recipe Archives - Just J.Faye

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

November 14, 2017 by Jenna

The days are dark and cold. Let’s make brown butter pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.

Actually, it’s not that cold. It was 70 degrees yesterday. Boo. I’ll take cool temps and a light dusting of snow, please.

Warm or cold, it is that time of year. That time to eat everything pumpkin. You know, just before we switch to peppermint and molasses. I’ve been taking full advantage the season – beer, bread, lattes, soup, smoothies, pasta, pancakes, yogurt, bars, and cookies. Obviously, cookies.

These brown butter pumpkin chocolate chip cookies are super easy to make. Let me sum it up – brown the butter. Whisk in the sugars and wet ingredients. Fold in the dry ingredients. Stir in the chocolate chips. Chill. Bake. Eat.

It’s truly that simple.

You could make it easier on yourself and just use melted butter instead of brown butter, but don’t. Brown butter is just too good and it’s not that difficult to make. If I can do it, you surely can.

In other news, yesterday marked eight weeks since my heart surgery. EIGHT WEEKS. Honestly, I still haven’t completely wrapped my head around the fact that it happened. But it did. I have the scars to prove it.

My recovery has been going extremely well (except for that time my incision got infected and I had to take antibiotics for four weeks). I have been lucky to have a strong, supportive network and can’t thank people enough for reaching out with kind words and positive vibes.

I have been going to a cardiac rehab class every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning for the last 4 weeks. Here I am connected to a heart monitor and do 40 minutes of cardio and a few minutes of strength training and stretching. I have been working my way up to running during the cardio portion and got up to 25 minutes of running yesterday (intervals of 5-minutes jogging with 2-minutes walking). I hate (and am terrible at) running on treadmills, but it feels great to work up a sweat.

Since the cardiac rehab has helped build up my cardiac endurance and confidence Michael and I decided it was finally time to head out on a hike last weekend. I woke up so excited on Saturday you would have thought I was an 8-year-old on Christmas morning! We did Mount Galbraith on Saturday and White Ranch on Sunday for a total of about 9.5 miles for the weekend. I think we were both a little bit nervous, but we took things slow and steady and didn’t run into any issues. I didn’t even feel any waves of lightheadedness like I always had this summer. It was so wonderful to be outside and hiking through the foothills with Michael again! I kind of tear up just thinking about it. Haha.

It’s been quite the journey and now it’s time to focus on increasing my cardio endurance, gaining back muscle tone, and eating brown butter pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.

Brown Butter Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Prep time

80 mins

Cook time

13 mins

Total time

1 hour 33 mins

The hardest part about making these brown butter pumpkin chocolate chip cookies is to not eat them all before sharing with friends.

Serves: 2½ dozen

Ingredients

½ cup butter
1 ice cube
¼ cup granulated sugar
½ cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
⅓ cup pumpkin puree
1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
⅓ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon cloves
¼ teaspoon all spice
½ cup chocolate chips

Instructions

Brown the butter. To do this melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk the melted butter until it becomes golden brown in color and has a nutty smell.
Pour browned butter into a large bowl and whisk in an ice cube. It will froth a little.
Once the brown butter has cooled for a minute or two whisk in the sugars, vanilla extract, and pumpkin puree until smooth.
Fold in the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices.
Stir in the chocolate chips.
Chill the cookie dough in the refrigerator for an hour (up to 24 hours).
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Roll dough into balls and place them on the cookie sheet. Bake for 9-13 minutes.
Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes and then move them onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

Make sure to check out these other pumpkin recipes: pumpkin oreo bars, chocolate pumpkin snack cake, brown butter pumpkin bars & hearty, healthy pumpkin soup.

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Chocolate Zucchini Cake

July 18, 2017 by Jenna

A quick and easy recipe for Chocolate Zucchini Cake. It’s a moist, chocolaty cake that is studded with fresh zucchini – a delicious summertime dessert!

On Sunday I was going to go hike a 14er, but for a variety of reasons and factors I ended up not doing it. This meant that I had an entire free day to myself. No people to see. No things to do. No commitments. It ended up being quite luxurious.

After some strength training at the gym, a walk to the farmer’s market, and a little reading outside on the patio I decided to dig out The Duesterhoeft Café cookbook and whip up something from my family’s collection of recipes.

Since it’s the time of year when my fridge is stocked with zucchini I landed on the chocolate zucchini cake. Also, chocolate cake on a Sunday (or any other day, really) is never a bad idea. Ever.

The cake comes together very quickly. First, cream together the butter, oil, egg, sugar, and vanilla. Next, stir in the zucchini and finally, mix in the dry ingredients. The batter is a little bit looser compared normal cake batter, due to the moisture from all the zucchini.

Pour the batter into a 9×9 baking dish and sprinkle it with chocolate chips and brown sugar. The chocolate chips and brown sugar melt together in the oven and form a sort of caramely, crispy layer on top.

I hope that doesn’t sound gross/weird. I just don’t know how else to explain it!

The cake has a nice, light crumb and the perfect amount of chocolaty flavor.

Cut a generous slice and top it with a dollop of ice cream. Grab a glass of wine and a good book. Then take everything outside to enjoy.

If that’s not a lovely summer evening, I don’t know what is!

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

40 mins

Total time

50 mins

A quick and easy recipe for Chocolate Zucchini Cake. It's a moist, chocolaty cake that is studded with fresh zucchini - a delicious summertime dessert!

Serves: 16 pieces

Ingredients

1 medium zucchini
¼ cup canola oil
¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
heaping ¾ cup granulated sugar
1 egg
½ teaspoon vanilla
¼ cup buttermilk
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 ¼ cup flour
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
2 ½ tablespoons cocoa powder
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup chocolate chips
¼ cup brown sugar

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Grate zucchini and set aside in a strainer to drain excess water. You will need one cup.
In the large bowl of an electric mixer, add the oil, butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla. Beat on high for 2-3 minutes.
Mix in the zucchini.
Add in the buttermilk, baking soda, flour, and cinnamon and mix on low until everything is combined.
Pour batter into an ungreased 9x9 cake pan. Sprinkle with chocolate chips and brown sugar.
Bake for 35-40 minutes. Let cool completely before cutting.

Notes

Try to drain most of the water from the zucchini. I’ll usually let mine sit in a strainer for a few minutes and then soak up some moisture with a couple paper towels.

If you don’t have buttermilk on hand (do people normally?) replace it with ¼ cup milk (dairy, almond, soy, whatever) mixed with 1 ½ teaspoon lemon juice. Stir it up and let it sit for a minute or two before using.

Adding ¼ cup chopped walnuts on top with the chocolate chips and brown sugar would be a delicious idea.

This recipe can be easily doubled and baked in a 9x13 pan.

My mom likes to store it in the fridge, but it's delicious stored at room temperature as well!

My mom’s personal notes on the recipe in the cookbook: “I love zucchini from the garden; raw, sauteed, roasted, baked into breads and muffins, and especially baked into this cake recipe. My mom would make this often in the summer. I like to keep it in the fridge… no reason, I just like it that way. This recipe is in honor of my mother’s good friend Marlys Stockman from Plato.”

More The Duesterhoeft Cafe cookbook recipes: Coconut Coffee Cake, Rhubarb Cake, and Basic Banana Bread.

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Sweet Potato Toast with Mashed Avocado and Fried Eggs

November 1, 2016 by Jenna

I need to introduce you to the concept of sweet potato toast.

This is not mashed sweet potatoes spread on toasted bread (though that would also be pretty amazing). This is toasted slices of sweet potatoes that are topped with tasty things, hence “toast”.

It’s kind of amazing. If you are paleo/gluten-free/anti-bread/obsessed with sweet potatoes you can have your “toast” and eat it too. Everybody wins.

I originally posted this recipe on Minneapolis Running back in July, but I decided to share it here with you now. Especially because it’s fall. I don’t know about you, but all I want to eat this time of year is sweet potatoes, winter squash, and brussels sprouts. So that’s what I do. It makes grocery shopping really easy.

This combo is basically perfect for a cool fall morning breakfast… or lunch… or dinner.

There are two ways you can make sweet potato toast: oven and toaster.

For the oven method: Brush the sweet potato slices with coconut (or olive) oil and roast for about 15-17 minutes at 400 degrees, flipping once halfway through.
For the toaster method: Microwave the sweet potato slices for 30 seconds, then toast in the toaster until they are toasted to your preference.

I do prefer the oven method, but the toaster method yields fine results with less time.

After the sweet potato slices are toasted it is time to top them with mashed avocado and fried eggs. It’s like all the best things combined into one!

As amazing as avocado and eggs are, feel free to branch out on toppings. A few suggestions:

Almond butter, cinnamon, and banana
Turkey breast and cranberries
Shredded chicken, pesto, and tomatoes
Pulled pork and melted cheese
Goat cheese, honey, and walnuts

The sky’s the limit here, people.

Besides being extremely delicious these sweet potato toasts are also quite healthy. This recipe features three whole, nutritious ingredients (along with a little bit of oil, salt, and pepper) that boast the following:

Sweet potatoes: filled with vitamins A and C, fiber, beta-carotene, magnesium, potassium, and fiber. They help control blood pressure, ward off cancer, and reduce inflammation.
Avocados: offer similar nutrients to sweet potatoes, along with omega-3 fatty acids. They help decrease risk of heart disease and certain cancers, lower cholesterol, improve immune system, and regulate blood pressure and blood sugar.
Eggs: a good source of protein and minerals that are difficult to find in other foods (choline, selenium, and iodine). They help improve heart health, strengthen bones, and increase HDL (the “good”) cholesterol.

Healthy, delicious, easy to make – what’s not to love here?!

Nothing. There is nothing not to love about sweet potato toast.

Sweet Potato Toast with Mashed Avocado and Fried Eggs

Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

17 mins

Total time

22 mins

Sweet potato toasts are kind of amazing. Top slices with mashed avocado and fried eggs and you have a delicious, healthy meal that you could have for breakfast, lunch, or dinner!

Serves: 2 servings

Ingredients

1 large sweet potato
1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted (or olive oil)
1 medium avocado
4 eggs
Salt & pepper, to taste

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
Cut the sweet potato in ½-inch slices the long way. Depending on the size of your sweet potato you should get about 4 good slices and 2 little ends.
Toast the sweet potatoes in the oven or toaster:
For the oven method: Brush the sweet potato slices with coconut (or olive) oil and roast for about 15-17 minutes at 400 degrees, flipping once halfway through.
For the toaster method: Microwave the sweet potato slices for 30 seconds, then toast in the toaster until they are toasted to your preference.
Meanwhile, place a skillet on medium heat. Once hot spray with a little bit of oil and crack your eggs into the skillet and sprinkle with a little bit of salt and pepper. Let cook for 2-3 minutes, then cover the skillet and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Or just fry them up whatever method your choose!
In a small bowl smash the avocado and add some salt and pepper.
Once the sweet potatoes are cooked, let them cool for a few minutes then top each slices with some avocado and an egg. Feel free to add some sriracha and/or parmesan!

Notes

Leftover sweet potato toast will hold in the refrigerator for a few days and can just be re-heated and topped with fresh avocado and eggs (or whatever toppings you choose).

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Chocolate Pumpkin Snack Cake

October 25, 2016 by Jenna

This Chocolate Pumpkin Snack Cake is exactly what you need right now. It’s chocolatey, pumpkiny, but not too rich or dense or PSLy – the perfect afternoon treat!

It’s still in the 70s and 80s here in Denver, which IMO is far too warm for this time of year. I want to wear sweaters and leggings and boots and to bake all the pumpkin things. I’m going to do all that stuff anyways and just try to will the weather to cooler temperatures. I think it’ll work.

I started out by baking this Chocolate Pumpkin Snack Cake. It’s a light, moist chocolate cake that’s flavored with a little bit of pumpkin and cinnamon. It’s not full on in your face pumpkin spice, but if that’s what you’re looking for feel free to add some ground nutmeg, ginger, and cloves.

I’m kind of in love with it and I think you will be too.

Snack cakes in general are kind of amazing. They are super approachable and quick to whip up. You don’t need to drag out your mixer or worry about frosting a 3-tier layer cake. But the lack of hassle does not mean lack of flavor, so it’s all pretty ideal.

This snack cake in particular is full of chocolate and pumpkin and all sorts of deliciousness. Then it’s topped with a chocolate almond butter drizzle, because we can.

To start, you’ll mix together all your dry ingredients. Then you’ll melt the butter and unsweetened chocolate together, whisk in some eggs, and add the sugar, vanilla, brown sugar, pumpkin puree, and milk. Then the wet gets mixed into the dry to make a big ole bowl of batter. If it seems too thick feel free to add an additional tablespoon or two of milk. Bake it up for 25 minutes and try your best to let it cool completely.

Once it’s cool you’ll melt together the chocolate almond butter drizzle ingredients and spoon it over the cake.

Finally, pour yourself a big cup of coffee, sit down, and enjoy a piece (or two) of this delicious Chocolate Pumpkin Snack Cake.

Get after it!

Chocolate Pumpkin Snack Cake

Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

25 mins

Total time

40 mins

This chocolate pumpkin snack cake is a light, moist chocolate cake flavored with pumpkin and cinnamon and topped with a chocolate almond butter drizzle. It's a perfect afternoon treat!

Serves: 12 pieces

Ingredients

For the cake:

1 ½ cup all purpose flour
⅓ cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons butter
2 oz unsweetened chocolate
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup brown sugar
¾ cup pumpkin puree
¼ cup milk (dairy, almond, soy, whatever you have on hand)

For the chocolate almond butter drizzle:

2 tablespoons almond butter
2 tablespoon chocolate chips
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 teaspoon maple syrup

Instructions

Pre-heat the oven to 350° F. Take two pieces of parchment paper and place them perpendicularly in an 8x8” baking pan. Leave some overhang so that the cake can easily be lifted out of the pan.
In a large bowl, mix together the flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In a small saucepan, melt the butter and chocolate on low heat. You can also do this in the microwave.
Let it cool for a minute or two then whisk in the eggs.
Stir in the vanilla, brown sugar, pumpkin, and milk.
Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 25 minutes. Set aside to cool.
To make the drizzle, combine all of the ingredients in a microwave safe bowl and microwave in 30-second increments until everything is melted. Drizzle over the cooled cake. Then eat and enjoy!

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Introducing: A Runner’s Week Of Good Eats!

May 11, 2016 by Jenna

Nathan (from Minneapolis Running) and I have been collaborating on a project and I am SO EXCITED to share it with you today!

Introducing A Runner’s Week of Good Eats! It’s a meal planning guide to help runners spend less time in the kitchen and more time working towards that PR.

So here’s the situation:

It’s the middle of the week and you just crushed a run after work – maybe it was an interval workout, maybe it was hills, or maybe it was just an awesome couple of miles. Whatever it was, you are now on a runner’s high and feeling pretty good.

Approximately 25 minutes later hunger strikes. Hard.

You get home, open up the fridge and cupboards only to realize, dang, you didn’t prep any food for dinner. Instead of taking the time and effort to prepare an actual meal, you pour yourself big bowl of cereal… again… *sigh*

Has that ever happened to you? Because I’ve definitely been there on more than one occasion and it really deflates my post-run euphoria.

Now imagine this:

You get home from your run and already have everything prepped to make something delicious, like baked salmon with veggies or pork stir fry with brown rice. You also have all your lunches set to go for the rest of the week and delicious snacks and breakfasts too! Plus, you didn’t have to do any of the planning, just the shopping and the prepping!

Doesn’t that sound like a dream?!

With A Runner’s Week of Good Eats! you can make that dream a reality!

For only $9.99 you’ll receive:

14 healthy, delicious, easy to prepare recipes spanning across breakfast, lunch, snacks, and dinner
Photos of each recipe
A complete grocery shopping list
Preparation tips with a sample schedule
Suggestions for customizing.

No longer are the days spent googling for delicious, healthy meals, writing out a grocery list, and figuring out how to cook everything. Nathan and I have done all that work for you! All you need to do is grocery shop, cook, and enjoy all these good eats!

You can purchase A Runner’s Week of Good Eats! right here –> link.

Feel free to contact me with any questions and don’t forget to share this with all your friends!

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Flourless Peanut Butter Carrot Raisin Cookies

April 20, 2016 by Jenna

I have a sweet and healthy treat for all the peanut butter fans out there: Flourless Peanut Butter Carrot Raisin Cookies!

They are delicious.

These cookies are packed full of peanut butter along with a bunch of shredded carrots and raisins. Guess what isn’t in them…

(Did you guess?)

…flour and processed sugar. We just don’t need them here. The peanut butter makes the cookies dense and soft and the carrots, raisins, and honey naturally sweetens them.

We’ll call them a healthy treat.

And another plus (as if you needed another one), these Flourless Peanut Butter Carrot Raisin Cookies are so super simple to make – just stir everything together with a bowl and spoon.

Head on over to Minneapolis Running to get the recipe and start baking!

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