Chocolate banana avocado pudding

Prep Time: 10 Minutes Ready In: 1 Hour 10 Minutes Servings: 6

Ingredients:

2  ripe avocado, peeled and pitted 4 very ripe bananas 1 tsp of vanilla 1 tbsp of ground flax mixed with 2 tbsp of water

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, plus more for garnish

Directions:

1.	Place avocados, bananas, and cocoa powder, vanilla and mixed flax and water  in a blender; puree until smooth.
2.	Pour pudding into serving bowls and sprinkle additional cocoa powder on top for garnish.
3.	Chill in refrigerator for texture and flavor to develop, at least 1 hour. Strawberry Banana Frozen Yogurt  3 cups of frozen strawberries 1 cup of vanilla yogurt 1 frozen banana 1 tsp of vanilla Blend in a blender until smooth and creamy I love teaching these children, they make all the prep and hard work so worth the while. I love how excited they get when they find out what we are making each class. When I told them our pudding was going to made with avocado some of the looks I got were pretty funny! I told them just trust me we will make it really yummy!! Thank you to Maureen for providing me with some raw cacao powder that really did make our chocolate pudding so delicious. When we blended up our pudding and tried it the kids were so surprised with how good it was. I like to teach them about the benefits of each ingredient. I get the kids to play this memory game with me and I say the ingredient and they have to remember what it does for their body. It's a great way to teach kids how to make good choices when you teach them of the benefit of each item has as they walk through the grocery store with you. I used a real vanilla bean and opened it up for them to see all the little tiny black specks inside. Some of the kids never have even seen one before. There is this one little girl that likes to write me little thank you cards and I can't even say of how much I value that! I love writing cards for people of appreciation and to have that from such a sweet little girl like her really melts my heart. Making healthy treats today was lots of fun and very heart warming. Thank you kids for making my job so enjoyable

Broccoli cheddar quiche

What a blessing it is to teach this group of children. Each child is so unique and so gifted. I love watching these little ones express themselves through cooking. I was teaching them about leeks and how they are from the lily family yet they smell and taste like they are in the onion family. I enjoy teaching them about the healthy benefits of each vegetable  and seeing them get so excited about it! Every the kids make me laugh with the funny things they say for example this little boy who is only 4 said is Dad is a terrible person. I asked him why and he told me it was because he doesn't buy him chocolate when they grocery shopping. lol I love all of the cute comments. We talked to about where quiche are from and they got so excited to know that I told them Quiche originated from France. Thank you kids for making all the work so worth while each one of you made amazing quiche and touched my heart while creating them!

Broccoli cheddar veggie mini Quiches

Ingredients

• 1 small broccoli spear (about 4 ounces)
• 1 package of ready-made mini pie crusts
• 5 large eggs
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese, plus more for garnish
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1 cup of chopped spinach
• 1 red  pepper diced small
• ½ cup of sliced thinly leeks

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut broccoli into very small florets, and cut stem into 1/4-inch pieces. You should have 1 cup of cut-up broccoli. Fill a medium saucepan halfway with water, and bring to a boil. Add broccoli, and cook until bright green and just tender, about 1 minute. Drain broccoli in a colander, and run cold water over it to stop the cooking. Set aside. In a pan sauté 1 tbsp of olive oil, add diced pepper sliced leeks and chopped spinach to pan. Season with salt and pepper, sauté for about 5 minutes.
2. Unwrap pie crusts and pre bake for about 5 minutes at 350 until golden on a baking sheet.
3. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, cheese, salt, and pepper. Spoon mixture into pastry shells, filling halfway. Add a little of the broccoli to each cup; top with a 1 tbsp of sautéed vegetables and remaining egg mixture so each cup is full. Bake until filling is puffy and set, 12 to 15 minutes. Serve hot, garnished with grated cheese and chopped parsley.

Recipe by Chef Andrea Hoblak andreahoblak@gmail.com 604-751-5684

Valentines Speical Cooking demo With the little kindergarden Chefs

 I was very blessed to be invited to this kindergarten for a special valentines cooking demo with the little ones. I love how excited the children get when they make their own healthy treats. One of the things I always like to finish of a class with stickers to show the children of what a good job they did. It never fails the sticker always seems to be the favorite part and not just for the children.

My version of a Valentines heart healthy yogurt parfait. Layer strawberry and vanilla yogurt a sprinkle of hemp hearts 1 tbsp of dark chocolate chips frozen strawberries in between the yogurt top with a fresh heart shaped strawberry.

My Heart is Beeting for you yummy Chocolate cup cakes

You can’t Beet these Chocolate Cupcakes  

•  
• Prep Time: 1 hr
• Total Time: 1 hr 25 mins
• Servings: 12

Ingredients

• 2 squares dark chocolate, chopped
• 1/2 cup butter try using vegan butter if you are lactose intolerant
• 1 cup cake flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup sugar Feel free to use any sweetener you like
• 1 egg, room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 14 ounces sliced beets

Frosting

• 1/2 cup cream cheese, room temperature
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon beet juice
• 2 cups icing sugar

Directions

1. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake papers. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Place the chopped chocolate and 2 tablespoons of the butter in a microwavable bowl and microwave on low, at 30 second intervals, until ingredients are melted.
3. Stir often during the melting process. Stir until smooth and set aside to cool slightly.
4. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
5. In the bowl beat remaining butter and sugar together until well combined. Beat in egg and vanilla. Beat in beet purée, followed by melted chocolate mixture.
6. Using a sturdy spatula, fold in flour mixture by hand. Do not over mix.

Page 2 of 2Chocolate Beet Cupcakes (cont.)

Directions

7. Using a lever ice cream scoop to make the job easier and mess-free, divide cupcake batter among muffin cups.
8. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cool in tins for a few minutes, then cool cupcakes completely on a wire rack.
9. With an electric mixer, beat together cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add beet juice, icing sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth.
10. Frost cupcakes as desired. Makes enough for twelve cupcake.
11. Use a spatula or piping bag to frost cupcakes.