Homemade Fruit Snacks

This recipe appeared in the Hinton Voice's February 7th Edition. 

[A common favourite for kids and adults alike, fruit snacks are one of those foods that you’ll likely find in most households at one time or another.  Making homemade fruit snacks is so unbelievably easy; as soon as you finish reading this recipe you’re going to wonder why you haven’t tried making them sooner.  When I first made these fruit snacks I was half expecting something sticky and slightly firmer than jello – instead I was pleasantly surprised that what I ended up with closely resembled store bought fruit snacks.  They are even better in fact because not only can you use healthier ingredients, the possible flavour combinations far surpass the usual five possibilities.  

I remember as a kid I almost always had fruit snacks in my lunch. I would tear into the package hoping the contents were mostly made up of the orange or grape varieties.  I wasn’t a huge fan of the yellow or green kinds, mostly due to their intense artificial flavours.  This worked out well for whichever friend I sat with for lunch that day, since most of my friends weren’t quite as picky as I was.  Needless to say with five or six fruit snacks in a package, my chances of having to share a couple were pretty high. 

Fast forward to present day and I’ve gotten a lot better at sharing (and less picky depending on who you ask).  I’m still not a huge fan of yellow or green fruit snacks because I still think they bear no resemblance to real fruit.   No problem though as now I can make all my favourite fruit snack flavours at home.  Since I already have the heart shaped cutter and all, I might even make some more wild raspberry ones next week as a Valentine’s Day treat for my special someone.]

Tip:  For homemade jello, use 1 package gelatin and 2 cups of your favorite fruit juice.  For sweeter jello, add up to 1/3 cup sugar.

Ingredients

- 1 (3 oz) package gelatin, any flavour

- 2 (.25 oz) envelopes of unflavoured gelatin

- 1/3 cup water or fruit juice

or

- 2-3 (.25 oz) envelopes of unflavoured gelatin (2 for soft, 3 for firm)

- 1/3 cup of your favourite fruit juice

  

Directions

Place water or juice in a small saucepan and sprinkle gelatin overtop – let sit for 2-3 minutes to soften gelatin.   Heat over medium heat and stir until gelatin is completely dissolve (about 3-5 minutes).  Pour into molds and allow to set for about a half hour.   You can speed up the setting process by placing your mold in the fridge. 

If you don’t have a mold, pour into a small (preferably ceramic or glass) pan and let set.  Once set, remove from pan and cut into shapes using a cookie cutter or sharp knife.

- Nutritional Info (1/2 recipe using fruit juice) -

Calories - 36   Fat - 0    Carbs – 7     Protein - 3   Fibre – 1

Enjoy!

Chocolate Avocado Pudding

I have been wanting to post this recipe for awhile, but I knew it would be the perfect January recipe for The Hinton Voice so I held onto it! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do! This recipe appeared in the Voice's January 3rd edition.

[Like the majority of people, I’ve always had a sweet spot for chocolate.   Normally I have no problem with this, but around the New Year it tends to interfere with my resolutions.  Resolutions that inevitably involve eating healthier.

The New Year is always a clean slate, a fresh start to try something new with all the best intentions to stick with it.  The month of January is always the hardest the part.  I read somewhere that it takes 21 days to break a habit, so I figure that if I can just get past that mark - by the fourth week, I should be well on my way to achieving my goals. 

A firm believer that everything is okay in moderation, dessert isn’t something that I like to compromise on.  I’d rather have a few bites of a real dessert rather than a full serving of a supposedly “healthier” watered down version of the original. With this dessert, I don’t feel like I’m compromising on flavor at all.  If anything, the addition of the avocado adds more body and richness to the dish.

Apart from being delicious, avocado’s are full of antioxidants and disease fighting compounds such as Vitamin E.  They also contain good, heart healthy fats that promote the reduction of cholesterol.  These fats make avocado’s extremely filling, which will help you get to your next meal without feeling hungry in between.

This is a recipe that’s healthy without tasting like it – everyone who has sampled it so far was fairly surprised after eating it that it’s main ingredient was avocado (this means you can probably even sneak it past your kids!).  Finally, a dessert you can feel good about eating.]

Ingredients

- 1 ripe avocado

- ¼ cup cocoa powder

- 3 tbsp maple syrup (or liquid honey)

- 1 tsp vanilla extract

- 6 tbsp milk of choice

For garnish:

- shaved chocolate

- raspberries

Tip:  When buying avocado’s look for firm, bring green skin with a glossy exterior.   Keep refrigerated until a few days before you plan on using it – then ripen in a fruit bowl at room temperature until the flesh has darkened, and has lost its glossy exterior.

Directions

Combine all ingredients together in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.

Garnish with shaved chocolate and fresh raspberries.

Recipe makes 4 servings. 

- Nutritional Info (per 1/3 cup) -

Calories - 93   Fat - 4    Carbs – 11     Protein - 3   Fibre – 2

Enjoy!

Lemon Parmesan Roasted Broccoli

I originally saw the concept for the recipe on Pintrest called "The Best Broccoli of Your Life".  As soon as I saw it I knew that I had to try making it. I made a few modifications to the original (I used less oil, roasted the parmesan and the broccoli together, and used almonds instead of pine nuts) but used the same flavour combination.  I gotta say, this turned out so well I can see it making it's way onto my plate more often!  This would be such a great way to get kids to eat their veggies!  Ingredients - 2 heads of broccoli - 2 cloves of garlic - 2 tbsp olive oil - 1-2 tbsp fresh lemon juice - 1/3 cup parmesan cheese - 1/4 cup sliced almonds - salt and pepper to taste Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.   Wash broccoli and pat dry.  Chop into medium sized pieces and place on a baking sheet.  Mince garlic and toss with broccoli, along with olive oil.   Cook for 10-15 minutes until the broccoli is bright green.  Toss with fresh lemon juice, parmesan cheese and almonds - cook until cheese has browned, another 5-10 minutes.   Season with salt and pepper. 
Enjoy!

Flour Mill Fun & Blueberry Muffins

I am a member of my local Toastmaster's group, and during a break at a recent meeting, a fellow member and I got to chatting about her flour mill.  She had made a delicious cake for our final meeting before the summer, and had milled the flour herself.  I was intrigued!  Needless to say we planned a day of flour making and baking together.  We made 4 different kinds of flour (quinoa, corn, buckwheat, and of course whole wheat).  It was so a really neat experience and now I know I'll be purchasing my own flour mill in the future!  

Here is a shot of the wheat being milled. 

And is the resulting flour!  You can sift the flour to remove the bran, but we decided to keep it all together for more fibre.

I have a ton of plans for the other flours, and am really excited to experiment with them!  Below is the recipe that Cheri and I made with some of the whole wheat flour. 

Cheri's Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffin Recipe

Ingredients

- 1 1/2 cups brown sugar

- 1/4 cup oil

- 1 egg

- 2 tsp vanilla

- 1 cup buttermilk

- 2 1/2 cups flour

- 1 tsp baking soda

- 1 tsp baking powder

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 1 1/2 cup fruit (we used frozen blueberries)

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. 

Using a mixer, combine the first 4 ingredients and mix until smooth.  Stir in the buttermilk and mix until just combined. Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix until just combined.  Be sure not to over mix at this step. 

Add your favourite fruit (we used blueberries this time, though strawberries and rhubarb is another delicious variation!) 

Spoon into a greased muffin tin and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. 

Enjoy!

Honey Oat Bread w/ Chia Seeds

A couple of years ago while we were visiting my Grandparents, my Grampa gave me a bread maker that a friend of his was selling at their garage sale.  It's the exact same bread maker that my Gramma uses to make all of her her bread dough - I really love that we use the exact same one.    Even though Grampa warned me that making the bread entirely with the bread maker would result in something closer to a cinder block than a loaf of bread,  I of course had to try it myself to see what it would be like.  He of course was right, and that entire loaf of bread ended up in the garbage.  Ever since then I have stuck to the "dough only" setting for all of my bread making needs.  I have even recently used my bread maker to make the dough for homemade donuts, but that's another recipe for another day!     So, what are Chia seeds you ask?  Other than being a 90's phenomenon (who can forget chia pets?) the seeds are also great for your digestive system!  They are an excellent source of omega 3 fatty acids.  1 ounce (28 g) of seeds contains 4 g of protein (9% of the daily value) and 11 g of fibre (42% of the daily value - that's a lot of fibre!).  The seeds contain the essential minerals phosphorus, manganese, calcium, potassium, and sodium in amounts that are comparable to flax.  

I discovered Chia seeds this year when I first tried Holy Crap Breakfast Cereal.  I loved the health benefits so much, I've incorporated it into a lot of my favourite foods (yogurt, smoothies, oatmeal, even stir fry -  the possibilities are endless!).   A friend recently asked me if I had a recipe for chia bread, and since I didn't, I decided to come up with one.  I used as many wholesome ingredients as I could for a healthy bread I could feel good about eating.  This bread is really nice for sandwiches - it's my favourite when paired with turkey & swiss cheese!  Ingredients - 1 cup warm water - 1 egg - 2 tbsp butter (plus 2 tbsp more for buttering the dough) - 2 cups whole wheat flour - 1 1/4 cup white flour - 1/3 cup honey - 3 tsp quick rise (or bread maker) yeast - 1/4 tsp sea salt - 2/3 cup old fashioned oats - 1/3 cup chia seed Directions Place ingredients in your bread maker in the order that they appear on the list.  Set your bread maker to the "dough only" setting.   When the dough is ready, punch it down slightly to remove the air, form it into a loaf shape and place into a buttered bread pan.  Melt 1 tbsp of butter and brush onto the surface of the dough.  Lightly drape with a clean dish cloth and set your oven to "proof" (if your oven doesn't have a proof feature, just place the dough in a warm spot in your kitchen).  Let rise about 30 minutes (45 if you aren't using your oven) until dough has doubled in size.  Bake in preheated 375 degree oven for 25 minutes, until the crust is golden brown.  Melt remaining 1 tbsp of butter and brush over the top of the crust immediately after removing it from the oven.  This will ensure a nice, soft, buttery crust.  If you prefer a crustier bread, skip this last step. 
Enjoy!

Coconut Milk Whipped Cream

I absolutely love this recipe.  Not just because it's vegan, healthy, and delicious, but also because it uses one of my all-time favourites - coconut.  

Coconut is a super food, a powerhouse of vitamins and minerals and antioxidants and full of protein and fibre.  It's water is also full of amazing electrolytes (great for replenishing your body after exercise, or perhaps an evening of alcohol consumption?). It's even starting to gain some popularity being replaced as a sports drink.

For this recipe we are using the thick, creamy coconut milk.  You can find coconut milk in the ethnic isle of your local grocery store.  

Ingredients

- 1 can coconut milk (full fat, not light). 

- 2 tsp vanilla sugar (optional)

Directions

Refrigerate a can of coconut milk overnight.  This is an important step as it helps to separate the coconut milk leaving a solid creamy layer on top and thinner clear liquid layer on the bottom. 

Open your can of coconut milk and skim off the top.  This will be about 3/4 of the can.  You no longer need the remaining coconut juice (what's left at the bottom) for this recipe, but you can set it aside to use in other recipes (a smoothie perhaps)?

I thought it kind of looked like ice cream!  This prompted me to freeze a portion of it, which was quite delicious!  I can't wait to whip out my ice cream maker this summer and make a vegan coconut milk ice cream!  Yum!  

Whip until smooth, either using a hand whisk or an electric mixer.  Add vanilla sugar and whip until combined. 

I used it to top my morning coffee in my favourite mug (yep - still a kid at heart). 

It really was as delicious as it looks. 

Combine with equal parts greek yogurt for a fruit dip that is out of this world! 

Enjoy! 

Homemade Vanilla Almond Milk

We go through quite a bit of almond milk in our house - if it wasn't for coffee we would probably only buy almond milk (we are both 2-cream 2-sugar kind of people).  We are huge fans of the chocolate variety as well, I can't wait to start experimenting with different chocolate recipes.

I really liked the homemade almond milk -  I was really surprised at just how creamy it was - it looked like whole milk!  I think if I were to buy fresher almonds (I got them from the bulk section of my small town grocery store) - it would have tasted even better. 

Ingredients
- 1 cup raw almonds
- 4 cups filtered water, plus more for soaking
- 1/4 vanilla bean (optional)

Directions

Place almonds in a medium bowl and cover with water.  Soak for at least 6 hours.  The almonds can be soaked for up to 12 hours, but anything past 6 requires a change of water. 

Rinse and drain almonds, then peel the skins off.  It should be fairly easy to peel the them once they have soaked.

Place peeled almonds, vanilla bean, and 4 cups of filtered water in blender and blend until smooth (about a minute). 

Strain almonds using a nut milk bag if possible.  If you don't have a nut milk bag, you can use cheese cloth (I would double or triple layer it).  Strain twice to ensure smoother milk.  You no longer need the almond pulp for this recipe, but don't throw it out, it can be used in other recipes.

Store in a glass jar or other container in the fridge.  Shake well before using. 

Enjoy!