A few months ago I found myself with several pounds of carrots, given to us by a friend. What was a going to do with all these carrots!?

The search began for some new carrot recipes & this carrot souffle popped up on my radar. Believe me, I was skeptical, but it turned out AMAZING!

The taste is very similar to a sweet potato casserole but with just a hint of carrot. It is sweet & so delicious you won’t believe it!

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add carrots and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and drop into a food processor to mash. To the carrots add melted butter, Splenda sugar, flour, baking powder, vanilla extract and eggs. Blend until smooth (with small lumps) and transfer to a 2 quart casserole dish. Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes.

If you have a smaller trifle dish, this would fill it to the rim which would make an even prettier display. Or you can double the recipe for a standard size trifle dish.

This is a must try!

Easy. Lovely. Healthy. Delicious.

1. Beat cream cheese in large bowl with mixer until creamy. Gradually beat in milk and dry pudding mixes. Gently stir in 2 cups whipped topping.
2. Line bottom and side of 2-1/2-qt. trifle bowl with half the wafers; drizzle with half the coffee.
3.  Top with half the pudding mixture and chocolate. Repeat layers.
4. Top with remaining whipped topping and raspberries. Refrigerate several hours. Voila!

They are moist & chewy and the chocolate chips add just the right amount of sweetness. These you must try!

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°; line two baking sheets with parchment paper or use a silpat.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. In a large bowl, with a mixer, cream together the butter and the sugars on medium speed.
3. Add the egg, followed by the applesauce and vanilla extract.
4. Working by hand, stir in the flour mixture and the oats until just combined and no streaks of flour remain; stir in the chocolate chips.
5. Drop heaping tablespoonfuls (approx 1 tbsp each) of the dough onto prepared baking sheets, flattening each cookie slightly (I forgot to do this). Bake for about 10-12 minutes, or until cookies become light brown at the edges.
6. Let cool on baking sheet for 3 or 4 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
7. Store in an airtight container so you don’t eat them all in one sitting!
8. Makes about 30 cookies roughly 1 tbsp each.

My husband went nuts over these ebelskivers! They really do taste like a McGriddle, but with only a tenth of the calories. The whole batch was about 640 calories and we split them down the middle (320 calories a piece for a complete breakfast).

I used Morningstar’s maple flavored sausages which add a sweetness to them. (You can pick them up at Walmart in the freezer section.)

Don’t have an ebelskiver pan? You could probably make regular pancakes by adding the cheese and sausage while you are cooking them on the griddle. Trust me, it’s worth a try.

I can’t take credit for this one, I got the idea from the chocolateandcarrots.com blog!

Enjoy

Directions:

1. Combine Heart Smart Bisquick, milk & egg substitute to make batter.
2. Microwave sausage for 1 minute. Crumble up with a fork and set aside.
3. Drop batter into the greased ebelskiver pan. Next, add little pieces of torn cheese. Add sausage. Cover each with a small dollup of batter. (Doesn’t have to cover completely)
4. Once the edges harden, flip the ebeskivers over with spoon or wood sticks.
5. Serve with sugar free syrup.

I’ve experimented with this recipe several times & found that using brown sugar and regular sugar make them especially rich in flavor.

Directions

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the sugar, cocoa, milk and margarine. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Boil for 1 minute, then remove from heat and stir in the vanilla, salt, peanut butter and oats.
2. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto waxed paper. Allow cookies to cool for at least 1 hour.*  Store in an airtight container.

   

Ebelskivers are basically pancake puffs stuffed with filling. They are very versatile! Not only can you have them for breakfast, you can make great desserts and even dinner rolls. One evening we used corn muffin mix and filled each one with pepper jack cheese, they were great!

Having experimented with all different types of fillings for breakfast, we discovered that home made apple butter is our favorite.

Amazon also makes a great pan for a little less $$. Ebelskivers are fun and easy to make, I highly recommend adding them to your cooking repertoire.

Directions

1. Mix together dry ingredients until well blended.
2. Add milk and egg.
3. Drop by the spoonfuls into the ebelskiver pan until 2/3 full. Drop spoonful of apple butter on top. Then add a dollop of batter on top of each.
4. Once the edges have started to brown on each one, flip them over using a spoon (or ebelskiver stick)
5. Wait a few more minutes, then drop the ebelskivers on a plate. Serve warm with sugar free syrup.

When it comes to cooking, I like what’s predictable. But, I’ve found that in order to become a rockstar in the kitchen, you have to take risks.

So for Thanksgiving, I went out on a limb and made these super easy yeast rolls….the result? Fantastic! Raves from the guests!

I used Splenda granulated sugar to make them healthy and accommodate my diabetic father in law. I did’t miss the sugar at all!

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Grease 12 muffin cups.
2. In a large bowl, mix the shortening, Splenda sugar, and hot water. Allow to cool until lukewarm, and mix in the yeast until dissolved. Mix in the egg, salt, and flour. Allow the dough to rise until doubled in size.
3. Divide the dough into the prepared muffin cups, and allow to rise again until doubled in size.
4. Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.

My lovely friend Tatiana, who recently moved here from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, made these for a girl’s night at her house. I could not stop eating them.

I knew I had to try and make them one day. With left over sweetened condensed milk from my coconut macaroons and some sprinkles, today was that day!

These are sweet and soft. They are softer than fudge, but a little firmer than a taffy. The sprinkles add a little crunch to the taste and give you oodles of room to personalize! You could try nuts, powdered sugar or even ground coffee beans.

With only 3 ingredients and a few steps these are definitely a sweet treat you can make on the fly!

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine cocoa, butter and condensed milk. Cook, stirring, until thickened, about 10 minutes.
2. Remove from heat and let rest until cool enough to handle. (I popped mine in the freezer for about 15 minutes)
3. Form into small balls and eat at once or chill until serving.

These scrumptious treats where super easy and divinely sweet! The toasted coconut gives them a crunchiness, while the sweetened condensed milk keeps them moist and chewy. Needless to say, the husband & I were over the moon for them!

I also love any recipe that has less than 5 ingredients! When I am scouring for recipes I always gravitate towards the lesser ingredients…does anyone else do this?

These would also be wonderful drizzled with a chocolate glaze or ganache.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, coconut and salt. Stir in the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla using your hands until well blended. Use an ice cream scoop to drop dough onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be about golf ball size.
3. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until coconut is toasted.

These healthy breaded sticks give you that mozzerella stick satisfaction without all the cheesy calories. I adapted this recipe from Skinnytaste.

By the way, the marinara dipping sauce is a must! My husband and I stood in the kitchen and ate these until they were gone!

Directions

1. In a small bowl, beat egg whites and season with salt and pepper.
2. In a another bowl, place breadcrumbs, garlic powder and cheese and mix well.
3. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray and set aside.
4. Dip zucchini sticks into eggs then into bread crumb and cheese mixture, a few at a time and turn to coat. Place the breaded zucchini in a single layer and spray more cooking spray on top.
5. Bake at 425° for about 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve with 1/2 cup marinara sauce for dipping.