Cranberry Cheesecake Bars Recipe

I first started making these Cranberry Cheesecake Bars just for the holidays, but I love cheesecake so much that I make it whenever the mood strikes.  

Cranberry Cheesecake Bars

Ingredients

• 3/4 c plus 1 T firmly packed brown sugar, divided
• 1 c butter, softened
• 2 c all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 c old fashioned oats
• 1 8 oz pkg cream cheese, softened
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 can whole cranberry sauce
• 2 T cornstarch

Directions

• In a large bowl, combine 3/4 c brown sugar, butter, flour, and oats until crumbly.  
• Reserve 1 1/2 cups of the mixture and set aside.  Press remaining mixture onto bottom of prepared 9x13 pan and bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, and lemon juice until smooth. 
• In a separate small bowl, combine cornstarch, cranberry sauce, and remaining 1 T brown sugar.  
• Pour cream cheese mixture onto baked crust, followed by cranberry sauce mixture.
• Top with reserved oat mixture.  
• Bake 45 minutes longer.
• Cool and cut into bars.

You can find the original recipe here on the Eagle Brand website.

Read More

Another Breakfast Muffin Recipe

Here is another breakfast muffin recipe that is yummy and packed with nutrients:

Breakfast Muffins

Ingredients

• 1 c vanilla soy milk
• 1 c old-fashioned oats
• 1 egg
• 1/4 c vegetable oil
• 1 c flour
• 1/4 c organic coconut sugar
• 2 t baking powder
• 1/4 c chia seeds
• 1/4 c ground flax seeds
• 1 c chocolate chips
• 2 T protein powder (I used Truvani Banana Cinnamon)

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a small bowl, combine milk and oats.
• Mix in the sugar, egg, and oil.
• In a small separate bowl, combine the flour and baking powder.
• Stir flour mixture into oatmeal mixture.
• Stir in the flax seed, chia seeds, chocolate chips, and protein powder.
• Pour batter into prepared muffin cups until they are 2/3 full.
• Bake for 15-17 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

It's also perfect for afterschool snack or even dessert! 

Read More

Homemade Quinoa Crisps

Whenever we fly on UA, the kids love the chocolate quinoa crisps served onboard.  I decided to try and make some myself!

I tried making them two different ways - one with toasted quinoa, and the other with cooked quinoa, dehydrated, then pan-fried (I wanted to test out different textures of the quinoa).

My kids loved both ways, but my preference was for the cooked, dehydrated quinoa.  I liked the texture of the quinoa better in this version, but the amount of time it took to dehydrate the quinoa I did not like.

Both ways are easy to make, however.  I just toasted some quinoa for the first version and added it to some melted chocolate with peanut butter (I did 1 cup of quinoa, 2 cups of chocolate, 2 T PB).  The same measurements were used for the dehydrated quinoa.

I first cooked the quinoa then dehydrated it (it was the first time I used the dehydrate function on my air fryer!).  It took 6+ hours to dehydrate.  Then I pan-fried the quinoa in a little oil to rehydrate them and crisp them. 

I spread the mixture onto parchment-lined pans (you can make it as thin or thick as you want) and refrigerated for at least an hour before I broke it into pieces.  You can also dollop them onto the parchment to make rounds.

If you use organic quinoa, organic / natural peanut butter and pure chocolate or less processed chocolate, it can be much healthier, but it's still a pretty decent snack compared to all the processed, sugar snacks out there!

Read More

Breakfast Muffin Recipe

I've been experimenting with Breakfast Muffin recipes lately since one of my kids likes to just eat something quick, and this recipe is pretty versatile!

 Ingredients:

• 1/2 c butter, softened
• 1/2 c sugar
• 1 large banana, mashed
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 c yogurt
• 2 c almond flour (you can sub with all-purpose)
• 1 t baking powder
• 1 t baking soda
• 1/2 c flax seeds
• 1 c chocolate chips
• granola (optional)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Mix butter and sugar in a large bowl until creamy.
• Mix in banana, eggs, and yogurt.
• In a separate medium bowl, combine almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, and flax.
• Stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients.
• Stir in chocolate chips.
• Pour batter into cups of prepared muffin tin, approximately 3/4 full for each cup.
• Top each cup with granola.
• Bake for 11 minutes, then increase temperature to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and bake for 5 more minutes, to get the tops golden brown. 

These muffins are great for breakfast, an afterschool snack, or even dessert!

You can also mix in chia seeds, hemp seeds, protein powder, and other ingredients you may have on hand.  

Read More

My Go-To Afterschool Snack Recipes

School has been back in session for a while now for us, which meant I'm back to prepping afterschool snacks when I can. 

Here is a roundup of a few of my go-tos, which I make weekly on a rotating basis. 

Energy Bites can be made with whatever you have on hand.  I've made them in all sorts of varieties (S'mores, Nutella, cocoa, etc., and they are freezable too!

Chocolate Covered-Mandarins (with sea salt or crushed pistachios).

Smoothies are another treat that I make with whatever fruits I have on hand.  The topping possibilities are endless!

Read More

Chocolate Macadamia Spread Swirl Bars Recipe

I love Farm Link because I find things from local businesses that I never tried before.  One such item is the Chocolate Macadamia Spread from Manoa Chocolate, and I ended up baking with it!

I made Chocolate Macadamia Spread Swirl Bars which turned out really soft, chewy, and delicious!

Chocolate Macadamia Spread Swirl Bars

Ingredients:

• 1/2 c creamy peanut butter
• 1/3 c butter, softened
• 3/4 c brown sugar
• 3/4 c white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 t vanilla
• 1 c flour
• 1 t baking powder
• 1 c chocolate chips
• 1/4 c Chocolate Macadamia Spread

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Mix peanut butter, butter, and sugars until smooth.
• Add in eggs and vanilla and mix well.
• Mix in flour and baking powder.
• Stir in chocolate chips.
• Spread mixture into 9x13 pan.
• Add dollops of Chocolate Macadamia Nut spread to top of mixture and swirl with a knife.
• Bake for 33-35 minutes.
• Enjoy!

 

Read More

Gyudon Recipe

While in South Korea, my youngest son loved eating Gyudon, which is actually a popular Japanese dish.

It seemed easy enough to make at home, so I found a recipe online and worked with what I had or bought so I could make it for him.

I took 1 lb of shabu shabu beef, since it was already thinly sliced, and cut it into 2-3" pieces. 

I mixed 1 cup dashi (I tried the Foodland Umami Dashi), 2 T sugar, 2 T water, 2 T mirin, and 6 T soy sauce.  

I poured the sauce in the bottom of a pan, placed onion slices (1 large onion) on top, and then the beef on top of the onions.

I then covered it and cooked on medium heat until browned, skimming the fat with a strainer.

Once everything was cooked and mixed, I poured some sauce over hot rice, then added the meat and onions.

I topped with green onion curls and an onsen egg!

It was quick and easy, and turned out super delish!

You can find the original recipe here at Just One Cookbook.

Read More

Spinach Artichoke Lasagna

I love a good veggie dish, and after seeing a Spinach & Artichoke Lasagna recipe in Health magazine, I decided to give it a try.

I took a 15 oz package of thawed, chopped spinach (undrained) and mixed with a 12-oz jar of marinated, chopped artichokes.  I then took 3 chopped shallots (the recipe called for 1 leek, but I couldn't find any at the grocery store) and sauteed with 4 minced garlic cloves in 2 T olive oil and 2 T butter for 3-4 minutes.  I added 1/3 c flour, stirring constantly for an additional minute.  I whisked in 4 c whole milk, stirring until thickened, 6-7 minutes.  I sprinkled in 1 1/2 t salt.

In a prepared 13x9 baking dish, I layered 1 c of the white sauce, then 3 no-boil lasagna noodles, and then 1/2 of the spinach and artichoke mixture, followed by 1/3 of the remaining white sauce and 1/2 c shredded mozzarella (the original recipe called or fontina, but the store didn't have that either).  Then I made another layer of noodles, then spinach mixture, then sauce, then cheese, then topped with more noodles and sauce.  I baked covered for 35 minutes in a preheated 400-degree Fahrenheit oven, then sprinkled with 1/3 c mozzarella, and cooked for 15 minutes more.  I garnished with parsley before serving.

YUMMY!!!

Read More

Chocolate Tahini Cookies Recipe

After I made the Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies, I decided to try and make them even more chocolaty by using Soom Foods' Chocolate Tahini.

They turned out so yummy! 

If you're a chocolate lover, definitely give this a try!

Chocolate Tahini Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1/2 c butter, softened
• 1/2 c Soom Foods Premium Chocolate Tahini
• 1/2 c sugar
• 1/2 c packed brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 t vanilla extract
• 1 c flour
• 3/4 t baking soda
• 1 t sea salt
• 2 cups chocolate chips
• flaky sea salt to finish

Directions:

• In a medium bowl, combine the butter, tahini, and sugars until creamy.
• Mix in the eggs and vanilla.
• In a separate medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and sea salt.
• Mix in the dry ingredients with the sugar mixture.
• Stir in the chocolate chips.
• Refrigerate dough for at least 1 hour.
• Scoop dough into 2-inch balls and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
• Bake in a pre-heated 325-degree Fahrenheit oven for 10-13 minutes.
• Let sit on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

 

Read More

Air Fryer Portabella Pizzas

I love mushrooms, so I decided to try and make Portabella Pizzas in the Air Fryer.

First I cleaned and removed the gills from 4 large portabella mushroom caps.  I then drizzled with olive oil on both sides, and roasted for for 5 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit, caps facing down.

I then topped with pizza sauce, mushrooms, olives, and mozzarella cheese, and baked for another 5 minutes (until the cheese was melted and golden).

Top with whatever your heart desires!

I'm still a newbie when it comes to the air fryer, and my chef friend said I should roast the mushrooms for longer next time to get more of the water out, so I will definitely try that next time!

Read More

Oatmeal Banana Chia Muffins

 

I saw a recipe for muffins in Health magazine that called for ingredients I already had on hand, so I decided to give it a try, with some tweaks (I added chia seeds and used chocolate tahini).  

These muffins are great for breakfast, snack, or even dessert!

Oatmeal Banana Chia Muffins

Ingredients:

• 3 large bananas - 1 mashed, 2 cut into slices
• 1 1/3 c almond milk
• 3 T chocolate tahini
• 2 T ground flaxseed
• 1 T chia seeds
• 5 T maple syrup
• 2 c old fashioned oats
• 1 1/4 t baking powder
• 3/4 t ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 t fresh lemon juice

Directions:

• Combine mashed banana, almond milk, chocolate tahini, ground flaxseed, and chia seeds in a medium bowl.
• In a separate medium bowl, combine oats, baking powder, and cinnamon.
• Stir banana mixture into oat mixture.
• Stir in sliced bananas.
• Pour batter into prepared muffin tin.  
• Place a sliced banana on each, and sprinkle with more chia seeds.
• Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 minutes.

You can find the original recipe in the May 2021 issue of Healthy magazine.

Read More

Banana Bread Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies taste just like Chocolate Chip Banana Bread, but in cookie form!  So yummy!

Banana Bread Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 overripe medium banana, mashed
• 1/2 c melted butter
• 3/4 c brown sugar, packed
• 1 egg
• 1 t vanilla extract
• 1 1/3 c flour
• 1/2 t baking soda
• 2 t ground cinnamon
• 1/2 t salt
• 1 1/2 c chocolate chips

Directions:

• In a large bowl, mix the melted butter, brown sugar, and mashed banana. 
• Mix in the egg and vanilla.
• Mix in flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon. 
• Mix in the chocolate chips. 
• Scoop 2-inch balls of dough and place onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet.
• Bake for 12-13 minutes in a preheated 350°F oven.
• Let sit on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.

View the original recipe here on Broma.

Read More

Easy From-Scratch Pancakes

Why buy a mix when you can make pancakes from basic staple ingredients that you probably have at home?

Pancakes

Ingredients:

• ¾ c milk
• 2 T white vinegar
• 1 c all-purpose flour
• 2 T white sugar
• 1 t baking powder
• ½ t baking soda
• 1 egg
• 2 T butter, melted

Directions:

• Pour vinegar into milk; stir and set aside for 5 minutes. 
• Stir egg and butter into milk. 
• Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda in a medium bowl. 
• Pour flour mixture into milk mixture and whisk until batter is smooth. 
• Pour batter by 1/4 cup onto non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.  
• Cook 2-4 minutes on each side, until golden brown.

You can find the original recipe here on Allrecipes.

Read More

Chocolate Candy Cane Kiss Cookies

These festive cookies are a cinch to make!  You simply need some basic cookie-making ingredients, as well as a bag of Hershey's Kisses Candy Cane!

Chocolate Candy Cane Kiss Cookies

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 c flour
• 1 t salt
• 1 t baking soda
• 1 c butter (2 sticks), softened
• 1 c sugar
• 1 c packed brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 T vanilla
• 1/2 c unsweetened cocoa
• 1 1/2 c chocolate chips
• 1 9oz bag Hershey's Kisses Candy Cane

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 
• In a medium bowl, combine flour, salt, and baking soda. 
• In a separate large bowl, mix together butter, sugars, eggs, vanilla and cocoa. 
• Add flour mixture into butter mixture and mix until combined. 
• Stir in chocolate chips.
• Drop dough by tablespoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets and bake approximately 10 minutes. 
• While the cookies are baking, roughly chop a dozen Kisses.
• Melt the remaining Kisses in the microwave on high.  Drizzle on the baked cookies.
• Sprinkle on the chopped Kisses.

 

Read More

Blueberry Bundt Cake

We seem to always have fresh or frozen blueberries on hand, and since it's been a very long time since I last made a bundt cake, I decided to make a blueberry one! 

It's super yummy as a dessert, but could make a great breakfast too!

Eat it as is, or whip up some icing to drizzle on! 

Blueberry Bundt Cake

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 1 c sugar
• ½ c vegetable oil
• 1 T vanilla
• 1 c vanilla Greek yogurt
• 2 c flour
• 2 t baking powder
• 1 t baking soda
• 2 c fresh or frozen blueberries 

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
• In a large bowl, mix the eggs, sugar, oil, vanilla, and yogurt until combined.  
• Mix in the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. 
• Stir in the blueberries.
• Pour the batter into a prepared bundt pan, and bake for approximately 40 minutes.  

You can find the original recipe here on Melanie Cooks.

Read More

Recipe - Key Lime Pie

One of my mom's favorite desserts is key lime pie, and since it was her birthday, I wanted to make a key lime pie for her birthday dinner celebration.  I decided to try this recipe entitled "My Mom's Key Lime Pie" from Marie Saba's website. It looked simple enough for me to make and I had most of the ingredients on-hand. I did need to buy heavy whipping cream, fresh limes, and sour cream, as those items are not usually in my kitchen. Tip: use a ready-made crust (pre-made frozen pie crusts work really well!).

Here's a recap of how I made this:

While the pre-made pie crust was baking in the oven, I combined 1 cup of sugar, 3 tablespoons of corn starch, 1 cup of heavy cream,  1/4 cup of unsalted butter (half a stick), 1/3 cup of fresh lime juice, and lime zest in a pot and continuously stirred it over medium heat until it started to boil. Then I reduced the heat and continued to stir it for another 10 minutes until it became thick, then I removed it from the heat and set it aside to allow it to cool down. By then, the pie crust was done, so I removed it from the oven and allowed it to cool as well. Once everything has cooled down, I folded in 1 cup of sour cream and stirred it until well blended, then I poured the mixture into the pie crust, and placed the pie in the refrigerator, and within 4 hours, it was set and ready to eat! No baking needed. I could have made whipped cream from scratch, but I decided to just bring a can of whipped cream for those who wanted to top their slices with whipped cream. 

My mom loved the pie, and she's usually a pretty harsh critic. If you or someone you know loves key lime pie, you must try this recipe!  Click here to see the recipe.

 

Read More

Baba Ganoush Recipe

I love Baba Ganoush, and I actually made some of my own using Soom Foods Premium Tahini and Eggplant from Sensei Farms! 

It turned out so yummy - even the kids ate it up!

Baba Ganoush

Ingredients:

• 1 large eggplant
• 4 T Soom Foods Premium Tahini
• 1/2 t garlic, crushed
• 3 T lemon juice
• 4 T cold water
• 1/2 t salt
• 1 T olive oil + more to drizzle on eggplant when roasting
• black pepper to taste
• smoked paprika to garnish

Directions:

• Cut eggplant in half lengthwise.  Drizzle with olive oil, place cut side down on a foil-lined baking sheet, and roast in a 350-degree Fahrenheit pre-heated oven until tender (about 15 minutes).
• Place the eggplant into a bowl of cold water.  Once cool, peel and squeeze out any pulp, and mash with a fork.  
•  In a blender, mix the tahini, garlic, and lemon juice.  Slowly add in the water to thin, and mix.
• Add in the eggplant, salt, pepper, and olive oil, and blend until smooth.
• Pour contents into a bowl; garnish with smoked paprika

Mahalo to Chef Brian of Na`au for the recipe!

Read More

Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies

I had no idea tahini would taste so yummy in chocolate chip cookies until I made them.  I was given some Premium Tahini from Soom Foods, and they gave the cookies a nice nuttiness and creaminess to the cookies.  This may be one of my new favorite cookie recipes!

Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1/2 c butter, softened
• 1/2 c Soom Foods Premium Tahini
• 1/2 c sugar
• 1/2 c packed brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 t vanilla extract
• 1 c flour
• 3/4 t baking soda
• 1 t sea salt
• 2 cups chocolate chips
• flaky sea salt to finish

Directions:

• In a medium bowl, combine the butter, tahini, and sugars until creamy.
• Mix in the eggs and vanilla.
• In a separate medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and sea salt.
• Mix in the dry ingredients with the sugar mixture.
• Stir in the chocolate chips.
• Refrigerate dough for at least 1 hour.
• Scoop dough into 2-inch balls and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
• Bake in a pre-heated 325-degree Fahrenheit oven for 10-13 minutes.
• Let sit on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Recipe adapted from davidlebovitz.com.  You can get the original recipe here.

Read More

Arugula Pesto

Disclosure: Complimentary product was received.

I was fortunate to have received a lot of beautiful produce from Sensei Farms.  I made so many things with the veggies, one of which was Arugula Pesto.

I simply took 2 garlic cloves, halved + 2 T walnuts + 2 c tightly packed arugula (washed, dried, stemmed) + 1/2 t salt + 1/2 c olive oil + 1/3 c grated Parmesan cheese, and blended all until smooth.

The pesto had a nice peppery kick to it from the arugula, and it tasted delish in grilled cheese and drizzled on tomato soup!

Read More

Three-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies

 

If you're in a pinch and need a dessert quick, make these Three-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies!

Simply take 1 cup creamy peanut butter, 1 cup white sugar, and 1 egg, and combine!  Scoop the batter onto a cookie sheet (approximately 2 Tablespoons-full), and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10-13 minutes.

Once cool, dip them in chocolate (I melt 1 c chocolate chips with 1 T shortening for 60 seconds on high in the microwave; stir until smooth - heat for another 30 seconds if necessary), and sprinkle on some sea salt flakes.

You'll have dessert on the table in a flash!

Read More