Simply Food N Drink

The Majority of us love blueberries and I am not alone with this love for them. Especially when dark chocolate is included too. My personal opinion is that not enough of us enjoy regular dark chocolate which is so much better for us than the usual milk.

I have therefore got a recipe for you today of blueberry pecan dark chocolate soy pudding crunch.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 Cups Soy Milk

4 oz Dark/Bitter Sweet Chocolate, Chopped

1/4 Cup Sugar

3/4 Cup Egg Substitute

1 Cup Fresh/Frozen Blueberries

1/3 Cup Chopped Pecans

Whipped Soy Topping

1/4 Cup Textured Soy Protein

Method:

1. In a medium saucepan over low heat, cook soymilk, chopped chocolate, and sugar until chocolate is just melted, stirring constantly. Whisk to blend. Remove from heat and cool 10 minutes. Whisk in egg substitute.

2. Place six 6-ounce custard cups in a large baking pan. Divide the blueberries and pecans among the 6 cups. Divide chocolate mixture among filled cups. Add boiling water to the baking pan about half way up sides of cups. Bake in a 325°F oven 30 to 35 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Remove from water and chill.

3. Serve topped with whipped topping and sprinkled with textured soy protein.

Thanks for reading

Dominic

This article is a guest post by Erik Armstrong of http://roundtablecloths.org.

If you are ever fancying a naughty treat that is all dairy free you will love these cranberry cherry freeze pops. They are very easy to make yet good for you at the same time.

Ingredients:

3 oz Soft Tofu

3 oz Soy Cream Cheese

1/3 Cup Light Corn Syrup

1 Can (16oz) Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce

1 Jar (10oz) Maraschino Cherries, Drained, Cut In Half

1 Can (8oz) Crushed Pineapple, Well Drained

Zest Of One Orange

Juice Of ½ Fresh Orange

8 oz Non-Dairy Whipped Topping

15 (5oz) Dixie Cups

15 Popsicle Sticks

Method:

1. Place tofu in strainer, drain excess liquid. In a large mixing bowl, add cream cheese and tofu. Using an electric mixer, cream together. Add corn syrup and cranberry sauce, mix until combined. Stir in cherries, pineapple, zest, and orange juice. Add whipped topping, fold in until combined. Place 15 (5oz) dixie cups on 9 x 13 inch pan. Spoon mixture evenly cups until ¾ of the way full.

2. Place plastic wrap tightly over cups. Make small slits in plastic over middle of cups to snuggly fit in popsicle sticks. Freeze for at least 6 hours before serving. Before serving let sit at room temperature for several minutes, remove plastic wrap, gently twist out of cups to serve. Serve immediately.

Thanks for reading

Dominic

Even though I live in the sunny skies of Portugal we still have really cold winters just like most of the world. It gets warm from around March so we are now at that point when we are sick to death of the cold weather and all we want to do is have a walk by the beach.

However I should be grateful when I look at how bad the weather is in England.

With cold weather though comes a winter menu and I love cooking hot winter food that you can enjoy for hours with your family.

My personal favourite is the different pasta dishes that you can put together really quickly because they have you in complete food heaven. I am a father and I have found that the one food that my son will eat every single mouthful of is homemade pasta dishes. I am lucky enough to have a wife that loves cooking them for us so I always have something different to eat.

Pasta is also great for if your family is on a tight budget as there are many different home made pasta dishes that you can put together with a few simple fresh ingredients. Plus we all like different things so there is bound to be a pasta dish that you can call your favourite.

My father in law for example is a very fussy eater. When he grew up his mother used to let him eat whatever he wanted. This means that now as a grown up he hates both tomato and cheese sauce. Which as you can imagine limits most pasta dishes from been served to him. Thankfully he loves mushrooms so when we have him visiting we do a mushroom sauce for him.

If you are at the end of the week and getting close to your trip to the supermarket using leftovers in your fridge is a great way to use up your ingredients and make yourself an amazing meal. For example using the left over tomatoes in the bottom of your fridge, along with onions and some fresh herbs can make a perfect tomato pasta. Add some mince to it and a couple of eggs and then you can have all the major ingredients to make pasta meatballs. Which I know from personal experience is a great winner with the kids.

I will often come into the kitchen on a Saturday morning and find my wife making meatballs with my son ready for the evening meal. From all the noise I make they certainly enjoy doing it.

Go and find your favourite pasta dish from the leftovers and serve up an amazing warm dish this winter.

Thanks for reading

Dominic

Here is a fantastic recipe for you of crusty citrus pork chops with edamame walnut salad. This meal can be enjoyed at any time of the year and is also great for if you are trying to stay trim.

Pork Chop

Ingredients:

½ Cup Dark Brown Sugar

½ tbsp Coarse Ground Pepper

1 tbsp Kosher Salt

1 tbsp Sugar

½ tbsp Smoked Paprika

4 2inch Thick Pork Chops

Olive Oil

2 Oranges, Cut In Half

Method:

1. Preheat grill.

2. Combine first five ingredients; stir well. Pat pork chops dry with paper towels. Brush lightly all over with oil. Using your hands or a spice bottle, sprinkle chop rub over chops (reserving 1 teaspoon for salad below). Pat gently to form a crust, but do not rub hard.

3. Place chops in the center of the cooking grate over indirect medium heat. Let grill for 15 minutes before turning. Turn and let cook 10-15 more minutes or until done. The outside should be crusty and the inside juicy and just a little pink. Remove from the grill and let sit for 5-10 minutes. While the pork chops are “resting” put orange halves on the grill cut-sides down, over direct heat for 5 minutes or until charred. Remove from grill and squeeze the juice from half of an orange over each chop. Serve with Edamame and Walnut Salad.

Edamame and Walnut Salad

Ingredients:

½ Heaping tsp Dijon Mustard

2 tbsp Wine Vinegar/Balsamic Vinegar

½ Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Sea Salt

Freshly Ground Pepper

1 tsp Grated Fresh Ginger

1 tsp Chop Rub

4 Oranges Peeled/Sectioned

12 oz Shell Cooked Edamame

½ Cup Walnut Halves, Toasted

Method:

1. Combine first 7 ingredients, whisk together until emulsified. Combine orange sections edamame, and walnuts. Just before serving, toss salad with about half of the vinaigrette, adding more if necessary.

2. Slice oranges between the membranes to make “supreme” slices of orange sections. Mix gently with the cooked edamame and toss with enough of the Ginger Dressing to moisten the salad. Taste for salt and pepper and adjust as necessary. Crumble toasted walnuts on top and serve with Crusty Double-Cut Pork Chops.

Once completed it will serve eight.

Thanks for reading

Dominic