Chunky Guacamole with Homemade Lime Tortilla Chips

Does anyone else hate those effortlessly thin and perfectly toned girls that show up in the middle of your workout only to make you feel fat and totally discouraged? This girl came into the gym today and I envied her body, she hopped on the eliptical for 20 minutes without breaking a sweat and then left. Is that all it takes?! Meanwhile, I've been going at it for 40 minutes with 20 to go sweating buckets with my thighs full of chocolate, vodka and buffalo chicken bouncing all over the place. I'm convinced these girls starve themselves because while I do enjoy indulging, and aside from my compulsive baking, I generally eat pretty healthy, reasonably portioned meals but can pack on a pound like nobodies business.

I can't give up food because quite frankly IM HUNGRY! I miss the days when my metablolism was so fast that I couldn't even keep up with it. I could eat whatever I wanted in large quantities and still be too skinny. At the tender age of 22 I'm already suffering the lovely effects of a slower metabolism...this is crap. But don't think I'm going to stop baking up pieces of heaven that temporarily excuse being fat because let's face it, I will die of chocolate shock.

I suppose this story has little relevance to guacamole but it is something to feel less guilty about and I needed a little space to rant. Also, I love mexican food and dips so this makes me happy :) The guacamole is nice and fresh (I'm a sucker for guacamole...and most other dips for that matter) and I love the idea of baking your own tortilla chips. They're easy! Something I have learned with avacados is that when you are working with them, sometimes it is easier to handle them when you allow them to come to room temperature first.

Is anyone else as obsessed with Chipotle's Chips and Guac as me?! This is my homemade take on that :)

Chunky Guacamole
Adapted from foodnetwork.com

Ingredients:

4 ripe Haas avocados
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice (1 lime)
8 dashes hot pepper sauce
1/2 cup small-diced red onion (1 small onion)
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 medium tomato, seeded, and small-diced
2 jalepenos, seeded and diced
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions:

Cut the avocados in 1/2, remove the pits, and scoop the flesh out of their shells into a large bowl. (I use my hands.) Immediately add the lime juice, hot pepper sauce, onion, garlic, salt, and pepper and toss well. Using a sharp knife, slice through the avocados in the bowl until they are finely diced. Add the tomatoes, jalepenos, and cilantro. Mix well and taste for salt and pepper.

Homemade Baked Whole Wheat Tortillas with Seasalt and Lime
Dame Good

Ingredients:

1 package whole wheat tortillas (or corn if you prefer)
1-3 tablespoons olive oil
1 lime for juice and zest
seasalt to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400F. Put about 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a small boil. Zest one lime and add to bowl. Brush each tortilla on both side with oil and lime mixture. Cut each tortilla into about 8 triangles (almost as you would with a pizza. Arrange evenly on a baking sheet. If you have a rack I recomend putting them on a baking rack to that they bake evenly. Sprinkle tortillas with salt. Bake about 15 minutes or until the chips are golden brown on the edges. Remove and squeeze fresh lime juice (from the lime you zested) onto the chips. Allow chips to cool about 5 minutes. (If you want extra crispy chips, turn the oven off when they brown and allow them to remain in the oven for a few minutes)

Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookies

For those of you who have not tried nutella, you are crazy and missing out on one of the best things ever made. I love having a piece of peanut butter toast topped with nutella or dipping pretzels in it. It is a chocolate hazelnut spread that is just divine! I saw this recipe and knew I just HAD to make them! These are pretty chewy so if you don't like chewy cookies, perhaps they are not for you. If you cook them a little too long they become crunchy so be careful, it happens quickly!

Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookies
From lovintheoven.com

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp of salt
8 tbsp unsalted butter (1 stick), at room temp.
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar
2/3 cup Nutella (chocolate hazelnut spread)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Mix together flour, cocoa, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside dry ingredients.

Cream together butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in Nutella and vanilla extract. Mix in egg.

Add flour mixture and mix until just incorporated. Add chocolate chips.

Chill for at least 1 hour.

Drop tablespoons of dough 2 inches apart onto parchment lined baking sheets. Bake at 350 for about 11 minutes until the edges look set. Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes then carefully remove to cooling racks.

Since finally living alone I have been able to destroy the kitchen with no guilt and bake and cook even more so I have plenty of posts coming up...I am going to try my best to post them but I will be rather busy. Tomorrow morning I am heading up to Minnesota to see my dad, him and his side of the family live up there and I miss them tons. We're going to eat good German food and celebrate my graduation :) The following week, I start up classes again...so this shall be a challenge, but I can do it...

COMING SOON!

Chunky Guacamole with Homemade Baked Tortilla Chips

Lightened Buffalo Chicken Dip

Lemon Blossoms

S'more Cookie Bars

Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Brownies

Dog Treats

Lemon Icebox Bars

I have been on a bar kick, I think you all may be seeing a plethora of bars coming up. I can't quite put my finger on why I love not only making but eating them as well. I was browsing Ellie Kriegers healthy dessert recipes and came across these. I love anything lemon...always have. I also love anything with cream cheese so these guys right here were a done deal.

There was one problem I had and that was that the graham crust was more like a graham dust, I would add more butter or less graham cracker next time (I changed the recipe here to accomodate that). Other than that, I loved them. I found them refreshing and addicting. They are not exactly low-calorie but they have a lot less fat than many other bar desserts out there. So if you are aching for some sweet lemony treat but am like me and have too much guilt because of how bad you've been (story of my life) try these out and cut them into small bite-size bars. I froze half of them so that I didn't devour them all at once and I could grab a little bite whenever an urge for lemon overtakes me :)

Lemon Icebox Bars
Adapted from foodnetwork.com

Ingredients:

Crust:
12 whole-grain graham cracker squares (6 full sheets)
4 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
Cooking spray

Filling:

1 (8-ounce) package 1/3 less-fat cream cheese, softened at room temperature
1 (14-ounce) can fat-free sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup pasteurized egg product (such as egg beaters)
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons powdered gelatin
3 tablespoons boiling water

Directions:

Make Crust:

Place graham crackers in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until crumbs are formed. Add butter, brown sugar and salt and pulse to incorporate, until crumbs resemble wet sand. Coat an 8-inch square pan with cooking spray and pack crumbs firmly into the bottom of it. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Make the filling:

In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, condensed milk and pasteurized egg product and beat on high with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add lemon zest and juice and beat until fully incorporated, another 30 seconds. In a small bowl, combine the gelatin and boiling water and whisk until gelatin is entirely dissolved; let cool 2 to 3 minutes. Stir the gelatin into the cream cheese-lemon mixture until well incorporated. Pour the filling over the crust. Refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight, until filling is firm. Slice into 2-inch squares using a chilled knife coated with cooking spray.

Chicken with a Mango Barbeque Sauce

I am always looking for new and different chicken recipes to try. We all love chicken but lets face it, eating the same kind using the same recipe over and over can become rather dull. This recipe caught my eye for two reasons. One being, I love mango and two being that I enjoy making sauces from scratch. Its nice being able to make your own sauces and having control over the sodium content and heat level. The use of mangos and jalepenos in this sauce won me over, a perfect blend of heat and spice. I must admit though that I nibbled on a significant amount of the mango as I was chopping it for this sauce.

Chicken with a Mango Barebeque Sauce

From foodnetwork.com

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, diced (about 1 cup)
1 red pepper, diced (about 1 cup)
3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons molasses
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons lime juice
1/4 cup low-sodium tomato sauce
1 mango, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
2 to 3 jalapenos, minced
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 3/4 pound each)

Directions:

Heat the oil in a medium-sized skillet over medium-high. Add the onions and cook until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the red peppers, garlic, salt and pepper, and allspice and cook for 2 minutes more. Stir in the vinegar, molasses, Worcestershire sauce, lime juice and tomato sauce and cook for 1 minute more. Transfer the mixture into a bender and add the mango and jalapeno. Blend until smooth.

Put 1 cup of the barbeque sauce into a sealable plastic bag with the chicken and marinate for 1 hour.

Preheat the broiler. Put the chicken on a broiler pan and discard the marinade. Broil the chicken on high for about 12 minutes, turning once. Let the meat rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Spoon about 1/2 cup of barbeque sauce over the meat slices and serve

Stone Fruit Bars: Cherry Oat

Once again, I am trying to bake and cook lighter because with the move and graduation I haven't had time to cook or really watch what I was eating. At the bakery I work at (Bakery Gingham) we have this cherry oat bar that is once of my favorite things to sell. It's delicious. Its saying a lot for me to declare that a favorite as I am less into fruity desserts and more into chocolate, peanut butter and cream cheese desserts. I searched for a similar recipe online because A.) I don't know the recipe at work and B.) if I did I wouldn't be a very good employee to go sharing it for all to see. The recipe I found satisfied my craving. I changed it up a bit to make it more my own. If I were to make these again (which I will with peaches) I will use a slightly smaller pan so the bars are thicker. These were pretty thin, which was okay because it gave them a nice crunch, but I like a thicker bar.

Stone Fruit Bars: Cherry Oat
Adapted from eatingwell.com

Ingredients:

Crust:
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats, divided
3/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract

Fruit Filling:
4 1/2 cups chopped cherries (any combination, fresh or frozen), divided
1 1/2 cups dried cherries
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping:
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:

To prepare crust: Combine 3/4 cup nuts (or oats), whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, sugar and salt in a food processor; pulse until the nuts are finely ground. Add butter; pulse until well incorporated.

Whisk egg, oil, 1 teaspoon vanilla and almond extract in a small bowl. With the motor running, add the mixture to the food processor. Process, then pulse, scraping down the sides, if necessary, until the mixture begins to clump, 30 to 45 seconds (it will look crumbly). Measure out 1/2 cup of the mixture and combine in a bowl with the remaining 1/4 cup chopped nuts (or oats). Set aside for the topping.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Generously coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

To prepare fruit filling & assemble bars: Combine 4 cups chopped fruit, orange juice, sugar and cornstarch in a large saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is very thick, 4 to 5 minutes. (It may take up to 10 minutes to get a thick result if you start with frozen fruit.) Stir in the remaining chopped fruit, the dried fruit and vanilla.

Transfer the dough to the prepared baking dish. Spread evenly and press firmly into the bottom to form a crust. Spread the fruit filling over the crust. Sprinkle the reserved topping over the filling. Then sprinkle the brown sugar mixture over the reserved topping.

Bake the bars for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350° and bake until the crust and topping are lightly brown, 25 to 30 minutes more. Let cool completely before cutting into bars, at least 1 1/2 hours