Pinterest and Hungry Girl - You inspire me!

I've posted a few Pinterest and Hungry Girl recipes in here before and as usual... I adapted these too. I just can't follow a recipe exactly... it's a compulsion I have. :) I have to put my spin on it!

I found a recipe on Pinterest for Crock Pot Cinnamon Almonds and decided what better thing to do with the can of raw almonds I had in the cupboard! After all, I'm a sucker for those German roasted ones you can get at the fair or sometimes mall kiosks... but they are a) very expensive and b) packed with sugar.

Normally I'm big on substitutions - applesauce, pumpkin and banana for butter/sugar in recipes but I didn't think that would work in this case! I did however choose to use much less sugar than the recipe originally called for and use half baking Splenda and half granulated light brown sugar.

Here's what I did:

CINNAMON ALMONDS AND PECANS

1 1/2 c. raw whole almonds

1 c. raw pecan halves

1/2 c. baking Splenda

1/2 c. granulated brown sugar

1-2 tsp. vanilla

2 tbsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. salt

1 egg white

1/4 c. water

In one bowl combine vanilla and egg and beat until frothy. In another bowl combine both sugars, cinnamon and salt, mix well. Stir the nuts into the egg mixture until well coated. Then add that bowl to the dry ingredients bowl, mix well. Spray your crock pot with a cooking spray to help prevent sticking because the mixture will be relatively dry. Cook on low for about 2 hours. The original recipe says to stir every 20 minutes or so, which I did, but I'm not sure with the smaller amount of sugar if that's really necessary, maybe more like every 30-40 but to be on the safe side just keep an eye on them. In the last 45 minutes add the water and stir well. Now when mine came out they were still a bit sticky and not as candy like as I expected - probably due to the lower sugar ratio. However, if you throw them in the oven on a baking sheet on 350 for about 15 minutes, stir and bake an additional 10 minutes they will crisp up. 

Makes about 12 - 1/4 cup servings - 185 calories each

Oh Hungry-Girl... you always have such good recipes - I save them all and it is my goal in 2013 to make more of them. 

This is exactly how her directions go... I just changed the frosting! 

CANDY CANE BROWNIES

(this is my photo - for my frosting)

1/16th of recipe: 156 calories, 3g fat, 278mg sodium, 31g carbs, 1.5g fiber, 18g sugars, 1.5g protein -- PointsPlus® value 4* 

Chocolate and candy canes go together like Santa and Mrs. Claus! (What's her first name, anyway?) Enjoy a brownie while you mull it over...

Ingredients: 

1/3 cup chocolate frosting 

1 sugar-free chocolate pudding snack with 60 calories or less (like the kind by Jell-O)

1 box moist-style devil’s food cake mix (15.25 - 18.25 oz.)

One 15-oz. can pure pumpkin

1/4 tsp. peppermint extract **( I omitted this because I don't keep it in my cupboard)

2 standard-sized candy canes or 8 mini candy canes 

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 9" X 13" baking pan with nonstick spray. 

In a medium bowl, mix frosting with pudding until smooth and uniform. Cover and refrigerate. 

In a large bowl, mix cake mix, pumpkin, and peppermint extract until smooth and uniform. (Batter will be thick.) (She's not kidding, the batter will be so thick your arms will be sore from stirring- I even added about 1/8 c. of water to aid in the stirring!)

Finely crush half of the candy canes, and stir into the batter. Spread batter into the baking pan.

Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 18 - 20 minutes. 

Let cool completely, about 1 1/2 hours. 

Spread brownies with frosting mixture. Just before serving, roughly crush the remaining candy canes, and sprinkle over frosted brownies. Enjoy!

MAKES 16 SERVINGS

(this is the Hungry Girl's photo)

My Frosting:

1/3 cup whipped cream cheese frosting (the whipped frostings are less calories)

2 sugar free vanilla pudding cups (60 calories each)

1 crushed candy cane (stirred into the frosting - which will turn it pink and dissolve)**

topped with about 1/4 cup or so of mini chocolate chips***

**Next time I do not think I will stir them in. I think the nice candy crunch of the bits would add another nice texture to the brownies. I only tried it this way because I thought it would give it more flavor since it dissolved into the frosting!

*** Also, the calories for the mini chocolate chips are not accounted for in Hungry Girl's calculations since it was my addition. This will add about 15-20 calories per brownie making the total around 185 each. 

Potato Cauliflower Soup

I may have posted a similar recipe before... but I've decided this one is perfection. So I will share it, again.

Cauliflower works well to bulk up a soup or your mashed potatoes because it has such a neutral flavor, low calories and lots of great vitamins. I would consider adding pureed or mashed cauliflower to any soup to add a creamier texture!

MY FAVORITE POTATO CAULIFLOWER SOUP

1 bag of frozen cauliflower or one head of fresh cauliflower

5 small russet potatoes, peeled and cubed

4 c. light/low sodium chicken or vegetable stock

1 small sweet yellow onion, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, peeled

1 c. unsweetened almond milk (you can use soy or skim as well)

5 oz. cooked spiral ham, pulled into small bits (or omit for you vegetarians!)

salt and black pepper to taste 

10 cups  - 95 calories per cup

In a soup pot over low-medium heat bring to boil broth and add in garlic, onion, potatoes and cauliflower. Let simmer, covered for about 20 minutes to allow all flavors to blend. Let cool 5-10 minutes and add by small batches into a blender - or if you're lucky enough to have a hand held immersion blender you can blend it in your pot. You can adjust here if you want it to be super smooth or a little chunky. Pour back into pot and add milk and ham. I usually make it without the meat but I had leftover ham from Christmas dinner. :) Let simmer for another 15 minutes or so until all flavors have melded into an amazing combination!