Tag: spreads

Dairy Free Spinach Pesto Recipe

Melissa King 30 Comments

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.

 

dairy free spinach pesto

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.

Dairy Free Spinach Pesto

Dairy Free Spinach Pesto

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Prep Time 10 min Serves 1.5 cups     adjust servings

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Throw everything in the food processor and mix until combined. Since my food processor’s lid broke and I am waiting for a new one to arrive, I had to use my Vitamix for this. I can tell you it was a bit harder in the Vitamix than the food processor.

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Recipe Notes

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 Recipe

Melissa King 20 Comments

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.

 

Italian herb dressing

 

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!

Italian Herb Dressing Recipe

Italian Herb Dressing

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Prep Time 5 min Serves 1 cup     adjust servings

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 1/3 cup white wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp thyme
  • 1/2 tsp oregano
  • 1 tsp basil
  • 1 1/2 tsp honey or maple syrup (I used honey)
  • pinch salt

Instructions

  1. Mix all the wet ingredients in a bowl .
  2. Mix all the dry in another. 
  3. Add wet to dry and whisk until combined.

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Recipe Notes

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!

Save Money By Making Your Own Hummus

Melissa King 125 Comments

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.

 

save money making your own hummus

 

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.

 

Save Money By Making Your Own Hummus

Homemade Hummus

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Ingredients

  • 2 cups cooked or 1 can chickpeas drained and rinsed
  • 1/4 cup tahini
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 1-2 tsp cumin (I used two)
  • 3 cloves garlic or 2 tsp garlic powder (I use real garlic)
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 T olive oil

Instructions

  1. Process the chickpeas in the food processor or blender to get them started.
  2. Then add all the remaining ingredients until everything is smooth and well mixed.

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Recipe Notes

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!

Healthy Homemade Ketchup Recipe

Melissa King 70 Comments

Healthy Homemade Ketchup Recipe. Lately, I have been doing a lot of condiments, so you probably had seen this homemade ketchup recipe coming.

First we did the BBQ Sauce, then we did the Dairy Free Ranch and now homemade ketchup.  Everyone likes ketchup, but most people don’t make their own. The funny thing is, it is super simple to make a ketchup.

healthy homemade ketchup

If you have toddlers like me, you know that kids just eat gobs of ketchup if they are not monitored.  If my daughters had their way, they would eat it by itself.

This ketchup was so easy to make and contains just a small amount of sweetener.  Most commercial brands contain high fructose corn syrup.

The few store bought ketchup brands that I have tried without high fructose corn syrup left a lot to be desired.

This recipe makes about 1 cup and should keep in the fridge a few weeks.  I store mine in a glass jar.  You can also freeze it for longer storage!

To keep it vegan, just use maple syrup instead of honey.  Works great!

Healthy Homemade Ketchup

Homemade Ketchup

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Prep Time 10 min Serves 1 cup     adjust servings

Ingredients

  • 1 6 oz BPA free can or 1/3 cup tomato paste
  • 1 T raw honey or maple syrup
  • 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • salt to taste

Instructions

  1. In a large sauce pan, heat all the ingredients together on med until everything is well combined. Take a test taste.
  2. If you like a sweeter ketchup, add a tad more honey. That’s it.

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Dairy Free Ranch Dressing Recipe

Melissa King 112 Comments

Dairy Free Ranch Dressing you guys!! I have never met a soul that didn’t like ranch dressing. When we went vegan, my husband really missed ranch.

We wanted to make a dairy-free ranch dressing that would really curb his craving.  This dairy-free ranch recipe really hits the spot.

I don’t know about you, but it seems as though a lot of people have dairy sensitivity lately.  My husband and I are lactose intolerant and my younger daughter is allergic to dairy and soy.

Most of the non-dairy recipes I have seen online use tofu or veganaise as a base.  I was looking for a way to make a soy free ranch dressing recipe and it totally worked!  This is just as easy as the Homemade Peanut Butter and the Healthy Honey Mustard!

 

dairy free ranch dressing

This yummy dressing passed the ultimate kid test.  My 4 year old loved it!  So, now those of you with kiddos that are dairy sensitive can enjoy the taste of ranch.

I was actually amazed at how well this turned out.  I had my doubts in the beginning.  So here is the recipe.

If you like this, you may also want to check out my dairy free sour cream and my dairy free pesto sauce.

Dairy Free Ranch Dressing

Dairy Free Ranch Dressing

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Prep Time 10 min Serves 1.25 cups     adjust servings

Ingredients

  • 1 cup cashews (I used raw and unsalted)
  • 1/4 cup almond milk (If you like a super thick dressing, just omit the milk)
  • 1 clove garlic minced (I do this using a microplane )
  • 3 T chives finely chopped
  • 3 T parsley finely chopped
  • 3 tsp white wine vinegar
  • salt to taste

Instructions

  1. Place the cashews in water and soak overnight in the fridge.
  2. Drain and rinse the cashews and throw them in the blender with just enough water to cover.
  3. Blend them for about 1-2 minutes.
  4. Now add the rest of the ingredients and blend on low for another minute.

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Recipe Notes

That’s it! This made about 1 1/4 cups and should keep for a few weeks in the fridge. I store mine in recycled glass jars.

Healthy Honey Mustard Dressing

Melissa King 150 Comments

Healthy Honey Mustard Dressing.  You have to try it!  My kids will eat almost any veggie in honey mustard dressing.  Can you relate?  Same goes for ranch dressing.  I like to make my own with real ingredients so I know exactly what is going into their mouths.

Plus, it’s super easy to make your own salad dressing.  You probably already have all the ingredients on hand to make this healthy dressing recipe!

Healthy Honey Mustard Dressing

If you wanted to keep this dressing completely vegan, you can use maple syrup instead of honey, and a non-dairy yogurt. I have done that and it’s works just as well.  I like to make this order rather than make a large batch. You can really do it either way, though.  For a larger batch, I suggest doubling the recipe.

Some other homemade dressing recipes you may like:

Healthy Honey Mustard Dressing

Healthy Honey Mustard Dressing

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Prep Time 3 min Serves 1 cup     adjust servings

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (vegans can try coconut yogurt)
  • 2 T yellow mustard
  • 1 1/2 T raw honey (maple syrup to keep it vegan)
  • 1 T lemon juice

Instructions

  1. Whisk all the ingredients in a bowl.

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Recipe Notes

Serve immediately or store in the fridge for later. I keep mine in recycled glass jam jars. It should last about a week. Super easy, right?