OhYaGood

Whole Food Lover + Recipe Hacker

Pistachio Pesto

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Pesto_Shrimp

I’ve been working on a good pesto for a while and I think this one hits the nail on the head. Typically pesto has parmesan so I had to find a replacement that could give it a nutty flavor paired with the garlic and herbs. This is what I came up with. Just to note, I don’t digest garlic very well so I use it sparingly. If you are a garlic lover, by all means add more. I paired the shrimp with my monster noodles and some roasted tomatoes I stuck in the oven till they wilted a bit. Sure was tasty.

Pistachio Pesto
 
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Recipe type: Sauce
Cuisine: Italian
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • ½ cup olive oil
  • 2 T packed basil leaves
  • 2 T flat parsley
  • 1 T lemon juice
  • 3 T pistachios
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • splash of white wine vinegar
Instructions
  1. Place olive oil, basil, parsley, lemon juice, pistachios, garlic into food processor and pulse till it resembles a pulp. Add more olive oil if a thinner pesto is preferred.
  2. Pesto can be tossed with shrimp, zucchini noodles and roasted tomatoes

 

Egg Salad with Beets

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EggSaladwithBeets

Growing up, my Dad owned a a chain of sub shops called Pickle Barrel. One of his pride and joy recipes was his egg salad. His secret ingredient was Miracle Whip but I don’t eat the stuff anymore. I’m not even sure what it’s made of but egg salad is still a favorite of mine I just make it with mayo. This one is made with beets for some extra nutritional value and tartness. I ate it on some celery sticks but it tastes just as good on a crusty roll or cracker, according to my husband.

Egg Salad with Beets
 
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Recipe type: Salad
Cuisine: American
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 5 hard boiled eggs
  • 2 Tablespoons mayo
  • 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
  • ½ cup roasted beets (I used the jarred trader joes variation)
  • 1 Tablespoon diced red onion
  • salt and pepper
  • (optional) 1 teaspoon fresh dill
  • bread, celery sticks, cucumber, field greens or whatever vehicle you prefer
Instructions
  1. Mix eggs, mayo, dijon, beets, red onion, dill, salt and pepper in a bowl.
  2. Serve with your preferred vehicle

 

Mint Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

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mintchocolatechipcheesecake Crust

I might start posting over the weekends now since my free time has been consumed trying to finish Game of Thrones before the new season begins. Man, this show is taking over my life but I can’t stop and I have about a show per day before it starts again. I know I’m not alone in this obsession.

I posted this photo last week of this SUPER yummy cheesecake before I tried it. I’m finally getting around to posting the recipe now that I know it is worth sharing. I used a gluten free chocolate crust I had gotten on sale after the holidays that was burning a whole in my pantry. It’s called MI-DEL Chocolate Snap, pictured above. The filing requires a high speed blender to get that smooth texture. Honestly though, I think it would still taste good with the cashew chunks.

Mint Chocolate Chip Cheesecake
 
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Recipe type: Sweets
Cuisine: American
Serves: 8
Ingredients
  • 1 vegan, gluten-free chocolate pie shell
  • 2 cups raw cashews
  • ⅓ cup maple syrup
  • ½ coconut milk, canned
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 3 tablespoons coconut oil (melted) or olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons mint extract
  • green food coloring if preferred, I used about 10 drops
  • ⅛ cup vegan chocolate chips
Instructions
  1. Soak cashews in water for an hour
  2. Add all ingredients except the chocolate chips to a high speed blender and mix until smooth
  3. Pour ingredients into pie shell and sprinkle with chocolate chips
  4. Set in freezer for 4-6 hours
  5. Serve with coconut whip cream or chocolate sauce

 

Turmeric Chia Pudding

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turmericchiapuddingDid you know turmeric is really good for your immune system? Kind of needed this time of year when everyone seems to have a cold or fighting off some kind of sickness as the earth thaws and seasons change. It’s flavor is subtle enough to add to just about anything. I add it to stir frys, roasted veggies and recently my coffee. I posted a photo on the ol’ Instagram a few weeks ago of my new favorite. This delicious turmeric coffee, derived from one I had at Peace Coffee, inspired me to make a chia pudding with similar flavors. Mind you, chia pudding isn’t for everyone. I believe it’s mostly a textural thing, like tapioca pudding or bubble tea, that is hard to swallow. If you don’t mind the little gelatinize balls, then you’ll probably dig it. It’s a great breakfast option too. Top with granola or add 1/2 cup oats to soak with about 1/4 cup more milk.

Turmeric Chia Pudding
 
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Recipe type: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Serves: 2
Ingredients
  • 1½ cups hemp milk
  • ¼ cup chia seeds
  • 2 Tablespoons tahini butter
  • 2 Tablespoons maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • Optional toppings: 1 banana, sliced, granola or a dash of hemp seeds
Instructions
  1. Pour milk, seeds, butter, syrup and turmeric to a jar or container with a lid
  2. Stir or shake with a lid on
  3. Refrigerate overnight for at least 6 hours
  4. Add optional toppings if desired

 

Sweet Potato Chicken

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Sweet Potato ChickenHello again!! My apologies for the lack of content over here these last few weeks. I’ve done a lot of cooking and baking but most of my recipes were flat and uninteresting. On thing I didn’t expect once I started a blog is just because I’m trying new recipes, doesn’t mean they are always going to work and when they don’t, you really want to just make stuff that you KNOW works. So my meatloaf, bolognese and broccoli all went into heavy rotation. Leaving less time for new rocking recipes.

This recipe is a modification on one I’ve been making for years. It’s a real simple recipes that I made with Mexican flavors of cumin, cilantro and lime. I know it’s not rocket science but I was happy with the results and my family enjoyed it too. More to come soon. Promise.

Sweet Potato Chicken
 
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Recipe type: Entree
Cuisine: Mexican
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 6 chicken thighs or 1.5 lbs of chicken
  • 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
  • 1 onion, cut into 1-in wedges
  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 Tablespoons maple syrup
  • 2 teaspoons cumin
  • ½ teaspoon of lime zest
  • ½ cup cilantro
  • salt and pepper
  • (optional) a pinch of ground coriander
Instructions
  1. Heat oven to 400ºF
  2. Arrange thighs, sweet potatoes and onion in a large baking dish
  3. Drizzle with olive oil & syrup
  4. Add cumin, zest, coriander, salt and pepper to taste and stir to coat chicken
  5. Roast for 45 minutes, stirring once half way
  6. Let rest for 5-10 minutes
  7. Garnish with cilantro leaves

 

Taco Salad

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Taco_SaladRemember when Taco Salads were considered the Big Mac of salads. Loaded with unhealthy ingredients fooling you into thinking you were eating something healthy because it was a salad. Yeah, I’m all for that. Why not really? You’re still eating vegetables whilst consuming the fats. It’s better than eating a burrito or sandwich in my opinion. So this version is my indulgent vegan salad. I can’t do cheese or sour cream obviously so why not load it up with stuff I can eat that’s not necessarily good for me. Insert- corn chips. A very under appreciated chip. They are so good and crunchy and really only three ingredients. Corn, oil and salt. I still haven’t reintroduced beans into my diet but if I could I’d add them to this bowl too. Or whatever meat you might like. I just wanted to keep this one vegan. To your health!

Taco Salad
 
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Recipe type: Salad
Cuisine: Mexican
Serves: 1 serving
Ingredients
  • 2½ cups romaine, chopped
  • ½ bell pepper, julienne
  • ½ cup plantain chips (I used the trader joes brand)
  • 4 cherry tomatoes, sliced
  • ½ Tablespoon red onion, finely diced
  • ½ avocado, diced
  • 1 Tablespoon salsa verde (I used a packaged guacamole mix from Fonterra)
  • ⅓ cup corn chips
  • Dash of hot sauce (optional)
Instructions
  1. Mix avocado with salsa verde
  2. Place romaine, peppers, tomatoes, and chips into bowl
  3. Top with the avocado mixture and onion
  4. Sprinkle salad with hot sauce

 

Sorta Healthy Cookie Dough

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Sorta_Healthy_Cookie_DoughIs it just a coincidence Valentine’s Day, the day of sweets and chocolate, lands in the middle of February when most of the New Year’s resolutions have gone by the wayside and the weather is craptastic? Probably not. I know I’ve been feeling the urge. The urge to bulk up and give into cravings. Which brings me to my next point…

Chocolate chip cookies are my weakness, or strength depending on how you look at it. I love making them just about as much as I like eating them. It’s the one thing I’ve cheated since going gluten free. However, gluten-free flours just don’t do it for me so that led me to the dough. Cookie dough makes me feel like a kid. Although it’s not the same as a warm cookie, it does satisfy a good craving. This recipe could probably use a little more tinkering but myself and my kids were quite happy with the results. Desperation? Perhaps. Either way, I think it’s worth sharing.

Sorta Healthy Cookie Dough
 
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Recipe type: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Serves: 1½ dozen
Ingredients
  • ½ cup + 1 Tablespoon maple syrup
  • ⅛ cup non-dairy milk, I used cashew
  • ¼ cup coconut oil, melted, could sub nonhydrogenated margarine
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1¼ cup almond meal/flour
  • ¼ or less teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup dairy free chocolate chips
Instructions
  1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the syrup and milk
  2. Add the oil and vanilla until combined
  3. Add the salt and flour until dough like. You may need to add more if your almond meal is grainy
  4. Fold in the chocolate chips
  5. Place a sheet of parchment or wax paper onto a cookie sheet or flat surface
  6. Scoop balls of the dough onto the paper and freeze for at least one hour

 

BLT Cups

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blt_cupsAppetizers have always been hard for me. My go-to for parties usually consist of veggie and fruit trays, guacomole and the occasional meatball. When you don’t eat bread or cheese …and now beans (sad face), most dips are out of the question as are many vehicles. However, I’ve discovered endive to be very satisfying and have made this amazing Food and Wine recipe numerous times if you like shrimp. It inspired me to try a lettuce cup app since it is easier to find year round and has a lighter flavor. And because the super bowl is this weekend, why not an indulgent appetizer with plenty of bacon.

BLT Cups
 
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Recipe type: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 6 medium sized leafy green lettuce leaves
  • 4 slices of bacon, cooked and sliced into ½ in strips
  • 1 cup halved grape tomatoes
  • ½ an avocado, diced
  • ½ Tablespoon red onion, finely diced
  • 1 Tablespoons mayo (homemade for whole30 compliant)
  • ½ Tablespoon lemon juice
  • cracked pepper
Instructions
  1. Render bacon to your liking, I bake mine for 10 minutes at 375°F
  2. Mix bacon, tomatoes, avocado, red onion, mayo and lemon juice in a bowl
  3. Scoop about ¼ cup of the mixture into the lettuce leaves
  4. Serve with cracked peppercorn
  5. Contents will keep for two hours

 

Dairy-Free Creamy Scrambled Eggs

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Creamy Scrambled EggsWe eat eggs every other day for breakfast. Somedays fried, some scrambled. It just depends what we have for leftovers and what we are in the mood for. A creamy rich scramble tastes so good on those chilly mornings when you may or may not have had too much to drink the night before and there’s no bacon to be had.

Creamy Dairy Free Scrambled Eggs
 
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Recipe type: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Serves: 2
Ingredients
  • ½ Tablespoon coconut oil
  • ½ cup coarsely chopped mushrooms
  • 1 small shallot, diced or ⅛ cup diced onion
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 Tablespoons canned coconut cream
  • 1 sprig of thyme, remove leaves and discard stem
  • salt and pepper
Instructions
  1. Heat medium sauté pan and heat oil.
  2. Add mushrooms and shallot
  3. Sauté for 2-3 minutes or until mushrooms begin to soften
  4. Whisk together eggs, coconut cream and thyme leaves
  5. Add egg mixture to the pan and stir occasionally
  6. Remove from heat once slightly firm
  7. Add salt and pepper to taste

 

Roasted Broccoli

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Roasted_Broccoli

I’ve been making this about every other day this last week. We finally joined costco and I have to say my favorite thing to buy are the large bags of already cut up fruits and veggies. So behold roasted broccoli. I can’t say it’s super kid friendly since only one of my kids will even touch it but that could be because the other kid won’t let hardly anything green touch her lips. This super easy recipe is derived from Nom Nom Paleo’s roasted green bean recipe. Derived… or maybe virtually the same but replacing the beans with broccoli. I use Red Boat fish sauce which is sugar-free and has wonderful flavor making it Whole30 complaint too.

Roasted Broccoli
 
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Recipe type: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 1 lb of broccoli florets, trim stems and make the same size
  • 1 tablespoon oil, coconut or olive work great
  • 2 teaspoons fish sauce
  • a squeeze of one lemon wedge
  • salt and pepper
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400ª F
  2. Spread your bone dry broccoli evenly onto an oven safe dish, cookie sheet works fine
  3. Drizzle the broccoli with olive oil and fish sauce
  4. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until broccoli has a slight char, stirring once halfway
  5. Squeeze with lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste