Healthy Cherry Crumble

Every week I take some time to take inventory of my fridge, freezer and pantry…really just to make sure I don’t buy what I may already have (BTW, this is a GREAT way to plan a weekly grocery list!).  So this morning I realized I had a bag of dark, sweet frozen cherries that I had initially bought to make smoothies, but decided to make this healthy cherry crumble.  This recipe is vegan, gluten free and AHH-MAZING!! It’s SUPER easy to make and truly delicious and made with minimal sweetener.  I love the texture of the oats against the cherries and then top it off with a bit of yogurt (if having for breakfast) or with some frozen yogurt (I used Sweet Scoops madagascar vanilla in this photo) or whatever your belly and heart desire.

Note: You can also use frozen blueberries but if you do, I would suggest adding some fresh lemon zest to brighten up the flavor a bit and add it right with the blueberries and cornstarch.  Also, if you don’t have coconut oil, melted butter also works.

Ingredients 

Topping

1 cup gluten free rolled oats (GF quick oats also works fine)

1/3 cup almond flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill)

1 1/2 tablespoons coconut oil

1 1/2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

1 tablespoon unsweetened applesauce

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

Filling

1-16 oz bag of frozen dark sweet cherries (I used Whole Foods 365 brand)

2 tablespoons cornstarch

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and spray a glass pie dish with cooking spray, set aside.
  2. In a bowl, combine the cherries and cornstarch.  Mix to combine and until the cherries are completely coated and cornstarch dissolves.
  3. In a separate bowl, combine the oats and almond flour, whisk to combine.  Make a well in the center. Pour in the maple syrup, applesauce, vanilla and coconut oil. Stir until fully incorporated.
  4. Transfer the filling a glass pie dish, and sprinkle evenly with the topping.
  5. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the juice is bubbling at the sides of the dish.
  6. Allow to cool a bit and serve warm or completely cool and refrigerate.

 

Dill Turkey Burgers with Yogurt Sauce

If you love a quick and easy weeknight meal, give these turkey burgers a try!  I’ve always followed recipes for turkey burgers that included breadcrumbs and egg until I came across a recipe by @bobbyflay that did not include those two ingredients. So I thought if Bobby Flay made it, it must be great!  So I created these easy dill turkey burgers with yogurt sauce.  I love dill and have added it to the burgers and the yogurt sauce for a burst of flavor.   As a fun family dinner idea, declare “dress your burger” night and let your kids pick their favorite veggies to top their burger with!

Ingredients

1 pound ground turkey breast (or mix ½ pound ground turkey breast with ½ pound ground dark meat turkey)

2 tablespoons fresh dill, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped

2 tablespoons onion, finely chopped

1 ½ teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons low sodium soy sauce

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

6 whole grain burger rolls (or for a low carb option, wrap in romaine lettuce!)

Yogurt Sauce

1 cup Greek yogurt

2 teaspoons dill, finely chopped

2 tablespoons onion, minced

¼ cup tomato, chopped

¼ cup cucumber, chopped

2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

½ teaspoon ground cumin

salt and pepper to taste

 

Directions

 

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. In a small bowl, combine yogurt, cucumber, dill, lemon juice, onion tomato, cumin, salt and pepper to taste.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients together and mix well. Form into 6 patties.
  4. Heat an oven-safe skillet over medium heat and coat with a dash of olive oil. Cook the patties until nicely browned, about 1-2 minutes, and flip. Continue cooking another minute until browned on both sides.
  5. Turn stove off and place skillet directly in oven. Bake for 10 minutes or until internal temperature is 165 degrees F.

 

Crispy Baked Honey-Soy Wings

My husband loves chicken wings.  Until we met, I was never a big wing person…but now, give me a good glaze over crispy wings and I’ll dig right in! So I had to recreate that same crispy texture as a healthier baked version and this recipe was a success! My husband loved these and you can totally customize your own glaze and even use a hot sauce (I usually combine 1/4 cup Frank’s red hot sauce with 1 tablespoon unsalted butter and just heat until butter melts…then toss in the wings).  I wanted to try a sweeter glaze and this honey soy combo is pretty darn awesome.

Ingredients

1 pound chicken wings

1/3 cup brown rice flour (gluten-free or regular all-purpose flour also works)

sauce:

1/4 cup honey

2 1/2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce

2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger

1 clove garlic, minced

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Line baking sheet with parchment paper and place a grill rack over it (no grill rack, no problem, works fine right on parchment paper but grill rack allows for any excess oil to drip right off).
  3. Rinse and dry wings.  Pour flour into a large ziplock bag.
  4. place wings into ziplock bag and shake well to coat the wings.
  5. In a bowl, combine sauce ingredients and whisk well.
  6. Place wings in the grill rack and bake for 30 minutes, turning once.
  7. Remove wings and baste each with the glaze on both sides.  Set directly on parchment paper and bake an additional 10 minutes.

Oat & Flax Pancakes (gluten-free + dairy-free)

I absolutely love pancakes…but I’ve been avoiding gluten lately due to some personal health reasons (may have a gluten intolerance or celiac…but still being tested), so I’ve been exploring many gluten-free food options that taste just as delicious as they look! So here are my oat & flax pancakes that are #glutenfree and #dairyfree.  You can probably make these totally vegan by replacing the egg with a flax egg ( I just haven’t tried that, so let me know if you do!).  These babies are moist, flavorful and light! plus #noaddedsugar.  Top them with fruit or feel free to add fruit into the batter!  This morning, we had these with blueberries and bananas and as you can see from this photo, I had some fun making little pancake piggies.  OH and best part…this is all made in one bowl or a blender!  Couldn’t be easier.  Here is the recipe! Plus it’s up on my blog LINK IN BIO

Ingredients:

1 cup + 2 tablespoons gluten free oat flour ( I use @bobsredmill)

1/4 cup finely ground flaxseed

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup unsweetened coconut milk

 

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

1 egg

1 tablespoon coconut oil (plus more for frying)

1 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce

1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

optional mix-ins: blueberries, banana slices, strawberries

Directions:

  1. Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until just combined (you shouldn’t see any traces of flour) OR whisk all ingredients in a mixing bowl until combined.
  2. Batter should be slightly thick.  In the case your batter is too thin or too thick, you can always adjust by adding a little more coconut milk or a little more oat flour.
  3. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.  Top with fresh fruit (I always top mine and my 2 year old’s with cream cheese! yes..try it on pancakes, so delish!)

 

 

 

 

Baked Cheesy Cauliflower Rolls

Something happened the other night….something delicious and amazing.  For the first time, I experimented with egg roll wrappers and different fillings.  Yes egg roll wrappers! Believe it or not, they are the perfect food vehicle to stuff with sweet or savory fillings.  I make cauliflower mash pretty often as a low carb side dish (and great way for my kids to try a vegetable made in a different way).  SO I thought it would make the perfect filling for these cauliflower rolls and I was totally right! Steamed, whipped and mixed with parmesan and mozzarella cheese…. Give these a try and I promise your entire family will gobble them up!

Baked Cheesy Cauliflower Rolls

Ingredients:

  • 8 egg roll wrappers
  • 1 bag frozen organic cauliflower
  • 3 tablespoons milk
  • 3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  • dash of black pepper (optional)

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 425. Lightly mist a large baking sheet with cooking spray and set aside.
  2. Insert a steamer basket inside of a large pot that contains one inch of water.  Steam cauliflower for about 5-8 minutes or until fork tender.
  3. Carefully place cauliflower into a blender and add the milk, blend until smooth (you may need to add an additional tablespoon of milk here but make sure consistency is thick, but smooth).
  4. Pour warm cauliflower mixture into a bowl and fold in parmesan, mozzarella and black pepper.  Stir until combined.
  6. Pour some water in a small bowl, which you will need to wet your fingers for the egg roll wrappers.
  7. On a flat surface, place an egg roll wrapper, corner facing toward you (like a diamond shape) and spread cauliflower mixture, leaving ½ inch or so of space on each side.
  8. Fold the bottom corner closest to you up over the ingredients.  Then fold the side corners in and over the filling. Dip your finger in the water and lightly wet the edges of the remaining top corner of the wrapper. Finish rolling the filled cauliflower rolls over the wet corner so that it adheres.
  9. Place wrapped roll onto the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining ingredients.
  10. When all of the rolls are wrapped and on the baking sheet, mist the tops with cooking spray, flip and mist again.
  11. Bake for 14 minutes, flipping once halfway through, until the wrappers are golden brown.

Banana Walnut Loaf

If you’ve been following my posts, then you know that I love banana bread. I mean looove it to the point where I purposely buy a bunch of bananas weekly in hopes that they will ripen up (before they get eaten) so that I can make a fresh banana loaf like this one!  This banana loaf is SUPER moist and rich in banana goodness.  Best part-it’s made in one bowl using minimal ingredients you likely have sitting in your pantry right now! I made this while my mother-in-law visited yesterday and it was gone in less than 30 minutes.  My entire apartment smelled so delicious and I can’t wait to make it again! My husband said it reminded him of Trinidadian pone which is a delicious dessert made with cassava…but this banana loaf is naturally sweetened with bananas and no added sugar!  It’s  also #glutenfree #sugarfree and #awesome!  So let’s get to it!

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups gluten-free oat flour (I used @bobsredmills)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)

3 bananas, mashed well

3 tablespoons coconut oil

3 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 egg, whisked

1/3 cup chopped unsalted walnuts

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease one loaf pan with coconut oil (or unsalted butter). In a large bowl mash bananas well with a fork (I also use a potato mashed which works amazingly well!).
  2. In a medium-sized bowl combine oat flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk together until completely combined.
  3. Add coconut oil, egg, vanilla and applesauce
  4. Mix ingredients until combined.
  5. Scrape batter into prepared loaf pan and top with nuts.
  6. Bake in 350 degree oven for 45 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean when inserted into center of loaf. Turn out onto a cooling rack and cool completely before cutting (also it tastes delicious slightly warm!).  Enjoy!

Crispy Peanut Butter Energy Balls

That’s right, crispy. peanut butter. awesome.  These gluten-free energy balls provide a satiating combo of protein, carbs and healthy fats with ground flaxseed, oats, peanut butter and crispy brown rice!  Super easy and quick to make but I promise they will get eaten even faster.  I keep these in the freezer and always have them on hand as a refreshing healthy treat for the kids (and for myself!).  These are loads of fun to make with the kids too so be sure to get them involved in helping out!

Ingredients

1 cup quick or rolled oats

1/2 cup finely ground flaxseed

3/4 cup brown rice crisps (I used @onedegreeorganic veganic sprouted brown rice crisps)

1/2 cup creamy natural peanut butter

3 tablespoons honey

1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

Directions:

  1. Line a plate with parchment paper and set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, combine oats, flaxseed, brown rice crisps and whisk together.
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk together applesauce, honey, vanilla (if using) and peanut butter and whisk well.
  4. Add liquid to dry ingredients and use a spoon or spatula to mix ingredients until well incorporated.
  5. Now, with slightly wet hands,  form small balls and place them on the parchment lined plate.
  6. Freeze for about 1 hour and transfer balls to a freezer safe bag and keep in the freezer or fridge.  Enjoy!
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