Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Banana Bites

 

 

Do these even need an explanation?  Addicting!

melted semi sweet chocolate chips (dairy-free or vegan if needed)

organic peanut butter 

bananas

Slice the bananas into 1 inch thick pieces.  Place on a cookie sheet.  Top banana slices with a dab of peanut butter and cover with melted chocolate.  Place in refrigerator and allow to harden.  These are best stored in an air tight container in the refrigerator.  Enjoy!

Southwest Chicken Mango Quinoa Salad

 

 
 1 1/2 cups quinoa, rinsed and drained if necessary
3 cups organic chicken broth
2 organic chicken breasts, cut into bit size pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup red onion, diced
1/2 red pepper, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, finely diced (I used a 1/2 of a pepper and it was plenty spicy)
1 teaspoon chili powder (I used just 1/2 teaspoon and it was plenty)
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 mango, diced
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

In a medium size sauce pan, bring the chicken broth to a boil.  Add the quinoa and stir.  Turn the heat down to low and place the lid on the pot.  Cook for 15-20 minutes, or until all of the liquid is absorbed.  In a large skillet or frying pan over medium-high heat, saute your chicken in the olive oil until nearly done.  Season with salt and pepper.  Turn the heat down to medium and add the red onion, red pepper and jalapeno pepper.  Saute, stirring frequently, until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add the chili powder and stir.  Place the cooked quinoa in large bowl.  add the chicken/onion mixture, lime juice, mango and cilantro and stir until mixed.  Serve immediately, or allow to cool and refrigerate until ready to serve.  Enjoy!

Chocolate Fudge Pie

 

This pie is very rich.  A little goes a long way.  You could omit the crust and it would still slice nicely.  Without the crust you could serve it as a moose.

Crust:
1/2 cup rolled oats (gluten free if needed)
1/4 cup pecans, chopped
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
3 tablespoons whole grain flour (any flour will work)

Filling:
1 package firm organic tofu
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons nondairy milk
1/8 teaspoon slat
8 ounces (1 cup) semisweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons organic agave or honey

Whipped topping:
1/2 cup canned organic coconut milk (the really thick coconut milk that comes in the can, not watered down) or organic dairy whip cream
2 tablespoons organic agave or honey

To make the crust:  Combine all the crust ingredients in a a food processor and pulse to mix.  Press crust evenly along the bottom of a pie pan.

To make the filling:  Melt the chocolate.  Combine all filling ingredients into a food processor or high speed blender.  Blend until super-smooth.  Pour over the pie crust.  Refrigerate until firm (at least 3 hours or even over night).

To make the whipped topping:  Place the canned coconut milk or dairy whip cream into a mixing bowl.  Add the agave or honey.  Whip cream until stiff peeks form.  Top the pie with the whipped topping.

Enjoy!!

Sprouting

Sprouts are an alkalizing, living food rich in vitamins, minerals, proteins and enzymes.  They are easy to

grow and can be added to salads, sandwiches or smoothies!

I like to purchase organic sprouting seed mixes.  You can sprout whatever seeds you have.  Typically if you buy a package of sprouting seeds they will have directions on the package.  

I use a canning jar and sprouting lid.  You can get sprouting lids at any health food store for around $1.50.  The lids have either a plastic or stainless steel mesh covering the top and the lids fit on a wide-mouth mason jar (canning jar).  Sprouting lids make it very simple to drain your seeds after each rinse without loosing the seeds down the drain. 

Here are general directions for sprouting seeds.

Place 1 tablespoon of seeds into a canning jar.  Cover the seeds with water, place sprouting lid on canning jar and soak for 3-4 hours.  Rinse and drain the seeds.  Spread evenly in on the bottom of the jar by shaking the jar lightly.  Sprouts must be rinsed and drained 2-3 times per day and kept from light (placing the sprouting seeds in a cupboard is best).  I typically make a note that reads "sprouts" and post it somewhere where I will see it often throughout the day and it will remind me to rinse my sprouts.  Rinsing your sprouts 2-3 times in a 24 hour period is plenty.  On the 3rd of 4th day they are ready to eat!  You can place them in the refrigerator and use them when needed.  They should last another 2-3 days after placing them in the refrigerator.  If you use sprouts on a daily basis (for smoothies or salads) then as soon as you have one jar in the refrigerator ready to eat you'll want to start another jar sprouting.  This way you won't be without sprouts!  Enjoy!

Trail Mix

Effortlessly keep your metabolism strong by eating frequent snacks and small meals throughout your day! With organic nuts and a bit of organic dried fruit (and don't forget a hint of dark chocolate), trail mix is one of the staple snacks everyone should have available to enjoy whenever they need a quick snack.

2 cups organic raw walnuts
1 cup organic raw almonds
1/2 cup organic dried cranberries
1/4 cup organic dried raisins
1/4 cup organic dark chocolate chips

Mix all the ingredients together. Keep in a sealed jar and always available to grab a handful as a quick and necessary snack. Enjoy!

Spinach and Quinoa Salad with Avocado and Grapefruit

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  I actually do not like the grapefruit on this salad. I included it because the dressing is very good. I do highly recommend spinach, quinoa, avocado and walnuts together! An incredible combination of taste and nutrients. (You can eat the grapefruit on the side!) If you cook up a batch of quinoa and keep in a sealed container in the fridge it is always available to mix into a salad. To the quinoa you can add spinach, walnuts, avocados and any other vegetable and mix it with your favorite dressing. The dressing below is a good one. You can eat this for lunch or a snack more then once throughout the week! Just keep all ingredients separate until you are ready to toss together. This recipe makes one salad.
  
  Ingredients:
  organic baby spinach (about 4 ounces, but I just toss in a few handfuls)
  1 organic ruby red grapefruit, peeled and fruit separated, reserving 3 slices
  1/2 organic haas avocado, diced
  1/2 cup cooked quinoa (cook up 1/3 cup dry quinoa and you'll make 1 cup of cooked quinoa, you'll have enough to save for a second salad :))
  1/4 cup chopped walnuts
  For the Citrus Vinaigrette:
  3/4 tablespoon olive oil
  3/4 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  1 tablespoon chopped shallot
  salt and pepper to taste
  grapefruit juice from 3 reserved slices of grapefruit (if not using grapefruit you can use 3/4 tablespoon lemon juice instead)
  
  Directions:
  
  Rinse quinoa well under cold water. Place 1/3 cup dry qunioa into 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil. Turn down heat to simmer. Simmer 20 minutes. Lay out on a plate to cool. Peel the skin and white membrane off the grapefruit and separate the pieces. Reserve three grapefruit slices for the vinaigrette and squeeze the juice; set aside. Cut the remaining grapefruit into small pieces for the salad. In a medium bowl whisk the olive oil, grapefruit juice (from 3 slices of grapefruit), vinegar, chopped shallots, salt and pepper. In a large bowl toss spinach, quinoa, avocado, grapefruit and vinaigrette. Enjoy!

Gluten-Free Sandwich Bread

This is the best gluten-free sandwich bread recipe I have come across. It has a great flavor and texture. This recipe calls for both potato starch and tapioca starch. I am not a big fan of potato starch or tapioca starch. They are refined and removed from there "whole food". However, in small amounts these two starches help make a gluten-free bread turn out most like "real bread". I keep a small jar of both starches in our pantry and we use them sparingly. If you are on a gluten-free diet you would thoroughly enjoy this sandwich bread and it is simple to make too!

If you don't have to eat gluten-free (our family does not have to eat gluten-free) then why make gluten-free bread? It is always good to switch up the whole grains you include in your diet. This bread is high in protein (2 whole eggs and 2 egg whites) and healthy fats (flax seeds and safflower oil). It is always nice to balance out complex carbohydrates with fat and protein when baking bread.


1 cup warm water
2 teaspoons yeast
2 tablespoons organic raw cane sugar
1 1/4 cup organic brown rice flour
1/2 cup organic ground flax seeds
1/2 cup organic potato starch
1/4 cup organic tapioca starch
2 teaspoons xanthan gum
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons organic apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons organic safflower oil
2 organic eggs
2 organic egg whites

Combine warm water, yeast and sugar in mixing bowl. Let sit 5 minutes. Add all other ingredients into the mixer. Mix dough for 8 minutes at lowest speed. Scrape bottom and sides of bowl with rubber spatula. Spoon into prepared bread pan. Let rise, uncovered, in a warm, draft-free place for 1 hour. Bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Remove bread from oven and let it sit 5 minutes. Remove from bread pan and allow the bread to cool on cooling rack. Or slice the loaf while it is still warm and eat it with Earth Balance (or butter) melted on top! Enjoy!