Knead to Cook

Food & fitness obsessed girl.

Dried Fava Bean Hummus.

by Filed Under: Appetizers, Condiments, Dips, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gluten Free, Indian-inspired., Party Foods, Snacks, Stocks/Broths, Vegetarian, Vitamix, Wheat Free 4 Comments

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I often buy bags of beans (thanks to Bob’s Red Mill) that look interesting or something I haven’t tried before.  Now I’ve eaten fresh fava beans but never dried so I grabbed the bag and vowed to make something this week (and not let it get buried in the back of pantry never to be seen again).  This is a crazy (yes, another) week with three swim meets, one of which we are hosting amongst construction in our house, training and our swim banquet.  My eye is twitching in stress as I type this (ha ha).  So in my free hour that I was blessed with today, I grabbed the beans and cooked them according to the package directions.  It only took about 40 minutes.  The texture is similar to a baked potato when done.  They are packed with protein, fiber and iron!  Perfect as I haven’t been eating meat in the past few months.  And this is what I did with them after draining…

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— Knead to Cook

Tomato Basil Vinaigrette.

by Filed Under: Condiments, Dips, Gluten Free, Italian-inspired, No bake/cooking required!, Salads, Salsas & Guacamole, Vegetarian, Vinaigrette, Vitamix, Wheat Free 4 Comments

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This is like a fresh burst of garden flavor. I just love the flavors.  Now I know the color may be deceptive (thanks to the yellow tomatoes I used and the dark balsamic) but don’t be swayed.  The flavor is incredibly summer.  Packed with freshness that will make your tastebuds dance!  Great for topping your favorite greens, proteins or for dipping veggies into.  I keep dipping my veggies into it… so good!  Easy, clean and vegan!

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— Knead to Cook

Haricot Vert Salad. {green bean salad}

by Filed Under: Brunch, Gluten Free, Party Foods, Salads, Vegetarian, Vinaigrette, Wheat Free 6 Comments

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Haricot verts are a thinner green bean to the domestic green bean.  I found these beauties at our farmer’s market and I thought they would make the perfect salad (dinner for me) side dish for my family.  Easy to make.  I used my roasted red pepper balsamic vinaigrette dressing to dress it.  It a great dish for these hot days of summer when you don’t want to eat anything super heavy.  Can also be prepped ahead of time and leftovers taste better the next day after absorbing lots of the flavors.  Again, I encourage you to use what extras you have on hand to add to your salad to make it your own.

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— Knead to Cook

Roasted red pepper balsamic vinaigrette.

by Filed Under: Condiments, Gluten Free, Italian-inspired, No bake/cooking required!, Salads, Vegetarian, Vinaigrette, Vitamix, Wheat Free 10 Comments

 

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I have always loved making my own vinaigrettes.  I use them for topping salads, veggies, meats – whatever!  This one is a favorite as my family really loves the flavor of smoked paprika.  This dressing has a dark, earthy flavor – which pairs up beautifully with greens or mixed vegetables.  I prepared a mixed green bean salad and topped it with this dressing last night for dinner.  It was so good.  In fact… everyone kept dipping veggies into the dressing despite my efforts to photograph it for this post.

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— Knead to Cook

Overnight Peanut Butter and Banana Oats. {no cooking or baking.}

by Filed Under: Breakfast, Brunch, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Fruit, Gluten Free, No bake/cooking required!, Nuts, Vegetarian 11 Comments

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I need to add more oats to my diet.  I am a total creature of habit.  I pretty much have the same breakfast and lunch every day.  I needed to mix it up – variety is the spice of life, right?  I kept seeing overnight oats everywhere I looked – like a subliminal message, I thought I would make a batch last night (after three days away in three states for a short holiday) and see how it tasted.  Well as you may or many not know, I’ve been clean eating for about 8-9 months.  Avoiding pretty much anything processed, loaded with preservatives, meat and striving to be as clean as possible.  Okay enough about that!  So I wanted to add only clean ingredients to my overnight refrigerated oatmeal.  It took me about 2 minutes to assemble and have in the fridge.  I anxiously awaited the morning and the taste test… to be continued.

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— Knead to Cook

Clean Cherry and Walnut Granola Bars.

by Filed Under: Brunch, Cookies, Desserts, Gluten Free, Holiday, Nuts, Snacks, Vegetarian 5 Comments

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My friends over at Oh Nuts!  sent me a care package of some of their products.  I’ve been a long-standing customer, I love their nuts/dried fruits, and was thrilled to start making some favorite recipes with their goodies.  I’ve been meaning to whip up some granola bars that are very clean and wanted something that would have a good consistency and not be overly sweet.  I’ve been eating clean,  no refined sugars amongst other things for eight months now with huge changes to my body and the way I feel.  PLUS, I prefer my family eat non-processed foods/snacks and they love granola so it was a must.  These make a great road-trip snack idea too!  We are headed out for two trips this week and I will have these on hand for the beach!   [Read more…]

— Knead to Cook

Mango Raspberry Zoku Popsicles.

by Filed Under: Desserts, Frozen Pops, Fruit, Gluten Free, No bake/cooking required!, Party Foods, Vegetarian, Zoku Popsicles Leave a Comment

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Clean eating and knowing what you are giving your children and family to eat is so important.  Most of the frozen treats in the grocery stores are filled with preservatives and funky ingredients that I prefer not to serve my family.  Last week I finally bought a Zoku popsicle maker.  An investment but you can certainly use regular popsicle molds if you have those on hand (they just require freezing time).  Plus, kids of all ages love making their own versions of their treats.  This is my daughter’s 3rd or 4th popsicle that she’s made.

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— Knead to Cook

Peanut Butter Oat Walnut Chocolate Bars. {clean snacking}

by Filed Under: Cookies, Desserts, Gluten Free, Holiday Baking Ideas, No bake/cooking required!, Party Foods, Product Review., Snacks, Vegetarian 3 Comments

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These little bars are NOT a big mistake… well maybe they are if you DON’T eat them!  They are clean!  Hard to believe by the way they taste.  NO added refined sugars, corn syrups or anything junky. Now they do have chocolate in them (and dark chocolate is good for you) and I used a fair trade dark chocolate but you can use what you have (either a dark bar chopped up or chips).  Heart healthy!  My friends at Oh Nuts!   sent me a bag of some huge, gorgeous, fresh walnuts and I thought of this recipe instantly!  Their nuts and dried fruits are to die for!  You can sub out your favorite nut or whatever you have on hand.  Be prepared… your family will descend quickly on these sweet bars.  Love that you can make these ahead of time too… perfect for parties, or just to prepare to have for better snacking options for your family v. store-bought, overly processed treats.

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— Knead to Cook

Corn, Quinoa, Cilantro and Avocado Salad.

by Filed Under: Cheese, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gluten Free, Party Foods, Salads, Side dish, Vegetarian 8 Comments

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Happy Meatless Monday!

I’ve been sharing my healthy journey with everyone for quite some time.  I’ve been focusing on eating more and more vegetarian dishes because I just haven’t had a taste for meat.  This salad is one of the reasons why… all fresh ingredients, I just don’t miss the meat.  This salad encapsulates summer with all of the freshness without any heavy ingredients to weigh you down.  Perfect to make ahead for a party too!  You can make this vegan by omitting the cheese if you wish as well.  I wanted to try out some new Cabot lactose free cheddar and decided to use it in this salad – it was so good.  You can also sub out fresh mozzarella if you wish.  And if you are a staunch carnivore… this is the perfect side dish to pair up alongside fish, pork, chicken or beef.
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— Knead to Cook

Banana Peanut Butter Ice Cream Cupcakes. {dairy free}

by Filed Under: Brunch, Desserts, Frozen Pops, Fruit, Gluten Free, Ice cream, Vegetarian, Vitamix, Wheat Free Leave a Comment

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These are the easiest and one of the healthiest ways of enjoying one of summer’s most treasured treats… ice cream!  BUT, these are healthier, dairy-free, and packed with so much protein!  Three ingredients.  Takes only about 2 minutes to make – the worst part is waiting for them to freeze!

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— Knead to Cook