Homemade Protein Bars

MDS loves Quest-brand Cookie Dough Protein Bars. We always have a good supply at home, and they are great for an on-the-go snack. And they taste best when they are microwaved just a bit. Because the bars seem so simple, I thought I might try to re-create the bars at home. After some internet research, I put together this basic recipe that uses ingredients that are readily available 

These bars taste delicious, but I may need to work on the proportions of the ingredient to get a bar that sets firmer. When I made this batch, I used 1 1/4 cup oat flour, but I will try 1 1/2 to 2 cups oat flour next time.  Oat flour is simple to make--just blend rolled oats in a food processor until it becomes a fine flour. You can vary the nut butter or try chocolate protein powder. I plan to try adding instant coffee powder for a caffeinated bar. These bars should be stored in the refrigerator and will last several weeks stored in a sealed container.

Homemade Protein Bars 

• 1/2 cup almond butter
• 1 1/4 cup vanilla protein powder
• 1 1/2 to 2 cups oat flour
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips

Line an 8x8 pan with parchment paper. Combine all ingredients, except chocolate chips. Blend until smooth and well-mixed. Fold in chocolate chips. Press into pan. Refrigerate at least one hour. Cut into bars. Enjoy!

Goat Cheesecake

When Mom and I were in St. Louis in June, we tried a delicious appetizer of goat cheesecake at Big Sky restaurant in Webster Groves. The goat cheesecake was so delicious. It could be served as a dessert, especially if topped with a sweet topping. Or it makes a terrific appetizer, as when I served it for a Labor Day family get together.

To recreate the version that I had at Big Sky, I looked into various cheesecake recipes to try to come up with a good version. I decided to go with a no bake version. First, the pistachio crust has a little sugar and graham crackers to help the crust form. I think other crackers could be used, but I liked the slightly sweet flavor to go with the tangy goat cheese. For the filling, I used equal amounts of cream cheese and goat cheese. I might try using a bit more goat cheese the next time I make this recipe. At Big Sky, the cheesecake was topped with dried apricots and balsamic glaze. Because fresh figs were available, I used figs, but apricots are a great choice. 

Goat Cheesecake 

• 1 3/4 cups pistachios
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 4 Tbsp. butter, melted
• 2 large graham crackers, crushed
• 8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
• 8 oz. goat cheese, room temperature
• 1 Tbsp. honey
• 1/2 cup condensed milk

For the crust: pulse pistachios, sugar, and graham crackers in a food processor until pistachios are finely chopped. Add melted butter until moistened. Press into a greased eight-inch springform pan. Refrigerate at least one hour.

For the filling: combine goat cheese and cream cheese. Beat until smooth. Add honey. Add condensed milk in increments. Continue blending until smooth. Pour onto the crust. Refrigerate at least four hours. Garnish as desired. Enjoy!

Kale Mango Salad

Recently, MDS and I went on a road trip to Colorado Springs. Along the way, we stopped at a Safeway grocery store for supplies and discovered this delicious salad from the deli. When I researched online, I found a number of variations and assembled this recipe based on my preferences. The salad is a great dish that can be made ahead and will last for a few days in the refrigerator.

Kale Mango Salad 

• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 3 tsp. lime juice
• 1 tsp. honey
• 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
• 5 cups chopped kale
• 1/4 cup coconut flakes
• 1 cup chopped mango
• 1/2 cup cashews

In a large bowl, combine olive oil, lime juice, honey, and crushed red pepper. Add kale, coconut, mango, and cashews. Toss well. Enjoy!

Chocolate-covered Cherry Cookies

In looking through Mom's recipe box for a cookie recipe, I came across this gem. I love maraschino cherries, so seeing the cherry center of these cookies, I knew that I would love these cookies. They are a delicious blend of chocolate and cherry. The recipe does not actually say to use maraschino cherries, so you could probably use any type of cherry.

The directions for these cookies just call for dipping the top of the cookies in the chocolate icing, rather than coating the entire cookie. Because I find candy coating challenging, I found the dipped cookies easier. Also, I took a shortcut of using almond bark, rather than making the icing using the directions below.

Chocolate-covered Cherry Cookies 

• 1/2 cup soft butter
• 3/4 cup sifted powdered sugar
• 1 Tbsp. vanilla
• 1 square chocolate (1 oz.), melted
• 1 1/2 cup flour
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 20-25 cherries, well drained

Chocolate Icing

• 1 cup sifted powdered sugar
• 3/4 cup cream
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 square unsweetened chocolate, melted

Mix butter, sugar, vanilla, and chocolate thoroughly. Blend in flour and salt. If dry, add 1-2 tablespoons cream or milk. Wrap level tablespoon of dough around well-drained cherries. Place one-inch apart on ungreased baking sheet. Bake 12-15 minutes at 350. Allow cookies to cool. Prepare the icing by mixing the sugar, cream, vanilla, and melted chocolate. Dip top of cookies in the icing. Enjoy!

Jenny's Zucchini Bread

My sister-in-law Jenny is known for her excellent zucchini bread. This year, my garden is producing lots of zucchini, so I asked Jenny for her recipe. Based on the recipe, I think Jenny got this recipe from her Aunt Kathy. Wherever this recipe originated, it makes an excellent zucchini bread due to the unique ingredient of crushed pineapple.

This zucchini bread smelled so good right out of the oven that we could not wait to start eating it. But if you want nice pieces that do not fall apart, allow the bread to completely cool before slicing. I challenge you to resist eating this zucchini bread right out of the oven. When I made this recipe, I did not add nuts even though walnuts would be delicious in this bread.

Jenny's Zucchini Bread 

• 2 eggs
• 1 cup oil
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 2 cups zucchini, shredded
• 1 - 8 ounce can crushed pineapple
• 3 cups flour
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. salt
• 3/4 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1 cup walnuts or pecans

Beat eggs, oil, sugar, and vanilla until thick. Add remaining ingredients; mix well. Pour batter into 2 greased loaf pans. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until done. Allow to cool before slicing. Enjoy!

Super Fudge Cookies

This recipe is a terrific no-bake cookie. In the summertime, these cookies are great to enjoy without heating up the oven. These cookies are so easy to make. The only challenge is that when the mixture is boiling, you have to keep stirring so that the sugar does not burn.

When making these cookies, let them cool a little bit before shaping them. I found that it was best to pack the dough into a round spoon before dropping it onto the wax paper. These cookies are a bit like homemade granola bars. In fact, you could even shape them into bars. I think they will be great stored in the freezer and taken along for an on-the-go snack.

Super Fudge Cookies 

• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 6 Tbsp. cocoa
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 cups chopped nuts
• 3 cups quick cooking oatmeal

Boil sugar, butter, cocoa, and milk in a heavy saucepan for one minute. Cool slightly. Stir in vanilla, nuts, oatmeal. Allow to cool slightly more. Drop by teaspoon onto wax paper. Let cookies set. Enjoy!

Grandma Welsman's Chocolate Icing

I like to make a cake for MDS's birthday. For his 46th birthday, I made this delicious chocolate icing to accompany a yellow layer cake. This recipe comes from Grandma Holmes's recipes, and Grandma Welsman is MDS's great-grandmother. 

This frosting is excellent, especially with yellow cake, but would also work with a nice chocolate cake or on sugar cookies. Although it is called chocolate icing, it is more like a frosting than a standard icing because it does not really harden the way that icings can. On the recipe card photo below, the edits noted are from Grandma Holmes. I used the full recipe amounts to use for a triple layer cake, but the amount can be adjusted as needed. Like many recipes from that time period, it calls for margarine, but I prefer using real butter.

Grandma Welsman's Chocolate Icing 

• 6 cups powdered sugar
• 6 Tbsp. milk
• 3 squares of chocolate
• t tsp. vanilla
• 1 stick butter

Melt chocolate and butter together. Add to sugar, milk, and vanilla; beat until smooth. Spread on cake. Enjoy!