Jazz Hands Smoothie

This was my breakfast this morning!  I was surprised by how energized I felt after drinking it.  Jazz hands is what I wanted to do after tasting this bad boy, and now I feel like  I could dance the whole day away!  Well, maybe not the whole rest of day...but I feel pretty good!  It's a combination of a few different recipes, with some of my own additions.  Here goes...

1 pear, cored and cubed, skin on (unless it's a bosc pear)
1.5 tbsp grated ginger (add more for a more intense ginger experience)
1/2 tsp of cinnamon
pinch of cardamom*
1/2 cup frozen blueberries*
1/2 cup ice cubes
1/2 cup almond milk or other non dairy choice
1 tsp lime juice (or more if you prefer)
1 - 2 tsp of agave, honey, stevia, or raw sugar*

Blend all of these ingredients, pour, drink, dance!



All of the ingredients with * are optional.  I think it might be nice if you added a handful of spinach leaves...if you want to boost the iron content.   The smoothie comes out nice and purple with the blueberries, but if you leave them out, the colour is also lovely.  I also have a good feeling that mango would work in place of pear, but without the blueberries.

Saucy!

So,  I actually have been in the kitchen, despite me saying I have not in an earlier comment.  This week, to save my body from the abuse it has been receiving the last 2 months, I decided to go vegan.  It started off as temporary, but I'm actually enjoying it!  I'm feeling very energetic and have come to realize that the dairy and eggs are something that I don't need to eat as much of.  I have been eating a lot of salads and nuts and good things like that, but last night, I was dying for a delicious bowl of veggies and rice like they serve at Aux Vivres!  I roasted some butternut squash in the oven with some brocolli and edamame, and served it with black rice, some baked tofu that I marinated with some soy sauce, lime juice, rice wine vinegar, and sesame oil.  To tope the dish off, I roasted some sliced almonds, grated some raw carrot, chopped some fresh cilantro and some green onions (which you would probably do without).  It was all looking yummy, but as I was nearing the end of the prep work, I realized it was the delicious peanut sauce that I loved (and not the veggies) so I goggled "spicy peanut sauce" and made this recipe.  It tastes just like the one they serve with the Dragon Bowl at Aux Vivres!  I was very pleased! 

• 3/4 cup of natural peanut butter
• 1 teaspoon of lime juice
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce (I used sriracha)
• 1/4 cup of soy sauce
• 1 clove of garlic, chopped
• 1/4 cup boiling water

Put these goodies in a tall container and blend with a hand blender until smooth.  I kind of wish I had added a little bit of fresh ginger to this, but it worked without it.  It also tastes really good if you just dip your fingers in the container and lick it of....I mean...I would never do that, but some people might like to  :)

Victoria's Sum Sweet Brownies

With all the chocolate chips involved, these are not truly "sugar free." But- they are 100% free of granulated sugar, which is moving in the right direction to be diabetic friendly.

Just a few notes:

*Due to the "sugar" being all fruit puree, these have a mild underlying flavor of...fruit. Next time, I will highlight that and add in cherries or raspberries and some almond extract.

*I could not taste any coffee flavor in these (I drink a lot of coffee) but to Dan they were "mocha flavored." If you don't want coffee to be a part of the flavor for non-coffee drinkers, use water.

Victoria's Sum Sweet Brownies

3/4 cup flour (I used white whole wheat)

1/4 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 cup baking cocoa

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1/3 cup chocolate clips (for melting)

2 tbsp. ground flaxseed

1/3 cup strong cold coffee

1/2 cup prunes

1/2 cup raisins (pre-soaked in warm water to soften)

6 tbsp. apple sauce

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. chocolate extract

Preheat your oven to 350 F. Grease an 8 x 8 inch pan.

In a bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, cocoa powder and the 1/2 cup of chocolate chips until well combined. Set aside.

Melt the 1/3 cup chocolate chips in a double boiler. Meanwhile, in a food processor, combine the flax seed and coffee. Once it is "frothy," add in the prunes, raisins and apple sauce. Process until it is pureed and well combined. Add the 1/3 cup melted chocolate, vanilla extract and chocolate extract. Pulse until combined.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until combined (your batter will be thick). Spread the batter into the pan and bake for 25-30 minutes.

Cinnamon Swirl Rolls

I did not drink at all on St. Patrick's day. This will come as no surprise to you. But, If I had, it would have explained why I woke up this morning craving greasy breakfast foods. Fortunately, I do not own a deep fryer, or I may have gone down that path. Instead, I settled on testing out this recipe but wanted to add yeast to make rolls (I am trying to improve my yeasted basking skills and practice makes perfect, apparently). What resulted was a Cinnamon Swirl Roll.

If I had to do it all over again, I would not have bothered going through the rising process that adding yeast demands. The end texture is lighter than a regular muffin (especially considering the wholewheat flour)-- but not worth the two hours of delayed gratification, in my opinion. Further experimentation on this one to come- but the recipe is below for you to improve upon (or just use the link above, because that woman is a genius).

Cinnamon Swirl Rolls

Ingredients:

2 + 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

optional; 1/8 teaspoon star anise and/or cardamom

1 package active dry yeast (7 grams or 0.25 oz)

1/4 cup non-dairy milk

3/4 cup coconut milk cream (the thick cream from the top of a can of full fat coconut milk before you shake it. You could probably use sour cream or yogurt as well)

1/4 cup orange juice (or you could use the coconut milk below the cream)

4 tbsp sugar or sugar substitute (I used sucanat)

Cinnamon Sugar Mix (I used a around 1/3 cup)

Directions:

Combine all the flour, salt, cinnamon and baking powder in a large bowl. Mix well and set aside.

In a sauce pan, combine the non dairy milk, coconut milk cream, orange juice and sugar over low heat. Whisk it together until the coconut cream is dissolved, and make sure it does not boil or get too hot (your yeast will die). Turn the heat off and add the active dry yeast.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and combine well. Cover the bowl with a warm, damp rag and leave it alone to rise for an hour.

Lightly oil a muffin tin. Sprinkle 2 tsp of cinnamon sugar into each empty muffin cup bottom. Add your dough to each cup, filling about 3/4 full. Then, sprinkle 1 tsp cinnamon sugar over top. Cover again and let sit for another hour to rise again.

Bake them at 190 C (375 F) for 15-25 minutes, until they are nicely brown. Eat with a hot cup of tea or coffee!

Chocolate Berry Layer Cake (Vegan)

Recipe and info to come- just a photo for now.

Vegan/Diabetic Friendly Fudge

Here it goes!  The first of many recipe share from one coast to the other!  This one is awesome and really feels sinful, but it is almost entirely fruit!  


Ingredients
-26 pitted medjool dates
-1 cup cocoa powder
-1/2 cup coconut oil


First, make sure the coconut oil is soft enough to work with.  I warmed mine a little to get it there.  It shouldn't be liquid, but it shouldn't be hard either.  Next, soak the dates in water for about 20 minutes.


In a blender or food processor mix the dates (without the water), the cocoa, and the coconut oil.  The mixture should form a ball in the food processor.


Next, press the mixture into a pan and refrigerate for about an hour.  I cut the recipe into 64 bite size pieces, but you could make them bigger.  It works out to 4g of carbohydrate per piece if you cut the recipe into 64 squares.  


I'm keeping mine in the fridge to help maintain a nice firm consistency.


You could also add more dried fruit or nuts to this recipe.  I also think with some added liquid or a little less dates you could easily use this recipe for a nice alternative to frosting on a cake or as a filler for cookies!


from www.incrediblesmoothies.com