...is this month's topic for The ReDux, I'm not sure this blog post needs much introduction. I certainly don't need to convince anyone how inviting a chocolate dish can be. 

And hopefully by now, you've heard the good news - chocolate, specifically dark chocolate (don't be fooled by "white chocolate", it's simply not chocolate at all) is rich in anti-oxidants and has cardio-protective benefits. So if you were looking for "a reason" to enjoy chocolate as a part of a healthy diet...well there ya go. You can tell a friend an RD you know said so.

But here's the caveat (as if this isn't obvious... but I'll state for the record) - you have to balance the benefit by weighing the calories consumed. So when we set the theme for this month's ReDux (thanks in large part to the suggestion by fellow ReDux members Janice & Liz of The Meal Makeover Moms), I wanted to share a recipe that framed chocolate in its best light.

In a month that's been filled to the brim with chocolate recipes in the overall blog world, the problems I see with too many of the recipes (none in The ReDux of course!) that promote the health benefits of chocolate are that they either 1) don't use dark chocolate (which we know to be the more beneficial choice) or 2) the other ingredients seem to outweigh the good stuff in terms of calories/lack of nutrition or 3) they're too darn complicated. With my life right now, I need delicious meets healthy meets make-it-between-bursts-of-children-running-in-and-out-of-my-kitchen. 5 Minute Chocolate Cake meets all requirements! 

Be sure to check out all of the other Recipe ReDux blog posts from this month listed below and let me know what chocolate delight you plan to make first! 

But every now and again I see a food holiday that strikes my fancy and want to give it a nod. Apparently today is Almond Day... so I'm bringing back around one of my more popular dessert recipes for your enjoyment. I figure Almond Day needs a little love... everybody wants to post for Chocolate Cupcake Day or Mac n Cheese Day, but Almond Day? You know what I mean?

I also wanted to share it because I don't think people realize how well nut meals - especially almond - work in desserts. They're over the top nutritous and provide a nice protein boost, in dessert dishes that frankly aren't known for being protein-packed. If you've never tried them, you must. 

This is the original post. Or if you don't want to make the jump, the recipe is listed below. Hope you will give it a try. Happy Almond Day! 

EA Stewart (The Spicy RD) is one of those people. I remember when I first started following her blog being totally taken with her beautiful pictures and friendly style...and thinking to myself, "Why don't I already know her?" (Sometimes, the "foodie" RD world feels kind of small... we tend to know who we know and forget that there are so many talented RDs that we may have never met. EA was one of those people.)

A couple of things I know about EA:

-She lived in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, just like I did... only different years. I can't help but think we'd have somehow found one another if the timing had been right

-EA lives gluten-free. She has a wonderful discussion on her blog of what brought her there.

-EA does not like shrimp, or rather, shrimp does not like EA.

I love shrimp, we eat a lot of shrimp in my house, and as you can tell, I post a lot of shrimp on this blog.

So for EA, I'm making an apology for this upfront

This is Coconut Noodle Soup with Shrimp (that I based loosely off of this recipe from my Pin-Menu on Pinterest). And I hope if EA's reading she will feel free to substitute chicken or tofu ;-)

***

What's your favorite part of blogging or reading blogs? The information, insight into others' lives, the recipes, the pictures, the stories...? 

I snagged the general idea from my friend Deanna's post on the #chocolatelove blog hop that started on Saturday. My version is way over simplified. I can't wait to make her original version. But in a last minute strike of a sweet tooth, I decided to introduce the small squares of dark chocolate in my pantry to the extra half of pizza dough leftover after I made this for lunch

The chocolate hand pies are nothing more than a circle of my whole wheat pizza dough, rolled flat and folded over two miniature squares of dark chocolate; sealed, sprayed with a bit of oil & sprinkled with turbinado sugar, then baked at 450 degrees for 15 minutes. (Note: 1 recipe of the pizza dough made the medium pizza shown here + 5 hand pies). 

As an aside, I'm oddly fascinated by the names different cultures give to their folded dough concoctions - calzones, empanadas, hand pies, dumplings. Growing up, my grandmother (my Mom's mom... not "Ween", for those of you who have been around here for a while) used to make fried apple pies. And they are everything you think they'd be. Wretchedly excessive in calories and equally as delicious. 

What about you? What's your favorite folded dough delight?

***

I'm fortunate to live in an area of the country where grilling year-round is pretty much a reality. Unfortunately, our grill is mostly under my husband's purview. I could probably jockey for an assistant grill master role, but I run an entire kitchen solo, so I'm fine to let it be what it is. 

Tonight's dinner was totally grill worthy... but the grill master arrived home today after a long week away, and I decided that we'd keep the meal indoors. A grill pan is great for small grilling jobs, but it's just never worked well for larger meals and especially not for skewers.

I'm in love with my "kabob rack" for skewers. I simply thread/arrange the kebobs, place the entire rack on a lined baking sheet and broil. The rack keeps the food "up" off the pan which helps achieve a roasted/grilled flavor. Clean up is a snap, and it's is an excellent substitute for those nights when grilling is not an option.

I was reminded of how well shrimp and rosemary play together in this post by my friend Deanna over at Teaspoon of Spice. The skewers shown here are a simple combination of shrimp, whole button mushrooms & cherry tomatoes, marinated in olive oil, chopped fresh rosemary, balsamic vinegar, Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper. I broiled the veggie skewers for about 10 minutes on the lower rack of my oven and the shrimp for 2 to 3 minutes on each side on the top rack.

There were no leftovers. That pretty much says it all.

*** 

What about you? Are you lucky enough to grill year-round? If not, have you discovered a kabob rack and used it for indoor "grilling"? 

...portable

...fiber-filled

...anti-oxidant rich

...quick and easy

...satisfies a sweet tooth

Like I said, I like dried fruit. 

But I typically stick with my stand-bys: dried figs, cherries, blueberries & raisins. Our house is never without this assortment (Have I mentioned I like dried fruit? My kids do too.) 

Anyway, when I arrived home yesterday, I found these on my doorstep:

Well, actually I found a sealed box of these on my doorstep, but you probably figured as much. They're Sunsweet's "Plum Amazins" and they're diced dried plums.

This super simple salad is what I did with them  

Israeli Couscous Salad

8 ounces dry Israeli couscous, cooked

1/4 cup diced red onion

2 diced clementines

1 cup chopped arugula

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 cup "diced dried plums" (or prunes for those of you who aren't afraid of the "old" name)

Instructions:

Combine all ingredients.

***

Super simple, right? 

If you've been around this blog for a while you know I don't typically do product reviews. But when I see something that works well in recipes, provides a taste & nutrition benefit and is minimally processed, I am happy to share. 

A couple of things I noticed from the nutrition info on the package: 

"Diced plums have 50% more fiber than raisins & cranberries & 50% less sugar than raisins & cranberries." This was news to me. 

But here's what I really think makes them a good addition to my kitchen (i.e. why would I ever purchase these if I already have a pantry full of dried fruit?) The fact that they naturally have less sugar than a raisin, for instance, means that in savory side dishes or even entrees where you want just a hint of sweet, these are a great choice. They were perfect in this salad... not so sweet as to turn this into dessert... but sweet enough to play well with the clementines.

I'm not sure how widely available these are yet... or even the price. A good blogger would find out all of those details. I never promised I was a good blogger. I'm just Regan.

Let me know if you've seen these before & what you think of them.

(Disclosure: I received this package and the product inside free of charge, un-requested, with no obligations. The opinions expressed here are my own. I am not being compensated for this review.)

I don't find my blog the best space discuss the finer matters of my personal life. I'll just say that spending time with folks you care about during the tougher times of their lives is without question more important than testing a new recipe. And I know the lovely ladies who started First on the First agree. So please take a minute to jump over to their recipes and drool over their macarons... see what you're missing on this blog today. 

And then pull up a bowl for this old familiar favorite. I was home with my mother today when she said "I'm thinking about making 'that' broccoli salad. Whatcha think?" 

I think I'll have seconds.

I love this dish... I don't make it nearly enough. 

We sort of improvised based on what we had on hand, but essentially this recipe from my friends over at MyRecipes.com (the BEST source for reliable kitchen-tested recipe) is a match (we left out the sunflower seeds this time... none on hand, but they would certainly be delish.) 

This may not rival the beauty and foodie appeal of a macaron, but some days, something familiar is all you need. 

This...

...was supposed to be a Crème Brûlée with Raspberries based on this recipe by the super talented Caroline of Chocolate and Carrots.

But clearly it looks more like a Raspberry Custard with a Sugar Crust by the kitchen-improv-gets-you-into-trouble-sometimes Regan of The Professional Palate, don't you think?

I love being the editor of my recipe titles. It takes what would have been a failed recipe - because really... does that look like your traditional crème brûlée - and allows me to share something delicious, without your expectations clouding the vision around it.

I almost sent this one packing when I realized how much the raspberries had bubbled their juicy goodness into the custard, then realized I didn't have any butane and had to resort to an oven broil (which just doesn't produce the same look for the sugar crust... it's tasty... just not the same). Then I spooned in for a taste. 

So. Good. 

If you don't mind a little juiciness from the berries and are game to just get your brûlée from the broiler, head on over to Caroline's blog. Follow her recipe, adding in your berries before pouring in the custard. Bake and chill as she directs and then if you are butane-less, give it a whirl under the broiler. What you get may not be right to be called crème brûlée, but it's delicious all the same. 

Pinterest... I love you so very much. I've added your button to my site. I've set up multiple boards with you. We've been together for months now. But you aren't perfect. 

***

I recently read and re-tweeted an article that talked about the Top 10 Things Pinterest Should Do Right Now. I agree with a number of the items mentioned, but I also know as a website owner myself, it's not that easy to make every change people think you should make, all at once. 

But the one change that I request, plead, implore and beg Pinterest to make and make soon - give us the ability to rearrange pins. And here's why:

If you use Pinterest in its rawest form simply to pin and re-pin, a sort of One and Done activity, it's not a big deal. But once you embrace the power of Pinterest to organize themes in your personal and professional life, you crave the ability to keep those pins organized. You can't do that with the current format, which I can only assume is arranged by the date/time stamp of when it was pinned. 

I'm no programmer and have no clue what that update would entail. But I would love, love to see it happen. By nature of being a digital pinboard, this platform screams for that functionality, in my opinion. Face it... if you had a pinboard at home or in your office, wouldn't you re-arrange items occasionally? 

If it happened, I would be able to re-arrange the pin that I originally made for the inspiration behind these Shrimp Summer Rolls:

I pinned them onto my Pin-Menu board last week, but ended up making them on a different day than I originally intended. Since I'd like to keep these menus as a record of what I'm cooking and definitely go back and revisit them as I plan future menus, being able to edit AND rearrange pins would be so helpful! 

***

Now to the food.

Shrimp Summer Rolls were an adaptation of this recipe from Spa Bettie. 

Here's what I did differently, in case you'd like to try them, too. 

-Used cooked shrimp instead of tempeh

-Used regular sesame seeds (toasted)

-Added sriracha to the sauce and omitted the ginger

-Served the edamame on the side (because we like them so much I knew we'd want more!) 

-Sprinkled with crushed red pepper (because we like extra spicy!) 

They were SO easy. If you've been reluctant to make homemade summer rolls for fear of working with rice paper, don't be. It's no fuss and super fast. And most importantly, quite tasty. 

So what about you???

Anything you'd like to see Pinterest do differently?

Are you a fan of summer rolls - do you make them at home? 

It's a new year and a new season of ReDux. It's only fitting that we set this month's theme as Fresh Starts - basically breakfast done ReDux style (A big thank you to Rebecca @ MeFirst and Gretchen @ Kumquat for the suggestion). 

Most of the time when the monthly theme is set, I know exactly what I want to make from the beginning. This time - not so much. 

It's not that breakfast was hard to come up with an idea... it was hard to come up with only one idea. Breakfast is by far the most popular meal around my house. I'm a morning person (just follow me on Twitter and you'll see... up with the birds, for real.) 

I contemplated another granola or breakfast bowl... even toyed with the idea of a breakfast cookie... but when it came time to turn on the oven, I chose a tried and true favorite - "Cinnabon" Muffins [click here for recipe] (improved with 100% whole wheat for the ReDux.) 

I use the term "Cinnabon" loosely. These are nowhere near as decadent as a real Cinnabon roll. Thankfully, they are nowhere near as high-calorie either. Still on the sweet side, they are delish even without the addition of the sugar glaze. They could certainly be made in mini-muffin tins for a smaller serving, as well. Plus, they are made with 100% whole wheat pastry flour - so tender, but so much better than all-purpose. And really, when has a trip by Cinnabon ever offered a nice dose a fiber in the am?) 

So pull up a cup of smothing warm this Saturday morning and gawk over all the breakfast creations my fellow ReDux members have shared below. If you've already "enjoyed" a lonely bowl of cereal before clicking over our way, take heart that you can start enjoying any these breakfast options tomorrow and make a Fresh Start.