Green Gazpacho (gluten-free, wheat-free)

Spring is here and I was seriously craving gazpacho!  A recipe for Green Gazpacho caught my eye in Fitness Magazine's May 2014 issue.  So, I thought I'd give it a try!  It was so delicious that I wanted to share the recipe with you.  Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

1 celery stalk

1 English cucumber (peeled & chopped)

1 cup thawed frozen spinach

1 garlic clove

1 avocado (pitted & peeled)

1 jalapeño (seeded & chopped)

1/2 cup cilantro leaves

1/2 cup parsley leaves

1/4 cup toasted pumpkin seeds

2 tbsp lime juice

2 tbsp kosher salt

2 cups water

1/4 cup low fat plain Greek yogurt

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil


DIRECTIONS

1) Pulse celery, cucumber, spinach, garlic, avocado, and jalapeño in a blender to finely chop. Add cilantro, parsley, 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds, lime juice, salt, and water. Blend until very smooth (2-3 min) or press the "soup" button on your Blendtec.

2) Divide gazpacho among 4 bowls and dollop with yogurt, sprinkle with pumpkin seeds, and drizzle with oil. 

3) Set in refrigerator for 30 min to chill soup.

Nutrition Facts:

186 cals
8g protein
10g carbs
15g fat
5g fiber
549mg sodium

Key Lime Pie (gluten-free, wheat-free)

Nothing ushers in Spring quite like a key lime pie. However, I didn't want to make something that was filled with artificial garbage so I scoured the Internet for a healthier recipe. I found one worth trying on this website, so I gave it a try! Honestly, I think they used a stock photo for their picture because mine didn't even come close to looking like theirs. However, my friends and I, as well as my 7-year-old daughter, loved the taste! So, as the old Louisiana saying goes, "Don't look at it, just eat it!"  Bon appétit!



















**Please note the recipe doesn't call for Pomegranate juice.  I positioned the bottle in this ingredient grouping by mistake.  However, you can enjoy this delicious Key Lime Pie with a small glass of Pom Wonderful.  :)

Crust Ingredients:

2 cups organic raw mixed nuts

1/4 cup coconut manna

4 large medjool dates, pitted

*Next time I make this crust, I will add some ground organic flaxseed for added omega-3's.


Directions:

Pulse in food processor until it looks like a sticky granola texture. Press into pie mold.

Filling Ingredients:

3 ripe organic avocados, mashed

Juice of 4 organic limes

2 tbsp lime zest

1/2 cup organic Lucuma powder

3/4 cup organic raw honey


Directions:

Mix well. Pour and spread to fill the crust. Freeze for at least an hour to set.

Whipped Topping:

1 cup organic raw cashews, soaked

3 tbsp organic coconut manna

1/4 cup Fage Greek yogurt

1 tsp organic vanilla extract

2 tbsp organic Lucuma powder

2 tbsp organic raw honey

Pinch sea salt


Directions:

Process the cashews. Add them with the rest of the ingredients and whip them up until fluffy. Top the pie and re-freeze.

Set out 10 min prior to serving.

Amy's Apple Pecan Cake (gluten-free, wheat-free)

There's something about Fall that puts me in a baking mood. For Thanksgiving this year, I wanted to offer a healthier dessert alternative. So, I created my own Apple Pecan Cake which is truly divine!  In fact, it was so popular that people were cutting in line to get a piece of this scrumptious cake at our church potluck.  :)

Happy Baking!

CAKE INGREDIENTS

1 cup Extra Virgin Coconut Oil (liquified)

2 cups Xylitol (from birch)

1/2 cup Organic Brown Sugar

3 eggs

3 cups Oat Flour (gluten-free)

1/2 cup Sweet White Sorghum Flour (gluten-free)

1 tsp Baking Soda

2 tsp Organic Vanilla Extract

3 cups Organic Apples (peeled and chopped, 4-5 whole apples)

1 cup Organic Raw Pecans (chopped)

All the ingredients you need for the cake.

DIRECTIONS

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2) Grease a 9x13 glass dish (I use Kelapo EV Coconut Oil Spray)

3) Mix eggs, sugar, and oil

4) Mix in flour and baking soda

5) Mix in vanilla

6) Stir in apples and pecans

7) Spread in baking dish and bake for 40-45 minutes

8) Let cool for 2 hours then prepare frosting

This is how the batter should look when mixing.

After you've mixed the batter, spoon in and stir the apples and pecans.

I like to use Kelapo Extra Virgin Coconut Oil Cooking Spray to grease my baking pans.

Spread the cake batter in a greased 9x13 dish.

FROSTING INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup Organic Butter (salted)

1 cup Organic Brown Sugar (packed)

1/4 cup Organic Evaporated Milk (preferred)

1/2 tsp Organic Vanilla Extract

Ingredients for the frosting

DIRECTIONS

1) Boil all ingredients in a sauce pan for 2 minutes

2) Set pan in bowl filled with ice water

3) Beat icing until spreading consistency forms

4) Spread over top of cake

After the ingredients have boiled for 2 min, set sauce pan in a bowl filled with ice water.

The cake is ready to eat!

Pineapple Coconut Chia Pudding (low fat, wheat-free, dairy-free, gluten-free)

There are a lot of great chia pudding recipes online. After reading through several of them, I took some notes, came up with my own ideas, and whipped up a batch. It tastes delicious and the best part is it only took me 5 minutes to prepare!

INGREDIENTS

1 13.5oz can Organic Coconut Milk Light

1/2 tsp Ground cinnamon

1 tsp Organic vanilla extract

4 tbsp Organic raw honey (I'm blessed to have an uncle who runs an apiary and gives me free local honey!)

1/3 cup Organic chia seeds

1/4 cup chopped pineapple (chunks shown in picture, be sure to finely chop)

DIRECTIONS

1) In a large mason jar, combine milk, honey, cinnamon, and vanilla extract.

2) Cover and shake vigorously.

3) Add the chia seeds and pineapple.

4) Shake vigorously again.

5) Pour into ramekins.

6) Place in refrigerator for an hour to set-up.

Makes 4 servings.

Mango Curry Chicken Salad (gluten-free)

Nothing says "Hello summer!" quite like a chicken salad.  Today I was asked to bring a dish for a friend's birthday party this weekend and I wanted to try something new.  I thought about what would taste good in a chicken salad then visited my local grocery store to gather the items.  When I finished creating this recipe, I was MORE than satisfied with the result!  I can't wait to hear everyone's reaction at the party :).



INGREDIENTS

4 cups organic chicken, cooked & cubed

1 cup organic mayonnaise

3/4 cup Patak's Sweet Mango Chutney

1/2 cup Patak's Korma Curry Simmer Sauce

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp ground turmeric root

1/2 tsp garam masala

1 tsp curry powder

1 cup white onion, chopped

1 cup raw pecans OR raw walnuts, chopped

1 cup seedless red grapes, small slices

1 cup Fuji apples, small chunks

DIRECTIONS

Mix all ingredients in a large mixing bowl.

Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Serve on sourdough squares (not gluten-free), gluten-free bread, or gluten-free crackers.

Garnish with mixed greens and swiss cheese.


Enjoy and Happy Summer!

Naomi's Organic Horse Cookies (gluten-free)

My sweet 6-year-old, Naomi, has become quite the equestrian. She's being trained in hunter/jumper and just recently cantered off the lunge line! She asked me if there was a way to make homemade cookies for her favorite pony, Max. Therefore, we researched what foods were okay for horses to eat and whipped up her first batch of Organic Horse Cookies!


INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup blackstrap molasses

1 cup organic gluten-free oats

1.5 cups organic gluten-free oat flour

1 organic apple, roughly chopped

5 small organic carrots, roughly chopped

1 tbsp organic brown sugar

15 Shaklee Alfalfa, crushed to powder

1/4 cup organic unsweetened applesauce

Pinch of salt

DIRECTIONS

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2) Mix all ingredients.

3) Form into balls and place on a cookie sheet.

4) Lightly spray with organic canola oil.

5) Bake for 15 minutes.

Naomi with her many ingredients.

Naomi crushing the alfalfa tablets.

Naomi chopping the carrots and apples.

Naomi stirring the all ingredients.

Naomi placing the cookie dough on the sheet.

Beware of sticky fingers!

Naomi's so proud of her first batch of Horse Cookies!

Chocolate Chip Vanilla Cupcakes (gluten-free)

Okay, so I generally like to bake everything from scratch. However, when I volunteer to bring a healthy cupcake alternative to our elementary school party, I turn to boxed yellow cake mix. I know, I know, but desperate times call for desperate measures. Believe it or not, there are some good boxed mixes that aren't loaded with artificial garbage and preservatives and the baked food tastes incredible. After tasting my cupcakes, one mom said to me, "These taste so different from the regular cupcakes. They didn't taste artificial."  I agree with her! Once you eliminate artificial ingredients from your diet, your taste buds will adjust and thank you!

Now for the fun part, I'm including a picture of the cake mix I like to use.  I've baked both the King Arthur Flour Yellow Cake Mix and Chocolate Cake Mix.  They make phenomenal cupcakes.  In this post, I will outline what you'll need to bake gluten-free chocolate chip vanilla cupcakes.  I've also included two frosting recipes, Chocolate and Cream Cheese, for you below.

Happy Baking!

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup (1 stick) Grass-fed Salted Butter

2 tbsp Virgin Coconut Oil, unrefined (use in place of vegetable oil)

4 eggs, Organic & Vegetarian-fed

2/3 cup milk (I prefer soy but you can use dairy, flax, or almond)

1 box King Arthur Flour Gluten-Free Yellow Cake Mix

1 cup Enjoy Life Semi-Sweet Chocolate Mini Chips

18-20 Large Baking Cups (preferably FSC Certified Unbleached Totally Chlorine-free)





PREPARATION

Follow the instructions on the back of the box.  Once the batter is prepared and ready to pour, add the chocolate chips and stir with a spoon.  Fill your baking cups and pop into the oven.



***** I C I N G *****


CHOCOLATE FROSTING

1 cup Powdered Sugar

1/6 cup Dutch (alkalized) Cocoa Powder

1/2 tsp Organic Vanilla Extract

Small Pinch Sea Salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) Grass-fed Salted Butter

1-2 tbsp Water (depending on desired consistency)

• In a medium mixing bowl, cream the butter with an electric mixer.
• Add the cocoa, vanilla, salt and water and continue to beat until smooth.



CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

8 oz Organic Cream Cheese

4 tbsp Grass-fed Salted Butter, melted

2 tsp Organic Vanilla Extract

4 cups Powdered Sugar

• In a medium mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to blend the cream cheese, butter and vanilla.
• Slowly add in the powdered sugar.
• Mix until creamy.

Nummy Waffles (gluten-free, wheat-free, dairy-free)

My family just loves my homemade Belgian Waffles! I've had many people request my recipe so I decided to share it here on my blog.

For added yumminess, sprinkle Enjoy Life Mini Chocolate Chips into the batter!


INGREDIENTS

2 eggs (organic, cage-free, veg fed)

1 cup Whole Grain Spelt Flour (Berlin Bakery) **for wheat- and gluten-free disregard this flour and instead add an additional cup of the oat flour.

1 cup Organic Whole Grain Oat Flour (Bob's Red Mill Wheat- & Gluten-free)

**For an extra 16g of protein, add 2 tbsp of Shaklee Instant Protein Soy.  Make sure your flour is 2 tbsp less than directed above.

1 3/4 milk (soy, rice, almond, flax)

1/2 cup Organic Virgin Coconut Oil

1 tbsp Organic Cane Sugar (Florida Crystals) *can substitute with Xylitol

4 tsp Baking Powder (Rumford Aluminim-free)

1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon

1/4 tsp Sea Salt (Real Salt)

1/2 tsp Organic Pure Vanilla Extract (Singing Dog)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat waffle iron.

2. Beat eggs in large bowl with hand beater until fluffy.

3. Beat in flour, milk, oil, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and vanilla, just until smooth.

4. If needed, spray preheated waffle iron with Spectrum Canola non-stick cooking spray or Dean Jacob's Grape Seed Oil spray.

5. Pour mix onto hot waffle iron. Cook until golden brown. Serve hot.

6. Top with Raw Agave (Xagave) or Natural Maple Syrup.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies (wheat-free, dairy-free, gluten-free)

For quick and easy cookies, try this recipe!

1 box King Arthur Gluten Free Cookie Mix
1 egg
2 tbsp water
1 stick organic grass-fed butter (for dairy-free, substitute 1/2 cup Extra Virgin Coconut Oil)
1/2 bag Enjoy Life Chocolate Mega Chunks
1 cup Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Extra Thick Rolled Oats

1) Prepare the cookie mix as indicated on the back of the cookie mix box.

2) Add the chocolate chunks and oatmeal. Stir.

3) Drop 1 tbsp rounds onto a cookie sheet and bake.

Your kids will LOVE them! I promise :)

Organic White Bean, Pumpkin & Chicken Soup (wheat-free, dairy-free, gluten-free)

This soup is extremely delicious and will be a staple in our home this Fall! It's quick and easy to prepare and will be on-the-table in 30 minutes.

2 tbsp organic EVOO
1/2 purple onion, finely chopped
1 (15 oz) can organic pumpkin
3 1/2 cups organic free-range chicken broth (substitute vegetable broth for a vegan/vegetarian recipe)
1 (15 oz) can organic Great Northern beans
1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice seasoning
1/2 tsp sea salt
Black pepper to season
2 cups cooked organic free range chicken breasts, cubed (optional)

1) In a large pot, sauté the onions in olive oil over low-medium heat
2) Stir in broth, pumpkin, beans, pumpkin pie spice and salt
3) Simmer for 10 minutes
4) Pour mixture in batches into a blender and process until smooth (If using a Blendtec, you can pour entire contents into the blender and blend for 20 seconds on Speed 1)
5) Pour the soup from the blender back into the pot and reheat on low
6) Add chicken cubes (optional) and serve!

*If you opt not to add the chicken, you can blend 2 tbsp of Shaklee Instant Protein Soy to add 16g protein!

Apple Cinnamon Pancakes (wheat-free, dairy-free, gluten-free)

With the Fall weather in full swing, I thought it would be fun to create a recipe for apple cinnamon pancakes. Boy did they turn out well! They were so yummy I could've eaten four! My family thought they were delicious as well.

The recipe is completely organic with no artificial colors, flavors, preservatives or fillers. It's also wheat-free, dairy-free, and gluten-free! The Shaklee Instant Protein Soy also adds 32g of protein to the batch!

1/2 cup organic apple cinnamon sauce
1 1/2 cups Bob's Red Mill Gluten free Pancake mix
2 eggs (free-range, vegetarian fed)
4 tbsp Shaklee Instant Protein Soy (this adds 32g protein and no carbs!)
1 cup organic vanilla soy milk
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp organic vanilla extract


1. Mix all ingredients in a large mixing bowl.

2. Heat a large skillet to 350 degrees.

3. Grease the skillet with whatever you like to use.

4. Scoop 1/4 cup of the mix and pour onto the skillet.

Makes 10 delicious pancakes! Top with Xagave or maple syrup for added yumminess :).

Banana Walnut Chocolate Chip Muffins (wheat-free, dairy-free, gluten-free)

These muffins make a great snack and are loaded with fiber.  Be sure to drink at least 8 oz. of water each time you eat one because water is fiber's best friend! :)

3 ripe bananas
1 tsp organic vanilla extract
4 tbsp organic coconut oil
1 cup water
3/4 cup Xagave (raw agave nectar)
1 1/2 cups organic coconut flour
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup Enjoy Life chocolate chips (dairy-free)
1/4 cup raw walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1. In a medium bowl, mash bananas and add the vanilla, coconut oil, water, and agave.

2. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda.

3. Mix the dry and wet ingredients together. Add the chocolate chips and walnuts.

4. Roll into balls and fill each pocket of a lightly greased muffin pan.

5. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

Chocolaty Chocolate Chip Pancakes (wheat-free, dairy-free)

On the weekends, I make pancakes for the family. I thought it would be fun to jazz them up a bit by making chocolaty chocolate chip pancakes. Boy were they excited!!!

I used the following ingredients but feel free to substitute with your preferred oil and milk.

2 cups Namaste Waffle & Pancake Mix
2 organic, vegetarian-fed hen eggs
2 tablespoons organic coconut oil (can use olive oil or grape seed oil)
3/4 cup organic soy milk (can use almond milk or rice milk)
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
3 tbsp Shaklee Energizing Soy Protein Creamy Cocoa
1/4 cup Enjoy Life mini chocolate chips

Reserve chips and mix all ingredients with a blender. Stir in the chocolate chips. Pour onto preheated, sprayed griddle.

For added sweetness, top with fresh raspberries and Xagave nectar.

Organic Oat Flour Biscuits (wheat-free, gluten-free)

Since I just recently learned that I shouldn't consume wheat and certain dairy products, I set out to create healthy biscuits the whole family can enjoy. These were particularly delicious especially if you add homemade strawberry jam.

Recipe:
1 1/4 cup organic oat flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp Shaklee Instant Protein Soy
1/3 cup vanilla soy milk
2 tbsp butter (from grass-fed cows)
1 egg (from free-range chickens)

Mix all dry ingredients together. Cut in the butter and add the rest of ingredients. Bake at 425 degrees for 12-15 min. Enjoy!

Each biscuit contains:
87 calories
4 grams fat
9 grams carbs
6 grams protein