Knead to Cook

Food & fitness obsessed girl.

Lemon kale hummus. Vegan and GF.

by Filed Under: Beans, Brunch, Condiments, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Fitness., Gluten Free, Health & wellness, Party Foods, Snacks, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Vitamix, Wheat Free, Your Life Edit Foundations 1 Comment


Learning that photoshoots on rainy, dark, dismal days need to be avoided.  After hundreds of images, this was my only acceptable lead photo.  Sorry about that BUT this recipe, it’s seriously OH SO GOOD!

Now I know many, I mean MANY, people despise the rough, hearty texture of kale.  I get it.  I don’t like it raw either.  But massaging it with oil, salt or lemon juice for a salad like this one can change your mind.  With that being said, sautéing kale can also transform it into a lovely version of itself.  See where I’m going?  Don’t judge a book but it’s hard exterior.

I have a lot of kale (many different versions) in my garden.  I was cooking for a client and knowing I wanted to use up some of my kale… hummus came to mind.  This hummus takes a different spin, because your cooking it, but the end result is simply amazing.  I love hummus for salads, Buddha bowls, mixed with ACV for dressing or classically styled with raw veggies.  You choose, but you have to try this recipe.

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— Knead to Cook

Cast Iron Skillet Peach and Berry Crumble. Vegan. Gluten Free.

by Filed Under: 4th of July/Patriotic, Breakfast, Desserts, Fruit, Gluten Free, Holiday, Holiday Baking Ideas, Nuts, Party Foods, Snacks, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free 4 Comments

Oh this recipe has been long & coming.  I’m sorry for the wait if you follow me on Instagram, mainly my instastories.  I shared this 2 weekends ago and then life happened.  I’m finally dedicating my afternoon to re-creating it, changes made and photographing it. It is heavenly & I may have eaten this for lunch today (no shame in my game).

Peaches are plentiful and work perfectly in this crumble however you can adapt this recipe to use seasonal fruit that you have on hand.  Think apple crumble next month through the fall.  I’m still secretly hoping I can get cherries at a good price tomorrow at my farmer’s market to make a cherry version. Whatever you have… it will work!

This dish is perfect right from the oven and topped with either vegan ice cream or as we did, So Delicious coconut whip. Warm and absolutely bursting with flavor.  I also love using super ripe fruit so you don’t have to use a lot of extra sugar.  Who’s with me?

I’m still surprised that we are in the last few days of August.  School has started for both of my girls and life is settling in. I really do love fall & look forward to cooler temps, cozy sweaters and big mugs of tea around the fire.

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— Knead to Cook

Easy Dill Yogurt Dip Sauce. Vegan. Gluten free.

by Filed Under: Breakfast, Brunch, Dips, Gluten Free, Party Foods, Raw, Sauces, Snacks, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Vinaigrette, Vitamix, Wheat Free, Your Life Edit Foundations Leave a Comment

Easy dill yogurt sauce/dip. Vegan. Gluten free.

This has been one hell of a week.  No joke.  I got hit with some weird virus that is like someone is manipulating a crazy voodoo doll of me minute to minute.  Every morning I’ve felt good, not great.  I’ve been able to cook and prep food for clients and my family.  But then by 3 every afternoon… nausea, aches, pains, fatigue hits like a ton of bricks.  Then put that record on repeat… So today I’ve managed to eat 2 whole meals and feel decent.  May the healthy body gods be shining their light upon me.  I’m not a good sick person.  However I did manage 14.5 hours of sleep last night (insert shocking face emoji here).  Onward & upward.

I am the queen of roasting all the veggies – seriously, all the time.  I’ve been using a mixture of ACV and hummus to dress them but have been craving dill lately.  So I grabbed some fresh dill at the market Saturday and the gears went into high gear. This is not a Tzatziki but similar type of sauce.  I love this on salads in lieu of dressing, adding a drizzle on roasted or raw veggies… my husband was even dipping veggie chips into it.  Whatever floats your boat. Super easy recipe and the flavors develop nicely the next day.

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— Knead to Cook

Raw chocolate chip cookie bites. Vegan. Gluten free.

by Filed Under: Breakfast, Brunch, Cookies, Desserts, Gluten Free, Party Foods, Snacks, Vegan, Wheat Free 3 Comments

  Raw chocolate chip cookie bites. Vegan. Gluten free.

My youngest daughter had her wisdom teeth removed and have been eating all the cold food she can handle.  I knew these would be a fun treat for her versus all the smoothies, ice cream and kombucha.  Turned out that everyone loved this sweet little treat on a very warm day.  I’m also thinking how good this will be stirred into homemade vegan ice cream!!  These were sweet, salty and yeah—the chocolate, a winner every single time.  These are the quintessential summer treat.

I kept these little bites looking like I was going to bake them.  You can totally roll them out into ball shapes if you prefer or flatten as a raw cookie.  Sprinkles would also be super cute subtracting out the chocolate (gasp!) for more a sugar cookie twist.

Okay let’s get this super easy, quick recipe started so you can be eating these asap!

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— Knead to Cook

Easy Summer Quinoa and Chickpea Salad. Vegan. GF.

by Filed Under: 4th of July/Patriotic, Beans, Brunch, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Fitness., Gluten Free, Health & wellness, Nuts, Party Foods, Salads, Side dish, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free, Your Life Edit Foundations Leave a Comment

 

Hi everybody!  It’s me the elusive foodie, runner (not running currently), absentee blogger!  I’m here!  Isn’t summer supposed to be oh-so-relaxing?  Yeah.  It isn’t.  At least for me.  In my defense, this post was to live yesterday but my MacBook hated my SD card with the images yesterday.  Had to run to Target to get a card reader to export my images of food long gone (yep, this dish is that good) so it worked.  Heres the post. Phew!

I know I’m tardy but LIFE IS CRAZY!  Seriously within the next month I think we’re home for only a few days.  Not all of us are gone thankfully so my house and dogs are taken care of but I hate living out of suitcase but I love to explore so we do all the things and embrace with grateful hearts.

So this sweet little recipe.  Perfect with leftover quinoa.  I’ve been crazily bumping up protein in my diet lately thanks to all of my weightlifting efforts at the gym.  Uses tons of fresh ingredients from your garden or the farmer’s market so it’s super cost effective.  Great for leftovers, lunches, BBQ’s, get-togethers etc.  Keeps perfectly in the fridge for a week.  My tip is to keep the vinaigrette separate and dress prior to serving. That way veggies stay crisp and lovely!  Okay, tons of cooking to do before we leave so I need to get my boo-TAY moving.

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— Knead to Cook

Easy Spicy Peanut Tofu Bites. Vegan. Gluten Free.

by Filed Under: Appetizers, Brunch, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gluten Free, Nuts, Party Foods, Tofu, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Vitamix, Your Life Edit Foundations Leave a Comment

Easy spicy peanut tofu bites.  

Well hello there my friends.  I’ve missed you all so much & feel like life is moving at warp speed.  Craziness.  What happened to lazy summer days?  Well, as we settle into our summer norm, having two teenagers home with me, eating round the clock, wanting to go driving (learner’s permit) and my oldest wanting to join me at the gym but “… not so early” and cooking for clients – I seem to the be the only one stressing here. Ha.

So if you follow me on any of my social media… you know I have a big puffy heart love affair with tofu.  Yes, I was the person you are reading this not so long ago.  I hated tofu.  It was gross.  Flavorless.  And pretty much the only food that they can fry and it still tasted gross.  Until I created this recipe and my entire world changed.  In fact, it has a cult following on Instagram.  I kid you not!  Fast forward several months and my love affair has grown.  First, it’s a wonderful source of protein.  It’s incredibly versatile, taking on whatever flavors you throw at it.  This has been a recipe I go to pretty often and once you taste it… you’ll see why.

I adapted this from several different friends (two of which own restaurants) and I really hope you give it a try.

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— Knead to Cook

Cavit Pinot Grigio and Summer Chickpea Salad. Vegan. GF.

by Filed Under: Beans, Brunch, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gluten Free, Party Foods, Raw, Sponsored, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free Leave a Comment

 

Chickpea salad.  

Are you excited?  Summer is finally upon us.  Parties, family gatherings, dining al fresco are all on my mind.  I can’t wait for relaxing evenings, foods harvested from my garden and beverages to celebrate a more relaxed vibe for the next several months.

As the temperatures rise, our plates are filled with colorful foods and refreshing beverages.  I’ve partnered up with Cavit Collection to pair up a summer recipe along with their light & crisp Pinot Grigio (hello, National Pinot Grigio day this Friday) for that perfect pairing.  I love easy recipes, that are quite flexible and can be prepared ahead of time so you can enjoy your family, friends or party go-ers.  Along with a wonderful veggie/bean salad, I love to stock up on lighter wines for guests. Featuring one of our favorites, Cavit Pinot Grigio is the perfect, light summer wine.  I know wine selection can be quite difficult if you aren’t familiar, but this Pinot is a wonderful option that everyone will love.

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— Knead to Cook

Veggie protein burritos. Vegan. GF.

by Filed Under: Beans, Breakfast, Brunch, Gluten Free, Mexican, Party Foods, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free, Your Life Edit Foundations 2 Comments

Veggie protein burritos.  I took this pic at night so sorry for the lack of photo perfection.

The universe, I believe, is trying to knock me down.  Again, I wiped out on a run.  Seriously, what in the world is going on with me?  Ha.  I think I keep biting the pavement, a–hem road, because I completely zone-out, praying, meditating and just stop paying attention to each and every step.  My poor husband.  I walk in, covered in dirt, rocks and blood and he looks at me in dismay —– again.  But on the positive note, the weather was insanely cool and lovely.  My run felt really good till I wiped out.  And my daughter’s veneer (if you’ve been following me on Insta-story) has finally arrived, fit and looks so awesome!  My youngest had smacked my oldest’s front tooth, well 1/3rd of it, out ten years ago and we wanted it more secure before she heads off to college.  Check, check and check!  She looks awesome!

So this little, sweet recipe.  I made it for a client for breakfast and morphed it into a lunch or dinner (or after-school snack) that my family has been totally digging!  I thought if they are – I better share. These are perfect to freeze and prep ahead.  I hope you love these as much as we have!

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— Knead to Cook

Everything bagel seeded crackers. V. GF.

by Filed Under: Breakfast, Brownies, Brunch, Gluten Free, Party Foods, Snacks, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free, Your Life Edit Foundations Leave a Comment

Everything bagel seeded crackers. V. GF.

I’m starting to think that Tuesdays are going to surpass Mondays on the suck factor.  Weird situations keep happening that 1. kill my run times 2. make my daughters cry and 3. make me feel like the worst mom on the planet.

Last Tuesday my youngest stepped off the bus and snapped her ligament that connects her leg to her foot.  We spent all morning at the doc, hospital, X-rays, resting, eating, ice etc.  Thankfully my sweet girl is on the mend and off crutches as of Monday but has a wonderfully bruised foot.  It was my oldest daughter’s turn this week for a rough patch.  Long story short, when she was younger my youngest smacked out about 1/3 rd of her front tooth out and it’s been bonded ever since.  With her moving 10 hours away to attend her university we wanted to get a veneer on that tooth for more stability.  While we await the 2nd attempt at the veneer (the first one the cosmetic dentist was not happy with) her temporary shattered at 1a this morning.  This was the 2nd time in 3 days.  Problem is that our wonderful cosmetic dentist teaches at Penn on Tuesday in Philly and isn’t here.  His assistant was able to help however without pain meds.  My daughter tried to handle the exposed nerve pain but after too long gripping my hand with great force, tears and pain… we found a nearby periodontist to come and administer Novocain. I felt like the worst mom EVER!  Finally repaired and home.  I won’t even get into my orthodontist appointment details and my pain because it doesn’t matter at this point.  My oldest opted to sleep this afternoon and not go to school.  Phew.  Can this day be over, please?

Sorry for the long tirade… I made these crackers yesterday and they came out great!  I wanted to share with you all because I feel like we all need a good cracker in our life.  Great snack with jam, almond butter or hummus.  Super easy to make.  Store perfectly for a week.  I hope you give these a try!

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— Knead to Cook

Best of… Vegan Meats.

by Filed Under: Beans, Best Vegan..., Brunch, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gluten Free, Lentils, Party Foods, Snacks, Vegan, Vegan Burgers, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free 7 Comments

Moving on to the Best of… series I thought I would focus on a big one – vegan meats!  There are plenty of options out there and I feel like I’ve tried most (I’m sure I haven’t but…).  I compiled our favorites list and these can be found at most grocery stores and Targets across the country.  One caveat, my favorite – all time best meat alternative however is only found at Whole Foods but it is totally worth the trip to get your hands on their burgers.  More on that below.


Now the big comment every vegan hears from their carnivore counterparts is:  “If you need to find a meat replacement, why don’t you just eat the real deal?”.  Well… because we don’t believe in eating animals.  If there is a plant-based substitute available that is just as tasty, isn’t laden with hormones, blood and who-knows-what binders… why wouldn’t you eat that?  Tirade over. Ha.

Without further adieu… let’s get to the list.
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— Knead to Cook