Gluten-Free Pumpkin Muffins (with Quinoa Flour)

Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Sugar-Free, Nut-Free, Paleo, Vegan

Adapted from the recipe for Gluten-Free Pumpkin Muffins made with Quinoa Flour over at KeepItSweetDesserts.com. (The author writes that she slightly adapted from Espresso and Cream who had adapted from With Style & Grace.) the recipe looks great, and I adapted it with the ingredients I had on hand. I substituted chia seeds for the eggs, and added a bit of coconut oil to give it some healthy fats. The resulting muffins are moist, fluffy and light, all without eggs or gluten!

Ingredients: 
Dry
1 1/2 cups quinoa flour
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. cream of tartar
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1/8 tsp. ground ginger

Wet
1 cup canned pumpkin 
3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
2 tbs. chia seeds + 1/3 cup water
1 cup erythritol (or sweetener of choice, more if you like sweeter muffins)
pinch of stevia
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Instructions: 
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a muffin tray or mini muffin tray with coconut oil. 
2. Stir the chia seeds and water together in a small cup, and let sit for about 5 minutes until the chia seeds absorb most of the water. Mix the wet ingredients together in a medium bowl, and add the chia seeds in once they are gelled. 
3. Mix the dry ingredients together in a measuring cup. 
4. Add the dry ingredients into the wet and stir until just combined. 
5. Fill the muffin tins to the top.
6. Add chocolate chips or any toppings you would like (raspberries, blueberries, raisins, pumpkin seeds, etc.)
7. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. Let cool and enjoy!

Store sealed in air-tight container at room temperature for a few days, or in the freezer. 
This recipe filled a mini muffin tray and half of a regular-sized muffin tray. 

Vegan Beet Brownies

Sugar-Free, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Oil-Free, Nut-Free, Soy-Free

When traveling I like to bring my own healthy foods so I don't have to pay for or depend on what's available at the airport. I experimented with making bars that have vegetables, protein, fiber, and that taste good, and these were the result! Beets are packed with nutrients, the chickpeas and quinoa flour provide a great protein source, cinnamon helps regulate blood sugar, and I even added a zucchini for good measure. These will be a good breakfast, snack, dessert, or mini travel meal. 

Health Benefits of Beets:

• Beets are packed with vitamins and minerals including potassium, magnesium, fiber, phosphorus, iron; vitamins A, B & C; beta-carotene, beta-cyanine; and folic acid.
• Beets help detoxify the body by boosting liver function, purifying the blood, and can prevent various forms of cancer.
• Beets help mental health and can also lower blood pressure.
• Beets are full of fiber, contain only 60 calories per cup, and have potent anti-inflammatory effects.

Health Benefits of Chickpeas:

• Plant protein source containing 15 grams of protein per cup
• Rich in soluble and insoluble fiber
• Rich in vitamins and minerals: A one-cup serving of chickpeas provides 50% of daily potassium needs, 2% vitamin A, 21% calcium, 13% vitamin C, 69% iron, 2% sodium, 55% vitamin B-6 and 57% magnesium. They also contain vitamin K, folate, phosphorus, zinc, copper, manganese, choline and selenium.
• Low glycemic index of 28, providing slow burning energy and not spiking blood sugar.
• Much more! Reference the sources below for the full articles

Raspberries & Blueberries sprinkled on top

Dry Ingredients:

• 1 ¼ cup quinoa flour (or gf flour of choice)
• 1 ¼ cup cocoa powder
• ¾ cup erythritol or sweetener of choice
• 1 tablespoon (or less) stevia powder
• 1 ½ tablespoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon mineral salt
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon

Wet Ingredients:

• 3 steamed beets
• 1 raw zucchini
• 1 can organic chickpeas
• 3 tbs. chia seeds mixed with 6 tbs. water
• ¾ cup non-dairy milk (I used flax milk)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  Berries (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 355 degrees.
2. While the beats are steaming, measure out and stir together the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
3. Blend together the wet ingredients in a food processor until totally smooth.
4. Gently stir the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients.
5. Smooth out into 2 9x13 inch pans. Top with berries, chocolate chips or any other toppings.
6. Bake at 355 for 30-40 minutes depending on your oven. Let cool on a wire rack before cutting.

All packed and ready for traveling!

Recipe revised from: http://www.theroastedroot.net/fudgy-paleo-beetroot-brownies/

Sources:

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/8-beet-benefits-aphrodisiac-brain-booster-more.html/2

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/01/25/beets-health-benefits.aspx

http://www.fullcircle.com/goodfoodlife/2012/05/10/6-health-benefits-of-eating-beets/

http://www.naturalfoodbenefits.com/display.asp?CAT=2&ID=86

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/280244.php

Fudgy Zucchini Black Bean Brownies

Vegan, Gluten Free, High Protein, High Fiber, Oil Free, Refined Sugar Free

This recipe is adapted from the Fudgy Black Bean Brownies at Desserts with Benefits. Her site is AMAZING with the tons of healthy dessert recipes, so I highly recommend checking it out!

With any recipe I make, and especially with dessert recipes, I'd like for it to have a good protein source, veggies, plenty of antioxidants and be highly nourishing as well as tasty. This recipe fits the bill, as it is high protein from the quinoa flour and adzuki beans, high fiber from the beans and zucchini, has omega 3 fatty acids from the chia and flax seeds, and is even low in fat. It's as if you were having a healthy dinner of quinoa, beans and zucchini, except in fudge brownie form!! .. Ok maybe not, but either way these are nutritious and delicious.

These brownies have the allusive crusty top with fudgy bottom/center (very hard to do with a healthier brownie) and it tastes as good as the box versions.

Ingredients

Dry:

• 1 ½ cups Granulated Erythritol* (or dry sweetener of choice)
  Pinch Stevia
• 1 ½ cups Regular Cocoa Powder (unsweetened)
• 1/2 cup Quinoa Flour (can also sub garbanzo bean or brown rice flour)
• 3 tsp Baking Powder
• 1 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/2 tsp Salt

Wet:

• 2 tbs Ground Flaxseed
• 2 tbs Chia Seeds
• 6 tbs water
• one 15.5oz can Adzuki (or Black Beans), drained and rinsed well
• 1 ½ large zucchinis, rinsed and chopped
• 2/3 cup Unsweetened Nut Milk (I used Silk Cashew Milk, to make Nut Free use flax milk or rice milk)
• 1 tbs frozen blueberries
• 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
• frozen raspberries to sprinkle on top (optional)

1. In a large measuring container or dish, mix together the dry ingredients making sure there are no lumps.
2. Mix together the flax seeds and chia seeds in the water and let sit in the fridge about 5 minutes until it thickens and forms a gel-like consistency.
3. In a food processor (or blender if need be), puree the beans, zucchini, blueberries, and vanilla extract in the nut milk.
4. In a large bowl, mix together the dry and wet ingredients by stirring in ⅓ of the dry at a time. The batter should be quite thick.
5. Sprinkle the crushed frozen raspberries on top of the brownie. (optional, but they make it look really pretty!)
6. Spray a 9x13 in. pan with coconut oil, then spread the batter into the pan.
7. Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes, or until a knife can be inserted and the brownie is not still gooey at the bottom.

Let the brownies sit in the fridge over night so the texture sets and they get the right fudge texture. Enjoy!!

Can you believe these have zucchini, beans with healthy protein/fiber, and chia and flax with omega 3's?!! Amazingly healthy, and delicious!!

Blueberry Vanilla Pumpkin Cookies

Vegan, Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free, Dairy-Free, Oil-Free

Wet Ingredients: 

• 1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin
• 1 cup applesauce (unsweetened) 
• 3/4 cup erythritol (or sweetener of choice)
• 2-3 pinches stevia (depending on how sweet you like them)
• 2 chia/flax seed 'eggs' (mix 2 tbsp. chia seeds, 1 tbsp. ground flax seed, and 4-5 tbsp. water)
• 2 tbsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk 
• 1 1/2 cups frozen blueberries 

Dry Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup Quinoa Flour or Brown Rice flour
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 3 tsp. cinnamon 
• 1 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp. cloves
• 1/2 tsp. ginger
• 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
• pinch sea salt

*As many ingredients as possible should be Organic and trustworthy.

-Mix together the chia seeds, flax seeds, and filtered water in a cup and leave for about 5 minutes in the fridge to set up.

- Stir the wet ingredients together in a bowl (minus the blueberries). 
- Mix the dry ingredients together making sure there are no lumps in the flours. 
- Stir the chia/flax seeds that have set up (formed a thick gel) into the wet ingredients.
- Stir the dry ingredients into the wet, then fold in the blueberries. 
          If the mixture looks a little too wet, then add in extra quinoa flour, and if it's too dry add in pumpkin or applesauce or almond milk. It might look kind of wet, but that is okay and they should still turn out into solid cookies. You might get good results by putting the dough in the fridge for a while to firm up, but it's not really necessary and I didn't do it. 

- Form the cookies into your desired cookie shape on a foil-lined/coconut oil - greased pan. The cookies don't rise much , so form them into the shape you want now - bite-sized, big fluffy pillow-cookies, whatever!

- Bake at 350 degrees for 16-19 minutes, or until golden brown/darker and the inside is mostly cooked through. You can still take them out if they are still pretty soft on the inside, since they will continue to cook on the pan, and they will just be softer and chewier. 
Enjoy!

These cookies have a crisp outside and super soft, chewy inside. The union of blueberries, vanilla and pumpkin is just SO good!
Chocolate is kind of addictive for me, so I wanted to make these bars to have around for breakfast, but without the chocolate to tempt me to have too many. The dark blueberries kind of look like chocolate chips so they're aesthetically pleasing, while being filled with all the amazing nutrients that are in blueberries! 

Creamy Super Seed Nut Butter - Sunflower Seeds, Pumpkin Seeds, Walnuts, Almonds, Chia Seeds

Vegan, Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Sugar Free

These are just a few of the ingredients. I took this pic in one of the first trials of this recipe.

Ingredients

• 2 cups raw Sunflower Seeds
• 1 1/2 cups raw Pumpkin Seeds
• 2/3 cup raw Walnuts
• 1/2 cup Almonds

• 1 cup unsweetened vanilla Almond Milk (or other non-dairy milk)
• 1 1/2 cups filtered Water  (or more almond milk -- I added water to make the recipe cheaper, lol!)

• 2-3 tbs. Chia Seeds
• 1/2 scoop Vanilla Protein Powder (optional - I used sprouted brown rice protein powder)
• 3-4 tbs. Cinnamon
• 1 tsp. Sea Salt
• 5-6 pinches Stevia

Steps

1. In a high-powered, reliable blender, blend the sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, walnuts and almonds together. This will take a while so just be patient! Pulse it to look like a ground flour, then as you keep blending the natural oils in the nuts/seeds will be released leading it to emulsify into a butter/paste consistency. Keep scraping it down the sides so everything gets rotated into the blades, and with your spoon press it down together before pulsing it each time. After about 20 minutes of blending it should start forming a paste consistency.

2. Once it reaches a thick nut butter consistency, blend in the almond milk.

3. Blend in the chia seeds, cinnamon, sea salt, stevia, sea salt, optional protein powder and water. 

4. Adjust the amount of cinnamon, sea salt and stevia to your taste. 
Enjoy! 
should last in the fridge about 1 week

It really is that easy. Takes a while to blend up those nuts and seeds, but it so worth it in the end! Because of the almond milk and water in the spread, this nut butter recipe has about half the calories and fat of typical full-strength nut butters! For me that is amazing news!
I don't know about you, but I Can.Not. eat only 1 serving (2 tbs.) of any kind of nut butter ever. They're just so addictive, satisfying and yummy! With this healthy homemade recipe you determine exactly what is in it, and can have the peace of mind that you're filling your body with pure life-giving nutrients! (3

Healthy Pumpkin Spice Chia Breakfast Bars

Vegan, Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free, Fat-Free, Nut-Free, High Protein

These pumpkin bars are a super tasty and nutritious treat that also happen to be packed with protein and minimal calories! The soft, chewy texture with sweet, warm pumpkin taste will hug you in a blanket of fall, and the healthy ingredients will nourish and restore your body. :)

I adapted this from the recipe for Paleo Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies at the "Making the World Cuter" blog. Those pumpkin cookies are amazing and it's a simple straight-forward recipe. I have tried to follow a more vegan lifestyle lately, so I wanted to adapt the recipe and substitute the honey, butter and eggs for something a little more plant-based. I also adjusted the coconut flour and added quinoa flour, as it has fewer calories and is a complete source of protein. The chia seeds replace eggs, are high in protein, and even offer a boost of omega-3 fatty acids. The unsweetened applesauce replaces the butter and can replace the fat component in many baking recipes. The honey is replaced by erythritol or stevia, whichever plant-based, natural organic sweetener you have access to. The nice part about this recipe is you can stir everything by hand in a mixing bowl, no blender or equipment required - super easy!

One word of caution is to check the ingredients list before buying anything, especially in regards to sweeteners. A lot of the "Stevia" or "All-Natural" products in the grocery store actually have dextrose or some weird chemical like malto-dextrin, etc. as the FIRST ingredient, with only a little bit of stevia at the end. (Stevia-in-the-Raw is mainly just dextrose - marketing scam!!) I have ordered erythritol online as it's zero-calorie, and from the research I've done on it does not spike blood sugar, cause any ill effects in the body, and is derived from plants in an ethical way. Erythritol can be found at some health food stores, and you can also find a few actual stevia products in certain grocery stores. As with anything though, it's best to do your own research and use the ingredients that are best for your body's needs and health goals. 

I hope you try and enjoy the recipe! :)

Wet Ingredients: 

• 1 1/2 cups pumpkin
• 1 cup applesauce (unsweetened) 
• 3/4 cup erythritol (or sweetener of choice)
• 2-3 pinches stevia
• 2 chia seed eggs (2 tbsp. chia seeds + 5 tbsp. water)
• 2 tbsp. vanilla extract

Dry Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup brown rice or quinoa flour
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 3 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. nutmeg
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. cloves
• 1/2 tsp. ginger
• 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
• 1/4 tsp. xanthan gum
• pinch sea salt

Stir the wet ingredients together, then mix into the dry ingredients. 
If the mixture looks a little too wet, then add in extra quinoa flour, and if it's too dry add in pumpkin or applesauce or even almond milk. 

Spread the batter into a 9x13 inch pan and sprinkle with cinnamon. 
[This dough can also be formed into cookies to make delicious pumpkin spice cookies!! :D ]

Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Enjoy! :)

Zucchini Cilantro Hummus

Easy Cheap Hummus Recipe


If you've ever bought hummus from the store you know it is pretty expensive for just a little tub of hummus, a lot of which is holed out at the bottom. Basic hummus recipes consist of blended chickpeas, garlic, olive oil, lemon, and tahini - a sesame seed butter that is high in fat/calories, tasty, and also very pricey. Because of the tahini and olive oil the fat content and calorie count can be very high. 

Chickpeas are a great source of vegan protein, and since hummus is so tasty and easy to take on-the-go, I ventured to recreate the recipe with 2 main goals: lower the fat content, and boost the nutritional value with veggies + herbs. I believe I accomplished both!

Ingredients:

• 1 can organic chickpeas 
• 1 cup organic zucchini (or raw veggie of choice)
• 1/3 cup fresh cilantro (or fresh herb of choice)
• 2 tbs. Braggs Liquid Aminos
• 2 tbsp. filtered water
• 2 tsp. minced garlic
• Juice of 1 or 1/2 a lemon
• Everyday seasoning to taste (Trader Joe's brand)

Blend all ingredients in food processor until smooth. You may have to pulse it and stir a few times, and with patience it will all blend up. 

Garnish with herbs and a dusting of paprika or seasoning. 

Serve with veggies and store in the fridge. 

I brought this to a party and it received RAVING reviews! Everyone was asking for the recipe, which I thought was hilarious. I just whipped the chickpeas up with some veggies, herbs, and whaala! a beautiful flavor combination came out!

This recipe is very simple and versatile, and you could come up with TONS of veggie/herb combos to suit your and your family's taste. 

*Photo courtesy of GoToRawFood.com (http://gotrawfood.com/zucchini-hummus)

Homemade Raw Sunflower Seed Butter

Sugar-Free, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Nut-Free, Healthy!

yum, yum, yum

Featuring the Nutribullet 

(thank you to my parents-in-law for the wonderful Christmas gift! :D )

Ingredients:

• 2 cups raw* sunflower seeds (soaked in water for 2-3 hrs)
• 1/2 filtered cup water (or to the top of the seeds)
• 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 5 drops liquid stevia (or sweetener of choice, except the WHITE DEATH!)
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. Himalayan sea salt
• 3 tsp. pure maple syrup (or if you're paranoid about sugar like me, sugar-free maple syrup)

* You can use Roasted Unsalted Sunflower Seeds to get a nuttier toasted flavor, however raw nuts or seeds are far superior nutritionally as they contain so many more nutrients and enzymes that are killed during the roasting process. A good rule of thumb is that 80% of one's diet should be from raw whole foods.

1. Stir the soaked/drained raw sunflower seeds together in the Nutribullet cup. Pour in the water and other flavoring ingredients you choose. (use the Milling Blade)

2. Blend the seeds up!

The process may be tedious and you have to keep stopping to scrape down the sides - but take heart, the end result is worth it. I found that the seeds close to the blade blended and got suck by the blade instead of circulating, while the seeds up top stayed stuck.  



The Nutribullet needs liquid to circulate the contents from top to bottom, so the liquid can help to fully blend everything, or blend in smaller increments. 
It will start to form into a (firmish) paste.





 3. Add additional liquid or flavoring to your taste.
      Some bloggers say that adding 1-2 tbsp. of oil is required to blend the nuts/seeds to the right creamy consistency, while some people say added oil is not necessary and that the nuts/seeds will blend given enough time and blending.
I REALLY did not want to add extra oil, but it was just not blending more while it was that firm. At Kenny's suggestion, I added Water instead as a liquid alternative. Amazingly, it started blending into this lighter fluffier consistency! :)

 Using the large Nurtibullet cup, I had to blend one half of the seeds at a time. Throughout the blending / stirring process I added the maple syrup, vanilla, stevia, cinnamon, and sea salt to taste. The more water that is added, the more liquid/fluffy it will become.

The depth of sweet and salty comforting flavor is wonderful, and I was very satisfied by how the seeds transformed into a delicious sunflower seed butter! :D

As a former peanut butter addict (in college I Lived off of coffee and peanut butter, no joke), switching to almond butter and other nut or seed butters has been a great healthier alternative. After researching it more and learning from more fitness/nutrition folks, I had to accept the grim conclusion that peanut butter is in fact not as healthy as I thought it was. Peanuts are Legumes, and actually not nuts at all! While they do have protein, they still have a lot of fat and are not digested well providing few nutritional benefits to the body. Also, if you have hypothyroidism, an under-active thyroid, or simply want to support your thyroid function more, peanuts are one of the foods to avoid. 

Health Benefits of Sunflower Seeds: 

• Low Glycemic Index
• Good source of Vitaman E, yielding anti-inflammatory and cardiovascular health benefits
• Good source of Phytosterols which have been shown to lower cholesterol and support the immune system.
• Good source of Magnesium, necessary for bone production, energy, nerve/muscle function, and more. 
• Good source of Selenium, vital for detoxification purposes in the liver, cell repair, and preventing cancer. 
• In addition, sunflower seeds are a good source of manganese, phosphorus, vitamin B6, folate, and niacin.

Sources: 

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=57

http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/benefits-sunflower-seeds-6529.html

http://www.healthdiaries.com/eatthis/6-health-benefits-of-sunflower-seeds.html