Healthy Buckeye Bars

I know, HEALTHY BUCKEYE sounds like an oxymoron, but these aren't your grandma's buckeyes. Healthy ingredients like coconut oil, natural peanut butter, and agave nectar make these melt-in-your-mouth morsels a treat you can go back for seconds on--guilt free!

I took some of my first batch to the bootcamp class I teach to share afterwards, and no one could believe they were actually good for them. Unlike traditional buckeyes that have butter, peanut butter and a ton of powdered sugar, these are full of healthy fats and low-glycemic, unrefined sweetener.

Here's how it's done: 

Line a 8"x8" or 9"x 9" dish with wax paper.

Mix 1 1/4  cups of natural peanut butter with 1/3 cup of melted coconut oil and 1/4 cup of light agave nectar.

Place in the fridge or freezer to harden.

While the peanut butter layer is hardening, whisk together 1/3 cup melted coconut oil, 1/3 cup cocoa powder, 1/4 cup real maple syrup or light agave nectar, 1/2 tsp vanilla. 

Spread over chilled peanut butter layer. Return to the refrigerator or freezer.

 Once it is chilled through, pull up edges of wax paper to remove from dish.

Cut into bars.

 And Enjoy!

Healthy Buckeye Bars

Makes 8x8 inch square pan

Peanut Butter Layer:

1 1/4 cups natural peanut butter (creamy or crunchy)

1/3 cup  unscented* coconut oil, softened (or just barely melted)

1/4 cup real maple syrup or light agave nectar

Chocolate Layer:

1/3 cup unscented* coconut oil, melted

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1/4 cup real maple syrup or light agave nectar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

*Scented coconut oil can be used, but coconut flavor undertones may be present.

Directions:

1. Line a 8x8 or 9x9 inch square baking dish with a sheet of wax paper covering bottom and sides . Set aside.

2. In a medium mixing bowl, mix peanut butter, coconut oil and agave nectar until smooth. Spread in prepared pan and place in refrigerator or freezer to set.

3. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together melted coconut oil cocoa powder and agave nectar. Stir in vanilla. Spread chocolate mix over chilled peanut butter layer. Return to fridge or freezer to set.

4. Once bars are chilled (after 1 hr+), pull wax paper edges to remove from the pan. Use a sharp knife to cut into bars. Store in an airtight container in fridge or freezer.

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Protein & Fiber Rich Blueberry Bars

This summer FLEW by for our family and fall has sneaked up on me like a ninja in the night. I didn't do HALF of what I had planned to this summer, but one thing I did do was go blueberry picking-- twice! So, my freezer has an abundance of blueberries.  

So although blueberry season is over, I wanted to share this new-favorite recipe I developed that uses blueberries (fresh or frozen!) and is full of healthy redeeming value. You can feel good about your family indulging in these puppies!

I had to hide away two of these bars to photograph soon after I made them because they were disappearing so fast! They were yummy right out of the oven, but also once they cooled.  They have a buttery, whole-wheat and oatmeal crust, a sweet, lemony tofu-based filling, and are topped with blueberries and more buttery wheat and oatmeal goodness. 

The whole wheat, oatmeal and blueberries provide a significant amount of healthy fiber, and the tofu adds a shot of protein that make these bars not only yummy, but pretty darn healthy for a delectable dessert! 

This was my first experience using tofu in a dessert. I was a bit apprehensive. I didn't tell my family what was in these until they had tried them.  I was THRILLED that they turned out so well and were so enjoyed! Win-Win!!

I made these at night and quickly snapped a picture of them right out of the oven.  Although it's a bit dark, I'm glad I did. This pan was attacked soon after this photo was taken.

Protein and Fiber Rich Blueberry Bars

Makes 32 bars

Ingredients

Crust and Topping:

2 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 cup oatmeal

1 cup salted sweet cream butter, softened

Lemon Tofu Filling:

24 oz firm tofu, drained

1 cup sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 tablespoon lemon extract

Blueberry Layer:

4 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup lemon juice

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line a 10"x15" baking dish with aluminum foil.  Two 8"x 8" or  9"x 9" square dishes will work. Coat lightly with cooking spray.

2. In large mixing bowl, whisk wheat flour, powdered sugar and oatmeal together. Cut in softened butter until well incorporated (I used my cookie-dough paddles for cutting in the butter).  Reserve 2 scant cups of this mixture in a separate dish, and press the rest of it into the prepared pans. 

3. Using the same mixing bowl (no need to clean out the crumbs), beat the tofu, sugar, vanilla, lemon juice and extract together. Mixture may seem chunky (no worries!).  Spread the tofu mixture evenly over the first layer.

4. Sprinkle sugar, lemon juice, and flour over the blueberries and mix gently. Spread the berries over the tofu layer. 

5. Sprinkle reserved crust mixture over the top of the blueberries.  Place in center of oven. Bake 50-55 minutes. Cool and cut into bars. Store in refrigerator. 

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CopyCat MOD Pizza Bar

 A few months ago our town moved up in the world. A MOD Pizza restaurant opened. It is one of a growing trend in pizzerias around the country that take the "Chipotle-angle" on service by providing customers the opportunity to customize their order, while still providing a fresh and fast product.

If you aren't familiar with MOD, maybe you have something similar.  PizzaRev, 800 Degrees, Blaze Pizza, and Uncle Maddio's are all MOD-like pizza places.

Whether or not you have a fast and fresh pizza bar close by, you can enjoy the benefits along with family and friends right in your own home!  I will give you the BEST Pizza Crust recipe, and tips for setting up your own fresh custom pizzeria!

 

First, make your dough! (Or don't, and buy some pre-made flatbread. I recommend Don Pancho Flatbread, found at many grocery stores).

 I have been using an incredible dough recipe for many years. It is my FAVORITE for pizza. It is consistent and is a quick recipe for a yeast dough.

BEST Pizza Crust 

Makes 24 8"-10" crusts

Ingredients:

4 cups warm water

2 tablespoons yeast

2/3 cup sugar

2 teaspoons salt

3/4 cup oil

10 cups flour (I often use half whole wheat)

Direcions:

1. Dissolve yeast in warm water. Stir in sugar, and let sit for 5-10 minutes, until foamy.

2. Stir in salt an oil. Stir flour in 2 cups at time, stirring well until dough begins to be stiff. Knead in remaining flour and form into a smooth ball.

3. Turn dough over once in a large, oiled bowl. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 2-3 hours.

4. Once dough is 2x original size, punch down and divide into 24 1/2-cup balls. 

5. Pre-heat oven to 500 degrees F.

6. Roll out each  dough ball to desired thickness and poke all over with a fork. Place on greased baking sheets (I sprinkle my baking sheets with cornmeal). Bake 5-8 minutes, just until hard on top. You don't want to brown them yet.

These crusts can be made ahead of time and stored in the freezer until ready to use.

 

The dough will start to rise some on the counter while you roll out the crusts. If you don't want to make all the dough into pizza crusts, it makes yummy cinnamon rolls, too. ;-)

 

I go pretty thin on the crusts, since they rise more while baking.

 

Here are a couple of crusts ready to go in the oven

 

And here they are right after I took them out. See how nicely they bubble up?! Yummo! They will be baked again with the toppings, so be sure to under-bake the first time.

 

I have made these individual crusts for family get-togethers, for a birthday party (Ratatouille movie-themed), and just for fun easy meals. You'll love them!

Now, onto the PIZZA BAR!

 

Sauces: We like basil pesto, marinara sauce, and two varieties of barbecue sauce--one smoky and one sweet. White/Alfredo sauce is another good choice, especially if you are having chicken or shrimp as a meat choice.

 

Cheese and Meat: I like having at least a couple of cheese options.  For meats, I went easy on myself with this pizza bar and bought prepared hard salami and pepperoni. Ground sausage/beef/turkey, shredded chicken, bacon and cooked shrimp are also good options.

 

Veggies: Consider your eaters, and put it all out there. I was pleasantly surprised to see how many teenage boys were putting veggies on their pizzas. Sometimes all it takes is having it available! 

  Preheat the oven to 450. Line up the toppings and let the fun begin. Bake each pizza for 6-8 minutes (on baking sheets).

 

This is the bar after one round of 12 people enjoying it. We had to pull out reinforcements on the sauces and cheese. Notice how dwindled that stack of crusts is. Not pictured: Many happy and satisfied pizza eaters. 

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Chocolate Avocado Brownies

I bought avocados last week to make some guacamole for taco night. Well, taco night came and went, and my avocados were still sitting in the fruit basket. I forgot to use them, and they were ready to be used. 

Meanwhile, my family was hankering for me to make a treat. I'd taken a break from treat-making since the new year, and they were starting to forage (eating chocolate chips right out of the bag, melting marshmallows on crakers, etc).  So I tried to find a brownie recipe that called for avocado. Sound crazy? I thought there HAD to be one. I made a chocolate mousse with avocados as the base a few years ago from the Deceptively Delicious cookbook that was incredible. Surely someone had incorporated avocado into brownies. 

Well, my search didn't turn up much in the way of brownies. I found some chocolate puddings and cupcakes, and some layer-bars. But I was hoping for brownies. So I decided to give it a go myself.  And I'm so glad I did! I made brownies (using avocado!) that have what I consider to be the perfect brownie consistency: slightly crispy on the outside; dense, moist and chewy on the inside (but not under-cooked). These were a crowd-pleaser AND a mommy-pleaser! My kids were getting all kinds of hidden nutrients as they gobbled them up!

Here's the recipe: 

Chocolate Avocado Brownies

Makes 24 

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup avocado puree (about 3 medium avocados)

3/4 cup cocoa powder

2 eggs

1 stick butter, melted

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups flour (I used whole wheat!)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups chocolate chips (I used semi-sweet, but milk is fine if you prefer sweeter)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°. Prepare a 9"x13" baking dish with cooking spray.

2. In a medium mixing bowl, beat avocado puree with cocoa powder. Add eggs and beat at medium speed just until mixed. If you are using a stand mixer, use the paddle/cookie dough attachment from this point on. 

3. Mix melted butter with white sugar and add to avocado mixture. Mix in brown sugar and vanilla.

4. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. Add to wet mixture and stir well. Stir in 1 cup of chocolate chips. 

5. Spread evenly in prepared dish. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup of chocolate chips on top. 

6. Bake 20 minutes. Serve warm or cooled. Perfect with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

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Gluten Free Cranberry Bars with Orange Drizzle

Cranberry sauce...that Thanksgiving tradition that you are sure to have leftovers of, am I right?  As a kid, I didn't really see the point of it. But now I really love it. I like a bit with each bite of turkey. I'd say I even prefer it to gravy. 

Well, folks, cranberry sauce has another important purpose. A purpose that can be fulfilled year-round, if desired. That purpose is as the filling of these scrumptious bars. 

I have a friend who has a gluten and soy intolerance, and I wanted to do something special for her. I have a recipe for cranberry bars that is basically a shortbread crust, with cranberry sauce and a crumble top. I adapted that recipe to make this one. It's the kind of recipe that might make you want to become gluten-free, just for the heck of it. It is that good.

These are the only non-pantry-staples this recipe calls for.  Be sure to get the "Whole Berry" can of cranberry sauce. The Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Shortbread Cookie Mix was at my Fred Meyer (Kroger family) grocery store. It was about $2 for the bag. You'll also need an orange, butter, 2 egg yolks, water, milk, and powdered sugar.

The little orange flecks are bits of orange zest. Cranberry + orange = WIN. 

Here's the recipe: 

Gluten Free Cranberry Bars with Orange Drizzle

Makes 15 large square bars

Ingredients

Bars: 

1 21-oz package Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Shortbread Cookie Mix

1.5 sticks (3/4 cup) softened butter

2 egg yolks

3 tablespoons water

1 14-16oz can whole berry cranberry sauce

Drizzle:

zest of 1 medium orange

3 tablespoons milk

1 2/3 cups powdered sugar

Directions for Bars

1. Preheat oven to 375°. Prepare 9"x13" baking dish with butter or cooking spray.

2. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter, egg yolks, and water. Mix in Cookie Mix well. Mixture will be dry and crumbly. 

3. Press 2/3 of the mixture into the baking dish. Press it slightly up on the sides to form a short wall. 

4. Spread the cranberry sauce evenly over the pressed cookie mix. Sprinkle remaining cookie mixture over the cranberry sauce. 

5. Place in center of oven and bake 25 minutes. Cool, then use a pastry bag with a small round tip (or a sandwich bag with a cut corner)to top with Orange Drizzle.

Directions for Orange Drizzle

Mix orange zest and milk in a small mixing bowl. Gradually whisk in powdered sugar until smooth. 

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