Monday, October 12, 2015

Favorite Rosemary Lemon Chicken - Italian Restaurant Copy-Cat

Rosemary Lemon Chicken
Flavor-packed Rosemary Lemon Chicken that is better than any restaurant! 

This recipe is now one of our family favorites. It is so juicy and bright tasting. It's also easy!

My daughter Naomi is a foodie too. She was inspired last month to make this dish. She felt like creating a zippy skillet chicken featuring rosemary and lemon. I offered her the ideas of adding fresh garlic, brining the meat beforehand for more rosemary flavor, and making a tasty glaze at the end. I let Naomi take the lead on this one, which was fun. I brined the meat. she cooked and seasoned it, then I made the final glaze, with her watching me so I could teach her how to do it. She seasoned it perfectly (proud mom smiling). I have told all of my children that a secret to being a great cook is just knowing what good food tastes like! It's kinda like knowing your destination before you get there, so then you will know when you have arrived.

Glazed Rosemary Lemon Chicken
We made this dish again together last night. Naomi says we have to put this on our blog, and I definitely agree. So now I'm sharing our recipe with you!

I highly recommend brining your chicken, so plan ahead a bit. Fresh rosemary is wonderful here, although dried will work OK. If you must use dried rosemary, boil your 1 cup of water and pour it over the rosemary, cover and steep like you would when making an herbal tea. This will infuse your chicken with a stronger rosemary flavor more quickly. This dish is supposed to have a big hit of rosemary. YUM.



Rosemary Lemon Chicken Recipe:

Serves: 6

BRINE:
1 c. hot water
2 T. sea salt
1 t. Lakanto sweetener (erythritol + monk fruit)
1 clove garlic, smashed into a paste with some of the sea salt
20 grinds black pepper
1 t. fresh rosemary leaves, smashed with some of the sea salt
cold water, to cover the chicken

CHICKEN:
6 skinless boneless organic chicken breasts, thawed
2 T. organic butter or ghee
2 T. deodorized coconut oil
4 cloves garlic
1/2 lemon, juiced
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
1/2 t. lemon pepper seasoning
1/4 t. dried basil

GLAZE:
1/2 c. water
1 t. organic chicken base
1 t. tapioca starch
1 T. butter, optional

GARNISH:
Rosemary sprigs
Thin sliced lemon


Method:

BRINE:

Dissolve the sea salt and Lakanto sweetener into the cup of hot water. Add the garlic, rosemary, and black pepper. Stir together and let steep together a few minutes while you prep the chicken meat.

Thaw the chicken meat and trim off any excess fat. Place in a large shallow bowl.

Pour the salt water mixture over the chicken. Add enough cold water to completely immerse the meat. Let the chicken marinate in the brine for 2 hours. May also marinate in a large (1-gallon) zip-lock bag.

CHICKEN:

When you are ready to cook the chicken, remove chicken from the brine and let drain. Heat the butter and coconut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the 4 cloves of smashed garlic and place the chicken in the pan. Lower the heat to medium.

Squeeze half of the lemon juice over top and sprinkle with half of the rosemary, which has been stripped off it's stem. Sprinkle the chicken with the lemon pepper and basil.

Cook uncovered until the chicken starts to look golden brown underneath.

Flip the chicken over and sprinkle with the remaining rosemary leaves. cook until golden brown on the other side. Check meat to make sure it is cooked through (you should see no pink in the center).

Remove the meat to a serving platter and set aside. Leave the drippings in the pan.

GLAZE:

For the glaze, mix the chicken base and tapioca starch into the 1/2 cup water.

Heat the frying pan with the drippings to medium-high. Pour the starch mixture into the pan and whisk until thickened and bubbly. Add additional butter, if desired.

Squeeze the rest of the lemon juice over top the glaze and whisk in. taste for seasoning.

Pour glaze over the hot chicken and serve immediately.

Garnish with fresh sprigs of rosemary leaves and lemon slices if desired.


NOTES:

If your frying pan is too small, your meat wont brown because too much moisture accumulates. If this happens, just cook the meat on both sides until completely cooked through. Transfer 3 breasts at a time to a new fry pan of sizzling butter and quickly brown on both sides. Repeat with the last 3 breasts. Scrape the leftover butter into the pan with the rosemary drippings and continue on with making the glaze.

You may add the zest from the half lemon, if desired (use an organic lemon for this).

The brined chicken stays very moist and does not need additional salt added. It is forgiving if you accidentally over-cook it. Make sure that you have added enough fresh lemon juice at the end. The flavor should be robust with rosemary, yet bright from the citrus, and not too tart.


Photos of the process:















ENJOY!

Leila 

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Crazy Good Vegetarian Taco Meat (Nut-Free, Gluten-Free)

Crazy Good Vegetarian Taco Meat
Meaty, savory, chewy & perfectly salty - that's what this taco meat is! This is a new favorite recipe of ours!

A couple of my daughters took a road trip to go visit my parents. Lucky them, they got to eat grandma's food! My mom created this terrific vegetarian meat substitute on the 25th of this month. Mom will flavor this meat various ways. This recipe is for a taco meat flavor, and it is SO GOOD.

My daughter Lexi has been a vegetarian for a few years. Lexi has recently introduced a little meat to her diet, but is still generally vegetarian. As long as she remains healthy, we support her in her choice. Grandma and Lexi created this recipe together, so it is now officially named "LexiBurger".

This meat is high protein from the tofu and egg, and high fiber due to the perfectly chewy brown rice. You do not need to tell your family that they are eating tofu, because you cant tell it's in there! Freezing extra-firm tofu is a trick our family has used for years. When you thaw it and press the excess water out, it has an awesome meaty texture when you crumble it. Just buy some extra-firm tofu and throw it in your freezer just for this purpose.

The egg helps to bind everything together perfectly, just so you know.

Are you wondering what the "Umami" is mentioned below??? It's another flavor profile that they know about in Japan. It gives amazing full-bodied, rich, complex flavors to savory foods. MSG enhances umami, for example. Umami flavors are found in slow-roasted stews, and sauces made with fond which have been reduced to concentrate the flavors, mushrooms, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, etc. It's a mysterious flavor that you can't quite put your finger on, but you really notice when it's there because the food tastes so amazing, you just want to stuff your face! Look "umami" up online for a more detailed description.

Put this delicious taco "meat" in tacos, burritos, with or without re-fried beans and cheese, on top of nachos, or on top of a taco salad. Lexi brought some of this meat to my house and we made nachos for a tasty filling treat. YUM. I have pictures of our nachos in this post.

 Look at this meat, it tastes even better than it looks!

Crazy good vegetarian taco meat nachos.


Vegetarian Lexi Burger:

1 package organic extra-firm tofu
1 1/4 to 1 1/3 c. chewy cooked organic short grain brown rice
1/4 to 1/3 c. soaked chopped dried onion
2 T. rice oil
1 T soy sauce (Tamari for gluten-free)
1 to 2 T. hot taco sauce, to taste
2 t. sunbutter (sunflower seed butter), up to 3 t., for richness
1 small beaten organic egg
2 t. organic paprika (or ground chili)
2 t. onion powder
1/2 t. garlic salt
1/2 t. mushroom powder (to add full-bodied complex "Umami" flavor)
1/4 to 1/2 t. cumin powder
Chipotle powder, to taste
1/2 c. or more deodorized coconut oil, for browning the mixture.
Fresh ground pepper, to taste
Seasonall seasoned salt, to taste
Garlic salt, to taste
1/2 c. more cooked rice, if needed


Method:

Do ahead of time:

1.  Slice and freeze the box of tofu for at least 24 hours. THAW. Press firm to remove excess water and crumble finely.

2.  Cook the short grain brown rice only until it's nice and chewy, then chill at least overnight for best results (over-cooking makes the rice mushy).


The day of making the Vegetarian Taco Meat:

Mix the crumbled tofu with the 1 1/4 to 1 1/3 c. cooked brown rice and soaked dried onion flakes in a medium mixing bowl.

Add the rice oil, soy sauce, hot sauce, and sunbutter, and toss well to combine.

Add the beaten egg and toss well to coat completely.

Toss with the paprika, onion powder, garlic salt, mushroom powder, cumin, and chipotle.

Heat 1/2 c. coconut oil in a large skillet, when starting to sizzle, dump in the tofu mixture and stir-fry it like you would fried rice. You want to brown it a little, but do not over-brown or it can get a little dry. Add more oil if needed.

Season to taste with pepper, Seasonall, garlic salt, etc.

If the vegetarian meat mixture turns out too rich and oily, just work in another 1/2 cup or so of cooked rice.






For the nachos, we melted cheddar and jack cheese over gluten-free tortilla chips. Topped the nachos with the warm "meat mixture, drizzled on salsa and topped with a dollop of sour cream. I was too lazy to go get a can of olives, but we would of loved some along with fresh guacamole!


Enjoy, 

Leila & Nancy.

Sunday, September 27, 2015

Kettle Turkey Pot Roast - Copy Cat Chuck-A-Rama Recipe

Kettle Turkey Pot Roast
Imagine tender chunks of savory turkey that fool you into thinking you are eating slow simmered roast beef! 

I LOVE this recipe. My family loves this recipe. I think you will love it too.

Chuck-A-Rama does a great job of making their kettle turkey pot roast. Have you had it? It's by the roast beef, you must try it. It tastes like very tender roast beef with yummy carrots and potatoes, swimming in a tasty broth.

I have also had another version of this at a restaurant I can't remember the name of, that was equally delicious. This version version had a delicious thicker gravy and a ton of black pepper - zowie! A bit much for tender mouths. Chuck-A-Rama's Kettle Turkey has a much thinner brothy sauce that is delicious, but makes a lousy gravy, since it just runs off everything.

I decided it was time for me to recreate a version at home that is the best of both worlds. I wanted a thicker gravy-like sauce that wasn't quite so peppery. I wanted the big chunks of tender fall-apart meat. I wanted it to taste beefy, not like turkey. And I wanted lots of carrot and potato chunks too.

I'm thrilled with the results and my family loves it. I created this recipe around 2008,and I have made it when ever I see turkey thighs being sold at my local market. It's great that you do not have to thaw the meat first. This recipe is very forgiving, as you will see with the 2 variations I have listed below the recipe.




Crock Pot Turkey Pot Roast:

1 large onion, diced into cubes
2-3 turkey thighs (about 3 to 4 lbs, frozen)
1 t. seasoned salt, to taste
60 grinds fresh black pepper
2 cloves garlic, mashed
1 envelope dry Lipton Onion Soup Mix
1-2 t. organic beef base
1/4 c. sherry cooking wine, optional
1 t. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 t. Herbs de Province
1 bay leaf, optional
2 3/4 c. water
1 3-ounce package brown gravy mix (or mushroom)
12 carrots, peeled and cut into big chunks
6 to 8 potatoes, peeled or unpeeled, cut into big chunks
4 to 6 ribs celery, cut into big chunks, optional


Method:

Place the cubed onion in the bottom of a large oval shaped crock pot.

Season the frozen or thawed turkey thighs with seasoned salt and pepper. Place in the crock pot on top of the onions.

Add to the crock pot the garlic, onion soup mix, beef base, sherry, Worcestershire, Herbs de Province, bay leaf, and water.

Cover and cook 3 or more hours (until the meat is fall-of-the-bones tender).

Lift meat out of the crock pot and remove skin and bones, leaving big chunks of meat. Set aside.

To the crock pot add the package of brown gravy mix. Stir to combine with the hot liquid remaining in the crock pot.

Add all of the chunked carrots, potatoes, and celery to the crock pot. Toss to coat with the sauce.

Return the boned turkey to the crock pot. Lay the meat on top and gently spoon some of the sauce over top.

Place lid on crock pot and cook another hour or so, until the vegetables are tender.

Add more water as desired. Check for salt before serving.


Alternate Methods:

Alternate Method # 1 (Use this if you want to cook the meat ahead of time, my favorite method):

Right before you go to bed: Place the diced onions in the bottom of the crock pot. Lay the frozen turkey thighs on top. Season the meat with the salt and pepper. Pour in about 1 cup of water and put on the lid. Cook on low while you sleep. In the morning, remove the meat and remove the skin and bones and set aside. Mix the rest of the ingredient listed together, tossing the vegetables well to coat. Lay the big chunks of turkey on top. Spoon sauce over the meat. Cover and cook on lowest setting until the vegetables are tender. Add water as desired. Taste for salt before serving.

Alternate Method # 2 (use this method is you are going to be gone all day):

Dump all of the sauce ingredients and into the crock pot, starting with the water, onion soup mix, brown gravy mix, beef base, sherry, Worcestershire sauce, Herbs de Province, bay leaf, onions, and garlic. Stir well. Season the frozen or thawed turkey thighs with the seasoned salt and pepper and nestle into the sauce, spooning sauce over top. Lay all the vegetable chunks on top. Cover and cook on low until meat is tender. Remove the meat and skin and de-bone. Place back into the crock pot and gently stir before serving.









Moki is hoping for a turkey treat! Please mom???
Moki has been such a good patient boy...











Enjoy, 

Leila

Tuesday, September 1, 2015

Copy Cat Olive Garden Italian Salad Dressing - Formulated and tasted side-by-side for accuracy! Fresher tasting than the original.

This is not just another average copy cat recipe. This dressing actually tastes like the real deal!

Copy-Cat Olive Garden Salad Dressing

This is the best copy cat version of Olive Garden's Italian salad dressing that I have tasted so far. I actually like this better than Olive Garden's bottled version. Their bottled version does not taste as fresh as my version does. Their soybean oil tastes a bit funky (usually rancid) and has some other off-taste in there that I'm not sure of where it is coming from...

Anyway, I have tasted many copy-cat versions of Olive Garden's dressing. There are a lot of versions online. They are not it. Most of them are too sour (too much vinegar), or are flat tasting, or are too runny, or have too much mayonnaise in them... They just aren't right.

My version has a zesty punch, but is balanced with all the other flavors. You need to have a hint of sweet to tame the vinegar, and enough salt to blend all the flavors and keep the dressing rich and tasty when it is actually dressing your salad. This dressing is thick and creamy enough to cling to the lettuce and not just end up as a watery mess at the bottom of your salad bowl.

I like my blend of seasonings but I may actually smash a clove of fresh garlic with the salt called for in my recipe next time. I do not taste fresh garlic in Olive Garden's version, but I think it would taste better with fresh garlic.

I used a blend of both Parmesan and Romano cheeses. I may just go back to using only Romano, increasing the portion to 3 T. (21 grams). Romano is stronger tasting, so you decide what you'd like.

The xanthan gum is critical to my recipe. The dressing will be very runny without it. Notice that the first ingredient in Olive Garden's version is WATER. That is why water is the first ingredient in my dressing too. It is much too vinegary if you do not add the water. Olive Garden's trick to thicken their dressing is adding the xanthan gum. Go get yourself some xanthan gum, I use it in almost all of my salad dressing recipes. Guar gum is an alternate option to using the xanthan gum. Look in your local health food stores or in the gluten free baking section of grocery stores to find it.

The annatto powder is used to give a richer color to the salad dressing, omit it if you choose to.

Olive Garden's ingredient listing on their salad dressing bottle:
water
distilled vinegar
soybean oil
high fructose corn syrup
salt
eggs
Romano cheese
garlic
sugar
xanthan gum
spice and spice extracts
parsley
lemon juice concentrate
calcium disodium EDTA (to protect freshness)
extractives of annatto.
(Contains milk, eggs).

I used my formulating background to recreate this dressing for my family and for yours. I hope you enjoy it! I conducted side-by-side taste test comparisons. I also compared ingredient lists. My version is healthier, although not sugar-free. I may formulate a sugar-free version later. My goal for this recipe was to as closely duplicate the original as I possibly could at this time. Let me know your thoughts on this recipe after you try it for yourself.




Leila's Copy Cat Version of Olive Garden's Italian Dressing:

1/2 c. (100 grams) purified water
1/2 c. (128 grams) Best Food's Mayonnaise (contains eggs)
about 1/2 c. (87 grams) white distilled vinegar (I prefer white wine vinegar)
1/4 c. (60 grams) extra-light olive oil (regular olive oil tastes too strong)
2 T. (36 grams) IMO syrup to replace corn syrup
2 T. (16 grams) Parmesan cheese
2 T. (14 grams) Romano cheese
1 T. fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 t. sea salt
2 t. xylitol, or slightly more, to taste
1/2 t. + 1/8 to 1/4 t. xanthan gum (3/4 t. xanthan gum makes dressing thicker than Olive Garden's)
1/2 t. Italian seasoning
1/2 t. parsley flakes
20 grinds fresh ground black pepper
1/4 t. granulated garlic
1/16 t. red pepper flakes
1/16 t. annatto powder (Mexican foods section of grocery store)


Method:

Mix the water, mayonnaise, vinegar, oil, and IMO syrup together until fully combined with a stick blender (or blend by hand).

Add the cheeses and lemon juice.

In a small bowl, mix together the salt, xylitol, xanthan gum, Italian seasoning, parsley,black pepper, garlic, red pepper flakes, and annatto powder.

Sprinkle the dry seasoning blend over the liquid and mix until well combined.

Chill in a jar with a tight fitting lid to allow the flavors to blend.

Serve over a salad of romaine lettuce, roma tomatoes, vidalia onion slices, black olives, pickled pepperoncini, garlic croutons, and freshly grated parmesan cheese.







Enjoy!

Leila.

Saturday, August 8, 2015

Copy Cat Tiger's Milk Bars in 2 flavors - Part 3 - How I refine my formulas

Peanut Butter & Jelly Tiger's Milk Bars!

Tiger Test Batch No. 2 is in the house!

I'm impatiently waiting for the chocolate coating to set up on this newest batch of Tiger's Milk protein bars. I made a few subtle changes to formula No. 1, we will soon see how it went.

See Tiger's Milk bar formula No. 1 HERE.

See my first post about Tiger's Milk bars HERE.


ATTENTION MY DEAR VIEWERS:

This post on my copy-cat Tiger's Milk bars has been given a new home due to the sugars they contain. If you want to see my formulas for these bars, please visit my blog called Beaute and the Feast. Thank you. 

Part 1: http://beauteandthefeast.blogspot.com/2015/11/copy-cat-tigers-milk-bars-part-1-how-i.html

Part 2: http://beauteandthefeast.blogspot.com/2015/11/copy-cat-tigers-milk-bars-part-2-how-i.html

Part 3: http://beauteandthefeast.blogspot.com/2015/11/copy-cat-tigers-milk-bars-in-2-flavors.html

Please note that my goal was to first copy the original...THEN remake them into a healthy and tasty protein bar! The healthy improvements are coming.





...Well, lets see what formulating round 3 yields! Who's gonna eat all these protein bar experiments???

Enjoy!

Leila Cheetah Girl.

Copy Cat Tiger's Milk Bars - Part 2 - How I engineer Copy-Cat Formulas

Copy-Cat Tiger's Milk Bar - TRIAL # 1.
Trial No. 1 for my Copy-Cat Tiger's Milk Bars Now completed! See my formula below.

See my first post about Tiger's Milk bars HERE. As I have researched this project, I have found that there is quite a cult following for these Tiger's Milk protein bars. They are a guilty pleasure for many. I frequently hear comments about protein bars in general, that are like, "No one eats protein bars because they want to or because they like them, they choke them down just to get a quick dose of protein and curb their appetite fast." I pretty much agree with that.

However, that is not the case for me and Tiger's Milk bars. I discipline myself when it comes to eating these though, they aren't exactly health food anymore. I will buy 4 to 6 every year or so and I hide them from my kids. With out fail they find my stash and eat them all. Do you have any idea of what that torture is like? You're sitting there, you remember your tiger bar stash. You get all pumped about the idea of eating one. You go to your stash - and it's totally wiped out! My kids got smarter and figured out that it was a good idea to leave me at least one. They do not enjoy seeing their mother act like a tiger because she was denied her Tiger's Milk bar! Seriously.

I could not find ANYTHING even remotely close to a Tiger's Milk Bar knock-off anywhere. I saw comments online that others are searching for how to make them too - all dead ends. Grrrrr (like a tiger), now I'm getting stubborn. Watch out, when that happens, I actually figure stuff out!

I did see that there was also a Tiger's Milk Nutrition Booster drink powder that people are still pining away for.  Like at this website HERE. Hmmmm...  I don't remember if I ever tried the drink mix as a child, but it was so highly praised, I'm tempted to figure out a recipe for that too! There is also a highly sought after Tiger Cookie recipe on the back of the old Tiger's Milk tin. I researched and found the original recipe for those tiger cookies. I will be posting it soon.
Tiger's Milk Drink Mix, 1963.

When I reverse-engineer foodstuffs, I go to the actual product ingredient label and nutrition facts panel. Thank you for those, then I don't have to go by just taste and texture alone.

I write down their ingredient list in order, like a recipe card (it helps to clearly see each ingredient). Then I look at the nutrition facts. How much in carbs, sugars, fats, proteins, etc... I look at which of the ingredients on the list fit into each category (like soy protein isolate fits into the protein category). I look up any "mystery " ingredients and what section they fit into on the nutrition facts panel.

I most definitely look at what is in the commercial product ingredient list that I DON'T want in my formula (a lot of the "mystery" ingredients, sugar, starch, etc.).

Here, I must point out a pet peeve of mine: It bugs me when people automatically assume that any ingredient that is lengthy in spelling, or is unfamiliar to them, is deemed automatically as bad. It's just not the case. I hate it even more when these same misinformed people negatively blast the ingredient online. My point is, please educate yourself. Check your sources (do any of them have an "agenda"?). It does take a little time but it is so worth it.

I do research on the foods that are like my chosen project,  if there are any. I think of what I know from past formulating and cooking experience. I ponder  and brainstorm for a while... Then I "wing it" and start writing guesstimate proportions.

When it comes time to make my trial formula, I get out my ingredients and line them up in the order I will use them. I have my notes handy along with a good scale. I measure and weigh everything, writing it down immediately. I document the processes used as well. Then I write down my results and include details like taste, sweetness level, texture, moisture, after-tastes, etc... I then write down what I would like to change and my ideas for doing that. REPEAT...


ATTENTION MY DEAR VIEWERS:

This post on my copy-cat Tiger's Milk bars has been given a new home due to the sugars they contain. If you want to see my formulas for these bars, please visit my blog called Beaute and the Feast. Thank you. 

Part 1: http://beauteandthefeast.blogspot.com/2015/11/copy-cat-tigers-milk-bars-part-1-how-i.html

Part 2: http://beauteandthefeast.blogspot.com/2015/11/copy-cat-tigers-milk-bars-part-2-how-i.html

Part 3: http://beauteandthefeast.blogspot.com/2015/11/copy-cat-tigers-milk-bars-in-2-flavors.html

Please note that my goal was to first copy the original...THEN remake them into a healthy and tasty protein bar! The healthy improvements are coming.



Have fun!

Leila (Kitchen Cheetah Tigress).

Thursday, August 6, 2015

Copy Cat Tiger's Milk Bars - Part 1 - How I incubate a formulating idea

I have a confession. I love Tiger's Milk Bars.

But as a Kitchen Cheetah (which is in the cat family), and considering the fact that I am a LEO, I guess I should not be surprised.

My mom would shop at health food stores when I was little (she still shops at health food stores) and would often let me pick out a treat there. I would often select one of these Tiger's milk Bars. I love the chewy texture they have. They used to make a flavor called Peanut Butter & Jelly that I absolutely loved. They stopped making this flavor many years ago. A sad day. My mom did not have candy, chips or soda pop in the house. We rarely had desserts either. We did eat fruit, and I remember pulling homemade buttery honey taffy with my mom. My tiny hands could hardly pull that slippery warm taffy. I sure loved eating it though!  Anyway, she did us a favor in keeping junk food out of the house.

As I look at a Tiger's Milk Bar ingredient label, I'm now inclined to think that Tiger's Milk Bars are not much elevated above junk food status. Hmmmm, I don't think the ingredients were exactly the same as when I was a child. No matter, I want to remake them. 

So here is what I'm thinkin'...

I think I will keep the carob coating. this is one of the rare places where I would actually choose carob coating over chocolate... It's a nostalgia thing. About the only other time I like carob is over bananas,which are then rolled in sunflower seeds and frozen (another treat my mom made me when I was little). Carob pods grew (on trees) in Southern California where I grew up. I remember a friend of my moms picked some and told me I could eat the carob pods. I did, and soon after got sick and threw up. Let's just say I never ate carob pods again.

Anyway, I will start with an organic smooth salted peanut butter.Tiger's Milk Bars also list peanut butter powder. I do not have any of that right now, so ill just pour off the oil that floats on top of my peanut butter, and call it good for now.

For the protein component, I will experiment with a combination of non-fat dry milk powder, soy protein isolate (or whey protein isolate), and a touch of calcium caseinate (which is also in my homemade healthy High Protein Coffee Creamer Powder). Maybe I will even add collagen powder! Good idea.

Then I think I will make a binding syrup of IMO syrup, raw honey, a little vegetable glycerine, a touch of stevia extract powder, and gums for added soluble fiber and binding power. I'll heat it up gently, adding the raw honey last.

I may use inulin or IMO powder in place of the maltodextrin and use Hi-Maize resistant starch (a dietary fiber) instead of the rice flour they use.

And I'll add a little calcium/magnesium powder for good measure.

Last, I'll melt down some some naturally sweetened carob coating from the health food store and en-robe the formed protein bars.

Sounds like a good rough sketch to me.

I included the ingredient labels for the Protein Rich and peanut butter & honey flavor. I like these too.

I'll let you know how it goes!

Author, Leila.

P.S. This post on Tiger's Milk Bars and the 2 subsequent trials that follow are being moved to my new blog called beauteandthefeast.blogspot.com

Due to the brown sugar and corn syrup these copy-cat recipes contain, they do not belong on Kitchen Cheetahs, which is a clean eating blog.

When I remake these bars using healthy sweeteners like IMO, Erythritol, Stevia, and such, I will post the healthified Tiger's Milk bar recipes here on Kitchen Cheetahs. T-T-F-N!



Tiger's Milk Nutrition Bars, Protein Rich Flavor



Nutrition Facts
Serving Size:1 bar (35 g)
Servings Per Container:24
Amount per Serving
Calories Total140
   from Fat45
Amount per Serving% Daily Value+
Total Fat 5 g8%
  Saturated Fat 2 g9%
Cholesterol 0 mg0%
Sodium 60 mg2%
Potassium 105 mg3%
Total Carbohydrate 18 g6%
  Dietary fiber <1 g
  Sugars 13 g
Protein 6 g
% Daily Value
Vitamin A  IU15%
Vitamin C  mg10%
Thiamin (B1)  mg35%
Riboflavin (B2)  mg40%
Niacin (B3)  mg20%
Vitamin B6  mg30%
Vitamin B12  mcg25%
Biotin  mcg6%
Pantothenic acid  mg15%
Calcium  mg15%
Iron  mg20%
Phosphorus  mg20%
Magnesium  mg30%
Copper  mg20%
* Daily Value not established.
+ Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
High Fructose Corn Syrup, Peanut Butter (roasted peanuts, salt), Corn Syrup, Carob Coating, Brown Sugar, Partially Hydrogenated Palm Kernel Oil, Whey Powder, Carob Bean (Ceratonia Siliqua) Powder, Soy Lecithin (as an emulsifier), *, Soy Protein Isolate, Peanut Flour, Dry Milk (nonfat), Rice Flour, Contains Less Than 2% of calcium caseinate, Calcium Phosphate (Calcarea Phosphorica), Magnesium Phosphate, Dextrose, Natural Flavors, Vitamin C (ascorbic acid), Ferrous Fumarate (Iron), Vitamin A (Retinyl Palmitate), Niacinamide, Calcium D-Panthothenate, Vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamin), Copper Gluconate, Thiamine Monohydrate (Vitamin B1), Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Biotin (Vitamin H)
7G-51878 - Tiger's Milk Bar Peanut Butter & Honey
Peanut Butter & Honey Flavor


  • 1.23 oz Bar
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 Bar (35 g)
Servings Per Container 24
Amount Per Serving
Calories 140
Calories from Fat 50
% Daily Value
Total Fat5g8%
Saturated Fat2g10%
Trans Fat0g
Cholesterol0mg0%
Sodium80mg3%
Potassium150mg4%
Total Carbohydrate19g6%
Dietary Fiber1g4%
Sugars14g
Protein5g
Vitamin A15%
Vitamin C10%
Calcium10%
Iron20%
Thiamin40%
Riboflavin40%
Niacin20%
Vitamin B630%
Vitamin B1230%
Biotin6%
Pantothenic Acid15%
Phosphorus20%
Magnesium30%
Copper20%
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Ingredients: Peanut Butter (Roasted Peanuts, Salt), High Fructose Corn Syrup, Honey, Carob Coating [Sugar, Palm Kernel and Palm Oil, Carob Powder, Whey Powder, Milk, Nonfat Dry Milk, Soy Lecithin (as an emulsifier), Salt, Natural Flavor], Nonfat Dry Milk, Peanut Flour, Maltodextrin, Corn Syrup, Soy Protein Isolate, Rice Flour, contains less than 1.5% of Brown Sugar, Calcium Caseinate, Calcium Phosphate, Magnesium Phosphate, Dextrose, Natural Flavors, Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid), Ferrous Fumarate, Vitamin A (Retinyl Palmitate), Niacinamide, Calcium d-Pantothenate, Vitamin B12 (Cyanocobalamin), Copper Gluconate, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Biotin, Salt.