Superfood Dark Chocolate Bark, by Diane

We are celebrating our one year anniversary at my work tonight, and are throwing ourselves a party with a potluck meal. I signed up to make a dessert, but our office is uber healthy (as an example, kale chips were the undesputable hit of our holiday party last winter!). I had a bunch of leftover containers of various ingredients for my superfood soaked oats and some organic dark chocolate chips in my pantry, and decided to try making chocolate bark for the first time. This recipe could not have been easier, quicker, or more fun to make and customize. And, as a bonus, it looks impressive enough for an anniversary party celebration! I am posting the version I made below, but obviously you can add and subtract in whatever you like. I am definitely going to come back to this recipe around the holidays as this would be a fantastic and impressive gift for friends, family, and coworkers.

Ingredients:

24 oz organic dark chocolate chips
Superfood toppings: hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds, nuts, goji berries, dried fruits, shredded coconut, pink himalayan sea salt, cinnamon


Directions:

1.Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Get all your toppings ready to go and set them next to the baking sheet.

2. Set up a double boiler by placing a few inches of water in a pot, and turning the heat to high to bring the water to a boil. Place a double boiler on top, or a metal bowl, so that the bottom doesn't touch the boiling water.

3. Place the chocolate chips into the double boiler/bowl and stir continuously with a rubber spatula until completely melted and smooth.

4. Pour the melted chocolate onto the parchment paper, spread evenly with spatula. Tap the baking sheet a few times to get rid of any bubbles and to smooth out the surface. Sprinkle toppings on in an even layer and refrigerate for one hour.

5. Remove from refrigerator, break into small pieces (you can do this evenly by cutting them, or jagged by just breaking the bark- I did the latter).

Slow Cooker Coconut Basil Chicken, by Cheryl

Picture from here

This was a good dish. Not great, but good... decent. It was super easy to make, as you only had to put a couple of items in the blender and then pour that over the chicken and let it cook for 4 hours. I served it with some basmati rice and it went well together. I really liked the coconut and basil together! Yum!

Ingredients (from here):

1 lb chicken boneless, skinless chicken breast
14oz canned coconut milk
2 cups basil
1 tbsp ginger
1 jalapeno
3 garlic cloves
2 limes
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Directions:

1) Add everything but the chicken into a blender and blend together.

2) Add the chicken to the slow cooker. Pour mixture on top of chicken. Cook for four hours on high or until tender.

Thai Green Curry with Shrimp, by Diane

I love Thai food, and there is a restaurant outside of my office that makes amazing green curry. My coworkers and I love to get it with shrimp, so when I saw this recipe in Rachael Ray Magazine I knew I had to give it a shot. It was surprisingly easy! I added in some other veggies to make it heartier like carrots, zucchini, and mushrooms. Overall this was quick, easy, and healthy and I would definitely make it again!


Ingredients:

1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
1 large shallot, chopped
2 tbsp Thai green curry paste
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 lb. peeled deveined shrimp
1 14 oz. can coconut milk
5 oz. baby spinach
1 tbsp fish sauce
Optional: cooked rice, lime wedges


Directions:

1. Cook first 4 ingredients over medium heat, stirring often for 3 minutes.

2. Add the next 4 ingredients, stirring often for 4 minutes.

3. Serve with rice and lime wedges if desired.