Strawberry Tart {Gluten Free, Raw & Paleo}

May 1, 2014May 1, 20141 Comment

What do you do when you buy waaaay too many strawberries at Costco?

Why, you make a gluten free, paleo strawberry tart of course. This yummy little treat will serve as my dessert tonight. However, I cheated a tad (and had a slice this morning for breakfast!) It’s good. Enough said.

The recipe is pretty simple. This is a raw, grain free dessert – and no baking required. I know, it’s almost too good to be true. But, it is. No need to wake up from your dream state.

You will need: 1 tbsp. lemon juice, 4 cups sliced strawberries, 2 tbsp. natural sugar, 2 tbsp. coconut oil, 7 dried dates, ¼ cup water, 2 tbsp. maple syrup, 1 cup almonds, 1 cup cashews, pinch of sea salt, ¼ cup almond milk, ¼ cup flax seed.

Let’s make the pie crust first. In a food processor dump in the 1 cup of almonds and ¼ cup flax – then pulse (breaking up the almonds). Add in the dates, salt and ¼ cup of water. You will need to pulse for a while to make the gooey crust. You be the judge. You might need more water – or more dates. Use your discretion.

In a pie pan, line the dish with your crust. Wet hands serve as the best to form the ball of dough around the edges – etc. Place your dish into the freezer or refrigerator so it hardens. Another option is baking it for about 10 minutes. This will make the crust flakier and baked tasting. But, again, it’s up to you!

Next let’s make the strawberry glaze. Simply cut up 4 cups of ripe strawberries and place them in a bowl. Sprinkle lemon juice over the strawberries and add natural sugar on top of them. Yum – just mix the fruit up and place it in the fridge for 20 minutes or more.

For the pie creamy topping, dump 1 cup of cashews into the food processor. Pulse the cashews, making them into a coarse mixture. Add in the coconut oil, maple syrup and almond milk – pulse. This will make a creamy texture. Place in the fridge for an hour or so.

After your crust is set, spoon the cashew mixture on top of the hard crust. Next dump your cooled strawberry mixture on top of the creamy topping. You are done – a raw, gluten free strawberry tart. It’s rich and awesome. Enjoy.

Cocoa Greek Yogurt {Gluten Free, Low Calorie}

March 20, 2014Leave a comment

The App ‘Lose It’ is a lifesaver. Seriously. I have been using this app on my phone for the past week and it really helps me track my calorie intake.

Since, I am trying to eat within a set number limit, I have been experimenting with food in a different way. Taking those pesky calories into consideration. Strictly. Pain – but it’s a science.

This sweet little hunger saver gives you a hint of chocolate – for those of you who have a sweet tooth. The fresh strawberries provide a sweet, tart taste as well.

You will need: 1/2 cup 0% fat Greek yogurt (70 calories), 1 tbsp. cocoa powder (30 calories) and 3 big chopped up strawberries (13 calories).

All you have to do is mix in the cocoa powder into the yogurt. It may take a little more time than you think because the powder is chalky and takes time to gel. I also mixed in the berries – so the chocolate goodness covered them. Left one on top for aesthetics.

You can eat this for a little snack or a yummy dessert after dinner. All for 113 calories. Remember, you can always add honey or a pinch of sugar if this is too bitter for your taste.

Chia Banana Pudding {Gluten Free, Dairy Free}

March 1, 2014March 1, 2014Leave a comment

Holy cow, this is easy to make! It’s seriously a 3 ingredient process and super, super yummy.

Move over banana pudding with loads of milk and fat. This is the skinny girl version.

Take this to parties. It’s that good, and I am being honest with you. Or just enjoy this at home as a guilt free dessert. I had it as a little breakfast treat. Yum.

You will need: ¼ cup almond milk (you can also use coconut), 2 tbsp. chia seeds, 1 ripe banana.

Yep. That’s all folks.

Place the milk, seeds and banana in a food processor and blend it up. After this process is complete, pour the yumminess into a bowl and set in the fridge for about 30 minutes.

This allows the chia seeds to expand (so they won’t be crunchy). And also for the milk and banana to gel.

Try this – and have fun with it. This will be your favorite dessert, if you love banana pudding like me. And – score its gluten free! Awesome.

Coffee Cake {Gluten Free}

January 20, 2014September 12, 2014Leave a comment

Had a sweet craving this morning and, while sipping my coffee, really wanted to have some crumbly moist coffee cake.

However, as you gluten free foodies know – making delicious dishes like this are a little bit harder to make sans gluten.

Fortunately I found a wonderfully delightful recipe on Good Life Eats. I will be making this sweet coffee cake again and again.

Slightly modified the recipe to my taste – here is what I used below. Yum – you will for sure eat more than one piece this morning.

You will need: 1 ¼ cup almond flour (I used blanched almond meal), ¼ cup oat flour (if you don’t have this handy, grind up oats in the food processor), 2 tbsp. coconut flour, a dash of salt, 2 tbsp. cinnamon, 1/3 cup brown sugar, ¼ cup vegetable oil, ½ tsp. baking soda, ½ tsp. baking powder, 2 cage free eggs, 1 cap full vanilla extract and ½ cup skim milk.

I also made a sweet frosting to drizzle over the top of the hot cake.

For the frosting you will need: 1/3 cup cream cheese, 1/3 cup powder sugar and ½ cup milk.

Basically, all I did was first combine all the flours together and mix these up with a large fork. I also did not have any oat flour on hand. So, just poured ½ cup of oats into a food processor and made my own. Problem solved!

Add in the salt to your multiple gluten free flour mixture – then the cinnamon and brown sugar. Also put in the baking soda and powder. Stir these together good with the large fork.

Now add in the wet ingredients. Dump in the oil and eggs and stir. Lastly add in the vanilla and milk. Then, you will need to mix all this together into a nice little mixture.

Spray a 8X8 pan with non-stick cooking spray and pour in your yummy mixture. To add to the sugary taste, I created a topping of a little brown sugar and cinnamon that I sprinkled over the top of the cake.

Place this in the oven {heated to 375} for around 25 minutes.

To make the powder sugar frosting, I combined all the ingredients in the food processor and pulsed until the mixture looked creamy. Add more powder sugar, if you think it’s not sweet enough.

Pour your powder sugar frosting on top of the warm cake {I drizzled it with a spoon} – and enjoy!