Category: Peace-Full Eats

Try It Tuesday- Cauliflower Gnocchi

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I was excited when I saw another blogger post about this new Trader Joes find. It took me a few trips to TJ’s to find it in stock. Being gluten-free I have not found a replacement for gnocchi until now. It made for a quick, delicious filling lunch.

1/2 cup Cauliflower Gnocchi

9 Veggie Balls (Ikea- Gronsaksbullar)

!/2 cup frozen Green Beans

1/2 cup Tomato Sauce ( I used Summer Is Inside- Organic and BPA free)

1 tbsp. Nutritional  Yeast

3 large Mushrooms sautéed with garlic, salt and pepper

I followed the package directions for the gnocchi and added the green beans and veggie balls. I put them in a non-stick pan with a 1/4 cup of water and covered with a lid and cooked for 6 min. Then I removed from heat, stirred in tomato sauce and nutritional yeast. Then I sautéed the mushrooms and added to the top.

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Calories 340

Carbs 39g Fiber 10g Net Carbs 29g

Protein 14g

Fat 14.5g

Zucchini Banana Chocolate Chip Bread

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My favorite way to start Sunday, is brunch! Coming up with new, delicious recipes to share with my family, relax and just hang out in our PJ’s. Before I even got to try it I heard my son “this is really good”. I knew it would be a keeper. Super moist, delicious, and you would never know it is gluten-free, vegan and low sugar.

Recipe:

Dry ingredients:

1 1/2 cups Oat Flour (ground oatmeal)

1/2 cup Buckwheat Flour

1 tsp Baking Powder

1 tsp Xanthan Gum

1 Tbs Cinnamon

2 Tbs Chia Seed

3 Tbs Sugar (or coconut sugar or Stevia)

Dash of Salt

Mix all together in a bowl

2 Tbs ground Flaxseed (for flax eggs) add water and let sit 10 minutes

In another bowl mix together:

3 overripe bananas, mashed

1 grated zucchini (peeled optional)

3 Tbs Maple Syrup (can sub honey if not vegan)

3 Tbs Peanut Butter (can sub any nut butter)

add the flax eggs mix together, slowly add the dry ingredients and mix by hand, fold in 1/2-1 cup chocolate chips (your choice)

Pour mixture in greased pan, top with crushed pecan and raw sugar (totally optional) Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes until a toothpick come out clean. 

Let cool  slightly (the chocolate chips will be little lava pockets) and enjoy 🙂

 

 

Sunday Morning Coffee Cake

Inspired by my kids fondly remembering the coffee cake of their school-age years. I whipped up a batch of the good old Bisquick recipe for them and went to work on a gluten-free, vegan version for me. Then we made a pot of coffee, brunch on the patio, enjoyed a beautiful Sunday morning. My coffee cake received a thumbs up and ” that’s really good”, even next to a gluten filled cake.

 

Zesty Vegan Cheese Spread

This cheese spread is so good! A little bit of zip, creamy and cheesy. Great for sandwiches or as a veggie dip.

1/2 cup of soaked cashews

1 TBS Lemon Juice

1 1/2 TBS Nutritional Yeast

1 TBS Coconut Oil

1 1/2 TSP Chili Powder (or more to taste)

1 TSP Italian Herb Blend (dried)

Salt

UnSweetened Non-Dairy Milk (I used Almond)

Place all ingredients in a high speed blender, start with a tablespoon milk, blend, add more milk until desired consistency.

Asparagus Tomato Sandwich

Toast gluten-free bread. Spread cheese spread on each slice. Saute asparagus and green bell pepper in coconut oil over med-high heat for a couple minutes to lightly cook but retain slight crunch. Add tomato, salt and pepper. For non-vegan add salmon.

Chickpeas 3 Ways

Three of my favorite ways to transform chickpeas into a quick delicious meal or snack.

Hummus:

My family loves hummus, they go through it so quick I had to learn how to make it to keep up with demand. This is a great base and can be transformed by adding other flavors: roasted garlic, basil, arugula, spinach, sundried tomatoes.

2 Cans Garbanzo Beans (drained and rinsed)

3/4 cup Tahini (ground sesame seeds)

1/2 cup Olive Oil

1/2 cup Lemon Juice

1/2 tsp ea. Cayenne, Coriander, Garlic

1 tsp. Paprika

4 tsp Cumin

Salt and Pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together in a blender or food processor. Serve with fresh veggies (celery, radishes, cucumber, cherry tomatoes)

Soca Bread

I love Soca Bread. It is quick, easy and can be topped with any ingredients you have in your fridge. Gluten free, vegan and has 5 grams of fiber a serving and 6 grams of protein.

1 Cup Garbanzo Bean Flour ( I found it at Sprouts)

1 Cup Warm Water

1 TBS Olive Oil

2 TBS Nutritional Yeast

1 TBS Italian Seasoning mix

Mix ingredients together. Heat a non-stick skillet cook like a pancake over med high heat, 2-3 minutes each side until lightly brown. 4 Servings

Optional Toppings:

Avocado topped with Arugula dressed with olive oil and lemon juice and sautéed mushrooms.

Chickpeas, spinach, cucumber, tomato, green olive drizzled with tahini

Vegan Veggie Fritatta

Great for Sunday Brunch and the leftover slices make a great on the go breakfast. Can also be cooked in a muffin pan for single servings.

3 Cups Veggies

1 cup Chickpea Flour

1/2 cup Nutritional Yeast

1 1/2 cup Water

2 tsp dried Oregano

2 TBS fresh Basil

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together flour, yeast, water and herbs. In an iron skillet, lightly cook veggies. I used frozen green beans and pepper mix, when thawed and water evaporated, added mushrooms, onion cherry tomatoes, cooked about 3 minutes. Add batter to skillet, put into oven and bake for 30 min.

 

 

14 Day Fiber Challenge

Want to make healthier choices and don’t know where to start. Calorie counting, macro-tracking, food weighing seem over-whelming.  Your first step to better health can be as easy as increasing your fiber intake. Most people fall short of the goal of 25-35grams a day. Why, because we grab easy, high carb, low fiber, pre-packaged foods. The result, our digestive system is not running at it’s best, we are not absorbing all the nutrients we need and we have difficultly eliminating the things are body does not need. All that can lead to bloating, feeling run down, lack of mental clarity and just not performing at our best.

How does increasing fiber help all this? Whole foods, foods closer to their natural form, are higher in fiber. By swapping processed foods for nutrient dense foods, you will begin to heal your gut, increase your energy and help control weight management.

9 Health Benefits of Fiber
•Blood sugar control: Soluble fiber may help to slow your body’s breakdown of carbohydrates and the absorption of sugar, helping with blood sugar control.
•Heart health: An inverse association has been found between fiber intake and heart attack, and research shows that those eating a high-fiber diet have a 40 percent lower risk of heart disease.
•Stroke: Researchers have found that for every seven-grams more fiber you consume on a daily basis, your stroke risk is decreased by 7 percent
•Weight loss and management: Fiber supplements have been shown to enhance weight loss among obese people, likely because fiber increases feelings of fullness.
•Skin health: Fiber, particularly psyllium husk, may help move yeast and fungus out of your body, preventing them from being excreted through your skin where they could trigger acne or rashes.
•Diverticulitis: Dietary fiber (especially insoluble) may reduce your risk of diverticulitis – an inflammation of polyps in your intestine – by 40 percent.
•Hemorrhoids: A high-fiber diet may lower your risk of hemorrhoids.
•Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS): Fiber may provide some relief from IBS.
•Gallstones and kidney stones: A high-fiber diet may reduce the risk of gallstones and kidney stones, likely because of its ability to help regulate blood sugar.

High Fiber Food

Basic Plan:

Choose vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans. Swap “white sugar, white flour” for more nutrient dense options. Read fiber labels on packaged breads and pastas. Look for 100% whole grain (not whole wheat flour) and a fiber content of 3-7 grams. Trade white pasta for bean pastas. White rice for brown, quinoa or buckwheat. Trade packaged cookies for fruit or homemade whole grain oatmeal & chia seed cookies. Have fun and enjoy finding new favorite foods and recipes.

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Want up your gut health even more, add pre and probiotic foods to you menu. They help good bacteria grow in your intestine, increasing your health benefits even more.

biotics