Category: Comfort Food

Melt-in-your-mouth Pumpkin Cookies

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Hi all,

I know, with Spring underfoot, you are likely thinking of flavors more along the lines of fruity, light, juicy, and with just the barest hints of sweet.  I am too.  I am awaiting the summery season with bated breath.  However in the meantime, there are still several more chilly winter(ish) weekends remaining and for those, I am a strong advocate for all things pumpkin.  One of my favorite ingredients with which to cook.  Pumpkin is the bomb.  You can make SO many mouthwatering things with this delicious addition.  The list is endless, but to name a few: Pumpkin cookies, pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin lattes, pumpkin macaroni and cheese, pumpkin bread, pumpkin risotto, etc.

Pumpkin is not only awesome for your health but its homey and delicious.  In fact on its own, pumpkin doesn’t have a strong taste, so its easy to stir into loads of different things without being overwhelmed by intense flavor.  Pumpkin is a more mild form of deliciousness.

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Here is my super duper easy recipe for pumpkin cookies.  Its refined sugar-free and lactose-free.  Enjoy!

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Earl Gray Brownie Pudding

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Brownies and pudding.  Two of the best desserts ever.  Were you one of the kids who loved eating raw brownie dough?  I certainly was, and with enthusiasm.  No shame there.  This recipe offers a revisiting of that childhood nostalgic deliciousness.  Mouthwatering.  Fudgy.  Rich.  Decadent.  And ultra easy to make.  Get excited!!

Talk about the ultimate move marathon afternoon or Saturday with a book and tea treat.

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Matcha Raspberry Pancakes

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Matcha is majorly trending right now, as I am sure you have noticed.  Matcha tea, matcha lattes, matcha desserts, matcha truffles, matcha smoothies.  That’s because supposedly Matcha (a super concentrated form of green tea) is AWESOME for you.

Just a few of the said benefits: its high in antioxidents, enhances ones sense of calm, boosts memory and concentration, boosts endurance, can help clear up skin, detoxifies the body, strengthens the immune system, the list goes on.

Man oh man, for all these noteworthy benefits, how could someone not add a bit of this super powered tea to their diet?

Without further ado, enjoy my latest creation from the weekend.  Major YUM.

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Sweet Potato Bean Enchiladas

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Happy Sunday, Everyone!  I don’t know about you guys, but I personally could eat Mexican food every day if the opportunity presented itself.  Tacos, burritos, enchiladas, nachos, the list goes on.  Finding myself in a Mexican cuisine kind of mood, I decided on enchiladas for today.

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Matcha French Toast

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Happy Sunday, everyone!  Sundays are for brunching.  For mornings that stretch into early afternoon spent in bed (or on the couch, or sitting on ones balcony or outside on the deck) with a gripping read in one hand and breakfasting with the other.

Matcha French Toast is the perfect dish for this lazy, luxurious weekend lie in.

Did you know that Matcha…

is high in antioxidants, enhances your sense of calm, boosts memory and concentration, increases energy levels and endurance, increases metabolism, detoxifies the body and helps strengthen the immune system.

If that isn’t enough reason to add some Matcha to your diet, I am not sure what is.  For those who find themselves slightly unsure of what exactly Matcha is, its green tea but in a highly concentrated form.

This recipe is refined sugar-free and lactose-free.  It is not, however, gluten-free (though it could be made so if you opted to use gluten-free bread.  If you don’t have a gluten allergy though, I recommend using the Challah bread.  Its PERFECT for this recipe).

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Greek Yogurt Chocolate Mousse Pie

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Another sinfully decadent chocolate dessert, without the loads of sugar.  Imagine that.  The three friends who sampled this one raved about it.  This recipe (#49) is gluten-free and low in refined sugar.  If you want to keep it 100% refined sugar-free, skip the ganache topping.  The dessert will still be DELICIOUS.  The mousse filling is made with protein packed Greek yogurt.  The texture is light and creamy, which makes this a dangerous one.  Its easy to eat more than one slice.  Like a box of Girl Scout Thin Mints, it has a way of disappearing quickly.  What can offer some peace of mind is that fact that the ingredients are far healthier and lighter than those of a typical chocolate mousse pie.  Enjoy this tasty treat!

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Quinoa Sweet Potato Breakfast Bowl

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Recipe #47 is a pretty free-form one that can be easily thrown together.  Its SUPER healthy for you, low in calories and fat, bursting with good-for-your-body ingredients, and it tastes AWESOME.  This is one of my go-to dishes when trying to eat light and healthy.  I recommend when making the quinoa, cook 2x what you need.  You can store the extra in a container in the fridge and throw together one of these bowls way quicker within the next few days, whenever you wish.  This dish is gluten-free, lactose-free and sugar-free.  And its pretty dang close to being raw as well, aside from the cooking of the quinoa.  I think you will be pleasantly surprised by how tasty it is.  Dont say I didn’t want you.  It sounds simple but man oh man.  I make this a few times a week and am always thrilled when I sit down to eat it.

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Salmon Pesto Pasta

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This recipe (#46) is one of my favorites.  I stumbled across it by mistake when making a mixed pasta dish one evening and realizing I had some leftover salmon.  Salmon and pesto being two of my favorite foods…plus this particular mixture of ingredients in the pasta sounds pretty mouthwatering in combination with those two things.  A light bulb went off overhead.  This dish was the result.  And MAN, is it good!  Super easy to make, hearty, delicious, as well as healthy.  This is the perfect winter dish.

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Chocolate Lovers Pie

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Calling all chocolate lovers, I have a succulent recipe for your eating pleasure.  Behold, chocolate cream pie.  This one (recipe #45) however, unlike the majority of others in its family, is gluten-free AND refined sugar-free!  The texture of it is lovely.  Silky smooth.  The flavor is rich and chocolatey, but the pie itself is light.  Be careful, it would be easy to eat several slices of this one in one sitting.

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Berry Cheesecake Parfait (in a jar)

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While recipe #44 isn’t lactose-free, it is gluten-free and refined sugar-free, as well as totally and utterly tasty.  Craving berry cheesecake but want a healthier version without all the added sugar?  Your wish is my pleasure to deliver.  Not only is this version lighter, its easier to make, requiring absolutely no baking and no waiting for hours and hours until the cake has cooled and set.  This one?  You can whip it up in 5 minutes flat and enjoy it right then and there.  How sweet of a treat is that?

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