So many berries and so little time! Fresh fruit is aplenty right now and I'm not complaining. Hand in hand with berry season are berry muffins--so delicious and versatile. They make a great breakfast, dessert, or palate cleanser accompanying a decadent, savory meal. Traditional muffins, unfortunately, are not only packed with great flavor but also gluten and refined sugar. Therein rested my next challenge: to create a delicious baked product that was an explosion of berry flavor while making ...
Recipes
Simple Sweet Veggie Breakfast (Gluten-Free, Vegan, No Sugar Added)
Veggies for breakfast? Huh? I was raised on pancakes, oatmeal, cereal and toast with jelly. As much as I have come to adore vegetables--for lunch or dinner there is nothing better--I still struggle with incorporating them into my breakfast. Every day more research is presented on the value of a plant-based diet. Since most veggies are not complete proteins we need to eat a large variety to assure that we are meeting the full amino acid profile. Incorporating vegetables as often as possible is a ...
“Dulce de Leche” Cakes (Gluten-free, Vegan, Refined Sugar-Free)
Dulce de Leche prepared in under 30 minutes without the "leche" and without cooking--at all! Forbidden Cakes We love Dulce de Leche in our house! Until recently it was something that my family members could only experience when dining out. The hours required to cook the traditional version coupled with the large amount of refined sugar and dairy made it impossible to eat. Forbidden No More! I am thrilled to say that I found the perfect mixture of the right ingredients ...
Eggplant Caponata (Gluten-Free, Vegan/Plant-based, Sugar-Free)
Mangia! My favorite Italian word. (Right up there with Vino! and Salute!, in that order.) If Italian food is placed before me you don't have to tell me to mangia twice. One of the great hallmarks of this cuisine is its reputation for simplicity. Italian cooks focus on the quality of the ingredients rather than the quantity to produce an abundance of flavor. Eggplant Caponata fully embodies this philosophy, producing such a full and distinct taste. Caponata from the Old ...
Nutritious No Bake Cookie Dough Truffles (Gluten-Free, Vegan, Refined Sugar-Free)
These Nutritious No Bake Cookie Dough Truffles will have you in seventh heaven. Eating plant-based and gluten-free does not mean you have to give up life's special indulgences! Refined Sugar-free Truffles For some people, nothing says "You're loved", "You're worth it", "You deserve the best" like a fine confection. There is a reason Godiva sells a half-billion dollarsworth of chocolates every year. The simple act of taking a beautifully crafted truffle between your fingers, admiring it, ...
Easy Roasted Rustic Potatoes (two recipes in one!)
One of my favorite things about the warm weather is making trips to the local farmer's markets and looking at all of the fresh produce. I find them very peaceful and calming. Delicious produce harvested from the land, exciting new products to explore, and best of all the serene countryside with the welcoming rolling hills. I know not all markets are created equal. They each have a personality of their own. In my post For the Love of Farmers are two great links, one for locating Washington DC ...
Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies (Gluten-Free, Vegan, Refined Sugar-free)
I don't know about you, but when I smell my pot of freshly brewed coffee in the morning the next thought that follows, without hesitation, is wouldn't something sweet taste so amazing with this. Alas, a few years ago when I realized that processed sugar was a fair-weather friend, I thought my days of coffee and sweet treats were over. It became clear to me that I really couldn't continue such a toxic relationship if I wanted to have a productive life. The fallout of the sugar crashes and lack ...
Fire-Roasted Three Chili Guacamole
California might be the greatest place on earth. I'm not talking about Hollywood here. I'm not talking about the all the gold it once harbored in its hills. I'm not even talking about the Napa and Sonoma Valleys. California is important across the landscape of history for a place called La Habra Heights. Never heard of it? Allow me to enlighten you. Why Hass Avocados Are So Good In 1926, a mail-carrier-cum-amateur-horticulturist named Rudolph Hass ...
Cauliflower “Egg” Salad (vegan, gluten-free)
Move over kale -- there's a new Brassica oleracea in town! Every year there seems to be a chosen one, the fruit or veggie that's going to rock your world with its former underappreciated benefits. This year, it's cauliflower. Why Cauliflower Is Good For You This cruciferous veggie is stepping out from behind its superstar siblings broccoli and kale, taking its rightful place in the spotlight as a superfood. Hard to argue because it really is a nutritional powerhouse. You will find the ...