3-Ingredient Individual Strawberry Trifles

Just store-bought cookies, whipped cream and strawberries, how easy is that?  ;) Chaneling my inner Ina Garten for this recipe. The idea stemmed from her Mocha Icebox Cake. Taking Hampton’s own Tate’s cookies and letting homemade whipped cream soften them while chilling in the fridge. The strawberry addition is a homage to strawberry shortcake.  

This is the perfect not-too guilty dessert. Best enjoyed after a grill-out all fresco. AKA my favorite way to spend a Sunday evening. Preferably on my parents oasis of a patio. 

3-Ingredient Individual Strawberry Trifles
yields 4-5 trifles

Ingredients:
8 oz strawberries, sliced
8 oz heavy whipping cream
1 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
8 Tate's Bakeshop Vanilla Cookies (available at most grocery stores)

Directions:
Whip your heavy cream using an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Add sugar and vanilla extract and give a quick mix, making sure not to over whip your cream. 

Take a martini glass, start with a small spoonful of cream in the bottom of the glass. Crumble over a Tate's cookie, add a few sliced strawberries, then repeat. Continue until you have filled 4 martini glasses. I was able to stretch this recipe to serve 5, but it's best divvied up for 4. 

Place in the fridge for at least 1 hour to let the cream soften the cookies a bit. Before serving, sprinkle the tops with granulated sugar and a small sprig of mint to garnish. 

Annie

Lite Bite: Thai Chicken Lettuce Boats

Here's the 411 on "lite bite" posts. These are recipes I came up with on the fly. Measurements are geared toward cooking for one, but can easily be upped to feed more. Any questions about conversions or recipes, never hesitate to email me annie@takeabiteblog.com.

Thai Chicken Lettuce Boats
instructions yield 1 serving

green leaf lettuce
rotisserie chicken, shredded
roasted unsalted cashews
coconut oil
fresh ginger, finely chopped
garlic, minced
Sambal Oelek chili sauce
salt and pepper
cilantro
green onion
sesame seeds
cashews

Cut the core off the end of your lettuce. Wash and pat dry each lettuce leaf. These will become your "boats." A tip I learned from my roommate Lindsay is after washing your lettuce, lay it out on long strip of paper towels. Pat dry, then roll up your lettuce in the damp paper towels and store in a plastic grocery sack in the fridge. The lettuce will stay crisp and fresh!

Heat 1 tsp. of coconut oil over medium heat. Sauté 1/2 tsp. of minced garlic (or half of a clove) and 1/2 tsp. fresh ginger for about 30 seconds. Add 3/4 cup of shredded rotisserie chicken and 1/4 cup crushed cashews to the pan. Add 2 tsp. of Sambal Oelek chili sauce to pan. Sauté and warm all the ingredients, only takes about 1 to 2 minutes. Add a pinch of salt, pepper and tear in a few leaves of cilantro.

Once everything is combined and warmed through, divided the chicken mixture amongst 3 leaves of lettuce. Top with sesame seeds, more cilantro and thinly sliced green onions. 

I love this meal for dinner or lunch leftovers the next day. Tip: the inner baby leaves of your green leaf lettuce bunch are perfect for dipping in hummus!

Annie

Creamy Vegan Lemon Bars

These lemon bars are the brain child of craving lemon bars the second spring hit, being gifted a huge bag of Brandless Oats & Honey Granola while trying to avoid eating granola (due to my lack of self-control when it comes to this crack snack), and the response to an Instagram poll where lemon bars won in a landslide.

These lemon bars are vegan. No, I don't follow a vegan diet, I tried and gained what felt like 5 lbs. in 5 days due to eating pasta and carbs in replacement for protein and dairy. However, I've found that cooking and baking while trying to modify for various diets is a challenge and a fun experiment. It also doesn't hurt to watch your intake of added sugar, animal products and excess dairy. Due to the granola, these bars are not gluten-free, but the are vegan, dairy-free, egg-free, and free of processed sugar. 

Quick plug for Brandless before we move on. This recipe is not sponsored by Brandless, but I have to brag on them. The granola, the parchment paper and the knife (yes the knife) that I used in parts of this recipe are all from Brandless. It's my new obsession. They are a fair-trade, non-GMO, mostly organic, no added sugar food and household item company where everything is $3. And for each purchase made on Brandless, a meal is donated to Feeding America. 

Creamy Vegan Lemon Bars
yields 16 bars

Ingredients:
1 cup raw cashews* soaked
1 cup coconut cream (the hardened portion at the top of a can of full-fat coconut milk)
zest of 2 lemons
juice of 2 lemons
1/4 cup agave
2 cups plain granola, I used Brandless Oats & Honey, but any kind of honey, almond, or vanilla flavor will work. 
1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
1-2 Tbsp. powdered sugar (optional)

Directions:
Place your cashews in a bowl and cover with very hot water. Let soak for 1 hour. Line an 8x8 square pan with parchment paper, letting the edges hang over the sides and set aside. 

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. In a high powered blender or food processor, pulse the granola until it is the texture of fine crumbs. In a small bowl, mix melted coconut oil and granola crumbs.  Press mixture into prepared pan. Using the bottom of a measuring cup or drinking glass, make sure crust is pressed firmly into pan. Bake for 10 minutes until edges are slightly golden. 

While the crust is baking, start working on the filling. In a high powdered blender, add soaked cashews, coconut cream, juice and zest of lemons and agave. Blend together until smooth and creamy, about 2-3 minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides.. Taste and make sure flavor is where you want it. I added a bit more lemon zest after tasting. You want the lemon flavor to be bright and it to be slightly sweet.

Spread filling mixture over the baked crust. Reduce the oven to 350 degrees and bake for 20 minutes until the edges are firm and the center slightly jiggly (LOL jiggly). Let rest for 10 minutes. Chill for at least 4 hours in the fridge or overnight. 

Using the parchment paper to assist you, pull the lemon bars out of the pan. Cut evenly into 16 squares. Lightly sift powdered sugar over the top. Fine served at room temperature, but store in the fridge for optimal freshness!

Annie

Raspberry Lemon Protein Muffins

These muffins. Hearty, fresh, naturally sweetened and filled with 5 grams of protein per muffin and only 170 calories each. 

A friend of mine is the mastermind behind the recipe, but I changed things up a bit making them dairy free. The raspberry lemon combo is everything I want in a muffin. Slathered with shmear of almond butter in the morning and they make for the perfect breakfast. 

Not to mention these would be incredible on your Easter brunch menu, perfect for a shower, and even better for your everyday life. 

Raspberry Lemon Protein Muffins
yields 12 muffins

Ingredients:
2 cups oat flour*
2 scoops Arbonne vanilla protein powder
2 scoops Arbonne fiber powder (optional)
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup agave
3/4 cup almond milk
1/4 cup olive oil
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
zest from 1 whole lemon
juice from 1/2 lemon
10 oz fresh raspberries (reserve 12 raspberries for topping) 

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper liners and set aside.

*Take 2 cups of old fashioned rolled oats (steel cut will not work) and pulse in your blender until the texture of flower.

In a medium bowl, whisk oat flour, protein powder, fiber powder, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In another bowl, whisk agave, almond milk, olive oil, eggs, vanilla extract, lemon zest and lemon juice. Stir wet ingredients into your dry ingredients. Fold your raspberries into the batter. Using an ice cream scoop, divide batter into muffin cups making sure you evenly distribute the raspberries into each muffin. Top each muffin with a raspberry. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the edges are just golden and a toothpick comes out clean. 

Annie 

*to purchase Arbonne's protein powder, please email me at annie@takeabiteblog.com!

Spaghetti Squash with Turkey Meat Sauce

I've officially eaten this meal three weeks in a row. Obsessed yes, overboard yes, but delicious enough to eat week after week. 

Over the past few months I've loved getting plugged into a new community group through my church. They found out I had a food blog and quickly decided that a cooking class was a must. I easily obliged. We finished our study going over this book (which I love, have read twice now, and highly recommend) two weeks ago. We used last week's meeting as a time to have fellowship over food and conversation instead of our regular study. 

Sticking to what I know, I led a them through how to make this beloved new dish of mine, and paired it with Perfect CCCs of course!

Spaghetti Squash with Turkey Meat Sauce
yields 6 servings

Ingredients:
2 - 3 spaghetti squash, halved
1 pound lean ground turkey
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 medium zucchini, shredded
2 medium carrots, shredded
1 (15 ounces) can tomato sauce, no sugar added
1 (28 ounces) can diced tomatoes
2 cups raw spinach, tightly packed
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt and pepper to taste
Dairy free or regular shredded mozzarella

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Microwave each spaghetti squash for 5 minutes (this makes it easier to cut in half). Take out of the microwave and slice in half. Scoop out the seeds. Arrange spaghetti squash halves on a roasting sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 25-30 minutes.

While your squash is cooking, in a large pan over medium heat, cook the turkey in the 1 tbsp. of olive oil until almost completely cooked. When just a little bit of pink is left add the zucchini, carrots, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, spinach and spices. Stir to combine and let cook until the spinach has wilted. Turn to low, cover and let simmer for 20 minutes. 

Once your spaghetti squash is done, use a fork to scrape the insides and create the “spaghetti noodles.” Layer a spoonful of sauce, draining some of the liquid of the sauce and using more of the meatiness, over the top of each squash. Turn on your broiler. Sprinkle the top of each squash with some cheese. Place under your broiler for 2 minutes to melt the cheese. Fresh cracked black pepper over the top and you are ready to serve!

*The sauce makes a ton. I like to pile on the sauce, but any leftovers store well in the fridge or freezer. When cooking for myself I prep one squash at a time and keep the sauce in the fridge. I take a cooked squash and the sauce and heat in the microwave. Then repeat the broiler step for a fresh hot meal each night. 

The meal went over well with the group and the cookies scored a win. Hope you love it as much as I do! 

Annie