My Plate

Hey Everyone! The Texas Heart Institute posted this on Pinterest today so I thought I share it. It has some great tips for how your plate should look. 

Chocolate Banana Wontons Bites with Caramel Sauce

Happy Birthday to ME! As my birthday weekend is coming to an end I wanted to share a sweet treat. I love birthday cake but after many years of having it I like to try new desserts instead. Hence the wonton bites which are a great mixture of my favorite things. As you see the recipe includes making caramel sauce which may seem intense but just watch the heat closely and have patience with it. The great thing about the bites is the wonton wrappers which are like a blank canvas and could be made with sweet and savory ingredients. If you don't like chocolate and bananas you can try raspberry and cream cheese or even peanut butter and jelly. So have fun with this recipe and don't eat too many.  ;-)

Ingredients: 

Chocolate Banana Wontons:

1 medium banana, mashed with a fork

1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon

3 tbsp dark chocolate chips

16 wonton wrappers

1 tsp. coconut oil, melted

Caramel Sauce:

1/3 c. coconut milk (not light)

1/2 tsp. vanilla

pinch of salt

1/4 c. sugar

2 tbsp. water

Directions:

For Baked Banana Wontons-

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2) Combine cinnamon, dark chocolate chips and banana in a small bowl. Place a teaspoon of banana filling in the center of each wonton wrapper. 

3) Fold wrappers into a triangle and press edges together to seal.

4) Brush both sides of each finished wonton with coconut oil. Place wontons on a baking sheet.

5) Bake for 8-10 minutes or until corners are browned and crispy.

For Caramel Sauce-

1) Whisk together coconut milk and vanilla in a small bowl. Set aside.

2) Combine sugar and water in a small heavy-duty saucepan over medium-high heat. Do not stir! Allow mixture to come to a boil. 

3) Once it begins to boil, watch it very closely. Eventually the mixture will start to smell like caramel and turn a golden color, then light brown. This will take about 6 minutes. 

4) When you see that it’s started to turn brown, slowly pour in coconut milk mixture, whisking constantly and quickly. If the sugar hardens around the whisk, don’t worry; it will melt. Just keep whisking! 

5) Continue to heat over medium-high until mixture has thickened and is a light caramel color, about 5 minutes more. 

6) Drizzle immediately over wontons.

Enjoy!

Chicken and Vegetable Sauté

Hey Everyone! So I been craving some Chinese food but I can't eat all that sodium. Therefore I came up with this recipe which is a play of an Asian Stir Fry without the sauce. I have also tried this recipe with Shrimp and you can serve with rice or noodles. Enjoy! 

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast tenders, cut into 2-inch pieces 

1 tablespoon canola oil

1/2 teaspoon Ginger (fresh and minced) 

1 16-ounce package frozen broccoli stir fry

Directions:

1) Combine sugar, paprika, pepper and cayenne in a medium bowl. Add chicken and toss to coat. 

2) Cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes or overnight.

3) Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add stir fry mix and ginger to cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft, 5 to 7 minutes. 

4) Add the spice-rubbed chicken and cook, stirring, until no longer pink in the center, 3 to 5 minutes. 

5) Serve hot.

Makes: 4 servings, 1 cup each

Shrimp Ceviche

Hello Everyone! Sorry I been on hiatus for a couple weeks but I'm back and will be posting regularly. Here is a very easy recipe of Shrimp Ceviche. Most Ceviches are marinated in a citrus-based mixture, with lemons and limes being the most commonly used. In addition to adding flavor, the citric acid causes the proteins in the seafood to become denatured, appearing to be cooked. However, acid marinades will not kill bacteria or parasitic worms, unlike the heat of cooking which is why this recipe asked for pre-cooked shrimp. Now you can stuff an avocado shell with it, serve with chips, or just grab a fork and dig in.

Ingredients:

1 garlic clove

1 jalapeno

1/2 a cup of lime juice

2 roma tomatoes

1 red onion (small)

1 half of Avocado

1/2 a bundle of cilantro (1.5 cups chopped)

1 lb prepped cooked shrimp

1 Mango; peeled

Black Pepper to taste

Directions:

1) Using the food processor, chop the garlic clove, jalapeño, Roma tomatoes, and red onion. You can add the lime juice if you need a little liquid to allow the processor to do it’s job. Place in a large mixing bowl.

2) With a knife chop the cilantro, shrimp, mango, and avocados and add it to the mixing bowl. (Do not put these items in food processor, please chop by hand)

3) Mix all the ingredients together (including any of the lime juice you didn’t already add). Add the black pepper to taste. 

4) Enjoy!

Serves: 4