-
Summer Berry-Coconut Milk Ice Pops – Vibrant Food Cookbook Giveaway
There are some blogs and cookbooks that I feel like were created just for me, thumbing through the pages or scrolling past the recipes, I feel like every beautiful photo was taken for me, each recipe created with my eating choices in mind. While I am not so arrogant to believe this to be actually true, it is really amazing to know that there are people out there, just like me, eating intuitively – loving and celebrating all of the beautiful, seasonal, healthy whole foods available to us. When I started reading The Year in Food, sometime last year, I instantly felt connected to Kimberley Hasselbrink, the creative mastermind behind all of the recipes and beautiful photos. Like me, Kimberley has a background in design, she, hailing from the world of furniture design, me, from a life of graphic design and it is clear in every recipe she develops. Her creativity shines brightly, as she creates a feast for the eyes by combining colors, textures, and flavors into her gorgeous, dynamic dishes. When I heard of her brand new book, VIBRANT FOOD, I knew right away before ever seeing it, that this was a book that I would absolutely love and would become a resource I turn to often. I was right.
It is clear that Kimberley’s look at food is viewed through the eyes of an artist in search of beauty as well as flavor and that she’s wildly inspired by the vivid hues of produce. In her debut book, Vibrant Food Kimberley captures the radiant colors of each of the seasons with recipes that transform meals into captivating works of art. It is apparent the passion that Kimberley has for cooking, each recipe a celebration of color, flavor and mood. Besides being an inspiration in the kitchen, it is hard not to be inspired visually, as well, as you make your way through the incredible, drool-worthly photographs on each page.
Vibrant Food invites you to look at ingredients differently and let their colors inspire you: the shocking fluorescent pink of a chard stem, the deep reds and purples of baby kale leaves, the bright shades of green that emerge in the spring, and even the calm yellows and whites of so many winter vegetables. As Kimberley mentions at the start of the book, “when we intuitively let the colors guide our choices, we can trust that we are eating well, and taking care of ourselves and celebrating food for its dynamism, its vibrancy, its flavor and its colors, as much as we are for its benefits to our health.”
-
Photo Fun Day Friday
Hey friends!! Happy almost weekend and happy April to you all! 😉 I hope the spring is finally starting to show itself for you, wherever you are!! Here in Southern California, we actually had a chilly week and it was so welcomed and lovely! Here’s some photos from the last few weeks over here in my world! What’s going on in your world currently?
I was so super excited to get my hands on the beautiful new Oh She Glows Cookbook from Oh She Glows. As a fan of Angela’s blog for many years, I was really anticipating this book and it certainly lives up to the hype. So many wonderful vegan recipes!
My handsome Jpeg
I am just loving my new Little Moments mediation cards from the beautiful Kristen Hedges. They are currently sold out, but keep checking back, she will have them in stock again soon, I am sure.
I love getting letters from my niece, Teagan and nephew, Noah – back home in NY. This time around I got a beautiful new photo of Teagan, taken by Buffalo Baby Photography my friend Jess’ brand new business. How adorable is she??
A recent haul from our gardens!! Loquats and avocados.
Got an advanced copy of the Blend Girl’s new book that officially releases on 4/8. Look for my full review and a giveaway this weekend!
That’s me, just hangin’ out at the Pixies Hollow at Disneyland 😉
Some new tea towels hubby and I designed and hand silkscreen printed, they are also available as 8×10 prints. All are available in the Tasty Yummies store, now. -
Photo Fun Day Friday
Hi friends, happy Friday! I hope you’ve all had a lovely week and that you have a beautiful weekend ahead of you.
What’s been going on in your worlds? Getting antsy for Spring? Excited about having more hours of daylight? I wanna hear from you. Leave some comments, let’s chat 😉Since it’s Friday, that means it’s time for another Photo Fun Day Friday. Here’s some photos from the last two weeks. Hope you enjoy.
Mise en place for my Spinach, Lentil and Sweet Potato Slow Cooker Soup
Totally digging the new Thrive Energy Cookbook from Brendan Brazier. So many amazing recipes and so much incredible knowledge and the photos are gorgeous.
Scenes from a walk around our neighborhood. Not sure I will ever get used to the fact that this is where I live.
Leafy greens turned into cups and wraps. Favorite lunch. This are lettuce cups with lentils, marinated artichokes, feta, sprouts, chives and sun dried tomatoes.
Quite possibly one of the most random juices I have ever made. I call it a “CSA/Farmers Market Hodge Podge” Carrots, celery, green cabbage, red bell pepper, ginger, orange and grapefruit.
I love cooking out on our deck. So peaceful.
Mixing inks, reprinting our Home Sweet Home print.
Making some homemade chai. My favorite.
Sunrise at the beach. The best.
Writing and practicing some yoga sequences. I love the amazing light in our living room.
Turned my Dirty Chai recipe into a smoothie by adding a frozen banana and 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseeds.
These orange blossoms on our tree have just about the most amazing aroma that has ever graced this sniffer. So good!
I am super proud and excited to have a recipe in the April issue of Gluten-free Living Magazine – with a full page photo, that I shot and everything.
Working on this upcoming week’s Tutorial Tuesday post. Cannot wait to share this one with you guys.
It’s not always easy to find time for my home yoga practice, but I am always so grateful when I do.
This morning’s post yoga juice. So much goodness.
A beautiful California Poppy I love seeing these things growing wild everywhere.
-
Iced Dirty Chai Almond Milk Latte {Gluten-free and Vegan}
Many of you already know that I generally try to avoid most ALL dairy in my diet, but what you may not know is that I made the switch a long time ago to nut-based milks, even before I stopped consuming dairy in other places. The difference in how I feel consuming a plant-based milk versus regular dairy milk – is incredible. I find myself less bloated, I feel lighter and I can tell that it requires much less on my digestive system to process than cow’s milk dairy.
Most of you know, I generally prefer to make my own almond milk whenever I can, but there are times when our schedule is just so crazy – when we are traveling, we have house guests or I am just bogged down with work. When life gets busy like that, it usually means stopping to make my own almond milk, just isn’t in the schedule.
-
50 Gluten-free Curry Recipes
Hello Tasty Yummies readers, its Meg from Beard and Bonnet here! I am happy to be filling in for Beth today while she is fulfilling her dream of becoming a yoga instructor. Way to go Beth, I am so incredibly proud of you.
Confession: curry is my current obsession. I’m not really picky when it comes to eating curry; I like Thai curries, Indian Curry, Red, Green, and Yellow Curry. I love it all, I love it a lot, and I know that Beth does, too. So today I decided to hit up a few of our blogging buddies and round up 50 delicious gluten-free curry recipes to share with you.
There is a little something for everyone in this round up; there are even a few recipes for gluten-free Naan and Sweet Curry Brown Sugar Popcorn. Oh yeah, and even though I write a gluten-free vegetarian blog I know that Beth occasionally posts recipes with meat so I figured what the heck, I’ll even throw in a few of those!
Do you have a favorite curry recipe?
-
Resolve to Evolve
Hi Ladies! It’s Eliza from Embodied Emergence, I’m guest blogging today (thank you so much, Beth!).
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
If you’re anything like me, you’re probably still cleaning up the bits and pieces of holiday madness and trying to get back into a schedule while also feeling slightly guilty that your new year’s resolution isn’t full steam ahead and wondering how you can pull off all of your amazing goals for 2014.
This happens to so many of us, every year. And often it’s only at New Year’s Resolutions that we feel we have a blank slate, a fresh start, and we push ourselves to re-create. As an owner of three businesses – holistic health coach, restauranteur, and DoTerra essential oils Consultant – I know all about about setting goals and the waves that come along with them. And I have also seen the AMAZING results that come along with having accountability and group support.
My goal this year is to reach more incredible women who want to “Become the change they want to see in the world” but don’t know where to start, or how to get out of their own way. I not only coach these women one-on-one but I recently created an incredible 6 week online mastery program for women that begins January 14th, 2014.
This program is called Resolve to Evolve, it’s not about losing 10 pounds (although that might happen) and then taking action. It’s about holistically empowering YOU so that you feel confident, energized, sexy. When that happens… Watch out world! You feel so good, it starts to spill out onto everyone around you, and you begin to “Become the change you want to see.”The way the program works is that each week over six weeks a lesson, or module, is released including 3 videos – one on empowerment, one movement video, and a cooking class with me. The cooking classes are 99% vegan and gluten-free, but I also demonstrate how to cook chicken perfectly. The movement videos feature 6 incredible yogi, dancer, and pilates experts, who guide you through 20 minute, fun, videos you get to practice as often as you like. And finally, the empowerment videos feature 6 amazing women who take us into a journey of self-care – from creating a skin care routine, dressing for your body, using EFT to release pain/toxin emotions, connecting with community, plant care, and how to “get out of your own way” to become the change you want to see.
On top of all this, you’ll be getting tons of recipes (including 6 from Beth of Tasty Yummies!), organizational tools for de-cluttering your life, meditation tips, weekly Q & A calls, AND online community connection via a private Facebook group.
Can you sense a theme here? It’s all about loving yourself… For many years I struggled with insecurities about shining my light. I felt bad or wrong buying nice things for myself, or even putting on make up because I didn’t want to draw attention to myself – I thought it was selfish somehow. I could see so many less fortunate people in the world around me and it didn’t feel fair for me to have so much abundance. But as it turns out, I ended up feeling depleted, lost, and lacking in energy to make the positive changes I so desperately wanted in the world, and I was unable to help those people I felt bad for.
Since discovering yoga, cleanses, women’s groups, health coaches, & retreats I’ve experienced massive transformation in my business growth, relationships, health, inner peace. Choosing to invest in myself has shaped the the person I have become. I am now able to help other women by empowering them with tools that not only keep their bodies healthy, but also make them feel alive, loved, creative, sexy, silly, and FREE!
I so dearly want to share that with you. Please check out my video here for more information on the program. And if you have a girlfriend who might be interested, please forward this post to them!
HOW TO SIGN UP: Read the rest of this entry »
-
Gluten-free Christmas Cookie Exchange
This year I had amazing intentions of organizing a gluten-free Christmas Cookie Exchange with some of my favorite gluten-free bloggers. Ya know the kind, where you each make one or two types of cookies and you make one dozen for every person participating. Then you exchange cookies with everyone in the group (we were just going to mail them off) and then you each end up with a few dozen different types of cookies for all of your holiday entertaining. Or just to eat yourself, if that’s your thing!
Well, life happened and I have barely had time to finish my Christmas shopping this year, so we’ll have to save this idea for another year. Instead we decided on a little virtual cookie exchange or sorts. A bunch of my very favorite gluten-free bloggers came together to share some of their favorite holiday cookies recipes. Check out this amazing round-up below of 15 gluten-free holiday-worthy cookie recipes!
Oh and I’d love to hear from all of you, what is your favorite Christmas cookie recipe? Feel free to post a link in the comments to a recipe on your own site (or a favorite bloggers’) that you would bring to the cookie exchange party!
-
99 Gluten-free Thanksgiving Recipes
For even MORE gluten-free Thanksgiving recipes, be sure to check out the follow-up post to this
99 MORE Gluten-free Thanksgiving Recipes.Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on our gratitude. To take time to appreciate all that we have. This month I have been participating in a 21-Day Gratitude Meditation Series. Each morning I wake up and I dedicate a set amount of time before I start my day, to reflect on the gratitude I have for my life and those that are a part of it. It has been a wonderful journey and I don’t let a day pass by that I don’t recognize what a gift each and every moment truly is.
OK but let’s be really real and totally honest, Thanksgiving is also ALL about FOOD! Delicious, yummy, satisfying, comforting food! Rather than share a bunch of new recipes throughout this month, I thought I would take some time to pull together some of my all-time favorite Thanksgiving recipes, from here on TY and from some of my favorite bloggers. Some I have made before, some are on my menu for this year and some on my fantasy menu (if only I could have a skilled team of chefs to help me prepare an 11-course meal)!
Here is a list of some great gluten-free Thanksgiving recipes, sure to please everyone at your celebration. There is a little bit on something for all. Some of the traditional classics you’ve come to know at your holiday feasts, some lightened up and extra healthy dishes. Some covered in cheese, some are literally just vegetables. Whatever your preferences are, I do hope that this list of Gluten-free recipes will help you plan your best Thanksgiving, yet!
Whether you are gluten-free yourself, or hosting a guest who is gluten-free this Thanksgiving, check out my tips on entertaining – How to be an Accommodating Host and a Gracious Guest. And please, if this is your first holiday season gluten-free, be sure to check out my Quick Guide to Gluten-Free, so you can be mindful and aware of all the unsuspecting places gluten could be hiding.
And now the good stuff – I’ve got 99 Recipes and Gluten Ain’t One. (sorry had to)
99 Gluten-free Thanksgiving Recipes
Dietary Legend
ALL of the below recipes are gluten-free! Some are vegan, some paleo, some dairy-free, etc.
Use this key to easily select the recipes that will work for you:V – Vegan
Veg – Vegetarian
P – Paleo
DF – Dairy-free
NF – Nut-free
SF – Sugar-free*
RSF – Refined Sugar-free*
* So it wasn’t repetitive and redundant, I only used these on the recipes where you could expect to find sugar or sweeteners. Read the rest of this entry »
-
Pumpkin Roundup from Sarah Bakes Gluten Free Treats
Pumpkin season, I mean Fall, is my favorite season of the year! The crisp air outside, the leaves changing colors, and the abundance of pumpkin goodies coming out of my kitchen. It warms my heart to bake up a batch of pumpkin cookies or a loaf of warm pumpkin bread. The smell alone gets me every time, but it is that glorious pumpkin flavor that just can’t get enough of!
My name is Sarah and I’m the baker/blogger over at Sarah Bakes Gluten Free Treats. I’ve had a love for baking for as long as I can remember and for the past 3 years, I’ve been baking 100% gluten free! My husband has celiac disease and my son and I both have a gluten allergy. A lot of my baking is also dairy and egg free. It was quite the adventure, learning how to transition over to gluten free baking. There have been highs and lows, but it has been an amazing journey. Beth has invited me to share a few of my favorite gluten free vegan pumpkin recipes with you today. I hope you enjoy!You can check out Beth’s pumpkin recipe round up post over on my site here.
-
30+ Fall Cleansing Recipes
Good morning friends!!! Welcome to Day 1 of the 5-Day Fall Cleanse.Sherrie and I are so excited to read about how many of you will be joining us this week. If you aren’t able to join us this week, feel free to join in when you can. We will be sharing recipes and ideas throughout the week, so bookmark everything and come back to it when you are able.
Below is a quick recipe roundup to help get you started and to get your creative cleansing juices (or smoothies) flowing! No need to complicate things, eat what is most fresh and easily available to you. That will be different for all of us, based on where we live. Use this list as a reference for meal ideas and also make sure to follow myself and Sherrie on our respective Facebook and Instagram pages (see below), where we will sharing what we are eating throughout this process. I also may be updating this list throughout the week as we share recipes and come across recipes from other sites that we love, so stay tuned.
Tasty Yummies
With Love and Food
-
How-to Make Preserved Lemons
How-to Make Preserved Lemons
Along with the gluten-free cooking demo I hosted on Saturday night at Surfas, I had the pleasure of hosting a hands-on preserved lemons workshop this weekend at the Patchwork Show Edible Edition in Costa Mesa and it was so much fun! It was a packed house. My only regret is that I didn’t stop to take some photos of everyone working on their jars of preserved lemons. It was so fun for me to look out and see everyone getting their hands dirty and learning to do make something new. Not a single person there had ever made preserved lemons!
For those that were are the workshop, these are the instructions for what I taught you on Sunday, thanks again so much for coming. For those that couldn’t make it to the workshop, here is how you easy it is to make preserved lemons. It is really this simple.
I prefer to work with a 16-ounce or quart-sized wide-mouthed jar when I can, but they just aren’t always available at our house, I literally use jars for everything. So, these measurements are for one 12-ounce jar. Adjust your quantities as needed for different sized jars or multiples. Additionally it should be noted, the amount of salt and the number of lemons is just an approximation. It doesn’t have to be exact and it will depend on the size of your lemons.
By the way, you can also add spices to your preserved lemons such as, cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, peppercorns, cloves, coriander, dried peppers, cardamom, etc. Read the rest of this entry »
-
Fig, Vanilla Bean and Cardamom Infused Vodka (Gluten-free, Vegan & Sugar-free)
It’s been a while since I have shared a cocktail recipe here on Tasty Yummies. These days I am only really drinking at home when we have people over for dinner or something of that nature, but with this fig tree in our yard, I have been forced to get super creative with all of these figs we are getting.
I even came up with a hashtag #gettingfiggywitit on Instagram, for all my fun fig adventures. Besides all of this yumminess, I have been freezing them for use in smoothies later and I have dehydrated some to also use later and some are getting mailed to my parents. If you can believe it, our tree is still going strong. We are going to have figs for quite some time.
This Fig, Vanilla Bean and Cardamom Infused Vodka is so simple to make, within a week you’ll be making cocktails that will blow your friends away! If you aren’t big on cocktails and the fuss of mixing, this vodka is so good you can enjoy it as is on the rocks or as a simple martini (see the recipe below). Read the rest of this entry »
-
15 Gluten-Free Snack Ideas
Looking for some healthy gluten-free snack options? Here is a list of 15 of my favorite go-to quick eats that are all naturally gluten-free!
-
Photo Fun Day Friday
Happy Friday guys!! I will keep the chatter to a minimum on this one, since I have to finish cleaning up the house and go to the airport to pick up my parents!! YAY!!!
Hope everyone has a lovely weekend. I will be busy enjoying my parent’s company this upcoming week, but I have some fun posts lined up for you guys. I hope you enjoy.
Our booth in Silverlake this past Saturday.
Set up all day on Sunday at the Rose Bowl Flea. Such a fun event!
I recently discovered how smart it is to zest my lemons before I juice them for my daily warm lemon water. I keep a container in the freezer and I just keep adding to it. It’s great to toss into pasta dishes, in salad dressings, etc.
Look at this beautiful juice. I cannot recall everything that was in it, but it definitely contained beets 🙂
-
Spring Potato Salad with Sugar Snap Peas and Radishes – Gluten-free + Vegan
I know you guys are aware just how much I adore cooking foods inspired by the season and what is most fresh. I don’t have to sell you on that. This salad came from a recent trip to the farmers market where I decided to grab the most delicious, in-season produce I could and just create from there. I had no clue what I was making when I bought everything, I just got it home and started brainstorming.
This salad is full of flavor, beautiful Spring colors and I love the combination of the tender baby red potatoes with the crunch for the sugar snap peas and the radishes. Plus the light dressing, is such a nice alternative to the usual creamy mayo-based dressings on most potato salads. The mint is the perfect compliment to the salad, finishing it with a bright, fresh flavor.
This salad is naturally gluten-free and vegan, so it would be perfect as a side dish at a BBQ or picnic when you have folks with restricted diets. It is sure to please all. This post was originally shared on Free People blog BLDG 25.
Spring Potato Salad with Sugar Snap Peas and Radishes - Gluten-free + Vegan
Print Pin RateServings: 4 -6Ingredients
Dressing
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons whole grain dijon mustard
- 1 clove garlic, minced
Salad
- 1 lb baby red potatoes, washed and cut into 1/2-inch slices
- ½ lb sugar snap peas, trimmed
- 1 small bunch radishes, 4 to 6, trimmed and sliced thin
- 1 /2 small red onion, sliced thin
- 2 tablespoons fresh mint, sliced thin
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Whisk the 4 dressing ingredients together in a small bowl to combine. Set aside.
- Set up an ice bath in a large bowl, by filling it with cold water and ice cubes. Meanwhile bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a rolling boil, add the sugar snap peas and blanch for 1 to 2 minutes, immediately remove the snap peas to the ice bath with a slotted spoon. Leave the pot of water on the stove and over a medium-high heat. Add the potatoes to the same pot and bring the water back to a boil. Cook for about 10 minutes, until the potatoes are just tender.
- Drain the potatoes and if you want to cool them quicker, run some cold water over them.
- Once the snap peas and potatoes are cooled and drained (you can pat them dry to make sure they are nice and dry), add them to a large serving bowl with radishes, onion and fresh mint. Mix the dressing and pour over the salad. Toss gently to combine. Salt and pepper, to taste.
- Serve at room temperature or cold, and enjoy!
-
Photo Fun Day Friday
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. -
Gluten-Free Sunday Brunch Recipes
Are you hosting an Easter brunch this Sunday? Or maybe you are headed as a guest to someones house and you want to make sure you have something you can eat there? Or maybe you yourself can eat gluten, but you are SOO sweet, you are stopping by to get a recipe that is friendly for a gluten-free guest, in which case you get bonus points!
At any rate, here are some of my favorite gluten-free Tasty Yummies recipes, that would be perfect for any Sunday brunch, whether you are gluten-free or not!
This site is full of lots of other recipes that would work, so if you don’t see what you are looking for below, head to the search box off to the right or check the recipes page.
Maple Cinnamon Crunch Quinoa Granola {Gluten-free, Vegan + Refined Sugar-Free}
Grain-free Banana Coconut Mini-Loaves {Gluten-free, Dairy-free + Refined Sugar-free}
Summer Harvest Frittata {Gluten-free + Dairy-free}
Fiesta Quinoa Salad {Gluten-free + Vegan}
Blueberry Rosemary Multi-Grain Galette {Gluten-free + Vegan}
Double Chocolate Donuts with Coconut {Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Refined Sugar-free}
Strawberry Basil Almond Flour Muffins {Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Refined Sugar-free}
Strawberry Coconut Breakfast Cookies {Gluten-free + Vegan}
Banana Pecan Waffles {Gluten-free, Vegan + Refined Sugar-free}
Kalamata Olive and Herb Socca (with Roasted Vegetables options) {Gluten-free + Vegan}
Sweet Potato and Poblano Hash {Gluten-free + Dairy-free with Vegan Option}
Gluten-Free Heirloom Tomato and Goat Cheese Tart
Cherry Almond Flour Muffins {Gluten-free + Dairy-free}
-
2012 Gluten-Free All-Star Recipes from Tasty Yummies
I hope everyone has been enjoying this series of delicious recipes from all of the amazing participating bloggers in this 2012 Gluten-Free All-Star Recipes Series. Today it’s my turn in the series, so here are the 2012 Gluten-Free All-Star Recipes from right here on Tasty Yummies.
I know this may be repetitive for many of you that already follow me here, but since I wrote up an introduction to myself for my guest posts on the other blogs, I thought I would share it on here with you guys, too! In case you are unfamiliar with my back story. I started sharing my gluten-free recipes on Tasty Yummies nearly 3 years ago when I decided to clean up my diet, cut out all processed foods and be much more mindful and aware of everything I was eating and where it was coming from. I had already been following a strict gluten-free diet for over 5 years, but I found myself falling into the trap of eating the worst, overly processed and garbage-filled foods, just because they had the label “gluten-free” on them. I was terrified to experiment with baking and creating my own recipes, beyond what I was already making that was naturally gluten-free. In turn, though I felt better and healthier in some ways as a result of following a strict gluten-free diet, I was still feeling sluggish, getting headaches and I had put on weight from all of the junk I was eating. Gluten-free or not, what I was consuming just wasn’t good for me.
After cleaning up my diet, developing a confidence in the kitchen, and being very mindful to focus on seasonal and clean foods, I quickly and very easily lost 30 pounds and haven’t looked back since. This has been the easiest lifestyle change I have ever made and I have never ever felt better.
Overall, I eat a lot of naturally vegan foods and I maintain a mostly vegetarian diet. At home we do eat some meat (all grass-fed from a wonderful local farmer named Pierre), at most, once a week, sometimes as little as once a month, so I like to consider myself a “conscientious omnivore”. In addition to eating as healthy as I possibly can for me, I also have a daily yoga practice, which I have found to be the perfect compliment to my lifestyle, mentally, emotionally and physically. For the first time ever, I have found a way of living that fits me and my body, it never feels like work or a struggle and I am constantly grateful for all of it.My Favorite From 2012
Before sharing Tasty Yummies’ 2012 Gluten-Free All-Star Recipes, I wanted to celebrate an all-star blogger whom I love and one of her recipes that I absolutely adore. This grain-free pizza crust created by the insanely creative Brittany Angell, is to die for delicious. I knew it would be good, since every recipe I have made from Brittany always is, but I honestly didn’t expect it to be that good. This crust is thick, fluffy and grainy with the perfect amount of crisp to the outside. It holds up really well to toppings and I even replaced the eggs and adapted it to be totally vegan for a cobbler topping, here is that recipe. This recipe is definitely my go-to pizza dough now!
Be sure to check out Brittany Angell for even more amazing recipes.
Tasty Yummies 2012 Gluten-Free All-Star Recipes
I hope you enjoy these most popular recipes from Tasty Yummies this past year. In looking at stats and page visits alone, I have to say, my readers love sweets and chocolate. For someone that prefers savory over sweet every time, this always makes me giggle. Sweet treats definitely get a lot more attention in the blogging world, that’s for sure. These three recipes are not only readers’ favorites, I have to say, all three are favorites in my kitchen as well, and have been made countless times in different variations.
1) Dark Chocolate Coconut Treats {Vegan, Gluten-free + Refined Sugar-Free}
These simple to make sweet chocolate treats have become a favorite in our house. We both LOVE the combination of chocolate and coconut and a refined sugar-free version of a classic candy bar, I am sure you know which one 😉 Since I have added a mini muffin pan to my kitchen, I usually make them in there now, for a smaller more bite-sized treat, plus they last longer. Here is the recipe.
Rose said: “I’ve been eyeing these up for a while. Made them for a group the other night and words out around town already with people asking about them. Yum they were so good.”
2) Kalamata Olive and Herb Socca with Roasted Vegetables {Gluten-free + Vegan}
I honestly cannot believe I hadn’t discovered socca until this year. Boy have I been missing out. Soccas are super simple to make and you can get really creative with add-ins and toppings. You could even make a sweet dessert socca by adding a little sweetness and some cocoa powder. This particular recipe was so simple, I made it for lunch one afternoon in the middle of a work day. Here is the recipe.
Johanna said: “Thank you for the recipe! That was delicious. Kids ate it too.”
3) Chocolate Peanut Butter Road Trip Energy Bars {Gluten-free, Vegan + Refined Sugar-Free}
These bars in some variation or another have become a road-trip staple around here. They are so quick to whip up and they are so sinfully delicious, it is hard to believe they are healthy. Here is the recipe.
**Bonus: I change the recipe a bit every time I make them, based on what I have on hand, here is a fun seasonal version I made recently for another road trip, Chewy Pumpkin Spice Granola Bars.
Portia said: “These are in the oven right now and I’m standing here watching the timer do it’s countdown. My younger son and I were eating the “dough” and it was DELICIOUS! The smell is making my mouth water. It’s going to be a “treat before dinner” kind of night:-) One minute to go!”
Follow Tasty Yummies
If you would like to keep up with Tasty Yummies, please check out the blog here for more gluten-free recipes that focus on clean, fresh and seasonal eating. Please also feel free to connect with me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram to see what I am up to. You can also subscribe to my RSS feed or sign up for to receive emails whenever I post a new recipe.
Thanks so much to Lexie for organizing this wonderful all-star series and thanks to all of the lovely ladies that are participating. I am honored to be a part of such an amazing community of talented bloggers! Happy Holidays to everyone and I wish you all very tasty, healthy and happy 2013!
-
Beth’s Birthday – 1 Gallon Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil Giveaway
********* The giveaway is now closed! Thank you so much to everyone that entered and congrats to Janet our randomly selected winner! *********
(winner was randomly selected using Random.org)Janet I will be emailing you to let you know you have won and to get your mailing address.
If you’ve been following my blog for a while now, you know how obsessed I am with coconut oil. I use it in just about everything I make, baked goods, smoothies, chocolate treats, roasted veggies, etc. So, in honor of my birthday today, instead of all of the gifts being for me, I wanted to share the gift of coconut oil with one lucky reader – so I am giving away 1 gallon (yes, gallon) of Tropical Traditions’ Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil! Before we get into how to enter, below are some of favorite ways to use coconut oil in the kitchen! Now if I could just get someone to create the perfect gluten-free birthday cake for me today with some of this delicious coconut oil and maybe some amazing dark chocolate, that would just make my day. If I could clone myself for just one day for that reason, I’d say that is a good enough reason.
Some of my recent favorite recipe featuring Tropical Traditions’ Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil are:
These homemade vegan versions of Almond Joys that I call Joyful Almond Coconut Chocolate Bites, are my new obsession. A perfect halloween sweet without all the processed junk found in the candy lining the aisles at stores right now.
It’s that time of year, pumpkin recipes are everywhere and I cannot get enough. These Grain-free Mini Pumpkin Pie Tarts are the perfect way to enjoy to have all of the yummy flavors of a pumpkin pie without the guilt, or the stomach aches!
I love using coconut oil in baked goods, especially cookies. These Grain-free Pistachio Chocolate Chip Cookies with Sea Salt are simple to make and are soo delicious. The most wonderful combo of salty and sweet all wrapped up into one delicious cookie.
With Halloween looming around the corner, I am sure you are craving some delicious caramel apples, too, right? Here is my updated healthier version of the classic treat, Vegan Caramel Apple Dipping Sauce (Gluten-free). This dipping sauce features lots of yummy coconut ingredients, including some delicious coconut oil.
And of course there are always all of these favorite recipes, too…
What could be better than a homemade vegan and gluten-free apple crisp this time of year? Nothing! Instead of the usual butter, replace it with some delicious gold label virgin coconut oil.
As I mentioned a little while back, I recently received a sample of Gold Label Coconut Oil from Tropical Traditions and I have really been enjoying making things with it. One of my favorites has been this Banana Blueberry Coconut Smoothie, that I featured recently. Sometimes I make a similar smoothie but instead of blueberries, I add in a tablespoon or two of unsweetened organic baking cocoa. Wow, what a delicious and sinful treat.
Another recipe that I made recently that really used coconut oil in a different way was this Blueberry Rosemary Multi-Grain Galette, instead of butter or a butter alternative, I use frozen coconut oil to give the crust of this galette the perfect texture, it is so easy and perfect if you are dairy-free or vegan.
And of course, the most popular recipe here on Tasty Yummies that really features coconut oil are my Dark Chocolate Coconut Treats, which can easily be made in a regular sized or mini-sized muffin tin. These may just be my favorite use for coconut oil.
A quick search for coconut oil here on Tasty Yummies will quickly show you just how often I use coconut oil and it will get you tons of great recipes to play around with and to be inspired by. In addition to being great to cook with, I also from time to time use coconut oil on my skin and hair (and the same goes for the dog), since it makes a really great natural moisturizer. The coconut oil that I received from Tropical Traditions really stands out for me among the different brands I have used, it has a great subtle flavor and it is very high quality. I find the coconut oil from Tropical Traditions tastes cleaner and more pure than any other brand I have tried. I cannot wait to continue making yummy things with it. A lot of you already know the great benefits that coconut oil provides and as much as I would love to go into that on here, the FDA does not want us to discuss the health benefits of coconut oil on a page where it is being sold or given away, so here is the best website to read about the health benefits of coconut oil.
Since, I am really enjoying the Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil from Tropical Traditions so much, I am hosting a giveaway for a 1 gallon pail. (Yes, it a pail of coconut oil!)
Read below to see how you can enter to win.
Win 1 gallon of Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil!
Tropical Traditions is America’s source for coconut oil. Their Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil is hand crafted in small batches by family producers, and it is the highest quality coconut oil they offer. You can read more about how virgin coconut oil is different from other coconut oils on their website: What is Virgin Coconut Oil?
You can also watch the video they produced about Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil:
Tropical Traditions also carries other varieties of affordable high quality coconut oil. Visit their website to check on current sales, to learn about the many uses of coconut oil, and to read about all the advantages of buying coconut oil online. Since the FDA does not want us to discuss the health benefits of coconut oil on a page where it is being sold or given away, here is the best website to read about the health benefits of coconut oil.
Disclaimer: Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose. Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product.
Enter the contest
Please leave a *separate comment* below for each entry!
You can enter up to 4 times1) In order to be entered into the giveaway, you *must* sign up for the Tropical Traditions newsletter here.
Please comment below to let me know that you have done so (with a working email address) to enter yourself in the giveaway *Additional entries will be accepted for the following:
2) Like both the Tasty Yummies and Tropical Traditions pages on Facebook.
Share the post I put up on the Tasty Yummies page to be included in the giveaway then come back and comment here telling me you liked both pages, that you’ve shared my post and what you’d make if you won the gallon-sized pail of coconut oil.3) Tweet about the contest and while you are there follow me on Twitter @herobeth and follow @troptraditions and/or @ttspecialdeals
You could say something like: “I just entered to win @troptraditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil from @herobeth on Tasty Yummies http://wp.me/p23r4t-Ia”
Make sure you comment here to let me know that you posted about the giveaway.4) Subscribe to the Tasty Yummies RSS feed in your RSS reader or by email
Again, make sure to comment here to let me know that you subscribed.Please note – this giveaway is only open to the US and Canada.
Again, please make sure you leave a *separate comment* below for each entry,
if you don’t comment you will not be entered!The giveaway will be open until the end of the day Tuesday, October 23.
Winner will be selected at random and announced on Wednesday, October 24. 1 winner will be selected and notified through email and this post.Please note: If you order by clicking on any of my links and have never ordered from Tropical Traditions in the past, you will receive a free book on Virgin Coconut Oil, and I will receive a discount coupon for referring you.
-
My Favorite Gluten-free Pumpkin Recipes
OK so, it’s officially that time of year and I have already dove head-first (actually mouth-first, maybe) into all of the pumpkin goodness of the season! I shared the first of this season’s recipes on Saturday, my grain-free vegan mini pumpkin pie tarts, and I have lots more irresistible pumpkin recipes planned for the coming weeks. So grab those beautiful pie pumpkins at the farmers market by the bushel and start making your fresh puree, I have some fun stuff planned.
What is your favorite pumpkin treat of the season?
(all of the below recipes are gluten-free)
Grain-free Mini Pumpkin Pie Tarts (Gluten-free, Vegan + Refined Sugar-free)
Chewy Pumpkin Oatmeal Raisin Cookies (Gluten-free + dairy-free)
Pumpkin Spice Bread with Crystallized Ginger and Walnuts (Gluten-free + dairy-free)
Pumpkin Spice Granola (Gluten-free + vegan)
Pumpkin Gingerbread Muffins with Dried Cranberries (Gluten-free + vegan)
Vegan Pumpkin Pie Smoothie (Gluten-free + vegan)
Pumpkin Hummus (Gluten-free + vegan)
Pumpkin, Ricotta & Gruyère Pasta Casserole (Gluten-free)
Pumpkin Spice Muffins with Hazelnuts and Cranberries (Gluten-free + dairy-free)
Toasted Pumpkin Seeds (Gluten-free + vegan)
Vegan Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream (Gluten-free + vegan)
-
Buffalo News – July Cook of the Month
I am very humbled to have been selected by the Buffalo News to be their July Cook of the Month. I am featured along with a couple of my gluten-free recipes, on the front page of the Taste section in today’s edition (Wednesday, July 18). If you aren’t local, you can see the full article on their website here.
I am sharing my recipe for Balsamic Strawberry Mini-Tarts with Whipped Coconut Cream as well as a new recipe for a Fiesta Quinoa Salad, plus a little background on my love of cooking, why I started Tasty Yummies and more. Thanks so much to Buffalo New Food Editor Andrew Galarneau and Buffalo News photographer Sharon Cantillon, for coming by my house to chat, and photograph me while I cook, such a fun experience! I could definitely get used to that.
Photo by Sharon Cantillon/Buffalo News
