Masonable Mondays #7 - Cheesecake

Welcome to Masonable Mondays #7! I know it has been a while. I am sorry about that. But I think this #Masonable will make it up to you. Have you seen those new cheesecake snacks? They sell them as a divided cup with cheesecake filling on one side and chocolate, caramel or cherry topping on the other. What a perfect idea for a masonable! Now I decided to use cottage cheese to make my cheesecake snacks. I had recently seen a Dr. Oz show that boasted the nutritional values of cottage cheese. It is a great source of both protein and calcium. When you blend it up smooth it looks more like yogurt and can be used in both sweet and savory recipes. It works beautifully in these cheesecake masonables. Perfect for a snack, breakfast or dessert! I sweetened it with maple syrup, vanilla and lemon zest. It has that classic cheesecake flavor. But just think about it, the possibilities are endless. You can use light cottage cheese, neufchatel or cream cheese if you like. Any cheesecake flavor you can imagine can be adapted to a masonable. Whether you enjoy fruit toppings or indulgent rich mix-ins. You are just limited by your imagination. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

Top with any combination of fresh or frozen fruit. 

I chose thawed frozen dark cherries today. But try blueberries, peaches or strawberries. Heck top with jam or pie filling if you like.

Oreo! Try stirring in or topping with crushed oreos 

or spoon cheesecake filling on thin oreos.

What about Amaretto? Substitute Almond liquor or extract for vanilla or maple syrup. Top with toasted almonds and serve with Italian Amaretti cookies.

Or Peanut Butter Cup!? Stir in peanut butter and drizzle with melted chocolate. Or keep it simple and just chop up some Reese's peanut butter cups.

So many ideas come to mind. I hope you will try this recipe or create your own. Be sure to let me know what you put in your Cheesecake Masonable.

Cheesecake Masonable
Makes 4 - 1/2 cup servings

Supplies

4 wide mouth half pint Mason jar
4 empty fruit cup

Ingredients

2 cups cottage cheese (4% milkfat, small curd)
3 Tbsp. real maple syrup
1-1/2 tsp. vanilla
zest of small lemon
20 frozen dark cherries, thawed
24 Honey Nut Thins, Honey Cinnamon flavored

Directions

Place cottage cheese, maple syrup, vanilla and lemon zest in a blender container. Blend until smooth. Divide into 4 wide mouth half pint mason jars. Top with five cherries or toppings of you choice. Place lid on top of the jar. Stack six nut thins on lid. Place fruit cup inverted on top of nut thins and lid. Add mason jar ring to secure everything in place. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Note: You can reduce the serving size and calories by making 6 - 1/3 cup servings. That is almost one a day for an entire week. Yum!

By the way, in case you're wondering. The Honey Cinnamon Nut Thins are AMAZING! They taste buttery and have that cinnamon roll or pancake 

flavor thing going for them. 

But you can use graham crackers or any dippers you prefer.

Picture of a not so thawed cherry.

Masonable Mondays #6 - Savory Yogurt and Granola

Welcome to Masonable Mondays #6! Have you seen all the savory yogurts with crunchy toppings out there lately? I liked the idea so I tried Chobani's Pineapple one and loved it. I liked it enough to try to re-create it. So for today's 
#MasonableMondays I am sharing my version of Pineapple Yogurt with Savory Granola. There is really no recipe here except for the granola. If you have access to savory granola options you will not have to cook a single thing. It is as simple as layering crushed pineapple, yogurt and granola in a jar. For my #Masonable I decided to make my own granola. The Chobani flip had a spicy savory granola with almonds and pepitas. The spicy element was chipotle. So I tried to replicate that flavor in my granola. The Domestic Geek came to the rescue. She had a savory granola that featured almonds and a little chipotle powder. So I adapted her recipe and added pepitas. It turned out so good. It is so good with the pineapple flavor. Truth be known, I almost ate it all by the handful before I could fill my mason jars and fruit cups. It is that good! It is great on salads as a crunchy topping too. I think this is another great way to eat oatmeal.  I see lots of savory granola and yogurt in my future. I hope you will give it a try too.

Pineapple Yogurt with Savory Granola
Serves 1

Supplies

1 wide mouth pint Mason jar
1 empty fruit cup

Ingredients

1/2 cup crushed pineapple, drained
5 to 6 oz. plain non-fat Greek yogurt
1/4 cup Savory Granola with Almonds and Pepitas (recipe below)

Directions

Place pineapple in a pint size wide mouth mason jar. Top with yogurt. Place granola in re-cycled fruit cup. Place cup in the top of mason jar. Secure with mason jar lid and ring.

Note: If you like a little sweetness, you can add a drizzle of honey or agave. Or substitute vanilla or pineapple flavored Greek yourt.

Savory Granola with Almonds and Pepitas
Adapted from the Domestic Geek
Makes 4 cups

Ingredients

2 cups old-fashioned oats
1/2 tsp. chipotle powder
1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg white
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp. maple syrup
1/2 cup raw pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
3/4 cup Blue Diamond Jalapeno Smokehouse Almonds

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl combine oats, chipotle powder, smoked paprika, garlic powder and salt. Stir well. In a small bowl whisk egg white, olive oil and maple syrup. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir until they are well coated. Spread mixture in a single layer onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes. Stirring every 10 minutes. Add pepitas and cook 10 more minutes, stirring every five minutes. Once the granola has cooled, mix in almonds. Store in an airtight container.

Masonable Mondays #5 - Snickerdoodle Hummus

Welcome to Masonable Mondays #5! Today I made a salty, sweet and healthy Snickerdoodle Hummus Masonable. I have been making this snickerdoodle hummus for years. It is amazing! It tastes and smells just like snickerdoodle cookies! The secret is cinnamon and almond butter instead of tahini. I made my own almond butter this weekend. I used my Almond Toffee Butter recipe and just omitted the toffee pieces. But you can use store bought, I know I have many many times. Even some of the friends I shared the recipe with used peanut butter and said it was delicious. If you haven't tried a sweet hummus this should definitely be the one you try. It is so good with sliced apples and carrots. The carrots will remind you of glazed carrots. I really like the salty pretzel crackers with it too. It has that salty sweet thing going for it. The #Masonable is the perfect container to pack all these yummy companions into a easy to carry snack or dessert. It is just sweet enough to satisfy your sweet tooth. So grab a mason jar and a fruit cup and get prepping.

Snickerdoodle Hummus Masonable
Serves 1

Supplies

1 wide mouth pint Mason jar
2 empty fruit cups

Ingredients

Carrot sticks
Apple slices*
Snickerdoodle Hummus (recipe below)
Pretzel chips or crackers

Directions

Add carrots and apples to the bottom of the mason jar. Add fruit cup and place hummus in cup. Add lid and stack pretzels on top of lid. Top with inverted fruit cup and secure with mason jar ring. Store in refrigerator until ready to eat.

*Note: To prevent apple slices from turning brown toss in lemon juice before adding to the jar.

Snickerdoodle Hummus

Makes about 1-1/2 cups; 12 – 2 Tbsp servings

Ingredients

1 (15 oz) can low sodium garbanzo beans

2 Tbsp. almond butter

2 Tbsp. maple syrup

1 Tbsp. brown sugar

1/2 tsp. cinnamon, ground

Directions

Drain garbanzo beans reserving liquid. Place garbanzo beans in a food processor along with almond butter, maple syrup, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Pulse for about 1 minute until all ingredients are thoroughly combined. Slowly drizzle in reserved liquid (you will not need all of it, approx. 1/3 cup) until the dip is smooth and desired consistency. Transfer to a bowl and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

To serve try garnishing with a sprinkle of cinnamon and a drizzle of maple syrup. Surround hummus with apple slices, carrots and/or pretzel crackers.

Nutritional Info per Serving: Calories 71.8; Total Fat 2.0 g; Saturated Fat 0.2 g; Polyunsaturated Fat 0.5 g; Monounsaturated Fat 1.1 g; Cholesterol 0.0 mg; Sodium 105.7 mg; Potassium 91.7 mg; Total Carbohydrate 12.3 g; Dietary Fiber 1.7 g; Sugars 3.5 g; Protein 2.1 g

Linking to:
Tumbleweed Contessa - What'd You Do This Weekend?

Masonable Mondays #4 - Open Dome Top

Welcome to Masonable Mondays #4! I must admit this post is more about another way to use all those fruit cups. No recipes today, sorry! The weather is kind of wet up here in north Louisiana and since I sprained my ankle I have been a little reluctant to go out in wet conditions. So expect a more elaborate post using this same idea in the future. I just couldn't make my sure footed self go out to the store in this weather. In the mean time I am glad to share this idea with you.

Did you know you can use that fruit cup as an open dome top with just the ring? It basically add more head room to each jar. Now you can pack more in each jar. You can protect a frosted cupcake and send a surprise in a loved ones birthday lunch.

It is so simple! Place your cupcake in a half pint wide mouth jar.

Place the fruit cup inverted over the top. 

No need for the flat sealing top, it sits on the edge of the jar.

Then secure the cup in place with the ring. Done! 

Now you can send a birthday wish to anyone you love.

This idea would work for so many things from sweet to savory. Here are a few for you to try:

Sweet

The dome top would allow you to prep desserts ahead of time or for a large group. Think about Ice Cream Sundaes, Trifles, Pie a la Mode, Strawberry Shortcake with Whipped Cream, Cookies layered with Whipped Cream and Parfaits. That dome has a lot of room for whipped cream and icing.

Savory

This dome isn't just for desserts. It can help pack savory foods as well. Think about meatloaf in cupcake form. You can pack Meatloaf with a swirl of Mashed Potato Topping. Or place a cornbread muffin on top of your comfort food like

Chili, just place a Cornbread Muffin upside down on top. The fruit cup with cover all that goodness. How about filling the jar with Spaghetti and sauce then placing a big Meatball on top. Now that is a great lunch.

I hope this has inspired you to use your mason jars and fruit cups in a few more ways. Be sure to leave a comment and let me know what you plan to put in your #Masonables.

Masonable Mondays #3 - Cheese Balls

Welcome to Masonable Mondays #3! Today we are doing after work snacks. I hate to admit this but at some point in my life I could make dinner out of wine and a cheese plate. I don't do that now! Well not often. But I do enjoy the idea. So this week I decided to make a cheese board in a mason jar. I filled each mason jar with juicy green grapes. Then I made two savory and flavorful mini cheese balls to suspend in a fruit cup. I made one with blue cheese and pistachios and another with jalapenos and bacon. You can't get board with these flavors. I packed the top fruit cup with some whole wheat Ritz crackers. This after work treat is definitely something to rush home to. Or take your snack outdoors. This Masonable would make great picnic food to share with friends. I hope this inspires you to roll some cheese balls of your own. Be sure to share your creations. I always love more #Masonable ideas.

Cheese Ball Masonable
Serves 1

Supplies

1 wide mouth pint Mason jar
2 empty fruit cups

Ingredients

Grapes
Cheese Ball of choice
8 round crackers

Directions

Add grapes to the bottom of the mason jar. Add fruit cup and place cheese ball in cup. Add lid and stack crackers on top of lid. top with inverted fruit cup and secure with mason jar ring. Store in refrigerator until ready to eat.

The first cheese ball I made was based off of a blue cheese cheesecake we have made for the Christmas holidays several times. It is savory and "funky" in a good way. I love the blue cheese, green onions and pistachios. It is very flavorful. Dear sister thought this one was her favorite. She said it was the more exciting of the two cheese balls. I have to agree.

Blue Cheese Balls
Makes 6 Balls

Ingredients

4 oz. 1/3 light Neufchatel cheese, softened
1/2 cup reduced fat blue cheese crumbles
1 green onions, finely chopped
kosher salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes, to taste
4 Tbsp. pistachios, shelled and finely chopped
Handful of parsley, finely chopped

Directions

Combine Neufchatel cheese, blue cheese and green onions in a small bowl. Season with salt and peppers. Mix well so all ingredients are evenly distributed. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Divide mixture into six and roll into a balls. Place in a shallow dish of pistachios and parsley; roll to coat pressing to cover each ball with nut and herb mixture. Serve with crackers and fruit.

Note: You can roll this recipe into as many cheese balls as you like. Make one cheese ball or even 8 mini cheese balls with a pretzel stick like a lolly pop.

The next cheese ball is both spicy and savory. It is reminiscent of a jalapeno popper. The center is creamy cream cheese, Mexican blend cheese and pickled jalapenos. A classic combination of yummy ingredients. To finish, each cheese ball is rolled in crispy, salty bacon. Why? Because bacon is always a good idea.

Jalapeno Popper Cheese Balls
Makes 6 Balls

Ingredients

4 oz. 1/3 light Neufchatel cheese, softened
1/2 cup 2% Mexican cheese blend
2 Tbsp. chopped pickled jalapenos
kosher salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes, to taste
6 slices bacon, pre-cooked and finely chopped

Directions

Combine Neufchatel cheese, cheese blend and jalapenos in a small bowl. Season with salt and peppers. Mix well so all ingredients are evenly distributed. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Divide mixture into six and roll into a balls. Place in a shallow dish of bacon and roll to coat pressing to cover each ball with bacon. Serve with crackers and fruit.

Note: You can roll this recipe into as many cheese balls as you like. Make one cheese ball or even 8 mini cheese balls with a pretzel stick like a lolly pop.

Linking to:
Ramblings of a (Bad) Domestic Goddess: Turn it Up Tuesdays
Carole's Chatter: Food on Friday - Cheese

Masonable Mondays #2 - Scrambles

Welcome to Masonable Mondays #2! Today we are doing breakfast. I have been making egg mugs since I discovered Hungry Girl's blog, newsletters and cookbooks. They are a quick and easy microwave scrambles made in a coffee mug. So I decided to try it in a Masonable. The masonable is the perfect container for taking a scramble on the go. You can use those fruit cups to keep garnishes or "go-with" items separate from your wet scramble ingredients. Wouldn't it be nice to have several made in advance that you could just grab and take to work? I made four different styles and three different breads to go with each scramble. Anything you put in a omelette or quiche would make a great Masonable Scramble. The only thing to remember is to cook any veggie that releases a lot of liquid first, cool and drain before adding to your masonable. Cheese helps make your scramble creamy. Hungry Girl loves to use Laughing Cow cheese wedges. They really are delicious. I like adding Mexican cheese blend, Parmesan and cream cheese too. The variety is endless! Scroll down for a Mexican style with savory sausage, cheese and salsa. Or maybe you would like something a bit more sophisticated like Salmon and Dill with creamy cream cheese. Or maybe you need more veggies, try the Broccoli one with Swiss cheese and ham. And finally a classic Tomato and Basil with a little mozzarella cheese. That is something different every morning and on the fifth day you can make your own creation. I hope you try it and come back to share what you put in your #Masonable.

Masonable Scrambles
Serves 1

Supplies

1 wide mouth pint Mason jar
1 or 2 empty fruit cups

Ingredients

Cooking spray
2 large eggs or 1/2 cup egg substitute
a splash of milk
Kosher salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes, to taste
your choice of optional ingredients

Directions

Spray a one pint, wide mouth mason jar with cooking spray. Add optional ingredients to the bottom of the mason jar. Beat eggs with a splash of milk, salt and peppers; add to jar. Prepare your jar for storage in the refrigerator. Add lid any "go-withs" if using, fruit cups and mason jar ring. Place in refrigerator until ready to cook. To cook remove ring, cups and lid; stir well and microwave uncovered for 45 seconds on high. Stir again and microwave for 30 seconds. Stir again and microwave for 15 to 30 seconds until desired doneness. It is best to under cook because your scramble will continue to cook a bit after you remove from microwave.

Mexican Masonable Scramble

1 Tbsp. precooked reduced fat pork breakfast sausage

1 Tbsp. 2% Mexican Cheese Blend

1 Tbsp. your favorite salsa

Mini Flour Tortillas

Salmon and Dill Masonable Scramble

1 slice smoked salmon, chopped

1 oz. cream cheese, chopped

2 shakes of dried dill

Mini Toast

Broccoli Masonable Scrambles

1 slice of deli ham, chopped

1 slice of Swiss cheese, chopped

1 broccoli floret, divided into small florets and

microwaved 1 minute, cooled and drained

Mini Drop Biscuits

Tomato and Basil Masonable Scramble

4 grape tomatoes, quartered

1 tsp. basil, minced

1 Tbsp. Mozzerella cheese
Mini Drop Biscuits

Now the bread "go-withs" or accompaniments are really an experiment. When hot they are really tasty. We will see how they re-heat. I have my doubts. I will definitely let you know next week. After preparing them I thought about how great tater tots would be as an accompaniment. Yum! Also round corn chips would make a great "go-with" for the Mexican scramble.

Mini Drop Biscuits

I made this Drop Biscuit recipe for one then dropped them 

in six small spoonfuls. I baked them at 450 for 10 minutes, 

then brushed them with a little melted butter.
Re-heat wrapped in paper towel in the microwave for 15 to 20 seconds on high.

Mini Flour Tortillas

I just used a cookie cutter that fit in the fruit cup 

to cut out mini rounds from the larger tortilla.

Mini Toast

I cut a slice of bread into quarters and butter each side. 

Then I browned them in a pan on each side.

Mini Toast re-heats well in a dry pan on medium high heat flipping often.

Other egg recipes to try in a mason jar:

Hungry Girl Egg Mug Recipes

Egg Beaters Egg Mug Scrambler Recipes

The Incredible Egg Video

Linking to:

Ramblings of a (Bad) Domestic Goddess: Turn It Up Tuesdays

Dizzy, Busy & Hungry: Wine'd Down Wednesday