Category: Healthy


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.

Chickpea Cheddar Kefir Biscuits – Kefir takes the place of buttermilk in these savory, gluten-free biscuits made with nutrient dense chickpea flour. Healthy and delicious comfort food. | QueenofMyKitchen.com

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…)


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.

Chocolate Thin Mint Avocado Pudding – A rich and creamy chocolate pudding that tastes like a thin mint cookie. A healthy, yet decadent dessert. Gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, no refined sugar. | QueenofMyKitchen.com

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…)


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.

Apricot Ginger Turmeric Smoothie - #AD. A beautiful, nutrituous smoothie you can make in 5 minutes with canned fruit. Super convenient and incredibly delicious. | QueenofMyKitchen.com

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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Jul
2017

Chickpea Pretzels

categories: Gluten Free, Healthy, Snacks

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

Chickpea Pretzels - An all-American snack made healthier and gluten-free with the help of protein and fiber rich chickpea flour. | QueenofMyKitche.com

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…)


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.

Healthy Hedgehog Candies – A small bite treat made with healthy ingredients that you can enjoy guilt-free. If you have kids they’ll never know this isn’t “real” candy. | QueenofMyKitchen.com

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…)


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.

Coconut Crusted Sweet Potato Fries - Golden, crispy, and delicious sweet potato fries baked in a coconut crust. | QueenofMyKitchen.com

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…)


May
2017

Crunchy Chinese Chicken Broccoli Salad

categories: Chicken, Gluten Free, Healthy, Salads

Classic Asian flavors shine through in this healthy and delicious, gluten-free broccoli slaw salad.

Crunchy Chinese Chicken Broccoli Salad

Crunchy Chinese Chicken Broccoli Salad is an awesome dish with Asian inspired flavors and the main ingredient is packaged broccoli slaw so it’s super convenient to make. Years ago, I used to make a version of this salad that contained Ramen noodles. The uncooked noodles were broken apart and mixed into the salad and the seasoning packet that came with the noodles was used to make a vegetable oil based dressing to which refined sugar was added. I won’t go into the reasons one should avoid eating Ramen noodles – they are far too numerous to list here, but if you have any doubt about this just do a Google search. My quick search returned articles with titles like “Ramen Noodles May Lead to Chronic Illness” and “Why Ramen Noodles Could Cut Your Life Short”. Scary stuff. I’m all for indulging on occasion when it’s worth it but in this case, I was able to health-ify my old recipe and I think it actually tastes better now! (more…)


May
2017

Curried Cranberry Cashew Quinoa

categories: Gluten Free, Healthy, Salads, Side Dishes

A quinoa salad with a colorful assortment of healthy ingredients in a curry infused Greek Yogurt dressing.

Curried Cranberry Cashew Quinoa – A quinoa salad with a colorful assortment of healthy ingredients and a curry infused Greek Yogurt dressing. Gluten-free. | QueenofMyKitchen.com

Curried Cranberry Cashew Quinoa with Carrots and Corn – bet you can’t say that ten times fast! I wasn’t going for alliteration when I developed this recipe. My only goal was to create a curried quinoa salad, with an herbed Greek yogurt dressing, to bring to a birthday lunch I’ll be attending tomorrow. But, when I thought about the odd hue that curry can sometimes give to food, I decided the dish needed some pleasing flecks of color so I added cranberries (red), carrots (orange), and corn (yellow). I also knew I wanted some type of a nut in this dish, and cashews were a natural choice since they are often used in curry recipes. So, that’s how this recipe ended up with such a catchy title. I hope the birthday girl likes curry! (more…)


Apr
2017

Crispy Brown Rice Chicken Fingers

categories: Chicken, Gluten Free, Healthy

Buttermilk bathed chicken strips are coated with organic crisp brown rice and baked to golden perfection.

Crispy Brown Rice Chicken Fingers – Gluten-free. Buttermilk bathed chicken strips are coated with organic crisp brown rice and baked to golden perfection. A fantastic, healthy lunch or casual dinner. | QueenofMyKitchen.com

If you think that the term “healthy chicken fingers” sounds like an oxymoron, then you need to try Crispy Brown Rice Chicken Fingers.  Admittedly, a lot of mass produced chicken fingers are made with mysterious, pulverized chicken parts and other undesirable ingredients, and then deep fried, making them anything but healthy, but not these little babies! Crispy Brown Rice Chicken Fingers are made with boneless, skinless chicken breasts and a handful of other simple ingredients.  The chicken pieces are tenderized in a well-seasoned buttermilk mixture and then coated with organic crisp rice cereal before being baked to golden perfection.  Kids and adults alike will adore these gluten-free, and yes healthy, chicken fingers! (more…)


Apr
2017

Mix & Match Salad

categories: Healthy, Salads

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.

Mix & Match Salad – This basic recipe is your guide to creating an endless number of delicious salads AND a great way to reduce food waste! | QueenofMyKitchen.com

I’ve made Mix & Match Salad in countless variations for as long as I can remember. The recipe consists of four ingredients I always include – avocado, hard-boiled eggs, trail mix (one with dried fruit, nuts, and seeds), and tomatoes – along with other ingredients that vary depending on what I have on hand, what leftovers I need to use up, and what I, and my family, are in the mood for. Below are some of the variable ingredients I like to use in this salad. The key is to pick ingredients (one from each category) that complement one another and then make a vinaigrette that pulls all the flavors together. The possible combinations are endless! (more…)

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