Chocolate Chunk Cherry Almond Cookies - Gluten/Sugar/Egg/Dairy Free!

I know I've been on the dessert overhaul lately on this blog! 

Its the time I have the most fun and the love experimenting.

 I have an amazing GREEN SMOOTHIE CAKE coming soon! We used it for my Babies First Birthday! It was amazing and everyone loved it!

But before I get ahead of myself - this one is also an amazing crowd pleaser. DO NOT BE SCARED - everyone will like these - even those who are leery of trying anything 'healthy.' 

They will never know!

They are melt in your mouth amazing!!! I buy sugar free Dried Cherries online, if you aren't so picky, feel free to pick up any dried cherries you can find.

For the Recipe VISIT veggievoodoo.com!

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APPLE PIE cookie dough bites!

Its never the wrong time of year for Apple Pie right?

 Who cares if its not late july picnics or beautiful fall weather, I'm going to enjoy Apple Pie ANYTIME!!

(for more apple pie fun try Easy Apple Pie or Apple Pie Oatmeal)

I have to say,  my kids L.O.V.E.D this! 

I mean - couldn't stop asking for them. 

Which made me happy. All I have to do is make a huge batch, freeze, and remove for after school snacks. SOooo easy! 

I can even throw them into a lunch for a healthy sweet treat!

Go ahead and try these!!! Let me know what you think!

1 C Regular Oats (gluten free if possible) 

1/3 C Boiling Water

1 tsp Coconut Oil

1/2 tsp Sea Salt

1/4 tsp allspice

1 Tbsp Cinnamon

pinch of Nutmeg

1 tsp Vanilla

1/4 C Walnuts

1/4 C Pecans

1/2 LARGE Apple (honey crisp, pink lady, fuji) (or one small one)

1 Packet of Nunaturals Stevia (or 1/2 tsp) - to taste (or 1-2 Tbsp honey, for not sugar free)

Directions:

1) Put Oats in Blender or food processor and make Oat Flour

2) Mix in salt, allspice, nutmeg, and cinnamon with oat flour

3) Mix Oil into boiling water, and stir into oat mixture until it clumps together. Let sit a few minutes.

4) In food processor pulse nuts until chopped VERY small (almost a butter consistency, but not quite). Add in Apple with skin and pulse until apple is chopped. Add in Vanilla and Stevia.

5) Mix Oat mixture and apple mixture together. Either by hand or very lightly with food processor. You don't want to over process!

6) Roll into balls with hands (you may want to refrigerate a bit before doing this, but I never do). Roll into Oats.

7) Store in Fridge or Freezer for long term. I love microwaving for a few seconds to make them warm!

 It seriously tastes like Apple Pie Cookie Dough!!

(If you are a fan of Candied Ginger, this would probably taste great in these! 

I'm not a huge fan, but the flavors would be awesome! 

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Banana Cream Pie Quinoa Porridge

Still don't know what it is with me and breakfast. When I have a weekend morning, where I can relax and not feel rushed, I love to use my morning energy to create something yummy. 

Seems to start the day right. Don't you think?

This will not disappoint! Complete with Chia Seeds and Quinoa creating a protein packed superfood ensemble! 1 Cup of cooked Quinoa has only 222 calories, 8.14 grams of protein, and 3.4 grams of fat!

In this breakfast jumpstart porridge you have 12 grams of protein and 12 grams of fiber!  If you are an athlete wanting more protein - feel free to add some plant based protein powder!

 

Be creative with your toppings! Chopped pecans or walnuts, shredded coconut (toasted would be good!), cinnamon, and sliced bananas!

Ingredients:

1 Cup Cooked Quinoa

1 mashed ripe banana

1/2 tsp Cinnamon

1/2 c Almond milk

1 Tbl Chia Seeds

Few Vanilla Stevia Drops

Pecans and unsweetened coconut for topping

Cook quinoa according to directions. Blend with remaining ingredients. 

Let sit a few minutes to thicken. 

Enjoy!

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Chipotle Black Bean Rice Soup

A Hubby's Fav - Great for a crowd that likes something new and different!!

pic borrowed from HERE

Adapted From Green Smoothie Girl

Ingredients:

1 C Dried Black Beans, (soaked overnight and rinsed well) or 1 can

1/2 Tbs Coconut Oil

1 Small Yellow Onion, chopped

1 Carrot, Diced

1 medium Green Pepper, seeded and chopped

2 Cloves Garlic, minced

1/2 Tbs Dried Oregano

1/2 Tbs Ground Cumin

1/2 tsp powdered Chipotle (or less, its PRETTY spicy!)

1 LARGE dry chipotle Pepper

4-5 Cups Water

2 Bay Leafs

1/4 C Spelt or Barley

1/2 C Brown Rice

1/2 Tbs unsweetened Cocoa Powder

1/4 tsp Cinnamon

1/2 C Fresh Orange Juice

Large Handful of chopped Cilantro

2-3 tsp Sea Salt

1 Tbs Apple Cider Vinegar

Heat Oil. Add onion, carrot, pepper, and garlic. Suate until soft. Add cumin, chipotle powder, and Oregano and cook one minute. Add Chipotle Pepper, water, Bay Leafs, Spelt, Rice and bring to  boil. Then lower heat and Simmer for 1-2 hours, until beans are tender. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Remove Chipotle Pepper and Bay leaf before serving.

To serve, we squeezed each bowl with a little more orange juice, lots of Greek Yogurt (to help with the spiciness), fresh cilantro, and diced Avocado.

Enjoy!

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Gourmet Tomato Soup With Gluten Free Flat Bread

Ingredients:

1 tbsp. olive oil
4 tsp. minced garlic
1 cup coarsely chopped leeks
4 pounds chopped tomatoes (or canned)
3 1/2 cups vegetables stock
1 1/2 cups white wine
1 7-ounce jar roasted red peppers, drained and chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 Bay Leaves
2 tbsp. fresh thyme leaves, or 2 tsp. dried
6 tbsp. tomato paste
1/3 cup coconut Milk

Saute Leeks and garlic in oil. Add the rest of the ingredients,
 except for coconut milk.
Bring to boil, then down to a simmer for 15-20 minutes. Stir in Coconut milk and
continue to simmer until flavors have blended. Add Salt and pepper, garnish with
parsley, and serve.


Gluten Free Flat Bread
Recipe from Whole Life Nutrition.

I followed the recipe, used a little buckwheat for the rice and left out the baking
powder. It made for a nice flat bread!! I used it the next day for pizza!

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Fresh Mexican Salad

Summer is COMING!!! My favorite time of year for cooking! 

Here is something yummy to get us started!

This one is a winner! I don't know a single person who didn't care for it. Fresh, Simple, and SOOOOO Good! I could eat this ALL DAY!

Salad:

16-20 oz. Baby Spinach (I just used a bag)

1/2 Red Onion, Diced small

1 Red Pepper, Diced Small

1/2 Container of Cherry Tomatoes, Sliced

1 large Corn on the Cob, Raw and corn sliced right off! (this is the best EVER!! I NEVER cook corn!)

1 Avocado, Diced

1 Can Black Beans, Rinsed

Large Handful of crushed Tortilla Chips

Mix all together and Add Salt and Pepper. Mix Dressing and pour over salad and mix to distribute dressing.

Dressing:

1/4 C Olive Oil

Juice and ZEST of 1 Lime

Juice of 1/2 Lemon

1 LARGE clove garlic, diced small

1/2 tsp Salt

1 tsp White wine Vinegar

1/2 Bunch of Cilantro, diced small

1/2 -1 Tbl Honey or Agave (to taste)

(if you want a fat free dressing, skip the oil, and juice the WHOLE lemon, add more honey if needed. Its a little tart, but tastes good once drizzled all over!)

ENJOY!

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Chewy Lemon Curd Cookies

I loved these cookies - the texture was GREAT! 

I loved the chewiness of it. 

The tart lemon was a perfect compliment!

Extremely Low Fat and Low Sugar - A guilt free treat!

Adapted from HERE

NOTE: Make the curd ahead of time (recipe below)! It has to sit for two hours.

Cookies:

2 C Spelt Flour or White Whole Wheat Flour

1 C Finely Ground Almonds, or pre-bought almond flour, or leftover pulp from almond milk

1/4 tsp Salt

1/4 C Pure Maple Syrup Or Honey (melt the honey a little to make it really soft)

1/2 C Unsweetened Applesauce

1) Mix all ingredients together. Flatten a heaping tablespoon on cookie sheet and press thumb in middle. Fill with about 2 tsp or more of lemon curd. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Let cool COMPLETELY before eating.

-Mine tasted better after setting in the fridge for a bit! Yum!!

Curd:

1 C Fresh Lemon Juice (or bottled if you're really desperate)

2 T Lemon Zest

1 tsp Stevia

1/2 C Xylitol

1/4 tsp Salt

2 Tbl Coconut

3-4 Tbl Corn Starch dissolved in 3 Tbl Water

2 T Earth Balance Spread (or butter if you dare :))

 Combine first 5 ingredients in small saucepan over medium heat.  When sugar is well dissolved add everything else but the butter.  Cook for quite awhile, stirring constantly, until hit starts to thicken and bubbles a lot. Add the Earth Balance and continue to cook and stir until it's thick like pudding. Remove from heat and let cool. (Mine still needed a little thickening and I added UltraGel)
Let sit in fridge atleast 2 hours.

ENJOY!

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Sugar Free Easter Treats

I've been off sugar (except for one or two hershey kisses) this week. Its killer and I feel like I binge just trying to get rid of the craving! Is this worth it?? Why is it so DANG hard!!???? Anyway - here a few fun treats we tried this weekend.

Sugar free Lemon Almond Sugar Cookies

(-these were ok, I wish I blended it, instead of processed it, and I wished that I roasted my almonds to get a stronger flavor. They still turned out a little dry, but my kids LOVED Them! Surprisingly!! They were a fun little thing to decorate. - I'll be experimenting more with this recipe for sure!)

Click HERE for the recipe

(make sure to soak your almonds overnight and then let dry, or roast in oven)

I didn't make her frosting recipe, Here's what I did:
Lemon (Dairy Free) Cookie Frosting

3/4 C Raw Cashews (Soaked overnight or at least 3-5 hours)
2 Dates (soaked for an hour or so - optional, but helps)
1 tsp Vanilla
pinch Salt 
Juice from 1 lemon
little lemon zest
1/2 tsp Stevia powder
1/4 Water (add more if you want a thinner consistency)Taste it - you may want to add some Agave/Honey

Blend for quite a while, it thickens as it blends. Add in desired food coloring and enjoy! 

You do need to eat rather soon once frosted, (they didn't store well frosted).

Peanut Butter filled Chocolate Eggs

These were pretty tasty! I did the sugar free version, which wasn't bad! It would taste way better if you wanted to use the real stuff, or even honey would be fine
(might need to add in flour to thicken it).

I froze the peanut butter egg shapes for a couple hours, this made the chocolate harden right as I dipped it! It was so yummy! Just store in fridge or freezer, cause it will melt and get soft, 

and they were way tastier with a hard shell! :)

Click HERE for the recipe

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