Lemon Cheesecake Bites

I'm so excited about these cheesecake bites... they're exactly what I needed to get through holiday party season!!

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup powdered Swerve or other sugar substitute
• 2 tablespoons coconut cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla stevia
• pinch salt
• 3 teaspoons lemon extract
• few drops of natural yellow food coloring
• 1/4 cup coconut oil melted
• 1 Lily's dark chocolate bar (3oz)

Directions:

1. In a stand mixer blend the cream cheese and Swerve together until smooth.
2. Add the coconut cream, stevia, salt and raspberry extract, natural food coloring until combined well.
3. Slowly add in the coconut oil and continue to blend on high until it's incorporated.
4. Scrape down the edges of the bowl to make sure it's all mixed well.
5. Refrigerate this mixture for 1 hour.
6. Using a 1 1/4 inch mini cookie scoop (or something similar) scoop the batter onto a parchment lined baking sheet, it should make about 48 balls.
7. Freeze these for at least 1 hour.
8. When you're ready, break up the Lily's into small pieces and place in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir occasionally until completely melted. Pour over the top of the cheesecake balls.
9. Refrigerate for another hour.
   
   
   
   Keep refrigerated until you're ready to enjoy!
   
   

Coconut Chocolate Bites

This is the first sweet treat I have made in a very long time, and the first I had eaten in a month. I made one batch and took half to a party where they were a hit. They were so popular in our house and with our guests I had to make a second batch just 2 days later!



I'm excited to be back and even more excited to share this first of my sugar free, gluten-free recipes!




Ingredients:
1/2 Cup Coconut Butter (or manna)
1/2 Cup Coconut Oil
1/2 Cup Unsweetened Shredded Coconut
2 Tbsp Swerve (either granular or powdered will work fine)
1 Lily's dark chocolate bar (3oz)

Seriously, that's all you need. These are so easy!

Directions:
1. In a small to medium saucepan melt the coconut butter and coconut oil over low heat stirring occasionally, be patient, don't crank it up.
2. While you wait line a mini muffin tin with 24 paper liners.
3. When the oil and butter are melted stir in the Swerve until dissolved.
4. Turn off heat. Add the shredded coconut and stir to incorporate.
5. Pour the coconut mixture into the paper liners, I find that using a measuring tablespoon gives just about the right amount for each cup and is an easy vessel that doesn't make too much of a mess.
6. Put the pan in the freezer for at least 30 minutes (or longer...).
7. Whenever you're ready to continue, break up the Lily's into small pieces and place in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir occasionally until completely melted. Pour over frozen coconut candies*.


*I like to use a teaspoon for this. A half full teaspoon (not measuring spoon, just from the silverware drawer) is about the right amount, the chocolate pours easily off the end of it and you can dab the tip of the spoon into the middle of the poured chocolate to make it spread out evenly.


Let the chocolate harden and enjoy!! These can be stored on the counter for a week or refrigerate or freeze them for long lasting goodness!

Rustic Apple Oven Cake

On a lazy New Years day at our friends homestead we lounged around playing games and making all sorts of amazing food. Wonderful for breakfast or dessert, this was the belle of the ball.

Creole Black-Eyed Peas

As we have done many times before, we started out this new year with Black-Eyed peas. I strayed from the traditional ham hock in favor of something a little bit different (and healthier). The result was fantastic and I'm excited to share it with you.

Peppermint Bark

This is my daughters favorite treat around the holidays.  It is incredibly easy to make and it's always a crowd pleaser!

Tabbouleh Salad

I love the simplicity of a basic tabbouleh, especially with some hummus and fresh pita, but as I continue on my quest to fill my arsenal with fresh tasting whole grain salads I wanted to come up with something that could stand alone. This is nothing more than a dressed up tabbouleh, great as a side dish yet also good enough to stand alone as a meal.

Basic Hummus

This is basic hummus. Simple. Good. Food.

Sriracha Garlic Hummus

I'm a slave to the hummus. It's the truth. One of my favorite meals to take to work is a bunch of chopped up vegetables with whatever hummus we have around for dipping. It's light and fresh, and since I work nights it's important my dinner doesn't bog me down and put me into an unwanted food coma. If you know me, you know I love spicy food so it was only a matter or time before this concoction made it's way into my life. Now I'm in love. This will always have a place on hummus making day.

Kalamata Hummus

My husband is a fiend for olives. While I was on a recent hummus making mission he requested a Kalamata Hummus, and this is it, flavorful without being overbearing.

I'll send him your thanks. 

Roasted Red Pepper Balsamic Hummus

We love the hummus. Seriously, when I buy a container it's gone in a day, two days max. I hate spending $5 or $6 on something I can make for a couple of dollars in ingredients so I'm writing off store bought hummus, with the exception of the rare, but very real, hummus emergency of course.

Zucchini Muffins

I love zucchini bread, so why not zucchini muffins? They're appropriately portioned and portable, what more can I ask for?! Well, if you were going to say they should also be moist, delicious, and full of flavor then we've hit the proverbial nail on the head.

Chocolate Chips Ahoy!

For days I was craving something sweet and I just couldn't quite put my finger on what was going to satisfy. Of course it was sometime around 3am when I realized what it needed to be, and this was it. The picture is bad, but these cookies are awesome! They have great flavor and remain soft yet crisp. It's too bad they're gone, because I could really go for one right about now!

Cranberry Currant Granola

Granola.

Not just for hippies anymore.

Brown Rice Salad With Soy Ginger Dressing

I thought this would be another delightful cold salad I could keep in the refrigerator and pack for lunch several days in a row. Then I put it out onto the dinner table to see if I could get the family to try it. Well, let's just say this was a definite success in our new foray into a plant based whole foods diet. Most of it was gone the first night and what was left disappeared sometime in the early morning hours the following day. I'm not complaining.

Soy Ginger Dressing

This dressing is so awesome I put it on everything for a straight week and I'm still not tired of it!!

Sundried Tomato Polenta (Slow Cooker)

I certainly do love me some polenta. This is super easy and uses the slow cooker (a.k.a my new best kitchen friend) so I'm extra excited about it. I made this quite awhile ago so it's veggie, not vegan, I'll update you when I have a dairy free alternative.

 

 

Curried Quinoa Salad

I've been working so much lately that keeping these grain salads in the refrigerator has been more helpful than I ever would have thought! This is a simple Quinoa salad, the first of many I'm sure. I enjoyed this over a bed of baby spinach for dinner every night this week!

Breakfast Baguettes

I saw a picture of something like these on Pinterest one day and decided I needed to give it a go, I never looked at the original recipe, but these turned out great! And they're like choose your own adventure food.. the filling options are endless! We had them for breakfast on Valentine's Day :)

Wannabe Chicken Tagine

Tagines originated in North Africa and are named for the special pot in which they are made. The Moroccan Tagines (or more correctly Tajines) are slow cooked stews. Also typically made in the tagine pot, they often use less desireable pieces of meat because the process makes them so tender. This version is not made in a special pot, nor does it take long at all to cook, but it sure is delicious. As my first journey into the world of tagines I'm happy with it, and now I'm quite interested in exploring a more traditional version.

Farfalle with Creamy Red Pepper Sauce

This roasted red pepper sauce is simple and subtle with plenty of flavor. It comes together really fast and would make an excellent weeknight meal.