Mexican Chocolate Almonds

Had most of a bar of Brix dark chocolate (Thanks Shae!) and a big bag of raw almonds...

Almonds
Dark chocolate (70% or higher)
1 tbs vanilla
1/3 shot espresso
1 tbs cinnamon
less than 1/4 tsp cayenne
1 tsp arrowroot starch (optional)

Roast almonds on 325F for 20 minutes.  Melt chocolate and stir in other additions. You can put the almonds in and remove them to dry on parchment OR add the arrowroot starch.  This will make the chocolate denser. Mix in the almonds and press combination into a baking dish.  Refrigerate and then chop chocolate and almonds as pictured.  I think it looks fancier this way, but both ways= delicious

Chicken Wing Sauce

This recipe is by a man from Buffalo NY, so you know it's got to be good.  My only change was cutting back the butter... A LOT

2 TBS butter (recipe called for half cup, I think you can completely cut it out)
1/3 cup hot sauce (Frank's, Tpete, I used portuguese pepper sauce called piri piri)
1/3 cup ketchup
2 TBS honey

mix, toss, (I tossed it on oven chicken tenders - chicken breast strips dipped in egg and dredged in breadcrumbs mixed with salt, pepper, garlic, and baked at 8 minutes each side on 400), enjoy!

Baked Banana Berry French Toast

Healthy breakfast is the best, but it still needs to taste good. The best part about this recipe is it took10 minutes to assemble before bed, then bake it in the morning while you're getting ready!

2 eggs + 3 egg whites beaten (or egg beaters)
1 cup soy milk
1 tbs Vanilla extract
1 dash Almond extract if you have it
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tbs cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Bread (I used Arnold's Health Nut bread)
Bananas, blueberries, or other berries
light brown sugar
butter for baking dish

Combine first 7 ingredients. Lightly butter a baking dish. Soak the bread slices in the egg mixture.  Arrange a layer of drenched bread, a layer of fruit sprinkled with brown sugar, another layer of bread, then pour remainder of egg mixture on top of entire dish.  Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

In the morning, preheat oven to 350.  Sprinkle top a little brown sugar and bake covered for 20 minutes then uncovered for 25ish minutes (until top is golden brown and a little puffed).  Allow to cool.  Serving ideas- more fruit,  chopped nuts, honey, maple syrup

Beth and Annie were my taste testers.  I served it with venison sausage balls (equal parts sausage/ bisquick/ cheddar) and they seriously raved :) venison sausage courtesy of my Dad... SO good, organic, less fat. Boom.