Sunday Scenes

 

Recipe: Paula Deen's Cinnamon Rolls
Review: Easy, fun, took a long time, totally delicious, will make again when I have help to eat them

Peaches & Cream

I don't mean to sound judgmental first thing in the morning, but instant oatmeal is gross.

I can't figure out why people eat it.

Instant oatmeal is ladened with preservatives and things nobody can pronounce.  Plus it's slimy.  Slimy in the morning is way gross.

The real kind only takes a few minutes more to make, is so much better for you, and tastes so good.

I make ours with milk on the stovetop and it takes no more then 10 minutes from start to finish.

We like it with apple sauce and cinnamon or a pinch of brown sugar and a little maple syrup.  Toss in any kind of fruit and you're good to go.  Our new favorite is peaches and cream.

Lordy.  This one is like having dessert for breakfast.

It's easy and you need to go make some pronto.

You need oats (real, old fashion oats), a peach, cinnamon, and milk.

Make your oats following the directions on the package, only instead of water use milk.

While they are cooking, chop up one peach.

I love pretty fruit.

Toss it in with the oats.  Sprinkle on some cinnamon and let it finish cooking.

When it's done cooking, you can eat it.  Or you can splash on a little half & half.  It's a wonderful thing.

Chia seeds are an awesome thing to have on hand.  I toss them on everything.  They have no taste and are loaded with omega-3s and dietary fiber.

Let's Make Pudding

Are you missing my crazy recipes?

I know I didn't just hear crickets!

After leaving all my desserts full of sugar and veggie free for over a month, I was jonesing to doctor up a recipe.  I found this pudding made with  avocados and cocoa and thought, "What the heck? Let's give it a whirl."


Meet our cast of characters:

Plop it all in a blender or food processor and mix it.  Mix it real good.

When it's well mixed and looks like, well, pudding, spoon it into a bowl and refrigerate for at least an hour.

My taste testers were split right down the middle on this one.

Josie didn't like the coconut flavor, but Gabe?  

He was a fan.

Any dessert that makes your eyes cross has to be added to the rotation!

I sided more with Josie.  I'm not a fan of coconut in any kind of dessert so this one wasn't for me.  I would have loved it if I had used a different oil.  The texture is just like pudding and it was perfectly chocolatey.

Now go make yourself some dairy free pudding.

And as an added bonus, here's one last shot of my edible son.

Dairy Free Chocolate Pudding

1/3 Cup of Cocoa

2 TBSP Coconut Oil

2 TBSP Honey

1 TSP Vanilla

2 Avocados

Mix all together and refrigerate for a couple of hours

Zucchini Brownies

I did it again guys.

I took a perfectly scrumptious treat and threw in some veggies to toss it up a bit.  Ooey Gooey Brownies were my target this time.  I love the Black Bean Brownies we've been making, but they have to be cold to taste good.  Which isn't normally a big problem, except that I need a nice warm brownie to go with my ice cream.  I found this recipe, and with a few tweaks, I've got a new favorite hot brownie recipe.

Zucchini Brownies are where's it's at guys.

Ahh, cocoa powder is NOT an ingredient in these.  Let's pretend that's not there.

Gluten Free Zucchini Brownies

• 1 cup of peanut butter
• 1 1/2 cup chopped zucchini
• 1/3 cup of raw honey
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp of vanilla
• 1 tsp of baking soda
• 1 cup of dark chocolate chips. I used gluten free chocolate chips.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine all the ingredients into a large bowl and mix everything together.
3. Pour into a greased 9x9 baking pan.
4. Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Next time, I think I will add a little cocoa powder to the batter too.  Maybe my subconscious knew I should've used some in that first shot.  Either way, they are seriously yummy!

And here's a little nugget shot for the Grandparents:

Beans And Spinach

I've got another recipe for you.

I'm going to give you a warning that this one's ingredients aren't traditional.  But skeptics beware, they taste great.

I even ran them by some of the toughest food critics I know and they signed off on this as a winning recipe.

The beans replace the flour so these are perfect if you have a gluten allergy.  Which we don't have, but some of our friends do.

Adding spinach was all me.  Cause I'm a mean mom that thinks spinach should go in everything.

So now that you've been warned, let's whip up some Black Bean & Spinach Brownies.
*adapted from All Recipes


Ingredients:

Spinach, black beans, chocolate chips, eggs.

Cocoa, oil, sugar, vanilla, coffee.

Rinse your can of beans and toss them in a blender or food processor and pulse them a few times to break them up.

Add in the oil and spinach and blast it really well.

When you're done, you'll wonder what on earth you are making.

It will smell strange and look even stranger.  But keep going.  It's about to get good!

Add in the cocoa, vanilla, a few chocolate chips, and coffee.  Pulse away.

Add the eggs last and just mix it a little more.

Pour in a pan and sprinkle the chocolate chips on top.

Now that they smell like an actual dessert, toss it in the oven for 45 minutes.

We eat them chilled.  I've heard that they aren't so awesome warm.

So there you have it.

My newest way to jazz up some spinach.

Let me know if you give them a try!


Black Bean Brownies


1 (15.5 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
3 eggs
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup spinach
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 pinch salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon instant coffee (optional)
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips (optional)


Blend beans until well mashed.  Add oil and spinach and mix very well.  Add cocoa, salt, vanilla, sugar, and coffee.  Blend.  Add eggs and pulse a few times.  Pour into an 8x8 baking dish and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.
Chill before eating.