Skinny Coconut Cupcakes

Last night I hosted our monthly "game night" gathering with the neighborhood ladies which is always a good time. I had a couple of new recipes I have been wanting to try so I thought why not "try" out my new recipes on the girls? They were both a HIT so thought I would share them with you all as well!

First one is "Skinny Coconut Cupcakes". If you are not a fan of coconut then I would suggest you stop reading here & scroll down to the next recipe. If you are a "coconut lover" than proceed - these were yummy!! The second one is: "Baked Sweet Onion Dip" which I served with pita chips & pretzel crisps.

I have yet to share this on my regular blog, but now you all will know. I started Weight Watchers 4 weeks ago & am down 5 lbs so far - yay me :) I just LOVE the website skinnytaste.com. There are all kinds of excellent recipes on there & what is nice is that there are WW points provided for each recipe. So no calculating or trying to figure out how many points you are consuming.

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Skinny Coconut Cupcakes 

For the Frosting:

8 oz 1/3 less fat Philadelphia Cream Cheese (not fat free)

3/4 cup powdered sugar

2 tsp natural coconut extract

For the Cupcakes:

2 egg whites

1 cup canned light coconut milk (Thai Kitchen)

1/3 cup unsweetened apple sauce

2 tsp natural coconut extract

18.25 oz white box cake mix (Duncan Hines)

1/2 cup sweetened coconut flakes

Cadbury mini chocolate eggs (optional)

Directions:

In a medium bowl combine the cream cheese with the powdered sugar & coconut extract with a mixer. Keep refrigerated until ready to use.

Preheat oven to 350°. Line 24 cupcake tins with liners.

In a large bowl combine egg whites, coconut milk, apple sauce & remaining coconut extract. Mix well, then add cake mix and mix until combined.

Pour batter into lined cupcake tins about halfway & bake 22-24 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cupcakes cool to room temperature.

Top each cupcake with 1/2 tablespoon of cream cheese frosting, then top each with 1 tsp coconut flakes. For an Easter theme top each cupcake with 3 mini chocolate eggs.

Note: If you make these a day ahead, don't frost them. Keep the frosting refrigerated and frost them the day you plan to eat them.

Skinny Coconut Cupcakes (without Chocolate Eggs)
Servings: 24 • Serving Size: 1 cupcake • WW Points+: 4 pt
Calories: 148.6 • Fat: 4.4 g • Protein: 2 g • Carb: 24.2 g • Fiber: 0.8 g • Sugar: 4.7 g
Sodium: 142.6 mg

Skinny Coconut Cupcakes (with Chocolate Eggs)
Servings: 24 • Serving Size: 1 cupcake • WW Points+: 5 pt
Calories: 196.1 • Fat: 6.4 g • Protein: 2.5 g • Carb: 31.2 g • Fiber: 0.8 g • Sugar: 11.5 g
Sodium: 150 mg

Baked Sweet Onion Dip

 

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Baked Sweet Onion Dip

• 8 oz Philadelphia Cream Cheese (Very Softened)
• 1 cup Mayonnaise
• 1 cup Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
• 1 cup Chopped Sweet Onion
• 1 Tablespoon Fresh Ground Black Pepper
• Crusty Bread, Crackers

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, place softened cream cheese. The cream cheese must be very, very, soft (like spreadable butter) to allow all ingredients to blend evenly together. If your cream cheese needs to soften more, place in the microwave for a few seconds.

2. Add mayo, Parmesan cheese, onions & fresh cracked black pepper to soft cream cheese till everything is mixed thoroughly.
 
3. Place mixture in ramekins or any oven-safe dishes. Bake at least 30-45 minutes for all ingredients to cook together. When the top crust is brown, almost burnt-looking, then the dip is ready. The darker brown the crust of the dip becomes, the better the flavors are cooked.
 
4. Serve with your favorite bread &/or crackers.

Roasted Asparagus

My love for asparagus comes from when I was young. I grew up on a farm & we had asparagus that would grow wild next to a huge red poppy garden. When spring time came, I would love to go out & check for asparagus everyday to see if it was tall enough to cut so that my mom could cook it with dinner. I guess it is kind of a strange vegetable for a kid to love?! I even love me some brussel sprouts & have a few recipes to share for those also :)

We have had asparagus twice this week & just LOVE it! I have cooked asparagus many ways but I think roasting it in the oven is the best & almost as good as cooking it on the grill!

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Roasted Asparagus

Ingredients

• 2 pounds fresh asparagus
• Good olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Break off the tough ends of the asparagus &, if they're thick, peel them. Place the asparagus on a sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil, then toss to coat the asparagus completely. Spread the asparagus in a single layer & sprinkle liberally with salt & pepper. Roast the asparagus for 15 - 20 minutes, until tender, but still crisp.

Maple-Mustard Glazed Chicken

This is a new recipe that was given to me by a co-worker last week who said "it is truly the most amazing chicken I have ever eaten"! With a comment like that it is definitely worth trying! So I made this for dinner tonight served with roasted asparagus & it was truly the best chicken dish I have ever eaten! The hubby even gave it two thumbs up so I would have to say this recipe is definitely a "keeper"!!

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Maple-Mustard Glazed Chicken

Ingredients:

2 tsp of olive oil (I used canola because I ran out of olive oil)
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp of chicken broth
1/4 cup of real maple syrup
1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, sliced thinly
1 tbsp cider vinegar
1 tbsp stone-ground mustard

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Heat the oil in a large OVEN PROOF skillet over medium high heat. Season both sides of the chicken with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Add the chicken to the pan, and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside on a plate. Add the broth, syrup, thyme, and garlic slices to the pan; stir until well combined then add the mustard and vinegar, making sure to scrape the pan to loosen any browned bits.

Once the sauce is well combined, add the chicken back to the pan along with any juices from the plate. Place the skillet in the oven and bake for 10 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the skillet from the oven and let the meat rest for 5 minutes before slicing and serving along with the extra sauce/glaze on the side. Enjoy!

Chocolate Oatmeal No-Bake Cookies

First recipe I am sharing is of course a chocolaty dessert :) I haven't made these in awhile & had forgotten how yummy they are! These are perfect to make on a hot day when you don't want to use your oven & you need a chocolate "fix"! Super easy to whip up too :)

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Chocolate Oatmeal No Bake Cookies
1/2 C Butter
2 C Sugar
1/2 C Milk
4 Tbsp Cocoa
1/2 C Peanut Butter
3- 3 1/2 C Quick cooking Oats
2 tsp. Vanilla

Add the first 4 ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a rolling boil & boil for 1 minute. Stir in the next 3 ingredients & drop onto wax/foil paper. Let cool until set. Enjoy quickly because they don't last long!

Welcome

Welcome to my recipe blog!

Why did I start a recipe blog?

There are a few reasons I started this blog. 1) I have 4 different areas I keep recipes: in a recipe box, in a binder, on Pinterest & laying around cluttering my kitchen counter. It was finally time to get organized. I went through all my recipes & weeded out the ones I have never attempted nor will I try to attempt, threw away the ones the hubby didn't care for & finally filed all the recipes thrown into my binder under specific categories. 2) I have a lot of co-workers & friends who are always asking me to share a dip recipe or a dessert recipe or meals for the crock-pot so instead of having to write the recipe down each time I can just post it here for them to print off & share with others. 3) keeping all my "favorite" recipes in one spot & de-cluttering my kitchen makes me happy!

Where do my recipes come from?

The collection of recipes I am going to post here include my own recipes, old family favorites, recipes from friends, recipes from other blogs & recipes that I have collected over the years. I am in no way a professional cook or baker. Cooking & baking is just one of my passions & is a huge stress-reliever for me. I am forever looking for that one recipe that is a "keeper" to file away with the rest of my "tried & true" recipes. All these recipes I am going to post have actually been made in my kitchen on a regular basis & undergo careful scrutiny by my husband, co-workers & friends - none of whom have any credentials other than the fact that they like to eat :)

I am going to make every attempt to post recipes at least a few times a week. Hopefully you will stick around & see what new & exciting things I am whipping up in my kitchen from week to week. I welcome any comments or feedback you may have & hope you enjoy :)

Happy cooking!!!