Individual serving, melt-in-your-mouth chocolate cakes. A fantastic, healthier alternative to the boxed chocolate candies typically given away on Valentine’s Day.
If you’re scrambling to come up with something unique to give your loved ones on Valentine’s Day then look no further! Instead of a box of chocolates (booooring), how about baking up a batch of these Mini Chocolate Avocado Oil Valentine Cakes with Raspberry Chia Filling? These scrumptious little cakes are gluten-free, dairy-free, grain-free, paleo friendly, and contain no refined sugar, so they’re great for health-conscious individuals and those with gluten and dairy allergies. (more…)
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. This month’s theme is favorite kitchen tools, gadgets, and gizmos. Click the Recipe Redux link at the bottom of this page to see links to all the posts for this month’s challenge.
Valentine’s Day is coming up and it of course wouldn’t be complete without chocolate, but if you’ve been diligently sticking to your New Year’s healthy eating resolutions you might be reluctant to celebrate with the traditional confections served on this holiday. If that’s the case, then these Healthy Salted Caramel Chocolate Hearts are the answer! A thin coating of dark, bittersweet chocolate with a light sprinkling of flaked sea salt covers mock caramel, which is made from pureed dates, flaxseed, and peanuts. This filling is completely free of refined sugar so it lacks the characteristic biting sweetness of a typical caramel filling. Make no mistake though – these are still decadent little treats, high in fat and calories, but when compared to other chocolate covered caramel candies, they are definitely more nutritious. They’re lower in sugar and have a little bit of protein and fiber where most chocolate covered caramel candy has none. (more…)
By posting this recipe I am entering a recipe contest sponsored by POM Wonderful and am eligible to win prizes associated with the contest. I was not compensated for my time.
This time of year is all about resolutions and things we want to achieve over the next 12 months to improve the quality of our lives. One piece of advice that is frequently given regarding New Year’s resolutions is to set realistic, manageable goals that won’t overwhelm you. Committing to drastic lifestyle changes is a surefire way to fail, so it’s important to keep this in mind as you think about your goals for the new year. I’m a big believer in the idea that small changes, over time, can add up to big results. If one of your resolutions for 2018 is to eat healthier, then here is an easy, small change you can make to your diet with some potentially big health benefits – drink pomegranate juice daily. You can start by mixing up a batch of Pomegranate Ginger Chia Juice using Pom Wonderful 100% Juice. Pom Wonderful is the leader in the pomegranate juice market. The pomegranates they use to make their #CrazyHealthy juice are whole-pressed, meaning a unique blend of polyphenol antioxidants from two whole pomegranates – including its fruit, pith and rind – is found in each 8-ounce serving. But that’s not the only reason you should drink it. Read on! (more…)
A unique, gluten-free pizza with a curried cauliflower crust. This pizza has incredible flavor synergy!
It’s two days post-Christmas and most of us are stuffed to the gills, but the holidays aren’t over yet, so if you’re not quite ready to revert to your normal eating patterns, then try making this gluten-free Curried Cauliflower Skillet Pizza with Apple, Cheddar, and Chicken. It’s healthier than most of the food you’ve likely been indulging in over the past few weeks, but because it’s “pizza”, you’ll still feel like you’re splurging. (more…)
A fun and festive recipe that even very young children can help with. The perfect cookies to leave for Santa!
The holiday season is in full swing, replete with indulgences of all kinds, but let’s face it, when it comes to treats at Christmastime, it’s all about the cookies! Even the phrase itself – Christmas cookies – has a sort of sing-songy quality to it that conjures up feelings of happiness and nostalgia. Almost everyone has a favorite Christmas cookie, or one that they remember someone in their family making. A friend of mine once told me that his grandmother used to start baking right after Thanksgiving, and every year would make hundreds of cookies that she’d store in her freezer and then give away to just about everyone she knew on Christmas eve. What a wonderful memory! Old fashioned gingerbread cookies have always been a favorite in our house, but I’ve been seeing these cute reindeer cookies all over the place lately, so I decided to jump on the bandwagon and create a vegan Christmas cookie following this theme. I’ve heard that Santa is trying to eat a little healthier these days. If that’s true, then these Vegan Rudolph Reindeer Cookies will be perfect for him! (more…)
A quick and easy egg-free Caesar salad dressing and a simple recipe for crispy chickpea croutons.
Everyone should have a good Caesar salad recipe in their cooking repertoire, but many people are leery of consuming raw eggs, one of the main ingredients in traditional Caesar salad dressing. Even though the risk of salmonella poisoning from consuming raw eggs is really quite small, I too, am one of those people who just doesn’t like the idea of raw eggs in my salad dressings. I’ve always gotten around this by using a Caesar dressing recipe that calls for mayonnaise instead of raw eggs. The mayonnaise lends creaminess to the dressing and is a great substitute for eggs. I avoid using store brought mayonnaise because it’s usually made with highly refined oil like soybean oil or canola oil, so when I make this dressing I almost always use homemade mayonnaise. This can get a little time-consuming though, because you’re actually making two recipes – the mayo and then the dressing. That’s why I was psyched when I discovered this quick and easy way to make a egg-free, mayonnaise-free, Caesar salad dressing – it can literally be whipped up in under 5 minutes. Avocado Kefir Caesar Salad Dressing is light, and tangy with classic Caesar salad flavor and, it’s better for gut health than your average Caesar dressing thanks to probiotic rich kefir.
These delicious gluten-free, dairy-free muffins are one of the best uses ever for leftover Thanksgiving cranberry sauce.
If you hosted Thanksgiving dinner this year, chances are you have some leftover cranberry sauce. In my house we always finish all the leftover food before the cranberry sauce is gone, but this year I had even more of a surplus because I made two types of cranberry sauce: 1 Easy Cranberry Sauce – a traditional cranberry sauce made in a crock pot, and Low Sugar Gingerbread Cranberry Sauce – a smooth textured cranberry sauce made in a blender. Both of these sauces were a fantastic complement to our Thanksgiving turkey and with the leftover sauce I created these yummy Almond Flour Cranberry Sauce Muffins. (more…)
A rich, velvety soup you can whip up in a matter of minutes. Quite possibly the easiest soup you’ll ever make!
Cream of tomato soup has always been one of my favorite soups and since we’re now into soup season, I decided to create a quick and easy version of this classic comfort food. You can make Creamy Tomato Corn and Avocado Blender Soup in about the same amount of time it takes to put together a sandwich. In fact, the day I photographed this soup, I also made the grilled cheddar cheese sandwiches you see pictured. While the grilled cheese sandwiches were cooking on the stove top, I made the soup, and by the time the sandwiches were done, the soup was heated through and everything was ready at the same time. The whole thing, start to finish, took only about 15 minutes. (more…)
A light, delicious, healthy salad made with the ancient grain known as forbidden rice.
If you’re like most people, on the weekends you indulge in foods you might otherwise steer clear of during the week. Going out to dinner, sipping a specialty cocktail, or attending a tail-gate, are all enjoyable weekend activities that none of us should miss out on, but they usually involve the consumption of extra calories. Hey – that’s what weekends are for – enjoy it!! Monday is right around the corner and that’s when most of us are happy to get back to our normal eating patterns. If I’ve had a particularly indulgent, food-filled weekend, I like to eat really healthy on Monday – something like this Black Rice Salmon Salad with Lemon Dijon Vinaigrette is perfect. It’s light, yet satisfying, and the main ingredient is black rice which has some amazing nutritional benefits. (more…)
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. This month’s theme is healthy, delicious recipes to bolster gut health. Click the Recipe Redux link at the bottom of this page to see links to all the posts for this month’s challenge.
Probiotics are a hot topic nowadays as more and more people learn about the growing body of research that points to a link between gut bacteria and overall health. Probiotics are the live bacteria and yeasts found in certain foods. They’re sometime referred to as “good bacteria”. Probiotics contribute to a healthy digestive tract and seem to reduce inflammation, a risk factor in a number of illness and diseases. Some researchers also believe that they help burn fat and stabilize blood sugar. Fortunately, it’s easy and tasty to incorporate probiotics into your diet and one of the ways you can do it is by making this Kefir Avocado Basil Dressing. (more…)
