Avocado, Cucumber, Chickpea Salad

This is a light refreshing salad, perfect for a cookout on a hot day. A good companion to the heavy main course. Something light next to a big fat burger or BBQ chicken. Perhaps an alternative to potato salad. A vegetarian option that has protein.

I think this will be perfect for our Memorial Day Cookout. I'll be adding the left overs to some greens for my lunches.

What you will need:

Olive Oil
16 oz can Chickpeas drained and rinsed
1 teaspoon Garlic, minced
1/2 Yellow Onion, chopped
1 Cucumber, sliced
3-4 Smallish Tomatoes, diced
6 stalks Celery, sliced
2 Ripe Avocados, diced
2 tablespoons Fresh Dill
2 teaspoons Red Wine Vinegar
1 Lemon, juice

1 Lime, juice
Salt and Pepper

How to:

1.  Heat some Olive Oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add the Chickpeas, cook them for about 7 minutes, stirring. This will make them a little crunchy on the outside and creamy n the inside. At the end, add the minced Garlic. Set aside.

2.  If you don't like fresh Onion, saute them in some Olive Oil until translucent.  This will take some of the sting out. Or you could just omit it from the Salad. Set aside with the Chickpeas.

3.  Toss the remaining ingredients together in a large bowl.

4.  Add the Lemon juice, Lime juice, Red Wine Vinegar, Salt and Pepper to taste.

5.  Chill and Serve.  Enjoy!


Everyone enjoyed it, took some home and I still have some left for my lunches!   I did make a double though.

Note:  The avocados were not ripe, so I couldn't use them.  The salad was still great, but we all agreed that the avocado would have been a nice addition.

Brownie Oreo Decadence

OK. So I did something that is out of my norm.  I usually don't go for the trendy, overly sweet, box-mix desserts.  I was trained as a pastry chef (trying to NOT sound snobbish here) and almost always bake from scratch, so the sort of cookie cutter, brand-centric foods that go around are not what I am drawn too. I really never have been, even as a girl. This is true in other areas as well. If it's trendy, I'm outta here! But I LOVE brownies and Oreo Cookies (who doesn't), so how could I resist!!

It started when a friend posted a picture of two Oreo Cookies sandwiched together with a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup in between then topped with chocolate. OH MY!!! It made my teeth hurt just looking at the picture, but boy did it look yummy! I've seen and/or eaten fried Oreo's, Oreo's inside chocolate chip cookies and other cookies, Oreo pie, Oreo cake, cakes made to look like an giant Oreo, Oreo ice cream, Oreo ice cream sandwiches, etc. America is having a love affair with the Oreo Cookie. If we can figure out how to add an Oreo, it'll be done (Oreo Recipes). Pan Seared Tuna with an Oreo Crust anyone? :D  Then I saw these, except that it was two cookies with two layers of peanut butter.  I think that is a bit too much, but I could do it with one cookie!  Some how this spoke to me.  I think it was the brownie.

So I set out to make them. A friends birthday was being celebrated and she just happens to love the chocolate peanut butter combo. Perfect! I would try them out on her and my other friends that would be joining us for dinner. I would make them for my co-workers too. I bought cute cupcake papers and pretty boxes to put them in for my friends. My co-workers will have to settle for the classic Tupperware container. I don't think that they will mind.

What you will need:

1, One package of Oreo Cookies
     Note: One package of Oreo Cookies (14.3 oz - 405 g) makes 3 dozen brownies.

2. Your favorite brownie recipe (or box-mix if you prefer)
     Note:  My recipe is for a 13 X 9 pan, I doubled it and made 50.

3. One jar of Creamy Peanut Butter


How to make them:

1. Make your Brownie mix as the recipe directs.

2. Scoop some Brownie mix into each Cupcake Paper.
You don't have to use the papers, but it made it very
easy to get out of the pan & they look pretty!

3. Place an Oreo Cookie on top of the brownie mix, push down slightly and twist to help evenly distribute the brownie mix around the sides.

4. Spoon about a tablespoon of Peanut Butter on top of each cookie.

5. Scoop more of the Brownie mix on top of the Peanut Butter, making sure that it fills in around the sides.

6. Bake as your recipe directs, or until still slightly moist in the center but firm.



Tips:

I think this works well for me because I could balance the sweetness of the Oreo with my choice of brownie recipes. My brownies are fudgey and not too sweet. Plus I used Smuckers Natural Peanut Butter, which also helped to balance the sweetness with a pure nutty flavor.

Make sure the Brownie mixture is a little runny, this will help distribute the mixture evenly over the Peanut Butter and Oreo. Pop it into a microwave for 30 seconds to help melt the butter and chocolate a bit. I did this today because it was both cold in the house and my ingredients were cold directly from the fridge. So my mixture was firm. This normally isn't a problem if I'm pouring it all into the 13 X 9 pan. Microwaving it helped to portion and distribute the mixture in the cups. Making it much easier and quicker to use.

I also bought Mint Oreo's. I think this would be tasty. I love mint. Of course, I would not use the Peanut Butter in this case. Be creative add any cookie and filling combo. Here are some suggestions:
     Original Oreo and Raspberry Jam or any Jam of your choice
     Original Oreo and Chocolate Ganash - for real chocolate decadence!!
     Oreo with Banana Split Filling and a Banana Slice
     Oreo with Mint Filling and Andie's Candies
     Oreo with Peanut Butter Filling and Peanut Butter - lots of Peanut Butter!!
     Oreo with Peanut Butter Filling and Chocolate Ganash
     Just pick your favorite Oreo Cookie and add another flavor if you like.

And ENJOY!!!


**** Don't worry, I haven't taken a complete nose-dive off the health wagon. I just think that a little dessert never hurt anyone!

Oatmeal Is Not Just For Cookies Anymore

So, today I had some oatmeal for breakfast.  I had been speaking with a co-worker who really enjoys eating it on a regular basis.  Lots of people do, not me. It's thick and pasty or runny; I could never get the consistancy right.  And don't talk to me about those premixed packets.  UGH!  Some of them smell good when you open up the packet, but that's it.  The artificial flavor taste fake and chemically to me. (Which is one of the issues that I have with so many prepared foods. I'll count that as a positive!!) I think they are trying to fool us with the smell into believing that we are eating something that tastes good too.

Anyway, back to the oatmeal. My co-worker brought me some of her oatmeal, told me what she does, and said "try it".  So I have. I got the 2% milk and heated it, cut up some fresh strawberries, add some premium Berkshire Sweet Gold Black Amber Maple Syrup. Looked yummy. It was OK. I think that I need to do some more experimenting. Or maybe I'll just continue eating Oats in my granola and cookies!

The Journey Starts With A Spoonful of Yoghurt

I'm starting my journey by eating yoghurt again. It is the season, after all, spring and summer bring wonderful fresh fruits. Today I tried something new.  Siggi's Dairy Coconut Yoghurt. I was browsing in the grocery store, (yes, I'm one of those people) and I LOVE coconut; so thought that I would try it. It's thick and creamy with a light sweet taste of coconut. The Siggi's Dairy uses all natural milk from grass fed cows (no rBGN).  It was more expensive, so I'll probably only use it on occasion.  Then I added Qia: Chia, Buckwheat and Hemp Cereal for a bit of crunch. Qia is full of protein, fiber and ALA Omegas. So the combo is both tasty and nutritious!

 I usually use Chobani Plain Non-Fat Greek Yoghurt, then add fresh fruit and sometimes granola. The fruit adds all the sweetness that I need, especially in season ripe berries! If you like a little more sweetness than I do, use the Vanilla or add your own honey, agave nectar or other natural sweetener of your choice. I do grab the occasional pre-mixed individual container.  They are a quick and easy choice. I prefer blending my own. It really doesn't take that long to cut up a little fruit. I keep the granola handy both at home and at my desk at work. The granola gets added at the last minute so that it doesn't get soggy. I enjoy this combo for breakfast, lunch or a snack.


I have made my own yoghurt in the past. We were making it at one of the restaurants that I worked for, so I would make it at home sometimes. I won't do that this time, there are so many more choices and the Greek style yoghurt has more protein. I do think that I will make my own granola sometimes. I used to do that too, both in the restaurant and at home. Just have to gather up some of the things that I enjoy to make it: oats, nuts, seeds, dried fruit, etc. I will probably add some Qia too! It takes a little prep and cooking time, but it's fairly easy. I'll dig up my old recipe and share it here soon.

This is a delicious and nutritious way to start the day, and my journey back to health.