Tag Archives: honey

Chocolate Cereal Bar

Posted
Filed under breakfast, What's Up in Cecile's Kitchen

photo 3

This year I turned 41, yep, 41 and though I still feel like I am in my 20’s, there are days my body reminds me that i am no longer 20. You start feeling aches you never felt before, and you start gaining weight in places you never had problems before.

And it is a bit frustrating. I can do with aching, there is always that good tylenol or Aleve that will do its trick, but there is little to do with those pants that are getting tighter when you think that you are already doing the right thing.

Since i  already exercise everyday, eat balanced meals everyday, watch my carb intake, I decided that it was time again to work with a trainer. Maybe he would have the answers i did not have.  And so i have been working with him for a few weeks now.

I will tell you that it has been nice to have new routines for my work-out. At least it is not so boring!

Besides that I have not really learned anything new. He did reiterate that i eat small meals and that i eat every 2 to 3 hours, something that i had not been doing since it is not really in my nature to snack. But I have been following his advice.

If at first, i started buying those protein bars for snacks, i quickly decided that I was going to make some again because 1. they taste better, 2. I know what is in them and 3. it is less expensive to make them yourself.

I made this batch last week, and Lisa’s boyfriend took one and really enjoyed them. I hope that you will too!

photo 4

Ingredients for about 16 bars;

  • 1 cup of sunflower seed
  • 1 cup of pumpkin seeds
  • 1 cup of almond
  • 1 cup of oats
  • 1 cup of hazelnut
  • 1/2 cup of bittersweet chocolate chips
  • 3/4 cup of honey
  • 1/2 cup of almond butter
  • 1 tsp of vanilla extract

Depending how you like your protein/cereal bars, you will need to decide if you like them very fine or if you rather have big chunks of seeds or nuts.

  1. Turn the oven to 400.
  2. Place all the ingredients in a chopper and pulse a few times.
  3. In a small saucepan, warm up the honey and the almond butter until the mixture is becoming very liquid.
  4. Pour this hot mixture in the chopped nut mixture and stir well so as to coat the nuts with the almond honey mixture.
  5. Transfer this mixture into a deep flexipan that you would have placed on a perforated sheet.
  6. Cook the mixture for 10 minutes.
  7. remove from the oven and let it cool completly, before peeling the “big Bar” off the flexipan and cutting in 1 1/2 ” x 3 ” bars.
  8. Keep these bars in an airtight container so that they will stay fresh, and hard.
  9. Et voila!photo 5

Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!

Gorgonzola, Purple Onion and Honey Pizza

Posted
Filed under appetizers, Recipe with Demarle Cookware, silpat, What's Up in Cecile's Kitchen

photo 4Yesterday like most Sunday, I tried to cook a good dinner. As I set out my ingredients for all I intended to cook for dinner  ( scalloped potatoes, Ribs, Green Beans and Strawberry tart)t I got hungry. I could have just snacked on things here and there but I had been dreaming about fixing pizza with gorgonzola and honey and decided to fix it as our appetizers.

I used whole wheat tortillas in the past to make quick pizzas, and since I had a few left over from a previous dinner, I decided to make my pizza with it. Whole wheat tortillas is a much healthier substitution to pizza dough, and it cooks much faster.

Ingredients for 4 individual pizzas:

  • 4 whole wheat tortillas
  • 24 thin slices of gorgonzola
  • 1/2 purple onion sliced very thinly as well
  • pepper
  • 4 tsp of honey
  1. Turn the oven to 400.
  2. Place a large silpat on a large perforated sheet. Place the four tortillas on the large silpat.
  3. Lay the gorgonzola all over each tortilla.photo 1
  4. Then top the gorgonzola with the sliced purple onion.photo 2
  5. Sprinkle some pepper.
  6. Cook in the oven for 5-6 minutes. I placed my pizza on the top tier of the oven.
  7. photo 3Warm the honey for 10 seconds in the microwave and drizzle it over each pizza.
  8. Cut in squares and enjoy as an entree, or as an appetizer as we did here;-)photo 5

Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!

Lime, Honey and Soy Marinated Chicken

Posted
Filed under deep flexipan, entree, Large round mold, poultry, Recipe with Demarle Cookware, roulpat

photo 4

Lime again?!?! Well yes… I have so many that I need to use them. Just kidding. I loved the shrimps that i fixed a few days ago that i thought to do the same with chicken. Except that I needed to season the chicken with some salt and just thought of soy sauce instead. Well, this chicken is a winner in my book. ” C’est gouteux et fin “comme on  dirait francais;-) It is tasty, it has a delicate flavor and it is perfect for this season: light and delicious:-)

Ingredients for 2 people:

  • 2 chicken breasts
  • 2 tbsp of lime juice
  • 2 tbsp of honey
  • the zest of 1 lime
  • 2 tbsp of soy sauce.

photo 2

  1. clean the chicken breasts of any nerves and fat.
  2. rinse the chicken breast under running water.
  3. Pat dry the chicken breast with a paper towel.
  4. place a chicken breast on the small roulpat and fold the roulpat on top of it.
  5. with a rolling-pin, beat the chicken to flatten the chicken breast and even it out.
  6. Place the chicken in a ziploc bac.
  7. in a small bowl, mix all the ingredients mentioned above and stir.
  8. pour this mixture over the chicken and marinade the chicken for 30 minutes to 2 hours.
  9. Remove the chicken breasts from the bag and place them inside the round mold or on a flexipan and cook them for 13-15 minutes at 400. If using a regular pan, cook your chicken for 20 minutes.
  10. remove the chicken from the oven and let it rest for a few minutes before cutting it. photo 1
  11. serve the chicken with roasted or steamed asparagus. Et voila!!!

photo 3

Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!

Shrimps Flavored with Lime and Honey

Posted
Filed under entree, Large round mold, Recipe with Demarle Cookware, seafood, shrimps, silpat, What's Up in Cecile's Kitchen

photo 1

Please pardon my absence. It was Spring break at our house last week, and just like my children, I too took a break. It was much needed, I am feeling much rested and refreshed.

For spring break, we went away for a week and I did not cook a bit. It was nice to be taken care of, for a change. Though I enjoyed the food very much, I am going to need to be watching my diet in the next few weeks if I want to wear those summer dresses and bathing suits;-)

For tonite, I decided to have shrimps for dinner. I used what I had on hand.

Ingredients for 4:

  • 1 bag of brocoli slaw
  • 1 pack of 24 oz. large shrimps deveined and peeled. I used frozen shrimps, but of course you could use fresh ones as well. 
  • zest of 1 lime
  • juice of 1 lime
  • 2 tbsp of honey
  • 1/32 tsp of  salt
  • 1/32 tsp of pepper
  • 2 tbsp of olive oil
  1. If using frozen shrimps, thaw them out by either leaving them in the fridge the night before, or by defrosting them in the microwave. 
  2. With a paper towel, pat the shrimps dry.
  3. Empty the shrimps in a large bowl.
  4. Add all the other ingredients to the shrimps and mix well.
  5. Marinade for 30 minutes if possible.
  6. Turn the oven to 400 and place the shrimps on a large silpat that you would have placed on a large perforated sheet.
  7. Cook for 6 minutes.
  8. You can also quickly saute the shrimps in a frying pan. Just warm up 1 tbsp of butter and when the butter is sizzling, add the shrimps. Cook them for a few minutes ( 2-3 minutes) or until they are becoming pink.
  9. While the shrimps are cooking, empty the broccoli slaw into the large round mold, place the octogonal silpat on top and cook the slaw in the microwave for 3 minutes.
  10. Add a dash of salt and pepper into the cooked brocoli slaw  and stir.
  11. To serve, spoon the brocoli on each plate and place some shrimps on top of the brocoli. Et voila!

photo 2

Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!

Pecan Crusted Salmon with Brown Sugar and Miel de Maguey Reduction

Posted
Filed under seafood, What's Up in Cecile's Kitchen

Salmon is a great fish. It is so mild that it will take on any flavor you add to it. It is excellent grilled “au naturel”, sauteed, or even baked. I eat a lot of it because I love fish, and salmon is fairly easy to prepare unlike many other fish. Tonight I wanted to try out something that has been twirling in my head for a few days…Honey Pecan Crusted Salmon with Brown Sugar and Miel de Aguave Reduction. And here it is:

Ingredients for 2:

  • 1 lb salmon filet,
  • 1/2 cup of pecan chopped really small,
  • 1 tbsp of honey,
  • salt and pepper to taste,

Ingredients for the Miel de Maguey Sauce: 

  • 1 cup of heavy cream,
  • 1 tbsp of brown sugar, 1 tbsp of butter,
  • 3 tbsp of Miel de Maguey,
  • sea salt and pepper to taste.

1. In a bowl, place the chopped pecans, add the melted honey and stir to coat the pecans. 2. Place the salmon on a silpat.

3. Season lightly the salmon with pepper and sea salt.

4. Coat the salmon with the pecan/ honey mixture.

4. Bake in a warm oven at 400 for 7 minutes. You may need more if you like your salmon medium well ( i like mine medium rare).

5. While the salmon is baking, in a small saucepan, melt 1 tbsp of butter.

6. When the butter is sizzling, add 1 cup of heavy cream, 1 tbsp of brown sugar, 3 tbsp of Miel de Maguey.

7. Bring to boil and let it simmer until it has reduced to its third.

8. To serve, place 1- 2 Tbsp of the sauce on the plate and lay the filet over the fish. Enjoy!!!

Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!