I was afraid the filling mixture wouldn’t turn out as I wanted it to but to my surprise it actually worked better than expected.

I love chai spice flavor anything. I am thinking of making a sponge cake with this flavor as well as the frosting. I have not made a sponge cake in forever and since my birthday is just around the corner I think this type of cake would be the perfect contender.

I am probably going to make some ice pops this flavor as well. I love making my own ice pops around this time of year. They are so easy and versatile and I believe my kids will enjoy them too.

Anyways. I kept the base of the pie quite simple with only 2 ingredients. I actually have a recipe for energy balls just using these two ingredients. The mixture is delicious just by itself so if you like to make a bit more and make balls with it go ahead. I did so I could have some to take for school during the week.

I am planning on making more no bake pies this summer. I will be using the same base for the filling. I think the sky is the limit when using cashews to make vegan pies. I intent to try one with a lemon/lime flavor. I love lemon anything  as well so I think that will work well.

Anyways, I won’t bored you any further with none of my recipe ideas so I hope you get to try this no bake chai spice pie that it is vegan and gluten free. It is perfect for any gathering or healthy dessert.

Enjoy!

No bake chai spice pie

Miryam's original recipe

Yield: 12 servings

Total Time: 4 hours

Ingredients:

Base

• 2 cups pitted dates
• 2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
• 2-3 tbsp water

Filling 

• 3 cups raw cashews, soaked overnight and drained
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp cardamon powder
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp clove powder

Topping

• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1/3 cup dark chocolate, melted, vegan if need be

Directions:

In a food processor add the crust ingredients and pulse until you obtain a mixture that will adhere together.

Transfer the mixture to a removable pie pan of your choice. I used a rectangular one. Press the mixture to the bottom of the pan without going up the sides.

Add the filling ingredients to the food processor and pulse until you obtain a homogenous mixture. About 2-3 minutes.

Transfer the mixture to the pan and spread evenly. Arrange the chopped pecans around the edge of the pie and freeze for about 3-5 hrs.

Take the pie out of the freezer and drizzle the chocolate over the pie and serve.

NOTE: Store pie in the freezer and take out 30 minutes before serving.

The post No bake chai spice pie appeared first on Eat Good 4 Life.

Have you started making your own oatmeal already? Let me tell you, those pre-packed store bought varieties don’t do your homemade oatmeal justice. Those pre-packed version only have tons of sugar and oats. Their flavors come from the sugar and that is about it.

The spices I used for this pecan chai oatmeal are the classic spices used to make chai tea. I could have used chai tea bags but going straight to the spices themselves I thought it would give the oatmeal a more authentic stronger flavor.

I also used Silk unsweetened almond milk, which is the milk that we mostly drink. I love the fact that Silk is enrolled in and verified by the Non-GMO Project. A little piece of mind for the family.

This pecan chai oatmeal not only is dairy-free, but cholesterol free as well as diabetic friendly. The sweetness comes from the maple syrup so if you want to adapt the recipe and use less go ahead. I thought my version wasn’t too sweet at all so adding just 1/4 cup was OK.

I love making oatmeal for the family. My kids eat it rather good, it is a healthy alternative to the boxed cereal and I love the fact that you can make endless variations. Since it is pecan season, why not incorporate it to my oatmeal?

Enjoy!

Pecan chai oatmeal

Miryam's original recipe

Yield: 8 servings

Total Time: 15-20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 6 cups Silk almond milk
• 3 cups gluten free rolled oats
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Chai mixture

• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg powder
• 1/4 tsp cardamon powder
• 1/4 tsp clove powder
• 1/4 tsp ginger powder
• 2 whole star anise, optional
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

 

 

Directions:

In a pot, over medium to low heat, add the milk and the chai spices. Cook until the the mixture starts to boil. Add the rolled oats and maple syrup and cook for about 5-7 minutes or until the rolled oats are soft. Turn heat off and let it cool.

Add the chopped pecans and combine with the rolled oats. Eat with any toppings of your choice. Refrigerate leftovers.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Silk. The opinions and text are all mine.

The post Pecan chai oatmeal appeared first on Eat Good 4 Life.

This garlic paste is out of this world. Few recipes have made such an impact on me but this one has totally revolutionized my cooking. Not only because I cook with garlic almost every day and using garlic paste saves me tons of time, but it also makes the food taste way better.

You see, having the garlic paste, rather than just a million little pieces of garlic, infuses its flavor into the food much better. It works great almost on anything but when making sauces the garlic paste really takes the recipe to the next level! Remember this spinach pasta with homemade tomato sauce recipe I posted a few weeks back? Well this is the recipe I tried with garlic paste that made me want to make my own, as my best friend gave me some of hers!

Granted when making this recipe you are going to be pealing garlic for at least 10 minutes, but what are 10 minutes when you are going to be saving tons of time for weeks to come?

I have tried many store bought garlic paste varieties before to find than none of them really actually tasted like garlic. So what did I do? Totally trash them. Now, I am not the one to throw food away but I just couldn’t bare to add none of the disgusting none sense flavor into my food.

This time around I made quite a bit of garlic paste so I froze half of my batch and placed the other in the fridge to be used immediately. I have been told that this will last for at least 3 months, both in the fridge or freezer so will see how it goes. So far so good.

I anticipate making the same thing with ginger. I cook a lot of Asian recipes and almost always I add ginger instead of garlic. I can’t wait to give that version a try so when I do I will let you know. For now I leave you with this simple sensational recipe that will sure revolutionized your cooking like it did to me.

Enjoy!

Garlic paste

Miryam's original recipe

Yield: 16 oz

Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 5 heads of garlic
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp celtic salt

Directions:

Peel the cloves of garlic from all 5 heads. This will take you about 10 minutes but be patient, you will not be peeling garlic for a long while after this.

Place the pealed garlic cloves in your blender with the extra virgin olive oil and salt. Blend for 15-20 seconds and place in 8 oz glass jars. Freeze some of your batch if you like for up to 3 months. Stored in the fridge don't keep for longer than 2 wks to prevent botulism from developing.

NOTE: 1 tsp = 1 garlic clove

The post Garlic paste appeared first on Eat Good 4 Life.

I have not make chicken in a long time and this grilled Moroccan chicken sure it was perfection. I love spices and this recipe sure used quite a variety of them.

Besides using the spices for this grilled Moroccan chicken I used one of my favorite natural spicy sauces, Mina Harissa. I used to use sriracha a lot but now it is replaced with this brand because it is completely natural and that I love way better.

You can buy Mina Harissa in red or green form. The color comes from using different type of peppers, so which ever one you like best, both are made with natural ingredients and they even have a mild variety if you don’t like hot food.

Now, this recipe calls for a lot of chicken. If you want to half the recipe go ahead, I just like to cook for more than just one time to have leftovers and use in the future. If you are having a gathering this would be perfect because this recipe will feed at least 6-8 people.

On another note, what is everyone doing for this summer? My kids are about to finish school, I am attending summer school and going to Spain this summer is just not possible for us. My vacation this year is going to be really short. Three days in Atlantic City, which I haven’t been there in years, and then the TN mountains for 2 weeks. Now that will be my only and real vacation even though I will have to work there too.

Anyhow my friends, if you like grilling and like chicken you need to try this recipe. My husband is the grilled master in our house and he totally approved my recipe. This grilled Moroccan chicken is great for any upcoming pool parties or gathering with your friends.

Enjoy!

Grilled moroccan chicken

Miryam's original recipe

Yield: 6-8 servings

Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 3 lbs organic chicken drumsticks
• 3lbs organic chicken breast
• Fresh tomatoes, optional

Marinade

• 1/4 cup Red Mina Harissa Sauce
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3-4 lemons, juice
• 2 tsp turmeric powder
• 2 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp celtic salt
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• Fresh mint or coriander, chopped

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl place the marinade ingredients and mix through. The marinade will be thick.

Place the chicken breast, not the drumstick, in between plastic wrap and use a meat tenderizer to pound the chicken to thin it out. Make 2-3 light scores on each chicken piece. This will allow the marinade to penetrate the meat.

Add the chicken breast and drumsticks to the bowl and mix in with the marinade making sure each chicken piece is covered nicely. I do this step with my hands. Let the chicken sit at room temperature for one hour or covered in the refrigerator overnight.

Preheat your grill. Add the chicken pieces and cook over medium to low heat for 5-7 minutes on each side depending on your grill. It may take slightly more time.

If using you can add sliced tomatoes and lemons to your grill the last 3-4 minutes of cooking to serve with the chicken.

The post Grilled Moroccan Chicken appeared first on Eat Good 4 Life.

Do you have any new year’s resolution goals? I have a few, and lets see if I can stick to them. So far so good!!

I have been wanting to make Cajun seasoning for the longest time and I really don’t know why I waited so long. I have seen many different variations so for now I just stuck with a basic one. Next time around I may add some coriander and cumin powder to see how it tastes.

I will be using this seasoning for rice, chicken, fish, pasta etc. I most likely will have a rice dish using this spice in the next couple of weeks. We eat a lot of rice dishes in my house so changing it up a bit with this home made Cajun seasoning sure it would be good.

Anyhow, I hope everyone had a great holiday season with family and friends.

Enjoy!!

Homemade cajun seasoning

Yield: 1/2 cup

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons Himalayan salt
2.5 teaspoons garlic powder
3-4 teaspoons paprika, I like to do 4
1 teaspoon pepper, Next time I will do just 1/2 teaspoon to make less spice for the kids
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon oregano flakes
1/2 teaspoon oregano powder
1 teaspoon thyme powder

Directions:

Mix all spices together with a spoon until well blended. Store in a sealed airtight container.

Adapted from here

The post Homemade cajun seasoning appeared first on Eat Good 4 Life.

…and to top it all off this is just super simple, fast and again super versatile to whip together. My kind of dish ;-) You can also add sliced peppers, mushrooms, really what ever you would like. You can also make it with chicken instead if you prefer.

I just got some Cajun spice on a trip that we just took to Lancaster, PA… so glad I did and used it for this. It turned out superb!!

This dish has definitely become one of my favorite pasta dishes and will be in our menu often enough so that I can enjoy it plenty :-). You have to make this. If you like the Cajun flavor this is a must.

Anyhow, I won’t elaborate any further. If you try this cajun shrimp pasta recipe please let me know how you like it.

Enjoy!

This has become one of my favorite pastas. It is so simple, tasty and comforting. A must try pasta dish. Just make sure you use good quality Cajun spice, it really makes a huge difference, and if you like add more to the recipe. I normally do!!

Cajun shrimp pasta

Miryam's original recipe

Yield: 6 servings

Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 lb cooked shrimp, thawed and pat dried
• 2-3 teaspoons Cajun spice,  or more
• 1 lb bag whole wheat penne pasta.
• 4-5 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large red onion, sliced
• 4-5 cups fresh spinach
• 3-5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cups white wine, you can use vegetable stock instead
• 1-2 tsp arrowroot powder, or corn starch, depending on how thick you want the sauce
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 tbsp pepper flakes, optional
• Celtic salt to taste

 

Directions:

Cook pasta to aldente stage.

Meanwhile, In a large skillet, over medium to high heat place oil and cook onions for 3 minutes. Add garlic and Cajun spice and cook further for 1 minute. If adding pepper flakes do at this stage.

Turn the heat to high and add wine. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes until wine has almost evaporated, scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze. Reduce heat to medium and add the shrimp and cook for 2-3 minutes. Pour in cream and corn starch dissolved in 1 tablespoon of water.

Heat through for a minute or so or until sauce starts to thicken. Turn off heat and add spinach. Spinach will wilt as its being tossed. Add salt to taste.

Add drained pasta and toss to combine.

Nutrition facts calculated based on the recipe giving 6 servings

The post Cajun shrimp pasta appeared first on Eat Good 4 Life.