Pineapple Guac

Avocados are great this time of year and finding new things to do with them is always fun. For this recipe I decided to kick a regular gauc recipe up a bit. With a fruity twists it can go with anything or be enjoyed on its own.

Ingredients:

2 Avocados (peeled and cut in half)

1 Lime

1/2 Cup Cilantro

1/2 cup Pineapple Chunks

Pinch Salt

Pinch Pepper

Start by crushing avocado in a bowl with the back of a fork.  Add the juice of the lime and continue to crush avocado until you get a smooth constancy. Chop the cilantro well and add to avocado mix. You can also use a small food processor up to this point. Then chop the pineapple well and also add to avocado and  cilantro. Now mix with a fork to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve cold with chips or on seafood.

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Rainbow Salad

With the weather getting nice it is fun to play with everything fresh in the market.

Ingredient:
1 Yellow Bell Pepper
1 Red Bell Pepper
1 Orange Bell Pepper
1 Jalapeño
1 Cucumber
1/2 Cup Cilantro
1/2 Lemon
1 TBS Honey
Salt and Pepper to Taste

Start by cutting all the bell peppers and cucumber in to small pieces and add to bowl. Remove seeds from Jalapeño and dice small, add to bowl. Chop cilantro, add to bowl and toss. Add juice of the lemon, honey, salt and paper. Combine and allow the whole dish to chill in fridge for an hour. Serve cold. Enjoy!

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Fruit Cannoli

I was home for the weekend and as always I was requested to make breakfast. My mom for some reason had a can of guava cups. Sounds crazy but they were kinda cool. Plus I figured it would be fun to recreate with other fruits like kiwi and such.

Ingredients-

Canned Gava Cups ( can be substituted for half a kiwi, avocado, large strawberries ect. )

1/3 Mascarpoone Cheese

3/4 Cup Greek Yogurt

2 Tbs Powder Sugar

1 Tbs Almond Flour

1 Tbs Honey

Pinch of Salt

Toppings: Pumpkin Seedes and Coconut Flakes

Start by preparing the fruit cups and pat dry. In a bowl mix cheese, yogurt, sugar, almond flour, honey and salt. Place in fridge for 15 minutes to help it get cold cold and firm. When your ready to serve fill each cup with mixture. You can get creative with topping but I liked using pumpkin seeds and coconut.

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Raw Fruit Bar

I am always coming up with new and improved granola bar recipes. Grab-n-go snacks are what keep me going all day. I find my self stoping at WAWA all the time looking for a bag that is low in sugar, high in protein, no junk and gluten free. Now that I have been getting into cross fit I am really understanding the benefits of eating paleo. I came up with a bar that is easy to do, made of all the good stuff and easy to play with.

Ingredients:

15 Prunes

15 Dates

10 Figs

50 Hazel Nuts

1/2 Cup Sunflower Seeds

1/3 Cup Coco Powder

In a food processor place the hazel nuts and sunflower seeds. Blend into a nut meal. Place nuts in a large bowl. Now add the prunes, dates and figs to the food processor and blend until it starts to form a ball. Place the fruit in the bowl with the nuts and mix by hand well. Slowly add the coco powder and knead it in to the mix. Place the mix into a square tim pan and push evenly to fill the dish. I used an empty mason jar to help roll it to all edges. Slice and enjoy.

Makes 8 – 205 cal – 3.5g protien

 

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Sun Butter Cookie

Everyone loves my no flour peanut butter cookies. I bring them to every party I do. Working at a bakery I have become very aware of the high number of nut allergies. I decided to try and make a cookie recipe that has no flour and no nuts. An easy solution when you are in need of a gluten free treat.

Ingredients:

1 Cup Sunflower Butter

1 Egg

1 tsp Baking Soda

1 tsp Salt

1 Cup Sugar

1 tsp Vanilla

1 tsp Cinnamon

Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl. Roll the dough into about 14 one inch balls. Place each ball on a foiled cookie sheet. Bake for about 12 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Watch them, they can burn really fast.

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Cilantro Chutney

Chutney makes for an incredible dipping sauce for any meal. Full of flavor that pops. Chutney recipes can be creative. This one is easy to whip up in a crunch.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 Cups Fresh Cilantro

1 Clove Garlic

1 inch cube ginger grated

1/2 tsp salt

1 Tbs honey

1 small thai chili or half a jalapeño

Juice of 1 lime

2 Tbs Water

Place everything in a small food processor and blend until a paste forms. Feel free to keep out chili if you want to keep it mild.

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Baba Ghanoush

This is a recipe that has been passed down in my family for a long time. My dad use to tell me story’s of my grandma making it for him as a child in Isreal. I have never been able to get it just right but at least it’s close.

Ingredients:

2 Eggplant

6 Garlic Cloves

2 Tbs Tahini Paste

1 tsp Salt

1 Tbs Oil or Spay

Start by cutting each garlic cloves into about 3 large slices. Then using a pairing knife make a bunch off deep gashes in each. Shove a chuck of garlic in each slit. Spread oil or spray the eggplant all over. Place the eggplant on a grill or under a broiler turning every few minutes until each side is blackened and soft. Once the eggplants are fully cooked and soft peel off the skin. Place the inside of the eggplant in a food processor and mix it up well. Add the tahini and salt and pure. Serve cold or warm.

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Spicy Avocado Ranch Dip

I was looking for something a little more fun then guacamole. This came out spicy, creamy and perfect for dipping veggies in.

Ingredients:

2 Small Avocados

1 Cup Yogurt

1/2 Lime

1/2 Cup Fresh Cilantro

1/2 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Garlic

1 tsp Oregano

1 tsp Parsley

1 tsp Sugar

1 Jalapeño Diced ( leave seed if you want extra spice)

 

Using a food processor mix together avocado, cilantro, lime and jalapeño. One mixed well add yogurt, salt, garlic, parsley, oregano and sugar. Pure until smooth and serve cold.

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Paleo Bar

It’s hard enough to find a good gluten free protein bar but to find one that is not full of all the sugar and junk. Plus they are always very expensive. This version was my first paleo attempt but I was very happy with the result.

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup Sesame Seeds (black or tan)

1/2 Cup Almond Meal

1/2 Cup Pecan Meal

1/2 tsp Baking Soda

1 tsp Vanilla

1/2 Cinnamon

1 Egg

2 Tbs Honey

2 Tbs Peanut Butter

First start by soaking the sesame seeds in a bit a water for ten minutes. After that, drain seeds well by hand and place in large bowl. To that add nut meals, egg and mix well. Next, add honey, peanut butter, cinnamon, vanilla and baking soda. Mix it really well. Place into a well sprayed square baking pan. Bake at 350 for 12 minutes. Allow to cool and then slice into ten.

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Guilt Free Cheese Sauce

During the summer I lead a kitchen for Camp Celiac. Feeding 200 kids gluten free and kid friendly food on a budget can be a challenge. Well one day I has making a good cheese sauce for some pasta and the kids could not get more excited. Even the non gf councilors were taking sauce to go. At home I want to make a skinny version and cut the fat and calories. With super bowl time around the corner this will sure be a hit.

Ingredients:

2 Tbs Light Butter

1 1/2 Tbs GF All Purpose Flour

2/3 Cup Low Fat Cheddar Cheese

1/2 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Sugar

1/2 Pepper

1 Cup Skim Milk

1 Hot Pepper Diced (optional)

1/2 Salsa (optional)

Make this right following the process is important. Start by melting the butter in a sauce pot. Once melted add the flour and stir with a whisk until combined. After this cooks for a few seconds it’s time to add the milk.  Over medium heat whisk the milk and flour until smooth and milk begins to bubble. Now add salt, sugar and pepper. Mix together can the. Add the cheese slowly continue to whisk as you go. After a few minutes cheese will melt and start to mix in well with milk. Low heat and cook until well combined and sauce begins to get think. This will not take long but continue to whisk to prevent cheese from burning on the bottom.  Serve hot with chip or veggies. Enjoy!

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