Galentine’s Day Recipes as seen on CP24 Breakfast

Who needs romance & roses when you have your best gal pals and nutrient dense chocolate recipes?

In true ‘Char Fashion’ all recipes are delicious & doable, use pantry staple items and whip up in little time.

Want 70+ more ‘delicious & doable’ recipes? Grab your copy of my cookbook, ‘Delicious & Doable ~ Recipes For Real and Everyday Life’ here.

Chocolate Tahini Hummus

Click here for recipe

Plant protein based chocolate dip? Yes, please!! If you need an excuse to dip some fruit (or salty pretzels my fave) – this chocolate tahini hummus will be your new chocolatey staple.

Chocolate Dried Fruit & Rosemary Bark

This decadent chocolate bark has an explosion of flavour in every bite!

Ingredients

• 1 cup (250 mL) peanuts
• ¾ cup (175 mL) dried cherries
• 1 tbsp (15 mL) roughly chopped rosemary leaves
• ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper
• 10 oz. (300 g) 70% dark chocolate, melted
• ¼ tsp (1 mL) coarse sea salt

Directions

1. Toss together peanuts, dried cherries, rosemary, and cayenne pepper. Set aside ⅓ cup (75 mL) of the fruit and nut mixture.
2. Stir remaining fruit and nut mixture into the melted chocolate until combined.
3. Using a rubber spatula, spread chocolate mixture onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet to form a (approx) 10-inch square.
4. Sprinkle sea salt and the reserved fruit and nut mixture evenly over the chocolate. Chill in the refrigerator for about 45 minutes or until hard. I do not recommend freezing.
5. Break into 16 pieces, and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 month (but it won’t last that long!!).
6. Place a few pieces of bark in small cellophane candy bags (found at craft or bulk food stores) and tie with decorative ribbon. Galentine (or Valentine) gift giving never tasted so good!

Delicious & Doable Tips:

• Use almonds or cashews instead of peanuts.
• Use dried cranberries or sliced dried apricots instead of dried cherries.

Chocolate Coconut Energy Truffles

Satisfy your sweet tooth with these good-for-you and easy to prepare bites. Perfect for a post workout nibble, or 3 p.m. at-your-desk snack.

Ingredients

• 1 cup (250 mL) each of flaked sweetened coconut, almonds and dark chocolate chips (*at least 70% chocolate)
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) large flake rolled oats
• 2 tbsp (30 mL) each of chia seeds and ground flax seeds
• 1/3 cup (75 mL) liquid honey (or for a bolder flavour, use Crosby’s Fancy Molasses)
• 1 tsp (5 mL) pure vanilla extract
• ½ tsp (2 mL) pure coconut extract
• ½ tsp (2 mL) salt

Garnish

• approx ½ cup (125 mL) shredded coconut

Directions

1. Place coconut, almonds, chocolate and oats in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Pulse until finely chopped.
2. Add remaining ingredients and pulse until mixture is very well combined (scrape down sides of bowl when needed) and begins to clump together.
3. Roll mixture evenly into balls – just a bit smaller than a golf ball (should yield approx 16 ‘truffles’).
4. Roll each truffle in shredded coconut to lightly coat (you may need to use your hands to press the coconut onto the balls, so it stays put).
5. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
6. Makes 16 truffles.

Delicious & Doable Tips:

• Add 1 tsp (5 mL) of ground coffee to the mixture for a Mocha flavour twist.
• Use peanuts or walnuts instead of almonds.

Where to Find ‘Delicious & Doable’ Across Ontario

‘Delicious & Doable ~ Recipes For Real and Everyday Life’ can be purchased here or at one of the below retailers across Ontario:

Type Books ~ 883 Queen Street West, Toronto
Lemonberry ~ 2 Orchard Heights Blvd #10, Aurora
Fanfare Books ~ 92 Ontario St, Stratford
Casual Gourmet ~ 1027 King Street West, Hamilton
The Post Office – 18 Front St. N, Thorold
Chef’s Paradise ~ 1314 Bank Street, Ottawa
Gift It Grey ~ 19492 Opeongo Line, Barry’s Bay
Creative Cook ~ 35 Manitoba St, Bracebridge
Muskoka Brewery ~ 1964 Muskoka Beach Rd, Bracebridge
Stephen’s Butcher Shop ~ 8 Harris St, Port Carling
Hilltop Interiors ~ 1150 ON-141, Rosseau
Cedar Canoe Books ~ 72 Main St E, Huntsville
Clark’s On Main ~ 1090 Main Street, Dorset
Bigley’s Cottage Kitchen ~ 39 Bolton St, Bobcaygeon
Farmer’s Daughter – 72 Main St E, Huntsville
Kitchen Bits ~ 1390 Kingsway, Greater Sudbury