Seed Crackers

 I am a huge fan of crunchy, salty snacks. I love that tortilla chips and popcorn are gluten free, but I wanted a cracker to enjoy my Dairy Free Herb "cheese". These seed crackers are really light, crunchy and great for dipping. I used everything bagel seasoning, but you can season the crackers with any seasoning you like.

Seed Crackers

Ingredients:

2 tbsp flax meal

2 tbsp brown rice flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/3 cp sunflower seeds

1/3 cp pumpkin seeds

1/4 cup hemp seeds

1 tbsp chia seeds

1 cup boiling water

Directions:

1. Mix together all ingredients in a medium sized mixing bowl. Stir well to incorporate. Cover with a kitchen towel and let it sit on the counter for 15 minutes.

2. While you wait for the cracker mix, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.

3. After 15 minutes your cracker mix should have thickened up and should resemble a wet cookie dough. Spread the cracker mix thinly on your prepared baking sheet. An off-set spatula really helps with this. 

4. Sprinkle your favorite seasoning on your crackers, then bake 45 - 60 minutes, or until the edges of your crackers are browining and the middle is crispy.

5. Allow crackers to cool completely on the sheet before enjoying. 

Dairy Free Herb "cheese" Spread

 In my journey to feed myself well while avoiding things that cause inflammation and pain, I am missing cheese, yogurt and dips. So I went on the hunt for a substitute, something with some protein that satisfied my savory, creamy craving. I tried this recipe. It totally holds up with taste, and has a texture reminiscent of soft cream cheese. I have enjoyed it as a dip with veggies, on seed crackers and lentil bread.

Dairy Free Herb "cheese" Spread

Ingredients:

1 block firm tofu

1 tsp salt

Juice of 1 lemon

1-2 tbsp nutritional yeast

3 tbsp melted coconut oil

*fresh herbs to taste: I used fresh basil, fresh parsley and garlic powder

Directions:

1. Add tofu, salt, lemon juice, nutritional yeast and coconut oil to a blender or food processor. Blend on high until smooth and creamy. Fold in the herbs and spices, then refrigerate for about an hour. Enjoy!

Impossible Pie

 I found this recipe on IG and we absolutely had to try it. This is now a family favorite. Throw all the ingredients into a blender, pour into the pan, bake and then you have a miraculous dessert.

Impossible Pie

Ingredients:

• 4 large eggs
• ½ cup unsalted butter softened
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups whole milk
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon optional

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 350℉
• Grease a 9 inch pie dish. Set aside until needed.
• Add all of the ingredients to a large bowl.
• Mix the ingredients together until well blended.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pie dish.
• PLace the pie pan on the center rack of the preheated oven and bake for 50-60 minutes, until the pie is golden brown and center of the pie is almost completely set.
• Place the pie on a wire rack to cool to room temperature. Then refrigerate the pie for 2 – 4 hours to firm up before serving.

Creamy Miso Beans

 

Creamy Miso Beans

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 shallots, thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cans butter beans or black eyes peas, drained and rinsed

1 1/2 cups vegetable stock

1 tablespoon white miso paste

1/2 cup whole cream or coconut cream

3 cups packed baby spinach

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 tablespoons lemon juice

optional - 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill

Instructions:

In a large skillet or pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat, and once hot, add the shallots. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes until they become translucent.

Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. 

Pour in the rinsed butter beans, vegetable stock, and miso paste. Stir till the miso paste has dissolved. Simmer for 10 minutes to reduce. Stir in the cream and simmer for another 5 minutes.

Stir in the baby spinach, salt, and pepper, and remove from the heat once the spinach has wilted. Stir in the lemon juice.

Top with optional fresh dill and serve with slices of crusty bread.

Nutrition Information: Yield: 2 Serving Size: 1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 588Total Fat: 31gSaturated Fat: 16gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 67mgSodium: 1416mgCarbohydrates: 61gFiber: 16gSugar: 17gProtein: 21g

Grilled Salmon with Dates, Pistachios, Arugula and Feta

 We do a lot of grilling in the summer. Keith has learned to grill pretty much anything. It keeps the house cooler, and gives us more time on our beautiful patio. I found this salmon recipe on IG, and it was so different I had to try it. The best part is that it is entirely created with flavorful, nourishing whole foods. The balance of the sweet dates, salty pistachios, bitter arugula and rich fish is perfect. I can't wait to make this again. 

Grilled Salmon with Dates, Pistachios, Arugula and Feta

Ingredients:

4 salmon fillets

1 lemon sliced

Topping:

2 cups arugula

4 dates

1/2 cup shelled pistachios

1/2 cup crumbled feta

Sauce:

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp honey

1 1/2  apple cider vinegar

1 tbsp mustard

1/2 tbsp oregono

1/2 tsp garlic

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat your grill. You want the grill to be between 350 - 400 degrees. Place a pizza stone to heat on the grill. While the stone and grill heat chop all the topping ingredeints into fine pieces and combine.

2. When the stone is heated, place the lemon slices down first, arrange the fish on top of the lemons. Spoon half of the sauce onto the fish, reserve half of the sauce for serving. Cover the fillets with the topping mix and cook 13-15 minutes. 

3. Serve with a tablespoon of the remaining sauce and enjoy. 

Lentil Wraps

 I have recently been experimenting with lentil baking. Tonight I tried these lentil wraps. I am really pleased with how they turned out. The texture is great and they are very tasty. I look forward to using them with emerald dahl.

Lentil Wraps

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups red lentils

500ml water

Salt & Pepper (plus any spices you desire)

Directions:

1. Place the red lentils in a blender and cover with 500ml of boiling water. Let them soak for at least 2 hours.

2. After the lentils have soaked, add the salt, pepper and spices then blend until smooth.

3. To cook the wraps, heat a griddle or large frying pan. Pour a scoop of batter onto the pan with a spoon or ladel, smoothing out the batter to make it thin. Small bubbles should appear in the batter pretty quickly. Let the wrap cook for 3-4 minutes then flip and cook on the other side 3-4 minutes more. Remove to a wire rack to cool and enjoy. This recipe makes about 12 wraps. 

Banana Protien Cookies

 Recently I have been working on doing some elimination sleuthing in my diet in order to sort out some inflammation issues that are causing a lot of pain. One of the main things I am cutting out is sugar, which doesn't make me too upset, but every once in a while I really want a cookie. I stumbled across this recipe, and honestly, I doubted it would be worth my time. It seemed like the three ingredients were too good to be true. My kid with the banana allergy went to camp today, so I tried the recipe. It came out pretty great for cookies made from one banana and two scoops of protein powder!! It was an excellent treat that I appreciated and would make again. The recipe only makes 8 cookies, which is fine when you are home by yourself. If you live in a house with kiddos, you may want to double or triple the recipe. 

Banana Protein Cookies

Ingredients:

1 Banana

1/2 cup protein powder (I used chocolate flavored Orgain)

1/2 tsp baking powder

*You can add 1 tsp of vanilla or cinnamon if you want some variety

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Prepare your cookie sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a medium bowl, combine banana, protein powder and baking powder. With a fork, mash all the ingredients together until thoroughly combined. 

3. Scoop dough into 8 portions onto a cookie sheet. Bake for 12 minutes. Cool on the sheet for 3 minutes then move to a cooling rack. 

Makes 8 cookies: 40 calories & 6g protien each