VernetteOutLoud

What I'm loving: Avocado

Do you remember that scene in Forrest Gump where “Bubba” names all the different ways you can prepare shrimp? That’s how I feel about Avocado or zaboca as they are called here in Trinidad.

You can have avocado in a soup or a smoothie or a million other yummy ways.

Today I’m sharing one more way you can enjoy this so-good-for-you green and yellow yumminess.

You can check out the original gluten-free, vegan recipe here.

Gather
1 cup baker’s flour
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 mashed avocado
3 tbsp. coconut oil, melted
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tbsp. maple syrup (pancake syrup)
A handful of chocolate chips
A dash of Angostura Bitters

Preheat your oven to 300 degrees and grease a baking sheet. I used parchment paper, so no extra grease was required.

In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: Flour, baking soda and salt.

In a small bowl, mix together the avocado, coconut oil, vanilla extract, maple syrup and bitters. Add the wet ingredients to the large bowl and stir until thoroughly mixed. Then add the chocolate chips. I found my batter texture to be a little on the dry side so I added another tbsp of coconut oil.

Wet hands then form your batter into 1″ balls. Place on a baking sheet and then gently flatten with the palm of your hand. This batter yields 12-14 cookies, so you can tweak the ingredient amounts if you would like more.

Bake for 11 minutes until the edges are firm. I used a timer and the cookies were perfectly cooked in 11 minutes. I kid you not. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before enjoying. This is the really hard part. The waiting.

But oh so worth the wait. These are ho-ly shit good!

IMG_20140824_134206Seriously no eggs. Yummy soft, cakey texture. Who ever thought avocados and chocolate chips could be so yummy together??

This recipe is easy to prepare. I’m not even kidding here. 10 mins prep time, 11 mins bake time, about 5 mins give or take a min if you put a fan directly on them to hasten the cooling process.

And you have a healthy (there is avocado in it), absolutely delicious, guilt-free chocolate chip dessert.

Oh So Yummy Baked Oatmeal

So the results from my annual medical check up were not all that great. My bad cholesterol is creeping up there in the numbers again and while there is cause for concern due to my family history with Diabetes, my doctor was reluctant to put me on anything. She preferred that I try to deal with the problem naturally. So you now that means I HAVE TO EAT MORE OATS.

Now I don’t know about you but oatmeal is freaking boring…yummy the way I make it of course…but boring. I hate having it every.single.day. but for good health it’s a small sacrifice. I looked online for Oatmeal recipes and came across this this recipe for baked Oatmeal.

I decided to try these muffins because, not only are they perfectly portioned and easy to grab and go, they’re freezable. I can make up a batch now and have breakfast covered for the next 18 days….aaaand I am one step closer to getting my health back on track. Win. Win. Win.

BozzjJSCYAAbLfASo you gather:

3 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 bananas*, sliced
1 cup fruit of your choice — I used frozen blueberries, dried cranberries and chocolate chips
5 cups old fashioned oats
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup flax seed, milled
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 1/2 cup low fat milk

*The original recipe called for Stevia and Brown Sugar. I left these out and used 2 bananas instead.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix eggs, vanilla, applesauce, bananas, and other fruit of your choice. Since I was using blueberries, cranberries and chocolate chips I made the basic batter, separated it into 3 bowls and then added the fruit and chips.

In another bowl, mix oats, salt, baking powder, flax seed, and cinnamon.

Then you dump dry ingredients into wet ingredients; mix well. Pour in milk and stir until everything is nicely combined.

You can spray one 12 and one 6 cup muffin tin with cooking spray or use cupcake liners. I used good old parchment paper which I cut into squares and lined my tins. They work just as well as cupcake liners. Best part…minimal clean up.

Scoop mixture evenly into muffin cups.

Bake 35-40 minutes or until the center of each muffin is set.

Cool and enjoy — or freeze them. Totally up to you.

IMG00367-20140529-1247

My kitchen smells awesome. I had a chocolate chip muffin…it was still warm on the inside and it was heavenly. I do believe I have found an excellent way to curb my chocolate cravings and not feel too guilty about it. I have to take another blood test in six months to see how things are going cholesterol wise so hopefully with recipes like this I should be well on the road to great health soon enough.

If you decide to try this recipe please feel free to come back and link up in the comments.

Salt Fish Buljol and Cassava Dumplings

This is a popular dish in Trinidad, it’s what we call “blue food”. When I made this, I was preparing the meal for 30 people, so I will give you a basic recipe for about 4 and you multiply as needed.

Cassava Dumplings
Gather:
1 cup grated cassava*
1 cup flour
6-10 tablespoons milk (you can also use water)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

*I put some of my cassava in the blender because of the amount I had to grate and it was time-consuming. I loved the consistency of it.

Peel and grate your cassava in a bowl. Add the rest of the dry ingredients and combine. Be careful adding the milk/water, because the cassava has its own moisture. Knead the dough and add the milk, until your consistency is firm but pliable.

Bring a pot of water to boil.

Cut the dough into smaller balls. Flatten and add to boiling water. Let them cook for about 5 minutes or so.

Dumplings float to the top of the pot when they are done. Drain and serve.

Salt Fish Buljol
Gather:
1/2 lb boneless salted fish (I got Salted Pollock at my grocery)
1-2 Large Tomatoes, finely chopped
1 Large Green Pepper, chopped
3 Pimento Peppers, chopped
1 stalk Chive, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 cilantro leaves, chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 Lime
2 tablespoons olive oil

Scald salt fish in hot water. Let sit for 15-20 minutes for fish to soften and remove some of the salt. I squeezed the lime on the fish and put the pieces in with it while it sat.

Salt fish in hot water

Using a fork or your hands, shred fish into small pieces.

Shredded Fish

To your shredded fish, add peppers, tomatoes, onions, chive and cilantro.

veggies added to the fish

Finally, heat oil and add garlic to oil, let that sweat until it is golden brown. Remove garlic from oil carefully, then add oil to the fish mixture.

Serve.

Yummy for your tummy!

Chilled Avocado-Buttermilk Soup

Avocado Soup

I really love avocados or as we call them here in Trinidad “zaboca”. I found this Avocado Soup recipe and decided to try it with my own twists.

This is an easy soup to make. It does not require cooking, only a short prep time and it goes well paired with shrimp or crab. The recipe I found called for crab; however, when I went to grocery, they only had crab imitation (I have no idea what that is) so I went with shrimp, my other favourite.

You will need:
• 1/2 cup fat-free buttermilk
• 1/2 cup tomatoes, diced
• 1/2 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
• 1 ripe peeled avocado, pitted
• 1 small bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 1 small garlic clove
• 3 cilantro leaves, chopped
• salt to taste

Combine all the ingredients in a blender; process until smooth. Pour into bowls and chill until ready to serve. This recipe yields 2 servings. I added some cayenne pepper to mine at the end for some added heat.

Mango-Coconut Smoothie

Mango-Coconut Goodness

Yesterday, I got some mangoes from my trip to Nariva Swamp. I decided to save two of them to use for breakfast today. This morning I remembered I had some left over coconut milk, enough for some tropical yumminess to start my day.

You will need:
2 ripe mangos, peeled and diced
½ cup thick coconut milk (you can use more depending on how thick you like your smoothie)
A few cubes of ice

You can add honey if you wish, I found the sweetness was just right as is.

Then you blend all the ingredients. Pour and serve. Simple and yummy!!!