Turtle Cheesecake

This cheesecake was a major hit at Thanksgiving this year! I adapted this recipe from the Barefeet in the Kitchen blog. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 24 chocolate sandwich cookies (about 1 cup finely crushed, gluten free cookies work fine)
• 5 tablespoons butter melted
• 3/4 cup caramel sauce (I did not measure this, and just used a drizzle-y caramel sauce from the store)
• 3 8-ounce packages of cream cheese
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 cup dark chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate chips melted
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans toasted if desired

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees (this can wait until you put the crust in the refrigerator, unless your oven needs more than 15 minutes to pre-heat). 
• Crush the oreo cookies - I love using a food processor to do this! You can also put it in a large freezer-weight ziploc bag and crush them with a rolling pin or something else hard enough). 
• Combine the crumbs with the melted butter and press the mixture into the bottom of an 8-10" springform pan. Pour 1/2 cup of the caramel sauce over this crust and spread it out lightly with a spatula. Refrigerate the caramel coated crust for 10 minutes.
• Beat the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing on low speed just until each one is blended. 
• Pour this mixture over the refrigerated crust. Place the spring-form pan on a large baking sheet prior to placing it in the oven. (If you line the baking sheet with foil first, clean up will be a breeze.) Some of the caramel in the crust will drip through the pan onto your oven if you forget the baking sheet - this is very important.
• Bake 65 - 70 minutes, until the center is almost set. Run a knife around the edges of the pan while it is still warm. Let cool at room temperature and then refrigerate 4 hours or overnight before removing the sides of the pan.
• Once the sides of the pan have been removed, sprinkle the pecans across the top of the cheesecake and then drizzle with the remaining caramel and the melted chocolate. Store remaining cheesecake in the refrigerator. 

Spicy Honey Mustard

As I was getting ready to make this recipe, I looked at the amounts given for each ingredient, and found that I had grossly underestimated how much dry mustard I would need... So, for now, I have to admit that I improvised and made a very small portion of this recipe. However, it was delicious, and I'm hoping to make more when I can get my hands on more mustard! I found this recipe on the Small Measures blog. The link has a post with several different mustard recipes, I tried the Spicy Honey Mustard. It is delicious.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup dry mustard
• 1 cup cider vinegar
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

Combine all ingredients in a small pot. Whisk to blend and bring to a simmer over medium heat for 5–6 minutes.

When the mustard is thoroughly heated, ladle it into sterilized jars (leave 1/2-inch of head space if you plan to water-bath can the mustard).

Either refrigerate the mustard and consume within several weeks or water-bath process it for 10 minutes and use within one year.

 ***

My Alterations:
 I can't have honey right now, so I substituted agave nectar for that. I did my best to estimate on the honey, salt, and pepper, because I only used a Tablespoon of the dry mustard and vinegar... It seemed to come out ok, so I must not have done a terrible job!

Cranberry and Cilantro Quinoa Salad

This was not my favorite of all of the recipes I'm trying for this Elimination Diet, but that's probably because I'm not huge on cilantro. I like a hint of it, but not the strong flavor. However, I did get to cut some fresh cilantro from my herb garden this morning to make this (it has grown so much since I took this picture! {so proud}

But anyway, on to the main event. I love the cranberries and peppers in this, and I think that it's a nice mix of textures. But the cilantro is a bit much for me, and I really skimped on the onion (I put in about a third of what the recipe called for), but it's plenty for me. Anyway, if you like cilantro and/or onion, you'd probably love this, so I thought I'd share:

Ingredients:

 

1 1/2 cups water

1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed

1/4 cup red bell pepper, chopped 

1/4 cup yellow bell pepper, chopped 

1 small red onion, finely chopped  

1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder  

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro 

1 lime, juiced 

1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds 
1/2 cup minced carrots 
1/2 cup dried cranberries
salt and ground black pepper to taste


Instructions:

1. Pour the water into a saucepan, and cover with a lid. Bring to a boil over high heat, then pour in the quinoa, recover, and continue to simmer over low heat until the water has been absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes. Scrape into a mixing bowl, and chill in the refrigerator until cold.
2. Once cold, stir in the red bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, red onion, curry powder, cilantro, lime juice, sliced almonds, carrots, and cranberries. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Chill before serving.

***

My alterations:
As mentioned above, I only used about 1/3 of the onion. I also left out the almonds because I can't have those right now.. but I'm sure they would be delicious in this salad.  I did not measure the cilantro, but I didn't think I put in the full amount (I may have...), and I'd definitely put less in next time. I may also add some more lime juice since I can't taste it as much as I'd like to.
 

Taco Seasoning

After a near melt down a few days ago (I can't eat anything!! Why am I even doing this!?), I finally decided on trying to make a taco salad for dinner. However, to make a taco salad, I had to make my own taco seasoning, which was actually a quick and *better tasting* alternative. I found my recipe from this cute blog: happily "un" processed. Honestly, I liked this seasoning better than the taco seasoning in the packets I've been using for years. Probably partially because I hadn't tasted anything so close to "normal" in a few days, and I was floundering. BUT, it also has a little more kick than packaged taco seasoning, but the same general taste.

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp chili powder
2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp course sea salt
1 tsp black pepper

To make this, just put all of the ingredients together, mix well, and store it in an airtight container. I can also tell you that you would need to use 3-4 Tablespoons if you're trying to replace an entire packet. The first time I made it, I doubled the recipe, because I knew I wanted to use it for more than one thing. I had about half left over, so I would guess that the recipe as-is probably makes one pouch worth of seasoning.

Mexican Dry Rub

Tonight marked my second successful, VERY tasty dinner eating with most of my staples removed (explanation in an earlier post). Tonight I used a recipe from this website for a rub and used it on chicken breast. I'm sure it would be wonderful on other meats (and the recipe suggest possibly putting it on grilled veggies as well), but I can tell you that it is very good on chicken! This is a very simple and flavorful (and quick!) way to prepare chicken. I'm also considering putting some of the left-overs on a taco-like salad... Can you say YUM!?

Ok, without further ado:

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon onion powder
3/4 teaspoon seasoning salt
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves, crushed
3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/3 teaspoon cumin

Instructions:

Mix ingredients together.

Rub all over chicken (or whatever meat you're using). Grill your meat as needed. looked up grill times on allrecipes.com and found a cook time of 6-8 min per side - which worked fabulously. It was juicy and flavorful!

Frozen Peanut Butter Banana Treats

Can I just say - YUM!!! This was a bit of an impromptu... semi-healthy dessert with a friend. AND. it. is. fabulous. and simple.

Found on this website through pinterest (I'm really getting good use of that lovely website lately!)... Here it is!

Ingredients:
2 bananas
peanut butter
1 c chocolate chips

Instructions:
Melt the chocolate chips (in the microwave or on the stove, or whatever works best for you).

Cut the bananas into round slices (mine were about 1/2 an inch thick) and top with peanut butter.

Put a banana on top of a fork, and then use a spoon to drizzle or pour chocolate over. (repeat for all bananas - or as many as possible. I ran out of chocolate, so I just drizzled it over the remaining ones). --there is a picture showing how to do this on the blog linked above.

Place the covered bananas on a wax paper-covered cookie sheet and freeze. They last over night in the freezer, but they become very frozen that way... They were fantastic after frozen about an hour or an hour and a half.

**If I was making this just for me, I would only make one banana. Two bananas was more than enough for two of us.

Gooey Chocolate Mug Cake

I found this website with mug cakes on Pinterest (shocker, right??). So, I tried it tonight... pretty yummy and super quick and easy. It is definitely a great way to get a little chocolate cake, without baking the WHOLE cake... and eating the WHOLE cake... yeah.

Here goes! Try it out!

Ingredients:
1 egg
1/4 c. powdered sugar
1-2 Tbsp. cocoa powder (depending on how chocolatey you want your cake)
1 standard-sized mug

 
Instructions:
In mug, crack egg, add powdered sugar and cocoa powder. 

 
Whisk together with a small whisk until well mixed. 

Microwave for 50-60 seconds, until the cake is cooked through (but not overcooked!) 

Top immediately with a handful of milk chocolate chips, hot fudge, whipped cream, ice cream, or pour several tablespoons of heavy whipping cream over the cake,

then eat it with a spoon... or fork.

***
200 calories * 33 carbs * 5g fat * 6g protein
{nutrition info does not cover extra toppings... so sorry!}
***

Grilled Marinated Shrimp

{Pillsbury Fast & Healthy Cookbook}

Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients
1/2t grated lime peel
1/4t ground cumin
1/4t dried oregano leaves
1/8t salt
2T olive or canola oil
2T lime juice
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1lb uncooked deveined peeled large shrimp

Instructions
Heat gas or charcoal grill. In medium bowl, mix all ingredients except shrimp.

silly me, I forgot the garlic in the picture

 
Add shrimp; toss to coat. Let stand at room temperature 10 minutes to marinate.

Remove shrimp from marinade; thread loosely onto 4 (12- to 14-inch) metal skewers. Reserve marinade.

Place skewered shrimp on grill over medium heat. Cover grill. Cook 3 to 7 minutes, turning once and brushing occasionally with reserved marinade, until shrimp turn pink. Discard any remaining marinade.

***

I do not have a grill... and I didn't have uncooked shrimp, I just have frozen pre-cooked shrimp. So, I improvised. I heated the shrimp in a saute pan. My shrimp was a little rubbery because it was overcooked... but the flavor was fantastic. I could definitely taste the lime, so if you aren't a fan of lime, you'll want to use less or try a different recipe.

***

3ww points
Calories: 110
Fat: 4.5g
Carbs: 0g
Fiber: 0g

Roasted Parmesan Asparagus

{from Pinterest and this blog}

Ingredients

1 lb. asparagus, trimmed

1 tbsp. olive oil

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Toss the asparagus with 1 tbsp. olive oil, Parmesan, and salt and pepper to taste.  Place the stalks in a baking dish and roast until they're al dente, 10-12 minutes.  serve warm.

{recipe courtesy men's health magazine, june 2010 issue.}

***

This recipe is very simple and very tasty. I did not measure the ingredients, I eyeballed and sprinkled... and it was really tasty!

Naturally Flavored Water {citrus-flavored water}

I must first tell you that I found this idea on Pinterest, and that it comes from this website. This is not my idea or recipe, but I'm excited about it! Today, I made the citrus version... Here's what I did:

Cut up an orange, a lemon, and a lime or two.

Put the slices into your container.

This was supposed to be done with a wooden spoon or muddler... I had neither (sad, I know!). Lightly muddle, press, and twist the fruit.

Add ice (to the top of the container).

Fill with cold water and refrigerate. They say that letting it sit overnight improves the flavor (which makes sense).

The website above has several options for this fruit-infused water. I plan to try some more, but if you're curious before I get to it, just click on the link above!

***

I have to say that I did not love this water... I left if overnight before I tried it (I didn't even try a sip of it the day I made it - I probably would have liked it better fresh). It was quite citrus-y... but bitter and tart. The kind of stuff that makes your mouth dry and makes you pucker. I didn't even drink the whole glass of water I poured. I'm still going to try some of the other versions, but if I do this again, I will make it just for the day that I'm going to drink it, and probably not put quite as much fruit in it. I think it could be very refreshing, I just wasn't a fan of the flavor when left overnight.

Honey-Mustard Chicken and Carrots

{Pillsbury Fast & Healthy Cookbook}
4 servings

Ingredients
2 teaspoons canola or olive oil
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (1 lb)
1/2 cup apple juice
2 cups ready-to-eat baby-cut carrots
2 tablespoons sweet honey mustard
3 tablespoons coarsely chopped honey-roasted peanuts

Instructions
In 10-inch nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 5-8 minutes, turning once, until chicken is browned on both sides.

Add apple juice. Reduce heat to medium; cover and cook 5 minutes. Add carrots; cover and cook 5 to 10 minutes longer or until chicken is fork-tender, its juices run clear when center of thickest part is cut (170 degrees) and carrots are crisp-tender.

With slotted spoon, remove chicken and carrots from skillet; place on serving platter and cover to keep warm. Stir mustard into liquid in skillet. Spoon mustard sauce over chicken and carrots; sprinkle with peanuts.


**This recipe was pretty yummy. I think I over-cooked the chicken a bit, so be careful of that. Also, I do not like cooking with oil for several reasons, but I did the first time I made this. Next time, I will probably do what I normally do and cook the chicken in with a little water instead of the oil. I may even add the apple juice and a little honey mustard a little sooner so that the flavors are able to get into the chicken a little better. Generally, this recipe is pretty tasty as-is - the sauce is very yummy.

Strawberry Pretzel Salad

This is one of my favorite easy-to-make-gluten-free recipe. I have made it once or twice with a friend who eats gf, but this time I made it for my gf new sister! She's coming over for dinner tomorrow night and I can't wait for dessert! {pictures coming tomorrow}

Strawberry Pretzel Salad
{allrecipes.com}
serves about 12

Ingredients

2 cups crushed pretzels (opt. gluten free pretzels)
3/4 cup butter, melted
3 tablespoons white sugar

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

2 (3 ounce) packages strawberry flavored gelatin
2 cups boiling water
2 (10 ounce) packages frozen strawberries

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. Stir together crushed pretzels, melted butter and 3 tablespoons sugar; mix well and press mixture into the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish.
3. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, until set. Set aside to cool.
4. In a large mixing bowl cream together cream cheese and 1 cup sugar. Fold in whipped topping. Spread mixture onto cooled crust.
5. Dissolve gelatin in boiling water. Stir in still frozen strawberries and allow to set briefly. When mixture is about the consistency of egg whites, pour and spread over cream cheese layer. Refrigerate until set. 

Gluten Free: Use gf pretzels instead of regular ones. You can find them in the organic or gluten free section in almost any store. An easy and quick fix that tastes just as good and accommodates your gf friends and family! :)

Spicy Chinese Chicken Tacos

Today, I tried a new recipe and, for the first time, used fresh ginger. I had to look up online how to prepare it, and found this handy little video. Here's my first piece of gingerroot ever!

This recipe was very simple, and quite yummy. I only used two chicken breasts (it's all I had, and there's only one of me - so I ate some and have a few leftovers), but kept the rest of the ingredients the same. It's a little spicy and very tasty.

Spicy Chinese Chicken Tacos
{Pillsbury Fast & Healthy Cookbook}

Ingredients

1 box (4.6 oz) taco shells (12 shells)

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts (3/4 lb), cut into thin bite-size strips

1 teaspoon grated gingerroot

1 small clove garlic, finely chopped

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon honey

1 large green onion, sliced

½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 ½ cups shredded iceberg lettuce

Instructions

If desired, heat taco shells as directed on box.

Heat 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken, gingerroot and garlic; cook 3 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until lightly browned.

Stir in soy sauce, honey, onion and pepper flakes to coat. Reduce heat to low; cover and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until chicken is no longer pink the center.

To serve, place slightly less than ¼ cup chicken mixture in each taco shell. Top each with lettuce. Serve immediately. 

Here's a little action shot. It looked so good even while it was still cooking!

And here's the finished product! Yum!

I made a few minor changes... I didn't actually measure the ginger... I used a romaine mix instead of iceberg. Make it. It's yummy!


{edit} I used the leftover chicken on a salad with some honey mustard. It was fabulous, so for a slight twist on the serving options, topping a salad with this chicken would be another great option! :)

Gluten Free: Make this gluten free by using gf soy sauce.

Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake

 {Philadelphia Cream Cheese Cookbook}
Makes 10-12 servings

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups gingersnap crumbs (I used gluten free cookies to accommodate my gluten free almost-sister-in-law)
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
1/3 cup margarine, melted
*     *     *
2 8-ounce packages of cream cheese (I used fat free)
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Instructions:
Combine crumbs, pecans and margarine; press onto bottom and 1 1/2 inches up sides of 9-inch springform pan. Bake at 350 degrees, 10 minutes.

Combine cream cheese, 1/2 cup sugar and vanilla, mixing at medium speed on electric mixer until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Reserve 1 cup batter. Add remaining sugar, pumpkin and spices to remaining batter; mix well. Alternately layer pumpkin and cream cheese batters over crust. Cut through batters with knife several times for marble effect. Bake at 350 degrees, 55 minutes. Loosen cake from rim of pan; cool before removing rim of pan. Chill.

Some of the main ingredients

For the crust

The two batters

First you add the pumpkin

Then the plain (then a little more pumpkin)

Swirl

And you're ready to bake

The finished product

I can't figure out how to make the tops of these yummy cheesecakes not to crack on top, but it doesn't change the taste. It was delicious. Like pumpkin pie in a cheesecake (shocking, right?). It was definitely a hit with all who tasted it!

Gluten Free: You can make this gluten free by using gf ginger snaps. Everything else in the recipe is already ready to go.