http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain

A few days ago, we asked Kitchn’s Facebook friends to tell us the best way to clean an oven. Many of you suggested the self-cleaning button, which is an option we’re not always fans of. (See: Why You Should (Almost) Never Use Your Oven’s Self-Cleaning Function.) Even more of you suggested either not using your oven at all or getting someone else to do it for you. But those aren’t super-realistic suggestions because we like to cook and we don’t live at Downton Abbey.

So we combed through the hundreds of comments to find the most helpful ideas. Our takeaway? You guys use a variety of cleaners. Keep reading to see what they are!

READ MORE »

http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain

Quick and easy weeknight dinners are an absolute must in my meal plan. And on nights when chicken is on the menu, I turn to a pack of meaty chicken thighs more than anything else. With a roster of recipes ranging from sheet pan suppers to skillet dinners, I know that with little time and effort I can turn chicken thighs into a seriously flavorful dinner.

READ MORE »

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/

Serious chocolate lovers, this one’s for your. Dark chocolate + cacao powder deliver an intense dark chocolate flavor that puts these brownies over the top. Sweetened with dates and made with just a half cup of almond flour, these aren’t chewy, overly sweet brownies. Rather, they have pure bittersweet chocolate flavor and smooth truffle-like richness, thanks to butter and eggs.

Choosing chocolate that has at least 70% cacao (but ideally, closer to the 85% range) for this recipe means you’ll enjoy brownies that are rich with antioxidants. Combining the melted dark chocolate with cacao powder boosts the antioxidant level even higher. So, relish every bite of these divine morsels. Primal brownies are so chocolately and so rich, even the most fanatical chocolate lover will be satisfied by a small square.

Servings: 16 brownies

Time in the Kitchen: 25 minutes, plus 20 minutes to bake

Ingredients

• ½ cup unsalted butter (120 g)
• 6 ounces dark chocolate, coarsely chopped (170 g)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (5 ml)
• 10 pitted dates (86 g)
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup finely ground almond flour (45 g)
• 2 tablespoons cacao powder (12 g)
• ¼ teaspoon salt, plus sea salt to sprinkle on top (1.2 ml)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350º F/177º C.

Line the bottom of an 8×8 square baking pan with parchment paper.

Grease the parchment paper with butter.

In a small saucepan over very low heat, begin to melt the butter. When the butter is halfway melted, add the chocolate, stirring until melted and smooth. Turn off the heat right when the chocolate is melted, so it doesn’t burn. Stir in vanilla. Set aside to cool.

Cover dates with hot water and let soak 3 to 5 minutes. Drain water from dates. Blend the dates a food processor to chop up into small pieces. Stop and scrape down the sides once or twice.

In a small bowl, whisk together almond flour, cacao powder and salt so there are no lumps. Add to the food processor and blend with the dates for about one minute. During this time, a smooth paste will form, and then the paste will into a ball of smooth dough.

Use a spatula to push the ball of dough down flat, and spread it evenly around the bottom of the food processor bowl.

Add butter and chocolate mixture. Blend until very smooth.

Add eggs, pulsing to combine.

Use a spatula to scrape the batter into the prepared 8×8 pan. Sprinkle a little bit of sea salt on top.

Bake 20 minutes.

Cool completely before removing from pan.

The post Primal/Paleo Brownies appeared first on Mark’s Daily Apple.

http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain

Ready to decorate pumpkins with your kids? Just one problem: Toddlers and knives don’t mix well. So skip the traditional carving. We’ve found six ingenious ways to decorate a Halloween pumpkin in more kid-friendly ways.

These are the smartest ideas out there for you and your little ones to try this Halloween.

READ MORE »

http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain

It’s hard to beat the pleasure of comfort food. Digging into a gooey bowl of macaroni and cheese or biting into a cheesy slice of pizza has a way of making a lackluster day a little better. We think you should be able to have the foods you crave while also feeling your best. With that in mind, we’ve given those well-loved comfort food dishes a few twists to transform them into delicious, lightened-up, veggie-filled versions of themselves. Here are the tips and techniques that helped us do it, and the recipes that bring them to your kitchen.

READ MORE »

http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain

Halloween is right around the corner, and so are the parties and all the wonderful treats that go with it. In addition to pumpkin carving and costumes, it’s the time for festive punches, pumpkin-laden snacks, and spooky desserts. From no-bake snacks to big-batch drinks, here are our 18 most popular Halloween treats.

READ MORE »

Originally Posted At: https://breakingmuscle.com/feed/rss

read more

http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain

Remember when everyone hated Brussels sprouts? Remember when everyone started to love them again? These small green orbs are members of the cabbage family with the same ability to be enjoyed raw in salads or slaws or turned into tender, caramelized nuggets of goodness when cooked. But before you get to cooking them, you need to prep them.

If these green orbs are new to your dinner rotation (or hey, you just need a refresher), here is everything you need to know to prepare these wondrous vegetables before cooking.

READ MORE »

http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain

If you’re anything like me, you throw your plastic water bottle or yogurt container into the recycling bin when you’re done with it and pat yourself on the back for a job well done. After all, you’ve just done something, albeit small, to help the planet.

But what actually happens next? “The answer is way more complicated than people think,” says Heidi Sanborn, executive director of the California Product Stewardship Council.

READ MORE »

http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain

It seems like everyone — from your favorite celeb announcing they’re going all veg to the countless documentaries popping up on Netflix — is talking about a plant-based diet these days. This diet is everywhere!

READ MORE »