Spinach and Artichoke Hummus

I love spinach artichoke dip, I love hummus. So...really...it just makes sense to combine the two! They're both delicious dips. They're both crowd pleasers. They both took some time for me to warm up to.

Yepp. When I first tried spinach and artichoke dip I was not sold. However, my best friend insisted we share it every time we went to Friday's together so I eventually grew to love it. And hummus I wasn't sold on, until I had my 10th bite. Then I couldn't get enough. Which is exactly what happened with this hybrid. At first I was all, "Ohhh...hmmm...I dunno."

And now I can't stop shoveling it into my face. Same thing with Michael. He was like "Eh, it's ok." 20 minutes later he yelled, "TAKE THIS AWAY FROM ME I CANNOT STOP EATING IT!"

Thank goodness we got to the point of being unable to stop eating it becaaause...I totally should have waited to make this until there was a party, because it definitely makes a large party-sized amount. I was a little overwhelmed when I realized how much hummus I had just made. So--be prepared for that. If you're not planning on bringing it someplace, halve the recipe. You'll still have plenty. Not that any that I made went to waste. Oh nooo-I ate it right up. Yes yes yes!

And the taste? Honestly...it's exactly what you'd expect. It's like hummus merged with spinach and artichoke dip. 

So, yeah. That's the story of how Kayle got some veggies into her system thanks to hummus!

3 Ingredient Almond Butter Cookies

So, as you may know, I had my first bridal shower this past Saturday. One really cute aspect was that every place setting had a little recipe card holder (which was a favor) that held a recipe from THIS blog (and a photo). It was super adorable and made my heart smile to see people fight over who got which recipe and to hear my future mother-in-law tell everyone about my blog in a proud voice.

The poor thing, though. When she was putting together all the recipes she was trying to find recipes that weren't too long-so that they would fit. It was a bit challenging for her. It's a shame that I hadn't made these cookies yet, because I bet they would have been PERFECT.

These are probably one of the shortest recipes I've ever written on the blog, The ingredient list? 3. The preparation? Essentially just mix it together and bake. It's a little craaazy. But also awesome.

And oh hey-they're pretty healthy. Due to the fact that the only ingredients are almond butter, an egg, and sugar. The sugar is the sole not very healthy factor BUT...there's not much of it.

The cookies are chewy and have a perfect texture (kind of shocking, due to the ingredient list). They taste pretty fab also. One major thing to keep in mind, though--make sure you use an almond butter whose flavor you LOVE (you can also sub in any kind of nut butter). Due to the fact that these cookies are mostly almond butter...that's pretty much all they taste like. So, if you like the nut butter, you'll love the cookies!

Healthy Deep Dish Chocolate Chip Cookies {Gluten-free, Vegan}

I wanted to believe in the whole "chickpeas can totally taste like chocolate chip cookies" thing. I did.

But there was a part of me that just...couldn't really trust it.

Until I made these. And now I am a TRUE believer! BECAUSE OMG YOU GUYS IT'S TRUE! IT'S REALLY REALLY TRUE! Not like when people say cauliflour can taste like potatoes (it does not) or that green beans can taste like french fries (NEVER!)--no....hear me when I tell you that these cookies that have no flour, no butter, no eggs, and a whole can of chickpeas....they taste like ooey, gooey, decadent, CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES!

My life begins today.

First of all, a logistical note: you can double this recipe and make it in a pie dish (the baking time would just be a bit longer). However, I love single serving little deep dish cookies in ramekins. So that's what I decided to do. And these are probably the easiest cookies ever. You just throw the ingredients into a food processor and process everything together. Sort of like cookie dough hummus :P And you mix in chocolate chips (because we need those...for life.) and bake these little treats up! And they just taste like a warm, soft, gooey deep dish chocolate chip cookie. No one will ever guess that they're healthy!

Our little secret ;)

Chocolate Peanut Butter Coconut Nutty Granola

This is my favorite thing I've made lately.

Like...every time I eat it I want to just go "Mmmmm....SO GOOD!" and then I curse myself for not making homemade granola more often. Because then I could have eaten this deliciousness sooner.

This granola tastes better than candy. It's sweet and crunchy and chocolatey and nutty and...it almost tastes as bit caramelized. It's the best granola I've ever eaten and by far the best I've ever made. Before making this recipe I hadn't really thought through how adaptable granola is. Like...you can pretty much throw whatever stuff you want in there. And that is what I did. And it turns out all the odds and ends I needed to use up were the perfect mix. Kismet!

Oats are the base of granola. Then some coconut oil and honey and dark chocolate peanut butter bind and sweeten the entire thing. And then...add whatever you choose. In this case I chose to add whole almonds and chopped hazelnuts and pecans and-my unexpected favorite-toasted coconut flakes. Oh my GAWD, those toasted coconut flakes after they were baked in the entire mixture turned out to be ridiculously irresistible. So friggin delicious. The entire thing was-just the most satisfying snack or breakfast or...heck...dessert!

You have GOT to try it!

Multi-Nut Butter

I've been sitting on the idea of making a nut butter with a variety of nuts for awhile. And then I recently realized that I actually have 4 varieties of nuts, right now, in my kitchen. So it was nut butter time!

As I've mentioned quite a few times before--making homemade nut butters is unbelievably easy and so entirely customizable. You can add pretty much anything you want to it--honey, chocolate, vanilla, etc. Or you could add nothing and just let it be an ultra healthy nut butter! This is the same. I've given you the amounts of nuts and the varieties that I used but you can completely mix it up to suit your own needs! And your end result is a delicious, healthy, natural (and no-stir!) nut butter!

For my multi-nut butter I had almonds and peanuts as the predominant nuts (peanuts have a good amount of oil so that way I wouldn't need to add oil during the process. And almonds are ultra good for you!) and then walnuts (which I don't love but are some of the healthier nuts) and pecans (which taste oh so good but are prob. the least healthy nuts). And then I just added a smidgen bit of salt and honey. And now I have a delicious, creamy (of all the nut butters I've made this one doesn't get as thick and hard in the refrigerator-which I looove) thing to spread on my pancakes, toast, or to bake with!

Get on board and get your food processor ready!

Peanut Butter Compost Cookies {Gluten-free}

Ok before we get into tasty cookie talk...I need to make a confession: I overcooked them. Like...I either didn't set the timer or didn't hear it go off or I don't know what but all I know is that I'm lucky I decided to go check when I did or all I would have had to share today were blackened hockey pucks.

Luckily these cookies still turned out fine (Michael actually likes the fact that they're probably less soft than they would have been if baked for the proper time)-good, in fact. But I haven't overcooked cookies in QUITE some time, so I just needed to come clean about it. Glad that we got that out of the way.

You know what's great about compost cookies? You can pretty much throw in any random stuff you have into them. I happened to stay fairly close to the ingredients listed in the original recipe but that is because I just so happened to need to get rid of some of those things. Like...guys...I have so much shredded coconut. And I rarely use it. And cornflakes--I have them. Rarely use 'em. So, this recipe was super helpful (although, admittedly, I did not use up much of them...maybe I should make 5 more batches?)

Once again we're doing the healthyish cookie thang. Peanut butter and nuts are the main source of fat (and it's a good kind of fat). There's a minimal amount of flour-like substance that is used to help hold them together (I used almond flour, you can use some other sort of thing, or...just regular flour. Your call. But if you use a non gluten flour-such as oat flour or almond flour-then these cookies are gluten free! Hooray!) And um...yeah you get it. I love how chock full of mix ins they are (you almost think there's not enough dough to hold it all but, don't worry, there is!) so they're full of varying textures and flavors. An adventure for your tastebuds! And I def. dub them able to be eaten for breakfast. And cookies for breakfast are as wonderful and miraculous as unicorns.

Black Bean Soup {Panera Copy-Cat}

Michael has become obsessed with Panera's black bean soup. And we live about 3 minutes from one so this has become a dangerous fact. So-in an attempt to save us money and Michael's health, I decided to try to make a homemade version of the desired soup. And it worked out pretty darned well, if I do say so myself!

Once Michael tasted it he gave me a couple small changes to help make the recipe closer to the original (which are reflected in the recipe below) but he was a pretty happy camper. He gobbled this soup up on its own or with some pita bread. He probably would have loved it even more if I'd put sour cream and cheese on it but...shhh...don't tell him.

When asked to describe the black bean soup Michael said it was a nice, thick, soup. Flavorful and hearty and "fills up your belly". Perfect for a cold night! (And omgeeee has it been cold lately! I think all of us dealing with winter right now NEED and deserve soup!)

Chocolate Chip Clouds

These meringue cookies are called clouds. And it makes perfect sense. They are light and airy and looovely!

They melt in your mouth but are somehow chewy at the same time. And when they're warm? Somehow these incredibly light (and fat-free!) cookies taste rich and decadent. The chocolate makes them feel indulgent. But you're not really cheating on your diet. So we're good all around, really.

I had never made meringues before and even though they're usually super pretty (when I make a non-chocolate chip version someday I am def. going to try to make the swirly pretty piped kind!) and seem crazy intimidating--it's true that they are SO simple to make! Really really easy, honestly. Girl scout's honor!

And since these clouds are not piped they're even easier.

You just whip together egg whites with some cream of tartar and sugar and then mix in cocoa powder and chocolate chips. And you plop 'em on a silicone baking mat. And bake. The end! The hardest part is consistently inspecting your whipped egg whites to see if they're "stiff" yet. Which I'd say is something we can all deal with, yes? Yeah-we're smart, talented people!

Here are your orders: make 'em. Place one in your mouth (when just slightly warm). Let melt in your mouth. Chew. Smile. Repeat! :)

Flourless Dark Chocolate Cookies-Cookie of the Month {Chocolate}

Michael's mom's family does a cool sort of Christmas gift exchange, it's called "Kris Kinder". In this exchange you must make something for the person whose name you've drawn. I was like "Uh...I'm not crafty," but once they reassured me that food counts I was on board! And, luckily for me, I got Michael's Aunt Alayne who LOVES chocolate.

Oh...you love chocolate, Alayne? Challenge accepted.

I decided I wanted to make cookies since I knew I'd be busy and cookies are fairly simple to make-plus they're easy to package and travel with!

Then I made this recipe. And they were delicious. And all was right with the world.

Look...I sampled a couple cookies before packaging them up for Alayne. I HAD TO! Quality control people. And I can attest that they are super chocolatey and rich and perfectly crisp on the outside and insanely gooey on the inside. They're everything I wanted them to be. They're even sturdy so absolutely perfect for gift giving! And I was right-Alayne went crazy for them! She insisted I give her the recipe and raved about how incredible they are.

She's right.

AND-as if everything else about these cookies isn't enough, myself and some of my blog friends have teamed up to share a different themed cookie each month! This month is chocolate (obviously) so these beauties fit right in. And here are the other cocoa-licious goodies shared by my fellow foodies:

Chocolate Lava Cookies from Jen's Favorite Cookies
Triple Chocolate Cookie Bars from Crumb: A Food Blog
Flourless Dark Chocolate Cookies from The Cooking Actress
Caramel Chocolate Chip Cashew Butter Cookies from Magnolia Days
Chocolate Orange Ginger Cookies from gotta get baked
Peanut Butter Compost Cookies (gluten-free) from Heartbeet Kitchen
Fudgy Kahlua Brownie Cookies from Bake or Break

Flourless Almond Butter Chocolate Brownies

These brownies are delicious. And they're not just delicious in a, "they're delicious for a healthy dessert" kind of way, but just in a, "they're tasty yum yum" kind of way. They happen to be gluten-free, dairy free, low in sugar (they're mostly sweetened with honey), and low in fat (and that fat comes from eggs and good for you almond butter!) And-bonus-they don't even have any weird ingredients. In fact, if you don't have almond butter you can just use peanut butter or any other kind of nut butter. EASY!

I seriously almost don't even know why I would make regular brownies because these are THAT good. Like...super chocolatey and gooey and soft. They're not bitter. They're not gummy. They're not lacking in sweetness. The only real difference you can notice is that you can taste honey (although Michael said he didn't taste it, so I might just be more sensitive to it?)--but when warmed up you can barely detect the honey either!

The almond butter lends the fat (but in a healthy fat kind of way) and structure to the brownies and helps them taste rich and decadent (you barely taste it, almond butter has a subtle flavor-it just helps these be fantastic), honey and just a little bit of brown sugar sweeten them, and unsweetened cocoa powder and dark chocolate chips make them oh so chocolatey without all the sugar but with all the antioxidant goodness and tastiness!

Game changer-that's what these brownies are.

Healthy Oat Chocolate Chip Cookies

I need sweets in my life. NEED 'EM! So, I'm trying to make some healthier dessert recipes to satisfy my sweet tooth but keep me on the wedding diet bandwagon. This recipe is the new year's first endeavor.

First let me tell you a depressing tale: I made these cookies. I went to take them out of the oven. I slipped. Half the cookies slid onto the oven door. Kayle held back tears and salvaged the crumbled cookies (after safely putting the intact cookies out of harm's way). So....ya know...try not to be clumsy like me. 

Seriously. I am SO clumsy. Like, growing up, I used to routinely run into the walls of my house (which I'd lived in my entire life). My mom used to joke about it and I'd tell her "the walls move!", but it was so commonplace that I had to holler everytime I'd bump into something or trip, etc., "I'M OK!" to reassure my mom. Because...yeah. It happened a lot. And nothing has changed. I routinely have bruises and random little cuts (and occasional big ones-still remember when I got stitches from trying to make a sandwich a little while back?). And, a couple months ago, I fell down the stairs. It was a dumb case of "oops, missed the step!" and then I landed on my toe and the stupid thing is STILL NOT HEALED. Like...it's not broken (I had it x-rayed) and I've been buddy-toe'ing it and just when it was seeming like it was about to get better, a couple weeks ago it got bad again. Out of nowhere. I didn't even hit it! So I'm frustrated about it. And my clumsiness. And none of this has anything to do with cookies except that they make me feel better. 

--and for the record, since writing that....it now isn't hurting anymore. I think I may have developed one of those things that hurts when the weather is bad....oh man...I'm old.

SO! Cookies!

There are a few things that make them healthier:

1. Oat flour (instead of all purpose flour)--oats are gluten-free (usually), contain fewer carbs than wheat flour and have more protein and fiber! Which is great-and it's super easy to make. Just grind some oats until it has a flour consistency. TA DAAA!
2. Very minimal sugar (especially compared to regular cookies).
3. No butter-so these are dairy free and low-fat. Coconut oil is used as the healthier fat option for this recipe.
4. Dark chocolate chips for antioxidants! And...because it makes life worth living :)

The end result is a slightly nutty, definitely coconut-y, kind of oatmeal cookie textured, slightly crumbly, chewy, yummy cookie! And you can eat them for breakfast. Which I think we all agree is the dream.

Scallion Parmesan Hummus

I'm reeeeeally getting into this whole hummus thing. It's all healthy and stuff AND it's delicious?? WOOT!

It has sort of become my go-to when I need to bring an appetizer and I don't have time. Because if I have chickpeas? I can make hummus and it'll take like....5 minutes. Plus it's a total crowd-pleaser! 

As much as I adored the roasted garlic hummus I made this summer, I knew Michael was a bit overwhelmed by the garlic so I decided to go a different route. Plus...I had some scallions that needed to get used. So I sort of threw together this recipe.

I'm gonna let you in on a little secret, though: don't get thrown off by how hummus tastes right after you make it. After it sits for awhile it always ends up mellowing out and tasting SO MUCH better! I was super worried that the scallion flavor was too strong, at first, but then after time I didn't worry anymore. It was just delicious!

I made this hummus for "Crofford Christmas" (Michael's dad's side's Christmas celebration) and full disclosure: I was that weird person who couldn't stop eating the dish that I brought. I felt so guilty as I kept going back for more and more of my own hummus! Like..."Kayle...you brought this for other people...don't be that girl"...but I couldn't help it. It was just smooth and delicious and I could not resist!

As it turns out...neither could anyone else. Success!

Flourless Chocolate Cake

I've made my fair share of flourless chocolate cakes (and this one is still the best. Although the recipe I'm sharing today is a close 2nd!). And there's a reason.

They. are. pure. DECADENCE.

Another upside to flourless chocolate cake is how EASY it is to make but how impressive it seems! You can serve the cake super elegantly with garnishes, powdered sugar, etc. (to make a symbol on the top of the cake just cut out a shape with paper, place it on top of the cake, and then dust with powdered sugar. Remove the paper and voila'!) or you can just sit on the couch in your p.j.'s and eat it warmed up with some ice cream while you watch  Millionaire Matchmaker. Up to you, really.

The texture of this flourless chocolate cake is like the most moist and chocolatey chocolate cake you've ever had times a thousand. It's intensely dense and almost melts in your mouth. I also can't decide whether I like it best cold, room temperature, or warmed. They're all delicious!

Look....it's still the holiday season. We have a bit more time to enjoy parties and indulging before January 1st rolls around and we're all hitting the gym and only eating salads. So let's live up the rest of 2014 and make ourselves and our favorite people a flourless chocolate cake. I think 2014 deserves it. I think WE deserve it!

Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

"Just make something basic," they said. "SMALL cookies," they said. "I mean it Kayle-nothing weird or fancy," my mom said (let's be real....they're all my mom). These were my super subtle suggestions for the cookies I was tasked to bake for my grandma's 80th birthday party. Silly people. I can make basic. No problem.

...I mean....sure....the chocolate chip cookies I made were technically dairy-free because I used coconut oil instead of butter, but you can't tell! And yes....these cookies are also dairy-free AND gluten-free....but...again....YOU CAN'T TELL.

Seriously. I can't. They didn't. You won't.

These are going to taste like a classic, no frills, wonderful peanut butter cookie. A bit crisp, a smidge crumbly. And the perfect amount of peanut buttery deliciousness. It's our little secret that these cookies are made with only 5 ingredients. And they have no flour. Or butter.

This is one of those recipes that's sort of insanely easy. It's even easy to remember (just think of it as 1 cup pb, 1 cup sugar, 1 egg, and 1 tsp. baking soda)! You mix it all in one bowl so there aren't even a lot of dishes! If you're trying to bake up a bunch of treats for the holidays I HIGHLY recommend these ones-you probably already have all the ingredients, super quick and easy, not too many dishes, and they're even good for pleasing certain dietary restrictions! And they're delicious and basic enough that my family liked them.

Nothing but good things!

Thick & Soft Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies {Gluten Free & Dairy Free}-Cookie Week 2014!

Welcome to the last day of Cookie Week, hosted by Kim of Cravings of a Lunatic and Susan of The Girl In the Little Red Kitchen! We’ve teamed together with 10 other talented bloggers to bring you 5 fantastic days of cookie recipes to get you in to the holiday spirits. We hope you've enjoyed this week as much as we did! Don't forget to check out and enter our fantastic giveaway and our #CookieWeek Pinterest board full of all the cookie recipes you've see here this week!
Our sponsors for this event have provided us with some great prizes and we’d like to extend a huge thank you for their generosity. Thanks to Imperial Sugar, Circulon, Peanut Butter & Co. and Page Street Publishing for being a part of Cookie Week!     

Take a look to see what might inspire you to break out the butter and sugar this weekend.

Pumpkin Mallomars by The Girl In The Little Red Kitchen

Chocolate Fudge Brownie Cookies by Cravings of a Lunatic

Black Pepper Fig Biscotti by Crumb

Chocolate Peppermint Crinkles by Jen's Favorite Cookies

Chocolate Shot Cookies by Food Lust People Love

Double Chocolate Espresso Cookies by Cooking in Stilettos

Soft and Chewy Butterscotch Chip Pudding Cookies by Dinners, Dishes and Desserts

The Best Gingersnaps by Mind Over Batter

Thick & Soft Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies {Gluten Free & Dairy Free} by The Cooking Actress

LOOKAT THAT PICTURE! LOOK AT HOW THICK AND SOFT THESE COOKIES ARE!!

Nothing beats biting into a thick, soft, extra chewy, extra flavorful, cookie. Especially when you only need to use 1 bowl to whip them up. And there are only 6 ingredients. CRAZY simple.  And really...oh so addictive.

And the small ingredient list? The flourlessness? It just means the chocolate/peanut butter truly shine. So rich and out of control. I suppose I'd say these cookies taste like the inside of a Reese's cup...if you mixed it with cocoa powder....does that make sense? Trust me on this one-it's goooood.

Healthy Flourless Nut Butter Cookies

Here's the breakdown--these cookies have no sugar (unless you sub in sugar), no flour, no dairy/no butter and a crazy short ingredient list. And they're soft. And delicious. And taste like your favorite nut butter. And there's a wonderful bite of dark chocolate (which I guess you could opt out if you want to be really healthy but...antioxidants?) and that lovely contrast from the salt.

Mmmmmm.

And they're paleo? I think? Um....I'm not gonna claim to know much about the paleo diet-from what I understand the deal is you only eat things a caveman would've been able to eat? I think these cookies fit that bill....sorta....I dunno....just go with it, mk?

The important thing here is how incredibly soft and delicious these cookies are!

They're full of nut-buttery flavor (since you use a full cup make sure you like the flavor of it because it is the predominant taste of these treats!) and then you can taste the honey (I'm pretty sure the maple syrup would be a bit more subtle? And obviously brown sugar would make it taste a bit more traditional cookie-like), but not in an overwhelming way, and THEN the bite of the dark chocolate cuts the little bit of sweetness and the sea salt on top is always our friend. Salt + cookies forevahhhhh.

And if you want proof that these cookies still taste good (even though they're healthyish): my 5 year old twin flower-girls-to-be tried one of these cookies and they proclaimed "You made these? Good job! They're really good." so there ya have it. 

Children don't lie about liking food.

Neither do I!

Trust me, trust Kate and Evie-you'll like 'em!

Roasted Garlic Brown Butter Hummus

Remember my family reunion that I mentioned a couple weeks ago? Well, I made a little something for the occasion. My family clan (so: my grandma and aunts and uncles and cousins) was tasked with bringing appetizers and snacks and such, so I decided I wanted to make hummus for the first time!

Speaking of hummus...up until this point I had been pretty unsure about how I felt about hummus. Like...do I like it? I didn't know! But I figured...if it has roasted garlic and browned butter...what's not to like?

(Side note: when telling this to Michael's stepmom she told me, "You'd eat carpet if it had browned butter."

haaaaa. #sortatrue)

The good news is: I LOVE THIS HUMMUS! It's kind of funny because at first I wasn't sure how I felt about it and thought maybe the tahini was too strong (and Michael initially thought the garlic was too stron)...but it's one of those things where the more you eat of it, the better you like it. By the end I was all "'OM NOM HUMMUSSSS"!! And it went over really well at the reunion too-everyone said they liked it. Hooray! 

This recipe is very easily doubled-I doubled it for the reunion! (Although turns out that wasn't necessary, but it's ok, I ate the leftovers :P) AND...ya know....kinda healthyish. Chickpeas are good for ya, yeah? And....garlic? Yes? Ok maybe the butter and oil whatever, but it's not much. Yeah. I declare this healthy!

Healthier if you dip veggies in it, but I'm totally ok with it if you use pita chips.

Mmmm pita chips and hummus....