Roasted Poblano White Bean Dip

I love me some poblanos. Roasting them is my favorite way to cook them and it makes your house smell amazing! This dip is super easy to make and only takes a few ingredients. Be patient and roast your poblanos, it is so worth it. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
-1 Poblano Pepper, Roasted and Peeled 
          *How to roast peppers in an oven
-1 Can (15oz) Cannellini beans (Or other white bean), Rinsed and Drained
-2 TBSP Fresh lemon juice, About 1/2 Large Lemon
1 Clove Garlic, chunks
2 TBSP Olive Oil
2 TBSP Cold Water, more if needed. 
1/2 TSP Pink Sea Salt

Add all ingredients to a food processor and blend until desired consistency! Easy as dip!
Pair with some persian cucumbers or your favorite Gluten Free Cracker (Like Crunchmaster, pictured above) 

Jalapeno Kale Almond Dip

I really can't stop combining jalapeño and kale. This dip is so flavorful, slightly spicy and packed with vitamins and nutrients. Serve it cold with rice crackers or cucumbers.

1 Cup Raw Almonds

1/2 Cup Grapeseed Oil

1 Jalapeno, Seeded and Chopped

1/8 Cup Lemon Juice 

5 TBSP Nutritional Yeast

1/2 Cup Kale, Stems Removed

3 Cloves Garlic

1 TBSP Braggs Liquid Aminos

1/2 TSP Salt

3/4 Water

Put all ingredients into a food processor or blender until smooth. 

Enjoy! Xo

Spinach Artichoke Stuffed Brussels Sprouts

Yep, I went there. 

I never liked many vegetables when I was younger and brussels sprouts was just one that I just avoided. I didn't try one until I was about 23, but ever since then we have been pretty good friends. I usually just toss them in balsamic and roast them, but this time I wanted to switch things up a bit. These spinach artichoke stuffed brussels are so addicting. Any spinach artichoke anything is usually addicting right? But then we stuff ourselves full or tortilla chips or bread for some and it makes us feel a little more guilty. While these are totally satisfying and maybe a little guilty, at least we can say there are no chips! 

10 Brussels Sprouts, Cut in half (long ways)

2 Cloves Garlic, Minced

1 TBSP Neufchatel Cheese (Light Cream Cheese)

1 Cup Spinach, Loosely Packed and Chopped Finely

1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese

3 Artichoke Hearts, Chopped Roughly

First, we have to make things a little easier to core the brussels.

In a large pot, bring water to a boil and place the brussels insides down into the water. Cook for about 1-2 Minutes until they become a little soft.

Drain the brussels and let them cool.

After they have cooled down, very carefully with a knife or spoon (whatever you feel more comfortable with) Take out the middle of the brussels. They should pop out fairly easily.

Save the insides of the brussels that you scooped out and chop them up.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

In a medium bow, add all the rest of the ingredients.

Neufchatel Cheese, spinach, garlic, artichoke, parmesan cheese and the chopped brussels. Mix together and then stuff the brussels sprouts.

Cook in the oven for 15 minutes.

Put the broiler on to crisp up the tops for a minute or two.

***Be careful though because parchment paper can't go above 400 degrees and a broiler starts at 500 degrees. If you are using parchment paper, take it out and just put the brussels on the pan without the paper.

Serve hot and enjoy! xx

Jalapeño Almond Dip

Dips usually mean guilty eating. They are filled with cream cheese, fats, cheese, sugars, and all around unhealthy ingredients. Here is a dip that is free of guilt and super delicious! It uses almonds as the base which gives you major nutritional benefits. Almonds are high in vitamin E, aid in weight loss, rich in flavonoids, and help stabilize blood sugar.  

Take the guilt out of eating dips and make this flavorful dip for your next party or just for yourself!

Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week, but it will get eaten before that!

1/4 Cup Water

1/2 Cup Grapeseed Oil

1/2 Cup Raw Almonds

1/8 Cup Fresh Lemon Juice

3 TBSP Nutritional Yeast

1/2 Jalapeño, Seeded 

2 Cloves Garlic

2 TSP Braggs Liquid Aminos

1/2 TSP Salt

1/2 TSP Cumin

1/4 TSP Paprika

Mix all ingredients and blend in a food processor or blender. That's it! 

Serve with rice crackers or cucumbers! Enjoy! xx

Curried Cashew Green Beans

One thing I love about Indian food is the majority of it is Gluten Free. When I first became Gluten Free, it was tough. Changing my lifestyle from eating California burritos all the time to a Gluten Free lifestyle was a drastic shock to my carb loving system. I took a trip to San Francisco during the first few months of being Gluten Free, and was stressing that I would be the "difficult" friend. We ended up at an Indian restaurant in the Mission District. As a Gluten free newbie, I went straight to the manager and talked to him about my options (I still recommend talking to the manager or chef when eating out). The menu was huge. In my mind I was about to have a choice of two things. The manager then pointed out two things on the menu..."You can have everything but this and that" 

My jaw dropped and my stomach started grumbling. You mean I can have all of this?!?! That's when my love affair for Indian food started. I began trying Indian food restaurants and sampling different dishes and curries. I try not to eat out too often so creating satisfying Indian dishes was a goal. Here is a great little side dish to accompany an Indian style meal. I always prefer to get vegetables fresh and organic when possible. Skip the canned veggies and stick to fresh to obtain all the benefits and vitamins you can. 

Green Beans or French Green Beans, trimmed

1/2 Cup Cashews

1/4 TSP Salt

1/4 TSP Garlic Powder

1/8 TSP Ground Ginger

1 TSP Curry Powder

2 Egg Whites

Heat oven to 400 Degrees. 

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper. 

In a food processor, add cashews and grind. Some small chunks of cashews are fine. My food processor doesn't get all of them!

In a bowl, mix ground cashews and all the spices. 

Pour cashew spice mixture on a plate.

In a different bowl, separate the egg whites and toss the yolk in the garbage.

"Bread" the green beans by dipping them in the egg white, then the cashew spice mix.  

Line the cashew "breaded"green beans on your baking sheet and bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes until green beans are cooked and cashews are crispy.

Serve hot with sriracha and enjoy! xx