Chayote Squash

I've been out of town, so I haven't been able to post or cook for a while. So here's something from the archives, just to ease my tortured conscience. This is, of course, operating under the illusion that there are people who actually rely upon me updating.

Super quick and easy recipe (although if I recall, dicing the squash may have been something of a hassle), modified slightly from A Veggie Venture. I remember trying two different chayote squash recipes at the same time, and since this is the only recipe I could find, I must have liked this one better.

Chayote Squash

Ingredients:

1/2 chayote squash, diced

1/4 cup water (or cooking liquid such as chicken/vegetable broth)

salt

Green onion, chopped

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Directions:

1. Heat skillet on medium high; spray with olive oil (not necessary).

2. Add chayote; cook through, stirring occasionally.

3. Add water, let simmer for about 5 minutes.

4. Add chopped green onion, cook another minute, and remove from liquid.

It gets better.

I deserve a Nobel Peace Prize.

Chocolate Crepes

Ingredients:
1 scoop chocolate HMR 120 shake mix
1/4 cup water
1 packet vanilla HMR 70+ shake mix
1/2 cup water (plus 1/8 cup, maybe)
Butter-flavored cooking spray
1 strawberry, sliced (optional garnish)

Directions:
1. Heat a small pan over medium-low heat.
2. Combine chocolate 120 shake mix with 1/4 cup water in small bowl; put in freezer to chill while you make crepes.
3. Combine vanilla 70+ shake mix with 1/2 cup water to create somewhat runny batter (I did this before combining the chocolate, and the 70+ thickens if you let it sit, so I had to add another 1/8 cup water).
4. Spray heated pan with cooking spray; pour half of vanilla batter into pan. Cover pan and cook until crepe is pretty solid. It should sort of bubble up in the middle, and if you peek at the bottom, it should be golden-brown.
5. Carefully loosen crepe from pan using a spatula (the rubbery kind works well for this, as opposed to the sturdy, plastic spatulas), and slide it onto a plate to cool.
6. Repeat steps 4-5 with remaining vanilla batter to make second crepe.
7. Pull the chocolate mix out of the freezer (it should be thick and fudgy, not frozen solid). Spoon half into each crepe, then fold crepes (bottom first, then sides). If desired, top with strawberry slices.

Makes two crepes; counts as a double shake (and less than 1/4 serving of fruit).

Like I said, Nobel Peace Prize.

These were SO GOOD. So good. And I found them quite filling, as well. The only flaw is that the crepe itself comes out a little... wet. Not the consistency, but when you touch it, it's wet. You'll see what I mean when you make them. And really, who's going to complain? I made crepes.

I see endless possibility for variation here. Put PB2 in the filling, use vanilla 120 and mix it with any Jello, SF syrup, or extract, add fruit into the filling...

And toppings! You could top them with any other fresh fruit, SF maple syrup, Reddi Wip Free or Cool Whip Free, a sprinkle of cocoa powder/cinnamon/Splenda... any other ideas? Just don't do all of them at once.

P.S. Without the strawberry topping, these are even Decision-Free Friendly! Rock on!

HOLD THE PHONE!

I have stumbled upon something truly sensational!

Too Easy To Believe Fudgy Cake-Brownie

Ingredients:
1 scoop chocolate HMR 120 shake mix
1/8 cup water

Directions:
1. Combine ingredients in small dessert bowl.
2. Microwave on high for 30 seconds.
3. Eat it as soon as you can shovel it into your mouth.

I must say, I was tempted to skip step two, as the mix came out almost like brownie batter. And this would definitely be an acceptable modification to the recipe. But boy am I glad I went for the microwave. I was not expecting the glorious results I had! I will be doing this so often from now on. I wonder how it would taste topped with warm fruit...

Bananas are nature's candy bars.

Truly, Bananas are a delicious gift from Heaven. And yesterday I ate one! This is how:

Frozen Banana Fudge Bar

Ingredients:
1 medium (~4 oz) banana
1 scoop chocolate HMR 120 shake mix (or 500/800/70+)

Directions:
1. Slice banana into a bowl, then mash it.
2. Mix in 70+ powder. (JUST the powder; you don't even need to add water!)
3. Spoon mixture into Ziploc snack size bag, seal bag, and freeze.

When it's frozen, just peel back the Ziploc, and enjoy a delicious treat. It's so good. And the possibilities for variation are pretty much endless:
-add PB2 or instant coffee granules
-heat some strawberries till soft and mushy, then mash and combine with vanilla shake
-use canned pumpkin (w/ pumpkin pie spice & Splenda) mixed with chocolate or vanilla shake
-natural/no sugar added applesauce (w/ a bit of apple pie spice/Splenda?) mixed with vanilla shake
-you could probably puree just about any fruit and/or mix in any Jello, SF syrup, or extract

I can't wait to try more!

I also tried making a "cream of broccoli soup" last night. I combined one chicken soup mix, 6 oz hot water, and one serving of broccoli in a Magic Bullet and blended it, then stirred in an additional serving of broccoli. It wasn't that great. The Magic Bullet made it really frothy, which is kind of weird in a soup, and it was pretty bland. Maybe using a regular blender and adding some flavor (garlic, onion, salt, pepper, parmesan-garlic popcorn seasoning...) would make it better.