Crazy for Greek: Chicken souvlaki recipe

I recently rediscovered my love for Greek. Sorry ladies, I'm not talking about John Stamos (although really, I still have a celebrity crush on Uncle Jesse). This one's a fav go-to that's quick and easy to prepare and cook when you don't have a lot of time, but it can be very impressive if you choose to serve it when you entertain. The chicken souvlaki can be served with a simple Greek salad, heated whole wheat pita bread, and tzatziki for dipping. The best part? It's healthy! Here's the recipe. If you try it out, please feel free to leave a comment!  

Ingredients
4 skewers
2 boneless skinless chicken, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 clove of garlic, minced (or 1/2 tsp garlic powder)
1 tsp pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 whole wheat pitas, cut into 1/8ths
Light tzatziki

1. Mix olive oil, lemon juice, pepper and garlic together to make marinade.
2. Place cubed chicken in a bowl, and pour the marinade over it. Cover and place in fridge for at least 20 minutes.
3. Soak the skewers in water while the chicken is marinading.
4. Pre-heat oven to 350 C.
5. Cover a baking sheet with tinfoil and then spray with cooking spray. When chicken is finished marinating, add the cubes of chicken to the skewers and then place them on the baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and juices run clear. 
5. Serve with warm pita bread, tzatziki and a simple Greek Salad.

Enjoy!

  

Every day I'm trufflin': Truffle recipe

Since it's Canada Day, I decided to make my holiday truffles! It's definitely not the season I associate with truffles or 'holiday', but since they're fun and it's been a few months since I've made them I decided it was time to make them again! These are delicious, easy to make, and fantastic for any holiday or occasion since you can decorate them however you like. For the truffles pictured here, I used Canada Day decos, white sprinkles and carob powder. If you haven't heard of carob, I'm sure you're wondering what it is! It's a healthier substitute for chocolate (or so I'm told). It's said to be lower in fat therefore healthier than chocolate, but it's definitely much sweeter.

If I was making these for me I would choose to use semi-sweet chocolate chips, but I'm married to someone who has the unfortunate plague of being allergic to chocolate and has never tasted a chocolate truffle in his life (at least that what he tells me anyway!) Since chocolate is out of the question for him, I used the next best thing: carob. I have made these in the past using chocolate and another time using carob, and on each occasion they were a huge success. The recipe below makes about 20 truffles. 

If you do make these, post a comment below and let me know how your truffle-making experience went! Happy truffling!

 Ingredients

• 9 oz. chocolate or carob chips
• 2 tbsp. butter
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• Decorations

1. Melt chocolate or carob chips and butter in a double boiler. Add heavy cream and stir until satin-like and smooth. Cover and refrigerate until set (about 6 hours for chocolate; about 1.5 hours for carob). The mixture should be mouldable and not too hard.

2. Place decorations on separate plates, and set aside

3. When the mixture is set, scoop up by teaspoons. Form into balls and then roll into decorations. Store in an airtight container, refrigerate, and enjoy!

Banana nut chocolate protein muffins recipe

I thought I'd start this week off with a sweet and healthy recipe! Anyone who knows me knows how much I love sweets (especially chocolate). It's so hard for me to say no to sweets, especially mid-morning or mid-afternoon when I start to feel peckish. I try to graze throughout the day getting protein when I can; the only problem is, most protein snack sources aren't sweet and I still find myself still craving sweets at the end of the day.

Guess what? Problem solved! I found an awesome recipe and tweaked it to make banana nut chocolate protein muffins. Now for the good news: it's friend/husband tested, and approved! The recipe below makes 12 muffins, and ingredients can be found at Bulk Barn or your favourite local grocery store. Happy snacking!

Ingredients
1/2 cup whole wheat flour (pastry)
1/2 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup protein powder (natural or vanilla will work)
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts or almonds
1/4 cup chocolate chips (substitute carob for chocolate allergy)
3 overly ripe bananas
3 tbsp maple syrup or honey
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions
1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. Mix flour, oats, protein powder, cinnamon, baking powder, half the nuts, and salt together in a large bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, mash the bananas, then add syrup/honey, egg and vanilla extract. Stir wet ingredients into dry until just mixed. Add chocolate or carob chips and stir until evenly distributed in batter.
4. Grease muffin pan, and pour batter in until each tin is 3/4 full. Top the batter with crushed nuts. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes just out of the oven before removing from muffin pan to cool on a wire rack.