Naturally glutenfree & vegan! And cinnamony & applely & yummy. Try this next time you're craving a warm, holiday dessert in the summertime.
Time: 1.5 hours
Ingredients:
- 2 large apples, sliced thin (I used a mandolin)
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- 2 cups oats
- 1/2 cup coconut oil
- 1 tablespoon agave nectar
- 1/4 warm water if needed for the crust
Recipe:
- Grind the oats to a flour in a food processor.
- Add 1 tablespoon of the cinnamon, 1 teaspoon of the sea salt, the coconut oil, agave, & water if needed. Pulse until a dough forms.
- Place the crush mixture on a table or cutting board & roll it out to fit your pie pan. You want the crust to be about 1/4 inch thick.
- Transfer the crust to a pan & press the edges down so it keeps its shape.
- Bake the crust on 425 for about 15 mins.
- While the crust is baking, mix the sliced apples, leftover cinnamon & salt, & brown sugar in a bowl. Lower the heat to 375.
- Fill the pie crust with the apple mixture & bake for another 20-30 minutes or until the apples are crisp & the crust is golden.
If you know me personally, you know I loooove carrot cake! It's the perfect mix of not too sweet and not quite savory. I went a little ambitious & made an eggless, bundt carrot cake with my own carrot cream cheese icing. Recipe uses a bit of ingredients but it is so easy to put together & so worth it!
Time: 1 hour
Ingredients:
- 2.5 cups shredded carrots
- 1 cup apple sauce
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking soda
- 1.5 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground glove
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1.5 tablespoons molasses
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup milk or lactaid as needed if the icing is too thick
- 1/2 pack plain light cream cheese
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup confectionary sugar
- PAM spray or other cooking spray
Recipe:
- Put the carrots in a large basin (leave about 1 tablespoon aside for the icing) Add the vegetable oil, molasses, ground spices, salt, baking soda & powder, white sugar & applesauce. Mix to combine.
- Slowly start adding the flour & keep stirring to combine. If it feels like the mixture is becoming too dry, you used enough flour.
- Spray the cake pan with cooking spray, especially if you're using a bundt pan, so the cake won't stick to it.
- Bake on 325 degrees for about 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Baking time will vary depending on what kind of pan you used.
- While the cake is baking, use a stand mixer to whip the icing together (cream cheese, vanilla, tablespoon of shredded carrots & milk or lactaid).
- Once the cake is baked, let it cool almost completely so that you can turn it over & the bundt will stay in form.
- Glaze with the icing & enjoy! You can freeze this cake and save pieces of it for months to enjoy :).
Garlic, olive oil & bread = happiness! It seemed a little ambitious to make my own garlic knots but it turned to be really easy! I used my standard pizza dough recipe & tweeted it to be more garlicky!
Time: 20 minutes + time for the dough to set Ingredients:
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 packet yeast
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1/4 cup olive oil + 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup warm water
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- Salt to taste
Recipe:
- Fill a measuring cup with 1 cup warm water, the packet of yeast & sugar
- Stir & set aside in a dark place for 15 minutes (I put mine inside the microwave & closed the door)
- Put the flour, garlic powder, salt, & 1/4 cup olive oil in a basin.
- After waiting 15 minutes for the yeast to rise in the measuring cup, pour the mixture into the basin.
- Mix with your hands & knead into a dough. You might need to add some more warm water.
- Cover the dough with a clean kitchen towel & put a plate over it to keep it dark. Set it aside in a warm place for at least 1 hour so the dough can rise.
- After the dough rises, break 2-3 inch pieces of the it & roll it into a log with your hand, then tie it into a knot shape.
- Preheat the oven to 425 F.
- Place the knots on a greased cookie sheet, bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown.
- While the garlic knots are baking, mix the 2 tablespoons of olive oil with the minced garlic & dried parsley.
- Take the knots out of the oven & brush on the olive oil mixture.
- Sprinkle salt over the garlic knots if desired. Enjoy!
Time for all the hearty, filling dishes! The holidays are around the corner & if you're on a diet like me, you'll be craving like crazy! I made a low-fat meatloaf recipe that does the trick!
Time: 1 hour
Ingredients:
- 1 pack ground chicken
- 1/2 yellow onion diced
- 3 gloves garlic, roughly chopped
- A handful of shishito peppers, diced (can sub bell peppers)
- 1 habanero pepper, diced (seeds removed)
- 1 egg, beaten
- Salt & pepper
- 1/2 breadcrumbs
Recipe:
- In a large basin, put the ground chicken & all other ingredients together & incorporate with your hands. Careful not to over mix.
- Use a piece of wax paper or parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Place the mixture in the middle & form it into a loaf with your hands.
- Bake on 375 for about 45 minutes to 1 hour or until the loaf is brown on the outside & deliciously moist on the inside.
Nothing better than a savory pie on a cold, rainy, NYC evening! Spiced ground lamb with peas & carrots smothered with garlic mashed potatoes. Need I say more? Recipe below, try it. Your tummy will thank you.
Time: 1 hour
Ingredients:
- 1 packet ground lamb or meat of your choice
- 2 large rustic potatoes, chopped into large chunks
- 1/4 onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup peas & diced carrots mixed (I used frozen kind, canned will work too)
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1.5 teaspoons of chili powder, ground cumin, & cayenne pepper
- Salt/pepper to taste
- Chives for garnish (optional)
- 1 handful cheddar cheese (optional)
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 cup milk or lactaid
Recipe:
- Submerge the potato chunks in water in a large pot. Bring the water to a boil & leave it for about 25 minutes or until they are soft enough to mash.
- Heat the oil on medium heat in a skillet or pot. Add the onion & garlic.
- Brown the ground meat in the pot with the garlic & onion (include the chili powder, cumin, cayenne, salt & pepper.)
- Use a deep Pyrex dish to scoop the browned meat into.
- Using the skillet or pot the meat browned in, sauté the carrots & peas with a little salt & pepper. Pour these over the ground meat in the Pyrex.
- Strain the potato chunks once they're soft & then pour them back into the pot they boiled in (without the water).
- Mash the potatoes with salt, pepper & milk. Spread them on top of the carrots & peas.
- Sprinkle on the chives, handful of shredded cheese & smoked paprika & bake for 15 minutes on 350 degrees.
Craving olives today so I made some olive bread! Super easy to whip up with some active dry yeast. I enjoyed it with some warm tomato-basil soup!
Time: 1 hour
Ingredients:
- 1 packet active dry yeast
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning
- 1/2 cup mixed olives, pitted
Recipe:
- Add the packet of yeast & sugar to the warm water, stir to dissolve then let it sit for 15 mins to bubble up.
- In a medium bowl, pour the flour, salt & Italian seasoning. Stir to combine.
- Slowly mix in the yeast mixture & olive oil, mix with your hands slightly just to incorporate the ingredients.
- Chop the olives into smaller rounds, throw almost all of them into the flour mixture, leaving some for the top of the loaf.
- Knead the olive dough completely & form into a loaf with your hands.
- Set it on a cookie sheet & cut 4 small slits on the top.
- Garnish with the remaining olive slices, pressing them in so they stay put in the oven.
- Bake on 350 for 45 minutes - 1 hour or until golden brown on top, and cooked through the middle.
