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Gluten Free Banana Bread

January 28, 2015

I love to meal plan, but sometimes you just don’t get around to using everything… one of biggest issues in the kitchen? Consuming bananas before they turn on me. Therefore half of my freezer is frozen bananas – which isn’t a great situation for anti-smoothie weather. But what to do? Banana bread!

I enlisted the help of my favorite (and cutest) helpers and got to work some banana bread muffins. The catch? They are flour, oil and butter free – and no one could tell the difference!

Gluten Free Banana Bread

recipe via The Well Traveled Wife

2 1/2 cups gluten free old fashioned oats (you can use normal oats if you don’t care about GF)
1 cup plain greek yogurt
2 eggs
heaping 1/2 cup sugar (I used coconut sugar – hence the dark color – for a healthier sweetener alt.)
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 ripe bananas

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Line muffin tins with liners or non-stick cooking spray.
Place above ingredients into a blender and mix until smooth (it works best to add the oats last, working with a cup at a time).
Pour batter into muffin tins.
Top with chocolate chips (optional)
Bake for 13-15 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

A few tips:

You can fill the muffin tins pretty much up to the top. They do not rise too much.
Do not overcook muffins. It’s better to under-cook them a bit (they will cook a bit more once removed from the oven) – because they will end up chewy and tough.
These are great to make an extra batch and freeze for later.
Mixing in hemp seeds and flax seeds could be a nice healthy boost!

Tasty

GF Blondies with Sea Salt

June 4, 2014

I am a big fan of Ambitious Kitchen and she constantly posts amazing baked goods with a “healthy” twist. Since completing the Barre3 Spring Challenge, I’ve wanted to continue healthy eating habits (low gluten, low sugar, etc.) but I still love an occasional sweet and wanted to find something that could accommodate my new spectrum. I’ve had these Blondies pinned for quite some time and finally made the plunge (no idea what took me so long… they took 5 minutes to whip up with only a 20 minute cook time) and couldn’t be happier I did!

I love the idea of “sneaking in” veggies when I can… and this whole movement of incorporating healthy ingredients is RIGHT up my alley. Avocados in brownies? Chickpeas in Blondies? Sign me up. Plus who doesn’t love a secret ingredient?!?

Secret Ingredient Blondies

via Ambitious Kitchen

1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, rinsed & drained
1/2 cup all natural peanut butter (or nut butter of your choice)
1/3 cup pure maple syrup (or agave or honey)
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Mix all ingredients (except chocolate) in a blender or food processor until well combined.
Fold in chocolate chips.
Transfer batter to a greased 8×8 baking dish.
Sprinkle with a few more chocolate chips
Bake for 20-25 minutes (edges are golden, but it will still seem a little undercooked – you don’t want it to dry out!)
Sprinkle with sea salt and let cool.

Tasty

Did Someone Say Burrata?

June 2, 2014

Got your attention did I?

Well I was craving some comfort food amongst this warm weather (why, I have no idea), and wanted to make a seasonally appropriate dish… here is what I put together:

Heirloom Tomtato and Burrata Pasta

10-12 heirloom tomatoes
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 lb. pasta (I used quinoa spaghetti that worked well)
course sea salt
freshly ground pepper
Burrata cheese (how much depends on you decadent you want it – I used 1/2 a ball

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Slice tomatoes in half and transfer to a mixing bowl.
Top with mixture of olive oil, vinegar, garlic and heavy seasoning of salt and pepper (about 1/2 teaspoon of pepper and 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt). Mix until combined.
Spread tomato mixture on a foil lined baking sheet and roast for 30 minutes (you want the tomatoes to be caramelized).
While tomatoes are roasting, cook pasta in salted water until al dente and drain.
Return noodles back to pot and once tomatoes are ready, add complete contents of baking sheet (tomatoes and their juices – not the foil) to the pot.
Depending on how would like to present it, either add the burrata in now and give it a good stir, or individually plate the pasta and give each person their own portion of burrata atop their pasta.
Garnish with herbs (basil works best, but chives, parsley, or whatever you can get your hands on should do the trick!)
Mangia!

Tasty

Vegan/GF BBQ Salad

March 17, 2014

This week is all about getting Spring Break ready! While being a college grad/adult, I may not get an actual “Spring Break” on my calendar anymore.. but I am lucky enough to get to tag along on my family’s annual vacation – thus gifting myself a “Spring Break” each year.

That being said, working 8-10 hour days everyday takes a toll on your body, and getting spring break ready is a lot of work… so this week is going to focus on some key points. First up – health.

The past few weeks I have been focusing on clean eating – a lot of produce and fish, and minimal red meat/gluten, and no processed foods. That being said whole eating is a priority, and here is one of my go-to salads (great for dinner or lunches for the week).

BBQ Veggie Salad

1 head of Romanesco cauliflower (or regular cauliflower)
Lentils or black beans
Radishes
Carrots
Red Onion
Avocado
1/2 cup BBQ sauce
Vegan Ranch Dressing
Tortilla Chips (optional)

Cut cauliflower into florets and roast at 350 degrees for 7 minutes.
Brush BBQ sauce onto cauliflower and bake 3 minutes more.
Assemble salad with ingredients of your choice.
Top with more BBQ sauce and/or ranch dressing.

* Disclaimer: The joy of this salad is it doesn’t really need a recipe – you can add (or not add) whatever you would like – other ideas include cilantro, corn, celery, cheese (if you don’t want to go dairy free), etc.

Tasty

Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies

March 5, 2014

In preparation for our annual family vacation, the Feezor females have kicked healthy eating into over drive – gotta get swimsuit ready! That being said, I still have a major sweet tooth, and sometimes it just cannot be denied.

I have been on the prowl to figure out a great dessert option that is quick, easy and has a little bit less guilt factor. I introduce you to – the Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookie – created by the very talented Shockingly Delicious! I’m telling you, with 5 ingredients, and no usual gluten free baking ingredients (you know what I’m talking about – aarowroot starch, xanthan gum, tapioca flour – WHO HAS THIS IN THE PANTRY?!), this is a great way to fight a craving before you walk down to 7-11 to binge out on Snickers Bars and Skittles.

GF Peanut Butter Cookie

via Shockingly Delicious

1 egg
1 cup sugar
1 cup creamy peanut butter (I used organic TJ’s)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Blend above ingredients in a Kitchen Aid mixer until well mixed (about a minute or so).
Use a cookie scoop to portion cookie dough to a Silpat or parchment lined cookie sheet.
Using fork tines, press the usual “peanut butter cookie crosshatch” pattern into the tops of the dough balls.
Sprinkle course sugar (I used raw brown sugar).
Bake for 11 minutes and let cool on baking pan for 5 minutes or so (they are really fragile until they have cooled down).
Let cool completely on a rack and store in airtight container.
Allow yourself to eat one cookie… as to not completely botch your attempt at dieting.

Now go make them and tell me that you would even know they are gluten free…