Banana Ice "No" Cream Treat!

This absolutely amazes me! My son, Jaymie, makes the most incredible banana ice cream...except it is not ice cream. This gorgeous dessert is simple and just clean eating at it's best! Can you believe that the only 2 ingredients in this dessert are 1). Bananas & 2) Nutella?

Start believing and start enjoying this quick to make and easy to eat dessert!

If you are watching your sugar you can omit the Nutella and eat just 1/2 of this recipe to keep the sugar lower. The only sugar is coming from the natural sugar in the banana itself.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 Very Ripe Bananas
• 1 Tsp. of Nutella

DIRECTIONS:

• Peel and slice the bananas into 1/4" slices
• Place banana slices on a plate in the freezer and keep there until frozen
• Place banana slices in either a food processor or blender
• Blend bananas until smooth. This will take some time and patience as they will first crumble and not stay together. Once they start to blend, they will be a thinner consistency like ice cream that has started to melt.
• Remove from food processor into a plastic container that can be frozen.
• Stir in the Nutella, but don't stir it completely in, I love the marbled look.
• At this point you can add anything you desire, like nuts, etc.
• Place back into the freezer and allow to set up again
• Grab your spoon and dig in, this is definitely FABULICIOUS!

Tuscan Kale Salad with Pecorino Romano

I made this salad to go with my Salmon with White Wine & Shallots. I was having lunch one day and had this amazing salad. Whenever I go out to eat I always try to figure out what is in the recipe I am eating. My friend Michele can attest to that, I have been doing it ever since she has known me.

This salad features the health benefits of Kale, raw sunflower seed kernels, golden raisins, tiny slivers of onion and the nutty rich flavor of Pecorino Romano cut into tiny cubes. The flavors explode in your mouth and compliment each other nicely. A wonderful experience awaits your taste buds! This is sure to become a family or party favorite.

TUSCAN KALE SALAD

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 Cups of Kale washed and finely chopped
• 4 Tbs sunflower seed kernels
• 4 Tbs golden raisins
• 4 Tbs finely cubed (diced) Pecorino Romano Cheese
• 2 Tbs of thinly slivered (very fine) onion
• 2 Tbs Olive Oil
• Lemon Juice (1/2 small lemon)
• Rice Vinegar (just a few splashes)
• Salt & pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

• In a large bowl add Kale, sunflower seeds, raisins, onion, & Pecorino Romano cubes
• Squeeze lemon juice into salad and add Olive oil, vingar, salt & pepper
• Use your hands to gently toss the salad. It is better to use your hands here as it seems to help coat and soften the kale a bit.
• That's it! So easy and so good! FABULICIOUS!

Fresh Atlantic Salmon With White Wine & Shallots & Tuscan Kale Salad

Yum, what a good dinner!

I was passing by the fish counter at Sprouts Market and they had the most beautiful fresh Altlantic Salmon. I bought a nice 1 1/2 lb fillet. I wanted to do something special with it that would stay within my H.E.L.P. (Healthy Eating Lifestyle Plan), so I came up with a nice Baked salmon with white wine. I happen to love the combination of wine & shallots so that was easy. I added a bit of butter and instead of using flour as a thickening agent I used Arrowroot. I will admit that my sauce came out a bit thicker than I wanted but the flavor is out of this world.

My daughter, Sarah, who hates fish gave it a taste and loved it, especially the sauce! "Winner, winner, Vegan Chicken Dinner" (as my son Jaymie would say, lol!

The family was hovering waiting for this meal to be ready. No one was disappointed.
Here is the simple recipe:

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 - 2 lbs Salmon Fillets
• 1 - 2 garlic cloves
• Coarse Salt
• Olive Oil
• 1 Cup White Wine (dry is better)
• 2 Tbs Butter
• 2 Tbs finely chopped shallots
• 1 - 2 tsp Arrow Root (or 2 tbs flour)
• Pepper

DIRECTIONS:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F
• Lightly coat salmon with olive oil
• Sprinkle with coarse salt
• Mince garlic or use garlic press and rub the garlic on top of the salmon fillet
• Bake for 15 - 20 minutes (do not overcook)
• When salmon is about halfway done, prepare the white wine sauce:
• Add 1 cup of wine, 2 Tbs Butter, 2 Tbs Shallots, & salt & pepper to taste in a saucepan
• Bring to a light simmer and reduce over low heat for about 10 minutes.
• To make the sauce thicker add a tiny bit of Arrowroot at a time until sauce is of desired consistency
• Move salmon fillet to a platter and spoon the sauce over it
• Watch it disappear ☺

This meal is terrific served with my Tuscan Kale salad Recipe:
http://bodyquestadventure.blogspot.com/2012/03/tuscan-kale-salad-with-pecorino-romano.html

Baby Kiwi's - Awww so cute, so good!

I was at Sprouts market yesterday picking up my usual healthy fare when a display of small containers caught my eye. Little, Baby Kiwi's or "Kiwi Berries" as the package was advertising. 

Awww, it's a boy...It's a girl...It's a Kiwi?

I have never seen these before so naturally I just had to give them a try. My son, Jaymie, is a vegetarian so I thought I would bring these little darlings home for him to try.

Wikipedia Definition: The fruit are referred to as Hardy kiwifruit, kiwi berry, arctic kiwi, baby kiwi, dessert kiwi or cocktail kiwi and are edible, berry or grape-sized fruit similar to kiwifruit in taste and appearance, but are green or purple with smooth skin. Often sweeter than the kiwifruit, hardy kiwifruit can be eaten whole and need not be peeled. Thin-walled, its exterior is smooth and leathery.

Size Comparison

Good things come in small packages - I found the tiny kiwi's to be nice and sweet. I only ate 1 kiwi since I am not eating sugar at the moment. I think these little gems would be perfect in a salad since you don't have to peel them.

FABULICIOUS!