pumpkin seeds!

Because of my grain free living I have really had to search for different things to keep me satisfied. One of the things I have found recently is pumpkin seeds (raw).  I bought them at Earth Fare and although they are really good alone, I decided that I wanted to spice them up the same way I did with the almonds. I also made the almonds for my mom as she is on the grain free diet as well.  I am excited for her to taste them over the holidays because I know she will love them. 

Pumpkin seeds – I used approx 1 cup of pumpkin seeds and could have probably added more to it without adding more spices.

Set oven to 300 degrees 

you will cook these for 15-20 minutes (until slightly browned) and make sure to stir them once or twice while they are cooking.

I put the following spices and oils into a bowl and mixed:

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (if you like it spicy)

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp ginger

1 tsp chili powder

1 tablespoon maple syrup

a drizzle of agave syrup

1 tablespoon olive oil

I also sprinkled sesame seeds on them (this is optional) 

 

mix well and put the pumpkin seeds in the bowl, stir them until they are well coated, place them on a cookie sheet and put in the oven. This is something you can taste as you mix it to make sure that it isn’t to spicy or salty.

I will post a picture next…..

 

Link for the Nutella Muffin recipe

Link for the Nutella Muffin recipe

Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookies and Nutella Muffins

I made these Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookies the other day and took them to work along with the Nutella Muffins..they were a huge hit. Several people insisted they didn’t like peppermint but told me they thought these cookies were awesome. The Nutella Muffins aren’t my recipe so I will add a link below. The cookies were my recipe so I will add that later….

Experimental Dinner

I experimented with my veggies tonight, I chopped some garlic, onions, mushrooms, zucchini and sautéed (add olive oil) all of it. I added garlic salt, a dash of cumin, black pepper, then I got experimental….after sautéing for about 5 min, I squeezed a small orange in and a half of a lemon And let it simmer for 12 minutes.

I then grabbed some mixed greens (that were about to go bad) and some romaine lettuce, I added about 2 tsp of lemon, squeezed, and a dash of garlic salt. I think it could have used something else but I can’t figure out what it was… My grill pan killed itself and I know those would have been better “grilled” however they were still good. Anyways, I added olive oil and sautéed for several minutes (until cooked).

I cooked chicken breast on the stove with garlic salt, cumin, a dash of paprika, and squeezed part of the half of the lemon over the chicken and cooked.

The sweet potato fries were the same recipe I normally use but I added a drizzle of agave over the top to give them a sweet kick.

favorite breakfast

This is one of my favorite breakfasts to make for guests or just for my fiance….it can be healthy (as long as you omit the bacon) while giving off a tasty not healthy vibe to its consumers. This is so easy to make; you just cut up your onions, peppers, mushrooms, and sauté.  While your are sauteing, boil some potatoes.  I have used regular potatoes and red potatoes and either is pretty tasty.

If you want to add bacon, then start cooking the bacon separately.

Once the vegetables and bacon are cooked just throw them to the side.

You either want to cut the bacon or tear it into small pieces.

Take your eggs ( I use 3-4 eggs for two people) and whisk them together with a dash of milk.  

Once your potatoes are cooked, cut them up (doesn’t have to be perfect) and put them in the pan with a little olive oil and cook them for several minutes.  (Add olive oil when needed)

Next throw in the vegetables and bacon. and cook for another minute or two, next put in your eggs, add 1-2 tsp of garlic salt, 1 tsp black pepper, and a dash of regular salt, add 1/4 cup of cheese (you can use shredded or cut up cheese off of a block of cheese which is what I do). Stir until completely cooked and you are done.  You can put these in a burrito, eat them alone or put them on top of pancakes (if you like that sort of thing). You can pretty much add whatever you want to this in the form of meat and vegetables. 

 

To give you an idea of amounts…I used 1/2 green pepper, 1/4 of a sweet onion, a handful of mushrooms diced, and approx 6 pieces of bacon. 

 

 

Santa!

Well I finally did it…took my dogs to see santa…my fiance thinks I am nuts but it was so adorable. I went to bed at 9:30pm which is way to early and woke up early, made coffee and breakfast.  Anyways, I am going to do some baking later today so I will post whatever I bake. This week has been crazy which is why I haven’t posted a lot.  I have managed to get my workouts in this week. Last weekend I baked the grain free cookies so this weekend I will be doing something more buttery and tasty.  I am having trouble writing in complete sentences so I am going to sign off here…….

 

 is m

Grain free eggnog cookies

This was so random, but I decided to make my own recipe of eggnog grain free cookies. What can I say? I have a sweet tooth that cannot be tamed , even when I can’t eat grain… Did that rhyme??

These are super easy, also this recipe only makes 4 medium sized cookies so double it for more.

1 tablespoon coconut flour
3 table spoons almond flour
2 tablespoons egg nog
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 tsp apple sauce in place of coconut oil ( I ran out)

Roll cookie in the following mixture prior to placing it on the tray:
1 tablespoon coconut sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp brown sugar

Throw everything in a bowl, mix it really well. Mine seemed bordering on liquids but I went with it. It should be to loose, if it is add almond flour 1-2 tsp at a time until its thick enough that you can form it into a ball.

Form into balls (slightly less than a tablespoon) , roll into cinnamon sugar mixture and place on tray. Pat with the back of a spoon to flatten before putting in over on 350 for 12-18 minutes. They will be slightly brown on top when ready, they will harden more when they come out…. Bonus…. You can eat the dough!!!!

http://dulcedelicious.tumblr.com/image/68871907027

http://dulcedelicious.tumblr.com/image/68871907027

so excited to get a new kitchen aid mixer!!!!

Shrimp and Scallops with Whole Wheat Pasta

BTW I am so glad that it is friday.  This weather has been ridiculous, it has been raining ALL week.  I haven’t been able to ride my bike except for wednesday because the trails were to wet.  I have had to go to the gym in place of mountain biking which is fine however I am burnt out on the gym, burnt out of training, burnt out on my current workout which includes negatives out the “you know what”.  In fact, I think I will stray from my workout my trainer gave me and do what I want to do today.  Sometimes I feel like I need a break from the strict regimen that I follow, I just want to break free from the chains. Alright, I am done…no more rebelling rants for the day. I think I am going to add some workouts to my blog, they go well with cupcake recipes.  

This dish was before I started my no grain lifestyle again…..I still make this sometimes for my fiance because he loves it and it’s a great low fat alternative to Shrimp Scampi or a related buttery dish. I am still trying to get used to measuring everything when I cook…I usually just throw the spices in the pot and the dish ends up being pretty good.  Keep in mind that sometimes spices will need to be adjusted slightly in order to get the dish to taste the way you want it to. 

I used the bagged shrimp and scallops from publix, so half of one bag of each sea creature.

2 tsp garlic salt

1 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1 cup wine (I used leftover moscato LOL)

fresh parsley (chopped)

fresh parmesan (approx 1/3 cup) grated

olive oil about 2 tablespoons

1 box whole wheat pasta of choice

Boil water, add a drizzle of olive oil, add pasta and cook

Get a pan (deep pan), heat on low/medium, add olive oil (drizzle it around the pan), add wine, then add shrimp and scallops, add spices and cook on low until the scallops and shrimp are cooked. Cut one open to make sure that they are cooked, they shouldn’t be fleshy inside.  Drain excess wine, you may want to leave a little to use as a sauce.

Add parmesan and fresh parsley to the dish once it has been plated.

 

 

These are an awesome vegan, grain free treat, and so easy to make. Maple syrup, honey, sesame seeds and add a little spice if you want them to have a kick, throw in the oven and done! oh and I forgot to add this: add a dash of moscato, red wine, white wine, (whatever flavor you prefer) I used moscato, to thin it out and add some flavor.