Flourless Mint Chocolate Cookies

    I think these cookies defy the science of baking. They make absolutely no sense to me but I'm ok with it because it's amazing. There is no flour and no butter/oil, yet they have nice texture and hold together great, without falling apart at all!

    I found the recipe on Amyinthekitchen.com and I was so curious on how it actually worked, so of course I went straight to the grocery store after work and picked up my supplies. Needless to say I'm happy that I did!

   I altered her recipe slightly, to what I thought worked better to my preference. They are chewy, fudgy, and super chocolatey; basically like thin little brownie cookies. I highly recommend giving these a try! Plus, in comparison to other cookies, these really aren't too unhealthy for you. There is a decent amount of sugar, of course, but they're gluten free and basically fat free too! (depending on the chocolate chips you use)

     The recipe calls for mint extract, but you could use another variety for a different flavor!





Flourless Mint Chocolate Cookies
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
5 tbsp cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 egg whites, lightly beaten
1 1/2 tsp mint extract (or a little less for lighter mint flavor)
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line cookie sheet with parchment paper (I wouldnt skip out on the parchment paper because the batter is pretty liquidy compared to other cookie batters and I think the paper really makes a difference)
Combine all ingredients except chocolate chips, and once mixed, fold in chocolate chips. The batter will closer resemble cake batter than cookie dough, so don't be alarmed!
Spoon tablespoons of the batter onto the parchment paper and bake for 12 minutes.
Let cookies cool for at least five minutes on the cookie sheet before moving to a cooling rack to allow them to set.
Store in airtight container in the fridge. Enjoy!

Roasted Carrots W/ Cilantro Greek Yogurt Sauce

     During my California to Maine road trip, I spent Thanksgiving at my friend's Uncle's house. It was a beautiful place in the suburbs of D.C, but I have to say that the most memorable thing was the carrots. (Yes, I am weird.) Her aunt made the most delicious carrots with the Thanksgiving dinner, and I loved them so much that I asked her for the recipe to recreate them.

    Though they paired wonderfully with turkey (and would go great with basically anything), I have to say I am always partial to those tender, beautiful lamb lollipops.....

      I definitely don't work with carrots enough. I'm a straight out of the bag, dunked in ranch kinda girl, but I think that's about to change. They're absolutely delicious roasted and they're super easy! Especially using baby carrots - no chopping or peeling. Hallelujah!

     This greek yogurt sauce definitely could be used in many ways. It tasted great on the lamb and even on the mashed potatoes. You could dip raw veggies in it, put it on a sandwich - literally anything. And it's fat free and packed with protein. (I may re-evaluate my ranch dunking now)

     I foresee this as a perfect side dish to your upcoming holiday meals :)



Roasted Carrots w/ Cilantro Greek Yogurt Sauce

Ingredients:
3 lbs baby carrots (or other if you feel like peelin and choppin!)
2 tbsp fresh orange juice
2 tsp thyme
3 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste (go with the sea salt on this one - the coarser grinds add great flavor!)
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp coriander
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
About 1/2 cup cilantro - plus more for garnish if desired

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Toss carrots with OJ, thyme, olive oil, salt and pepper and spread onto baking sheet.
Roast about 35 minutes, (tossing around halfway through) or until they're tender and browned.
While they're roasting (or the day before to allow more time for flavors to set) puree Greek yogurt, cumin, coriander, lime juice and cilantro, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Add more spices if desired.
Top cooked carrots with yogurt sauce and cilantro garnish.


 

Vietnamese Lamb Lollipops

       Every once in a while when I'm feeling rich and in the mood to treat myself, I'll buy a rack of lamb. In this particular case however, I was actually feeling extremely broke and dreading the upcoming finals so it was more of a coping mechanism than anything else. Cooking a good meal can do wonders on the mood, I can promise you that!

       Usually when I make lamb, I fall back on one of my all time favorite recipes. It also happens to be my first blog post ever, nearly two years ago. (Click here for Lamb Chops with Rosemary and Balsamic Reduction) I figured this time would be a good opportunity to blog about something new, and I found the perfect recipe!

       I'll be honest I'm not sure exactly what makes these Vietnamese, but that's what the original recipe was called so I'm sticking with it. Tender lamb lollipops marinated and cooked in soy sauce with sweet honey and chili powder.... They were absolutely delicious!


 

        They were extremely easy too. I always pan sear my lamb so I was a little uneasy about baking them, especially when the cut is so thin, but they came out super tender and perfectly cooked. In my opinion it's totally worth spending the extra money to get such a delicious cut.

        I served them with roasted carrots with a greek yogurt sauce (I'm blogging about those next because they were sooooo good) and some garlic mashed potatoes. It was a delicious, hearty meal with a great balance of flavors.


     So treat yourself during finals week, or celebrate the holidays!

    (PS- Stay tuned for the carrot recipe! I highly recommend serving them with this lamb. An addition of greens would be good as well.)






Vietnamese Lamb Lollipops

Ingredients:
12 3oz lamb rib chops
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp chili powder
1 tbsp sugar
Salt and pepper
1 tbsp lime juice
1 1/2 tbsp reduce sodium soy sauce/tamari
2 tbsp olive oil

Directions:
Season chops with garlic, chili powder, sugar and salt and pepper.
Place in a roasting pan.
Mix together lime juice, soy sauce and olive oil and pour over lamb. Marinate at least three hours, or overnight.
Remove lamb from fridge and allow to reach room temperature while you Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Roast in preheated oven for about 18-20 minutes (for medium to medium rare) or desired doneness.

Serve with the carrot recipe coming up next!







Recipe altered from allrecipes.com

Happy Holidays and My Excuse for Lack of Posts

     Ahhh it's that time of year again! I'm scraping ice off my car every morning and drowning in papers and study guides for finals, and yet still I find myself abnormally happy despite spending all my money on gifts and shivering to death from it being cold as #$&*^% in Orono. The Christmas decorations are up, festive music is playing, and there is a light at the end of the tunnel that involves wonderful food, loving family, my adorable dog and most importantly wonderful food (did I already mention that?)

    So you can imagine I have good reasons why I haven't posted much on the blog recently. Things such as online shopping (sooo much online shopping), craft making, Harry Potter watching and some half-assed homework doing have occupied most of my time, leaving me to cook some fairly basic meals that haven't quite made it to the blog yet. But don't worry, things are coming!

    I also drove from California to Maine over Thanksgiving break, which gives me a legitimate excuse for not posting a delicious casserole or dessert for the Holiday. You don't really have much time to cook and take pictures when you're pushing 600 miles a day. (On multiple occasions a bag of chips was to suffice for a meal). Needless to say I missed my family on Thanksgiving, but it was worth the adventure!

Some pictures of our favorite stops:

Coastal California

Santa Barbara with Ali, my travel buddy. 75 and sunny! 

The Grand Canyon

Purple Mountains in the South West

Square dancing in Nashville

Skyping with my family on Thanksgiving

Ali and some duck in a indoor food market at our last stop in Philly

    It was quite the adventure, but I'm looking forward to spending the upcoming Christmas holiday with my family! Now that I've shared some excuses for recently neglecting the blog, you can expect some good posts coming up to make up for it! 

  I hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving and has a wonderful Christmas, too!