Cinnamon Nut Butter

I love to make homemade nut butters and have blogged about that before. In the spirit of the holidays, I decided to add CINNAMON to the nut butter. Not only is cinnamon a flavor that reminds me of the holidays, family, friends, and cool weather, but also it has health benefits! I love to incorporate cinnamon into my diet as it helps fight diabetes (which runs in my family), it helps prevent cognitive decline (which runs in my family), fights inflammation, has anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits, and helps fight cancer. If you like the flavor of cinnamon, as I do, then why not add it to your favorite foods!

PICTURE: WARM CINNAMON NUT BUTTER ... straight from the Vitamix!

The recipe is simple. It requires about five minutes of your time, three cups of nuts, and a powerful blender (I use a VitaMix).

Base Recipe:
3 cups of nuts ... add to a Vitamix and Blend until as creamy/crunchy you prefer your nut butter
Store in an airtight container ... or package and give as a gift!

Cinnamon Twist
Add 1.5 cups of nuts to Vitamix and blend.
Add 1/4 cup of cinnamon and 1.5 cups of nuts and blend
NOTE: Change the amount of cinnamon based on personal taste. This gives a cinnamon flavor but does not lose the nut butter base...the flavor is layered.
Store in an airtight container ... or package as a gift!

Holiday Quinoa Bites

I love simplicity in the kitchen. Quinoa is one of the versatile foods in my pantry. It is great for savory meals, it is great for a hot cereal, and it can be made into cookies. I adapted my SUGARLESS CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE recipe to make Holiday Quinoa Bites.

I doubled the base recipe below ... to share with family and friends!

Base Ingredients:
1 very ripe banana (that's the natural sweetness)
1 cup of flax seed meal
1 cup of almond flour (it's gluten free)
1/2 cup cooked quinoa
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut
1/2 cup dried cranberries + diced dates from Futterman Farms
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup soy butter (I used WOW Butter)

OPTIONS: Roll balls in coconut or sesame seeds for decoration

** I use Bob's Red Mill Ground Flax Seed Meal, Almond Flour, and Quinoa **



Substitutions:
Hazelnut Flour works well too
If making these for someone with a nut allergy ... use quinoa flour, coconut flour, or oat flour.

Bake for 20 minutes at 350 on a parchment lined baking sheet
Let cool
Store in an airtight container OR enjoy right away!

Gluten Free and Vegetarian Persimmon Cookies

I was given some persimmons by a yoga student of mine was excited to find a variety of ways to use them. Some of the persimmons I diced and added to a salad while I used the others for baking. I combined a few cookie recipes to come up with a gluten free recipe that my husband and I enjoy! These cookies are great fresh and can be stored in an airtight container for a few days. They are best when fresh so make a small batch … or share with friends!

Ingredients:

1 Flax Egg

·      1/2 Cup Butter Softened (not melted)

·      1 Cup Persimmon – (fruit washed and pureed)

·      2 Cups Gluten Free Flour (I used 1 cup of Bob’s Red Mill All Purpose Baking Flour and Pamela’s Nut Flour Blend)

·      1 TSP Baking Powder

·      1 TSP Baking Soda

·      1/2 TSP Salt

·      1/2 TSP Ground Cloves

·      1/2 TSP Ground Nutmeg

·      1 TSP Cinnamon

OPTIONS: 1/2 cup diced walnuts, dates, or raisins

Instructions:

• Preheat the oven to 350 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper
• Prepare the flax egg  (5 -10 minutes) in a small bowl or ramekin
• Allow the butter to soften to room temperature if you can prepare in advance. If not, microwave for 20-second intervals until it softens but does not melt.
• Combine the dry ingredients in the stand up mixer. Add the flax egg, persimmon, and butter. Mix until well blended.
• Spoon onto the baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes.

Instructions:

·      Preheat the oven to 350 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper

·      Prepare the flax egg  (5 -10 minutes) in a small bowl or ramekin

·      Allow the butter to soften to room temperature if you can prepare in advance. If not, microwave for 20-second intervals until it softens but does not melt.

·      Combine the dry ingredients in the stand up mixer. Add the flax egg, persimmon, and butter. Mix until well blended.

·      Spoon onto the baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes.

Gluten Free Burgers and iwon organics

You can count on me for creative and healthy ways to eat gluten free. When I make a burger with meat, I tend to use lean ground turkey more often than not. Here and there I use ground chicken in place of the turkey as red meat is not something appreciated in my household. Salmon burgers and veggie burgers are common in our home.

One reason I like using ground turkey is due to the fact that it adapts to the flavor profile you use so that each time you make a burger you can have a unique experience...you will not tire of it!

For this recipe I used:

• 1 package of lean ground turkey
• iwon organics protein chips in RANCH flavor 
• 1 tbsp of pepper
• 1/4 vegetable bouillon cube (Herb Ox makes a gluten free variety)
• 1-2 tbsp oil for sauteeing

Instructions:

• In a bowl, crumble the gluten free chips and combine with the ground turkey and pepper.
• Create a 4-6 patties with the meat (uniform in size so they cook evenly) 
• Add olive oil to a pan so the patties do not stick (they are not as greasy as red meat patties so need some oil)
• Cook on medium heat and flip when the patties are firm enough to flip (when you gently nudge them with a spatula they cleanly lift from the pan)
• Cook on the second side for 5 -7 minutes
• Add 1/4 bouillon cube and 1/4 cup of water to the pan, turn down heat to low, and cover. This adds moisture to the burgers.
• When the moisture is absorbed the burgers are ready.

Serve:

• Add a slice of lettuce (green of your choice) or roasted vegetable and a gluten free bun 
• Optional...add hummus to the bun to add complexity to the flavor profile. You can always add gluten free ranch dressing or a condiment of your choice. 

Variation:

• Add a slice of cheese to the patty after you turn off the heat and are toasting a gluten free bun to make a cheeseburger
• Add different binders to change the flavor profile...the sriracha and bbq flavors by iwon organics work well when you use sriracha and bbq as condiments when serving.

Kashi Teff Crackers

When I started to eat a gluten free diet there were not many highly nutritious options in the marketplace. Fortunately, the number of healthy options has increased over the years! One way to eat gluten free is to use as few packaged foods as possible. When I do eat prepared foods, it is important to me that the product is nutritious and that the company believes in sustainable practices. Kashi products are ones I loved prior to having to be gluten free. I am excited to see they are continuing to add to their gluten free options!

The new crackers by Kashi use one of the Grains of Discovery, Teff. This ancient grain is high in fiber and a good source of calcium. The crackers are light and crispy. They are flavorful...it is a challenge to only eat a few!

The Lemon Chickpea Chili flavor tastes like a falafel and accompanies hummus well.
The Tomato Lentil Berbere is a great spicy side to a sandwich or salad.
The Red Sea Salt variety goes well with salsa.

Enjoy these new Gluten Free crackers made with good-for-you ingredients. 

Gluten Free Honey Coconut Shrimp

I decided to take advantage of the beautiful bok choy I saw at the store and planned a meal around it. I love to eat fresh foods and often get my meal inspiration from what I find the freshest at the store when I go shopping!

The recipe is simple and does not require slaving in the kitchen on a hot summer day! You can customize it to fit what is freshest for you when you go shopping. Lettuce cups can be substituted for bok choy or a bed of rice can be used instead!

Ingredients to serve two:

• 12 shrimp medium or large
• 4 cups of vegetables of choice
• I used 2 baby bok choy, organic red skinned potatoes, onions, garlic, and red cabbage
• I reserved the upper leaves of the bok choy to be the boats in which I served the shrimp. Lettuce cups or rice can be used instead.
• 1/4 Cup Gluten Free Panko Bread Crumbs
• 1/4 Cup coconut flakes
• Coconut oil for cooking
• Pepper and Salt (to taste)
• OPTION .... crushed red pepper to spice up vegetable side dish

Instructions:
The prep time is simple...5-10 minutes total!
I had some cooked shrimp (shell off) in the freezer. I defrosted the shrimp enough to remove the tails and drizzled honey over them. I left the protein in the refrigerator all day so it was ready at the end of the day when I would need it to prepare dinner.

The active cooking time is 10-15 minutes...almost as easy as the prep time!

• To coat the shrimp I made a mix of of Gluten Free Panko Bread Crumbs with No Sugar Added Coconut Flakes. I added the shrimp to the mix and covered completely. I sauteed the shrimp in a pan greased with coconut oil. After the shrimp were cooked, I added the left over coating to the pan to crisp and add to the dish.
• To accompany the shrimp I diced and sauteed the vegetables in coconut oil and cooked until el dente.

To serve ...
Place shrimp on a bed of bok choy leaves and add the vegetables to the plate to accompany the protein. The shrimp can be in the center or on the side of the plate. MAKE IT VISIBLY APPEALING as we eat with our eyes first!

Mini SunButter Muffins...Mini Ingredient List...Minimal Effort

I saw a recipe for flourless muffins and tried them but they turned out very much like my banana pancakes. I modified the recipe to create a mini-muffin that has substance, a limited ingredient list, and can be prepared in 15 minutes or less!

I started with:

• 2 very ripe bananas
• 2 flax seed eggs (1 TBSP ground flax seed + 3 tbsp water per egg)
• 1 cup of nut butter/soy/seed butter of your choice
• 1/4 cup almond or oat flour
• 6-10 diced dates (depending on size). I get my dates from Futterman Farms.

Directions:

• In your blender or Vitamix start by preparing the flax eggs. Let rest for 5 minutes or so until the consistency becomes egg like. 
• Preheat oven to 400 Degrees
• Add remaining ingredients to the blender and pulse to combine
• Bake for about 7-10 minutes

HINT: Use mini-muffin tins for faster cooking...
Spray muffin tin with COCONUT OIL or OLIVE OIL and add the batter till full
Add diced dates to the center
Makes about 24 mini-muffins