Knead to Cook

Food & fitness obsessed girl.

Vegan Queso Dip. GF.

by Filed Under: Appetizers, Brunch, Cheese, Dips, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gluten Free, Mexican, Nuts, Party Foods, Raw, Running/Races, Side dish, Snacks, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Vitamix, Wheat Free, Your Life Edit Foundations 9 Comments

Vegan queso dip.  Are you planning your menu for your Super Bowl party?  Or you attending a party & need a recipe to take with you?  We will having an intimate little party with lots of yummy food – just the way I like it.  This week I’m sharing recipes for the big day that won’t blow your fitness/healthy eating.  My recipes are all super easy and most of the time with ingredients you have stocked in your pantry.  This recipe is everything.

When you migrate over to a plant-based diet, the main thing I struggled with was the lack of cheese.  I’m not a dairy/milk fan, could care less about missing bacon or hamburgers but cheese?  Yes!  I missed it.  Thankfully nowadays there are so many incredible nut-based cheeses to curb the cravings.  This dip is a spin on a classic party dish – queso dip. This dip can be incorporated into a 7 layer dip or like this, served straight up with veggies, lentil or tortilla chips.  It has a lovely smokiness & a bit of spicy kick.  Perfect paired with a cold beer for football viewing!
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— Knead to Cook

Chocolate Chunk Cookies. Vegan. GF.

by Filed Under: Breakfast, Brunch, Cookies, Desserts, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gluten Free, Holiday, Nuts, Party Foods, Running/Races, Snacks, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free, Your Life Edit Foundations 8 Comments

   

Chocolate chunk cookies hot from the oven. Vegan & gluten free.

This recipe was adapted from Oh She Glow‘s one bowl chocolate chunk cookies.  I revamped this recipe to prep all in a food processor and with less ingredients/sugars.  I’ve been making these cookies for what seems to be FORever!  My girls drool over these when they’re in the oven & safely assume that they don’t last very long on the counter.  I also adapted these sans chocolate chunk so that my husband, who is allergic to chocolate, can enjoy as well.  Both versions work perfectly.

This week I’ll be sharing a recipe a day for your super bowl party this weekend.  All will be vegan and gluten free but oh-so-delectable that none of your guests will know.  I’m all about healthy options that don’t look like celery sticks and throw everyone into a tizzy.  Super Bowl parties are supposed to be filled with stick to your ribs kinda food… my food line-up this week promises to do just that!

So no time to waste… let’s get this week started!
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— Knead to Cook

Vegan and GF “Meaty” Lasagna.

by Filed Under: Brunch, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gluten Free, Italian-inspired, Nuts, Pasta, Running/Races, Sauces, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Vitamix, Wheat Free 6 Comments

Vegan & gluten free “meaty” lasagna.  I grew up with horrible lasagna.  I mean HORRIBLE!  From my childhood on I’ll admit, I would shy away from this Italian dish with every fiber of my being.  My Italian side of my family, that knew how to cook, never made it.  We always ate ravioli.  So going vegan and gf, this wasn’t a dish that I was going to miss out on.

My oldest asked for lasagna recently.  I was a bit taken aback because I wasn’t sure where she ever developed a penchant for it.  I’ll be honest, I blew her request off.  Then while shopping in a local grocery store that I never really frequent, I spied some gluten free noodles.  Perhaps the universe was sending me a signal.  I embraced it and gave it a whirl.

If you follow me on Snapchat or Insta stories, you saw my over-the-top review over the recipe.  I knew I had to recreate it for you all after over 200 requests.  My disclaimer:  it may not look “picture perfect” but you will be swooning over this one!  I pinky promise.

I do want to apologize for the lack of staging the perfect photos but light was dwindling and I was rushing to get each step documented for you.  Plus lasagna is not the most photogenic food out there.
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— Knead to Cook

Spice and herb bread. Vegan. Gluten Free.

by Filed Under: Breads, Fitness., Gluten Free, Nuts, Snacks, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Vitamix, Wheat Free Leave a Comment

This herb bread became my legit obsession last week.  I made some for clients and had two loaves left for my family. I love cubing it up and keeping it in my dessert cloche on my counter.  My daughter takes it for breakfast at school (post early morning swim practice).  My husband eats it after dinner.  I snack on it whenever I need a pick-me-up.

Heart healthy fats, vegan & gluten free.  This bread is a wonderful companion to soups as well.  Adapting the seeds/herbs will completely transform this bread into your favorite too!

This week my Invisalign arrived so I’ve been pretty much relegated to eating two big meals per day with absolutely no snacking.  Taking the liners out to eat and then brushing them and my teeth every time really deters you from mindless eating.  This may be a good thing! Ha.  So I need to stop wasting time and get back to my kitchen and cooking.  Oh and if you don’t follow me on Insta-stories or Snapchat (kneadtocook) – I’ll be sharing an earth-shattering, awesome vegan and gluten free lasagna recipe I made yesterday.  It was mind-blowing!

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— Knead to Cook

Christmas Gingerbread Granola. V. GF.

by Filed Under: Breakfast, Brunch, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Fruit, Gluten Free, Nuts, Running/Races, Snacks, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free Leave a Comment


Christmas gingerbread coconut granola.

Today’s task… workout then prep all the food that I can.  My first menu item was this gingerbread granola for Christmas breakfast.  It’s the one breakfast food in our house that everyone will eat.  Some will top their vegan yogurt with it… some will eat it solo or mixed with cashew milk (even vegan egg nog).  The aroma is absolutely heavenly and screams Christmas.  This also makes the perfect hostess or food gift in case you’re in a pinch.

No time to waste today so let’s get started…
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— Knead to Cook

Walnut & Chocolate Muffins. Vegan. Gluten Free.

by Filed Under: Breakfast, Brunch, Desserts, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Fitness., Gluten Free, Holiday, Holiday Baking Ideas, Muffins, Nuts, Quick Bread, Running/Races, Snacks, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free Leave a Comment

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Walnut chocolate chip muffins.

These muffins were inspired by The Minimalist Baker’s Banana Chocolate Pecan muffins.  I’m admittedly not a fan of pecans so I made a few adaptations.  Mainly, I reduced the sugar necessary in the original recipe and increased the baking time a bit.  These muffins are insanely tasty and a perfect morning muffin or snack on the go!

As my oldest heads back to school this week, her final year of varsity swimming is upon her.  I obsess about her nutrition each week because she does many double practices a day and I love to have plenty of options at her disposal.  These muffins will be perfect – transportable, packed with protein and healthy fats along with great nutrition to keep her moving throughout her day & prepared for thousands of meters in the pool.

As I mentioned, I reduced the sugar from the original recipe.  The bananas and chocolate chips, I find, add plenty of sweetness.  These are dense muffins and quite filling.  I store these on my countertop in my cake stand but the fridge would also work well.  Plus freezing these in a ziploc would also work well.  This recipe yields 11 muffins.
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— Knead to Cook

Lucy Let’s Go Raw Espresso Crust Pumpkin Pie. Vegan. GF.

by Filed Under: Brunch, Desserts, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gluten Free, Holiday, Holiday Baking Ideas, Nuts, Party Foods, Sponsored, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Vitamix, Wheat Free 9 Comments

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Thanksgiving/Friendsgiving feasts will be here before we can seriously accept or believe it as fall is quickly flying by.  I love taking a traditional dish and putting a fun twist on it. Especially, mixing up classics with a plant-based alternative that is also gluten free is helpful if any of your guests have specific dietary or allergy concerns.  Pumpkin pie is a customary dessert menu item but mixing it up by adding a rich chocolatey espresso crust to the creaminess of this raw pumpkin pie is seriously delectable.  And chocolate and pumpkin is a wonderful flavor combination.

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— Knead to Cook

Cinnamon and Spice Blender Muffins. Vegan. GF.

by Filed Under: Breakfast, Brunch, Desserts, Gluten Free, Muffins, Nuts, Quick Bread, Running/Races, Snacks, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Vitamix, Wheat Free 25 Comments

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Cinnamon & spice… & yes everything nice!  These muffins are so delectable.  Nutritionally dense, grain & refined sugar free.  I make these muffins for my clients who don’t like sweets. Each & every time I get a call/text exclaiming joy for these.  They are so stupid easy… it’s insane.  If you have 5 minutes to spare – you can totally whip these up for a heart healthy snack for you & your family.

Also, consider making more to freeze or for a foodie gift for a teacher/friend or family member.

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— Knead to Cook

Apple Pie Spice Protein Bites. V. GF. Raw.

by Filed Under: Breakfast, Brunch, Desserts, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Fitness., Gluten Free, Nuts, Running/Races, Snacks, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free 4 Comments

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Welcome fall with these Apple Pie Spice Protein Bites. (vegan, gluten-free & raw)

I’m smitten with October.  The weather, especially in the morning, is getting much more crisp.  I’ve broken out the long sleeve running shirts, sweatshirts and even my running gloves.  The leaves are changing, heartier dishes and stews are getting prepared in our kitchen and all is right with my world.

Lately, I’ve been back to cooking for several clients over the past month and these are definitely in rotation.  The combination of ingredients is so powerful, energy-sustaining & heart healthy packed with protein, omegas and necessary fats to keep your body balanced & running smoothly.  These bites are perfect pre or post training & are a favorite to keep on hand when you just need a sweet treat but don’t want to blow your healthy eating regimen.  You can also roll these into bites, like I did or into a lined loaf pan and sliced like snack bars.  I’ve also used this as a crust for some raw pies.  The ideas are simply endless.
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— Knead to Cook

Butternut Squash Vega Protein Smoothie. V & GF.

by Filed Under: Breakfast, Brunch, Desserts, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Fitness., Gluten Free, Health & wellness, Nuts, Running/Races, Smoothies, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Vitamix, Wheat Free 6 Comments

 

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Butternut Squash Vega Protein Smoothie. V & GF.

I recently fell in love with butternut squash – clearly I had issues. I always tolerated it, but never really gravitated to it.  This fall… I’m now crazy for it.  I’ve been roasting up all of ours from our garden and had about 2 cups mashed leftover from a food job.  I was thinking hummus but then recalled my love of smoothies, I haven’t really been drinking them lately, and got to work immediately on creating this recipe.  And my goal:  be fall inspired and NO bananas or dates.

Butternut squash is high in Vitamin A, C, iron and potassium.  Great for a post workout meal.  This smoothie is creamy, slightly sweet and packed with protein.  Think of it as fall in a glass.  If you need a break from pumpkin or PSL’s this may do the trick!  Rich and creamy… reminiscent of a decadent dessert.  Yum!

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— Knead to Cook