Knead to Cook

Food & fitness obsessed girl.

Archives for February 2015

Almond Butter Banana Protein Ice Cream. Vegan. Gluten Free.

by Filed Under: Brunch, Desserts, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Fitness., Fruit, Ice cream, Running/Races, Smoothies, Snacks, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Vitamix 3 Comments

Almond Butter Banana Protein Ice Cream. Vegan. Gluten Free.

Almond Butter Banana Protein Ice Cream. Vegan. Gluten Free.

Many frozen bananas + a 16 year old post wisdom teeth removal equals this recipe.  Only my daughter would be eating like a champ post surgery.  She’s dairy and gluten free and I don’t like chemical-laden frozen ice cream ingredients so I created this little dish for her.  Plus I have about 20 frozen bananas in my freezer at all times for my smoothies (I get very ripe bananas on sale, peel and freeze immediately)  I added some protein so it would help fill her up and let her stomach handle the pain meds/antibiotics a bit better.  This treat is easy to whip up and tastes so good.  You do need a powerful blender to make this recipe like a Vitamix.

Easy prep ahead and store in a tupperware container in the freezer.  This recipe made about 4 good sized servings and cost me about $3.00 or less.  No preservatives or ingredients you can’t pronounce.  It was so good she ate all of it.  I did sneak a sample before she devoured.  Happy Friday!
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— Knead to Cook

Raw Meyer Lemon Mini Tarts. Vegan. Gluten Free.

by Filed Under: Breakfast, Brunch, Desserts, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Fitness., Fruit, Running/Races, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Vitamix, Wheat Free 3 Comments

Raw Meyer Lemon Tart. Vegan. Gluten Free.

Raw Meyer Lemon Tart. Vegan. Gluten Free.

My pride and joy of gardening is my little Meyer Lemon tree that my husband bought me two years ago.  We move it outside in the summer and inside, into our sunroom, in the winter.  It produced about 11 lemons this year and as we approach the end of the season I wanted to make something special with them.  My daughter is a huge key lime pie fan so I thought I take a tart departure from that and make these for her.  Tomorrow she is having her wisdom teeth out so I wanted to make a special treat that she can enjoy this evening.

These are completely vegan and gluten free.  Packed with protein and flavor.  The weather may not be sunny and warm but these will take you to a warm tropical locale on your palate.  I hope you enjoy these as much as we do.

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— Knead to Cook

Banana Peanut Butter blondies. Vegan. Gluten free.

by Filed Under: Breakfast, Brownies, Brunch, Desserts, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gluten Free, Running/Races, Snacks, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free 2 Comments

Banana blondies. Vegan. Gluten free.

Banana blondies. Vegan. Gluten free.

Think of these as a banana peanut butter bread crossed with a blondie. They are super moist. Protein-packed, gluten and dairy free! They are a bit more delicate but so incredibly delicious. Perfect on-the-go breakfast, snack or dessert. My girls love these after school. Plus the protein keeps you filled till dinner.

You can also make these a bit more decadent by adding chocolate chips to the batter before baking.

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— Knead to Cook

Spicy Lentil and Chickpea Veggie Soup.

by Filed Under: Beans, Brunch, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Fitness., Gluten Free, Running/Races, Soups, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free 4 Comments

Spicy Lentil and Chickpea Veggie Soup.

Spicy Lentil and Chickpea Veggie Soup by Knead to Cook.

It’s Monday again. How does your week look?  Are you optimistic or want to crawl back under the blankets?

My mind feels good but my body is having a disconnect.  More about that later.  This week is exciting and nerve-wracking all rolled up in just a few short days.  My oldest daughter receives her second varsity letter tomorrow night for swimming, very proud.  But on the flip side she is having her wisdom teeth extracted on Friday so that leaves me nervous.  Oh and add that shiny new driver’s permit to the mix and I’m concluding that I will be out of my comfort zone for a bit.  She’s learning and will be a great driver but she’s our first child to teach to drive.  I’m learning the men in my life (husband and father) have great patience with her.  Me,  I need to meditate more as my type A personality is emerging more and evidently making her nervous.  Yeah, you’re driving is making ME nervous too.  So we’re equal. Ha ha.

Today is a rest day so I’ve been working in the kitchen today.  I made a big pot of this soup and some vegan/gf coconut blondies I’ll be sharing this week.  This soup is perfect for these bone-chilling days.  Freezes great.  Packed with protein and vitamins.  Turmeric for recovery.  Packed with flavor!
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— Knead to Cook

Sweet and Spicy Roasted Marcona Almonds.

by Filed Under: Breakfast, Brunch, Desserts, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gluten Free, Holiday, Holiday Baking Ideas, Nuts, Vegan, Vegan proteins 4 Comments

Sweet and Spicy Roasted Marcona Almonds.

Sweet and Spicy Roasted Marcona Almonds.

Boy it’s been a long week.  The weather has been brutally cold. My girls actually had a delay today due to subzero temps.  My daughter celebrated her sweet 16 yesterday and she got her driving permit first thing this morning (thanks for the school delay). Exciting and a nervous time for everyone involved.  She got a 100%!  Reflecting a lot this week and trying to get my mind around where the past 16 years have gone and praying for the future.

Today I came home after school drop-off and I’m trying to plan out my long run this weekend.  One day it’s going to be snowy and colder and one day is warmer but rainy.  Ha.  I’m leaning towards Sunday.  In my plotting, I wanted to make a good snack that I can grab on my rest day that is full of protein, flavor and will give me some much needed carb-loading action.  These came out great!  Seriously addictive.  I had to walk away from them or I would eat them all.  I hope you give these a try.  Perfect alone, for a gift, atop oatmeal, salads or your favorite banana ice cream sundae.
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— Knead to Cook

Oatmeal Banana Pancakes. Vegan. Gluten Free.

by Filed Under: Breakfast, Brunch, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Giveaway!!!, Gluten Free, Vegan 6 Comments

Oatmeal Banana Pancakes. Vegan. Gluten Free.

Oatmeal Banana Pancakes. Vegan. Gluten Free.

These were our President’s Day sleepover breakfast.  Pancakes are always requested and well-received by our guests.  It’s also my chance to sneak in some good, healthy ingredients to fuel my family.  This recipe makes a nice big batch so you will have extras to refrigerate for easy morning breakfasts on-the-go.  Love these for the weekend too or perfect if you’re hosting a brunch.

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— Knead to Cook

Berry Cornbread Loaf. Vegan. Gluten Free.

by Filed Under: Breads, Breakfast, Brunch, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Fitness., Fruit, Gluten Free, Quick Bread, Running/Races, Snacks, Vegan, Wheat Free 8 Comments

Berry Cornbread Loaf. Vegan. Gluten Free.

Berry Cornbread Loaf. Vegan. Gluten Free.

Tuesday brought us another snow delay. Déjà vu!  We’ve been blessed, I’ll be honest. We’ve had NO snow days this winter so far (knock on wood) and only have a few measly inches on the ground but this brutal cold is making this winter really hard.  But less of that and more of some fun recipes.

I baked this bread on Sunday when I had several extra pints of berries to use.  I love cornbread muffins.  I thought it would be fun to mix some berries and cornbread to make a low sugar bread that the berries would sweeten on their own.  This bread is perfect for a snack or breakfast on-the-go.  Plus if you prefer some extra sweetness, see the options in the recipe listed below.  I love to have a piece with a giant cup of tea when I can steal a moment of downtime.

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— Knead to Cook

Herbed Tempeh Meatballs. Vegan. Gluten Free.

by Filed Under: Beans, Brunch, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Giveaway!!!, Gluten Free, Running/Races, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free 8 Comments

Tempeh Herbed Meatballs. Vegan. Gluten Free.

Tempeh Herbed Meatballs. Vegan. Gluten Free.

On Sunday I barricaded myself inside as the temps were in the single digits not including the 50 mph winds.  Seriously, I was so happy that I had an easier training week and did my long run on Thursday.  This weather has been insane.  In my pursuit to be productive, I opted to make a huge batch of meatballs and sauce.  Wait! What? You’re thinking I’m vegan.  Yes, I am.  But my best friend had back surgery on Wednesday and has been in the hospital ever since recovering.  I asked what I could do to help the family and she requested meatballs.  So I made a lot of meatballs.  A huge batch of red sauce.  AND I also made chocolate chip cookies.  I respect everyone’s dietary choices and when helping out… you do what you can.  But I wanted to make some “meatballs” for my husband and I to have with our sauce for dinner.

I’ve made vegan meatballs before but none of which I was that impressed with to be honest.  I opted to give some tempeh a whirl. The result – pretty delicious as I loaded it up with a lot of spices.  And the key is to steam the tempeh first to soften it up which helps, in my opinion, make it more receptive to seasoning that you’re adding.
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— Knead to Cook

Indian-Spiced Roasted Cauliflower. Vegan. Gluten Free.

by Filed Under: Brunch, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gluten Free, Indian-inspired., Side dish, Vegan Leave a Comment

Indian Roasted Cauliflower. Vegan. Gluten Free.

Indian Roasted Cauliflower. Vegan. Gluten Free.

I love Indian food.  I love all kinds of food but Indian food… it’s so incredible especially when you’re vegan.  The flavor-packed options are endless.  I always gravitate towards cauliflower dishes.  Their spices are so healthy for the body.  Reducing inflammation.  Provides iron.  Helps transfer oxygen to vital organs.  Benefits metabolism and helps immunity.  Can’t go wrong.  Food is medicine!  Trust me.

This is one of those veggies that you can prep ahead of time and have for the week.  Great paired up with rice, salad greens, quinoa or a side dish for your favorite protein.

*Custom tags can be found here.

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— Knead to Cook