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Dairy-free Eggnog {Paleo + Keto-friendly}
This Dairy-free Eggnog is creamy, rich, frothy and can be made with or without alcohol for a delicious holiday treat!
Holiday traditions of the edible and drinkable persuasion, those are as powerful and important as any others. But the traditional, seasonal foods of today, they pale in comparison to those our grandparents enjoyed. Store bought eggnog is generally loaded with tons of sugar and corn syrup, artificial flavors, pasteurized and denatured dairy, theres gums and other stabilizers and who knows what else. Even the vegan nogs at the store, the amount of sugar in there is just insanity and there’s so much non-food products hidden within. For me, it’s just not worth it, even if just once a year, especially when you can make your own and kill it!
While I prefer to avoid most dairy and have developed a pretty solid vegan eggnog recipe in the past, I realized recently that I was shorting myself on a pretty rad eggnog experience by skipping out on the eggs. Like, why was I doing that? I mean, after all, it wasn’t called “cashewnog” for the last however many decades. Why had it never dawned on me to meet in the middle with my nog, drop the dairy, keep the eggs, sweeten accordingly.
This homemade dairy-free eggnog has the same creamy, richness of a traditional eggnog, with a really, nice, light frothiness that I prefer to a super duper, heavy cream-loaded nog. Thanks to the separated yolks and whites (inspired by this recipe), it’s simple to make but the texture is perfect every time. It’s the perfect balance of creamy and frothy. This is a really solid base recipe and from here you can play with spices and flavorings. Try a Bourbon Maple version, or maybe a Pumpkin Spiced rendition, add in some pumpkin puree and pie spice, maybe cinnamon liquor in the mix. Or Gingersnap inspired with a little molasses and ginger or gingersnap liquor.
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Grain-free Spinach Tortillas {Paleo, Vegan, Nut-free} + Video
I am so excited to share the recipe for these Grain-free Spinach Tortillas with you guys. It took a little testing to get these tortillas to where I wanted them, both in texture and pliability, but also color and taste. I have tested them many times now and I am still amazed at how simple they are to make and just how perfect the end result is.
I know that homemade tortillas can be a tad intimidating at first, especially if you’ve never made them, but I can assure you after one or two times, it feels like second nature. There is something so meditative and soothing about the process of rolling the dough into balls, pressing, rolling, a quick cook. You get into this beautiful flow and within minutes, a stack of these gorgeous, vibrant wraps.
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Bone Broth Braised Greens {Paleo, Gluten-free, Whole30, AIP}
These Bone Broth Braised Greens are a nourishing addition to any holiday table or just a perfect, comforting side dish, for anytime. Bone broth, onion, garlic, lemon and red pepper flakes add flavor to this side dish that can be made with whatever hearty green is in season. Collard greens, Swiss chard, kale or a mix of your favorites.
I find that at holiday tables (shoot many dinner tables year ’round, for that matter) the veggies are often an afterthought. The thing people throw together and half-ass, because they “have to”. Veggies deserve more love than that. A little respect and honor, ya know? After all, nutrient-rich veggies should be the backbone of any real food diet, or any diet really. We should be shooting for some green stuff at every single meal. Non-negotiable.
I know veggies can get boring and if you’re like me, in the cooler months, salads get less and less enticing, so getting those greens in can be hard. Steaming works, but let’s be real, it can be ‘blah!’ and when you serve ‘blah’ veggies, it’s a fight to get them down and the chances are you aren’t going to do it at every meal.
These slow cooked greens, bring the flavor and nourishing, healing goodness of the bone broth, we get a little heat from the red pepper flakes and the onion, garlic and lemon, round it all out with classic, simplicity.
It’s a pretty fuss-free recipe and at the end of it, you get a bowl of goodness that your beautiful body sooo deserves! Every time I share that I am whipping up this recipe on social media, I get so many messages that you want the recipe. So I finally wrote it up to share with you. Just in time for the holidays.
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Creamy Paleo Tortilla Soup {Gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, nut-free}
This authentic, blended Creamy Paleo Tortilla Soup inspired by a recent trip to the Islands of Loreto in Mexico, gets an update thanks to grain-free cassava tortillas. If you are cool with corn, go for it babe, it’s one simple swap out, either way. The creaminess of the soup comes not from any dairy, but from the crispy tortillas strips being pureed right into the broth with everything else! Skip out on any cheese to make fully paleo or for a more authentic (and primal) version, add cubed or crumbled cotija cheese or queso fresco. Besides additional crispy tortilla strips, we like to serve ours topped with a drizzle of homemade Salsa Macha, avocado, fresh cilantro and a squeeze of lime, Mexican cheese if we’re feeling nasty!
It’s been a busy couple of months of travel for me, but as usual, I have returned home feeling inspired, refreshed and excited to create. As I have always shared with you guys, getting away and traveling, at times, can be a disruptor to my daily routines, my healthy habits and can sometimes keep me from feeling like my best self. So, as you can imagine I especially love the trips that allow me to maintain my eating preferences, my activity level and fill me up full of magical experiences and ideas to come back and share with all of you.
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Mini Frittata Egg Bites {gluten-free, paleo, keto, whole30}
These Mini Frittata Egg Bites are a wonderful, easy-to-make, one-bite breakfast treat that is perfect for entertaining, great for the holidays, light, simple and super, duper customizable. Read on for lots of flavor options.
One of the perks of this strange career path I have embarked on, is the incredible experiences and opportunities to understand and investigate our food further. I consider it a great blessing that I am able to get behind the scenes and truly see where our food is coming from – as this is of high importance to me, to learn, to educate myself and to share with all of you, to hopefully empower you with the knowledge to make the best choices for your family.
To boil it down quite simply, first, personally I want my food to be nutrient-dense and second, I want it to be bullsh*t free! As a long supporter of Vital Farms I was beyond honored when they asked if I would come to Missouri to tour some of their farms, to meet the growers and most importantly to see how their Girls on Grass live, the pastures they graze on and a peek behind the scenes at how they run things.
I am beyond excited to share that everything this company boasts if truly a reality. No BS! Right down to Stuart, the farmer featured in their incredible new campaign, he’s a real farmer, with Vital Farms. I spent the afternoon on his farm. Across the board on all of Vital Farms’ farms, the beautiful hens are raised under humane conditions and they have time on pasture, daily, each bird getting a minimum of 108sqft of pasture to roam (compared to less than 1 foot that a cage-free hen gets or the 2sqft that a free-range hen receives).
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Caramelized Onion and Bacon Liver Pâté
Rich in both flavor and nutrients, this Caramelized Onion and Bacon Liver Pâté makes a wonderful appetizer or sandwich spread and would both be the perfect addition to any holiday spread or even just an every day weekday treat.
Well, well, well. The time has come. Liver has made it’s way to the Tasty Yummies recipe archives. Who am I, even? Honestly, though, there is a version of me from 5 years ago that would truly never believe it possible. Yet, here we are. Just a girl in her 30s that has a mild love affair with good liver and how good that it makes her feel.
A good pâté at a restaurant, this was the first time I was able to eat liver. If you’ve never had it, pâté is a smooth mousse that is deliciously served up in small portions traditionally on crostini or crackers, garnishing pricy charcuterie boards. Liver is usually quite inexpensive to purchase from your local farmer, or a trusted market, sometimes as inexpensive as a few dollars a pound.
Liver is a highly-prized, often overlooked superfood. I find it’s a really great way to get my vitally important vitamin A, a fabulous source of B vitamins and iron, along with many crucial minerals and it even contains a not-yet-identified anti-fatigue factor. Guys, legit I have massive amounts more energy when I am eating liver, regularly. You can read more about the many, many nutritional benefits of nature’s most potent superfood here.
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Grain-free Dark Chocolate Olive Oil Tart {Paleo, Gluten-free + Vegan} + Video
As if I could find a better pairing, two of my favorite foods come together in the perfect marriage, for this rich, silky, decadent treat that’s low carb, low in sugar, grain-free and vegan. The smooth fruity taste of Terra Delyssa’s organic extra virgin olive oil is the perfect compliment to super dark chocolate and in all it’s impressiveness this dessert comes together in no time.
Truth be told, I am not much of a baker. Mostly it comes from a lack of caring about most baked goods and sweets. I know you’ve heard this story before, in the nearly 8 years of Tasty Yummies. What I do love, admittedly daily, is a couple of squares of high quality super duper dark chocolate. It’s really just about all I need.
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Skillet Baked Eggs and Greens with Herby Feta Yogurt Drizzle
Breakfast for breakfast, breakfast for dinner, breakfast at any time, this flavor-loaded Skillet Baked Eggs and Greens with Herby Feta Yogurt Drizzle is a one-skillet meal that you too will be obsessed with.
If you haven’t deducted from the insane amount of breakfast and brunch posts – I love eggs. I love meals centered around eggs. I like eggs for breakfast, just fine, but I also really love eggs for dinner. Shakshuka is one of my absolute, all-time favorite dishes, but to be fully honest, baked eggs of any kind will forever have my heart.
I also have a really big soft spot in my heart for one-skillet meals, especially those that can get me everything I need in one gorgeous pan. This meal is a fabulous, versatile dish that can be served at any meal – breakfast, lunch or dinner. With a gorgeous bed of nutrient-abundant greens, laced with the caramelized shallots and scallions, topped with the most perfect, soft, baked eggs with luscious, runny yolks, it’s all topped with a rich, drizzly, herby, feta-yogurt sauce that is the finishing move to end all finishing moves.
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Spicy Pumpkin Fries {Paleo + Whole30}
Fall is officially upon us, which means we can finally celebrate all things pumpkin! For what it’s worth, I believe in waiting it out, slowing down and fully holding onto summer as long as we can. Each season flies by far too quickly, so I truly try to savor each moment and live in the present. The next season always comes.
But the time has come, where we can go hog wild on pumpkin everything. While there is a plethora of pumpkin recipes here on Tasty Yummies, these Spicy Pumpkin Fries may be one of my all time favorite pumpkin recipes. I shared these last year as an exclusive email list-only recipe and the response was so huge, I just couldn’t let these get lost in the abyss of email inboxes gone by, so here we are!
Savory, spicy and just a little crisp – this is what fries are all about, no matter what they are made from. Traditionally we know that fries out in the wild, are submerged in a vat of adulterated vegetable and seed oils, these oils are truly some of the worst things we can put it our body. (read more here) But, when made at home, baked with high quality oils, you can enjoy without the worry of toxic fats.
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Chicken Kofta Skewers {Paleo, Gluten-free}
Loaded with Middle Eastern flavors these Chicken Kofta Skewers are simple to make and they are packed with taste from an array of fresh herbs and spices. These can be made as kababs or meatballs and served alongside your favorite salad or made into a wrap, with pita or lettuce.
While we are deep into September and days away from the official start of Autumn, in Southern California and really, much of the country right now, the memo hasn’t been received and summer weather is still upon us. Besides, there’s no reason that grilling should be relegated to just summer.
Regardless of the time of year, these delicious, Mediterranean-inspired kofta skewers as they are as if a kabab and a meatball made a baby and it makes for a surprisingly easy, but tasty, weeknight meal. Whether you fire up the grill, cook them up in a grill pan on the stove or roll them into meatballs and cook them up that way, you can’t go wrong. The beautiful blend of herbs and spices provides a wonderful array of flavors. In my mind, they are a cousin to gyro, one of my most favorite Greek dishes and they make for a really easy, yet still exotic option for even a weeknight meal.
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Overnight Grab and Go Yogurt Chia Pudding Parfait
This nutrient-dense, creamy, rich Overnight Grab and Go Yogurt Chia Pudding Parfait is the perfect, customizable, easy meal that’s packed with quality protein and fat, plus lots of valuable micronutrients, to keep you full, energized and well-fed for a busy and healthful day ahead!
With back-to-school and back-to-real-life being the reality for many of us right now – easy meals, fuss-free eats and healthy food that fits into a busy lifestyle, these are all of great importance to staying on track with our mindful lifestyles.
I know breakfast can be especially challenging, mornings are busy and grabbing something carb-loaded, sugary or sandwiched between bread – that can be easiest and most convenient. I get it! But, you’ve all heard my spiel about building a fire for your day. The general idea is that quality fats and proteins, they are the like solid log on your fire, the energy that will burn slowly, more steady and for longer, no huge and sudden drop off! However, carbs and sugars, those are kindling. These are the sticks and the leaves, the bits of crumpled up paper, that burns up super quickly. So, you get that jolt of fire (aka energy) POOF and then it’s gone, there’s the big crash when your fire goes out and then you inevitably need to add even more kindling (or even better, a log) if you can ever hope to stoke a fire that will last throughout the day.
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Grain-free Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies {Paleo}
Paleo-friendly, dairy-free and gluten-free these Grain-free Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies are a total breeze to whip up and you won’t believe how few ingredients they have.
These cookies may look familiar to you, they are the star of my popular Grain-free Chocolate Chip Cookie Banana Ice Cream Sandwiches! But they are just way too solid on their own, that I felt they definitely deserved a dedicated post of their own here on TY.
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Billionaire’s Bacon – Thick Cut Paleo Candied Bacon
I am super excited to share this recipe with you for Billionaire’s Bacon – Thick Cut Paleo Candied Bacon. This was recreated and inspired by Villard restaurant at Lotte New York Palace Hotel in New York City, after a recent trip to the city, along with the Hamptons for an amazing Blogger Retreat I attended. Read on for this amazing candied bacon situation, that features a little sugar and a little spice recreated to be paleo-friendly, along with scenes and highlights from our amazing East Coast trip.
This bacon will 100% make you feel like you’ve struck riches, you’ll totally feel big time. Aptly named this Billionaire’s Bacon tastes as if it were fit for royalty. It’s sinful really. With the original recipe calling for a full cup of light brown sugar, and having tasted it and devoured it, it’s super tasty, decadent and sweet, but maybe too much so for this low sugar gal. So, I recreated this paleo-friendly version, adapted from the original, to lower the sugar but still offer that sweet stickiness, with the multi-layered spices.
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Cauliflower Pizza Crust {Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Paleo} + Video
I’d like to introduce you to your new favorite pizza crust!!! Unlike most Cauliflower Pizza Crusts, this one doesn’t rely on dairy for binding. With a just 5 ingredients, this crust is dairy-free and nut-free, with the perfect and a golden brown, lightly crisped bottom. Choose your favorite toppings to customize this pizza, using a dairy-free alternative cheese, if you cannot tolerate dairy. Choose pesto instead of red sauce, add mushrooms, caramelized onions or shallots, veggies, etc.
Things to Note with this Cauliflower Pizza Crust:- This crust is naturally dairy-free, grain-free and nut-free. If you cannot do dairy at all, simply leave it off with your toppings or go with your favorite alternative.
- The crust can be made with either fresh cauliflower that has been riced quickly in the food processor or to make it even easier, buy already riced cauliflower (fresh or frozen) – give it a quick steam on the stove top or microwave and voila. So stinken’ fast and easy.
- Coconut flour is a unique flour that is highly absorbent, so there really isn’t a simple swap if you cannot have coconut flour. You can experiment with another grain-free altnerative flour like almond flour or cassava flour, but please note it will not be 1 to 1 with the coconut flour, you will definitely need more. Feel free to play around and report back if you find a good alternative.
- While many cauliflower pizza crust recipes claim to be quicker by skipping the pre-cook of the cauliflower or the squeezing of the water, I say meh – you are almost always left with a soggy pizza crust that doesn’t hold up super well to toppings. What makes this particular crust so delicious, is the very delicate, light crisp on the outside with a perfect chew and best part yet, it’s strong and not flimsy. It’s the lack of water. Don’t skip this step. You guys, it literally takes like 2 minutes.
- This recipe makes one 8 to 9-inch pizza, but you can very easily double the recipe for a larger pizza.
- Baked on a pre-heated pizza stone instead of the baking sheet, the bottom of the crust gets an even nicer light crisp to it.
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How-to Cook Eggs in the Instant Pot – Soft, Medium and Hard Cooked
Learn How-to Cook Eggs in the Instant Pot and forget the uncertainty of cooking your eggs on the stove top – using your Instant Pot provides consistent results and the eggs are easy to peel EVERY SINGLE TIME. Whether you want soft, medium or hard cooked, we’ve got the time figured out for you, so there’s no guessing.
Well, I am embarrassed to say it took me far too long to finally experiment with cooking eggs in my Instant Pot. I always had a *mostly* foolproof method to hard boiling eggs on the stovetop, but “mostly” ends up being the key word. My breaking point was Easter weekend, this year. I wanted to make a bunch of hard boiled eggs, to make a post for the website, Deviled Eggs Two Ways. Things didn’t go quite as planned and my hard boiled eggs were a nightmare to peel. One of the most frustrating afternoons EVER. I was cursing over the sink as I watched about half of every single egg white stick to the shells and peel off, leaving the most janky looking, lumpy eggs behind. UGH!
I’ve heard so many variations on how to make the perfect hard boiled eggs. I’ve heard it has to do with how fresh the eggs are, adding vinegar or baking soda to the water, boiling for less time then letting the eggs sit, boiling the entire time then right into the ice bath. All of these methods work, until they don’t.
Several people had mentioned to me how great the Instant Pot is for hard boiling eggs, so I decided to give it a whirl and WOW – GAME CHANGER! I experimented with finding the right time and what variables affected the results. Additionally, I found the perfect time for soft and medium cooked eggs, too. Because I love a perfectly-cooked, delicious yolky soft boiled egg over veggies many mornings and the various medium cooked eggs are great when you want a little yolkiness, but not the whole runny shabang.
I find fully hard cooked eggs to be the most sensitive to variables, since the window of a perfectly cooked hard boiled egg is just like a ripe avocado. It’s not cooked, it’s not cooked, then WHAM overcooked, weirdly dry with that green ring. Not much deviation from perfection.
With many many many dozens of eggs and experiments later, I have worked up a simple formula with varying times. OK let’s get to it – How-to Cook Eggs in the Instant Pot…
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5 Minute Green Goddess Dressing / Dip {Dairy-free, Paleo, Whole30}
This gorgeous, vibrant Paleo Green Goddess Dressing is ready in under 5 minutes and it’s loaded with so much flavor. This creamy, dairy-free Whole30-compliant condiment can be served up as a salad dressing, dip, sauce or spread. Sorry not sorry in advance if you become as addicted to it as we are!
I am not sure exactly where the term “Green Goddess” originated when speaking of a tasty green dressing, but I am not mad about it. Not at all. Clearly something this beautiful, brilliant and delicious is female! DUH.
I have seen many many iterations of the Green Goddess dressing and many call for yogurt or other dairy and ALL the green things. This particular rendition gets it’s creaminess from avocado and delicious avocado oil mayonnaise. There is a prominent basil flavor and aroma which is peppery and fresh, with parsley is a backup singer. If you want to have some fun, swap out the basil with cilantro (I’d say go with more like 1/2 cup since it’s a bit stronger), swap lime for the lemon and add jalapeño. Voila, another version of this amazing sauce.
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Sheet Pan Roast Chicken and Veggies Dinner {+ Video} Gluten-free + Paleo
This Sheet Pan Roast Chicken and Veggies Dinner is extremely simple to toss together, it’s ready in just about 30 minutes and you can easily adjust the recipe’s ingredients to your personal favorites. Swap out the veggies, try a different herb and spice blend.
Sheet pan dinners are the ultimate in one-pan meals. These versatile meals are easy to customize for even the pickiest of eaters. With a trusty sheet pan, just a few pantry staples and your favorite in season produce in just about 30 minutes of cooking, you can have a hearty, tasty dinner on the table any night of the week.
Get Creative
This recipe is highly versatile, you change out the veggies depending on the season and your family’s preferences. Here we went with Brussels sprouts and butternut squash, two of our personal favorites – but you can also use cabbage, green beans, squash, peppers, onions or shallots, broccoli, cauliflower, potatoes (white or sweet), zucchini, carrots, etc. Go with the best the season has to offer and of course, your family’s favorites.
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Boosted Chocolate Tahini Fudge {Gluten-free, Paleo}
Well, I might just have to quit after this. This Boosted Chocolate Tahini Fudge features two of my favorite things together in a marriage so perfect I am not sure any treat can ever compare. At least for this girl. As if it couldn’t get better, this treat features the bonus healing powers of one of my favorite daily supplements.
This fudge is dreamy. It’s rich and decadent, it’s unique and “mmmmm”-inducing. Here’s the thing though, if you don’t like tahini, it may not be for you (though you could likely swap in some almond butter or sunflower seed butter). But if you are a lover of all things tahini, you’re in luck. MAJOR luck. The tahini flavor shines bright and in it’s prominence it’s complimented so perfectly by the decadent, rich super dark chocolate. Don’t skimp here, quality is of key. Better yet, use homemade dark chocolate if you’ve got some. You guys already know how I feel about dark chocolate, a square or two a day of this magical superfood and that’s about all this lady needs to be satisfied. It doesn’t take much. Curious on why dark chocolate is a great option for a daily treat? Read more about the many benefits of dark chocolate.
But here’s the best part, this is so much more than your usual treat, in true Tasty Yummies style, I boosted this fudge to bring an added layer of healing benefits. Vital Proteins’ Vanilla and Coconut Water Collagen Peptides is one of the latest and greatest from my pals over at Vital Proteins. You guys have already heard me sing the praises of collagen peptides as part of a healing diet and lifestyle. But since I have started incorporating Vital Proteins in my life, daily, they have continued to expand their product and introduce more and more incredible collagen based products. The new Vanilla and Coconut Water Collagen Peptides is no exception, this has been a wonderful addition to smoothies, as well as baked goods and now this amazing boosted fudge.
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Maple Bourbon Glazed Chicken Wings
As I sit down to write this recipe I am having the realization that these Maple Bourbon Glazed Chicken Wings in a nutshell are basically a food representation of my marriage and just 9 days before our 10 year wedding anniversary, at that. I would love to act as if this was 100% purposeful in it’s intent, but nope, kinda just a happy accident. But you guys, chicken wings inspired by the Kentucky Derby – it’s like Buffalo meets Louisville. I a Buffalo girl, my husband Mark from Louisville. Nifty. Totally planned (not really).
Tomorrow is the Kentucky Derby and while I could care less about horse racing, in fact I actually have some inherent issues with it from a moral and ethical standpoint, I do have a husband that grew up in Louisville, surrounded by the culture of this 2-minute long historic sport. They party for 2 weeks prior to the Derby in Louisville, there are boat races, fireworks, fancy hats and a plethora of foods and cocktails exclusively served for the Derby. They don’t mess around.
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Carne Asada Burrito Bowl {gluten-free and paleo-friendly}
With Cinco de Mayo later this week, it felt more than appropriate to share a Mexican-inspired dish to kick this week off right. As someone who loves Mexican food, with a preferred avoidance of corn, beans and most dairy, it can make hitting up a local authentic So Cal taqueria challenging, at best. Burritos are nearly out of the question.
At best I can always hack any Mexican menu and throw together a killer salad with fajita meat or carne asada, a bed of lettuce with the meat and just load up on guacamole or avocado and skip the cheese, sour cream, rice and beans. I generally avoid the tortillas and skip the chips (or pack my own) – but more and more I am finding this isn’t enough. Many restaurants use spice blends and marinades that contain gluten. Going out for Mexican is just not as fun as it should be.
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How-to Make Easy Chia Seed Jam {+ Video}
This Easy Chia Seed Jam is a wonderful way to preserve the fresh fruit of the season and enjoy delicious homemade jam without artificial colors and flavors or an ungodly amount of sugar. It’s a breeze to make, ready in about 15 minutes, plus there is no canning equipment necessary and you can control the level of sweetness leaving out refined sugar and instead using natural sweeteners like honey, maple or any other alternative you choose (or leave it out altogether and go al naturale).
Best part, this simple chia seed jam formula works with nearly any fruit you’d like, so go with the best the current season has to offer and get creative. Try strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, cherries, cranberries, apples, pears, peaches, plums, etc. Experiment with blending various fruits and if you really want to have some fun, add in vanilla bean, fresh herbs or spices, rosemary, basil, fresh mint, cinnamon, nutmeg or ginger – the flavor combos are endless, really.
