OhYaGood

Whole Food Lover + Recipe Hacker

Hippy Dippy Chai

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HippyDippyChaiSomedays you just want to drink something warm and fuzzy, or something that makes you warm and fuzzy. Heehee. I had told myself I was going to steer clear of beverages since I don’t think it’s my strong suit. However, this concoction came about by accident after craving a rich White Russian and it turned out so incredibly good. The seasonal Third Street Festivus Chai is key. I had tried it last year and fell in love right before it was gone from stores. I might have to buy a case before the holidays are over. All I want for Christmas is lots and lots of chai.

Hope everyone has a happy, healthy holiday!!

Hippy Dippy Chai
 
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Recipe type: Drink
Cuisine: American
Serves: 1
Ingredients
  • 3 ounces chai
  • 3 ounces hemp milk
  • 1 jigger (1.5 ounces) Grand Marnier
  • a dash of orange bitters (optional)
  • a dash of cinnamon (optional)
Instructions
  1. Combine ingredients and heat to preference.

 

Powdered Popcorn

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powdered_popcornDo you remember learning how to make basic food items as a kid? I distinctly remember mastering mac n’ cheese and making stove top popcorn. My Grandma taught me at a fairly young age and I never went back to bagged microwave popcorn again. I’ve always loved a good salty bowl especially on a movie night but over the last 5 years or so, Amy’s popcorn changed my preferences for more of a sweet salty bag. This recipe is much like puppy chow which was also a recipe I remember making and devouring before I knew how to eat right…or cared. It’s a definitely a treat.

Powdered Popcorn
 
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Recipe type: Sweets
Cuisine: American
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • ¼ cup popcorn kernels -makes 4 cups of air popped popcorn
  • ½ cup Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips (these are dairy- and soy-free)
  • ¼ cup peanut butter
  • 1 T coconut oil, halved
  • ½ cup powdered sugar
  • popcorn salt, as needed
Instructions
  1. Place a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add ½ T coconut oil and the kernels.
  2. Cover with a lid and shake the pan side to side to evenly distribute the heat.
  3. Continue doing this every minute or so to prevent the kernels from burning.
  4. Once the kernels have popped and you only hear about 1-2 after 10 seconds, remove the pan from heat and move the popcorn to a large bowl.
  5. Heat the chocolate chips, peanut butter and ½ T coconut oil in a microwave safe dish or on the stove to melt for about 2 minutes, stopping halfway to stir.
  6. Pour the melted chocolate peanut butter over the popcorn and stir well.
  7. Transfer the contents to a gallon sized plastic bag and add the powdered sugar. Shake the bag until evenly coated.

 

Wilted Spinach Salad

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Wilted_Spinach_SaladAnyone else wishing for snow to cover all the grayness? I’m fighting the lack of sunlight and brown, dead ground with some green-action in the kitchen. Seriously, I bought poundssss of spinach this week. It’s a miracle cure.

I had never eaten a wilted spinach salad till working at an italian restaurant in my early 20s. I was instantly in love. While back in Iowa over Thanksgiving, my Mom served almost the exact same salad I remember from the restaurant so I asked her to share her recipe so I could dissect it and of course, make it my own. It’s really the perfect salad during these cold-ish December days.

Wilted Spinach Salad
 
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Recipe type: Salad
Cuisine: American
Serves: 3-4
Ingredients
  • 4 slices of thick bacon
  • 1 small onion, thinly sliced
  • ⅓ cup champagne or white wine vineagar
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
  • 2 tablespoons mayo
  • 6-7 cups spinach
  • ½ pine nuts (optional)
Instructions
  1. Render bacon until cooked to your liking (I prefer the oven for 10 minutes at 400ªF on a foil lined baking sheet)
  2. Use one tablespoon of the bacon grease to oil a frying pan and set to medium heat
  3. Sauté onions until softened, about 10 minutes
  4. Add vinegar and honey and bring to a simmer
  5. Add bacon, cut into small strips
  6. Add mustard and stir until dissolved
  7. Remove from heat and add mayo, stir until dissolved
  8. Drizzle the mixture over 2 cups of spinach for each serving and garnish with pine nuts

 

Bacon, Apple & Fig Bites

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bacon fig apple bitesSo many appetizers have cheese in them. Spinach artichoke dip, crab dip, cheese and crackers, cheese balls, cheese, cheese, cheese. That’s why I made these. I wanted something a little more exciting and filling than the usual raw veggies and olives for all of us dairy-, gluten-free-ers?

This is a great last minute appetizer and a play on the classic bacon wrapped chestnuts. All you need are these three ingredients and some toothpicks. To make Whole30 compliant, make sure your bacon is sugar-free.

Bacon, Apple & Fig Bites
 
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Recipe type: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Serves: 24 bites
Ingredients
  • 1 granny smith apple or another tart variety, sliced into small triangles
  • 6 slices of thick bacon
  • 12 dried mission figs, stems removed and cut in half
Instructions
  1. Render the bacon slices on the stove for 10 minutes over medium heat, flipping after 5 minutes
  2. While cooking slice the apple and prepare the dried figs
  3. Once back is cooked to your preference, cool on a plate with a paper towel
  4. Cut each slice into 4 pieces cross-wise
  5. Assemble the bites apple, bacon and fig on top and pierce with a toothpick

 

Vegan Mushroom Gravy

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Vegan_GravyI had pretty much given up on gravy. My first attempt at making it was unappealing and after becoming lactose intolerant, potatoes were never the same so I gave it up. It was until recently I started to miss it. My husband and I had made a pre-Thanksgiving meal a few Sundays ago just for fun and I did all the fixings gluten and dairy free with ease, including the potatoes (I’ll post the recipe someday). I longed for a gravy to go with these heaping mashers so I did some digging for vegan gravy recipes. The few I found called for the fake butter that contain soy and lots of other things I can’t pronounce. So, I challenged myself to come up with my own creation. Five simple ingredients is all it took. The gravy goes great on any cut of meat, potatoes, squash, root mash, you name it. A perfect Thanksgiving addition.

Note the mashed sweet potatoes need to be made ahead or purchase the frozen variety from Trader Joes.

Vegan Mushroom Gravy
 
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Recipe type: Sauce
Cuisine: American
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients
  • ½ T coconut oil
  • 3 cups sliced button mushrooms
  • 2 cups vegetable broth
  • 1 cup mashed sweet potatoes
  • 2 Tablespoons of fresh herbs like rosemary, thyme or sage
  • salt and pepper
Instructions
  1. Heat oil in a large skillet
  2. Sauté the lightly salted mushrooms until softened on medium heat, about 8 minutes
  3. Add the broth, sweet potatoes and herbs
  4. Let simmer for about 10 minutes
  5. Transfer to a deep bowl and use an immersion blender to blend mushrooms and thicken the gravy
  6. Salt and pepper liberally

 

Sweet Potato Pie

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Sweet Potato PieI had never eaten sweet potato pie before tonight. Turns out it tastes pretty similar to pumpkin pie but a nice change. My thought was to try something healthier while still being dairy and gluten free. According to this Prevention Info Graphic, sweet potatoes ARE better for you. I believe everything on the internet so sweet potato pie forever.

This recipe was derived from a classic recipe I found on epicurious that I altered to be dairy-free. The pecan-coconut crust was taken from Self magazine.Top it off with some sea salt coconut whip cream for added goodness. While the recipe takes some time for freezing, it’s well worth the wait.

Sweet Potato Pie
 
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Recipe type: Pie
Cuisine: American
Serves: 8-10
Ingredients
  • 3 lbs of medium red skinned sweet potatoes
  • 1 14 ounce can of coconut milk-full fat
  • ¼-1/2 sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon nutmeg
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven 350°
  2. Pierce holes into the sweet potatoes and place on a rimmed baking sheet
  3. Baked for 1 hour 15 minutes
  4. Cool slightly and remove the skins
  5. Puree the pulp in a processor and cool completely
  6. Mix together the sweet potatoes, coconut milk and remaining ingredients until smooth
  7. Pour filling into the prepared crust
  8. Bake the pie until the filling is puffed around the edges and the center is set, 45 min-an hour
  9. Transfer to a rack to cool and refrigerate for four hours
  10. Serve at room temperature

 

Bacon Spinach Quiche

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Bacon Spinach Quiche

Our family lives on eggs. We eat them about every other day for breakfast. They are packed with so many good nutrients and they keep me full all morning. Long gone are the days of cereal or peanut butter toast…shit! I haven’t thought about that in months. Peanut butter toast was my saving grace when I was pregnant AND when I was nursing. I would make it in the middle of the night when I was starving. Ugh.

Ok…back to the main event here.

Quiche takes far less work than you’d think. Plus, you can freeze it for later. Or another option is to do crust-less muffins which would cut cooking time to about 30 minutes versus 45. I used a dairy-free, gluten-free frozen crust from Wholly Wholesome purchased from Whole Foods. I let that thaw for 10 minutes and baked it for 10 minutes before adding the remaining ingredients.

This recipe is completely dairy and gluten free but for all you cheese-lovers, gruyere would be so lovely on this one.

Bacon Spinach Quiche
 
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Recipe type: Breakfast/Brunch
Cuisine: American
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 4 eggs
  • ¾ cup canned coconut cream
  • 4 slices of bacon
  • ½ Tablespoon oil
  • ½ medium sliced onion
  • 1 Tablespoon fresh diced sage
  • 1 cup fresh spinach leaves
Instructions
  1. Prepare crust according to package
  2. Preheat oven to 375°F
  3. Meanwhile render bacon and slice onion
  4. Sauté the onion in oil at medium heat for about 10 minutes or until translucent
  5. Whisk eggs, coconut cream and sage together
  6. Once crust is cooled slightly, cut bacon into small stripes and place in crust
  7. Add onion and spinach leaves
  8. Carefully fill the crust with the egg mixture
  9. Bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean

 

Brussels Sprouts with Grapes

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Brussels Sprouts with GrapesFood and the internet are such an amazing marriage. I remember even a few years ago it was hard finding dairy-free recipes or any kind of whole food recipe besides what I could dig up on the almighty epicurious. Look how far it’s come! Buzzfeed’s Tasty videos for one, are knocking it out of the park. Even the ones I have no desire to try, I become memorized by. I love it all.

You know what else the internet just taught me? It’s brusselS sprouts. I didn’t know brussel was plural. How have I gone this long without knowing that? I’ve worked in restaurants with brusselSSSS sprouts on their menu for god sakes. Ah thank you internet, for all you do.

This is side dish is so damn good. They are shredded and roasted to a slightly charred salty chip. The best. Let me add that I buy them shredded in a bag because why the heck wouldn’t you.

Brussels Sprouts with Grapes
 
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Recipe type: SIde Dish
Cuisine: American
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 1 10oz (or 1½ cups) Trader Joes shredded brussels bag
  • ½ Tablespoon oil
  • 1 cup sliced red grapes
  • ½ cup walnuts, roughly chopped
  • salt & pepper
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400°F
  2. Pour the oil into the bag of brussels and toss
  3. Arrange them onto a baking sheet large enough to spread them into one layer, salt and pepper them and put them in the oven
  4. After 15 minutes, add grapes and walnuts and stir
  5. Roast for another 5-10 minutes, or until brussels are slightly charred

 

Meatloaf Vegged

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meatloaf_vegged_2Some flavors are instant reminders of my childhood, sugar cereal, cottage cheese, bologna. All things I no longer eat, or would even attempt to eat. Something like meatloaf, minus the breadcrumbs, is totally tolerable. It brings me back to those annoying dinners you didn’t want to eat and would sneak half of the food in my mouth and half into my napkin. Obviously I had much more distain for the all-mighty-loaf than I do now. I’ve embraced it by adding loads of vegetables, two kinds of meat, yet still drowning it in ketchup.

Meatloaf Vegged
 
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Recipe type: Main Dish
Cuisine: American
Ingredients
  • 1 T coconut oil
  • 1 onion, halved
  • 1 celery stalk, quartered
  • 1 medium carrot, peeled & quartered
  • 2½ cups fresh spinach
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • 1¼ lb ground beef
  • 1¼ lb ground turkey
  • 3 T balsamic
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • ¼ ketchup (sugar free or homemade for whole30)
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a small baking sheet or bread pan with parchment paper
  2. Heat oil in skillet
  3. Place onion in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Transfer to the large, oiled skillet. Add carrot and celery to the food processor, and pulse until chopped. Add spinach and pulse a few times more. Add to the skillet.
  4. Place the skillet over medium heat and cook, stirring. Continue cooking until liquid evaporates and vegetables begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl.
  5. Add egg, ground meat, balsamic, salt and black pepper to the bowl, and mix gently with your hands. Scrape mixture into the bread pan or onto the baking sheet and form into a loaf approximately 4 inches wide and 10 inches long. Spread top of loaf with ketchup. Bake until cooked through, about 40 minutes. Cool 5 minutes before slicing.

 

Broiled Grapefruit

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Broiled_GrapefruitI’m feeling uber-inspired these last few days. Last night I listened to J. Kenzi Lopez-Alt on the Freaknomics podcast about the science of food and Jo Robinson talk about the nutrition of food. Both really great conversations that inspired me to immediately buy their books, The Food Lab and Eating on the Wild Side. Lopez-Alt’s site Serious Eats has been a great resource for me when trying to find the best way to prepare something. Check it out if you feeling like geeking out on food.

Since sickness has been spreading slowly through my family these last few weeks, I’ve been pushing citrus down their throats. Grapefruit being one. I had heard of broiled grapefruit some time ago but had never tried making it. One try was all it took for me to fall in love.

Broiled Grapefruit
 
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Recipe type: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Serves: 1
Ingredients
  • ½ of a grapefruit, cut crosswise
  • 1 teaspoon honey (optional, omit for whole30)
  • 1 Tablespoon coconut milk
  • 1 sprig of mint
Instructions
  1. Preheat broiler.
  2. Cut a thin slice of the bottom rind so the grapefruit stands upright. Cut around the meat of the grapefruit to loosen the segments from the rind.
  3. Drizzle with the honey and place upright on a cookie sheet.
  4. Place in oven about 5 inches from the heat source.
  5. Broil for about 4 minutes.
  6. Drizzle with coconut cream and garnish with mint.