Chocolate Pecan Truffles

Michael and I had a wonderful vacation this past weekend. We met up in Boston and had a great time site-seeing, eating, and relaxing. After I got back last night I felt like knocking something off my list of recipes to try. This recipe stood out because I had all of the ingredients besides shredded coconut (which is not very popular in the house). I left the coconut out, but feel free to add it if you're a fan. I really liked how they turned out. The truffles rolled in the cocoa powder were very chocolaty and delicious. If you're looking for a decadent but healthy treat, I recommend giving these a try. 

Ingredients

12 dates (remove the seeds)

a little less than 1 cup of pecans (can use any other type of nut)

1 tablespoon coconut oil

4 tablespoons cocoa powder

1 tablespoon water

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Throw all of the ingredients in a food processor (or blender) and blend for about a minute.

Put the dough in the fridge for at least 10 minutes.

Prepare two different bowls (or one if you only want to make one kind). One should have a tablespoon or two of cocoa powder and the other one should have a couple of tablespoons of finely chopped pecans (or nut of your choice). Form dough into balls (whatever size you'd prefer) and roll it in one or both of the bowls). 

They're ready to eat! If you're not eating them right away they're kept best in the fridge or freezer. Enjoy!

Chicken Tortilla Soup Mix

As mentioned in the previous post, I sent Michael pancake mix and a couple of dry soup mixes. Unfortunately, the potato soup mix didn't turn out well, but luckily Michael really liked the chicken tortilla soup.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules

1 teaspoon lemon pepper

1 teaspoon dried cilantro

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup dried minced onion

1 cup rice, uncooked (Michael loves brown rice so I used brown instead of white but feel free to use either)

1 1/2 cup tortilla chips, coarsely crushed

1 can (5 oz size) chicken

1 can (10 oz size) diced tomatoes with chilies

Directions

Combine the granules, lemon pepper, cilantro, garlic powder, cumin, oregano, salt and onion in a ziplock bag and set aside. Layer rice in a one quart jar or container and put seasoning bag on top of the rice. Finally, add the crushed tortilla chips on top of the seasoning bag. Note - Make sure you include the seasoning bag. I didn't read the directions clearly and layered the tortilla chips on top of the rice. Poor Michael and to spend some time separating the two before he could make the soup. Sorry again M!

Attach the following instructions, along with the canned chicken and tomatoes):

Place tortilla chips in a small bowl; set aside. Remove seasoning packet; set aside. Add rice to a pot and stir in 10 cups of water. Mix in the tomatoes and seasoning packet. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Add the tortilla chips. Cover and simmer for an additional 5 minutes. Spoon into bowls while still hot or save some for leftovers!

 Enjoy!

Cinnamon Oat Pancake Mix

Michael is in the middle of final exams right now. As it's a very stressful time for him, Michael's mom and I decided to send Michael a package together filled with her homemade beef jerky and something I was going to make. After a lot of brainstorming, I decided to send some pancake and homemade dry soup mixes, hoping he'd be able to quickly whip up some meals without taking too much time away from studying. I found this recipe and thought it sounded like something Michael would like. He gave the pancakes a try and really liked them. This could make a great gift for holidays, graduation, or just because.

Ingredients

4 cups quick cooking oats

4 cups whole wheat flour (or can do 2 cups whole wheat and 2 cups all-purpose)

1 cup non-fat dry milk

2 tablespoon cinnamon

5 teaspoons salt

3 tablespoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and stir well. Pour into a jar or airtight container (I used a Ziplock bag).

Attach the following directions to the jar or container:

In a mixing bowl, beat 2 eggs. Gradually beat in 1/3 cup vegetable oil. Alternately beat in 2 cups of pancake mix and 1 cup water.

Heat a lightly greased skilled over medium high heat. Pour a heaping spoonful of batter onto a hot skillet. Cook pancakes until bubbles appear on the surface and begin to break (about 2 to 3 minutes). Turn and cook 2 to 3 minutes more or until golden brown.

Enjoy!