Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies with Coconut and Pecans

Earlier this year I discovered Almond Flour and have been loving using it in recipes. You can even make it yourself by throwing a handful of almonds in a food processor and processing until it becomes flour consistency.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups almond flour (or almond meal)
• 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
• 1/2 cup pecans
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp baking powder (I used baking soda)
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 cup brown sugar (or substitute)
• 3 tbsps coconut oil (melted)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp chia seeds (optional)

1. In a large mixing bowl, stir together almond meal, choc chips, coconut, pecans, baking powder, salt and sugar.
2. In a separate bowl, beat egg until uniform in colour and doubled in volume. 
3. Whisk in the coconut oil and vanilla. Add chia seeds if desired. Add to dry ingredients and mix until combined. Chill in fridge for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375F. 
4. Shape dough into balls and place on baking sheet. Flatten down slightly to form shape. Sprinkle a little bit of coconut and pecans on top of each.  
5. Bake until edges begin to brown, about 7-10 minutes.  

Adapted from here: http://minimalistbaker.com/almond-meal-cookies-with-chocolate-chips-and-coconut/ 

Salmon with Blueberry BBQ Sauce

I came across this recipe on Pinterest by Caramel Potatoes and couldn't wait to try it. The best part of this dish is that it is SO quick to make and tastes amazing. I got this salmon from the local fish market and also cooked up some mashed sweet potatoes with this. The blueberry and bbq sauce works incredibly well with the salmon and can be used on many other things!

Ingredients:

• 2 salmon fillets
• 2 tbsps apple cider vinegar
• 3 tbsps balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbsps worcestershire sauce
• 3 tbsps brown sugar
• 2 tbsps maple syrup
• 2 tsps lemon juice
• 2/3 cup tomato sauce
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp chopped garlic
• 1/2 tsp dry mustard
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Combine all ingredients (except blueberries) in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk until combined and sugar is dissolved. Stir in blueberries and let simmer for 10 mins or until thickened. 

For Salmon, I grilled each side in a frying pan with olive oil until slightly browned. I then baked in oven until cooked through. 

Enjoy!

 

Roasted Sweet Potato Tacos with Orange Ginger Slaw

About a year ago, I watched the movie Forks Over Knives (see trailer here) when my friend Terri suggested it to me. The movie focuses on eating more of a plant-based diet and less processed foods and meats. It doesn't say to cut out meat completely, it just talks about the benefits of eating more vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts, etc. I found a recipe on Pinterest for Sweet Potato Tacos and thought it would be a good one to try for a vegetarian meal. The bonus is that I absolutely LOVE tacos. 

When we were making these back in Vancouver, we were making our own corn tortilla's from scratch. Our friend Amy bought us a tortilla press (you can get them off Amazon really cheap) and we loved making them ourselves. Since we haven't found somewhere close by to purchase Masa (corn meal), we have been buying them for now. 

The real name for the recipe didn't fit into the title, so below you will see what is involved. Feel free to modify as you see fit but I suggest you try this one out first :)

1. Cumin Roasted Sweet Potatoes
2. Orange Ginger Slaw
3. Spicy Guacamole
4. Mango/Mint Yogurt
5. Corn Tortillas

You can make all of the above parts ahead of time. The only one that tastes better right before eating is the sweet potatoes. The rest can be done the day before or earlier in the day if you are having a dinner party!

Salivating yet? Here are the ingredients for each part of the tacos... 

Sweet Potato:

• 1 large sweet potato, cubed into 1 inch pieces
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp olive oil
• salt/pepper to taste

Toss sweet potato cubes in olive oil and lay on baking sheet and then sprinkle with cumin. Roast at 350F until tender. Season with salt and pepper if desired. 

Orange/Ginger Slaw:

• 1 small red cabbage, diced finely
• 1 large carrot (grated)
• 1 tsp ginger (grated)
• 1/2 cup green onions, chopped
• 1 fresh lime, juiced
• 1/2 fresh orange, juiced
• 1/2 tsp fish sauce
• 1/2 tsp palm sugar (or brown sugar)

Mix cabbage, carrot, ginger and green onions in large bowl until fully combined. In a small dish mix remaining ingredients for sauce. Coat the slaw with sauce and mix through. 

Spicy Guacamole:

• 1 Avocado, mashed
• 1/2 cup diced tomatoes (I like cherry tomatoes in guac)
• Handful of cilantro
• 1/2 fresh lime
• 1-2 cloves of garlic
• 1/2 tsp diced chili (if you like it hot) or chili flakes
• Salt/pepper to taste

Add avocado into bowl and mash with a fork. Add remaining ingredients and mix. If you are storing in fridge for later, make sure to put cling wrap on top of guac so it touches it. This will help you avoid the brown crust of death. Sorry that was dramatic... but it does really suck when it goes brown. 

Mango/Mint Yogurt:

• 1 cup natural Greek yogurt
• 1/4 mango (about 1 slice)
• 1/2 cup fresh mint, chopped
• 1/2 fresh lime, juiced
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/4 cup cilantro

Add all ingredients to small bowl and mix through. I used a hand mixer blender thingie like this to get the right consistency. You can also throw into a blender but that's a bit messy. Chill in the fridge for at least an hour. It tastes the best when it is in fridge overnight. 

Corn Tortillas:

• 10-12 corn tortillas

I bought these from grocery store and heated them up right before we ate. 

ENJOY! 

Adapted from Baba Ganuj's Blog

Quinoa Breakfast Patties with Thyme & Garlic

Last weekend we took a road trip down the coast to a little town named Fingal. We spent a beautiful sunny morning at the beach, Nathan surfing and me running along the sand. After working up an appetite, we decided to hit up one of the charming little beach side cafe's on main street. I ordered an amazing meal of corn fritters and poached eggs. They were delicious... and when I saw quinoa patties on Pinterest the next day, I decided that I had to try them.

The base of these is quinoa, cauliflower, egg and almond flour. But you can substitute lots of different things in and they will still taste great! We had them with fried eggs and some drizzled balsamic vinaigrette. Let me know if you have any good additions to the recipe! Enjoy :)

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups of cooked quinoa
• 1 cup of cooked cauliflower (chopped small)
• 1/2 cup of almond flour (or breadcrumbs)
• 1/2 cup of parmesean cheese
• 1/2 cup green onions 
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme 
• 2 cloves garlic
• 3 eggs (I used 2 egg whites and 1 full egg)
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• salt & pepper to taste
• Optional: serve with spinach, eggs, sprig of thyme and balsamic vinaigrette (see pic below)

Combine everything in large bowl. Add more almond flour/breadcrumbs if they aren't staying together properly. 

Heat non stick frying pan to med heat. Add 1 tsp of coconut oil. Add in patties and cook each side until golden brown. 

Delicious & Healthy Chicken Meatballs with Apple BBQ Sauce

One of my guilty pleasures has always been meatballs. I LOVE spaghetti and meatballs, sweet and sour appy meatballs and nearly every kind you can get. The one big problem is that when you want to eat so many, you have to be careful of what is in them. The delicious melt-in-your-mouth meatballs from the Italian restaurant are probably beef and pork with lots of fillers like bread crumbs and oil. I once looked at a box of frozen meatballs and couldn't believe all the crap that went into them.

I decided to use a bunch of different recipes and make up my own. The best part about meatballs is that you can put pretty much anything in them. All you need to ensure if that the tastes go together and that they stick together as balls. I first got this idea from a vegetarian recipe for Bean/Walnut Balls that were really good! I adapted it with some ground chicken breast and loved the result. You can really substitute anything you want into this one!

I was excited these both came from my backyard! The chickens lay 1 egg/day & new veggie patch has basil!

For the ground chicken breast, I suggest going to the butcher and asking them to mince some fresh chicken breasts for you. This is easier and better than getting the frozen stuff from the grocery store. I didn't even know they did this until recently.

The minced chicken breast is under all this!

Chicken Meatball
Ingredients:

• 500 g Ground Chicken Breast (or turkey)
• 1 cup almond flour (instead of bread crumbs)
• 1 cup grated carrots
• 1 can kidney beans (mashed well)
• 1/4 cup crushed walnuts
• 1/2 cup fresh basil
• 1 onion (diced really small, can cook ahead of time if you like)
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes
• 2 tsp Chia seeds
• 2 cloves of garlic (crushed)

ready for oven

The rest is easy! Pre-heat over to 350F. Add everything into a large bowl and hand mix. Roll into small balls and place on baking sheet in oven. Usually takes about 25-30 mins until cooked through. 

Apple BBQ Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1-2 apples, peeled and cored
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 onion
• 1 tbsp coconut oil (or olive oil)
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1 tbsp dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup water

Cook the apple in the oven for 30 minutes to soften. Brown the onion in the oil in a saucepan. Add in apple and cook until brown. Add in all over ingredients and simmer for 20 minutes. Use a hand blender to mix if you want it to be smooth or leave with apple chunks. 

If you don't want to make your own sauce, I like the Diana Honey Garlic BBQ Sauce (in Canada).