Tasty Yummies

Photo Fun Day Friday

by tastyyummies

Happy Friday Guys! I hope you had a fantastic week. It’s been a fun and busy one over here. We are gearing up for a big show this weekend, Unique LA, which is a huge amazing show featuring all things handmade. If you are in the LA area you have to check it out, it’s an amazing show. We are booth # 258 – Hero Design Studio. We designed a whole new booth for this show, constructed completely out of recycled wood pallets. I cannot wait to see it all constructed and completed.

On top of getting ready for the show, we are also counting down the days until my sister Vicky arrives here in California for a visit. She gets here Monday and I couldn’t be any more excited!! She is here 6 days and I cannot wait to show her around, take her to Disney and just hang out!

What do you have planned for your weekend?

Had to get a bottle of this for our Kentucky Derby party last Saturday.

Jalapeño cornbread mini muffins. I kinda made the recipe up on the fly but here are two other cornbread muffin recipes here on the blog. Cheddar and green onion cornbread and vegan cornbread muffins.

It is rare that you will spot bacon in my kitchen. It’s almost like spotting a unicorn. I bought some yummy organic applewood smoked bacon that I baked until crispy for the hot browns and it made the kitchen smell amazing.

A black-eyed pea salad inspired by this recipe, an effort to bring something healthy to the Derby menu.

Grain-free apple cobbler. I used my berry cobbler recipe and subbed out the berries for some yummy granny smith apples.

The assembly line for the Hot Brown Sandwiches. I made the sauce gluten-free, just so I could taste it to make sure it was OK, but otherwise I made these ALL for Mark.

Look at this beauty! She was sitting there when I was photographing food, posing like this.

I rolled over the other morning and woke up to this little face staring back at me from the other side of my pillow.

Playing some arm balances in my home yoga practice the other day. This is Eka Pada Koundinyasana I. It isn’t perfect, but I am working on it.

Toast with avocado, tomato slices and sprouts. The perfect breakfast.

My cucumbers are growing like crazy. I have a huge row of them. I planted these from seeds just a week and a half before I took this photo. It’s incredible.

Since we didn’t have a CSA this week, I took the bike for it’s first trip to the farmers market. Likely the first of many.

Yesterday’s post-run smoothie. Recipe can be found on my instagram.

Hubby surprised me last night with reservations to Carthay Circle Restaurant at Disneyland. Sunday marks 10 years since our first (blind) day and 6 years since we got married.

Disney is just so darn magical. Gets me every time.

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Restricted Diets: How To Be A Gracious Guest & an Accommodating Host

by tastyyummies

As part of my ongoing series with Free People on Restricted Diets, today I am sharing a quick how-to for both host and guest, when dealing with special dietary needs.

Even if you yourself do not have a restricted diet, chances are you probably know someone who does. Whether by choice or due to food allergies or intolerances, more and more people are becoming aware of foods that don’t serve their bodies and are consequently removing them from their diet. This awareness allows people to live a much happier and healthier life. I am living proof of that!

If you choose to host a dinner party at your home, even one as casual as a backyard BBQ, having someone on the guest list with a limited diet can definitely be daunting and intimidating. Sometimes it probably even seems easier to just scratch them off the list and not invite them at all. The simple truth of the matter is, it isn’t easy, especially if you don’t have experience with their special dietary needs or choices. If you are making the choice to host them and accommodate their needs, the best advice I can give is to always ask them any and all questions that you have, so you can be educated on their diet limitations and provide for them, as best possible.

Those of you with the restricted diets, as a guest, owe it to your host to let them know of all of your restrictions – especially if they are offering to make food you can eat. Most of all, be as gracious as possible, especially if they are cooking and trying to accommodate you and your needs.

Head over to the Free People Blog, BLDG 25, nowto see the full how-to lists for both host and guest, to hopefully help make your next dinner party or BBQ as successful and enjoyable as possible, for all. Plus, I include links to some of my favorite gluten-free and vegan dishes to share, that everyone is sure to enjoy.

(dinner party photos courtesy of Free People)

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Grain-free Maple Bourbon Pecan Tart – Gluten-free + Dairy-free

by tastyyummies

I am going to start off this post by saying that this isn’t the usual über healthy dessert that I am usually touting here on Tasty Yummies. It has a full 2 cups of maple syrup and some additional coconut sugar. So yeh. But the good news is it IS healthier than the usual pecan pie. No butter, no corn syrup, no refined sugar, etc. Could I have made this healthier? Probably, but this was the compromise I came up with since I promised hubby I wouldn’t mess with this classics too much. I actually hadn’t even planned on sharing this recipe, but after I posted a photo on Instagram, people were begging for the recipe.

I made this for the Kentucky Derby party that we hosted here at our house on Saturday. I promised Mark an afternoon of all of his favorite Southern foods that remind him of Louisville. I promised not to “healthy-up” the recipes. I made mini hot browns (the sandwich made famous at the Brown Hotel in Louisville), pimento cheese dip, southern style deviled eggs, jalapeño cornbread mini muffins, a blackeyed pea salad, apple cobbler (I made this recipe with apples instead of the berries), mint-infused raw sugar simple syrup for Mint Juleps and this Maple Bourbon Pecan Tart. The menu was ALL about Mark and though I couldn’t eat a lot of it, I wanted it to be all yummy and I wanted to bring as much of Mark’s home to him on a day he is super homesick

When I promised to make pecan pie, I did specify that I had to make it gluten-free and dairy-free so I could enjoy it and I refused to make it with the usual corn syrup or regular sugar. I wanted a grain-free crust that would compliment but not overpower the tart and I went for as much maple and bourbon flavor as I could get.

I am so excited with how this turned out. It has a really rich flavor from the maple syrup and the bourbon that is really special. It is luscious, sticky and sweet, without being overly sweet and heavy. Though it isn’t something I will be making often, it is perfect for those special occasions, like a Derby party or the holidays.

Grain-free Maple Bourbon Pecan Tart – Gluten-free + Dairy-free
Serves 8-10

Tart Crust

2.5 cups almond flour aka almond meal
3 tablespoons flax seed meal
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 375º F. Lightly grease a 9 or 10-inch tart pan. In a large bowl, add all of the crust ingredients and mix very well. I like to get my hands right in there to make certain it is all mixed up. Add the crust mixture to the tart pan and press down firmly into the pan, going up the sides just a tad bit. Bake for 10-15 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Tart Filling

2 cups pure organic maple syrup, preferably Grade B
3 large local farm fresh eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup coconut sugar or firmly packed light or dark brown sugar
1/4 teaspon salt
3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
3 tablespoons bourbon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups organic raw pecan halves or pieces

Meanwhile in a saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the maple syrup to a boil and boil for 8 to 10 minutes to reduce. Remove from the heat and pour into a heatproof measuring pitcher. The syrup should be reduced to 1 1/2 cups. If necessary, return the syrup to the saucepan and continue to boil until sufficiently reduced. Let cool to room temperature before proceeding.

In a bowl, stir together the eggs, coconut sugar, reduced maple syrup, salt, coconut oil and vanilla until well mixed. Add the pecans and stir well. Pour into the partially baked pie shell, making sure the pecans are evenly distributed.

Bake the pie until the center is set and firm to the touch, 25-30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for 1 hour; remove pan sides. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

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The Dessert Freedom Recipe Guide from Healthful Pursuit plus Vegan Chocolate Pudding – Gluten-free, Soy-free, Nut-free

by tastyyummies

I am so happy to be sharing with you a feature on an incredible new ebook from the amazing Leanne of Healthful Pursuit. The Dessert Freedom Recipe Guide is a grain-free, vegan dessert cookbook on a mission. Think Tom Selleck, Magnum P.I. style. This instant download PDF will seriously have you craving dessert as soon as you open it.

It’s a lovingly crafted collection of 20 supreme dessert recipes and 20 health-promoting techniques to help you embrace your allergies, conquer your cravings and liberate your dessert dilemma. I was lucky enough to get an advanced copy of Dessert Freedom and I have to say, it is incredible. I was drooling looking through each page and whats more, it is packed with amazing techniques and tips, nutritional information and more.

Eat unrestricted, embrace good, be free.

This recipe guide is packed with goodness to help you…

Enjoy desserts… guilt-free
Crush your sugar cravings
Overcome your restrictions
Fall in love with your food sensitivities, allergies and restrictions
Nourish yourself

Dessert Freedom is a 76-page, full-colour PDF digital/ebook, full of huge photos for every recipe, clickable resource links and supreme techniques to help you enjoy many a guilt-free dessert. PDFs can be read on computers, iPads, iPhones, Kindles and Android devices.

The Dessert Freedom Recipe Guide includes…

20 health-promoting techniques
20 egg, wheat, gluten, grain, refined sugar, dairy, corn, soy and peanut free recipes (and half of them are nut-free, too)
3 robust, down to earth guides
Nutrition information for each recipe
Storage instructions
Pretty pictures of every recipe
Short ingredient lists
Simple instructions

Closer look at the Dessert Freedom Recipe Guide

Guide to: Technique Insiders. The inner workings of the recipes, actions, methods and steps, along with a couple of life lessons that I live by.
Guide to: Popular Ingredients. Descriptions and substitutions for the 9 easy to find ingredients that make up the bulk of the recipes in the book.
Guide to: Buying Ingredients. Where to find ingredients and how to save cash on the goods.
Nut-based Recipes. Strawberry Chia Squares, No-bake Snickerdoodles, Fruit and Nut Biscotti, Coconut Joy Squares, Cream “Cheese” Crumble Cake… and more!
Nut-free Recipes. Lemon Meringue Shake, Carob Orange Crunch Cookies, One Bite Cranberry Blondies, Trail Mix Muffins, Raspberry Apple Crumble… and more!
Health-Promoting Techniques. Methods and actions to living guilt-free, how to bust through your cravings, live a life of abundance and how to celebrate your allergies.
Nutrient Grotto. A little space where you’ll find all the calories, fat, carbs, fiber, sugars and protein stats for each and every single recipe, all in one place.

The cost of the guide is just $14.95 USD

Read reviews, swoon over recipes and photos, or buy the digital book at healthfulpursuit.com/Dessert-Freedom

Vegan Chocolate Pudding (Soy-free, Nut-free)

Here is a quick sample of what to expect in this amazing digital book. This Vegan Chocolate Pudding is not only gluten-free and vegan, but it is also soy-free and nut-free, too. And the extra bonus is that it is made with just 5 ingredients. Velvety smooth, rich, and only 200 calories per serving. You would never believe that it’s made with beans!

Dessert Freedom is full of simple, easy to make guilt-free recipes just like this one. Minimal ingredients, easy to understand instructions and beautiful photography.

Vegan Chocolate Pudding (Soy-free, Nut-free)
serves 4

1 1/2 cups cooked white “navy” beans
3/4 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk
3 ounces dairy-free semi sweet chocolate
1/4 cup coconut sugar
Pinch sea salt
1 teaspoon gluten-free pure vanilla extract
Fresh mint, optional

Place beans and milk in the bowl of your food processor or blender and puree until ultra smooth, about 2 minutes. Set aside.
Place chocolate, coconut sugar and salt in the bowl of your double boiler. If you don’t have a double boiler, just place in a metal or glass dish over a boiling pot of water. Allow chocolate to melt, about 5 minutes.
Remove chocolate from the heat and stir in navy bean mixture. Continue to whisk for 2-3 minutes.
Pour into 4 cups, glasses or jars and serve immediately or cover with plastic wrap and cool in the fridge for a couple of hours. Will keep for 3 days in the fridge.

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