Knead to Cook

Food & fitness obsessed girl.

Cranberry Pomegranate Relish. Vegan. Raw. Gluten Free.

by Filed Under: Breakfast, Brunch, Desserts, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Fruit, Gluten Free, Holiday, Party Foods, Salads, Side dish, Thanksgiving, Vegan, Vegetarian, Vitamix Leave a Comment

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Cranberry Pomegranate Relish.

Thanksgiving is one week away.  ONE WEEK!  I cannot get my mind wrapped around it.  I’ve been working so much the past few weeks, I feel like this truly snuck up on me.  I’m starting to prep some dishes and this is hands down, one of the easiest and favorites.

Long gone are the days of that gross, canned cranberry sauce/gelatinous blob.  Creating homemade relish is super easy and takes just minutes. Seriously. Even if you hate to cook, think you cannot— this recipe is fail-proof!  Plus it isn’t sugar laden like most recipes.

Cranberry relish is great on salads, in smoothie bowls, burgers, sandwiches or wherever you need a fresh flavor punch with some texture.  Flexible recipe and this will keep in your fridge for weeks!
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— Knead to Cook

Wheat Berry Cran Salad. Vegan.

by Filed Under: Brunch, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Holiday, Side dish, Thanksgiving, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Vegetarian, Vinaigrette 7 Comments

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Wheat berry cran salad.

This salad is a staple on my Thanksgiving menu.  The orange flavored cranberries are such a fun twist on a classic seasonal berry.  Wheat berries are not gluten free so please note that for any of your gf guests.  As many grain types – the wheat berry is packed with carbs, fiber and protein.  If you’ve never had a wheat berry, they are a very sturdy grain that holds up nicely in salads.  This dish can be made several days ahead of time, allowing the vinaigrette to develop with the wheat berry.  Serve cold or at room temperature.  This salad is perfect to take to your host’s home or to place on your Thanksgiving buffet.  This salad is also perfect for lunch or during the week or as a side dish.

Is anyone ready for Thanksgiving?  I feel like we went from September to Thanksgiving in a hot second.  Crazy to think I’ll have a Christmas tree in my house next Friday.  Time to babysit the dogs/tree for hours on end… lol.

I also wanted to let you all know that the winner for the tempeh will be posted on Instagram!

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— Knead to Cook

Garmin Question and Answer Session: Thanksgiving.

by Filed Under: Potatoes, Running/Races, Thanksgiving, Vegan Leave a Comment

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I’m so excited to share that I’m the newest Garmin Ambassador.  I’ve been wearing and using Garmin products for the last ten years – since I got back into running.  In fact, my whole family uses Garmin products from cycling, to swimming to my heart rate training for my latest ultra marathon.

As I’m getting to meet new friends over at Garmin – they wanted to pick my brain about Thanksgiving and tips and tricks for staying on track this holiday season.  They posed several fun questions that I answered here. Pop over and check out my tips and tricks for holiday eating and fitness.  I even shared my family’s favorite dish for Thanksgiving.

Blessed and thankful for each of you.  Wishing you all a wonderful holiday filled with laughter, joy and happiness.

~oxo
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— Knead to Cook

Simple Sage Squash Soup. Vegan. GF.

by Filed Under: Brunch, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gluten Free, Holiday, Soups, Thanksgiving, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Vitamix, Wheat Free, Your Life Edit Foundations Leave a Comment

Simple Sage Squash Soup. Vegan. GF.

Simple Sage Squash Soup. Vegan. GF.

Seasonal food shopping is essential to a healthy diet.  Why you may ask… Eating seasonal foods purchased from local farmer’s markets means your food hasn’t been shipped from other countries. Purchasing locally grown foods that are seasonal broadens your world up to trying different foods you may have never tried before.  Local CSA’s like Lancaster Farm Fresh, which is a regional CSA I use, offers organic, freshly harvested produce and vegetables.  Fresher ingredients.  Supporting local businesses and farmers.  And I promise you one of the biggest benefits is on the bottom line.  You buy seasonal food from local growers and I promise your dollar will go a lot further than you think.  I can typically buy 3-4 reusable grocery bags of food at my local farmer’s market for about $25 to $30!

I was on a roasting kick, as I normally am, on Saturday and created this super easy recipe.  Freezes well.  Great meal prep ahead idea.  The flavors deepen over several days only making this soup better.  It’s creamy texture is all from the vegetables without any added dairy.  I hope you love this as much as we do.
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— Knead to Cook

Oat Pumpkin Almond Butter Protein Muffins. Vegan. GF.

by Filed Under: Breakfast, Brunch, Desserts, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gluten Free, Holiday, Muffins, Running/Races, Sponsored, Thanksgiving, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free Leave a Comment

Oat Pumpkin Almond Butter Protein Muffins. Vegan. GF.

Oat Pumpkin Almond Butter Protein Muffins. Vegan. GF. Knead to Cook.

Okay so I waited until the 10th of September to roll out the very first pumpkin recipe.  I feel quite proud of this accomplishment.  I know it was hard to say goodbye to summer but truthfully – I’m a huge fan of autumn.  Leaves transforming to brilliant hues.  Crisp air. Boots.  Jeans.  Big cozy sweaters.  Cuddling under blankets.  I love it all.  Not to mention running in weather that doesn’t leave me looking like I’ve been doused by a flood of water.  Buh bye humidity!

So have I sold you on my reasoning? If not, I’ll sell you on the ease of this recipe – all made in one bowl. Hello food processor; I love you so!  And let’s not overlook all of the wonderful health benefits of pumpkin.  Let’s start… pumpkin contains vitamin A, C and E, riboflavin, potassium, copper, manganese, thiamin, B6, folate, iron, niacin and phosphorus.  Perfect post workout muffin.  PLUS an extra boost of Vega protein which helps muscle recovery post workout on top of the protein source from the almond butter — a snack that you can be happy to eat post killer gym session, bike ride, swim or run.

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— Knead to Cook

Rosemary Roasted Carrots and Sweet Potatoes. Vegan. Gluten Free.

by Filed Under: Brunch, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Fitness., Gluten Free, Potatoes, Side dish, Thanksgiving, Vegan, Wheat Free 2 Comments

Rosemary Roasted Carrots and Sweet Potatoes. Vegan. Gluten Free.

Rosemary Roasted Carrots and Sweet Potatoes. Vegan. Gluten Free.

Hump day already?!  Summer is coming fast and furiously.  Our weather has moved over to warm, sunny days.  We’ve been grilling a lot more lately and with a lot of garden planted – I’ve been using some fresh herbs in some of my favorite recipes like this one.

I’ve been working on several jobs this week that are coming up so it limits my free time for recipe  testing but I wanted to share one of my favorite recipes.  Rosemary roasted carrots and sweet potatoes (insert major heart emojis).  Benefits of carrots are packed with carotenoids; which help lower the risk of heart disease.  Improve vision.  Vitamin A helps flush toxins from the body. Vitamin A also helps prevent damage from the sun.  And they possess anti-cancer properties.

Sweet potatoes are packed with fiber and potassium. They contain Vitamin D which is critical for immune system and overall health.  Sweet potatoes are a great source of mag­nesium, which is the relaxation and anti-stress mineral. Magnesium is necessary for healthy artery, blood, bone, heart, muscle, and nerve function to name just a few benefits.

Rosemary has been revered since ancient times for its medicinal properties. Rosemary was traditionally used to help alleviate muscle pain, improve memory, boost the immune and circulatory system, and promote hair growth. It is also a good source of iron, calcium, and vitamin B6.

This recipe is very simple and pretty much full-proof. I hope you enjoy!

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— Knead to Cook

Rosemary roasted fingerling potatoes.

by Filed Under: Brunch, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gluten Free, Potatoes, Thanksgiving, Vegan, Vegetarian, Wheat Free 4 Comments

Rosemary Roasted Potatoes.

Rosemary Roasted Potatoes.

Yesterday, while strolling through Trader Joe’s I stumbled upon these sweet tiny potatoes in mesh bags.  I grabbed three bags and thought they would be fun for our St. Patrick’s Day dinner – a twist on typical bangers and mash.  I am hosting a meeting tonight at my house and wanted to prep these early so I had them ready for tomorrow – plus they roasted while I cleaned my house.  These are totally fun and easily popped into your mouth – kids love them and they are a bit of a departure from typical fries.  You can slice regular potatoes or use fingerlings if you can’t find these little baby potatoes.  Perfect for breakfast, a lunch side, snack or with dinner.

This recipe is super forgiving and not strict to follow at all.  You can use as many potatoes as you have on hand or need, use as little or as much seasoning as you like. But they are addicting.
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— Knead to Cook

Vegan Garlic Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes.

by Filed Under: Brunch, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Fitness., Gluten Free, Running/Races, Side dish, Thanksgiving, Vegan, Vitamix, Wheat Free 6 Comments

Garlic Vegan Mashed Potatoes

Vegan Garlic Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes | Knead to Cook.

Happy December!!!  As much as I don’t love snow, I do love this month.  It’s my birth month, Christmas, downtime with family, laughing with friends, sharing gifts and most of all, spending time with the most special people in my world.  Today is Cyber Monday and I will, I’m sure, get roped up into that and buy a few more gifts.  My Christmas cards get mailed today as it is officially December and I’ll finish up my gift list as soon as possible.

Today, however, began with a run in shorts but more about that later in the blog post below.  For now, I discovered this recipe from The Blender Girl and knew I had to try it for Thanksgiving but my version.  It was a huge success without anyone realizing it was vegan (gasp!).  My immediate family embraces vegan dishes I make but my in-laws shy away quite a bit.  I made these right after my run on Thanksgiving and no one was really around to see what I put in or didn’t into this dish.  Everyone loved them.  Success!

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— Knead to Cook

Cranberry Orange Relish. Vegan.

by Filed Under: Brunch, Fitness., Fruit, Gluten Free, Thanksgiving, Vegan, Vitamix Leave a Comment

Cranberry Orange Relish.

Cranberry Orange Relish | Knead to Cook.

Thanksgiving is this week!  I still can’t believe it.  The east coast had record heat yesterday – we were in NYC for the day for some meetings and some meet-ups with good friends.  And tomorrow we are expecting 5-8 inches of snow.  Ha!  Then back up to the 60’s – talk about crazy weather.  But snow the day before Thanksgiving means that my company arrives tonight instead of tomorrow and we rush like crazy people to clean up the house, prep food, grocery shop etc. etc. etc.  I’m so excited to see everyone and hang out and just relax, laugh and eat!

I made my traditional cranberry orange relish today but made it a bit healthier without refined sugar.  It’s cooling now but I already snuck a taste and it’s so good.  In the oven I’m roasting brussels sprouts.  I also made a cranberry jalapeño salsa to snack on plus got the kitchen cleaned.  Doing well or at least I keep telling myself that.
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— Knead to Cook