Tag: dairy free

Macaroni Salad with Chickpeas

Melissa King 16 Comments

Spring is here and in Texas the weather is starting to get warm.  I have been trying to come up with a bunch of healthy options for outdoor parties.  I already have my Dairy Free Potato Salad and my Pineapple Mango Salsa.  Now I have a macaroni salad to add to the list.

salad with watermark

Most traditional macaroni salad is swimming in mayo.  Not this.  This is another meal that is really easy to put together.  I used brown rice pasta for this recipe so it is gluten free as well.  Since I added the chickpeas,  it can be a complete meal and not just a side dish.  The golden balsamic and the pomegranate molasses give it a slightly sweet taste.  Both really make the dish.  You can find the pomegranate molasses at most health food stores.

Macaroni Salad with Chickpeas

Macaroni Salad with Chickpeas

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Prep Time 15 min Cook Time 15 min

Ingredients

  • 2 cups cooked macaroni (I used brown rice pasta)
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
  • 1/4 cup chives chopped
  • 1 yellow pepper rough chopped
  • 1 can or 2 cups chickpeas
  • 2 T golden balsamic vinegar
  • 1 1/2 tsp pomegranate molasses
  • 1 T avocado oil
  • salt to taste

Instructions

  1. Cook the macaroni according to the box instructions. 
  2. Let cool. 
  3. Add all the ingredients in one bowl and mix to serve.

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Recipe Notes

This just gets better as it marinates in the fridge. I like it better the next day. It should keep for about a week. We got about 4 servings out of this. Enjoy!

Homemade Balsamic Vinaigrette

Melissa King 74 Comments

Homemade Balsamic Vinaigrette!  You have to try it.   After seeing the success of my Dairy Free Ranch Dressing and my Healthy Honey Mustard Dressing, I polled all of you on Facebook the other day asking about what other condiment recipes you would like to see.

Balsamic vinaigrette was one of the more popular answers, so that one was the first one I came up with. This homemade balsamic dressing recipe is simple and delicious. You won’t have to buy any at the store after making this homemade balsamic vinaigrette recipe.

Homemade Balsamic Vinaigrette

 

Most store bought dressings are loaded with sugar.  However, this dressing recipe contains no sugar at all.

Just a few simple ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen!  This dressing is so easy to make, you will never buy dressing again!  It only takes a few minutes!

Looking for more salad dressing recipes?

Homemade Balsamic Vinaigrette

Homemade Balsamic Vinaigrette

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Prep Time 5 min Serves 1/2 cup     adjust servings

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 2 T balsamic vinegar
  • 1/2 T red wine vinegar
  • 1 clove garlic minced or pressed
  • 1/4 scant tsp ground mustard
  • 1 T lemon juice

Instructions

  1. Whisk all the ingredients together. That’s it.

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Recipe Notes

I store my dressing in a small mason jar in the fridge. It should keep for a couple weeks. Since there are no additives in this, it will solidify in the fridge. Pull it out a few minutes before you use it again. Or just make it as you need it.

Apple Pie Larabars (Vegan and Gluten Free)

Melissa King 57 Comments

Apple Pie Larabars.  It’s been a while since I have posted a larabar recipe.  I had several people request the apple pie larabar flavor, so here you go.  I hope you enjoy these homemade apple larabars.

For more larabar recipes you can check out this post.

 

apple pie larabars

 

My husband really enjoyed these.  I was not a huge fan myself.  Mostly because I am obsessed with the Coconut Cream Larabars.

That just means there will be more for him and my daughter to share. 🙂  These are just as easy to make as all the others.  I cut  mine in squares, but you can do bars or roll them into balls as well.

These homemade larabars travel great too.  Perfect for on the go.  I always have some in my purse just in case.

Apple Pie Larabars

Apple Pie Larabars

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Ingredients

Instructions

  1. In a food processor, mix the nuts into a fine powder.
  2. Add in the dates, cinnamon and the applesauce and pulse until a dough starts to form. 
  3. Line an 8X8 pan with parchment paper, leaving some paper sticking out the sides. 
  4. Spoon mixture into the pan and use the extra parchment to press the dough down. 
  5. Stick in the fridge to firm up. 
  6. Then, remove the whole thing with the parchment and slice into squares or bars with a pizza cutter.  Store them in the fridge.  Enjoy!

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Healthier Chocolate Chip Cookies

Melissa King 97 Comments

I love cookies.  I love chocolate chip cookies. I mean, what’s not to love?  Cookies have always been my go to food for something sweet and chocolate chip cookies have always been one of my faves. It was about time I created a healthier chocolate chip cookie recipe to satisfy my cravings. I already have my Healthy Oatmeal Cookies and my Healthier Peanut Butter Cookies on the blog, so this was a natural fit.

cookies

I think one of the things that makes these taste so good is the ground vanilla bean.  It adds a nice sweetness.  I had my doubts that this recipe would work and was pleasantly surprised when I tasted the batter.  These are so amazingly good! I did use a little more sweetener than I normally do, because I didn’t know how it would turn out.   Next time I may attempt them with less.  I also might try sweetening them with dates.  They are still far healthier than traditional cookies, which usually contain 1 1/2 cups of sugar.

Healthier Chocolate Chip Cookies

Healthier Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Prep Time 15 min Cook Time 13 min Serves 18 Cookies     adjust servings

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350.
  2. In a food processor, grind the rolled oat into a fine consistency.
  3. Add them to a bowl with the rest of the dried ingredients.
  4. Mix all the wet ingredients in another bowl.
  5. Add the dry to wet and stir just until everything is combined.
  6. Fold in the chocolate chips. The batter will be on the wet side.
  7. Drop cookies onto a lined baking sheet and bake for 10-13 minutes.

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Recipe Notes

Enjoy!

Dairy Free Potato Salad

Melissa King 9 Comments

Now that Spring is finally here, it’s time to think about outdoor parties and BBQs.  We have a pool so I am sure we are going to do some entertaining.  It’s my favorite time of year.  I have been trying to think of some good BBQ dishes.  First thing I came up with was the Pineapple Mango Salsa.  Now I am giving you potato salad.

potato salad

This potato salad is dairy free as well as vegan.  I know there are lots of kids these days with dairy allergies, mine included.  This recipe is for them.  It is pretty darn tasty too.  For the mayo base, I used my Dairy Free Ranch Dressing.

Dairy Free Potato Salad

Dairy Free Potato Salad

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Prep Time 10 min Cook Time 15 min

Ingredients

  • 2 red potatoes cubed
  • 2 golden russet potatoes cubed
  • 1/2 cup zucchini chopped
  • 1 large carrot diced
  • 3 green onions chopped
  • 1 celery stock chopped
  • 1 cup dairy free ranch dressing
  • 1 T dijon mustard
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. In a pan, boil the potatoes to soften them.  About 10-15 minutes. 
  2. Drain and let cool. 
  3. Mix all the ingredients in one bowl. Makes about 3-4 servings. Enjoy!

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Almond Joy Granola Recipe

Melissa King 43 Comments

Almond Joy Granola.  I have been slightly obsessed with coconut lately if you haven’t noticed.  You need to try this Almond Joy Granola!   What’s not to love?  I was not always a coconut fan, but have grown to love it in so many ways.

I already have Almond Joy Energy Bites and Almond Joy Waffles, so why not create Almond Joy Granola.  I have combined my love for coconut, with my love for granola to make this very tasty little snack.  This almond joy granola is a must try!

 

almond joy granola

 

This is so good!  It may just be my new favorite.  I have to admit, though, this recipe was not going to be granola.  I was trying to do a baked oatmeal and when I went to pull them out of the muffin tins, they just fell apart.

But rather than toss it, I just threw it back in the oven for another 15 minutes and made it granola!  Glad I did too, because the coconut got toasty and sweet.  Yum!

We shot a short video for this recipe.   You can view it below.  For more videos, you can subscribe to my You Tube channel.

Almond Joy Granola

Almond Joy Granola

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Prep Time 10 min Cook Time 15 min Serves 2.5 cups     adjust servings

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350.
  2. Mix all the dry ingredients in one bowl . Mix wet into another.
  3. Add wet to dry and mix until combined.
  4. Spread mixture onto a lined baking sheet .
  5. Bake in the oven for 17 minutes.
  6. Pull out and shake granola around and put back in the oven for another 15-17 minutes. Enjoy!

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Almond Joy Granola