I call this one the 5 food group quesadilla cause that’s what’s in it baby. All 5, really. Well, when you add some grilled chicken as I have. I found this recipe in Cooking Light and I’ve mixed it up a bit, adding different cheeses and the chicken for the extra protein. The original is really the best though. I’ve also substituted the flour tortilla with a high protein, low carb whole wheat wrap. Forget the salad today and go for this. So good.
So celebrate with me by making these delicious cookies. I made these for my husband’s grandfather for his birthday and they were a big hit with him. They are gluten-free and are reminiscent of the almond horns I used to make at the bakery. You’ve probably had them before, sometimes the ends are dipped in chocolate. They are one of my favorites and I don’t think I’ve had them since. These are just as tasty and would be just as good with dark chocolate sandwiched in between. Ooooh, that really does sound good. Maybe next time.
Ingredients
Preparation
Position 1 rack in top third and 1 rack in bottom third of oven; preheat to 350°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment. Place almonds in center of third (unlined) rimmed baking sheet, forming 1/4-inch-thick layer.
Finely grind almond paste, 1 cup sugar, and cinnamon in processor. Add egg whites; process until well blended. Transfer dough to large resealable plastic bag. Press dough down into 1 corner of bag. Using scissors, snip off corner, leaving 1/2-inch opening. Working in batches, squeeze dough from bag in 2 1/2-inch-long strips atop almonds on sheet. Sprinkle some of loose almonds on sheet over strips; carefully roll strips in almonds to coat lightly (dough will be soft and sticky). Transfer cookies to prepared baking sheets, spacing apart.
Bake cookies until light golden brown, reversing position of sheets halfway through baking, about 12 minutes. Let cookies stand on sheets 5 minutes; transfer to rack. Sift powdered sugar over cookies.
Simmer jam in heavy small saucepan over medium heat until jam is bubbling thickly, about 30 seconds. Cool.
Spread 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon jam over bottom of 1 cookie. Top with second cookie, bottom side down. Transfer sandwich to plate. Repeat with remaining cookies and jam. DO AHEAD: can be made 3 weeks ahead. Store airtight in freezer. Bring to room temperature before serving.
I’ve been making this recipe for years. It’s a great go-to recipe when there’s not much time to cook and you have all the right ingredients. Plus its easy to double the recipe and freeze for a future dinner. It has a good amount of protein from the sausage and beans and would be excellent served with a side salad. This time around I added a couple handfuls of fresh baby spinach for some extra greens. Make it even easier to prepare and use frozen onions and green peppers.
The gun show!
Okay, so those aren’t my svelt guns, but they are some guns none the less. We’re getting down to the last three weeks here and it’s getting tougher and tougher. Those last few pounds are the worst and the temptation to eat all things sweet and yummy are getting greater. I’ll admit I have been snacking a bit more and getting a stomach bug last week didn’t help either. I wasn’t really eating regularly or anything other than crackers and bread for two days. Not good. So this week’s weigh in was okay. I gained 1% body fat and lost a pound. It’s also been tougher getting to the gym with every weekend booked with something. But I’m pressing on and I’m determined to make these last few weeks count. My goal is to get my treadmill at home cleared off, cable plugged in and started up every night that I’m not at the gym. Plus I’ve found several yoga and pilates videos on Netflix instant watch so I may start using those at night to relieve my stress of the day and build up some strength and muscle. I miss my yoga class I used to take once a week at the gym. I would attend the Monday morning class and it would stretch me out and prepare me for the week. I’ll be back soon I promise!
A while back I made a little trek to Toys R Us with the kiddies. As Riley and I were perusing the shelves we made our way into Barbie land. Basically two long aisles filled with everything Barbie. Holy pink crap everywhere. But I noticed Ken peering out from his plastic box. There were only a handful of Kens but I photographed each one. Each sad one. I remember when Ken had plastic hair and zero personality. He was simply Barbie’s arm candy. Handsome, and quiet with that everlasting smile and six-pack abs. What the hell happened to Ken?
Al right, it’s almost too predictable. But when you have two kids sometimes its hard to be creative. I guess I could have made an Irish Cream cheesecake or some delicious rye bread for our dinner leftovers…..but sorry kids, Irish Soda Bread is all I got. I made it last night and it didn’t take too long. I’ve sliced it up this morning and it’s quite yummy. Especially considering it’s not my favorite thing to eat. I find it very dry and hard to chew usually and the raisins, well, sometimes they make me quiver to eat them. But this recipe is pretty good. It’s not too dry, has a nice soft texture with a hard crust and the flavor of the orange zest really helps. Sometimes soda bread is so damn tasteless. Spread a little butter or jam on top and its a nice breakfast treat. Ooooh, that’s a good idea, homemade breakfast treats. Maybe next week. Happy St. Patty’s. PS: I can’t believe your drinking that Irish coffee this early in the morning. You lush!
I bought a bag of flax seeds in the bulk food section of the natural food store just for this recipe. And it was totally worth it. Flax seed are a great addition to your diet because they have an abundance of omega-3 fatty acids. Check out this site for more nutritional information on flax seeds. The waffles were light and fluffy and had a really nice light taste. I did not have the malted milk powder so I substituted vanilla protein powder. And since I don’t really eat whipped cream (well at least not right now) I eliminated that completely and used fresh-cut up strawberries and sugar-free maple syrup. If you have a smaller waffle iron than 8″ (mine makes two 4″ squares) pour 1/2 cup of batter onto it. Riley really liked them too after I cut them into sticks and served them with syrup to dip.
Every night my husband and I indulge in greek yogurt. I know, I know, it’s not ice cream and it is fat free so what’s the indulgence? It’s creamy, thick and tastes awesome with toppings. Mine is on the left, Chobani fat-free plain yogurt mixed with 1 tsp. honey and topped with Kashi Golean Crisp with berries. His is on the right mixed with honey and topped with pineapple and shredded coconut.
What you need:
What you do:
Spread on the honey, peanut butter and jelly
Make it messy.
Then squish it all together and eat it.
I made this deliciousness for two reasons, it was my friend Felice’s birthday and she’s in love with Jacques Torres, or at least with his chocolate skills. So I thought it would make an appropriate gift since it is his recipe. I only made half the recipe and it filled two 1-pound boxes. That’s a lot of chocolate bark baby. If you are doing the transformation program, I’m sorry, just look away. At least until April.
