Roasted Honey Chili Chickpeas

Serves: 4

15 oz. Bag chickpeas,(cooked)
1/2 Tbsp. Olive oil
1 Tbsp. Honey
1/2 tsp. Chili powder
1/8 tsp. Course Himalayan salt

Directions:

1. cook chickpeas according to the directions on bag, once cooked remove them with a slotted spoon onto a paper towel. to absorb excess water.

2. preheat oven to 375, lining baking sheet with parchment paper or using a silicone mat.

3. Dabbing any excess water from the chickpeas, before spreading them in single layers.Bake them for about 45 minutes or until crispy. Taste test time: If they are still soft,bake a little bit longer.

4.While the chickpeas are still hot, toss them in a bowl with the oil, honey, chili powder, and salt. placing them back in the oven for another 10 minutes until they become caramelize.

The better cow cacao muffins

Adapted from: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/poppy-seed-muffins/

Serves: 12 dozen

3 Eggs* (egg substitute)
2 1/2 c. Granulated sugar (I highly recommend coconut sugar)
1 1/8 c. Vegetable oil
1 1/2 c. Low fat milk * (Almond, Soy, Rice)
1 1/2 tsp. Himalayan salt
1 1/2 tsp. Baking powder
1 1/2 Tbsp. Chia seeds
1 1/2 tsp. Vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp. Almond extract
3 c. All- purpose flour
3/4 c. Cacao Nibs

Directions:

1. Beat together the eggs, Granulated sugar and vegetable oil. Add in milk, salt, baking powder, Chia seeds , vanilla extract, almond extract, cacao Nibs and flour. Mix well.

2. line the muffin pan with paper lined muffin cups (filling only 3/4 full ) at 350 for 15-20 minutes. to test for doneness insert toothpick in the center it should come out clean.

~Health Benefits: Cacao Nibs

Adapted from: http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/7-health-benefits-cocoa-nibs.html

Cacao are least processed and most natural form of chocolate. The lack of processing and sugars do give them a bit of an acquired taste as they have a distinctive bitter somewhat nutty flavor. They do however have lots of uses as you can add them into smoothies, as a topping on desserts, use in baking or even just snack. Cacao also has a very wonderful health benefits that you really didn't know about, as you begin to read them I hope your ready to give them a try.

1. Antioxidant
Cacao help fight off free radical damage in the body which can cause DNA damage, premature aging and even cancers.

2. Flavonoids
Which from plants and can be responsible for giving pigmentation and colors to being involved in UV filtration. They are so much similar to antioxidants in that they have a free radical scavenging capacity and have anti-cancer properties while other flavonoids show potential for anti HIV function. We get flavonoids from fruits, vegetables, teas, wine and a significant amount from cacao.

3. Cardiovascular
As cacao lower the rates of cardiovascular-related mortality. there's that word again "flavonoids" were actually referred to as ‘Vitamin P’ because of the effect they had on the permeability of vascular capillaries. studies has been linked here has shown that as little as 5 grams of cacao powder is sufficient to elicit significant vasodilation of the brachial artery.

4. Fiber
A huge serving of Cacao has (9 grams of fiber), which can help control your blood pressures as well as your blood glucose levels. As the fiber in Cacao as helps with lower blood cholesterol as well with keeping your bowels regular.

5. Magnesium
which plays a very key essential in your body,As it is involved in hundreds of functions in your body such as the following:

* Protein synthesis
* Muscle as well as nerve function
* Blood glucose as well as blood pressure regulation

6. Potassium
This is for sure a crucial part in life, it is the key in heart, kidneys and other organs to function health. Potassium is found in a lot of foods including cacao nibs but the average person is not eating a healthy diet and low potassium is associated with the following:

* Risk of high blood pressure
* Heart disease
* Stroke
* Arthritis
* Cancer
* Digestive orders
* Infertility

7. Improve mood
Cacao help stimulate the brain into releasing neurotransmitters that can trigger feel good hormones. One of those unique neurotransmitters released by cacao is phenylethylamine. Which helps releases endorphins giving us alertness, contentment and a better sense of well-being.

~Note: I have definitely have tried Cacao Nibs (which I call them cacao chips), and they taste Grrrrreat as Tony the tiger would say. So go out and try them I in my opinion will eat those over Chocolate any day.

Fruit salad taco boat

Serves: 4

3/4 c. + 2 tsp. Strawberries, cleaned and sliced
6 oz. Seedless grapes, halved
1 1/4 c. Kiwis, peeled and sliced
1 1/4 c. Bananas, sliced
1 1/4 c. Cherries, halved
1 1/4 c. Blueberries
1 1/4 c. Raisins
1 1/4 c. Shredded coconut
4 Waffle cone taco shells
1- 2 Tbsp. Cottage cheese
Chocolate syrup (the finisher, drizzle)

 Directions:

 1. In a medium sized bowl, blend together the strawberries, grapes, kiwis, and bananas, cherries, blueberries plus raisins, shredded coconut. Allow to chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

2. Adding a little bit of cottage cheese at the bottom of your waffle shell, apply fruit salad and add more cheese topping it off with the finisher.

Crab salad stuffed mushrooms

serves: 4

4 whole mushrooms
3/8 sm. onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
11 oz. Imitation crab meat, flaked
2/3 c. plain low fat Greek yogurt
2/3 c. shredded Cheddar cheese
1/8 tsp. Cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp. old bay seasoning
2 med carrots, shredded

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Spraying a baking sheet with cooking spray. Clean mushrooms with a damp paper towel. Carefully breaking off the stems. Chopping stems extremely fine, discarding tough end of stems. bake for at least 20 minutes.

2. In a medium bowl, combine crab, celery, onion, plain yogurt, Cheddar cheese,carrots and pepper. Mix together well and once mushrooms have completely cooled, begin adding the crab salad.

~Health Benefits:

Mushrooms:
They are naturally low in sodium, fat, cholesterol, and calories and have often been referred to as "functional foods." In addition to providing basic nutrition, they help prevent chronic disease due to the presence of antioxidants and beneficial dietary fibers such as chitin and beta-glucans.

As they are rich in B vitamins such as riboflavin, folate, thiamine, pantothenic acid, and niacin. Mushrooms also provide several minerals that may be difficult to obtain in the diet, such as selenium, potassium, copper, iron, and phosphorus.

Mushrooms are great wonders for:

* Diabetes
* Cancer
* Heart Health
* Immunity
* Weight management and satiety

*Note: Potential health risks of consuming mushrooms:
Mushrooms have the capability of stimulating immune function, this may be a risk for those with autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, asthma, and multiple sclerosis.

BLT salad

Serves: 4

11 oz. Turkey bacon
5/8 Romaine lettuce - rinsed, dried and shredded
1 1/4 lg. Tomatoes, chopped
1 1/3 c. Croutons
1 1/3 c. Crumbled feta cheese
1 1/3 c. Raisins
1 1/3 c. Olives, slice in halves

Directions:

1. Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat, turning frequently, until evenly browned. Drain, crumble and set aside.

2. Combine lettuce, tomatoes, bacon and croutons, Raisins, olives in a medium sized salad bowl. Toss with Orange Chia dressing.

Orange chia dressing
Adapted from: http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/low-fat-sesame-orange-dressing.html

Serves: 4

1/3 c. Orange juice
1/3 c. Rice wine vinegar
1 tsp. Grated fresh ginger
1 tsp. Chia seeds
1 tsp. Reduced sodium soy sauce (Tamari)
1/4 tsp. Freshly grated orange peels

Directions:

1. In a medium sized glass bowl, whisk together orange juice, vinegar, ginger, chia seeds, soy sauce and orange peel.

Liver tacos

Serves: 4

2 lbs. Sliced beef liver, cut into bite size pieces
2 c. All purpose flour
1-1/2 tsp. lime juice
3/4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp. Garlic powder
1/4 tsp. Onion powder
1/4 tsp. Old bay seasoning
1/2 (12 ounce) pkg. corn tortillas
1/2 head lettuce, shredded
1 lg. Tomatoes, chopped
1/2 (8 oz.) pkg. shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1/2 (8 oz.) jar salsa
1/2 (8 oz.) container sour cream

Directions:

1. In a medium sized glass bowl blend together lime juice, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic powder plus old bay seasoning for marinade. Pour the marinade over the liver and allow to soak for 1 hour.

2. In a medium sized skillet fry liver over medium heat, for 2 minutes on the first side, 1/2 minutes on the other side.

3. Warm tortilla wrappers in oven until desirable temperature, then apply cut liver into bite size pieces. Adding the rest of the ingredients to create a taco.

Hot out the oven... Cast iron

*Note: Please continue to read this blog article.
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When it comes to cooking my mom would always grab for the Dutch oven (B.K.A) Cast iron cookware. When your younger you really don't think why, you just know ooh food, but as the years progress the cooking property in cooking has changed. Cast iron has been used for cooking for over two thousand years.
The American Dietetic Association study found that cast iron cookware can leach significant amounts of dietary iron into food. People with hemochromatosis (iron overload, bronze disease) should avoid using cast iron cookware altogether because of the iron leaching effect into the food. Now that I have covered the basics, now let's get straight into proper caring for your cast iron. Cast iron like I have told you has been used over thousands of years. So your cast iron can last for plenty more years with the proper care. Seasoning is a process by which a layer of coconut oil or vegetable oil is applied and cooked onto cast iron or carbon steel cookware. A lightly coat of oil is applied and the cookware is placed upside down in the oven on a layer of newspaper leaving ( to drain for at least an hour). The newspaper is then removed, then the oven is set to 350 and baked for 30 minutes. As some cookware is already preseasoned. Cleaning techniques like scouring or washing in the dishwasher can remove or damage the seasoning on Cast iron cookware, these pans should not be cleaned like any other cookware. Never clean cast iron pans at all. Just simply wipe them out after use, or just washing them with hot water and washing with mild dishwashing liquid, and water then reapplying a thin layer of oil ( you can also use nonstick cooking spray). Here is another approach which is scrubbing with coarse salt and a clean dish cloth.