BBQ Beans, Slaw and Smoky Green Beans=Heaven!

Tonight: BBQ beans, slaw and smoky green beans! Recipe @thelocalvegan 

http://www.thelocalvegan.com/recipe/bbq-bean-sandwiches-and-smokey-green-beans

InStyle Mag: Wendy's Wunderbars by Carolyn Braden

I created Wendy's Wunderbars from InStyle Magazine and they are yummy. They are the perfect combination of sweet, sour and salty in a healthy snack. Here is the recipe (made a little easier by me). 

Place wax paper in a 8 oz. square baking pan, covering the entire pan. 

Melt 2 oz. dark chocolate (I used 71% cacao organic chocolate) with 1 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate in a double boiler. 

I created my own double boiler by melting the chocolate in a saucepan that was sitting on top of another saucepan filled with boiling water. 

While the chocolate is melting, finely chop 1/3 cup shelled pistachios with 1/3 cup toasted almonds (I toasted my almonds for 6 minutes on 400 degrees). 

Finely chop 8-9 oz. halved and pitted dates. You can use a food processor if you wish. 

Combine the dates with 1/3 cup dried cherries. Mix in 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract and 1/8 tsp. sea salt.

Mix all ingredients together (either in a food processor or by hand) and pour into the wax paper covered baking pan. Cover with wax paper and press all the ingredients firmly into the pan. Chill until firm. (About 1 hour). 

Remove from pan and use a serrated knife to cut it into 16 bars. 

Clean Eating with Quinoa and Coconut Milk Organic Breakfast

I tried this recipe from Our Best Bites.

Here's the link: 

http://www.ourbestbites.com/2013/06/coconut-almond-breakfast-quinoa/

It was yummy and very filling. There's so much you can do with quinoa!

Summer Vegetable Curry #Organic and #GMO Free

I found a recipe for Summer Vegetable Curry on this site: 

http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/summer-vegetable-curry-recipe.html

I changed it up a little to make it a little easier to make. 

I added 4 tablespoons of coconut milk (the thick part at the top of the can) with 2.5 tablespoons of curry paste

and 1/2 teaspoon sea salt to a large pan. I brought it to a simmer on medium heat. I added 2 chopped green

onions once it was simmering. 

I cut about 6 small purple potatoes into small chunks and the rest of the can of coconut milk and let it all 

simmer on medium, covered, for 10 minutes. 

While that cooked, I cut 3 stalks of broccoli into florets and about 6 oz. of firm tofu. I added them to the potato

mixture after the first 10 minutes. I added about 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

and 1/2 teaspoon fresh cilantro. I allowed everything to simmer on medium heat for about 5-10 more minutes. 

You can add any vegetable to this dish and add more or less curry and salt. Just taste as you go to make sure

you have it the way you want it. This was enough for 3 people to have a good sized meal. You can try serving

it over cooked quinoa so it will serve more.

Eating right can taste great! Just do a little experimenting and you can make delicious meals that are healthy for

your family every night of the week.            

The Best Gluten Free Organic Brownies: Wholesome Chow

I love Wholesome Chow's mixes. I recently made their brownies. I used coconut oil instead of butter. They were light and full of chocolate flavor. The fact that they are organic, gluten and GMO free is an added bonus. I purchased this mix at T.J. Maxx.

Gluten Free Sea Salt Caramel Brownies: #Pinterest Pin!

Yet again I have had another Pinterest pin success. This recipe is for Sea Salt Caramel Brownies from glutenfreefix.com and it proved to be great! They are very rich but so good. Next time I will make them without the caramel. I loved the sea salt and caramel but sometimes I just like a good plain brownie. Although these are gluten free and sweetened with honey, they are as good as my "best ever" homemade brownies I made in the past with regular flour.

Carolyn Braden: Wholesome Chow Cupcakes, #glutenfree

These are the best cake mixes ever. Wholesome Chow cake mixes are organic and gluten free but full of flavor. I've made their chocolate, spiced chai and lavender cake. All three are yummy! I wasn't sure I'd like the lavender but it really tastes good. The lavender adds a bit of a spice flavor. Two mixes made 22 cupcakes. I made my own organic buttercream for these cupcakes.

Carolyn Braden's Wholesome Chow Organic/Gluten Free Cupcakes

These were truly the best cupcakes from a mix! They may be gluten free and organic but you could fool anyone into thinking otherwise. I used Wholesome Chow's organic and gluten free chocolate cake mix and their vanilla icing mix. I purchased the mixes at a local T.J. Maxx. I was able to get 10 large cupcakes from the mix. I kept them in the refrigerator. To add my own element, I added organic chocolate pudding. I scooped some mix into the cupcake liner, then some pudding and topped it off with more mix. It really made the cupcakes extra moist.

Carolyn Braden's Easy Dairy Free Smoothie: Pinterest Pin

All the ingredients I used were organic and GMO free and still it is very yummy!

Gluten and GMO Free Creamed Corn and Corn Pudding

http://m.allrecipes.com/recipe/53304/recipecream-corn-like-no-other

Here's a creamed corn recipe I am trying today. I'm making corn pudding and wanted to truly make it all from scratch. This creamed corn will be replacing my normal canned cream corn. I'm also making it completely gluten free. I'm going to use Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Cornbread Mix and all organic ingredients. Eating GMO and Gluten Free is not as hard as many think.

Carolyn Braden's Gluten Free Banana Brown Sugar Oatmeal

This oatmeal is the most filling and delicious anytime meal. I used Bob's Red Mill Old Fashioned Rolled Oats. After following the package instructions for oatmeal, I added some milk, a couple of tablespoons of organic brown sugar and slices of banana. My husband and I loved it.

Carolyn Braden's Gluten Free Holidays: Upside Down Pumpkin Pie

I created something new this Thanksgiving: An Upside Down Pumpkin Pie. My quest do do an organic (GMO free!) gluten free holiday turned out very well. For this dish I used an organic pumpkin pie canned mix. I created the pie following the label instructions. I baked it without a crust. When it cooled, I refrigerated it overnight. In the morning I mixed 4 oz. of cream cheese with a small amount of date sugar and powdered sugar. Just enough to sweeten it a bit. I spread that layer over the crustless pie. I then created whip cream by beating some heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar. I spread that over the cream cheese layer. Lastly, I crumbled some gluten free graham crackers and sprinkled them over the whip cream. I used all organic ingredients. This pie was easy to make and a big hit at the dinner table!

Carolyn Braden's GMO Free and Vegan Shepherd's Pie

Here's a super yummy recipe that is GMO free if you use the recommended organic and vegan ingredients. It was very yummy and husband approved too!

Carolyn Braden's Gluten Free Pizza Attempt: Success

I am trying to add more gluten free food into my life. I am trying to rid myself of the bloated "wheat belly" we all get after eating too many carbs loaded with gluten. I found this pizza crust mix and invented a pizza that my husband and I loved. The mix is by Hodgsdon Mill. I made the crust according to the package directions. After baking the crust for the first 10 minutes, I pulled it out of the oven and let the creativity fly.
I brushed the crust with olive oil. I added organic roasted rosemary seasoned red potatoes (I made these prior to starting the crust), organic fresh spinach, organic cheeses (mozzarella and parmesan), sun dried tomato pesto and some fresh garlic. I baked it for about 15 more minutes. It is my new go-to pizza dinner. It is so worth the effort!

http://www.amazon.com/Hodgson-Mill-Gluten-Pizza-16-Ounce/dp/B004IN43TO

The RAW food movement, worth trying?

While purchasing Brad's Raw Kale, I decided to try a couple of other "raw" foods. I love these products: go raw Lemon Super Cookies and Whole Foods Dried Edamame. They are both low in calories and filling as snacks.