Tropical, Sensational and Oohhh so Easy!

It’s Sunday night and you just gotta have something sweet...but you can’t add extra pounds to that fab body of yours! Oh what to do, what to do? Well, I’m in the same boat and I can’t binge as I have a wedding dress to fit into, so I came up with an easy dessert recipe anyone can follow. While shopping at Whole Foods I was looking for something yummy that I could snack on. Now, I’ve been really good with my work-out “regime” and I just wanted something yummy that won’t make me take two steps backwards for every step I’ve taken forward. And then I saw them, glistening in the grocery aisle and calling my name, 2 cans of organic papaya and mango just wanted to come home with me. It worked! When I was wanting something sweet that night, I remembered the tropical fruit I picked up. Here are 2 versions you can try…one is no fat, and the other has a little but certainly not as much a slice of chocolate cake. Tropical Fruit Salad 1 can mango 1 can papaya 1 banana 2-4 tsp agave nectar 1/2 tsp of blossoming orange extract Chop the fruit and mix it in a bowl. Then in a separate mixing bowl stir the orange blossom extract with some agave nectar. Pour this nectar over the fruit and enjoy! “Whipped” Cream 6 oz silken tofu (or if you can’t eat soy, then you can add about 3/4 cups of cashews) 1/4 cup agave nectar (I guessed at this amount) 2 tsp vanilla extract 2 tsp blossoming orange extract Blend all the ingredients in a blender until the cream is smooth. If you noticed in the picture, I layered the whipped cream with fruit in a martini glass. Once it’s all pretty, put it in the refrigerator to cool for about 30min. There it is…a guiltless dessert. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Mac and “Cheese” made with Vegieees (Seriously!)

Do you ever walk into the kitchen on a Sat afternoon and crave Mac and Cheese for lunch?…Ya? I knew it! So that’s what happened to me today. Every once in a while I really crave Mac and Cheese…and this really hits the spot! When I used to baby-sit children, I came up with this absurdly great recipe. How I came up with it, I am not sure. Some crazy vision took over my palate and made me come up with this concoction, but it worked!

1 package of frozen veggies (I like Cascadian Farms Garden Vegetables with corn, carrots, green beans and peas.) 1 package of silken tofu (This is a very smooth tofu. I use the Mori-Nu brand found in Asian sections of grocery stores) 1-2 tsp turmeric powder(more if you want a brighter color) 1/4 tsp garlic powder (optional) 2-4 tsp olive oil (we live a low-fat lifestyle, but feel free to add more oil if you like) 2-4 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast 1 Tbsp Shoyu Sauce (you can use Braggs Liquid Aminos) 1/2 lemon, juiced 1-2 tsp salt (optional)

Now, just like most of my recipes, this is a ridiculously easy! All you have to do is cut up the tofu and steam it with the veggies for about 6-8 minutes. You can use firm tofu if you like, but the “cheese” will be more gritty than with silken tofu which is well…silky smooth! Then blend all the ingredients…you can add a little water to your blender if you do not have a powerful blender like the Vitamix. (we’re in love with our Vitamix! Whatever you do, never ask my husband about this blender, as you’ll never hear the end of it!) Pour this blended mixture onto macaroni pasta and stir. I sprinkled just a little bit of salt over the mac and cheese which made the flavors just pop! Please note that this is just a base recipe…feel free to add other things or take things out. Sometimes I add more carrots to this recipes to add more color, but I rarely make it the same way twice. Mmmm...I hope you enjoy this recipe.