Knead to Cook

Food & fitness obsessed girl.

Healthy Protein Blondies.

by Filed Under: Breakfast, Brownies, Brunch, Cookies, Desserts, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gluten Free, Holiday Baking Ideas, Party Foods, Snacks, Vegan, Vegetarian, Vitamix, Wheat Free 18 Comments

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As I’ve shared in past posts, my family is doing a 40 days to a revolution (mind/body/yoga/mediation/diet) program by Baron Baptiste.  It makes you pause and really examine what’s going on inside your life and  thoughts, what you’re eating and reactions to being present in your life.  I don’t know about you but all areas I need to improve.  I rush from one thing to another not really stopping to be present in the moment.   I have made some significant changes in my life over the last year and want to continue to evolve because after all, if you aren’t moving – you’re stagnating.  

I whipped up these non-chocolate blondies because my husband is allergic to cocoa along with the fact that I wanted to continue to make clean recipes that I can share with my fellow 40 day students as we go through this journey together.  

I made these… didn’t tell anyone what the ingredients were.  Everyone ate them not missing a beat.  In fact, we were in Philly yesterday and came home and I just noticed that they are all gone!  Love it!  No one is the wiser.  Protein packed minus the “junk” found in regular blondies.  Now if you’re expecting the full on fat blondies… you won’t be happy with these.  But if you’re looking for a clean snack idea for your kids or yourself that won’t blow your gym efforts or make you riddled with guilt over eating something less than healthy… these are for you!  When I did reveal my food source for these to my husband he was flabbergasted!  Ha… fooled him.

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— Knead to Cook

Jalapeño Green Monster Smoothie.

by Filed Under: Beverages, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Fruit, Gluten Free, No bake/cooking required!, Smoothies, Vegan, Vegetarian, Vitamix, Wheat Free Leave a Comment

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I’m the girl that gravitates towards anything spicy.  I had a drink a few years ago at The Standard hotel in the Meatpacking District in NYC that revolutionized my thinking of the jalapeño.  I’ll admit, they are my weakness.  If you aren’t a fan of heat – trust me, pass this recipe by and look at my other smoothie recipes because this one isn’t for you.  I whipped this up today (Saturday) post early morning yoga, farmer’s market trip on my “rest” day from training.  I was craving something spicy to kick up my metabolism and ignite a fire in me.  I’ll admit, this smoothie did just that!

Funny story~ I made this just as my husband and older daughter were coming home from the yoga class they took and my husband took a big gulp of it, not knowing my ring of fire plan, and almost died!  Ha.  So it comes with a warning.  You can obviously control the heat by the amount of jalapeño you put in and if you seed it or not.  I went BIG and whole – all seeds in tact.  Again… think of Johnny Cash’s Ring of Fire playing in the background {insert evil laugh here}.  I’m addicted.  I’m a big fan of BluePrint juices.  This reminds me of my favorite one.  Get ready to jump aboard – if you’re a spice fan… you’ll never look back – I know I’m not!

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— Knead to Cook

Homemade Madagascar Vanilla Extract. Gluten Free.

by Filed Under: Gift ideas, Gluten Free, Holiday, Holiday Baking Ideas, Valentine's Day, Vegan, Vegetarian, Wheat Free Leave a Comment

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This year in light of my year of healthier eating, I wanted to make a holiday gift for friends (I normally do my eggnog bread with rum glaze) that wouldn’t add to their cookie stockpile that they already had (not that there’s anything wrong with that) and that would be a gift that they could use for several weeks or even months.  I thought of homemade vanilla extract immediately!  Now, if you haven’t had homemade vanilla extract it is far superior to the store-bought version.  Even the fancy gourmet versions that you shell out an arm and a leg for.  I also wanted to make a gluten-free version for my gluten intolerant friends – so I used potato vodka versus a grain-based.  This is such an easy recipe that will be well-received by all of your bakers on  your Christmas list.  Also a wonderful gift for teachers, mail carriers and hostess gifts.

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— Knead to Cook

Winter Fruit Salsa. Vegan.

by Filed Under: Breakfast, Brunch, Condiments, Desserts, Dips, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Fruit, Gluten Free, Party Foods, Vegan, Vegetarian, Wheat Free 3 Comments

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I made this wonderful winter salsa for a  soup party I attended (side dish).  I admit, I ate all of the leftovers myself the next day.  It is so refreshing and delicious.  Clean eating and no guilt involved.  Would also be fun with green apples in lieu of pears!  This recipe is perfect made ahead of time and refrigerated.  Would be perfect as a fun side dish with your Christmas Eve or Christmas dinner.  I eat it straight up or with tortilla chips.  Would also serve beautifully alongside fish or topping chicken or pork. Its fun, colorful and festive.

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— Knead to Cook

Bill’s Peppermint Martini.

by Filed Under: Beverages, Brunch, Gluten Free, Holiday, Party Foods, Vegan, Vegetarian 2 Comments

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I commissioned my husband to create a martini for me with my peppermint simple syrup in honor of my peppermint themed week on Knead to Cook.  This cocktail was perfectly festive and quite beautiful.  This recipe yields one martini.  It is beyond beautiful and quite flavorful.  If you love peppermint, this is the drink for you.  I’m dubbing this the Christmas martini.

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— Knead to Cook

The Best Peppermint Hot Chocolate. Vegan

by Filed Under: Beverages, Breakfast, Brunch, Desserts, Gluten Free, Holiday, Party Foods, Snacks, Vegan, Vegetarian 4 Comments

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Today, as I sit here typing, my Sunday started out with a chilly run and then migrated quickly to a snowy afternoon.  We were expected to get about half and inch which now looks like 3-4 inches down on the ground.  I have to admit, I’m not a fan but on a Sunday, with my whole family home, it’s kind of nice.  The fireplace is blazing, the trees are lit.  Baking and cooking happening in the kitchen… and I even wrapped the last of my Christmas gifts.  It’s starting to feel a lot like Christmas.

So with the snow, comes one of my daughters that has to go out and enjoy the rarity of the snowstorm.  She was quite the entrepreneur making quite a nice stash of cash shoveling people’s driveways and earning some holiday money.  I’m quite impressed.  As a reward, hot chocolate and it can’t be the packet version – homemade is best.  It does take a bit of time but it’s so worth it for the flavor.

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— Knead to Cook

Peppermint Simple Syrup.

by Filed Under: Beverages, Brownies, Candy, Desserts, Gluten Free, Holiday, Holiday Baking Ideas, Party Foods, Smoothies, Vegan, Vegetarian 3 Comments

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Are you ready for peppermint week?  I hope so!  There is nothing that embodies the flavor of this season to me other than peppermint.  I love it.  I always have.  Peppermint patties, candy canes… you name it!  I’m all over it.  We keep a stash in our pantry for our peppermint hot chocolate recipe and it has endless uses.  It always calls my name when I see them adorning desserts or cocktails.  I have a weakness.  This recipe is so versatile.  It can be used in coffee, tea, hot chocolate, whipped cream or cocktails.  Once cooled, refrigerate and it will last for weeks.  I will be sharing recipes all week that use this simple syrup if you’re looking for inspirations.  Stay tuned.

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— Knead to Cook

Coconut Milk and Chickpea Stew.

by Filed Under: Crock Pot, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gluten Free, Soups, Vegan, Vegetarian, Wheat Free 4 Comments

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Last Wednesday, before Thanksgiving, our family went out to dinner to celebrate my mother-in-law’s birthday.  We went to my favorite local hot spot that has some really clean, vegan dishes and I had the most amazing soup.  It was the inspiration for this stew.  I’ve been tweaking and fine-tuning hoping to even come close to the magnificence that was the soup I had last week.  Although vegan, this stew is really filling, thick and delicious.  Even my most staunch carnivores, who tasted my soup at dinner, were raving about it.  I’m so anxious to have dinner tonight.  Even better – I put all of my ingredients into my new crock pot and let it cook all day.  Easy peasy.

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— Knead to Cook

Black Rice Salad with Pineapple and Cilantro.

by Filed Under: Brunch, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Fruit, Holiday, Salads, Side dish, Vegan, Vegetarian, Vinaigrette Leave a Comment

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I was meandering through the organic, gluten free section of my grocery store yesterday and stumbled up on this little treasure.  Black rice.  Hmmm… looks interesting enough.  Gluten free.  Good nutritional profile. I was sold!  Plus I thought my family would be intrigued as well and they were.  Especially when they all tried identifying what they thought it was… black quinoa?  No.  It’s too big.  No one guessed black rice but everyone loved it.

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— Knead to Cook

Spiced Roasted Nuts.

by Filed Under: Appetizers, Gluten Free, Nuts, Party Foods, Snacks, Vegan, Vegetarian, Wheat Free 2 Comments

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This week I happily acquired two new cookbooks (I have a bit of an addiction to them).  One with a focus for runners/training/recovery and the other was Giada’s Feel Good Food.  I’ve long been a fan of her and her recipes.  As I’m embarking on packing and getting my family ready to hit the road this weekend for race that I’m doing ~ I’ve been preparing healthy snacks for the road.  I’m not a fan of prepackaged foods.  I also eat a lot of nuts, as they are a valuable protein source for me with my vegetarian lifestyle.  This recipe grabbed my attention immediately, funny enough I just saw this on her show yesterday, and knew I had to make it.  It was easy, I customized it to the nuts/seeds I wanted to use and of course, used less sugar than noted in the original recipe as it wasn’t necessary.

Think of these as a great game day snack or treat to put out this Thanksgiving for a healthy snack option.  Also packs well for road trips.

*Adapted from Giada De Laurentis Giada’s Feel Good Food cookbook.
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— Knead to Cook