Breakfast Chocolate Protein Smoothie (minus the powder)

I really like getting my nutrition from food as much as possible (although I do take supplements as well).  I eat so many protein-rich foods, I've never bothered with protein powder in my smoothies.  Just protein food, and other nutrient-rich foods.  Worse thing in this smoothie?  Honey.  



So these days my go-to breakfast is a thick, chocolatey protein smoothie.  Almost every morning.  Fills me up and holds me until lunchtime (probably because I drink about almost 30 oz - yes, you read that right).

You will want to adjust this recipe to your own taste.  Here's what I do (more or less):

Chocolate Protein Smoothie

• 3/4 - 1 cup low-fat milk
• 3 - 4 oz low-fat plain greek yogurt (greek yogurt is much higher in protein than regular yogurt)
• 1 banana (I use them just barely ripe, before they develop all that sugar)
• 1 - 2 Tbs organic peanut butter or almond butter (don't like nut butters?  No worries. Use 1 Tbs and you won't taste it).
• a handful of organic blueberries or strawberries
• a handful of organic baby spinach (can't taste it)
• 1 - 2 Tbs organic chia seeds and/or ground flax seed
• 1 rounded Tbs unsweetened cocoa
• 1-2 tsp organic honey
• 5 ice cubes

Add the milk to your blender.  Then add everything else.  Blend until ...well.... blended (30 seconds if you're lucky enough to have a Vitamix).

Tastes like a chocolate smoothie.  I think this makes about 32 oz.  Probably plenty for two people.  Unless you're me.

Chocolate Macaroons, Naturally Gluten-Free

Nearly all macaroon recipes I've ever made have no wheat. This is one of my favorites. It's chocolaty, with a soft and chewy center, and fairly easy to make. I found it on allrecipes.com a few years ago, and have made it over and over again. If you're not a fan of coconut - no worries. There's so much chocolate in these that the coconut definitely takes a back seat in the flavor category. I used Ghiradelli semi-sweet chocolate chips - on sale this week several places so I stocked up. They are my favorite chips.

OK - so it's not the prettiest cookie on the block, but it's nothing that a light dusting of powdered sugar can't fix... which is what I plan on doing before serving these at an up coming event. For now - into the freezer they go, right next to the pretty cookies :-)

Gluten-free Chocolate Macaroons

Ingredients:

• 3 Egg Whites (room temperature best, but not required)
• Pinch of Salt
• 3/4 cup White Sugar
• 2 1/4 cups Shredded Coconut, unsweetened
• 1 1/4 cups Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips
• 1/2 cup Chopped Nuts (Almonds or Walnuts are good)
• 1 tsp Vanilla

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325F degrees.

1. Melt chocolate in double-boiler (aka bowl over simmering water) and let cool.
2. Using an electric hand mixer whip the egg whites until foamy. Then slowly add salt and sugar a little at a time, until the mixture stands in peaks (about 5 minutes).
3. Gently stir in the Vanilla.
4. Gently fold in the chocolate, coconut, and nuts until completely blended.
5. Scoop (about a heaping tablespoon) the dough about 2 inches apart onto parchment-lined cookie sheets. Use your fingers to shape them into a dome.
6. Bake for 10-12 minutes.
7. Let cookies cool on cookie sheet for about 5 minutes before carefully moving to cooling rack.

The cookies will be soft until completely cooled. Makes 3 to 4 dozen cookies, depending on size.

Note: the dough may become dry and crumbly while you're working with it. Just press it together with your hands to form the domes and they will hold together.

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Nearly Guilt-Free, Kinda' Healthy Chocolate Cake

Honestly - this is the closest thing to a really healthy chocolate cake I've ever had. I've made it many times, and it's one of those things that if you leave it on the kitchen counter, every time you walk by it you'll sneak a little piece.

Leave your guilt at the door, because the main ingredient is this:



Do you recognize them? They are Garbanzo beans, in all of their almost-a-chocolate-cake glory. Everytime I tell people about this flourless, gluten-free chocolate cake that is made from Garbanzo beans, they say, "Oh - you mean garbanzo bean flour?" Noooooo..... I mean Garbanzo beans. As in high protein, high fiber. Straight up. Don't ask me why it works. It just does.

This is adapted from a recipe I found on Allrecipes.com a few years ago. I've made it in a round cake pan, a springform pan, and a square (pretending they are brownies). It has a soft texture, and is great served with a little frozen yogurt. It's not dry, but can be a little crumbly, so I find it's easiest when eaten with a fork.

You start with about 19 oz of Organic Garbanzo Beans. That's 2 - 15 oz. cans, once you drain all the liquid. Sidebar: did you know that Organic Garbanzo beans are cheaper from Whole Foods than from Safeway (for you out-of-towners Safeway is a West Coast grocery chain).

Rinse and drain them well, and grind them up in a Food Processor (no mixer needed) REALLY well (i.e. don't be leaving any chunks of Garbanzo Bean in there!).



Add the sugar and baking powder, and blend. Then add the melted chocolate and vanilla.



Bake, cool.....



Sprinkle with powdered sugar or frost, cut, eat.....



Oh - and this is one of the easiest cakes I've ever made.

Garbanzo Bean Chocolate Cake (adapted from Allrecipes.com)
Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
• 2 - 15 oz. Can Garbanzo Beans (I use Organic)
• 4 Eggs (I use Range-free or Organic)
• 3/4 cup Sugar
• 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
• 1 tsp. Vanilla

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray a 9" round or square cake pan or springform pan, or use parchment paper.

1. Rinse and drain the Garbanzo Beans. Grind completely in a food processor with the eggs until smooth. (No Chunks!)
2. Add the sugar and baking powder to the beans and blend.
3. Melt the chocolate in a bowl over hot (not boiling) water or, melt in the microwave in 30-second increments. Add the melted chocolate and vanilla to the mixture and blend until smooth, scraping the sides as necessary.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
5. Bake approximately 40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Allow it to cool completely before removing from the pan or cutting. Yup... chocolate cake with garbanzo beans..... all the protein and fiber with none of the bean taste. I'm telling you... it's a miracle!

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Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Bar - Breakfast on the Run

Here we have it. Completely Healthy. And Gluten-free. And No Added Sugar. And Vegan. Any other requests??? This dense, chewy breakfast or snack bar is completely no-guilt and very satifying. It's great with a hot cup of coffee, or a cold glass of milk. I'm pretty sure these are very kid-friendly, too.

Like so many things I bake these days, you can add other ingredients to make it your own. I think sunflower or pumpkin seeds would be good, and maybe a little cinnamon. These keep for a few days at room temperature. Personally, I like them cold, so I keep a few in the refrigerator, and freeze the rest, thawing as needed.

And no matter what I tried, I could not make these look pretty in the picture (they do, however, look better in person though, like so many of us ;-)



Hmmmmm..... maybe this one.


Oh well.... never mind...

Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Bar - Breakfast on the Go (Gluten-Free, No Added Sugar, Vegan)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Rolled Oats
• 2/3 cup finely chopped or ground Almonds
• 1/3 cup unsweetened Coconut
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 4 oz good quality bittersweet or dark Chocolate, chopped small
• 14 oz of very ripe Bananas (about 4 bananas)
• 1/2 tsp. Vanilla
• 1/4 cup Peanut or Almond butter
• 1/2 cup Dried Fruit (I like cherries or apricots)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F). Grease or line a 9 X 9 baking pan.

1. In mixing bowl, combine the oats, ground almonds, coconut, and salt. Set aside.
2. In another bowl, combine the bananas, vanilla, and nut butter. Mash thoroughly.
3. Add the Oatmeal mixture to the bananas and mix well.
4. Gently add in the chopped chocolate and dried fruit.
5. Spread mixture evenly in the prepared pan, and bake for about 25 minutes.
6. Let cool completely before cutting into whatever size bars you wish.

Easy, huh?

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Cherry Almond Chocolate Clusters

I'm baaack! Still not fully unpacked, but I had to hit the kitchen anyway.

True confession..... I hate making ugly food. I love when food looks beautiful. Yes - taste is the most important thing, but honestly, there's something about creating food that looks pretty or beautiful...... before you devour it. I gotta get over it.



These tasty little candies are not pretty. I have some ideas about making them a little sweeter to the eye, maybe making them in candy molds, or adding a little drizzle of white chocolate, but for now they are what they are.

DAY 2: OK - made them smaller and dressed them up with White Chocolate. Better.




Several of you have had them recently, and I've been asked for the recipe - so here it is. This recipe is from the Food Network website - but I've simplified the instructions somewhat. Only three ingredients, and they are really easy (and somewhat messy) to make. Oh - and No Added Sugar - always a plus!

When making chocolate candies, you really want to use the best quality chocolate you can afford. All chocolate is not created equal. If you can't afford Sharffen Berger or Valrhona Chocolate, Ghirardelli is a good alternative. Lately, I've been using Trader Joe's brand called PoundsPlus (wonder what that means??? LOL). It's 72% Dark Chocolate, imported from Belgium, and tastes great.

Cherry Almond Chocolate Clusters

Ingredients:

• 1 cup coarsely chopped roasted almonds (see instructions below)
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped dry cherries
• 6 oz. Dark Chocolate

Directions:
Set out parchment paper or wax paper on two trays (I use sheet pans).

1. Chop the chocolate into small pieces and melt it slowly in the top of a double boiler (I just put a bowl over a pot of simmering water)
2. Mix together the chopped nuts and chopped dried cherries.
3. When melted, remove the chocolate from the heat. Mix the nut-cherry mix into the chocolate and blend together completely with a rubber spatula or spoon.
4. Spoon out heaping tablespoons of the chocolate into mounds onto the parchment paper (I use a cookie scoop). You may have to shape them slightly with your hands (that's the messy part).
5. When ALL of the chocolates have been scooped, and not a moment before, lick your fingers :-)
6. Place the pans in the refrigerator to set for about 20 minutes or so
7. Option: Melt some good quality white chocolate and drizzle over the top of the cold chocolates. Return them to the refrigerator for at least 10 minutes to set.

That's it! They are ready to eat! These will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for a couple of days (if they last that long and it's not 100 degrees outside). I have also found that they freeze very well, much to my surprise. I place one or two in a small plastic snack-size bag, and then put the small bags into a freezer bag (make sure to get all the air out before closing the freezer bag) and pop them into the freezer.

Dry Roasting Almonds

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1. Line a baking pan with parchment paper or foil
2. Spread out nuts in a single layer
3. Bake for 8 - 10 minutes
4. Remove from oven and carefully grab corners of the paper and lift the nuts out, placing on cooling rack.

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