Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Healthy and Hearty Summer Salad with Homemade Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette

Salads are a MUST make dish this week here in Northern California.  There is a heat wave coming through pushing us up into the triple digits for several days.  Today is gorgeous and so we are taking advantage of this mild weather and heading to the Farmer's Market tonight for some dinner and fun.  Yesterday I made a big batch of honey balsamic vinaigrette in preparation for the heat and the many salads I have planned to make.  My kids always gobble up their greens with this sweet and tangy dressing.  Also a great drizzle for roasted potatoes, veggies, chicken, etc.  I think we all need a good go-to balsamic vinaigrette recipe.  I hope this one makes it into your kitchen soon.  
Summer Salad with Homemade Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette 

Salad Ingredients:
-9 ounces fresh greens (I used 3 ounces each of: dinosaur kale, arugula, and baby spinach)
-1 1/2 cups peeled and chopped apple
-1 cup chopped cucumber
-2/3 cup diced red onion
-2/3 cup chopped sweet orange pepper (I like the gypsy variety)
-1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds 
-Fresh herbs for garnish (I used parsley and tarragon) 

Vinaigrette Ingredients:
-1/2 cup balsamic vinegar 
-3 tablespoons local honey (vegans sub with 3 tablespoons coconut nectar and maybe a drop or two of stevia to your sweet preference, perhaps maple syrup would work as a sub too)
-3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
-1/2 teaspoons salt
-1/2 teaspoon garlic granules 
-1/2 teaspoon onion granules
-1 teaspoon dijon mustard

How To:
1.  To a blender, add in the vinegar, honey, salt, garlic grans, and onion grans.  Blend on low for 10 seconds.  
2.  Keep the blender running on low and drizzle in the oil very slowly.  
3.  Then add in the mustard.  Blend on medium-high for 10 seconds.
4.  Adjust salt and other flavors to taste.

Notes:
*I've included two links above to the products I use.  I buy them in town, but I wanted to give you an example of what I am using. 
Shared on: Raw Foods Thursday, Wellness Weekend  Fat Tuesday

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Allergy-Free Wednesdays Week 73: June 26, 2013

Hello and welcome to Allergy-Free Wednesdays (AFW).
  AFW is a weekly blog hop where folks can share their allergy-free cuisine, gain knowledge about allergy-related topics/issues, and connect with others living or caring for someone with food allergies.

This is a weekly blog hop hosted by myself and six other fabulous allergy-free bloggers.  Your weekly submissions will be shared on all 7 blogs!  Check back each week for reader favorites and recipe highlights.  

Before linking up - PLEASE click HERE to review rules, guidelines, and legal information.  Thank you!  
_________________________________
Featured Recipes & Highlights

Each week AFW features the most most popular recipe from the previous week, and the six AFW hostesses will highlight their favorites.  Please note that your submission must contain a link back to our Allergy-Free Wednesday's Blog Hop in order to be featured.  Click HERE for last week's entries and the appropriate back link.  

So without further ado...

May I present you with the most popular submission (most viewed by readers):

Drink This; Lose Weight ( 30 day update)
From:  Gluten Free A to Z

And here are the my favorite recipes/posts from last week:

Sweet and Savory Crackers Made with Almond Pulp
From: The Veggie Nook 

Waffles and Cornflake Chicken Nuggets
From: Cuter Than Gluten 


Coconut Flour Lemon Muffins
From: Gut Food
*
Thanks for visiting Allergy-Free Wednesdays!
And thanks for being awesome and reading through our guidelines before linking up!
_________________________________

Sunday, June 23, 2013

Raw Nutrient Dense Key Lime Pie Creamsicles (also makes a tasty pudding) SCD/Paleo/GAPS

I'm always looking for new ways to serve not only sweet treats, but healthy sweet treats.  My freezer is usually full of popsicles at the ready.  It gets super hot here in the summer and so they are a necessity.  We usually go with juice based pops, but I love the use of coconut milk or other non-dairy milks for a fun, healthy twist.  I wasn't sure how my kiddos would respond to these...and yeah, they LOVED them! And mommy loves how much nutrition they get in every cold, sweet and sour bite. 
This also makes a great pudding, you know, kind of like key lime pie without the crust.  Refrigerate at least 4 hours to thicken. 

Ingredients
-1 can (1 1/2 cups) coconut milk this or this 
-1 cup fresh spinach
-1 avocado 
-1/3 cup honey* (vegans use maple syrup or coconut nectar)
-1/2 cup fresh squeezed lime juice

How To:
1.  Add the above ingredients to a blender and blend until well incorporated.  Fill popsicle molds and freeze at least 4 hours.  
2.  I like these popsicle molds which are made with toxic free plastic. 

Notes:
*Please adjust the sweetness to your preference.  Taste test before and add more as needed.  
*You can also add in some protein powder of your liking for additional nutrition. 
*A banana with 1/4 cup water would add in another fun flavor combination to these pops. 
Shared on: Allergy-Free Wednesdays, Raw Foods Thursday, Wellness Weekend 


Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Ditch Those Frozen Fruit Plastic Bags - How To Make Waste-Free Smoothies


WHY plastic Bags SUCK-IT! 

Okay, we all know plastic bags are terrible.  I hate them (and I don't use that word lightly).  So come smoothie time of year I really, really, REALLY try to NOT purchase any frozen fruit in plastic bags.  I mean, yes, it's difficult during the off season when fresh fruit (err, organic fresh fruit) is not in season.  But during the summer it's everywhere. So no excuses.

The easiest way to avoid packaged frozen fruit is to purchase loose fruit and freeze it.  When I say loose fruit I am talking about fruit that is not packaged in any plastic.  This is how fruit is sold at my local Natural Foods Coops here in Northern California.  Sometimes you can find a Farmer's Market that is really good about selling loose fruit.  I use these Care Bags for my produce/loose fruit, again, NO plastic bags are used at any point in my purchasing process.  Listen, I don't have a panic attack if I have to purchase fruit in plastic.  For example, Costco has great deals on blueberries and raspberries.  But at least those plastic containers ARE able to be recycled.  Frozen fruit plastic bags are not - they go right into the landfill.  So think about what will do less harm.  

See below for some other suggestions on how to make a fabulous smoothie without the use of bagged frozen fruit.  
*

Here is how I freeze fruit.  I wash, dry, and freeze on silicone mats.  Then I store the fruit in air-tight glass containers in the freezer (not in plastic bags). 

Here we have mango and bananas...

Bananas, apple and strawberries... 

Bananas, blueberries, raspberries...

Strawberries are everywhere this time of year 
Fresh, loose picked, frozen strawberries for a fraction of what the packaged frozen strawberries cost! 

Okay, moving along...
See HERE for my bulk green drink.  
I like to freeze little cubes of this green drink and use in smoothies.  For the smoothie, add in the frozen green drink cubes, some nut milk (or coconut milk), fresh fruit, your choice protein powder, and blend.  What a fabulous way to start the day.

I still have my old BPA/toxic free baby food containers (yes, I made all my kid's baby food from scratch).  I knew these would be put to good use and below I have them full of homemade walnut milk for smoothies. 

Homemade nut/seed milks from The Tasty Alternative: 


We are surrounded by citrus here in California   So when harvest time comes, I like to freeze lemon and orange juice for smoothies (or for like a million other uses). 

These silicone (BPA free) ice cube trays are awesome.  They make small portions of frozen nut milk or coconut milk. 

Here I have some banana puree.  I had four bananas that were ready for something (super ripe)...so I pureed them with a little water and made little frozen banana cubes for smoothies.  With the banana you can also add in a handful of spinach or fresh fruit  (such as an avocado or strawberries).  Just make sure you add in some water so you can pour the mixture into the trays.  

It is possible to create low-waste or no-waste smoothies.  It depends on where you live and what you like, but it is possible.  The point here is to become more mindful of the waste-free options and get creative. 
*

~Smoothie/Milkshake Recipes by The Tasty Alternative~







Top of post bags of fruit Image Source 
___________________________________________________________________________________
Shared on: Allergy-Free WednesdaysWellness Weekend, Tuesday Green

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Allergy-Free Wednesdays Week 72: June 19, 2013

Hello and welcome to Allergy-Free Wednesdays (AFW).
  AFW is a weekly blog hop where folks can share their allergy-free cuisine, gain knowledge about allergy-related topics/issues, and connect with others living or caring for someone with food allergies.

This is a weekly blog hop hosted by myself and six other fabulous allergy-free bloggers.  Your weekly submissions will be shared on all 7 blogs!  Check back each week for reader favorites and recipe highlights.  

Before linking up - PLEASE click HERE to review rules, guidelines, and legal information.  Thank you!  
_________________________________
Featured Recipes & Highlights

Each week AFW features the most most popular recipe from the previous week, and the six AFW hostesses will highlight their favorites.  Please note that your submission must contain a link back to our Allergy-Free Wednesday's Blog Hop in order to be featured.  Click HERE for last week's entries and the appropriate back link.  

So without further ado...

May I present you with the most popular submission (most viewed by readers):

Personal Pan Cauliflower Pizza Crust (Dairy-Free)
From:  Oatmeal With a Fork

And here are the my favorite recipes/posts from last week:

Canadian Celiac Association Conference, Anxiety, and Homemade V-8 Tropical Splash Blend
From: Gluten Free Easily 

Butternut Squash, Beetroot and Avocado Salad
From: Gluten Free SCD & Veggie 

Coconut Multi-Fruit Tart
From: Real Food Forager 
*
Thanks for visiting Allergy-Free Wednesdays!
And thanks for being awesome and reading through our guidelines before linking up!
_________________________________

Friday, June 14, 2013

My Favorite Chicken Salad ~ With Apples and Fresh Tarragon

I flippen LOVE chicken salad.  Especially with lots of add-ins.  Oh the flavor and texture combination can be magnificent.  And I am one who loves to mash food together. There are no boundaries between food on my plate.  It's a friendly place.  I will mix everything together on my plate so each bite equally represents each food.  That must be why I love things like chicken salad.  Everything is nicely mixed together and I just love it.  I can eat chicken salad for any meal (yes, even breakfast).  I hope you enjoy this recipe.  It's super easy and a fantastic way to use up that leftover chicken (see the notes section for additional add-ins).    
Chicken Apple Salad with Fresh Tarragon 

Ingredients:
-2 cups shredded chicken*
-1/2 cup dill pickle, small chop
-1/2 cup celery, chopped 
-1/2 cup peeled apple, small chop 
-1/3 cup diced red onion
-1/3 cup mayo ~ here or here , vegan or homemade vegan
-1 teaspoon Dijon or stone ground mustard (optional) 
-1/2 teaspoon garlic granules 
-1/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
-1 teaspoon fresh chopped tarragon or 1/2 teaspoon dried

How To:
1.  To a bowl add in the above ingredients and mix.
2.  Best if made 4 - 6 hours before serving.  

Notes:
*The best way to "shred"  chicken is in a food processor.  Simply add in the two cups of chicken and give it a whirl.  Personally, I like to cook chicken in the crock-pot, this makes it shred naturally.  So I use leftover crock-pot chicken for my chicken salad.  You could also used cubed chicken, it's really up to you.  
*There are endless possibilities with chicken salad.  Here are some of my other favorite add-ins: sliced grapes, sweet yellow or red peppers, cucumber, hard boiled egg, radish, green onions, fresh dill, cashews, mango, slivered almonds, walnuts, kalamata olives, bacon, curry spice, or dried cranberries.  Go crazy folks.  

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Raw Lemon Pie Macaroons: Coco-Roon Knock Offs (dairy free, grain free, Paleo, SCD, GAPS)

A few months ago some new raw food items made an appearance at my local Natural Foods Coop.  Ever hear of Coco-Roons? They are a tasty take on macaroons, incorporating almond flour with the shredded coconut.  They come in a variety of flavors and are super healthy, but the price tag...ouch!  So I decided to make these bad-boys at home.  The turn out was amazing. I hope you enjoy making these too.  
See HERE and HERE for my other raw homemade (store-brand knock-offs).  
Raw Lemon Pie Macaroons 
(Coco-Roon Knock-Offs)


Ingredients:
-2 cups shredded coconut (any brand will do, I purchase mine in the bulk section)
-1 cup almond flour (I used Bob's)
-2 teaspoons lemon zest
-2 tablespoons honey (vegans, use maple syrup or coconut nectar)
-2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
-2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
-1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 
-1/4 teaspoon lemon oil (optional, or use an extra tablespoon of lemon juice)
-1/2 teaspoon salt

How To:
1.  In a food processor add the 2 cups of shredded coconut.  Blend for 30 seconds.  Then add in the almond flour.  Blend together for 10 seconds.
2.  With the food processor running, add in the lemon zest, honey, coconut oil, lemon juice, salt and lemon oil (optional). Blend together for 15 seconds.
3. The mixture will feel wet and oily.  That's okay.
4. Scoop out the mixture with a 1-ounce ice cream scoop and place directly on the dehydrator tray (no screens).  This is the dehydrator I use.   
5.  Dehydrate for at least 6 hours on 110 degrees.  These dry nicely on the outside (leaving no oily residue) and stay moist on the inside.  Makes about 12 macaroons.
Shared on: Raw Food Thursday, Wellness Weekend, Allergy-Friendly Lunchbox Love, Whole Food Fridays, Healthy Vegan Fridays, 

Total Pageviews