Spanish Hummus

I went to Barcelona with my daughter this summer. They had the best hummus! I came home and tried to duplicate it. This is my version.

Ingredients:
15 oz can Garbanzo Beans or 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas without liquid
1/4 c liquid from beans (either from the can or from the water you soaked the chickpeas in)
1/4 c freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 1/2 T Tahini
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 t salt
1/2 t cumin
1/4 t sweet smoked paprika (optional)
2 T Extra Virgin olive oil

Directions:
1. Drain beans, reserving liquid. Rinse beans with cold water in a colander.
2. Add beans, 1/4 cup liquid and remaining ingredients to a food processor or high speed blender.
3. Process until it is a creamy consistency. 

4. Refrigerate and serve chilled with cucumbers, carrots, peppers or any other vegetables or crackers you like.

Apple Chicken Salad

Salad Ingredients:
2 boneless skinless organic chicken breasts
2 ribs celery, diced
1 apple, cored and diced (or you can use 1 c of grapes, cut in half)
1/2 c pecans or walnuts (optional)

Dressing Ingredients:
3/4-1 cup full fat plain greek yogurt or plain non-dairy yogurt or avocado oil mayo
1 T dried cilantro or 2 T fresh chopped cilantro
1/2 T coconut oil, melted or avocado oil or extra virgin olive oil
dash garlic powder
1 t coconut sugar
juice of 1/2 lemon
lemon zest
dash sea salt
dash pepper


Directions:
1. Bake chicken breasts in oven or you can boil them. You can even use leftover chicken from a roasted chicken. Cut chicken into bite sized pieces. 
2. Combine all salad ingredients in a large bowl.
3. In a shaker or medium bowl combine dressing ingredients and shake/stir well with a whisk.
3. Pour dressing ingredients over salad ingredients and toss well with a spatula or wooden spoon. You can serve right away or chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours for a better flavor.
4. Serve on a bed of lettuce or with your favorite crackers or bread.

Barbecue Chicken and Apple Slaw

Barbecue Ingredients:
2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts, each cut in half (approx. 1 lb)
2 large organic apples, peeled and diced
1 vidalia onion, diced
4 slices bacon or turkey bacon, cooked and crumbled (optional)
1 cup BBQ sauce (I recommend Bone Suckin' Sauce. It is sugar free and all of the ingredients are healthy) or use your favorite sauce

Directions:
1. Put the chicken, apples, onion, bacon and BBQ sauce in a slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
2. While the chicken is cooking, make the slaw OR make the slaw a day ahead of time (I think it is better if it sits in the fridge for a while before serving.)
2. After the chicken is cooked through, shred with 2 forks and stir the crockpot mixture together well. 


Slaw Dressing Ingredients:
6 T non-dairy yogurt (unflavored and unsweetened) or you can use full fat coconut milk or you could use a healthy mayo, like avocado oil mayo
4 T apple cider vinegar
1T + 1t dijon mustard
1T + 1t pure maple syrup
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste

Remaining Slaw Ingredients:
2 apples, cut into thin strips
2 cups cabbage, finely shredded
1 carrot, shredded

2 green onions, diced

Directions:
Combine dressing ingredients in a shaker or bowl and mix well. Pour over top of remaining slaw ingredients in a large bowl and toss well. Refrigerate until ready to use. Serve on top of barbecue.

This is a favorite among my nutrition clients. I saw the original recipe at closetcooking.com, but altered it and listed different alternatives for some of the ingredients. Enjoy!

Homemade Chocolate

Ingredients:
1/2 cup organic virgin coconut oil
1/2 cup raw cacao powder
2 T pure maple syrup or 1 T maple syrup and 8 drops Stevia
1/2 t vanilla extract or mint extract
1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds or coconut or topping of your choice

Directions:
1. In a double broiler, melt oil and stir in cacao until thoroughly blended. Remove from heat and stir in maple syrup and extract. 
2. Pour into a square 9x9 pan lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle topping on top of melted chocolate or stir in if you prefer. Place in a freezer until it hardens. Break apart into chunks and enjoy when you have a sweet tooth or are craving chocolate.

NOTE: You can also use silicone molds instead of putting this in a pan. They come in various shapes and sizes. 

North Carolina Chicken Fingers

When we lived in NC I had a friend that made these for my family after I had surgery. Of course everyone loved them. For a healthier version, try using gluten-free crackers or gluten-free bread crumbs.

Ingredients:
1 stick real butter
2 boneless chicken breasts, trimmed and cut into small tenders or nuggets
1 sleeve Club or Ritz crackers, mashed into crumbs
1/4 c parmesan cheese
1/4 t garlic powder
1/2 t salt
1/2 t pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Melt butter in a shallow dish. Combine remaining ingredients in a bowl and stir well.
Dip chicken fingers in butter and then roll in cracker crumb mixture. Set on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 30 minutes or until brown.

Grilled Chicken and Peaches

Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts
4 peaches, peeled, cut in half, pit removed
1 large vidalia onion, sliced in large slices
1/4 cup + 2 T extra virgin olive oil
3 T peach infused vinegar
1 T maple syrup
1/4 c orange juice
1 T rosemary
salt and pepper

Directions:
Combine 1/4 cup olive oil, vinegar and maple syrup in a shallow dish. Stir well. Lay chicken breasts in dish and turn to coat well. Let marinade at least 2 hours or overnight.

In a bowl, stir together peaches, onions, orange juice, rosemary, salt and pepper.

Preheat grill. On one side of grill, place chicken. Grill a few minutes on each side, until no longer pink on the inside.

On the other side of the grill, place a piece of foil. Place peaches and onions on the foil and cook until starting to get charred, then turn over and grill on the other side. 

Goes great with zucchini fries and homemade barbecue sauce for the chicken.

Rhubarb Ice Cream (non-dairy)

Ingredients:
5 rhubarb stalks, cut into 2-inch pieces 
1/3 cup coconut sugar
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and scraped
1/4 c water
1 t lemon juice
1 can full fat organic coconut milk

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F. In a 13 x 9 glass pan add the rhubarb, 3 T coconut sugar, and vanilla bean with inside scrapings. Stir together. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring halfway through, until the rhubarb is tender. Remove the vanilla bean. Put the rhubarb and any juices in a blender or  food processor to puree. Let it cool.

Combine the rest of the sugar and 1/4 cup of water in a small saucepan. 
Cook over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Let the syrup cool completely.

Whisk together the rhubarb puree, lemon juice, syrup, coconut milk, and sea salt. Refrigerate the mixture for at least 2 hours or overnight. Put in your ice cream machine and make according to your manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer the ice cream to a freezer-safe container and freeze until hard. Let soften for 15 minutes before serving.

Mango Pie

Crust Ingredients:
1 cup walnuts or pecans 
1 cup shredded unsweetened dried coconut
8-9 pitted medjool dates, chopped
1/4 t sea salt or himalayan salt

Filling Ingredients:
1 cup dried mangos or apricots
3 cups fresh mango, peeled and chopped
*Optional Toppings: Coconut Milk Whipped Cream or berries of your choice

Directions:
Chop dried mangos or apricots and place in a medium size bowl. Cover with water and let soak at least 15 minutes, preferably 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in your food processor, chop nuts until fine, but not too long or you will end up with nut butter. Add coconut and chopped dates and chop in your food processor until mixture is fine and mixed well. Spread in the bottom of a pie pan. Place pie pan in freezer or fridge until filling is ready.
For filling, drain dried water off of dried fruit and add to a clean food processor. Process until in small pieces. Add fresh mangos and process until mixture is creamy. Pour into crust and refrigerate for 3+hours before serving. 

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients:
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1 t baking soda
1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 t sea salt
1 cup butter (room temperature)
1 cup light brown sugar (packed)
¼ cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs (room temperature)
2 tsp vanilla
3 cups rolled oats
2 cups chocolate chips

Directions:
In a medium bowl, whisk flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugars on med-high until pale and fluffy (approx. 3 minutes).
Add eggs one at a time, fully incorporating after each addition, and beat on high for 1 minute. Add vanilla. Turn mixer to low and add flour mixture, mix until combined.

Stir in oats and chocolate chips. Mix until just combined.
Chill dough in the fridge for an hour or outside, depending on the season. It is February here and 20 degrees out, so I set mine outside on the patio for an hour. 

Preheat oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking sheet.
Using a small cookie scoop or a spoon, place cookies on baking sheet 2" apart. I did 12 cookies per sheet.
Bake for 10 mins or until edges are lightly browned but center is still soft and unset.
Cool for 5 minutes on baking sheet, then transfer to cooling rack to cool completely.

*You could always swap out raisins for the chocolate chips if you prefer. 
*Thanks to www.liveforcake.com for this great recipe. My family loves these!

Dairy Free Hot Chocolate

Ingredients:

½ cup raw cacao or natural unsweetened cocoa powder
½ cup coconut sugar 
3 T carob powder (or more cacao if you don’t like carob)
2 T maca powder
2 t ground cinnamon
1 t ground ginger
¼ t sea salt

*1/4 t vanilla extract (optional)

Directions:
Mix all dry ingredients together in a bowl with a whisk. Store in an airtight jar or container. 
To make hot chocolate, add 8-12oz. of your preferred non-dairy milk to a saucepan over medium heat.  Add in 1-2 heaping spoonfuls of dry mix and 1/4 t vanilla extract, whisking constantly until all is combined and the milk is warm. Can adjust amount of dry ingredients to your taste. 

Options: can add a sprinkle of cinnamon or coconut whipped cream if desired on top.
**You can leave out the maca powder and ground ginger, but it is a nice healthy addition! Maca powder is a superfood and ginger is anti-inflammatory.