Snacks

Chocolatey Chocolate Chip Cookies with Coconut Flour and Hemp Seeds

~ withlovegeneve ~ Leave a comment

choc choc chip cookies

These cookies are full of chocolatey goodness and no dairy, gluten, or added sugar (aside from the chocolate chips).

Ingredients:
Makes 12

1 banana, mashed
3 Tbsp of water
1/2 cup quinoa flakes
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup almond flour
1/4 cup hemp seeds
1/4 cup cocoa powder
3 Tbsps almond butter
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F.  Mash the banana in a medium sized mixing bowl with the water and add all of the other ingredients.  Mix together until evenly combined.  Roll into 2 inch balls and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Lightly press cookies to flatten on the cookie sheet.  Bake for 15 minutes.

Enjoy!

Gxo

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Creamy Guacamole

~ withlovegeneve ~ Leave a comment

guac

I love guacamole and usually stick to a traditional and simple version.  I decided to mix it up a little when I saw a recipe for guacamole made richer and creamier with the addition of sour cream.  I substituted Greek yogurt for the sour cream and added my usual ingredients of lime, garlic, cilantro, crushed red pepper flakes and salt.  The result was a smoother guacamole with a subtle hint of creaminess.  This version will go so well with tacos.

Ingredients:

1/2 an avocado, mashed
1 clove garlic, finely chopped or grated with a microplane
2 Tbsps Greek yogurt
Juice of 1/2 lime
Pinch of sea salt
Pinch of red pepper flakes
Chopped cilantro

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well until everything is combined.  Taste and adjust seasonings according to your taste.

Enjoy!

Gxo

Roasted Cauliflower and Garlic Hummus

~ withlovegeneve ~ 1 Comment

cauliflower hummus

I am loving this vegetable based hummus!  This is the first time I’ve tested out this idea and I will definitely be trying different combinations of ingredients, spices, and fresh herbs.  This works nicely as a nutritious dip, side dish or even a sauce/topping.  I did not add any tahini but you could add some for a creamier texture.

Ingredients:

1 head of cauliflower, chopped into evenly sized pieces
4 cloves of garlic, smashed and skins removed
1/2 cup water
Juice from 1/2 a lemon
4 Tbsp olive oil (plus more for adding when blending)
1/4 tsp paprika
Sea salt

On a baking sheet mix the cauliflower, 2 Tbsp olive oil, garlic cloves, and a few pinches of sea salt until evenly coated – add to a 425F oven and roast for 25 minutes or until soft and browning.  Allow to cool slightly before adding to a  food processor along with the water, lemon juice, paprika, 2 Tbsp olive oil and a few pinches of sea salt.  Blitz the cauliflower while slowly streaming in additional olive oil for the hummus to come together in a thick consistency.  (You can add more water if you prefer a thinner style hummus).  Taste the hummus and season accordingly with more salt or paprika.  You can also add cayenne pepper for a touch of heat.

Enjoy!

Gxo

Golden Beet Salad with Feta, Basil Pesto, and Toasted Walnuts

~ withlovegeneve ~ Leave a comment

Beet salad

This salad is a stunner and it’s delicious and easy to make.  Everything can be made ahead of time too so it’s great for entertaining.  Each ingredient in this salad works together: the toasted walnuts give a great crunch and nuttiness, the basil is bright and fragrant, the feta is salty, and the beets are sweet.  I drizzled a little garlic infused olive oil to finish it off but regular will work too.  It’s so good – you can’t beat this one as a light salad or start to a meal (sorry, couldn’t help myself!).

Ingredients:

1 large golden beet
Basil pesto
Feta
Small handful of toasted walnuts
Olive oil (I used garlic infused but regular is delicious too)
Maldon sea salt

Roast the beet in a 400F oven for an hour or until you can easily insert a knife.  Allow for it to cool while you prep the other ingredients.
Toast walnuts in a dry pan over medium heat until they turn golden brown.

Basil pesto:

1 Large bunch basil (4 handfuls of leaves), washed clean and dry off excess water
1 large clove garlic
1/4 toasted pine nuts
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper

In a dry pan over medium heat toast pine nuts until they start to turn golden brown.
In a food processor add the basil, garlic, pine nuts, lemon juice and mix it while adding the olive oil in a stream until it comes together into a paste/thick sauce consistency.  Add salt/pepper to taste.

Meanwhile, back to the golden beet.  Once cool – peel the outer skin and then slice using a mandolin if you have one or cut very thin with a knife.  Arrange slices on a plate in a single layer slightly overlapping.  Using your artistry dollop pesto to your liking then sprinkle crumbled feta, toasted walnuts, and Maldon sea salt flakes, and lastly drizzle with olive oil.

Enjoy!

Gxo

Baked Parsnip Fries with Curry Dipping Sauce

~ withlovegeneve ~ Leave a comment

Parsnip fries

I absolutely love parsnips and had a bunch in the fridge that I normally would have added to my assorted roasted vegetables but was trying to think of something new to do with them.  I am pleased to report that this experiment is well worth repeating.  Who knew parsnips would work so perfectly as fries?  They even look just like them too.  These tasted deliciously indulgent and I already know how to use up my left over curry sauce.  I’ll share that next.

Baked Parsnip Fries

Ingredients:

Parsnips, peeled and cut into evenly sized strips (4-5 parsnips for 2 people)
A few tablespoons of olive oil
A few pinches of Sea salt

Preheat oven to 425F.  Place parsnips on one layer on a baking sheet, drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt making sure they are evenly coated and not crowded together so they’ll brown nicely.  Roast for 15-20 minutes or until nicely golden checking half way thru – stir with a baking spoon to allow other sides to brown.

Curry Dipping Sauce

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup plain Greek yogurt
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp turmeric
pinch of sea salt
pinch of cayenne (optional if you like a little heat)

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl.  I recommend making an hour or more ahead of time so the flavors have more time to blend together.

Enjoy!

Gxo

Roasted Spiced Carrot, Parsnip, and Cauliflower Soup

~ withlovegeneve ~ Leave a comment

spiced carrot and cauliflower soup

Some of my favorite meals have come transforming leftovers into a completely new dish.  The spiced roasted carrots and cauliflower from the last post are great in a salad, added to an omelette, or in this case blended into a creamy soup.  I love my low sodium vegetable bouillon cubes and with a cup of boiling water and my immersion blender I had everything I needed to make this delicious bowl.  You can control the consistency by adding as much or as little broth as you like.  The spices from the vegetables were the perfect amount of seasoning but you can adjust salt and pepper if needed.

Enjoy!

Gxo

Tuna Salad with Arugula

~ withlovegeneve ~ Leave a comment

Tuna salad

This tuna salad is dressed with leftovers from my ranch dip.  It makes the most delicious tuna salad that is great on it’s own, on a bed of arugula, in a sandwich, on toast…you get the idea.  Try it – this is so delicious!

See recipe for the ranch dip here.

I used one can of tuna and a few spoonfuls of the ranch dip.  You can control the ratio of dip/tuna depending on your preferences.  Season with salt/pepper as needed.

Enjoy!

Gxo

Yogurt Ranch Dip with Crudités

~ withlovegeneve ~ Leave a comment

Ranch dip

For a recent dinner party I wanted to feature something inspiring the tastes of Spring as it’s (hopefully) right around the corner.

Crudités is a little retro but with a delicious dip and some interesting vegetables it can be updated to make for a delicious and beautiful appetizer.  I opted for radishes, fennel, jicama, and baby carrots and for the dip I experimented to come up with a simple and clean version of a ranch dip.

This is such a versatile dip that can also be used as a dressing for salads or condiment with fish (would be great in lieu of tartar sauce).  I’ll be repurposing this dip in a future post so stay tuned for more!

Ingredients:

1 cup yogurt either low fat or full fat for best flavor (I used 1/2 Greek and 1/2 regular)
3/4 tsp onion powder
3/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp dried dill
1/2 tsp fresh dill
1/2 tsp celtic sea salt
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and allow to sit in the fridge for at least an hour to let the flavors develop.  Prep veggies and if making well in advance store cut veggies in water in the fridge so they stay crisp and fresh.

You can add other fresh herbs of choice – chives, basil, parsley would all be delicious as well if you don’t care for dill.

Enjoy!

Gxo

Chocolate Chip Cookies with Quinoa Flakes and Hemp Seeds

~ withlovegeneve ~ Leave a comment

coffee and cookie

I am REALLY excited about this recipe.  I have a major sweet tooth and I’ve been doing lots of browsing online to find something that would give me my fix.  I was inspired to try a recipe from @talesofakitchen.  The recipe is so simple and I made a few modifications that turned out deliciously well!  I still can’t believe that there is no dairy or egg in this recipe – banana is a great binder.  Who knew!?  I love a salty/sweet combo so I omitted the sweetener and added sea salt, vanilla, almond extract and hemp seeds.  I also added some almond butter for extra richness.  The result is a saltier, richer, moister cookie with only the subtlest hint of banana.  The chocolate chips add just a touch of sweetness.

A few notes: I’d never used quinoa flakes before and you can find them in the cereal aisle among the oats and porridge (at least that’s where my Whole Foods Market kept it).  The sweetness from the chocolate chips was enough for me but if you like it sweeter feel free to add something.  The original recipe can be found here.

Ingredients:

Makes 15 cookies

1 ripe banana, smashed
1 cup quinoa flakes
1/3 cup ground almond
1/3 cup ground flax seed
1/3 cup hemp seed hearts
3 Tbsp almond butter
1/3 cup dark chocolate chips (more or less depending on your preferred batter/chips ratio)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp sea salt

Preheat oven to 350F.  Mix everything together in a bowl and roll into 1-2 inch balls.  Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and press each ball to flatten slightly.  Bake for 15 minutes in a 350F oven.  These do not rise so you don’t have to worry about them melting into each other on the baking sheet.

cookies

Enjoy!

Gxo

Raw Kale Salad with Maple Tahini Dressing

~ withlovegeneve ~ 1 Comment

Kale saladLast month I was in Chicago for a girls weekend that was filled with amazing people, food, and fun times (ladies, you know who you are).  One of the meals we had that I wanted to try to replicate was this raw kale salad.  It’s delicious and a great make-ahead dish if you plan to entertain as the kale benefits from marinating in the dressing.

Ingredients:

Dressing:
2 Tbsp Tahini
2 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
1 Tbsp Maple Syrup
1/8 Tsp Celtic sea salt
1 clove garlic (grate with microplane)

Salad:

4 leaves of organic curly kale
A handful of brussel sprouts
A small handful of slivered almonds
Optional – a few pinches of Maldon Sea Salt flakes if you like the crunch of a little extra saltiness

Make the dressing and set aside.  Wash the kale and strip the center rib away from the rest of the leaf, bunch the leaves together and slice the kale into thin strips.  Next wash the brussel sprouts and cut off the ends and discard the outer bruised leaves – cut brussel sprouts into thin slices.  Add the kale and brussel sprouts to a mixing bowl and add the dressing – mix well and place in the refrigerator for at least an hour or 2 – even over night.  Add the almond slivers (and Maldon sea salt flakes if you choose) just before serving.

Enjoy!  Gxo