August 30, 2014

NO-BAKE ENERGY MONKEY BARS (a 2 banana difficulty level)


MONKEY BARS! I might need a whole section devoted to this...well at least a tag devoted to this! One of my favorite cookies growing up was some sort of no-bake variety. It probably came from the side of Hershey's Cocoa because I seem to remember it having Hershey's Cocoa and some peanut butter and probably sugar. I came across this not too long ago. Similar in concept to the no-bake cookie from my youth, but branded as an "energy" bar.

Hey, do you know the difference between a candy bar and an energy bar? Usually about a buck...hey-O!

It has the flexibility to substitute many of the ingredients with other ingredients that are similar in nature.

Today, 'this monkey' will show you how to make NO-BAKE ENERGY MONKEY BARS...let's get started!

WHAT YOU NEED:
1 c Rolled Oats (I used rye rolled oats because that's what I had. Old-fashioned oats are probably the most common)
2/3 c Unsweetened Shredded Coconut (toasted) - Coconut flakes can be used
1/2 c Almond Butter (or peanut butter)
1/2 c Ground Flaxseed
1/2 c Cacao nibs (or choc chips or Reese's peanut butter chips)
1/3 c Honey
1 T chia seeds (optional)
1 t Vanilla

WHAT ELSE YOU NEED:
Medium size mixing bowl
Large spoon
8x8" non-stick pan

WHAT YOU DO:
1. Place ALL ingredients in the medium bowl and mix well.

2. Place in 8x8" non-stick pan & press into the bottom. You can use a glass pan lined with wax paper.
I increased the ingredients by 50% in order to use a bigger pan.

 Also, I added BOTH PB chips AND cacao nibs

3. Cover tightly and refrigerate AT LEAST 1 hour, preferable overnight.
4. Serve and enjoy!


Pretty simple stuff! Flexible and delicious! These are a bit more healthy than straight cookies, but you don't want to consider them a health food.

Until next time...your favorite neighbor-web monkey!

August 16, 2014

ROASTED CAULIFLOWER COUS COUS (a 3 banana difficulty level)



'This monkey' had something he had never eaten recently...Cauliflower "Cous Cous"! I like cous cous. Super simple to make & tastes pretty darn good with the right additions. I was intrigued by this faux cous cous. It's called cous cous because it looks & has the texture of cous cous, but it's not cous cous at all. It's grated cauliflower and it was delicious! So after some internet exploration I was ready to give it a go!

The cauliflower was the simple part, either box grater or food processor. How it is prepped is where the variance occurs. At its simplest, you grate the cauliflower & serve it as is (raw) with your additions. I tried this with cheese, olive oil drizzle, salt & pepper, avocado, & some trail mix & it was...well...edible. Raw cauliflower even when dressed up still has a pretty powerful taste.

Other recipes had you sauteing the cauliflower or boiling it with very minimal water. I decided to roast it since roasted cauliflower is magical! http://www.anymonkeycan.com/2011/01/roasted-cauliflower-with-arugula.html

It turned out pretty darn good! It cooks down quite a bit with the roasting so I'd be interested in seeing how it does with the "steaming" or the sauteing, but here's the Roasted Cauliflower "Cous Cous" recipe!

WHAT YOU NEED:
1 head of Cauliflower (box grated or pulverized in a food processor)
2-3 T Olive Oil
Kosher Salt to taste
Black Pepper to taste (freshly grounded)
1/2 Avocado (sliced)
1/2 c Parmesan Cheese (grated)
Roasted Mushrooms (optional)
1/2 c Trail Mix (optional)

WHAT ELSE YOU NEED:
Box Grater or Food Processor
Oven
Roasting Pan
Spatula

WHAT YOU DO:
1. Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees
2. Grate or Food process the Cauliflower to the size of cous cous

3. Spread cous cous size Cauliflower into a thin layer in the Roasting Pan. Drizzle with Olive Oil & Salt & Pepper to taste.

4. Roast at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Be sure to stir every 5 minutes.
It really does cook down quite a bit

5. Serve and Enjoy!

This is a pretty interesting dish because you really cannot tell you are eating cauliflower. Using the box grater does take a bit of work especially since it cooks down. I think I'll try cooking in a small amount of water next. It won't give me the nuttiness of roasted cauliflower, but hopefully it will make the cauliflower taste a bit milder without it cooking down so much!

Enjoy and until next time...your favorite neighbor-web monkey!

EGG MonkeyMUFFIN (a 2 banana difficulty level)


Earlier this year a buddy of mine was making these and I thought it was pretty cool! 12 eggs in a dozen & 12 spots in a muffin tin, seems a bit pre-destined if you ask me. Super simple to make & you can decide what fixin's to add...let's get started...

WHAT YOU NEED:
12 Eggs
12 English Muffins
Kosher Salt to taste
Black Pepper (freshly ground)
1 Roma Tomato (thinly sliced, optional)
1 Jalapeno Pepper (thinly sliced, optional)
4 T Parmesan Cheese (grated, optional)

WHAT ELSE YOU NEED:
Non-stick Muffin Tin
Dinner Fork
Oven
Toaster

WHAT YOU DO:
1. Pre-Heat Oven to 350 degrees
2. Crack eggs & add 1 per spot in a muffin tin.
3. Add sliced tomato & pepper (or bacon or spinach or mushrooms or...)
4. Salt & Pepper to taste


5. Bake for 10 minutes.
6. Add cheese (if desired)

7. Rotate front to back & back 10 more minutes or until egg is cooked to your desired level.

8. Depending on the toaster capacity, start toasting the English Muffins during the last 5-10 minutes of baking.
9. Make you Egg MonkeyMuffin & enjoy!

This is a nice party trick when you have to make breakfast for a full house!

Be careful not to overbake the eggs as they become a bit rubbery. I like to make a dozen on the weekend & then eat them as snack or as a quick breakfast during the week.

Until next time...your favorite neighbor-web monkey!


CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER SMOOTHIE via VITAMIX (a 1 banana difficulty level)


Several years ago, Jamba Juice had this smoothie call the "Peanut Butter Moo'd" and it was DELICIOUS! And it should have been delicious because size large had 29 grams of fat, 131 grams of sugar and almost 1000 calories! Ouch.

http://www.jambajuice.com/menu-and-nutrition/menu/smoothies/creamy-treats/peanut-butter-mood

I don't believe they sell that one anymore.

Today I made a Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie that VitaMix told me about on Facebook. It's pretty good, just not quite as good as the version from Double J, but I shouldn't have too worry as much about diabetes and increasing my BMI!

Today, 'this monkey' will show you how to make a Chocolate PB Smoothie that contains 2 c of Spinach!


WHAT YOU NEED:
1 c Unsweetened Almond Milk (http://www.anymonkeycan.com/2014/08/almond-milk-via-vitamix-1-banana.html)
2 c Baby Spinach
1 Frozen Banana (it is best to peel the banana & cut into 4-5 pieces PRIOR to freezing)
1/2 Bartlett Pear
2 T Natural Peanut Butter (I used my Almond-Walnut Butter http://www.anymonkeycan.com/2013/01/roasted-almond-walnut-butter-via.html)
2 T Cocoa Powder
1 c Ice

WHAT YOU DO:
1. Add the following in this order: Almond Milk, Cocoa Powder, Pear, PB, Frozen Banana, Spinach, and finally the Ice

2. Turn on the VitaMix at level 1 & quickly turn to level 10
3. Turn VitaMix to High & Blend until desired consistency is reached
4. Enjoy!

So technically I made a Chocolate Almond Butter Smoothie...

Until next time, your favorite Neighbor-web monkey!

ALMOND MILK via VITAMIX (a 1 banana difficulty level)



I've been away a bit too long. A new job (well technically a newer job as it has been just over 1 year) will do that to you. Growing up the son of 2 teachers I thought I appreciated how hard teachers work. Now I REALLY know & appreciate how hard teachers work!

It's been 8 months since 'this monkey' has posted here. I might as well post something that is truly simple to make...Almond Milk!

Don't worry, I'm not planning on giving up dairy anytime soon. Blue Bell & Ben & Jerry's are just too good! Don't expect a cold glass of almond milk to replace a cold glass of real milk, but Almond milk goes quite well on a bowl of cereal or in a smoothie.

If you'd like to compare between cow's milk and almond's milk:

http://fatsecret.com/calories-nutrition/generic/milk-almond?portionid=342497&portionamount=1.000

http://www.fatsecret.com/calories-nutrition/usda/milk-(fat-free-or-skim-calcium-fortified)?portionid=41571

This is very simple so let's get started!

WHAT YOU NEED:
1 c Raw Almonds
3 c Filtered Water

WHAT YOU DO:
1. Place the Water & Almonds in your VitaMix
2. Turn on the VitaMix at level 1 & quickly turn to level 10
3. Turn VitaMix to high
4. Blend for 2 minutes



Now at this point you can use a filter & strainer to filter out the sediment, but that causes you to lose fiber & protein.

Yeah, I told you it was simple, but it's been 8 months & I needed to start with something easy!

Until next time...your favorite Neighbor-web Monkey!