Chili Chicken with Cashews

chile chicken

2- 6oz chicken breasts
4 organic vine sweet mini peppers
3 T chick pea flour
½ t salt
1 t garlic powder
dash of cayenne
3T olive oil
1/4 C of sherry
1/2 C of cashews
1t chile paste, like Sambal chile paste
salt to tast
2T sweet chili paste
1/2 C of vegetable of chicken stock

Mix together the chick pea flour, salt, garlic and cayenne in a medium bowl and set aside.

peppers

Slice the peppers lengthwise into thin slices and saute in a hot pan with 1T of olive oil until the peppers are softened. Remove the peppers and set them aside.

Dip chicken breast into the mix until they are completely covered in the dry mix. Add 2T of olive oil to the pan and add the chicken. Brown both sides over medium-high heat and then reduce to cook the chicken through.

Deglaze the pan with the sherry and add the chile paste at the same time to mix in with the liquid. Add the peppers back and toss. Add the cashews, salt, sweet chili sauce and stock, then cover the pan and cook over low heat.

chicken

After 10 minutes, uncover and it’s ready to serve with freshly cut pineapple cubes.

Horseradish Chicken

6oz of skinless chicken breast
3T vegenaise or mayonnaise
1t horseradish
dash of cayenne
1T olive oil

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the vegenaise/mayonnaise, horseradish and cayenne together in a medium bowl.

Slather the mixture over both sides of the chicken breast. Place the chicken in an oven-safe skillet with 1T of olive oil and place in the oven.

Cook chicken on one side for 15 minutes, then flip and cook for an additional 15 minutes.

Remove from the oven and deglaze the pan with ¼C of sweet vermouth and place back in the oven to cook for an additional 5-8 minutes.

Remove and it’s ready to serve! A really easy and delicious option for chicken.

Baked Spinach and Egg White Muffins

egg white muffins
12 whites, 2 yolks- large eggs
1T parm cheese
1T Mexican blend cheese or another cheese of your liking, shredded
1t garlic powder
¼t good salt

This recipe will make 6 standard sized muffins or 4 large muffins.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a skillet, saute 3 handfuls of fresh, washed spinach in 2T of olive oil. Let the spinach cool and squeeze out the extra moisture.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs then add the cheese, seasonings and spinach.

Spray your muffin pan, even if you are using one with a nonstick surface. Pour the mixture into each of the cups, almost to the top.

Place the tin in a water bath, pouring water about halfway up the side of the tin.

water bath

Cook for about 25 minutes, or until the centers are set.

After cooling for a few minutes, remove from the tin and serve.

These “muffins” can be eaten warm or cold and is an Atkins friendly option.

Real Heart Candy Chocolates *sugar free

chocolate hearts

1/2 cup of coconut oil
1/2 cup of almonds
3/4 cup of cacao powder
1/2 cup of shredded, unsweetened coconut
1 teaspoon of maple syrup
2 teaspoons of almond butter
1/2 teaspoon of Madagascar vanilla paste
2 tablespoons of wildflower honey
1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 teaspoon Maldon salt

In a medium sauce pan, over medium-low heat, melt the coconut oil.

In a food processor, finely chop the almonds and add them to the melted oil.  Add the cacao powder and shredded, unsweetened coconut.  You can use medium or large shreds.  Turn heat off and add maple syrup, almond butter (you can also use peanut butter), Madagascar vanilla paste, wildflower honey, cinnamon and Maldon salt and then wisk together.

The cinnamon highlights the other flavors in the chocolate. You can also add ¼ teaspoon of cayenne, chipotle or red pepper if you want your chocolate to have a kick.

Spoon the chocolate into a silicon mold.  I used a heart shaped mold.  Place in the freezer to set, this can take up to 1 hour.  Serve promptly after removing from the freezer, because they will start to melt.

chocolate mold

Cooking the chocolate will give them a really glossy look when they are set.

Heart Pancakes

2 cups sifted cake flour
1/2 tsp baking powder

Sift together in a large bowl.

In a separate, medium sized bowl, combine the following:

3 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon orange flower water
2 cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
3 tablespoons orange flavored honey or other honey
1 tablespoon agave nectar
2 cups ricotta cheese
4 oz marscapone cheese

Blend together and add to the dry mix using a spatula.

Put into a heart-shaped mold and bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees.

Here is good mold to use for chocolate, muffins and pancakes: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000M9N7CM.