Grain Medley with Mexican Seasonings
2 stalks celery, cut into 1” pieces
1 large carrot, cut into 1” pieces
1 small onion, cut into 1” pieces
3 cloves garlic, halved
3 canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce plus 1 tbsp adobo sauce
4 sprigs fresh Mexican oregano, or regular oregano
8oz (about 1 ¼ cups) mixed grains (such as kamut, spelt, triticale, brown rice, wild rice, brown lentils, French lentils, green lentils, regular barley, quinoa) rinsed and drained
3 cups water
¼ tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

Cut a 12” square from a double thickness of cotton cheesecloth. Place celery, carrot, onion, black bean sauce, ginger, and garlic in the center of the cheesecloth square. Bring up corners and tie with 100% cotton string. In a 2-3 quart saucepan, combine the desired grains, the water, and cheesecloth bag. Bring to boiling, reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 30-60 minutes or until grains are tender. Remove from heat, let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Discard cheesecloth bag, allowing any liquid to drain off. Drain any excess liquid from grains. Stir in kosher salt and pepper.

Makes 8 servings, 103 calories,4g protein, 20g carbs, 1g fat, 4g fiber

Strawberry Citrus Slush
6oz frozen unsweetened whole strawberries (about 1 1/3 cups)
1 12oz can low calorie grapefruit carbonated beverage (Fresca)
1 cup ice cubes
2 tsp Splenda
¼ tsp orange extract or lime extract (optional)

In a blender combine strawberries, Fresca, ice cubes, splenda, and if desired, extract. Cover and blend until smooth. Divide slush evenly among 3 wine glasses

Makes 3 servings. 22 calories, 6g carbs, 1g fiber

Summer Berries with Almond Sauce
2 cups fresh blackberries
1 cup fresh raspberries
¾ cup light or fat free sour cream, or plain lowfat yogurt
1 ½ tsp Splenda
½ to ¾ tsp almond extract

Divide blackberries and raspberries evenly among 6 dessert dishes, set aside. In a small bowl, combine sour cream / yogurt, Splenda, and almond extract. Spoon mixture evenly over berries.

Makes 6 servings. 69 calories, 3g protein, 8g carbs, 3g fat, 4g fiber

Where to find Stevia
 

I buy mine @ Whole Foods. Any natural health food store should carry it in their supplement isle. Some regular grocery stores such as Safeway/ Fry's have it in their natural food section. You can also purchase on line
http://www.sweetleaf.com
or by calling 800-899-9908
The link is to the equivalnecy chart so you know how much stevia to use instead of sugar....but check out the new flavors while your on the site.

This recipe is soooo goood! It tastes just like chocolate cake batter, and its good for you!!!

Cocoa Almond Pudding

This makes a delicious pie filling for pie crust in the raw, or layered with fruit for fruit parfait, or served frozen as almond sorbet.

6 oz. coconut cream
1 cup cocnut milk
2-3 TB. almond butter
6 large dates, pits removed and chopped
2 TB. unroasted cocoa powder
1 tsp. vanilla extract
pinch sea salt
Stevia clear liquid to taste (I use the Sweetleaf Vanilla Creme liquid flavor stevia)

Blend all ingredients in a food processor untill creamy. Adjust sweetness to taste.

*Coconuts form of saturated fat actually helps prevent heart disease, stroke and hardening of the arteries. Unlike other oils & fats, coconut oil contains a large amount of the fatty acid known as lauric acid, which is the predominant fatty acid found in mother's milk. The Lauric acid makes breast milk easily digestible, it strengthens the immune system and protects against viral, bacterial and fungal infections. Studies have shown coconut oil's effectiveness with HIV, SARS, Crohn's Disease, as well as other chronic illnesses. It detoxifies the liver, helps build lipoproteins, fats and hormones and bile, which is necessary for digestion. Coconuts amazing healing properties are also attributed to reducing the risk of other degenerative conditions such as cancer, osteoporosis, and diabetes. The medium chain fatty acids help to create a healthy digestive tract, which in turn allows for better digestion and absorption of the nutrients in our foods. They also speed up metabolism providing an immediate source of energy while supplying fewer calories than other fats. It is the oil of choice for dieters and for hypothyroidism. Coconut oil helps protect against skin cancer and other blemishes and helps prevent premature aging and wrinkling. As a cooking oil, it is highly resistant to heat and spoilage. In fact, coconut oil has been called "the healthiest dietary oil on earth".

Where to find Stevia
 

I found seeds so I plan on growing my own stevia plant soon, I have tons of seeds let me know if you want any!

happy, how do you use the stevia plant? do you steep the leaves like tea? I'd be interested in trying that!

Chicken with Lime Sauce
 

From Cooking Light magazine

4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons olive oil
Cooking spray
3/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon brown sugar
3 tablespoons lime juice, divided
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon butter

Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; pound to 1/4-inch thickness using a meat mallet or small heavy skillet. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper.
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 4 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove from pan; keep warm.

Add chicken broth, sugar, 2 tablespoons juice, and mustard to pan; cook over medium heat, scraping pan to loosen browned bits.

Combine water and cornstarch in a small bowl. Add cornstarch mixture to pan; stir well with a whisk. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; cook 1 minute or until sauce thickens slightly. Whisk in remaining 1 tablespoon lime juice and butter, stirring until butter melts. Return chicken to pan; simmer 2 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly heated.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 chicken breast half and 2 tablespoons sauce)

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 260(26% from fat); FAT 7.5g (sat 2.7g,mono 3.1g,poly 0.8g); PROTEIN 40.7g; CHOLESTEROL 106mg; CALCIUM 32mg; SODIUM 382mg; FIBER 0.1g; IRON 1.8mg; CARBOHYDRATE 5.4g

Once you dry out the stevia leaves you can steep them for tea with other herbs, use them in salad dressings...I like it in homemade Italian dressing, or in homemade pasta sauce. The whole leaves undried I like to chew on with mint leaves when I want something sweet.