Sugar Free Chocolate Power Cookies

Yikes! I meant to have this posted yesterday, but apparently my scheduler didn't want to play nice. I blame fat fingers 😊.

Anyways, with Valentine's Day upon us, it only seems traditional to present something rich, chocolatey and decadent for your gustatory pleasure. While it is cliche to beat the chocolate factor into the ground, it is undoubtedly one of the classic flavours associated with the day, and romance in general. Of course, there can be such a thing as too much chocolate (sacrilege!) - at least according to our waistline and general health. Rather than tell you to eschew it completely or simply be satisfied with tablespoon-sized portions - neither of which I can put up with - instead, I'm offering these sugar-free, protein enriched, chewy and very chocolatey cookies that will not only satisfy your sweet tooth, but will satisfy your hunger and are even nutritious enough to enjoy for breakfast with a glass of juice.

Instead of sugar, these gluten free and  vegan cookies are sweetened only with a homemade date paste and date syrup. To bulk up the satisfaction and chew factor, oats, brown rice cereal and hemp hearts combine with a sprinkle of stevia-sweetened chocolate chips. Enjoyed just barely cool, room temperature, fridge cold or frozen and made into ice cream sandwiches and stored in the freezer (yes, I went there), they're a soul and stomach pleasing treat any time.

Shared with Gluten Free Fridays 

Chicken and Black Bean Chili

Every year, our school hosts a "Chili Night" fundraiser to help offset the costs of the elementary year-end field trips. Bread bowls are bought (or occasionally donated by a past parent, who owns a bakery), crock pots and steam tables are set up, grade 7 and 8 students are commandeered to work the "fixin's" station and three or four staff members show up with their finest chili renditions. This year I finally jumped into the "donation" pool after a survey of the offerings showed a vegetarian, a spicy and a "regular" version but none with an alternate meat or a different bean in the mix. 

When I was on Weight Watchers in (first year) university, I used to take containers of my grandma's chicken chili to heat for dinner on nights where my classes finished after the dining hall closed. I took her basic recipe and twisted it this way and that, adding black beans instead of kidney, doubling the garlic, caramelizing the onions and adding a grated carrot for extra sweetness. As I made up the broth / tomato mixture, it seemed a little thin and the chicken a little scant, so I tossed in a handful of TVP to bulk things up. For seasoning, I mixed the sweet heat of ancho peppers and standard "American" chili powder with the hellfire flames of a Scotch Bonnet - which I pierced and added whole to the pot, cooked and removed at the end. A dash of smoked paprika and cumin rounded things out nicely,  providing just enough heat to toast you up without setting you on fire! 

 

Of course, my favourite part of any chili is that it gets better overnight - and in fact, when my mom had a spoonful, cold, right out of the fridge at noon the next day she declared it better than grandma's!

Shared with Gluten Free Fridays

Crab Caesar Salad #SundaySupper for Two

Salad is something that I eat a lot of daily. Not only is it refreshing and (when done right) filling enough to satisfy without weighing you down, it's so variable and easy to make that some weeknights it is dinner for one, poassibly with some toasted pita on the side. My "rabbit habit" is somewhat legendary at work, as not only do I eat the same thing every day, I'm one of the few people who willingly eat that quantity of vegetables, in their raw state, as their work-sustaining midday meal.

Regardless of the eye-rolls and jokes, I love the refreshing crunch of my salads, and like my five year old self, Caesar style is always a hit. Often I will make a double batch of dressing and keep it in the fridge so that I can whip up a dinner like this on a whim. The full recipe for this tangy, lightly dressed salad is the perfect meal for two this #SundaySupper, and by opting for a dairy- and mayo-free dressing it keeps things even lighter. I chose to combine iceberg and romaine lettuce for both crunch and classic flavour, and since I can't tolerate more than a little bit of "real" crab I mixed in some surimi for extra body and protein. Since I don't do bacon (and love spicy things), for the "smoky" element of the dressing I used a combination of smoked paprika and chipotle chili flakes (if you don't want the heat use smoked sweet paprika and plain black pepper to taste).

Whether or not you have someone to share this #SundaySupper with, you can be sure that a bowl of this salad won't be relegated to "side dish" status!

Chicken Recipes

• Chicken and Cheese Quesadillas by Pies and Plots
• Chicken Marsala by A Mind “Full” Mom
• Classic Coq Au Vin for Two by The Crumby Cupcake
• Creamy Parmesan Skillet Eggs by The Texan New Yorker
• Date Night Chicken Teriyaki Stir-Fry by Gourmet Every Day
• Orange Chicken by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Spicy Salsa Chicken by Simple and Savory

 

Pasta Recipes

• Chicken and Spinach Pasta with Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce by Pook’s Pantry
• One Pan Shrimp and Asparagus Linguini by Jersey Girl Cooks
• Scallop Pasta with Garlic and White Wine by Caroline’s Cooking
• Skillet Rigatoni alla Vodka for Two by Eat, Drink and be Tracy

 

Pork Recipes

• Porchetta by Cosmopolitan Cornbread
• Roast Pork Loin with Plum Sauce by Sew You Think You Can Cook

 

Red Meat Recipes

• Filet Mignon with Shiitake Mushrooms by Cooking Chat
• French Onion Filet Mignon by The Chef Next Door
• Honey Lime Steak Kebabs by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Mini Mushroom Meatloaf by Cricket’s Confections
• Mushroom Topped Pepper Steak for Two by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Pan Seared Sirloin Steak Dinner for Two by Life Tastes Good
• Pan-Seared Nutella Skirt Steak by Brunch-n-Bites
• Petit Filet with Red Wine Pan Sauce & Garlic Mash by Authentically Candace
• Rack of Lamb with Strawberry Mint Glaze by Sunday Supper Movement
• Steak Au Poivre by Renee’s Kitchen Adventures

 

Seafood Recipes

• Baked Salmon with Ginger Marinade by Feeding Big
• Crab Caesar Salad by What Smells So Good?
• Crab Imperial by Monica’s Table
• Creamy Shrimp & Sausage Skillet by Crazed Mom
• Grilled Swordfish with Husk Cherry Salsa by From the Bookshelf
• Peppadew Trout en Croûte by Food Lust People Love
• Shrimp and Grits with Andouille Cream Sauce by Soulfully Made
• Surf and Turf for Two by The Freshman Cook

 

Veggie Recipes

• Colorful Matchstick Salad with Mint Vinaigrette by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Curried Split Peas by Wholistic Woman
• Edamame Waldorf Salad by Ninja Baker
• Saffron and Leek Risotto – Served 2 Ways by Sprinkles and Sprouts

 
Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board. Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.

Beer Nut Brittle

Back about the same time I was cooking up the Vanilla Stout Glazed Nuts, I decided that the literal "beer nut" theme was something too good to pass up for a single recipe. Not only did I have most of the can of vanilla stout lying in wait, but I wanted to see what other things I could do with the two key ingredients.

That said, over the holidays (when I made this - the first time), kitchen, pot, bowl and pan space is at a premium. With every conceivable saucepan in the house in use (except our tiny "porridge pot" for two), I turned to the same method that worked so well when I made Chickpea Brittle - the microwave! Not only is it great for getting things cooking and cooling fast, but my microwave is far more even at cooking things like sugar than most of our old, well-loved but battered pots on the stove. The ingredients for the beer-based brittle were a little more complex to get to the right temperature than the basic chickpea one I made before, but as long as the mixture is fairly thick and starting to coat the nuts easily before adding the baking soda and vanilla, you're laughing.

Then again, you do have to wait for this to cool completely... and due to the beer (at least that's what I'm blaming) its more delicate and slightly "grainier" than your usual brittles would be. No matter though - one taste and you'll be as hooked as we were! Here's to offering a new "beer nut" this football Sunday!

"Faux-Tune" Cookies

Happy Chinese New Year!

The fortune cookie is the quintessential cap-off to any Chinese-American meal. Crunchy and sweet, they are vaguely tuile-like in both taste and texture... yet unlike the French cookie, they're relatively thick and hard rather than light and lacy-crisp. I personally avoid eating them - packaged in cellophane to be eaten after a relatively oily, heavy meal, they taste bland and not much more than "sweet-ish". However, I still tear open my packet to break open the cookie and find out what my future holds.

With Chinese New Year upon us, I wanted to bring some fun to my Home Ec classes and have the kids make their own fortune cookies. However, the manufacture of the batter-based ones is a little beyond our scope, equipment and skill wise. Then I stumbled onto a great idea on Mantitlement and had to try it out - taco-size tortillas! Not only are flour tortillas perfectly malleable, they're bland enough to take any flavouring presented. Rather than simply use sugar to make them the run-of-the-mill "sweet", I added cinnamon and Chinese 5 spice too. The combination made for an interesting, sweet-spicy crisp treat that held a handwritten fortune. It was a perfect afternoon snack for the kids too, since it wasn't too sugary but they felt like they were getting a huge cookie - they turn out to be about 3x the size of the standard ones!