Lentil, Sweet Potato & Coconut Curry

My husband and I love Indian food. Since becoming gluten-free, I love it even more because I can eat so much of it. Many Indian foods are vegetarian and are full of lentils, beans and nuts - it's all so up my alley. This Indian-inspired dish, from the amazing blog Detoxinista, was quick to put together, is extremely tasty and filling, and is vegan and gluten-free. The leftovers make an awesome, quick lunch and are so much more satisfying than a bowl of cereal - which is my typical-mom-in-a-hurry-lunch (if I even eat lunch at all).

Serve this curry over cooked quinoa or rice. Enjoy!

Here is the recipe straight from Detoxinista:

• 1½ tablespoons coconut oil
• 1 cup diced onion
• 1 cup dried red lentils
• 1 medium sweet potato, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 large carrot, sliced lengthwise and chopped
• ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 tablespoon mild curry powder
• 1 teaspoon ginger powder
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 3½ cups vegetable broth or water
• ½ cup coconut milk
• 1/2 cup raw cashews <this is optional and my addition - and they were YUMMY!>

• 2 cups of cooked quinoa OR rice (my husband said he would have preferred rice)

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Saute the onion until it's turning a little golden. Add the lentils, potato, carrot, and spices/seasonings, and stir to combine everything.
2. Add the water or broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 25 minutes, or until the lentils and sweet potato are tender. Stir in the ½ cup of coconut milk. Serve over cooked quinoa or rice. If using cashews, sprinkle them on top of curried lentils.
3. Curry will keep for up to 4 days in the fridge. Leftovers can be frozen.

Peanut Butter, Coconut & Cranberry Energy Bites

My friend, Kim, asked me to try and replicate these yummy energy bites that we keep buying at our local farmer's market. They are absolutely delicious and they make the perfect quick breakfast or snack. I think this recipe is pretty darn close to the original! Easy to make and no bake! These are also gluten free! Enjoy!

• 1 cup oats, old fashioned (gluten free if desired)
• 1 Tablespoon chia seeds
• 2 Tablespoons flax seed
• 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut, plus 2 Tbl more for rolling
• 1 Tbl cinnamon
• 1/4 cup honey OR pure maple syrup
• ½ cup creamy peanut butter
  OR almond butter
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries, chopped into tiny pieces

In a large food processor, add the oats, chia seeds,  flax seeds, unsweetened coconut and cinnamon.   Pulse until finely ground and combined. Add the honey and peanut butter. Turn the food processor on and watch the mixture turn into a large ball. Let it roll around in there for a minute or so until the dry ingredients are well combined with the honey and PB.  Add the chopped dried cranberries and pulse to combine.

Using your hands, roll the mixture into 1 inch balls and place on a piece of parchment paper. Roll each ball into unsweetened coconut.

Refrigerate and eat within a week. Enjoy!!

Cashew Corn Chowder with Cilantro Cream

Mercy, this soup was good! So flavorful and very filling. Perfect on this chilly winter night. Here's another EXCELLENT recipe from My New Roots. I love everything this woman does- her cookbooks, her blog, her instagram....she's amazing and so are her recipes.  Enjoy!

This soup made enough for two adults. 

Here is the recipe verbatim from the My New Roots blog:


1 Tbsp. coconut oil or ghee <I used olive oil>
2 medium yellow onions
6 cloves garlic
2 tsp. sea salt
2 tsp. turmeric
1 tsp. cumin
cayenne to taste
3 ears fresh corn <I used four>
4 cups vegetable broth
1 Tbsp. freshly-squeezed lime juice
½ cup raw cashews, soaked overnight (4 hours minimum)

Directions:
1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. When hot, add turmeric, cumin and cayenne and cook for about a minute, until fragrant. Add onions and salt, and cook for 5 minutes until softened. Add garlic. If the bottom of the pot becomes dry, add a little broth instead of oil to moisten things up.

2. While the onions and garlic are cooking, husk the cobs of corn. Cut off the kernels by standing the corn on one end and slicing downwards. Add corn kernels to the pot and stir to coat with spices. Cook for 5 minutes then add the remaining broth. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer and cook until the corn is bright yellow and sweet, about 5 minutes. During this time, make the cilantro cream (see recipe below)

3. Once the corn is cooked, remove pot from heat and transfer the soup to a blender, reserving a few tablespoons of the whole corn kernels for garnish. Add soaked and rinsed cashews. Blend on high until completely smooth. Add water to thin, if desired. Season to taste. Return soup to the pot to keep warm if necessary. Serve with cilantro cream, a drizzle of olive oil, a few kernels of corn and plenty of cracked black pepper.

Cilantro Cream
½ cup raw cashews, soaked overnight (4 hours minimum)
1 Tbsp. freshly-squeezed lime juice
1 cup cilantro (leaves only, loosely packed)
½ cup water
1 Tbsp. raw honey (or agave)
1 tsp. sea salt
pinch cayenne, if desired
½ small clove garlic, if desired

Directions:
1. Put all ingredients in a blender and blend on high until completely smooth. Season to taste. Store leftovers in a sealed glass container.

Almond Flour Banana Bread - Gluten Free!

HALLELUJAH!!!!!!!!! Oh, I think I have found it! Yes, I have! The most perfect gluten free banana bread recipe ever! Yep, I said it and I believe it with my whole heart! This banana bread has zero gluten in it, zero butter, no refined sugar and tastes like the real deal - it'll give any gluten-filled banana bread a run for its money.  I'm always feeling left out of eating baked goods (being gluten free and all).....but now that I have this in my arsenal, I see many yummy days ahead! I am always leary of using gluten-free flours as substitutes in regular recipes - many GF flours have a funky taste and so many of them are almost all tapioca and cornstarch!! So, when I saw that this recipe from the blog, Live Simply, uses ONLY almond meal, I got VERY excited to try it. And it did not disappoint - not one bit.

**If you can't find almond meal, you can make your own by finely grinding raw almonds in the food processor.

 Here is the recipe straight from Live Simply:

• 2½ cups blanched almond flour <I used Bob's Red Mill>
• 1½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon good-quality salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3 eggs
• ½ cup honey
• ¼ cup whole milk yogurt <I used 1/3 cup sour cream>
• 2-3 very ripe bananas, mashed <I used 3 small-ish bananas>
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 
• ¼ cup chopped walnuts <I omitted the walnuts and used 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips>

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
2. Grease a loaf pan with butter or coconut oil.
3. In a large bowl mix together the dry ingredients: almond flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and baking soda.
4. In a medium size bowl, whisk together the eggs. Add in the honey, yogurt, mashed bananas, and vanilla. Whisk together until combined.
5. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until combined. Fold in the chopped walnuts <or chocolate chips>.
6. Pour the batter into a loaf pan and bake for 50-60 minutes <I baked it for 61 minutes, but I checked it at 50 and 56 minutes> until the center is firm.
7. Allow to cool. Remove from pan.
8. Slice and enjoy!

Rosemary Roasted Cashews

These Rosemary Cashews are seriously addictive !!! My friend, Elizabeth, brought them to a party this holiday season and everyone wanted her to share this recipe from the Barefoot Contessa. So, I just made them (it took less than 15 minutes) and they are so delicious. My tongue is slightly burnt from not being able to wait to eat them before they cooled!!!

I didn't follow the recipe exactly. I added extra sugar and more butter (because why not!?).

Here it is from the Food Network website:

1 1/4 pounds cashew nuts
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
2 teaspoons dark brown sugar (I used one Tbl)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon melted butter (I used 2 Tbl)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Place the nuts on an ungreased baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes until they are warmed through <I lined my cookie sheet with foil for easy clean up>. Meanwhile, combine the rosemary, pepper, sugar, salt and butter in a large bowl <I put all those ingredients in a small pot and heated until the butter melted and the sugar had dissolved completely>. Toss the warm nuts with the rosemary mixture until the nuts are completely coated <I put it all in a separate bowl to make sure the cashews were evenly coated - I then spread them out again on the same foiled lined baking sheet to cool them>. Enjoy!

Graham Cracker Crunch

Christmas is right around the corner so I thought I'd share this fun recipe with you all. This super sweet holiday "candy" was so easy to make - it's always nice to have a no-bake option in your holiday-baking-arsenal.  I made a big batch for my husband to bring into the office. But I can also imagine bagging these up for neighbors and teachers. Enjoy!

I found this recipe on Smart School House. Here it is word for word:

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• Graham crackers
• 3/4 cup mini chocolate chips (or more if you love chocolate)
• 1/2 bag of White Candy Melts <I used one whole bag of white choco chips>
• Various Christmas colored sprinkles
  
• Baking sheet
• Foil
• Non-stick spray

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Prepare the baking sheet with foil and a thin layer of non-stick cooking spray
Break graham crackers into pieces and lay on cookie sheet.

 

In a sauce pan, bring the butter, brown sugar, and salt to a boil which takes about 4-5 minutes (stirring frequently to avoid burning)

Remove from the heat and let it cool for 2 minutes.

Pour the melted mixture over the graham crackers.

Bake in the oven for 9 minutes. <I think you only need to do this for about 5 minutes - the grahams can easily burn>

Remove from the oven and put the mini chocolate chips evenly over the top (feel free to use 1 full cup if you love chocolate!)

Place the baking sheet back in the oven to let the chocolate chips melt (about 2 minutes)

While the chocolate chips are melting over the graham crackers in the oven, melt 1/2 bag of candy melts <I used one whole bag of white chocolate chips - put them in a microwave safe bowl and microwave on high for one minute - take the bowl out and stir. Return bowl of chips to the microwave and heat for another 30 seconds. Take out and stir. They might be ready now or you may need 30 more seconds>

Place the melted candy mixture over the top of the melted chocolate chips and spread them evenly over the graham crackers using a spatula. <When I did this the white chocolate melted the chocolate chips and it kinda looked like cookies & cream....once the sprinkles went on, it wasn't as obvious, though>

Sprinkle the various Christmas sprinkles on top and let the it cool for at least an hour.

Once cooled, break it up into small pieces and enjoy! Store in an airtight container.

Pumpkin Banana Oat Breakfast Bars

So I had a super ripe banana on my counter and a half a jar of canned pumpkin sitting in my fridge......I wanted to get rid of both, but, I wasn't feeling another batch of pumpkin banana bread. These are what I came up with and yeah, they are pretty yummy! Healthy and yummy - my favorite combo! Enjoy!

1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 smashed very ripe banana
1/2 cup applesauce
1/4 cup honey
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp pumpkin spice
2 cup oats
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, grease an 8X8 baking pan and set aside. In a medium bowl add pumpkin, banana, applesauce, honey, salt and pumpkin spice, mix well. Fold in oats, coconut flakes and mini chocolate chips. Place mixture in prepared baking pan and press down so each corner is covered. Place in the oven for 20 - 22 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool and cut into bars. Enjoy!