Month: November 2015

Now, if I can keep it real with you, I’m not the greatest cook in the world. I used to really suck at it, actually. Since becoming a parent, I have become more competent in the kitchen, pretty much out of necessity. I’m still the type of dude who would rather eat, than create eats, though.

So imagine my surprise, when I received this package, from my friends at Kellogg’s:

What Kellogg’s has done this fall is partner with three top Canadian chefs – Craig Harding, Connie DeSousa and Alexandre Gosselin. And what these chefs have done is come up with fifteen new healthy, upscale comfort food recipes which feature Kellogg’s All-Bran! The results are restaurant-worthy dishes, chock full of fibre.

Not only that, but Kellogg’s challenged me to “think inside the box”, and incorporate All-Bran into the meals in my house.

More fibre in our diets is definitely not a bad thing, so I stepped up to the challenge!

I figured I’d start off simple. A big bowl of All-Bran cereal.

This did not go well:

Always pour the cereal first, then the milk. Not the other way around.

OK, OK, that photo is fake. The real flames were bigger. I edited them out, so you could see my face.

My next attempt was to actually try one of the chef-inspired recipes. It would require me to seriously come correct with my cooking game. The dishes looked so darn delicious, however, that I was down for trying.  Feeling in a seafood mood, I narrowed my options down to Chef DeSousa’s All-Bran 30 Minute Tuna Crudo with Citrus and Jalepano or Chef Harding’s Hazelnut and All-Bran Crusted Lake Erie Pickerel with Infused Romesco Sauce.

Unfortunately, these were a no-go when I overheard my kids talking.

B casually told J that he only liked fish that tasted like chicken, and not fish that had eyes and swam.  No clue what he meant, but busting out some fish for dinner afterwards probably would not have gone over well.

Does a ratfish taste like chicken?

Undaunted, I finally settled on a recipe that I thought would be a winner in our house – Chef Gosselin’s All-Bran Energy Balls!

These balls are made with dates and nuts and reinforced with All-Bran Buds. The best part for me was that they didn’t involve using the oven at all, so there was no worrying about over/undercooking.

They were pretty easy to make, as well. I gotta admit that I did make one mistake – I misread the recipe and rolled the coconut into the balls, as opposed to rolling the balls into the coconut. This worked out, though, because it made for less messy eating (re: there wasn’t a trail of coconut droppings as the kids wandered around the house munching on them).

The balls turned out well, and were a hit with the family. They really do make a a great, healthy anytime snack!

Don’t be afraid to think inside the box. Try something new, and incorporate All-Bran into your recipe repertoire this fall!

All-Bran Energy Balls

Ingredients

1/3 cup roasted skinless hazelnuts

1/3 cup roasted skinless almonds

2 cups pitted dates

7 tbsp almond butter

Pinch of cayenne

1/3 cup goji berries (can be substitued with dried blueberries or cranberries)

2/3 cup All-Bran Buds

2/3 cup grated coconut

Directions:

1. In the bowl of your food processor, grind the hazelnuts and almonds finely. Transfer to a bowl and set aside
2. Add the dates, almond butter and cayenne pepper to the food processor. Mix into a puree. Set aside.
3. In a bowl, combine the nut mixture and the date puree, goji berries and All-Bran Buds. Mix until smooth.
4. Shape into balls the size of a lime and roll into the coconut. Refrigerate at least one hour before eating.

*Energy balls have a shelf life of ten days. Keep refrigerated.

For more ideas, check out the All-Bran website,  www.AllBran.ca. For even more ideas and recipes, including the ones by the chefs, visit here, https://www.pinterest.com/allbranca.