Sauteed Mushrooms and Swiss Chard

For a few months now I've been getting a weekly Bountiful Basket. If you want more information check here. Basically I get a basket full of fruits and vegetables every Saturday and the best part is I have no idea what I am getting each week. It's been fun trying out different things and I am amazed at how much the kids love it. This week we got swiss chard and it has been a long time since I made anything with it so I started out safe but if we get it again I have some great plans for it. I love swiss chard because it has a ton of nutrients and doesn't have a weird taste.

Sauteed Mushrooms and Swiss Chard
1 Tbs. Olive oil
1/2 Tbs. Butter
1 Bunch of swiss chard (usually about 5-7 leaves)
slice mushrooms
2 garlic cloves, diced
salt and pepper to taste

Wash swiss chard. Then cut off the stems and set the leaves aside. Chop up the stems. Over medium heat combine butter and olive oil. Once heated add stems. If it's sizzling a lot turn the temperature down. Take the leaves and slice them into 1 inch strips. After about 6-8 minutes add the garlic and the mushrooms. Let cook for about 3 minutes and then add the chard leaves and salt and pepper. Cook until leaves begin to wilt. The leaves cook done a considerable amount so it might seem like a lot of leaves but it isn't. Once leaves begin to wilt take off the heat and serve.

It was a great side dish to our Bountiful Basket corn on the cob and free pork chops from Albertsons.

Peanut Butter Filled Dark Chocolate Cupcakes... seriously!

I found a new blog the other day. How Sweet Eats. She used to be a personal trainer so she is very fit and active and the best thing is she loves food. I've had a hard time balancing between being fit and eating all the yumminess I make. I guess that is one reason I am teaching 5 Zumba classes a week. Some people work out because they enjoy it. I do enjoy it but mostly I enjoy food and so to justify eating the following recipe I Zumba as if my life depends on it. A couple of things I like about this recipe. Dark chocolate. Peanut butter. It's easy.

I love Reese's but sometimes you have no idea how old they are. I know how old my cupcakes are. They never live past two days. Seriously try these.

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes
makes 12 cupcakes
1 1/8 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup dark cocoa powder
1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon heavy cream
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 tablespoons sour cream
1/4 cup homemade fudge sauce (recipe below)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a bowl, whisk egg and sugar until smooth and no lumps remain. Add milk, cream, butter and vanilla, and mix until combined. Stir in sour cream. Sift dry ingredients together and add to wet mixture. Mix until batter is smooth, then swirl in fudge sauce. Line a muffin tin with liners and using a 1/4 cup measure, add batter to each cup. Bake for 15-18 minutes. Let cool before frosting.


Peanut Butter Buttercream
1/2 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup peanut butter
3-4 cups of powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-2 tablespoons of milk
pinch of salt
Cream butter and peanut butter together in the bowl of an electric mixer. Add powdered sugar with mixer on low speed and gradually add milk and vanilla extract. Mix until frosting is smooth. If too thick, add more milk; if too thin, add more sugar. Frost cupcakes as desired.


Dark Chocolate Fudge Sauce
1 cup sugar
1 cup dark cocoa powder
2 tablespoons flour
pinch of salt
1 cup boiling water or scalding milk
1 tablespoon of butter
1 teaspoon of vanilla
Combine sugar, cocoa, salt, and flour in a bowl or pot over a double boiler. Bring water or milk to a boil. Gradually add hot liquid to sugar mixture. Stir constantly until mixture thickens.
Once it has reached the desired thickness, remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla. Drizzle over cupcakes and store the rest of the sauce in the fridge for 1-2 weeks.


* The only thing I did different was substitute applesauce for sour cream. I didn't have any sour cream and didn't want to run to the store. :)

Quick and Delicious Hummus

I  love hummus. I love dipping things in it and I love putting it on my sandwiches. If you haven't had hummus before a lot of people use it as a mayonnaise substitute. I love buying multigrain chips and using as a dip or even vegetables.  I used to always buy it at Costco but when my parents told me how easy it was to make I was so excited!! Here is the recipe I use.

Quick and Delicious Hummus
source: Brye Crockett

3 cups (two 15.5 oz cans) drained garbanzo beans
6 Tb. sesame tahini
6 Tb. lemon juice
1 Tb. olive oil
3-4 garlic cloves (depending on size)
1-2 tsp. ground cumin (I LOVE cumin so I do closer to 2)
Salt to taste

In food processor mix garbanzo beans, tahini. lemon juice, and garlic. While the food processor is running add the olive oil. (I think it tastes creamier when added this way.) Once creamy add spices and pulse. Season to your liking. Serve or refrigerate and serve later.

Fruit and Honey Bars

I got this recipe from my Mom and Dad (they always have a million recipes for me to try). They found it on the weight watchers website. I am not typically a "healthy" bar type person. I love my butter and sugar so I was pleasantly surprised with how great these are and everyone that has tried them has loved them to. Normally I bake these in a pan but I wanted to see how they worked baked in a cupcake pan and I have to say I love them. It's nice to pop them out of the pan rather than wait for them to cool to cut them. I did decrease my bake time to about 10-12 minutes.

Fruit and Honey Bars
1/3 c. honey
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. old fashioned rolled oats
1/2 c. instant non fat dry milk powder
1/2 c. shelled unsalted pumpkin seeds
1/2 c. unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 c.ground flaxseeds
1/2 c. dried apricots chopped
1/2 c. dried cherries
1/4 c. whole wheat flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 9 in. square baking pan with nonstick foil. Beat honey, eggs and salt in small bowl until blended. Put oats, dry milk, pumpkin seeds, coconut,flax seeds,apricots, cherries and flour in food processor and pulse until evenly moistened. Transfer dough to baking pan; press into even layer with damp fingers. Bake until center is set and edges are brown, about 20 min. Let cool slightly on rack, 10 min.. Holding foil, transfer bar from pan to cutting board. Cut into bars.

Options:
*1/2 c. mini chocolate chips: add after done baking but don't cut until cooled or you'll smear the chocolate/

*Less sweet option 1/4 c. cherries and 1/4 c. cranberries

Homemade Graham Crackers

I've never really enjoyed graham crackers. Everytime I ate them I felt like I was eating cardboard... gross!. The only time I did eat them was with chocolate and marshmallow and still they weren't great but when I came across a recipe for them and the ingredients weren't crazy weird I knew I had to try it. Can I just say how amazing these are?!? I can because it is my blog. When I makes these they hardly last a couple of days and everybody loves them.

I like mine baked a little longer so they are more graham cracker-like. Coach likes them baked less so they are more like a soft cookie. The kids aren't picky. They eat mine and his.

So look in your pantry and you'll be surprised that you have most of the stuff on hand.

Graham Crackers
adapted from Smitten Kitchen
Makes 10 4 x 4.5-inch graham crackers or 48 2-inch squares

2 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons (375 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour (a swap of 1/2 cup with whole wheat flour)
1 cup (176 grams) dark brown sugar, lightly packed (I have used light brown sugar and they were good, just a little less moist.)
1 teaspoon (6 grams) baking soda
3/4 teaspoon kosher sea salt (4 grams)
7 tablespoons (3 1/2 ounces or 100 grams) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes and frozen
1/3 cup (114 grams) honey
5 tablespoons (77 grams) milk (I've used whole and 1% and didn't notice a difference.)
2 tablespoons (27 grams) pure vanilla extract


In a food processor with steel blade combine flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt. Pulse until combined. You could also do this in a mixer with a paddle attachment but I never have. Add the butter and pulse on and off on and off, or mix on low, until the mixture is the consistency of a coarse meal.

In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, milk, and vanilla extract. Add to the flour mixture and pulse on and off a few times or mix on low until the dough barely comes together. It will be very soft and sticky. Lay out a large piece of plastic wrap and dust it lightly with flour, then turn the dough out onto it and pat it into a rectangle about 1-inch thick. Wrap it, then chill it until firm, about 2 hours or overnight.

Divide the dough in half and return one half to the refrigerator. Sift an even layer of flour onto the work surface and roll the dough into a long rectangle about 1/8 inch thick. The dough will be sticky, so flour as necessary. Trim the edges of the rectangle to 4 inches wide. Working with the shorter side of the rectangle parallel to the work surface, cut into to 2 inch squares.
Place the crackers on one or two parchment-lined baking sheets and sprinkle with the topping if desired. Chill until firm, about 30 to 45 minutes in the fridge or 15 to 20 minutes in the freezer. Repeat with the second batch of dough. Finally, gather any scraps together into a ball, chill until firm, and re-roll.
Adjust the oven rack to the upper and lower positions and preheat the oven to 350°F.


Bake for 15 to 25 minutes, until browned and slightly firm to the touch, rotating the sheets halfway through to ensure even baking. [The baking time range is long because the original recipe calls for 25 minutes but my new oven -- which I suspect runs crazy hot but have yet to confirm with the actual purchase of an oven thermometer -- had them done in way less. Be safe, check them sooner. Nobody likes a burnt cracker!]

Topping (optional)
3 tablespoons (43 grams) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon (5 grams) ground cinnamon
The topping amount will make a heavy coating, like the store-bought ones. Make only half if you just want a light-to-moderate sprinkling.