Gluten Free | flavorrd

Peach Cobbler Scones

We all go through phases with our cooking interests, right? Right now, I’m all about baking… and I’m in deep. My current go-to “escape from reality” is to fall down an internet rabbit-hole of baker’s percentages, sourdough starters, and the low-down on all kinds of grains. I’m finding myself leafing through the bread-oriented texts from my cookbook collection, and I even bought my first baking stone! The only bad part is that my timing is a little off, since it’s August and firing up a hot oven in my apartment kind of makes me want to jump out the window.

So, while I’m sort of impatiently waiting for summer to wrap up so I can bake my heart out, I like to make the best of things. If I can’t help but heat up the kitchen anyway, what better way to celebrate summer’s last hurrah than with perfect peak-season stonefruit? This freshly baked treat just oozes with Southern charm – it’s like a flaky buttermilk biscuit and gooey peach pie wrapped into one brunch-friendly morsel. Yeah… it’s time to crank up the AC and get baking!

Steel-Cut Muesli, California-Style

While I’m proud of my Floridian heritage (ha), there’s no doubt that my heart belongs on the west coast. I’m completely in love with the food culture in my new California home. The most gorgeous produce is both cheap and plentiful. The bulk bins overfloweth with every healthy ingredient. It’s paradise for locavores.

Since we’ve already been talking about planning ahead for our meals, let’s convert all those good vibrations into a make-ahead breakfast fit for a California king!

Sweet Chili Tofu Salad

Some people start the day with a crossword puzzle, but my morning mental exercise regimen is a little more practical. It involves staring into the fridge, jumbling together edible odds and ends to fill a lunchbox balanced enough to sustain myself through a day at the office. I’m usually pretty good at this game, so that’s my excuse for not being super organized with meal planning. But the day that I struggled to find a better “protein” than a bag of Trader Joe’s peanut butter pretzels… I knew it was time to get serious.

Last weekend I made a very minimal investment of time and efforts, which yielded big lunchtime results. It started with an idea to attempt a copycat recipe for the sweet chili tofu cubes stocked at the Whole Foods salad bar. For a time I used to live in an apartment right across the street from Whole Foods, and since this was during my busy grad student years, I built a pretty strong affinity for some of their healthy convenience foods. That salad bar saved me for dinner many nights, and those sweet, chewy tofu cubes were always a welcome addition to my leafy greens.

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Blueberry Cocoa Hemp Smoothie

As much as I like to try new things in the kitchen, lately I’ve been succumbing to summertime simplicity. We’re eating well, but my efforts haven’t exactly been innovative, and I know that the basic foods we’ve been thriving on are just too boring to blog about (nobody needs me to tell them how to make tacos, for real). But this – antioxidants and omega 3s, whipped into something that tastes like a fruity chocolate milkshake? – thankfully, it’s both a new flavor and a total no-brainer.

I’m a big fan of hemp – it appeals to my classic hippie sensibilities, of course, and it’s also a nutritional wonder! Hemp seeds are high in fiber, rich in omega 3s, and they’re even a complete protein (soy and quinoa are the only other plants that can make this claim).
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Lemon Mint + Pineapple Kale Salad

I can’t get enough kale salad. In all seriousness, I think I might be able to actually FEEL it doing my body good. I still never get tired of my favorite kale slaw, but my repertoire seemed like it could use something a little more seasonal for summertime. This salad definitely fits the bill: all seasonal produce and so refreshing! It’s like if a pineapple mojito was a salad… not the worst way to eat a bowl of greens, right? Continue reading “Lemon Mint + Pineapple Kale Salad”

Mango Cucumber Slushie

It’s summer! And thanks to this drink, I’m cool as a cucumber. I’m all about the clean, refreshing quality of cucumbers in a cool beverage, whether it’s sliced into ice water or blended into something special like this. It makes me feel like equal parts fancy spa-goer and healthy hippie! This frosty drink is a festive way to stay hydrated in the summer heat, and to sip on some extra fruits and veggies at the same time. It’s perfect for cooling down after a workout, or just for filling your glass with something fun and fruity while relaxing on a patio… did I mention I’m excited about summer?

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Dark Chocolate Almond Spread

Let’s see if I’m totally out of line with this opinion, or if some of you can relate… I like the idea of Nutella, but in practice it’s just too over-the-top unhealthy most of the time. The stuff is overwhelmingly sweet, slick with excess oil, and frankly… not real food. I’m not above a little candy here and there, but the problem is that a nutty chocolate spread doesn’t need to be such a dietary disaster.

I had been wanting to experiment with a superior spread for a while, but I don’t have a food processor and I was wary of grinding up nuts in my blender. Luckily, Jeanine from Love and Lemons is smarter than me and recently shared a spread that circumvents this issue entirely by starting the recipe with almond butter. Duh!! I’m so thankful for the internet.

As a bonus, this is the kind of recipe I can even pass along to friends who aren’t into cooking. It’s extremely simple: Almond butter. Dark chocolate. Coconut oil. I took creative liberty and added an extra tablespoon of high-quality cocoa powder to really push the flavor, and you guys… it’s so much better than Nutella.

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[Instant Pot] Greek Vegetable Soup

A funny thing happened on the way to writing this post. We’re only here talking about this soup today because two months ago on RD Day, I took the opportunity to scope out a list of fellow RD bloggers. On one of the many links I clicked, I came across a giveaway raffle and entered on a whim. And out of the zillion entries, I actually won! That day I gained an awesome new Mediterranean cookbook, and my first glimpse into what has become one of my new favorite RD blogs, Zen and Spice by the talented Emily Hein. This girl inspires me to live right! If you’re like me and love cooking/eating beautiful whole foods, growing some of them yourself, and generally taking a mindful and appreciative approach to it all, you should definitely check it out!

The book that I won in the giveaway is Eating the Greek Way, by Dr. Fedon Alexander Lindberg. Emily mentioned that this is one of her favorite cookbooks, and I can totally see why. The book features gorgeous photos and recipes featuring the kind of simple but perfect food I can imagine being served up in Mediterranean kitchens on real life weeknights. And now in my kitchen too! On my weeknights! Life is grand.

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Vegan Horchata Sorbet

Happy Friday people! I’m a little preoccupied with the prospect of the glorious spring weekend ahead, so today’s post is going to be as fast as today’s recipe (hint: pretty dang fast). As promised, this is an effortless, make-ahead dessert perfect for Cinco de Mayo, or any occasion that calls for creamy, surprisingly vegan deliciousness. Sweet and simple!

If you’re not familiar with horchata, it’s a sweet and creamy rice-based beverage, flavored with cinnamon and served in abundance in any worthwhile taco shop. And now, we can eat a bowl of it frozen for dessert!

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[Instant Pot] Tamale Party!

Cinco de Mayo is coming up – and while I don’t exactly have a vested interest in commemorating the military victories of our neighbors to the south, I will take any excuse to appreciate delicious Mexican food.

I absolutely love tamales, and from the moment I first read about steaming them in a pressure cooker via this epic Mexican feast on hippressurecooking, I’ve been eager to try out a big batch in my Instant Pot.

Basically… excuse to eat Mexican food + excuse to play with Instant Pot = TAMALE PARTY, AMIGOS.