Chocolate Prune Bits

I sang the naughty Chef song from South Park while I made these, except unlike Chef's these are very sweet instead of salty ;P





Ingredients:
1 cup of cocoa
1 cup of whole almonds
17 whole prunes
1 tbs honey
1/2 cup of coconut
hot water as needed

Instructions:

I used my Kitchen Aid Blender to create the mixture.

Pulse almonds.
Cut prunes in half & add to almonds.  Chop them in the blender.
Add cocoa, mix in the blender.
Add honey, again mix in the blender.

Place mixture into a bowl.  Add small amounts of hot water as needed to keep the mixture moist.

Take small amounts of mix, roll between your hands into ball shapes.  Roll in coconut.

Place each one on wax paper to set, approximately 20 minutes. 

Tip: I prefer these frozen.   I place them in glass containers and place in the freezer.  You can easily pop one or two out at a time.  Which is Tip 2, prunes are high in fiber  ~ don't eat too many!    

Quick & Easy Leftover Chicken Pasta Stir Fy

This takes under 20 minutes if you have the leftovers on hand.  So much tastier than re-heating.





Ingredients:
1/2 cup of macaroni, I used brown rice pasta  
green snap peas
bell peppers
carrott
purple onion
tomato
garlic
paprika
parsley
1/2 cup of chicken
2 tsp olive oil
shredded cheese to taste

Instructions:

Cook pasta according to directions.

Add olive oil & garlic to pan on medium high.
Take whatever veggies you have in your fridge and toss them in a pan.
Cube chicken and add to pan.
Add paprika & parsley.

When the pasta is cooked, rinse in cold water & drain well. 
Add pasta to vegetable chicken mixture, stir well.

Top with shredded cheese.

Chick Pea Slow Cooker Stew

This turned out so well.  Packed full of nutrients and tasty to boot!






Ingredients:

1 can of chick peas
1 bag of mixed frozen vegetables, I used Asian Sensations Thai Mix
1 cup of rice, I used white
1/2 cup of onion
2 cups of carrot
1 cup of water
1 tsp of sugar
1 can of diced tomataes
3 cloves of garlic
spices to taste, I used pepper, oregeno, paprika, black pepper
1 can of tomato paste

Instructions:
Rinse chickpeas in cold water and drain.
Finely dice carrots, garlic and onions. 
Mix all the ingredients except for the rice & frozen vegetables in the slow cooker. 
Cover and cook on low heat for 6 hours.

Stir in frozen vegetables, continue to cook for another hour or until vegetables are desired tenderness.

Stir in uncooked rice for 20 minutes or until the rice is cooked.

Tip: Ensure that the stew does not dry out.  If you need to add liquid, add boiling water 1/4 cup at a time.

Chocolate Steel Cut Oat Bars

I adapted a number of different traditional Scottish recipes to my dietary restrictions and added some cocoa for a kick!





Ingredients:
5 cups of steel cut oats
1/2 cup of potato flour
1/2 cup of rice flour
1tsp of baking soda
1tsp of salt
1/2 cup of cocoa
1/4 cup of brown sugar
1/4 cup of splenda
1 1/2 cup of applesauce
1/2 cup of water

Instructions:
Mix all ingredients except water.

Spoon mixture into long oblong glass pan.
Sprinkle water evenly over mixture.
Press mixture evenly into pan.

Bake at 325 degrees for 30-40 minutes.  (Sorry forgot to time it!)

Yield 36 bars, approximately 3 points each under the new program.

Turkey & Spaghetti Squash

Mamma mia!  Almost like real spaghetti and meatballs. 






Ingredients:
1 spaghetti squash
1 can of tomato paste
1/4 cup of salsa
4 oz of turkey
1/2 bell pepper
1/2 onions
1 carrot
1 tomato
2 cloves of garlic
savoury
paprika
3 tsp of olive oil

Instructions:
Pierce multiple holes in the squash.  Bake in oven at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Saute onions until browned in olive oil and garlic. 
Add finely cut carrot, bell peppers and hot water, as the hot water boils off it will cook the carrots.
Add tomato paste, savoury and paprika.
Add diced turkey.
Add salsa and tomato.  I add salsa for an extra kick of flavour, you could easily add some jarred pasta sauce.

When squash is done, remove from heat and allow to cool enough to handle.
Cut squash in two.
Remove the seeds and softened middle.
Use a fork to tine the edges and remaining squash, it will break apart into spaghetti like strands.
Place squash on plate and top with turkey mixture.

Much Improved Muffins

You can't really tell the difference by looking at them from the Medicore Muffins but there is a world of difference in the taste.

A little bit of canola oil, some bananas, raisins and rice milk gives them actual taste!




Ingredients:
1 package of gluten free muffin mix
2 eggs
1/2 of pure applesauce, i.e., boiled apples with no added sugar
1/4 canola oil
3 mashed bananas
1/2 cup of raisins
1 cup of rice milk
1/2 cup of potato starch

Instructions:
Mix the applesauce, canola oil, rice milk & eggs with a blender.
Blend the mashed bananas into the mixture. 
Slowly add flour mixture and stir.
Use a spoon to fold raisins into mixture. 
Spoon into cupcake pan, I made 24 regular and 24 mini sized ones.
Bake at 350 for 17-22 minutes.

Tip: Use bananas that are starting to go bad, they are already soft and it makes them easier to mash.  

Garlic Roast Chicken

My first time cooking an actual whole chicken and it was absolutely delicious.





Ingredients:
Whole chicken
1 1/2 potato for each person
assorted vegetables, I used a frozen Thai mix
2 cloves garlic
paprika
black pepper
1 tbs olive oil
1/2 cup of diced onions 

Instructions:
Remove skin from chicken.
Crush garlic, mix with olive oil, paprika, black pepper.
Rub spice mixture all over chicken.
Place in covered pan and bake at 350.  You can google how long to bake based upon the weight of your particular chicken.

Bake potatoes in microwave.  In my microwave it take approximately 11 for 3 medium sized potatoes.

60 minutes before the chicken is cooked, add onions to pan.
40 minutes before the chicken is cooked, quarter potatoes and add them to the pan.
30 minutes before the chicken is cooked, prepare frozen vegetables according to the directions on the bag.  
20 minutes before the chicken is cooked, turn potatoes over and remove cover from pan.

Tip: You can leave the skin on but removing it is an easy way to cut calories.