Melting Moments

Baking through stress. And a little bit food obsessed.

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1 day ago

Banana soft serve

Easy, healthy, delicious. Seems like that’s the theme for many of the things I make and this is no exception. Just slice a very ripe banana, put it on a plate and freeze it, then blend in a food processor and enjoy! That’s it!

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3 weeks ago 10 notes cake chocolate food gluten free healthy paleo

Gluten Free Chocolate Mug Cake

It was especially cold and rainy today for May, so I was craving something warm and comforting. I came to this: a healthy dessert (or breakfast) with 4 or 5 ingredients that takes 2-2.5 minutes to “bake” in the microwave, and satisfied my sweet-tooth and need for comfort food. 

1 ripe banana

1 1/2 tbsp. nut butter (peanut, almond, etc.)

1 egg

2 tbsp. cocoa powder

Optional 2 tsp. sweetener (I didn’t add any and it was still delicious)

Optional mix-ins (chocolate chips, nuts, I think some espresso powder would be a great addition)

  • In your mug or other container, thoroughly mash the banana.
  • Mix in the nut butter, cocoa powder, egg, and sweetener if you’re using any.
  • Fold in any mix-ins, and if you need to, transfer the batter to your microwavable container (make sure its not more than 2/3 full because it will expand).
  • Microwave for 2 to 2 1/2 minutes until the center is set (depending on the strength of your microwave, times may vary). Carefully take it out and enjoy!

(Source: thewannabechef.net)

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1 month ago 11 notes food dessert chocolate fudge cookies flourless gluten free quick easy

Flourless Fudge Cookies I’ve been feeling the need to bake, and these gluten free, quick and delicious cookies seemed like the perfect thing to make. I was a little wary because two of the ingredients I find most irritating to use are powdered sugar and cocoa powder (which are the basis of these cookies), mostly because I tend to be incapable of even opening their containers without making a mess. However, with the help of a sifter and finally realizing that I should just deal with it all over the sink, the usual large mess was averted and I enjoyed the fudgy, chocolatey goodness. 2 1/4 cups confectioners sugar 1/4 tsp. salt 1 tsp. espresso powder (optional, but it brings out the chocolate) 1 cup cocoa powder (preferably dutch processed) 3 large egg whites 2 tsp. vanilla extract (gluten free if you want the recipe to be) Up to 2 cups optional add ins (chocolate chips, walnuts, etc.) Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and grease the paper. Stir the ingredients together in a bowl until smooth. Add the add-ins if using. Drop the dough onto sheets in 1 1/2 inch circles (approx 1 tbsp. each) Bake the cookies for 8 minutes (10 minutes with 2 cups of add-ins), until somewhat shiny with faintly crackly tops. Remove from oven and cool on pan. Yields 16 3” cookies (they spread a lot). This is the recipe I started from. It turned out that I only had 2 eggs, so I adjusted the recipe accordingly and the results were still delicious.

Flourless Fudge Cookies

I’ve been feeling the need to bake, and these gluten free, quick and delicious cookies seemed like the perfect thing to make. I was a little wary because two of the ingredients I find most irritating to use are powdered sugar and cocoa powder (which are the basis of these cookies), mostly because I tend to be incapable of even opening their containers without making a mess. However, with the help of a sifter and finally realizing that I should just deal with it all over the sink, the usual large mess was averted and I enjoyed the fudgy, chocolatey goodness.

2 1/4 cups confectioners sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. espresso powder (optional, but it brings out the chocolate)

1 cup cocoa powder (preferably dutch processed)

3 large egg whites

2 tsp. vanilla extract (gluten free if you want the recipe to be)

Up to 2 cups optional add ins (chocolate chips, walnuts, etc.)

  • Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and grease the paper.
  • Stir the ingredients together in a bowl until smooth.
  • Add the add-ins if using.
  • Drop the dough onto sheets in 1 1/2 inch circles (approx 1 tbsp. each)
  • Bake the cookies for 8 minutes (10 minutes with 2 cups of add-ins), until somewhat shiny with faintly crackly tops.
  • Remove from oven and cool on pan. Yields 16 3” cookies (they spread a lot).

This is the recipe I started from. It turned out that I only had 2 eggs, so I adjusted the recipe accordingly and the results were still delicious.

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1 month ago 1 note sweet potatoe fries food recipe dinner healthy

Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Made these last night to go with burgers from the farmer’s market. I have always loved eating plain baked sweet potato, and the crispiness added by baking these in strips and the flavors of the herbs made it even better- no frying necessary. 

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

Cut your sweet potatoes into strips (try to make them somewhat similar in size so they bake evenly).

Toss the potatoes with ~2tbsp olive oil and herbs, salt, and pepper in a bowl (I used oregano, basil, bacon-tomato salt, and pepper with great success).

Spread potatoes in one layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, then flip and bake for 10 to 15 more minutes. I ended up turning the heat up to 500 for the last few minutes to make them crispier. Enjoy!

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1 month ago 6 notes food homemade recipe teriyaki healthy delicious

Homemade teriyaki

Who knew it would be so simple? Just three ingredients, and we recreated restaurant-style teriyaki sauce at home. Although we ate it with chicken, rice, and mushrooms, you could put it over whatever you like (salmon and a good veggie stir fry are two I’m planning on trying soon).

To make the sauce (the recipe can be scaled to make as much as you want):

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup mirin (a sort of rice wine)

2 tbsp. sugar

Combine the ingredients in a small saucepan and simmer until it thickens.

That’s it! Enjoy.

(Source: steamykitchen.com)

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1 month ago 1 note food cake chocolate mousse dessert delicious

Triple chocolate mousse cake for my mom’s 50th birthday! The plan was to make a chocolate genoise and fill it with mascarpone frosting, but despite beating the eggs for over 20 minutes by hand, it didn’t really rise. So I improvised and made triple chocolate mousse cake, which was rich and delicious. I don’t have a tested recipe for the bottom cake part (since mine consisted of the above mentioned failure), but the recipes for dark chocolate and white chocolate mousse are as follows: Dark chocolate mousse: 2 tbsp. cocoa powder 5 tbsp. hot water 7 oz. bittersweet chocolate finely chopped 1 1/2 cups heavy cream 1 tbsp sugar a pinch of salt Whisk together the cocoa powder and chocolate in a small bowl and set it aside. Melt the chocolate in a heat-proof bowl set over simmering water. Let cool for 2-5 minutes. Whip the cream, sugar, and salt until soft peaks begin to form. Whisk in the cocoa powder mixture until smooth. Stir in about a third of the whipped cream into the chocolate, then fold the rest in gently with a spatula until no streaks remain. Pour the mixture into the springform pan in which your chocolate base has been chilling. Gently smooth the top with a spatula. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes. White chocolate mousse: 3/4 tsp. powdered gelatin 1 tbsp. water 6 oz. white chocolate, finely chopped 1 1/2 cups heavy cream. Sprinkle the gelatin over the water and let it sit about 5 minutes. Bring 1/2 cup of the cream to a simmer. Remove pan from heat and stir in gelatin until dissolved. Pour the hot cream over the white chocolate and let it stand for 1 minute. Stir the mixture until it is smooth. Let cool for 5-8 minutes. Whip the remaining 1 cup of cream until soft peaks form. Add about a third of the cream to the chocolate, then fold in the remaining cream with a spatula until no streaks remain.  Spoon the white chocolate mousse into the pan and smooth the top. Refrigerate for at least 2 1/2 hours before serving so the cake can set.

Triple chocolate mousse cake for my mom’s 50th birthday! The plan was to make a chocolate genoise and fill it with mascarpone frosting, but despite beating the eggs for over 20 minutes by hand, it didn’t really rise. So I improvised and made triple chocolate mousse cake, which was rich and delicious. I don’t have a tested recipe for the bottom cake part (since mine consisted of the above mentioned failure), but the recipes for dark chocolate and white chocolate mousse are as follows:

Dark chocolate mousse:

2 tbsp. cocoa powder

5 tbsp. hot water

7 oz. bittersweet chocolate finely chopped

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1 tbsp sugar

a pinch of salt

  • Whisk together the cocoa powder and chocolate in a small bowl and set it aside.
  • Melt the chocolate in a heat-proof bowl set over simmering water. Let cool for 2-5 minutes.
  • Whip the cream, sugar, and salt until soft peaks begin to form. Whisk in the cocoa powder mixture until smooth.
  • Stir in about a third of the whipped cream into the chocolate, then fold the rest in gently with a spatula until no streaks remain. Pour the mixture into the springform pan in which your chocolate base has been chilling. Gently smooth the top with a spatula. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes.

White chocolate mousse:

3/4 tsp. powdered gelatin

1 tbsp. water

6 oz. white chocolate, finely chopped

1 1/2 cups heavy cream.

  • Sprinkle the gelatin over the water and let it sit about 5 minutes.
  • Bring 1/2 cup of the cream to a simmer. Remove pan from heat and stir in gelatin until dissolved. Pour the hot cream over the white chocolate and let it stand for 1 minute. Stir the mixture until it is smooth. Let cool for 5-8 minutes.
  • Whip the remaining 1 cup of cream until soft peaks form. Add about a third of the cream to the chocolate, then fold in the remaining cream with a spatula until no streaks remain. 
  • Spoon the white chocolate mousse into the pan and smooth the top. Refrigerate for at least 2 1/2 hours before serving so the cake can set.

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2 months ago breakfast food healthy overnight oats

Overnight Oats (Instant, delicious, healthy breakfast)

I have recently tried making overnight oats to eat in the morning for breakfast and been very pleasantly rewarded. I’m still perfecting my recipe combination and experimenting with new flavors, but the basic recipe I use is:

1/2 cup old-fashioned (whole) oats

1/4 cup rice or almond milk

1/4 cup yogurt

The night before you want it for breakfast, stir the oats and liquid together in a tupperware with whatever add-ins you like (dried fruit, nuts, fresh fruit, spices, etc.) and put it in the fridge. Wake up. Enjoy. 

You can change the ratio of oats to milk/ yogurt depending on how much liquid you want and how creamy you like it (you can even eliminate the yogurt entirely).

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2 months ago banana blueberry food gluten free muffins healthy

Gluten Free Banana Blueberry Muffins! Although these are gluten free, they made the house smell delicious while baking, and came out tasting amazing (they were the best kind of banana-y). Recipe: 1 3/4 cups gluten free all purpose flour mix (I used Bob’s Red Mill) 1 cup brown sugar 1 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp salt 1 1/2 tsp ground ginger 1/2 tsp ground cardamom 1/3 cup butter, melted and cooled (or, like I did, use slightly less than 1/3 cup oil) 1/2 cup buttermilk 1 large egg 1 tsp vanilla extract 2 large bananas, mashed (about 1 cup) 1/2 cup blueberries (or nuts if you prefer) Preheat oven to 375 F and line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper liners In a large bowl, whisk together gluten free flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and spices In another bowl, whisk together melted butter or oil, buttermilk, egg, vanilla, and mashed bananas. Pour this into the flour mixture and stir just until no streaks of dry ingredients remain (don’t over-mix). Stir in blueberries. Divide batter into muffin cups, filling each about to the top. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until a tester inserted into the center comes out with only a few moist crumbs. Cool on a wire rack. Makes 12.

Gluten Free Banana Blueberry Muffins! Although these are gluten free, they made the house smell delicious while baking, and came out tasting amazing (they were the best kind of banana-y).

Recipe:

1 3/4 cups gluten free all purpose flour mix (I used Bob’s Red Mill)

1 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp ground cardamom

1/3 cup butter, melted and cooled (or, like I did, use slightly less than 1/3 cup oil)

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 large bananas, mashed (about 1 cup)

1/2 cup blueberries (or nuts if you prefer)

  • Preheat oven to 375 F and line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper liners
  • In a large bowl, whisk together gluten free flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and spices
  • In another bowl, whisk together melted butter or oil, buttermilk, egg, vanilla, and mashed bananas. Pour this into the flour mixture and stir just until no streaks of dry ingredients remain (don’t over-mix). Stir in blueberries.
  • Divide batter into muffin cups, filling each about to the top. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until a tester inserted into the center comes out with only a few moist crumbs. Cool on a wire rack.

Makes 12.

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3 months ago Denmark food aebleskiver breakfast

We finally made aebleskiver!! For those of you wondering what those delicious balls of pancake-ey goodness are, they are a traditional Danish food (sort of like pancake balls) made in a special pan, which we finally own. If you own an aebleskiver pan, or want to improvise with the recipe using available kitchen equipment, here it is: 2 cups flour 1/2 tsp. salt 1 tsp. sugar 2 cups buttermilk 2 eggs, separated 1 tsp. baking soda Butter for pan Powdered sugar and jam for serving Mix flour, salt and sugar. Beat together buttermilk and eggs yolks and add to the flour mixture. Stiffly beat the egg whites. Add baking soda, then fold in the egg whites Heat the pan and put melted butter in each hole. Pour batter into each hole (completely if you want really round aebleskiver). Use a fork or knitting needle to turn them when the bottom half is done. Serve hot with jam and powdered sugar. 

We finally made aebleskiver!! For those of you wondering what those delicious balls of pancake-ey goodness are, they are a traditional Danish food (sort of like pancake balls) made in a special pan, which we finally own. If you own an aebleskiver pan, or want to improvise with the recipe using available kitchen equipment, here it is:

2 cups flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. sugar

2 cups buttermilk

2 eggs, separated

1 tsp. baking soda

Butter for pan

Powdered sugar and jam for serving

  • Mix flour, salt and sugar.
  • Beat together buttermilk and eggs yolks and add to the flour mixture.
  • Stiffly beat the egg whites.
  • Add baking soda, then fold in the egg whites
  • Heat the pan and put melted butter in each hole. Pour batter into each hole (completely if you want really round aebleskiver). Use a fork or knitting needle to turn them when the bottom half is done. Serve hot with jam and powdered sugar.