Cacao mint smoothie

Cacao mint smoothie

A smoothie that tastes like dessert but is oh-so healthy. What's not to love?

 

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups of coconut water

2 handfuls of spinach leaves

3 stems of mint leaves (leaves only)

4 tbsp of coconut milk

1 banana (frozen)

1?4 of an avocado

3 ice cubes

2 teaspoons of Vital Greens powder

1 teaspoon of honey/rice malt syrup (or to taste)

Cacao nibs, to sprinkle

Method

1. Place all ingredients in a blender and blend on high for 1-2 minutes.

2. Check to see if more sweetener or liquid is required and blend again.

3. Serve immediately or refrigerate until needed.

4. Don’t forget to sprinkle cacao nibs on top!

Low Fat Christmas Recipe - Cranberry Apple Glazed Pork

Cranberry Apple Glazed Pork

Glazed with a seasonal cranberry apple sauce, this lean pork roast makes an ideal holiday centerpiece. Serve with roasted vegetables and low fat mashed potatoes or with steamed green beans and wild rice.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 tsp ground sage
• 1/2 tsp ground thyme
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 3-pound boneless top-loin pork roast, trimmed
• 1 16-ounce can cranberry sauce
• 1/2 cup apple cider

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

Combine herbs and seasonings to make a rub. Sprinkle mixture over all sides of the meat. Place pork in roasting pan and roast for 1 hour.

Combine cranberry sauce and apple cider in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes until the sauce is slightly thickened. Spoon 1/2 a cup of the sauce over the meat to glaze. Return meat to the oven and roast for a further 30-40 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer registers 155 degrees. Remove pork from the oven and cover with foil. Let stand for 15-20 minutes. The meat will continue to cook and reach a safe 160 degrees while it rests. Serve with remaining sauce on the side.

Serves 10-12

Per Serving: Calories 218, Calories from Fat 55, Total Fat 6.1g (sat 2.1g), Cholesterol 64mg, Sodium 62mg, Carbohydrate 15.9g, Fiber 0.4g, Protein 24.8g

LOW CARB - Healthy Eggs Benedict

LOW CARB - Healthy Eggs Benedict

Ingrediants

• 2 Cups of baby spinach
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1 teaspoon garlic
• 1 slice of bacon
• 1/2 an avocado sliced
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon of hollandaise sauce 
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1 tablespoon of grated cheese

Method

1. Place oil garlic baby spinach and mushrooms into the frypan saute while stirring. 
2. Slice the bacon into two pieces, fry until cooked. 
3. Place the baby spinach and mushrooms on the plate, top with the bacon and grated cheese. 
4. Cook the egg and place it on top add hollandaise sauce and avocado and serve. 

Pomegranate Poached Pears

Makes: 4 servings

Active Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 1/4 hours

INGREDIENTS

• 4 ripe, firm Bosc pears
• 1 1/2 cups pomegranate juice
• 1 cup sweet dessert wine, such as Muscatel or Riesling
• 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds, (1/2 large fruit; see Tip)

PREPARATION

1. Peel pears, leaving them whole and stems intact. Slice off the bases so the pears will stand upright. Use an apple corer to remove cores, if desired, working from the base up.
2. Place the pears on their sides in a large saucepan or small Dutch oven. Pour pomegranate juice and wine over the pears. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer gently until the pears are tender when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife, 30 to 45 minutes. Turn very gently once or twice as they cook so they color evenly. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pears to a shallow bowl and set aside.
3. Boil the poaching liquid over high heat until the sauce is reduced to 1/2 cup, 15 to 20 minutes.
4. To serve, spoon 1 tablespoon sauce onto each of 4 dessert plates. Place a pear upright on each plate. Drizzle remaining sauce over each pear and sprinkle pomegranate seeds around it.

TIPS & NOTES

• Make Ahead Tip: Prepare through Step 3. Cover and refrigerate pears in sauce for up to 2 days. Serve at room temperature.

• Tip: Fill a large bowl with water. Hold the pomegranate in the water and slice off the crown. Lightly score the fruit into quarters, from crown to stem end. Keeping the fruit under water, break it apart, gently separating the plump seeds from the outer skin and white pith. The seeds will drop to the bottom of the bowl and the pith will float to the surface. Discard the pith. Pour the seeds into a colander. Rinse and pat dry.

NUTRITION

Per serving: 303 calories; 4 g fat ( 1 g sat , 2 g mono ); 6 mg cholesterol; 53 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 2 g protein; 7 g fiber; 22 mg sodium; 559 mg potassium.

Carbohydrate Servings: 3

Exchanges: 1 1/2 fruit, 1 1/2 other carbohydrates, 1 fat

Healthy Christmas Desserts - Vanilla-Pomegranate Parfaits

Vanilla-Pomegranate Parfaits

Makes: 6 servings

Active Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 3 3/4 hours (including 3 hours chilling time)

INGREDIENTS

POMEGRANATE COMPOTE

• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 cup pomegranate seeds (see Tip)
• 2/3 cup pomegranate juice
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

PUDDING

• 1 cup low-fat milk
• 3/4 cup half-and-half
• 1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise, or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds for garnish
• 6 mint sprigs for garnish

PREPARATION

1. To prepare compote: Mix 2 tablespoons sugar with 2 teaspoons cornstarch in a small saucepan. Add pomegranate seeds, pomegranate juice and lemon juice; stir to combine. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, stirring, until syrupy, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl. Refrigerate while you prepare the pudding.
2. To prepare pudding: Combine milk and half-and-half in a medium heavy saucepan. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean (or add vanilla extract). Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Remove from the heat, cover and let steep for 5 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, whisk egg, egg yolk, 1/3 cup sugar and 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch in a medium bowl. Reheat the milk mixture just until steaming. Carefully whisk one-third of the steaming milk into the egg mixture. Pour the egg-milk mixture back into the pan. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until very thick, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in butter.
4. To prepare parfaits: Divide the pomegranate compote among six 6-ounce (3/4 cup) parfait glasses, ramekins or other small dessert cups. Spoon the pudding mixture over the compote. Cover and refrigerate until the pudding is well chilled and firm, at least 3 hours. To serve, garnish each parfait with pomegranate seeds and a mint sprig, if desired.

TIPS & NOTES

• Make Ahead Tip: Prepare the compote (Step 1), cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day. Cover and refrigerate parfaits for up to 8 hours.

• Tip: To seed a pomegranate, fill a large bowl with water. Lightly score the fruit into quarters from crown to stem end, cutting through the skin but not into the interior of the fruit. Hold the fruit under water, break it apart and use your hands to gently separate the plump seeds (arils) from the outer skin and white pith. The seeds will drop to the bottom of the bowl and the pith will float to the surface. Discard the pith. Pour the seeds into a colander. Rinse and pat dry. Seeds can be frozen for up to 3 months.

NUTRITION

Per serving: 209 calories; 8 g fat ( 4 g sat , 2 g mono ); 88 mg cholesterol; 31 g carbohydrates; 15 g added sugars; 4 g protein; 1 g fiber; 48 mg sodium; 189 mg potassium.

Healthy Choc Frosting Shots! YUM!

Healthy Chocolate Frosting

(or chocolate mousse!)

• 1 can full-fat coconut milk (or coconut cream)
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp cocoa powder or cacao powder
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• sweetener to taste (Use stevia or powdered sugar for thickest results.)

Healthy frosting recipe: Open your coconut milk, and if it’s not already super-thick, leave the can (or transfer to a bowl) uncovered in the fridge overnight. Try not to shake the can too much before opening. It should get very, very thick. (If it doesn’t, you’ve gotten a bad can that won’t work for the recipe. I recommend Thai Kitchen Organic. Hint: shake the can when you’re at the store. If you can hear the liquidy contents swishing around, it’s probably too thin to work for this recipe. Or if you want a no-fail option, buy coconut cream instead, at Trader Joes or an Asian market.) Once thick, transfer only the creamy part to a bowl, leaving the watery part out. Whip in your cocoa, vanilla, and sweetener with a fork, or even beaters if you want to be fancy. For the photos on this page, I didn’t use beaters. But I did pipe the chocolate frosting shots out using an icing tip. Stored uncovered in the fridge, the mixture gets even thicker.

Easy Healthy Slow Cooker Recipe - Basil Chicken

Basil Chicken Slow Cooker Recipe

Ingredients

4 chicken breasts

1 Onion

1/2 Green cabbage

1 Cup spinach leaves

2 Carrots

1/2 Lemon

1/4 Cup Basil

1/4 Cup Chicken Stock

Method

1. Chop onion, cabbage carrots and lay in the bottom of the slow cooker, remove stalks from spinach leaves and throw on top.
2. Place the chicken breasts on top of the veggies and then chop the basil add the basil on top of and around the chicken breasts, to maximize the flavor in the chicken you can leave the skins on and stuff a few pieces of basil under the skin.
3. Squeeze Lemon over the top of the chicken breasts, pour chicken in evenly over the chicken.
4. Turn on low for 4-8 hours. 
5. Serve.

*Serve on a plate with 1 breast per meal along with the veggies.

** You can also add in potatoes, green beans or any other type of veggie you would like. 

*** Add more veggies for a more hearty healthy meal!

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Slow Cooker - Coconut Roast Chicken Recipe

How To Make Coconut Roast Chicken In Your Slow Cooker

Coconut Roast Chicken - http://tastylicious1.blogspot.com/

Ingredients 

1 Whole Chicken 

1 Onion

2-4 Cloves of garlic 

1 Can coconut milk

4 Potatoes

2 Carrots

Method

1. Place the whole chicken upside down in the slow cooker and cover with coconut milk. Leave overnight to marinate in the fridge.
2. Pour coconut milk out into a bowl and rinse the slow cooker, place onion and garlic inside the chicken and put back into the slow cooker. 
3. Peel potatoes and carrots, cut and place around the chicken. 
4. Turn slow cooker on high and cook for approximatley 4hours or until juices run clear.

*This recipe can also be done in the oven however you must baste with the coconut milk throughout the cooking time and keep on low. Please note the chicken may look a little black from the coconut milk cooking however it does not mean it is burnt.

Serve chicken with the roasted vegetables and bread or rice.

How To Make Homemade Cheese Sauce

http://tastylicious1.blogspot.com/

How To Make Homemade Cheese Sauce 

Ingredients

4 Tablespoons of butter

4-8 Tablespoons of flour

500ml Fresh milk

1 Cup tasty cheese

Method

1. Melt butter in saucepan and remove from heat. 
2. Stir in enough flour to make a thick wet paste.
3. Add milk and return to medium heat on the stove.
4. Stir continuously for 5 minutes ensuring the butter paste is removed from the bottom.
5. Add cheese and stir in until combined.
6. Remove from stove and sit for 2 minutes.

* For a bit more flavor you can also add in some of your favourite herbs just before adding the cheese.

Serve on top of vegetables, corned beef or use as sauce in pasta or lasagna. 

Fresh French Onion Dip Recipe

Fresh French Onion Dip Recipe

Ingredients

1 packet of french onion dip

1 tub of sour cream

Method

1. Add all ingredients to bowl and mix well.
2. Place in refrigerator for 1 hour for flavors to infuse.

Serve with your favorite vegetable sticks, crackers, chips or pretzels.

How To Make Fresh Homemade Aoili

Tastylicious Aioli - Homemade Recipe - http://tastylicious1.blogspot.com/

How To Make Fresh Homemade Aoili....

Ingredients

2 Cloves of garlic

1 Teaspoon of sea or rocksalt

2 Egg yolks

1 Cup of extra virgin olive oil
2 Tablespoons of Water

2 Tablespoons of lemon juice

2 Tablespoons of wholegrain mustard 

Method

1. Add garlic, salt and the egg yolks into a food processor or blender and process until combined well.
2. With the processor or blender still running slowly drizzle in the olive oil forming a thick mayonnaise, transfer to a bowl or jar.
3. Stir in water, lemon juice and wholegrain mustard. Cover with plastic or place lid on the jar and refrigerate until you are ready to use it. 

* For best results to allow flavors to infuse i recommend refrigerating for 1 hour before serving.

You can serve Aoili with your favorite vegetable sticks, on crackers, with fries or wedges, use as a spread on sandwiches and much more! Enjoy!