One word to describe my breakfast today, YUMMY! Have you ever thought of eating chocolate covered strawberries for breakfast? Well I do, quite often, but just didn’t know how to justify it on days other than Valentine’s. Today, it is officially justifiable!

I created a smoothie which in just one small serving has 6 grams fiber, 7 grams protein, and an abundance of antioxidants, vitamin C & E, calcium, iron, and other minerals.

Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hal-leeee-lu-jah! OK, I know I am bit overexcited about this one, but at first sip it literally tasted like I just pureed a chocolate covered strawberry. So for something to be this healthy and taste so divine is definitely exciting.

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Smoothie – makes one small serving

1 cup frozen strawberries (grab fresh strawberries from the farmers market & freeze)
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1 heaping teaspoon pure cocoa powder (use raw cacao if your a purist)
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon agave nectar (or to taste)

Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Pour in cup. Drink and smile.

Here is a recipe I created that will make your morning more glorious…If you want to sub spelt flour for the all purpose flour, go for it!  Or maybe sub coconut oil or applesauce for the vegetable oil.  You could also experiment with lessening the white sugar and subbing with a bit of maple syrup or honey.  As usual, I encourage you to play with your food, be creative and have fun!

And of course make every morning, glorious!

Stacey’s Morning Glory Muffins

2/3 cup raisins
2 cups organic all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups organic sugar
1/2 cup organic whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup raw sunflower seeds
1 granny smith apple, peeled, cored and diced
3 Tablespoons water & 1 Tablespoon flaxmeal (or add one more egg)
2 organic eggs (or flax eggs: 2 Tbsp flaxmeal, 6 Tbsp water, let sit till thick)
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 – 15oz can of crushed pineapple, drained.  Reserve 1/4 cup of the juice

• Preheat over to 375 degrees and lightly grease or line 24 muffin cups.
• Put raisins in a small bowl, cover with water and soak.
• In large bowl mix flours, sugar, spices, soda and salt.  Add nuts, seeds and apple.
• In a cup, whisk together water and flaxmeal and let sit until thick (if using all flax eggs then add the other two to this for a total of 3 Tbsp Flaxmeal to 1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp water). In separate large bowl combine eggs/flax eggs, oil and vanilla.   Add pineapple and reserved juice
• Drain raisins and add to wet mix.  Add wet mix to dry mix and blend just until combined.
• Divide batter evenly among cups and bake about 15 min. or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Cool in pan 10 minutes then remove muffins and place on cooling rack.

A good sauce will dress up any meal and make it even more delicious, so it pays to have a few easy to make favorites in your culinary toolbox.

You can pour sauces / dressings on roasted veggies, raw veggies, falafel patties, bean burgers, baked tofu, pan seared tempeh, salads, macrobowls or use them for dipping anything and everything into!

Check out my 3 favorites below.  All should last about 5 days in the fridge.


Creamy Tahini Dressing - makes about 3/4 cup
1/4 cup tahini
1/3 cup water
1.5 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp fresh parsley
1.5 tsp EVOO
1 tsp sunbutter (optional but it makes the dressing pop)
1/4 tsp sea salt

Place all in a mini food processor and blend until smooth and creamy.  Adjust seasonings to taste.

Green Goddess Dressing - makes about 3/4 cup
1 ripe avocado (or tahini or blend of two)
1/2 cup parsley
1/4 cup green onion
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 clove garlic
2.5 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp EVOO
1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
 
In food processor blend avocados, herbs, water, salt, and garlic.  Slowly add in vinegar, EVOO and lemon juice, and blend until smooth and creamy.  Adjust seasonings to taste.

Lemon Oregano Vinaigrette - makes about 3/4 cup
1/2 cup EVOO
1/4 cup lemon juice
4 tsp dried oregano
1.5 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Whisk together until thoroughly blended.  Store in fridge, but take out about 15 minutes before serving so the olive oil can come back to room temp.

Almost every day I interact with someone who either has or knows someone with gluten intolerance.  And the biggest challenge they face is finding a way to enjoy sweet treats (which we all know are good for the soul!).

Having a gluten intolerant child is even worse in a society that is full of flour laden birthday parties, school cafeteria snacks, and basically any event where there is kid food. 

BUT, thankfully, gluten free baking has gotten a lot easier and is way more accessible these days.  There are blogs, cookbooks, gluten free flour blends, and so much more that will allow you to find ways to enjoy sweet treats that actually taste good too. 

Before re-stocking your pantry, check out these resources below. 

For foodies who love the science of baking check out America's Test Kitchen Guide to Gluten Free Baking.  I love all of their books and resources!

Gluten Free Girl has a great introduction to gluten free baking with resources and a how to MAKE YOUR OWN FLOUR BLEND.

And another one of my favorites is King Arthur Flour, a New England company, that offers an all purpose gluten free flour blend and a GLUTEN FREE BAKING GUIDE.

Bob's Red Mill has a ton of great products on the market for gluten free baking, so please do check them out too.  They sell gluten free flours like almond flour, brown rice flour, sorghum flour, garbanzo bean flour as well as an all purpose gluten free flour blend.  And the bags all have recipes on the back!

You may notice that gluten free baking is usually not vegan and can have 2-4 eggs per recipe. It is possible to sub out the eggs with flax eggs (1 Tbsp ground flax + 3 Tbsp water / egg) but you may have to experiment.  There are also great recipes online that are gluten free and vegan.  And follow my blog as I like to make plant based desserts with alternative flours. 

Stay tuned for my gluten free vegan dessert cookbook which will hopefully be out this summer and will have lots of amazing sweet treats for you to enjoy.  As well, if you would like to purchase the recipes for one of my gluten free vegan dessert classes please email me.  There are 6 recipes for only $5!

Happy gluten free baking!

Photo by Stephanie McCabe on Unsplash

When it's late at night and I realize I need to prep a healthy lunch for the next day I think of soba noodles! 

They are packed with nutrients, taste delish cold, and are ridiculously easy to make.

You can make endless variations of cold soba noodles or simply eat them with just soy sauce, sesame oil, and a dusting of crushed red chili pepper flakes. 

When creating, use what you have in your fridge, freezer, or pantry.  Examples include:

• Pantry: cashews, peanuts and or peanut butter, sesame seeds, raisins, crushed red chili pepper flakes
• Fridge: carrots, green onions. chives, cilantro, bok choy, spinach, cabbage, tofu, tamari/soy sauce, sesame oil
• Freezer: peas, edamame

This is exactly what I did the other night and when I busted out my cold soba noodles for lunch I made everyone around me drool!  And I tell you it took less than 10 minutes to chop up the veggies, boil the noodles, assemble, pop in container and into the fridge.

Give this recipe a try.  Or create your own in under 10 minutes and tell us what you used!

Quick & Easy Cold Soba Noodles - makes 1 serving
1 bundle of your favorite soba noodle (I love Organic Planet)
1/4 cup frozen peas
1/3 (or more) cup of fried tofu (I have this on hand so I can just eat it as is with soy sauce and tamari or to pop into meals.  Always found in fridge at Asian Markets. Here is ex.)
1/2 cup chopped bok choy
2 Tbsp chopped cashews
1 green onion, chopped
handful of fresh cilantro chopped
Optional sliced jalapenos or a sprinkle of crushed red chili pepper flakes
1 Tbsp sesame oil
2 Tbsp soy sauce (I prefer tamari)
1 tsp agave
1/4 of a lime, juiced (I love using ume plum vinegar, so if you have that try it instead!)

In a small sauce pot bring about 3 cups of water to boil.  Add soba noodles and the frozen peas.  Cook about 3-5 minutes or until noodles are al dente.  Drain and rinse with cool water. 

Add sesame oil, soy sauce, lime and agave, and stir to cover noodles thoroughly.  The noodles will soak up the dressing so don't worry if it looks soupy at all. 

Add the rest of the ingredients and season to taste.  Place in fridge overnight and enjoy how the flavors have come together the next day!