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.