How adorable are these? And, being a cheesecake – they’re as delicious as they are adorable. They are a relatively quick and easy dessert to put together, and are super impressive. Everyone loves things served in cute individual portions!
I’ve been making these little guys for a couple years now. While the raspberry swirl is my favorite, I’ve also successfully made them with blueberry and strawberry as well. A perfect sweet treat to wrap up these summer days. Can you guys believe summer is almost over? It seems the older I get, the quicker time flies. Slow down with some cheesecake, ya’ll. Have a great weekend!
Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake Cupcakes
For the crust:
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
1 Tbsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
For the raspberry swirl:
6 oz. fresh raspberries
2 tbsp. sugar
For the filling:
1 lb (2 packages) cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
zest from 1/2 lemon
2 large eggs, at room temperature
Preheat the oven to 325 F. Line cupcake pans with paper liners.
In a small bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, sugar, and cinnamon. Stir together with a fork until well blended and all the dry ingredients are moistened. Press 1 tablespoon of the mixture into the bottom of each cupcake liner. (Use a small drinking glass to easily and evenly press the crumbs down) Bake until just set, 5 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack.
To make the raspberry puree, combine the raspberries and sugar in a blender or food processor. Process until smooth, then pour through a fine mesh sieve to remove the seeds.
To make the cheesecake, beat the cream cheese on medium-high speed in the bowl of an electric mixer until fluffy. Blend in the sugar until smooth. Mix in the salt, vanilla, and zest. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
To assemble, spoon 3 tablespoons of the cheesecake batter over the crust in each cupcake liner. Dot a ½ teaspoon of the raspberry puree in a few dots over the cheesecake filling. Use a toothpick or a wooden skewer to lightly swirl and create a marbled effect.
Bake until the filling is set, about 22 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking. (They will look quite puffed initially but will return to normal quickly.) Transfer to a wire cooling rack and let cool to room temperature. Transfer to the refrigerator and let chill for at least 4 hours before serving.
I can’t believe it’s already October – I have absolutely no idea where September went (or the whole year, for that matter). I’m hoping this month goes a lot slower because fall is always over so quickly here and there are too many things to enjoy before they’re gone, like the beautiful red and gold leaves on the trees, sunny weather with crisp air, being able to wear light jackets and boots before the parka and heavy boots come out for what feels like forever, and of course, pumpkin spice everything!
This is the first pumpkin recipe I’ve made this fall and I know I’ll be making it several more times before the season’s over!
I love pumpkin oatmeal, but replacing oats with quinoa retains the comforting porridge-like texture while adding lots of protein to give you energy to start your day! And because quinoa can be left alone while it cooks, it’s still easy to make this on a weekday morning while you’re getting ready for work or school.
All you need to do to turn plain quinoa into this cozy pumpkin breakfast quinoa is replace some of the cooking water with milk, then stir in some pumpkin, vanilla, spices, a little maple syrup for sweetness, and top with some pecans for crunch.
If you usually add milk to your oatmeal, you can do the same with this breakfast quinoa too – your choice! And if you want this to be even more of a treat, feel free to throw in a spoonful of chocolate chips!
Pumpkin Spice Breakfast Quinoa
Bring milk and water to a boil in a small to medium sized saucepan. Add quinoa, cover, reduce heat to simmer, and let cook 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes. Uncover and fluff with a fork, then stir in the pumpkin, maple syrup, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Taste and adjust any amounts to your liking (i.e. add more sweetness or spices). Divide into two bowls (add milk if desired) and top with desired amount of pecans.
Chia Seeds…. are you adding them into your smoothies, oatmeal, cereal, and baking recipes? If not… you may want to! These tiny little seeds are packed full of nutrition! I have to admit, I didn’t begin using them until recently, but now that I have… I have been sprinkling them into everything, and can’t imagine a smoothie without them! They don’t have a taste, but they do gel up, a bit like tapioca. They thicken smoothies and puddings nicely, if you allow them to soak for a while. 1 serving of Chia Seeds {1 tablespoon}, contains 6 grams of Fiber, 2.9 grams of Omega 3, and 3 grams of protein! Amazing, right?! Here are some more fantastic facts about Chia Seeds… making them incredibly enticing!
Chia Seeds are gluten-free
They contain 20% of your Omega 3’s, making them heart healthy and a great brain food
They are quite high in Fiber, aiding in digestion
Chia Seeds are made up of 20% Protein
They are very high in Antioxidants
Chia Seeds help to balance your blood sugar levels {making them especially great for Diabetics}
They can be used as an egg replacement in baking recipes
Chia seeds… combined with the creaminess of the almond milk, heartiness of the almond butter, and sweetness of the banana and honey make for a very tasty smoothie! If you aren’t a fan of almond butter, you can simply replace with natural peanut butter for the same consistency and overall yumminess! Also… if you choose to sweeten this smoothie, you can use raw honey, or a serving of fresh pitted dates! Yum! {I purchased all ingredients at Trader Joe’s!}
I have been enjoying this healthy delight for breakfast or as a mid-afternoon snack. I hope that you love it as much as I do! Enjoy… and cheers to good health!
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
3 tablespoons unsweetened almond butter
1 ripe banana {frozen makes the smoothie extra thick and delicious!}
1 tablespoon raw honey or a few pitted dates {optional - to add sweetness}
Ice
Pour almond milk into blender.
Sprinkle in chia seeds and allow to sit for a few minutes.
Add in the remaining ingredients {almond butter, banana, honey/dates, and a few pieces of ice}. Blend well until smooth and creamy!
Low carb cauliflower cheese bread that is an alternative to traditional breadsticks. These cauliflower breadsticks are gluten free, flavorful, cheesy and with easy to follow step-by-step instructions. Yes, this recipe is foolproof, just like my super popular
I won’t lie and warn you that cauliflower breadsticks recipe is time consuming. That is why I highly suggest to double the recipe. But these cauliflower cheese sticks will come out right. You will be able to pick them up by hand. I know you are wondering about that – the answer is “YES”.
Will It Work?
I made 2 batches in a row, just to make sure the recipe works. If you have attempted a cauliflower pizza or breadsticks recipe before without any luck, this recipe will change the situation. There must have been a reason why it didn’t work. More likely you didn’t squeeze the water from cooked cauliflower well enough.
Are These Low Carb Cauliflower Breadsticks?
These cheesy cauliflower breadsticks turned out delicious!!! They hit the spot and satisfy the craving without wrecking your daily macros/nutrition. That’s if you care about that, then make sure to check out my low carb cauliflower rice recipes.
You can have 5 – 6 of these and still have consumed very little calories, fat and carbs. Perfect healthy alternative for binge eating weekend get-togethers with friends.:) The only difference is you stay on track and bring your friends here to try your recipe.
How to Make Cauliflower Breadsticks
1. Make Cauliflower Rice
You start with a large head of cauliflower, 7″ – 8″ wide, about 3 – 3.5 lbs. If you are serving 2 or more people, I recommend do double the recipe. These breadsticks are so good and guilt free, they disappear fast.
Chop cauliflower and process in a food processor until “rice” texture.
Work in batches. Do not make a cauliflower mash. It’s best to work in batches.
You can grate cauliflower using simple boxed grater.
Can I Use Store-Bought Cauliflower Rice?
Yes. You can use store bought cauliflower rice as well. 1 bag should do it. These days it’s widely available in Walmart, Trader Joe’s, Costco etc. If you are looking for more cauliflower rice recipes, see my cauliflower rice recipes and specific Trader Joe’s cauliflower rice recipes posts.
2. Bake Riced Cauliflower
Place cauliflower in any ovenproof baking dish and bake for 20 minutes. I used Pyrex glass pie dish. Alternatively, you could microwave or steam it. The idea is to cook the cauliflower, so it releases the moisture and we squeeze it out afterwards.
3. Cool
Removed cauliflower from the oven and let it cool.
Line a bowl with linen kitchen/tea towel. I prefer it to a cheesecloth because I always have towels on hand and it’s easy to throw a towel in the washer. In fact, now I have a designated towel for squeezing zucchini when I’m making crustless zucchini quiche, and cauliflower “bread” dishes.
4. Squeeze Excess Water
Grab towel by the corners, holding with one hand just below the corners.
Start squeezing liquid out with another hand. The process will take about 3 – 5 minutes and you should squeeze about 1 cup of liquid. Use a measuring cup as a point of reference.
If liquid is too hot, let the cauliflower mash cool down a bit and proceed again.
Just showing you that kitchen towel works.
Here you can see, from right to left: cauliflower “ball” before squeezing, after squeezing and liquid squeezed out.5. Make Cauliflower Breadsticks Dough
Open the towel and voila: you got yourself some pretty dry cauliflower mixture.
Add eggs, cheese, Italian seasoning, salt and black pepper.
6. Form Cauliflower Cheese Breadsticks
Transfer cauliflower breadsticks dough onto any baking sheet lined with parchment paper. The “dough” won’t stick together and that’s OK. Egg whites and cheese will act as a binder during the baking process.
Form a rectangle, using your hands, approximately 9″ x 7″ in size and 1/4″ thick. Press “dough” a bit to make it stay together and use spatula to make the edges straight. Do not worry, the egg whites and cheese will bind everything together during the baking process. It won’t fall apart.
I didn’t spray parchment paper with cooking spray, and my cauliflower breadsticks didn’t stick. More than that, parchment paper underneath the breadsticks was moist after baking. However, some people have reported their cauliflower breadsticks sticking to parchment paper, so if in doubt – spray with cooking spray.
7. Bake Cauliflower Pizza Breadsticks
Bake in 450 degrees F. I own simple electric oven and it took the breadsticks 18 minutes. All ovens vary. Just watch it => when you see the “dough” becoming golden brown on top, it’s time to take it out.
Then top cauliflower crust breadsticks with cheese and bake for another 5 minutes until cheese has melted.
Then broil for a nice golden brown crust.
Remove breadsticks from the oven and transfer to a cutting board holding by the ends of parchment paper.
Let breadsticks cool down for 5 minutes before cutting, if you can. I waited with the first batch and the breadsticks were easy to cut. With the second one I didn’t and it was a bit of a mess.
Use serrated/bread knife to cut into 12 breadsticks.
What to Serve Cheesy Cauliflower Breadsticks With?
How you serve these guys is totally up to you. I’m just going to give you a few ideas.
Serve with warm marinara sauce. Any clean/healthy/organic store bought marinara sauce works.
Or you can make your own and that’s what I did. My mom makes this Ukrainian type of salsa – adjika recipe. So I combined it with some tomato paste, dried thyme and oregano.
Just use what you have. No need to spend money.
Cheesy Garlic Cauliflower Breadsticks Recipe FAQs
What type of cheese can I use?
Any cheese works. Full or low fat, Mozzarella cheese or Tex Mex, or even Parmesan cheese. Use grated or shredded cheese and when measuring, do not pack.
Can I skip cheese?
No. Eggs and cheese bind everything together during the baking process. To make sure breadsticks won’t fall apart.
Should I spray parchment paper with cooking spray?
I didn’t spray parchment paper with cooking spray, and my cauliflower breadsticks didn’t stick. More than that, parchment paper underneath the breadsticks was moist after baking. However, some people have reported their cauliflower breadsticks sticking to parchment paper, so if in doubt – spray with cooking spray.
Can I use pizza stone?
No. Unless you line it with parchment paper. Otherwise breadsticks will stick.
This dressing is creamy, tangy, sweet and full of Asian flavors. It turns an ordinary salad into “Hot Dang! Salad is my new best friend”… in just a matter of seconds.
Pour it over a nice crisp cabbage salad, spoon a little into some warm rice…toss some with roasted broccoli or asparagus. There are a lot of options with this little jar of wonder, my friends. I made a wonderful Asian salad yesterday to go with it. Every one of my kids ate it up with a broad smile on their faces. Love it when that happens, I truly do. Recipe for the salad coming up tomorrow.
Until then, let me show you how to make this dressing!
***NOTE: This dressing will store in the fridge for up to a week.***
Time: 10 minutes
Yield: 2 cups
Recipe adapted from my sweet sister-in-law Rachel Eskelson
3/4 C mayonnaise (I use Best Foods Light)
1/2 C apple cider vinegar
1/4 C soy sauce
3/4 C sugar
1/2 t salt
2 T minced garlic
1/2 C peanuts (dry roasted)
1/4 t sesame oil
1 T toasted sesame seeds
pinch red pepper flakes
1. Grab some mayonnaise. I like to use this Best Foods Light. It has much less fat than regular mayo and tastes great. Measure out 3/4 cup and spoon it into your blender.
2. Add 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar,
1/4 cup of soy sauce,
3/4 cup of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
3. Peel and roughly chop 2 tablespoons of fresh garlic. Add it to the blender.
4. Mix everything together for about 1 minute.
5. Add 1/2 cup dry roasted peanuts, cover the blender and let it mix for several minutes, or until the peanuts are finely chopped and have blended in a bit. You will still have a few tiny pieces, that’s okay.
Add 1/4 teaspoon sesame oil,
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds,
and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Mix just for a few seconds more and you are ready to roll.
Store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Looking for a refreshing cocktail recipe that gives a tropical feeling when you drink it? The Cuban Breeze cocktail combines Amaretto, vodka and pineapple juice for a refreshing tropical style drink with just a hint of almonds.
Enjoy the taste of Almonds with A Cuban Breeze
I first became acquainted with Amaretto when I lived in Australia. My husband and I were young, entertained often and went out to eat several times a week. Liqueurs were popular as after dinner drinks in restaurants there and we enjoyed trying a lot of different ones.
Since I love the last of almonds, and smell of anything cooked with them, I fell in love with Amaretto. It is the perfect addition to this Cuban Breeze.
The drink could not be easier. Just add vodka and amaretto over ice and top with pineapple juice.
We’ve already discussed how everything is better when it’s mini right? I mean come on- mini=cute and I love cute things. So, whenever given the chance to shrink things down to itty bitty proportions- I take it! This is my favorite pumpkin cake, made into teeny 3-inch layer cakes. I think they are just about the cutest things ever and it doesn’t hurt that they are also delicious.
Welcome to The Baker Chick!
I wanted a super-thin layer for these cake-lets, so I poured the batter into a half-sheet pan and cut out little rounds using a 3-inch biscuit cutter. Those layers were frozen and frosted into little layered beauties. Now this recipe is top notch whether you want to make a full-sized layer cake or even cupcakes. (I tell you I make it every year!) But I made these cakes with a special occasion in mind, so I thought mini individual layer cakes was just the thing.
These cupcakes are all about decoration. My favorites are the monster cupcakes. They are colorful, fun and so easy to achieve the cuteness. No piping skills required. I guarantee you. You can go as crazy as you want. After all they are monsters.
If you made your own cupcakes, make sure they are fully cooled.
To prepare the buttercream, beat butter for a few minutes in the bowl a standing mixer with the paddle attachment on medium speed. Add powdered sugar and turn the mixer on low. Beat until the sugar incorporates with the butter. Add vanilla and heavy cream and beat on medium speed for another 3 minutes or until buttercream becomes light and fluffy. Set aside.
Use a black candy decorating pen to draw a black dot on each of the marshmallows.
For your 3 monster cupcakes, tint half a cup each of the frosting with yellow, purple and blue food coloring respectively. Starting with one color, fill a piping bag with frosting and add either a star tip, hair tip or round tip. Squeeze the bag, pull up and away when frosting strand is long enough, stop pressure and pull tip away. You are creating the monster hair. Continue until the frosting covers the top of the cupcake. Place marshmallow eyes on each cupcake.
For the 3 mummy cupcakes, attach a piping bag with a ribbon decorating tip and fill it with half cup of white frosting. Pipe overlapping lines across the cupcake leaving a small opening for the mummy eyes. Cut a marshmallow in half horizontally, put a dab of frosting on the back of the half (this will help it adhere to the cupcake) and add a black dot on the front. Place the two eyes on the opening area, between two “bandage strips”.
For the 3 pumpkin cupcakes, tint 1/4 cup of frosting with orange. Smear the orange frosting over the top of the cupcake. Place melted chocolate in a piping bag with a tiny round tip, and pipe a face onto the frosting. Tint a small amount of frosting with green, and transfer the green frosting to a piping bag with a small round tip. Pipe the green frosting on the pumpkin top as leaves.
For the 3 Jack Skeleton cupcakes, smear white frosting over the top of the cupcake. Pipe face with melted chocolate.
Walking through the door after a long day to a house that smells like pizza is never a bad thing. This is a carb-friendly, meat lover’s dream. Turkey pepperoni is such a great alternative to its full-fat counterpart. Substitute it on deli sandwiches, pizzas and casseroles. The textures and flavors are so similar, you’ll never know the difference — except in your waistline! Try another low-carb Italian feast with our Skinny Spaghetti Squash with Meat Sauce.
Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 3 hours on high or 6 hours on low Yield: 4 servings Serving size: 1 cup
Ingredients
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt, to taste
black pepper, to taste
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
½ teaspoon basil
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
35 turkey pepperonis, sliced in half
½ cup sliced reduced-sodium black olives
Instructions
Place the chicken on the bottom of the slow cooker, and season the tops with salt and pepper, to taste.
In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the chicken broth, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes, then pour over the chicken in the slow cooker.
Next, add the pepperoni and the olives to the slow cooker.
Cover and cook for 3 hours on high or 6 hours on low. , or until the chicken falls apart and can be easily shredded.
Shred the chicken in the slow cooker with tongs or 2 forks, and mix it up to absorb the remaining liquid for an additional 30 minutes.
At the moment life is sitting quite happily in limbo, as we fall between the seasons of late Summer and early Autumn. There is still warmth in the air, yet I’m beginning to be drawn back to the more heavy and slow cooked dishes. While it can easily be argued that Ireland got a fairly awful Summer this year, I haven’t been left short on Summer produce. My tomatoes, while slightly late are starting to turn a rich red and my proud pumpkin patch which has long been developing a personality of its own, now sits watching our living room overlooking slightly ominously, ready to engulf the house with ever expanding tendrils, the moment we turn our backs. While everything is in full bloom and plants are still growing, said pumpkin patch is a great reminder that, it won’t be more that a month or two, before I will be cutting the stalks of what I hope will be heavy orange fruits, reminding me further of the fact that the days are getting shorter and colder.
indocampshoot_1 copy
I do hope I’m not filling you with too much doom and gloom, but at the moment everyday is feeling a bit like that horrible Sunday before the first day back at school, leaving the summer behind for the long winter months. It’s inevitable and unavoidable but rather than wince at the thought of it, there are lots of foodie treats to look forward to with fantastic harvest feasts to embrace and enjoy. However before all that, and while they are still very much in season, I have been making the most of summer berries with this, what I like to think of as a fairly exciting recipe, which makes the most amazing dessert to wow your guests with. Like most recipes I write, this one is of course adaptable and you could add a little bit of ricotta cheese if you really wanted to add to the authenticity of it being a pizza recipe, or the addition of some chopped hazelnuts would sit quite happily on top. Whatever additions you decide on, it’s the balance of white chocolate and berries that always get me excited and you’ve never tried it, this is definitely a nice first way to give it a go.
