Author: Rachel Bernard

Rachel is a lover of food, the outdoors, her dog and spending therapeutic amounts of time in her haven -- the kitchen.

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Recipes

How to Make Cranberry-Orange Scones with a Maple Glaze

Fall is upon us, and if you’re looking to get a spicy Nutmeg smell lingering throughout your house, boy have I got a little recipe for you! Today, we’re making Cranberry-Orange Scones, a bit of a jump from the traditional Foodbeast-type product that’s layered with bacon, drowning in cheese and swimming in its own fat — but on an equally delicious platform of its own.

With a touch of slivered almonds, sweet cranberry bits, and a maple glaze on top, this isn’t your normal scone! They are light and delicate, guaranteed to fall apart in your mouth with every bite. Pair with coffee or tea in the morning with breakfast, and you’ll be set.

Here’s the crack list:

Cranberry-Orange Scones
Ingredients:
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 stick Earth Balance (butter, cold)
  • 3 tablespoons organic sugar
  • 1 1/3 tablespoons orange zest
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 cup organic dried cranberries
  • 2 organic eggs
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • + 1/3 tablespoon milk
  • handful of slivered almonds
Egg Wash: 1 egg + 1-2 tablespoons milk (beat together)
Glaze: 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar + 4 tablespoons orange juice
Directions: Preheat oven to 400f. In a large bowl, beat flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and orange zest. Mix in the cold butter, until you reach a cornmeal-like consistency. In a small bowl, combine milk and eggs; whisk. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture, stirring slowly until just blended. Fold the cranberries and slivered almonds into the mixture. Place dough onto a flour-dusted cutting board and knead until it forms into a ball. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out until it reaches about 3/4 to 1 inch thickness. Use a cookie cutter or mason jars to cut out desired sizes. Brush the dough with the egg wash, and place in the oven for 25-30 minutes. Scones should be a golden brown and look a bit flaky when finished.  Allow scones to cool before drizzling with glaze.
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Recipes

Here is How to Make Black Bean Hummus

A lot of people miss out on the greatness of hummus. For instance, the taste pairs with pretty much anything (crackers, chips, on sandwiches!), can be almost any flavor you would like and it is one delightful snack on those very warm summer days.

When those incredibly warm summer days start to roll in, most immediately turn to fruit for a refreshing snack…great! But, don’t forget to get those veggies in too! My favorite warm summer day snack is a plate full of sliced veggies and a big bowl of healthy hummus to dip it in. My top choice for a base, black bean! Next time you are craving that refreshing snack to cool you down, give this black bean hummus a try…. it takes 5 minutes, honest! And, I promise you will be refreshed:

Recipe: Black Bean Hummus
Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons tahini
  • 2 tablespoons squeezed lime juice
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon cumin, ground
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

In a food processor, blend all ingredients until smooth. If it needs more herbs, spice or garlic, add some more! 🙂

Serve cold with sliced bell pepper, pita chips, white grain crackers or gluten free tortilla chips.

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Recipes

Here is How to Make Spicy Kale Chips

Amongst the many greens we have available, I feel like Kale kind of gets pushed to the side more than often! Why? Some say the texture, considering it’s a bit more rough than your average leaf. What people tend to forget is that not only does this green taste incredible, it is packed with healthy nutrients!

Here is a simple, easy recipe that will help wean you onto Kale:

Kale Chips
Directions: 
  • Preheat oven to 350F.
  • Line baking sheet with parchment or Silpat.
  • Toss kale in large bowl with olive oil, just until the leaves are lightly coated and glistening.
  • Spread kale onto baking sheet, leaving a little bit of space to breathe.
  • Sprinkle kale with seasonings, in this case, red cayenne, salt and pepper, to your liking.
  • Bake for 12-14 minutes, tossing halfway through.

Enjoy:

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Recipes

Here is How to Make Ice Cream Sandwiches

Although Summer calls for tarty fruit dishes (my favorite!), sometimes you have to go the easy route and whip out some old fashioned Ice Cream Sandwiches.

These treats are a cinch, and you will be popping them out of the freezer to eat in no-time. Just some advice, if you are impatient (I don’t blame you, they are great!) you can use store bought chocolate chip cookies — however if you want a real, hearty ice cream sandwich, whip up some homemade cookies. The homemade ones give it that real rich, old fashioned sandwich you are looking for.

Chocolate Chip-Pretzel Cookies

  • 2 1/4 cup flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 cup Earth Balance (butter)
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 cups chocolate chips
  • 1 – 1/2 cups crushed pretzels

Directions:

  1. Pre-heat oven to 375F.
  2. Mix flour, baking soda, salt in a bowl; Set aside.
  3. Cream butter, sugars and vanilla until light and fluffy.
  4. Add eggs to wet mixture, one at a time.
  5. Slowly add flour mixture; mixing until fully combined.
  6. Fold in chocolate chips and pretzels.
  7. Bake for 10-12 minutes.

Once cookies have cooled out of oven, freeze them for a little while until semi-frozen. Then, fill center of two with ice cream, placing back in the freezer until they are at least semi-frozen together. The freezing of cookies before helps from the ice cream melting much when in between the (room temp, if not frozen) cookies.

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Recipes

Here’s How to Make Chocolate Chip Pretzel Cookies

Sometimes in life, you need a change of pace — and you just need to spice things up a bit. Maybe that means consistently taking a jog after work, visiting a new restaurant every week with a friend, or simply, adding pretzels to your chocolate chip cookies….

These cookies aren’t your original cookie, they are better. Infinitely better. Here’s how to make them:

Chocolate Chip-Pretzel Cookies

  • 2 1/4 cup flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 cup Earth Balance (butter)
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 cups chocolate chips
  • 1 – 1/2 cups crushed pretzels

Directions:

  1. Pre-heat oven to 375F.
  2. Mix flour, baking soda, salt in a bowl; Set aside.
  3. Cream butter, sugars and vanilla until light and fluffy.
  4. Add eggs to wet mixture, one at a time.
  5. Slowly add flour mixture; mixing until fully combined.
  6. Fold in chocolate chips and pretzels.
  7. Bake for 10-12 minutes.
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Recipes

Here’s How to Make Peanut Butter Banana Bread

I don’t think you can ever have too many different varieties of banana bread. Whether it’s sweetened up with blueberries, rich with chocolate chips, or simply, plain ole banana bread –it’s a bread that will never fail to impress.

For myself, I can’t imagine anything better than a warm slice of it and a mug of coffee to start off a midweek morning. Here’s a quick recipe so you can enjoy that same type of euphoric midweek breakfast that I do:

Peanut Butter Banana Bread
  • 1 1/2 cups mashed banana
  • 1/3 cup plain greek yogurt
  • 1/3 cup peanut butter
  • 3 tablespoons Earth Balance (butter), melted
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon salt
Directions:
  1. Heat oven to 350F.
  2. In a large bowl, mix banana’s, greek yogurt, peanut butter, butter and eggs until smooth.
  3. Add both sugars to this mixture, combining well.
  4. In a small bowl, mix flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt; Add to the wet mixture.
  5. When fully combined, pour batter into pre-greased 9×5 loaf pan and bake for 1 hour (or until toothpick test comes out very close to clean).
  6. Cool, and serve.
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Recipes

Here is How to Make Sweet Champagne Lemonade

Summer is here. Biggest question hat’s Summer without a nice, big BBQ?! Next, what’s a big summer BBQ without a refreshing beverage to sip on?

Let me introduce you to Sweet Champagne Lemonade — a perfect solution to getting refreshed and unique during those warm summer days. It only requires a few ingredients and just a couple minutes of your time, then you can head on back to the BBQ fun. Did I mention this is refreshingly delicious?! 😉

Sweet (healthier and simple) Champagne Lemonade
  • Prosecco
  • Sweet lemons
  • Agave Nectar (get out of here with those simple syrups!)
  • Berries of your choice
(for a single drink)
  • Juice one sweet lemon with your citrus juicer.
  • Drop about 1-2 teaspoons (depending on your sweetness level) into the fresh, squeezed juice and stir until full combined.
  • Fill a champagne glass (or if you want to get mean, as in tough, a Mason Jar) about half way to 3/4 the way full.
  • Pour your sweet lemon juice mixture into the Prosseco and give a tiny stir.
  • Top with your choice of berries, or no berries at all.
  • You can also (before pouring in any liquid) coat your glass rim with sugar.

 

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Recipes

Apple Cinnamon Cashew Cookies

Normally when you think “cookie” you think chocolate, nuts, oatmeal, milk? … ever think of fruit?

This Apple Cinnamon Cashew Cookie is light, full of spice and tastes oh-so very close to an apple pie. MM! Just a cinnamon cookie base tossed with baked cinnamon apples and roasted cashews to make it a little more than just your average cookie. Spice up your next dinner party, bbq, or just a simple night at home, in your PJs watching movies with this very simple, very quick recipe.

And, if you ask me, they taste even better for breakfast! 🙂

Baked Apple Cinnamon Cashew Cookies

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon + 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped granny apples
  • 1 cup chopped cashews
  • 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) butter
  • 3/4 cup sugar + 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 egg

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a bowl (1), combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt; set aside. Chop up your Granny Apple’s into small chunk, as well as your cashews. In a small bowl (2), add apple chunks, then sprinkle with teaspoon cinnamon and tablespoon sugar, and toss. In that same bowl, mix in cashews and white chocolate bits; set aside.

In a large bowl (3), whip butter and sugars (brown and white) until light and fluffy. Add your egg and vanilla, then mix until combined. Gradually add in your flour mixture. Then fold in your apple/cashew/chocolate mixture. On a Silpat or parchment-lined baking sheet, place about 1 tablespoon size balls of dough about an inch apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes.