Deviled Eggs 9 Ways, from North to South & East to West

I love deviled eggs but lets be honest, a person an only take so many mayo/mustard/vinegar stuffed eggs in the span of the few days following Easter. We usually end up throwing away half of the hard boiled eggs we had fun coloring and decorating for The Egg Hunt, such a waste! So instead of nixing a fun tradition, I took note of a post from Cooking Light and created 3 variations of deviled eggs using some of our favorite ingredients. The result? Eggstrodinary! {work with me, I don't get out much, my 7 year old thought it was funny}.

Three completely different flavors, one from the north seas and two from my beloved South West. I could live quite happily as a Pescatarian with the occasional fillet Mignon and smoked salmon is and always will be my favorite treat. Nova Scotia smoked salmon is not only for breakfast bagels smeared with cream cheese and topped with thinly sliced red onion then garnished with capers (now I'm craving one!) but turns plain deviled eggs into a special occasion worthy hors d' oeuvres.

  Pre-Easter brunch with mimosas anyone?

Guacamole is a staple side dish here in Phoenix and I for one can not get enough of it, despite my mild allergy to them. So why not throw some ripe avocado into the mix?  I used a 1:1 ratio of sour cream and plain, Greek yogurt. Then of course I added bacon, green onion and a squeeze of lime. To kick it up a notch I added a pinch of garlic powder, chili powder, cumin and cayenne. Damn good!

Last but not least, something spicy, tangy and sweet was in order. I like to give all of my taste buds equal opportunity to enjoy themselves. If you will. How about pickled jalapenos and sweet pickles? No Easter is complete with out sweet pickles right? Again, I used a mix of mayo and Greek yogurt to lighten up the calories and keep with the fresh, zinginess of Spring.

The possibilities are endless! Other ingredients and flavors I'm thinking would make 

spectacular deviled eggs are:

• Sirachi + mini Shrimp or Crab meat
• Diced ham + Sharp Cheddar + Dijon Mustard
• Corned Beef + Horseradish Mustard
• Asparagus + Pearl Onion + Whole Grain Brown Mustard
• Pickled Beets + Shaved Asparagus + Shaved Almonds 
• Prosciutto + Petite Peas

What duo or trio would you use for deviled eggs extraordinaire?

What are your families favorite traditional Easter foods to share?

Jalapeño eggs adapted from Cooking Light


TIME    30 MINUTES          YIELDS  36  DEVILED EGGS


Deviled Eggs with Avocado Cream, Bacon and Onions

6 Hard Boiled Eggs
1 tablespoon sour cream

1 tablespoon plain, Greek yogurt

1 teaspoon lime juice

handful of green olives with pimentos

3 tablespoons chopped green onion

2 tablespoons *soft bacon bits 

pinch of chili powder

pinch of cayenne powder

dash of garlic powder 

pinch of cumin 

Shell eggs and cut in half lengthwise.  In a small food processor combine cooked egg yolks, sour cream, yogurt, lime juice and spices. Pulse until smooth.

Add green onions, bacon bits and chopped green olives. Stir to combine. Using a small spoon, scoop filling back into eggs. 

These eggs are best served immediately or tightly wrapped in plastic wrap and chilled so they don't brown. The lime juice helps with this.

*Packaged soft bacon bits are found in the condiment aisle at most grocery stores. They are great for deviled eggs and potato salad and have a fraction of the fat as cooked bacon. Not to mention, cut down on prep time.

Smoked Salmon Deviled Eggs

6 Hard Boiled Eggs

1 tablespoon plain Greek yogurt

1 tablespoon real mayo

1-2 tablespoons chopped red onion

1 tablespoon capers

dash of freshly cracked black pepper 

1 tablespoon fresh dill weed, chopped

1 teaspoon dried tarragon

4 oz. Smoked Nova Scotia Salmon, chopped

Shell eggs and cut in half lengthwise.  In a small food processor combine cooked egg yolks, yogurt, mayo and onion. Pulse till smooth. Add dill, tarragon, capers, pepper and salmon pieces. Stir to combine. Scoop into eggs. Serve chilled

Jalapeño and Gherkins Deviled Eggs

6 Hard Boiled Eggs

1 tablespoon plain, Greek yogurt

1 tablespoon mayo

3 Gherkin pickles (sweet pickles)

2 tablespoons chopped pickled jalapeños 

Shell eggs and cut in half lengthwise. In a small food processor combine cooked egg yolks, yogurt, mayo, pulse till smooth. Add chopped pickles and jalapeños. Stir to combine. Scoop filling back into eggs. 

Guacamole Chicken Pitas with Almonds and Dried Apricots

Imagine this. You live in one of the most picturesque,  climate friendly, supreme outdoor frolicking places to live. Ever.  Now, imagine you have crazy annoying, ridiculous allergies. To everything pollen, grass and nature related and to dogs and to watermelon. Congratulations, you are now me in a nut suit. I  love  nature. I love dogs and oh, by the way, I love watermelon. Karma confuse me?

I have spent a small fortune on allergy medicine in my life and 90% of it has been in the last 3 months! What gives?!@  Spring in the Valley of the Sun is Heaven on Earth and I am plundering around sneezing, blowing my nose and puffy faced while trying to take in deep breaths of the fragrant orange blossoms I so love. Not attractive, nor fair.

So I thought it would be a great idea to make a picnic lunch to take to the boys Cub Scout Spring Camp this week. I put aside the fact that my allergies to pretty much everything outdoors would make me miserable and quite possibly go into anapylactic shock I but also chose, once again to ignore the fact that I'm slightly allergic to avocados. What cruel world do I live in?!  Avocados! Really?!



So, naturally I made Guacamole Chicken Pitas.


I'm building up a tolerance.


It could totally work.............

maybe.

Simple, fresh ingredients you can throw together for lunch or a picnic.

Freshly grated carrots naturally sweeten the mixture and balance out the tang of the sugar free yogurt.

Guacamole Chicken Pitas with Dried Apricots

SERVES    6         TIME    10 MINUTES

Ingredients

1/2 of a Whole Roasted Chicken

2 stalks celery, diced

1/2 cup dried apricots (or raisons), chopped

1/4 cup green onions, chopped

1 whole carrot, grated

1/2 cup slivered almonds

1/4 cup cilantro (or parsley) chopped

1 cup fat free, plain yogurt

1 whole avocado

1 lemon, juiced

pinch of salt

dash of pepper

 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

cayenne pepper if you please

6 Pita pockets.

Chop chicken, throw into medium sized bowl. Add remaining ingredients, stir to combine. Spoon into pita pockets. Enjoy!

Serve with fresh fruit!

Greek Yogurt and Goat Cheese Tzaziki Roasted Red Pepper Zucchini Rolls with Pesto Dip A.K.A. Extremely Creative and Interesting Snacks for an Unbearably Boring Mom.

Let's talk about creative energy, or rather the lack there of. For instance, I'm pretty sure that I had something rather interesting to say 15 minutes ago but since then 1 million and 1 other extremely important things have happened. Such is the life of a mom of 4. Any mom actually, but I speak for myself (disclaimer numero uno).

Case and point. In the last 15 minutes I have:

Tried to console a very distraught 4 year old little girl about a broken crayon which her 8 year old very artistic brother absolutely had to have because it was  "Imperial Blue" and the exact shade he needed to finish his bird drawing and "NO!" another shade of blue from the enormous bucket of crayons wouldn't do and excuse me please but it in fact is not a crayon but a pastel! ..............................

Stopped 3 times to put on baby doll clothes. On the same baby doll.

Tried to reason with a dramatic 6 year old over why it's not the end of the world when someone touches him, looks at him, breathes on him.

Prepared myself for yet another night of over reactive drama and whining about how grosssssss dinner is before they even know what it is.

Tried to take a picture or two of for mentioned dinner when the house we moved into several months ago does not have ONE SINGLE north facing window, or any decent window for food photography for that matter.  (note to self, look for new house immediately. post note, be in complete denial that the housing market is yet again rising faster than my strategic abilities allow.)

Exaggerating? Who me? NO. Not this time my friends, not this time. Life as a mom, end of story. 

Again, I'm pretty sure I had something very creative or mildly interesting to say in regards to this post 15 minutes ago but alas, you will forgive me as my creativity has been sucked away over the years and replaced with the cutest of cute, adorable, little, needy monsters. 

What's the opposite of boring? These super cute snack containers from Planet Box. I. heart. their lunch boxes and so when they offered to send me one of their brand new sectioned snack boxes, 

"The Shuttle" with a perfect little dipping container I was waiting by the window for the UPS guy.  

This little snack container was much roomier than I imagined and perfect for my portioned, 5 a day small meals. As you can see it held my 'second' lunch quite nicely and I won't even mention the fact that my dear husband swiped it from me the  next morning. I did get a nice text message around lunch time about how fantastic my zucchini rolls were. Cudos.

I love Planet Boxes sleek and convenient  design and that the magnets were interchangeable. My boys loved this alien one and when mommy wants to take it to work I simply take the magnets off or I can switch them out for one of their other cute magnets. These cute space guys ended up on our fridge. 

Several different sizes to choose form with eco-conscience design and cute carriers. I love it!

Back to School Time Already! Time to get a sturdy lunch box that will last through the year! 

Planet Box sent me these items, all opinions are my own.

Coconut Crusted Baked Chicken Strips {gluten free}

I remember when I was in college I thought grabbing some chicken fingers at Wendy's was a healthier choice than grabbing a cheeseburger, I mean no bread right? Wrong, duh me. I'm not going to lie, I still love a good, crispy chicken nugget but avoid the drive through like crazy nowadays. It's a good thing, a very, very good thing that home made chicken nuggets happen to be one of the very easiest things you can make. Yippee!







Anyone can make these even if you don't like to cook or it's not really your thing. This is one of my "go to" weeknight simple dinners. I'm bored to death with plain baked chicken not to mention the whole humane issue with eating cooped up chickens. Of course eating Organic & cage free chicken gets pricey when feeding a family of 6 so we don't have it very often.

These would be a perfect appetizer at a party!

When we do I make sure it's gonna be tasty and serve it up with lots of fruits and veggies. In this case, an amazingly sweet and creamy mango yogurt dipping sauce! I could have eaten it by the spoonful. Not ashamed.



One of my nutty kids doesn't like coconut (the shame) but the rest of us loved these sweet and crunchy chicken tenders and were more than happy to swipe Jack's chicken nuggets right of his plate. Ya gotta be quick around this joint when it comes to protecting your food and making sure you get the very last chicken nugget from the pan.

6-8 pieces chicken tenderloins (preferably Organic free range)

11/2 cups almond or other nut flour 

1 1/2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut

4 eggs, beaten

2 tablespoons milk (dairy free if possible)

salt and pepper

1 tablespoon oil for coating pan 

2 ripe mango's + 1/2 cup yogurt = mango dipping sauce

peel mango and slice fruit away from pit. Discard pit, place fruit into blender or food processor. Add yogurt, blend.

Preheat oven to 400F

Arrange 3 deep plates on counter. Add flour to one,  beaten eggs to the second and coconut to the third.

Working one at a time, place chicken tenders into flour and dredge on both sides to coat. Using your other hand, dip coated chicken into egg to coat. Next, lay chicken in coconut and dredge to coat, flip, coat other side.

Place on a lightly oiled pan or one lined with parchment. 

Continue to do this to remaining chicken. 

TIP 

 Only put half of the flour and half of the coconut onto plates as they will become gooey.

Half way through your chicken, quickly rinse off plates if needed and dry.

 Add remaining flour to one plate and remaining coconut to the other. 

Cook at 400F for 4-5 minutes. Using tongs, carefully flip the chicken pieces over. 

Cook an additional 5-6 minutes until golden brown.

Don't over cook chicken as it will become dry and taste like cardboard.

Enjoy!

Do you cook less when the weather gets warmer? 

What is your favorite warm weather dish?

Kefir vs. Yogurt. Put This On Your Grocery List Today!

Kefir is a fermented milk drink. The word kefir is said to have originated from the Turkish word "Keif" which means "good feeling". Kefir dates back many centuries to the shepherds of the Caucasus Mountains who carried kefir grains in milk stored in leather pouches where it would ferment into fizzy sour yogurt. Doesn't sound appetizing? Well actually it is! A diet of kefir grains is what's been attributed the long and healthy life of the people of the Caucasus Mountains.


What makes kefir so good for you? Inside the kefir grains are billions and billions of live beneficial bacteria.
When ingested, these bacteria literally cleans your body of bad bacteria and other harmful things that shouldn't be there. Immediately after drinking kefir you feel fresh and relaxed.

In addition to beneficial bacteria and yeast, kefir contains many vitamins, minerals, amino acids and enzymes. Particularly calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, B2 and B12, vitamin K, vitamin A and vitamin D. Tryptophan, one of the essential amino acids abundant in kefir, is well known for its relaxing effect on the nervous system.

So, how is Kefir different than the yogurt that we all know and love?

Click 'read more'  below to find out!

Well, when comparing probiotics, kefir has about 5 times more friendly bacteria than yogurt. And the diversity of those beneficial bacteria are much wider than those in yogurt. Think of it as really, really smart yogurt!

Most yogurts that people buy contain a ton of sugar or artificial sweeteners, even the ones labeled 'healthy'.
Kefir is absolutely positively wonderful tasting and contains no added sugars or artificial additives.
Instead of buying those flavored yogurts or yogurt smoothies, buy some kefir next time instead!

Also, the abundance of enzymes in kefir brings more health benefits than yogurt, especially to lactose intolerant people, many of whom can tolerate kefir without difficulty, as long as the kefir is raw and not cooked (cooking destroys the enzymes). How is this possible? Kefir's beneficial yeast and bacteria provide alctase, an enzyme whic consumes most of the lactose left after the culturing process.


Unlike yogurt, kefir can help protect and repair your gut after you've taken antibiotics! I drink kefir daily as do my kiddos. I attribute this along with a diet rich if fruits and veggies to the fact that none of us get sick nearly as much as we used to, and when we do it's much less severe and short lived.

 My Kefir Parfait 

Some of the ways we enjoy tart, creamy and delicious kefir:

• Kefir Parfait's with fresh berries and home made granola
• In a banana-strawberry smoothie
• I switch out my babies cow milk bottle for a bottle of kefir every day.
• Straight out of the bottle for a mid-morning pick me up, Yum!

picture from Lifeway Kefir

For those of you who want to lose weight,  having kefir as part of your diet could make you shave unwanted weight faster. Because kefir has probiotics, it speeds up the your body’s metabolism letting your body burn more fats and calories even if you’re only spending your normal workout time.





Amazing Health Benefits of Kefir You'll Feel Right Away:

1.Strongest natural remedy against any allergy


2.Strongest natural antibiotic without side effects

3.Treats liver disease

4.Treats gallbladder, dissolves gall bladder stones

5.Clears the body of salts, heavy metals, radionuclides, and alcoholic products

6.Cleans the body of chemical antibiotics

7.Treats kidney stones

8.Good bacteria in kefir are able to fight off pathogenic microorganisms

9.Lowers level of LDL cholesterol

10.Cleans the gastrointestinal tract

11.Irritable Bowel Syndrome

12.Treats gastritis

13.Treats pancreatitis

14.Treats ulcers

15.Prevents and treats colon cancer

16.Improves digestion

17.Improves the body functions

18.Improves the human immune system

19.Cures Candida yeast infections

20.Cures hypertension

21.Stops growth of cancer cells

22.Speeds up healing process

23.Treats psoriasis

24.Treats eczema

25.Treats inflammatory diseases

26.Reduces size of tumors

27.Treats heart disease

28.Reverses calcination of blood vessels

29.Clears the blood vessels

30.Boosts the bodies energy

31.Natural “feel good” food

32.Treats lung infections

33.Normalizes metabolism thereby can be used as for weight loss

34.Cures acne

35.Has anti-oxidants and anti-aging properties

36.Nourishes hair

37.Treats the gum disease parodontosis

38.Lessens effects of medicines

39.Replenishes body of good bacteria after antibiotic

40.Balances the microflora of the body’s digestive system

41.Regulates blood pressure

42.Lowers blood sugar

43.Lowers blood lipid levels or cholesterol and fatty acids

44.Treats diarrhea

45.Treats constipation

46.Promotes bowel movement

47.Anti-stress properties

48.Treats sleeping disorders

49.Treats depression

50.Treats attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

51.Improves the brains neuro functions like reflexes, memory retention, attention, the five senses

52.Reduces flatulence

53.Lactic acid fermentation enhances the digestibility of milk based foods. People who cannot otherwise digest milk, can enjoy the vital calcium rich Kefir.

54.Treats yeast infection

55.Eliminates vaginal odors

56.Cures wrinkles

57.Treats arthritis

58.Treats colitis

59.Treats gout

60.Cures migraines

61.Treats rheumatism

62.Treats other stomach disorders

63.Detoxifies the body

64.Improves protein quality of milk, and enhances absorption and digestion

65.Good bacteria manufacture B vitamins such as B3, B6 and folic acid.

66.Aids in treating tuberculosis

67.Treats stomach cramps

68.Treats chronic intestine infections

69.Treats liver infections

70.Treats asthma

71.Treats bronchitis

72.Treats sclerosis

73.Treats anemia

74.Treats hepatitis

75.Healing effects on catarrh, digestive nodes, astral nodes, bilious complaints

76.Treats leaky gut syndrome

77.Prevents metastasis

78.Cures bad morning breath

 
 

Think it's to good to be true?

Don't take my word for it, start drinking kefir regularly and you'll quickly see the many benefits for yourself.

 
 

So put Kefir on your grocery list right away and get feeling better!

 

 
 
 
 
 

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This post is linked to

La Bella Vita's 'Seasonal Saturday's'
Paisly Passion 'Fun with Food Friday'
 
 
Resources
 
Seeds of Health
Your Kefir source
Be Well Buzz

Apple Slaw

Simple, old fashion recipes. These are my favorite. My kids too! This is the best blend of flavors, tangy, sweet and wonderful. This reminds of a leisurely day outdoors. If the weather isn't always as sunny as it is here in Phoenix, you could always make this simple apple slaw alongside these home made cornmeal fish sticks and have an indoor picnic! Yay!

Celery seed, if you've never tried it is really good and gives even more flavor to this dish.

I use plain, fat free yogurt as a base instead of mayo so it's much healthier for you. Yogurt's smooth, creamy texture and tanginess (is that a word?) is perfect in coleslaw... I mean appleslaw.

The cider vinegar gives it the classic tartness of coleslaw.

The apples give it some sweet crunch.

Sweet golden raisins make this a sweet treat.

Agave nectar is a perfect compliment to the tartness.

Sweet and tangy! Yum!

Serve it with homemade baked garlic fries and cornmeal crusted fish sticks.

recipe:SERVES 6 TIME 10 min
5 cups cabbage mix (green cabbage and shred carrots)
3 cups pre shredded purple cabbage
2 cups plain, fat free yogurt
1 tablespoon unfiltered apple cider vinegar (filtered/refined foods are over processed and have less nutrients in them.)

2 tablespoons celery seed
2 tablespoons mayo (did you see it hiding in shame in my photo? ;-)
2 tablespoons Agave Nectar
2 green apples, sliced thinly ( I used my KitchenAid thin slicer attachment)
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 tsp ground black pepper

Mix it all together, chill for an hour before serving.
Impress your family and friends by serving this at your next BBQ!

I am posting this on Kitchen Corners for the November Cook off featuring Apples!

Zuccini-Black Bean Chopped Salad with Yogurt-Dill and Toasted Flat Bread Chips

Another light, quick and  delicious recipe for a summertime meal. Full of fresh veggies and black beans for so many vitamins, protein, fiber and good carbs I would run out of room listing them all!!
I found these whole wheat flat bread wraps at Costco. The list of ingredients is pretty impressive, including stone ground whole wheat, steel cut oats, barley, Rye, hulled mullet and flax just to name a few! There are only 100 calories per flatbread, 12 gm of whole grains, 1 gm sugar and a whopping 8 gm of fiber. The flax makes it an excellent source of Omega 3's. I love flatbread pizza and can't wait to try these out for a homemade veggie pizza crust next.

You will need:
1 cup frozen corn
1/2 of a large red bell pepper, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
1/2 of a small red onion, diced
1 cup black beans
2 zuccini's, chopped
2 tabelspoons fresh dill, chopped
1-2 fresh lemons, juiced
2 tabelspoon EVOO, divided
Kosher salt
freshly ground black peppercorns
healthy flat bread or flat pitas, cut into triangles

1 cup plain fat free yogurt, 1 tsp lemon zest and 1 tablespoon fresh dill for dipping sauce

Putting it all together:
Preheat oven to 325F
Combine all veggies and black beans in a large bowl. Add lemon juice, Dill,  EVOO, salt and pepper, toss to combine. Cover and chill at least 1 hour.
In a small bowl combine yogurt, lemon zest and dill. cover and chill until ready to use.
Cut flat bread into triangles. Brush lightly with EVOO, sprinkle with Mrs Dash. Spread onto a baking sheet and bake for 12 minutes until crsip.
Serve chopped salad with flat bread triangles and yogurt sauce.

Frozen Berry Yogurt Pops

These are really simply to make and as a bonus, they are really healthy!

I found these cute cups and animal spoons at the dollar store.

The paper cups are easy to tear off so the pops don't break.

The cute little spoons are not only fun for the kids but easy for their little hands

to grab hold of. I wash and reuse them again and again. The boys were really excited about this one!

I made the mistake of having them help me make them right before nap time tho and neither one

of them could sleep for excitment. Every 10 minutes Nolan peeped his head out

of his room and said "Are the animal popscicles ready yet?"

After about 1 1/2 hours of this I threw in the towel and we went outside and had popscicles.

The yogurt makes them rich and creamy, not rock hard like water/juice based popscicles.

We used mixed frozen berries and sweetened them with Orange Juice.

The boys love helping. They were telling me the names of all the different berries going into

the blender. " Razzleberry, Snazzleberry, blueberry, Snoozberry, purpleberry." ;-)

They put in their own spoons and put them one by one in the freezer. What good little helpers! ;-)

You will need:

2 cups of mixed frozen berries

2 cups of plain fat free yogurt

1/2 cup Real Orange Juice

15 small dixie cups

animal silver ware

Put berries, yogurt and sugar into blender. Blend on high speed for about 2 minutes.

Pour into cups about 3/4 full. Put silver ware into cups and freeze about 2 hours, or as long as you can wait.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Sauce

Oh how I love Spring time! All of my favorite foods are in season right now. Stop by your local farmers market (check here for locations near you) for super fresh produce.

This sauce takes just 15 minutes to make! I make a big batch and keep some handy for topping on yogurt, waffles and ice cream. Rhubarb has a fresh, tangy taste that pairs excellent with strawberries. I use agave nectar in place of sugar to balance out the tang.

To Make:

I used 7 or 8 stalks of rhubarb and 1 pint of strawberries. Wash.  Cut of the ends of the rhubarb (just like celery) then chop into 1 inch pieces taking care not to peel the skin off.

Hull strawberries then slice in half.

Put into large pot with 1 1/2cup of filtered water and 3/4 cup agave nectar.

Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring often. Cook for about 10 minutes till rhubarb is soft.

Keep unused portion refridgerated or freeze.

Makes about 2 quarts.

PRINT THIS RECIPE

 

Health and Nutrition Benefits of Eating Rhubarb (found here)

Wow!

Studies have shown that rhubarb has anti-cancer properties and might help in cutting down the risk of cancer.


Fresh rhubarb stalk is a very good source of dietary fiber and is beneficial for those suffering from indigestion.


Eating a cold piece of rhubarb stalk can help counterbalance stomach acid and thus, restore health.


Regular consumption of fresh rhubarb has been seen to have a positive effect on lowering of blood pressure.


It is believed that regular intake of rhubarb extract can help in diminishing the problem of hot flashes.


Rhubarb has anti-bacterial properties and when applied topically, can inhibit the problem of staphylococcus aureus.


Researches have suggested that rhubarb can prove to be beneficial for those suffering from high cholesterol.


Rhubarb has been found to have anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-allergy properties.

Yogurt-Marinated Chicken Kabobs with Mint Quinoa

You are going to love me for this one! It's my new favorite for sure. It is a combination of a couple of different recipes I've found from Cooking Light and Sunset magazine. I altered it a bit using herbs from my garden and a few extra veggies... of corse.

The smoky char flavor that the chicken, onion and peppers get from the grill pair wonderfully with the tangy yogurt-feta sauce. I am in love with garam masala right now! It is a very popular spice used in India in all kinds of dishes. It is a mix of cumin, coriander, cardamom,  black peppercorns,  cinnamon, whole cloves,nutmeg and saffron. It isn't as pungeant as a curry. The cinnamon, cloves & nutmeg make it very mouth watering, especially as a rub on chicken.

 

SERVES 6  TIME 45 minutes 
Ingredients:


10-12 metal or wooden scewers
2 cups plain fat free yogurt, divided

3 tsp garam masala

1 tsp Madras curry pwdr

2 garlic cloves, minced
2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
2 red bell peppers, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 small yellow onion, cut into 1 inch pieces

1/3 cup crumbled low-fat feta

3 TBSP minced red onion
1 tsp grated lemon zest
2 TBSP chopped mint leaves, divided

1 cup quinoa

Directions:

1. If using wooden scewers, soak them in water for at least 20 minutes so they don't burn on the grill.

Meanwhile, combine 1 cup yogurt, garam masala, curry and garlic in a zip lock bag. Add chicken, seal bag and shake to coat. Let sit at room temp for 20 minutes.

2. In a small bowl, stir together remaining yogurt, feta, onion, lemon zest and 1 TBSP mint. set aside.

3. Bring 2 cups water to boil in a pot. Rinse quinoa very thouroughly in a seive to rinse off the naturally "soapy" coating it has. Bring quinoa to a boil, turn down heat to a simmer and cook covered for 10 minutes stirring occasionally. Remove lid, stir, cook for about another 5 minutes. Cover when done and remove from heat.

4. Prepare grill for medium-high heat. Thread chicken, onion & bell peppers onto scewers. discard marinade. Grill kabobs, turning only once ( it's easier to pick them up with a large tong in the middle, not by the stick.) cook till juiced run clear, 10-15 minutes.

Pile quinoa on platter, sprinkle with mint ( I used parsley too) serve with kabobs and sauce.

PRINT THIS RECIPE

This is a very flavorful, mouthwatering dish! Enjoy!

Yogurt Parfait Comparison

I have heard about how healthy Kashi cereals were but figured they probably tasted like cardboard. I recently came across a recipe for protein breakfast/snack bars that sounded yummy (will be posting this soon) and it called for a couple of different Kashi cereals. I bought this box also because it looked yummy and the ingredients and nutrition facts were impressive. I must say it was very yummy!
Not to hard like granola and was naturally sweetened by the berries.
Try It, you'll love it! I will be eating this for breakfast on top of my plain fat free yogurt or Greek yogurt, which is thick and creamy, when I don't feel like making something or am in a hurry.


Kashi cereals are filled with whole grains, fiber and protein. One cup of Kashi go Lean contains 140 calories, 10 grams of fiber and 13 grams of protein.


Compare that to Quaker Oats Honey Granola, it may sound healthy but with 210 calories, 6 grams of fat and 12 grams of sugar per 1/2 cup serving you would be better off eating a Pop Tart!