Adventures in cooking: Chocolate chip skinny scones

I saw this recipe on SkinnyTaste.com (also where photo is snagged from), a great blog for all your favorite foods slimmed down. I whipped up a batch of these Friday night to feed everyone at the Facets photo shoot Saturday morning, and they were a hit! They end up really soft and thick—just the way a scone should be. Served with a side of coffee, of course.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup cold buttermilk
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 Tbsp chilled butter (must be cold) cut into small pieces
• 3/4 cup chocolate chips
• Cooking spray
• 1 large egg white, lightly beaten
• 1 1/2 tbsp sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Combine the first four ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Spray baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Cut in chilled butter with a pastry blender, or you could use two knives, until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Gently fold in chocolate chips. Add milk mixture, stirring just until moist.
3. Place dough onto a floured surface and knead lightly four times with floured hands. Form dough into an 9-inch circle onto baking sheet, about 3/4” thick. Using a knife,cut dough into 12 wedges all the way through.
4. Brush egg white over dough and sprinkle evenly with sugar. Bake until golden, about 18-20 minutes. Serve warm.

Servings: 12 • Serving size: 1 scone • WW points: 5 • Calories: 199.6

When life hands you avocados, you make guac. That’s how the saying goes, right? (Taken with instagram)

Adventures in cooking: Creamy avocado pasta

Like every other new recipe I try out, I found this one through Tumblr (thanks, guys!). What drew me in was the use of avocado, but also that it is a healthy alternative to calm those creamy pasta cravings. What made me vow to make this again, though, is the ease of the recipe. A must try!

Ingredients:

• 6 ounces of whole wheat spaghetti
• 1 large ripe Avocado, pitted and peel removed
• 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt, or to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Bring water to a boil in a medium sized pot. Salt the water and add in your pasta, reduce heat to medium, and cook until Al Dente, about 8-10 minutes.
2. While the pasta is cooking, make the sauce by placing the avocado, garlic, lime juice, cilantro, salt and pepper into a food processor or blender. Process until smooth and creamy.
3. When pasta is done cooking, drain and place pasta into a large bowl. Add the sauce to the pasta and toss until pasta is well coated. Season with additional salt and pepper, if desired. Serve immediately.

Look at these 1.5 lb beauties! I cook lobster tail around New Year’s every year and it’s my favorite thing in the world. (Taken with instagram)

Mimosas, music on the iPad and the middle of my apple pie. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Adventures in cooking: Loaded sweet potato soup

The same day I saw this recipe via pinotandthefig, I was at the grocery store buying the ingredients to make it for lunch that afternoon. The final product was delicious, and this soup is a new cold-weather staple in my home. My advice: MAKE THIS. The recipe below is my altered version. 

Ingredients:

• 4 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 1/2 tablespoons flour
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 cups low-sodium vegetable stock
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken stock
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
• Garnishes: bacon, mascarpone cheese and crispy onions

Directions:

1. Peel and cube sweet potatoes, then add to a microwave safe bowl and microwave on high power for about 10 minutes or until fork tender, tossing 2-3 times during cook time. 
2. Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Melt butter, then add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Then add flour and whisk continuously to create a roux. Cook for about 2-3 minutes until it starts to golden in color a bit and smell nutty. 
3. Add in stock, milk, smoked paprika and potatoes, then bring to a boil. Simmer for 15-20 minutes over medium heat, stirring often. The potatoes will begin to break down at this time. If they are not as broken down as you’d like, mash a bit more with a fork or throw the soup in the blender to make it super creamy. Turn heat down to low and add salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings according to preference. If you’d prefer a thinner soup, add more stock to thin it out.
4. Serve hot with garnishes of crumbled bacon, mascarpone cheese and crispy onions.

Check out my mom’s infamous pumpkin bread recipe. So easy and delicious!

facetsmag:

My mom passed down this pumpkin bread recipe to me, and it’s a yearly staple in my home come fall. It’s light enough to have for breakfast with a cup of coffee, sweet enough to eat for dessert with a bit of cream cheese frosting, and simple enough to mix with any of your favorite additions like chocolate chips, walnuts or cranberries.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups flour
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 cups of pumpkin
• 1 1/4 vegetable oil

Directions:

1. Combine flour, salt, baking soda and cinnamon in a medium mixing bowl.
2. Combine eggs, sugar, pumpkin and oil in another medium mixing bowl.
3. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients mixture until batter is smooth.
4. Bake at 350°F for one hour. Enjoy!