What's For Dessert: Strawberry Cheesecake Bites

These mini strawberry cheesecakes are a little tangy, a little sweet, and a little spicy. 



Last night I met up with a group of girlfriends for our June wine -- er, I mean, book -- club get-together. This month's choice was Wildfire by Mary Pauline Lowry. Lowry worked on the Pike (Colorado) Hotshot (wildfire fighting) crew and the book is basically a fictionalized (and highly dramatized) version of her experiences. The book's description of life on a hotshot crew was fascinating, although the writing was a little cheesy in places.


As is typical for most of our book club get-togethers, we often spend 5 minutes or less talking about the book and spend the rest of the evening eating, drinking, and catching up on our lives. I like book club as it gives me an excuse to make new recipes and share them with friends.

  
This time, I brought along one sweet and one savory treat to share. The sweet treat? Mini strawberry cheesecakes. These cheesecake bites have a little tang from the cream cheese, a little sweetness from the strawberry topping, and a little spice from the ginger snap crust. And, bonus, the recipe is also gluten-free.

Strawberry Cheesecake Bites (printer-friendly version)
makes 24 mini cheesecakes

For the crust:
1 cup ginger cookie crumbs (I used about 15 gluten-free mini ginger snaps)
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

For the cheesecakes:
1 (8 oz) package neufchâtel cheese (or regular cream cheese), softened
1/4 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon tapioca starch (you can substitute all-purpose flour if gluten isn't an issue)

For the strawberry topping:
2 cups chopped fresh strawberries
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons water

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a mini muffin tin with paper liners and set aside.
2. In the bowl of a food processor, use the steel blade attachment to make crumbs from the ginger cookies. Add in the brown sugar and pulse a few times to incorporate into the crumbs. Carefully add in the melted butter and process until incorporated.
3. Spoon the crumb mixture into each lined mini muffin cup, filling each cup about 1/4 full. Use the back of the spoon or your fingers to press the crumb mixture firmly into the bottom of each muffin cup. (The round end of a muddler also works quite well to tamp down the crumbs as well.)
4. In the bowl of an electric mixer, mix the neufchâtel cheese, Greek yogurt, egg, vanilla, and sugar together at high speed. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl as necessary. Add in the tapioca starch and beat until thoroughly combined.
5. Spoon the cheese mixture on top of the ginger cookie crumb layer, filling each muffin cup almost completely full.
6. Bake in the oven for 13-15 minutes, or until the cheesecake layer has set and appears matte, not glossy. Remove from the oven and let the cheesecake bites cool in the tin on a wire rack. Once cooled to the touch, place the tin in the refrigerator to chill.
7. While the cheesecakes are chilling, make the strawberry topping: In a small sauce pot, add together the chopped strawberries, sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Cook over medium heat until the mixture just comes to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer until slightly thickened and the strawberries have softened, 7-10 minutes. Remove from the heat, then stir in the vanilla. In a small bowl, stir together the cornstarch and water. Then add this mixture to the strawberries and stir to combine. Pour the thickened strawberry sauce into a container, top with a lid, and refrigerate until cooled.
8. To serve, remove the cheesecake bites from their paper liners and then carefully dollop each mini cheesecake with the strawberry topping.
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Made From Scratch: Avocado Hummus

If you can't decide between hummus or guacamole, this avocado hummus is the best of both worlds.


Avocado Hummus || A Less Processed Life

I'm trying to be better about having healthy snacks on hand at all times. So, instead of dipping into my not-so-secret chocolate stash, I can instead reach for a healthier option when that mid-afternoon hunger arises.

Avocado Hummus || A Less Processed Life

One of my favorite easy-to-make snacks is hummus. At heart, hummus is a combination of garbanzo beans, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, and olive oil. Given its simple base ingredients, hummus is easy to customize with different flavor profiles.

Avocado Hummus || A Less Processed Life

For this hummus, I looked to the flavors of guacamole for inspiration. Lime juice replaces the lemon juice and a pinch of cumin gives the hummus a warm and smokey spicy flavor. And of course, it's not guacamole without avocado.

Avocado Hummus || A Less Processed Life

Avocados have been on sale at our local grocery store lately, and I can't help but grab three or four nearly every time I stop in. Avocado toast (with a runny egg on top, of course), guacamole, you name it, if it has an avocado in it, there's a good chance I will love it.

This avocado hummus is perfect for sharing, but don't expect to bring home any leftovers! (In fact, next time I'm totally going to make a double-batch and will be leaving some at home for later!)

Avocado Hummus (printer-friendly version)
makes about 1 1/2 cups

2 garlic cloves, peeled
1 16-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 avocado, pitted and peeled
3 tablespoons tahini
juice of 1 lime (5 - 6 tablespoons)
pinch (1/8 teaspoon) ground cumin
2 tablespoons olive oil
fresh cilantro, for garnish

1. Add the garlic cloves to the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Process until minced.
2. Add the chickpeas, salt, avocado, tahini, and lime juice to the food processor. Process until coarsely pureed, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.
3. Add in the olive oil and process until smooth.
4. Season with additional salt if necessary. Spoon the hummus into a serving bowl and garnish with fresh cilantro. Serve alongside pita bread, tortilla chips, crackers, toasted bread slices, or fresh veggies.
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What's For Breakfast: Make Ahead Yogurt Parfaits

Breakfast is ready in a jiffy when your fridge is stocked with these delicious (and nutritious!) make ahead yogurt parfaits.


Make Ahead Yogurt Parfaits || A Less Processed Life

Dustin is working several days a week from Madison this month, so I've been prepping healthy meals and snacks that he can bring with him.

Make Ahead Yogurt Parfaits || A Less Processed Life

I love yogurt parfaits. They are typically a mix of fruit, yogurt, and granola, are simple to make, and are endlessly adaptable. These make ahead yogurt parfaits take convenience one step further by using frozen berries straight from the freezer.

Make Ahead Yogurt Parfaits || A Less Processed Life

You can use your favorite plain or flavored yogurt for this recipe. We tend to buy protein-packed plain Greek yogurt, so I stir in a little pure maple syrup to slightly sweeten the yogurt.

Make Ahead Yogurt Parfaits || A Less Processed Life

The parfaits are layered with granola and generously topped with it, too. For these parfaits, I used my favorite (of late) citrusy maple-cinnamon granola. A batch of these parfaits will keep in the fridge for several days and, when made in a jar, are perfectly portable.

Make Ahead Yogurt Parfaits (printer-friendly version)
makes 3 parfaits

2 1/2 cups plain or vanilla Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon maple syrup [to sweeten yogurt, optional]
3/4 cup frozen berries, divided
3/4 cup granola, divided

1. In a small bowl, stir together the yogurt and maple syrup to sweeten, if desired.
2. Add two tablespoons of yogurt to the bottom of a jar.
3. Layer with 1 tablespoon berries and 1 tablespoon granola.
4. Repeat until you have filled the jar -- depending on the size of the jar, you will probably have at least four layers.
5. Cover with a lid and refrigerate for up to three days.

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What's For Breakfast: Citrusy Maple-Cinnamon Granola

Citrusy Maple-Cinnamon Granola || A Less Processed Life

I am totally that girl that digs all of the clusters out of the bag of granola. The bigger the clump, the better.

Citrusy Maple-Cinnamon Granola || A Less Processed Life

But what I hate is paying upwards of $5 per (seemingly tiny!) bag of granola. Especially since granola is really easy to make at home -- something I always seem to forget.

Citrusy Maple-Cinnamon Granola || A Less Processed Life

But a free weekend afternoon (and just an hour at that!) was all it took to replete my granola supply. This granola recipe is super-simple to make, tasty, and chockfull of my favorite clusters. The secret to big ol' clumps? Use a potato masher to really press the granola into an even layer on your baking sheet. I picked up this trick from a recent (to me, anyway) episode of America's Test Kitchen. And it really works!

Citrusy Maple-Cinnamon Granola || A Less Processed Life

My favorite way to eat granola (when I'm not secretly snacking on all those yummy clusters) is on top of plain Greek yogurt sweetened with a little maple syrup. That's a breakfast (or lunch!) of champions in my book.

Citrusy Maple-Cinnamon Granola (printer-friendly version)
makes about 4 cups

4 cups rolled oats
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon dried orange peel granules
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
pinch of flaky Maldon sea salt

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the oats, cinnamon, orange peel, and brown sugar.
3. Add in the maple syrup, melted coconut oil, and vanilla and stir to combine.
4. Turn the granola out onto the prepped baking sheet. Use a potato masher (or rubber spatula) to press the granola into an even layer. Bake for 15 minutes, then rotate the pan 180 degrees and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Continue baking until light golden brown and dry to the touch.
5. Remove from the oven and let cool completely in the pan. Use a fork to break into crumbles and store in an airtight container for up to two weeks.

Citrusy Maple-Cinnamon Granola


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