Coconut Blueberry Flax Granola

Fruit, yogurt and granola is one of those trifectas that ranks right up there with espresso, frothed milk and caramel flavoring in my book. That's saying a lot. I LOVE granola but I HATE how it can ruin your effort to eat something "healthy" so I came up with this homemade granola recipe that has all the flavor, crunch and wonderfulness of the stuff you buy at the store without all the refined sugars and fat. Let's forget about store-bought granola from now on, ok? This stuff is a new favorite. It's got just enough sweetness, a great nutty flavor and awesome texture....and you don't have to feel bad about eating more than 1/4 cup of it at a time. Who on earth only eats 1/4 cup of granola?!?

Coconut Blueberry Flax Granola

Makes about 9 cups of pure joy
Ingredients:

• 5 c. old-fashioned oats
• 1 c. sliced almonds
• 1 c. chopped pecans
• 1 c. flaked coconut
• 1/2 c. blueberry flax seed, ground (Trader Joe's)*
• 1/4 c. honey
• 1/4 c. molasses
• 1/2 c. brown sugar
• 1/3 c. canola oil
• 3/4 c. water
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 3/4 c. water
• 1 1/4 c. dried wild blueberries (Trader Joe's)*

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325F. Line two jelly roll pans with parchment paper. In a large mixing bowl, combine oats, almonds, pecans, coconut, & blueberry flax seed. In a medium saucepan, combine honey, molasses, brown sugar, oil, water, cinnamon and salt. Whisk until sugar is dissolved and ingredients are well-mixed (do not boil). Pour liquid mixture over oat mixture and stir thoroughly. Divide granola between parchment-lined jelly roll pans, spreading as evenly as possible. Bake 40-50 minutes, until golden brown, stirring every 5-7 minutes. Cool completely. Stir in dried wild blueberries. Store in an air-tight container. Enjoy!

Wanna share some with your friends? Probably not after you taste this, but it would be a nice gesture. ;) Here's how I packaged mine for sharing. Just a recycled jar topped with a simple circle of burlap (I traced the lid of my jar and cut 2" further out from there) and wrapped with twine. Your pal's day = made.

*If you can't find blueberry flax seed, it's super easy to make your own- just use freeze-dried blueberries ground up with your flax seed at about a 1:4 ratio. :) Trader Joe's carries both dried blueberries and wild blueberries. The wild ones are smaller and much sweeter, but either one will do the trick. Also, if you don't have a Trader Joe's nearby, no worries- your regular grocery store will definitely have dried blueberries.

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Mini Peanut Butter Nutella Cheesecakes

Well hello there! I finally have a camera again! I couldn't being myself to share recipes without pictures because, personally, I like to have at least somewhat of an idea of what something is supposed to look like if I'm going to go through the trouble to make it. I'm kind of a visual person. I hate cookbooks without pictures. So here we are. Peanut Butter Nutella Cheesecakes. Yes. 3 of the world's most wonderful things all wrapped into one glorious little ramekin. Actually, I'm pretty sure there's some love in there too so that makes 4. :)

These are a pretty versatile little dessert. I put mine into small 6 oz. glass ramekins that are the perfect serving size for a personal dessert. I served them for a crew at my Super Bowl party. Hit. I served them for our Valentine's Day dessert. Hit. You pretty much can't go wrong with peanut butter Nutella cheesecake over an Oreo crust. Oh, and did I mention you don't even have to go through the trouble of baking them? Yes. Easy AND delicious AND beautiful. What's not to love?

Mini Peanut Butter Nutella Cheesecakes
Serves 10

Ingredients:

• 1 (15oz) pkg. Oreo cookies, crushed
• 3 tbsp. butter, melted
• 1 (8oz) pkg. cream cheese, softened
• 3/4 c. Nutella
• 1/2 c. creamy peanut butter
• 1 (8oz) tub Cool Whip, thawed (additional Cool Whip for garnish, optional)
• 2 oz. chocolate chips, melted (optional)

Directions:
Mix crushed Oreos and butter and divide evenly among serving dishes. Pat firmly into the bottom of each dish. In a large mixing bowl, combine Nutella, peanut butter and cream cheese thoroughly. Add Cool Whip to cheesecake mixture and whip until light and fluffy. Spoon or pipe cheesecake mixture into each serving dish over Oreo crust. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving. Top with a dollop of Cool Whip and decorative chocolate* (optional). Enjoy!

*Decorative Chocolate: Place melted chocolate chips into a plastic bag. Snip one corner of the bag and pipe chocolate designs onto wax paper. Allow to set and use for garnish.


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Ginger and Vanilla Spice Cookie Sandwiches

 There's something about "grandma" recipes. You just know they'll be amazing because they've had lots of practice over the years. They've evolved, they've been tweaked and tested and tried out (probably on you) and when you need a little taste of home, you gotta have the recipe because no other non-grandma version will do. Grandmas are just good like that.

One of my favorite recipes from my Grandma is her Soft Ginger Cookie recipe. When I was a kid, I totally did not appreciate spice flavored things. If I was going to eat a cookie, it better have either had chocolate chips or peanut butter in it. These were the exception. They're not your average crumbly, dry ginger cookie. They are DE-lightfully chewy and soft and wonderful. I really thought they couldn't get any better...if it's not broken, don't fix it, right? But a little frosting never hurt anyone so here's the result of my small contribution to Grandma's already-amazing-on-their-own ginger cookies: a creamy vanilla spice frosting sandwiched between two of those seriously tasty cookies. They're delicious and sparkly AND cute. Check out this situation and then bake these. Then you should probably eat one (or two). It'll feel like a hug from your grandma.

Grandma's Soft Ginger Cookies
Makes 2-3 Dozen
Ingredients:

• 3/4 c. shortening
• 1/4 c. molasses
• 1 egg
• 1 c. sugar
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 2 c. flour
• 1/2 tsp. ginger
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. cloves

Directions:
Preheat over to 375 degrees. Blend shortening, sugar & molasses; add egg and beat well. Sift all other ingredients, add to shortening mixture and mix well. Roll into 1" balls, roll in cinnamon sugar and flatten slightly*. Bake 8-10 minutes. Cool completely.
*If the cookies are flattened and baked properly, they should crack like the ones in the picture above. :)

Vanilla Spice Frosting

Ingredients:

• 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 2 c. powdered sugar
• 1/4 tsp. cloves

Directions:

In a medium bowl combine cream cheese and powdered sugar. Add cloves and stir well. Spread frosting between cooled ginger cookies to create sandwiches and refrigerate until ready to serve. Enjoy!

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Mahi Mahi with Blueberry Mango Salsa

Happy Friday! Here's the thing I love about Fridays: you always know when they're happening and you're always happy when they arrive (unless you're on vacation). Here's the thing I hate about Minnesota: cold and snow and the fact neither of these comes with fair warning OR appeal like Friday does. I kind of wondered what Minnesota was doing right to get 50 degree weather in January and then this lovely little cold front reminded me that we're not as special as we think. Needless to say, going from 50 to below zero with the windchill from one day to the next REALLY makes me miss Kauai where the temp waivers between a heavenly 75 and 80 and the beach starts right at the end of your driveway. Rain? No problem, just drive to the other side of the island or wait 20 minutes. Where do people from Kauai go on vacation? We asked while we were there and apparently they just crash the Mariott. Smart. SO smart. I wouldn't leave either.

Anyway, not only do I miss the weather and the scenery and the hiking, I miss the food. Fresh fruit and fresh fish and Hula Pie. Here the deal: Hula Pie is the most FANTASTICAL dessert I've ever eaten. EVER. So I don't even want to attempt it on my own. Why? Because it wouldn't be the same. Don't be fooled, this stuff isn't actually pie. It's like the most ultimate Dairy Queen cake on crack. Hula Pie doesn't really seem as appetizing in a snow drift as it does by the beach. Not even close. Plus, I need all the excuses I can get to go back. And that's one of them. Since I've vowed not to try Hula Pie, I tried out this Mahi Mahi recipe from the New Abs Diet Cookbook. Don't be scared about that whole "Diet" word in there, this stuff is delicious! Brought me right back to Kauai. Need a mini-vacation? Cook this up and then tell me about it. Here's how:


Mahi Mahi with Blueberry Mango Salsa
Adapted from The New Abs Diet Cookbook
Serves 4
Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup blueberries
• 1/3 cup diced mango
• 2 tablespoons minced red onion
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• ½ teaspoon minced jalapeno pepper
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• fresh ground pepper, to taste
• 4 mahi mahi fillets (4 ounces each)

Directions:
Mix the blueberries, mango, onion, pepper, cilantro, lime juice, jalapeno, sugar and sea salt in a bowl.  Set aside.
Lightly oil grill pan or fry pan and preheat it on medium high. Lightly season one side of the fish fillets with salt and pepper and place them, skin side down, on the hot grill. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Turn over and sear for another 2 to 3 minutes or until cooked through. Avoid overcooking. When done, the fish should flake easily with a gentle touch of a fork.

Top each piece of fish with the salsa and enjoy!

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Fresh Confetti Salsa

Guess what? After all the Christmas and New Year's craziness that just hit us, it's about be America's Most Important Holiday #3. NO, not Valentine's Day; the Superbowl, of course! If you are a Vikings fan like me, you're probably just really jazzed that it's finally the offseason. Even though I am fully-aware that the Vikes will probably never see a Superbowl in my lifetime, I'll watch it every year...mostly for the commercials because the game usually isn't anything too spectacular. I say "the game usually isn't anything too spectacular" half because it's true and half because I'm pouting that my team is NEVER playing. While I'm watching, my snack runs naturally take place during the boring part (the game) and then I run back to the couch in time for some Grade-A commercials with a little bowl of this.

It's quite a magical concoction. This recipe is kind of my baby...like one of those recipes that I kind of want to keep a secret for my whole life, but I won't because people should enjoy it. First off, it's going to look B-E-A-utiful with all the other awesome Superbowl snacks you've prepared because it's colorful (hence "confetti"). Second off, it's kind of a face-melter but you have the luxury of amping up the heat or cooling it down a little if you like. Third, it makes a Superbowl party-worthy sized batch, and your friends will be glad to help you eat it. And last (but certainly not least), you can give yourself a pat on the back for making a healthy snack choice...rather than a heaping plate full of greasy wings that slide right down your throat and make your hands, face, and probably your shirt a mess.

Are you having a Superbowl party? Please tell me about it! Also, tell me if you make this salsa!

Fresh Confetti Salsa
Ingredients:

• 1 red onion, minced
• 2 (10 oz) cans Rotel Diced Tomato & Green Chili Peppers, well-drained
• 1 (15 oz) can corn kernels, well-drained
• 1 (15 oz) can black beans, well-drained and rinsed
• 1 c. fresh cilantro, finely chopped (I'm a little obsessed with cilantro so I usually just use the whole bundle that you get at the store, but a cup will do if you're not crazy about it.)
• 2 tomatoes, diced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeds removed
• 2 red chili peppers, seeds removed
• 1 habanero pepper, seeds removed (If you don't like as much heat, leave this guy out.)
• 1 serrano pepper, seeds removed
• 1/4 c. sugar (trust me)
• 2 tbsp. garlic powder (NOT garlic salt)
• the juice of 1 freshly-squeezed lime
• 1 tbsp. salt (add according to your taste preference- just keep in mind that your chips will be salty)

Directions:
Mix minced onion, Rotel, corn, black beans, tomatoes, and cilantro a large bowl. After removing the seeds from peppers, coarsely chop and place in food processor until finely-chopped (this saves you the trouble of burning your flesh trying to finely-chop them yourself- yay!). Combine peppers with vegetable mix, stirring well. In a small bowl, mix sugar, garlic powder and salt. Add dry ingredients and lime juice to vegetable mix and stir thoroughly. Store in refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Enjoy! Pin It Now!

Mint Hot Chocolate Cupcakes with Toasted Marshmallow Frosting

Happy 2012!  Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season with family, friends, fun and lots of good food! I did! I know the holidays are over (because there's already Valentine's Day stuff out at Target) BUT technically, hot chocolate isn't out of season in Minnesota until like March. Plus, chocolate, coffee and mint are always in season in my book... which is why I am allowing myself to post two chocolate, mint and coffee dessert recipes back-to-back. I couldn't hold onto this one until next winter so I might as well get it out of my system now.

Let's chat about that cupcake situation you are seeing below. They are fudgy. Extremely fudgy. They have Dark Mint Chocolate Ganache filling. They are topped with Toasted Marshmallow Frosting that gives you all the excuses you need to use a kitchen torch (or just your broiler if you don't have one). They are sprinkled with crushed up candy canes. They are delicious. And they are super easy to make. I think Jesus would be totally jazzed to have these for his birthday cake. Make a batch now (before hot chocolate is out of season), then make them for Christmas in July, and then make them for His birthday this year and repeat.

Mint Hot Chocolate Cupcakes with Toasted Marshmallow Frosting

Adapted from A Cozy Kitchen

Makes 24 Cupcakes

Cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 1/4 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 c. strong-brewed, hot coffee
• 2 c. sugar
• 1 3/4 c. flour
• 1 c. unsweetened cocoa
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 c. vegetable oil
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 c. buttermilk, well-shaken

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Combine chocolate chips & hot coffee in bowl, allowing chocolate to melt & stirring until smooth. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, cocoa, soda, baking powder & salt. In another large bowl, beat eggs until slightly thickened and slowly add buttermilk, oil, vanilla & chocolate/coffee mixture, beating until combined well. Add dry ingredients and mix just until combined well. Fill lined cupcake tins 1/2 full with batter. Bake 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from cupcake tin and cool completely.

Mint Chocolate Ganache (WAY easier than it sounds)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 c. heavy cream
• 1 tbsp. butter
• 3/4 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 tsp. mint extract

Directions:

In microwave safe bowl, heat heavy cream & butter for 20-30 seconds, until boiling. Pour in chocolate chips and let stand 5 minutes before stirring. The wait time is the trick to ganache. Add mint extract and stir until smooth. Create a small, shallow hole in the center of each cooled cupcake and spoon ganache into it. 

Toasted  Marshmallow Frosting

Ingredients:

• 8 large egg whites
• 2 c. sugar
• 1 tsp. cream of tartar
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• crushed candy canes or mints for garnish

Directions:

Place egg whites, sugar, cream of tartar & vanilla in the heatproof bowl of an electric mixer. Set over saucepan of simmering water and whisk constantly until egg whites are warm to the touch and sugar is dissolved (3-4 min). (The best way to do this is to just pinch a little bit of the mixture between two fingers and run them together. If you can't feel any sugar granules, you're good to go.) Transfer bowl to electric mixer with whisk attachment and beat, gradually increasing speed to high, until stiff peaks form (5-7) minutes. (Your whisking time after transferring to the mixer will vary but you'll know your frosting is ready when you can create a "peak" by lifting a small amount up from the rest of the mixture and it doesn't just flop over.) Immediately transfer to piping bag and use to top cupcakes. Sprinkle frosted cupcakes with crushed candy canes and use a kitchen torch (or your broiler) to "toast" your frosting. Enjoy!

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Mocha Mint Truffles

The New Year is upon us and lots of people are probably thinking about New Year's resolutions. I'm thinking about it. Last year I resolved to take more pictures because I hate taking pictures (of myself, mostly); but after I make a great memory, I always wish I had a photo or two to remember it by. Some people's resolutions will last a week. Some of them will last until February...when the gym filled with the same old sweaty people starts to become less and less appealing than say...something like these truffles.

I am not telling you to break your New Year's resolution before you even make it. That would be horrible of me! I'm just saying...consider how great a fantastical flavor-meld of mint, chocolate and coffee is going to taste BEFORE you make your resolution and make room for one of these things on occasion. After all, God didn't invent the Mint Condition Mocha at Caribou for no good reason and these have all that taste wrapped into one pretty little bundle! Perhaps a good resolution would be to make a few extra friends...who can go with you to the gym...and them eat some of these truffles for you so you at least don't have to eat ALL of them.

Here's the recipe. PLEASE: Put these in the little paper cups when you are done. It just amps up the awesomeness factor. People like stuff in little individual wrappers.

Mocha Mint Truffles
Makes 5-6 dozen
Ingredients:

• 2 packages (12 ounces each) semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
• 3 tablespoons instant coffee granules
• 1/2 teaspoon mint extract
• 2 teaspoons warm water
• 1 pound chocolate candy coating (almond bark)
• 1 tbsp shortening
• White candy coating (almond bark), optional
• Green food coloring, optional

Directions:

Melt chocolate chips in microwave-safe bowl; stir until smooth. Beat in cream cheese (this works best if you've let the cream cheese sit out for a bit so that it's not so chilly). Dissolve coffee in water. Add coffee and mint extract cream cheese mixture and beat until smooth.

Let the mixture chill out in the fridge until firm enough to shape. Shape into 1-inch balls and place on a lined-baking sheet. Chill 1-2 hours or until firm.

In a microwave-safe bowl, melt chocolate coating; add shortening and stir until smooth (this keeps your truffles from getting that frosty white look). Dip formed balls in chocolate coating (allowing excess to drip off). Place on lined baking sheet and let stand until set. Melt white chocolate coating. Add 1/4 teaspoon mint extract and 1 drop green food coloring (just 1 drop will give you that pretty minty green); stir until smooth. Transfer to piping bag (I just used a Ziploc with the corner snipped off) and pipe a minty green swirl on each truffle. Allow to set and store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator until ready to serve. I made mine a few weeks ahead of the holidays and they were just as pretty and tasty as the day I made them. Enjoy!

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