey
4 eggs
1 1/2 c. milk
6 T. natural applesauce
Butter for the pan

Whisk together all the ingredients and let stand 5 minutes. Brush a non-stick pan or griddle with butter and dollop 1/4 c. circles of batter onto the surface. Cook until you see lots of little popped bubbles on the surface.

 Flip and cook for about 1 minute more until cooked through. Remove from pan and place
on a baking sheet.

If you are eating them soon, put in a warm oven while  you continue to make more cakes. If freezing, let cool completely on the baking sheet. Then stack in a large freezer bag with wax paper or parchment between the layers. Recipe will make about 32 small pancakes.

2 Cakes

calories 116

fat 2.5g

total carbs 19g

fiber 1.7g

sugars 4.2g

protein 4.7g

approx using caloriecount