Author: Chef Joanna

breakfast cookies, canned pumpkin leftover recipes, gluten free breakfast for kids, healthy breakfast bites for kids, pumpkin, vegan and gluten free kids snacks, what to do with extra canned pumpkin

Pumpkin Chocolate Breakfast Bites (Vegan and Gluten-Free) | Quick Kid-Friendly Healthy Breakfasts

Whether you’re a kid or not, starting with a healthy breakfast can sometimes be a challenging thing. 

You know the days that you wake up so hungry and you just want to take a piece of toast or cookie to guzzle down your coffee or tea? 
Without a little planning, you’ll eat that high-sugar food, get lots of energy and crash before its even 10am!
So, if you can start one healthy habit this week, I would say make yourself a good breakfast. That means a breakfast with whole grain, protein, and healthy fat to keep you full. 
This recipe is a solution. It’s kid-friendly, too. It’s made with oats, pumpkin, unrefined sugar, and peanut butter (but you can use any nut-free butter). 
I love that these will freeze well and you can eat them for breakfast with some fruit and/or yogurt. Or, you could have them as a protein-packed snack with tea later in the day. 
I added chocolate chips to mine, but you can keep it lower sugar by dusting over some cococa powder on top instead. 

Why I love this recipe: 

  • Great way to use extra canned pumpkin from a creamy pumpkin pasta I made
  • Prevents me from snacking on other unhealthy, sugary treats
  • Pumpkin is a great low-calorie food that’s filling
Get the original recipe and other canned pumpkin recipes here: https://www.momables.com/what-to-make-with-canned-pumpkin/

Pumpkin Chocolate Breakfast Bites

Adapted recipe from MOMables

Ingredients (Makes about 15 bites):

  • ½ cup pumpkin puree
  • ½ cup natural peanut butter, or nut free (I used almond butter and tahini)
  • ¼ cup honey (maple syrup or agave can work)
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla
  • 1 ¼ cup rolled oats
  • 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ cup chocolate chips (optional)

Directions:

Mix ingredients all together except chocolate chips. Stir in chocolate chips at the end, if using. Scoop out onto parchment lined baking sheet. 
Bake at 350 F for 13 to 15 minutes or golden brown underneath. 

Continue reading “Pumpkin Chocolate Breakfast Bites (Vegan and Gluten-Free) | Quick Kid-Friendly Healthy Breakfasts”

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blueberry muffins, blueberry spelt, muffins, spelt, streusel muffins

Blueberry Streusel Spelt Muffins | Mother Grains: Recipes for the Grain Revolution

I’ve noticed in the past couple years that the GRAIN revolution has begun. As a way to be healthier these days, you either give up grain completely, or you buy better quality grains. Since I have a difficult time restricting anything, I’m part of the second camp. I got this fresh new bag of Spelt flour from Bob’s Red Mill. I have never baked with … Continue reading Blueberry Streusel Spelt Muffins | Mother Grains: Recipes for the Grain Revolution

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chocolate covered katie, easy vegan and gluten free desserts, gluten free desserts for kids, vegan and gluten free desserts

Secret Vegan and Gluten-Free Brownies | What’s the Secret Ingredient?

Shhhh… don’t tell anyone… these brownies have a secret ingredient and I can’t reveal it until my family and friend’s try it! lol I can give you a few hints. These brownies are #1 delicious, #2 gluten-free, and #3 vegan. I was so surprised how goooood these turned out. This seems like a wonderful recipe to serve to kids because its wheat-free, and egg-free for … Continue reading Secret Vegan and Gluten-Free Brownies | What’s the Secret Ingredient?

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10 ingredient recipes, easy vegan recipes, gluten free and dairy free recipes, greek vegan food, low fat greek food, lower cholesterol recipes, vegan and gluten free mediterranean recipes

Easy Vegan {AMAZING} Moussaka by Minimalist Baker | Taste-test Approved Vegan Recipes

Can you believe it?!! This is not ground meat you’re seeing, but lentils! I can’t get over how good this turned out. This was the first time @daryls15 and I made this dish, Easy Vegan Moussaka from the Minimalist Baker. (It’s only 10 ingredients). Moussaka is famous Greek dish 🇬🇷that is traditionally rich and decadent. It’s usually made with with ground meat, eggplant and topped … Continue reading Easy Vegan {AMAZING} Moussaka by Minimalist Baker | Taste-test Approved Vegan Recipes

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Spin-Painted Sweet Potato inspired by Chef Massimo Bottura | Masterclass

“Recipes are THERE to be CHANGED!” – Chef Massimo Bottura (with waving arms). This chef is my current inspiration. I started taking his Masterclass after I started tearing up at one of the youtube video trailers. The waterworks started when he said: “Food is a transfer of emotion”. So, when Massimo asked me to make my version of “Spin-Painted Beet”, this is what I created. … Continue reading Spin-Painted Sweet Potato inspired by Chef Massimo Bottura | Masterclass

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ethiopian, grilled portobello, grilled portobello that tastes like steak, injera, plant based Ethiopian food, the rise cookbook, what is ethiopian food, what is injera

Ethiopian Inspired Lunch | What is Injera? | The Rise Cookbook | Marcus Samuelsson | Grilled Portobello Steaks

An Ethiopian Inspired Lunch! I was so delighted today. I have so many wonderful memories surrounding Ethiopian food- from college days to my goddaughter’s baptism. To me, Ethiopian food means joy and celebration. I miss getting together with my Ethiopian friends to enjoy these happy moments.

For many years I was too intimidated to even attempt Ethiopian cooking. My friend gave me some Berbere spice in college and when I asked her how I can make my own, she partly laughed. lol. I get it, there’s a LOT that goes into it. I was so proud to cook some Mexican-Ethiopian fusion. I made incredible tacos with that Berbere. I’m still intimidated to cook Ethiopian, but I wanted to start with a seemingly simple recipe that is a cornerstone of Ethiopian food- Injera.

Injera is a flatbread. It’s typically made with Teff flour (gluten-free), but I made it with Whole Wheat flour. I started it 3 days ago (you can see it in my Live) and let it ferment. It’s just two ingredients: flour and water. Then, I cooked it like a crepe for a minute or two. I have a long ways to go to perfect my injera but it was a beautiful flatbread to go with lunch. It’s slightly sour like a sourdough bread.

I’ve seen injera often served almost like a canvas, with a couple different side dishes placed on top. Then, you rip and dip with the injera, similar to eating with a tortilla in Mexican cuisine.

I had a great time making this recipe from The Rise Cookbook. I paired it with the leftovers (not typical Ethiopian cuisine) I had in the fridge- Ikarian Baked Beans, Chermoula (highly recommend) and Grilled Portobello Steaks (they taste like steak, recipe below).

Injera

Adapted from The Rise Cookbook (still perfecting)

Ingredients (makes 5-6): 

  • 1 ¾ cups water
  • 1 ¼ cups whole wheat flour or Teff flour (gluten-free)
  • 1 Tbsp. butter (optional)

Directions:

Mix together and let sit 2 days (I went 3 days with the last day in the fridge). Then, pour off excess liquid and the batter should be thicker than crepe batter.

Heat a nonstick pan with or without butter, then spread 3 Tbsp. batter and spread thin. Let cook for 30-40 seconds or bubbles start to form. Then, turn off the heat and cover. Let steam 1 minute. Keep warm in towels to steam.

Go ahead and save this recipe. I know I will. I served this to fellow meat eaters and they admitted it tasted like meat. I’m telling you folks, this is a winner!

Grilled Portobello Steaks

Ingredients (for two):

  • 2 portobello caps
  • 2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp. soy sauce
  • 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
  • 1 garlic clove, sliced thin
  • some cracked pepper
  • a few cherry tomatoes (optional)

Directions: 

  1. In a baking dish, mix all the ingredients except portobello. 
  2. Score the portobellos with a knife in a criss-cross pattern (don’t cut all the way to the bottom). 
  3. Place mushrooms in the marinade for 30 minutes, turn over every 10 minutes. 
  4. After 30 minutes, heat a saute pan or a grill with a little oil, cook portobellos on a medium heat, top side down first. Flip after it is well browned (3-5 minutes). Lower the heat.
  5. Cover partially with a lid after 5 minutes so it can steam and soften a bit. Continue to cook on a low heat for 12-15 minutes or the mushroom is very soft and less rigid and flat. It shrinks a little.

More African Inspired Recipes: 

Continue reading “Ethiopian Inspired Lunch | What is Injera? | The Rise Cookbook | Marcus Samuelsson | Grilled Portobello Steaks”

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Ikaria Wild Longevity Greens | Ageless Vegan

“By Any Greens Necessary.” The Ageless Vegan says she eats dark leafy greens two to three times per day. That’s one of the secrets to her and her mom’s incredible health. No medications at 80! Greens provide some of the best nutrients of all the foods. They protect against heart disease, cancer, and stroke and can improve vision and memory. Add greens to your smoothies, … Continue reading Ikaria Wild Longevity Greens | Ageless Vegan

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bean recipes, blue zones recipe, greece, ikaria, mediterranean diet, vegan and gluten free recipes

Ikarian Baked Beans (Greece)

Beans don’t get enough credit! In places in the world where they live long, healthy lives, they eat ½ cup to 1 cup of beans a day. “They’re the cornerstone of every longevity diet in the world: black beans in Nicoya; lentils, garbanzo, and white beans in the Mediterranean; and soybeans in Okinawa. People in the blue zones eat at least four times as many … Continue reading Ikarian Baked Beans (Greece)

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Moroccan Eggplant Chickpea Tagine with Chermoula Sauce

Eggplant Tagine with Chermoula Variation: Cooking in a tagine in Morocco This is one of my favorite tagines. Tagine is a Moroccan dish. The dish is named Tagine and the clay pot its cooked in is also called tagine. The special thing about the tagine is that you can layer all your ingredients in the clay pot and leave it to cook for 30-40 minutes … Continue reading Moroccan Eggplant Chickpea Tagine with Chermoula Sauce

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Kitchen Sink Cookies | Unique and Different Cookies

Today I had the pleasure of baking with Nate Bakes for the first time! This isn’t a healthy recipe or even trying to be. But, I wanted to highlight Nate because he is a young, talented baker doing awesome things. . He told me how he’s really improved his baking during the pandemic- baking things like chocolate eclairs and expertly decorated cakes. But, he doesn’t … Continue reading Kitchen Sink Cookies | Unique and Different Cookies

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