Flourless Pumpkin (or Sweet Potato) Muffins

    1/2 Cup Coconut Oil - melted -  or butter
    •    6 Eggs, beaten
    •    1tsp Vanilla - I use Simply Organic Madagascar Vanilla Extract
    •    1/2 of a 12oz can of Organic sweet potato puree (or you can use Pumpkin puree as Balanced Bites does)
    •    1/4 cup Maple Syrup
    •    1/2 cup Coconut flour
    •    1 1/4 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice - Trader Joe's Brand (Ingredients - cinnamon, cloves, ginger, cardamom, nutmeg & lemon peel)
    •    1/2 tsp baking powder
    •    1/4 c dates, pureed
    •    2 tbsp raw walnuts - finely chopped (rinsed)


Directions
    •    Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
    •    Grease muffin pan with a little coconut oil. I used a paper towel and just lightly coated the inside of the pan.
    •    Beat 6 eggs in medium mixing bowl
    •    Add melted coconut oil, vanilla, maple syrup, sweet potato puree - mix thoroughly with eggs using a whisk
    •    In a separate bowl add & mix dry ingredients - coconut flour, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice
    •    Slowly mix dry ingredients into wet mixture and whisk until fully mixed(w/ no clumps)
    •    Stir in Chopped Walnuts & Chocolate Chips
    •    Scoop enough into each section of the muffin pan
    •    Place into oven and bake for 15-20 min.
    •    Let Cool & Enjoy!

Cashew Chicken Korma

For the marinade

• 3/4  c. yogurt
• 1 T cumin powder
• 1 1/2 tsp. coriander powder
• 1/4 tsp. turmeric
• 1 T ginger/garlic paste
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. chili powder
• 1/8 tsp. cayenne
• 1/8 tsp. Indian chili powder
•  2 large boneless chicken breasts, cut into cubes

For the sauce 

• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1/2 cup cashews (soaked for at least an hour in water)
• 1/3 c. milk
• 1 c. chicken broth
• 1/4 c. cream (optional, depending on how rich you want the sauce)
• 1/4 tsp. ground clove
• 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. ground methi (fenugreek)
• 1/4-1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
• 1/8 tsp. grated nutmeg 
• A dash of ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp. turmeric
• 1/4 tsp. coriander
• 1/4 tsp. cumin
• A pinch chili powder (optional, taste first)
• 1/2 tsp. salt 
• 1/4 c. chopped cilantro

Mix all the marinade ingredients and chicken in a ziplock bag. Marinate for at least 1 hour and up to 12. Melt a tablespoon of ghee in a saucepan. Saute onion till golden. In a food possessor or blender, combine the onion, broth, milk, and spices. Blend on high until smooth. Taste and adjust spices if necessary. In same pan, melt a little ghee. Add chicken, wiping of as much marinate as possible. Cook just until done. Pour sauce over chicken and warm everything through. Sprinkle cilantro on top and serve with rice or naan.

      

          Rotisserie chicken works fine. If you use it, only use about 1/4 c. yogurt or just enough to lightly coat the chicken.

Black Bean and Corn Salad

• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can corn, drained
• 1-2  medium tomatoes, diced
• 1/2 c. sweet onion, diced
• 1 red (or green) bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
•  1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
• 1 avocado, cubed
• 1/4-1/3 c. chopped cilantro
• 2 T olive oil
• 1 T lime juice
• 1/4 tsp. oregano
• 1/4 tsp. cumin
• 1/4 tsp. chili powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt

This salad is best made the day before. Combine everything except the avocado and mix well. Let flavors mingle overnight. Adjust seasoning if necessary. Add chopped avocado just before serving.

Coconut-Poached Mahi Mahi

• 1 lb. skinless, boneless mahi mahi or other firm whitefish fillets
• 1 small head bok choy, torn (about 3 cups)
• juice of 1 lime
• 1/2 (15) oz can light coconut milk, OR 1/3 can coconut cream thinned out with chicken stock.
• 1 Thia green chili, thinly sliced
• 1 T sugar
• 1 T soy sauce
• 1 T fish sauce
• 1 tsp. salt

In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine everything except the fish and bok choy. Taste sauce and adjust of needed. cut fish into fillets and place in coconut milk mixture. Cook fish, covered for 4-5 minutes. Uncover, and gently stir in bok choy. Cook for 2-4 minuets or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Ladle fish with cooking liquid into bowls.

Cooking time will vary depending on size of fish so adjust accordingly. If you want a less coconuty flavor, use less coconut milk and add some chicken stock. You can make this without boc choy and it turns out fine. This is very good served over rice noodles to soak up the sauce.

Asian Slaw

For the dressing

• 2 T. peanut oil
• 2 T. toasted sesame oil
• 1 T. soy sauce
• 2 T. lime juice
• sucanat or brown sugar
• 1 1/2 T. rice vinegar
• 1/2 tsp chili paste
• 3/4 tsp ginger-garlic paste

1 cup shredded carrots
2 cups shredded broccoli ("broccoli slaw")
2 cups shredded cabbage
1/2 cup thinly sliced sweet onion (Vidalia, purple, etc.)
1/2 cup thinly sliced bell pepper

Toss vegetables and dressing.  Adjust to taste for salty, sweet, hot, acid balance.

Roasted Red Pepper Soup

• 4-5 c. roasted red peppers
• 1 c. onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced 
• 3 medium carrots, cut into 1/8-1/4 inch rounds
• bacon grease
• 3-4 c. chicken broth (depending on how thick you want the soup)
• 1 T. lemon juice
• salt to taste
• 1/4 tsp. pepper 
• 1/2 tsp. cumin
• 1/2 tsp. coriander
• 1/4 tsp. paprika 
• 1/4 tsp. smoked paprika
• 1/8 tsp. cayenne
• 1/2 tsp. chipotle in adobo

 To garnish

• fresh cilantro 
• sour cream
• soft goat cheese

Melt some bacon grease in a pot. Saute onion and garlic for 3-5 minutes until soft and just starting to golden. Add carrots and enough broth to just cover and cook until carrots are tender.(the broth will evaporate so add more as needed to keep veggies covered) Puree the cooked veggies and roasted red peppers until smooth. Add broth until desired thickness is reached. Add spices, lemon juice, and chipotle and blend. Adjust spices is necessary. Pour soup back into pot and heat though. Serve with chopped cilantro, a dollop of sour cream, and crumbled goat cheese.

Smoky Olive Hummus

• 1 can chickpeas (drained)
• 1/4 c. lemon juice
• 1 T. fresh basil
• 2 1/2 tsp. fresh parsley
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. black pepper
• 1/4 tsp. cumin
• 1/4 tsp. smoked paprika
• 3 T. olive oil
• 1/3 c. olives with pimentos

Add the chickpeas and lemon juice to food processor and blend till fairly smooth. Add the basil, parsley, salt, pepper, cumin, smoked paprika and blend. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil and continue to blend till smooth and creamy. Adjust spices if necessary. Rough chop the olives, add to the hummus and briefly pulse so that there are still chucks of olive. Hummus should have at least a day to mingle before eating. Top with more chopped olives and a sprig of basil when plating. Serve with pita chips and assorted veggies.

Chocolate Chip Cookies (Grain Free)

Ingredients

• 1 cup almond flour (you could substitute up to 1/2 cup of almond butter, but you must reduce the butter to about 2 tablespoons)
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons raw honey or maple syrup
• 1/2 cup or more chocolate chips
• Optional: unsweetened coconut, toasted nuts, dried fruit, or all of the above
• Optional: 1 tablespoon of cornstarch or arrowroot powder (this helps stabilize the cookie). If you don't like these options, coconut or coconut flour works nearly as well.

Instructions

1. mix the almond flour and baking soda in the bowl of a food processor
2. add the butter and pulse until only slight grainy.
3. add the egg, honey and vanilla extract and pulse until just combined 
4. stir in the chocolate chips and other goodies
5. refrigerate the dough for about 15 minutes (you can make a wax paper log and chill that way)
6. drop heaping tablespoon-size balls of dough about 2 inches apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and flatten each cookie with the palm of your hands (or, if you used the log method, slice to 1 inch to 3/4 inch thick)
7. bake at 350°F until cookies are golden around the edges, but still soft in the center, about 8 to 10 minutes
8. remove from oven and let it cool on baking sheet for 1 to 2 minutes then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely
9. store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week (like they'll last that long)

Adapted from livinghealthywithchocolate.com

Blueberry Crumb Bars

For the dough

•  1 1/2 c. flour
• scant 1/2 c. sugar
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 tsp cinnamon
• 3/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 c. butter
• 1/2 egg

For the filling

• zest and juice from a orange or clemantine
• zest and juice from a lemon
•  2 1/2 -3 c. blueberries (fresh or frozen and drained)
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• enough peach jam to coat the blueberries. (1/2 - 1 c.)

Heat oven to 375 F. Grease a 8x8 inch pan. In a medium bowl, sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and spices. With a fork or your fingers, cut in the butter and egg. Dough will be crumbly. Sprinkle half the dough into the greased pan and press lightly to make a fairly solid base. In a bowl, mix together the jam, cornstarch, and the zest and juice from the citrus. Gently stir in the berries. Pour the berry mixture over the dough and sprinkle remaining dough over the blueberries. Bake for about 40 minutes or until lightly golden. Cool before cutting. These improve with some time in the fridge. They also freeze quite well. (You could replace the fruit with blackberries or raspberries or whatever you have on hand, and you could do the same with the jam.)

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen.

Sangria

• 1 bottle red wine -- I often use Cupcake Pinot Noir; use what you like 
• 1/2 cup apricot brandy, Triple Sec, Limoncello or other sweet fruit liqueur or a combination
• juice of 1 orange, 1 lemon and 1 lime
• seasonal fruit, chopped if necessary -- berries, peaches, mangoes are favorites
• 1 bottle Italian soda or 1 liter seltzer + 2 Tbsp honey or to taste

Mix all ingredients except soda in a pitcher and refrigerate overnight. Serve over ice about 50/50 with soda or seltzer. This is not overly sweet. Can increase honey or add sugar to taste.