On The Go Coconut Almond and Date Breakfast Bars

Sugar free and full of goodness, these on the go breakfast bars are a great solution to those busy mornings when you need a grab and go breakfast. Why coconut oil? Not only does it taste wonderful but it is also heat stable so no free radicals are released in the heating process. Coconut is also highly nutritious and rich in fiber, vitamins, and minerals. It is classified as a "functional food" because it provides many health benefits beyond its nutritional content. Want to learn more? Read about coconut oil here.

On The Go Coconut Almond and Date Breakfast Bars

(Makes about 14  - 16 bars)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups large flake rolled oats

1 cup unsulphured coconut flakes

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1/2 cup of almond meal

1 cup chopped Madjool dates

1 cup pure, unsweetened apple sauce

1 teaspoon pure vanilla

2 tablespoons ground flax mixed with 4 tablespoons hot water. Let sit 10 minutes.

1/4 cup coconut oil, melted

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients as well as Madjool dates, making sure that the dates do not stick together. You can do this by putting your hands in the mix and rubbing the dates with the oatmeal mix.

In a separate medium bowl, combine apple sauce, vanilla and flax mixture. Add to dry ingredients and stir until well combined. Add melted coconut oil and combine again.

Shape 3-4 tablespoons of dough into 3 inch long bars and place on a parchment lined baking sheet, making sure to not have the bars touch. Bake in preheated oven for about 20 - 24 minutes or until the edges are golden brown.

Let cool completely on baking sheet before removing. Store in the refrigerator for up to one week.

Mixed Greens Salad with Left Over Lamb, Grape Tomatoes and Goat's Cheese

What do you do when you have a little bit of Middle Eastern Lamb Chops left over from dinner the night before? You make yourself a delicious spinach salad with grape tomatoes and homemade dressing the next day. So delicious and the added lamb makes the meal substantial, keeping you going for a whole afternoon.

Mixed Greens Salad with Left Over Lamb, Grape Tomatoes and Goat's Cheese
(Prep Time: 10 min/Total Time: 15 minutes. Serves 1)

Ingredients:
2 cups mixed salad greens
8 grape tomatoes, halved
leftover lamb, sliced
1/4 cup goat's cheese, crumbled

Dressing:
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 tablsepoon balsamic vinegar

Directions:
In a small bowl, mix together dressing ingredients.

Place salad greens on a large plate. Sprinkle tomatoes, lamb and goat's cheese on top. Drizzle with dressing and enjoy!

Middle Eastern Lamb Chops

Lamb is something we eat every three weeks or so. It is really easy to cook and the kids love it, especially when it's been marinaded like in this recipe as it makes it very tender and easy for little mouths to chew.

The combination of the spices give the lamb a delicious, perfectly seasoned flavor without being overly intense. Serve the lamb with rice and a veg or if you are up for making one, a lemon flavored bulgar, quinoa or couscous salad.

Middle Eastern Lamb Chops

(Prep Time: 10 minutes plus 4 - 12 hours for marinading, Total (Cooking) Time: 10 minutes. Serves 4)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup olive oil

1/3 cup lemon juice

2 tablespoons dried parsley

2 teaspoons dried coriander

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon paprika

4 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

2 teaspoons sea salt

1 1/2 pounds (775 grams) lamb chops (6-8 chops)

Directions:

Combine all ingredients, except lamb, in a large shalllow dish or ziploc bag. Add lamb.

Place in the fridge and marinate for at least 2 hours but all day is best.

Grill on medium high heat in a grill pan or on the bbq, about 4 minutes per side for medium.

Serve!

mango pops

Now that's the look of a happy kid...

Since we tried out these watermelon popsicles from http://www.canigettherecipe.com/, we've been keen to try out other fruits in our homemade frozen treats. This week, it's mango! It's such a simple process and the results are delicious and cool. Just perfect on a hot summer's day.

Mango Pops
(Makes 6 popsicles)

Ingredients:
2 cups mango, sliced (about 3 - 4 mangos)
1 cup low fat yogurt
1 tablespoon honey

Directions:
Place all ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. You may need to pulse and stir, pulse and stir. If you are really having trouble getting things moving, add a tiny bit of water, stir and pulse again.

Pour into popsicle molds and freeze, about 6 hours then loosen with a bit of hot water, remove pops and enjoy!

No popsicle mold? No problem! Use small plastic or paper cups and insert a popsicle stick after an hours.

vegan banana zucchini chocolate loaves or muffins

I'm on a baking roll...

Just when I think I couldn't make my existing chocolate zucchini loaf any better, I surprise myself. Yes, again, I have been fiddling with one of my tried and trued recipe to make it even healthier than before. For this recipe, I decided to cut the oil in half by using a nutritious avocado. I also added banana for extra moisture, nutrition and texture.

I made 2 smaller loaves and 12 muffins in this batch but you could make 2 large loaves instead or just 24 large muffins. Whatever you do, they will turn out light, fluffy and divine! Delicious!

Considering there is a cup of zucchini in each loaf on top of the avocado and the banana, there is now definitely no reason why you can't eat your loaf and enjoy your veggies too!

Vegan Banana Zucchini Chocolate Loaves or Muffins

(Makes 24 large muffins or 2 large loaves. Freezes well or are great to give to a friend!)

Ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup cocoa

2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons ground flax mixed with 6 tablespoons hot water. Let sit 10 minutes.

2 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 4 large bananas)
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup mashed ripe avocado
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups shredded zucchini

Directions
In a large bowl, combine the first seven dry ingredients. In a stand mixer or a hand held mixer, beat the ground flax mixture, bananas, oil, avocado and vanilla extract. Slowly incorporate dry ingredients until just mixed. Fold in zucchini.

Spray 2 large loaf pans with cooking spray. (Or alternatively 24 muffin pans. Adjust cooking time.)
 

 Bake at 325° for 60 - 70 minutes or until the top bounces back when pressed lightly and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.

Apple Pie Granola Bars

I've been fiddling around with my quick and easy microwave breakfast granola bars and eureka! I think I have just created the most amazing granola bar ever...

I was thinking apple pie when I made these. Dried apples and walnuts with cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg. The smell while they are cooking is enough for me to want to make these over and over again. It really does smell like apple pie. And the taste is gorgeous! Not too sweet, with just the right amount of cinnamon and nutmeg. The walnuts not only add lovely texture and taste, but I like the additional nutritional benefits. Walnuts are rich in fiber, B vitamins, magnesium, and antioxidants. They are also a great source of the cholesterol reducing omega 3's...

Who would have thought you could get all those benefits in a delicious, amazingly good little granola bar?

Apple Pie Granola Bars
(Makes one 9x9 pan of bars)

Ingredients:
2/3 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup firmly packed soft brown sugar
4 tablespoons golden syrup
3 1/3 cups quick oats
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup dries apples, chopped into bite sized pieces
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

Directions:
Grease a small shallow microwave safe 9x9 baking dish. Set aside.

Place the butter or margarine, sugar, and golden syrup in a microwave safe bowl and cook on high power for 1 to 2 minutes, or until butter or margarine is melted. Stir in the oats, dried apples, walnuts, cinnnamon, and nutmeg and mix well.

Press mixture into dish. Cook on high power for about 6 minutes or until the centre is bubbling. Allow to cool a little then press down hard with the back of a spatula. Completely cool then cut into squares. Store in fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Coconut, Lime and Basil Chicken with Brown Rice and Snow Peas

I was having a craving with something that involved coconut milk. It's such a subtle flavour that even the youngest of diners can appreciate it. Since coconut is tropical, I thought a little lime juice added in would be a great pairing. Throw in a little cashew butter, ginger and garlic and the flavours dance together on your tongue.

Since we have young kids, the chili flakes are added individually to each dish once served. If you like spicy foods and aren't cooking for kids, throw the chili flakes in with the coconut milk. Yum!

Ingredients:
1 cup brown rice
1 can (400 mL) light coconut milk
4 tablespoons cashew butter
2 teaspoons grated ginger
juice from one lime
pinch chili flakes (optional)
4 chicken breasts
handful basil, julienned, for topping
2 cups snow peas

Directions:
Begin to cook brown rice according to package directions. It will take about 50 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

In a large oven proof dish, whisk together coconut milk, cashew butter, ginger, garlic, lime juice and red pepper flakes, if using.

Add chicken to marinade and let sit 20 minutes. Place in oven and cook about 30 minutes until chicken is cooked through. Just before removing chicken from oven, begin to steam peas.

Remove breasts from liquid. Slice into thin strips. Serve on top of rice with steamed snow peas. Add a little of the coconut sauce to the rice for extra flavour if desired.

Asian Ground Pork Lettuce Wraps

Ground pork is something I want to use a lot more of. To date, I've used it in tacos, in meatballs, in meatloaf and in pasta sauce. Tonight I wanted to do something with a bit of Asian flavor added in and I also wanted to keep the carbs down. While grocery shopping, I was thinking about using ground pork in a Vietnamese rice paper roll but then I saw the butter lettuce. Using lettuce would be quick, light and easy on the carbs. The result? Delicious!

If you can't find butter lettuce, smiply use iceberg instead. Which ever lettuce you choose, make sure the leaves are strong and thick so that you can "wrap" the meat filling without the lettuce tearing.

Asian Ground Pork Lettuce Wraps
(Prep Time: 20 Minutes/Total Time: 30 minutes. Serves 4)

Ingredients:
1 cup rice (optional)
16 butter or iceberg lettuce leaves
1 pound lean ground pork
2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
1/2 sweet onion, diced
3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 tablespoon reduced salt soy sauce
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
2 teaspoons minced ginger
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
2 cups purple or green cabbage, sliced thin and chopped
2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
 
Directions:
If serving with rice, begin to cook rice according to package directions.
 
Gently rinse whole lettuce leaves. Pat dry and set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a medium skillet over medium high heat. Brown the ground pork while continually stirring. Once fully cooked, remove ground pork from pan and set aside to cool.

In the same pan, reduce the heat to medium then add the other tablespoon of oil. Cook the onion for 1 minute. Add the garlic, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, ginger, and vinegar to the onions and stir. Add in cabbage and sesame oil, and continue cooking until the onions just begin to wilt and the cabbage is soft, about 3 - 4 minutes. Add in pork and cook until heated through, about 1 minute.
 
To serve, spoon a portion of the meat into a lettuce leaf. Wrap the lettuce around the meat, serve with rice and enjoy!

Super Quick Breakfast Granola Bars

I'm not a huge microwave fan. I use mine mostly to heat up meals or defrost frozen meat when I've forgotten to take meat out of the freezer the night before. I rarely use it to actually cook meals and I have never used it to bake...until now.

I found this recipe quite some time ago but being a UK recipe, I modified it for my own kidlets. It's a great little bar that you can make quickly and easily and the kids will love it. You can also change it each time you make it by playing around with the added fruit and nuts ingredients.

It will remind you of a chewy granola bar but without any of the yucky added preservatives or additives.

Super Quick Breakfast Granola Bars
(Makes one 9x9 pan of bars)

Ingredients:
2/3 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup firmly packed soft brown sugar
4 tablespoons golden syrup
3 1/3 cups rolled oats (or a combo of oat and kamut flakes)
1/4 cup ground flax seed
*1/2 cup raisins
*1/4 cup dried cranberries
*1/4 cup dried apricots, chopped

*Or 1 cup total of your favourite dried fruit and or nuts. Try coconut and dried pineapple or dried apple and walnuts! Yum!

Directions:
Grease a small shallow microwave safe 9x9 baking dish. Set aside.

Place the butter or margarine, sugar, and golden syrup in a microwave safe bowl and cook on high power for 1 to 2 minutes, or until butter or margarine is melted. Stir in the oats, raisins, cranberries and apricots and mix well.

Press mixture into dish. Cook on high power for about 5 - 6 minutes or until the centre is bubbling. Allow to cool a little then press down more with the back of a spatula. Place in fridge 2 - 3 hours. Once fully cooled, cut into squares. Store in fridge for up to 2 weeks.

pasta with roasted tomatoes, garlic and steak

We had a few friends over for a BBQ the other night and instead of throwing myself into a tizzy creating a bunch of complicated dishes, I opted on marinating a few pounds of flank steak using a tried and true recipe and served it grilled medium alongside a heirloom tomato salad, a roasted vegetable orzo salad we had left over from another night and some steamed green beans. Everyone was happy and I got to sit down and eat without having to jump up fifty million times to go back and forth into the kitchen.

Almost all of the flank steak was eaten, except for a few slices. What to do? What to do?

I resisted the temptation to just throw it into my mouth and happily chew away. Nope. I thought of my waisteline and of Peter. Hubbie often needs a lunch for work and this steak was just too good to throw in between 2 pieces of bread. The solution? A simple yet delicious pasta with roasted tomatoes, garlic and steak.

If you don't have any left over flank steak lying around, no problem. Here's an easy recipe you can create from using not yet cooked steak instead.

Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes, Garlic and Steak
Prep Time: 20 min/Total Time: 30 min. Serves 4.

Ingredients:
1 pound (454 grams) flank steak
¼ cup plus 2 tables spoons olive oil, divided
Fresh ground sea salt and pepper
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved or 4 Roma tomatoes, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 pound (250 grams) your desired pasta
¼ cup fresh basil, julienned
½ cup Parmesan cheese, for topping if desired

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Turn outdoor BBQ grill on to high. (If not using a BBQ, no worries. The oven broiler can be used instead.)

Place flank steak in a shallow dish and season generously with salt and pepper. Cover with ½ cup of olive oil, turning to coat. Let sit while roasting tomatoes.

Place halved tomatoes and garlic on a foil lined baking sheet. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil on top and then move gently around the pan to coat. Season generously with salt and pepper.

Place tomatoes in oven and roast for 25 minutes, tossing halfway through.

While tomatoes are roasted, cook pasta until al dente. Drain, put back in pot and set aside.

Remove tomatoes and if using oven for the flank steak, turn broiler on to high.

Cook flank steak, 3 – 5 minutes per side, for desired doneness. Remove and let rest minutes.

Pour roasted tomatoes and garlic along with all its juices into the pasta pot with the pasta. Slice flank steak into thin slices and add to pot. Toss gently.

Serve with grated parmesan for topping if desired.

English Trifle

I came across this photo and had forgotten to post it. It is a pic of the Traditional English Trifle my friend Heidi and I made for a teacher appreciation tea at the end of the year. We googled "English Trifle" and found quite a few trifle recipes, including ones loaded with chocolate, skor bars, peanut butter cups, instant pudding and more. Some looked amazing and some looked, well, frankly disgusting (see "instant pudding" above) but in the end we settled on this one...

We found the recipe on the BBC website here. We figured you can't get more English than that. We didn't include the sherry when we made it as: 1) It was being served to teachers 2) It was being served during the lunch hour and 3) We didn't want to be held legally responible for drunken teachers roaming the hallways, hooting and hollering about summer holidays arriving in a mere few days.

The result? English Trifle at it's absolute best!

Traditional English Trifle
(From Rick Stein's Food Heroes)

Preparation time: over 2 hours
Cooking time: 30 mins to 1 hour
Generously Serves 8

Ingredients:

For the madeira cake:
•85g/3oz butter, at room temperature
•85g/3oz caster sugar
•2 medium eggs
•125g/4½ oz self-raising flour
•3 tbsp full-cream milk
•½ lemon, finely grated zest only
For the topping
•330ml/10 fl oz full cream milk
•750ml/1¼ pints double cream
•6 large egg yolks
•1 rounded tbsp cornflour
•4 tbsp caster sugar
•4 tbsp good-quality raspberry jam
•6 tbsp Oloroso (sweet) sherry (optional)

Preparation method:
1.Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Grease a 450g/1 lb loaf tin, line the base with greaseproof paper and grease the paper.

2.Cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl until pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, beating the mixture well between each one and adding a tablespoon of the flour with the last egg to prevent the mixture curdling.

3.Sift over the flour and gently fold it in, with enough milk to give a mixture that falls reluctantly from the spoon. Fold in the lemon zest.

4.Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin, level the top and bake for 30-45 minutes until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.

5.Cool in the tin for ten minutes then turn out on to a wire rack and leave to cool completely. The cake can be made up to four days in advance and kept tightly wrapped in clingfilm.

6.For the custard, bring the milk and 300ml/10fl oz of the cream to the boil in a non-stick pan. Beat the egg yolks, cornflour and sugar together in a bowl, then gradually whisk in the hot milk and cream.

7.Return the mixture to the pan and cook over a low heat, stirring constantly, for about ten minutes, until the mixture has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. Take care not to let it boil as it will curdle.

8.Transfer the custard to a bowl and leave to cool.

9.Cut the madeira cake into slices one centimetre (half an inch) thick and arrange a single layer over the base of the bowl. Spread the layer with two tablespoons of raspberry jam and lay another layer of cake on top (you might not need to use all the cake).

10.Spread the second layer with another two tablespoons of raspberry jam and sprinkle over the sherry.

11.Pour the custard over the cake, cover with clingfilm and chill for at least three hours.

12.Whip the remaining cream into soft peaks. Uncover the trifle, spoon over the cream and return it to the fridge until you are ready to serve.