Chocolate Covered Frozen Bananas

I first heard about these a few months ago and I am now in love with them. They are really easy to make and they taste fantastic. This batch of 2 didn't turn out as well as others I have made but that I due to my impatience. I didn't let them freeze for long enough.

Ingredients:

• Bananas


• Dark chocolate chips


• Heath chips (optional)


• Popsicle sticks

Peel bananas and cut them in half. Push the Popsicle stick through the banana lengthwise. Place the bananas on a cookie sheet covered in waxed paper. Freeze for about 6 hours (or until completely frozen).

There are two ways to melt the chocolate. You can set up a double-boiler to heat the chocolate (this works the best) or you can put the chocolate chips into a microwave safe bowl and heat for in 15 second increments until just melted. It is easy to burn the chocolate in the microwave so be careful not to over cook.

Dip the frozen bananas in the chocolate and if necessary use a spoon to cover the banana and scrape off any excess chocolate. Roll the chocolate covered banana in the heath chips before the chocolate hardens. Freeze until serving.

In the picture above you can see that I chose to cover one banana with just chocolate and with the other banana I rolled the bottom half in heath chips prior to freezing and the dipped the top in chocolate after it had frozen. I did not freeze them long enough and had a hard time getting the chocolate to stick to the banana.

Chicken Makhani (Butter Chicken)

I had a craving for something new and while browsing for something to eat I stumbled across this gem.


Ingredients:

• 2 tbs olive oil


• 1/2 white onion


• 2 Tbs butter


• 2 tsp lemon juice


• 1 Tbs garlic powder


• 1.5 Tbs garam masala


• 1 Tbs chili powder


• 1 Tbs cumin


• 1 bay leaf


• 1/2 cup plain yogurt


• 1.5 cups heavy whipping cream


• 1 can tomato sauce


• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper


• 1 Tbs cornstarch


• 1lb chicken breast (I used Qorn fake chicken)

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Saute onion until soft and translucent. Stir in butter, lemon juice, ginger-garlic paste, 1 Tbs garam masala, chili powder, cumin and bay leaf. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

Add tomato sauce, and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in cream and yogurt. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Cook chicken until browned, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat, and season with 1/2 Tbs garam masala and the cayenne. Stir in a few spoonfuls of sauce, and simmer until liquid has reduced. Stir cooked chicken into sauce. Simmer for 15 min. Add corn starch and simmer for another 5 min or until thickened.

{sauce before it has thickened}

Chili Night

Miles loves chili and I have to admit it is a great as not only is it tasty but you can make a huge batch and have leftovers in the freezer for whenever you need a quick meal.

Ingredients:

• 1 24oz can of diced tomatos


• 2 cans of black beans (low sodium)


• 2 cans of kidney beans (low sodium)


• 1 large red onion


• 2 carrots


• 2 celery sticks


• 1.5 Tbs chili powder


• 1 Tbs garlic


• 1 cup frozen white corn


• 1lb ground beef (>10% fat) OPTIONAL

Dice onions, carrots, and celery. Rinse the beans. Combine all ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour stirring occasionally.

Makes 6 servings w/out the beef