Easy Veggie Chili Verde w/ Vegan Options

This Chili turned out just great!  Especially considering every part of it came out of a jar or can....

This would be a super fast supper for anyone who's too tired to cook but wants a

 healthy great tasting meal....plus leftovers for the next day!

And just leave out the meat, and it's a perfect

Vegan Veggie Verde Chili

Take everything from here



                                                 And put it into here

Pour the 2 cans of Tomatillo Puree, Olive Oil and seasonings to a large pot.
Rinse and drain all the veggies and then transfer everything to the large pot. 
Bring to a boil and then simmer for 30 minutes or so.

Spicy, full of flavor and lots of healthy veggies.

Add / Subtract to suit your own tastes and heat tolerance..............

Makes about 3 Quarts so you can save another meals worth for another night.

Great taste and quick...
Enjoy!

Raw Cane Sugar Sea Glass Candy

 This project was so quick and easy.  I might even suggest it for a fun candy to make with kids as long as there are no distractions and you're very organized and careful of the hot sugar.

I'm not a candy expert by any means.  But I did grow up learning and trying new candies to make at home.     

Our family tradition for Christmas Eve is always making fudge, caramels and peanut brittle.

This one is extremely easy as candy goes.  *Not even any stirring which is unusual.

Here is the original recipe posting from "The Kid Can Cook" that I used as inspiration.

http://thekidcancook.blogspot.com/2011/05/cooking-up-party-sea-glass-candy.html

I'll leave the detailed step by step for this to the original posting but the ingredients couldn't

be any easier.  I already remember all that's in it and the proportions.

2 Cups of Sugar

 (I used Raw Cane Sugar from iHerb.) 

Next time I may try it using Coconut Palm)

1 Cup of Water

3/4 Cup Light Corn Syrup

2-3 drops of Food Coloring

And some flavoring (just a few drops) like Peppermint, Lemon, Mint etc.

(Today I just used NuNatural's Liquid Orange & Lemon Flavored Stevia)

Today I made 2 batches, a small batch of Green first, then when I knew how easy it was,

a full batch of Blue.

And about a Cup or so of Powdered Sugar

 if you want to dust each piece so they're not as sticky

Don't have any powdered sugar on hand?

Make your own - Homemade Brown Sugar and Powdered Sugar Directions

Cool for about 30 minutes (I put mine in the fridge for about 5)

Maybe by now your saying,"okay, it looks like glass.  But what's with the 'sea glass'?"

Here's plenty more info on that:  utm_source=googleproduct&utm_medium=syndication&utm_campaign=GPS

And if you don't want to mess with the sugar, here's a link to buy some:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/93855337/hard-candy-sea-glass-3-oz-sample-bag-for?utm_source=googleproduct&utm_medium=syndication&utm_campaign=GPS

Seems from what I see on line it's popular at Weddings as well.  It would make a great gift...

It does look like old broken glass, that's for sure!

My Hydrangeas made it through the storms last night okay by the way....

So, Sea Glass Candy. 

Really easy and fun to make.

Not a lot of work or cost.  And it would make a great gift.  I stored most of this

today in a baggy and put it in the freezer.  If I need to make up a nice homemade

gift for someone, I know where to get some cool candy for someone nice!

No, I wouldn't suggest eating this stuff if you drop it in sand!  I sacrificed a few pieces for the pics...

Raw Cane Sugar Sea Glass Candy.

Enjoy!

Sugar Free Sunflower Seed Butter

This is the Sunflower Seed Butter mixed with a Mocha powder.  Lot's of variety options for this.

Blend the nuts, scraping down sides until
the smooth texture you want is made.
You can add in a variety of flavors to this
base or just enjoy the Sunflower flavor.

 

I'm storing the Sunflower Seed Butter in a canning jar.
Don't think that this one can be preserved by canning method but stores in the freezer well for at least 1 year.

This nut butter has so many variations:

Use Cashews, Almonds, Walnuts, Hazelnuts or Brazil nuts instead of Sunflowers.

I used Sunflower Seeds today because I found 1 pound for just $2.50

so

it's definitely an economical option to store bought nut butters.

After I made up this first batch of Sunflower Seed Butter, I poured half in another container.

Then I stirred in 1 Tbs. of Cocoa Powder and 1 Tbs. of Caffix Coffee Substitute to

make a Mocha version of this dipping sauce. 

It can be flavored many different ways to suit your own tastes.  Vanilla, Raspberry, or mix in your favorite jam to create an even richer sauce.  It can be heated to pour over desserts as well.

This Sunflower Seed Butter makes a great gift too.  Make up a few batches, pour into jars and store them in the freezer for last minute gifts.  They will keep for at least a year if kept sealed and frozen.

Enjoy!

Nutella Flax Seed Coco Butter Bars

I needed something to munch on this holiday weekend with all my time at home and these bars are perfect.  A little sweet, a lot healthy and freezer convenient as well.  They took less than 10 minutes to mix up and get chilled ready to eat.  The Nutella chocolate hazelnut spread is low sugar, the ground flax seed works well as a binder instead of white flour,
and the Coco Butter helps keeps the shape.

Nutella is running a Sweepstakes right now to win a case of Nutella!

Now that would be awesome!  Check it out here: http://www.nutellausa.com/giveaway.htm

Any bar with Chocolate, Hazelnuts, Coco Butter and Shredded Coconut can't be half bad right?

Just don't tell anyone they're held together with Flax Seed and they'll be a new favorite to snack on.

The recipe for these lovely little bits couldn't be easier:

Line a container with wrap to make cutting the bars easier or spay w/ vegetable spray

Cover the batter with shredded coconut and push down into batter

Be sure and check out the great Cookbook giveaway going on now through Monday at
"Averie Cooks"

Averie Cooks Gluten & Allergen Free Baking Cookbooks Giveaway

Averie Cooks is sponcering a fantastic giveaway this weekend that I think my readers will appreciate:

http://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/2012/05/gluten-and-allergen-free-baking-cookbooks-giveaway.html

Some details of the contest are below. 

 Go to the link above or her homepage for all the details on how to enter.

The books are co-authored by Iris Higgins of The Daily Dietribe and Brittany Angell of Real Sustenance

The books are a one-stop-shop for gluten and allergen free baking.

Each of six chapters are dedicated to a specific flour. There are 50+ diverse recipes that are packed with information for successful gluten free baking.

From delicious Stove Top English Muffins, Cheesy Skillet biscuits, and Chocolate Babka Bread to Fig Newtons, Graham Crackers and Funnel Cake, these books are packed with great recipes.

Learn how to make these unique and hard to find allergen free recipes, how to best substitute each flour, and understand the basics of baking without eggs, corn, soy, dairy.

Learn the ins and outs of various unrefined sugars and how to exchange them.

Also included are baking tips from some of today’s leading gluten free experts including Elana Amsterdam and Ricki Hellar, among.

Heres an example of the authors’ gluten free recipes:

Banana Chocolate Chunk Cookies

.

Photo from Averie Cooks

More details at Averie Cooks.  Check it out today.  The giveaway ends on Monday the 28th

Watermelon Jam

I saw this recipe on line and had to give it a try. 

My favorite fruit is Watermelon!  It's what makes the 90 degree days worth while in the summer, it's sweet, juicy and not really unhealthy.  So making jam that I can open up in the deep freeze of winter sounded like a perfect idea.

The recipe is included here:    http://blondiescakes.blogspot.com/2010/09/watermelon-jam.html

With most canning processes, it's just easier to put out a tried recipe since canning is more science than a lot of food we enjoy.  I used more watermelon than in this recipe and less sugar. 

And I didn't puree the fruit in advance. 

I used an immersion blender to smooth while cooking the fruit for a while to

save some time and mess.

The rest was the same process.

My $3.99 Watermelon made up much more jam than I expected.  This works out to about .75 per jar!

I'll have to let you know if it's a good as it looks when it sets up. 

Can't wait to spread a little on a biscuit!

Coconut Butter Biscoff Spread Fudge

 Dairy Free if you don't add the Jiff Mocha Cappuccino icing, and "no cook" fudge with 
just 3 ingredients?  Awesome..........

 This fudge was inspired by Chocolate Covered Katie's Triple Chocolate Nutella Fudge but.....

I like this one even better!

 If you want to make it a little more decadent, and don't mind the dairy, spread a little

Jif Mocha Cappuccino  spread on top........yum!

 The combination of Coconut Butter, Biscoff Spread and Mocha is....well......
you'll have to try it yourself to realize just how great the taste is!

The recipe for this fudge is still in my head, as easy as it gets:

1 Cup Biscoff Spread, softened slightly in the microwave (maybe 10 seconds, not melted)
1 Cup Coconut Butter (Manna is a great brand) Melted inside a bowl filled with warm water
1/4 Cup slivered Almonds

Blend together Biscoff and melted Coconut Butter in a mixer. 
Stir in Almonds to mix through.
Pour the fudge into a lined freezer safe container and freeze
to set the fudge.

Optional icing:   Jif Mocha Cappuccino or melted Chocolate
Store in the refrigerator or freezer in an airtight container.

Enjoy!


This post is linked to Allergy-Free Wednesdays