You will need:
- 1/4 c. packed brown sugar
- 1/4 c. butter, melted
- 1 tbsp. cider vinegar
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp. black pepper
- 2 medium red cooking apples (approximately 2 cups), sliced
- 2 medium sweet potatoes (approximately 2 1/2 cups), peeled and sliced
- 1 medium spanish onion, chopped
- 2 pork chops
What to do:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
In a mixing bowl, combine sugar, butter, garlic powder, vinegar and pepper. Set aside 2 tbsp. of the mixture. This will be used for the pork chops in a minute.
Add the apples, sweet potatoes, and onion to the remaining butter-cider mixture. In a roasting pan, spread the mixture evenly and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake for about 20 minutes.
In the meantime, brush pork chops with the butter-cider mixture that was set aside earlier. Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat until hot. Drizzle a little olive oil if it is a non-stick pan. Brown the pork on each side, cooking for about 3 minutes per side.
After the roasting pan has been in the oven for 20 minutes, remove the foil and place pork chops in the apple-potato mix. Bake uncovered for 30-40 minutes.
This recipe was taken from the Betty Crocker’s Cookbook for Women.
You will need:
- 1 container cottage cheese
- 1 container sour cream
- 3/4 – 1 container of spreadable cream cheese, plain
- 1/2 – 1 pkg. nacho or fajita seasoning
- 1/2 – 1 large jar of chunky, salsa (spice level to taste. I prefer mild)
- 1 small bar of marble cheddar cheese, grated
- lettuce, green peppers and other vegetables for topping
- “Scoop” or “Restaurant style” tortilla chips for dipping
What to do:
Using an electric mixer (I use a stand-up Kitchenaid mixer), beat the sour cream, cream cheese, and nacho spice together until smooth and creamy. Be sure not to have any clumps of the cream cheese. Pour the mixture into a serving bowl. A clear dish looks nice to show the different layers.
The next layer over the cream cheese mixture will be the salsa. Pour and evenly distribute on top.
Shred and sprinkle the lettuce (I use iceburg lettuce) over the salsa until it covers most of the redness of the salsa. Next, sprinkle the other topping ingredients like the green peppers.
Finish off the dip with loads of the grated cheese. This is a definite crowd pleaser! Serve chilled with a nice bowl of tortilla chips. 
You will need:
- 1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour (I use whole wheat flour)
- 1 c. oats
- 1/2 sugar substitute (Splenda works wonderfully)
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
- 1 c. milk
- 1 egg (or egg-substitute for a lower fat option)
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 3 tbsp. butter (or applesauce for a lower fat option. Applesauce makes the muffins nice and moist)
- 1 1/2 c. fresh blueberries (you can substitute another type of fruit)
What to do:
First pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium mixing bowl combine the flour, “sugar”, baking powder, salt and nutmeg.
Next, beat together the milk, egg, vanilla, butter (or applesauce) until thoroughly mixed. Now combine the wet with the dry ingredients. You’re almost done!
Finally, fold in the blueberries to the muffin mixture. Once thoroughly but gently mixed, fill greased muffin tins approximately 3/4 tins full and bake for 15-20 minutes. To test for doneness, insert a toothpick and if it comes out clean, they’re ready!
See how easy that was? Enjoy!
You will need:
- 1 c. all-purpose flour (I use whole wheat all-purpose flour)
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 2 tsp. baking soda
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 2/3 c. sugar substitute (Splenda is wonderful)
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 3/4 c. bran flakes
- 1 egg (I have used egg-substitute before for a low-fat option)
- 1/2 c. milk
- 1/3 c. butter (for a low-fat option, try using unsweetened applesauce, it makes the muffins moist)
- 1/2 c. no-sugar added orange juice
- 1 c. apple, peeled and diced
Add ins: I have also added 1 tbsp. of ground flax seed for a healthy kick!
What to do:
First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, Splenda, cinnamon, and bran flakes (do not crush).
Next, beat the egg (I use my Kitchenaid stand-up mixer) and add in the milk, butter (or applesauce), and mix until smooth.
Combine the wet with the dry ingredients and stir in orange juice. Mix gently and try not to let too much air bubbles into the muffin mix.
The last step is to fill greased or paper-lined muffin tins with the muffin mix, about 3/4 full. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
These muffins are wonderful in the morning or as a snack. You can also freeze them to enjoy down the road .
The chicken in this recipe can be made vegetarian by substituting the extra-lean ground chicken for a meatless alternative. I have used 2 packages of Yves “Ground Round” (340g each)
You will need:
- 1 1/2 ibs extra-lean ground chicken
- 1 can red kidney beans
- 1 can black beans (I have also used chickpeas)
- 1 can tomato soup
- 1 can herbs & spices tomatoes, diced
- 1 can mushrooms (optional)
- 1 medium green pepper, diced
- 1/4 – 1/2 spanish onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic
- chili powder to taste
- cayenne pepper to taste (for those who like it spicy – optional)
What to do:
First, in a frying pan, cook the chicken until no longer pink (remember that it will continue to cook with the other ingredients so do not overcook). You do not need to add any oil to the pan before cooking the chicken, there is enough moisture in the chicken. However, you may like to season the chicken with salt and pepper for more flavour.
In the meantime, Sautee the onions and green peppers until tender in another frying pan.
Next, in a large cooking pot, combine all of the canned goods, chicken, onions, and green peppers. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer. Allow to cook down for about 1 1/2 hrs, stirring occasionally so that the chili does not stick and burn to the bottom of the pot.
If the mixture seems a little runny, don’t worry ! The chili will thicken as it cools . This recipe makes quite a lot of chili, if you are cooking for 1-2 like me, it is a good idea to freeze portions of the chili. This chili is delicious when you need a quick and hearty meal.
Enjoy!
You’ll need:
- 2 c. all-purpose flour
- 1/2 c. granulated sugar
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 c. butter
- 1/2 c. currants
- 1 egg
- 1/3 c. milk (2% is best)
What to do:
In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon.
Next, using a knife, cut in butter until the mixture is crumbly. Slowly stir in the currants.
Next, using a fork beat the egg and add the milk.
Stir the egg and milk mixture into the dough mix slowly. I prefer to do this with a wooden spoon.
Once the ingredients are well combined, roll out the dough on a floured surface, to approximately 1/4 inch thickness.
A cookie cutter, empty can or even a small juice glass will work to cut the dough into rounds.
Finally, in a frying-pan over medium heat, brown the rounds on both sides. You may drop in sugar if you wish for added sweetness.
Note: There is no oil required to fry the rounds, they will fry on their own.
Enjoy with tea and a nice visit .
You’ll Need:
- 1 cup butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups all-purpose white flour
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract (I have used artificial extract and it works fine)
- 1 cup milk chocolate chips (“Chipits” brand is best)
First pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.
Now “cream” (thoroughly mix until creamy) butter and brown sugar together using an electric mixer on high. Lower the speed and add the two eggs one at a time and mix until well combined. Add in the vanilla extract.
In a separate mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix lightly until combined. I use a fork to mix the dry ingredients to avoid over mixing and allowing air in the mix.
Add the dry to the wet ingredients and stir until the ingredients are well mixed. Using a wooden spoon is best to fold in the chocolate chips. Mix just until the chocolate chips are nicely distributed in the cookie batter.
On a cookie sheet, drop tablespoon dollops of the cookie batter about 2 inches apart from each other. Bake for about 9 minutes or just until the cookies are nice and golden brown. Please remember that every oven is a little different and so this time may not be suited for yours.
Let the cookies sit on the cookie sheet for about 5 minutes so that they have time to set and won’t fall apart. Remove from the sheet and allow the cookies to finish cooling on a wire rack.
Tip* If you can, its best to use a different cookie sheet then the one just used so that the cookies bake only once they are in the oven.
Enjoy!! They’re absolutely delicious!
Hi there! Welcome to Shannon Cooks!
My name is well, you guessed it, Shannon! I am a university student with a passion for the culinary! To me, there is something wonderful in bringing together plain ingredients to produce something that will bring joy to others and goodness for the body.
On this site you will find recipes that I have tried, tested, tasted and shared! From breakfast to dessert, with snacks in between, there is a little bit of everything.
Something special with the recipes posted on this site is that many of them I have adapted to be reduced in sugar or sugar-free. I am hypoglycemic (low-blood sugar), and my condition is controlled by diet. Therefore food has been my ticket to keeping healthy and controlling my sugar levels. In these recipes I will specify where I have substituted ingredients to suit my needs so that you can do the same!
It has been such fun putting together these recipes and more will be added as I continue to try new treats. I hope you will enjoy reading and making these recipes as much as I have!
Take care,
Shannon
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