Summer's Here!

Every kid loves freezies, popsicles, and ice cream. Who can resist, really? Well, my kids can't have the sugar that is in these things. Ah, it is so hard to tell them that, no, they can't have what their friends are having. But, I have since realized that there are so many other options available to them, if I make it myself. For instance, with my Tupperware popsicle molds, I can make pretty much any flavor of popsicle I want.

Frozen Delight

Ingredients:

1 cup (250 ml) plain yogurt
1 banana, sliced
1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla
1 cup (250 ml) 100% pure fruit juice
    (orange, peach, pineapple, grape)
To assemble:
7 or 8 paper cups
    (approx. 4 oz. each)
7 or 8 plastic spoons or wooden sticks OR
popsicle mold

Directions:

1. Put the yogurt, banana, vanilla, and juice in a blender and blend until smooth.
2. Pour liquid into small paper cups or mold.
3. Place filled cups or mold into the freezer.
4. If using cups, when the yogurt mixture is half frozen, place a spoon or stick in each cup.
5. Return the cups to the freezer and freeze until firm. This will take about 4 to 5 hours.
6. To serve, turn cups or mold upside down and run warm water over them until the frozen treats slip out.

Tips:

For more flavor, add small chunks of fresh, canned or frozen fruit.

Indonesian Barbecue Sauce

The coconut makes this a sweet sauce.

Ingredients:

4 oz / 100g coconut, fresh or desiccated
1 onion
¼ pint / 140 ml milk
½ tsp / 1g chili powder (to taste)
1 juice of one lemon

Directions:

Finely chop the coconut and onion

Mix all the ingredients together and cook very gently until the onion is soft. This sauce can also be served without cooking.

Fudge Brownies

 

Ingredients:

1 cup water
1/2 cup corn margarine
1/2 cup uncooked Cream of Rice hot cereal
1 egg 

1 teaspoon GF vanilla
1 cup sugar or 3/4 cup raw honey
3 Tablespoon unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon GF baking powder
1/4 cup walnuts (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a medium saucepan, heat the water and margarine to a boil. Sprinkle in the cereal and cook for 1 minute. 
Remove the pan from the heat, cover it, and let it sit for 4 minutes. Stir in the egg or egg product and vanilla.
       
In a medium bowl, combine the sugar, cocoa, and baking powder. Stir in the cereal mixture until well blended. Stir in the nuts, if desired.
       
Spread the mixture evenly in a greased 8 x 8 x 2 inch baking pan.
       
Bake for 40-50 minutes.
       
Cool and cut into 2-inch squares (This recipe can be doubled and baked in a 9 x 13 inch pan.).

Healthy Honey

Did you know that honey can be healthy? There are lots of benefits to honey, but there are more if it is not pasteurized. When the honey is heated past a certain temperature, it looses some of its beneficial properties. Honey that hasn't been pasteurized still has the enzymes your body needs to digest it. It also contains many minerals and antioxidants.
For these reasons, raw or unpasteurized honey is an excellent replacement for sugar. Here is a link for directions on how to replace the sugar in your recipes with honey.

Do you know a person with Celiac Disease?

So many people are finding out that they have Celiac Disease. It is so much more common these days than it used to be. It is fairly hard to deal with if it is new to you or you are having someone over for a meal and have never dealt with it before. There are some great websites out there, like Celiac.com and Celiac.ca, as well as others. MennoniteGirlsCanCook.blogspot.com has a section of gluten-free recipes and tips for cooking. I really like this post that gives great advice for friends and family.

Once a Month Cooking

A couple of friends and I have decided to do OAMC (Once a Month Cooking) for the summer. That means one or two days or hard work and the rest of the month with not much to do but put the meals in the slow-cooker or on the barbeque. I found a software that helps with this tremendously. It comes with 150 recipes. You can choose what meals or side dishes you want to include for that month. You also can add your own recipes and decide how many batches you want to do. It will even print out labels and shopping lists. The website is 30 Meals in a Day.
If you already do OAMC or are looking to start, this website will help.

Healthy Granola Bars

Healthy Lunchbox Granola Bars
(This recipe is very forgiving)

2 or 2 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup packed brown sugar (You can eliminate the sugar and add 1/4 honey)*
1/4 cup wheat or oat germ ( I sometimes substituted bran)
1/4 cup ground flax or whole flax
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (I use brown rice flour)
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup cherry-flavoured cranberries
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup honey (unpasteurized)*(3/4 cup if no brown sugar)
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup canola oil (you could try substituting some of the oil with apple sauce)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
(Experiment with the ingredients you like best.) (nuts, chocolate chips, peanut butter, sunflower seeds)
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease 9 x 13 baking pan.
2. In large bowl, mix together the oats, brown sugar, wheat germ, flax, cinnamon, flour, raisins and salt. Make a well in the centre; pour in the honey, egg, oil and vanilla. Mix well. Pat the mixture evenly into the pan.
3. Bake for about 30 minutes, but watch the baking time. If you leave them in too long, they’ll be dry and hard. Cool for 5 minutes, and then cut into bars or squares. Do not allow the bars to cool completely before cutting or they will be too hard to cut.