Homemade Cashew Butter Recipe

Based on popular demand, here it is. I use raw unsalted cashews. I salt them myself to my liking. I preheat the oven and spread on a baking sheet. I roast them for 15-25 minutes, being careful not to burn, while stirring them every now and then. The darker you roast your cashews, the stronger the flavor of the butter. Remove from the oven, and once cool, put the cashews in a blender or a food processor. They will go through stages before turning into peanut butter consistency.. It will look like dark flour, then coarse crumbs until it pulls together as butter. Stop and scrap down the sides every so often. If you want the cashew butter to have a smoother texture, add a little bit coconut oil or vegetable oil (not olive oil) in the final stages of blending. It's all a matter of personal choice. From Djoe with love. Bon appétit, sinless sinner.

P.S: Check my Instagram video below to get a visual illustration on how I prepare this delicacy.

Healthy Protein Labneh Mankoushe

My morning sweet tooth tends to knock me down and drag me into the kitchen every morning for my sweet and healthy protein waffles, but sometimes my taste buds disobey and I end up preparinrg something beautifully salty instead.

This mankoushe is not only healthy, a macronutrient powerhouse, providing a balanced ratio of protein, good fats, complex carbs and fibers, but also is easy to prepare and tastes lovely.

So, how to prepare this Labneh and Thyme Morning Protein Mankoushe?

1- Blend two egg whites and 1 whole egg, along with spices of your choice (I use Mrs. Dash) and a 1.5 TBsp of oats.
2- Pour the mixture into a pre-heated pre-greased pan and cook for about a minute.
3- Flip the omelette.
4- Spread some fat-free Labneh and sprinkle thyme on top
5- Slide into a plate and enjoy with tomatoes and fresh mint!

My Healthy Waffles Recipe

Yields 3 servings  Calories: 116   Protein 12.7g | Carbs 10g | Fat 2.5g

Ingredients                                                                            

• 4 egg whites

• 1 whole egg

• two tbsp granulated sweetener 

• 1/2 scoop protein powder (flavour of choice)

• 4 tbsp of oats (kind does not matter)

• dash of cinnamon

• 1/2 tsp baking powder

• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

• 1 tbsp greek yogurt (or 1 tbsp of salt-free fat-free labneh)

 Directions                                                                              

1. Blend all the ingredients in a blender until a batter of smooth texture is formed

1. Heat your *waffle iron and grease by spraying lavishly with PAM fat-free cooking spray 

1. Pour part of the mixture into the waffle iron and wait for a couple of minutes until it completely bakes

1. Remove from waffle iron and top with strawberries, light whipped cream and light chocolate sauce

1. ¡Sahten! Enjoy!

Note:

*The waffle iron can be found at most home appliances stores for an affordable price. Shoot me a private message if you want to know where I got mine from. 

A lot of time goes into preparing the recipes and writing the articles. If you enjoyed reading and want me to keep writing useful articles like this one, please click on like and share it among your friends. 

Should you have any question, feel free to post it in the comment section below and I'll answer them as soon as I can.

Healthy Banana Cookies Recipe

These cookies are so incredibly easy to prepare it's insane! And not only they're very healthy and taste great, but I'm sure you'll finish the whole batch as soon as they're out of the oven, just like I did :))

First I would like to thank Mercedes who shared the inspiration. Although I didn't invent the recipe, I did prepare this a few times and made sure it's Fit and Wit approved before sharing the love.

So, what you need for a dozen cookies: Just 2 large ripe bananas and a cup of rolled oats.

Yes. You heard that right. Only that.... 

You mix them up in a bowl, mashing the bananas and mixing them with the oats until a soft dough forms.

You form into 12 cookies on a pre-greased cooking sheet (make sure to grease or Pam-spray it, as the cookies will stick otherwise) and then you add toppings of your choice. I used: chopped walnuts, raisins and dark chocolate chips.

Cook for about 15 minutes in a pre-heated oven and check them out.. If you like them crispier, you can leave them for a couple of more minutes.

Enjoy this sinless treat, sinner.

Love, Djoe

Fake Supplements in Lebanon: How To Protect Yourself

Is Your Protein Powder Genuine? Are You Drinking a Placebo? Or Worse, Toxic Pesticides?

 I was just hit by the news that some people were caught red-handed counterfeiting popular American sports supplements in Lebanon. To be honest, I'm not really surprised as this country is corrupt to the bones and even the brother of a prime political figure has been caught counterfeiting medicine for cancer and other chronic diseases and distributing them to the market.
 Those who know me, know that I import most of my supplements, such as pre-workouts, fish oil, multi-vitamins, etc, as I don't trust the local market. As for whey protein I buy most of it from here as it weighs too much to be worse the hassle to be shipped (shipping charges go up the roof.)
 While we can never be 100% certain of the authenticity of our whey protein if we don't have access to a lab and do an analysis, let me share with you a few signs:

 1- Go online, look at high-resolution pictures of the packaging, check for the manufacturers' seals and make sure they're identical.

 2- Release those olfactory senses and do check for any suspicious smell in the protein powder.

 3- Check the mixability: product should dissolve easily with a few shakes and no weird clumps should naturally form. Especially with products from companies like Muscle Pharm or Optimum.

 4- Let the whey shake rest for a few minutes after you mix it and check for any sugar or weird substances that settle at the bottom

 5- Suspicious taste?

 6- Listen to your body: Check how you feel after digesting the protein shake. You should not have a gastric stress, and digestion should be smooth.

 7- Does the product suddenly start giving you a lot of gas? That's not a good sign.

\.

Homemade Coconut Peanut Butter

Who doesn't love the rich creamy texture of peanut butter and its tantalizing taste melting under their tongues? 

What if I told you that your regular supermarket-bought peanut butter contains sugar, additives and hydrogenated oils which are detrimental to health and good eating habits? 

While some health shops do sell natural peanut butter, the price tends to go up the roof for a small jar. 

Let me show you how I prepare my own peanut butter and how easy the whole process is:

 Ingredients                                                                                                          

• 1/2 kg  unsalted raw peanuts
• 2 tbsp coconut oil (optional)
• salt to taste

 Directions                                                                                                           

1- Roast the peanuts in the oven.

2- Blend using a blender or a food processor. After a couple of minutes, you will see the peanuts turn magically into butter. This is where you'll add the coconut oil and salt to taste. 

3- Blend for one more minute, and there you go, you have creamy peanut butter with a slight coconut flavor. 

You can have your butter chunky, creamy or in between depending on the blending time. You'll never have to put ordinary supermarket peanut butter in your body anymore ~ spread the love (pun-intended) Djoe 

A lot of time goes into preparing the recipes and writing the articles. If you enjoyed reading and want me to keep writing useful articles like this one, please click on like and share it among your friends. 

Should you have any question, feel free to post it in the comment section below and I'll answer them as soon as I can.