Tag Archive: Gluten-Free

Nutella Yogurt Dip

Written on February 21, 2013 by in Snack

Nutella Yogurt Dip

Nutella is one of those foods that I think everyone likes. Maybe it’s not for everyone, but it has 17 million fans on Facebook so it must feel pretty loved. I’m sure all those birthday notifications must be a bitch.

Two years ago I shared a fruity peanut butter yogurt dip recipe and since then it’s been pinned on Pinterest almost 190,000 times; who knew there were even that many Pinterest users? I’ve seen countless reviews and variations of it and this is another one to add to the list.

Nutella Yogurt Dip Nutella

Nutella isn’t exactly a health food but that doesn’t mean you have to pass up on this delicious dip. There are plenty of all-natural varieties of chocolate hazelnut spreads out there and you can even make your own. If you’re using a brand that’s less sugar-laden you might want to add a touch more honey.

Nutella Yogurt Dip

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 0 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 1 cup):

  • 1/2 cup Nutella
  • 1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoons honey(optional)

Method:

  1. Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
  2. Store in the refrigerator when not eating.

Nutella Yogurt Dip Fruit

Serve on fruit, graham crackers, and fingers.

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White Chocolate Almond Blondies

Written on February 19, 2013 by in Dessert

White Chocolate Almond Blondies

*National Almond Day may have been two days ago but there’s still time to enter to win an almond prize pack.*

I get asked a lot whether almond flour can be used in a recipe in place of almond meal and vice versa. I’ve never found much of a difference when baking with either one. Almond flour is lighter and finer than almond meal and generally better for light and airy baked goods.

I used a very fine almond flour for these and couldn’t believe how much they melted in your mouth for something that’s grain-free. The almond butter and almond flour together make a great flavor that’s more than your average blondie has.

White Chocolate Almond Blondies Butter

These are definitely on the cakier side of blondies. I would love to figure out how to make them more fudgy, but still had no complaints with this recipe. Next time I would consider making a buttercream frosting to put on top of them.

White Chocolate Almond Blondies

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup almond flour or almond meal
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/4 cup natural almond butter
  • 1/2 cup butter, melted
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup white chocolate chips

White Chocolate Almond Blondies Stack

Method:

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
  2. In a large bowl, mix together the almond flour, sugar, baking soda and salt.
  3. Beat in the eggs and almond butter until fully incorporated.
  4. Slowly mix in the melted butter and vanilla extract until evenly mixed.
  5. Pour the batter into a greased 8 x 8 baking pan.
  6. Sprinkle the white chocolate chips over the batter and gently press them in.
  7. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the center of the blondies has set.
  8. Let them cool before cutting.
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Almond Butter Fudge + Giveaway

Written on February 15, 2013 by in Dessert, Giveaway

Almond Butter Fudge Yield

It’s no surprise that I’m a fan of almonds in all form on this blog, whether its almond butter, almond flour or just almonds. I’m still trying to wrap my mind around where the milk comes from though.

The Almond Board of California alerted me that tomorrow, February 16th, is National Almond Day and what better way to celebrate than with a recipe and a giveaway?

I came across this crazy delicious recipe for coconut fudge on the Whole Foods recipe blog and had to try it out with almonds. I knew if the finished result tasted anything like chocolate covered almonds it would be right up my alley.

Almond Butter Fudge Almond Butter

Salt and almonds are the perfect way to dress up a simple fudge recipe. You could add a little sugar into the melted chocolate but the simple flavor and crunch of the almonds shine through without anything added.

Almond Butter Fudge

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 0 minutes

Ingredients(Makes about 20 servings):

  • 1 1/4 cups chocolate chips
  • 3 Tablespoons butter
  • 2 Tablespoons natural almond butter
  • 3 Tablespoons water
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/4 cup shaved almonds

Almond Butter Fudge

Method:

  1. In a medium-sized bowl, melt together the chocolate chips and butter until they are runny and smooth.
  2. In a separate bowl, beat the almond butter, water, vanilla extract and salt together until evenly mixed.
  3. Stir the wet mixture into the melted chocolate and mix until smooth.
  4. Grease the bottom and sides of an 8-inch loaf pan or other small Tupperware.
  5. Pour the fudge into the load pan and lightly shake until it has set in an even layer.
  6. Sprinkle the sliced almonds over the top of the fudge and press them in gently.
  7. Refrigerate for 30 minutes until the fudge has set before cutting into 1-inch squares.

Almond Day Giveaway

Now for the exciting part. The Almond Board of California is giving away an almond prize pack to one random US reader. You’ll get the same package I received including almond butter, almonds, slivered almonds, almond flour, and flavored almonds. To enter, leave a comment for each entry below.

The giveaway is open until Wednesday, February 20th. Good luck!

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Scrambled Tofu

Written on February 11, 2013 by in Breakfast

Scrambled Tofu

This recipe is an oldie but a goodie.

If I had to recommend one dish for someone who wants to eat less animal products it would be scrambled tofu. It looks just like eggs and you can really flavor it however you like. Not to mention it only takes about 10 minutes from start to finish.

I started eating less scrambled eggs and more scrambled tofu after watching Vegucated on Netflix. I won’t go into personal ethics on why I made the switch but it’s a good documentary to watch on Netflix in between marathons of Being Human and United States of Tara.

Scrambled Tofu Yield

You can easily change this recipe to make it more flavorful by adding herbs and sautéed vegetables into the mix. I usually use curry powder to make mine a little spicy.

Scrambled Tofu

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 5 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 2 servings):

  • 1 block extra firm tofu
  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon onion powder

Scarmbled Tofu Easy

Method:

  1. In a large bowl, mash the tofu with a fork lightly until it’s textured to resemble scrambled eggs.
  2. Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat.
  3. Mix the turmeric, salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder in with the tofu until it’s evenly coated.
  4. Sauté the tofu in the oil until it’s heated through and takes on a vibrant color.
  5. Remove from the pan and serve hot.

Afterwards I put a big pile of ketchup on the side of the plate. What’re eggs and hash browns without ketchup?

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Orange Spinach Smoothie

Written on February 6, 2013 by in Drink

Orange Spinach Smoothie

This is one of those moments where I have to eat my words.

I’m sure if you searched through all my tweets you’d find one about how I’d never, ever eat a smoothie with spinach in it. Well the joke’s on me because I’ve been having one or more of these a day for the past few weeks.

Once you get past the color that makes you think you’re drinking Kermit the Frog, you’d be surprised how good green smoothies can taste. And you know they’re better for you than whatever you can get at an Orange Julius in the mall.

Orange Spinach Smoothie Fruits

If you do add chia seeds or protein powder then I would recommend adding more water so the mixture doesn’t thicken up too much. For an ice-cold smoothie, freeze the banana ahead of time.

Orange Spinach Smoothie

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 0 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 2 cups):

  • 1 banana
  • 1 orange
  • 1/2 cup frozen spinach
  • 1/2 cup water
  • chia seeds(optional)
  • protein powder(optional)

Orange Spinach Smoothie Blender

Method:

  1. Combine all of the ingredients in your blender.
  2. Process until smooth.
  3. Drink immediately while still fresh.

Orange Spinach Smoothie Yield

I promise it tastes better than it looks.

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Brown Rice Flour Banana Bread

Written on February 4, 2013 by in Breakfast

Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Banana Bread

I’ll be the first to admit that gluten-free baking is tougher than baking with flour. Instead of just wheat you have a hundred different varieties of flour and starches to work with and if you’ve never used them before you have no idea how they work in recipes. It’s a hassle.

I’m always drawn to making recipes that use just one type of flour because I don’t like to have to go out and buy 6 or 7 to make a single loaf of bread. This recipe only uses brown rice flour, which is a gluten-free whole grain flour that bakes well and doesn’t overpower any of the other flavors. You’ll have a hard time telling this bread is gluten-free.

Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Banana Bread Serving

I used Bob’s Red Mill’s brown rice flour for this recipe which is the least grainy I’ve found and has a great texture when baked. In baking, weight’s always the most reliable measure so if you can

Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Banana Bread

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 60 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 1 loaf):

  • 2 large bananas
  • 4 eggs
  • 3/4 cups sugar
  • 1/2 cup peanut butter
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 1/2 cups(240 grams) brown rice flour
  • 1/2 Tablespoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup water

Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Banana Bread Slice

Method:

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Mash the bananas until they’re completely smooth.
  3. In a large bowl, stir together the bananas, eggs, sugar, peanut butter, and oil until mixed.
  4. Add in the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, vanilla, and chocolate chips and stir.
  5. Slowly add the water until the batter has a loose consistency.
  6. Grease a 9-inch loaf pan.
  7. Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake for 60 minutes until the center has set.
  8. Remove from the oven and let the loaf cool before cutting in.

I found my loaf got stale sitting on the counter after a day but microwaving a slice for 60 seconds between two paper towels made it taste fresh out of the oven.

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Vegetarian Buffalo Chicken Dip

Written on January 30, 2013 by in Miscellaneous, Side Dish

Vegetarian Buffalo Chicken Dip

I’ve never been a vegetarian who claims he doesn’t miss certain food. I used to love buffalo chicken dip; what’s a Superbowl party without it? This year I finally got fed up with being dip-less and decided to make my own.

Too often the impulse for making meat-free dishes is to reach for something with tofu or the name “fak’n” in front of it. Beans are a great substitute that are also cheap, tasty, and something everyone can recognize.

Vegetarian Buffalo Chicken Dip Hot Sauce

To lighten this dip up slightly you can use a reduced fat cream cheese instead of full-fat. I would avoid fat-free because the taste and texture would be off. Similarly you can swap in reduced fat cheese as well.

Vegetarian Buffalo Chicken Dip

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 25 minutes

Ingredients(Serves 8-12 people):

  • 8oz cream cheese
  • 1/2 cup hot sauce
  • 8oz shredded cheddar or Mexican-blend cheese, divided
  • 1 15oz can white beans, rinsed and drained

Vegetarian Buffalo Chicken Dip Uncooked

Method:

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
  2. In a large bowl, beat together the hot sauce, cream cheese, and 6 ounces(about 1 1/2 cups) of shredded until mixed.
  3. Fold in the beans, adding a little bit of water if necessary until fully incorporated.
  4. Scoop the dip into an oven-safe bowl and spread out the remaining cheese on top to cover it.
  5. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the cheese begins to brown and the center is hot.
  6. Remove from the oven and serve hot with crudité and nachos. 

Vegetarian Buffalo Chicken Dip Cooked

You will not miss the chicken; I swear it.

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Peanut Butter Banana Breakfast Smoothie

Written on January 28, 2013 by in Drink

Peanut Butter Banana Breakfast Smoothie

Have you entered the Blendtec and Stonyfield Blends giveaway yet? There’s still a few days left!

Having a reliable blender has improved my eating habits in a lot of unexpected ways. I’ve started having more fruit smoothies and vegetable juices throughout the day. A lot of the time I enjoy them so much I forget they’re healthy.

By far my favorite is a chocolate peanut butter smoothie; I don’t think there’s any surprise there. It’s similar to having a Reese’s cup but you can have it everyday and still feel good. How does something like that even exist?

Peanut Butter Banana Breakfast Smoothie Cocoa

You can use milk, almond milk, or coconut milk in place of the water; however, I think this is deliciously creamy as is on account of the peanut butter. If you ever need to make peanut or almond milk in a jiffy, you can make it by blending ~1 Tablespoon of nut butter with a cup of water.

Peanut Butter Banana Breakfast Smoothie

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 0 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 1 serving):

  • 1 banana, chopped
  • 2 Tablespoons peanut butter
  • 2 heaping Tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 1 Tablespoon honey(optional)
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2/3 cup ice
  • 1 scoop protein powder(optional)

Peanut Butter Banana Breakfast Smoothie Ingredients

Method:

  1. Combine all of the ingredients in a blender.
  2. Blend until smooth and creamy.
  3. Pour and serve cold.

Peanut Butter Banana Breakfast Smoothie Yield

Simple and delicious.

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Coconut Pistachio Bark

Written on January 23, 2013 by in Dessert

Coconut Pistachio Bark Pieces

I know Christmas was almost a month ago but bear with me for one more Christmas recipe. It’s easy to find delicious red food but green? Not so much. Unless you want to sneak spinach, kale, or peppers into a dessert, it’s hard to get the red and green theme naturally.

This bark looks like Christmas. The coconut seems like snow on the ground while the green and red toppings make it fun and festive. And it’s as fun to eat as it is to look at. The meaty pistachios and coconut match up against the tart craisins and bitter chocolate.

Coconut Pistachio Bark Overhead

This bark shouldn’t last long, but if you happen to have leftovers make sure to keep them in the refrigerator to keep the chocolate solid.

Coconut Pistachio Bark

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes

Ingredients(Makes about 16 servings):

  • 8.5oz dark chocolate OR 1 cup chocolate chips
  • 1/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut
  • 3 Tablespoons dried cranberries
  • 3 Tablespoons pistachios

Coconut Pistachio Bark Unbroken

Method:

  1. Melt the chocolate in a microwave or over a double boiler.
  2. Spread the melted chocolate out on a sheet of wax paper or other non-stick surface.
  3. Sprinkle the coconut, cranberries and pistachios out along the surface of the chocolate.
  4. Gently press the toppings into the bark to make sure they stick to the chocolate.
  5. Refrigerate the chocolate for 20-30 minutes until it has set.
  6. Remove the bark from the wax paper and break it apart into 16-20 uneven pieces.
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Chocolate-Coffee Meringue Sandwiches

Written on January 16, 2013 by in Dessert

Chocolate-Coffee Meringue Sandwiches

Even though I stopped drinking coffee years ago, I still love coffee flavored things. Occasionally I’ll have a cup of decaf coffee, but more likely I’ll look for coffee ice cream or chocolate covered espresso beans. Coffee and chocolate are a wonderful things.

These aren’t technically macarons because there isn’t any almond paste in the recipe but the taste and texture are similar: Crunchy, soft coffee meringues held together with a rich chocolate ganache. The best touch is the added Irish cream in the ganache; it’s much better than a morning cup of coffee. 

Chocolate-Coffee Meringue Sandwiches Ganache

You can use regular cream in place of the Irish cream for the ganache or even a coffee liqueur like Kahlua.

Chocolate-Coffee Meringue Sandwiches

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 2 hours

Ingredients(Makes about 15 sandwiches):

  • 4 egg whites
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 1 teaspoon instant coffee granules
  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips
  • 2 Tablespoons butter
  • 3 Tablespoons Irish cream

Chocolate-Coffee Meringue Sandwiches Ingredients

Method:

  1. Preheat your oven to 225 degrees.
  2. In a glass bowl, beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks.
  3. Sift the powdered sugar, cream of tartar, and instant coffee together and then slowly beat them into the egg whites.
  4. Continue beating until all of the sugar is incorporated and the whites form stiff peaks.
  5. Scoop the meringue into a pastry bag or Ziploc bag with a corner cut out.
  6. Squeeze the batter into discs on non-stick baking trays.
  7. Bake for 90 minutes until the meringues are hard. Remove from the oven and let them cool.
  8. Melt the chocolate and butter together. Mix in the Irish cream until it makes a smooth ganache.
  9. Scoop about a Tablespoon of ganache on the bottom of one meringue and sandwich it with another.
  10. Let the sandwiches sit for about 15 minutes until the ganache hardens.
  11. Serve at room temperature.

Chocolate-Coffee Meringue Sandwiches Yield

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