Tag Archives: Dairy Free

Orange Apple Pecan Cookout Salad

I am so excited that cookout season is here finally! Cold salads to serve alongside something on the grill lets me relax outside with a glass of something to sip beforehand, because the sides are prepared and marinating in the refrigerator.

Orange Apple Pecan Cookout Salad

Leafy green salads are great, but heartier salads to heap on your plate are filling and fun as well. I have a new recipe for you that is packed with vegetables and fruit with a sprinkling of crunchy pecans. You can make it up to two days in advance. It just gets better with time. One of the things I love about this salad is all the colors and the fresh tastes.

This is a robust side with healthy, grain free, nutrient rich carbohydrates. Here is what you will need!

Orange Apple Pecan Cookout Salad

Preheat the oven to 375º degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper, and prepare the Squash.

Butternut Squash Prepped for Roasting

Place the squash cubes from below on the cookie sheet and toss with 2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil, 1 Teaspoon of Sea Salt and 1/4 Teaspoon of Black Pepper. Roast for 20 minutes until tender but still holding together. Try a piece to make sure it is how you like it. Then,

Ingredients for Salad:

1 Medium Butternut Squash, Peeled, Seeded and Cubed into 1 1/2 inch cubes

(Roast the Squash Above and Cool Slightly before making the Salad, Measure out 4 Cups of Squash and save any extra for another time.)

1 Can of Mandarin Oranges (I used Native Forest Brand in it’s own juice)

1 Apple, seeded and diced (I like Fuji, but you choose)

1/4 Cup Fruit Sweetened, Dried Cranberries

1/4 Cup Raw Pecans, Coarsely Chopped

2 Scallions, sliced

Ingredients for Dressing:

1/4 Cup Olive Oil

2 Tablespoons Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice

2 Tablespoons of Cider Vinegar

1 Tablespoon of Honey

1 Teaspoon of Sea Salt

1/2 Teaspoon of Black Pepper

Directions: Whisk together your dressing and set aside. In a large bowl, add the prepared salad ingredients including the roasted squash cubes that have mostly cooled. Pour the dressing over the ingredients, and gently toss. Taste, and season with more salt and pepper if needed. Place in the refrigerator two hours before serving to let the flavors meld.

Ready to Toss

This salad keeps well in the refrigerator. It is a delicious, filling, colorful salad that is packed with all those wonderful fruits and veggies to make us glow with health!

Eat Your Nutrients!

Chocolate Banana Quick Bread (Grain Free)

Who doesn’t love a portable quick bread that you can pack? My kiddos like a slice in their lunches, and I can feel good about the great ingredients in this recipe knowing it is good for them, and me, and sweet at the same time. It’s mostly those bananas with a touch of good quality honey baby! Quick breads are supposed to be soft, but not mushy, and I totally consider them a comfort food. How many of you had Mom’s or Grandma’s that made quick bread when you were young? My favorite, and it’s a classic, is banana bread.

Chocolate Banana Quick Bread Slices

Here is a healthy spin on Banana Quick Bread. It is chocolatey too with the addition of magnesium rich raw cacao! It also contains nice amounts of potassium, protein, and uses unprocessed, real food ingredients.

Chocolate Banana Quick Bread (Grain Free)

Preheat your oven to 350º degrees. Line a 8 inch loaf pan with parchment paper. This keeps the loaf from sticking and helps it lift right out of the pan, so leave some edges sticking out to grab on to.

Chocolate Banana Quick Bread Batter Ready for the Oven

Ingredients:

2 Cups of Superfine Almond Flour

2 Tablespoons of Coconut Flour

1/2 Cup Raw Cacao

1 Teaspoon of Baking Soda

1 Teaspoon of Baking Powder

1 Teaspoon of Cinnamon

1/2 Teaspoon of Allspice

1/2 Teaspoon of Sea Salt

Whisk together the dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

4 Ripe Bananas with black spots

4 Eggs (I used soy free eggs due to a sensitivity)

1/4 Cup Honey, I used raw honey

1/4 Cup Coconut Oil, melted

1 Teaspoon of Vanilla Extract

In a food processor, add all the wet ingredients and blend until completely smooth. Alternately, using a hand mixer, do the same. It will just take longer to incorporate, making sure the bananas are completely smooth.

Add in the Dry Ingredients, and continue to mix until completely blended. Pour into your prepared loaf pan. Bake in the preheated 350º oven for 60 to 75 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean with just a few crumbs attached. Cool in the loaf pan five minutes on the counter before removing the loaf to cool completely before slicing.

Chocolate Banana Quick Bread Baked and Ready to Remove from the Pan

This bread keeps for three days at room temperature. For longer storage, refrigerate the loaf well wrapped.

Sliced Chocolate Banana Quick Bread

Eat Your Nutrients!

Pumpkin Pecan Quick Bread (Grain Free)

Pumpkin Pecan Bread Loaf

This loaf of Pumpkin Pecan Quick Bread is moist and delicious! It is also grain free. The structure of the loaf is fantastic. There is 24 grams of protein in this recipe from the eggs, as well as healthy Omega 3’s and Vitamins A, D, E and K from the yolks, along with 36 grams of protein from the Almond Flour. I used soy free eggs since I can eat eggs without problems if they are soy free. I consumed a fair amount of soy in the past and developed an intolerance to it, and it is present in the eggs of chickens who are fed soy. You can read more about this topic here. You can use any egg you like in the recipe. I recommend a good quality, pastured one.

The bread comes together quickly, just like a quick bread should! It is great for breakfast, a snack, or packed in lunches!

Let’s bake a good quick loaf!

Pumpkin Pecan Quick Bread

Ingredients:

1 1/2 Cup Superfine Almond Flour

1 Tablespoon Coconut Flour

1 Teaspoon Baking Powder

1 Teaspoon Baking Soda

1/2 Teaspoon Sea Salt

1/2 Teaspoon Cinnamon

1/4 Teaspoon Cardamom

1/8 Teaspoon Nutmeg

1/8 Teaspoon Cloves

1/2 Cup Chopped Pecans

1 Cup Pumpkin

4 Eggs

1/4 Cup Honey

1/4 Cup Coconut Oil, melted

1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Directions: Preheat the oven to 375º degrees. Line a 8″ loaf pan with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients through the cloves. Set aside. In a small bowl, with a hand held mixer blend together the pumpkin, eggs, honey, coconut oil and vanilla on high speed for 1 minute.

Pumpkin Pecan Bread Batter

Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and blend with a handheld mixer until completely smooth on medium speed. Fold in the chopped pecans, reserve a few pecans to sprinkle on the top.

Pumpkin Pecan Quick Bread Ready for the Oven

Place in the preheated oven, and bake for 50 minutes. Remove from the oven. Use the sides of the parchment paper to lift the loaf from the pan. Cool completely before slicing.

8 to 12 Servings

Go to In My Pantry for where to buy ingredients and my favorite brands

Eat Your Nutrients!

Easter Recipes Roundup!!!

Easter is this weekend. What plans do you have? Have you been preparing for a celebration?

My daughters are on Spring break this week, and yesterday, we colored eggs, planted pansies in the garden, and visited our local bookstore. The girls are avid readers and wanted to stock up on new releases. It is so nice after Winter to see some color! Colorful eggs, flowers, and Spring pastels everywhere! I love it!

I have put together a roundup for you of recipes from the blog that would be perfect for Easter, starting with these kid favorite, Grain Free Bunny pancakes! (For the young in all of us! You know you want your pancakes in bunny shapes!) Find the recipe by clicking the link below. They are a joyful way to start your morning!

Grain Free Bunny Pancakes

For a healthy and beautiful Easter Dinner spread, I suggest a starter of Bacon Wrapped Asparagus.

Bacon Wrapped Asparagus

As a main course, make this Bacon, Tomato and Basil Spaghetti Squash Casserole with a Spring Strawberry Sugar Snap Pea Salad.

Spagehtti Squash Cass 5

Bacon, Tomato, and Basil Spaghetti Squash Casserole

Strawberry Sugar Snap Pea Spring Salad

Spring Strawberry Sugar Snap Pea Salad

For a stunning seasonal dessert, serve this gorgeous SCD Paleo Strawberry Pie with Toasted Hazelnut Vanilla Orange Ice Cream, and everyone will be thinking you are the Hostess with the Mostess!

Summer Strawberry Pie with Toasted Hazelnut Vanilla Orange Ice Cream

SCD Paleo Strawberry Pie with Toasted Hazelnut Vanilla Orange Ice Cream

……and if you need ideas for all those hard boiled Easter Eggs, make these little peeps! They are so fun, festive, and easy!!!

paleo peeps 4 with type

Have a lovely Easter weekend! Ming says Hello!!!!

Hello From Ming!

Spatchcocked Rosemary Lime Roasted Chicken

Spatchcocked chicken is a pretty way to cook a whole chicken, but even better is, it is moister everywhere, and you won’t dry out the breast while waiting for the slower thighs to be cooked through.

Spatchcocked Rosemary Lime Roasted Chicken

Although to the eye, the chicken looks fancy and difficult, it really isn’t at all. I like to prepare my chicken several hours before roasting it, and put in in the refrigerator uncovered so it can rest in the rub right on the baking sheet and absorb the flavors. This also allows the skin to dry out when exposed to air, so it is extra crispy!!!

Spatchcocked Rosemary Lime Roasted Chicken

Ingredients:

1 – 5 to 6 pound whole chicken

Zest of 2 Limes

3 Tablespoons of Olive Oil

1 Tablespoon of Sea Salt

1/2 Teaspoon of Black Pepper

1 1/4 Teaspoon of Crushed Rosemary

1 1/2 Teaspoon Ground Ginger

Directions: Mix the olive oil and seasonings together for your Rosemary Lime Rub and set aside.

Now let’s spatchcock the chicken. It takes a little elbow grease, but trust me, it is easier than it looks! Much easier than cutting up a whole chicken! You will need a sharp knife or poultry scissors.

Remove Backbone

Place the chicken on a prepared baking sheet. Turn the chicken over onto its back, and starting on one side of the back bone, cute through the back. Now, do the same thing on the other side, and remove the backbone completely from the chicken. (You can use the backbone and giblets to make stock.)

Backbone Removed

That was the most difficult part. Turn the chicken over so the breasts face up, and with the palms of your hands, flatten the chicken by pressing on the breast area and splaying out the legs. It should look like this.

Spatchcocked Whole Chicken

Rub the chicken all over front and back with the Rosemary Lime Rub.

Place the chicken uncovered in the refrigerator a few hours, or as long as overnight. This step before roasting makes the chicken skin very crispy! You can skip it if you don’t have time, or you want chicken right away.

When you are ready to roast your chicken, Preheat the oven to 325º degrees and roast the chicken for one hour.

Test the thigh to make sure it has reached 165º degrees. Remove from the oven, and let the chicken sit for ten minutes to retain the juices before carving.

Enjoy this juicy recipe!

Eat Your Nutrients!

Fresh Basil, Chive and Dill Herb Sauce

Sauces are one of my favorite ways to elevate the flavor of anything!

This sauce is a savory one that can be used in many different ways. I use it as a dip for crackers or raw vegetables, drizzle it on meat or fish after it is cooked, sautée it with vegetables, and use it as a marinade before grilling. It also is a delicious way to dress a salad by thinning it with a little more lemon juice.

Fresh Basil, Chive and Dill Sauce

When I have sauces handy, it is going to be a good week in the eating department, even if I don’t have a lot of time to spend cooking! What I mean by this is, it makes it super easy to elevate meals from boring to spectacular. Sometimes on the weekends, I spend a Saturday morning making sauces to use for the next couple weeks. I like to freeze half of them, so I can pull them out of the freezer when I need them. There are 21 other recipes for sauces and dressings to choose from under the Sauce section in my Recipe Index.

Fresh Basil, Chive and Dill Sauce over Pork Tenderloin

This sauce utilizes three different herbs that gives it a Mediterranean flare and lots of beneficial nutrients. I am always taking into consideration the benefits as well as flavor of recipes. 🙂 Herbs are generally under-used in cooking, and really bump up flavor and nutrition.

This recipe makes 1 1/4 cups. I like to pour it into two jars, one for the fridge and one for the freezer.

Fresh Basil, Chive and Dill Herb Sauce

Ingredients:

3 Packages of Fresh Basil (3/4 oz.)

1 Package of Fresh Dill (3/4 oz.)

1 Package of Fresh Chives (3/4 oz.)

1/2 Cup Raw Pecans

6 Tablespoons Garlic Infused Olive Oil

6 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

(or 12 Tablespoons of Olive Oil and 2 Fresh Garlic Cloves if not following Low FodMap Diet)

1 Tablespoon Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice

1 Teaspoon of Sea Salt

1 Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper

Ready to Blend Ingredients for Sauce!

Simply put all the ingredients into a blender, and blend on high until smooth!

Now, how will you use your fresh herb sauce? I would love to hear your ideas!

Versatile Herb Sauce as a Dip with Crackers!

Easy Pineapple One Bowl Muffins

One of my favorite cakes in the 80’s was pineapple upside down cake. Crushed pineapple was really popular to use in baking, and added lots of moisture to the recipe. Hummingbird cake, pineapple upside down cake, and dump cakes are three that come to mind. I loved pineapple upside down cake growing up, and I thought why not try a muffin with a few simple ingredients that can be made fast, grain free and low fodmap……….I had a craving! 🙂

So, if you like pineapple, here is a recipe that is simple, fast, and a pleasure to put together, that I think you will love! It makes an even dozen, and the muffins have a beautiful crumb. They start to brown on the tops as they are finishing off, for a truly delicious muffin that is not overly sweet.

Easy Pineapple One Bowl Muffins

Easy Pineapple One Bowl Muffins

Directions: Preheat your oven to 350º degrees. Line a twelve cup muffin pan with paper liners and set aside.

Ingredients:

1 14 oz. can of Native Forest Crushed Pineapple (or one without additives)

2 Eggs

1/4 Cup Clear Honey (Clover Honey is Lower in FodMaps)

1 1/2 Tablespoons Ground Ginger

1 Teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract

1 1/2 Cups Superfine Almond Flour

1/2 Teaspoon Sea Salt

1/4 Teaspoon Baking Soda

Okay, this is really, really simple, and I love it! Put the ingredients in a bowl in the order listed above, and using a hand held mixer, mix until completely blended. Scoop evenly into the muffin liners. I used a muffin scoop. Bake for 30 minutes in your preheated oven. They will be starting to brown on the top, and when gently pressed, the tops will spring back when done. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.

Pineapple Dump Muffins Batter

The Batter is Ready to Scoop!

Ready to Go Into the Oven

Muffins Ready to Bake Above.

That’s it!

Makes 12 – an even dozen!

Have a great day!

Eat Your Nutrients!

You’ve Got the Beet! – Day 7 – Seven Days of Smoothies

Today is the final smoothie recipe of the Seven Days of Smoothies series! You’ve Got the Beet! has a respectable amount of fiber from figs (6% per medium fig). Sweet delicious figs also contain calcium, potassium, magnesium, Iron, Vitamins B, C, Selenium, Phosphorus and Zinc. There are two colorful vegetables incorporated into today’s smoothie, (you guessed it beet, and also carrot). Strawberries are a low sugar addition to this smoothie and provide over 140% RDA of Vitamin C. Choose your favorite dairy free milk to add, and don’t forget the protein!

You've Got the Beet Smoothie - Day Seven, Seven Days of Smoothies

You’ve Got the Beet Smoothie

Ingredients:

1 Cup Frozen Strawberries

2 Turkish Figs (soak them if they are not soft for ease in blending)

3 Baby Carrots

1 Slice of Beet (about a Tablespoon)

1/2 Cup Dairy Free Milk

2 Tablespoons Pomegranate Juice Concentrate

1 Tablespoon Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice

Blend it thoroughly to incorporate those figs! Then add:

2 Tablespoons of Collagen Powder and/or Your Favorite Protein Powder (add after initial blending and blend just until incorporated to prevent foaming).

Here is a recap of the smoothies shared during the Seven Days of Smoothies! When rotated into your routine, they will keep you from getting into a rut with food choices, and help you include a colorful array of nutrients into your diet!

Razzleberry Rad – Day 1

Blue Bumbleberry – Day 2

Orange U Sweet – Day 3

Kale Me Later – Day 4

Chocolate Mocha No Moo – Day 5

Creamy Dreamy Tropical Ginger – Day 6

You’ve Got the Beet! – Day 7

Chocolate Mocha No Moo – Day 5 – Seven Days of Smoothies

Chocolate Mocha No Moo - Day 5 - Seven Days of Smoothies Challenge

This smoothie is like a mocha milk shake without the dairy, and unhealthy sugar. Smoothies that taste so creamy and delicious and promote health are the way to go in my book! One of my favorite reasons for using whole food sweeteners like dates is the food is unrefined with all it’s minerals and fiber intact.

This smoothie contains Raw Cacao which gives it the rich chocolate flavor. Raw Cacao is a superfood rich in essential minerals and antioxidants. Eating raw cacao releases dopamine in the brain, a neurotransmitter that boosts mood and pleasure, and it has been shown to lower insulin resistance. Coconut Butter is a healthy fat that also gives the smoothie a creaminess, as well as the coconut milk. (You may substitute another milk like almond). A touch of cinnamon and vanilla compliment the coffee and brings out more of the chocolate flavor. This is a smoothie that I like to drink with my feet up, savoring every delicious sip!

Chocolate Mocha No Moo

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup Full Fat Coconut Milk

2 Tablespoons Raw Cacao

2 Tablespoons Cold Coffee

2 Large Medjool Dates

1 Tablespoon of Coconut Butter

1 Cup Crushed Ice

1/2 tsp. Vanilla Extract

1/8 tsp. Cinnamon

Optional: 2 Tablespoons of Grass Fed Gelatin or Your Favorite Protein Powder (add after initial blending and blend just until incorporated to prevent foaming)

Directions: Add all the ingredients to a high speed blender and mix until creamy and the dates are fully incorporated.

Put your feet up and Enjoy!

Have a beautiful day!

Kale Me Later – Day 4 – Seven Days of Smoothies

The midway point of Seven Days of Smoothies is today! You didn’t think I would forget about green smoothies did you? They are my favorite! In fact I love them so much, I want to give you an an A-Okay to throw greens into any of the smoothies on this seven day challenge! Kale Me Later is the smoothie of the day, but you’re going to want to do it now not later. 🙂

Lucuma powder, a maple flavored natural sweetener from the Inca fruit which contains iron, zinc, vitamin B3, calcium, and beta caroteine is an optional add in to your smoothie. Matcha adds green tea flavor to the smoothie as well as a powerhouse of antioxidants like the Catechin EGCg known for it’s cancer protective properties. It is energizing, detoxifying, and helps concentration and focus.

If you want more green goodness, feel free to double this recipe for a larger smoothie!

Kale Me Later - Day 4 - Seven Days of Smoothies