Category Archives: holidays

Thursday, March 15, 2012

St. Patty’s Day: SCD Style – and a few other things

Here are just a few fun, green themed dishes I will be making on St. Patty’s Day – all SCD friendly!

Breakfast:

Egg scramble with zucchini, spinach, and pesto

(recipe coming soon)

Lunch:

Pesto zucchini pasta

Snack or Appetizer

Lemon walnut stuffed avocado

Dinner:

Creamy Vegan Broccoli Soup

Dessert:

Key lime pie

(recipe coming soon)

***************************************************************

(LOVE IT)

Music

One of my favorite Irish punk bands: Flogging Molly

The Drop Kick Murphys also rock!

Top 10 Irish drinking songs

Pandora has great Celtic and Irish stations

Putumayo Celtic Crossroads

Amazing Celtic band: Lunasa

(My kids jump up and start dancing around the house – every time to this one)!

Here are some additional ideas for food, fun, and crafts

Check out this round-up of gorgeous green inspired dishes over at Against All Grain

Fun slime for kids that could easily be made green with this food coloring

DIY Shamrock Garland

Delicious Kale chips from Tessa the Domestic Diva

5 fun and eco-friendly St. Pattie’s Day projects

A serious GREEN smoothie from Shirley over at GFE

Posted by Amber at 9:48 pm

Labels: holidays, SCD.

6 Comments

Kalinda March 16, 2012 at 2:08 am
The stuffed avocados look wonderful, but the key lime pie really knocks it out of the park. Love the lime slices, so pretty.

Also, Flogging Molly is great. We went to one of their concerts right around St. Patrick’s Day a couple years ago. I just found out they’re coming to St. Louis in a few months. Yay!
Reply
- Amber March 16, 2012 at 2:20 am
  Hi There Kalinda,
  
  Yeah, a fellow punk rock lover! I’ve also seen them in concert here in San Francisco…so awesome!
  
  The key lime pie is pretty great (but it’s made with gelatin in order to qualify for SCD, as it’s the only thickener allowed). I’m not the biggest fan of gelatin, but I have to say, it did turn out amazing. I’m going to try it with a few other nuts milks before I post it. 🙂
  
  Hugs,
  –Amber
  Reply
gfe--gluten free easily March 17, 2012 at 12:33 am
Yummmmy, Amber! I’m so tickled that you included my Shamrock Shake–thank you!!

xo,
Shirley
Reply
- Amber March 17, 2012 at 1:11 am
  Thanks Shirley,
  
  Your green smoothie looks amazing and sooo healthy! Thanks for the great recipe.
  
  Hugs,
  –amber
  Reply
Danille March 17, 2012 at 1:17 am
Looks yummy! Thanks for including my roundup! Happy St Patty’s Day!
Reply
Laura March 19, 2012 at 5:59 pm
Great St. Patty’s roundup Amber! It looks like your family enjoyed some delicious and healthy food this past weekend!
Reply

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Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Pink Peppermint Vegan Ice Cream Sandwich for Valentine’s Day

Just a little Valentine’s Day surprise for my sweethearts.

Chocolate Cookies

Author: Amber Husten

Ingredients

1 cup whole raw hazelnuts
⅓ cup whole raw almonds
¼ cup coconut flour
¼ cup raw organic cacao
⅓ cup coconut sugar
½ teaspoon baking soda
⅛ teaspoon salt
7 medjool dates (pitted and soaked in filtered water for at least 2 hours)
⅓ cup coconut oil, melted
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon water

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375
In food processor with s-blade, grind hazelnuts until coarse.
Add almonds and blend until coarsely ground.
Add coconut flour and coconut sugar, pulse, pulse, pulse. Add cacao, pulse, pulse, pulse.
Add baking soda and salt, pulse, pulse, pulse.
(the dry mixture should feel like a fine flour).
Transfer dry ingredients to a bowl. Wipe out food processor.
In food processor with s-blade, add strained dates, coconut oil, vanilla, water and blend until incorporated.
Add wet ingredients to dry and mix (with hands).
Roll out dough on non stick surface about ½ inch thick - make sure they aren't too thin. Make cutouts. Transfer to nonstick baking surface and bake for 10 - 12 minutes - or so, check at 10 minutes. Cookies will firm as they cool. Thisis a popular brand to use.

Notes

Pink Shredded Coconut:
-Shredded Coconut
-Natural food coloring, HEREor HERE.

How To:
1. Add ½ cup shredded coconut to a jar.
2. Add a few drops of red coloring.
3. Cover lid and shake until well incorporated.

Pink Peppermint Ice Cream

Ingredients

1 can coconut milk (I really love thisbrand for ice cream, also a BPA free can)
½ teaspoon vanilla
⅓ of a cup sweetener (honey, coconut sugar, coconut nectar, maple syrup)
2 teaspoons peppermint extract
Red natural food coloring (to preferred pink color) HERE or HERE.

Instructions

Add coconut milk, vanilla, peppermint, sweetener, and coloring to blender and blend until incorporated, add to ice cream maker.
Blend until thick and transfer ice cream to glass storage and place in freezer for a few hours.
Remove from freezer about 20 minutes before serving.

Shared on: Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays, Traditional Tuesdays, Fat Tuesdays, Just Another Meatless Monday, Melt in your Mouth Mondays, Monday Mania, Ruth’s Real Food 101 (Mondays), Real Food Wednesdays, Gluten-Free Wednesdays, Allergy Free Wednesdays, Whole Food Wednesdays, Pennywise Platter, Miz Helen’s Country Cottage, Lunch Box Love Fridays, Wellness Weekend, Allergy-Friendly Friday, Freaky Friday, Fresh Bites Fridays & Recipe Lion

Posted by Amber at 8:51 am

Labels: chocolate, cookies, dessert, grain free, holidays, ice cream, Paleo, vegan.

19 Comments

gfe--gluten free easily February 14, 2012 at 8:08 pm
Totally amazing looking! If you were nearby we could swap Valentine’s Day treats … wanna heart-shaped Sweet Potato Biscuit? 😉

Happy Valentine’s Day, Amber! xo,
Shirley
Reply
- Amber February 14, 2012 at 9:19 pm
  Hi There Shirley,
  
  Um, yes please! I just checked out these awesome sweet potato biscuits. Love the ingredients. So creative. I will for sure be making these soon, as we eat sweet potatoes once or twice per week.
  
  You have a wonderful Valentine’s Day Shirley.
  
  Hugs to you,
  –Amber
  Reply
Matt @ RecipeLion February 14, 2012 at 8:08 pm
This dessert looks great! I would love it if you linked up this recipe to my blog hop for a chance to win a cookbook prize package: http://bit.ly/wJSl1h
Reply
- Amber February 14, 2012 at 9:21 pm
  Thank you for the invite. I’ll hop on over there and check it out.
  Reply
Laura February 14, 2012 at 9:18 pm
Brilliant Amber! What a healthy dessert. I love the pink color and that this ice cream sandwich is not only gluten-free, but dairy-free and grain-free too. Happy Valentine’s Day!
Reply
Amber February 14, 2012 at 9:20 pm
Thanks Laura!

Happy Valentine’s Day to you too!

Hugs,
–Amber
Reply
[email protected] February 15, 2012 at 12:57 am
Thanks for linking your great post to FAT TUESDAY. This was very interesting! Hope to see you next week!

Be sure to visit RealFoodForager.com on Sunday for Sunday Snippets – your post from Fat Tuesday may be featured there!
http://realfoodforager.com/fat-tuesday-february-14-2012/
Reply
melanie February 15, 2012 at 1:49 pm
Wow! Chocolate and peppermint are one of my fave combos! These look stunning and perfect for v-day or any day really 🙂
Reply
- Amber February 15, 2012 at 9:04 pm
  Hi Melanie,
  
  Can’t agree more about the peppermint/chocolate combo! You just can’t beat it.
  
  Thanks for stopping by today.
  
  Be Well,
  –Amber
  Reply
Vicky February 16, 2012 at 12:42 am
These are so sweet! Love the peppermint and chocolate combination!
Reply
- Amber February 16, 2012 at 1:24 am
  Thanks Vicki! I’ve been enjoying the ice cream on its own this week. Just love that peppermint. 😉
  
  Hugs,
  -Amber
  Reply
fartygirl February 17, 2012 at 7:21 pm
Kickass recipe! These look so delicious! I think my favorite thing is the minimal easy ingredients. Everybody’s got that in their kitchen. I love when I find a recipe online that I could make right away! 🙂
Reply
Amber February 17, 2012 at 10:45 pm
Farygirl! Hey lady. Good to hear from you.

Thanks! I have to say, this turned out well and I’m not a huge chocolate fan, but I liked these cookies and the peppermint was, well, who doesn’t LOVE peppermint!

I need to see what’s been going on over in Fartygirl land…

Hugs,
–Amber
Reply
Leslie @ Real Food Freaks February 18, 2012 at 1:36 am
Ummmm… yum!! These look fantastic! And it doesn’t get any better than peppermint & chocolate either!
Reply
- Amber April 25, 2012 at 3:49 am
  Thanks Leslie! I so agree!
  Reply
Miz Helen February 20, 2012 at 3:17 pm
Hi Amber,
This is an awesome Ice Cream Sandwich and a lovely presentation! Thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday and have a fabulous week.
Come Back Soon!
Miz Helen
Reply
Lauren August 3, 2013 at 6:17 pm
Oh my gosh Amber, these look awesome! I just came over from Shirley’s round-up and am now itching to run to the kitchen and make these. Yum! I love the peppermint addition as well. Chocolate and mint is my absolute favorite combo. 😀
Reply
100 Gluten-Free Valentine's Day Desserts! | All Gluten-Free Desserts...All the Time May 18, 2015 at 9:29 pm
[…] Pink Peppermint Ice Cream Sandwiches from The Tasty Alternative ~ gluten free, grain free, dairy free, egg free, refined sugar free, […]
Reply
Over 100 LOVE-ly Gluten-Free Valentine’s Day Dessert Recipes - gfe-gluten free easily January 9, 2016 at 10:33 am
[…] Pink Peppermint Ice Cream Sandwiches from The Tasty Alternative ~ gluten free, grain free, dairy free, egg free, refined sugar free, […]
Reply

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Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Happy Halloween 2011 and Easy-Peasy, Delicious Split Pea Soup!

First the food:

Halloween night means easy dinner. My split pea soup is just that: easy-peasy and so tasty.
Plus it’s sort of ghoulish looking don’t you think?

And this is a no-waste dish if you can find your peas in bulk.

Ingredients

-3 cups dried split peas (soaked in filtered water 4 – 6 hours)

-1/2 pound high quality, organic ham, coarse dice

-1 medium yellow onion, small chop

-4 carrots, chopped

-6 cups filtered water

-3/4 teaspoon salt

-2 teaspoons garlic granules

-Fresh ground pepper

-Oil (of choice) – enough to coat pot
-2 bay leaves, removed before serving

How To

1. In large pot, add oil, salt, and onions, saute for 5 minutes.

2. Add ham, saute for a few minutes with onions.

3. Add carrots and garlic granules, saute for 1 minute.
4. Drain and rinse peas, add to pot.

5. Add water (or broth of choice). Make sure the peas are covered, start with 5 cups and add more water if needed.

6. Bring to a boil. Turn down to a soft simmer and cover. Simmer covered for about an hour. Give soup a stir now and then.

7. Uncover and soft simmer for another 30 minutes.
8. You’ll know when the soup is ready, the peas will be soft and creamy.

9. Stir in some fresh ground black pepper.

10. Soup will thicken greatly as it cools.

Notes
*This dish can easily be made vegetarian, and I have made it thus many times. I omit the ham and add homemade vegetable broth in place of the water.

I was inspired by Maggie’s zombie eyeball cupcakes and so made these for dessert. I used my own carob cupcake and vegan frosting recipes though (not ready to give my son chocolate yet, especially with his eczema acting up). My kids thought they were very fun!

**************************

Happy Halloween to one and all. We had a nice day. Beautiful weather. I personally love Halloween, which is strange because I’m a huge scaredy cat. I enjoy dressing up, I do every year and probably will forever.

Observing chimpanzees, or what are those neighbors doing?!

I was excited to wear my Doc. Martens again!

I love Jane Goodall!!

My handsome husband accountant!

And my cute little runaway chimpanzee, George

Shared on: Sunday Night Soup Night

Posted by Amber at 4:45 am

Labels: fall cuisine, holidays, soups.

2 Comments

Debbie @ Easy Natural Food March 21, 2012 at 10:24 pm
I love split pea soup, its one of my all time favorites! Your version sounds scrummy! Thanks for sharing this with Sunday Night Soup Night, look forward to seeing you again soon!
Reply
Amber March 22, 2012 at 12:02 am
Thanks Debbie!

This is a soup my kids absolutely LOVE and request every week. Gotta love that. 🙂

Hugs,
-Amber
Reply

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Saturday, October 15, 2011

Tasty Alternatives to Traditional Halloween Candy

Healthy versions of some traditional Halloween treats

Rice Crispy Chocolate Bars

(my spin on a traditional candy bar)

Ingredients
*I used this recipe for “rice crispy treats” from the Gluten
Free Goddess for the inside of the bars
*One bar of this chocolate for the coating
*Shredded coconut, if desired

How To
*I made the above rice crispy treats, smoothed the mixture out
on a silicone baking mat – around 1 inch high. Chilled them
in the fridge until nice and solid. Then cut them into bars
*Melt an entire bar of chocolate on a double boiler (I fashioned
my own using a small 8″ non-stick saute pan on top of a small
sauce pan filled with some water)
*Quickly cover bars with chocolate, rolling them around
with a wooden pair of tongs. When fully coated,
transfer immediately to a cooling rack with a baking sheet
underneath to catch the chocolate drippings
*Transfer to fridge until cooled
*These do very well sitting out at room temperature,
the chocolate does not melt. Perfect to eat like a “candy bar”

These are so decadent. But I love that the

chocolate bar is only sweetened with

filtered beet sugar.
My husband said the coconut covered
ones tasted (like, but much better than)
a Mounds bar.

Chocolate Covered Figs

(my spin on a Tootsie Roll Pop)

Ingredients

*Fresh Figs

*One bar of this chocolate for the coating

How To

*Melt an entire bar of chocolate on a double boiler (I fashioned
my own using a small 8″ non-stick saute pan on top of a small
sauce pan filled with some water).

*Place lollipop stick into fig. All I had on hand when I made these was a few wooden skewers, a little too sharp on the end for children. I found some 4″ lollipop sticks here in town the next day…much better.

*Using a silicone spatchula, drizzle chocolate quickly over fig

*Be sure to get some chocolate on the area between the stick and the fig, this will provide a nice hold, like a glue, ensuring the fig won’t fall off. I missed this on a few as you can see in the above picture and these were much more precarious

*Transfer immediately to a cooling rack with a baking sheet

underneath to catch the chocolate drippings
*Transfer to fridge until cooled
*These do very well sitting out at room temperature,
the chocolate does not melt. Perfect to eat like a “Tootsie Roll Pop”

These fig pops are so delicious! I was very pleased with

how they turned out. These would make super

cute hors d’oeuvres at a party!

Caramel Pops and Caramel Apples

(My spin on traditional caramel)

Ingredients

*5 Tablespoons brown rice syrup (or Yacon Syrup might work)

*5 Tablespoons coconut sugar

*1 Tablespoon coconut oil

How To

*Spray some oil on wax or parchment paper and strategically place lollipop sticks on paper

*Have a small space on paper sprayed with oil for the apple. Have apple ready (with wooden skewer firmly in place)

*In a small non-stick saute pan (same as used above but not as a double boiler) heat brown rice syrup until bubbly, always stirring quickly to avoid burning

*Add in coconut sugar and coconut oil and stir quickly

*Keep on med/low heat with a slight bubble for about 2 minutes stirring the entire time to prevent burning

*Remove from heat and continue stirring for about 30 seconds

*With a silicone spatchula, pour a small amount of the sauce on the end of each lollipop stick. Let it sit and repeat once more, this will make it a little thicker and give the stick a little more to hold on to

*For apple, hold apple by the skewer and drizzle the sauce quickly over apple and then place on the oiled paper

*Transfer lollipops and apples into the fridge to cool

*When the sauce has hardened, take out items and remove from paper. You may get a little paper stuck on your treat, but it peals off pretty easy

*I suggest eating the lollipops right away, as they do get a little soft at room temperature

*Slice apple and let it sit at room temperature before eating. The sauce turns ooey and gooey when it warms up. So delicious with the tart apple!

*You will see in the picture below (the pops in the jar) here look a little different than the flat version described above. For these I made another batch of the sauce and let it cool a little and then started pulling it like taffy. It took a bit to get the texture just so, but it allowed me to make a thicker sucker

*This recipe may work with honey (instead of the brown rice syrup) or with Yacon syrup, but I didn’t test it out.

I haven’t had “real” caramel is so long. It was even years before I was diagnosed. I never loved caramel, but I thought this would be a fun challenge and I am very please with how it turned out. And I am now remembering that as a young girl I was forbidden to eat caramel apples due to a mouth full of braces. Bummer. For fun I looked up a traditional caramel recipe and can I tell you that my stomach started hurting from just reading the ingredients!

Shared on: Allergy-Free Wednesdays

Posted by Amber at 10:41 pm

Labels: candy alternatives, dessert, Halloween, holidays.

4 Comments

Tessa October 27, 2011 at 3:29 am
Can’t wait to try some of these goodies! The fig one makes me swoon!!
Reply
Amber October 27, 2011 at 8:11 pm
Hi There~

Thanks Tessa.

I have to say, the figs are decadent and my favorite.

Happy Halloween!

Be Well,
–Amber
Reply
Squash Blossom Babies October 28, 2011 at 4:39 pm
Hi, I love these ideas! I featured your fig pops on my site today! Stop by and check it out: http://squashblossombabies.com/2011/10/28/happy-halloween/
Reply
Amber October 28, 2011 at 9:50 pm
Hello Squash Blossom Babies~

Thank you for including me in your post. I’m flattered! What a fun blog you have there. And a happy 1-year anniversary to you. Keep up the great work.

Be Well,
–Amber
Reply