Healthy Archives - Page 6 of 14 - Queen of My Kitchen

21
Sep
2017

Basil Cheddar Quinoa Meatballs Sheet Pan Meal

categories: Beef, Gluten Free, Healthy, Side Dishes

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 sheet pan meals. Click the Recipe Redux link at the bottom of this page to see links to all the posts for this month’s challenge

Sheet pan meals are all the rage these days, and for good reasons. A well-balanced family meal consisting of a protein, vegetable, and starch, usually involves using not only multiple pots and pans for cooking, but more than one appliance. The idea that you can cook your entire dinner on one pan, using only the oven, is so appealing. Not only is clean-up easier, but there are no issues with timing because all the food is prepped and cooked simultaneously. This makes sheet pan meals ideal for busy families. However, the obvious challenge with sheet pan meals is that you must choose foods that have similar cooking times. This makes your choice of protein, veggie, and starch tricky and it can take a little bit of experimenting to get the right combination of foods for a successful sheet pan meal. My Basil Cheddar Quinoa Meatballs Sheet Pan Meal with Peppers and Potatoes contains foods that work really well together for a sheet pan meal. The meatballs take about 20 minutes to fully cook and the baby potatoes about the same. If the potatoes are on the larger side, they might take a few minutes longer, but that’s ok because the meatballs and peppers are a bit forgiving with their cooking times – meaning that if they cook a few minutes longer than needed, they will still taste great. (more…)

20
Sep
2017

Chickpea Cheddar Tots

categories: Appetizers, Gluten Free, Healthy, Snacks

There’s a new tot on the block! Nuggets of cheddar cheese encased in a gluten-free chickpea crust and baked to golden perfection.

Tater tots – those small, cylindrical pieces of grated, fried potatoes – they’re almost as American as apple pie. In fact, tater tots are so well-known that many people don’t realize the term is actually trademarked by the Ore-Ida potato company, which is owned by Kraft. As with any foods that have a cult-like following, there are copiers, and in the healthy food blogging space these knock-offs include broccoli tots, cauliflower tots, zucchini tots, and sweet potato tots. But there’s a new tot on the block now. Allow me to introduce you to Chickpea Cheddar Tots! Nuggets of cheddar cheese are encased in chickpea flour dough, shaped into tots, and baked to golden perfection. Chickpea Cheddar Tots make a great, healthy, after-school snack for kids, and adults love them too, especially when served with cold beer! (more…)

30
Aug
2017

Oat Berry Spinach Salad

categories: Healthy, Salads, Side Dishes, Vegan, Vegetarian

A unique salad made from one of America’s most popular cereal grains. Oats are not just for breakfast!

Oat Berry Spinach Salad is a delicious, nutritious dish made with oat groats. If you don’t know what oat groats are, you’re not alone. Rolled oats are a staple in many kitchens and an important part of the typical American diet but very few people are familiar with oat “groats”. If I had my way this would change, and if it did, I’m pretty sure oat groats would become the new quinoa! (more…)

16
Aug
2017

Vegan Flax Candied Nuts

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

Vegan candied nuts with a multitude of delicious uses. Gluten free and dairy free with no refined sugar.

WARNING – Vegan Flax Candied Nuts are dangerously addictive! Once you start popping them into your mouth you may not be able to stop! The coating on these nuts, which produces a sweet glaze when baked, is made from a simple mixture of coconut sugar and cinnamon that binds to the nuts with the help of a flax egg replacer, which is nothing more than ground flax seeds (sometimes called ground flax meal) mixed with water. If you adhere to a plant-based diet you’re probably very familiar with flax egg replacers as they are an excellent vegan substitute for eggs. (more…)

02
Aug
2017

Chickpea Cheddar Kefir Biscuits

categories: Bread, Gluten Free, Healthy, Snacks

Kefir takes the place of buttermilk in these savory, gluten-free biscuits made with nutrient dense chickpea flour.

I’ve been experimenting a lot lately with chickpea flour and Chickpea Cheddar Kefir Biscuits are my most recent creation. (Check out Chickpea Pretzels too.) I was initially drawn to chickpea flour as a gluten-free alternative to wheat flour but have come to love it for many others reasons. It’s easy to use and can be successfully substituted for all-purpose wheat flour in a wide variety of recipes, without the addition of other gluten-free flours, starches or gums. It’s also inexpensive and easy to make at home by grinding garbanzo beans into a fine powder – easily achieved with the help of a food processor or high-powered blender. But the best reason of all to use chickpea flour is that it is one of the most nutrient dense gluten-free flours available. It’s high in protein and fiber, and packed with vitamins and minerals. These Chickpea Cheddar Kefir Biscuits have twice the protein and fiber as the same size biscuit made with wheat flour. (more…)

17
Jul
2017

Chocolate Thin Mint Avocado Pudding

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

A rich and creamy chocolate pudding that tastes like a thin mint cookie. A healthy, yet decadent dessert.

If you have an avocado obsession, like I do, chances are you’ll occasionally find yourself with too many ripe avocados. I always have at least two or three avocados on my counter at any given time. I buy them extra firm, but as soon as they become slightly soft to the touch (a sign that they’re ripe) I transfer them to the refrigerator if I’m not using them right away – this extends their life by a few days. After that though, they’re usually brown and splotchy when cut open, with very little flavor. Since I hate wasting food, I always make an effort to use up all my avocados before they go bad and one of the ways I’ve been doing that lately is by making this super simple Chocolate Thin Mint Avocado Pudding. (more…)

10
Jul
2017

Apricot Ginger Turmeric Smoothie

categories: Beverages, Breakfast, Gluten Free, Healthy, Snacks

By posting this recipe I am entering a recipe contest sponsored by Libby’s Fruits & Vegetables and am eligible to win prizes associated with the contest. I was not compensated for my time.

One can never have too many smoothie recipes! Smoothies are an excellent form of nourishment and can easily be tailored to your taste and specific dietary needs. Smoothies are usually made with fresh fruit or berries but the problem with fresh fruit and berries is that they’re perishable and, depending on the season, aren’t always available. Frozen fruit is a good option but most of us have a limited amount of freezer space, especially if we live in tight quarters or have roommates with whom we share a freezer. Canned fruit is the perfect solution to these smoothie-making dilemmas – it has a long shelf life and, as long as it remains unopened, needs no refrigeration. Libby’s is a leader in the canned produce industry and has been delivering high-quality, wholesome products to consumers since 1868. Its canned fruit is awesome in smoothies such as this Apricot Ginger Turmeric Smoothie. I used one 15 ounce can of Libby’s Unpeeled Apricot Halves in Pear Juice, along with a handful of other ingredients, to make this stunning smoothie in less than 5 minutes!

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04
Jul
2017

Chickpea Pretzels

categories: Gluten Free, Healthy, Snacks

An all-American snack made healthier and gluten-free with the help of chickpea flour.

Pretzels top the list of all-American snacks, right up there with popcorn, chips, and peanuts. The super crunchy packaged pretzels that line the grocery store shelves are salty and satisfying but the soft baked variety are a special treat. Warm and comforting and when dipped in mustard, deliciously addictive. But there are two problems with traditional soft baked pretzels. They’re typically made with wheat flour so they’re not safe for those with gluten allergies, and they’re a bit of a project to make. The yeast based dough needs time to rise and requires a bath in boiling water before being baked. Chickpea Pretzels skirt both of these issues. The dough is free of yeast and is made from gluten-free chickpea flour with a simple egg wash used in lieu of a water bath to give the pretzels their characteristic shiny exterior. This means that when a craving strikes you can be snacking on Chickpea Pretzels in less than 30 minutes! (more…)

21
Jun
2017

Healthy Hedgehog Candies

categories: Desserts, Gluten Free, Healthy, Snacks

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 small bite dessert creations. Be sure to click the Recipe Redux link at the bottom of this page to see all the posts for this month’s challenge.

Happy Birthday to The Recipe Redux! In honor of their 6th birthday, member bloggers were asked to create a healthy small bite dessert so I came up with these Healthy Hedgehog Candies. Are they not the most adorable little treats? The best thing about them though, is how delicious they are and how much they taste like real (i.e. not so healthy) candy. The bittersweet chocolate exterior hides a chewy, delicious, caramel-like interior that is made primarily from dates. Dates are among the sweetest fruits in the world so they make an excellent, healthier substitute for processed sugars. Unlike refined sweeteners, dates are chock-full of iron, potassium, vitamin A, and calcium, as well as other trace minerals. They’re also high in fiber. Trust me, you’ve never had candy like this before! (more…)

31
May
2017

Coconut Crusted Sweet Potato Fries

categories: Appetizers, Gluten Free, Healthy, Side Dishes

Golden, crispy, and delicious sweet potato fries baked in a coconut crust.

The U.S. consumption of sweet potatoes has increased drastically over the past two decades as Americans have become more educated about the health benefits of this versatile root vegetable. Sweet potatoes are chock-full of vitamins, especially vitamin A in the form of beta carotene. They’re also rich in fiber and potassium and are low on the glycemic index despite their sweetness. Low glycemic foods help keep our blood sugar levels stable, which in turn reduces the risk of diabetes and heart disease. As a kid, the only time I remember eating sweet potatoes was at Thanksgiving, but now I enjoy them year-round in a variety of delicious ways. Coconut Crusted Sweet Potatoes Fries is the newest addition to my varied collection of sweet potato recipes. (See all the recipe links at the end of this post.) (more…)

Category: Healthy