Hummus: Sweet Potato

Ingredients:

• 2 16-ounce cans chickpeas, drained, reserving 1/3 cup liquid
• ½ cooked sweet potato
• ½ cup tahini
• ½ cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 to 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
• ½ garlic clove
• ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
• 6 cups sliced cucumbers

Instructions:

Using a food processor or blender, blend all ingredients except cucumbers until smooth.

Serve each serving of hummus with 1 cup of sliced cucumbers.

Source:  Haylie Pomroy

Pumpkin Chocoloate Chip Muffins

We love these with Enjoy Life brand chocolate chips, but you can also roughly chop your favorite dairy free chocolate bar to use instead, if you like. See the notes below for tips on popular gluten free flour blends.

Serves: 5 dozen mini muffins or 2½ dozen standard muffins

Ingredients

• 1 (15oz) can pumpkin puree (NOT pie filling)
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1 cup gluten free oats (I use rolled, but quick-cooking will work too)
• ½ cup pure maple syrup
• 3 eggs
• 3 Tbsp coconut oil, melted
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ginger
• ½ tsp cloves
• 350g (about 2½c) gluten free all purpose flour blend (We like Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Gluten Free Baking Blend)*
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup (more or less, to taste) dairy free semi-sweet chocolate chips, such as Enjoy Life brand

Instructions:

Whisk together pumpkin, orange juice, oats, syrup, eggs, coconut oil, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Stir in flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Fold in chocolate chips.

Scoop by heaped tablespoons (I use a tiny cookie scoop) into a greased mini muffin pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 16-20 minutes, or until set. Allow to cool slightly, then remove from the pan and transfer to a cooling rack.

Repeat with remaining batter until all muffins are baked. You should get about 5 dozen mini muffins (a few more or less perhaps).

If using a standard muffin pan, fill muffin cups ¾ full. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or till set. You'll get about 2½ dozen muffins.

NOTES
If using a commercial gluten free all purpose flour mix (i.e. Arrowhead Mills, or Trader Joe's), you may want to add ½ tsp xanthan gum or 1 tsp psyllium husks in with the flour to help bind everything together. We don't need this with Bob's Red Mill's 1:1 flour

Source: One Lovely Life

Fresh Mango Salsa (Frozen Method)

This simple and colorful mango salsa is super easy to make! It's sweet, spicy and absolutely delicious. Serve this fresh mango salsa with chips, on tacos or salads, or as a salad itself. It's that good. 

Serves: 3 cups

 

Ingredients

• 3 ripe mangos, diced (see photos)
• 1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
• ½ cup chopped red onion
• ¼ cup packed fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
• 1 jalapeño, seeded and minced
• 1 large lime, juiced (about ¼ cup lime juice)
• ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon salt, to taste

Instructions

In a serving bowl, combine the prepared mango, bell pepper, onion, cilantro and jalapeño. Drizzle with the juice of one lime and mix well. Season to taste with salt. For best flavor, let the salsa rest for 10 minutes or longer.

For Freezing:

I actually got this tip from Trader Joe's website. They featured a seasonal mango salsa recipe that was frozen.  Yes, frozen.  Interesting I thought but why not?  This way, you can take out a couple spoonfuls at a time when you want them and use the mangos when they are fresh in season all winter long.  Just put them in freezer bags or containers!

Source:  Cookie and Kate

Avocado Chicken Salad

Yield: Enough filling for two sandwiches or salads

Ingredients

• 1 cup finely chopped cooked chicken
• 1 ripe avocado, seeded and peeled (see How to Cut and Peel an Avocado)
• 1 apple, peeled, cored, and finely chopped
• 1/4 cup finely chopped celery
• 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
• 2 Tbsp finely chopped cilantro or parsley
• 2 teaspoons lime juice or a tablespoon of lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• Pinch of freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Place the chicken, avocado, apple, celery, and red onion in a medium bowl. Gently mash the avocado with a fork and stir it around so that everything gets well mixed.

Add the cilantro or parsley, lime juice or lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Add more lime juice or salt to taste. If the mixture seems a little dry, you can stir in a teaspoon or two of olive oil.

To store, place in a bowl and cover completely with plastic wrap so that no part of the chicken salad is exposed to air. Will keep a couple of days in the fridge.

Serve on sandwich bread, toasted bread, or salad greens (I recommend arugula or watercress for extra zing).

Source:  Simply Recipes-Elise Bauer

Zesty Healthy Chicken Nuggets

Ingredients

• 1 lb. organic boneless chicken breasts
• 1 egg
• 1/4 tsp water
• 1/2 cup almond meal or almond flour (flax meal makes a great substitution)
• 1 tsp Italian Seasoning
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/4 tsp Himalayan sea salt
• 1/4 tsp chili powder
• Optional: 1 tbsp fresh parmesan cheese*

Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with tin foil- spray the foil (or grease with oil of choice)

In a bowl, combine almond meal and all spices
In a separate bowl crack 1 egg and add 1/4 tsp water- whisk together well

Cut chicken into bite size pieces

Drop the chicken pieces into the egg and mix until fully covered

Transfer chicken pieces to the spice mixture, coat evenly and place on baking sheet; repeat until all are coated

Bake for 12-15 minutes then flip chicken bites over and cook for another 10-12 minutes until golden and crispy

Serve hot with your favorite dipping sauce (I like homemade tomato sauce)

Notes

• Depending on how many chicken pieces you use, you may need to double the spice mixture.
• Serving depends on how small or large you make the bites. Mine made about 25-30 chicken bites.
• *Leave out parmesan cheese for fully dairy-free

Source: Lexi's Clean Kitchen

Snickerdoodle Cupcakes

YIELDS 16

This is a recipe for paleo cupcakes and they are made to taste like snickerdoodle cookies.

Ingredients

• 2/3 C. Coconut Flour
• 1/4 C. Almond Flour
• 1/2 t. Cinnamon
• 1 t. Baking Powder
• 1/2 t. Real Salt
• 6 Eggs
• 2 Egg Whites
• 1/2 C. Honey
• 1 T. Vanilla
• 1/2 C. Coconut Milk (canned)
• 8 T. Grass-fed Butter, melted

For the Buttercream:

• 1 1/4 C. Grass-fed Butter, softened(20 T. or 2 1/4 sticks)
• 2/3 C. Honey
• 1/2 t. Cinnamon
• 2 1/2 T. Coconut Flour
• 5 T. Coconut cream (the thick coconut cream skimmed off the top of canned Coconut Milk)
• 2 T. Coconut Palm Sugar
• 1/4 t. Cinnamon

Instructions

For the cupcakes:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 muffin tins with a total of 16 cupcake liners or spray a silicone muffin pan.

Place the coconut flour, almond flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl and mix together with a whisk.

In another bowl, combine the eggs, egg whites, honey, vanilla, and coconut milk, beating together well with a whisk.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, whisking until well combined. Add the melted butter to the batter and mix in well.

Let the batter sit for 5 minutes to allow the coconut flour time to absorb the liquids.

Divide batter evenly between cupcake liners and bake for 20-22 minutes, or until tops of cake are firm to the touch and spring back.

Remove and cool completely on a wire rack.

For the buttercream:
Place the butter, honey, cinnamon, and coconut flour in a bowl and beat with a mixer until well combined. Beat in the coconut cream, 1 t. at a time, until fully incorporated. 

Mixture should be thick and glossy.

Scoop into a piping back and pipe on top of cooled cupcakes.

Mix the coconut palm sugar and 1/4 t. cinnamon together and sprinkle desired amount on top of cupcakes.

Source:  My Natural Family

Skinny Margaritas

Serves: 1

Super fresh, skinny margaritas made with fresh lime juice, orange juice and agave nectar. The best margarita you’ll ever have!

INGREDIENTS

• Kosher salt or coarsely ground sea salt
• 2 ounces (1/4 cup) silver tequila
• 1½ ounces (3 tablespoons/about 1½ small limes) fresh lime juice
• 1 ounce (2 tablespoons/about ½ of a medium orange) fresh orange juice
• 1 teaspoon light agave nectar
• 1 lime wedge or round, for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS

Pour a layer of salt onto a small plate (preferably one just slightly larger than the top of your margarita glass). Slice off a small piece of lime and run the wet edge of the slice along half of the rim of your glass. Dip the top of the glass into the salt at a 45-degree angle and roll it from side to side to catch the salt. Add ice cubes to your glass and set it aside.

Fill a small cocktail shaker with ice. Pour in the tequila, freshly squeezed lime and orange juice and agave nectar. Put on the lid and shake for 30 seconds. Strain the liquid into your glass and garnish with a slice of lime.

NOTES

RECOMMENDED TEQUILA: 
Use 100% agave tequila labeled white, silver or blanco. I recommend Milagro, Hornitos or Espolón.

SALTED RIM CONSIDERATIONS: 
Consider lining the rim of just half your glass with salt so you can control how much salt you taste with each sip (that’s a great tip I picked up from a recent issue of Bon Appetit). If you’d prefer a light sprinkling of salt all around the rim, just pour a very thin layer of salt onto your plate and run the lime slice around the entire rim of the margarita glass.

JUICING TIPS: 
I've found that the easiest way to juice limes is with this hand-held juicer (the yellow one). Citrus at room temperature is easier to juice than cold citrus, so take your limes and oranges out of the fridge an hour in advance. Here's another tip, from Brenda, a reader: Before you slice the citrus, roll it back and forth on cutting board, pressing slightly. Then cut it in half lengthwise, not across! You will get up to ⅓ more juice that way.

WANT TO MAKE A PITCHER OF MARGARITA?
For 10 drinks (about 45 ounces, or 5½ cups), combine 2½ cups silver tequila, generous 1¾ cup fresh lime juice (around 15 limes), 1¼ cup fresh orange juice (about 5 medium oranges) and 3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon light agave nectar. Mix well, and add ice. Don't forget to garnish your rims with lime rounds and coarse salt.

NUTRITION INFORMATION
Serving size: 1 Calories: 184 Carbohydrates: 12 grams Sugar: 9 grams

Source:  Cookie and Kate