Butternut Squash Cinnamon Raisin Bread

What does Fall mean to you? To me, it means the supermarkets start displaying squash everywhere, giving that warm and comforting Autumn feel. Serve your family and friends a moist, light gluten free vegan Butternut Squash loaf this Thanksgiving dinner! 3 words: MOUTH WATERING DELICIOUS.

Ingredients:
Makes 1 loaf, serves about 12

• 20 oz cubed butternut squash (tip: you can ask your grocer to peel and cut up the squash for you)
• 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup almond meal
• 1 cup quinoa flour
• 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 cup organic maple sugar or coconut crystals (I like using sugar alternatives like these, but you can also use regular sugar here.)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup maple syrup or agave or honey
• 1/2 cup melted coconut oil

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. In a bowl, mix the cubed butternut squash with olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the cinnamon. Distribute evenly and lay in 1 layer on a baking sheet.
3. Bake for 35-40 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, combine almond meal, quinoa flour, remaining cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, sea salt, sugar of choice, baking powder, and raisins in a mixing bowl.
5. In a separate bowl, stir apple cider vinegar, vanilla, syrup, and coconut oil.
6. When your butternut squash is soft to the touch, remove from oven, and reduce oven heat to 350.
7. Allow squash to cool for 5 minutes, and puree in a magic bullet or food processor. Add in a few spoons of your wet mixture from step #5 to aid in the processing. You should yield about 1 cup of butternut squash puree.
8. Mix in butternut squash puree to your wet bowl, and then slowly combine into your dry ingredients. 
9. Spray a 9x5 loaf pan with non-stick oil. Add your dough, flatten on the top, and bake in oven for 1 hour or until a knife comes out clean if you poke it.

Fall also means pretty leaves...

The bf and I with some foliage in Chicago (hi baby!)

This recipe is approved by Dana Kofsky at Nutrition Styles.

Single-Serve BBQ Tofu Pizza

I remember the pre-Celiac days of CPK's Kids BBQ Chicken Pizza. My how perfect that was at the time. A baby pizza, 4 little slices of heaven. So like any other past dish I crave, I recreated my own gluten free vegan version. Below is the recipe if you want to try it too!

Ingredients:

Makes 1 pizza, 290 calories in the entire pizza

• 1 brown rice tortilla
• 2 tablespoons gluten free BBQ sauce
• 1/2 cup organic baby spinach leaves, diced
• 1/4 cup dairy free mozzarella
• 1.5 ounces extra firm tofu, cubed
• Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
• Optional add-ins: onion, scallion

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Place tortilla on a square piece of aluminum foil.
3. Spread BBQ sauce evenly around the tortilla, leaving roughly 1/2 inch along the edge.
4. Combine diced spinach with your cheese, and sprinkle on top of sauce, patting down with a spoon.
5. Top with tofu and any additional add-ins you prefer.
6. Finish with a few dashes of sea salt and fresh ground black pepper.
7. Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes.
8. Eat while hot. OMG SO GOOD.

Oven "Fried" Tofu

OK. If you try 1 recipe from this blog, this is it. Seriously though. Finely ground tortilla chips make the perfect crunchy coating to complement tofu, and all without the mess of frying. Ready, set, go!

Ingredients:
Makes 4-6 servings

• 1/4 cup olive oil (plus more if needed)
• 1 bag tortilla chips (I used Food Should Taste Good Multigrain chips. They are my absolute favorite.)
• 1 package medium organic tofu (pressed and drained)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees and brush a large baking sheet liberally with oil.
2. Using a food processor, grind the tortilla chips until finely crumbled and transfer to a pie plate.
3. Slice your tofu into about 8-10 strips.
4. Brush the tofu on all sides generously with olive oil. Make sure it is fully coated!
5. Individually add each oiled tofu strip to the crumb mixture, and turn to coat on all sides. Press into the crumbs to help them stick, and then place each coated strip on the baking sheet.
6. Once all strips are coated, bake in the oven for about 40 minutes. The crust should be golden brown and toasty! Allow to settle a few minutes before serving.
7. I plated my oven "fried" tofu with steamed spinach and baby cherry tomatoes. Try dipping in your favorite sauces, too (i.e. ketchup, grain mustard, salsa, hummus, pesto...) Experiment and let me know!

The Secret to Perfect Oven-Baked Fries

I'm a potato lover. Potato anything, you name it. Baked potatoes, roasted baby potatoes, sweet potatoes, and of course, French-fried potatoes. I prefer to make French fries in the oven and avoid the whole "frying" situation. But this recipe here isn't just for your normal oven-baked fries. There is a secret step that really gives them the perfect texture. Crunchy on the outside, moist and soft on the inside. Scroll down to find out the secret step (highlighted in green)...

Ingredients:

Serves 4, 120 calories/serving

• 3 medium sized russet potatoes, washed and scrubbed
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• Course sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

1. OK, here is the secret step: poke a few holes and bake your potatoes whole in the oven for 45 minutes at 450 degrees until cooked, but not over-cooked and not too soft. The potatoes should still be firm but edible, as if you were to eat a baked potato right before it's about ready. Then slice in half the long way, and allow to cool until room temperature. Once cooled, wrap each potato tightly in tinfoil and refrigerate overnight. This extra step will end up making the inside of your fries delectably soft.
2. Now, when you are ready to make you fries, preheat the oven to 425 degrees, and pull out your cooked potatoes from the refrigerator.
3. Slice potatoes lengthwise into French-fry shaped strips. I like mine with the skin, but if you don't you can easily peel it off because your potatoes are already cooked.
4. Place the strips in a mixing bowl, and toss gently with olive oil, sea salt, and fresh ground black pepper.
5. Lay strips on a baking sheet, top with any olive oil remaining from your bowl, and bake for 15 minutes.
6. Remove from oven, flip the fries over, and bake for additional 15-20 minutes until desired crispiness. 
7. Finish with additional sprinkles of sea salt and serve immediately with ketchup. I'm a huge fan of Annie's organic ketchup. 

Banana Ice Cream Fudge Pie

Banana, chocolate, and almonds. Not many combos taste better. Try making this raw no-bake frozen creamy dessert with the kids. They will love it, and you will love feeding them a healthy treat! Perfect for these hot summer days.

Can I eat my computer screen?

Ingredients
Makes 1 pie, 12 slices, 160cal/slice

• 3 extra ripe large bananas
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup extra virgin coconut oil (melted)
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup or agave
• 25 or so raw almonds
• optional add ins: cinnamon, vanilla bean, coconut flakes, peanut butter, walnuts 

Directions:

1. Using a Magic Bullet or blender, blend your bananas until creamy smooth texture, making sure there are no chunks left.
2. Pour your banana smoothie into a 9-inch pie pan so an even layer is formed. (see step-by-step pictures below.)
3. Place in the freezer overnight.
4. The next day, to make your fudge, thoroughly combine cocoa powder, melted coconut oil, and syrup. Using a fork, stir vigorously until uniformed texture. Immediately spread on the frozen banana layer and top with almonds. (The coconut oil cools very quickly so do not worry about melting the banana.)
5. Freeze altogether until right before you want to serve. Using a perforated knife, cut into slices and dig in. This was just fab-u-lous!
6. Optional flavors: Feel free to mix in cinnamon and/or vanilla bean when making your frozen banana layer. You can even mix in some peanut butter... oof! Try your own variations for toppings like coconut flakes, walnuts, or raisins. Make this uniquely you and let me know how it turns out.

One of my favorite fruits, that's for sure.

Creamy delicious bananas. Into the Magic Bullet they go. 

Pour banana smoothie into a pie pan. Feel free to add cinnamon, vanilla, or peanut butter.

Your finished product.

Orange Cranberry Summer Cookies

Sun-kissed with love. These are too easy not to try out. The perfect deliciously light cookie to curb your summer sweet tooth while also keeping in mind the bikini you'll be sporting later :) If you start now, you can be in dessert heaven within 20 minutes. Let me know what you think!

Ingredients:
Makes 12 cookies (125 calories each)

• 1 cup almond meal
• 1 tablespoon coconut flour
• 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes (not shreds)
• 1/4 cup agave
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• zest of 1 orange
• 2 teaspoons fresh orange juice
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. Mix all of your ingredients in a bowl until thoroughly combined.
3. Place roughly 1 tablespoon scoops of dough on a parchment lined baking sheet. (This should yield 12 cookies)
4. Pat down each cookie with your palm.
5. Bake for 11-12 minutes until the edges are lightly brown.
6. Remove cookies from oven, and allow to cool for 5 minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy with a refreshing summer drink.

Salted Coconut Sweet Potato Bites

These are perfection. 3 ingredients. Crispy outisde. Soft inside. Super simple (but amazing). Whip 'em up in 12 minutes!

Ingredients
Serves 4 (110 calories/serving)

• 2 medium sweet potatoes
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt

Directions

1. Slice your sweet potatoes widthwise into 1 centimeter thick rounds, then cut each round into four small bite size pieces.
2. In a skillet over high heat, add coconut oil.
3. Once oil is just beginning to boil, add in your sweet potato pieces, reduce heat to medium, and cover.
4. Stir every 4 minutes for 12 minutes or so until pieces are tender on the inside and just getting golden brown on the outside. Sprinkle with sea salt. I mean, drool?

Honey Almond Butter Granola

Granola + Almond Butter. 2 of my favorite foods in 1 recipe. #winning

Granola Ingredients:

Serves 4

• 1 cup gluten free quick cooking oats
• 2 tablespoons creamy almond butter
• 2 tablespoons honey (or agave/maple syrup for those who don't eat honey)
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Granola Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Spray baking sheet with non-stick spray and set aside.
3. Combine almond butter and honey in a bowl and microwave for 20 seconds until melty. Stir well.
4. Mix in the cinnamon and vanilla. Finally, sift in the oats until so the batter is uniformed.
5. Spread mixture in 1 thin layer onto prepared baking sheet, and bake for 12-15 minutes until slightly golden brown.
6. Allow to cool for at least 30 minutes until crunchy.

Serving Suggestions: serve with soy or coconut yogurt and my special Fruit Compote from 5-Minute Banana Apple Berry Crisp recipe, (as pictured here.)

Island Teriyaki Crockpot Tofu

Imagine me introducing this post while doing a Hula dance, wearing a Lei, and playing Hawaiian music in the background. Just want to set the tone. OK - GOOD. Now: get these ingredients together, throw 'em all in the crockpot, and do what you do for a few hours until dinner is served. Easy, just the way I like it.

Ingredients:
Serves 6

• 1 package extra firm tofu, cubed
• 8 oz fresh pineapple, cubed
• 1/4 cup coconut aminos or gluten free low sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons brown rice vinegar
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger root
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds
• 4 cups chopped zucchini (about 5 large zucchinis)

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients except tofu, sesame seeds, and zucchini in a blender or food processor.
2. Blend until smooth, no chunks.
3. Place the sauce plus tofu, sesame seeds, and zucchini in a crockpot.
4. Allow to sit and cook for about 3 hours.
5. Serving suggestions: serve on top of pad thai noodles, quinoa, rice, or stuffed into a large sweet potato. Use any extra sauce to marinate the rice, other veggies, etc.

Here's to more setting the mood...

Maui. TAKE ME BACK! Aloha. Mahalo.

No Bake Cookie Dough Bites

You havta trust me on this one when I say these baby bites tastes like cookie dough! Except this "cookie dough" has no eggs, no dairy, no wheat, and is perfectly acceptable to eat right off of the spoon without a morsel of guilt. Have I sold you yet?

Ingredients:
Makes 12 cookie dough bites

• 7 medjool dates, pitted
• 3/4 cup gluten free steel cut oats
• 1/3 cup dairy free chocolate chips
• 1 teaspoon vanilla exract

Directions:

1. Soak your pitted dates in hot water for about 10 minutes.
2. While dates are soaking, grind your steel cut oats in a nut/seed grinder until a flour-like consistency is formed.
3. In a food processor, pulse dates until sticky paste-like texture.
4. Add in your ground steel cut oats plus your vanilla, and continue pulsing until doughy and moldable. 
5. In a mixing bowl, combine your mixture plus chocolate chips using your hands to fold.
6. Using a tablespoon, scoop out dough, and roll into balls.
7. Eat. This seriously tastes like cookie dough, it's unreal!!! Even the skeptic of skeptics will admit that these are really good. And with just 4 ingredients, what have you got to lose?
8. Feel free to get fancy and add cinnamon, or PB2!