I've tried making granola bars in the past, when I was still able to eat oats, but for some reason or another they were never what I really wanted. When I woke up this morning I had a huge craving for something different for breakfast. Pancakes, breads, cereal and/or eggs just wouldn't do the trick today. And that's when I got creative!
These bars can be altered in many ways to suite your nutritional needs, and what you can eat. Below is a basic recipe, feel free to alter it and let me know how it turns out!
Ingredients:
2 cups puffed rice or rice crispie cereal
1 cup puffed quinoa(or puffed millet if you want)
1/4 cup sunflower seeds, de-shelled
1/4 cup almonds(shelled), slivers or whole
1/4 raisins or dried fruit
1 TBSP Chia Seeds(optional)
3/4 cup honey
1 TSP coconut oil
1/2 cup peanut butter(or nut butter of your choice)
Sprinkle of cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Add all your dry ingredients in a bowl and stir until well combined. Heat peanut butter and coconut oil either in microwave or on the stove until it has melted. Pour over dried ingredients and add honey. Stir.
Place your mixture on the lined baking sheet and press it flat so that it sticks together. You can add more honey or nut butter on top if you wish. Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until the top is browned. This can also just be placed in the freezer or fridge to harden if you want to keep it raw.
On a side note if you can't have nuts, you can always use more honey or maybe even marshmallows. You could add chocolate to the top so that when it melts and covers the top of your mixture, and then hardens once cold, it'll help to bind it together.
If you try this please let me know what you changed! This recipe is so versatile you can probably change almost anything about it. Just remember you need something sticky to help it bind.
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Dressing For Health
Ever make a beautiful, healthy salad at home, or even order one at a restaurant, and think about how much good you are doing for your body, your health? All those veggies, the greens, maybe even some nuts, seeds or fruit are gently tossed into the bounty of good health sitting on your plate. And then you reach for the dressing...
Is a salad really healthy anymore when it's smothered in bottled dressing? Most dressings suffocate the individual tastes of the delicate contents of your dinner, not to mention the empty calories and sugar(and additives).
So next time you reach for the bottle of Ceasar, Ranch, Russian, French, whatever dressing, think of your poor salad and dress for health instead! A squeeze of lemon juice, drizzle of olive oil, maybe a fruity vinaigrette, or a homemade dressing like the one below...
Avocado Delight Dressing
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 Avocado, peeled and pitted
1/4 Cup red onion, sliced
1/2 TSP Pesto
2 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 TBSP Lemon Juice
Pinch of salt
1 TSP Sunflower Seeds
2-4 TBSP water
Put all ingredients in a food processor, starting off with only 2 TBSP of water. Blend until the ingredients are smooth. If you would like a less thick dressing, add another TBSP of water and blender again. Continue doing so until you have the desired consistency.
Store in an air tight container. Makes enough dressing for 2 large salads.
Is a salad really healthy anymore when it's smothered in bottled dressing? Most dressings suffocate the individual tastes of the delicate contents of your dinner, not to mention the empty calories and sugar(and additives).
So next time you reach for the bottle of Ceasar, Ranch, Russian, French, whatever dressing, think of your poor salad and dress for health instead! A squeeze of lemon juice, drizzle of olive oil, maybe a fruity vinaigrette, or a homemade dressing like the one below...
Avocado Delight Dressing
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 Avocado, peeled and pitted
1/4 Cup red onion, sliced
1/2 TSP Pesto
2 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 TBSP Lemon Juice
Pinch of salt
1 TSP Sunflower Seeds
2-4 TBSP water
Put all ingredients in a food processor, starting off with only 2 TBSP of water. Blend until the ingredients are smooth. If you would like a less thick dressing, add another TBSP of water and blender again. Continue doing so until you have the desired consistency.
Store in an air tight container. Makes enough dressing for 2 large salads.
Friday, December 9, 2011
I Dream of Pizza...
Out of all the things I miss about not being able to eat gluten, tomatoes and cheese, is pizza. After all, how could it possibly in my wildest dreams be possible to enjoy a beautiful, soft yet firm pizza crust smothered in sauce, veggies and cheese....
Guess what? It's possible. No, I'm not lying to you. Don't believe me? Try it and see!
I posted a recipe for a pizza crust not that long ago, but I promise that this one is even better. It doesn't even contain any flour. It can be made to be vegan, or it can be covered with meat. Looking for a vegan, tomato free sauce? Try my Presto It's Dairy-Free Pesto, it's sure to please.
Ingredients:
2.5 Cups cooked rice*
2 Eggs(or egg replacement like ground flax seed in water)
2 tbsp Nutritional Yeast
1 tsp Sesame Oil
Spices(garlic powder, pepper, salt, oregano, basil, ect)**
1-4 tsp water
Add all ingredients except for the water to a large bowl. Stir together with a wooden spoon(or your hands) until everything is well mixed. You may need to add a few tsp of water so that the rice sticks together well.
Line your pan or pizza pan with parchment paper. Spread half the rice mixture onto the paper until it is the desired thickness. This will not rise or fall, whatever thickness it is now is the thickness of your pizza crust.
Bake in the oven on 350 for 15 minutes then gently flip the crust over so the other side can cook. Bake for another 10 to 15 minutes until the crust is firm. If you want a crispy crust, bake for another 5 to 10 minutes.
Remove from the oven and top with your choice of sauce, veggies and cheese. Bake until veggies are tender and cheese is melted and enjoy!
Sauce Ideas: Tomato sauce, olive oil, pesto, make a sauce from boiled carrots, squash or pumpkin(put cooked ingredients in food processor or mash with a fork, add spices, garlic and a few cooked cranberries go really well!), Garlic butter, cream cheese...
Topping Ideas: Mushrooms, spinach, red pepper, onion, olives, shaved carrot, broccoli, zucchini, sprinkle of sunflower seeds, meat(chicken, beef, pepperoni, bacon, ham), pineapple...
Cheese Ideas: Authentic Feta(goats cheese), soy cheese, nutritional yeast, mozzarella, marble cheese, Swiss, Parmesan
*Any kind of rice can be used for this, although I haven't tried it with wild rice. Cook your rice with a little extra water to help the crust stick together.
**A little bit of spice goes a long way with this. You don't want all the flavor in the crust to overwhelm the taste of the pizza!
Guess what? It's possible. No, I'm not lying to you. Don't believe me? Try it and see!
I posted a recipe for a pizza crust not that long ago, but I promise that this one is even better. It doesn't even contain any flour. It can be made to be vegan, or it can be covered with meat. Looking for a vegan, tomato free sauce? Try my Presto It's Dairy-Free Pesto, it's sure to please.
Ingredients:
2.5 Cups cooked rice*
2 Eggs(or egg replacement like ground flax seed in water)
2 tbsp Nutritional Yeast
1 tsp Sesame Oil
Spices(garlic powder, pepper, salt, oregano, basil, ect)**
1-4 tsp water
Add all ingredients except for the water to a large bowl. Stir together with a wooden spoon(or your hands) until everything is well mixed. You may need to add a few tsp of water so that the rice sticks together well.
Line your pan or pizza pan with parchment paper. Spread half the rice mixture onto the paper until it is the desired thickness. This will not rise or fall, whatever thickness it is now is the thickness of your pizza crust.
Bake in the oven on 350 for 15 minutes then gently flip the crust over so the other side can cook. Bake for another 10 to 15 minutes until the crust is firm. If you want a crispy crust, bake for another 5 to 10 minutes.
Remove from the oven and top with your choice of sauce, veggies and cheese. Bake until veggies are tender and cheese is melted and enjoy!
Sauce Ideas: Tomato sauce, olive oil, pesto, make a sauce from boiled carrots, squash or pumpkin(put cooked ingredients in food processor or mash with a fork, add spices, garlic and a few cooked cranberries go really well!), Garlic butter, cream cheese...
Topping Ideas: Mushrooms, spinach, red pepper, onion, olives, shaved carrot, broccoli, zucchini, sprinkle of sunflower seeds, meat(chicken, beef, pepperoni, bacon, ham), pineapple...
Cheese Ideas: Authentic Feta(goats cheese), soy cheese, nutritional yeast, mozzarella, marble cheese, Swiss, Parmesan
*Any kind of rice can be used for this, although I haven't tried it with wild rice. Cook your rice with a little extra water to help the crust stick together.
**A little bit of spice goes a long way with this. You don't want all the flavor in the crust to overwhelm the taste of the pizza!
Presto It's Dairy-Free Pesto
In my recent months of trying to heal my body I have had to be REALLY creative in the kitchen. When all of a sudden you are given a long list of foods that are harming you(and you happen to love all of these foods), it can feel like you're meals have become limited to rice and veggies.
So here is a recipe that can spice up your rice. Kick your tomato-free pizza up a few notches. Make your taste buds SING!
With that being said, I am pleased to wave my magic wand and present to you PRESTO! IT'S DAIRY FREE PESTO!
If you've never had pesto before, it's a beautiful sauce made from basil, nuts, olive oil, garlic and Parmesan cheese. With this recipe we're going to make it vegan by using Nutritional Yeast, but feel free to use Parmesan instead!
Ingredients:
6-10 Fresh Basil leaves
1/4 Cup freshly chopped Parsley
4-6 cloves of garlic
1/4 Cup Almonds(unsalted and out of shell)
1/4 Cup Sunflower seeds(unsalted and out of shell)
3 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 TBSP Nutritional Yeast
Water
Salt
Add your almonds and sunflower seeds to a blender(or food processor or magic bullet) with enough water to cover them. Blend until smooth. Add your garlic, nutritional yeast, basil, parsley, olive oil and salt. Blend until the herbs are mixed and the sauce is smooth.
And Presto! You have pesto!
On a side note, you can add onion, oregano, pepper, or other spices to this mix. If you want it really garlic-y, use 6 cloves, if you want it less use 4 or even 3. If you want a strong basil flavor, use 6, less, well you get the idea ;)
Enjoy this beautiful pesto on pizza, pasta, meat, fish, or to spice up salads, garlic breads, sandwiches...the possibilities are endless. Go with the flow and see what happens!
So here is a recipe that can spice up your rice. Kick your tomato-free pizza up a few notches. Make your taste buds SING!
With that being said, I am pleased to wave my magic wand and present to you PRESTO! IT'S DAIRY FREE PESTO!
If you've never had pesto before, it's a beautiful sauce made from basil, nuts, olive oil, garlic and Parmesan cheese. With this recipe we're going to make it vegan by using Nutritional Yeast, but feel free to use Parmesan instead!
Ingredients:
6-10 Fresh Basil leaves
1/4 Cup freshly chopped Parsley
4-6 cloves of garlic
1/4 Cup Almonds(unsalted and out of shell)
1/4 Cup Sunflower seeds(unsalted and out of shell)
3 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 TBSP Nutritional Yeast
Water
Salt
Add your almonds and sunflower seeds to a blender(or food processor or magic bullet) with enough water to cover them. Blend until smooth. Add your garlic, nutritional yeast, basil, parsley, olive oil and salt. Blend until the herbs are mixed and the sauce is smooth.
And Presto! You have pesto!
On a side note, you can add onion, oregano, pepper, or other spices to this mix. If you want it really garlic-y, use 6 cloves, if you want it less use 4 or even 3. If you want a strong basil flavor, use 6, less, well you get the idea ;)
Enjoy this beautiful pesto on pizza, pasta, meat, fish, or to spice up salads, garlic breads, sandwiches...the possibilities are endless. Go with the flow and see what happens!
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