No more than four hours before serving, prepare fruit. Peel, core, and chop pineapple. Hull and halve strawberries. Peel, pit, and chop mango. Peel and slice kiwi. Peel and chop dragon fruit. Store fruit in the refrigerator until it's time to serve.
In a small bowl, whisk together apricot preserves, lime juice, grapefruit juice, and poppy seeds.
Pour dressing over fruit and gently combine. Serve with optional mint garnish.
It’s the tail end of the season for many of our summer favorites. This is more of a no-recipe recipe. Take eggplant, slimmer brighter Asian varieties or traditional purple globe eggplant and roast sliced rounds. Then you have a tasty base for all sorts of toppings that is keto, vegan, gluten-free, and more!
Is it a smoothie? Is it a mocktail? The only thing we care about is that it’s delicious! This spicy mango drink is the perfect blend (pun intended!) of sweet, spicy, and savory. Don’t skip the salted rim!
To make the mango puree, peel ripe mango and remove pit. Place fruit in a blender and bend on high until smooth. This makes enough puree for approximately four beverages.
To assemble, combine salt and cayenne pepper on a small plate. Dip the rim of four glasses in water then into the salt mixture.
Combine 1/3 cup mango puree, and 2 tablespoons lime juice in each prepared glass. Add ice and top off with ginger beer. Garnish with mint, lemon balm, or a jalapeño slice and serve.
Looking for a quick snack? These coconut hemp protein bites are ready in minutes and perfectly portioned for lunch boxes, the mid-afternoon slump, or to fuel your next workout. The recipe is scalable and customizable. Double it so you always have a quick bite on hand when hunger strikes. You can swap nuts or dried fruit, add a flavored protein powder, or skip the shredded coconut. Make sure you write down the changes as you make them—there’s nothing worse than perfecting your secret recipe and not being able to replicate it!
Coconut Hemp Protein Bites
Looking for a quick snack? These coconut hemp protein bites are ready in minutes and perfectly portioned for lunch boxes, the mid-afternoon slump, or to fuel your next workout.
In a food processor, place raisins, nuts, sunflower seeds, hemp protein, maple syrup, hemp hearts, and chia seeds. Run machine until mixture is finely minced.
Place nut/seed mixture in a mixing bowl and work in almond butter until dough forms.
Scoop mixture into tablespoon amounts and roll into balls then coat in shredded coconut. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Whether you’re hosting for the big game or just want to feed a crowd easily, this Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Avocados recipe will make you the MVP! With healthy fats and protein, you’ll be satisfied long after the last whistle. Can’t find ready to eat buffalo chicken salad? You can always take your favorite chicken salad recipe and substitute some buffalo sauce for some of the mayonnaise. For an even easier hack, just stir in buffalo sauce to a prepared chicken salad. It is sure to be saucy and delicious!
Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Avocados
Ready for the big game? The first thing you may think of serving at half time is guacamole. Take it one step further with Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Avocados! It’s Keto. It’s easy. It’s delicious. Whether your team is winning or losing, this dish puts you on the winning team.
Chocolate covered strawberries look impressive, but the flavors of chocolate and orange are a classic combination that shouldn’t be forgotten this time of year. With peak season citrus and a dash of flaky sea salt, these chocolate sea salt mandarin oranges will be bursting with juicy flavor. They’re super easy to make, and you’ll get credit for a homemade Valentine’s gift. You can turn to this recipe year-round whenever you want to impress or have an abundance of citrus on hand.
Chocolate Sea Salt Mandarin Oranges
A Valentine’s mainstay is the chocolate covered strawberry, but we think seasonal citrus and just the right amount of flaky sea salt is an even better expression of your love.
While you may be missing the ease of a carton of store-bought nog, once you see how easy it is to make it yourself, you may never go back. Making your own means you can customize it to your tastes, preferences, and dietary restrictions! This coconut cashew nog is dairy-free and egg-free, which makes it an excellent option for the vegans in your life. The hardest part of this recipe is waiting for the cashews to soften with an eight-hour soak. In other words, with a little planning, it’s a snap. Cheers!
Coconut Cashew Eggnog
Looking for a vegan alternative to the holiday classic beverage? This coconut cashew nog has all the flavor for your festive drinks without dairy or eggs!
It may be hard to find gluten- and grain-free doughnuts—why not make your own! These Mini Pumpkin Doughnut Muffins will satisfy that craving without additives or unpronounceable ingredients.
Mini Pumpkin Doughnut Muffins
It may be hard to find gluten- and grain-free doughnuts—why not make your own! These Mini Pumpkin Doughnut Muffins will satisfy that craving without additives or unpronounceable ingredients.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray or lightly grease two mini muffin pans and set aside.
Mix together wet ingredients.
Slowly mix in Simple Mills Pumpkin Muffin & Bread Mix.
Pour batter into muffin tins.
Bake for 10 minutes, until the tops are domed and firm to the touch, and a tester comes out clean. Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool for five minutes in the pan before transferring to a wire cooling rack.
While the muffins are cooling in the pan, whisk together the coconut sugar and ground cinnamon in a small bowl.
As soon as the muffins are cool enough to handle, place each one in the cinnamon-sugar mixture, firmly rolling it around so that the cinnamon-sugar sticks. Gently toss it around a couple of times until the whole muffin is covered. Once covered, place each muffin back on the wire rack to finish cooling.
Sweet, spicy, crisp, and refreshing. Forget your usual potluck sides and make this watermelon jicama salad instead! It’s both hydrating and delicious! We love the juicy melon mixed with a slightly spicy dressing. You can control the heat by using less serrano pepper or amp it up by using the seeds and ribs. It may get spicier over time as the peppers marinate in the dressing, so be careful if you’re prepping this ahead of time. Don’t have any jicama? Daikon radish, a green apple, or even a firm pear will work here.
Christine Waltermyer is a local Wellness Chef, private chef to celebrities, published cookbook author and founder of the Natural Kitchen Cooking School, which offers an online Plant-Based Cooking Program. She also loves shopping at Basil Bandwagon! Visit naturalkitchenschool.com to get your FREE copy of her cookbook, “7 Days of Deliciousness.”
Triple Layer Carob Cake
Makes One 2-Layer Cake
This paleo cake is refined sugar-free, grain-free and decadent!
Ingredients
Frosting:
¼ cup maple syrup (+ a little extra if needed after it chills, to achieve the right consistency)
½ cup carob powder
½ cup refined coconut oil
½ cup almond butter (I used sprouted almond butter)
Cake (Dry Ingredients):
2 cup Bob’s Red Mill Paleo Flour
½ cup carob powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
Cake (Wet Ingredients):
4 pastured eggs
½ cup avocado oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup pure maple syrup
For Presentation: Optional raspberry sauce (recipe below), fresh mint, flaked sea salt
Method
To make the frosting:
In a bowl, mix together all of the ingredients and stir well until smooth. Refrigerate while you make the cake. You may need to a little more maple syrup later after chilling the frosting, to achieve a smooth, spreadable consistency. If you want extra frosting for decorating, you can double this recipe.
To make the cake:
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly grease two 8-inch cake pans with avocado oil. You can place a circle of parchment paper on the bottom of each one if you like, to make releasing the cakes a little easier.
2. In a large bowl, mix together all of the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, mix together the wet ingredients. Combine the wet and dry ingredients and stir well to combine. Evenly divide the batter between two cake pans. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or just until set on top.
3. Remove the frosting from the refrigerator to come to room temperature.
4. Remove the cakes from the oven and set aside to cool. When cool to the touch you can invert the cakes, releasing them from the pans, onto plates lined with parchment paper. Flip one cake onto a cake plate.
5. Stir the frosting to help it soften. If needed, add a little more maple syrup to achieve the right spreadable consistency.
6. Cover the top of the cake with frosting. Place the other layer on top. Frost the top and sides of the cake with the frosting. Clean any crumbs from the plate.
7. To serve, when plating each slice drizzle with optional raspberry sauce, sprinkle with flaked sea salt and place a mint sprig on the side.
Optional Raspberry Sauce Recipe
Ingredients:
1 10-ounce bag frozen raspberries
2 to 3 tablespoons maple syrup
Equipment: plastic squirt bottle with nozzle
Method:
Place the raspberries and maple syrup in a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat until almost boiling. Cover and cook on medium-low heat for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool. Place in a blender and blend until smooth. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer. Using a funnel, pour into the squirt bottle. Use to make a zigzag design on each piece of cake when served.
Thank you to Christine Waltermyer and the Natural Kitchen Cooking School for working with us to help promote healthy, nutritious meals and products that are affordable, full of nutrients, and simple to make at home!