Quinoa, Chickpea and Strawberry Salad with Sundried Tomato Vinaigrette
Tuesday, April 22, 2014This delicious quinoa salad with chickpea, strawberries, and cucumber along with a sundried tomato dressing is short on gluten but not on taste, and packed full of healthy goodness. It can be enjoyed at room temperature or chilled, which makes it a great choice for picnics, potlucks, and packed lunches!
Salad | Sundried Tomato Vinaigrette |
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- Rinse quinoa in a fine sieve until water runs clear, drain and transfer to a medium saucepan. Add water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes or until water has absorbed. Set aside to cool and fluff with a fork.
- Blend all the vinaigrette ingredients together, adding the olive oil last until you get the desired consistency.
- Place the quinoa, diced cucumber, chickpeas, and quartered strawberries in a large bowl. Add in dressing and toss to combine.
Kamut Almond Cookies
Friday, April 18, 2014Made with whole wheat kamut flour and ground almonds, and sweetened with honey and stevia instead of granulated sugar, these cookies, adapted from Taste, are quite filling and so much healthier than most traditional cookies. You won't feel bad eating a few of them at one go with a glass of buttermilk.
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- Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Melt coconut oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Increase heat to medium-high. Stir in honey and bring to the boil. Remove from heat. Allow to cool for 10 minutes.
- Sift kamut flour, cocoa powder, almond meal, baking soda, stevia extract and cinnamon together into coconut oil mixture. Add in freshly grated ginger and milk. Stir until well combined. Cover and set aside for 1 hour or until dough is firm.
- Place sprinkles in a shallow dish. Roll level tablespoons of mixture into balls. Roll balls in sprinkles to coat evenly. Place balls, 3cm apart, on a large parchment-lined baking tray. Bake for about 15 minutes until golden brown. Cool on trays for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Flourless Fat-free Chocolate Cookies
Monday, April 14, 2014As soon as I saw these chocolate cookies on The Squishy Monster I knew I had to make them myself. These cookies are a dream if you are a chocolate lover who needs to go gluten-free.
Chewy on the inside, crispy around the edges, and intensely chocolatey and rich, these deep dark, flourless (which means gluten-free), no added fat chocolate cookies are super quick, easy to mix and bake up, and are very beautiful with their shiny, crackled tops.
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- Preheat the oven to 180C350F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and grease the parchment.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, cocoa powder and salt. Whisk in the egg whites and vanilla extract until the batter is smooth.
- Scoop the batter by the tablespoon full onto the prepared baking sheets. Leave enough space between each cookie for them to spread. Sprinkle with red peppercorns or sea salt. Bake for 12-14 minutes, until the tops are glossy and lightly cracked.
Asparagus Salad with Creamy Walnut Dressing
Wednesday, April 09, 2014This is a simple and super-healthy salad starring fresh green asparagus, radicchio and black beans, matched with a wonderfully creamy and balanced dressing made of yogurt, walnuts, lemon juice and balsamic bianco. This vegetarian salad tastes extremely delicious and very appropriate for spring.
Salad | Yogurt Walnut Dressing |
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- Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil over high heat. Add asparagus. Boil for 2 minutes or until just tender. Drain. Rinse under cold water and drain them well.
- Arrange radicchio leaves on a large serving plate or a salad bowl and top with shredded carrot, asparagus and black beans. Sprinkle some roasted chopped walnuts over.
- To make the dressing, place the walnuts, yogurt, lemon juice, balsamic lemon rind and lemon thyme in a blender and process until well combined. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle over salad to serve.
Vegan Gluten Free Black Bean Brownies
Saturday, April 05, 2014Brownies made with black beans might sound quite unappealing to some of you, but I can assure you these are really delicious. No, I am not saying that they taste exactly like regular brownies, but still pretty delicious and nutritious as beans are a good source of protein and fiber. I used Happy Herbivore's recipe as inspiration, but slightly tweaked it by adding a little coconut oil and a mix of white and dark chocolate chips, but you can leave them out if you want to.
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- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Line an 8-inch pan with parchment paper and set aside. Drain and rinse the cooked black beans.
- Combine all the ingredients, except the oats and chocolate chips, in a food processor and blend until completely smooth. Stir in oats and chocolate chips.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool before slicing.
Vegan Gluten Free Matcha Protein Bars
Tuesday, April 01, 2014Protein bars are a delicious and convenient way to enjoy a high protein snack. There is no need to buy protein bars when it's far cheaper and more nutritious to make your own. These wholesome protein bars, adapted from desserts with benefits, are made with quality hemp and rice protein, antioxidant-rich green tea powder with nutritious oat and healthy fats.
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- Line a 20x12-cm plastic box with a large sheet of plastic wrap. Whisk together the almond butter, soya milk, and stevia extract until combined in a mixing bowl.
- In another bowl, mix together the hemp protein powder, rice protein powder, oat flour and matcha powder. Slowly add this dry mixture to the almond butter mixture. Mix until the mixture is even, scraping down the sides of the bowl if necessary. It should have a texture like cookie dough.
- Spoon the mixture into the prepared box and flatten the surface with a rubber spatula or pastry roller. Cover the box with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
- The next day, slice the protein bars and drizzle them liberally with melted white chocolate. Store the rest in a plastic box with a lid in the fridge.
Sugar Free Vegan Emmer Banana Bread
Thursday, March 27, 2014This refined sugar-free banana bread is very simple, quick, yet delicious, nutritious, and makes a wonderful breakfast or snack for the family. While most banana bread recipes contain sugar, dairy and eggs, this vegan variation uses none of them, but is still moist and delicious. Feel free to substitute wholewheat flour for emmer flour and almond milk for soya milk.
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- Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Line a standard loaf pan with parchment paper.
- Whisk together the ground emmer flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and chia seeds in a mixing bowl. Pulse walnuts and pitted dates until you have small pieces. Add to the flour mixture.
- In another bowl, mix soya milk, maple syrup, and macadamia oil until well combined. Add in mashed bananas and mix well.
- Pour the liquid to the dry mixture, stir until well combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake in the middle rack of hot oven for about 1 hour.