Gluten and dairy-free pizza

Pizza has always been one of my favorite meals.  It is versatile and so yummy.  But when going gluten-free I struggled with finding pizza crusts that did not taste like plastic.  I bought dry mixes and made my own and they all failed to impress me until recently.  I was shopping at Winners (TJ Maxx in the states) in their health food section and happened on Namaste Foods Pizza Crust Mix.  It tasted so good and the list of ingredients won't prevent you from sleeping at night.

 

Arugula, Mushroom and Tomato Pizza

 

Sauce ingredients :

 

1 handful chopped kale

1 cup pine nuts

10 mushrooms

1 19oz. Can organic crushed tomatoes

1 tbsp. oregano

1 tbsp. basil

1/2 tsp. california garlic powder

 

Method :

 

Place ingredients in a blender and mix until you get a smooth texture.  Spoon over baked pizza crust and freeze leftover sauce for future use.

 

Pizza Ingredients:

 

1/2 Namaste Foods Pizza Crust mix (it is also available online and at Tau markets)

2 cups arugula

10 mushrooms

10 cherry tomatoes

 

Pizza Method:

 

Layer ingredients over pizza sauce and cook according to the package instructions.

 

Serve and enjoy!

 

 

 

Thanks for reading!

Amelie

 

 

 

 

 

Quinoa, Kale and Pomegranate Salad

 

My favorite lettuce is by far kale.  It is crispy and has this tangy taste that I adore.  I prefer it alone drizzled with a bit of oil and lemon juice, but when I have it as a main course and I need a protein source I love to mix it with quinoa.  This salad is super simple to make and is sure to please everyone (even meat eaters!!!) 

 

 

 

Quinoa, Kale and Pomegranate Salad

 

Salad Ingredients :

 

6-8 cups kale

3 cups cooked quinoa

4 cups pomegranate arils

 

Dressing Ingredients:

 

1 tbsp. sunflower oil

1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

2 tbsp. POM juice

 

Mix salad ingredients together in a serving bowl.  In a separate bowl, whisk together dressing ingredients.  Drizzle on top of salad and mix until coated.

 

Serve and Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

Thanks for reading!

Amelie



Gluten and Dairy-Free Penne'n Cheese

So I have been trying to find a good alternative to my son's less than healthy macaroni 'n cheese love affair.  He likes the boxed kind (and I rarely indulge).  So when he was feeling under the weather yesterday, I decided to give The Post Punk Kitchen's mac 'n cheese recipe a try (head over to her site for the recipe).  Well, as with everything with a detectable nut taste, he was less than pleased.  But my husband and I simply couldn't get over how decadent it was.  It was creamy and so, so tasty.  Good enough to serve for a fancy meal when we have company, and easy enough that everything is done in the time it takes to boil pasta.  

 

 

 

Recipe notes:  I omitted the brussel sprouts this time since I am the only one who likes them.  I also omitted chipotles since I don't like when things are too spicy. 

 

 

Thanks for reading and have a great week-end!

Amelie

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

Chocolate Chia Berry Kiwi Smoothie

 

Last night I made Chocolate Chia pudding for dessert and although it failed to impress the kids, my husband and I really enjoyed it.  I liked it so much, in fact, that I decided to also include it in my morning smoothie today!  Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

 

 

Chocolate Chia Pudding

1 cup vanilla almond milk
1/4 cup chia seeds
1 tbsp. raw cacao powder

Place chia seeds and cacao powder in a mixing bowl.  Add milk and mix until you get an even texture.  Refrigerate for a few hours and serve.

 

 

 

Chocolate Chia Berry Kiwi Smoothie

1 1/2 cups chocolate chia pudding
1 banana
2 kiwis
3/4 cup blueberries
1 1/2 cups coconut water

Place all ingredients in a blender and mix until you get a nice smooth texture.  Serve and Enjoy!

 

Have a great day and thanks for reading!

Amelie

Raw Kale Casserole

So I recently realized that I am eating a lot of raw meals and I have been enjoying it tremendously.  This was not intentional, as my stomach (and what's in the fridge) mostly dictates my meals.  I have never been great at planning meals ahead of time and so usually figure it out shortly before mealtime.  This is exactly what happened here and I could not be happier.  It was fresh and crispy and I have been craving it ever since.

 

 

 



Raw Kale Casserole

(Yields 1 serving)

 

Salad ingredients :

 

3 cups of kale

1 cup pomegranate arils (I buy some already prepared in the fozen section at Costco)

1 1/2 cups broccoli

1/2 cup dry roasted chickpeas (recipe here)

1/4 cup mung bean sprouts

1/4 cup mixed sprouts

 

 

Dressing ingredients :

 

1 tbsp. sunflower oil

1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

2 tbsp. nutritional yeast

 

Method:

 

Whisk dressing ingredients together until you get a smooth texture.  Place all salad ingredients in a large bowl and add dressing.  Mix everything until well coated.

 

 

 

 

Have a great day!

Amelie

 

Raw Brownies

So I have been trying to get my kids to eat more healthy snacks and breakfasts.  It is a slow process, but we are making headway.  I found that what works is to make super healthy "desserts".  Last week-end I found another bloggers' Raw Brownies recipe and decided to make it for that night's dessert.  Well, it was a hit and I've since made another batch with a modification and I like it even better!  And the kids can have if as snacks and breakfast with some fruits and it still a super healthy option!

 

 

Raw Brownies

1 1/2 cup walnuts

1 1/2 cup hazelnuts

3 cups dates

1 cup raw cacao (not a typo) powder ...
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Place nuts in food processor and mix until you get a crumbly texture.  Add dates, vanilla extract and raw cacao powder mix until you get a somewhat pasty texture.

Transfer to a rectangular Pyrex-type dish and spread evenly. You may sprinkle with coconut shreds
at this point. Place in the freezer for 3 hours. Take out 10 minutes before serving. Keep leftovers in the refrigerator.

Have a great week-end and thanks for reading!
Amelie

Mixed greens with beets, mung bean sprouts and dry-roasted chickpeas

So I am an avid instagram user.  My husband would say that I am addicted, which is not too far from the truth.  I mainly follow users who are vegan and who eat a whole food plant-based diet (with the occasional fashion bloggers (I have a weakness for bloggers who mix high-end designers with Forever 21 and Zara (I mostly mix Zara and Forever 21...nicer on the budget)).  So anyways, I use Instagram as a platform to share my recipes, and really do enjoy the instant gratification of the "like" button.  I also feel like there is a better connection and dialogue with my followers, where as a blog feels more like a self-centered monologue.  I also find it harder to produce a quality product when I have the kids around.  So for the next little while, I will be posting here once or twice a week, since I do enjoy it quite a bit.  As for more regular updates, feel free to follow along on  my  Facebook page and on Instagram, twitter (@aavoine) and pinterest!  If you like this blog, please subscribe to its RSS Feed or via email!

Now to last night's dinner.  I have been wanting to purchase a sprouter for a while now, but felt a bit overwhelmed at the idea.  Making a drastic diet change the way I did takes so getting used to, so in the mean time I have been purchasing some sprouts from my local health food market.  But after last night's salad, I will definitely be buying one soon.


Mixed Greens with Red beets, Mung Bean Sprouts and Dry-Roasted Chickpeas

 

 

 So first start off with dry-roasting the chickpeas (this recipe comes from instagram user @therunningtimes)

 

 

 

Ingredients : 

 

1 can (about 2 cups) of chickpeas rinsed and dried. 

1 tbsp. honey (or agave nectar)

1/2 tbsp. she used olive oil, but I substituted with sunflower oil
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. nutmeg

Method :

 

Preheat oven to 375C.

 

Peel the little white skin from the chickpeas (hard work but definitely worth it and essential to the chickpeas being very crispy).

 

Place on a baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes.

 

When they start to brown, place them in a mixing bowl and add the honey, oil, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Mix until well coated.  If you would like a glazing effect, place in the oven for an extra 10 minutes.

 

As for the salad, simply place the mixed greens, boiled beets (for cooking instructions, see Beet and Orange Salad recipe here), chickpeas and mung bean sprouts in a serving bowl and drizzle with some balsamic vinegar.  Serve and enjoy! 

 

The chickpeas are great as part of this salad, as a main dish with some vegetables or simply as a snack.  My daughter couldn't keep her hands off of them.  And since they are a good source of protein and iron (1 cup gives you 30% of your daily recommended intake of iron), they definitely will be making their way into her lunch box when school starts in a few weeks. 

 

Have a great day, and thanks for reading!

Amelie

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gluten-free Penne and Arugula Salad

 

Has wonderful as our vacation was, the lack of proper choice in terms of food has left me completely drained and some symptoms have come back.  So with my energy level still quite low, meals have been on the simpler side in the recent week.   So yesterday, I decided that I needed a bit of fanciness for lunch because I was getting tired of the same old salad.  So I raided the fridge and came up with this amazing gluten-free penne and arugula salad.

 

Gluten-free Penne and Arugula Salad

Ingredients

 

1 1/2 cups cooked gluten-free penne (I used TruRoots that I buy at Costco)

2 cups arugula

2 cups cherry tomatoes

1 avocado

1 tbsp. fresh oregano

1 tsbp. fresh basil

 A pinch of salt

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

 

Method

 

Place all the ingredients in a bowl and mix until coated.  Serve at room temperature.

 

 

Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to like my page on Facebook and follow me on Instagram, twitter (@aavoine) and pinterest!  If you like this blog, please subscribe to its RSS Feed or via email!

Thanks for reading!

Amélie 

 

 

 

 

Back form hiatus - Quinoa, Kale and Raisin Salad

I'm back...sorry I took so long to post, but while away the connection was horrible so I did only a few Instagram and Facebook updates.  And since I've been back, I have just been quietly enjoying spending time with the kids! 

So here we go with another recipe :

Quinoa Kale and Raisin Salad

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa
2 cups frozen chopped kale (fresh may also be used)
3 tbsps. water
2 cups raisins
1 tbsp. sunflower oil
1 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 tsp. sea salt
 pepper to taste

 

 

Method:

 

Cook quinoa according to instructions on bag and reserve until it has reached room temperature.

 

Place kale in a microwavable measuring cup with water and heat on high for 3 1/2 minutes.

 

In a medium bowl, place the cooled quinoa and kale.  Add all other ingredients and mix.  Serve immediately or place in the refrigerator for a few hours and serve cold.

 

 

Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to like my page on Facebook and follow me on Instagram, twitter (@aavoine) and pinterest!  If you like this blog, please subscribe to its RSS Feed or via email!

Thanks for reading!

Amélie