Southwest Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

 

Ingredients:

• 2 c pumpkin seeds
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 t chili powder
• 1/2 t cumin
• 1/2 t kosher salt
• 1/2 t freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line cookie sheet or baking pan with foil or parchment paper.
2. Remove seeds from pumpkin. I try to get most of the gunk off of them, but I don't wash or rinse them because I think they're more flavorful that way.
3. Combine spices and mix well. Mix pumpkin seeds with olive oil and then spread spices over evenly.  I thought the easiest way to do this was to use a baking pan rather than a cookie sheet (easier for turning seeds with bigger edges on the sides).  I dumped the oiled seeds and then sprinkled the spices over the top.  Then stirred with spatula before putting in oven.
4. Bake for 25-20 minutes, stirring every 5-10 minutes.

These are a bit time consuming for the amount of seeds that you get, but it is one of our favorite traditions and the seeds are always devoured.  I really should buy some pumpkin seeds and roast them, we would get a lot more and it wouldn't take near as much time as carefully picking them out of the pumpkin guts, ha ha ha! Emma LOVES taking them in her lunch on Halloween.  There are a ton of great recipes to season pumpkin seeds with, but this one is our favorite. Enjoy!

Gluten-free Banana Protein Pancakes

 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup rolled oats
• 2 eggs
• 1 banana

Directions:

1. Put oats in blender for about 15 seconds to create oat flour.
2. Add in eggs and banana and continue blending for another 15-20 seconds
3. Cook on skillet as normal pancakes, flipping about half way through (these pancakes won't "bubble" the same way regular ones do, so don't wait too long to try to flip).
4. Serve warm topped with pure maple syrup, nut butter, honey, yogurt, berries... or whatever you like!

This idea was shared with my by my friend, Carla, and has been a favorite for our family!  The kids LOVE them and I can't get over how filling they are.  I use this batch to make 12 small pancakes, it could easily be cut in half or doubled depending on the number of folks you are feeding.  Enjoy!

J-LEGS (Jessi's Limited Edition Granola Squares) Gluten Free and Vegan

Ingredients:

• 1 c peanut or almond butter (or any nut butter you prefer)
• 2/3 c honey (you could certainly sub the honey and maple syrup for agave, rice syrup, etc.)
• 1/2 c pure maple syrup
• 2t vanilla
• 2 c puffed rice cereal
• 1 c rolled oats, ground (I used my blender for this)
• 1 c shredded coconut
• 5 c nuts, seeds and dried berries/fruit (I used about 3 1/2 c nuts/seeds, and 1 1/2 c dried fruit)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Prepare a 9x13 pan with cooking spray.
2. In a bowl, combine wet ingredients.  In a seperate bowl, combine dry ingredients. Combine together and spread evenly into the prepared pan.
3. Bake 20 minutes.  Allow to cool completely before cutting.

My husband gave these bars their name and called them "limited edition" because I really have no idea what exactly I threw in to make these, only how much total. Since I won't be able to replicate these exact bars... the name was born.  I seriously emptied out a ton of random little bags that have just a bit of nuts and seeds left in them along with pecans, sliced almonds, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, peanuts, raisins... some mixed nuts that were in a little baggy in my cupboard.  I really have no clue.  The good news is that you could add anything you like and it will be delicious. Thanks to Laurie for the recipe inspiration!

Super Easy All Natural Gluten Free Banana Bread

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups almond flour
• 1 t cinnamon
• 1 t nutmeg
• 1 t baking powder
• 4 eggs
• 1/4 c coconut oil (can substitute butter)
• 1/4 c pure maple syrup (can sub rice malt syrup, agave, honey, etc.)
• 1 t vanilla extract
• 2 overly ripe bananas, mashed
• Optional: 1 c walnuts, blueberries, or chocolate chips 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. In a large bowl, combine almond flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and baking powder.
3. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs.  Add in the rest of the wet ingredients (oil, syrup, vanilla, and mashed bananas) and stir. 
4. Combine the wet and dry ingredients.
5. Fold in optional nuts/berries/chocolate chips.
6. Pour into a lightly greased loaf pan and bake for 1 hour or until it passes the skewer test.
7. Let cool before removing from pan.  Slice and enjoy!  Delicious served warm!

This recipe was passed along to me from my sweet friend, Carla, and originally comes from the blog The Natural Nutritionist.  It freezes really well.  I love the almond flour at Costco because it is extra fine as well as a great deal in comparison to buying it elsewhere.  One SUPER EASY modification I made was to make the whole thing in the blender - no bowls, no mess!  I started with the wet ingredients, blended, and then added the dry ingredients, folding in the optional berries at the end.  I cannot get over how easy it was!  I've made it several times, so it's definitely a keeper!

Caprese Quinoa & Ground Turkey Bake

source

Ingredients:

1/2 pound ground turkey
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups steamed quinoa/wild rice (from Costco - so good)
2 cups tomato sauce
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/4 teaspoon each: oregano leaves, minced garlic, thyme, onion salt
1/4-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3/4 cup non-fat milk
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded or shaved
1 cup heirloom or grape tomatoes, halved (I used heirloom)
4-6 large basil leaves, chopped into tiny bits
1 cup spinach, also chopped into bits
1/2 cup skim mozzarella cheese, shredded

Directions:

1.  Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Steam quinoa accordingly.
3. Brown ground turkey with salt and pepper, in a fry pan, set aside.
4. Over low heat, warm tomato sauce, tomato paste, and the herbs/spices.  When slow simmering, add milk, red pepper flakes, and parmesan cheese.
5. Remove from heat and fold in ground turkey, steamed quinoa, 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese, fresh basil, chopped spinach, and 2/3 the tomatoes.
6. Coat a 9x9 cooking pan with non-stick spray and pour the quinoa mixture into the pan.  Top with remaining tomatoes and mozzarella, and cover with foil.  Bake in oven for 15 minutes, then remove foil and bake until cheese is melted on top.  Remove from oven and top with fresh basil ribbons.

This was majorly adapted from an original recipe on Half Baked Harvest.