No Bake Crispy Granola Bars (gluten free)

I’m so excited to share this recipe, I could hardly contain myself!  If you follow my IG stories then you know that I loveee to make granola bars with my kids.  It’s just fun and gives kids a chance to get creative with a variety of ingredients.  Plus they are way cheaper than store-bought and contain simple ingredients that you (and your kids) can actually pronounce!  I’m always looking for granola bar recipes that actually hold together and made this one which actually holds together (hooray!) but I suggest keeping in the fridge or freezer as it may start to fall apart once it’s left out and too soft.

These are so easy that my 4 year old basically made them with my guidance and pre-measurements!  No baking required…and these can even be frozen for an extra satisfying snack.  I love that these bars are crispy, made with One Degree Veganic Sprouted Brown Rice Crisps along with gluten free oats.  Oh and bonus, these babies contain zero refined sugar and are solely sweetened with honey.  Whoop whoop!  My little guys devoured these, especially my 2 year old who is a bit picky with homemade granola bars.  Drizzle them with a bit of melted chocolate and this crispy granola bar goes from simple to simply amazinggggg.

Ingredients

2 cups brown rice cereal

1 1/2 cups gluten free quick oats

1/3 cup finely ground flaxseed

1/2 cup natural peanut butter

1/2 cup honey

1 tablespoon coconut oil

3 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/3 cup sliced almonds

1/2 cup chocolate chips

2 teaspoons coconut oil

Directions:

  1. Line an 11×7 baking dish with parchment paper (if you use a larger sized dish, don’t; fill the entire dish…just pack them closer together so the bars are at least 1/2″ thick).
  2. In a small bowl, combine 1/2 chocolate chips with 2 teaspoons coconut oil and microwave for 30 seconds, whisk until chips are totally melted (place back in microwave for another 10 second if needed).  Set aside.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, combine oats, brown rice crisps, sliced almonds and ground flaxseed and whisk to combine.
  4. In a separate bowl, combine vanilla, honey, 1 tablespoon coconut oil, unsweetened applesauce and peanut butter, whisk well.
  5. Add wet ingredients to dry and mix to combine and until all ingredients are well incorporated.
  6. Transfer mixture into the prepared baking dish and using slightly wet hands, push evenly down into the pan.  Push down hard! and pack those ingredients together. This will help to keep the bars intact after cutting.
  7. Now drizzle on the chocolate!
  8. Refrigerate for at least one hour before cutting.  Enjoy!

 

The Best Fluffy Waffles (gluten-free)

These light and delicious waffles have a crispy exterior and fluffy interior and gluten free. This recipe is perfect for families to share and yields about 4 large waffles (may vary depending on your waffle maker). Make this recipe in advance, let cool on a wire rack and freeze! Pop them into the toaster for a quick breakfast. Top with fresh fruit and a drizzle of honey or pure maple syrup (for a flavorful twist, try spreading them with a little light cream cheese and sliced strawberries!)

 

Ingredients

½ cup gluten free oat flour

½ cup gluten free all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

¾ cup milk of choice

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs, separated

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (or coconut oil)

3 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce

pinch of cinnamon (optional)

 

Directions

 

  1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients.
  2. Separate the eggs, adding the yolks to the dry ingredient mixture, and placing the whites in a small mixing bowl.
  3. Add milk and melted butter (or coconut oil) to dry ingredient mixture and whisk until combined.
  4. Beat whites until stiff peaks are formed and fold into the mixture.
  5. Ladle mixture into hot waffle iron and cook until golden brown.

 

 

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.
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