Leftover Rice Pudding

I had some leftover rice in the fridge and I suddenly had the idea of using it to make rice pudding. My dad would be so happy because it's his favorite dessert!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups leftover cooked rice
• 1 can light evaporated milk
• 1/4 cup seedless raisins
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup sugar (depending on your taste)
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp ground allspice
• 1/8 tsp ground cardamom
• 1/8 tsp ground cloves

Directions:
Add the leftover rice to a medium saucepan with the can of evaporated milk and stir together. Add the rest of the ingredients then let simmer on medium heat, stirring often, for 20 minutes or until the liquid reduces and thickens. Serve immediately.

Apple-Ginger infused Iced Tea

This is a wonderful, fresh homemade iced tea recipe with just a subtle hint of ginger. It's excellent for warm, summer days or for something that you want to keep in the fridge all-year-round.

Ingredients:

• 2 Granny Smith apples, washed and chopped
• 3 pieces of fresh ginger, peeled
• 8 regular tea bags (I used Red Rose)
• 1/3 cup white sugar (to taste)
• Water

Directions:
Using a pitcher of water, fill it up halfway then pour that amount of water into a saucepan. Bring it to a boil then turn off the heat and add the ginger, apples and tea. Let steep for 30 minutes.

 Pour the iced tea water back into the pitcher through a sieve to catch all of the solids.

Add cold water to the pitcher and stir. Add the sugar to the desired amount. I started with 1/3 cup then added a pinch more but you can add more or less depending on your taste. I used white so that it wouldn't affect the flavor of the tea (I usually go for brown but I wanted something that was just sweet).

Stir then store in the fridge until chilled. Serve over ice.

How to make maple candy

This candy recipe is really easy and you can use any moulds that you like! We used maple leaves as we were having a fall wedding but it's up to you.

Recipe:

• 1 (398 mL or 14 oz) can pure maple syrup, grade B or "the dark amber stuff"
• 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
• 1 tbsp butter (not margarine)
• candy thermometer
• candy molds
• vegetable oil spray
• A good pot like a Dutch oven
• smaller container with a spout (like a creamer)
• large plastic freezer bags

Lightly spray the molds with vegetable oil so that the candy will come out easily while you bring the can of maple syrup, cream of tartar and butter to a boil. Stir the ingredients together slightly (just to mix it together) and add the candy thermometer. Then, let it boil without stirring until the candy thermometer reads 235 degrees (soft ball stage). Then, pour from the pot into the smaller container with a spout (it's just easier to handle). Now move fast! Pour into the molds until each candy is 3/4 full. Move quickly as the sugar darkens the longer it is removed from the heat. 

Let cool on the counter for about 15 minutes then tap the back to pop the hard candy out of the molds and into a large resealable freezer bag. Eat or store in the freezer for between three to six months.

Note: These are the hard, clear amber candies that you suck on. For the creamy maple candy, try this recipe.

Roasted garlic-infused chicken broth

If you are sick, the first thing that you think about is making hot chicken soup. Well, that's exactly what we did but I loaded up the chicken broth with roasted garlic. This stuff was so good that it will become a staple in our home!

Ingredients:

• 1 head garlic
• 1 900mL carton sodium-reduced chicken broth

Directions:
Cut the top off of the garlic head to expose the cloves inside and take off any loose peelings. Roast in a 400 degree oven for 35-40 minutes. Once it is done, remove it from the oven.

I poured the carton of chicken broth into a medium-sized bowl then put on an oven mitt. I picked up the bulb of roasted garlic and squeezed the garlic into the bowl of broth. Anything that didn't come out easily, I used a knife to get it out.

Once all of the garlic was in the broth, I mashed it down with a potato masher to get all of the flavor out. 

Then, I got a strainer and poured the broth into my chicken and rice soup. It's as simple as that!

Chicken and rice soup

My husband and I both have a cold so it was time to make hot chicken soup. We usually buy it but I decided to make it and test out my roasted-garlic infused broth.

Ingredients:

• 2 medium to large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 3 large shallots, peeled and chopped fine (a large onion also works)
• 3 medium carrots, trimmed, peeled and chopped up
• 3 stalks celery, trimmed and chopped up
• 1 cup white parboiled rice (20 minute cooking time, tops)
• 2 cartons sodium-reduced chicken broth, infused with roasted garlic
• 3 tbsp dried summer savory
• 1-2 tbsp dried oregano

Directions:
Roast the two chicken breasts in a 400 degree oven for 35-40 minutes then chop up fine. Meanwhile, heat up a Dutch oven pot on medium heat and add the chopped shallots (or onions), celery and carrots. Add a little bit of hot water, if necessary, to keep it from burning on. Stir and let soften. Add rice and broth then bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 15 minutes. Add chicken then you are done! Add salt and pepper at the end if needed, although it was so good that we didn't add any.

This makes 7 servings.

Notes:

• The next time that I make this, I will be doubling the garlic that was in the broth. This recipe was very good but I want the strong stuff for when we are sick.

9 Christmas gifts you don't have to buy

Well, it's that time again. It's time to go shopping for presents for our loved ones. We stand in long line-ups then race home to wrap it all. It's very stressful as we hope that the recipient will like what we bought them.

I'm not denying that I do this but I have been undergoing a transformation as of late: what about giving presents that you didn't buy? You may think that I am crazy but sometimes the best presents are ones that don't come from the store. What do I mean? Well, here are some ideas that might spark your imagination.

1. Jewelry: an item that was worn by a relative or important family member means more than buying the latest rock. I still get tears in my eyes every time I think of my necklace - it came from my great-aunt. I never take it off. Nothing that was bought can replace that connection.
2. Used hobby items: last year for Christmas I got my great-aunt's old knitting needles and it was the best present ever. Of course, I could buy an entire set into a craft store but she actually used these over the past 50 years. Now I am using them. All my mom had to do was fish them out of the closet! Other great items are pinking shears, scissors, pins, crochet hooks, yarn, fabric, books, patterns and such. If they are sitting around and you know someone who is interested in these items, gift them!
3. Dishes: for our wedding, we received a butter dish from an older lady who had originally received it for her wedding 54 years ago. This became a treasure in my house. Dishes last for such a long time and can be passed down in the family -- especially if they come with a special story.
4. Photos: old family photos are a real treasure. Sometimes everyone wants a copy of each photo, so why not go and get copies made of the old family photos and give those in a nice photo album?
5. Recipe cards: look for the old recipe cards that your grandmother or other family member wrote on. To make this present extra special, include the card (or a really good scan of the card) along with the item itself, made from the recipe. For example, grandma's fruitcake recipe with a fruitcake that you made.
6. Ornaments: just like dishes, some ornaments are treasures that were given to you by someone special. This is a great idea for whenever a grandparent passes away to give your children an ornament that they gave you one year. Perhaps include a few pictures of the grandparent and you with the ornament.
7. Furniture: if you have an item that was passed down in the family or bought from an antique furniture store, why not give that? It could be grandma's dresser or end table that will make someone else's day.
8. Articles of clothing: vintage clothing is very popular right now and you may have some items that you inherited or that you bought a long time ago but don't wear anymore. Some great ideas are purses and accessories but also shirts, dresses and such. I know that even if I don't like the item, I can remodel it and it is still something that my mother wore.
9. Blankets or quilts: family quilts are heirlooms. So are blankets, especially ones made by a grandparents.

10 things to do with clementines

It's the holiday season and clementines are in season! What can you do with them?

1. Eat them! Just peel the zipper skin and eat them as is.
2. Boil the peels with some spices in some hot water to perfume or humidify the house.
3. Mandarin cheesecake: try fresh, peeled clementine sections instead* with a little more sugar.
4. Stuff them in the toe of your stockings to eat Christmas morning.
5. Make a fruit salad with clementines, apples, pomegranate seeds and kiwi.
6. Add the peeled sections to a nice spinach salad with a poppyseed dressing.
7. Try making a clementine juice* mimosa.
8. Substitute* mandarins for sectioned clementine in this beet salad recipe.
9. Try this fruit dip with sectioned clementines*.
10. Add the peeled, sectioned clementines to your cranberry sauce instead of orange juice.

*Substitutions: mandarins are sweeter than clementines so you may need to add sugar to achieve the same result.


Of course, no post on clementines would be complete without addressng the wooden clementine box! What on earth can you do with that?

1. Come spring, use it as a planter in the garden or as a window planter.
2. Break it up, remove all of the plastic, paper and staples then use it for kindling in the fire (if that is allowed, double check in your area).
3. Use it in your home organization. Remove the plastic, staples and paper and sand down any edges that could give you splinters. Add items, a label and put on the shelf.
4. Make mulch out of it. Remove all of the plastic, staples and paper then give it to someone who makes mulch out of wood. Once it's all crushed, it can be used on flower beds in the spring.

Here are some more ideas:

• eHow: how to reuse a wooden clementine box
• Clementine box crèche
• apartment therapy: What to do with Clementine boxes
• fun in the making: category: reuse clementine box

Ice cream for dogs

I was talking to a friend the other day about her dog and she mentioned that she was taking him out for some doggie ice cream. I thought that this was a great idea so I decided to write a post about it.

As most animals are lactose intolerant (including dogs), ice cream would most likely be made of milk substitutes. My friend mentioned that her dog's favorite was sweet potato and the peanut butter ice cream.

Recipes

• 4 Recipes for Dog Ice Cream
• Frosty Paws Dog Ice Cream
• Gourmet Dog Treat Recipes
• Ice Cream Blog: Dog Ice Cream
• Peanut Butter & Banana Dog Ice Cream

Flavor Ideas

• Pureed vegetables like sweet potato, pumpkin, squash, potato, carrot
• Pureed fruit like banana, peach, apple,
• Flavors like peanut butter, honey, coffee, dog biscuits
• Milk (or milk substitutes) like rice or almond milk, yogurt and soy milk
• Savory ingredients like leftover meats, beef or chicken broth, and herbs

How to

• How to Make Ice Cream for Dogs
• Video: How to make doggie ice cream
• Wikihow: how to make doggie ice cream

Other Tidbits

• Nestle and Purina team up for doggie ice cream
• Ice Cream Truck for Dogs
• Blizzard Dogs in New York

5 Simply Fabulous Lunch Wraps

There is a wrap at a particular coffee shop that I LOVE. Whenever I forget my lunch, I get this wrap there on the way to work. I got thinking though: this is so incredibly good that I am sure that I can make it at home. Then I realized that there are other simply fabulous wrap combinations out there as well. Here are 10 that I thought of (and tested!):

1. Thai Tuna Wrap: make a chili lemon mayonnaise with chili powder, lemon juice and mayonnaise. Add a chopped red bird chili. Add 1 can of water-packed tuna, 2 tbsp chopped green onions, 2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander, 1/4 cup cooked brown rice and 1/4 cup shredded cooked carrot. Mix together and add to a sun-dried tomato wrap. Wrap and refrigerate before eating.
2. Horseradish Beef Wrap: Mix together 1/4 cup chopped leftover beef roast and 1/4 cup leftover sauteed onions and mushrooms. Add 2 tbsp prepared horseradish sauce (I like a lot more) and mix. Add to a sundried tomato wrap with some sliced red pepper strips. Wrap and refrigerate before eating.
3. Vietnamese Spring Rolls: Cook some rice noodles and shrimp. Also wet some rice paper. In the cooked rice paper, add a handful of cooked rice noodles and three to four shelled, cooked shrimp (tails removed). Add a long sprig of fresh coriander and strips of cut red and green pepper then roll up like a wrap. Also, make a peanut dip with 2 tbsp natural peanut butter, 1 tbsp ketchup and 1 chopped red bird chili. Serve immediately with the dip. (These can be refrigerated but I find that the rice paper and the noodles get a little hard.)
4. Antipasto Wrap: add some leftover cooked, chopped chicken to a bowl and mix with 3 tbsp chopped, drained sun-dried tomatoes, 3 chopped canned artichoke hearts, 1/4 cup cooked, drained frozen spinach and 1 oz feta cheese, crumbled. Mix together. Add to a sun-dried tomato wrap and wrap up. Serve immediately (because it might get soggy).
5. Greek spinach wrap: cook some frozen spinach then drain it well. Add to a spinach or pesto tortilla with some leftover chopped chicken and light feta cheese. Wrap up and serve immediately.

Spinach, mushroom and feta quiche

I made this lovely quiche for breakfast this morning and decided to share the recipe with you. The best thing about it is that it is a base recipe that you can adjust and add your own combinations. I have some ideas at the bottom.

(don't mind my picture, I forgot to use cooking spray)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup cleaned, sliced mushrooms
• 1 cup dethawed, cooked spinach (from frozen)
• 1/4 cup sodium-reduced feta cheese, chopped up
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 cup Bisquick
• Cooking spray (ex. PAM)

Directions:
Turn the oven on 385 F. Spray a baking dish with cooking spray. Meanwhile, add vegetables and feta cheese to a baking dish and stir well. In another medium-sized bowl, crack and add eggs. Discard shells and remove any traces of shell from the eggs. Add milk and Bisquick then stir together well with a whisk to break up any lumps. Add to baking dish with vegetables then bake for 40 minutes. Serve!


Notes:

• The base for this quiche is the milk, Bisquick and eggs. Once you have that down, anything is possible.The cheese ratio is usually 1 cup of shredded cheese but I reduced it given the strong flavor of feta cheese.
• I have also made quiche muffins before. I sprayed the muffin tin with cooking spray then I mixed it up in a mixing bowl then added it by a 1/2 cup measuring cup to each muffin. Baking time is around 30 minutes.
• I added no salt to this particular combination because I had feta cheese in it. However, with other combinations you might want to add salt and pepper to taste before baking.

Combination ideas:

• Green pepper, mushrooms and ham with shredded cheddar cheese
• Shredded apple (or pear), ham and very sharp or old shredded cheddar cheese
• Hot salsa, corn and shredded cheddar cheese
• Broccoli, ham or bacon and cheese (blue cheese, Havarti, cheddar, etc.)
• Leftover chopped chicken or turkey, green pepper, spinach and cheese (any of the above choices although feta would be stellar)
• Red pepper, asparagus and Swiss cheese (or Emmenthal, Havarti, Gouda, etc.)
• Sliced potato, bacon and 1 cup very sharp or old shredded cheddar cheese
• Red pepper, pepperoni and mozzarella cheese
• Caramelized onions, mushrooms and leftover beef roast with cheese (perhaps cheddar or Havarti)
• Roasted cauliflower, red pepper and onions with Jahlsberg cheese (or Havarti, Gouda)

Making a lazy supper better...

I didn't want to cook last night AT ALL. No way, no how. So, I bought a bean and cheese burrito with the thought that supper would only take 2 minutes. Then my conscience stepped in saying: you have time to sauté some vegetables. I listened and it only took about 15 minutes. I did the dishes while this cooked.

Sautéed cabbage:

• 1/4 Savoy cabbage, shredded
• 1 tbsp butter
• sodium-reduced chicken stock
• salt
• pepper

I heated up the cast-iron pan to medium and melted the butter. Add the cabbage and sauté but let it stick on a little bit. I cooked it for about 15 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes or so. I added a splash of chicken stock whenever it was needed then seasoned it with salt and pepper before serving.

After I cooked some cabbage and green beans, I felt better about the burrito. At least I was getting some veggie intake!

15 Meals with leftovers

Do you want to eat that meal again? How can you remake it so that you are using up the leftovers but eating something new? These are 15 ideas that I had on how to remake leftovers and turn them into a new meal.

1. Hot chicken sandwich: Take leftover chopped chicken or turkey and add to a piece of toast. If it's Xmas or Thanksgiving, add a little dressing or cranberry sauce as well then cover with another piece of toast for a hot chicken/turkey sandwich. Chutney or homemade relish is another option. Cover with hot gravy (leftover or not). Eat with leftover veggies.
2. Pot pie: Make a chicken, turkey or beef pot pie with leftover meat, veggies and some thawed puff pastry. Great add-ins are peas, corn, carrots, potatoes, mushrooms and cheese.
3. Chili spaghetti: Add leftover chili to spaghetti sauce and serve with pasta for a spicy kick.
4. Chili beans: Add leftover chili to baked beans (leftover or canned). You can also add this to hotdogs for spicy chili dogs while watching the game.
5. Chili cakes: Dethaw two packages of puff pastry. Grease one to two muffin tins and heat the oven up to 375. Cut the thawed pastry into squares and fit into muffin tins. Fill the cavity with leftover vegetable chili and sprinkle some cheese on top. Bake until the cheese is golden and the filling is hot, about half an hour. Eat as many as you want!
6. Pasta cups: take any leftover pasta that you have. Toss with a chopped pepper, onion and shredded cheese. Stuff the muffin cups with the pasta mixture and bake in a 350 F oven for about 20-30 minutes or until browned on the bottom. Serve with a salad. You can probably do this with rice too.
7. Burritos: Chop some onions, red and green pepper, mushrooms and some tomatoes. In a warm skillet, sauté the onions and tomatoes, then add the peppers and mushrooms along with hot sauce, chili powder and oregano; cook until soft. Add some leftover chopped chicken or beef roast pieces at the end to heat it up. Add to a flour tortilla and add some shredded cheese overtop, roll up and eat.
8. Quesadillas: Chop up a celery stalk and some red pepper into small pieces and stir fry until done. Add chopped leftover chicken to this mixture then spread over a flour tortilla. Pour cheese salsa overtop, add another flour tortilla on top and heat up in the microwave until cheese salsa is hot, about a min. Another idea is to add leftover chili to the quesadilla.
9. Action-packed rice: heat up a saute pan with some oil and add some chopped onion and mushrooms. Add 1 cup of leftover rice and season with soy sauce. Add some chopped up leftover meat and scrambled egg and keep cooking until the rice starts to brown on the bottom (but not burn). Add some thawed, chopped spinach. Keep turning until everything is heated and mixed through then serve.
10. Hash: you can do this with almost any leftovers. Take leftover chopped meat, potatoes and veggies and saute in a pan with a chopped onion. Let it brown on the bottom and keep turning it over to let it cook together then serve. This is great with leftover sausages, potatoes and veggies or other ingredients like bacon, eggs and sweet potatoes.
11. Fajita rice stew: Chop up some celery and red and green peppers along with a large onion and 2 cloves of garlic. On a separate cutting board, chop up two to three beef steaks in strips about 1 inch long. In a warm skillet, add a little oil then the onion and later the garlic. Add the meat strips, cook them. While this is cooking, open a can of black beans and a can of corn niblets, both drained well. Add the beans and corn along with the peppers and along with a large bottle of hot or medium salsa (or leftover chili). Add spices like cumin or chili powder if desired. Add 1 cup of cooked leftover rice. Simmer it all down until the peppers are tender and serve this beef fajita stew (can be done with chicken also). Add chopped cilantro at the end if desired, or chopped green onions.  This can also be made in advance and served as a cold rice salad.
12. English muffin paninis: Chop your fav cheese and lay out on an English muffin. Add tomato slices, pieces of cooked leftover meat, and some cleaned spinach leaves. Put two halves together, and press into a George Foreman grill like a Panini press until golden brown and flattened a bit.
13. Tacos: use any leftover meat with some shredded lettuce and cheese to make tacos. All you need is a taco kit.
14. Creamy casserole: Add some pre-cooked brown rice to a casserole dish with 1 cup of chicken broth. Add sliced veggies (leftover or fresh) and diced meat (leftover or fresh). Add leftover pureed soup (instead of canned soup) and bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes. You can also add shredded cheese before baking, if you want.
15. Mashed potato cups: load up your leftover mashed potatoes with cooked bacon, chives, sour cream, cheese or whatever you want. Mix it up then add to a greased muffin tin (or you can use paper cups). Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes or until done. Eat on the side with your meal. Another idea is to mix leftover mashed potatoes with leftover chili and top with cheese to make these.

Ode to coconut

I LOVE coconut. Seriously. If it smells like coconut or tastes like it, I will eat it (or wear it). Sometimes both. But one thing that I have always wanted to master is making my own shredded coconut. That means successfully roasting a whole coconut. I have had many adventures with this during university (yes, I was the student roasting coconuts in my 1970s green stove while studying). So, I researched how to master this art and spent an afternoon with a coconut ready to master this skill.

How to crack open a coconut

I have done lots of research on the best way to crack open a coconut: by roasting it. To start, you need a hammer and a nail (sterilized, if possible). Take the three holes that are on one of the ends and place the bottom of the coconut down so that these holes are facing you. 

Take the nail and hammer it into these three holes. It helps if you have someone to hold the coconut while you nail into these holes. 

If your nail isn't thick enough (like ours), move it around the hole a bit to make it bigger. Drain out the coconut water into a glass and reserve for another use. If the water is sluggish, try nailing a hole in the other end of the coconut to create air circulation in the coconut.

My coconut had 1/2 cup of coconut water. I filtered it through a sieve and a cheesecloth to filter it out the pieces of shell, dirt and coconut flesh. 

For roasting, simply put the drained coconut on a baking sheet and bake in a 375 degree oven for 15-20 minutes or until the shell breaks.  

 

If the shell is not cracked enough, cover the coconut with tea towels and crack it open with a hammer. We also used a knife to loosen the flesh from the shell.

Fish out the coconut flesh from the shell and roast it for another 10 minutes to dry it out. 

How to make shredded coconut

After roasting the coconut and letting it cool, remove all of the loosened meat from the coconut shell. Whatever is not loose comes off with a knife. Take the back of the meat and peel with a vegetable peeler. 

I also cut the smaller pieces into very thin pieces with a sharp knife. The grater works but only if the coconut is dry.

The grated meat can be stored in the fridge in a plastic bag or container. I made three variations. The first (above) was simple shredded coconut. I added 1 teaspoon of sugar to 1 cup of coconut for sugared coconut:

 (I shook the closed container to cover everything with the sugar).

The third variation that I made was roasted coconut. I spread 1 cup of sliced coconut out in a baking sheet and baked it in a 375 oven. I checked it every four minutes and removed any brown pieces with tongs (not my fingers, it was too hot). 

Some of the smaller pieces were done within 9 minutes, some took 16 minutes. But this is definitely worth it! Roasted coconut is unbelievably good!

How to use coconut water

• Add to any Asian dishes that you are making like a Thai coconut soup, Indian butter chicken or shrimp stir-fry.
• Add to a smoothie for a great flavor. Perhaps this will work best with smoothies made with pineapple, cherries, strawberries, chocolate, bananas, mango and kiwi. Add a little rum if you want.
• Drink it after working out.
• Add to 1/2 cup yogurt along with some shredded fresh coconut and trail mix for a great breakfast.

How to make coconut milk

Add the coconut water to a blender along with 1 cup of grated, roasted coconut and 1 cup evaporated milk. Blend on high until it is fully processed. Strain if necessary.

How to reuse coconut shells

• If you are close to Hallowe’en (or a Polynesian vacation) you can create a coconut shell bikini top. Add a grass skirt and a pink scarf to tie back your hair and you have a Hallowe’en costume.
• I found these coconut drinking glasses on the Coconut King website. It looks like they took one coconut shell, husked it and cut it open about two inches from the top with a saw, probably the end without the three holes. Then they took the smaller half and cut the top 0.5 inch off with the saw. Then the smaller part is superglued (or adhered in some other way) to the bottom of the larger half to create a drinking glass.
• The above "drinking glass" can also be used to serve Thai coconut soup at your next dinner party, to hold homemade cloth napkins or cutlery on the table or fresh, grated coconut for adding to desserts.
• Take a hammer and smash them up as a stress reliever whenever you need a moment. Then, throw them into the compost.
• Smooth down the coconut shell so that there are no hairs on it and cut it into circles with a scroll saw. Drill two holes in the centre and use it as a button.
• If you didn’t drill holes into the coconut to drain the water, consider reusing the shell for dinner party presentations of drinks, soups or dips. This may require some creative thinking as coconut shells are round and can’t stay up on their own. 

Coconut calories (all for 1/4 cup or 1 oz):

• Dried coconut meat, roasted: 116 calories, 13g fat (12g saturated), 0mg Cholesterol, 10 mg Sodium, 12 g Carbs, 1g Protein.
• Coconut meat, raw: 99 calories, 9g fat (8g saturated), 0mg Cholesterol, 6mg Sodium, 4g Carbs (3g Fiber, 2g Sugar), 1g Protein. 
• Coconut water: 5 calories, 0g fat, 0 mg Cholesterol, 29mg Sodium, 1g Carbs (1g Sugar), 0g Protein.
• Coconut meat, dried, shredded, sweetened: 140 calories, 10g fat (9g saturated), 0mg Cholesterol, 73mg Sodium, 13g Carbs (1g Fiber, 12g Sugar), 1g Protein.
• Coconut cream, sweetened: 100 calories, 5g fat (4g saturated), 0mg Cholesterol, 10mg Sodium, 15g Carbs (14g Sugar), 0g Protein.

All of this data is from Nutrition Data. All in all, coconut is mostly fat and sugar and contains no good nutrients (unless you want to gain weight!)

Notes:

• Coconut shells have all sorts of uses around the world. In Indonesia, they can be made into boxes for wedding rings. There is also this soap dish and many other great ideas at http://www.ecoconvenience.ca/.
• Coconut shells are also used in jewelry in Thailand and many other South Asian countries.
• What are your feelings about robots picking coconuts instead of humans?

15 Quick, Easy Meals

Are you having trouble getting supper together? Or perhaps you stand looking into the fridge wondering what to cook for supper. Here are 15 ideas (enough for 3 weeks of week-day suppers) for quick, healthy meals from my recipe book.

1. Chilled lentil salad: Open a can of lentils, drain and wash well. Add to a bowl. Chop up some fresh coriander and a two chopped tomatoes, add to bowl with lentils. Sprinkle with a little chopped onion and a little garlic powder, the juice from a lemon, salt and pepper, and some Parmesan cheese. Toss together and put in the fridge for a couple of hours beforehand.
2. Moroccan couscous: Heat up two cups of vegetable or chicken stock in the microwave until boiling. Once done, add one cup of couscous, let set for five min. Meanwhile, chop up some dried apricots and fresh coriander. Have some chopped walnuts and raisins ready, along with a chopped fresh tomato and a little olive oil. Once the couscous is ready, add all of this and fluff. Add salt and pepper. Serve on the side with cooked lamb or pork chops.
3. Indian Chickpeas: Open a can of chickpeas and drain, rinse off well. Add to an oven dish. Pour a bottle of low-fat Indian Butter Chicken sauce over top and put in the fridge over night to marinate. Take out of the fridge at least one hour before cooking (if possible), then roast at 375 degrees for about 45 min and serve over rice with steamed broccoli. The chickpeas can be replaced with cubed, thawed chicken as well. 
4. Shrimp and Asparagus stir-fry: Break off the woody ends of asparagus, chop into one inch pieces. Heat up a skillet with a little oil, then add some onion and garlic, sauté. While that is cooking, take the tails off of shrimp from a thawed shrimp ring. Add the asparagus, sauté until bright green. Add shrimp just to warm up. Add your favorite stir-fry sauce (soy sauce, teriyaki, sweet and sour, mushroom soup, etc.) then serve over rice.
5. Smoked Salmon Bagel Sandwiches: Toast a small multi-grain bagel, scrape some plain cream cheese on it while it’s still a little warm along with some fresh dill. Add a thawed slice of smoked salmon, two slices of tomato and a little lettuce on top.
6. Mexican bean salad: Open a can of black beans, drain and wash off. Add to a bowl. Do the same with a can of corn niblets, add to the bowl. Add a bottle of salsa (hot or mild) and some chopped coriander. Stir and let set in the fridge over night before serving, if desired.
7. Fusion rice: Heat up a skillet with a little oil. Add the rice and spice mix from a box of Dainty Indian rice with ¼ cup of water. Add chopped celery and chopped dried apricots. Sauté until liquid is absorbed, and if necessary add another ¼ cup water. Meanwhile, take the tails off shrimp from half of a thawed shrimp ring. Add the shrimp when ready along with some shredded carrot, sauté until shrimp is hot then serve.
8. Homey rice with ham: Open a package of Dainty chicken rice. Heat up a skillet and add the rice and spice pack. Add some frozen peas and chopped ham. Cook together, at the last minute add some shredded carrot and let that cook a little. Serve.
9. Calzone: Dethaw a piece of puff pastry. When soft, cut into two or three squares. Crack two eggs, but only keep the whites and have ready in a small bowl with a brush. Heat up the oven to 375. In the middle, add pepperoni, cooked sausage, tomatoes, mushrooms, etc. your fav pizza toppings and cheese. Brush the edges of the pastry with the egg wash and fold one edge onto the other to make a triangle package. Seal with a fork, brush the pastry with egg wash. Bake until golden brown, about 15 to 20 min in the oven.
10. Tomato-bacon pasta: Chop up an onion, a box of cleaned mushrooms, and about 7-10 chopped pieces of bacon (depending on your preference) on a cutting board. Clean a box of cherry tomatoes. Heat up a hot skillet, add the bacon. Cook down until reduced and starting to brown. Add the onions and mushrooms. Meanwhile, heat up water for pasta, one with nooks and crannies like macaroni or fusilli. When the pasta goes into the pot, set the timer for the cooking time. 5 min before the pasta is done, add the tomatoes to the bacon skillet and with a spoon, gently pop all of them. When the pasta is done, drain and add to tomato-bacon sauce. Toss well. Serve.
11. White pizza: Get a premade pizza crust and sauce from the grocery store. Preheat the oven to 375. On the crust, slather with Ranch dressing, except for the margin edges. Sprinkle lots of mozzarella cheese over top. Add some cooked crumbled bacon, sausage, chopped spinach and chopped tomato. Bake in oven until cheese is brown and the crust is golden brown around the edges, about 15-20 min.
12. Orzo Pasta Salad: Chop up some cleaned celery, tomato and a little onion. Add to a bowl of leftover orzo pasta, or any leftover pasta. Coat with some Greek salad dressing. Add chopped black olives and feta cheese if desired, stir together and let sit at least one hour before eating cold.
13. Mushroom beef, potatoes and veggies: Heat up a skillet and brown some thawed ground beef. While that is happening, chop up an onion, a couple cloves of garlic, and a box of mushrooms. Once the meat is mostly browned, drain off some of the fat and return to burner. Add all chopped ingredients and let soften. Add a can of cream of wild mushroom soup, mix together. Serve overtop of mashed potatoes and have something green like peas on the side.
14. Puréed vegetable soup: Boil a vegetable of choice (like cauliflower, broccoli, asparagus, squash, carrot, parsnip, leeks, etc) in either chicken or vegetable stock with the addition of a clove or two of peeled garlic. Once the vegetable is cooked, add everything to a blender and purée until smooth. If it is too thick, add more chicken stock or even add some evaporated milk to make it a nice, creamy soup.
15. Sautéd Succotash: Chop up an onion. Heat up a skillet with a little oil. Drain a can of red kidney beans and dethaw 1 cup of corn. Wash the beans well. Add onion to skillet on medium heat, sauté. Add a little vegetable stock if liquid is necessary. Season with salt and pepper, let cook until the skins of the beans pop, about 10-15 min.

10 Great Presents for your Parents

I like to spoil my parents at Xmas. Each year I like to spend time thinking of some great things to give my parents for the holidays. These are some of the great ideas that I have thought of:

1. Homemade Videos on DVDs: take all of the videos that your parents took of you when you were a child and take them into a camera or video store that migrates from a video to a DVD. Get them to digitize the video and burn it onto a DVD for you. If you can, get the digital copies of the video as well. 
2. Scrapbooks: take pictures of when you were young or from the past year and create a scrapbook for your parents. 
3. Digital Picture Frame: load up a digital photo frame with pictures from the past year and let your parents enjoy seeing what you have been up to - this is a bonus if you have kids. Whenever you have new photos or visit home, load up the frame with new photos for a gift that keeps on giving. 
4. Restored Old Family Photos: scan them at a very high resolution and either get a photo editor to restore them or you can try it yourself with a program like Picasa or Adobe Photoshop. Get the photos developed and frame them for a surprising gift.
5. Genealogy scrapbook: building on scrapbooks and restored old family photos, why not create a scrapbook detailing your family history complete with old photos, stories and old recipe cards.
6. His and her scarves: knit a scarf set: hat, scarf and mitts for each parent. You can use a different pattern for each of them in their favorite colors.
7. Recipe book: if your parents never wrote down their recipes, perhaps you could do it for them. Write them down and assemble them in a journal, perhaps complete with photos. You can also do it in a spiral notebook with tabs to divide meals, desserts and holidays.
8. Old TV shows and movies: buy them a collection of movies or TV shows that they grew up with. Movie studios are releasing many older TV shows on DVD so it's great for your parents to relive their childhood or youth. 
9. Lessons or Classes: pay for them to take a class in a topic that interests them, or perhaps a topic that they've wanted to learn more about. 
10. Time: turn off the TV and put the computers away then spend the afternoon playing all of the games that you grew up on: Monopoly, Sorry, Battleship, Checkers, etc. 

25 fast, easy sides for meals

Here are 25 ideas that I had for sides to your supper. These are mostly vegetable sides that take around 20 minutes to make. They also make use of your oven if it takes longer so that the stove is free.

1. Heat up a skillet on medium heat. When warm, add some chopped bacon. Stir fry until it becomes brown and crisp, drain off a little fat if desired. Add chopped cleaned broccoli and stir fry until broccoli becomes bright green. Serve with rice. This can be done with green beans or Brussels sprouts as well.
2. Chop 3 onions into thin slices and a box of cleaned mushrooms into quarters. Add to a warm skillet with a little oil and sauté down until reduced in size by half, about 15 to 20 min. Add as a side to steak and rice, or potatoes.
3. Take four onions. Peel off the skin, cut off the hairy ends. Set all four onions (whole) in a purex baking dish. Brush with BBQ sauce then roast in an oven at 375 degrees for 45 min to one hour, or until soft. Serve with steak.
4. Clean off three large potatoes (peel if desired). Cut into wedges, fries or hash browns. Toss in a bowl with a little oil and a variety of spices, from chili powder to thyme and basil. Add salt and pepper. Lay in one layer on a cookie sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 25 min, shaking and stirring at least once, until golden brown.
5. Take some leftover mashed potatoes. Add cooked bacon and chopped green onions, or other add-ins. Add enough flour and an egg to bind it together, then form into patties in your hands. Add to a hot skillet and fry until golden brown on both sides, about 4 mins. Serve.
6. Sliver some nappa cabbage and add to a warm skillet with a little oil. Stir fry and add some hot sauce. This only takes five mins at the most, when the cabbage is limp, it’s done.
7. Sliver some nappa cabbage, chop an onion and 2 cloves of garlic. Add the onion to a hot skillet with a little oil and saute until translucent. Add garlic and cabbage and saute until the cabbage is done.
8. Heat up the oven to 375 degrees. Cut an acorn squash in half, clean out seeds. Season with salt and pepper and add spoonfuls of applesauce. Add a little grated cheese on top if desired. Roast covered with aluminum foil for 45 min to an hour, or until soft with pierced with a fork.
9. Peel and chop some cucumber into rounds. Add to a bowl with 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons vinegar and a 1 tablespoon of white sugar, enough to create a watery sauce. Season with salt and pepper, let set for as long as possible.
10. Cut a butternut squash in half. Peel with a vegetable peeler (it’s easier) and scoop out seeds. Add to a roasting dish. Toss with a little oil, salt and pepper then roast in the oven at 350 until fork tender, about 30-45 min. When done, toss with a chopped fresh herb before serving, like basil or coriander.
11. Heat up one and a half cups of chicken stock in the microwave. Meanwhile, chop up some cleaned spinach and some sun-dried tomatoes. When stock is hot, add to a bowl and pour in one cup of couscous. Add the spinach and tomatoes, cover. Let set for about 5 to 8 min, fluff with a fork before serving.
12. Chop up some peeled carrot and peeled turnip. Add to a pot and simmer with enough chicken stock to cover with a little extra. Add a clove of peeled garlic too. Once fork tender, purée in a blender and season if necessary.
13. Clean four hot house tomatoes. Finely chop up some onions, bacon, mushrooms and green pepper and add to a skillet to reduce it down. In another bowl, mix some of your favorite shredded cheese with some bread crumbs of finely chopped nuts. While the onion mixture is reducing, cut the tops off of the tomatoes and remove the seeds and pulp so that you can stuff them. Once the onion mixture is ready, add the bread crumb mixture to it. Stuff the tomatoes with the onion-bread crumb mixture and top with the cheese. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 30-45 min or until the bread crumbs and cheese are golden brown.
14. Open two cans of sliced beets and drain. Cube on a chopping board. On a separate board, crumble some feta or goat cheese. Heat up a skillet, add the chopped beets and sauté. Sprinkle with a little fresh chopped basil. Add crumbled cheese and serve. 
15. Cook some frozen peas in water until they are done, usually 5 min after the boiling point. Drain and toss with some sour cream and freshly chopped mint or coriander.
16. Clean off four large portabello mushrooms with a paper towel and remove the stem. Meanwhile, chop up two Italian tomatoes, some pitted black olives, some fresh spinach and some feta cheese. Add all of these ingredients to a bowl and toss with fresh bread crumbs or finely chopped walnuts. Stuff mixture into mushroom cavity, bake in preheated 375 oven until the top is brown and the mushrooms have shrunken a little in size.
17. Chop off the frizzy top (fronds) of a fennel and the stump off the bottom. Slice in half, then cut into ½ inch slices. Season with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat up a skillet and spray with Pam or add butter to melt down. When hot, place in the slices of fennel in one layer and let sear down. This takes about 6 min per side and it’s done once the core of the fennel is softened.
18. Chop of the hairy end and dark green parts of the leek. Clean, half and chop into small pieces. Clean and chop up some mushrooms and an onion. Sauté in a warm pan with a little oil, first the onion, the leek then the mushrooms until all is softened. Meanwhile, place dethawed pastry tartlets in a muffin tin. Place leek mixture into tartlets by the spoonful, not too full. Add a little cream to each tart and cover with a little grated cheese; bake in a preheated 375 oven until the cheese is gold and bubbly.
19. Peel or clean an English cucumber. Slice into rounds, not too thick or thin. On the cutting board, season each side with salt and pepper. Arrange cucumber rounds onto a plate and eat as a veggie side.
20. Preheat the oven to 375. Clean and chop the ends off of two small zucchinis. Slice in half. Salt and pepper the top. Crumb some feta or goat cheese and add on top of the zucchini halves, add a dash of hot sauce if you like. Place in a square baking dish and bake until soft and the cheese is a little golden, about 10-15 min. Serve on the side.
21. Take a ripened avocado and slice in half, twist apart. With a quick thrust with a butchers knife, hit the pit, turn to the side and pull it out. Now, very quickly, use a spoon and go around the entire edge of the avocado to scoop it out in one piece. On a cutting board, chop it up into cubes and put into a dish. Quickly douse it with the juice from one lime. Add salt and pepper and some freshly chopped coriander, toss together for a side salad.
22. Open a can of lentils, drain and wash well. Add to a bowl. Chop up some fresh coriander and  two chopped tomatoes, add to bowl with lentils. Sprinkle with a little thinly chopped onion and garlic, the juice from a lemon, pepper, and some Parmesan cheese. Toss together and put in the fridge for a couple of hours beforehand.
23. Heat up two cups of vegetable or chicken stock in the microwave until boiling. Once done, add one cup of couscous, let set for five min. Meanwhile, chop up some dried apricots and fresh coriander. Have some chopped walnuts and raisins ready, along with a chopped fresh tomato and a little olive oil. Once the couscous is ready, add all of this and fluff. Add salt and pepper.
24. Québécois mashed potatoes: Peel and chop up 2 or 3 large potatoes, 2 or 3 large carrots, 2 parsnips and half of a turnip. Add to a pot with enough chicken stock or vegetable stock to cover (Or, mix the stock with water so that you don’t use so much of it). Boil and cook until fork tender, like normal with potatoes, but make sure that it’s the turnip that’s cooked. Once done, drain off some of the stock, using some for natural liquid when mashing. Add salt and/or pepper if desired, perhaps a little sour cream if you want. Serve on the side. 
25. Heat up a skillet over medium heat and chop up an onion, a box of mushrooms and some cleaned spinach. Saute onion and mushrooms with a pat of butter until the mushrooms have shrunken (6 minutes) then add the spinach. Add a little hot sauce if desired then serve.

30 healthy desserts

I love desserts but I want to know that it is good for me. Don't get me wrong, I like a slice of cheesecake but I don't want to eat it every day. My hips would not thank me for that! So, here are some of the desserts that we eat on a regular basis.

1. Wash a bunch of red or green grapes, pick out any that are rotten or too brown. Pick off the vine and put into serving size containers. Cover and freeze. Take out when you want a snack.
2. Add some fresh raspberries to a serving-size bowl. Sprinkle some chopped walnuts on top and add a spoonful of honey. Toss (GENTLY) with a spoon until mixed. Serve.
3. Add some fresh blueberries to a serving-size bowl. Sprinkle with some chopped pecans. Meanwhile, in a small container, mix one tablespoon of honey with a sprinkle of lime juice. Stir until watery then pour over blueberries. Toss gently with a spoon and eat.
4. Cut up a fresh pineapple and chop into cubes. Add some dried cranberries and a handful of walnuts. Drizzle with a little maple syrup and stir together. (note, don’t worry if the fresh pineapple is brown after a day, its like an apple; worry only if it’s brown when you cut it).
5. Add some chopped apricots and raisins to a bowl with a shot of dark Rum and some brown sugar, set aside to plump up. Meanwhile, sauté some chopped pear. Add rum apricot mixture to the pear and toss with some chopped shelled pistachios. Add to a flour tortilla with a little cinnamon sprinkled overtop, wrap up and eat. Add to pan to brown on all sides if desired to crisp it up.
6. Cut up a fresh pineapple and chop into cubes, immediately toss with a little lime juice. Peel and chop a kiwi into wedges, and peel and seed a papaya then chop into cubes. Add all to a bowl. In a separate bowl, stir together enough honey and lime for a dressing to suit the quantity. Pour over top of fruit, add some chopped peeled pistachios and a little unsweetened coconut. Toss and eat!
7. Heat up a skillet; once warm, add about 1 to 2 cups of balsamic vinegar, depending on the amount of fruit along with 2 tbsp of honey. On stove, let simmer down until reduced to one quarter and syrupy. Meanwhile, wash some fresh strawberries, hull and cut into wedges. Place into serving sized bowls. When balsamic reduction is ready pour a little into each bowl as a dressing for the fruit.
8. Cut ¼ cup cleaned fresh cherries into half and discard pit and stem: don’t worry if it’s in pieces, you’re only going to eat it. Put halves into a small bowl, add ¼ cup of a nutty granola. Stir together, add honey if desired.
9. Peel a banana and shove a popsicle stick up one end. If it’s a rather large banana, cut in two and shove the popsicle stick up either end. Freeze in the freezer for a couple of hours. Meanwhile, three hours later, heat up some chocolate syrup or chocolate chips, carefully, in a glass or metal bowl over boiling water while stirring (a double boiler). When chocolate has melted, dip the banana into it, let cool and harden. Stick back in the freezer for chocolate pops! (Ok, I know this one takes a little bit of time, but it’s worth it in the end)
10. Grease a purex baking dish. Add 2 cups of fresh washed blueberries. Wash 4 firm nectarines, cut in half and take out pit. Slice into wedges and add to baking dish. Add dollops of sour cream on top. Meanwhile, in another bowl add about ½ cup of brown sugar and 1 ½ cups chopped pecans. Mix together and sprinkle on top of fruit mixture. Bake in 375 degree oven for about 30-45 min, until done.
11. Take a large handful of red and of green seedless grapes, wash them. Add to a bowl. Core and chop up an apple, add to bowl and quickly add the juice of half a lime. Peel 2 or 3 clementines, take off most of the white and any pits, and add to bowl. Peel and chop up a banana as well and add to bowl. Meanwhile, in another bowl add 2 shots of a nice tawny Port, 2 spoonfuls of liquid honey, the juice of the other half of a lime and a little cinnamon. Mix together, add to fruit salad, let set and eat when you want it.
12. Preheat a grill (George Foreman or a real BBQ) to medium, or turn it on. Cut the top and bottom off of a fresh pineapple, then cut down the middle. Cut into slices, rind and all. Meanwhile, in another bowl, prepare equal parts of lime juice and honey, if desired. Brush onto slices of pineapple then place on grill, about 3 min per side or until you see definite brown char marks. Once, there are marks on both sides, serve!
13. Clean an apple, core it. Chop into slices (chop smaller into pieces if you like) and add to a bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the juice of half a lemon, a tablespoon of honey, a little cinnamon, and a little bit of cardamom. Add syrup to the apple, mix up. Take a piece of candied ginger, two if you like it spicy, and chop fine with a hot knife and add, mix together. Eat!
14. Clean a pear, core it. Cut into slices and dip into chocolate sauce. This works with peeled kiwi as well, or any fruit for that matter.
15. Peel an apple and core it. Cut into rings, sprinkle with some lemon juice. Meanwhile, heat up a skillet with some butter. Add the apple rings once the butter has melted and stir fry for 4 min until golden and tender and put in a plate. To the same wok, add some finely ground almonds and brown sugar and let brown a little bit while stirring constantly; sprinkle on top of the apples when done and serve.
16. Cut a croissant from the larger end into the middle, but not into two halves. In the pocket, spread on some ricotta cheese and your favorite kind of jam like strawberry, blueberry, raspberry or marmalade. Close the pocket and grill, while pressing down lightly, on a hot grill for 2-3 min per side.
17. Cut a papaya in half and scrape out the seeds. In a small bowl mix some melted butter, brown sugar, a little ground ginger and dark Rum then brush it on to the papaya. Grill, fruit side down on a grill until grill marks ensue or bake in the oven for 20 min at the most, until golden and soft. This can be done with nectarines, mango slices, pineapple and other fruits as well.
18. Take a cleaned firm nectarine and cut in half, take out the pit. Fill the cavity with marscapone cheese then sprinkle with some crushed gingersnap cookies. Place on a grill for 3-5 min or until they are hot and the cheese starts to melt.
19. Make a fruit salad with some apples and raspberries. Sprinkle with some lemon juice and a little brown sugar and a drop or two of rosewater or orange blossom water.
20. Clean some peaches, take the skin off by blanching the fruit if desired. Cut in half, take out the pit, then cut into slices. Heat up a skillet with some butter until it begin to brown. Add some brown sugar, the peaches and a shot of Bourbon, turn up the heat (beware of flames!!) and cook until the peaches are soft. Remove to a dish and sprinkle with whole raw pecans.
21. Add ¼ cup of Greek yogurt to a small bowl. Meanwhile, take a can of apricot halves in juice and drain off the juice. Place the apricots in a blender and add a shot of Grand Marnier. Blend together until smooth. Add ¼ cup of the blended apricots to the bowl then top with chopped pecans.
22. If you have a variety of melons around, make use of them! Cut a cantaloupe, honeydew and watermelon in half, seed them. Go nuts with a melon baller and add the balls to a bowl in a variety of colors. In a separate bowl, mix together a shot of Grand Marnier with 1/4 tsp orange blossom water per serving. Add to the melon and mix lightly.
23. Chop up some pineapple into bite-sized pieces and clean a handful of hulled strawberries, then chop up into pieces of the same size. Toss in 1 tbsp maple syrup per serving. Mix, add to fruit and let merry in the fridge. (In other words, make this before preparing supper).
24. If you are in the mood for something a little different, take a cantaloupe, peel it and seed it. Cut into large wedges. Brush with a melted butter and honey mixture and place on the grill until char marks ensue on either side. Meanwhile, chop up a handful of cleaned fresh basil leaves. When the wedges are finished, chop into smaller pieces, sprinkle with the basil and serve.
25. Preheat the oven to 350 or 400 if you want it to go faster. Take an apple, or as many needed, and cut the top off. Cut out the stem and with a spoon or melon baller removed all of the seeds and some of the inside of the apple. In the cavity add a pat of butter and a spoonful of brown sugar, along with a sprinkling of your favorite spice like cinnamon, nutmeg or cardamom. Put the top back on the apple and bake until soft, about 35 to 45 min depending on the temperature
26. Preheat the oven to 350. In a bowl, whisk 2 egg whites, a splash of vanilla, a pinch of your favorite spice like nutmeg (or cinnamon) with a splash of lemon zest, half a cup of sugar,  and 1 ½ cups of unsweetened shredded coconut. Mix until well coated. Form into balls and place on a greased cookie sheet in balls. Bake until golden brown, about 15 min (when they are firm but still soft in the middle). Be careful in removing them from the tray, they will only be crumbly for the first 20 min.
27. Cut up a fresh pineapple, peeled, cored, and cut into bite-sized cubes. Add to a bowl. Meanwhile, in a blender, throw in a few handfuls of cilantro leaves along with half a cup of sugar until it is a gritty green paste, like pesto. Toss the pineapple with the cilantro sugar and sprinkle with some unsweetened shredded coconut.
28. Take some pudding cups, whether it’s the packaged Jell-O pudding that you’ve made or a Hunt pudding cup, and stick it in the freezer. Wait for about four to five hours and eat one. It’s just like ice cream and so much healthier, especially if it’s the packaged jell-o one in fat free that you’ve made with skim milk.
29. In a bowl add some of your favorite frozen berries. Add a little maple syrup and some lemon zest and toss together. Top with some prepared whipped cream, whether you have made it with cream, dream whip, or the canned stuff…or, you can leave it out!
30. In a small bowl, combine ¼ cup sugar, and ¼ tsp of these ingredients: salt, pepper, ground cayenne, ground ginger, and ground cinnamon. In another bowl add 3 tbsps of maple syrup. Heat up a skillet and toast 2 cups of whole walnuts, constantly turning them for five minutes, or until they are hot. Immediately add to bowl with maple syrup then stir in the spice mixture. Coat all of the nuts and then spread out on a baking sheet in one layer until cool, about 20 min.

25 Easy Vegetable Sides

These are some of my favorite fast vegetable sides on the planet. The inspiration from here might have come from magazines or cooking shows but I have tested it all and it's great!

1. Heat up a skillet with a little oil. When warm, add some chopped bacon. Stir fry until crisping up, drain off a little fat if desired. Add chopped cleaned broccoli and stir fry until broccoli becomes bright green. Serve with rice. This can be done with green beans, Brussels sprouts, chopped nappa cabbage, peas or spinach as well.
2. Chop 3 onions into thin slices and a box of mushrooms into quarters. Add to a warm skillet with a little oil and sauté down until reduced in size by half, about 15 to 20 min. Add as a side to steak and rice, or potatoes.
3. Take four onions. Peel off the skin, cut off the hairy ends. Set all four onions (whole) in a purex baking dish. Brush with BBQ sauce then roast in an oven at 375 degrees for 45 min to one hour, or until soft. Serve with steak or grilled chicken.
4. Clean off three large potatoes (peel if desired). Cut into wedges (or thinner for fries). Toss in a bowl with a little oil and a variety of spices, from chili powder to thyme and basil. Add salt and pepper. Lay in one layer on a cookie sheet and bake at 425 degrees for 20 min, shaking and stirring at least once, until golden brown.
5. Sliver some cabbage and add to a warm skillet with a little oil. Stir fry and add some hot sauce. This only takes five mins at the most, when the cabbage is limp, it’s done.
6. Sauté some slivered nappa cabbage in a hot skillet with a little rice wine vinegar, hoisin sauce or soy sauce until done (about 15-20 minutes).
7. Heat up the oven to 375 degrees. Cut an acorn squash in half, clean out seeds. Season with salt and pepper and add spoonfuls of applesauce. Add a little cheez whiz or grated cheese on top if desired. Roast covered with aluminum foil for 45 min to an hour, or until soft with pierced with a fork.
8. Peel and chop a cucumber into rounds and add to a bowl. In a separate bowl, add some miracle whip, a little vinegar and a little sugar, enough to create a watery sauce. Season with salt and pepper, let set for at least 6 hours before serving.
9. Cut a butternut squash in half. Peel with a vegetable peeler (it’s easier) and scoop out seeds. Add flesh to a roasting dish. Toss with a little oil, salt, pepper and roast in the oven at 350 until fork tender, about 30-45 min. When done, toss with a chopped fresh herb before serving, like basil or coriander. This is great with potatoes, sweet potatoes or yams as well.
10. Chop up some fresh, cleaned spinach and add to a saute pan on medium. Add a little chicken stock if necessary and saute until the spinach has wilted. Toss with chopped sun-dried tomatoes and serve.
11. Chop up some peeled carrot and peeled turnip. Add to a pot and simmer with enough chicken stock to cover with a little extra. Add a clove of peeled garlic too. Once fork tender, purée in a blender and season if necessary.
12. Clean four hot house tomatoes. Finely chop up some onions, bacon, mushrooms and green pepper and add to a skillet to reduce it down. In another bowl, mix some of your fav shredded cheese with some bread crumbs of finely chopped nuts. While the onion mixture is reducing, cut the tops off of the tomatoes and gut them so that you can stuff them. Once the onion mixture is ready, stuff the tomatoes and top with the cheese and bread crumbs. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 30-45 min or until the bread crumbs and cheese are golden brown.
13. Open two cans of sliced beets and drain. Cube on a chopping board. On a separate board, chop up pieces of bacon or pancetta. Heat up a skillet, add the bacon or pancetta first and let it cook down. Once browned, add the chopped beets and sauté. Sprinkle with a little lemon juice and a dash of chopped rosemary. Serve once all is tender and the bacon is crisp.
14. Chop and clean some fresh spinach and slice a box of mushrooms and an onion. Add onion to a saute pan on medium and saute for two minutes then add the mushrooms. Saute for 5 minutes or until the mushrooms shrink then add the spinach. Saute until the spinach wilts. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve. This is also great with spicy cooked shrimp served on top.
15. Cook some frozen peas in water until they are done, usually 5 min after the boiling point. Drain and toss with some sour cream and freshly chopped mint or coriander. This also works great with green beans, Brussels sprouts and broccoli.
16. Clean off four large portobella mushrooms with a paper towel and remove the stem. Meanwhile, chop up two Italian tomatoes, some black olives, some fresh spinach and some feta cheese. Add all of these ingredients to a bowl and toss with fresh bread crumbs or finely chopped walnuts. Stuff mixture into mushroom cavity, bake in preheated 375 oven until the top is brown and the mushrooms have shrunken a little in size, about 20 minutes.
17. Chop off the frizzy top of a fennel and the stump off the bottom. Slice in half, then cut into ½” slices. Season with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat up a skillet and spray with Pam or add butter to melt down. When hot, place in the slices of fennel in one layer and let sear down. This takes about 6 min per side and it’s done once the core of the fennel is softened.
18. Chop off the hairy end and dark green parts of the leek. Clean, half and chop into small pieces. Clean and chop up some mushrooms and an onion. Sauté in a warm pan with a little oil, first the onion, the leek then the mushrooms until all is softened. Meanwhile, place dethawed pastry tartlets in a muffin tin. Place leek mixture into tartlets by the spoonful, not too full. Add a little cream to each tart and cover with a little grated cheese; bake in a preheated 375 oven until the cheese is gold and bubbly.
19. Peel or clean a cucumber. Slice into rounds, not too thick or thin. On the cutting board, season each side with salt and pepper. Arrange cucumber rounds onto a plate and eat as a veggie side.
20. Clean a head of collard greens and cut the stems off. Add to a pot of water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce and boil for another 5 minutes or until the leaves have wilted. Drain and toss with salt and pepper. Serve.
21. Preheat the oven to 375. Clean and chop the ends off of two small zucchinis. Slice in half and slice a little bit off of the skin on the bottom so that it sits upright with the cut end facing you. Salt and pepper the top. Crumb some feta or goat cheese and add on top of the zucchini halves, add a dash of hot red pepper flakes if you like. Place in a square baking dish and bake until soft and the cheese is a little golden, about 10-15 min. Serve on the side.
22. Take a ripened avocado and slice in half, twist apart. With a quick thrust with the bottom edge butchers knife, hit the pit, turn to the side and pull it out. Use a spoon and go around the entire edge of the avocado to scoop it from the skin. On a cutting board, chop it up into cubes and put into a small dish. Quickly douse it with the fresh juice from one lime. Add salt and pepper and some freshly chopped coriander, toss together for a side salad.
23. Peel and chop up 2 or 3 large potatoes, 2 or 3 large carrots, 2 parsnips and half of a turnip. Add to a pot with enough chicken stock or vegetable stock to cover (Or, mix the stock with water so that you don’t use so much of it). Boil and cook until fork tender, like normal with potatoes, but make sure that it’s the turnip that’s cooked. Once done, drain off some of the stock, using some for natural liquid when mashing. Add pepper or more salt if desired, perhaps a little sour cream if you want. Serve on the side.
24. Clean 2 heads of fresh broccoli and pull the leaves off. Chop up the stems then the heads into slivers and add to a bowl. Julienne a peeled carrot and 1/2 peeled, seeded cucumber and add to the bowl. In a small bowl, combine 3 tbsp Dijon mustard, 1 1/2 tbsp liquid honey and 2 tbsp wine vinegar and stir together with a fork. Add 1/4 cup sour cream and 2 pinches of paprika, combine again then pour over the broccoli slaw. Mix together then serve.
25. Open 2 cans of beets and drain, add to a medium-sized bowl. Core and chop up two large Granny Smith apples and add to the beets. In a small bowl, combine 3 tbsp white wine vinegar, 2 tbsp Dijon mustard and 1 tbsp liquid honey with a fork. Add to beet mixture and toss together. Let sit for a few hours or overnight.