Power Bars

These are a great treat when I need a sweet treat without the guilt.  Dates do have a lot of natural sugars so these bars are not to be eaten in large amounts.  One square curbs my craving for sweets immediately.
Similar bars can be found in health food stores, however, they are so expensive!  A little bit of work in the kitchen makes a big difference on the grocery bill.

power bars

30 medijool dates, pitted
1 cup pecans
1/2 cup dry roasted almonds
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut
4 tablespoons coconut powder
2 tablespoons almond butter

1. Place all ingredients in food processor.
2. Blend for a 2-3 minutes, until you can form a ball with a spoonful.
3. Pour mixture into a parchment paper lined 9 X 13 cookie sheet or casserole dish.
4. Press down on mixture until it's very compacted.  This process should take a few minutes.
5. Cover with a cloth and refrigerate for 4-5 hours.
6. Remove from cookie sheet/casserole dish by pulling on the parchment paper.
7. Place on a cutting board (with parchment paper still underneath the mixture) and cut into desired size squares/bars.
8. Wrap individually in plastic wrap, place in a sealed container and return to refrigerator.  
9. These are great to enjoy as a quick snack at home or grab one to go!

Celery Storage

Well the Christmas tree is up, the outside lights are on, shopping almost done, and  I haven't been cooking up anything fancy these past couple of weeks.  I've been eating lots of salads, fruit and smoothies.  Keeping it simple during this busy time of year.

Celery has always been one of these vegetables that I put in the drawer, used whatever I needed for a certain recipe, and the rest would go soft so quick.  I knew about this trick, but never really bothered with it.  Now that I buy organic veggies, I'm more attached to the coins that I've spent if we don't eat it, so no more of that!  If the celery is washed, cut and ready to eat, I don't end up throwing any out.  So easy to put on our plates as a side with some baby carrots, and I always pack some for my snack at work.

1. Wash celeri.
2. Cut into preferred serving size
3. Place in container and cover with cold water
4. Put in fridge and it they will keep well over a week and remain nice and crunchy!

Chocolate Black Bean Brownies

Gluten-Free Chocolate Black Bean Brownies

Imagine sending your kids to school every day with a chocolate brownie in their lunchbox and knowing that it's healthy!  I know, the black bean thing is a little offsetting, but you need to try making these brownies at least once to see how amazingly simple and delicious this recipe is.  

The first time I tried a chocolate black bean recipe was in a birthday cake for my nephew a few years ago and I was very pleasantly surprised, as was everyone else who ate it, children and adults alike.  My sister has been treating my nephew's ADHD naturally and has accomplished amazing things.  It has been years of changing many things in their lives and one of the major shifts was the foods they put in their precious bodies.  If anyone reading this has ADHD, children with ADHD, or is curious how healthy changes in our daily lives can change our whole lives, please click here to read about their journey.  

Gluten-Free Black Bean Brownies

2 cups black beans (cooked and drained)

3 eggs
1/2 cup agave nectar or honey

1/3 cup coconut oil

1/3 cup cocoa

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1. Put all ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth
2. Pour into lined 9" square pan or divide into 12 muffins cups (I like the muffins for easy school snack)
3. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean
4. Let cool 10 minutes before transferring to wire cooling rack as they need to set a bit so they don't break
5. Once completely cooled, store in refrigerator for up to a week.
6. These also freeze very well!  Enjoy!

Tip: I cook large batches of beans and freeze them in 2 cup portions to make this recipe easy-peasy!     

       I've also seen this recipe calling for canned beans.  Just rinse very well and measure the same.

Update: I now add a few dairy free chocolate chips to each filled muffin cup.  We enjoy them even more!

Guacamole

The possibilities are endless with this yummy guacamole!

It's been a busy time enjoying the last long weekend of the summer and having my son go back to school this year.  He's returning to school after a 1 year travelling hiatus and going to French immersion for the first time!  It's back to making lunches, checking backpacks, homework, early bedtimes, early wake-ups, basically mega-organizing for parents again once again.

Times like this make me go back to the basics and this guacamole recipe is one of them.   This famous Mexican recipe can be used as a dip for corn chips, rice cakes and vegetables and can also be used as a condiment for quesadillas, tacos, fajitas, burgers, hot dogs, wraps, sandwiches and whatever else you can think up!  So make a big batch, put it in the fridge, and it'll be gone before you know it!

We've all heard that avocados have healthy fats.  That means that they have a high mono and polyunsaturated fat content.  The more of this type of fat we eat, the less we crave the unhealthy fats.  And that's not even counting the 20 or so vitamins and minerals this wonderful fruit has to offer!

guacamole
4 large avocados
1/2 medium red onion, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
juice of 1/2 lime
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tomatoes, diced

1. Put avocados in food processor and mix until velvety smooth.
2. Add the onion, cilantro, and lime juice to the food processor and mix some more until well blended.
3.  Spoon mixture in a small bowl and add the cumin, salt, pepper and tomatoes.
4. Mix with a spoon until everything is mixed.
5. Store in refrigerator.

     Makes 2 cups

Note: If you're not a fan of cumin, just leave it out.  Sometimes I make it without the cumin for a different flavour.  I've also added one chopped jalapeno (with seeds) to the food processor mix for a spicy and delicious result!

Chickpea Flour Banana Muffins

I'm reposting this gluten-free chickpea flour banana muffin recipe.  After slight modifications, they remained nice and moist the next day.

I'm enjoying experimenting with chickpea flour, also called gram or besan.  Not only is this flour very economical, it's also gluten-free and packed with protein (1 cup equals about 20g protein) !!

I hope you enjoy these healthy muffins as much as my three guys did!


chickpea flour banana muffins
dry ingredients
1 cup chickpea flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda

wet ingredients
2 large ripe bananas, mashed
1/3 cup agave nectar
2 tablespoons apple sauce
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 egg, beaten

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2.  In a medium bowl, mix the dry ingredients together.  
3. In a small bowl, whisk the wet ingredients together.
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix well.
5. Fill muffin cups about 3/4 full. (parchment paper muffin cups don't stick)
6. Drizzle muffin tops with agave nectar.
7. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

     Makes 8 muffins

Vegetable Pakoras

These vegetable pakoras have quickly become a new favourite at home, having made their way to our weekly must-have-my-fix list.  They are soft inside, crispy outside, and very flavourful.

Veggie Mix
2 1/2 cups diced potatoes
1 medium red onion, in thin strips
1 carrot, cut into 2" julienne strips (about 1 cup)
1 zucchini, cut into 2" julienne strips (about 2 cups)
3 cups cabbage, sliced thinly (about 1/2 small cabbage)

Spice Mix
1 tablespoon ground turmeric
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon ground chillies
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Coating
2 cups chickpea flour
1/2 cup water

1. Put vegetables in a large bowl 
2. Mix thoroughly
3. Add your spices and mix
4. Add flour to vegetable/spice mixture and mix well
5. Add the water and mix very well, by hand.  This is a bit of an arm workout and gets messy, but it's all part of the fun of making pakoras!
6. Heat oil to medium-high.  To test, place a strip of onion in the oil:  if it floats to the surface after 4-5 seconds, it's ready.  If it's too hot, reduce heat and re-test before frying.
7. Grab small amount of mixture and drop into hot oil.  Fry for about 2 minutes and turn to fry 2-3 minutes more.  Once golden brown, remove and place pakoras on a rack or paper towel lined plate.

This makes a large batch pakoras, but they probably won't last very long!  We enjoy eating these leftovers at room temperature or slightly heated.  

Vegetable Mix

Mixture before frying

Ready to enjoy!

My husband eats these dipped in indian chutneys.  Since I can't enjoy those chutneys while on my candida cleanse, I ate some without sauce and they're delicious on their own!  I also ate some with some of my homemade mayonnaise.