Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cookies

Girl Scout cookies are amazing, we all know that, but what if you could make Girl Scout cookies even better? I did!!!

 
 

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cookies

Ingredients

 
1/2 bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips

Louisiana strawberries
1 sleeve Trefoil Girl Scout cookies

Directions

1. Prepare your baking sheet with parchment paper, and pull out the cookies so you are all ready to go.

2. Set up a double boiler on your stove.  A double boiler consists of a small pot filled with water, a small bowl set on top.  Put the chocolate in your small bowl and turn the heat to medium.  Slowly stir the chocolate until is melted, it may seize up a bit but just keep slowly stirring.  You don't need to add milk or anything to the chocolate, just keep working it until it melts.  As soon as the chocolate is melted take it off the heat, you don't want it to burn.

3. Use a spoon or spatula and spread a layer of chocolate on top of each cookie.

4.  When all your cookies are covered put the baking sheet in the freezer to allow the chocolate an opportunity cool down and harden.

5.  After 20ish minutes, pull the cookies out!  I'm sure there are fancy ways to cut strawberries so that they are visually appealing, but I'm not fancy.  I just want to eat all the strawberries!!! Slice your strawberries and pile them on top of your cookies.

6.  Eat all the cookies in one sitting (that may have just been the case for me, the roomie, and the roomie's boyfriend).


Picture Tutorial

 
Set up your double boiler on your stove.
 
 
Melt the chocolate slowly (be careful, it will get hot).
 
 
Spread the chocolate on top of the cookies.
 
 

 
Top each cookie with sliced strawberries and enjoy!
 


 

A Note on Ingredients

Louisiana strawberries are the best!  If you don't live in Louisiana, get yourself here during strawberry season!  Louisiana strawberries are amazing in a way that I cannot describe, you must get your hands on some!
 

Monday, March 11, 2013

Mine, Nachos

Nachos are super easy, super delicious, and super cheap.  I really don't know why I don't incorporate them into my diet more often.

Last night I made some super tasty nachos for the roomie and I.  Lemme break down my nacho situation for you.

Protein:  Everyone needs some protein in their diet. As a vegetarian, I get my protein from beans, legumes, and leafy greens.  I'm not a huge fan of leafy greens or potatoes on my nachos, so I'm going to stick with beans.  I buy a can of pre-cooked/mashed pinto beans from the grocery store.  Just a can of pre made beans?  How boring you say!  Well, I would agree with you.  Except, that my beans are a little extra special.  I like to kick my nachos up a notch with some spice.  I usually add some chipotle pepper in adobe sauce to my beans.  Or you could add some regular old spices: cumin, cayenne, paprika, salt, pepper, whatever your heart desires.  Last night though, I did something special.  The roommate had made mole the week before, and we still had a bit lying around, so I tossed that in my beans!  And let me say, a wonderful, delicious, semi-accident food choice.

Chip: I like a flat, sturdy chip as my nacho base.  I like to buy Santitas, but last night I was trying to kill off some whole wheat Scoops that have been laying around for forever.  I do not recommend the Scoop chip for nachos, they are wonderful for dips, but do not form a good base for piling upon.

Spicy: Salsa, very basic, very delicious.  4 seeded tomatoes, 1/2 an onion diced, half a bunch of cilantro, juice of 1 lemon, 1 jalapeno half seeded and roughly chopped.  Mix it all up and enjoy! This salsa has a nice balance of sweet and spicy from the tomato and jalapeno.  Last night I didn't have any cilantro, but I did have some mint.  The mint added a nice counter play to the sweetness of the tomatoes and spiciness of the jalapeno.  Adding the mint did make salsa seem more like a fruity salsa, rather than a spicy one.  I'll tell you though, I didn't hate it.

Soothing (Cheese/Guacamole):  Cheese will be the natural soother of any spicy ailments you may have.  I like to use a Mexican/taco blend, but last night had some Monterey Jack/Cheddar blend, really anything will do.  If you are going to vegan route, some nice guacamole will do as well!  Personally, I love guacamole even if I have cheese as well.  Last night's guac was made with: 2 avocados, 1/4 an onion diced, juice of 1 lime, a generous amount of salt.  You could also add some cilantro for added flavor.

Layer and eat away!  I must admit that in the picture below of my nachos, my eyes were a little larger than my stomach.  Too much food on a plate does not denote its deliciousness! 


 
 
Serve with a chilled beer, limeade, or other refreshing beverage of your choice!

Friday, March 8, 2013

Pizza Fascination

I have a confession to make.  I LOVE pizza.  I love it so much that I probably eat it at least once a week.  I order it cheap, I order it expensive, I unthaw it from the pizza, I make it from scratch.  I'll pretty much eat pizza any which way.

This is the recipe for a Barbecue Coleslaw Pizza the roommate and I made the other night. 


Barbecue Coleslaw Pizza

Ingredients

Pizza

1 can Pillsbury pizza dough
1 cup pre-made barbecue sauce
1 cup cheddar cheese

Coleslaw

1 head purple cabbage
3 carrots
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup Italian dressing
1 tbsp sugar

Directions

1. Cook the pizza dough according to package instructions, about 12 minutes.
2. Top the pizza crust with barbecue sauce and cheese.  Feel free to adjust the amount of each to suit your preference.  Cook the pizza with the toppings for another 8-10 minutes.
3. While the pizza crust is cooking, shred the cabbage and carrots into a large mixing bowl.  Rinse the vegetables.
4.  Mix the mayonnaise, Italian dressing, and sugar together in a separate bowl.  Adjust the seasoning to suit your tastes.
5.  Add the dressing to the cabbage and carrot mixture.
6.  Once the pizza has come out of the oven, top each individual piece with some slaw.


Now, this might sound crazy to you.  But let me just say, it is delicious.  It reminds me of two things from back home.  (1)A local barbecue joint makes a slaw sandwich that basically consists of their homemade barbecue sauce and slaw in a bun.  It is divine, and so delicious when a vegetarian is craving barbecue.  (2)  Another local restaurant from where I am from makes a barbecue salad.  It is a giant bowl regular salad fixings; lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, topped with barbecue pulled pork, cheddar cheese, and ranch dressing.
This recipe combines all of that homey goodness with pizza!  I don't know what two things could be better.
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