10 calories per serving--guiltless decadence!

As part of being a blogger for Foodbuzz  Tastemaker program, I received a large package of  Ghirardelli’s new “Intense Dark” line of chocolate. Now, if you know me well you know I do not like chocolate very much at all. Dark chocolate is the epitome of chocolate. They even included a bar of chocolate that was 86% cacao. What? This is not bakers chocolate either?! Gross–I accept the challenge!!

Wow--now if only I liked chocolate!

I have plenty of eggs at home–no thanks to the chickens! I also had some new instant espresso I had just gotten that I wanted to try.  So–adding all those ingredients together along with once serving size of Ghirardelli’s “Sea Salt Soiree”   I came up with a great idea for a treat! Sometimes we all need a little treat, intense with flavor, to stave off any cravings we are worried about succumbing to, right?  Like that “night-cap” we look for before we settle in for the night or those pesky afternoon grazing urges we get. These cookies are so perfect for this, at only 10 calories a pop–(yeah 10 calories!!) . You will so enjoy the depth of this 72% dark chocolate with the savory pairing of the sea salt and the sweetness of the roasted almonds in a chewy bite sized cookie!

Dark Chocolate Espresso Meringue Bites
2 egg whites at room temperature
1 serving size dark chocolate (3 squares)
3 pinches cream of tartar
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 rounded teaspoon instant espresso
1 teaspoon cinnamon

See that one stubborn piece? I ate it.

Preheat oven to 215 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. ( I used miniature cupcake papers) Take your squares of the “Sea Salt Sioree” and added them to my coffee grinder. (the chocolate works best if you freeze it for a few hours first) Grind it all finely–you want it to fold it into the egg whites and let it blend fully instead of leaving chocolate chunks in the bite sized morsels.

Looks good enough to eat already!

Add egg whites to mixer and beat on high until soft peaks form then add the 3 pinches of cream of tartar.  Continue beating adding in the espresso and sugar slowly as the egg whites thicken. Stay of whipping the whites until they  are shiny and hold very stiff peaks.

I see sea salt.

Add the finely ground chocolate to the egg whites and gently fold in–you are not mixing it with any sort of effort here. Don’t go crazy thinking about all the chocolate and ruin the fluffy egg whites. I know how crazy you people can get about chocolates. Remain calm until you may eat them.

My makeshift decorator bag and zero skills.

Once the chocolate has been fully incorporated into the you can add the meringue to a large plastic freezer bag with the tip cut out. I used a frosting tip thinking I had some sort of mad skill with decorating with egg whites–turns out I posses no such skill.

40 servings equals 400 calories

Once each cup is filled and you have used all the meringue you can place the cookies on the middle shelf of the preheated oven. back for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Once they are firm to the touch you can turn off the oven and open the door and allow the cookies to sit in there for about an hour longer.

Once the cookies have fully cooled sprinkle with cinnamon and store in an airtight container in the freezer.

The cookies actually improved in texture and in taste after storing in the freezer for a few days. the texture is divine, really. It is firm like a meringue cookie when you first put it in your mouth but soon it softens into a caramel like texture as the rich flavors of the cookie grab your taste buds and give them a firm slap. So–these are time-consuming because they do take a while to bake–however, these are perfect to keep in your freezer when you may be looking for a snack, a treat–just that “something” that you keep wandering into the kitchen looking for. This is healthy eaters MUST HAVE!

Lately I have watched the show “Mad Men” on Netflix–have you seen it? It is set back in the 1960′s and they really try to show  a housewife then compared to now. I think this is a recipe perfect for a housewife set back in time–or moms who like to make it all from scratch!  When I made this fruit leather I did not realize it would take far longer to cook than the original recipe I found at Skinnymom.com . Well, they called it fruit rolls–I made mine thicker. I also thought the 3/4 cup of sugar was a ridiculous amount to add to dried fruit–not such a great after school snack if you ask me. So–I set out to try to make it sans sugar. That, my friends, is why it took me so long. I felt like a real 1960′s housewife working on a snack item for about 6 hours–so if you are short on time and do not mind the sugar SURGE for the kids you can of course add back in the sugar.

However, despite the long cooking time, this was so easy to prepare. You can turn on the fruit to boil down and start your daily chores of vacuuming, dusting, waxing, polishing, laundry, bathroom and bedroom cleaning. By the time your afternoon chores roll around you will be taking the fruit leather out of the oven and cooling it in front of the open window while changing into your dinner attire and wait for your husband to come home</sarcasm>. Typing that out and actually picturing it gave me an eye twitch.

Fruit Leather (made with love,patience and fruit)

These are perfect--see why I did not add any sugar?

Step One: Find Lonely and forgotten fruits. I love the shelf in the back at our market–we can get discounted fruit that really is not presentable but are great to use in cooking. Yup–organic fruits marked down to pennies a pound. PENNIES A POUND MOMS!! 

YUM! Fruit Soup!

Step Two: Add the fruits of choice to a large pot set on medium heat. I added bananas, kiwi, apple (skin on), mango, and about 1/4c high Pulp orange juice. 

cauldron burn and cauldron bubble

Step Three: Cook until it is reduced by about 2/3rd. It took me about 2 hours to get it to cook down to a little under half and I should have cooked it longer. The colors will really deepen while it cooks and  you will need to scrape down the sides of the pan as it reduces. It smelled so delicious–warm and fruity like a fall day in the apple orchards. Set oven to 250 degrees F.

The original recipe called for parchment paper. I keep forgetting I am Martha Stewart when I am at the market and do not buy any.  I need to add a reminder to my smart phone–I wonder if there is a Martha Stewart app for that.

Set it and Forget it!

Step Four: Spread fruit evenly and thinly in the backing pan–use caution because it is HOT! In this picture you can see how I spread my fruit a bit uneven and it was a little too thick. So–you do it right–learn from my errors.  Bake for about 4 hours depending on your oven and the thickness of the fruit. When it looks like leather then remove it from the oven and flip the fruit over–it will be MUCH smaller. Place back in the oven and shut it off. 

The Amazing Cooling of the Fruit Strips

Step Five: Once the fruit has cooled to the touch remove from oven and cut into shapes, strips, words. This is a fun idea so be creative! Sharp cookie cutters would also be fun!  Let them air dry and then store in a cool dry place in plastic bags. I made sure to squeeze all the air out of the bag and sealed them and just kept mine in the fridge. 

Making Fruit Leather tells the kids you love them.

Other Good Ideas: The fruit mixture here can be stored in the fridge for about a week.
-Use this to replace fats in baking recipes.
-Swirl some into yogurt for a smoothie tasting treat for the kids.
-Stir a bit into our granola recipe in Squeaky Gourmet in place of half of the juice.

Please check out our book and our reviews for more information about Squeaky Gourmet and the recipes you can prepare for your family with just a little help from us!

I had heard rumors on a few fitness forums about a magic noodle–no carbohydrates, all fiber resulting in no net calories. Lies–it is to laugh! Some people had tried them and had said the texture was different but they enjoyed them. I looked in Asian markets for something  resembling what these people were rumoring about and never found them. Until recently when I went to a local market and there in the gluten free section sat a package called “NoOodle” and it boasts right on the label they are gluten free, calorie free, sent from the gods of pasta to save the world etc. Naturally I purchased 2 packages so I could mess around with a few different ideas.

Devil Noodle Soup

When I looked up what they use for these noodles I saw that it was made from “Devil’s Tongue Yam” so I thought I would prepare them with some spice to it. The result was a very ethnic dish with a lot of heat and flavor and from what I can research–ZERO calories as well!

Simmering Devil tongue soup

Devil Tongue Soup
serves anyone who dares try it

1 8 ounce package Japanese Noodles
4 or 5 large mushrooms
1 clove garlic
1 cup Pico De Gallo
1 tbls vegetable bouillon paste
1 cup water
1 splash fish sauce
1 tsp green curry
3 toothpicks full ghost chili

Add all the ingredients aside from the ghost chili to a large sauce pan. Once the mushrooms are tender but before they are mushy remove from heat and stir in the ghost chili, a tooth pick at a time, until it has reached your desired level of heat!  The flavor in this from the fish sauce and curry as well the vegetables add such an ethnic flare to the dish, coupling that fact with the spice sensation of the ghost chili. The noodles had the perfect texture as well–no they are not spaghetti noodles but they are noodles! Think of it like Ramen has been given a second chance to redeem itself!

Don’t forget to check out our book on Amazon for more ideas on low calorie delicious and healthy recipes!

Farmer Market Cornucopia!

After an afternoon at the market we come home with bagfuls of goodies.  Tomatoes, peppers, onions, and lots and lots of peaches.    Inevitably upon our return home my children declare they are starving.  They want food and they want it now.  I want them to eat healthy.  I want them to have a summer of good foods and good fun.  And I want them to actually enjoy eating the food I make instead of them complaining or feeling forced to eat what they deem inedible.

The boys enjoying the snack--unaware of the goodness it delivers!

I decide to whip up some fresh summer salsa for them.  We all love salsa here and I make fresh salsa weekly.  But today I was feeling bored with the same old ingredients I usually use.  And the aroma from the fresh ripe peaches were tingling my senses.  That’s it!!  I’ll make peach salsa.  It was amazingly good and my children happily gobbled it up.  We didn’t even have any left over to refrigerate for later.   This salsa is sweet and tangy.  My 8 year old asked if there was sugar in it to which I replied no and he could not believe it.  The peaches give a sweet taste that combine with the peppers and onions to make a delightful treat.    If you are looking for a light but filling summer lunch, this will be a hit!

Fresh Peach Salsa

3 fresh tomatoes

2 peppers (one green, one yellow or orange)

1 red onion

3 -4 fresh peaches

1 T lime juice

1 tsp salt

Cut top off tomatoes and spoon out seeds.  Chop tomatoes, green pepper and onion and add to a large bowl.  Gently slice peaches into small bite size bits.  Add to bowl.  Add lime juice and salt. Stir gently.  Refrigerate for 30 minutes to allow flavors to blend with one another.  Serve with organic corn tortilla chips or for a fuller meal, top off a bowl of tuna and cottage cheese with the salsa and enjoy!

Beth is a work at home mom trying to raise her children with a better understanding as to what food is good and what foods are for “once in a while and of course the NEVER IN YOUR BODY food like items as well. She and I have been great friends for a decade now. We both are raising a Celiac child and love to explore new health and food trends together.  her husband is owner of DJNM Technologies and is my go to tech man–who I go to a lot–PC’s and I do not see eye to laser!

Thanks beth for such a great post to share!  ♥♥

You just can't go wrong with this!

Kohlrabi Quick Pickles

3-4 peeled and sliced kohlrabi

2 t pickling salt

Combine the kohlrabi and the salt in a bowl and let sit out for 1 hour. Now drain and put in a quart jar or something similar.

In a small pot combine-

1 c water

1 c seasoned rice wine vinegar

3 t chopped garlic

Zest from 1 lemon

2 T sugar

1 t coarse ground black pepper

½ t crushed red pepper flakes

1 small slice peeled fresh ginger

Bring to a boil and then pour over the drained vegetables. Let cool then refrigerate for 3 days before serving. These will keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks. These are crunchy, fresh and gingery.

Dilly Quick Pickles

1 pound cucumbers ( I used the little lemon cukes from my garden but any will work)

1 T pickling salt or 1.5 T sea salt

Cut up the cukes into bite sized chunks , place into a bowl and sprinkle with the salt. Let this sit out for 2 hours.

Now rinse and drain well and put back into the bowl.

Add:

1 t chopped garlic

3 T chopped fresh dill

¼ t red pepper flakes

¼ c cider vinegar

¼ t black pepper

Combine well, cover and let sit in fridge for a few hours before serving. Stir at least once in that time.

These are really good with BBQ beef and chicken

Other good ideas:

1. Add in red peppers or your favorite veg

2. Experiment with flavored vinegars

3. Add other seasonings

I went out to the garden this morning and found that the local mule deer herd had visited my well fenced veggie patch and cleaned me out of squash and green tomatoes. I was going to do something with my little yellow patty pan squash but–No! It was not to be.

But I had fresh blueberries calling out so I made some sorbet.

Peach Berry Sorbet
Serves-4
1 c water

1/3 c natural sugar
Combine water and sugar in a microwave bowl and bring to a boil ( 3 minutes or so). Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Let cool in refrigerator.

2 c fresh blueberries
1 c frozen peaches or 1 large fresh peach
1 c frozen or fresh strawberries
2 limes or lemons – juice only
Pinch sea salt

Combine sugar mix and all other ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Spread mix into a 8×8 cooking pan, cover, and place in freezer until frozen. 3-4 hours.

Remove the frozen mix, break into chunks and place in a food processor. Blend until smooth and creamy. If you have a smallish food processor, you may have to do the blending in 2 batches. Place the creamy mix into a freezer container and re-freeze until solid.

Other Good Ideas:

Place the liquid in Popsicle molds and freeze–makes perfect vitamin rich Popsicle for the kids..yeah for the kids!

It is blueberry season! Did you know blueberries have their own organization supporting their health benefit message across the planet? They do- Blueberries Health check that link out to read up on the benefits of this berry added to your diet. I try and include seasonal vegetables and fruits into our menus anytime I can–right now it is blueberry time!

Here is a fantastic alternative to the fast food, over processed crappy muffins that have been over marketed to us. You can make these up ahead of time and freeze them for those winter months when the berry bushes are dormant and so is the sun.

Oatmeal Apple Blueberry Muffins

Serves 3

1 ½ c old fashioned oats
1 c applesauce- I use natural no sugar
1 c blueberries
3 eggs
4 egg whites
1 t cinnamon

Mix everything in a bowl and let it sit for 15 to 20 minutes to let the oats swell a little. Preheat oven to 400 deg. Spray regular size muffin tin with no-stick spray or better yet use a no stick tin. Fill holes almost full as these don’t rise much at all. Cook for 25 minutes. If you want the tops browned, put under the broiler for a minute or less. Voila! This makes 12 muffins which is 3 servings.

Calories Per Serving: 308
Carbohydrate: 44 grams (6 grams fiber)
Fats: 8 grams
Protein: 16 gams

Other good ideas: try this with other seasonal fruits like raspberries or peaches! You can also substiture the blueberries for a cup of diced apple.