Secret Ingredients Chocolate mint cookies

1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
½ cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cup fat free plain greek yogurt
½ cup pureed beets
½ cup pureed spinach
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
½ cup baking cocoa
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
Mint chips

350° for 8-10 min.

Makes 36 cookies at 108 calories each.

Jamie Oliver's Vindaloo

Serves 4-6

2 medium onions
4 gloves of garlic
2 red chilies (or to taste)
thumb size piece of ginger root
small bunch of fresh cilantro
4 ripe tomatoes
peanut or vegetable oil
a pat of butter
1 3/4 pounds diced pork shoulder
1/2 cup vindaloo paste such as Pataks
sea salt and black pepper
1 table spoon honey
1/3 balsamic vinegar

To prepare:
Peel halve and finely slice onion, peed and slice garlic, finely slice chili, peel and finely slice ginger. Pick cilantro leaves and finely chop stalks. Cut the tomatoes into quarters.

To Cook

Get a large casserole type pan on a medium high heat, add a couple of lugs of oil and the butter. Add the onions, garlic, chili, ginger and cilantro stalks and cook for 10 minutes until softened. Add the pork and curry paste. Stir well and coat all pieces of pork. Season with Salt and Pepper. Add the tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, honey and about 1 2/3 cups of water. Bring to a boil and turn the heat down and simmer for 45 minutes with the lid on. Stir regularly and add more water if necessary.

Mango Quinoa Salad

2 cups cooked quinoa* at room temperature, or chilled
1 14 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 medium mango, peeled and diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
6 green onions, thinly sliced
1 handful chopped cilantro (about 1/2 cup)
4 tablespoon red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1-2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
kosher salt
freshly cracked black pepper

*Quinoa can be cooked in water or broth. I suggest using vegetable or chicken broth for enhanced flavor, but plain water works great too.

Place cooked quinoa in a large bowl. Add mango, red pepper, green onion, black beans, and cilantro. In a small bowl combine vinegar, olive oil, and lime juice. Whisk until smooth and pour on top of salad. Toss to combine and add salt and pepper to taste. Chill for at least one hour before serving.

Asian Chicken Salad

Sweet Sesame Dressing

2/3 C rice vinegar
1 C canola oil
2 Tbs sesame oil
4 cloves garlic, pressed or very finely minced
2 Tbs soy sauce
1/2 C sugar
4 Tbs sesame seeds

Place all ingredients into a quart jar (or something equivalent) and shake vigorously. If desired, make ahead of time and store in the fridge.

2 heads romaine lettuce
3 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed or shredded
cherry tomatoes
1 red onion, sliced thinly
1 cucumber, sliced
1 package wontons
vegetable oil for frying
optional: cashews (Mel noted in the comments that cashews are a yummy addition, I'll have to try it!)

Sweet Sesame Dressing

Heat about 1 inch of oil in a pot on the stove top. Use pizza cutter or sharp knife to cut wontons into thirds (3 strips). You may not need the entire package, depending on how much salad you're making. I usually use about half of the wonton wrappers. You'll want the oil at about 375 degrees. Test by dipping a wonton in and seeing if it bubbles up quickly. Fry wontons a few at a time and set on paper towels to dry. These can be made ahead of time and kept in an air tight container.

Tear clean lettuce into chunks and place in a large salad bowl. Top with cherry tomatoes, sliced cucumber, and red onion. Add shredded chicken and top with Sweet Sesame Dressing. Toss salad together. Once everything is well coated, add wonton strips and gently toss to combine.

Asian Cabbage Salad
Recipe by Our Best Bites

1 14 oz bag coleslaw mix
1 rib celery, sliced
1/2 cucumber, sliced
1 small handful sugar snap peas (about 20 baby ones)
1/2 red bell pepper, sliced
1/4 of a small red onion, thinly sliced
1 T toasted sesame seeds*
1/3 C slivered or sliced almonds, toasted*
Optional: 1 1/2 C cooked, shredded or diced chicken

Dressing:
2 T canola oil
2 T cider vinegar
1/4 C seasoned rice wine vinegar
2 T sugar (or equivalent of sugar substitute)
1 t kosher salt
2 t soy sauce
1/4 t garlic powder, or one small garlic clove, minced
1/4 t black pepper
1/2 t sesame oil

* To toast almonds or sesame seeds, place them (not together, do one thing at a time!) in a dry skillet over medium heat. Turn constantly until golden brown. Let cool before using.

Begin by making dressing. Combine all ingredients in a sealed jar and shake shake shake. Store in the fridge until ready to use. You can definitely do this part a few days ahead of time.

Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing

Ingredients

• 8 ounces young spinach
• 2 large eggs
• 8 pieces thick-sliced bacon, chopped
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 large white mushrooms, sliced
• 3 ounces red onion (1 small), very thinly sliced

Directions

Remove the stems from the spinach and wash, drain and pat dry thoroughly. Place into a large mixing bowl and set aside.

Place the eggs into an electric kettle and cover with cold water by at least 1-inch. Turn the kettle on. Once the water comes to a boil, the kettle will turn itself off. Leave the eggs in the water for 15 minutes. Remove and peel off the shell. Slice each egg into 8 pieces and set aside.

While the eggs are cooking, fry the bacon and remove to a paper towel to drain, reserving 3 tablespoons of the rendered fat. Crumble the bacon and set aside.

Transfer the fat to a small saucepan set over low heat and whisk in the red wine vinegar, sugar and Dijon mustard. Season with a small pinch each of kosher salt and black pepper.

Add the mushrooms and the sliced onion to the spinach and toss. Add the dressing and bacon and toss to combine. Divide the spinach between 4 plates or bowls and evenly divide the egg among them. Season with pepper, as desired. Serve immediately.

Whole Wheat, Low Sugar Carrot Muffins

2 cups whole wheat flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon cloves

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2/3 cup olive oil

2/3 cup brown sugar

3/4 teaspoon Stevia

3 cups shredded carrots

1 cup applesauce

1 cup toasted unsweetened coconut



Mix dry and wet ingredients separately (sugar and coconut = wet), then mix together. Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes.