I had plans of reduxing an ooey-gooey chocolate dessert for this month’s Recipe ReDux post. But when we ran out of milk last week and my kids instead drank just-as-much-calcium-and-protein-as-milk hot cocoa for breakfast, lunch and dinner, I knew I just had to share the versatile recipe. And when I say versatile, I mean I use it in cooking, in smoothies and to successfully bribe my kids to go outside to run off pent-up energy in the dead of winter.

Most homemade hot cocoa mixes contain dry non-dairy creamer. Of course these creamers contain all sorts of chemicals and fillers which are completely unnecessary for a cup of rich hot cocoa. My recipe contains only powdered milk, baking cocoa and just a little sugar. So kids (or anyone) get the goodness of milk, antioxidants from the dark cocoa, and a little sweetness to make the powdered milk go down. (I was the child of a very frugal mother who at one point in my childhood provided my sisters and I with the dreadful experience of drinking plain reconstituted powdered milk “to save a little milk money.”)

The Cranberry Quinoa Breakfast Cookies are an example of how I use the mix to add some chocolate goodness to recipes. I added 2 tablespoons of mix to the recipe and used dried cherries instead of cranberries. And if you don’t have quinoa, Deanna made the recipe using cooked whole wheat couscous instead (see photo below!) The cookies are a perfect breakfast or snack along side a cup of the cocoa reconstituted with water, or with milk for extra creaminess and double the calcium and protein.

I’ve often declared my love for all things Southern, like here and here. Heck, I even have a “Southern Wannabe” board on Pinterest. And while I adore New Orleans and can’t wait to get back, I can’t say I have a burning desire to be there on Mardi Gras (ok, maybe if I was 10 -15 years younger.) I’m happy to keep my visits to Jazz Fest, half marathons and random weekends and will celebrating from afar come Tuesday with these beignets.

Now I have no illusion that baked beignets can even possibly compare to the fried deliciousness you get in NOLA (I made a daily trek to Cafe Beignet during my last visit – dare I say better than Cafe du Monde?) but I was intrigued to make them after reading the post & recipe from  Jenna @ Eat Live Run, which she adapted from Good Housekeeping. After baking and tasting – I agree with her, when doused in powdered sugar, their yeasty, sweet goodness certainly hit the spot.

So laissez les bon temps rouler and here’s the link again to Oven Baked Beignets (my only tweek was to add some freshly grated nutmeg to the batter.)

Have you ever been to New Orleans during Mardi Gras? Do you have a favorite spot for beignets?

On the eve of President’s Day weekend, I must share my Aunt Sandy recipe for cherry pie. It’s not your typical cherry pie. It’s Banana Cherry Pie flavored with cinnamon and almond extract and (besides Huckleberry Pie) it was my very favorite pie as a child. I even occasionally asked for it for my birthday, instead of cake.

Aunt Sandy was an amazing cook. Her homemade chocolate bonbons were memorable – and so was her spaghetti with meat sauce, her elaborate birthday cakes for my cousin and her repertoire of delicious hamburger casseroles recipes. (Since she and her family lived on the cattle ranch with us – there was always a need for another variation on the hamburger casserole.)

My aunt also had diabetes. She managed it very well. But I’ve never forgotten what she told me when I announced I was going to be a dietitian; she said “I don’t like dietitians.” When I got over the initial shock, I found her to be an inspiration to always, always think about the feelings of person on the other end of diet advice I was dispensing – and to make sure that guidance was realistic.

And in the end, it turns out Aunt Sandy may have known more than a few of her dietitians back in the day. She was able to manage her diabetes well by eating a fairly ‘normal’ – but healthfully home-cooked diet, and made sure she had protein at every meal. That’s pretty near where recommendations for people with diabetes stand now: Eat the same healthful diet as the rest of the family – just monitor carbohydrates, fats and protein more carefully.

This pie is certainly not a low-carb pie. But it is chocked full of fruit and a moderate piece can obviously be worked into a healthful diet. I like to serve it as an afternoon snack to my kids along with a glass of protein-packed milk which this weekend we will raise to our Presidents Washington and Lincoln.

Every year in the dead of an East coast winter, I wonder why a) we don’t move somewhere warmer or b) why I don’t plan a quick island getaway every February. While there are many practical reasons why a) or b) aren’t happening, I’m still dreaming of heat and summertime.

So when I saw the words “tequila” and “chili” together in Pink Parsley’s slow cooker recipe (adapted from American Test Kitchen), it automatically perked me up. Like most of us, I crave soups, stews and one-pot dishes this time of year – so why not spice up a comfort dish with the ingredients in a favorite tropical beverage?

Since I still haven’t embraced my slow cooker’s magical powers (it’s gathering dust in the basement), I adapted the original recipe for my Dutch oven. I used lean ground turkey which was still flavorful but cut some of the calories from saturated fat. And with this recipe, you’re getting a decent serving of veggies and beans. I also toned down the heat (as my spicy tolerance is low) but you could add back in a few jalapenos and more chili powder to your liking. Like most chilis, this one was great right off the stove and even better the next day. Another recipe to help subdue my winter blues and get me closer to longer, sun drenched days.

Are you winter or summer person? Do you have a favorite “beat the winter blues” dish?

I’m not someone who needs caffeine in the morning but I do love the flavor of coffee – just as long as it’s sweetened a bit. As a kid, my favorite flavor of ice cream was coffee. And I’m one of THOSE people who can eat ice cream in the dead of winter or willingly orders a iced coffee concoction while the snow is coming down. Which is crazy because I’m also one of those people who can be freezing in the heat of summer, but that’s a post for another day…

Anyway, I stumbled upon this Mocha Breakfast Milkshake from Heidi @ Food Doodles and knew I was making it as soon as I cleaned the blender. I didn’t have patience to wait for my bananas to freeze so I just chucked them in with some ice. I was pleasantly surprised with the sweetness level of the drink (after adding in an extra banana) – no need to add in any extra sugar.

As for the addition of spinach that the original recipe calls for, here’s my dietitian confession – I just can’t drink my greens. Part of me thinks if I had one of those super blenders like the Vitamix, I might be able to tolerate but for now, I’ll just stick to having them sauteed on the side. But I certainly commend Heidi and all of you who do get more dark greens in your diet via the shake – cheers to you!

I’m now loving this drink as a on-the-go breakfast or an afternoon pick me.

Do you need to drink coffee sweet? Can you tolerate frozen foods in the dead of winter? And if you blend your greens, any tricks to make more palatable?

Don’t get me wrong, I *heart* chocolate and am happily reading all the blogsphere’s February celebration recipes I stumble across (like the 100+ #chocolatelove bloghop recipes.) But it was the after-party during last month’s FoodBlog South conference that inadvertantly led me to think outside the Valetine’s box.

This was the first blogger conference I’ve attended and it was a blast. Interesting sessions, cool speakers, friendly bloggers and an amazing food spread summed up a worthwhile weekend in Birmingham for this Southern Wannabe. I’m not attempting to recreate a summary post as fellow attendees have already written some terrific wrap-ups including Melissa @ Dash of East and Taylor @ Taylor Takes A Taste.

But back to the after-party. Sponsored by Southeast Dairy Association and Good People Brewery, it boasted some amazing artisanal American cheeses (hello Cabot Clothbound Cheddar) & beer pairings. But it was the Kentucky Rose light bleu + Coffee Oatmeal Stout with ficoco (fig & cocoa spread!), gingersnaps and chocolate combo that knocked my socks off. Chocolate + cheese together got me thinking of a past dairy association promotion during Valentine’s Day celebrating cheese lovers and the new wave of artisanal cheesemakers that are changing the landscape of American crafted cheeses.

And so my Valentine’s box this year includes a variety of American cheeses along with a favorite Alabama nosh – Jim ‘N Nick’s Bar-B-Q famous cheddar cheese biscuits (I was lucky enough to score a free sample of their mix at the conference – these suckers are darn good, even when I cut back on the butter a bit when baking.) The dietitian in me also added in some fresh thyme, mint, spinach, tomatoes and raspberries for a little extra color and nutrients.

Would you want to receive cheese instead of chocolate for Valentines’ Day? Or just chocolate, thank you? Or both?

Creamed Spinach is made from frozen boxes of spinach – which are economical, nutrient bonanzas. Not only does the thought of blanching and freezing all that spinach myself make my head tired, but we also know frozen foods are picked at the peak of freshness and then flash frozen; so all those spinach antioxidants are preserved. All this for about $2.00 a box! The Creamed Spinach recipe I served was brilliantly made-over by the Meal Makeover Moms and it’s delicious. Upon seeing it on the table, my four-year-old asked to “try it tomorrow.” But after tasting it, she was asked for seconds.

In these days of Meatless Monday, meatloaf has certainly lost some respect. Yet, meatloaf packs a powerful package of nutrients of which most women and kids don’t get enough: Zinc and iron are just two. Living in Illinois we are blessed by an abundance of wild game; so venison is plentiful which is why I developed this recipe for Venison Meatloaf. Venison is delightful in a meatloaf because it’s very lean (and very few drippings collect in the bottom of the pan.) So you could use very lean ground beef instead – however you would miss the delicious way the flavorful venison pairs with the apples and the earthy horseradish. Either way, making a blue plate special a little healthier never goes out of style.

It’s no surprise that February’s #love bloghop theme is…#chocolatelove! Compared to most themed posts where I can ponder for days/weeks, this month I quickly honed in on what I wanted to make. For many years, I frequented a local Italian BYO called Teresa’s Cafe and always, without fail, would order their unique and delectable dessert called focciocalto. Basically, it’s a pizza, spread with nutella & raspberry jam, folded over calzone style, baked in a wood burning oven and topped with powdered sugar, raspberry sauce, chocolate syrup and whipped cream before arriving table side. Chocolate Hazelnut + Pizza = Dessert Heaven.

Alas, now I live a few towns over, just far enough away to not be dining at Teresa’s regularly vs. perhaps the once a year visit. I’ve always wanted to reinvent their dessert and this month’s #chocolatelove bloghop was the push I needed. I opted to make a homemade chocolate pudding with raspberries for the filling (as the dietitian in me usually always strives to add in a few more nutrients – here via low fat milk & fresh fruit.) Serve with a dusting of powdered sugar, a drizzle of chocolate syrup and more fresh raspberries, which is still delish but cuts out a lot of the extra calories the original dessert’s toppings bring. I know, I know – raspberries are not in season right now but special winter occasions like Valentine’s Day (and #chocolatelove month for that matter) can be the exception. You could probably try frozen raspberries instead – which I literally just thought of now. Ah, cooking & blogging – a continual learning process.

This month’s #ChocolateLove hosts:

A little bit of everything | Roxana GreenGirl | @roxanagreengirl
Astig Vegan | Richgail | @AstigVegan
Badger Girl Learns to Cook | Kimberly | @BdgerGrl
Baker Street | Anuradha | @bakerstreet29
Baking and Cooking, A Tale of Two Loves | Becky
Baking Extravaganza |  Samantha | @Sam_Antunez
BigFatBaker | Erin | @bigfatbaker
Bon a croquer | Valerie | @valouth
CafeTerraBlog | Terra | @CafeTerraBlog
Cake Duchess | Lora | @cakeduchess
Cakeballs, cookies and more | Sue
Cooking with Books |Marnely | @nella22
Creative Cooking Corner | Karriann | @KarriannGraf
Easily Good Eats | Three Cookies
Elephant Eats  | Amy
Georgiecakes | Georgie | @GeorgieCakes
Hobby And More | Richa | @betit19
Java Cupcake | Betsy | @JavaCupcake
Kitchen Belleicious | Jessica | @kbelleicious
Mike’s Baking | Mike | @mikesbaking
Mis Pensamientos | Junia | @juniakk
No One Likes Crumbley Cookies | TR | @TRCrumbley
Oh Cake | Jessica | @jesshose
Rico sin Azucar | Helena | @ricosinazucar
Savoring Every Bite  | Linda | @Spicegirlfla
Simply Reem | Reem | @simplyreem
Smart Food and Fit | Lisa | @lisanutrition
Soni’s Food for Thought | Soni | @sonisfood
Sprint 2 the Table  | Laura | @sprint2thetable
That Skinny Chick Can Bake | Liz | @thatskinnychick
The Dusty Baker | Jacqueline | @dustybakergal
The More Than Occasional Baker | Ros | @bakingaddict
The Spicy RD | EA | @TheSpicyRD
The Wimpy Vegetarian | Susan | @wimpyvegetarian
Vegan Yack Attack | Jackie | @veganyackattack
Vegetarian Mamma | Cindy |@Vegetarianmamma
You Made That? | Suzanne | @YouMadeThatblog

What is your favorite chocolate dessert -either at a restaurant or that you make at home?

Please join in on the #chocolatelove fun by linking up any chocolate recipe from the month of February 2012. Don’t forget to link back to this post, so that your readers know to come stop by the #chocolatelove event! The twitter hashtag is #chocolatelove.

Since then, I’ve wanted to recreate the airy, yet chewy French treat. But, honestly, I didn’t think I had enough ‘kitchen cred.’ I’m far from a French baker. But thanks to encouragement from Carrie of Poet In the Pantry and Kate of Food Babbles through their brilliant bloghop First on First, I figured, if ‘everyone’ was doing it, maybe I could too!

The cookbook Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home was my favorite Christmas gift this year. The book contains a macaron (macaron) recipe that seemed a bit less fussy than most. Jeni uses them in ice cream sandwiches. Since the cookies are airy and chewy, they don’t freeze into tooth-chipping, rock-hard sandwiches. Smart.

All things Valentine are on my kids’ minds right now so I whipped up a batch of Jeni’s shockingly pink Beet Ice Cream with Mascarpone and Orange Zest to serve as the sandwich filling. The bold orange flavor in the ice cream paired perfectly with the cocoa and almond in the macarons. But this version of Jeni’s Lemon Frozen Yogurt would also be a delicious sandwich filling for these Chocolate Macarons. I adapted Jeni’s version of the cookie recipe to use blanched almonds and then decided to toast them – thinking the toastiness would complement the earthy (but not too earthy!) beets. I also added a bit less sugar to the recipe.

While I’ve already brainwashed my two little girls to think that all things French are good, they needed no convincing that anything this pink or chocolatey or ice-cream-sandwich-y is really good.

I get it. Kids and veggies don’t often mix. I’m a dietitian who has regularly exposed my daughter, Mia, since she was 6 months old to a decent range of foods including many veggies (time and time again, even when rejected.) And guess what, that kid who use to eat everything from chicken edamame fricassee to steamed clams is now morphing into a selective eater. There are times I just throw all the rules out the window and give her yogurt for dinner (talk about a true dietitian confession.)

Instead, I put my energy and faith in the facts that if I a) continue to offer and expose her to a variety of whole foods and recipes and b) I eat those said foods myself in front of her that she will come around. I mean, I certainly was no veggie lover as a kid.

The other strategy I’ve practiced since Mia could stand in a chair at the counter, is to get her in the kitchen at any opportunity. And during our recent kitchen remodel, I *sacrifced* some storage space so she could have her own cabinet of kitchen things:

And a rack for her cookbooks:

Recently, we made Peek-A-Boo Corn Muffins from Sesame Street Silly Snacks: Cooking With Kids- a fun, early kids cookbook (it’s a hard board book with great photos, beloved Sesame characters and is fairly healthy.) In the end, Mia refused to the eat the peek-a-boo “tree” inside the muffin (while nibbling around it) but she happily snacked on the roasted broccoli trees as we assembled the ingredients before baking. Go figure.

Here’s a link to the recipe, which in the book is called Oscar’s Broccoli Trees in a Haystack (but for some reason Grover gets the recipe credit on the website version.) Substitutions: I used 1 cup white whole wheat flour instead of regular white for a bit more fiber and nutrients and roasted the broccoli first for extra flavor.

Do your kids like being in the kitchen? Do they have a favorite “I like these vegetables” recipe?