Knead to Cook

Food & fitness obsessed girl.

Stuffed prosperosa eggplant.

by Filed Under: Gluten Free, Ground Turkey, Vegetarian 2 Comments

 

 

I purchased these lovely prosperosa eggplant at our farmer’s market on Tuesday.  I couldn’t wait to use them & with a crazy week – tonight was finally it.  This recipe can be adjusted to fit your likes or what you have on hand.  Also, easily transition to a vegetarian dish by omitting the ground turkey.  I just need to boost my protein intake so I opted for the lean ground turkey for dinner.

Ingredients:

5 prosperosa eggplants (you can use regular eggplant)
1 cup of quinoa (cooked)
1 red bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon of ground cumin
Salt and pepper to taste
1 lb of lean ground turkey
1 teaspoon of basil, chopped
1 teaspoon of parsley, chopped
Vegetable broth (you can use chicken broth as well)
Cheese for topping (your choice – I used Piacentinu but mozzarella, cheddar, parmesan would all work).

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Cut the tops off of your eggplant and scoop out the interior.  I cooked this on the stovetop and set it aside.

In a saute pan over medium heat, add some olive oil.  Let that heat up and then add your ground turkey.  Cook for 4 minutes and then add the pepper, garlic, cumin, salt and pepper and parsley.  Cook until no longer pink and then add the basil. Add the quinoa to the mixture and blend.  Then add to each eggplant.   Top with some shaved cheese.  Then I added about a tablespoon of broth to the top of each eggplant.  Bake for 25-30 minutes.

— Knead to Cook

Tomato salad.

by Filed Under: Gluten Free, Salads, Vegetarian Leave a Comment

This salad just screams summer.  Fresh tomatoes and basil from our garden.  Not much more needs to be said about this salad but perfection 🙂

Ingredients for the balsamic vinaigrette:

1/4 cup or so of balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon of dijon mustard (I used Maille)
Salt & pepper
Dash of red pepper flakes
1 garlic cloves, smashed and finely chopped

Directions:

Whisk together and top your tomatoes and basil with the vinaigrette.  Also perfect for a dipping sauce for your crusty bread.

— Knead to Cook

Chocolate Black Bean Coffee Brownies.

by Filed Under: Desserts, Gluten Free, Snacks, Vegetarian 12 Comments

You put WHAT in these brownies?  Black beans!  Yes, sounds oh so NOT appetizing but the beans replace the flour (hello gluten free) AND add a ton of protein with less carbs.  I promise you, you will NOT detect the beans at all.  In fact, my youngest daughter, who by far is the pickiest of eaters, LOVED these!  Much to my chagrin!

Ingredients:

1 15.5 ounce can of low sodium black beans, rinsed and drained
3 eggs
1/2 cup of unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup of fine cocoa powder
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1/8 teaspoon of salt
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
3/4 cup of sugar *
1 teaspoon of ground coffee
1/2 cup of white and dark chocolate chips (optional)

*If using straight Truvia – use 4 tablespoons + 2 tsp.  If mixing Truvia with regular granulated sugar – 1/4 cup Truvia + 1/2 cup of granulated sugar.  Or you can use granulated sugar at 3/4 cup.  

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Spray your 8×8 or 9×9 glass pan with non stick baking spray with flour and set aside.  In your food processor, blend all of the ingredients through the ground coffee. Blend for around 1 minute.  The mixture will be creamy.  Pour into the prepared pan.  Add your toppings (chocolate chips etc.) to the top and bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Let cool completely.  Slice and enjoy!

 

— Knead to Cook

5 Ingredient Chocolate Energy Bars.

by Filed Under: Gluten Free, No bake/cooking required!, Nuts, Snacks 11 Comments

The 3 ingredient energy bars have been such an overwhelming success in my house that I needed to start making more for everyone.  Being a self-proclaimed chocoholic – this version was inevitable!  🙂

Ingredients:

1 c almonds, toasted
16 pitted Medjool dates, pitted
3 tbl of good quality cocoa
3 tbl of dark chocolate chips (optional)
1/8th tsp of salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Place the almonds on a cookie sheet and bake for 8 minutes.  Add the almonds to your processor and blend until you have fine chunks of almond.  Then add the remaining ingredients to your food processor and blend until a large mass forms.  Break it up and process again until it it is well blended.

In a lined (parchment) 8×8 or 9×9 glass pan, add the mixture.  I then add a piece of plastic wrap over the top and roll a small glass over top to smooth it out and make it even.  Refrigerate for 45 minutes. Then remove and slice into bite sized squares or bars.  Enjoy!

— Knead to Cook

3 Ingredient (No Bake) Energy Bars.

by Filed Under: Desserts, Fruit, Gluten Free, Snacks, Vegetarian 8 Comments

I love energy bars but typically dislike the nutritional information.  These bars are so delicious, no bake (well you do toast the almonds) and with only 3 ingredients.  So why not get energy from real ingredients, no preservatives & something truly healthy?

Ingredients:

1 c of dried, Medjool dates that have been pitted
1 c of raw almonds
1 c of dried, tart cherries

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Place the almonds on a cookie sheet and bake for 8 minutes until toasted.

In your food processor, place the pitted Medjool dates that have been pitted and the cherries.  Process until it forms a large, pasty ball.  Remove and set aside.  Then add the cooled almonds to your processor and process until they are finely chopped (avoid over processing into flour).  Your looking for small pieces.  Then add the date/cherry mixture back and blend again until all the ingredients are incorporated.

Line an 8×8 glass square baking pan with parchment or tin foil.  Place the mixture on top.  Then I added a piece of plastic wrap over the top to press it down into one even layer.  I used a small glass to even it all out.  Refrigerate for 45 minutes.  Remove and slice.  Enjoy!

— Knead to Cook

Chobani Guacamole.

by Filed Under: Dips, Gluten Free, No bake/cooking required!, Salsas & Guacamole, Snacks, Vegetarian 2 Comments

 

We love taco night in our house.  Plus, it’s my go-to quick dinner that I know everyone will gobble up.  Tonight my kids had swim practice & my father & I have been tirelessly working on our backyard construction project/re-do.  Finally today, it’s taking shape!  Can’t wait for it to be done & for our parties to start!

This recipe is super easy, adjustable to your taste and protein-packed.  Plus with the crazy price of avocados, it extends them a bit by adding the Chobani.

Ingredients:

3 cloves of garlic
1 jalapeño, seeded (if you don’t like it spicy, leave the seeds in if you do)
3 avocados, pitted and the inside scooped out
2 tbl of lime juice
1/4 c of Chobani non fat plain yogurt
1 handful of cilantro leaves, washed
1 tbl ground cumin
1/2 – 1 tsp of cayenne pepper depending on how spicy you like it.  (omit if you don’t like it spicy)
1 tsp of salt (adjust this per taste)

Directions:  In your food processor blend the garlic and jalapeño until finely minced.  Then add the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth.  Adjust the spices to your liking.  Serve immediately.

— Knead to Cook

Strawberry Shortcake Shish Kabobs with fresh vanilla whipped cream.

by Filed Under: Desserts, Fruit, Gluten Free, No bake/cooking required!, Snacks, Valentine's Day 1 Comment

Farmer’s Market today yielded a wonderful bounty of strawberries.  They caught my eye immediately and I couldn’t resist.  Once my daughter saw them… her wheels were spinning and she made some wonderful strawberry shortcake shish kabobs, her favorite!  I got to make the whipped cream 🙂  Such a wonderful, fun dessert idea.

Ingredients:
2 pints of strawberries, wash and cut the stems off
1 angel food cake, cut up into cubes
Skewers

Directions:

Start with a strawberry and then alternate angel food cake cubes.  Add as many as you like.  You can certainly add other fruit like berries, pineapple, mangoes etc.

Whipped Cream:

Ingredients:
1 c of whipping cream
2 tbl of confectioners’ sugar
1 vanilla bean (seeds on the inside only) or 1 tsp of vanilla extract

Directions:

In your stand mixer, with the whisk attached, pour in the whipping cream and beat.  I typically beat this for about 1 minutes then add the sugar and vanilla.  Beat on medium to high until it takes on a whipped cream consistency.  Serve immediately .

Served on the side as a dip for the shish kabobs.

— Knead to Cook

No Bake, Gluten Free Chocolate & Peanut Butter Dessert/Energy Bites.

by Filed Under: Desserts, Gluten Free, No bake/cooking required!, Valentine's Day, Vegetarian Leave a Comment

I thought it would be fun to do a spin-off of my energy balls with a dessert-ish type of variation.  I made two batches last night (almost gone) and one batch this morning to test the recipe out again.  LOVE them!  They are rich and quite decadent!!

Ingredients:

1/4 c of creamy or crunchy peanut butter (I used Smart Balance crunchy)
1/3 c of dried tart cherries (I’m thinking pitted prunes would also be wonderful – I’ll be trying those next)
3 tbl of roasted unsalted or salted peanuts
1/4 tsp of salt (you can omit this if you decide to use salted peanuts)
1/8 tsp of vanilla extract
2 tbl of shredded and toasted coconut
2 tbl of dark cocoa powder
1 tsp of chia seeds (optional)
1/4 c of chocolate chips (optional)

Directions:
In your food processor, blade attached, blend all of the ingredients until they form a ball.  Looks similar to dough.  This takes about 1-2 minutes or until completely blended.  I then refrigerated for 10 minutes to chill.  Then roll into balls and store in an airtight container on your counter.

— Knead to Cook

Torta di Mele {Italian Apple Cake}

by Filed Under: Desserts, Fruit, Gluten Free, Vegetarian 4 Comments

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/3 cups, all-purpose or any gluten-free flour will work (I used almond flour for this recipe)
2/3 c granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 c non fat milk, almond milk or low fat milk (whatever you have on hand)
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
Zest of 2 lemons
6 medium apples, cored and peeled

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray your springform pan with non stick baking spray and set aside.

In your mixing bowl with the whisk attachment on, whisk the sugar and eggs.  Next, add in the flour, milk, baking powder, baking soda and zest. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan.

Peel and core each of the apples. One apple will need to be diced up and dropped into the prepared batter.  The other apples can be sliced in 1/4 to 1/2 inch slices and placed along the top (spiral pattern).  The apples will sink into the batter a bit but the more apples you layer, they will become more visible.  Mist the top of the cake with some olive oil.  Then dust with granulated sugar (about a tablespoon).  This will caramelize on the top giving it a great texture.  Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

 

— Knead to Cook