When switching to a whole food diet, condiments, dips and spreads are the hardest things to find clean. I usually make my own. So here is a roundup of every recipe I have so far.
Hope these recipes can help you transition away from store bought versions! Enjoy
Homemade Coconut Butter is amazing!If you have been following this blog for a while, you know that I LOVE coconut and coconut butter.
Funny thing is, I used to hate it. Now my body craves it. I guess it knows what is healthy. 🙂 I had an obsession with coconut butter ever since my first taste of Nutiva Organic Coconut Manna
That stuff is the bomb and it melts in your mouth. It can get quite pricey, so I thought I would make my own coconut butter. It’s super easy!
So easy that I feel kind of funny calling it a recipe. Kind of like my Homemade Peanut Butter. Coconut butter just takes a bit longer than peanut butter, so be patient.
Coconut butter can be used a spread or a dip. If you use it in baking it can add a richer flavor. Coconut butter is naturally gluten free, grain free and vegan.
If you use a blender , it takes about half the time, but you have to scrape down the sides more often and it is harder to manage. I liked making it in the food processor much better. I mixed it for a minute or two and walked away. Came back to mix some more a few minutes later. I just kept repeating those steps until I saw a creamy mixture. It took about 20 minutes for me. Super easy! I store mine in a small mason jar . I love mason jars. You can never have enough. I think it should keep for a couple of weeks. I keep mine on the counter top. You can store it in the fridge, but it will harden slightly. That’s it! Enjoy!
You need to try this Dairy Free Spinach Pesto! Who doesn’t like pesto? I actually prefer it over a tomato sauce any day. We have basil growing in our backyard, so I thought I would use some of it to create a pesto sauce.
I could seriously sit there and smell it all day! Seriously, if you don’t have basil growing in your house or yard, you need to get some.
Basil grows like a weed! You can save so much money by growing your own herbs, and basil is no exception.
Plus, you can freeze them and have herbs all year round. This dairy free spinach pesto recipe makes more of a paste than a sauce, so if you want to turn it into a sauce, you need to add a bit more oil and/or some water.
I love using this recipe for making pizza. It’s great with a cherry tomatoes as well. If you are not familiar with nutritional yeast, it comes in flake form and gives a nutty and cheesy taste.
It is often used in place of cheese. Nutritional yeast is a great source of protein, fiber and B vitamins.
You can find it at most health stores. I used almonds when making this pesto, since pine nuts are so expensive. Almonds make a great substitute.
You can also make this healthy pesto recipe with kale if you like. Works just as well.
This recipe made about 1 1/2 cups and should last a couple weeks in the fridge. You can also freeze it for longer storage. Enjoy!
Italian Herb Dressing. When I asked you awhile back about what kind of healthy dressing recipes you would like to see, a popular answer was a vegan Italian dressing.
I had already created a Balsamic Vinaigrette. So I created an vegan herb dressing for you.
This healthy salad dressing is super easy to make as well. I used dried herbs, because that is what I had on hand. Feel free to use fresh ones as well.
This dressing would make a great marinade as well. I am thinking of marinating some vegetable kabobs in this and then grilling them. Yum!
Another way you can mix is to throw everything in a covered container and shake well. Keep in mind that since this is a homemade dressing, the oil will try to solidify in the fridge. If you plan on using the dressing, just pull it out a few minutes before you need it and then shake well before using. I got close to 1 cup of dressing. It should last in the fridge a couple weeks. Enjoy!
You can Save Money By Making Your Own Hummus!! Hummus is probably one of the easiest things you can make yourself. It takes only minutes to make.
Most store bought versions contain unwanted additives as well as GMOs. If you look at the ingredients in Sabra’s Classic Hummus, they are as follows:
Cooked Chickpeas (Chickpeas [Garbanzos], Water), Tahini (Ground Sesame), Soybean Oil, Garlic, Salt, Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate Added to Maintain Freshness, Natural Flavors. Classic Hummus
Why is there soybean oil in hummus? Traditionally, it’s made with olive oil….and you certainly would not use natural flavors if you made it in your own kitchen. According to Wikipedia, Sabra is partly own by Pepsi. You know the soda people? They spent a lot of money lobbying against GMO labeling.
If you didn’t know, my mother in law is Turkish and this is her hummus recipe. It is really good! I have not tried freezing it, but I am sure you probably could. For more videos, you can subscribe to my You Tube Channel.
If it is too thick, just add a bit of water until you get the consistency you desire. That is it. Sometimes I drizzle a bit of oil over the top. Enjoy!
This Dairy Free Cashew Cheese Sauce is delicious. Two weeks ago we took the kids to the zoo. Afterward, we decided to try out a vegan restaurant here in Dallas called The Spiral Diner. The food was so good!
My husband got a vegan nacho plate and the cheese sauce was made from cashews. He liked it so much he decided to try to create his own cashew cheese sauce and after a few tries it worked out pretty good.
This dairy free cashew cheese sauce is really quite a good replica. We never would have thought to make a cashew cheese sauce.
A lot of vegan cheeses are soy based, but we wanted to do something different since a lot of people are avoiding soy these days. The cashews gave it a nice creamy feel.
This would not only be a good sauce to eat with nachos, but it makes a great base for a dairy free mac and cheese.
With so many kids having dairy allergies these days, it’s nice to have a soy free cheese option. To give this a cheesy flavor, we used nutritional yeast. Nutritional yeast is a great source of protein, fiber and vitamin B12.
Here is a quick little video of my husband and daughter making this. For more videos, you can subscribe to my You Tube Channel.
You can store it in the fridge in an airtight container. Should keep for a few weeks. You may even be able to freeze it.