Healthy Archives - Page 13 of 15 - Queen of My Kitchen

09
Mar
2016

Lobster, Avocado, and Chickpea Salad with Lime Cilantro Vinaigrette

categories: Gluten Free, Healthy, Salads, Seafood

I was perusing Pinterest recently and came across a bunch of recipe pins using smashed chickpeas and avocado – as in, chickpeas and avocado mashed together. There were sandwiches, salads, dips and wraps – they ALL looked scrumptious. I suspect that’s because I am in love with chickpeas and avocado and when I saw the two mixed together I thought it was pure genius. So I set about developing my own recipe using smashed chickpeas and avocado and came up with Lobster, Avocado, and Chickpea Salad with Lime Cilantro Vinaigrette. This salad tastes divine, is packed with nutritious ingredients, and its vibrant colors make for a beautiful presentation. What more could you ask for in a dish! (more…)

04
Mar
2016

Roasted Garlic Cream of Tomato Soup

categories: Gluten Free, Healthy, Soups and Stews

Here is a lightened up version of the classic Cream of Tomato Soup. The taste and texture of this soup belie its ingredients as it contains no cream. Roasted Garlic Cream of Tomato soup is thickened primarily with pureed Yukon gold potatoes and infused with sweet, mellow, roasted garlic.

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16
Feb
2016

Slow Roasted Tomatoes with Fresh Mozzarella and Basil Cashew Pesto a/k/a Winter Caprese Salad

categories: Gluten Free, Healthy, Salads, Side Dishes

Every winter, right around now, I start to crave a perfectly ripe summer tomato, straight from the garden, so that I can make Caprese Salad – a classic Italian dish of fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil. Caprese Salad made with tomatoes at the peak of their ripeness is pretty close to heaven on earth. That’s why I miss it so terribly come winter. So this is my solution – Slow Roasted Tomatoes with Fresh Mozzarella and Basil Cashew Pesto, a/k/a Winter Caprese Salad. Simply roast up a batch of plum tomatoes and serve them with pesto and fresh mozzarella. Roasting the tomatoes brings out their natural sweetness. They won’t be as tasty as garden fresh tomatoes but they’re a good substitute during the cold winter months. (more…)

21
Jan
2016

Snack Bar Madeleines

categories: Desserts, Gluten Free, Healthy, Snacks, Vegan

If you’re an avid baker chances are you own a madeleine pan. Madeleines are petite French butter cakes that are baked in a pan with shell shaped cavities, giving them a distinctive shape. I came across my madeleine pan the other day and considered getting rid of it because I haven’t used it in so long. Perhaps as a way to justify keeping it I started pondering what else I could make using this classic French baking pan. And then it came to me – fruit and nut snack bars! I’ve aptly named these delicious, healthy treats Snack Bar Madeleines. (more…)

10
Jan
2016

Chickpea Spinach Salad

categories: Appetizers, Gluten Free, Healthy, Salads, Side Dishes, Vegan, Vegetarian

It’s hard to believe that a dish as simple as Chickpea Spinach Salad can be so delicious – it contains only a handful of ingredients and takes just minutes to prepare. If eating healthy is on your list of resolutions for the new year, then you’ll want to add this nutritious salad to your cooking repertoire. (more…)

05
Jan
2016

Raspberry Almond Breakfast Cookies

categories: Breakfast, Gluten Free, Healthy, Vegan

Breakfast is a dilemma for many of us. In the hectic morning hours there’s often not enough time to prepare a healthy meal, and even less time to sit down and properly enjoy it. We’re usually stuck with grabbing whatever is quick and convenient, regardless of its nutritional value, before rushing off to work or school. Sadly, this isn’t going to change for most people. The pace of life, especially here in the U.S., is fast and breakfast is the meal that suffers most. That’s why it’s so important to have a few healthy, on-the-go breakfast choices at the ready. For me the ideal breakfast has a decent amount of fiber (to keep me full), some protein, and not too much sugar. These Raspberry Almond Breakfast Cookies fit the bill and are perfect for busy mornings. They’re gluten free and vegan too. (more…)

07
Nov
2015

Pumpkin Lentil Flax Crackers

categories: Appetizers, Gluten Free, Healthy, Vegan

These Pumpkin Lentil Flax Crackers would be perfect as an appetizer for a Thanksgiving gathering. They’re festive and chock-full of healthy ingredients like lentils, flaxseed, coconut oil, and beets – yes, beets! This recipe was a bit of an accident. Earlier this year I was trying to make a cracker in honor of Valentines Day and wanted to use a natural ingredient to color the dough red so I added beets, which did in fact make the dough a beautiful shade of red. The only problem was that when baked the color of the dough faded to orange. The crackers still tasted delicious so I posted the recipe anyway but they were not what I had envisioned. I did, however, make a mental note to recycle this recipe for Thanksgiving because the crackers turned out to be the perfect shade of pumpkin orange! If you don’t like beets I hope you won’t shy away from making these delicious crackers. I don’t like beets but I love these crackers. I know it sounds odd to use beets as an ingredient in crackers but you don’t really taste them – they just give the crackers a hearty, earthy quality that would be lacking without them. (more…)

28
Oct
2015

Basic Roasted Chicken Breasts

categories: Chicken, Gluten Free, Healthy

I suspect there are millions of people who regularly eat cold cuts for lunch who are now looking for alternatives in light of the research released yesterday by the World Health Organization declaring processed meats a carcinogen. While the news media focused mainly on meats such as bacon and hot dogs, the research defined processed meat as “any meat that has been salted, cured, fermented, smoked, or otherwise transformed for the purpose of enhancing flavor or improving preservation”. This definition encompasses a wide variety of cold cuts – a lunch staple for many. I gave up eating cold cuts for lunch years ago because of their unhealthy additives and high sodium content. (One 4 oz. serving of a popular brand of oven roasted chicken breast deli meat that claims to be healthy contains 976mg of sodium. Compare this to only 143mg of sodium for the same size serving of Basic Roasted Chicken Breasts.) As a substitute I began roasting chicken breasts and shredding the meat to use in sandwiches and salads. Basic Roasted Chicken Breasts wasn’t a recipe I considered worthy of sharing until yesterday. The World Health Organization cancer report was all over the news, undoubtedly striking fear into health-conscious consumers. I hope sharing this simple method of preparation will help convince at least a few people to ditch cold cuts in favor of Basic Roasted Chicken Breasts. (more…)

20
Sep
2015

Maple Glazed Pumpkin Seed Clusters

categories: Desserts, Gluten Free, Healthy, Salads, Snacks, Vegan

This recipe for Maple Glazed Pumpkin Seed Clusters comes with a warning – you will NOT be able to stop eating these! The combination of salty, maple sweetness is seriously addictive. Fortunately these delicious little clusters are a healthy treat, as they contain no refined sugar and are roasted in coconut oil instead of the overly processed oils that are typically used for roasting nuts and seeds. In addition, pumpkin seeds are one of the best plant sources of zinc, a mineral that is important for optimum immune function. Maple Glazed Pumpkin Seed Clusters are super simple to make – just a couple of minutes of prep and 20 minutes in the oven. (more…)

17
Jun
2015

Guilt Free Chocolate Pecan Turtles

categories: Desserts, Gluten Free, Healthy, Snacks

Next time you’re tempted to reach for a piece of candy grab one of these Guilt Free Chocolate Pecan Turtles instead. Your craving for something sweet will be satisfied and you will be guilt free because these delightful little treats are made with healthy ingredients like dates, peanuts, flaxseed, dark chocolate, and pecans – and they contain less than half the sugar of a traditional chocolate turtle candy. A 1 oz. serving of the most popular brand of chocolate turtle candies has 13g of sugar. The same size serving of these Guilt Free Chocolate Pecan Turtles has only 6g of sugar! (more…)

Category: Healthy