Healthy Ways to Indulge a Chocolate Craving

April 21, 2016 by greystar

Many people have a sweet tooth that creates a craving for chocolate, but while the occasional indulgence is okay, eating too much chocolate could be the end to your healthy diet. Here are a few healthy ways to eat chocolate that will keep you right on track when a craving strikes.

Chocolate Tart with Hazelnut Shortbread Crust [Eating Well]
Make this seemingly decadent dessert the next time you have friends over for dinner, and no one will even know that it’s actually healthy. With just over 250 calories per serving and six grams of protein, you’ll get the taste of chocolate without feeling weighed down.

Black Bean Brownies [Chocolate Covered Katie]
While the addition of black beans to brownies may seem strange at first, you won’t even be able to taste the protein-packed beans when they’re masked by the rich, dense chocolate flavor. These brownies are also flourless, which is great for low-carb diets.

Healthy Homemade Chocolate [Wellness Mama]
Instead of grabbing a fat- and sugar-packed candy bar from the checkout counter at the grocery store, make your own healthier version at home. This recipe includes only four ingredients, and because they’re all natural, you won’t have to worry about ingesting any chemicals and unnatural ingredients.

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr whatkatiesbaking.com

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Tagged With: Chocolate, Dessert, Food, Recipes

Enjoy These Sweet Lava Cake Recipes

March 3, 2016 by greystar

With warm, gooey chocolate inside of a moist cake exterior, molten lava cake is a chocolate lover’s dream. This decadent dessert may look like a gourmet treat, but it’s actually surprisingly easy to make. Here are two sweet and simple molten lava cake recipes!

Paula Deen’s Molten Lava Cakes [Food Network]
Everything that Food Network host Paula Deen makes is delightfully sinful, and these Molten Lava Cakes are no exception. They take just 30 minutes to prepare, and the mix of bittersweet and semisweet chocolate with orange liqueur adds a unique taste that your guests and family will love.

Healthier Molten Lava Cakes for Two [Texanerin Baking]
If you want to cut calories while still maintaining the indulgent taste and texture, this Healthier Molten Lava Cake recipe from Texanerin Baking is the perfect choice. It makes just enough for two people so that you can share with a friend, but you won’t be tempted with leftovers. Plus, the dark chocolate and espresso powder add major chocolate flavor without the added sugar of milk chocolate.

CC-BY-SA-2.0/Flickr/Alpha

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Tagged With: Dessert, Food, Molten Lava Cake, Recipes

These Recipes for Fresh Strawberries Are Berry Delicious

August 20, 2015 by greystar

Strawberries taste delicious all on their own, so imagine how tasty they’ll be when expertly combined with other creative ingredients. If you want to make sweet and savory dishes that utilize your favorite fruit, these strawberry recipes are a great resource.

Berry “Pizza”
This dessert combines the rich, tangy taste of ricotta cheese with sweet and fragrant strawberries into individual pies. Flour tortillas create the crust, while the ricotta imitates the cheese of a more traditional pizza pie. If that’s not already enough, the small, individual sizes of these desserts are just simply adorable.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Bread
Make a sweet breakfast treat that the whole family will love with this recipe for Strawberry Cream Cheese Bread. The cream cheese adds a creamy texture, while the chunks of fresh strawberries create a lovely pop of pink color. The end result is dense and sweet, and it tastes perfect when paired with a steaming cup of hot coffee.

Grilled Mahi Mahi Tacos with Strawberry Salsa
Fish tacos are a lunch or dinnertime favorite, but they’re only enhanced by the sweet and spicy taste of a homemade strawberry salsa. Add an avocado sour cream dipping sauce, and this dish will secure a place on your list of favorite recipes!

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr/elizaraxi

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Tagged With: Berries, Food, Recipes, Salad

Any Novice Baker Can Master These Easy Shortbread Cookie Recipes

May 21, 2015 by greystar

Whether you dip it into a steaming cup of tea or serve it as a treat for dessert, rich, buttery shortcake is a classic cookie that just about everyone enjoys. There are a wide variety of ways to make shortbread, and there are even more delicious toppings to bring out that creamy flavor. Here are two of the best shortbread recipes.

Ina Garten’s Shortbread Cookies [The Food Network]
Ina Garten of The Barefoot Contessa offers a traditional shortbread cookie recipe that’s anything but boring. Unsalted butter, vanilla, and sugar combine to create the signature sweet, buttery taste, while a pinch of salt helps to enrich the already delicious flavor. After the cookies are done, Garten recommends drizzling them with semisweet chocolate as a topping.

Scottish Shortbread [Allrecipes]
Prepared just like they used to make it in Scotland, this recipe uses only real, full flavor ingredients to create the beloved cookie. Real butter and brown sugar spare no expense when it comes to taste, and the recipe itself is so simple that just about anyone can make it.

CC-BY-SA-2.0/Flickr/lindseywb

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Tagged With: Dessert, Food, Recipes, Shortbread

Having Everyone Over to Watch the Big Game? Check Out These Football-Themed Recipes!

September 18, 2014 by greystar

The only thing better than seeing your team score the winning touchdown? An excuse to indulge in some utensil-free finger foods! These game-changing recipes promise to keep mouths happily snacking during the big football game—when they're not busy yelling at the TV, that is!

Cheesy Pull-Apart Bread [browneyedbaker.com]
Requiring only a loaf of bread, some cheese, garlic, and scallions, this quick and easy recipe is good in a pinch. Simply cut a grid pattern into a loaf of bread, drizzle a garlic-oil mixture over top, then pop it into the oven. After the bread has toasted, remove it from the oven, tuck cheese into all of the crevices, then continue to bake until it's golden-brown. Your guests will get a kick out of pulling the gooey, cheesy bread bites away from the loaf.

Homemade Pretzel Dogs [thefoodcharlatan.com]
This recipe creates the quitessential party snack: pigs in a blanket. These pigs, however, are tucked into made-from-scratch soft pretzel dough for a salty, savory snack your guests will love. Serve them with a bowl of yellow mustard for dipping.

Peanut Butter Football Dip [crazyforcrust.com]
For the football fanatic with a sweet tooth, this dessert dip doesn't disappoint. Cream cheese, peanut butter, vanilla extract, and chocolate chips are combined to create a decadent dip, which is then molded into a football shape. Serve the dip with mini pretzels for a salty-sweet treat.

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr/Steven Depolo

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Tagged With: Cooking, Entertaining, Football, Recipes

Sweet Recipes for Tres Leches Cake

August 21, 2014 by greystar

If you haven’t heard of tres leches cake before, you’re in for a real treat. This traditional Latin American cake combines a simple sponge cake with evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and heavy cream to create a moist, delicious cake that’s unlike any other type of dessert. Here are two delicious ways to prepare a unique tres leches cake.

The Pioneer Woman’s Tres Leches Cake [The Pioneer Woman]
The Pioneer Woman’s Tres Leches Cake recipe involves a homemade sponge cake that’s already moist and delicious. She recommends drizzling the three milk mixtures all over the entire cake once it’s cool, and she even proposes the option of adding rum to give the cake an even more distinct flavor.

Tres Leches Cake [Allrecipes]
With three layers— cake itself, the filling, and the topping—this Tres Leches Cake uses a traditional recipe that makes it taste just as sweet and delicious as the original. Sprinkle some cinnamon on top to add a bit of extra spice to the rich, creamy flavor.

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr/Hungry Dudes

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Tagged With: Dessert, Food, Recipes, Tres Leches

Deliciously Simple Uses for Fresh Watermelon

June 19, 2014 by greystar

Fresh watermelon is a cool, refreshing snack, but it has a number of other uses as well. If you’re looking for unique watermelon dishes outside of the usual fruit salad, these delicious (and incredibly simple!) recipes can help.

Watermelon Agua Fresca
Traditional agua frescas are made with simple fruit juices and sweeteners, and they’re often served by vendors and restaurants all over Mexico. This one incorporates watermelon, club soda, and lime juice to give it its refreshing taste.

Watermelon Salad with Mint and Crispy Prosciutto
Opposites often attract when it comes to food, and this salad is a wonderful example. The salty taste of the prosciutto blends perfectly with the cool mint and juicy watermelon to create a summer salad that’s perfect for dinner outdoors.

Raspberry Watermelon Lemonade
This sweet lemonade is given an extra fruity flavor by adding plump, juicy raspberries and cubed watermelon. Leaving the fruit pulp in the mix gives it an extra bit of texture.

Watermelon Gazpacho
Chilled gazpacho soup is perfect on a hot day, and this one is made with watermelon, blanched almonds, and fresh garlic cloves that create a sweet and savory combination. Interestingly, plain old white bread gives the soup its thick, dense consistency.

CC-BY-SA-2.0/Flickr/Harsha K R

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Tagged With: Food, Recipes, Summer, Watermelon

Delicious (and Healthy!) Frittata Recipes

March 20, 2014 by greystar

More elegant than your usual omelet but a bit easier to make than a quiche, the simple frittata is a delicious, versatile breakfast or brunch dish. These recipes will teach you how to make gourmet-quality frittatas right from the comfort of your own kitchen.

Green Chile Frittata
If you love the zesty flavor of the green chili pepper, this frittata recipe is perfect for your next breakfast or brunch meal. It is a rich, creamy dish with just the right amount of spiciness, and its variety of different cheeses add a bit of complexity that you won’t find in just any frittata. Because most of the ingredients are non-fat or low-fat, you’ll also save a few calories along the way.

Potato and Pepper Frittata
Add a bit more substance to your usual frittata with the soft, hearty potatoes in this recipe. Red peppers, bacon and goat cheese add a ton of lively flavor, and they even make this frittata a great part of lunch or dinner, too.

Roasted Vegetable Frittata
Full of fresh vegetables and a hearty, roasted flavor, this elegant frittata is great for days when you have a bit of extra time to spend preparing breakfast. Because it uses a dozen eggs, this dish also makes the perfect main course for serving a large group of people.