Taste the essence of strawberries in these beautiful gluten-free sugar cookies!
STRAWBERRY SEASON
It’s strawberry season here in Massachusetts, and although these soft and tender Strawberry Sugar Cookies weren’t made with fresh picked strawberries, they are bursting with strawberry flavor. The secret ingredient is freeze-dried strawberries that have been ground into a powder and then incorporated into the cookie dough, giving it not only terrific flavor, but a beautiful pink color. The decorative almonds and cranberries are optional toppings so leave them off if you wish. But, if you have the time, they add a unique touch and make the cookies look extra pretty. (more…)
The world’s easiest homemade ice cream. No churning or fancy equipment required!
HOMEMADE ICE CREAM MADE IN A MASON JAR? REALLY?
Making ice cream from scratch can be a bit of a project and typically requires some type of an ice cream maker. So, when I read about making ice cream in a mason jar, although I was intrigued, I figured it was probably a gimmicky method that wouldn’t produce good tasting ice cream. I was even more skeptical because the article about this unique ice cream making technique was, quite apparently, using a stock photo instead of a picture of ice cream that was actually made using the recipe (“Getty Images” appears at the bottom of the photo). However, this Mason Jar Brownie Ice Cream is proof that my skepticism was unwarranted! (more…)
Gluten-free, grain-free, chocolate chip cookies made with nutrient dense chickpeas.
HEALTHY CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
Looks can be deceiving! Although these Chickpea Chocolate Chip Cookies look like your average, run-of-the-mill, chocolate chip cookies, they’re anything but. They are, quite possibly, the healthiest chocolate chip cookies on the planet – made from whole beans, nuts, seeds, and dark chocolate, and sweetened primarily with maple syrup, a natural, unrefined sugar. The magic ingredient is these cookies is chickpeas, which stands in for the flour that you’d normally find in most cookie recipes, and that miraculously turns into dough that looks, and bakes ups, exactly like cookie dough. And because there’s no wheat flour in this recipe, these scrumptious cookies are gluten-free and grain-free too. They have a clean taste and tender texture and are delicious dipped in milk or served alongside a scoop of vanilla ice cream. (more…)
An easy-to-make gluten-free, grain-free cake made with canned chickpeas. The perfect clean eating dessert! JUMP TO RECIPE
STOCKING UP ON CANNED FOODS
Stocking up on essential food items has been a popular topic lately as we all deal with the COVID-19 outbreak. We’re supposed to minimize our trips to the grocery store but still keep our families well-fed. What makes this difficult is that we need more food now than before, as we’re all eating at home – no more work/school lunches or dinners out. Sweet treats are important too because let’s face it, we need comfort during this difficult time. One thing that can help you balance these demands is to stock up on canned foods. This might not sound very logical or appealing but it’s actually an excellent strategy as long as you make healthy canned food choices. (Yes, indeed this Chickpea Chocolate Chip Cake is made with a canned food item!) Check out this article – Canned Foods Nutritionists Swear By. (more…)
Health-minded chocoholics will go crazy for these guilt-free brownies made with super clean ingredients! JUMP TO RECIPE
I confess to being a little bit obsessed with brownies – more specifically, healthy brownies. Ever since I discovered that delicious, decadent, authentic tasting brownies can be made with nutritious foods like black beans, avocados, sweet potatoes, tahini, lentils, and bananas, I’ve been on a mission to develop as many of these guilt-free recipes as I can. Sweet and Salty Chickpea Brownies are my most recent creation and they are soooo good! (You can find links to all my other healthy brownie recipes at the end of this post.) (more…)
These modern-day gingerbread men are made with coconut oil and have a soft, chewy texture with classic gingerbread flavor. JUMP TO RECIPE
Nothing gets me into the holiday spirit more than making gingerbread cookies. This year I updated my old recipe, one I’ve been using for many years, and came up with Coconut Oil Gingerbread Men. These cookies have a soft texture and classic gingerbread flavor and are so much fun to decorate. My old gingerbread men recipe calls for vegetable shortening, and in the past I used Crisco to make these cookies, but I no longer use partially hydrogenated fats (also known as trans fats) because they’ve been linked to inflammation and heart disease. A great replacement for products like Crisco is coconut oil and it can be used 1:1 so it’s an easy substitute. (more…)
A healthy, delicious, frozen treat with intense blueberry flavor. Low in calories and chock-full of antioxidants. JUMP TO RECIPE
There’s nothing earth shattering about frozen yogurt, but I’m still willing to bet that once you try 5-Minute Wild Blueberry Vanilla Frozen Yogurt, it will rock your world, and, quite possibly become your favorite summer-time treat. Why? Because not only is it delicious, and super easy to make, but it’s rich in antioxidants and has the most gorgeous, vibrant color. And if that alone doesn’t make you want to instantly whip up a batch, then consider this: each serving is less than 100 calories with only 8 grams of sugar. Compare that to the same size serving of ice cream, which clocks in at a minimum of 150 calories with 16 grams of sugar or more! And, that’s a conservative estimate – many popular brands of ice cream contain far more calories and sugar than that. (Click here to see the numbers.) If you have a nightly ice cream habit, just switching to 5-Minute Wild Blueberry Vanilla Frozen Yogurt may help you lose anywhere from 5 to 10 pounds over the course of a year. Now THAT’S earth shattering! (more…)
A healthy remake of classic chocolate pecan turtle candies. Vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, and refined sugar-free. These little bites are sweet, chewy, chocolately, and utterly delicious!
Anyone who has a sweet tooth knows that when cravings strike, they’re hard to ignore. Even those of us who aren’t “addicted to sugar” won’t pass up a sweet treat every now and then. We can blame our yearning for sweet tasting foods on our early ancestors, who evolved to crave sugar because it was a good source of energy and protection from starvation. But the amounts and forms of sugar consumed back then were quite different than what’s readily available to us today, and this has led to over-consumption and, some would argue, contributed to the obesity crisis here in the U.S. So, what’s a sugar-loving person to do? In my opinion, the worst thing you can do is deprive yourself of sweets. Instead, look for ways to reduce your sugar consumption. Read nutrition labels carefully, and as much as possible, steer clear of foods with added sugars, especially refined and artificial sweeteners like high fructose corn syrup and aspartame. And, when reaching for treats and desserts, choose ones sweetened naturally, without processed/refined ingredients. These Vegan Chocolate Turtle Bites fit the bill. They’re free of gluten, dairy, refined sugar, and are also vegan. Candy doesn’t get much healthier than this! (more…)
This moist delicious quick bread has twice the protein and fiber as most banana bread. One of the best uses ever for overripe bananas! JUMP TO RECIPE
Quick breads are no-yeast breads that can be made in a wide variety of sweet and savory flavors. These easy-to-make loaves are not only super-fast to make, as the name implies, but are a lot less finicky than bread made with yeast because you don’t need to be concerned about proofing the yeast (a process whereby you test the yeast ahead of time to make sure it’s active/alive) or whether you have the right climate for your bread to rise properly. Banana bread is by far the most popular in the quick bread category but most recipes you’ll come across call for all-purpose flour and refined sugar. This recipe for Chickpea Chocolate Chip Banana Bread is a bit healthier. It swaps out all-purpose flour for gluten-free, protein and fiber rich chickpea flour, uses coconut sugar in place of a refined sweetener, and throws in some dark chocolate chips to make it even more decadent. If you’re like me, and you stopped making banana bread once you decided to cut back on gluten and refined sugar, you can say HELLO to banana bread again! This rendition of traditional banana bread is every bit as tasty as any you’ve ever had – I promise! (more…)
A healthier version of classic shortcake biscuits made with the Italian ancient grain farro. JUMP TO RECIPE
Once the warm weather arrives here in the Boston area, one of the things I really look forward to is local strawberries. Usually by mid-June the season is in full swing and the farm stands in my neighborhood are bursting with this sweet, delicious fruit. (Botanically speaking, strawberries are actually considered fruit, not berries! Read more about this little-known fact here.) Supermarket strawberries can’t hold a candle to fresh picked, and unless you buy organic, they’re usually loaded with pesticides. So I make sure I enjoy the season while it lasts which always includes a serving or two of strawberry shortcake. This year I’m putting a twist on the classic dessert by making it with these delicious Farro Shortcake Biscuits. (more…)
