Tag Archives: Olive oil

Skinny Brownies

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I know I recently shared a super decadent and delicious brownie recipe…but I have another one for you all.

Skinny Brownies | Beautiful Disasters

These are another great light recipe that just like the chocolate angel food cupcakes, is great for the summer and your bikini bod! With under 100 calories per brownie, there is absolutely zero guilt.

Skinny Brownies | Beautiful Disasters

These aren’t your traditional fudgey, dense brownies, they are more of a cakey texture that is light but uber chocolatey. These are super easy and have no weird, funky ingredients that you wouldn’t normally find in your pantry or fridge.

Skinny Brownies | Beautiful Disasters

Eat up!

Skinny Brownies | Beautiful Disasters

Skinny Brownies

(makes 16 brownies)

2/3 cup honey
1/3 cup cocoa powder (I used dark cocoa)
1/2 cup white whole-wheat flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup applesauce
2 tablespoons olive oil or canola oil
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup chocolate chips
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray an 8×8 inch baking dish with cooking spray
  2. Pour the honey into a medium liquid measuring cup and microwave on high power 45 seconds. Whisk in the cocoa powder with a fork and set aside.
  3. In a small bowl whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside.
  4. In a large bowl whisk applesauce, oil, egg, and vanilla extract together. Whisk in the cooled honey-cocoa mixture. Add the flour mixture and stir until incorporated. Add in the chocolate chips.
  5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread out evenly. Bake 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs clinging to it.
  6. Cool the pan on a wire rack. After about 30 minutes, cut into individual servings

Skinny Brownies | Beautiful Disasters

 

Random Fact of the Day: While 7 men in 100 have some form of color blindness, only 1 woman in 1,000 suffers from it.

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Herb and Parmesan Focaccia

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Right now my grade (the senior class) at my high school is in the middle of a ferocious game called Assassins. Ever heard of it?

Herb and Parmesan Focaccia | Beautiful Disasters

It is kind of giving me anxiety…

Herb and Parmesan Focaccia | Beautiful Disasters

Here is how it is played. Everyone who wants to play puts in $5 (or whatever everyone agrees on) and is assigned a “target”.  You must “kill” your target before the week is over by shooting them with your water gun.

Herb and Parmesan Focaccia | Beautiful Disasters

There are a few rules like no shooting at work, none on school grounds, at athletes during sports, etc.  You may defend yourself by shooting someone who you think is attacking you and if you shoot them before they shoot you, you have 24 hours until they are able to try and “kill” you again.  For some reason I feel like I am making this sound uber complicated…it’s not though.

Herb and Parmesan Focaccia | Beautiful Disasters

The winner gets a portion of the money raised and then most of it we are donating to a teacher who has a severe form of cancer and is struggling under staggering hospital and doctor bills.

Herb and Parmesan Focaccia | Beautiful Disasters

This week, I am safe.  I just “killed” my target yesterday as he was walking oh-so-innocently into the Men’s Warehouse to pick out his prom tux. He he hee. He never saw it coming. Also, I found out who the person was that was trying to “kill” me and they already got “killed” on the first day, so I feel like he isn’t even going to try and “kill” me because he is already out. However, my guard is always up and my water gun is always by my side. Some people may call me paranoid, I say I’m prepared.

Herb and Parmesan Focaccia | Beautiful Disasters

Enough Assassins talk.  Let’s talk about this beautiful focaccia. Is it bad to call something I made beautiful?  I don’t think so. I feel like my mom has been requesting me to make a homemade focaccia for like ever but I was a little hesitant. It’s a bread..which requires yeast, and rising, and more rising, which means loads of time that I would rather spend eating the oh so quick to make frosting.  But I was determined this time to give my mother what she wanted and focaccia was made. I’m not going to lie, I loved this recipe just as much (probably more) than the bakery focaccias we have bought in the past. Feel free to have fun with this recipe and adjust the seasonings, herbs, and add-ins to your liking!

Herb and Parmesan Focaccia

(Makes 2 8×8 focaccias)

2 cups warm water
2 teaspoons dry active yeast
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup whole wheat flour
3 cups all-purpose flour
Olive oil
2-3 Tablespoons grated parmesan
1 1/2 teaspoons crushed basil leaves
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons crushed oregano leaves
3 teaspoons crushed thyme leaves
2 teaspoons crushed sage leaves
2-3 tablespoons sea salt
  1. Add the water to bowl of stand mixer.  Run the mixer for a few seconds to dissolve the yeast into the water.  Let sit for 10 minutes.
  2. Add salt and flour to the yeast/water mixture with the mixer on medium speed.  Start with 1 cup of whole wheat flour, then 3 cups of all-purpose flour and add 2 tablespoons at a time of additional flour until the dough begins to pull away from the bowl, becoming elastic.
  3. Coat a large bowl with olive oil.  Use a spatula to move the dough from the mixing bowl to the olive-oil coated bowl.  Turn the dough in the bowl to cover with oil.  Cover with a towel and let rise in a warm, dry spot until dough doubles in size (about 1 hour)
  4. Coat your baking pans with oil. I used one 9 x 9″ baking pan and one 9″ round baking pan. Transfer the dough to the baking pans.  Punch down the dough, spreading it out to roughly fill the pans.  Let rise in a warm, dry place until the dough doubles in size (about 45 minutes)
  5. Punch down the dough one more time.  Let rise for 30 more minutes in a warm, dry place. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
  6. Use your fingers to make indentations in the dough (this will make crevices to catch the olive oil, herbs and salt!).  Drizzle with about 1 Tablespoon of oil on each focaccia dough and sprinkle chopped herbs and seasonings evenly over the surface.  Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the surface is golden-brown.
  7. Brush about 1-2 Tablespoons of olive oil over the top of the bread with a pastry brush.  Sprinkle the sea salt over the surface.  Cut and serve warm.  Enjoy! :)

Herb and Parmesan Focaccia | Beautiful Disasters

Random Fact of the Day: The normal static electricty shock that zaps your finger when you touch a doorknob is usually between 10,000 and 30,000 volts

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Easy Peasy Garlic Bread

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Garlic bread is something that sort of intimidates me. I don’t know why..but I always leave it for my mom to make when we have pasta for dinner. Usually I am like the baking queen but garlic bread is whole new story.

Easy Peasy Garlic Bread | Beautiful Disasters

Easy Peasy Garlic Bread | Beautiful Disasters

Until now.

Easy Peasy Garlic Bread | Beautiful Disasters

Easy Peasy Garlic Bread | Beautiful Disasters

I have even half-watched my mom make garlic bread the way I will be sharing with you today, but it still always scared me a little. The idea of ruining the whole loaf by putting too much garlic or too much butter on there just scared me too much.

Easy Peasy Garlic Bread | Beautiful Disasters

Easy Peasy Garlic Bread | Beautiful Disasters

Fear not, fellow garlic bread wussies!!

Easy Peasy Garlic Bread | Beautiful Disasters

Easy Peasy Garlic Bread | Beautiful Disasters

Easy Peasy Garlic Bread | Beautiful Disasters

This garlic bread method is fool-proof. I’m not really sharing a recipe with exact measurements, it is really more of just the way how you put everything together. If anything, go easy on the garlic powder. Unless, of course, you are total garlic obsessed. Then you can go bananas with the garlic. Whatever floats your boat!!

Easy Peasy Garlic Bread | Beautiful Disasters

Easy Peasy Garlic Bread

1 loaf of French Bread

butter or margarine, softened and spreadable

garlic powder

aluminum foil

  1. Preheat oven to 350˚F
  2. Slice garlic bread into about 2-inch slices. On one side of the bread spread about 1/2 Tablespoon of butter or margarine to coat that side of the bread. Then, sprinkle on garlic powder to lightly coat. We eyeball this, but it is probably about 1/2-1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder. Line up slices of garlic bread where each buttered side is touching an un-buttered side of another piece. Wrap all of the lined up pieces in foil, just like a burrito, and bake in preheated oven to heat through, 15-20 minutes.

Easy Peasy Garlic Bread | Beautiful Disasters

Random Fact of the Day: More than half the population of Kenya is under the age of 15.

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Roasted Chickpeas-SRC Post!

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What?! Secret Recipe Club reveal time is already here?? What have I been doing with my life?

Roasted Chickpeas | Beautiful Disasters

I’m not sure why the time seemed to go by so much faster this time. It could been that February only has 28 days.. or maybe the copious amounts of Harlem Shake videos I have been watching (why don’t they get old?)..or maybe because I have approximately 192837019238 things on my mind right now between soccer tryouts starting today, figuring out college stuff, and keeping up with school work.

Roasted Chickpeas | Beautiful Disasters

Anywho enough about me. Let’s talk about Anne! I was assigned to explore her blog, Anne Jisca’s Healthy Pursuits this month and had a blast poking around her recipes. She has loads of yummy stuff on there, so be sure you check her out!! I decided on her Roasted Chickpeas, but I know I was super tempted by her breads-they look and sound ah-mazing.

Roasted Chickpeas | Beautiful Disasters

I’m so glad I chose the roasted chickpeas, they’re so tasty and a perfect snack for on-the-go or anytime! They’re so much better for you than a bag of chips and they really energize you to get you through that workout you’re debating.

Roasted Chickpeas | Beautiful Disasters

Roasted Chickpeas

(From Anne Jisca’s Healthy Pursuits)

1 can (15 oz) chickpeas (I used garbanzo beans, pretty sure they’re the same thing)

oil or cooking spray

spices and seasonings (See Note)

Salt, pepper (to taste)

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. Coat your chick peas with oil, sprinkle with salt and seasonings of your choice (See Note)
  3. Spread seasoned chickpeas on a cookie sheet. Bake in preheated oven for around 25-30 minutes, shaking them around occasionally, until dry and crunchy. Watch them towards the end to make sure they don’t burn.

Note: for my seasonings I used about 1 Tablespoon paprika, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder and 1/2 teaspoon chili powder

Roasted Chickpeas | Beautiful Disasters

Random Fact of the Day: Penguins can convert salt water into fresh water.



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Two Cheese Red Pepper Quesadillas

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Quesadillas have been a long time love of mine. When I was little, it seemed like the most logical choice to order quesadillas every time I saw them on the menu considering my name is Casey. Casey, quesadilla, they’re basically the same.

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I have somewhat recently begun a vegetarian, plant-based and cookie dough based diet, so I have been trying to come up with new meal plans to fit my new lifestyle. The whole decision to try the vegetarian life is kind of a long story that I’ll save for another time. For now, let’s just stick to quesadillas.

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Anyways, quesadillas are not only a great vegetarian option, but they are great for those of us who participate in the whole no meat on Fridays during Lent thing.

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I have made BBQ chicken quesadillas that I’ve posted the recipe for on here before (delicious, by the way) but I do think that this is my new favorite quesadilla flavor combination. I don’t know what it is about this one, but it is just SO good.

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The combination kind of just came out of a moment where I was starving and threw what we had in the fridge in a tortilla and called it dinner. Turned out to be a dinner I have made 3 times since, so I figured I would share the tasty goodness with you all.

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And if the green tortillas freak you out, by all means, use a regular tortilla. I won’t tell the tortilla police. I, however, love them because whenever I eat something green it makes me feel like I earned a gold star in the health department.

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Two Cheese Red Pepper Quesadillas

(Serves one, easy to multiply for more)

1/2 Tablespoon butter, margarine, or oil

1 tortilla

2-3** Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese (yes, parmesan in a quesadilla)

1** Tablespoon cut up American cheese

1/4 of a red bell pepper, sliced into small strips

1 Tablespoon salsa

**I do not like my quesadillas super cheesy, so this may not be enough cheese for some people. Feel free to up the amounts of cheese, most people would probably like a little more.

  1.  Place a skillet over medium-high heat and melt butter. Once pan is greased, place a tortilla in the pan and flip every minute or so with the pan on medium high.
  2. Once bubbles start to form on the tortilla, sprinkle the cheeses on the tortilla, then the sliced peppers, then the salsa. Turn the heat down to low and place a lid on top of the pan to allow cheeses to melt completely for about 1-2 minutes or until completely melted. Fold tortilla once cheese is melted, let sit about 30 more seconds on low heat. Then enjoy! 

Random Fact of the Day: Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history. Spades – King David; Clubs – Alexander the Great; Hearts – Charlemagne; and Diamonds – Julius Caesar.

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