Easy Summer Salad

Cook quinoa per instructions on package (and put in fridge for at least 2 hours)

Removed chilled quinoa from fridge.

Add finely chopped cilantro.  Use as much as you like. If you dislike the taste of cilantro, you can substitute Italian style flat leaf parsley.

Add one large chopped tomato and one cucumber.

1/2 small red onion finely chopped.

Mix together.

Add the juice of one freshly squeezed large lemon.

Coat and mix with Farm Boy Lemon Garlic Dressing.

Super easy and tastes like summer in a bowl

Delicious.

Keeps for 3 days (just keep adding more freshly squeezed lemon juice).

Mini oatmeal chocolate chip loaves

Mini Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Loaves

Ingredients

• 
  
• 1/4 cup natural raw Turbinado sugar (you can use brown sugar too)
• 1/2 cup softened butter (or you can use 1/2 cup of olive oil)
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup quinoa flour, 1/2 cup chickpea flour (or you can use 1 cup all-purpose flour)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup applesauce (or substitute 1 mashed banana)
• 3/4 cup vanilla or plain yogurt
• 2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup Grape Nut cereal (or you can use 1/2 cup of All Bran Buds)
• 1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in egg, vanilla extract and yogurt. Combine dry ingredients; add alternately with applesauce to the creamed mixture. Stir in oats, cereal and chips.
• Fill greased or paper-lined muffin tins 3/4 full. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes. 
• Yield: 6 mini loaves or 12 large muffins

Homemade Skor Bar Recipe

I found this recipe on one of the forums on Canadianparents.com

Homemade Skor Bar

Soda cracker or Breton, or Melba toast, or crack wheat crackers (any type of cracker with no flavor to it - avoid Ritz)

1/2 cup butter 1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 cup chocolate chips

Pre-heat oven at 400F (I use my toaster oven).

In a pan (I use my toaster oven pan (10X8),place cracker one next to the other to cover all the bottom of the pan.
In a small saucepan, melt butter, brown sugar and vanilla.
When brown sugar is melted, pour over the crackers and place in the oven for 3 minutes. After 3 minutes, the caramel should be bubbling hard.
Remove from oven. Turn off oven. Pour chocolate chips over and place in the hot oven for 2 to 3 minutes.
Remove and using the back of a spoon, spread melted chocolate chips over caramel and crackers.
Place in fridge for at least one hour. Score your pan in 24 pieces.
Place in the fridge until very cold. Serve cold and keep in the fridge.

If you are using a bigger pan: remember butter and brown sugar should always be in equal amount.... 1 cup butter for 1 cup brown sugar...
The vanilla stay the same.

This recipe can be made ahead of time and frozen between layers of wax or parchemin paper.
This recipe cannot be left at room temperature too long (hot Summer day)the chocolate will melt....

Quinoa ~ Tabouleh Salad Recipe

Quinoa:

Bring 2 cups of chicken broth to a boil...add 1 cup quinoa. Cook oh high for 12 min then reduce to simmer for another 5min.
Let sit with cover on until cooled down.

Tabouleh:

I either make my own on buy it at Farm Boy/Loblaws/Costco.

To make it: parsely, shallots, tomatoes, bulger, mint, 1 minced garlic clove, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Chop up and combine all ingredients.

Mix the Quinoa and Tabouleh together.

The make a dressing with grape seed or olive oil....2 gloves of minced garlic...salt & pepper and lots of lemon juice. (or buy the Farm Boy Lemon Olive Oil dressing)

Refrigerate over night and before serving squeeze fresh lemon juice.

Good all week....if it lasts that long.

Banana Bread: easiest recipe ever

Two loaves of healthy banana bread are baking in the oven this morning [note to self never keep avocados and bananas in the same basket...they ripen at warp speed together].

This is the easiest recipe I've ever found and super healthy [no eggs, oil or butter]...from Recipe Zaar.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 4 very ripe bananas, mashed
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 tbsp ground flax seed
  
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• cinnamon and brown sugar (for sprinkling)

Directions

1. 
   

   Preheat oven at 325 F. Grease 7X7" tin or a 9X5" bread tin. 7x7" cooks faster.

2. 
   

   Mix applesauce and sugar in a bowl.
   

3. 
   

   Add bananas and mix. Add flour, vanilla and baking soda. Mix quickly but thoroughly.

4. 
   

   Pour into tin. Sprinkle with some brown sugar and cinnamon powder. Put into oven immediately.

5. 
   

   Bake till a knife inserted in the centre comes out clean (A little mashed banana on the knife is OK as there's so much fruit. If in doubt, taste to see it doesn't taste of raw flour).

6. 
   

   Ovens vary so always check about 5 mins before when you think it will be ready. About 50 mins in a fan-assisted oven for 7X7" tin.

Best healthy oatmeal cookie recipe ever...I swear

OK I don't bake to save my life....but I found this recipe and modified it slightly...so good.
They taste like a cross between a cookie, a muffin and a granola bar.
If I can bake them...anyone can.

Healthy But Tasty Oatmeal Cookies.....

Dry ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat flour
2 1/4 cups of Quaker Quick Oats
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp Cinnamon
1/4 cup finely chooped walnuts
1/4 cup inaly chopped almonds
2 heaping Tbsp ground flax seed

***plus you can add the following ingredients if you wish: 1/2 cup raisins, 1/2 dried cranberries, 1/2 package semi sweet chocolate chips***

Wet ingredients:

1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup oil (corn, grapeseed or olive)
1 egg (beat with 1 Tbsp Water)
1 tsp Vanilla
1/2 cup or more of applesauce [depending on how dry the mix is]

Preparation:

In a large bowl, mix all the dry ingredients together.
In a medium bowl, mix all the wet ingredients together.

Hint: when measuring out the honey, spray the measuring cup with oil or baking spray--your honey won't stick).

Mix the wet stuff with the dry stuff. If the mixture seems too wet, add more rolled oats. If it isn't binding together very well, you may wish to add more applesauce or milk.

COOL the mix for 20 minutes in the fridge.

Preheat the oven to 335 degrees.

Drop by teaspoonfuls onto your baking sheet (spray with Pam spray).
Press down slightly with a fork to ensure even cooking.

Bake for about 15 - 20 minutes or until golden on the bottom of the cookie.