Recipes

Here is a collection of fun and healthy recipes that I have gotten from friends, family, and fellow bloggers. Please be patient. I will be adding these a few at a time.

Green Smoothies:

Any combo of fruit can be used but some of my favorite combos are:
Shrek Smoothie
Frozen Mango
Frozen Peaches
A huge handful of spinach
one Banana
water

Blend til smooth

Another Smoothie combo:

Frozen strawberries
Frozen blueberries
A huge handful of spinach
one banana
water

Blend til smooth



Tropical Smoothie

Frozen mango
Frozen pineapple
Frozen papaya
a huge handful of spinach
one banana
unsweetened coconut
water

Blend til smooth

                                                                             Kale Chips

Cut kale off of the ribs and dry.

Cut leaves into chip sized pieces.

In a gallon sized bag, add kale leaves until about half full.

Add about 1 Tbsp of olive oil and seal the bag. Shake bag until all leaves are glossy from the oil.

Spread them onto a pan (I use my rectangle bar stone from Pampered Chef)

Make sure they are in a single layer. Crack sea salt over the top. Additional flavors can be added. I love garlic salt on mine as well. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or until just browned. (see the picture)

Chicken "pizza" adapted from Susieannabella

Take your thawed chicken breast and pound out until flat (like a pizza crust)
Top with various pizza toppings.

I did italian seasoning, fresh cut tomatoes, mushrooms, fresh spinach, red onion, mozzarella (I ripped up string cheese), and I topped them with crushed red pepper flakes. For my boys, I added Parmesan cheese.

I cooked them in the oven at 390 degrees for about 20 minutes. They were awesome!!

 Celery Root Chips

Peel and slice your celery root. I used my mandoline to get consistent thickness on my cuts.

In a gallon bag combine olive oil, rosemary, garlic, honey (or agave nectar), salt, pepper, and apple cider vinegar.

Make sure it is mixed well.

Then add the celery root to the bag and combine well. Make sure that you separate the chips in the bag to get adequate coverage.

Allow the chips to marinate for a couple hours.

Add the chips to your dehydrator. Dehydrate until crispy (about 16-18 hours).

Hot Fudge LaraBars- from Hell if I Gnaw blog

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup cashews
• 1/2 cup walnuts
• 1 and 1/3 cup pitted dates
• 4 tablespoons organic cacao poder (or cocoa powder)
• 1/4 cup dairy free chocolate chips (I use Enjoy Life brand)
• 1 pinch of salt

Preparation Instructions:

1.  Add all ingredients to food processor or blender (VitaMix!) 2.  Blend until combined well.

3.  place dough on a cutting board and flatten to 1/2 inch thick with your hands or a rolling pin.  You can also put it in a ziplock bag and shape the dough in there before cutting.

4.  Cut into bars.  Put parchment paper between bars to keep them from sticking to each other.  Serve and enjoy!!!

She said that she chilled hers and after 24 hours, they tasted like fudge! Yum!

Clean Eating Soft pretzels from The Gracious Pantry
I made these for Super Bowl and they are DELICIOUS!!
(Makes approximately 13 pretzels)

Ingredients
1 packet rapid rise yeast
3 tbsp. honey
1 1/2 cup warm water (between 105-115 degrees F.)
4-1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. safflower oil (any oil will work)
1 egg
1 tsp. water
Seeds or choice or course salt (I used chia seeds)
Directions

• Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper

Step 1 – Combine the warm water and honey in a medium bowl and stir until honey is dissolved. 
Step 2 – Pour in the yeast, stir very briefly just to incorporate, and set aside so it can foam.
 Step 3 – In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and salt.
Step 4 – Add the oil and the foamy yeast to the flour bowl and mix with a wooden spoon until it becomes to thick to continue.
Step 5 – Knead by hand for about 10 minutes. The dough will be very sticky, but after kneading for about 3-4 minutes, it should become a nice, smooth dough. It will still be sticky, but should not leave any dough behind on your hands. (You may need to stop and wash your hands first and then continue kneading to be sure.) If the dough continues to stick to your hands, add 1 tbsp. of flour more to the dough. Knead well. Repeat if necessary.
Step 6 – Now you can shape your dough into pretzels. The cord of dough is approximately 1/2 inch thick and approximately 14 inches long.
 Step 7 – Once you have all of your pretzels formed and on the cookie sheets, cover the sheets with a towel and let them sit for 1 hour. When you come back, they should be nice a “fluffy” (doubled in size).
Step 8 – Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F.
Step 9 – Now you can brush on the egg wash, sprinkle them with seeds and bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown.
Step 10 – Allow to cool and serve.
Eat and Enjoy!

Nutritional Content
1 serving = 1 pretzel
Calories: 121
Total Fat: 3 gm
Cholesterol: 8 mg
Sodium: 71 mg
Carbohydrates: 22 gm
Dietary fiber: 7 gm
Protein: 3 gm

Baked Beet Chips

4 medium beets
2 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
Sea Salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. Peel beets and slice 1/16 inch thick with a mandoline. In a large bowl, toss beets with extra-virgin olive oil. The beets should have a very thin coat.
2. On two rimmed baking sheets (or use one sheet and bake in two batches), arrange beets in a single layer. Sprinkle with a small amount of sea salt.
3. Stack another rimmed baking sheet on top of each. Bake until edges of beets begin to dry out, about 20 minutes. Uncover and rotate sheets. Bake 10 to 20 minutes, removing chips as they become lightened and pale in color. Note: Pretty much all of mine needed the full extra 20 minutes of baking time. Transfer to a wire rack; chips will crisp up as they cool.

Quinoa Pasta with Spinach and Tomatoes-  This is a delicious recipe. I used brown rice spaghetti instead of Quinoa because I couldnt find it. Now I have it and have used it. Very good!

2 main-course servings

• PREP: 25 minutes
• TOTAL: 25 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 8-ounce package gluten-free quinoa spaghetti
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 10- to 12-ounce containers grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes
• 3 garlic cloves, pressed
• 2 5- to 6-ounce packages baby spinach
• 6 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• 3 teaspoons chopped fresh marjoram, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
• Additional finely grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation

• Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup pasta cooking liquid. Return cooked pasta to same pot.
• Meanwhile, heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add tomatoes; sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper and sauté until beginning to soften and brown in spots, 3 to 4 minutes. Add garlic; stir 30 seconds.
• Add 1/4 cup reserved pasta cooking liquid to skillet and stir, scraping up browned bits. Add tomato mixture with juices, spinach, 4 tablespoons cheese, 2 teaspoons marjoram, and crushed red pepper to pasta in pot; toss over low heat just until spinach begins to wilt, adding more pasta cooking liquid by tablespoonfuls if dry, about 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to large bowl; sprinkle with 2 tablespoons cheese and remaining 1 teaspoon marjoram. Serve, passing additional cheese.

Clean Eating BBQ Sauce- Very good.  I added crushed red pepper to mine for a kick

(Makes approximately 10 servings) 
Ingredients
1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce – no sugar added
1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste – no sugar added
1 tsp. low sodium soy sauce
2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. paprika
1 tbsp. garlic powder
1 tbsp. onion powder
4 tbsp unsulfered molasses
3 tbsp. honey
3 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

Directions
Step 1 – Combine all ingredients together in a medium mixing bowl and mix well using a whisk.
Step 2 – Use as you would any other bbq sauce!
Eat and Enjoy!

Nutritional Content
1 serving = 1/4 cup
Calories: 74
Total Fat: 0 gm
Saturated Fats: 0 gm
Trans Fats: 0 gm
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 248 mg
Carbohydrates: 19 gm
Dietary fiber: 1 gm
Sugars: 13 gm
Protein: 1 gm
Estimated Glycemic Load: 10

VEGAN 3-bean chili
Serves 6
INGREDIENTS:
1 orange bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1/2-squares
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1/2-squares
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1/2-squares
1 yellow onion, coarsely chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3-4 tablespoons water for sautéing
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons chili powder
3 medium tomatoes, peeled and chopped (or one 16-ounce can diced tomatoes)
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 can corn, drained (or 1-1/2 cups frozen corn, thawed)
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Water or tomato juice as needed
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves or fresh parsley (optional)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Heat up the few tablespoons of water in a heavy 4-quart saucepan over medium heat. This is to replace the oil that is often used for sautéing.
2. Add the bell peppers, onion, garlic, oregano, and chili powder, cayenne, coriander, and cumin, and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes.
3. Stir in the tomatoes, the canned corn, and all the beans, and bring to a boil. Add a little water as needed.
4. Lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes, adding water or tomato juice as needed if too much liquid evaporates. Season with salt and black pepper, and stir in the cilantro or parsley. Serve in shallow bowls.

Serving suggestions and variations:
*Add a dollop of non-dairy sour cream on top of the chili once it’s plated.
*You can obviously use any color variation of bell pepper; the more color variety, the prettier the dish is. Same goes for the beans. You can use all black or white (Navy, Great Northern, etc.) instead of pinto. It’s really up to you, your preferences, and what you have on hand.
*Add more cayenne and chili powder to make it hotter.
*Serve with different color tortilla chips: white, red, and black/blue.
*Sprinkle shredded non-dairy cheese over the chili. (Follow Your Heart brand is delicious. Check Whole Foods and other large natural foods stores, or ask your grocer to order it)

VEGAN Black Bean Brownies
1 15 oz can black beans, drained, rinsed
2 spotted bananas
1/2 cup agave nectar (I used real maple syrup)
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup raw sugar (optional) (I used just a squirt of Raw Honey)
1/4 tsp salt (optional) (I didnt use)
1/4 cup instant oats 

 

 

-Preheat oven 350
-Grease 9-inch square pan
-Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender (except oats) and blend until smooth
-Stir in oats and dump into a pan
-Bake 30 mins or until toothpick comes out clean.