Knead to Cook

Food & fitness obsessed girl.

The best crispy mushrooms. Vegan. GF.

by Filed Under: Brunch, Easter, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gluten Free, Salads, Side dish, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free Leave a Comment


The best crispy mushrooms, really?  But let me share a little something with you all – I hate mushrooms.

I’ve been researching nutritional information on different foods, as I  normally do and I consistently come to the conclusion that I need to find a way to tolerate this weird textured fungus.  It’s all about nutrition with me.  If its void in a benefit…then why consume it?  Food is of course your body’s roadmap to how your cells respond, inflammation, energy source or just plain ole crap that harms your temple.  Remember, your body is your temple and you need to treat it right.  End of story.  Yes, a treat here or there is acceptable but on a daily basis the food you choose must be food that your body understands and knows unlike genetically modified crap out there.  Sorry to be harsh but it’s food now or medicine later.

Mushrooms are the answer.  Seriously.  But let’s get a bit of background.  Mushrooms are classified as vegetables in the food world, but they are not technically plants but belong to the fungi kingdom. Selenium, rarely found in fruits or veggies is found in mushrooms.  It helps detox the liver and aids in detoxify some cancer-causing compounds in the body. Additionally, selenium prevents inflammation and decrease tumor growth rates.

High fiber diets, hello mushrooms, can aid in reducing type 1 diabetes. Has beta-glutan which aids in cholesterol reduction. Because of the fiber, your satiety level is higher leaving you filled for longer periods of time.  One cup has only 15 calories, 2.2 grams of protein and less than 2 grams of carbs.

Okay all the benefits but these babies have the weirdest texture, right?  Well by slicing them super thin… tossing them with really good spices and some other goodies… these little fungi crisped up perfectly and were the best salad, soup or mac n cheese topper out there!  Let’s get started…
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— Knead to Cook

Vegetable Ribbon Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette. V. GF.

by Filed Under: Brunch, Easter, Gluten Free, Raw, Salads, Side dish, Vegan, Vinaigrette, Wheat Free 1 Comment

 

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Summer has made an impromptu appearance this week with our 90+ degree temperatures.  Hotter temps drive me to eating lighter foods.  I’ve created many salads like this but it worth an update and share with you all here.

Parties, picnics, brunches and gatherings are all starting and my menu planning is in full swing.  This salad is so beautiful. Local farmer’s markets are brimming with rainbow carrots, beets, zucchinis…. pretty much any color veggie that you can slice on a mandoline or with a hand peeler will work in this recipe.  It can be prepped a few hours ahead of time and serves up beautifully without concerns of spoiling with the hotter temperatures.

I love pairing up salads like this with some rice or quinoa for a nice dinner idea as well.  Leftovers also make a tasty lunch the next day.  Hope you’re having a lovely day enjoying the sunshine and warmth.  Remember to hydrate!

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— Knead to Cook

Green Matcha Tea Muffins. Vegan. Gluten free.

by Filed Under: Breakfast, Brunch, Desserts, Easter, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Fitness., Gluten Free, Holiday Baking Ideas, Muffins, Running/Races, Snacks, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free Leave a Comment

Green Matcha Tea muffins.

Happy almost weekend!  I’m sorry I’ve been a bit MIA this week.  I’ve been planning two parties, one of which is this weekend to celebrate my daughter’s sweet 16, along with working, training and living – my blog has suffered by my absence.  So FINALLY  I’m sitting down post dinner to get these yummy muffins up right now!  These are perfect for your Matcha lover, maybe a fun Mom’s Day treat? I made these yesterday and already they’re gone in my kitchen.

Okay my husband is an admitted Matcha fan a—hem addict.  I’ll tolerate it but don’t drink it daily.  It is without a doubt, oh so healthy however and I’ve recipe tested so many failures.  I knew I needed to find a recipe because I’ve had NO success on my own, hey – sometimes it happens.  So I found a recipe from Nuts.com and morphed it a bit.  I’m still testing a banana/matcha recipe but until I reach an acceptable level of perfection — this will have to do. I hope you enjoy this tasty recipe.  It’s a great muffin for breakfast and I especially loved it teamed up with some chocolate chips mixed in – shocker.

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— Knead to Cook

Chocolate chunk cookie bars. V. GF.

by Filed Under: Brownies, Brunch, Cookies, Desserts, Easter, Gluten Free, Holiday, Holiday Baking Ideas, Snacks, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Vitamix, Wheat Free 4 Comments

Chocolate chip cookie bars.  Vegan. Gluten free.

I made these bars for my family & for a friend today to spread a bit of joy through food.  I often do this as a kind and unexpected act.  It’s funny how something so small can impact someone so greatly.  These are a bit on the decadent side but I cut these into small cubes and a little goes a long way.  Plus, removing all treats from your diet isn’t practical.  A treat, especially those protein-packed like these, are a wonderful little departure when necessary from clean eating.

I made this entire recipe in my stand mixer with minimal cleanup.  These bars freeze and package to ship nicely.  I’ve shipped these to friends/clients many times and would make a great care package treat for a loved on.  I’m already thinking of care package ideas for when my daughter is off to college this fall.

Okay so without further adieu… let’s get on to this recipe.

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— Knead to Cook

Boxed cake hack. Vegan. GF.

by Filed Under: Brunch, Cakes, Easter, Fitness., Gluten Free, Holiday, Holiday Baking Ideas, Running/Races, Valentine's Day, Vegan, Wheat Free 3 Comments

Does anyone make cakes from scratch anymore?  I mean seriously.  Who has the time unless you’re a baker by choice.  I have to admit 2 things.  I hate baking – now I don’t mean muffins, bars or granola.  NOT that.  Cakes in particular which then leads me to revelation number 2 about me… I hate cake.  I don’t know what it is but if I never saw another one the rest of my life I wouldn’t be sad.  Some times, on rare occasions, cupcakes are fine but they honestly leave me despondent.  I don’t know… maybe there is something wrong with me.  And apparently this cake-hating is genetic or something.  My kids are the same.  They’ve always asked for cookie cakes or ice cream cakes to celebrate their birthdays.  Even my husband…. it’s a no-go!  But today is my dad’s 79th and he LOVES cake.  So I suck it up & make one.  Well, a box one but he doesn’t know.

So I instal-story a lot.  I asked my watchers if they would be interested in my hack for the boring box cake and within 1 hour I had received over 100 DM’s letting me know they were interested so here it is!
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— Knead to Cook

Lucy Let’s Go Green Pea Ricotta Spread. V. GF.

by Filed Under: Brunch, Easter, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Fitness., Gluten Free, Holiday 3 Comments


Green pea ricotta spread.  Vegan.  Gluten free.

I love cooking seasonally. I admit, we’re a bit off from my garden being bountiful & producing lovely green pea pods but in the spirit of lightening up our food as warmer days approach, this recipe was created.

I’ve recently become quite smitten with an afternoon snack of toast with hummus, almond butter, avocado or this lovely spread.  Green peas are a wonderful source of vegan protein & the flavor is so light & bright.  I also have added this spread to my salads in lieu of dressing and it’s quite lovely.  Plus with Easter this weekend – this would be a lovely appetizer on your menu.

Okay so let me share this lovely recipe with you all… click here to take you over to Lucy Activewear’s blog. 

 

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— Knead to Cook

Lucy Let’s Go Blog Post: Lemon Basil Creamy Pasta. V. GF.

by Filed Under: Brunch, Easter, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gluten Free, Holiday, Italian-inspired, Lucy Let's Go Post, Nuts, Pasta, Sauces, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Vitamix, Wheat Free 2 Comments

Lemon Basil Creamy Pasta. Vegan and gluten free.  Time to transition to lighter & brighter flavors that channel spring, right?  Although it hasn’t been a really snowy winter, not at all here on the east coast, I’m ready for longer, brighter & warmer days ahead.  One of the flavors that is always reminiscent of spring, for me, is the brightness of lemon.  I knew a lovely pasta dish topped with a luscious and healthy creamy sauce would be perfect to share with you all.

This pasta dish would be perfect for your spring brunches, girls lunches, family dinner or for your Easter celebration.  This sauce is so easy to make plus the creamy texture comes from cashews, soaked, versus heavy cream.  The sauce has a lovely cheese-based flavor thanks to the nutritional yeast, tartness from the fresh lemon juice with a tangy flavor from the Dijon.  Then for an extra punch of flavor I added some fresh basil leaves, which also adds to the brightness to the dish.  This sauce can be prepared ahead of time to save time and just topped on your freshly cooked pasta.  I prefer wide noodle pastas for this substantial sauce. Bon appétit friends.

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— Knead to Cook

Pancake Mix Baked Dark Chocolate Donuts. Vegan. Gluten free.

by Filed Under: Breakfast, Brunch, Desserts, Easter, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Fitness., Gluten Free, Holiday, Holiday Baking Ideas, Snacks, Valentine's Day, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free, Yogurt 4 Comments

Pancake mix baked dark chocolate donuts.  Vegan & gluten free.

Happy Monday!  So the new week is here and I was in a rush for a quick & easy snack item for my kids before they got home from school.  I picked up a vegan & gluten free pancake batter to try at Home Goods last week & in my rush today – I thought I would try to whip up a baked donut recipe using the batter.  Turns out… it worked perfectly and could double as breakfast too!  Now I did douse half of the donuts with melted dark chocolate but you can easily omit & serve with powdered sugar or maple syrup for breakfast.  I also made these in mini form but they would totally work in normal sized donuts.

Now I’ve only tried this with the mix I have but I don’t see why any pancake mix wouldn’t work.
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— Knead to Cook

Chickpea Chocolate Chip Bars. V. GF.

by Filed Under: Beans, Brownies, Brunch, Cookies, Easter, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gluten Free, Holiday Baking Ideas, Running/Races, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Vitamix, Wheat Free 7 Comments

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Every single Friday I breathe a sigh of relief lately.  I survived!  Training.  College tours. Dogs.  Teenage daughters.  Politics. Life in general.  I’ll admit lately it’s been life is just hard.  I managed two nights that were in excess of 10 hours of sleep.  My body is showing the fatigue lately and I’m embracing it.

I was up for a nice little easy treat that was healthy for for my girls.  My husband, as I’ve shared, is allergic to chocolate – still cannot imagine that curse.  But these little cookie bars I sliced into bite-sized pieces.  They are packed with chickpeas and almond butter so YES on the protein!!  These are a totally tricky food that you can smile about as your kids gobble them down.  Perfect for after school snacking on in their lunches for school.  Plus they have a great soft inner texture like a gooey cookie.   My daughter even warmed them and put pieces in her nice cream – points for creativity!
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— Knead to Cook

Flourless Salted Peanut Butter Cookies. V. GF.

by Filed Under: Breakfast, Brunch, Cookies, Desserts, Easter, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Fitness., Giveaway!!!, Gluten Free, Holiday, Holiday Baking Ideas, Life., Nuts, Party Foods, Valentine's Day, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free 37 Comments

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Happy Leap Day – let’s celebrate an extra day with a cookie!  I’m so happy to finally be working back in my kitchen – it’s seriously been over 3 weeks that I’ve been renovating/updating/face-lifting my master bathroom. The last piece of the puzzle gets delivered today – my shower door and fingers are crossed that it fits!  But I digress, I’m locking myself in my kitchen today and making several recipes while I await the delivery call.

I always make muffins as a go-to snack for my family but I’ve been craving salt lately.  Why?  Well I’m a bit of a salty runner and that seriously drives my craving.  I know you typically see salted caramel but I wanted to do a salted pb cookie.  Peanuts… a touch of salt… sounds good to me!  Again, I used a very small amount not to offend my kids by the addition.

These cookies come together really quickly and I will warn you that the dough is quite heavenly if you accidentally sample it 😉  Totally safe to eat as there are no eggs in it or risk of food contamination. Okay onto the recipe and my next recipe is awaiting my attention.
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— Knead to Cook