Candy Cane Kiss Cookies by Polish The Stars

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups Powdered Sugar

1 1/4 cups Unsalted Butter, softened

1 teaspoon Peppermint Extract (optional)

1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

1 Large Egg

3 cups All-Purpose Flour

1 teaspoon Baking Powder

1/2 teaspoon Salt

1/2 cup Hershey's Candy Cane Kisses (about 18), finely chopped

Granulated Sugar

36 unwrapped Candy Cane Kisses

Preheat oven to 350F.  In a large bowl, mix powdered sugar, butter, extracts and egg.  Beat at medium speed 2-3 minutes or until creamy.  In a small bowl, blend flour, baking powder and salt.  Gradually add to creamed mixture and beat 1-2 minutes until well blended.  Stir in chopped kisses.

Use a cookie scoop to shape dough into 3/4-inch balls and roll in granulated sugar.  Place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake about 10 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned.  Let sit for a minute then press a candy cane kiss in the center of each cookie*.  Move cookies to a cool cookie sheet and place in the freezer immediately so that the Kisses will set quickly and keep their shape**.

Store in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to a week.

Makes 3 Dozen Cookies.

*The original recipe said to put the Kisses on the cookie immediately and then place in the freezer.  I did this but the Kisses still melted as you can see in the photos (they actually melted even more than this so I had to snap the pictures quickly).  So I would suggest letting the cookies set a minute before putting the Kisses on.  Just don't let the cookies cool too much or the Kisses won't want to stay on.

Low-Calorie Key Lime Pie Shake

Cool off those hazy days of summer with a cool drink with only 124 calories per serving!

This recipe uses soy milk, but you can substitute low-fat or fat-free milk if you wish. Add a drop of vanilla flavoring to the mix if you do.

1/2 cup cold light vanilla soy milk
1/4 cup fat-free vanilla ice cream
2 tbsp. canned crushed pineapple in juice
2 tbsp. sugar-free calorie-free vanilla syrup
1 tbsp. lime juice
1 packet no-calorie sweetener
3/4 cup crushed ice or 4-6 ice cubes
2 tbsp. fat-free whipped topping
1/4 sheet low-fat honey graham crackers, crushed
Optional lime slice

Note: If desired, you can add a touch of rum or lime-flavored vodka.

Combine soy milk, ice cream, pineapple, vanilla syrup, lime juice, sweetener and ice in blender. Blend on high speed for 30-45 seconds. Pour shake into glass and top with whipped topping and crushed graham crackers. Garnish with lime slice, if desired.

Important note! Now, find a lawn chair in the shade, sit down, RELAX and enjoy!

Kathleen's Meatless Chili Recipe

This recipe was modified from Light and Tasty Magazine

Serves 8 (1 ¼ cup servings each) 254 calories*, 12 g fiber, 13 g protein
 
1 small onion, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup chopped peppers, green, yellow or red, or a mixture of all
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 med. zucchini, finely chopped
2 med. carrots, finely chopped
3 tbsp. cornmeal
2 tbsp. chili powder
2 tbsp. paprika
1 tbsp. sugar
½ tsp. ground cumin
¼-1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 cans (one 28 oz., one 14 ½ oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cans (15 oz. each) pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 can  (16 oz.) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
 
In large pan, sauté onion, garlic and peppers in oil until tender. Stir in zucchini and carrots. Add cornmeal, chili powder, paprika, sugar, cumin and cayenne; cook and stir for 1 minute.
 
Stir in tomatoes and beans. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 45 minutes. You can garnish with sour cream if you want the extra calories.

*Note: To lower the calories even more, I add more carrots and/or zucchini instead of one of the cans of beans.  You might have to adjust the seasonings for your own taste. This will cut the calorie count down to around  145 calories per 1-¼ cups and you will also lower the protein count.