Coeurisma Dark Chocolate Coconut Oil TM Candy

Calling all chocoholics!  If you're like me, no doubt you're always on the hunt for a rich chocolaty snack. Well here it is. And it just happens to be healthy and easy to prepare!  What makes this candy even more inviting is that within about 15 short minutes, you can go from none to YUM!!

Coeurisma Dark Chocolate Coconut Oil TM Candy

Couerisma Dark Chocolate Coconut Oil TM comes packaged in a plastic pouch with an easy to use pouring spout. Also included are several small paper candy cups.  Directions are simple and you can have a batch of refrigerated candies ready to eat in about 15 minutes from start to finish.  This is 70 percent dark chocolate so before pouring the oil into the cup or putting in other ingredients, I add a pinch of Xylitol sweetener to offset the bite of the dark chocolate.  Scrumptious flavors shown in the above photo are:

• Basil ginger
• Crispy bacon cinnamon
• Coconut almond
• Strawberry
• Almond

Serving size= about one tablespoon-size candy piece

Chocolate Covered Strawberry

Dip a really cold strawberry into a candy paper cup half filled with liquid Couerisma Dark Chocolate Coconut Oil TM. Refrigerate the strawberry for 8-10 minutes.

Found this product at a local health food store.  I have no affiliation with the company.  You may find Couerisma Dark Chocolate Coconut Oil TM at http://www.coeurisma.com/

BLT Avocado

It’s Summer Olympics time!  Go Team USA! When watching my favorite games, I don’t want to miss any moment of the excitement.  So, I prefer meals that are super quick and summer cool.

Featured in this month’s Paleo Recipes magazine, this BLT avocado is so easy, it can be put together during a long commercial break. And by adding a creamy soy-free dressing, this flavorful dish is not only healthy, every bite is full of yum! 

BLT Avocado 

Ingredients:

Serves 1

½ ripe avocado

2 nitrate free bacon slices

A few leaves of butter lettuce

2 tomato slices cut in half

A dash of seasoned salt

2 tablespoons of soy-free salad dressing

Microwave or oven-broil the bacon until done. Drain off the excess oil and cut slices in half. Cut the avocado in half and remove the seed.  Set one half aside. Sprinkle the other half lightly with seasoned salt. Drizzle on one tablespoon of salad dressing. Alternately layer lettuce, bacon, and tomatoes in and on top of avocado hollow. Drizzle with remaining salad dressing.

Serve with rice cakes.

  

Disclaimer: I'm an amateur cook whose skills were learned from and honed by my mama, an amazing cook of old school southern fare. And because I'm no expert, recipes featured in my blog will NOT include caloric or nutritional information. 

Coconutty Pan Seared Sea Scallops

For years I have had a serious foodie love affair with sea scallops—yep, the big ones. And I’m so excited about this dish because it allows me to carry on my tasty affair without feeling guilty the next morning.

In this Coconutty Pan Seared Sea Scallops recipe, the coconut is definitely the star.  Coconut flakes, coconut oil, and coconut aminos perfectly complement the scallops creating one satisfying mouthful after another. Try them. Guaranteed to make you go, "Yum!"

Coconutty Pan Seared Sea Scallops

Ingredients:

Makes about 3 servings

1 dozen Trader Joe’s wild caught sea scallops (thawed & rinsed)

1 tablespoon coconut aminos

2 teaspoons onion powder

2 teaspoons garlic powder

3 tablespoons of coconut flakes

1 teaspoon coconut oil

1 tablespoon parsley flakes

1/8 cup of oat flour

Seasoned salt to desired taste

2 tablespoons of olive oil (not extra virgin)

Gently water-wash the scallops.  Pat them dry with a paper towel.  Place the dried scallops in a glass bowl.  Add the coconut aminos and distribute evenly.  Let the scallops sit for five minutes.

Mix the coconut oil with the parsley and coconut flakes. Set aside. Put the oat flour on a separate plate and blend in the seasoned salt. Set aside. In a skillet, heat the olive oil. 

Drain the coconut aminos off of the scallops. Use a paper towel to pat the scallops as dry as possible.  Season scallops with onion and garlic powder and then quickly roll each scallop in the flour (the breading should be very thin).  Roll the breaded scallops in the coconut flake mixture (you may have to hand place the flakes onto the scallops if they don’t stick readily). Immediately put the scallops in the pan and sear in medium hot oil for about 2 minutes on each side or until the scallops are white and moist inside with a crispy golden brown crust on the outside (about 4-5 minutes total cook time for each scallop).  Serve with a spoonful of Trader Joe’s Peach Salsa or Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Butter

Disclaimer: I'm an amateur cook whose skills were learned from and honed by my mama, an amazing cook of old school southern fare. And because I'm no expert, recipes featured in my blog will NOT include caloric or nutritional information

Argentinian Shrimp Marinara with Linguini

As I told you before, I am an absolute seafood fanatic and I love shrimp any way I can get them.  Remember Bubba from the movie Forrest Gump?  Fried shrimp, shrimp dip, shrimp gumbo, shrimp fried rice, shrimp salad, shrimp sandwich, shrimp cocktail, baked shrimp, barbecue shrimp, boiled shrimp—you name it, I love it!  Yep.  It’s like that. 

So why should I deprive myself of something I love so dearly, just because I’m on a diet? Exactly. This delectable dish gives me a way to eat shrimp that totally excites my taste buds without throwing me into dieter’s remorse when I’m done eating. And all I can say to that is YUM!

Argentinian Shrimp Marinara with Linguini

Ingredients:

Makes 3 servings

Quinoa or brown rice linguini or spaghetti

½ teaspoon olive oil

Sea salt to taste

Sauce

2 crushed garlic cloves garlic

2 tablespoons olive oil (not extra virgin)

½ jar Whole Foods 365 Tomato Basil Pasta Sauce

2 tablespoons Coconut Secret coconut amines

¼ cup coconut water

1 large basil leaf

½ teaspoon Xylitol (optional)

1 dried bay leaf

Shrimp

1 dozen Trader Joe’s wild caught Argentinian shrimp (thawed & cleaned)

Sea salt and pepper to desired taste

2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh basil

2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh oregano

2 teaspoons onion powder

1 tablespoon olive oil (not extra virgin)

1 tablespoon ghee

½ bell pepper sliced

½ sweet onion sliced

Directions:

Cook quinoa or brown rice linguini or spaghetti as directed on package.  While pasta is cooking prepare marinara as follows. In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil. Add garlic cloves and cook for about 1 minute. Add remaining ingredients in the order shown above.  Bring to a slow boil, turn down the heat, and let simmer for about 15 minutes. Remove bay and basil leaves.

Gently water-wash shrimp.  Pat dry with paper towel.  In a skillet, heat olive oil and ghee.  Blend basil, oregano, and onion powder in a plastic bag.  Add shrimp and shake the bag to ensure even herb coverage.  Pan sear shrimp in oil/ghee mixture for about 1 ½ minutes on each side or until the shrimp are slightly curled and pink with light golden brown crusting (about 3 to 3 ½ minutes total cook time).  Remove shrimp from skillet and quickly sear bell pepper and onion strips (about 1-2 minutes).

Drain cooked pasta, toss in olive oil, and lightly salt to desired taste (keeping in mind the sauce and shrimp are already seasoned).

To serve, pour the marinara sauce over a serving of pasta, add onions and bell peppers, and top with shrimp.  Drizzle with marinara sauce.

Disclaimer: I'm an amateur cook whose skills were learned from and honed by my mama, an amazing cook of old school southern fare. And because I'm no expert, recipes featured in my blog will NOT include caloric or nutritional information. 

Easy Peasy Pinto Beans

To quote J.J. Virgin, on this diet "fiber is your friend". And these creamy pinto beans are just one way to add healthy fiber to a meal.  They are not only easy, they're oh so yummy.

Schedule

Easy Peasy Pinto Beans

Ingredients:

Makes about 3 servings

1   10oz can organic pinto beans (with about half the water drained off)

Oil from 2 strips of cooked nitrate free bacon

¼   cup coconut water

Herb seasoned salting to desired taste

1   teaspoon onion powder

½  cup coconut milk

¼  hot water

¼  cup fresh chopped chives

Pour the hot bacon grease into a medium cooking pot.  Add pinto beans (drained as directed).  Heat beans on medium heat and immediately stir in coconut water, seasoned salt, and onion powder.  Bring beans to a steady simmer and lower heat.   Cook for 10 minutes.  Add coconut milk and stir slowly.  Cook the beans on low heat for 10-15 minutes, stirring in water as needed.  Blend in finely chopped chives.  Cook for 5 minutes and then turn off heat.  Remove the pot from the hot burner and let the beans rest for about 5 minutes before serving.

Disclaimer: I'm an amateur cook whose skills were learned from and honed by my mama, an amazing cook of old school southern fare. And because I'm no expert, recipes featured in my blog will NOT include caloric or nutritional information. https://www.facebook.com/bonnye.hallcrews

Eating Out On the J.J. Virgin Diet

Before I went on the J.J. Virgin diet, eating out was my thing—literally every day, every meal. And though I have adjusted to cooking and eating at home most of the time, when I’m in a time crunch, just don’t feel like cooking, or joining family and friends for a social gathering, it’s nice to know that there are a few places where I can have my SKINNYUM and eat it too.

Chipotle

Chipotle is a great place to get allergen-free food on the run.   Of course, all of the corn products (tortillas, tacos, sofritas, chips), vinaigrette, cheese, sour cream, corn salsa, white rice, and tofu are OUT, but check out the many other bowl or salad choices that can be enjoyed even in cycle I:

·        Brown rice

·        Pinto or black beans

·        Fajita vegetables

·        Mild tomato salsa

·        Guacamole

·        Lettuce

·        Meat

Chicken

Pork

Barbacoa

Steak

Olive Garden

Olive Garden restaurants offer a few entrees and side dishes that may be enjoyed as you move into cycle II and beyond.  Sorry, bread sticks are a no-no!

Be sure to ask for the “gluten-free menu” before placing your order. Not everything on the menu is acceptable, but, in spite of that, you should be able to piece together a delicious meal.  To give you an idea of what’s available, check these options out:

·        *Olive Garden's trademark salad (no cheese, no dressing—ask for oil & vinegar, and no croutons)

·        *Herb grilled salmon

      Tuscan sirloin

·        Broccoli

·        Gluten-free pasta

·        *Tomato marinara sauce

* Okay for cycle I

Others

Surprisingly, several major restaurants and even cruise ships offer “GLUTEN-FREE” or “ALLERGEN-FREE” menus. But remember, gluten is only one of 7 allergens you are trying to avoid.  So, while an entree might be listed as gluten free, it could very well contain a host of derivatives of the other 6 allergens.

When planning to eat out, be sure to do your homework ahead of time.  A simple Google search can identify the gluten/allergen-free fare offered at 
restaurants and will show you the allergen content of each dish. And, in most cases, the food is still yummy.

Fast foods are a bit more limiting. Since sandwiches are out because of the bread, probably the only option at fast food restaurants would be some type of salad without the cheese, corn, croutons, mayo, dried fruits, or salad dressing.  In lieu of salad dressing, try oil and vinegar or Branford’s Spicy Vinaigrette. Also, I’m noticing that some fast food places, like Subway, are now touting hormone-free/anti-biotic free chicken. So, if the chicken is good, add a little chicken.

Disclaimer: the eateries mentioned in this post are places where I have personally enjoyed eating.  I am neither responsible to/for, affiliated with, nor endorsing them. 

Tangy Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings

I'm not always a fan of tangy entrees, but for me lemon pepper chicken is definitely an exception.  Though there's not much distinction between this recipe and others like it, the difference here is the chicken itself--hormone/antibiotic-free, free range chicken. Chickens that are not exposed to antibiotics and artificial hormones are considered not only healthier, but more flavorful as well.

With that in mind, go ahead and stir up a batch of Tangy Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings with vinaigrette dressing for your next sports party and your friends are sure to exclaim--wait for it--"YUM!"

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 Tangy Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings

Ingredients:

Makes 3 servings

1 pound hormone/antibiotic-free, free range cut chicken wings (about 8 wing pieces)

Juice from 1 lemon 

½ teaspoon sea salt

½ teaspoon pepper

*        *        *        *        *        *         *        *        *   

Coating

1 teaspoon sea salt

Surface zest from 1 lemon  

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoons black pepper

¼ cup olive oil (not extra virgin)

1 tablespoon parsley flakes (add later)

  

[ 1/8 cup brown rice flour is OPTIONAL—adds a little bit of a gritty textured breading) ]

Directions:

Squeeze lemon juice on both sides of chicken.  Sprinkle and evenly distribute ½ teaspoon of sea salt and pepper on chicken pieces.  Set aside. Put coating ingredients (except parsley flakes) into a bag .  Shake the bag to mix ingredients well. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Also, pour oil into a stove top frying pan.  While oil is heating to medium high heat, put the chicken in the bag of coating and shake, ensuring that each piece is well covered.  In the frying pan, brown chicken on both sides, cooking for about a total of 10 minutes.

Place hot browned chicken in a baking dish and bake uncovered for 35 minutes or until cooked all the way through. Sprinkle on parsley flakes and let the chicken sit for 10 minutes. 

Serve with Branford's Original Spicy Vinaigrette salad dressing as a dip.

Note:  For a less tangy flavor, reduce lemon juice and zest to half 

Buttery Herb-Rubbed Pot Roast with Brown Gravy

Whenever our family has potluck dinners, my signature contribution is almost always a savory, but very simple, roast made by dumping a package of dry onion soup and a can of mushroom soup onto an uncooked beef pot roast. Cover, slow cook, and the end result is well-seasoned, gravy-steeped meat that is so tender, a knife literally glides through it.

After going on the J.J. Virgin diet, to my dismay, I discovered that both the dry and canned soups in this recipe are loaded (and I mean LOADED) with various forms of corn, soy, sugar, and gluten.  Not to be outdone, I tweaked and tweaked this “Buttery Herb-Rubbed Pot Roast with Brown Gravy” recipe until I got it just right--unbelievably delectable and tender from the first bite to the last. I admit that it’s nowhere as easy as the other one, but the “Yum Factor” is through the roof. In fact, double yum!

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Buttery Herb-Rubbed Pot Roast with Brown Gravy

Ingredients:

Makes 10-12 servings

2 ¼-pound hormone/antibiotic free boneless pot or chuck roast with generous marbling

½ teaspoon sea salt

Buttery paste

2 ½ tablespoons ghee

½ teaspoon sea salt

1 ½ teaspoon olive oil (not extra virgin)

1 tablespoon finely chopped or dried basil flakes

½ tablespoon finely chopped or dried rosemary

1 tablespoon finely chopped or dried cilantro

2 tablespoons dried minced onions

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon onion powder

Gravy

1 cup meat drippings

1 bay leaf

3 tablespoons Coconut Secret Coconut Aminos

3 ½ tablespoons brown rice flour

1 tablespoon dried minced onions

1 ¾ cups hot water

Sea salt to taste (very lightly)

½ teaspoon Xylitol sweetener (OPTIONAL; do not substitute stevia, as I don’t think it will work with this recipe)

Gently water-wash the roast and pat it dry with a paper towel. Sprinkle on ½ teaspoon of sea salt.  Rub to ensure even distribution on all sides.  With a dinner fork, pierce the meat throughout. Put it in an open dish and place it in the refrigerator for 3-6 hours (overnight if possible).

When ready to cook, preheat oven to 325 degrees (or prepare slow cooker).  In a small bowl, mix together all ingredients for the buttery paste.  Let it rest for 5 minutes. Rub the paste onto the roast.  Put the meat a tightly sealed oven dish, or wrap it in heavy foil and place in a roasting pan, or put it into your slow cooker, 

When roast has cooked for 1 ½ hours in oven (or 2 hours 45 minutes in slow cooker), scoop drippings into a saucepan.  Continue to cook meat in oven .  Bring the drippings in the saucepan to medium heat on the stove top.  Add bay leaf and pour in coconut aminos and minced onions.  As the drippings come to a slow boil, add in about one-third of the brown rice flour.  Stir until smooth.  Add about one-third of the water. Stir.  Alternate stirring in flour and water until gravy is slightly watery and smooth.  Drizzle gravy over roast and bake in oven uncovered for about 35 minutes (or until gravy has slightly thickened). Turn off oven and let meat rest for about 20 minutes before serving.

Disclaimer: I'm an amateur cook whose skills were learned from and honed by my mama, an amazing cook of old school southern fare. And because I'm no expert, recipes featured in my blog will NOT include caloric or nutritional information. 

Skinny Sweet Potato Bread

If you're from the south, you know that sweet potato bread is a delicacy reserved for the tables of Sunday dinners or other special occasions. Although called "bread", its flavor and texture are more akin to pie.  Because of that, it's just as scrumptious eaten along with a main entree or simply as a stand-alone dessert. Whichever way you choose to eat my skinny sweet potato bread, you're sure to go, "Yum!".  

SKINNY SWEET POTATO BREAD

Ingredients:

Makes about 8 servings

1   15-ounce can of sweet potato puree

3/8  cup of brown rice flour

3    tiny scoops of Stevia (4 if you’d like it sweeter—careful don’t make it too sweet)

2   teaspoons of ghee

1   teaspoon of coconut oil

1   teaspoon of pure vanilla (no alcohol, dextrose, corn syrup, etc. added)

A  pinch of salt

½  teaspoon of lemon juice (optional)

In a bowl, mix all ingredients together and then place the mix in the refrigerator.  After 1½ hours, remove the mixture from refrigerator and preheat oven at 360 degrees. Stir the mix well and then pour it into a glass or metal baking pan greased with regular olive oil (not extra virgin).  Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a golden crust forms on top and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let cool.

Disclaimer: I'm an amateur cook whose skills were learned from and honed by my mama, an amazing cook of old school southern fare. And because I'm no expert, recipes featured in my blog will NOT include caloric or nutritional information

Snacks Part II--SWEETS, My Sweet

Hi, my name is Hall-Crews and I am a sweetaholic.  

Seriously. When I started the J.J. Virgin diet, besides other sweets I regularly devoured, I had a three bag-a-day gummy bear habit (2 oz. bags).  Those little guys absolutely plagued my very existence and became the first thing I ate to start my day and the last thing I nibbled before retiring at night.

So, needless to say, I was more than a little troubled when I saw sugar on J.J. Virgin’s list of 7 foods to avoid. As I read more about it, I found that rather than being a no-sugar regime, J.J. Virgin describes her plan as more of a VERY low-sugar diet.

With that in mind, here are some of the ins and outs of satisfying your sweet tooth:

IN

• Fruits on the lower end of the glycemic index (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and most other berries) Cherries, apples, peaches, pears, and several others in the moderate range and okay, too—all fruits should be eaten in moderation

• Stevia (look for pure stevia with no additives like dextrose)

• Xylitol (from birch trees)

OUT

• Fruits on the higher end of the glycemic index (bananas, papaya, watermelon, pineapple, mango, and grapes)

• Dried fruit and fruit juices (check out the sugar content on the labels—wowzer!)

• Sugars, honey, agave, syrups, glucose

• Artificial sweeteners

Quick Fix Snacks:

 Fruit slices 

Apple slices dipped in unsweetened almond butter

Mashed raspberries or blueberries (sweetened with Stevia and/or cinnamon) on a thin brown rice cracker

Three peach slices, a dash of Xylitol or Stevia, and a thin layer of So Delicious Unsweetened Coconut Ice Milk on a thin brown rice cake

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Not much to say here--Coconut ice milk and fresh strawberries.  A picture can speak a thousand words or just one:  YUM!

Mini Strawberry Sundae

Ingredients:

Makes 1 serving

3   tablespoons So Delicious Unsweetened Dairy Free Coconut Ice Milk
2   medium strawberries cut into quarters

½ teaspoon strawberry powder

Disperse strawberry powder and strawberries between scoops of ice milk.

Snacks Part I--MORE SALTY

Snacks Part I--MORE SALTY

So, here's the skinny on most packaged salty snacks:  They contain one or more of the 7 foods (or derivatives thereof) that the J.J. Virgin diet recommends you avoid--peanuts, corn, soy, eggs, dairy, sugar, or gluten.  Not convinced?  Okay, let's test it. Grab the package of your favorite snack. Read the INGREDIENTS list.  Most likely, hiding among what you think you are eating may be soy, soybean oil, peanut oil, maltodextrin, citric acid, corn, vegetable oil, dextrose, cheese, whey, lactose, artificial flavors, natural flavors (likely corn), monosodium glutamate, tamari, or a host of others. Sneaky, sneaky, right?

If you're like me, these are all ingredients that you largely overlook. Don't.  And don't take for granted that snacks touted as being "healthy" are any better off.  Read the label before grabbing that handful of chips.  It may literally astound you.

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Healthier snacking will require a paradigm shift. Even though you may eventually find a snack with a clean label, get used to the fact that, aside from a few packaged nuts, these are few and far between. 

All hope is not lost, however.  Many companies offer a variety of hummus flavors, which, when eaten sparingly, can effectively take the edge off of that occasional snack attack. Use it as a dip with raw veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, or celery.  There are also a few prepackaged guacamole and salsas which are as healthy as they are satisfying.  If you are really adventurous, try pickling your own green beans or olives in gluten-free vinegar and herbs. 

Personally, when I'm jonseing for something spicy and pickley, I find that these flavorful cucumber chips to be the perfect combination of tartness, crunch, and YUM! 

                                               Crunchy Cucumber Chips

Ingredients:

Makes about 6 servings

1 large organic cucumber 

1 teaspoon sea salt 

1 teaspoon basil flakes

1 teaspoon cilantro flakes

1 teaspoon oregano flakes

1/3 cup Coconut Secret Coconut Vinegar

Wash the cucumber.  Peel off the outer skin (optional).  Cut the cucumber into medium slices and put them into a large bowl.  Sprinkle the slices with sea salt and dried herbs.  Stir to distribute evenly.  Cover and refrigerate the cucumber chips for about 10 minutes.  Remove from refrigerator and add in vinegar.  Stir. Pour entire mixture into a zip top plastic bag.  Seal and refrigerate until ready to eat.

Disclaimer: I'm an amateur cook whose skills were learned from and honed by my mama, an amazing cook of old school southern fare. And because I'm no expert, recipes featured in my blog will NOT include caloric or nutritional information.