Recipes

Paleo Banana Muffins

I cannot for the life of me remember where I found this recipe. It was online... somewhere. These muffins are great--super moist and an easy way to use up those really ripe bananas. So good, even my kids eat them. 


Ingredients
2 cups almond flour (I've been using blanched, which has a finer texture; but you can use almond meal)
1/4 ground flaxseed
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
2/3 cup chopped nuts
4 really ripe bananas, mashed really well
2 Tbsp. local honey
4 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Coat 12 muffin cups with non-stick spray (you can also use a loaf pan, but need to allow extra cooking time, about 45 minutes). Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together bananas, eggs, honey and vanilla. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir well (you don't have to worry about over-mixing since there is no flour in the recipe). Fill the prepared muffin cups with the batter and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a tester inserted comes out clean. Allow the muffins to cool for several minutes in the pan, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely. Store in the fridge for up to a week.


Maple Walnut Granola


I came up with this recipe after watching Nigella Lawson on the Food Network, my absolute favorite television station ever. I make this for my husband every week. You can really switch up the ingredients to create whatever you like. Varieties I've experimented with include pumpkin spice, peanut butter and jelly, pina colada and chocolate peanut. It's a pretty simple recipe, but does take some attention while baking.


Ingredients
4 and 1/2 cups oats
3/4 ground flaxseed
2 cups walnut pieces
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. maple flavoring
3/4 cup Ideal Brown No Calorie Sweetener (you can use brown sugar)
1/2 cup Agave nectar or local honey
2 egg whites
3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce


Directions

Preheat oven to 310 degrees. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix really well. Spread onto 2 cookie sheets that have been coated with non-stick spray (makes clean-up much easier). Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes and rotating the cookie sheets after you stir. Allow granola to cool completely and store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. I usually portion the granola out into little baggies so I can toss it in my husband's lunch easily.

GF Mediterranean Turkey Spinach Meatloaf

I love my mom's meatloaf, but I have to admit, it is definitely in need of an update. She always used ground beef and packaged onion soup mix. I've made it this way in the past, but decided it's time to create my own gluten-free meatloaf recipe while sneaking in some veggies. This is good!

Ingredients

1.5 pounds lean ground turkey

1 large lemon, zested

2 cups raw spinach, finely chopped

1/2 medium onion, finely chopped

3 extra large egg whites

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. smoked paprika

1/2 cup gluten-free oats (I get mine from nuts.com, but Bob's Red Mill makes GF oats)

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil (I do this so clean up is easy!) and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Combine all ingredients, EXCEPT THE TURKEY, in a large bowl and mix well. Add the turkey and mix gently with your hands until all ingredients are incorporated. Shape the turkey mixture into a loaf on the baking sheet. Bake for about 1 hour. 

Balsamic Baked Kale

Our love for salad and my penchant for homemade salad dressing led me to create this recipe. It's really simple and helps if you have a toddler at home willing to tear the kale into bite-sized pieces for you. Once baked in the oven, the balsamic becomes slightly sweet and really delicious. 

Ingredients

1/2 bunch of kale, washed, de-stemmed and torn into bite-sized pieces

2 Tbsp. EVOO

2 Tbsp. Balsamic vinegar

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place kale in a very large bowl and toss with remaining ingredients until evenly coated. Pour onto a large baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes, until the kale looks slightly wilted. 

Mustard Lemon Kale

This was inspired by my mustard-lemon dressing. The "dressing" is tangy and sweet and goes well with the slightly bitter kale. 

Ingredients

2 Tbsp. dijon mustard

2 Tbsp. EVOO

juice of 1 large lemon

1 Tbsp. local honey (you can also use agave nectar)

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/2 bunch of kale, washed, de-stemmed and torn into bite-sized pieces

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine first 6 ingredients in a very large bowl and whisk well. Add kale and toss to coat evenly. Place on a large baking sheet. Bake for about 15 minutes, until the kale looks slightly wilted.

Baked Steel Cut Oatmeal

Everyone in my house loves oatmeal, so when I make it, I make a lot of it. We reheat it all weeklong and it travels with my husband on the train to work every day. After searching the Web for various recipes and not finding any I particularly liked, I came up with this one, which includes using egg whites as an additional protein source (I CANNOT stomach eggs so I've been trying to find a way to eat them; this could be it). There are many interchangeable ingredients, so get creative and use what you like or what you happen to have in the kitchen! 

Ingredients

2 cups steel cut oats (I used GF steel cut oats from Nuts.com; Bob's Red Mill also makes them)

2 cups unsweetened almond milk

2 cups light coconut milk (one can; I use Trader Joe's brand)

2 cups water

6 egg whites

1/4 cup local honey

1 Tbsp. vanilla extract 

2 tsp. maple extract (optional; use extra vanilla or even almond or coconut in its place)

2 bananas, chopped 

1 cup walnuts, chopped 

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9x13x2 inch baking dish with nonstick spray. Combine liquid ingredients in a large bowl and whisk well. Add oats, bananas and walnuts and stir to combine. Pour into prepared dish. Bake for about 1 hour or until the oats appear set. Eat right out of the oven or store in the fridge for about a week. Reheat in the microwave with a large splash of milk. Makes about 10 servings. 

Notes

This recipe can really be made to suit your tastes. If you don't have almond or coconut milk on hand or don't like either, use half skim milk and half water for the recipe. The coconut milk adds a richness to the oatmeal without adding heaviness or too much fat. You can also switch out the fruit and nuts based on what you like. This would be great with fresh or frozen, defrosted berries, or even peeled and chopped apples Pecans would also taste great in place of the walnuts. Get creative!