Cookies that taste good and are actually good for you! 

I don't have much of a sweet tooth, but in the evening I tend to want something sweet and usually go for some chocolate with 70% cocoa.  I enjoy it, but sometimes I'd like something else without resorting to something that's full of sugar and unhealthy fats.

Today I decided that I was going to invent a cookie that is tasty, sweet and still good for me.  So here's what I did...

 I mixed together 1/2 cup raw almond butter and 1/2 cup raw honey

 I added 1 1/2 cups old fashioned rolled oats

I added 1/2 cup raw organic sunflower seeds

And 1 tsp. Celtic sea salt

 Then I added 1/4 cup raw organic cacao nibs

 And two tablespoons of raw chia seeds

 I mixed it all together and used my 1 tablespoon cookie scooper to dollop them onto a parchment-lined cookie tray

 I baked them at 350F for 16 mins., rotating the cookie trays halfway

*Update!!* 

I remade these cookies yesterday with a couple of changes and they're soooo good!  I melted a 100g 70% cocoa chocolate bar with 2 tablespoons of coconut oil and mixed it into the batter.  

I also used a mixture of sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and slivered almonds instead of all sunflower seeds.  

 YUM!
 

Shrimp with Wilted Arugula

This was one of those meals that just comes together with things you already have in the fridge/freezer and pantry.  I had bought a huge container of arugula at Costco the other day to use in a salad.  Since it was just Perry and me eating that night, we had 2/3 of the mammoth container left over.  I didn't want to do salad two nights in a row so I decided to make this instead.  I had some pitted Kalamata olives in the fridge and some of our favourite creamy Macedonian feta, so I thought I would make a (sort of) Greek-flavoured meal.  Here's what I came up with...

 I sautéed some red onion slices in coconut oil (yeah, I know that's not even remotely Greek)

Meanwhile, I made a marinade of Extra Virgin olive oil, fresh lemon juice, fresh rosemary, minced garlic, Celtic sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

I cooked the onion slices until lightly browned

Then I added minced garlic and chopped Thai chile peppers

Meanwhile, I added some peeled shrimp to the marinade and tossed them around, letting them stand for about 10 mins.

Then I put them on a greased (and foiled) baking tray and baked at 425F for about 6 minutes (until pink)

I finished sautéeing the onion, garlic and chile mixture

Then I added lots of fresh arugula to the pan

I tossed it around until it was wilted

Then I threw in the feta and olives and tossed it all around until well-mixed

I served the arugula mixture with the shrimp on top

Salmon en Papillote

Today (well actually yesterday since it's after midnight now) is day 3 of Meghan Telpner's 5 days Low GI eating challenge so I've been having a blast coming up with recipes that fit the low GI bill!  Tonight I thought it would be nice to have fish, so I decided that I'd do it 'en papillote'.  I wasn't sure whether I would do it with sweet potatoes or barley (we LOVE both) but ended up deciding upon barley.

So here's what I did...

Sautéed some slices of red onion in coconut oil

Meanwhile, I simmered some pot barley in salted water

Added some slices of oyster mushrooms to the onion slices

Continued to sauté until they were softened

Placed the onion/mushroom mixture on the corner of a large piece of parchment paper

Topped it with some green beans

 Topped this with some of the barley

Added a few slices of beefsteak tomato

Topped this with a small salmon fillet (seasoned the salmon)

Wrapped the package up tightly

Baked at 400F for 20 mins. and then removed from the oven

All done!

Quinoa Salad for Lunch

Quinoa is one of my favourite grains (well it's actually a seed but we use it as a grain).  It's a wonder food as it's considered a complete protein all by itself!  I'm trying to remember when I first cooked with it and I think it was 9 or 10 years ago.  I loved it the first time I tried it and it has been a staple in my kitchen ever since.  I've used both red quinoa and regular quinoa and I definitely prefer the regular kind.  We often eat it as a warm side dish with meats and fish, but I think my favourite way to use it is in a salad.  I've made many variations and rarely use a recipe, but it's generally a vinaigrette of some sort, lots of veggies and quinoa.  

This is how I made today's salad for lunch...

 I cooked about a cup of quinoa in salted water (17 mins. seems the perfect amount of time)

  This is the brand I've been using lately

In a large bowl, I added 3 cloves of minced garlic and the juice of half a lemon

I added freshly ground black pepper, cayenne, Celtic sea salt and extra virgin olive oil

I whisked all of these ingredients together

I added some chopped yellow bell pepper

and some chopped red bell pepper

5 chopped green onions

A lovely big beefsteak tomato

plenty of fresh cilantro

I mixed it all together

Added the cooked and cooled quinoa

Almost forgot to add some cucumber (which I had stopped at the store to buy specifically for this salad)

Mixed it all well and ate 2 bowlfuls of it!!!