Adventures in Healthy Baking: Flourless Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies!

A couple weeks ago, I was crabby and having a bad day and wanted a brownie.  I posted so on Facebook and a friend of mine sent me a link to the recipe for some flourless brownies (Click here for the original recipe from Ambitious Kitchen). I didn’t make them then because I was too lazy, but I made them yesterday and man am I glad I did because…YUM.
I tweaked the recipe a bit, because I’m not concerned with being vegan, so I added an egg.  I also used crunchy peanut butter because I like nuts and dark chocolate chunks because I didn’t have any chips but I had a big bar of very dark chocolate.

These definitely taste like dark chocolate, so if that isn’t your thing, you’ll probably want to add some more honey and maybe a small extra ripe banana or some dates for some extra sweetness.  But I liked them just the way they turned out.

Flourless Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies

1/2 cup crunchy all-natural peanut butter (smooth would work fine too, or any nut butter for that matter)
1/4 cup raw honey (maple syrup would also work – again if you want it sweeter, maybe go up to a 1/3 cup)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg (optional – I think without the egg, they’d end up a little fudgier, like the original recipe – mine were a little more cake-like)
1/2 cup all-natural (no sugar added) applesauce
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup dark chocolate chunks (I used a few squares from a very dark chocolate bar, chopped up. Dark chocolate chips, or regular chips would work to, whatever you like – or omit them all together.)

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  You could make these in a 8x8in pan or do what I did and make them into individual muffins – for me, it made 6 good sized muffins.
-Mix together peanut butter, honey, vanilla, egg and apple sauce until smooth.
-Add cocoa, baking soda and salt – stir slowly until well mixed. (I ended up with cocoa powder all over myself, so take my word for it, stir slowly!)
-Fold in chocolate chunks.
-Pour into greased pan of your choice. My muffins took about 15 min. If you use the egg, you’ll want to make sure they’re cooked through, check with a toothpick – if it comes out clean, you’re good to go.
-Allow to cool a bit before digging in.
-Enjoy!

(Recipe adapted from original at Ambitious Kitchen)

j,ft❤

Easy Egg Muffins

Easy Egg Muffins

A yummy, healthy and quick make-ahead breakfast.

-10 Eggs
-2 Tbsp. milk of your choice
-Salt and pepper to taste
-Breakfasty toppings of your choice (I used sauteed mushrooms and green peppers, bacon, homemade breakfast sausage, cheese, green onion and spinach)

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Beat eggs, milk, salt and pepper.
3. In a well greased muffin tin, add meat, veggies, cheese of your choice.
4. Pour over egg mixture (about 1/4 cup in each).
5. Bake 25-35 min depending on your oven and pan. Basically until the’re golden brown, risen a little and the egg is cooked through.

Makes 12.  Can be stored in fridge for up to a week or frozen.

Enjoy!  Let me know if you try them and tell me what you put in em!

j,ft❤

Paleo Caesar Salad Dressing

Paleo Caesar Dressing

2 Tbsp. Anchovy paste
4 Cloves of Garlic, minced
4 Tbsp. Dijon Mustard
1 Egg Yolk
2 Tbsp. Red Wine Vinegar
Juice of 1/2 of a Lemon
1 Cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Hot Sauce, to taste (I used a few dashes of Tabasco sauce)
Salt & Fresh Ground Black Pepper, to taste

1. Put everything except the olive oil, salt and pepper in a food processor and pulse until smooth.
2. Scrape the sides and make sure everything is mixed. Turn your food processor on and slowly pour the olive oil in. 
3. Taste.  Add as much salt and pepper as you like and give it a final pulse.  
4. Pour it into a jar and stick it in the fridge for at least an hour before serving.
5. Eat it.

j,ft❤