Seriously so addictive! Gluten free, healthy and the perfect pick-me-up snack that is both tangy and a bit spicy. I love these to serve at an outdoor summer party with some freshly made margaritas.
— Knead to Cook
Chili lime roasted nuts.
Strawberry Shortcake Shish Kabobs with fresh vanilla whipped cream.
Farmer’s Market today yielded a wonderful bounty of strawberries. They caught my eye immediately and I couldn’t resist. Once my daughter saw them… her wheels were spinning and she made some wonderful strawberry shortcake shish kabobs, her favorite! I got to make the whipped cream 
Such a wonderful, fun dessert idea.
Ingredients:
2 pints of strawberries, wash and cut the stems off
1 angel food cake, cut up into cubes
Skewers
Directions:
Start with a strawberry and then alternate angel food cake cubes. Add as many as you like. You can certainly add other fruit like berries, pineapple, mangoes etc.
Whipped Cream:
Ingredients:
1 c of whipping cream
2 tbl of confectioners’ sugar
1 vanilla bean (seeds on the inside only) or 1 tsp of vanilla extract
Directions:
In your stand mixer, with the whisk attached, pour in the whipping cream and beat. I typically beat this for about 1 minutes then add the sugar and vanilla. Beat on medium to high until it takes on a whipped cream consistency. Serve immediately .
Served on the side as a dip for the shish kabobs.
— Knead to Cook
Roasted red pepper hummus.
I made this yummy roasted red pepper hummus last Friday night for a friend’s birthday party we were hosting. It was so good and so much better than store-bought hummus. I love controlling the ingredients, especially the salt, that goes into my foods.
Ingredients:
1 – 15 oz cans of garbanzo beans, drained & rinsed
1/2 c of chopped roasted red peppers
3 tbl of olive oil
1/2 of a lemon, juiced
2 tbl tahini
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp of salt
1/8 of tsp of ground pepper
If you like spicier hummus, add 1/2 tsp of Sriracha sauce
Directions: Add everything to your food processor and blend. If it’s too dry, add additional lemon juice. Refrigerate for at least one hour. Then serve with your favorite veggies, chips or pita bread.
— Knead to Cook
Organic Pea Pesto.
Here’s another great example of eating the rainbow! And, thankfully, another way of sneaking veggies into your kids Made just like a classic pesto, this versatile recipe is one of my favorites and is so vitamin-packed – you won’t feel guilty eating it.
Ingredients:
12 oz Cascadian Farm Organic Peas
3 garlic cloves, peeled
1/4 c of grated Parmesan
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil (about 1/4 cup)
Crackers or toasted baguette slices
10 cherry tomatoes, halved
In your food processor: Blend peas, garlic, parm, salt and pepper. Then drizzle olive oil into the mixture. Add enough until you have a thick but softer consistency (see photo). Spread on your crackers or bread and top with cherry tomatoes.
— Knead to Cook
Banana Greek Yogurt Muffins.
Today is National Banana Bread day. Who would’ve known?! I had some overly ripe bananas and thought why not! These adorable little muffins make the perfect after-school snack or breakfast on the go. It is a hands down favorite in our house.
— Knead to Cook
No-bake Energy Balls.
Okay these are insanely good! I made two batches, one with dark chocolate and one with white (hubby is allergic to cocoa) and my kids and I cannot stop eating them!!! I made these about a year ago and just stumbled on the recipe again. I have NO idea why I stopped making them. Who needs dinner, right?
These will make a great snack or a fast breakfast! Pack them in your kids lunch for a yummy surprise!
1 c of old-fashioned oats
1 c of toasted coconut flakes
1/2 c of chocolate chips (I used dark chocolate)
1/2 c of almond butter (you can use whatever nut butter you have in your pantry)
1/2 c of flaxseed meal
1 tbl of chia seeds
1/3 c + 1 /4 tsp of honey (I used raw)
1 tsp of vanilla extract
1 pinch of salt
Mix it all together in a bowl and then refrigerate for 45 minutes. Remove and make into balls. I used a small scooper (1-1.5 inch) to press it in and then eject it. Rolled it with my hands to get a ball shape all around and then place in a airtight container to refrigerate. Will last 5-7 days but most likely they will be long gone before that!
— Knead to Cook
Homemade granola.
I LOVE homemade granola! This has been my hand’s down favorite recipe. We make this every other month (kept in an airtight container) it is perfect! I make half the batch with dark chocolate and half without (hubby is allergic). It does make a lot of granola I promise, it won’t last long Perfect for yogurt parfaits for breakfast. Top ice cream for dessert or just eat a handful when you need a snack. This is also a wonderful gift idea for friends or during the holidays. Totally addictive!
Ingredients:
8 c of rolled oats
1.5 c of wheat germ
1.5 c of oat bran
1/4 c of chia seeds
1/4 c of flax seed meal
1 c of sunflower seeds
1 c of slivered toasted almonds
1 c of cashews
1 c of chopped walnuts
1 tsp of sea salt
1 1/4 c of maple syrup
1 tbl of raw honey (or processed honey or agave)
1 c of vegetable oil
1 tbl of ground cinnamon
1 tbl vanilla extract
2 c of dried tart cherries (or blueberries, raisins or craisins)
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 275 degrees.
Combine the oats, wheat germ, flax, chia, oat bran, sunflower seeds, cashews, almonds, walnuts and salt in a very large bowl. In a separate bowl (or you can use your sauce pan) combine the maple syrup, honey, oil, cinnamon and vanilla. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Whisk until completely blended. Then remove from the heat and pour over dry mixture. Mix well and then spread on 2 baking sheets. Make sure you have one layer in each pan. You can bake additional cookie sheets as needed.
Bake until crispy and toasted brown. 1 hour and 20 minutes. Cool and then add your mix-ins. Chocolate, dried fruit etc. Store in an airtight container or ziploc baggie.
— Knead to Cook
Tortilla soup.
After a very long day, hard workout and still some remaining jet lag… this soup was exactly what I needed. The fresh lime juice in this soup just brightens up the flavors, as citrus typically does to a dish. Undeniably yummy.
Ingredients:
8 c of chicken broth
1 lb of boneless chicken breasts
1 onion, diced
2 zucchinis, diced
1 jalapeño, minced
1 bay leaf
1 tbl of dried oregano
1 tbl of cumin
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 c of frozen corn kernels
2 limes, juiced
Salt and pepper to taste
Garnish:
1 avocado
1 lime, cut into wedges
Fresh cilantro leaves
Directions:
Over a medium flame, add the chicken broth to your Dutch oven. Bring to a boil and then add the chicken. Simmer for 20-25 minutes. Then remove the chicken and shred with two forks and set aside. To the broth add, onion, zucchini, garlic, jalapeño, bay leaf, oregano and cumin. Bring to a boil again and let simmer for 5-7 minutes.
Then add the chicken back to the pot along with tomatoes, corn and lime juice. Season with salt and pepper. Boil for about 10 minutes. Then divide into bowls and garnish.
— Knead to Cook
Baked Kale Chips.
These are remarkably easy and so delish! I know you might be reading this and thinking – no way but seriously give it a shot! I got an entire bunch of organic kale at my local grocery store for $1. I can’t resist and my girls love baked kale chips.
Start by washing the leaves. Remove the back, hard spine. I like to fold it over and run the knife up the edge of the hard stem. Then tear the leaves into bite-sized pieces. I give them a run through my salad spinner (washing and then dry really well). Lay the pieces out on a cookie sheet and spray with a butter flavored Pam spray or mist with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt or garlic/onion salt and bake. Bake at 350 for 10 -12 minutes. Remove when crunchy but not burnt.
Serve immediately!
— Knead to Cook
Low fat Mint Cheesecake Brownies.
Admittedly, I’m not a huge brownie fan but my girls love them! They also both love anything mint & cheesecake. These brownies are definitely a favorite. I adapted this recipe from an old Cooking Light recipe.
Cheesecake batter:
1 8 oz block of Reduced fat cream cheese
1/3 c of granulated sugar
1 tsp of mint extract
1 large egg
1 large egg white
1 tbl of all-purpose unbleached flour
Chocolate Batter:
1 c of all-purpose unbleached flour
1/2 c of unsweetened cocoa (I used Wilbur)
1/2 tsp salt
1.5 c of packed brown sugar
1/4 c of canola oil
1/4 c of buttermilk (low fat)
2 tsp of vanilla extract
2 large egg whites
1 large egg
Cooking spray.
Preheat your oven to 350. Spray a 9 inch square pan with cooking spray with flour.
To prepare the cheesecake batter, place the cream cheese in your mixer bowl and beat until creamy. Add sugar and mint extract, blend well. Add 1 egg and 1 egg white; beat that well. Add tablespoon of flour and beat until just blended. Set aside.
To prepare the chocolate batter, spoon flour into a measuring cup and level with a knife. Combine flour, cocoa and salt in a medium bowl. Stir with a whisk. Combine brown sugar and next five ingredients through egg. Beat on high until well blended. Add flour mixture to the brown sugar mixture and beat on low until just blended.
Reserve 1/2 c of the chocolate batter. Pour the remaining batter into your prepared pan. Carefully pour the cheesecake batter over top and spread completely over the top of the chocolate batter. Dot the cheesecake batter together with the reserved chocolate batter. Using the tip of a knife, swirl the batter. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until the top is set. Let cool for 1 hour before cutting.
Calories 210, fat 7.5g, protein is 4.4g, carb 32.3g, fiber .7g, cholesterol 37mg, iron 1.3 mg, sodium 169 mg, calc 32mg.
— Knead to Cook