Chocolate Banana Cream Pastries

My husband and I joined our creative forces on this one. We found this Banana Creme Pastry recipe over at the Pillsbury website. I decided to use a cinnamon sugar topping instead of walnuts. My husband decided to melt the Special Dark Bar in the pantry and drizzle it on top. I usually do all the plating of the food myself, but I let him do the chocolate topping and told him to make it pretty. I think he did a great job!

Chocolate Banana Cream Pastries

adapted from Pillsbury Bake-off Recipe

1 can (4 oz) refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 tablespoon sugar
1 tsp milk
1 container (6 0z) banana cream pie fat free yogurt
1 snack size container banana pudding
1 medium banana, cut into small chunks
1/2 Special Dark Hershey's Bar

Directions:

	Heat oven to 375°F. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray. Unroll dough; separate into 2 triangles. On cookie sheet, make 2 kite shapes by placing longest sides of 2 dough triangles together; press edges to seal.
	In small bowl, mix cinnamon and granulated sugar. Lightly brush dough with milk; sprinkle each evenly with cinnamon mixture.
	Bake 8 to 12 minutes or until bottoms are golden brown. Meanwhile, in another small bowl, mix yogurt and pudding until well blended. Stir in banana.
	Remove pastries from oven. Immediately turn pastries over with pancake turner; gently fold each in half along sealed seam, cinnamon mixture side out. Remove from cookie sheet; place on wire rack. Cool completely, about 15 minutes.
	To serve, place pastries on individual dessert plates; fill each with about 3/4 cup yogurt mixture. Melt Special Dark bar in microwave, about 1 minute, and stir. Top pastries with melted chocolate.

I couldn't find the small package of crescent rolls, so I had half the dough left after making the pastries. I sprinkled them with cinnamon sugar, rolled them up, and topped them with more cinnamon sugar. What an easy way to make a cinnamon roll treat!

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Black Bean and Chicken Pizza

My husband has been craving pizza, so I made him this fun pizza that was a Pillsbury Bake-off winner. I substituted black beans for the red beans, and omitted the cilantro because my husband isn't a fan. The pizza was a hit and there are enough leftovers for another meal. He topped it with some chipotle corn salsa! This pizza was SO easy to make and took no time at all.

Black Bean and Chicken Pizza
adapated from Pillsbury Bake-off recipe
1 can (13.8 oz) refrigerated pizza crust
3/4 cup reduced fat mayonnaise
1 tsp lime juice
1 can (4.5 oz) chopped green chilies, drained
1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained
1 cup cooked shredded chicken
1 1/2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend
2 tblsp chopped fresh cilantro

DIRECTIONS

	Heat oven to 425°F. Lightly grease 14-inch pizza pan with shortening or cooking spray. Unroll dough; place in pan. Starting at center, press out dough to edge of pan. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or just until crust begins to brown around edge.
	Meanwhile, in small bowl, mix mayonnaise, lime juice and chiles.
	Gently spread mayonnaise mixture over partially baked crust. Top with beans, chicken and cheese. Bake 10 to 14 minutes longer or until crust is golden brown. Sprinkle with cilantro before serving.

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Holy Yum! Award Chocolate Heaven

This week's Holy Yum! Award goes to Priscilla @ Priscilla's Baking Adventures for her two recent delicious chocolate creations. Don't you wish you lived near her so you could sample these chocolate goodies?

Coffee Chocolate Graham Cracker Brownies

Chocolate Ice Cream Sandwich Cookies

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Homemade Chocolate Chip Protein Bars

I am always looking for a good homemade protein bar. I found this recipe at vegweb.com and made my own personal substitutions/changes. I substituted oat flour and soy milk, and added a little baking powder. I was very happy with the results. These bars are packed with protein, they are full of flavor, and they have a soft, chewy texture. They would make great snacks before or after a workout, or they could be eaten as a healthy dessert/snack.

I used Nutribiotic Vanilla Rice Protein Powder, which is my favorite protein powder, and it is vegan. I add it to my oatmeal every morning. I am curious to know which protein powders you all use? Do you have a favorite kind? Are there any protein powders that you have tried that you absolutely do not like?

Chocolate Chip Protein Bars

1 cup vanilla rice protein powder
1/2 cup oat flour
2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup oat bran
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 - 2/3 cup organic sugar
1 cup dairy free chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups vanilla soy milk
1/4 cup canola oil
2 teaspoons vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a 9 by 13-inch baking pan.
Mix together the protein powder, flour, oats, oat bran, and cinnamon in a large bowl.
Add in the sugar and chocolate chips.
Combine the soy milk, oil, and vanilla in a separate bowl, stirring well.
Add the wet mixture to the dry and mix until thoroughly blended.
Transfer the mixture to the prepared 9 by 13-inch pan, patting it evenly into place with your hands.
Bake for 30 minutes.
Remove from oven, cool, and cut into bars of any size.

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Dark Chocolate Cookies and Cream Cupcakes

It is my co-worker's last day at work tomorrow before she leaves for a new job, and she always loves my baked treats. I decided to make her some dark chocolate cookies and cream cupcakes, but I didn't have a lot of time to spend in the kitchen. I wish I could say I made these from scratch, but I had a little help from Pillsbury. I used the dark chocolate cake mix and added 1 1/2 cups crushed Oreos to the cake mix (prepared according to package instructions). I topped it off with some vanilla frosting and some more crushed Oreos. Hope everyone had a great Monday!!

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Foodie Friends

Gloria @ Cookbook Cuisine shared this wonderful award that she created with me! I am going to share it with all of you because your Foodie friendship means the world to me and makes me smile every day. Big hugs to you all! Talking about foodie friends...Do you have any friends that started a food blog because they were inspired by yours?

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Just Curious....

Just curious to learn more about my readers....so join in the fun and share some facts about yourself. If you have been lurking, this is your chance to come out and say "HI!" I will start with my answers to a few questions and then you can share your answers in the comments.

1. Where do you live? Texas
2. Favorite breakfast food? oatmeal
3. Favorite snack food? Alternative Company Pumpkin Spice Cookies
4. How would you describe your diet? vegan
5. Favorite condiment? Sweet Chili Thai Sauce
6. Current food obsession? Tofu
7. If you have a blog, how long have you been blogging? 8 months

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Chocolate PB Holy Yum!

This week's Holy Yum! award goes to Tanya @ Sunday Baker for the amazing Chocolate Peanut Butter Hearts she made for Valentine's Day. They look absolutely delicious and so professional. I may try making these with soynut butter since I can't eat peanut butter.

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Doritos Chicken/ The Foods and Flavors of San Antonio

Thanks to Gloria Chadwick and Pelican Publishing, I had the pleasure of receiving a review copy of Gloria's newest cookbook, The Foods and Flavors of San Antonio. As a fellow Texan, and a lover of San Antonio, I knew I would love the focus on Tex-Mex cuisine. This cookbook is amazing. It is full of a variety of chilis, casseroles, enchiladas, coffee drinks, tex-mex breakfast dishes, and more! I chose to make the Doritos Chicken, and it turned out fabulous. You can't go wrong with a dish that uses Doritos as a base. The cheesy Doritos blend perfectly with the chicken, peppers, onions, and tomatoes. It is all topped off with lots of melted cheese.

Doritos Chicken

1 12 oz package Doritos, crushed
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cooked and chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 15 0z. can Mexican stewed tomatoes
1/2 cup picante sauce
salt and black pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly spray a 13 x 9" baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Sprinkle the crushed chips evenly over the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Set aside. In a large bowl, combine the cooked chicken, onion, red bell pepper, garlic, tomatoes and picante sauce. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Pour the mixture over the crushed chips. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake for 40 minutes or until bubbly.

Recipe and book cover with permission of Pelican Press.

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New Starbucks Instant Coffee Free Sample

I just got an e-mail introducing the new Starbucks instant coffee. I am definitely intrigued and excited by this! Here is the link to get your own free sample: Free Starbucks Instant Coffee!

Brown Rice Pudding with Maple Syrup

I have always loved rice pudding, but was wondering how I could make it dairy free so that I could enjoy it. I found this recipe at Chooseveg.com. It was so easy to make and the result was a creamy, sweet treat. I love how the raisins plump up in this pudding. I used cinnamon maple syrup for some extra spice. If you are a rice pudding fan, I definitely suggest giving this easy to make recipe a try!

Brown Rice Pudding

1½ cups fortified vanilla soymilk 1 tablespoon cornstarch 2 cups cooked brown rice ¼ cup maple syrup 1/3 cup raisins ¼ teaspoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon vanilla

Whisk milk and cornstarch together in a medium saucepan.

Add cooked rice, maple syrup, raisins, and cinnamon.

Simmer over medium heat 3 minutes, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.

Serve warm or cold.

(Recipe from Healthy Eating for Life to Prevent and Treat Cancer by Vesanto Melina, M.S., R.D.)

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Raisin Scones

I love treats that pair well with coffee. I am always drooling over the scones at Starbucks, so I decided I needed to make some in my kitchen that might be a little healthier. I found this easy recipe at vegweb.com. I did a couple of things different. I baked them in a 8 x 8 square pan, added 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice, and used canola oil instead of margarine. This is a great recipe with a fantastic result. I am going to play around with this recipe again soon and maybe do a chocolate chip version or a blueberry version. Hope everyone had a great Monday!

Raisin Scones
link at vegweb.com

2 cups flour
3 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon turbinado sugar
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup margarine, softened
3/4 - 1 cup soy/rice/ etc. milk

Directions:
Mix dry ingredients together. Cut in margarine until crumbles form. Stir in milk and raisins. Drop a spoonful onto an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 450 degrees F for about 10-12 minutes, or until just brown on top. I adapted these from a biscuit recipe on this website; I am sure one could play with the spices/ flavorings here. Please let me know how they turn out! Serves: 8 - 12

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Winners of Banana Nut Cheerios Gift Baskets

The winners of the gift baskets are....

Tiff, MeghanN, and Ro

Send me your addresses via e-mail (megslp18@hotmail.com) so that you can receive your gift baskets.

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

9 50 51

Timestamp: 2009-02-16 15:09:15 UTC

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Banana Chocolate Chip Teabread (Eggless)

These Banana Nut Cheerios that have invaded my house have made me crave banana bread. I decided to use a Banana Teabread recipe on the side of my Ener-G Egg Replacer box. I added chocolate chips, because I was in the mood for chocolate considering it is Valentine's Day. I also substituted oat flour and used a larger pan, so it didn't rise very high. My craving was definitely fulfilled, and my house has smelled like banana bread for hours!

Don't forget to enter the Banana Nut Cheerios Giveaway.

Banana Chocolate Chip Teabread
adapted from Ener-G Foods recipe

1 1/2 cups oat flour
2 tsp Ener-G Egg Replacer
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup sugar
3 tblsp canola oil
4 tblsp water
1 tblsp orange juice concentrate
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup mashed banana
1/2 cups chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all dry ingredients together. Add remaining ingredients and mix for 1 1/2 minutes. Pour into 7-7/8 inch by 4-1/4 inch by 2-1/2 inch pan. Bake 40 minutes or until golden brown.

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Banana Nut Cheerios Giveaway

Who doesn't love Cheerios®? There are so many wonderful flavors of Cheerios® these days. The newest addition is the Banana Nut Cheerios®. I tasted them this morning, and they were delicious. They tasted just like banana nut bread. My BlogSpark has given me some Banana Nut Cheerios® gift sets to give to 3 lucky winners. I received mine yesterday, and it is fabulous. The gift sets include a coupon for a free box of Banana Nut Cheerios®, a loaf pan, two cereal bowls, and a banana tree with a fruit basket.

TO ENTER.....leave a comment telling me your favorite flavor of Cheerios® or a flavor of Cheerios® you would like to see on store shelves. To earn additional chance to win, subscribe to my blog and/or mention this giveaway in a post and let me know in a comment. Entries will be accepted until Sunday, February 15, at midnight.

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Valentine's Day Recipe Round-up

As you can see above, lots of delicious treats showed up at work for our Valentine's Treat Exchange. I am sad that I had to rely on my cell phone to take pictures, because the pictures don't do these wonderful treats justice. Everyone was on sugar highs most of the day around the office! Here are the recipes:

Chocolate Gooey Butter Cookies
Lemon Ricotta Cookies with Lemon Glaze
Cherry Pistachio Wedding Cookies
Puppy Chow

Here are some other Valentine's recipes from some fellow bloggers:

Cocoa Sugar Valentine's Cookies @ Retorte
Berry Love Triangle Oatmeal @ French Fries to Flaxseeds
Coffee Chocolate Graham Cracker Brownies @ Priscilla's Baking Adventures
Butterscotch Brownies @ ZestyCook

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Valentine's Peanut Butter Blossoms

Peanut Butter Blossoms are a favorite cookie of many, so I decided to give them a Valentine's twist. I topped them with Dove Chocolate Hearts instead of Hershey's Kisses! I can't wait to take these to work for our Valentine treat exchange tomorrow! Are you baking anything special for Valentine's Day this year? Leave me a link if you have posted a Valentine's treat or meal already, and I will include it in a Valentine's Recipe Round-up tomorrow!

Valentine's Peanut Butter Blossoms
link at hersheys.com

Ingredients:
48 Chocolate Hearts
1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup Creamy Peanut Butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Granulated sugar

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 375°F. Remove wrappers from chocolates.

2. Beat shortening and peanut butter in large bowl until well blended. Add 1/3 cup granulated sugar and brown sugar; beat until fluffy. Add egg, milk and vanilla; beat well. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into peanut butter mixture.

3. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar; place on ungreased cookie sheet.

4. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately press a chocolate into center of each cookie; cookie will crack around edges. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. About 4 dozen cookies.

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Just A Note

Just a note to all of you! Make sure that you have my new address in your blogrolls and links so that you don't have to be re-routed by blogger all the time: http://www.megansmunchies.com/

Thank you all for the comments you always leave and for reading my blog. I love all my blog friends! You are all the best!

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Food For Thought

Tonight I decided to switch things up a little bit and give you food for your mind! At work today, a co-worker asked this question: "If you knew that there was no chance of failure, what job would you consider to be your ultimate job?" So...what are your thoughts? I want to know what job you would choose if you knew that you were guaranteed success! I can't wait to read everyone's answers. Just in case you are curious what I would choose...I would open a coffee house!

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Snickerdoodle Love

Snickerdoodles are one of my favorite cookies. When I found out about my food allergies, I knew I had to find a way to make them without dairy and eggs. I used this recipe but used some suggestions I found on the recipe page to make them vegan. I substituted Earth Balance for the butter and egg replacer for the eggs. I also used baking powder in place of the tarter and the baking soda. The result was amazing. If you don't tell anyone, they would never know these were vegan!

Snickerdoodles
link to recipe at RecipeZaar

1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 3/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tarter
1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon, mixed with1/4 cup sugar

Directions:
Cream together butter and sugar, then beat in eggs, one at a time.
Mix dry ingredients together, and mix into butter mixture.
Roll teaspoonsful of dough into balls.
Roll in cinnamon-sugar.
Place on ungreased cookie sheets.
Flatten slightly if desired.
Bake for about 10 minutes at 375 degrees F or until very lightly browned.
Cool, and store in a tightly covered container.

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Chocolate Cherry Cake

If you are looking for something easy to make for Valentine's Day, this is your answer. This Chocolate Cherry Cake takes no time at all, and the result is a rich, moist, and delicious cake. All you have to do is mix, pour, and bake! I topped mine with a whipped cream cheese frosting, but you can use the frosting of your choice. Enjoy!

Chocolate Cherry Cake
link at recipes4cakes.com

1 Pkg Chocolate Cake Mix
1 Can Cherry Pie Filling
2 Large Eggs
1 tsp Almond Extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 inch pan with non-stick spray. Combine everything in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Then increase the speed and blend for 2 minutes. The batter will be thick. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Cool and top with frosting of your choice.

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Malaysian Sweet Chili Coconut Sauce

This sauce is what inspired my Thai Sweet Potatoes. I found this sauce at Sprouts Market, and I fell in love at first taste. As you can tell, by the time I finally took a picture, I had already used this sauce several times, and the bottle was half empty. It tastes delicious in stir-fries or just drizzled over veggies. I am anxious to try some of the other World Foods products including: Thai Basil Chili Sauce, Thai Sweet Pineapple Chili Sauce, and Pad Thai Sauce.

Check out these delicious recipes on the World Foods website:
Curried Carrot Soup
Sweet and Sour Noodle Stir-fry
Stuffed Tofu

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Holy Yum! Award Nutella Treats

This week's Holy Yum! Award goes to the Nutella and Banana Filled Aebleskiver over at Sticky,Gooey, Creamy,Chewy. I wish I had some of these for dessert tonight. I may have to finally break down and purchase an Aebleskiver pan! What kind of aeleskiver would you make it you had a pan? If you have a pan, what kind have you made?Get daily e-mail updates from Megan's Munchies. Subscribe here!

The Winner Is....

Congratulations to Katie @ lilveggiepatch. Her comment was randomly chosen from Friday's post, and a surprise package will be showing up in her mailbox soon!

lilveggiepatch said...
I would love to say something virtuous, like broccoli (which I love, yes, but probably could live without), but I absolutely canNOT live without chocolate or bread. Can't do it. Especially when they're beautifully combined in, say, a pain au chocolat or a chocolate chip brioche? Pure heaven.

Thai Sweet Potatoes

I love Thai food, and I am always looking for ways to give recipes a Thai twist. One of my favorite foods is sweet potatoes. So tonight, I decided to give my sweet potatoes a little bit of Thai flair. I was so excited with the result!! These potatoes were smooth, sweet, and spicy! ENJOY!

Thai Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients:

4 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks (about 2 pounds)
1/2 cup sweet Thai chili sauce
1/2 cup coconut milk
cilantro

Directions:
In 3-quart saucepan, cover potatoes with water.
Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to low and simmer 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender and then drain.
Return potatoes to saucepan and mash.
Stir in sauce and coconut milk.
Top with cilantro.

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Lowfat Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have been craving oatmeal cookies lately, and have been searching for a good vegan version. I found a great vegan recipe for Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. I switched it up a little and used oat flour and added non-dairy chocolate chips and a little instant espresso powder. Proceed with caution when mixing the dough, because the dough is quite tasty and addicting! I will definitely be making these often. They are pure oatmeal cookie heaven...the perfect blend of soft and chewy! The best part is that they are low fat!

Low Fat Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
link at Simple Vegetarian Recipes

1 c. rolled oats
1.5 c. oat flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. instant espresso powder
1/2 c. applesauce
1/2 c. blackstrap molasses
1/2 c. maple syrup
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 - 1 c. chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 F. Combine dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients and stir until just mixed. Scoop dough onto a cookie sheet (about 2 tbsp per cookie) and bake at 350 F for 12-15 min.Makes 20 cookies.

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Ginger Chews

I tried a great product this weekend, and I wanted to share it with you all. These chews are made by The Ginger People. I have seen these in stores, and finally decided to try them. I could not resist the cute little ginger character on the package. :) The verdict: AWESOME! These ginger chews are sweet and spicy, and almost have a gingerbread taste to them. They are the perfect sweet treat after a meal. Not only are they yummy, they also offer digestive aid and are full of antioxidants, magnesium, potassium, B-vitamins and zinc. I guess you can call them healthy candies. They also come in spicy apple, peanut, and coffee flavors. I can't find the coffee flavor in my stores, but I bet the coffee ginger chews are amazing! Has anyone else tried these?

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