Asian Sweet Potato Wedges

This is gonna be a short and sweet post; just like the recipe!

I've made these Sweet Potato Wedges three times in the past week.  They are incredible, and super duper easy.

Basically, you cover sweet potatoes in soy sauce, maple syrup, and sesame oil and then bake 'em to perfection.  I'm telling you, something magical happens in the oven.

These wedges are delicious on their own, there's not doubt about that, but if you want them to taste like absolute heaven, I have two words for you: Peanut Sauce.  I've said it before and I'll say it again; Peanut Sauce makes everything better.  These are no exception.

Make them and you just might eat the entire batch in one sitting.

Asian Sweet Potato Wedges

• 4 sweet potatoes, cut into wedges
• 3 tbs soy sauce
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tbsp sesame oil

Preheat oven to 350F.  Place cut sweet potatoes in a large bowl.  A soy sauce, maple syrup, and sesame oil, and toss to coat all sweet potato pieces.  Spread wedges into as even a layer as possible on a baking sheet.  Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, until soft.  Serve warm and with peanut sauce, if desired.  Store any leftovers in fridge for up to one week.  They probably won't last that long though.

Salted Cookie Crust Mousse Pie

This.

This is amazing.

This is creamy and chocolatey and rich and decadent and just a bit salty and heavenly.

And oh my god, it's incredible.

I strongly encourage you quintuple the recipe and then eat every single piece yourself. You should probably also lock your doors so nobody can sneak in when you're not looking.  Some booby-trapping may be necessary as well.

What can I say?  You'll want as much of this to yourself as possible.

This extremely delicious thing I'm talking about is a Salted Cookie Crust Mousse Pie.  Doesn't it just sound amazing already?

Let me just warn you, this is an over-the-top dessert, but I mean that in the best of ways.  If you're looking to show someone that healthy does not mean yuck, then this is seriously your recipe.  It's a creamy, salted chocolate mousse filling, on top of a chocolate chip cookie crust.  Yummmm....

Salted Cookie Crust Mousse Pie
Crust:

• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1/4 cup applesauce
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1/2 tbsp coconut oil
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp brown sugar or turbinado sugar
• 1 tbsp ground flax
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips

Mousse:

• 230 grams silken tofu (I use the shelf stable type which can be found at trader joes or online)
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1/3 cup chocolate chips, melted
• 1 1/2 tbsp milk
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1/4 tsp salt + more sea salt for sprinkling on top

For Crust:

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Combine all ingredients except chocolate chips in the bowl of a food processor.  Blend until oats have broken down and mixture is like a thin cookie dough.
3. Add chocolate chips and process until they're broken into small pieces.
4. Grease a 9 inch circle pan.  Pour crust mixture into pan and spread into a thin layer.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 8 minutes.

For Mousse:

1. Rinse out food processor and dry.  You don't have to completely wash it.
2. Combine tofu, cocoa powder, chocolate chips, milk, honey, and 1/4 tsp salt in food processor.  Blend until completely smooth and creamy.
3. Pour mousse mixture over baked cookie crust.  Spread into an even layer.
4. Chill in the fridge for at least 8 hours, until mousse has set.  Right before serving, sprinkle a bit of sea salt on top and slice into 8-10 slices.  Store leftovers in fridge.

Promise me you'll do everything in your power so that you'll be able to try this delicious dessert.  If you need tofu, go buy some (they have it at Trader Joes), if you don't have access to an oven, take a trip to your friends house(sharing it with them after is optional), if you're a mom and don't feel like cooking for Mother's day, beg for your husband or child to make it for you (it's worth it).

Speaking of Mother's Day, I'm making my mom a fruit crumble.  Are you going to make something?

Revisited Recipe of the Day: 

Single Serving Bread Pudding - Mother's day breakfast, anyone?

Chocolate Banana Pancake Squares

I have a confession to make... I suck at making pancakes.

It's not that I don't try, because I do.  I try really hard every single time I want to make pancakes.

But guess what?  Every single time I try to make pancakes, they turn into an ugly scramble with underbaked centers and outsides burnt to a crisp.  There's something wrong with me.

I've been trying to find a solution for a while now, and the best I've got is having a friend make them for me.  I'm a failure.

Well, used to be a failure.

I've just recently come up with a genius way to overcome my awful pancake making skills.  It's called Pancake Sqaures.  Basically, all you do is pour pancake batter into a pan and bake, instead of fry it.  It works like a charm, and I end up with a final product that I don't want to chuck in the trash can.

This particulare recipe I'm sharing today happens to be for Chocolate Banana Pancake Squares.  Because everyone knows chocolate for breakfast is the best thing ever, espeically when it's actually good for you.

I first saw this recipe on The Healthy Foodie, and instantly knew I wanted to make it.  Of course, I also knew that there was no way my pancakes would come out looking nearly as gorgeous as hers. So I improvised, and it worked great.

I now have a delicious (and breakfast worthy) Pancake Square recipe that I can't wait to share with you.

Chocolate Banana Pancake Bites - inspired by this recipe

Squares:

• 1/2 banana, mashed
• 1/2 cup water or milk
• 1/2 cup egg whites
• 1/2 cup spelt flour
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 tsp instant coffee granules
• pinch salt

Frosting:

• 1/4 cup plain greek yogurt
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 tbsp maple syrup, or more to taste
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375F.  Combine all ingredients for squares in a small bowl and mix well until no clumps remain.  Pour batter into a greased 8x8 square pan.  Bake for 20 minutes or until it's firm and a toothpick comes out clean. 

Meanwhile, mix together all ingredients for frosting.  When pancake batter is done baking, cut into sqaures and spread frosting over top.  Store in microwave or fridge.

Oh, and the frosting on these guys!

It's the perfect mix of tangy and chocolaty and just the slightest bit sweet.  If you spread it on the squares and then put them in the microwave for a bit, the frosting get's absorbed into the pancake a bit and turns in to this awesome yumminess.  You just have to try it!

C'mon, just make 'em!  Especially if you're a pancake murderer like me.

Revisited Recipe of the Day:

Chocolate Banana Hazelnut Butter

Cinnamon Sweet Potato Chips

Cinnamon and sweet potatoes.

A match made in heaven, no?

Though I love sweet potatoes, I've never been a fan of the classic brown sugar, marshmallow, and butter combinations.  Honestly, the thought of marshmallows and sweet potatoes just makes me want to puke.

But cinnamon, oh cinnamon, well that's a different story.  I absolutely adore cinnamon and sweet potatoes together.  Whether it's sweet, savory, or something in the middle, it disappears into my belly right away.

Last weekend I had some free time and a bunch of sweet potatoes.  Insert sweet potato chips.

I didn't want plain old sweet potato chips, though.  Nope, I wanted something special.  So I added cinnamon.

And can I just say: YUM.

This cinnamon added just the right of sweetness to the already sweet sweet potato, and the sprinkle of salt I also added balanced out everything with just a touch of savoury.

Perfection in a chip.

Cinnamon Sweet Potato Chips

• 2 sweet potatoes, washed and dried
• 1-2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 tsp salt per baking sheet
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon per baking sheet

Preheat oven to 300 F.  Slice potatoes thinly with a mandolin slicer or a knife.  I used a mandolin slicer.  Grease 2-3 baking sheets.  Lay potato slices in a single layer on baking sheets.  Drizzle with just a bit of oilve oil.  Flip over slices so that both sides are thinly coated in oil.  Sprinkle with cinnamon and salt (1/4 tsp of each for every baking sheet).  Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour, flipping chips over every 20 minutes or so.  Take chips out while they're still a bit chewy, they will harden up with time.  Store in an airtight container.

Oh, and one more thing.  These chips are baked not fried, which means they're not nearly as bad for you as most chips.  Which means you can eat more.  Which means you'll probably want to double the recipe.  Just saying.

Enjoy!

Revisited Recipe of the Day:

Cinnamon Sugar Muffins