Potato Roses

There is a big trend going on right now on Pinterest for apple roses made with puff pastry. This past Valentines Day I wanted to make some edible flowers, but of the savory kind. These potato roses turned out adorable! Add a few spinach leaves, and you've got yourself a beautiful edible bouquet.

Ingredients:

3/4 bag Ruby Fingerling Potatoes, scrubbed and patted dry (leave skin on)
2 tsp. Italian herbs
2 tsp. garlic powder
5 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. fresh cracked pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a muffin tin with non stick cooking spray (such as Pam). Using a mandoline, cut the potatoes into thin slices. In a large bowl, combine the Italian herbs, garlic powder, olive oil, salt and pepper together. Add the potato slices and mix to coat the potatoes with the oil and herbs. Lay out 10-12 slices of potato in a long line, placing the second slice of potato halfway down the first slice, and continuing with about 12 of them. Very carefully and tightly roll up the potato line until you have a big swirl of potatoes.

Place into a muffin tin indent. Repeat with the remaining potato slices, varying in sizes if you would like. As you can see in my picture, all of my roses are different sizes. if you wish to do smaller ones, combine them in one muffin tin. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the tops are a golden brown. Carefully remove from the muffin tins after letting cool for five minutes in the pan. Either serve immediately, or place each rose in a cupcake liner and put into a microwavable safe container with a lid. Store in the refrigerator and heat in the microwave when you are ready to serve them!

Baked Banana Oatmeal Hearts

Nothing says "I love you" around Valentines Day like making some healthy heart shaped baked oatmeal bars to start the day off right!

Ingredients:

1 c. plain fat free vanilla yogurt
2 ripe bananas
2 eggs
2 c. oats
1/4 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 c. candy coated chocolate (mine was Valentines colors)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a silicone heart shaped mold (that has heart's about the size of a normal cupcake) with non stick cooking spray. Meanwhile, in a large bowl mix the yogurt, mashed banana and eggs together until somewhat blended. Add in the oats, baking powder and soda and stir until everything is well incorporated. Fill the mold 2/3 of the way full in each cup. Sprinkle with the candy coated chocolate pieces. Bake for 15-18 minutes. Take the mold and flip upside down over a wire cooling rack and tap slightly on the bottom if you are having a hard time getting them out. Gently flip them back over with your hands and let them fully cool before serving or storing.

Caramels with Rosemary Lavender Sea Salt

This homemade caramels recipe is literally made right in your microwave! The key to this recipe is having a microwavable mixing bowl or 8 cup measuring bowl that is high on the edges so that the caramel mixture doesn't bubble over the sides. From someone who has never made caramel before this, the microwave makes these very easy!

Ingredients:

4 Tbs. butter, cubed
1 c. dark brown sugar, packed
1/2 c. light corn syrup
2/3 c. sweetened condensed milk, low fat
1/2 tsp. vanilla
*Rosemary Lavender Sea Salt (you could use normal sea salt and a small amount of rosemary)

Grease an 8x8 baking pan with butter on the bottom and up the edges. Line the pan with parchment paper and smooth down. Set aside.

Add the butter, brown sugar and corn syrup to the microwave safe dish. Microwave on 100% power for 2 minutes.

Stir the mixture and microwave for another two minutes. Stir again. Add the sweetened condensed milk. Microwave for 3 more minutes.

Watch carefully as the mixture microwaves so that it doesn't bubble over. If it looks like it might, open the microwave door until the bubbles go back down. Add the vanilla and stir until well combined. 

Pour the caramel into the prepared pan and smooth out. Sprinkle with the sea salt mixture. Let cool fully.

Lift the caramel out of the pan using the parchment paper and set on a flat surface. 

Using a pizza cutter (yes, I said pizza cutter!), cut the caramel into strips, and then turn the other way to cut into rectangles or squares. From here, cut wax paper into strips and then squares big enough to wrap a caramel in. I wrapped mine three different ways. Some I folded in half and wrapped them like a tootsie roll by twisting the ends of the wax paper. I also placed a full caramel square and twisted the ends. To make some look fancier than normal, I folded the wax paper around the caramel and used string to tie around it.

3-way Strawberry Parfait

Ingredients:

1 pkg. sugar free, fat free, Strawberry Jell-O
2 containers low fat Strawberry yogurt (I used Yoplait)
Fat free Redi-Wip
Fresh Strawberry slices

Prepare the jell-o as directed on the box. Fill your serving glasses/dishes half way full with the jell-o. Place the cups in a pan lined with a washcloth or small towel and lean the classes tipped on their side at a 45 degree angle. Place in the refrigerator and let set. When the jell-o is set, add the strawberry yogurt and top with the whipped cream. Add a slice of strawberry on top!

(Makes 8 servings, 1 WW point per serving)

Strawberry Heart Meringues

 

Ingredients:

3 egg whites
1/4 tsp. salt
1 package Strawberry Kool-Aid mix
3/4 c. sugar
1 Tbs. white distilled vinegar

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. In an electric mixer with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites and salt together until foamy. Add in the Kool-Aid mix and then the sugar, a small amount at a time. Whisk on high speed until stiff peaks form, and then add in the vinegar and continue to mix for another minute or so. Spoon into a piping bag with your choice of tip. For Valentines day, I piped most of the meringue batter into heart shapes. Bake for 25 minutes in the oven, and then turn the oven off and keep in the oven for another 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer the parchment with meringues to a wire rack to cool fully. Peel off and store in a container that has venting.

Chocolate Diet Coke Bundt Cakes

 

Ingredients:

1 box Devil's Food cake mix
1 can Diet Coke

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a medium size bowl, mix the chocolate cake mix and the Coke together until most of the lumps are gone. Using 2 mini bundt pans (spray if metal, not needed if it's a paper baking cup), and 6 cupcake wrappers, fill each 2/3 of the way full.  Place the two bundt pants on a baking sheet and put those, along with the 6 cupcakes, in the oven. Bake the cupcakes for approximately 20-22 minutes. Remove those from the oven and let cool, and add 12-14 more minutes to the timer to finish the bundt cakes. Let cool fully.

For Valentines day, I added melted semi-sweet chocolate on top, and added a few love notes ;-)

Love-ly Pepperoni Pizza

Ingredients:

Thin crust (Archer Farms) pizza crust
1 c. pizza sauce
1 1/2 c. shredded reduced fat Mozzarella
1/4 c. shredded Asiago cheese
25-30 Turkey low fat pepperoni (Hormel)

Preheat to 400 degrees. Spray the top of the crust with non stick cooking spray (Pam). Spread 1 c. of the sauce on top of the crust. Using a cookie cutter, cut out heart shapes in the pepperoni. Using the discards and about 10 chopped up pepperoni, sprinkle over the sauce. Top with both cheeses evenly. Add the heart shaped pepperoni on top. Bake for 10 minutes on a baking sheet. Let cool slightly before cutting.

Cherry Almond Chocolates

Ingredients:

1 bag white chocolate candy melts (I used Ghirardelli)
1 c. dried cherries
1/2 c. slivered almonds
Small silicone candy mold (I used hearts for Valentines Day)
Edible Glitter

Cut three candy melts in half and place in one mold section, and repeat for the remaining molds. Microwave for 1 1/2 minutes on 50% powder. Check to see if the chocolate is melted, if not, keep heating at 25 second intervals on 50% powder. Place 2 dried cherries and a few slices of almonds in the melted chocolate. Sprinkle with edible glitter. Refrigerate for 15 + minutes until the chocolate is set. Flip the mold over and using your finger, push the chocolate gently out of the mold. Refrigerate the chocolates until needed.

Valentines Blondies

Ingredients:

2/3 c. butter
2 c. brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 c. mini candy coated chocolate sprinkles (or mini chocolate chips would work)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13x9 pan with non stick cooking spray. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and brown sugar together. Remove from the heat and let rest for 5 minutes. Add in the eggs, one at a time, stirring until combined. Slowly add the vanilla, flour, baking powder and soda, and salt. Pour into the prepared pan and sprinkle the top with the candy coated chocolate pieces. Bake fro 25-27 minutes until the top is a nice golden brown.

Cherry Cupcakes with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

1 box yellow cake mix (including the eggs, water and oil)
1 packet Black Cherry Sugar Free Kool-Aid mix
1 can diet Vernors (ginger ale)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the ingredients with a whisk and divide into 20 baking cups. Bake for 20-23 minutes in the oven until the tops spring back and aren't sticky. Let cool fully.

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe:

4 c. powdered sugar
1/3 c. cocoa powder
8 oz. cream cheese, 1/3 less fat, softened
1 stick margarine, softened
1 tsp. vanilla

Beat the cream cheese and butter in an electric mixer until fully combined. Add in the cocoa powder and powdered sugar slowly, the vanilla, and beat until everything is mixed together well. Pipe into the cupcakes when they are cool and decorate.

Mug Chocolate Chip Cookie

Ingredients:

1 Tbs. margarine (Imperial)
1 Tbs. sugar
1 Tbs. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt
1 egg yolk
3 Tbs. flour
1 Tbs. chocolate chips

Melt the margarine for 20 seconds in a coffee mug (with a napkin or paper towel on top). Stir in the sugars, vanilla and salt until well combined. Add the yolk and stir together. Mix in the flour until no white clumps are left. Stir in the chocolate chips. Cover again with the same napkin and microwave for 40 more seconds. It is THAT easy!

(Makes 1 Mug cookie, 9 WW points per mug.)

Date with the Devil Skinny Cupcakes

Ingredients:

1 box Devil's Food chocolate cake mix
1 c. chopped dates (dried)
1 can Diet Coke

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two muffin tins with 24 liners and set aside. In a large bowl, whisk the cake mix and can of pop together. Divide evenly among the 24 cups. Place a few pieces of chopped dates in the center of each one and press down slightly. (I also added heart sprinkles for Valentines.) Bake for 18-20 minutes. Let cool for at least 2 minutes in the pan, then let cool fully on a wire rack.

(Makes 24 cupcakes, 3 WW points per cupcake.)

Now the name for these cupcakes probably makes more sense after reading the ingredients! :-)

Red Velvet Doughnut

Ingredients:

3/4 c. Red Velvet cake mix
1 c. Heart Smart Bisquick
1/4 c. sugar
3/4 c. milk, 1%
2 eggs
Pinch of salt
Powdered sugar/melted chocolate for the topping

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Blend the cake mix, Bisquick, sugar, milk, eggs and salt in a bowl with a spatula. Pipe the batter into a doughnut pan that has been sprayed with non stick cooking spray.

 
Bake each batch for 8 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes in the pan, and then transfer to a wire rack.

 
Shake the baked doughnuts in a bag of powdered sugar, or melt chocolate chips with coconut oil and drizzle/dunk on top. Add sprinkles, nuts, or more chocolate chips on top!