Almond Cloud Cakes

Not only does this recipe afford you yet another opportunity to beat until stiff peaks form, it also provides you with ethereal protein that won't weigh you down. So you can keep going...and going...and going...


Ingredients
3 egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup almond meal

Directions:
Heat oven to 350degrees and line one muffin tin with twelve paper cups. Beat together egg whites and sugar until quite stiff. (Then have a lick..) Gently fold in almond meal. Spoon into muffin cups. Bake at 350 for ten minutes, then turn pan and leave in oven that you have turned off. Serve plain or with fruit and cream.

Creamy Coconut Pie

With filling so luscious and creamy, you'll want to swallow.


Ingredients
One unbaked pie shell (can use whole wheat)
2 eggs
one can coconut milk (the thick cream, not the beverage)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 pint heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut (more, if desired)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350degrees. Whisk together eggs and sugar until well blended. Add coconut milk and vanilla, and continue whisking until well blended. Stir in heavy cream and then finally coconut. Pour into pie shell and bake for 30-40 minutes. Chill before serving.

Frozen Lemon Pie

For those days when you're feeling hot but sticky sweet/ from your head down to your feet, with a shout out to Madonna for the lyrics.

Ingredients
One block neuchatel cheese (8oz)
One can sweetened condensed milk
Two or more lemons
Cookie crust of choice

Directions
Blend cream cheese, condensed milk and juice and pulp of lemons. Next, freeze according to your ice-cream maker's instructions. Spoon into crust and place in freezer to set. Yum.

Spicy Coconut Soup

You know you like it hot like that, baby.

Ingredients
1 medium onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and sliced thickly
Chopped whites of 1 bunch spring onions
1 small jar whole mushrooms, drained
3-5 Tablespoons Thai sweet chili sauce
16 ounces vegetable or chicken broth
1 can coconut milk
1/4 peeled, deveined, cooked shrimp (frozen is fine)

Directions:
Throw all but the shrimp into a slow cooker for several hours on low. Add shrimp about ten minutes before serving, allowing to heat through.

Spiced nuts

Coat each nut thoroughly but gently. You don’t want to break them.

Ingredients

1 part sugar (such as 1 cup)

3 parts nuts (such as walnuts or pecans, for example)

Cinnamon

Nutmeg

Cloves

Dash cayenne pepper

Directions

Stir sugar in a pan over a hot stove until melted completely. Stir in spices, to taste. Add nuts, and stir gently to coat. Spread gently lovingly onto wax or parchment paper and allow to cool and harden. Once hardened, slip them in your mouth and enjoy. Repeat.

Jambalaya

Obviously, the sausage needs to be removed from its casing so you can get to the meaty goodness inside. (P.S. Only if you know the sausage's owner quite well. Otherwise, Sortez couverts, les enfants! ;-) )

Ingredients

Olive oil

1 onion, chopped

4 skinless chicken breasts, chopped

4-5 sausages, fully cooked, sliced

1 can crushed tomatoes, with liquid

1 small can tomato paste

2 cups chicken broth

1 teaspoon dried thyme

2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning

1 cup brown rice, cooked

Up to 1/2 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined

Directions

Saute onion in olive oil in a large pot then add chicken and sausage and brown over medium high heat. Stir in tomatoes, tomato paste and seasoning. Pour in chicken broth and allow to simmer for 20-30 minutes. Five minutes before serving, add shrimp and allow to simmer. Serve over brown rice.

Cassoulet for the lazy...

Sausage in a pot. If the pot is too small, oil liberally first, then squeeze in as tightly as possible.

Ingredients

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into chunks

1 pound boneless pork shoulder, cut in pieces

2 onions, chopped

6 cloves garlic, chopped

1 small can tomato paste

1 can peeled tomatoes

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

2 (15 ounce) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1 pound sausage, cut into 1/2-inch slices

1 cup chicken broth

Directions

Throw everything in a slow-cooker and cook on low for 8-10 hours. Find creative ways to use the time you otherwise might have spent slaving in the kitchen. Feel free to allow your imagination to linger on the word slave.