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Recipes to Inspire: Volume 4

May 10

Posted by Shari B. in Recipes to Inspire | 7 Comments

Hi blog buds!

Wow, it feels like summer today in colorful Colorado!  Tomorrow will be a different picture altogether, with rain and 50s.  So I hope to get outside late this evening and enjoy some of the warmth before the rain moves in.

It’s time for another recipes to inspire post!  I have been doing so much recipe testing of work-related dishes (i.e. freezable dinners) that I haven’t spent much time keeping an eye out for other stuff.  Today a recipe caught my eye and I instantly thought of Mothers’ Day.  Do any of you have fun plans for Mothers’ Day?  Something about it always makes me think of brunch.  Both my mom and my mother-in-law live over 1000 miles away, so I won’t get to see them in person on the actual day (but there are plans in the works for visits with each of them over the summer) so maybe I’ll have to tuck a few of these ideas away for then!

note: Click on the recipe names to visit the actual recipes.

Chocolate Crepes

I love crepes.  I’ll take them sweet or savory.  Our last two visits to Vegas we made sure to visit the Espressement Illy for dessert crepes.  But often you see plain crepes filled with the good stuff or drizzled with chocolate.  What I like about this idea is you are making the crepes themselves chocolate by adding cocoa powder.  The neat thing about using crepes if you make a mom’s day breakfast is that they can be made ahead of time and gently reheated. You could also do a ‘build your own crepe’ bar by having a variety of things to top it with.

Shari Tweaks:  This particular recipe looks like a fair amount of work by adding two sauces and a filling, so if I make these I’ll just go with the crepe portion of the recipe and do my own thing for the rest.  I think it would be fun to just fold them in half or quarters, top it with freshly sliced strawberries, maybe drizzle a bit of honey or maple syrup over the top and some chopped raw almonds or pistachios.  As far as ingredients that I’d substitute on this recipe (for the crepe part), I would use almond milk in lieu of regular milk and melted coconut oil in lieu of canola.  I might even consider using carob powder and coconut sugar as subs as well.  For some color on a mom’s special plate, I would garnish with a bright, edible flower.  If you have a Whole Foods Market nearby, they often have edible flowers in the ‘clamshell’ packaging right next to the herbs.

Dark Chocolate Banana Panini

Ohh-emm-gee.  This look amazing and SO EASY.  I must be craving chocolate today or something!  But what a fun and simple breakfast idea to make for a mom!  Or if you want to surprise your significant other with breakfast in bed!

Shari Tweaks:  I love that this recipe has only 4 simple ingredients and especially love that they are using sprouted grain bread.  I think I would choose the cinnamon raisin flavor of sprouted grain bread for added flavor – Food for Life makes one.  I do think the bread will need a little Earth Balance (or butter if you prefer) spread on the outside of the pieces of bread that will touch the panini press or pan in order to provide some crispness and caramelization.  I also think that I would add a small smear of raw almond butter on the insides to give the bananas something to grab on to.  And you can’t go wrong with a tiny pinch of sea salt!

OK, since I’ve been oogling the chocolate, let’s switch it up to something savory.

Little Lasagnas from the blog Proud Italian Cook (gorgeous photos – definitely take at peek at this blog!)

I pinned this to my personal Pinterest board a while back and have yet to make them, but I’m getting close!  I love the idea of this freeform style lasagna.  In the raw food segment of culinary school there was a ‘raw ravioli’ made with paper thin slices of turnips that reminds me of this as well.  You can go so many different directions with this as your inspiration.  If you are dairy-free you could make a cashew cheese to use in lieu of mozzarella or you could use tofu to make a dairy-free ricotta. If you are gluten-free you could use Tinkyada brown rice lasagne noodles.  If you are having a brunch or breakfast for mom’s day and want to include eggs, you could fill one of the layers with some scrambled eggs or maybe lay a beautifully poached egg on top.

Shari Tweaks:  I’ll likely use either the brown rice noodles or a whole wheat noodle (or maybe I’ll be wild and crazy and use strips of eggplant or zucchini instead!.  And I’ll have to sub in some soft herbed goat cheese in lieu of the mozzarella.  But I love the small roasted tomatoes on their vine and the fresh basil just as they are.  Looks absolutely delicious!

***

Share with us what you’d love to include on your own brunch table!

– Shari B. =)

Previous Recipes to Inspire Posts:

Volume 1

Volume 2

Volume 3

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The Lean, Light and LARGE Smoothie

Mar 16

Posted by Shari B. in Recipes | 5 Comments

Happy Friday FitFeat Friends!

It’s amazing how good one can feel after a few consecutive nights of really great sleep!  Today’s workout was fabulous.

  • Dynamic warmup for 5 minutes + some rotator cuff exercises
  • Deep smith squats (I mean DEEP.  Hamstrings touching calves)
  • Overhead shoulder presses
  • DB rows with horizontal grip
  • Curtsy lunges with weight vest
  • Back extensions on the ball
  • Ball crunches
  • Biceps with the band
  • Triceps with the band
  • Angled pushups on smith machine with varying hand placements

And later today, when the weather is supposed to be mid-70s I get to do a little socialcizing at my favorite hilly loop with a good friend for some catch up time.  It’s going to be a great day!

After weights this morning, I made a super post-workout smoothie.


This thing was massive!  32 ounces.  It didn’t even fit into my large cup!  It was like the Big Gulp of smoothies!

So I wondered – if my smoothie is THIS big and this filling, what kind of calories are we talking here?  Just out of curiosity I decided to enter it into a calorie calculator to check.  In addition to 10 ounces of water and a couple of ice cubes, here are the ingredients and the calorie info (if it is hard to read, click on the image to see it full-size):

Only 216 calories and a very solid balance of protein and carbs.  I don’t mind that the fat is low, because I get plenty of healthy fats in my lunches and dinners by way of avocado, egg yolks, olive oil and more.

Look at all the goodies packed into this smoothie: Ginger is included for its anti-inflammatory properties, not mention helpful for digestion and it is a warming ingredient.  Lemon for a boost of alkalinity.  Mixed berries (black, blue and strawberries) rich in antioxidants.  Frozen organic spinach because no meal is complete without some leafy greens!  Cucumber (also anti-inflammatory and antioxidant-rich) for healthy connective tissue and cleansing water content.  Celery – hello fiber!

If you are looking for a calorie controlled breakfast option that you can eat on the run, this one’s for you!

Have a fabulous Friday friends!  And a safe and fun St. Patrick’s Day tomorrow!

– Shari B. =)

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Dressed Up Like Tabouleh

Mar 15

Posted by Shari B. in Recipes | 5 Comments

I LOVE tabouleh (or tabouli if that’s how you prefer to spell it). :D I love it made using couscous as the base or quinoa as the base or bulgur or chickpeas… you name it.  So it occurred to me that I should just put the flavors I love from tabouleh into a salad dressing and then I can just drizzle it over EVERYTHING (read: leafy greens).


Tabouleh Salad Dressing:

As written this will yield just under 1/2 cup.  Add more or less of any of these ingredients to adjust to your own taste. I like the tang of lemon so it’s in equal parts with the olive oil.

  • 1 cup parsley tops
  • 1/3 cup mint leaves (from about 4 small sprigs)
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (or other favorite cold-pressed oil, like hemp)
  • 3 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice (about 2 small lemons depending on their size and juiciness)
  • 1/2 clove of garlic, minced or pressed (if you like garlic, go for the whole clove!)
  • sea salt and pepper to taste – start with 1/4 tsp of each and adjust as you like

Place all ingredients into a small blender or Magic Bullet and blend until smooth.  Store in a glass jar.  I use it fairly quickly anyway, but I’d say definitely try to use it up within 3-5 days.

The advantages to this dressing are that you can use a good amount on your salad if you so desire.  Plus you are basically adding more greens to your greens!  It doesn’t get much healthier than that!



I added it to salads and drizzled it into wraps.  I love it with greens, chopped red onion, chopped tomato, cucumber and avocado.

To add some extra Middle Eastern flair, heat a Falafel Sunshine Burger to crumble over a salad or into your wrap.



Super fast, very easy and extremely GREEN!

– Shari B. =)

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My Favorite Fresh Green Juice

Mar 14

Posted by Shari B. in Recipes | 5 Comments

It’s green week as we head toward St. Patty’s Day this weekend and my Google Reader is flooded with shamrock shake recipes from all over the blogosphere.   However, this type of green drink is more my style…

The cast:

  • parsley (leaves, stalks or both)
  • 3 to 5 kale (leaves, stalks or both)
  • 2 celery stalks
  • 1 cucumber
  • 1 tart green apple
  • 1/2 lemon with the peel
  • slice of ginger (start small – maybe 1/4″ to 1/2″ slice)

Be sure all of your ingredients have been washed.  Cut and core the apple to remove the seeds if you plan to use your pulp for anything.

Juice everything per your juicer’s instructions.

Serve into your favorite glass and enjoy!

Juicing Notes/Tips:

  • I say “leaves, stalks or both” above because you might have veggies on-hand that you like to use the leaves for in other recipes, but you can still save your stalks for juicing.  If I make a kale salad, I tear out the stalks and save them for juicing while cutting up the leaves to eat.  I use the parsley tops for garnish of dishes and mixed into recipes, but save the leftover stalks for juicing.  I also do the same with the big stalk of broccoli after I cut off the florets.
  • please select organic vegetables for juicing.
  • Roll small things like ginger or tiny leaves into larger leaves (like kale) to keep it from flying straight into the pulp bin when it hits the spinning blade.

I should qualify this post title by saying this is my favorite fresh green juice made at HOME.  The best green juice I’ve ever had was the “Emerald Bliss” at Jimbo’s in Escondido, CA.  Bliss is an understatement for how good that juice was.  I was there for a visit and instantly became a fan of fresh green juice.  When I got home to Colorado after the trip, I couldn’t find a place nearby that offered organic juice so that’s when I bought my own juicer.  So glad I did – I use it all the time!

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Happy with Hummus

Feb 13

Posted by Shari B. in Recipes, Vegetarian | 5 Comments

Hello there blog buds!

Hope your week is getting off to a good start!  I started my morning with a good upper body strength workout, then had a green smoothie before getting to work.  I told you that my no-slacker tracker was giving me the stink eye!  So I had to remedy the situation.

One of today’s snacks was the return of an old friend:

HUMMUS!  I don’t know why but hummus kept getting left off my food rotation.  I have missed it.  I must restrain myself from wanting to slather it on everything I eat.  That would make for a lot of boring food pics.  “Here we have green smoothie with hummus.  Almond butter toast with hummus.  Clementine with hummus…”  ;)

You’ll see too that I have a few pieces of cauliflower there, leftover from making that recipe from the last Recipes to Inspire post for Poorman’s Shrimp Cocktail.  I thought it was really fun!  Cory even ate it and he’s not usually a big fan of cauliflower.  The chilled cauliflower does actually take on a bit of the texture of shrimp cocktail when you bite into it.  The cauliflower even without the sauce had a nice flavor.  I didn’t have Old Bay seasoning in my pantry so I used a Phillips Seafood Seasoning which I think is similar.

I halved the recipe and it still made quite a bit, so just a heads up if you decide to try it too.  This was one head of cauliflower and it took up my entire cutting board:

It occurred to me that you might think I just post those recipes and never actually do anything with them.  Sometimes I actually try them out.  I even picked up the ingredients to try the crockpot Philly Cheese Steak for Cory’s dinner tomorrow.  I’ll let you know how it goes!

Have a LOVELY Valentine’s Day tomorrow friends and I’ll be back next time to let you know how the cheese steaks (and my veggie version) turned out!

– Shari B. =)

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Recipes to Inspire: Volume 3

Feb 7

Posted by Shari B. in Recipes to Inspire | 4 Comments

Hi FitFeat friends!

Since Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, I thought it would be a good time to do another installment of the Recipes to Inspire series, in case you are going to be cooking for your Valentine.  Here are some of the recipes I’ve seen around the interwebs ;) that have caught my eye.

Red Curry Salmon Chowder

Besides the fact that this just LOOKS delicious, what I am really drawn to in this recipe is all the healthy fats.  Smack in the middle of winter means drier skin and hair, at least where I live.  My hands especially have been really dry, so I’ve been boosting my intake of the good fats to try to alleviate that without always needing lotion.  This recipe is chock full of healthy fats:  coconut oil, coconut milk and salmon.  The ginger and spicy pepper will make it a warming dish as well, perfect for dinner on a cold mid-February evening.

Nothing to tweak on this one – it’s written by one of my instructors and she’s a healthy eating maestro!

Jalapeño Crab Cakes

I adore crab cakes (or really any type of fish cake!).  It’s something I especially enjoy when dining out because I like to compare them from one restaurant to the next (even though I know when I eat them out I’m getting a few days’ worth of fat intake!).  I think the twist of adding jalapeño to them is interesting and original.

Shari Tweaks:  While I do have panko in my pantry, I usually sub my own bread crumbs that I make with the leftover heels from my sprouted grain loaves.  For pan frying, I’ll use coconut oil rather than the canola oil listed in the recipe.  As far as the slaw/salsa part of the recipe, I think I’d look for something a little different than what is shown because if I read this correctly the slaw is undressed?  I think this Southwestern Corn Slaw looks fun and light!

“Poor Man’s” Shrimp Cocktail (but no fish!)

How fun is this one?  It’s from the recent issue of Bon Appetit.  It’s not really shrimp.  It’s cauliflower!  Boiled in Old Bay.  I must try this.  I have some friends coming over for dinner in a few days – this might be a fun and easy appetizer.

Not really any tweaks to make to the recipe because everything is pretty straightforward.

Philly Cheese Steak (in your crock pot!)

So now that I’ve shared a bunch of ‘fishy’ recipes, I figured I better include one that MY Valentine would appreciate and eat, since he doesn’t like fish.   He loves Philly Cheese Steak sandwiches though and the fact that this one is for the crock pot is ideal, because I have a personal chef job that day and the LAST thing I want to do when I get home from cooking all day is cook some more!  :D   This way I can have something at the ready with just a few minutes of prep when I walk in the door.

Shari Tweaks:  Since I’m not much for meat myself, I’ll add a few large sliced portobello mushrooms to the crockpot over to one side to be the ‘steak’ portion for my sandwich.  And I’ll probably pick up a whole wheat demi-baguette to use in place of the roll, and hollow it out a bit for serving.

***

Any big plans for Valentine’s Day?  If you are cooking, what’s on the menu?

***

For fun:  I love the idea from last week’s “Parks and Recreation” episode of getting all your gal pals together on February 13th for “Galentine’s Day“.  If you could use a chuckle, check out this slideshow of Leslie Knope’s “Tips for Creating Your Own Galentine’s Day“

See you next time!

– Shari B. =)

Previous Recipes to Inspire Posts:

Volume 1

Volume 2

 

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Recipes to Inspire: Volume 2

Nov 10

Posted by Shari B. in Cooking, Recipes to Inspire | 3 Comments

Hi blog buds!

Hope your week has been fantastic!  Things here are HOPPING on this end for sure!  I have some travel coming up (again, I know!) so if you notice a lag in posts for few days, that’s why.  The super-exciting part is that I’ll be seeing TWO of my favorite blog participants on this trip! :D

As promised here is the next installment in the Recipes to Inspire Series.  A lot of the recipes I have been perusing lately had much to do with what seemed to be overflowing in my refrigerator.  But then I got so busy cooking client recipe tests that I haven’t had any time to make any of these!  They are on my list for sure though.

Pumpkin Seed Cilantro Pesto

This recipe is actually is for a main dish of Pan-Seared Salmon – but it’s the pesto that interests me.  I always have pepitas (raw pumpkin seed kernels) on hand and cilantro is a heck of a lot cheaper than basil at the store.  (I miss having herbs at-hand from my garden – I really need to start a new herb garden indoors in my AeroGrow to get me through the winter.)

Shari Tweaks:  usually basil pesto has Parmesan cheese in it and I noticed this recipe doesn’t include any cheese.  So I think I might consider tossing in a little bit of nutritional yeast to provide a hint of cheese flavor as well as boost the protein a smidge.  The other change I think might be fun would be to use avocado oil in lieu of olive oil.

Roasted Mushroom and Sunchoke Bisque

I adore mushrooms.  I bought a HUGE package of baby bellas which had me looking for creative ways to use them up.  This unique bisque really caught my eye.  I love that it uses sunchokes and I never really do much with them, so this would be a great excuse to pick some up.  Also known as a Jerusalem artichoke, sunchokes are actually the root of a certain type of sunflower. We used these on occasion in school, and I liked them.

Shari Tweaks:  You know, I don’t think I’d change this much.  Mainly I’d switch out the olive oil for a different cooking oil since I don’t like to heat my olive oil, so I’d use coconut oil.  And in lieu of the soymilk I’d probably use almond milk, but the recipe author stated that the ‘milk’ part was optional anyway.  I’m excited to try this one!

Stuffed Portobello Mushroom Wellington

I’m still stuck on mushrooms, it seems.  :)    This recipe totally intrigues me because every single season of Hell’s Kitchen with Gordon Ramsay shows the chef contestants having to deal with regular Wellingtons (beef), which actually look quite challenging.  And every season, I think to myself that I need to make a Wellington of some sort, maybe a beef one for Cory and a veggie version for me.  Then I saw this recipe last week and it looks even better than a regular Wellington (and maybe less work too, which you know is always a plus in my book!).  This one is basically a deconstructed version, in that it’s mostly just a stuffed mushroom with a piece of the pastry on top.  Doesn’t it look pretty, though?  This is what I was thinking about for Thanksgiving (if I even end up cooking anything that day).  This looks like something fun to serve guests for sure!

Shari Tweaks:  Like the previous one, I actually think this recipe looks great just how it is so there’s not much I’d change.  I don’t have any champagne vinegar and the last thing I need is another varietal of vinegar in my pantry so I’ll most likely use apple cider vinegar instead.  And I’ll sub out the olive oil for grapeseed as well as ghee for the butter.  That’s all I’d do!

***

What do you think?  Anything look good?  Have you ever eaten a SUNCHOKE?  Do you love MUSHROOMS like I do?

Have a wonderful weekend friends!

– Shari B. =)

 

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Blackberry Spread

Oct 17

Posted by Shari B. in Recipes | 6 Comments

Where on earth is this month going? I can’t even believe it’s past mid-October and that Halloween is right around the corner.  It’s the middle of the day as I type this and only 46 degrees outside (brrrr!).  I have my space heater pointed at my feat already.  I can’t complain though because Saturday it was 84 and GLORIOUS.

I was excited to see that you like the idea of a series of “Recipes to Inspire” and that you like to see how I would go about tweaking them.  I’ll be sure to do more posts like that!

I was also recently inspired when someone asked me about making a healthier version of jams/jellies since so many of them are so high in sugar, and often times you find a lot of extra stuff in them, whether it’s artificial sweeteners, high fructose corn syrup or preservatives. I instantly suggested using the sea vegetable agar agar along with blended fruit.

So of course I had to give it a try!

If you are new to agar agar, don’t let the fact that it’s a sea veggie deter you from giving it a try.  It’s very similar to using gelatin, but in a vegetarian version derived from red algae.  It provides fiber and volume without adding any calories.  And all you are going to taste is the food you mix it with – I promise your jam won’t taste like seafood!

Gingered Blackberry Spread (“Jam”)

by Natural Chef Shari Becht
Yield:  ~ 1 cup

1 cup frozen organic blackberries

2/3 cup water

1 ½ teaspoons agave nectar (or other sweetener of choice such as raw honey or organic maple syrup)

1 teaspoon minced ginger (I use a jarred version by The Ginger People)

Pinch of stevia (optional)

2 teaspoons agar agar flakes

In a blender, add all ingredients except for the agar agar.  Blend until puréed into a liquid.

Pour the purée into a medium saucepan and bring to a light boil over medium-high heat.  Once the purée is bubbling, add the agar agar flakes and stir vigorously at first to dissolve the flakes and avoid clumping.  Allow mixture to bubble for 5 minutes, stirring often.

Remove from heat and carefully transfer into a glass jar.  Set aside at room temperature for 10-20 minutes, long enough to slightly cool and stop steaming. Place in the refrigerator (uncovered) for 2 to 3 hours to chill, which allows the agar agar flakes to ‘gel’ fully.  At this point, a lid can be placed on the jar.

Notes:

1.)    People/kids who are used to eating a much higher sugar content in their foods might find this to be less than sweet on their palate so feel free to add a little additional sweetener during transition.  I tried to keep the sugar as low as possible while still having a somewhat sweet flavor.

2.)    Make in small batches in order to use within a week or two.

3.)    Play with flavors you like – I used frozen blackberries because it’s what I had on hand, and ginger pairs well with blackberries.  Be creative with what you have in your kitchen – you might come up with an amazing combination!  (Agar doesn’t play as well with citrus fruits though, just as an FYI – you need more flakes for acidic blends/juices.)

Slather this on your toast (and your kids’ toast) knowing that they are getting a much healthier alternative. I could even see this being a fun way to make CRANBERRY SAUCE for Thanksgiving! Let me know if you try it!

– Shari B. =)

***

Shari Becht is a Certified Natural Chef, Fit Living Coach and ACE Certified Personal Trainer.  She is extremely passionate about teaching people how they can take steps to fit healthy habits into their busy lives.   If you or someone you know would like to learn how to eat more healthfully, achieve a healthy bodyweight or incorporate more “FIT” into life, please feel free to email her at shari [at] fitfeat  [dot] com.  For more information, click here.

 

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Recipes to Inspire: Volume 1

Oct 12

Posted by Shari B. in Recipes, Recipes to Inspire | 9 Comments

A lot of the things I make in my own kitchen are ideas sparked by something I’ve seen or read that gets my creativity flowing.  I spend a LOT of my working time reading recipes, learning about new flavor combinations or techniques.  As a natural health food chef, many recipes I consider get tweaked since I have some food guidelines I tend to follow regularly in my eating habits and in those I instill in my clients.  I’m starting a new segment on FitFeat that I’d like to do occasionally to spotlight recipes I find around the web that I think look great and that will ultimately inspire me (and hopefully you too!) to create something from its “idea kernel”.

Each recipe is linked to its original location, so if you click on the title it will take you to the website.

And if you happen to try one of the recipes, stop back by and tell us how you liked it or what you did to make it your own style!

Winter Roots Pilaf in Parchment

I love this!  You see so many proteins featured “en papillote”, especially fish, so it’s nice to see a plant-based version take center stage.  I think this makes for a great presentation for dinner guests or even just a way to take an ‘everyday dinner’ up a notch in style and make a family meal feel more special.  Plus most of the prep work can be done a day ahead of time, with the final parchment packet only baking for 12 minutes, making it perfect for a “Meatless Monday” meal.

Shari Tweaks:  Most likely I’d only use the pine nuts if they were on sale because they are pretty expensive, or I would replace with chopped raw almonds.   I think it would be fun to sub in some purple potatoes and wild rice (or black rice) in this dish to give it some rich color and additional antioxidants.

Brussels Sprout Slaw

Brussels sprouts are greatly under-appreciated in everyday eating.  They are a nutritional powerhouse and I think they don’t get enough credit.  They can be delicious!  This slaw has great “Thanksgiving side dish potential” – very fall flavored with cranberries, maple syrup and pecans, and I appreciate that the slaw dressing is mustard and vinegar based rather than mayo or oil.

I also like that the sprouts are left raw, retaining their live food enzymes and vitamins.  I’ve been eating through a bag of Brussels sprouts this week, halving them, rubbing in coconut oil and then placing face down in a preheated saute pan to make their *faces* golden, then drizzling an orange vinaigrette over them on my plate.

Shari Tweaks:  I think adding some grated green apple to this would be fantastic as well!

Grape Leaves with Bulgur and Mint

I adore dolmas, but I never make them.  I almost always buy them pre-made at Whole Foods salad bar.  But I want to be able to put my own goodies on the inside, so they are on my list of foods to play with.  If you look at the ‘active time’ on this recipe of 2 hrs and 30 min, you’ll see why I haven’t made them yet.  You all know I don’t spend that kind of time making anything!  But that’s for 50, so I probably only need about 5 of them since I know Cory won’t eat them!

Shari Tweaks:  I’ve considered using leftover tabouleh wrapped in a steamed (or blanched) kale leaf – just haven’t done it yet but think it could be fun!  I also like to switch out grains to reduce gluten intake, so I’d probably sub in quinoa or millet in place of the bulgur.  Or maybe even cauliflower ‘rice’!

***

What do you think?  Are you hungry yet?  ;)   Is this a feature you’d like to see on the blog on a recurring basis?

Have a great evening blog buds!

– Shari B. =)

 ***

Shari Becht is a Certified Natural Chef, Fit Living Coach and ACE Certified Personal Trainer.  She is extremely passionate about teaching people how they can take steps to fit healthy habits into their busy lives. 

If you or someone you know would like to learn how to eat more healthfully, achieve a healthy bodyweight or incorporate more “FIT” into life, please feel free to email her at shari [at] fitfeat  [dot] com.  For more information, click here.

Caramel Pecan Godiva Coffee Pudding

Oct 11

Posted by Shari B. in Product Review, Recipes | 6 Comments

Hi friends!

Hope that you had a delightful weekend.  (For some of you maybe even a LONG weekend for the holiday!)  It was a busy one here – I had a working weekend for the most part.  And Saturday we woke up to a little snowstorm at our house!  First snow of the season.  I considered taking a picture of it, but I actually just wanted to ignore the fact that summer is over and pretend that I’m still here:

When I went out for exercise Sunday morning, my little weather buddy (Oscar) told me it was time to bundle up!

So I pulled out my down-filled running jacket, the hat, and the mittens!

Fortunately I had a little treat waiting to warm me up on the chilly weekend.  Back before vacation, I received a SUPER fun gift in the mail.  As a Foodbuzz Featured Publisher, every so often I get a chance to opt-in to the Tastemaker program to try a new product and post about it.  When I heard about the Godiva Coffee opportunity, I jumped at the chance to participate.  One, because you know I L-O-V-E coffee!  But two, because I also love visiting our local Godiva Chocolatier Store in Park Meadows.

I was excited to receive TWO full bags of the Godiva fall-inspired coffees in the mail.

So I’ve been enjoying some really delicious morning cups of coffee lately!  But rather than bore you with a latte recipe, I thought it would be fun to make it into something different to share with you.

How about a light, protein rich dessert?

Caramel Pecan Coffee-Infused Pudding

1/3 cup pre-brewed GODIVA Caramel Pecan Bark coffee

12 oz package of silken tofu (the vacuum packed shelved kind, such as Mori-Nu Organic)

3 tablespoons agave nectar (or 3+ tbsp. maple syrup)

½ teaspoon vanilla extract (more or less to taste)

Dash of sea salt

Dash of cinnamon

Combine all ingredients in food processor and process until smooth and all ingredients are incorporated.  Taste and adjust any flavors to your own liking (such as more/less sea salt, more/less vanilla).

Divide evenly into 4 fancy wine glasses or ramekins.  (Or you could serve them in tartlet crusts.)  Let them chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes in order to thicken prior to serving.

Garnish ideas:

Chopped pecans with a touch of agave drizzle and a couple of dried cranberries.  Festive!

If you’re not a coffee drinker, chances are you’ll still enjoy this.  The caramel pecan bark flavoring from the coffee is what you’ll notice most in this dessert rather than the ‘coffee’ flavor itself.

Have a FABULOUS day, blog buds!

– Shari B. =)

 

 

 

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