hazelnutella

healthy home-made hazelnut haven.

Nutella. A familiar favourite. It topped my toast and filled my sandwiches for most of my life. You could probably find a jar in most cupboards across Toronto, Ontario, Canada, North America... The creamy chocolately goodness found its way into my tummy at my house, at my friend's houses, and even all the way in Italy at my exchange student's house! Why wouldn't it be everywhere? A creamy, rich, sweet, sensational toast topper AND a great addition to a well-balanced and nutritious breakfast? Well, it turns out that it is too good to be true... Mothers everywhere have somehow been mislead to believe that they could feel good about giving this to their kids as a great start to their day when really this much-loved spread should be saved for dessert. Disappointed? ...Don't be!

Here's a solution that is equally delicious while also nutritious!

hazelnutella:

Yeilds about ¾ cup
 
- 1 cup of hazelnuts, toasted and skinned
- 3 tbsp raw cacao powder
- 1½ tbsp xylitol*

*this recipe isn't very sweet because xylitol is no where near as sweet as stevia, splenda, or sugar so if you use any of these instead make sure you taste test! Also if you choose to use regular sugar use powdered/icing sugar so it blends better. You could also try it with honey, which would be delicious but I haven't tried it and am not sure how it would blend!

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Spread hazelnuts evenly on a baking sheet.  Toast for 12-15 minutes, watching carefully so they don't burn.  Remove baking sheet from oven and immediately transfer hazelnuts to paper-towel and let cool.  Rub skins off with the paper towel.  Transfer hazelnuts to a chopper/food-processor.  Add cacao powder and your choice of sweentness.  Chop, mix, blend, process until smooth and creamy.  Transfer to a jar.  ENJOY!

This will be a lot more liquidy and oily than Nutella because there are only the natural oils and fats from the nuts and no added saturated fats.  Store in refridgerator to keep it a more solid consistency.

a healthful hint.

Hazelnuts, like all nuts are full protein and healthy monounsaturated fats such as oleic acid which is good for lowering bad cholesterol and maintatining many bodily functions.  They are also a great source of Vitamin E, which is good for healthy skin, hair and nails! Cacao on the other hand is the raw form of cocoa and is stocked full of magnesium, calcium, iron and many other great minerals. It contains antioxidants to keep your heart healthy and is also great for physical and mental well-being. Chocolate is good for you? Too good AND true! 

strawberry santa

a cheery christmasy cheesecake.

I know it's been quite a while since Christmas time but I've been busy and haven't had a chance to get this recipe up! Aren't these the cutest little strawberries you've ever seen?  I made these to compliment our traditional family breakfast on Christmas morning.  It was nice to have some fresh fruit and vitamins to accompany all the eggs, bacon, and sausages that we have every year!

Whether you are or aren't a fan of cheese cake these are the perfect treat! It's the easiest recipe and you're able to adjust it to your liking although it does take some amount of finicky fine-motor skills to keep those little Santa's hats from falling off!

strawberry santa:

handful of fresh strawberries
handful of chocolate chips or raisins
¼ cup ricotta cheese
1 tsp honey
1 tsp milk (more or less depending how thick your ricotta is)
⅛ tsp salt

 Slice the leaves off the strawberries then slice the tops off.  In a bowl combine ricotta, honey, milk and salt with a hand mixer or a whisk. Transfer ricotta mixture into a piping bag or ziploc bag with a corner cut off. Squeeze mixture onto strawberries in a round formation. Carefully place strawberry hats on top. Squeeze a small dollop for the hat's fluff and place chocolate chips or raisins in place for the eyes. Serve immediately. Beware that the hats may start slipping off. ENJOY!

a healthful hint:

Strawberries are a great source of vitamin C and they also help regulate blood sugar. Using honey rather than sugar not only adds a great flavour but it is also a totally natural sweetner that comes loaded with antioxidants for a healthy heart and antibacterical properties for a healthy body! Using low fat cheese such as ricotta is a great way to get a serving of calcium and protein without all the saturated fats.