Broccoli Strascinati

Didn't have to change a thing! One my my favorite ways to prepare broccoli now!

http://food52.com/recipes/24145-broccoli-strascinati

Ginger Lime Mango Sorbet

A creamy, fruity, tangy, refreshing treat, that is easily scoopable and not icy!

Adapted from 

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2013/04/mango-sorbet-recipe.html

Makes 2 qts

Special equipment needed:

2-qt ice cream machine

6 mangoes, peeled, pitted, cubed (about 7 cups)

1/4 cup lime juice

1/4 cup orangecello (or you could use orange liqueur)

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp coconut extract

1 tsp ground ginger

Purée ingredients in food processor or blender. 

Strain mixture through fine mesh sieve. Chill strained mixture in fridge for 30 min to an hour. Discard the remaining substance. 

Add chilled mixture to ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. I used a Cuisinart Ice Cream machine that takes about 20 minutes until the mixture is well-thickened. For this recipe, I needed to run the machine for 25 min. 

Scoop into a freezer safe container. It should 'ripen' or fully firm up in about 6-8 hours. 

Roasted Tequila Lime Chicken

Original recipe found at http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2007/04/chicken-jealousy/

Original source: Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa

In this recipe I doubled nearly everything from the orginal to make sure the chicken would be fully coated...but this might not be necessary. 

Ingredients

1 cup gold tequila

12 oz 100% lime juice

1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

2 tbsp chili powder

2 tbsp minced jalapeno pepper (I used jarred sliced jalapeños and just squished them up in my hands)

2 tbsp minced fresh garlic

1 tbsp salt

2 tsp  freshly ground black pepper

Original: 3 whole boneless chicken breasts 

Adapted: 1 - 4 lb roasting chicken, quartered 

Olive oil

3 tbsp Fresh Cilantro, finely chopped 

Combine the tequila, lime juice, orange juice, chili powder, jalapeno pepper, garlic, salt, and pepper in a large container. Add the chicken. Refrigerate and let marinate for 8 hours or overnight.

Original: "Heat a grill with coals and brush the rack with oil to prevent the chicken from sticking. Remove the chicken breasts from the marinade, sprinkle well with salt and pepper, and grill them skin-side down for about 5 minutes, until nicely browned. Turn the chicken and cook for another 10 minutes, until just cooked through. Remove from the grill to a plate. Cover tightly and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature." 

Adaptation: (Used whole bone-in chicken breasts (chicken halves) with 6 drumsticks, with skin) 

Place Skin side up in baking dish. Brushed with olive oil. 

Preheat oven to 450.(Roast setting)

Bake for 40 min.

Tent with foil after about 15 min or when the skin is nicely browned. 

Cover with foil for 15 min after removing from oven, before serving. Internal temp must reach 165 (can take out at 160) to be done.

Sprinkle with cilantro to serve. Serve hot! 

Oatmeal Cookies with No-added Sugar

If there ever was a 'healthy' cookie, this one might fit the bill...
No added sugar, just the natural sweetness of dates, raisins, and bananas. Rolled oats, flaked coconut, ground flaxseed, cashews, and defatted powdered peanut butter, add some healthy fats, protein, and fiber. 

This was an experiment really, so I wasn't sure how it would turn out. But, I think they turned out pretty great for something I just threw together (that's why I had to estimate quantities in the recipe).
Makes 26 cookies.

Ingredients
1/4 cup raisin paste (about 1/4-1/3 cup packed raisins, processed into a paste/purée — another good idea might be to boil and soak the raisins to soften them, and then puree them. You could just use more dates and puree those, but raisins are cheaper!)
2 1/2 cups rolled oats (not instant)
3/4 cup chopped pitted dates
1/3 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1/3 cup (P2B) defatted, powdered peanut butter
3/4 cup roasted, salted cashews
1-2 tsp cinnamon
1 very ripe banana
1 tsp baking powder

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Line baking sheet with parchment.
Pulse/ process banana, raisins, cinnamon, baking powder, peanut butter powder, coconut flakes, dates, until fine/smooth. Add cashews and pulse until pieces are small to medium sized.

Add mixture to a bowl and stir in oats until well mixed together.
Form 1.5" sized balls and place onto baking sheet. Flatten slightly.

Bake for 15 min until cookies are golden brown on edges. Remove cookies from pan and let cool on wire rack.  

Coconut Lime "Tarabars"

I love Larabars, but I wanted to find a way to make them myself to save $$, and to devise my own favorite flavor combos! 

These are made much like the Figgy Walnut Bars I posted previously, but I was going for a 'key lime' kind of flavor. I think it came together pretty great, and I hope you do too! 

So without further ado...

Makes 12 'Tarabars' :)

Ingredients

1/2 cup rolled oats

1 1/2 cups dried pineapple chunks

3/4 cup coconut flakes, unsweetened

1 cup whole almonds

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp coconut extract

1 tbsp lime juice (or to taste; zest might be even better)

2 tbsp ground flaxseed

1 tbsp coconut oil

1. Combine everything into a food processor. Process until it forms nice clumps, and holds together well. 

2. Line a 8x8 pan with plastic wrap with enough to wrap over the mixture. Press mixture evenly into pan. Wrap with plastic. Pop into fridge for 15 min (helps to firm it up, and make it easier to cut).

3. Cut into 12 bars.

Store these in a cool place (fridge is best for longer storage, and to keep them firmer), wrapped individually, or layer wax paper in between the bars to prevent them from sticking together. 

I think they should keep for several weeks if they are wrapped well, since it's just dried fruit & nuts. And the citric acid in the lime juice is a natural preservative too, so that can't hurt ;)

Wegmans Hummus

Tried these new flavors from the hummus bar! I must figure out how to make these at home!

1) Caramelized onion flavor (info copied from wegmans' site)

Ingredients:  Chickpeas, Filtered Water, Caramelized Onions (Onions, Canola Oil, Brown Sugar, Sea Salt, Spices, Citric Acid), Tahini (Sesame Seed Paste), Canola Oil, Sea Salt, Dehydrated Onions, Lemon Juice Concentrate, White Vinegar, Citric Acid, Garlic Puree (Garlic, Canola Oil, Citric Acid)   Warnings:  ALLERGENS: Contains None.

 

 

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 1/4 Cup (60g)
Servings Per Container: varies
Calories	120
Calories from Fat	60
Amount Per Serving and/or % Daily Value*
Total Fat	7 g (11%)
Saturated Fat	0 g (0%)
Trans Fat	0 g
Cholesterol	0 mg (0%)
Sodium	320 mg (13%)
Total Carbohydrate	12 g (4%)
Dietary Fiber	4 g (16%)
Sugars	2 g
Protein	4 g
Vitamin A	0%
Vitamin C	4%
Calcium	2%
Iron

- See more at: http://www.wegmans.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10052&catalogId=10002&productId=730461#sthash.nmaLptzw.dpuf

2. Sweet potato ?

Carrot Pineapple Loaf

My mom made this for our Easter dinner.
It made with regular wheat flour, but I am posting it in case anyone was wondering how it was made! I'd love to try it sometime with a GF flour.

Makes 4 small loafs

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 3/4 cups sugar
• 3/4 cups baking stevia
• 2 cups shredded carrots
• 8 oz can crushed pineapple, drained

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and dust with flour loaf pans.

Mix flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, baking powder together. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs, oil, and applesauce until thickened, about 2 minutes.

Mix in carrots and pineapple. Add flour mixture and stir until just combined. Stir in nuts, and pour into loaf pans.

Bakes 50 min. or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean with a few crumbs.