Zucchini "Tots"

I have been on a "tot" kick lately. Trying to find substitutes for something as delicious as a golden white potato is near to impossible. But, since my family has nearly nixed the awesome root of deliciousness out of our diet, compensation is needed! Nothing will ever quite replace a crispy french fry, or a fluffy white potato steaming with butter and chives, or the more kid beloved, tater tot, but there are foods that can easily sub as a fun finger food, that is kid friendly and satisfies the craving for handheld munchies:) This is where the creativity can soar. I love cauliflower, zucchini, yellow squash, broccoli, butternut squash, the list goes on. These are all things that I have found to be a helpful transition into this healthy little world I am trying to create. Mind you, as i said before, there is no real substitution for the white potato itself, but these lists of veggies have claimed a spot in my weekly menu because of their versatility and all around yumminess. Even a veggie you may not be particularly fond of can surprise you if you cook it the right way:) So here is the first of my veggie finger food attempts. Next will be spaghetti squash:)

Makes about 18 mini zucchini "tots"
Preheat oven to 400
2c. grated zucchini( I used my grating blade on my food processor)
2 eggs
1/2c. almond meal
1tsp. sea salt
1/2tsp. garlic powder( you can add any kind of herb or flavor you like)
2 pieces cooked turkey bacon crumbled

Grate zucchini. Once grated, squeeze the excess water out in a dish towel. (Don't skip this or they may come out soggy) Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Pour into mini muffin pan and bake for 10-15 minutes on 400 until golden brown. If you don't have a mini muffin pan, you can use a regular muffin pan, but don't fill them up all the way. They will be more like zucchini patties but will still taste the same. The point is bitesize finger food, so I recommend the mini:)
Note: My brother who despises zucchini liked these a lot! Try this same recipe with cauliflower. It is done the same way:) And is very delicious:)

Chicken and Broccoli "Alfredo"

Who doesn't love alfredo sauce?! It's rich, it's creamy, oh so comforting and delicious. Traditional alfredo sauce is made with butter, flour, and heavy cream, and cheese....it's just not a good situation:/ So in hopes of getting a healthier option without sacrificing texture or flavor, I turned to Google! I heart google! I typed in " vegan alfredo sauce", and after filtering through quite a few that used tofu, I found one that was made with...drumroll.........CASHEWS! Of course cashews, why didn't I think of that?! If you've ever worked with the cashew, it shouldn't surprise you how well they work in this recipe! They are so so helpful! I use them to make fudge, raw filling for my key lime pie :) :)...a parmesan cheese sub in my caesar dressing....and now alfredo sauce! The list goes on and on! Needless to say one of my favorite nuts and kitchen staples for sure. My family was wowed by this recipe. They could not believe it contained no butter, heavy cream, or cheese!! Just wonderfully awesome cashews, some almond milk, and salt and pepper! That's it! Don't be skeptical......try it.....you'll love it!

Serves 4-5

4tbls. coconut or grapeseed oil

1 1/2 lbs. chicken breasts cut into small chunks

1 head of broccoli

1 bag frozen green peas

1/2 onion

3 cloves garlic

Heat the oil on medium high. Add in the onion and garlic and cook 1-2 minutes. Add in the chicken and cook until completely done. Add in the broccoli and peas and turn heat down to low. Cook covered on low while you make the sauce:)

Sauce:

3/4c. raw cashews ( soak them in just enough water to cover them for about 30 minutes)

unsweetened plain almond milk ( I haven't measured this. I usually just pour enough to make the cashews creamy)

salt and pepper to taste

After soaking the cashews for about 30 minutes, discard the water and place cashews in a food processor. Add salt, pepper. Stream in almond milk until it becomes creamy. If it gets too runny, you can always add a few more cashews....if it's too thick, add more milk:) Once completely blended, add to the chicken and veggie mixture. Stir until everything is completely coated. Again, feel free to add more milk if you like it very saucy. Serve with cooked spaghetti squash instead of noodles:)

Date Walnut Muffins

These little protein packed beauties were adapted from elanaspantry.com. She uses all almond flour which I love, but sometimes I like to try my luck with coconut flour and see what kind of results it yields. I knew Elana's recipe was delicious because my friend Sara had just made some the other day.But, being that my diet consists of quite enough almonds, I wanted, at least for today, to use coconut flour. Or at least half and half:) These were a great afternoon snack for my son who insisted that they were cupcakes! Ha, it won't be long before he figures out the charade....that cupcakes and muffins really are two separate entities! But for now, to him, cupcakes and muffins are synonymous.:) I'll enjoy that while it lasts! :)

Makes12 muffins
1/2c. almond meal or blanched almond flour
1/3c. coconut flour (coconut secret is the best..it's $5 on amazon)
1/2tsp. baking soda
1tsp. baking powder (if you're completely paleo just up the soda to 1tsp.)
1/2tsp. celtic sea salt
1/3c. honey
1/4c. grapeseed or coconut oil
4 eggs
1/2c. chopped dates
1/2c. chopped walnuts
Preheat oven to 350
Combine dry ingredients. Combine all wet ingredients then add to the dry. Stir in walnuts and dates. Pour into muffin cups or greased muffin pan and bake for 15-17 minutes depending on the size of the muffins.
Note: If you don't want to do muffins, you can always pour the batter into a 8x8 baking dish then cut into bars:)

Cinnabons!!!!

Usually when I get a recipe in my head, it doesn't leave me alone until I actually get in the kitchen and make it......kind of like a song getting stuck in your head. So this week, the food part of my brain was focused on cinnamon rolls. Warm, gooey, cinnamon bliss! My past attempts at cinnamon rolls have resulted in very dense, crumbly, circular bricks, that tasted fair, but just didn't cut it texture wise. Kind of like my past biscuit attempts. But, I recently came up with a delicious gluten free biscuit recipe that is finally worthy of a post.(coming soon)They are super easy, light, and buttery. So I thought, why not make the cinnamon rolls out of my biscuit dough?? Well it was a success. What a winner! These peel apart just like the real deal that I remember from childhood. And it gets better! These aren't filled with tons of butter and sugar. The filling is made from a little butter, honey, molasses, and unsweetened applesauce!!....and obviously....CINNAMON! The only thing that would take these to the next level would be a packet of yeast. The yeast adds a little more rise, and a slight chewier texture. I try to steer clear of yeast for the most part, but sometimes you just have to have it. It makes for insanely good pizza crust and sandwich bread. So with that said, I will be trying a yeasted version very soon just to weigh the difference. But for now, these are simply wonderful, and craaaaaazy good! Ok that was redundant :D

Makes 10-12
For the dough:
2 1/4c. gluten free flour blend ( I used  2c.almond flour, 1/2c. tapioca flour )
1tbls. baking powder
1/2tsp. baking soda
1 packet stevia, or 2tbls. coconut sugar or sucanat
1/2tsp. sea salt or celtic sea salt (my fave)
4tbls cold butter
1/4. plain greek yogurt( if you don't want to use yogurt, you can sub more almond milk)
2 egg whites...or 1 white 1 whole egg
2-4 tbls.. almond milk

For the filling:
2tbls. butter
1/3c. unsweetened applesauce ( usually one container of a six pack is 1/3c.)
2tbls. honey
1tbls. blackstrap molasses
1tbls. cinnamon

Combine first five ingredients. Cut butter into small chunks and with your hands, crumble it into the flour until it has a crumbly texture. Add in remaining ingredients, and mix with a fork until just combined. Shape the dough into a ball. Place on a floured sheet of parchment paper. Roll dough into a rectangle shape about 1/4 inch thin. I usually sprinkle the parchment and the dough with tapioca flour.

For the sauce, heat a saucepan on medium heat and add butter. Once butter is melted and begins to sizzle add the rest of the ingredients. Stir until it thickens slightly. Take off the heat and pour most of the sauce, (reserving some for the topping), onto the dough. Spread the sauce evenly over the dough leaving the edges bare. Gently roll the dough, starting at the end closest to you. I use the parchment to help me roll. So it's kind of like roll, then peel, roll, then peel. Get it? Once it's completely rolled up, cut it into 1 inch pieces and place on a baking sheet Bake for 10-15 minutes. I added a little greek yogurt to my reserved sauce and blended it so it would be extra creamy:)You could also add coconut cream:) Pour sauce over warm rolls and enjoy!
Note: You can also add nuts and raisins to the filling. I may try some pecans next time:)

Cinnamon Caramel Apples

I make pancakes about twice a week. They are my favorite breakfast!! I usually just drizzle some honey on them and I'm a happy camper, but for my birthday breakfast:) I decided to up it a little:) So I did an apple cinnamon, caramel sauce! Yuuuuuuuuummy!!! I mean really? A little butter, honey, and milk, and it is for real caramel yall! So delicious and took pancake bliss to a whole nother' level!

Serves 4

4 small organic apples, or 2 large ones

2tbls. butter

3-4 tbls.almond milk

4tbls. honey

1tsp. cinnamon

pinch of salt

Chop apples into small chunks

Melt butter in a pan on medium heat. Add in almond milk, honey, cinnamon, and salt. Stir until it thickens a bit, then add apples. Simmer until apples are slightly tender, or longer if you like them completely soft.:) Enjoy!

Note: I used this recipe the other day and topped it with oats, some butter and honey. Put it in the oven until oats were browned and crunchy. Delicious! Like caramel apple granola!

PF Changs....THAT'S RIGHT....PF Changs Orange Peel Chicken

WOW!!!! This was amazing!!!!!I could have sworn I was at PF Changs tonight. It's been over 3 hrs. since dinner and I am still a little stunned at how identical this tasted to their orange peel chicken! If you've ever had it, you know how delighted I must feel right now to have recreated it. It's all in the sauce, and boy was it delectable! I made enough for my whole family tonight, so if you are only cooking for two you could decrease the recipe by half, and still have some leftovers:):)

Serves 6
6 boneless chicken breasts
1 1/2tsp. sea salt
1c. coconut flour
1/2c. coconut oil
Cut the chicken into small chunks. Place chicken in a large bowl, then sprinkle with sea salt and coconut flour and toss to coat completely. It will be just a light dusting. Heat 3tbls. of coconut oil on medium high heat. Once oil is hot, add the chicken and cook until browned on both sides. Repeat in batches until all the chicken is cooked. Set aside.

The sauce:
2tbls. coconut or grapeseed oil
6-8 green onions chopped
4tsp. garlic chopped
Peel from half an orange, cut into small slivers
1 1/2c. tomato puree
4tbls. chili sauce (you can find this at world market or your grocery store in the ethnic food section. It's a spicy japanese sauce)
2tbls. braggs liquid aminos
1/4c. honey
3/4c. water
juice of one orange
Heat the oil medium high and add onions and garlic and orange peel. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Once boiling turn completely off and let it sit on the stove. It will thicken slightly. Toss with chicken and serve over a fluffy bed of quinoa:)
Note: You could use any protein you want, shrimp, beef, or even tofu instead of chicken:)

Craaaaaaaazy Good Girl Key Lime Pie

This past week was mine and my sister Aprill's birthday. I had an entire weekend of dinners and desserts planned for the glorious birthday festivities. Not only did I finally come up with the perfect fudgy brownie recipe....which I will share soon:D....but at Aprill's request, I also made a key lime pie. Now key lime pie can be tricky, cuz some people like theirs a certain way, or from a certain place. But I was intent on making one not only dairy and soy free, but with natural sweeteners and mostly...don't freak out....RAW! Yes a raw key lime pie....no ooey, goopey, nasty condensed milk, no egg yolks, no keebler graham cracker crust! Just natural, pure ingredients, that made me feel good about even having some for breakfast....yes....key lime pie for breakfast!! So now that I've hyped it all up, you be the judge. I promise this recipe will not disappoint!

For the crust:
2c. raw almonds
1c. medjool dates
1tsp. cinnamon
1tsp. lemon juice
1tbls. coconut oil or melted butter

For the filling:
1 very ripe, but not browned, avacado (trust me you can't taste it!!)
1/2c. raw cashews, soaked in water for at least 30 minutes
1/2c. coconut butter ( I make mine in the vitamix with just 2c. raw unsweetened coconut and blend it on the highest speed until creamy)
1/4c. raw coconut sugar, xylitol, or sweetener of choice. ( I used coconut sugar, though next time I will try xylitol, as the coconut sugar gave the filling a slight brown color)
4-6 packs stevia
juice and zest of 4or 5 small limes ( you can always add more if you like )
A note about coconut butter: If you don't have or don't want to bother with the coconut butter, you can sub another 1/2c. of raw soaked cashews. These ingredients are mostly interchangeable.

To make the crust, blend first four ingredients until fine. Add coconut oil. Once combined, pour into a pie plate, and press the dough until it reaches to the upper sides of the pan. Now at this point, you can go on to make the filling and assemble the pie if you want to keep it completely raw. Or, you can bake the pie crust at 350 for 7-10 minutes if you want a real cookie like crust:)
To make the filling, place all filling ingredients into the food processor and blend until creamy. If mixture is too thick, add some almond milk until desired consistency is reached. Be careful not to add too much as this will make the pie runny:) Pour filling into cooled crust. I topped it with decorative lime wedges and some sprinkled coconut sugar:) Refrigerate until ready to eat. This pie can live at room temp, but it's much better cold:)

Strawberry Fluff Pie

I made this on a whim yesterday just to see how it would turn out. I've been toying with the idea lately of a homemade ice cream cake,of course with good, wholesome ingredients. And since my birthday is just around the corner, and a mint chocolate chip ice cream brownie cake would just be the best dessert ever, I decided to try my luck with a raw strawberry pie using the same method. I realize not everyone is a mintaholic like me, therefore, strawberry was the tester. But come birthday week, the strawberries are out and the mint chip is IN! This really turned out surprisingly well and the base is very versatile. At room temp, it would be an amazing cake frosting, and frozen, it's a delectable, ice creamy pie! For this I did a raw chocolate larabar crust, but for my birthday version, I think I'll do a healthy brownie base:) After all, it is a birthday:)

For the fluff:

3/4c. coconut butter( this is just raw unsweetened coconut flakes that have been ground in the vitamix or a food processor into a nut butter form. Takes about 5-10 min. You can purchase it, but it's so simple to DIY. The end product, once mixed with other ingredients DOES NOT TASTE COCONUTTY! I PROMISE! )To get 3/4c. you'll probably need close to 2 cups of coconut. I just dumped it in then measured after the fact.

2c. frozen strawberries 

1/2 frozen banana

stevia to taste ( I used 3 little tablets)

If you have a vitamix, use the tamper to press the frozen berries in with the coconut butter. If not, you can use a food processor, but you'll have to process in batches, as the mixture is very thick and it makes a good bit. That's it! Now you can either use as a fluffy strawberry icing, or assemble into a frozen pie using my chocolate  cookies as the base (recipe found on blog) If you are doing the pie, once you've made the chocolate cookie base, press them into a 9'' circle pan lined with parchment. Then top with fluff. Freeze for at least 30 minutes to set. You can keep it in the freezer or the fridge. It holds it's shape pretty well at room temp too:) Once it is set, I like to slide it off the parchment onto a pretty plate. Will post pics soon. It was gobbled before I had a chance to photograph:(
Note: If you really don't feel comfortable with coconut butter, you could probably sub 1c. cashew cream, which is simply cashews soaked for at least an hour in water, then blended along with some of the soaking liquid to make a cream. This has worked very well with some other frozen pies I've made, but I wanted to try the coconut butter, and see if I favored one over the other. Answer: I feel the coconut butter held up a little better at room temp:)

Super Yummy Party Crackers

These little babies are deliciousness! They are very easy to make and each batch makes about 40 crackers, which is about the same amount you'd get if you spent tons of $$ buying them at the store. And you can control what goes in them! You can flavor them any way you want. My favorite is with fresh herbs like rosemary and thyme, but I made a version the other night that was for a guacamole dip and they were awesome too!

1 1/2c. almond meal
1/2tsp sea salt
2tbls fresh herbs or 1tbls. dried herbs
1tbls. olive oil
1 egg
2tbls. water
Preheat oven to 400
Combine all ingredients together and stir until a ball forms. The dough will be a little sticky so you can coat your hands an the dough with olive oil before rolling out. Roll the dough out thin onto a piece of parchment paper. Cut into small squares or whatever shape you like. The dough doesn't have to be completely cut, just make an indention so they cut easily after they cook. Bake for 7-10 minutes until golden. Really watch them because they can burn very easily, so start at 7 minutes then go from there:)
Note: If you want more of a spicy mexican flare, you can sub 1tsp. garlic powder, 1tsp. paprika, 1/2tsp. cumin and 1/2tsp. cayenne pepper instead of the herbs:) Of course you can also add some real cheese or almond cheese for an even better cracker! I think I'm gonna get some little fish cut-outs and make them into goldfish crackers for the kiddos next time:) Pics to come soon!

Carrot Cake Larabar

The possibilities for larabars are ENDLESS! It's really just a matter of what you have in your cabinets and how far you're willing to go to experiment. Plus, it's one of those recipes where the base stays the same, so you know it's pretty much gonna be delicious no matter what else you put in it. The carrot cake version has become another favorite. The carrots make them very moist, and the cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice just scream FAAAAAAAALLLLLLL! Yes, I realize it's still August, but fall is in the air as far as I'm concerned, and the fall flavors AND my knee high boots are about to be in full swing! As a matter of fact, next week will be a perfect time to make my friend Mindy's "Raw Pumpkin Pie"@biteoflifeblog.com. But, for now, carrot cake larabars;)

Makes about 20 small cookies
1c. raw almonds
1/2c. medjool dates, pitted
1tsp. cinnamon
1/2tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1tsp. vanilla
1/2 a large carrot
Combine all ingredients in food processor until fine.
Note: If you want to add raisins, or unsweetened coconut, that would be delicious I'm sure. And as for the amount of carrot, if you find it needs a little more, then add it. I only added half a carrot because I didn't want them to be too moist:)