Cheese Cake in a Bowl

So i don't think cheese cake needs any introduction. However, we all know how unhealthy it can be so i decided i needed to continue on my diet and i came up with this to definitely satisfy that craving. The traditional cream cheese has so much of fat and calories. I added a link for you to check up on the facts of cream cheese.What is cream cheese?
I will admit the first time i heard about cheese cake i thought it was cheddar cheese made into a cake.. yuck! Thank God it was not that.

Ingredients
1/3 cup ricotta cheese (if you want more just double the recipe)
2 chopped strawberries
2 teaspoons agave syrup
1 crumble digestive biscuit

Method
1. layer the ricotta cheese
2. add chopped strawberries
3. pour agave syrup
4. sprinkle crumbled biscuit

Sweet and Spicy Popcorn

Sitting doing some school work at a very late night, I needed to eat something that will not be unhealthy for me. Searching through the cupboard i came  across some popcorn, but its usually so plain i decided to give my popcorn a twist. i am eating this right now.. :)

Ingredients
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup popcorn kernels
1 tsp butter (melted)
1/4 cup organic maple syrup
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch chili powder

Method
1. in a heavy pot heat the oil and add popcorn kernels
2.remove popped kernels from pot and put into large bowl
3. add all remaining ingredients  to popped kernels and mix thoroughly
4. enjoy... yummy!

Banana Dippers

This is a guarantee pick me up snack. So my coworker caught me sleeping at me desk and she said that I needed something to keep me up. So this was all the ingredients we had around and she whipped this together for me. All i can say is yum. I am not sure if this can be considered a snack or something you should keep in your medicine cabinet. Just kidding!

Ingredients
1 banana cut into chunks
3 tablespoons peanut butter ( dip bananas on one side)
3 tablespoon granola or anything you want to top them with. ( dip peanut butter side in mix)

Mixed Fruit Chow

So I decided to take it down to the very basic. Any Trinidadian loves a good chow and for this reason i needed to include this. It is not only healthy it is delicious. You get vitamin C from all the fruits.

Ingredients
4 cups of any type of fruits and some veggies of your choice
6 large shadow beni leaves minced finely
2-3 garlic cloves crushed
Hot pepper to taste
Salt and black pepper
1 lime juice

                                                       

                                                             Cut all fruits into pieces

                                         
                                                     

                                Mix in  shadow beni, salt, black pepper, hot pepper, lime juice and garlic

Tell me what type or fruits and veggies you have tried.. enjoy :)

Agave Nectar

This is the agave plant. Can you imagine that any thing that is sweet like honey can come for this. It looks scary!

The agave nectar is just as sweet as honey, many persons including myself use the agave nectar in my tea and especially my baking.
Agave nectar (sometimes called agave syrup) is most often produced from the Blue Agaves that thrive in the volcanic soils of Southern Mexico. Agaves are large, spikey plants that resemble cactus or yuccas in both form and habitat, but they are actually succulents similar to the familiar Aloe Vera.
allaboutagave 

Tell me about any natural sweeteners that you know about

Mango Sorbet

So we all know that we have mango season year round. At some point you may over hear someone saying they have mangoes in their tree. So my coworker has a huge mango tree, so she brought my a bag of a combination of mangoes. I felt bad that i didn't want them to waste so after a long debate i decided to make MANGO SORBET!!!

Ingredients
3 ripe mangoes ( i made a small amount but you can double the recipe for more)
juice of 1 lemon
simple syrup
pinch of salt

Method
1. To make the simple syrup add 1/4 cup of honey/agave nectar/ organic maple syrup and 1/4 cup water in a saucepan and bring to boil.
2.  Cut mangoes and remove skin and place into a blender. Add salt  and lemon juice, blend for 2 minutes until smooth
3. Push the puree in a bowl thru a fine sieve
4. Add simple syrup and mix it in and refrigerate overnight 
5. Place mixture into ice cream freezer
6.Serve right away or freeze to be firmer.
7. Enjoy

Tell me what other flavour sorbets you want to see.

Organic Maple Syrup

Many may wonder what is this organic maple syrup i continuously speak about and use in most of my recipes. Everyone knows maple syrup, and chances are you have fond memories of pouring it liberally over pancakes or waffles or French toast. But organic maple syrup may be a new concept to you. How does it differ from syrup that’s conventionally produced, and does maple syrup really need to be organic.

Organic production of anything involves more than just non-use of herbicides or pesticides, though that’s a good start. Organic production also involves specific practices such as the use of only permitted cleaners to clean equipment and the coding of syrup by batch for quality control purposes.

http://www.thenibble.com/reviews/nutri/matter/2006-08.asp

Tamarind Ball

I cannot start to tell you how much i have always loved tamarind ball. Ever since I was a child it was a comfort treat for me. But I realized that they are filled with so much of sugar that I needed to make this much healthier so that way I can eat lots more :) So hear is my new trick to a much healthier version.

Ingredrients
2 lbs tamarind
1/2 cup finely minced beets
1/4 tsp garlic
1/4 shadow beni (cilantro )
2 tbsp flour( optional)
2 tbsp honey
1/3 cup sugar ( to roll tamarind ball in)

I know you are all thinking i am crazy to add beets... but try it. i swear you will be surprised

Butter Cookies

Who can resist butter cookies? They are not only delicious but the quickest cookie to make. So I was home today and I got the sudden urge for something sweet. So I challenged myself to see which is faster, to eat a piece of chocolate cake or make these cookies. So you can guess which won.

So challenge yourself and tell me all about it.

Ingredients
2 cups cake flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup confectioner sugar
3/4 cup softened butter
1/4 cup softened shortening
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
sprinkles(optional)

Method
1. Pre heat oven to 350 degrees
2. In a bowl cream sugar, butter and shortening until creamy
3. Add eggs and mix until combined. Add dry ingredients and mix well
4. In a piping bag with a star tip, pipe out cookies 2 inches apart
5. Bake for 10 minutes
6. Enjoy

Pumpkin Bread

I have never liked pumpkin and I still do not. My mom needed to find creative ways to make me eat my veggies, so she made pumpkin bread. I never knew it was pumpkin in the bread until last week when i saw her make it. So now it makes me rethink all the things she made over the years if they had veggies in them. This is a great way to get kids or anyone to eat any type of veggies.
Try this recipe and tell me what you think.

Ingredients 
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 tbsp spices( cinnamon, clove, nutmeg)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup honey of organic maple syrup
1/2 cup oil
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
2 eggs

Method
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Grease 9x5 inch  bread pan
3. In a bowl mix the first 5 ingredients set aside
4. In a next bowl mix the remaining ingredients, add the wet ingredients and combine do not over mix.
5. Pour batter into prepared pan and cook for 60 minutes or until fully cooked
6. It is best eaten warm, so microwave it for 45 seconds and enjoy for breakfast.

Coffee Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream

One of my good friends from college and I would have secret ron de vu moments (meaning we would run away from work for a little bit) where we would go and get Mc Cafe iced coffee. They were so delicious I wished the cups were bigger so they would hold more. So I decided to combine both the love for iced coffee and ice cream. This I swear is so good I do not think I can go back to Mc Cafe and it is less calories.

Ingredients
7 egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups almond milk
1 3/4 skim heavy cream
3 1/2 tbsp instant coffee
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup chocolate chip chunks or chips

Method
1. In a bowl whisk egg yolks and sugar for 5 minutes
2.  In a sauce pan put milk, heavy cream and coffee on a low heat and bring to a simmer
3.  Whisk 1 cup of milk mixture into egg and sugar mixture and whisk until smooth
4.  Pour egg mixture into the milk and return to the sauce pan on low heat for 5 minutes or until it thickens
5. Strain mixture and cover with plastic wrap and freeze
6. Pour into ice cream machine and allow to churn
7. When mixture is almost finished pour in the chocolate chips or chunks
8. Freeze for 4 hours for firmer texture
9. Enjoy

Churros

I love almost any dessert that is fried, but usually most of them are overly sweet and unhealthy. So when I went to Panama they were having their Carnival while i was there and many of the street vendors were making and selling churros and they just smelled heavenly. I walked up to one of the vendors and I asked her if she would show me how to make it. But before that i asked her the big question " how many calories are in these?" I never got an answer though. I made some changes to recipe so they will suit my liking and also be healthy.

Ingredients
1 cup water
1 cup all purpose flour
3tbsp butter
1tbsp vegetable oil
4 eggs
1tbsp brown sugar( honey or organic maple syrup)
1/4 tsp salt
1tsp vanilla extract
Canola Oil for frying
1/3 cup sugar for dipping
1tsp ground cinnamon

Method 
1. Add Canola Oil to large pot on medium heat
2. In a large saucepan, add the water, butter, vegetable oil, 1tbsp of sugar, vanilla and salt, bring to boil. Turn heat on low and add flour stirring continuously until the mixture turns into a ball, cook for about 1 minute.
3. Add dough into bowl and add one egg at a time and mixing well after each one to ensure the eggs are well combined
4. Spoon the dough into a piping bag or zip lock bag with a large star tip
5. Pipe 4 inch ropes into the hot oil , only adding a few at a time. Cook them for a few minuts on each side until they are golden brown.
6. Drain on paper towels and mix the extra sugar with cinnamon and dip them and serve
7. Enjoy.

Carrot Cake

I love love love carrot cake, there is not a person I know who does not love carrot cake. My guess is the combination of all the ingredients are well balanced. My grandmother always made the best carrot cake of all times. So one day while cleaning out i came across the recipe and today i decided to put my own twist to this classic recipe. I swear this came out better than expected with my little changes to the original recipe. You are going to love love this.

Ingredients
2 Cups flour
1 cup brown sugar( maple syrup can be substituted)
1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 cups shredded carrots ( about 6 large carrots)
2tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp combined spices ( cinnamon, nutmeg, clove)
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup raisins 

Frosting 
6 ounces cream cheese( softened)
3 tbsp unsalted butter (softened)
2 tsp vanilla extract
zest of 1 orange
2 1/4 cups confectioner sugar
1 cup chopped walnuts(optional)

Method

1. Preheat oven 350 degrees, spray 9 inch pan with non stick cooking
2. In a bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices
3. In a next bowl add the carrots and half of the dry ingredients 
4. In a next bowl mix together the oil, sugar, apple sauce, vanilla and eggs
5. Pour wet ingredients into dry and combine. Fold the carrots
6. Pour into prepared baking pan and bake for 30 minutes  or until toothpick comes out clean
7. Allow to cool

Frosting

1. In a electric mixer add butter, cream cheese, orange zest and vanilla until well combines
2. Add powdered sugar and mix until creamy
3. Smear frosting all over cake
4. Add chopped walnuts all over the outside of the frosted cake
5. Decoration of your choice
6. Enjoy

Tell me what you think!

Sweet Potato Muffins

So my neighbour gave me a basket of sweet potatoes, I did not want them to waste so i needed to find an interesting way to add additional flavour to them. Since I have made muffins before and I included different veggies, I can use these sweet potatoes in my muffins.

Check out the recipe below

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups of flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon, nutmeg, clove (combined)
2/3 cup of milk
1/2 cup sweet potato puree
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup  honey or organic maple syrup
1/2 vegetable oil
2 eggs

Method
1. Whisk  together flour, baking powder, salt and spices
2. In a next bowl whisk together the milk, oil, honey, sweet potato puree, vanilla and eggs
3. Add wet ingredients into dry and mix until combines
4. Divide the mixture  using an ice cream scoop  into a muffin pan
5. Bake in a 360 degree oven and bake for about 25 minutes or until fully cooked.
6. Allow to cool and enjoy

Coconut Peanut Butter Balls

These peanut butter balls are a great treat or a pick me up that gives you a boost of energy. They have enough protein, good fat  and they have the right amount of sweetness. I have used them to give satisfy my crave and hunger after I have an intense workout at the gym. Coconut is making its way into all the health food stores. I love to experiment with healthy snack recipes, and this one is definitely a winner.
Ingredients
1 cup of peanut butter (can use any type of nut butter of your choice)
1/4-1/2 cup honey
1tsp vanilla
1 cup raisins (optional)
any other add-ins (seeds, nuts, etc)
unsweetened coconut

Method
 1. Mix peanut butter, sweetener, vanilla and raisins
 2. Spread unsweetened coconut on wax paper
 3. Drop peanut butter mixture onto coconut and roll.Chill for 1 Hour or longer

Tell me what you think..

Black Bean Brownies

I have a weakness for anything chocolate, but eating brownies have proven to be filled with sugars that I do not need. So I needed to find a healthier alternative to these sweet treats. It took me by surprise when I realized how tasty these were. These black bean brownies make a great dessert to satisfy the sweet tooth ,without those fattening sugars.


Tip: If you are using canned beans, ensure you rinse them properly  to get as much sodium out as possible.

 Ingredients 
1 15 oz can of black beans or 1/2 cup pre cooked black beans
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup flour1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
3 eggs


Method
1. Mix all ingredients together. Pour into an 8x8 inch greased pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

These are not very sweet so you can have more than 1 piece and not feel guilty.

Pineapple and Banana Smoothie

This smoothie was created by accident, according to some of the greatest chef's accidents usually make the best recipe. I have always loved smoothies and finding one that is quick and easy to make is always the best kind for me. I went to the supermarket a few days ago and I was in a bit of a rush, so i went to the freezer section to get a bag of frozen mango pieces.

Grabbed the bag and I was on my way home. I was about to make my smoothie only to realize that i had bought pineapple and not mango.
 I decided to share this so  you to can enjoy this yummy drink :)
Ingredients
1 Cup fresh or frozen pineapple
1 cup of pineapple juice
1/4 cup vanilla yogurt
1/2 banana
1/4 cup ice (optional)

Method
1. Combine all ingredients in a blender
2. Enjoy

Fresh Fruit Popsicles

Lets face it people we have been having some hot weather lately and something cold is the simple solution to help drop your body temperature, I tend to crave frozen sweet treats especially during the hot days..

Its super easy to make these popsicles, you can either use a mould or ice trays or simple plastic cups. It all depends on your preference.

I have two pictures of two different types of popsicles, I will post the recipes for them both

Making these popsicles are quick and easy
Passion Fruit Popsicle
Ingredients

3/4 cup fresh passion fruit
3 tbsp honey or ogranic maple syrup
1/4 tsp finely grated ginger
1 cup water
2tsp lemon juice

Method
1. Blend ginger with water and strain, add other ingredients
2. Mix all ingredients and whisk
3. Pour into mould and freeze until hard
4. Remove each popsicle and enjoy

Fruit Punch Popsicle
Ingredients

3 cups fresh watermelon cubes
1 cup sliced strawberries
1 tbsp honey
2tsp lemon juice
2 tbsp water
1/4 cup sliced blueberries
1/3 cup sliced kiwi
1/3 cup sliced mango
Fresh sliced fruit of your choice or in season

Method
1. In a bowl combine all ingredients and combine
2. Pour into moulds and freeze
3. Enjoy