Category Archives: Wheat Free

Chocolate Avocado Smoothie. (Tastes like pudding!)

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I know you’re thinking I must be crazy, right?!  I was hesitant when I ran across this recipe in one of my mags that I had.  I thought why not try it, my youngest daughter is so underweight that the calories (all good) would be a great start to the day.  Protein, good fats… it’s all good.  Both of my girls loved it!  I snuck a taste and it tasted like pudding – even had that consistency to be honest.  I put them on table, started making my breakfast and the next thing I heard was slurping sounds coming from their straws. Enough said!

Ingredients:

Makes 2 – 2 cup servings

1 ripe avocado, halved and pitted
2 cups of vanilla almond milk
3 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder
3 tablespoons of maple syrup or honey
2 tablespoons of dark chocolate chips
1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
14 ice cubes

Directions:

Into your blender or Vitamix, add all of the ingredients.  Blend until creamy.  This will have a thick, pudding like appearance.  Pour slowly into  your glasses.  Top with a few chocolate chips.  Enjoy!

Eeek!  Chocolate for breakfast and it is oh so good!

*Adapted from Eating Well.

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{No cream added} Roasted Tomato Soup.

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I’m on a mission to continue to eat much cleaner and that was revamping my roasted tomato soup (which normally has some cream in it).  This is perfect!  It was thick and creamy sans the extra fat.  I love making this soup in the summer when fresh tomatoes are plentiful but honestly, you can get the worst tomatoes in the winter, like I did, and roast them and you will never know how mealy they were when they started out in your dinner prep.

This recipe has a lot of flexibility so use what you have on hand or what you love!

Ingredients:

3-4 lbs of tomatoes (beefsteak etc.), quartered
2 red bell peppers (whatever color works), sliced into large pieces
1 medium sized onion, sliced into quarters and then peeled apart
10 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
1 small 6 ounce can of tomato paste
4 cups  of vegetable or chicken broth
Fresh basil for topping (optional)

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 275 degrees.  Spray a large broiler pan (something with sides) with olive oil.  Then toss all of your tomatoes, peppers, onions and garlic into the pan.  Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.  Drizzle olive oil and give it a good toss.  Place in the oven for at least 3 hours.  Then remove.

On the stove top over medium heat, place your Dutch oven.  Drizzle some olive oil in the pan and add the tomato paste.  Mix it over the heat until it melts nicely.  Then add the vegetables and stock.  Bring to a boil and then simmer for 30 minutes.  Using a blender or a hand immersion blender, blend until the soup is completely pureed.  Top with fresh basil leaves.  Enjoy!

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Gluten-Free Baked Chobani Fonuts {doughnuts}.

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Fonuts are fake donuts AKA “not fried”, healthy dare I say?  I’m not a huge donut fan but these little guys… I’ve eaten 3 today!  They are minis after-all, so I don’t have the guilt that I normally would have partaking in such a treat.  Gluten-free as well!  I didn’t want to use any “junky” ingredients and guess what – they’re pretty good!!  My kids came home and downed like 8 of them already.

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cup of almond flour (spooned into your measuring cups – not packed down)
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg (you can also use pumpkin or apple spice seasoning instead)
3 eggs, room temperature
1/4 cup (heaping) of vanilla Chobani yogurt
2 heaping tablespoons of raw honey (use regular if you don’t have it)
Extra honey, cinnamon, sugar for topping which is optional

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and spray your donut pan with baking spray.  Set aside.

You can use a food processor, blender or Vitamix to make the batter creamy and fabulous.  Add all of the dry ingredients and blend (if using a food processor – 4-6 pulses). Then add all of the wet ingredients and blend until smooth.  Stop and scrape down the sides if necessary.  Blend again.  This process took about 1 minute or so.  Then with a spoon, fill each well with about 1/2 or so of batter.  Then bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden.

While baking, I took about two heaping tablespoons of the raw honey (you can also use maple syrup too) and melted it in the microwave until it was watery.  I dipped each donut (fonut) into the liquified honey and then sprinkled some cinnamon and sugar on top.  This is optional.

Enjoy!

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Mango Jalapeño Salsa.

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*Stamped spoon can be found at:   http://www.etsy.com/people/pumpernickelandwry

Sometimes you need to lighten up a gray day with some tropical salsa.  Today, is a bit gray and going to be rainy… I thought this would be the perfect way to brighten up dinner.  I make this salsa early and let the flavors blend in the fridge until dinner.  Top over grilled chicken, pork or fish.  Or eat it straight up with tortilla chips.  Perfect for a party!

Ingredients:

2 mangoes, peeled, pitted and diced
2 green spring onions, sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup of cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
1 jalapeño, seeds removed (or left in if you like the heat), finely diced
1-2 tablespoons of a better quality balsamic vinegar

Directions:

Add all of the ingredients to a mixing bowl.  Give a good toss and let the flavors develop for at least 2 hours in the refrigerator.  Remove right before serving and add additional balsamic if necessary.

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Classic Hummus.

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If you’ve never made hummus, you don’t know what you’re missing.  Store bought hummus pales in comparison.  This took me about 3 minutes to make.  It tastes unbelievably good and can be used as a dip, sandwich spread… whatever!  So healthy and even the kids love it!  I made it for a party that we’re having tonight to serve with some fresh veggies.  Chips, pretzels, crackers… they all work as a delivery vehicle :)

Ingredients:

2 15 ounce cans of low sodium chickpeas (One drained and rinsed, one with liquid)
1/4 cup of toasted sesame seeds
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1/4 cup of lemon juice
1/4 cup of water
4 garlic cloves, smashed (skin removed)
1 heaping teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Add everything to your Vitamix or blender.  If you using a Vitamix, set to Puree and let it run.  If using a blender or food processor, blend until smooth and creamy.  Remove and store in a container with a lid.

*Recipe loosely adapted from Vitamix cookbook.

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Quinoa Turkey Meatloaf Muffins. Wheat-free.

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I have a few recipes I still wanted to try and review for my dear friend Lauren.  Her wheat-free cookbook is fabulous.  Last night I tried the Quinoa Turkey Meatloaf and made it in a muffin pan for easy serving.  Everyone loved it!  It was so tasty and she was right… didn’t miss the breadcrumbs at all!

INGREDIENTS | SERVES 6
1⁄4 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed and drained
1⁄2 cup chicken broth (low sodium)
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 (20-ounce) package ground chicken (or turkey or lean ground beef) -I used lean turkey
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 egg, and 1 egg white
1⁄2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground rosemary
1 teaspoon ground basil
3⁄4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated (I used Feta)

Directions:

  1. Bring the quinoa and broth to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the quinoa is tender and the water has been absorbed, about 15–20 minutes. Set aside to cool.
  2. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  3. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Add in the onion; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute; remove from heat to cool.
  4. Inalargebowladdthechicken,cookedquinoa, onions, garlic, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, egg and egg white, salt, pepper, seasonings, and Parmesan cheese. Mix until well combined. The mixture will be very moist. Shape into a loaf on a foil lined baking sheet. I scooped my mixture into muffin pans and baked it that way.  I did spray the tins with olive oil.
  5. Bake until no longer pink in the center, 50–60minutes (muffins took about 30 minutes). An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 160°F. Let the meat loaf cool for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
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Chocolate–Peanut Butter Chobani Smoothie. Wheat-free.

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I made another fantastic recipe from Lauren’s book!  The giveaway is tomorrow night (check my Facebook page for how to enter).  My daughter and father guzzled this one down faster than I blink.  Glad I snapped some pics first!

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This smoothie is so delicious, you won’t even believe that it is healthy!

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until thick and creamy. Serve immediately.

Looking to Add More Protein to Your Smoothie?
Protein powder is an easy way to increase your protein, especially in smoothies. There are many varieties of protein powders. Read your labels carefully to make sure the protein powders have no ingredients containing wheat.

INGREDIENTS | SERVES 2

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons natural creamy peanut butter
1⁄2 banana, frozen
1⁄2 cup almond milk (or milk of your choice)
1⁄2 cup vanilla Chobani yogurt
1⁄2 teaspoon wheat-free vanilla extract 4–5 ice cubes

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until thick and creamy. Serve immediately.

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Indian Style Chicken with Lentils and Chobani.

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I always feel the need to apologize for not taking pictures (when I do this) during daylight hours but with winter time here and some late night dinners… I have to work with what I’ve got.

As you know, I’m doing a joint giveaway with my awesome friend Lauren Kelly who wrote the following book:

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Our giveaway is this Friday and the details are listed on my Facebook page on how to enter.  I jumped at the chance to try some recipes from this book.  So far, both recipes have knocked my socks off!  Yesterday I made her oatmeal cookie bars – to die for.  Last night for dinner, I made this Indian Style Chicken with Lentils and my all time fave Chobani.  Everyone loved it and we had no leftovers!  {good sign.}

INGREDIENTS | SERVES 4–6

1 cup lentils (I used pre-cooked lentils from Trader Joe’s last night.)

3 cups water

1⁄2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced (I used 4 but I love garlic)

1 medium onion, peeled and finely minced

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon cumin

1⁄4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1⁄2 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces

1 cup plain Chobani Greek low fat yogurt

1 tablespoon curry powder

1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce (I used Sriracha)

Directions:

  1. Preheat broiler.  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
  2. Place the lentils and water in a saucepan.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer.
  3. Just before the lentils are cooked (when barely tender, after about 25 minutes), add 1⁄4 teaspoon salt, pepper, garlic, onion, lemon juice, cumin, red pepper flakes and parsley.
  4. Toss the chicken with the yogurt, curry powder, remaining salt, and Tabasco sauce. Place chicken on foil-lined baking sheet and broil for 5 minutes per side.
  5. Mix the chicken into the lentils and serve with rice.

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Cranberry Apple Granola Cookie Bars.

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My very sweet friend Lauren Kelly is a certified nutritionist and new author of:

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Lauren is generously sharing a signed copy with a lucky winner and fan of Knead to Cook on Facebook this Friday, February 8th, 2013.  I couldn’t wait to dive in and start testing out some recipes.  Today I tried the Cranberry Apple Granola Cookie Bars.  I did use almonds in lieu of walnuts (prefer almonds more) and I omitted the cranberries because my oldest isn’t a fan.  My review… they are heavenly!!!  I highly HIGHLY recommend these.  And they are totally wheat free! They are totally flexible too.  You can add cherries, raisins, whatever nut you prefer.  The end result… perfection!  Love Lauren and her recipes!

 

INGREDIENTS | MAKES 25 BARS

3 cups wheat-free rolled oats

3⁄4 cup walnuts ( I used slivered almonds), finely chopped

3⁄4 cup ground flax seed

1⁄3 cup almond meal

1⁄2 cup shredded coconut

1⁄8 teaspoon kosher salt

11⁄4 cups honey

1 teaspoon wheat-free vanilla extract

2 ounces dried cranberries, unsweetened (optional)

2 ounces dried apple slices, unsweetened

Directions:

These bars are like a cookie and a granola bar in one. There is no need to buy the store bought granola bars anymore. These are healthy and delicious.

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  2. In a large bowl, mix the oats, walnuts (or whatever nut you prefer), flax, almond meal, coconut, and salt. Place on baking sheet and roast in the oven for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  3. Dissolve honey and vanilla in a saucepan over low heat.
  4. Remove dry ingredients from the oven and pour into a bowl. Lower oven to 300°F. Grease 9″ × 13″ glass dish with cooking spray.
  5. Mix honey mixture into bowl with dry ingredients, add the cranberries and apples.
  6. Pour into greased dish and spread out evenly.  Use rubber spatula to press down evenly. Bake for 30–40 minutes, until golden brown.
  7. Let cool for at least 1 1⁄2-2 hours to harden.

 

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