Author: glutenfreegerblie

Lunch/Dinner

Green Basil Chicken

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Green Basil Chicken

This instant/crock pot recipe is super simple and great for those of you who want to ‘throw it all in a pot’ and be done!  This happens to be Autoimmune Paleo (AIP) friendly-this is an anti-inflammatory elimination diet used for reactive autoimmune conditions-you can find out more about it here (PS I call it “AIP friendly” as a strict AIP diet would exclude the jalapeno, curry, chili powder)  This goes great over cauliflower rice and I love it served with roasted baby bok choy for a calcium boost! Oh, and I forgot to mention-this is insanely detoxing as a meal thanks to the huge dose of fresh herbs, garlic and pungent spices; so eat up!

GLUTEN FREEKetoGrainFreeAIPDAIRY FREESUGAR FREE EGG FREE PALEOWHOLE 30CANDIDA-FRIENDLY

What you need:

  • 3 organic chicken breasts
  • 1 can full fat coconut milk
  • 1 large handful organic fresh basil; save some for garnishing!
  • 1 large handful organic fresh cilantro
  • 1 jalapeno (deseeded unless you like a lot of spice)
  • 1 heaping T yellow curry powder
  • ½ tsp chili powder
  • 1 small red onion-roughly chopped
  • 1.5 tsp fresh grated ginger root
  • 1 T avocado oil
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 1.5 tsp salt

How you do it:

  1. Add all sauce ingredients (everything but the chicken) to a vitamix or high powered blender/food processor (should make a thick sauce)
  2. Add raw chicken to instant or crock pot and pour sauce completely over top
  3. Cook in instant pot on low pressure for 10 minutes (make sure valve is switched to closed, then manually release pressure) or 3 hours on low for crock pot
  4. Shred chicken once done

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Makes ~ 6 servings

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Breakfast, Snacks, Treats/Desserts

Sugar Detox Breakfast Brownies

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Sugar Detox Breakfast Brownies

These brownies are my go-to for satisfying a chocolate-y dessert craving without any added sugars or sweeteners!  They are great for busy weeks to grab on the go for breakfast; I also love crumbling them over smoothies as a replacement for granola. I generally like to keep a batch of these on tap in my freezer for when a chocolate craving strikes.  These are very versatile in terms of changing up the toppings-I recommend adding a few sweetened chocolate chips to the mix if serving kids or people who are used to sweeter palates-these are just barely sweet! 

Makes 9 squares

GLUTEN FREEDAIRY FREEPALEOGrainFreeWHOLE 30SUGAR FREECANDIDA-FRIENDLY

Bar Ingredients
1 large sweet potato
½ cup cacao powder (can sub carob powder)
2 large eggs
¼ cup coconut flour
½ cup melted coconut butter
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon sea salt
1/2 tsp baking soda

Mix ins/Toppings (recommend about a 1/3 cup total toppings):

  • unsweetened coconut flakes
  • walnuts
  • cacao nibs
  • unsweetened chocolate chips (I recommend Pascha organic 100% cacao chips) or Eating Evolved midnight coconut bar (chopped) or Lilys brand stevia baking chips; if wanting sweetened chocolate then I recommend chopping Eating Evolved 70% or higher bars or Enjoy Life mini chips

How you do it:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Wash/dry sweet potato and pierce with a fork a few times- bake for 35-45 minutes (make sure you can easily poke a fork through, should be very soft)
3. Once baked, let cool and remove skin (if short on time you can try cooking in the
microwave instead)
4. Grease 9×9 dish with coconut oil or ghee
5. Add cooled sweet potato and all other bar ingredients to food processor and mix until well combined, fold in chocolate/walnuts (save some for topping)- you can also just mix everything in a bowl if looking for a light arm workout 🙂
6. Scoop batter into greased baking dish and sprinkle with reserved nuts/toppings
7. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until knife comes out clean
8. Cool before cutting; store in the fridge for a few days or freeze!

Makes 9 squares

**updates:

-Add 2-3 scoops of Vital Proteins Collagen peptides to boost protein content (mix right into the batter after other ingredients are blended)

-I have tried half coconut oil/half coconut butter and they came out great-super fudgy!

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Served as a ‘heathified’ dessert! Topped with fresh organic raspberries, chopped hazelnuts and a scoop of So Delicious No Sugar Added icecream

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Treats/Desserts

Salted Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies

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Salted Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies

These cookies are what I call Pegan=paleo and vegan!  It can be tough to find a recipe (that actually tastes good) that is devoid of gluten, dairy AND eggs but this one is a winner!!  I tweaked the sugar to be as low as possible but you may be able to alternatively sub a small amount of monk or stevia sweeteners if you prefer.  Also-I’ve included my recipe for making a flax egg as well-this is an easy egg substitute for baking recipes for those who don’t do well with eggs.  Enjoy!

GLUTEN FREEDAIRY FREEEGG FREEGrainFreePALEO

What you need for cookies:

  • 1 flax egg (see recipe below)
  • 1/4 cup softened (not melty) coconut oil
  • 1/4 cup cashew butter
  • 3 T maple syrup
  • 2 T coconut sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 and 1/4 cup blanched almond flour
  • 1/4 cup tapioca starch
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
  • 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

For Flax egg

  • 1 T ground flax
  • 2.5 T warm water

How you do it:

To make Flax Egg: Whisk ground flax + warm water in a small bowl, let sit for 10-15 minutes

  1. Preheat oven to 350S
  2. Sift (you can just use a whisk) together almond flour, tapioca starch, baking soda and salt
  3. In another bowl blend together nut butter, coconut oil, maple syrup, coconut sugar and vanilla until smooth
  4. Add flax egg into wet mix
  5. Add flour to wet mixture and mix just until a dough forms
  6. Fold in chopped walnuts and chocolate chips
  7. Chill mix in the fridge for 15 minutes
  8. Line a baking sheet with parchment and preheat oven to 350
  9. Scoop onto baking sheet and flatten tops slightly
  10. Bake 13-15 minutes until just turning golden brown (should still look a little soft)
  11. Remove from oven and cool on baking sheet before serving, sprinkle with a touch of salt
  12. Serve with steamed almond milk 🙂

Makes roughly a dozen cookies

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Lunch/Dinner, Veggies

Vegan Broccoli Cheddah Soup

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Vegan Broccoli Cheddah Soup

Yes-you heard that right! No dairy here!  Despite the lack of cheese this still has the creamy, cheesy-flavored goodness of this classic creamy soup without the heaviness of adding cream or cheese. It contains a healthy dose of fiber thanks to all the veg and is even keto-friendly! I also love this recipe because it uses both broccoli stems and florets to reduce food waste 🙂 Please make sure to use fresh dill-the flavor is necessary and it packs a punch of immune boosting trace minerals like zinc-this herb is small but mighty!

DAIRY FREESUGAR FREE EGG FREEVEGAN

Without croutons: GrainFreeKetoPALEOWHOLE 30

What you need:

  • 1 onion
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 2-3 large stalks of celery
  • 1 large carrot
  • 2 tsp miso (gluten free)-optional
  • 1 small yellow potato (about golf ball size)
  • 4-5 cups chopped broccoli/broccoli stems-separated (I used ~3 heads)
  • 4 cups vegetable broth
  • 1/2 cup raw cashews-soaked in hot water at least 10 min
  • 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 cup nutritional yeast – optional but recommended!
  • small handful of fresh dill
  • squeeze of 1/2 of small lemon
  • sea salt and pepper to taste
  • 4-5 slices gluten free sourdough (I used Bread Srsly brand (this is BY FAV the best GF bread I’ve ever tasted; Schar would also likely work well)
  • avocado oil

How you do it:

  1. Heat oven to 375
  2. Wash/chop onion, celery, carrot and mince garlic
  3. Drizzle about a tablespoon of avocado oil into a large soup pot, heat on low/medium
  4. Add chopped onion/garlic; cook until translucent
  5. Add chopped celery/carrot and stir in miso; cook until soft ~3-4 min
  6. Chop potato and broccoli into florets (also cube up broccoli stems)
  7. Add chopped potato and broccoli stems with a splash of broth to the pot and cover to cook on low/medium until soft ~8-10 minutes (check that it is soft enough with a fork)
  8. While that is cooking-chop the bread into cubes, toss in plenty of avocado oil and herbs of choice (I used garlic powder and fresh parsley/rosemary but use whatever you have on hand!)
  9. Place bread cubes on a baking sheet and bake in preheated oven until golden and crispy ~13-15 minutes; remove from oven and set aside
  10. In a high powered blender or vitamix add 16 oz of broth, cooked/cooled veggies from pot, drained raw cashews, apple cider vinegar and nutritional yeast-blend until creamy
  11. Reserve a large handful of broccoli florets to the side and add the remainder to the blender-pulse to blend so that some of it remains chunky
  12. Pour the soup back into the pot with the remaining broth and reserved broccoli
  13. Cook the soup until the broccoli is cooked (bright green/tender) ~10 more minutes
  14. Add lemon juice, fresh dill and sea salt to taste (likely will need 1-2 tsp); add black pepper
  15. Ladle into bowls and garnish with croutons and fresh dill!

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Makes roughly 6-8 servings

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Lunch/Dinner, Snacks, Veggies

Sweet n Spicy Cauliflower

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Sweet n Spicy Cauliflower

Why do I like using monk fruit when trying to avoid added sugar?  It is a natural sweetener derived from a fruit-not an artificial sweetener like sucralose or splenda.  It also doesn’t trigger blood sugar spikes or reactions in your gut as other sweeteners or sugar alcohols can.  My favorite thing about it?  There’s some cool new research supporting that it helps improve insulin response in the body-this is a GOOD thing as we WANT insulin to respond quickly and adequately!  A little goes a long way..it tastes sweeter than maple syrup or regular sugar on it’s own so use it in small amounts!  I used Lankanto brand of monk fruit maple syrup for this recipe but you could also try subbing just liquid monk fruit + maple flavoring if you don’t have that!

GLUTEN FREEDAIRY FREESUGAR FREE CANDIDA-FRIENDLYWHOLE 30PALEOGrainFreeKetoEGG FREE

What you need:

  • 1 head of organic cauliflower
  • 2 T olive or avocado oil
  • 2 T sriracha
  • 1.5 T monk fruit maple syrup (Lakanto brand)
  • 1 T tamari/gluten free soy sauce or coconut aminos (for paleo/whole 30)
  • pinch of salt and pepper

How you do it:

  1. Oven at 400
  2. Whisk all sauce ingredients except cauliflower together in a bowl
  3. Wash and chop cauliflower into small florets
  4. Pour sauce into a large stasher bag or plastic baggie and add cauliflower
  5. Mix well until cauliflower is fully coated
  6. Line a baking sheet with parchment and pour coated cauliflower on top-make sure they have room and aren’t too crowded!
  7. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until desired crispness and enjoy immediately!

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Breakfast, Snacks

Creamy Ginger Sweet Potato Smoothie Bowl

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Creamy Ginger Sweet Potato Smoothie Bowl

Why do I love a smoothie in a bowl this time of the year?!  It’s far more digestion-friendly than slurping your smoothie down out of a cup through a straw.  In the teachings of Ayurveda: cold, mixed foods like smoothies can be harsher on the digestive tract-especially during the Vata (late fall-winter) season AND especially for those of us who identify with a Vata dosha-for more on Ayurveda visit this site for some quick info or I recommend this book: Idiot’s Guide to Ayurveda 

While Ayurveda preaches somewhat against smoothies in general I find that they are an easy way to pack in a lot of nutrition and are convenient for a busy morning.  If you’re like me and you find that you smoothies just don’t “sit” as well in the winter months as they do they rest of the year then scroll down to my “belly-proof” smoothie tips below the recipe!

PS: this smoothie is fruitless, refined sugar free, belly de-bloating and filled with skin food! (walnuts, sweet potato, flax, collagen are especially skin-nourishing!)  A whole lotta functional nutrition going on here 🙂

GLUTEN FREEDAIRY FREEGrainFreeWHOLE 30SUGAR FREEEGG FREEPALEO

What you need:

  • 1/2 small frozen sweet potato (~1/3 cup mashed)
  • ~1 cup Ripple pea milk (you can use another dairy free milk here but you may need to adjust measurements since this one is a bit thicker) + hot water
  • 2 T ground flax seeds
  • 3-4 raw walnut halves
  • 2 scoops collagen protein (I used Vital Proteins collagen peptides, Vanilla Bulletproof collagen would work well here too!)
  • 1/3 cup frozen cauliflower rice
  • ~ an inch of fresh ginger root
  • 1 date (ideally soaked in hot water to soften)
  • splash of vanilla extract
  • optional: dash of turmeric, pinch of black pepper
  • optional toppings: bee pollen, unsweetened shredded coconut, sunflower seed butter, fresh fruit

How you do it:

  1. Blend all ingredients in a high powered blender until desired thickness is reached.  I added ~1/4 cup hot water to warm up my smoothie a bit. Use less water for thicker; pour into bowl and add toppings!

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Belly-Proof your Smoothie:

What to do to help your body tolerate smoothies better during the winter (Vata) season and/OR all year long:

  1. Eat out of a bowl with a spoon:
    • this slows down your consumption of the smoothie and encourages some chewing action-all of which will better up-regulate digestive juices and bile flow to more efficiently break down and absorb food + reduce bloat
  2. Eat at room temp or warm it up
    • warm foods soothe the digestive tract during the colder months of the year
  3. Make & blend the day before
    • this allows the nuts/seeds to soak and partially breakdown allowing for easier absorption of micronutrients
  4. Add potent spices (ie turmeric, ginger, cinnamon)
    • these help to amplify the metabolism and soothe the gut lining
  5. Add seasonal produce
    • add fresh fruit/veggies that are in season->sweet potato, root vegetables, cooked apple for natural sweetness during this time of the year vs. berries in the summer; choose fresh vs. frozen if you can

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Mine is topped with coconut flakes, bee pollen, sunbutter and chopped organic pear

 

Lunch/Dinner

Creamy Vegan Alfredo Pasta with Crispy Kale & Roasted Mushrooms

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Creamy Vegan Alfredo Pasta with Crispy Kale & Roasted Mushrooms

Who doesn’t love a warm bowl of pasta? 

As a GF gal it can be hard to find the right pasta to fit the bill but I personally have loved using lentil pastas as a replacement!  I have had Banza chickpea pasta and that is less of a fav…I personally love Ancient Harvest POW lentil pasta, Chickapea brand pasta (chickpea and lentil) and this newer brand Cybele’s that I just ordered to try from Thrive Market (they only use lentils and veggies!)  I like that I’m getting a punch of fiber and protein from the lentil varieties vs. the typical rice/corn based GF ones and find that they have a good bite.  If you just can’t get on board with a lentil pasta try DeLallo-their GF pastas are the real deal and you wont notice the difference!  

This alfredo has all of the creamy, dreamy, richness of a typical alfredo without the stomach ache after!  Tip: You can DIY a healthier vodka sauce by blending roasted tomatoes into this recipe or roasted red peppers!

GLUTEN FREEGrainFreeVEGANDAIRY FREESUGAR FREEEGG FREE

What you need:

Alfredo Ingredients:

  • 1 cup raw cashews
  • 2 cups hot water
  • 1/2 cup coconut or almond milk (doesn’t need to be canned, just unsweetened)
  • 3 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 1/4 large onion (chopped)
  • 1 T olive oil or vegan butter (can use grass fed butter if tolerated)
  • pinch of red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt + more to taste
  • pinch of black pepper
  • optional: lemon zest (~2 pinches)

Other Ingredients:

  • box of GF pasta (see above for recommendations; I used Chickapea brand here)
  • 1 pint of shiitake mushrooms
  • 1 cup chopped lacinato/dinosaur kale
  • optional: fresh/dried chopped parsley or basil to garnish
  • avocado oil

Preparation:

For the sauce:

  1. Boil water, pour over raw cashews and let soak for at least 30 minutes
  2. While soaking: add 1 T vegan butter to a large saucepan with minced garlic and onion, saute on low ~ 5-10 minutes (just until golden, not browned), add red pepper flakes
  3. Add 1/2 cup cashew soaking water + cashews to a vitamix or blender, add coconut milk, sauteed butter/garlic mixture, salt and pepper, lemon zest
  4. Blend on high until smooth and creamy; taste and add more salt as needed

For the accompaniments:

  1. Preheat oven to 350
  2. Roughly chop mushrooms and kale, lay out on parchment paper on a baking sheet and spray with avocado oil spray (I like Primal kitchen brand) or oil of choice
  3. Place veggies in the oven and set timer for 15-20 minutes, check and toss halfway through; remove once kale is crispy (basically kale chips) but not overdone (It will sound crispy when you shift it around)
  4. Boil water and cook pasta according to box instructions, do not overcook!
  5. Add cooked/drained pasta back into saucepan and pour alfredo sauce all over, spoon into a bowl and sprinkle with mushrooms,crispy kale and a dash of parsley.

 

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