Category: Healthy

Sweet and Salty Chia Flax Peanut Butter

The magical combination of salty and sweet in a peanut butter with a nutrient boost from chia seeds and flax seeds.

Sweet and Salty Chia Flax Peanut Butter - The magical combination of salty and sweet in a peanut butter with a nutrient boost from chia seeds and flax seeds. | QueenofMyKitchen.com

Certain foods are so insanely tasty and comforting that they trigger obsessive thoughts and cravings. Peanut butter is one such food. If you put peanut butter on anything and everything, never tire of its creamy deliciousness, and are always ready for your next fix, then you’re a peanut butter addict and will love Sweet and Salty Chia Flax Peanut Butter. One spoonful of this delicious homemade nut butter and you’ll be on a healthy peanut butter high! (more…)

Clean Tuna Salad on Gluten-Free Dill Crackers

A lighter, cleaner, healthier tuna salad made with homemade avocado mayonnaise and served on crunchy, gluten-free dill crackers.

Clean Tuna Salad on Gluten-Free Dill Crackers – A lighter, cleaner, healthier tuna salad made with homemade avocado mayonnaise and served on crunchy, gluten-free dill crackers. | QueenofMyKitchen.com

“Clean eating” is a term that’s thrown around a lot these days. It’s kind of a vague term and if you asked ten health-minded people what it means, you’d likely get ten different answers. Everyone would agree, however, that the central tenet revolves around the idea of eating unprocessed, or minimally processed food. The best, and simplest piece of advice regarding clean eating that I’ve heard is this – when shopping for food, check the labels carefully. The ingredient lists should be short and all the foods on them should be recognizable. Of course, we can’t, nor should we, adhere to this guideline strictly. Some foods, by necessity, and for our safety, contain additives and preservatives, and not all of them are harmful. The key is to strike a balance by choosing whole foods as often as possible and avoiding foods that are highly and unnecessarily processed when it’s practical and feasible to do so. A super easy way to eat cleaner is to make your own mayonnaise. Store-bought mayonnaise is almost always made with refined oil (usually soybean oil) and often contains added sugar. Making your own mayonnaise takes just a few minutes and it’s so much healthier than store-bought. After you whip up a batch you can make Clean Tuna Salad on Gluten-Free Dill Crackers, which you can enjoy as a snack or light lunch. (more…)

Gluten-Free Caprese Tarts

Classic caprese salad ingredients on super flaky almond flour pastry, drizzled with sweet, tart, balsamic glaze.

Gluten-Free Caprese Tarts - Classic caprese salad ingredients on super flaky almond flour pastry and drizzled with sweet, tart balsamic glaze. | QueenofMyKitchen.com

A good caprese salad is probably my all-time favorite appetizer.  Whenever I’m dining out with my family and caprese salad is on the menu one of my daughters invariably says “I know what you’re having Mom”.  Traditional caprese salads are made up of mozzarella, tomatoes, and fresh basil, which, some say are meant to symbolize the colors of the Italian flag.  The dressing is typically just some good quality olive oil with a sprinkling of salt and pepper. These beautiful tarts turn this classic salad from the Italian island of Capri into a delicious gluten-free appetizer with an updated dressing of balsamic glaze.  If you’re a fan of caprese salads, you will LOVE Gluten-Free Caprese Tarts!
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Roasted Eggplant Tahini Dip

A savory and healthy vegetable dip made with Greek yogurt and infused with fresh basil.

Roasted Eggplant Tahini Dip – A savory and healthy vegetable dip made with Greek yogurt and infused with fresh basil. Perfect for entertaining. | QueenofMyKitchen.com

A collection of easy, delicious, and reliable appetizers is a must for anyone who entertains on a regular basis. No fuss appetizers that are versatile and can be made ahead of time will ease the stress that often accompanies feeding guests. Dips are great for all of the aforementioned reasons but can sometimes be too rich if they’re made with a lot of mayonnaise or cream cheese. Health considerations aside, appetizers are supposed to simply whet our appetites, not ruin them. That’s why I love Roasted Eggplant Tahini Dip; it’s a light but satisfying appetizer that can be served with a wide range of foods for dipping and, more importantly, guests love it! (more…)

Almond Butter Button Cookies

The Recipe Redux is a group of like-minded food bloggers whose mission is to inspire the food lover in every healthy eater and inspire the healthy eater in every food lover.  Each month members post recipes to their blogs following a theme set by the group moderators.  Click the Recipe Redux link at the bottom of this page to see links to all the posts for this month’s challenge.

Almond Butter Button Cookies – Deliciously soft and chewy cookies made with just a handful of healthy ingredients. Gluten-free. | QueenofMyKitchen.com

We’ve all been there. You have to prepare a meal for your family or bring a baked item to an event but you’re way overdue for a trip to the grocery store and there’s no time to go now.  So, you stare into the refrigerator and rummage through your pantry trying to figure out what you can throw together using only the ingredients you have on hand.  Such was the genesis for this month’s Recipe Redux theme – Spring Clean the Kitchen.  The challenge was to develop a recipe using at least 3 ingredients you currently had in your kitchen – no trips to the grocery store allowed.  In keeping with the spirit of the theme, I opted to create a dessert/snack using a few of my favorite healthy baking staples, and to keep the ingredient list short.  The result is these adorable and delicious Almond Butter Button Cookies. (more…)

Cucumber Antipasto Salad

A simple and healthy throw-together salad with classic antipasto flavors.

Cucumber Antipasto Salad - A simple and healthy throw-together salad with classic antipasto flavors. | QueenofMyKitchen.com

Cucumber Antipasto Salad is a ridiculously easy throw-together salad with classic antipasto ingredients. It takes just a few minutes to prepare and yields eight to ten servings, so it’s a great dish for entertaining. The crunchy cucumber provides a nice contrast to the soft and silky artichokes, peppers, and mozzarella cheese. Dressed in a simple lemon vinaigrette with a generous smattering of fresh dill throughout, this healthy and tasty salad is a real crowd pleaser. (more…)

Maple Maca Ice Cream Sundaes

A rich and creamy vegan ice cream, infused with the superfood maca, and topped with a bittersweet dark chocolate sauce.

If you’re not familiar with veganism you might not believe that you can create a good tasting ice cream without milk or cream, but this recipe for Maple Maca Ice Cream Sundaes proves it. The secret is cashews. Vegans have always known that cashews are an amazing substitute for dairy and over the years they have figured out how to use this nut to impart a rich taste and creamy texture in all kinds of dishes. In this recipe for Maple Maca Ice Cream Sundaes the ice cream base is created from pureed cashews, sweetened with maple syrup and banana, and infused with maca powder, an Incan superfood. If there was ever a healthy ice cream, this is it!

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Chicken Artichoke Farro Frittata

A unique and delicious dish full of lots of savory flavors with a beautiful, floral-like top layer of artichoke hearts.

Chicken Artichoke Farro Frittata - A unique and delicious dish full of lots of savory flavors with a beautiful, floral-like top layer of artichoke hearts. | QueenofMyKitchen.com

Canned artichoke hearts are an amazing convenience food. I always have a few cans in my pantry because they’re so versatile. You can use them in salads, on antipasto platters, and in casserole-type dishes. Recently I added them to a baked frittata, laying them on top of the egg mixture prior to baking (versus mixing them in), to create a dish that is as beautiful as it is tasty. Chicken Artichoke Farro Frittata is a unique and delicious dish full of lots of savory flavors. (more…)

Dill Pickle Chopped Chicken Salad

A sophisticated chicken salad with dill pickle flavor – colorful, delicious, and super crunchy.

Dill Pickle Chopped Chicken Salad - A sophisticated chicken salad with dill pickle flavor - colorful, delicious, and super crunchy. Gluten-free. | QueenofMyKitchen.com

There are countless ways to make a mayonnaise based chicken salad but an essential component is something with crunch. A crunchy ingredient provides a nice contrast to the soft, creamy texture of the chicken. Celery usually plays this role solo, but in Dill Pickle Chopped Chicken Salad the crunch factor is amplified big-time with the addition of dill pickles, bell pepper, and apple. You’ll love this unique twist on classic chicken salad, especially if you’re a pickle lover. (more…)

Shaved Brussels Sprouts Over Crispy Cauliflower Cakes

A sensational salad made from Brussels sprouts and cauliflower, two vegetables once considered boring and unglamorous. 

Shaved Brussels Sprouts Over Crispy Cauliflower Cakes - Thinly sliced Brussels sprouts slaw served over crispy cauliflower cakes, dressed in a lemon vinaigrette and topped with bacon and walnuts. A sensational salad made from two vegetables once considered boring and unglamorous! | QueenofMyKitchen.com

Brussels sprouts have made an amazing transformation. These little winter cabbages have gone from being one of the most reviled vegetables a decade or so ago to being trendy and gourmet today. Their rise in popularity over the past few years can be partially attributed to restaurant chefs who began roasting, sautéing, and grilling Brussels sprouts in various creative ways. Home cooks followed suit and soon Brussels sprouts were everywhere – on TV, in cooking magazines, and in new, flashier packaging at grocery stores. Brussels sprouts have traditionally been thought of as a cooking vegetable but we’re now seeing them used raw, in salads so I jumped on the bandwagon and created Shaved Brussels Sprouts Over Crispy Cauliflower Cakes. This salad is so delicious!  (more…)

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