Taco Pizza

Who out there likes tacos?? Who likes pizza?? Who likes avocado?? (I know all of you are raising your hands by now.)  You just might fall in love with this healthy and low calorie Taco Pizza...

Ingredients:
Serves 8

• 1 brown rice tortilla
• 2 cups no salt black beans (cooked)
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 4 black olives, pitted and sliced
• 3 tomatoes, washed and sliced
• 1 baby green bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 avocado, sliced

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. Mash beans with a masher until paste-like. (If you'd like instructions, click here.)
3. Thoroughly mix in the chili, garlic, and onion.
4. Lay parchment paper on a baking tray, and set tortilla on top of it.
5. Spread your bean dip evenly all over the tortilla, leaving about 1/2 inch around the edge for "pizza crust."
6. Top with olives, tomatoes, and green bell peppers. 
7. Bake in oven for 15 minutes.
8. Turn oven off, remove pizza, and add sliced avocado pieces to finish. Carefully cut into pizza slices with a sharp knife.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Bites

These are a must.

Ingredients:
Makes about 6 pieces

• 1 banana, peeled
• 3 tablespoons peanut butter
• 1 cup vegan chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Melt chocolate as specified in my "Reese's" recipe
2. Meanwhile, slice banana into about 12 pieces.
3. Place roughly 1/2 tablespoon on 6 of the pieces, and form into sandwiches with the others.
4. When chocolate is melted, use a spoon to drizzle on top of sandwiches. Don't worry about pretty... chocolate always looks pretty :)
5. Place in the refrigerator for minimum 30 minutes. I dare you to eat just one...

Green Dessert Smoothie

Have you caught on to the "green drink" trend? For those of your who are green juice addicts, and for those who are more hesitant to try a grass-colored drink, I can promise that you will enjoy my Green Dessert Smoothie. 

Ingredients:
Serves 1, 92 calories/serving

• 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk; (I like the Whole Foods brand.)
• 1/2 small banana 
• 1/2 Medjool date, pitted and chopped
• 1 cup spinach

Directions:

1. Add 1/2 date plus the 1/2 cup almond milk to your blender. Blend until date is in very tiny pieces.
2. Chop your 1/2 banana into 4 pieces, add to mix, and blend until creamy and smooth.
3. Lastly, add in your spinach (greens!) and blend until consistent throughout. 

This low calorie Green Dessert Smoothie will satisfy your sweet tooth while also fulfilling the allure of a green drink!

Beautifying Burger

If you are hunting down a savory and sweet homemade vegan burger free of gluten, you're in luck! This recipe uses beautifying vegetables to energize your skin, and your taste buds. A DIY veggie burger with sweet potatoes, kidney beans, quinoa, and spinach. You're welcome :)

Ingredients:
Serves 8

• 3 sweet potatoes, washed
• 1/2 cup quinoa (dry)
• 2 cups cooked kidney beans, or 1 can no salt kidney beans, drained
• 1/2 cup buckwheat flour
• 1 tsp. cumin spice
• 1 tsp. orgegano spice
• 1 tsp. mustard spice
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds
• 2 cups spinach, washed and chopped

Directions:

• Bake sweet potatoes for 50 minutes at 400 degrees.

• Meanwhile, boil the quinoa in 1 cup filtered water until cooked and fluffy.

• Pour half of the kidney beans into a bowl, and mash until paste-like texture forms.
• Add remaining beans and lightly mash to combine.

• When the sweet potatoes are cooked and soft, mash (with skins on) until mushy but not creamy.
• Place the mashed sweet potatoes in a large bowl.

•  Stir the olive oil, buckwheat flour, oregano, cumin, and mustard spices into the mashed sweet potatoes until combined throughout.
• Mix in onion, garlic, quinoa, sunflower seeds, kidney beans, and chopped spinach.

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees, and line a baking tray with pachment paper.
• Form mixture into about 8 balls on the parchment paper, and gently flatten them into patties about 1/2 inch thick each.
• Bake in oven for 20 minutes.
• Remove, flip, and bake on other side for additional 20 minutes. And there you have it... DIY veggie burgers.
• I put mine in between brown rice bread circles (aka english muffins), and topped it with roasted red peppers, avocado (obviously) and lettuce.  These served really well alongside baked brocollini with fresh ground black pepper.

You know all the ingredients, there is NO junk, there is NO high sodium that offen comes with frozen patties. So try this out foodie friends, and let me know! You know how much I love your comments :)

Fit-Into-Your-Skinny-Jeans Chips and Dip

If you crave salty snacks like I do, then you will LOVE my recipe for tasty and healthy gluten free chips with guacamole and salsa. I'm published on The Chalkboard today (again, so honored!) ... check it out!! Sneak Peak pics are below just for you.

CLICK HERE FOR FULL RECIPE: http://thechalkboardmag.com/fit-into-your-skinny-jeans-chips-and-dip

"Reese's" Almond Butter Cups

Like every recipe we do over here at Kale With Love, this is a classic with a healthy twist. If you are a fan of chocolate, I suggest you read on...

Ingredients:
Makes 12 Almond Butter Cups

• 1 package vegan chocolate chips
• 6 tablespoons raw almond butter
• 24 raw almonds (optional)

Directions:

• Use muffin liners as if making muffins in a muffin tray.

• Place 1/2 cup chocolate chips in a bowl placed atop a pot of boiling water. Stir gently. This will melt your chocolate.

• Distribute a small spoon of melted chocolate in each muffin liner. Use knife to spread evenly.
• Allow to cool and harden in refrigerator for minimum 15 minutes.

• Once hardened, scoop 1/2 tablespoon of raw almond butter in the center of each cup.

• Melt remaining chocolate, and cover each cup completely. Again, lightly use a knife to spread evenly.
• Optional: place 1 or 2 almonds on top of each cup.
• Place cups in refrigerator for minimum 30 minutes. Once hardened and cooled, remove muffin liners, and relish in the delicacy of this home-cooked healthy treat. Oh boy almond butter is tasty. Maybe I'll give these out for Halloween this year... Thoughts?

Spaghetti Squash

Meatless Monday! (But everyday is a meatless glutenless day over here.) My recipe is up on The Chalkboard again today! So exciting! Take a look at it. Would love to know your thoughts... Oh, and Happy President's Day foodie friends!

Click here: http://thechalkboardmag.com/spaghetti-without-the-gluten

Tomato Basil Salad w/ Avocado

This is a spin on my Refreshing Salad recipe that I know you, foodie friends, will like. It has AVOCADO... need I say more? ;)

Ingredients:

• 2 avocados, peeled and cored
• 8 small tomatoes
• Around 10 fresh basil leaves
• 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Serves 5.

Directions:

1. Chop tomatoes in half, then cut each halve in half; (i.e. quarter the tomatoes.)
2. Place tomatoes in a large deep bowl.
3. Chop avocado, and add to the bowl.
4. Chop the basil leaves into bite size pieces and add to bowl.
5. Add balsamic and mustard to bowl, and mix all ingredients thoroughly using 2 spoons to toss.
6. Transfer your salad to serving dish, and enjoy the beauty of health.

Mushroom Risotto

Yes, this is happening. And yes, this is gluten free, and vegan, and marvelously mouth-watering.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup short grain brown rice
• 2 cups filtered water
• 1 cup Daiya mozzarella shreds
• 2 shiitake mushrooms
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup almond milk
• Fresh rosemary herb, 2 stems

Serves 5.

Directions:

• Bring water to a boil over stove.
• Add in rice and rosemary, stir once, and reduce heat to simmer. Cover pot until rice is fluffy and cooked.
• Meanwhile, chop mushrooms, and place into a shallow bowl.
• Add balsamic vinegar to mushrooms, and allow to soak in and marinate until needed.

• When rice is cooked, add in cheese and almond milk. Lightly stir over low heat until cheese is melted.
• Finally, add in the balsamic mushrooms.
• Serve warm. OMG it's so good.

PB&J Remix

These are too cute, I can't believe I haven't shared this recipe with you yet, as it's a staple. You will LOVE!

Ingredients:

• 1 washed apple, (I like Pink Lady, but what is your favorite?)
• 4 tablespoons raw almond butter
• 1/3 cup washed blueberries

Makes up to 4 mini sandwiches.

Directions:

1. Slice apple from the stem to the base into thin 1 centimeter thick pieces. (Depending on the size of the apple, you will yield around 8 slices.)
2. Distribute 1/2 tablespoon almond butter on the top side of each slice.
3. Place around 2-3 blueberries on each top, and then form into sandwiches! Thus, each sandwich will have a total of 2 slices of apple, 1 tablespoon of almond butter, and around 4-6 blueberries. 

You can customize with different berries, (i.e. strawberries, raspberries, blueberries), and a nut-butter of your choice, whether it be peanut, cashew, or walnut! Do you have a preference?

Word Inspiration

Hi foodie friends... Happy Valentine's Day! Can each and every one of you please be my Valentine? I appreciate you all so much.

My gift to you today is not a recipe, but some words of wisdom that I hope inspire you as much as they inspire me.

"Often people attempt to live their lives backwards: they try to have more things, or more money, in order to do more of what they want so they will be happier. The way it actually works is the reverse. You must first be who you really are, then do what you love to do, in order to have what you want ... The formula for success is Be, Do, Have. If we seek abundance, we must be abundant in spirit." -Wise Person

"The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than success, than what other people think, or say, or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break an organization, a school, a home. The remarkable thing is that we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past. We cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and this is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you..." -Charles Swindoll

Love-Me-Pink Pasta

A perfect Valentine's Day pasta bowl for two, and allow me to simply count the ways...

Ingredients:

• 2 servings gluten free rotini pasta
• 2 tablespoons vegan soy free buttery spread
• 2 beets

Serves 1 couple.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Wash the beets, and trim the ends off.
3. Place beets in a roasting pan, and cover with foil not allowing the foil to touch the beets.
4. Bake for 30 minutes, or until tender. 
5. Meanwhile, boil pasta in filtered water until al dente, (roughly 7 minutes.)
6. Drain water in colander, and set pasta back in pan.
7. Add in butter, and cover.
8. When beets are softened, remove skins, which will easily slip off, and place skinned beets in your colander over the pan of pasta and butter.
9. The ruby red beet juice will drain into the pan. Dice beets, and compress with your hands for more juice. (Careful, beet juice is intense and can stain!)
10. When you've "juiced" it all up, mix pasta with beet butter sauce. 
11. Serve warm. The extreme thought that went into this pasta bowl in order to make it Valentine's Day color appropriate, might just tickle-him-pink.

Garden Salad

When Mikaila first saw me make this, she proclaimed, "it looks like a garden!" And herein, my famous Garden Salad was born.

Ingredients:

• 1 bushel of kale, washed, stemmed, and chopped
• 1 medium size carrot, grated
• 1 purple cabbage, grated
• 1 avocado, chopped
• 2 servings of tofu, (about 1/2 block of tofu), cubed
• 1 cup Daiya mozzarella style shreds
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard

Serves 4-6.

Directions:

1. Toss all ingredients in a large salad bowl using tongs.
2. That's all.
3. Get your Garden on, friends! By the way, this holds really well in the refrigerator in case you have leftovers.

THE TASTIEST GLUTEN-FREE, VEGAN PANCAKES EVER

Hi Foodie Friends, 

Today I am featured as a guest on The Chalkboard again... which is my absolute favorite wellness site. Such an honor!! You can find my recipe for gluten free vegan pancakes on The Chalkboard here: http://thechalkboardmag.com/the-tastiest-gluten-free-vegan-pancakes-ever

Enjoy!!!!! 

P.S. These pancakes actually are delicious. Like, no words. And so low calorie healthy... it's kinda am-may-zing.

3 Ingredient Spaghetti and Meatballs (without the meat)

Hold up now. Spaghetti and meatballs, without the meat, without the gluten, and using only 3 ingredients? WHO WHAT WHERE WHEN WHY HOW !

Ingredients:

• 1 package gluten free quinoa spaghetti, or another spaghetti variety of your choice
• 2 Amy's Bistro Veggie Burger patties, which by the way are the best veggie burgers ever.
• 2 cups your favorite tomato sauce; I used Rao's Arrabbiata sauce, sold at Whole Foods.

Serves 4-6.

 Directions:

1. Defrost veggie burgers by keeping them in the refrigerator (as opposed to the freezer) for 24 hours. 
2. When the veggie burgers are defrosted, they soften and are moldable! Cut each defrosted patty into even quarters.
3. With your hands, roll each quarter into a small ball. (You will have 8 "veggie balls.")
4. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
5. Place "veggie balls" on a non-stick baking tray, and cook for 15 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, cook spaghetti in boiling water according to package instructions.
7. Once al dente, drain in colander.
8. Dip "veggie balls" lightly in tomato sauce, and bake for additional 5 minutes.
9. Distribute remaining tomato sauce on pasta. Top with "veggie balls." Serve :)

Mediterranean Toasts

Hummus makes me happy. Especially lemon hummus! If you are a hummus fan, too, then you will really love my Mediterannean Toasts. A thin layer of hummus, topped with fresh cucumber, roasted bell pepper, and olive mash, all on a crispy toasted brown rice english muffin... mmmmmm!

Ingredients:

• 1 brown rice gluten free english muffin, halved down the middle
• 2 tablespoons lemon hummus
• 4 round thin cucumber slices
• 1 yellow bell pepper
• 4 olives of your favorite variety
• Fresh ground black pepper to taste

Makes 2 toasts.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Place english muffin halves in the oven to toast for 10 minutes, or until desired crispy-ness.
3. Meanwhile, slice bell pepper in halve, then remove the seeds, core, and stem
4. Distribute pepper halves on a non stick tray, and place under broiler for 10 minutes, flipping halveway through.
5. Take your olives, remove pits, and mash them up with a fork until a chunky spread forms.
6. Spread 1 tablespoon of hummus on 1 piece of toast, top with 2 cucumber slices, 1 bell pepper halve, and your olive spread. Sprinkle with black pepper to taste. Repeate with remaining ingredients.

Is this something you would try? I'd love to hear!

Beauty Balance Bowl

This perfectly satisfying combination of roasted and raw vegetables, fresh herbs, essential oils, and whole-grains is guarenteed to make your skin glow, your eyes sparkle, and your body happy. Give my Beauty Balance Bowl a try, and experience the benefits for yourself! 

Ingredients:

• 1 large eggplant, washed and sliced lengthwise into thin pieces
• 1 cucumber, washed and sliced widthwise into thin circles, and then halved
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, washed and diced
• 1 garlic, minced
• 1 scallion, removed from stem and cut into 1 inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil; (I prefer the taste of this one from Greece, sold at Whole Foods.)
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 cup brown rice; (I used short grain, but long works, too!)
• Fresh ground black pepper to taste

Serves 4.

Directions:

1. Boil rice in 2 cups filtered water according to package instructions.
2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
3. In a deep pot over the stove, cook eggplant slices in boiling water for 10 minutes until tender.
4. Drain, and place tender slices in a shallow baking pan. Bake for 15 minutes, tossing twice.
5. Meanwhile, combine all remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Mix well. Add eggplant and toss.
6. Serve eggplant salad over brown rice, or refrigerate eggplant mixture for minimum 5 hours, and serve chilled over warm rice... I served mine chilled, and t'was ideal. Please do let me know what you do!

SUPER (bowl) Pizza w/ Sweet Potato Crust

Are you looking for a fun healthy dish to cook this weekend that will "wow" your guests? Drum roll please... a gluten free pizza using sweet potato for the crust! Oh, and clearly we've got some kale going on here, too! 

Ingredients:

• 4 sweet potatoes, washed
• 2-1/2 cups quinoa flour
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup water, chilled
• 1 head of kale, washed, stemmed, and chopped
• 5 Roma tomatoes, sliced into thin pieces
• 1 lemon
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• Fresh ground black pepper to taste

Serves 10-12.

Directions:

• Cook sweet potatoes in a 400 degree oven for 50 minutes.
• Remove from heat, and once cooled, remove skin; (it should peel right off.)

• Mash sweet potatoes with a masher; you should yield about 2 cups.
• Combine mashed sweet potatoes in a large bowl with quinoa flour, 2 tbsp. olive oil, and water. Mix thoroughly either in a food processor or knead with your hands to form dough. 
• Roll dough into a circular pizza crust shape onto a nonstick pizza tray; (I made 1 large pizza, but you can make 2 or 3 smaller ones if you'd like.)
• Bake crust at 400 degrees for 10 minutes, then remove from heat.
• While the crust is baking, soak kale with lemon juice from your lemon.

• Stir remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil with minced garlic, and spread evenly on baked crust.
• Distribute lemon marinated kale and tomatoes, and bake for additional 25 minutes at 400 degrees.
• Once ready, remove from oven and let cool. Sprinkle with nutritional yeast, slice, and serve your gourmet pizza!

Now of course, these are the toppings I chose to use. Feel free to change it up! Olives, sweet peppers, pineapple, pesto, the opportunities are endless!

Will you be rooting for the Patriots or the Giants while you enjoy your heart-healthy pizza? Or maybe you won't be watching the Super Bowl Sunday afternoon, but instead in yoga practice ... just saying. Peace and love foodie friends!