recipes – snacks

easy, homemade microwave sweet potato chips

06/18/2013 by Annalise · Leave a Comment

Microwave sweet potato chips? Really?!

That’s exactly what I thought when I first heard of this! I have been ignoring the concept, until I started intensely craving sweet potato chips today and decided to do something about it.

Usually I make sweet potato fries, in the oven. They are delicious, but always lack the ‘crunch’ I crave.

I was so skeptical of using the microwave, as I’m not a huge microwave user in general, but the more I thought about it, the more it started to make sense.

Have you ever tried to microwave something soft and moist, like bread, cake or cookies? And you know how hard and dried out they get if they stay in there even a few seconds too long?

Well, use that drying-out to your advantage for some homemade chips!

A light toss in some oil & spices and thin slices of sweet potatoes turn into crunchy, golden chips in just minutes!

Heaven!

easy homemade microwave sweet potato chips

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

10 minutes

Yield: 1 serving

1 medium sweet potato

Ingredients

parchment paper
1 medium-large sweet potato, washed
1 teaspoon coconut oil or butter
salt & pepper, to taste

Directions

Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit the tray of your microwave.

Slice the sweet potato as thinly as possible (preferably with a mandoline). Toss the slices in a bowl with a teaspoon of melted coconut oil and some salt & pepper.

Lay the coated slices out evenly on your parchment-lined microwave tray. Cook on high for 4+ minutes (this number will depend on your microwave and how thick the slices are). Start at 4 minutes and then keep adding about 30 seconds at a time until the chips are just brown.

Take them out of the microwave and let cool a few minutes for maximum crunch. Toss with a bit more salt if desired!

(I like to add chipotle chile powder and garlic powder to mine, with the salt & pepper. A salty/sweet version with cinnamon and a pinch of brown sugar would be delicious too!)

http://sweetannas.com/2013/06/easy-homemade-microwave-sweet-potato-chips.html

www.sweetannas.com

Filed Under: recipes, recipes - appetizers, recipes - gluten free, recipes - healthy, recipes - kids, recipes - natural, recipes - snacks, recipes - tips and tricks, recipes - toddler, recipes - toddlers, recipes - trim healthy mama, recipes - vegetarian ·

crazy healthy good chocolate chip pan cookie

05/13/2013 by Annalise · Leave a Comment

Ok, maybe not super healthy, because this does have sugar in it. But even that sugar is organic, and part of it good-for-you coconut palm sugar!

What does this cookie not have? Flour, eggs, butter… seriously. I know. Stop it already, right?

This cookie sounds crazy. Almost horrible. But so crazy that it is worth trying, if only just to say you did.

(Yep, that’s why I tried it. My friend kept talking about it, for like – years, and I thought she was just a tad bit nutso. But I also got tired of wondering why she kept talking about it and so, maybe just a little to shut her up if it was not good, I tried it.)

And you know what? I am so glad I finally tried it!

And you will be glad you tried it… and your friends and family will never know it’s so healthy, I promise!

I tested this out on myself, my husband, my kids, and even my father-in-law… and everyone agreed that it does not taste one bit healthy.

Crazy, huh?

Ok, so what makes it so healthy, besides all that stuff that’s not in it? Beans. Garbanzo beans (aka Chickpeas. They are the same thing.) to be exact. Lots of beans. And some apple sauce. Weird, weird stuff. So weird, you have to try it to believe it.

Seriously. GO make this cookie. You won’t regret it!!

crazy healthy chocolate chip pan cookie

Ingredients

3 cups garbanzo beans (2 cans, drained and rinsed)
1/2 cup old fashioned or quick cooking oats
1/4 cup applesauce
3 tablespoons coconut oil
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup shredded or flaked coconut (either sweetened or unsweetened is fine)
1/2 cup Wholesome Sweeteners organic coconut palm sugar (can substitute for more brown)
1 cup Wholesome Sweeteners organic dark brown sugar
1 cup chocolate chips
(optional: additional chocolate chips and coconut for sprinkling on top)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease a 10" cast iron skillet, or a 9x13" baking dish, and set aside.

In a large food processor, combine all ingredients except the chocolate chips and pulse until well combined.

Dump the dough into a large bowl and stir in the chocolate chips. Spread everything into the prepared baking dish and bake for 35-40 minutes, until golden brown around the edges.

Let sit for 10-15 minutes before serving... with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top if you want to really trick your friends, I mean... be decadent!

http://sweetannas.com/2013/05/crazy-healthy-good-chocolate-chip-pan-cookie.html

www.sweetannas.com

Recipe adapted from Chocolate Covered Katie

Filed Under: recipes, recipes - cookies and bars, recipes - dessert, recipes - desserts, recipes - freezer, recipes - gluten free, recipes - healthy, recipes - kids, recipes - make ahead, recipes - natural, recipes - snacks, recipes - tips and tricks, recipes - toddler, recipes - toddlers, recipes - vegetarian ·

chewy two-bite chocolate chip cookies

03/21/2013 by Annalise · 1 Comment

I have a favorite favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe. Favorite.

Did I say favorite?

Anyways, it makes big, huge, gigantic, serves-two-people cookies that are perfectly thick, chewy, dense, moist, golden, and just… perfect.

Unfortunately, big huge, gigantic cookies are not always what I need to bake, especially if I am making treats for a crowd.

This is almost the same recipe, downsized to cute little two-bite cookies.

There really is something extra special that happens to the giant cookies, but these cute, little ones are incredibly good too. And much more manageable!

Andrew is gone this week and most of next. On a missions trip to Mexico which leaves me home alone with all the kiddos for 10 days.

We’re on day 3 and I’m already losing my mind. Lots of pointless outings (driving the long loooong way to town, and the even longer way home!) are happening, and lots of baking is being done.

Baking is my sanity. And these days, it’s the only sanity I have.

Also, I’m working so hard on my dislike of having help in the kitchen (If you’re my friend on facebook, we talked about this the other day!). I am trying to find ways to let my kids help so that they can learn to love the kitchen, and so I can love having them in there. (Or at least tolerate it better!)

Do you let your kids – especially the littles – help in the kitchen? Or do you struggle with that as much as I do??

chewy two-bite chocolate chip cookies

Ingredients

2 cups + 2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter, melted and slightly cooled
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda & salt; Set aside.

In your mixer bowl, cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Beat in the egg, egg yolk & vanilla until smooth.

Beat in the flour mixture until just combined and then stir in the chocolate chips.

Place the dough in the fridge to chill for about 30 minutes while you preheat the oven to 350ºF and line some baking sheets with parchment.

Scoop tablespoons of dough onto parchment-lined cookie sheets, allowing plenty of space in between cookies on the sheets so that they have room to spread.

Bake for 8-12 minutes, depending on your oven and the size of your cookies – until the cookies are barely golden brown around the edges… being careful not to over-bake them.

Remove them from the oven, leaving the cookies on the baking sheets until they have firmed up enough to lift off the pans… around 5-10 minutes.

Enjoy as many as you want warm and freeze the leftovers!!

http://sweetannas.com/2013/03/chewy-two-bite-chocolate-chip-cookies.html

www.sweetannas.com

Filed Under: recipes, recipes - cookies and bars, recipes - dessert, recipes - desserts, recipes - freezer, recipes - kids, recipes - make ahead, recipes - snacks ·

fall & halloween pretzel buttons

10/11/2012 by Annalise · 1 Comment

You may have seen these on the blog here before in my classic Christmas Pretzel Buttons recipe, but I thought it would be fun to dress them up a bit for fall.

If you’ve never tasted anything like these before, they are the perfect blend of crunchy, soft, salty, sweet, and just plain cute and delicious!

I can’t make these very often, because my entire family has absolutely no self-control when it comes to these sweet little pretzel buttons.

I’m willing to bet your family/friends/self will have the same problem. :o)

fall & halloween pretzel buttons

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

25 minutes

Yield: ummm... 2 servings? :o)

Ingredients

1 bag small pretzels
1 large bag Hershey's Hugs (or Kisses), unwrapped
1 bag candy corn or fall m&ms (or both!)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 200ºF. Spread the pretzels out in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Top each pretzel with a Hershey's Kiss and bake for 10 minutes.

Remove and immediately press an m&m or candy corn into the top of each kiss.

Let cool completely for best taste, in my opinion!

http://sweetannas.com/2012/10/fall-halloween-pretzel-buttons.html

www.sweetannas.com

(By the way… in the world of my OCD family, the saltier side of the pretzel needs to face down, so that you get the salt on your tongue when you eat them. Yes, we’ve taken it that far.)

Filed Under: recipes, recipes - appetizers, recipes - desserts, recipes - gifts, recipes - holiday, recipes - kids, recipes - make ahead, recipes - snacks, recipes - toddler, recipes - toddlers ·

fresh, easy homemade guacamole

08/17/2012 by Annalise · 1 Comment

I am a huge guacamole fan.

Unfortunately the husband is not.

He won’t touch an avocado with a ten-foot pole. Which means I usually have to make and eat my own guacamole all by myself. (I know… poor me, right?!)

Well, I found an easier way to get my fix and I am loving this arrangement:

Whenever Andrew makes his amazing Fresh Pico de Gallo Salsa, I steal some and make myself a super quick, delicious guacamole.

Two amazing treats with one burst of work (mostly done by the husband!)… works for me, especially in these crazy new-baby days.

You could also use any great store-bought fresh salsa to make this quick recipe. But the homemade salsa really makes this extra special!

Fresh, Easy Homemade Guacamole Recipe

Ingredients:
2 large, ripe avocados
3/4-1 cup fresh pico de gallo salsa
juice of 1 lime
salt & pepper, to taste

Directions:
I am medium bowl, scoop out the avocado flesh and mash it all up as chunky or smooth as you’d like.

Gently stir in the salsa and lime juice, both to taste. Season with salt & pepper and serve!

(Guacamole tip: If you are not going to serve this for a few hours, save the avocado pit and place it back in the guacamole before covering. The pit will help keep the guacamole from turning brown!)