Category: breakfast

Quinoa and Kale Stuffed Butternut Squash

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1 medium butternut squash
1 tbs olive oil
1 cup quinoa
2 cup low sodium vegetable broth
1/2 sweet onion
1 bunch kale, stems removed and chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
a drizzle of maple syrup+ ground cinnamon (optional)

Preheat oven to 425
Cut squash in half, length ways, scoop out the guts and seeds
Drizzle each side with olive oil; bake squash 425 degrees for 45 min

Cook quinoa in broth (1 part quinoa: 2 part broth; 15 min)

Stuffing:
In skillet sauté onion and garlic.
Add in kale, and finally add chick peas and quinoa
Until Kale is slightly wilted

Spoon your stuffing into the belly of your squash, top with cranberries, walnuts, and drizzle of maple syrup

Bake for another 10 minutes, at 375.

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Avocado Pesto

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I love making zoodles (aka zucchini noodles), the idea of twirling that little knob around and seeing how long I can get the noodles without them breaking, and a healthy and low-cal solution to ordinary pasta.  The problem is about an hour after I eat them I’m hungry again.  The solution: a thick, high cal-high [good fat] pesto sauce to accompany my zoodles!

Serves 2-3

2 large zucchinis (spiralized and boiled for about 5 minutes)

1 avocado
3 Tbs olive oil
juice from one lemon
garlic, 2 cloves
a generous handful of fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup chopped raw almonds
sea salt and fresh pepper, to taste

Blend everything in your Vitimix until smooth, slight chunks of almonds are ok.
Spoon a heaping scoop ontop of your noodles and enjoy!

almond butter

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This is seriously one of the easiest recipes; who knew?!

The main ingredients, almonds and patience.

It started two weeks ago, when I was out at a bar for my friends birthday and someone gifted her a couple jars of almond butter. I’m thinking “Ok, I need to get to know this girl”.  We immediately hit it off and started talking about recipes! She ensured me this was way easier than I thought.

In two weeks I’ve made at least 8 batches; altering and adding slightly different ingredients.

Here’s my favorite and most clean recipe:
2 cups of almonds
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
dash of Himalayan sea salt

Preheat the oven to 400 degree.
Line pan with tin foil, spread almonds out and slightly salt.
Roast for about 7 minutes in the middle of the oven.

While the almonds are still warm, place in Vitamix and start to grind.
The texture will turn from a grainy flour, then to a paste, and after a while, you’ll eventually obtain a pourable creamy butter.

This is where you need to be really patient.  It can take up to 20 minutes of just blending to reach your desired texture.  I typically run it on low, and do other things around the kitchen while I wait.

Check on it periodically to scrape down the edges and then blend some more!
Once it’s creamy: this is the point where I throw in the cinnamon and nutmeg.

Another flavor I am digging:
1 tsp cacao powder and 1/2tsp espresso powder (also top of my list)
you can also add maple syrup to sweeten it up a bit (just a tsp is plenty)

Strawberry- Lemonade muffins

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2 cups flour
1 1/2 Tbs baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
Two handfuls of strawberries cut up into small pieces
1 ripe banana, mashed
1 lemon for zest + juice (2 Tbs)
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup almond milk
2/3 Coconut oil, melted
1/2 cup coconut sugar + sprinkle for topping
organic food coloring- optional

 

Preheat oven to 350 degree.
In medium bowl, sift together flour, mix in baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
Sprinkle in the zest from one lemon (I love flavor so I get as much as possible).

In separate large bowl, mash the banana. Mix in the sugar, and add vanilla. Juice your lemon and mix that in. Stir in the coconut oil.
Next, pour the dry ingredients into the wet mixture. Stir well, and slowly pour in almond milk
Fold in the strawberry bits, and make sure they’re mixed around well.
Optional to add a little food coloring for color and fun!
Line muffin pans with liners, fill about ¾ way, sprinkle a little coconut sugar on top of each muffin.

Bake for 25 minutes.
Let cool and enjoy!

Double Chocolate Chip Banana Nut Bread

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chocolate banana berad
3 medium overripe bananas, mashed until smooth
1/3 cup coconut or vegetable oil
3/4 cup brown sugar or coconut palm sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup nondairy milk, such as coconut, almond, or cashew
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

-Preheat oven to 350ºF.
-Spray 9×5-inch nonstick loaf pan with baking spray or coconut oil spray
-In a large bowl, beat together bananas, oil, sugar, vanilla, and milk until smooth.
-In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until smooth. Fold in chocolate chips, then pour into prepared pan.
-Bake about 45-55 minutes, or until cake has risen and is slightly cracked, and a toothpick comes out clean.
-Let cool in pan 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edges to loosen and remove from pan. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Pumpkin Spice Bars

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pumpkin spice bars
Oh, you know what time it is: OCTOBER, officially the kickoff of everything Pumpkin.

Here I try my hand out something relatively healthy enough to eat for breakfast, or a quick snack, yet sweet enough to keep the crowd happy.  It’s vegan and gluten free!

Pumpkin spice bars

¾ cup pumpkin puree
5 Tsp almond or peanut butter
1 ½ ripe bananas, mushed with fork
1 ½ Tbs coconut flour
1/3 cup maple syrup or agave
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
2 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp all-spice
dash of salt
½ cup crushed walnuts- optional

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees
-Spray a 10×8 baking pan with coconut oil
-Mix all ingredient in medium bowl, adding walnuts last.
-Bake 35 minutes.
-Slice and share!

Pumpkin-Pecan Granola

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Pumpkin-Pecan Granola

3 cups oatspumpkin.pecanGranola
1 cup chopped pecans
½ cup raw pumpkin seeds
2 Tbs ground flax seed
1 Tbs Cinnamon
½ Tbs Pumpkin Pie Spice
dash of salt
1/3 cup coconut oil
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup pumpkin puree

Preheat oven to 350.
Lightly spray two baking pans; set aside

Mix oats, pecans, flax, and spices in a bowl.
In small saucepan over medium heat, melt coconut oil. Add in pumpkin puree and maple syrup. Stir. Once melted and combined, remove from stove and pour over oat mixture.

Quickly stir together, then evenly spread on baking sheets.

Bake 30 minutes (switch pans, top to bottom, halfway through)
Remove from oven and let completely cool.
Once cooled: crumble and store in airtight jar for a few weeks.

chocolate chip pumpkin muffins

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pumpkin smoothieMakes: 24 mini muffins + 6 reg
 (or 12 regular Muffins)

Ingredients:

  • 2 Flax eggs (2 Tbs Ground Flax + 4 Tbs warm water, let sit couple minutes to set)
  • ½ c. coconut oil  + 1/2 cup apple sauce (or 1 mashed banana)
  • ½ c. Sugar (or 1/3 cup stevia)
  • 10 ounce pumpkin
  • 1 1/4 c. Flour (can sub GF if desire)
  • 1 Tbs. Cinnamon (optional to add nutmeg and pumpkin spice)
  • 1 Tsp. Baking Soda
  • 1 Tsp. Baking Powder
  • 1/2 Tsp. Salt
  • 1 cup of Chocolate Chips
  • optional toppings: brown sugar and walnuts)

Directions:

  1. Preheat Over to 400 degrees.
  2. Mix together the “eggs”, oil, apple sauce sugar, and pumpkin.
  3. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon +spices, baking soda and baking powder
  4. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients.
  5. Add chocolate chips.
  6. Spray muffin tin with cooking spray
  7. Spoon the batter into the muffin tin
  8. Add toppings if desireFor mini muffins bake 8 min
    Reg muffins bake 15 minutes
    Let cool, eat

Vegan Gluten free Protein Pancakes

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proteinPancake

Lately I’ve been getting my workouts in early, and I’m usually starving by the time I get home.  These pancakes are the perfect post-workout snack to satisfy your hunger and give you the protein your body needs. 

Vegan Gluten free Protein Pancakes
makes 5- 5inch pancakes (which is enough to share, or freeze half for another day)

1 banana- mashed
1 cup almond or soy milk (original or vanilla)
1 cup gluten-free flour
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 Tbs cinnamon
1 scoop plant-based protein powder (Vega French vanilla is awesome)
Fruit of your choice (optional- I like blueberries in mine)
agave or maple syrup for topping

Mix mashed banana, milk, and vanilla together.
Add in baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and protein powder.  Last add in flour.  Stir until combined well with no lumps.  Mix in fruit if you want.

Spray skillet with olive oil spray. Heat the skillet on medium to high.  Pour about ½ cup of batter on to skillet at a time.  When the top and sides start to bubble slightly. Flip and cook evenly.

Enjoy your pancakes topped with nuts, berries, or other fruit, and a dollop of syrup.

Since I typically am the only one eating these, i go ahead and make pancakes using all the batter, and store them in a zip-lock and put in freezer for later in the week.  Later reheat them by popping them in the toaster or mini oven.