Blog Archives

Yes, it’s me again, with yet another recipe for greens. I adore greens, as evidenced by these collard greens with smoked sun-dried tomatoes and mushrooms, this raw kale and grapefruit salad, and another spicy kale combo, this kale salad with tomatoes and chiles. I also throw them in smoothies all the time (spinach, blueberries and mint is only one of many endless combinations that end up in my blender). What can I say? I have a bit of a “greens” addiction. I figure there are worse things.

This easy little dish is light, but that doesn’t mean it’s boring. With the sweet note of raisins and the hit from the crushed red pepper, these are certainly not an afterthought on your dinner plate. I enjoyed them alongside a version of this rutabaga soup (I threw in half rutabaga, half turnip) for dinner last night. It was light, fresh, and delicious.

Spicy Raw Greens with Raisins (Gluten-Free, Vegan)

1 clove garlic, minced

3 T apple cider vinegar

1 1/2 T olive oil

3/4 t crushed red pepper flakes

3/4 t kosher salt or to taste

1/2 t freshly ground black pepper or to taste

1/4 c raisins

1 bunch turnip or mustard greens, chopped

In a large bowl, whisk together apple cider vinegar, olive oil, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Add raisins and greens and toss well with your hands or a spoon.  Allow to marinate for 30 minutes.

Serves 2-4.

This post is linked to Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays at Simply Sugar and Gluten-Free.

posted on Tuesday, March 6th, 2012 by altawrites Posted in Budget-Friendly,Dairy-Free,Gluten-Free,Healthy Meals,Quick and Easy,Salads,Vegetables,Vegetarian 4 Comments

It’s time for Adopt A Gluten-Free Blogger again! If you’re not familiar, Adopt A Gluten-Free Blogger is a monthly event created by Sea at Book of Yum, designed so that those of us that blog gluten-free can spend a bit more time getting to know one another and recreate our recipes. This month, I adopted Kalinda (and Mike!) of the awesome Wheat Free Meat Free blog. Kalinda is pretty awesome. She is neither gluten-free nor vegetarian, but she lovingly cooks for her gluten-free, vegetarian husband Mike. Mike also occasionally blogs (he has appeared to share yummy recipes such as this banana pizza) but most of the time, it’s Kalinda’s voice behind the words you read.

I’ve followed Wheat Free Meat Free for some time. While we’re not vegetarian in our home, I really enjoy vegetarian cooking. It seems that vegetarian fare is often more creative than omnivorous fare in that vegetables are highlighted and featured in a lot of unique ways. A great deal of traditional American meals are centered around the meat or protein, with little thought to the vegetables. It’s fun to rearrange and sometimes even break those rules, and Kalinda definitely does that in her innovative recipes.

For example, take this dish of braised celery. I never would have thought to braise celery in my life. But long before I considered adopting Wheat Free Meat Free, I made this dish. It intrigued me so much, I couldn’t get it out of my head. Turns out, braising celery takes it to another dimension. Buttery, tender, and totally different than any celery dish you’ve encountered before. I really enjoyed it.

Or take this brussels sprouts dish with a lovely mustardy sauce (pictured above). I know there are a lot of brussels sprouts haters out in the world. Truthfully, I am not one of them – I actually enjoy brussels sprouts. But this recipe might just make a convert out of some people. My husband even didn’t mind the flavors, and he’s on the “no brussels sprouts” side of the fence.

Another unique, but winning combination? Dill pickle soup. I don’t have a photo of this, unfortunately, as I also made it before I adopted Kalinda (but check out the photo on the link to the soup recipe – it’s gorgeous). Brittany, my stepdaughter, loves pickles. There is a gigantic jar in the fridge full of pickles just for her. She’s even been into drinking a bit of the juice from time to time. Now, that’s too much for me, but she really thinks it’s the greatest. So when I saw this recipe for dill pickle soup, I knew we just had to try it. I couldn’t wrap my brain around the combination of flavors, but when it was in the pot, ready to be served, everything just worked. It was a delicious soup that Brittany really enjoyed (I did too). She happily carted home leftovers!

And this bok choy and bell pepper stir-fry, while not quite as “out there” in my mind (maybe because I like to stir-fry everything!), was just as delicious. I didn’t include the bamboo shoots (forgot to pick some up at the store), but it was full of lovely ginger and garlic, making it craveable and delicious. She says it serves 3-4 people. I polished the entire dish off in two meals. Yes, I am a bit of a glutton for yummy veggies!

Wheat Free Meat Free gives back too, which I also love. Kalinda hosts an awesome vegetarian, gluten-free roundup on a weekly basis, highlighting other great blogger recipes. She’s been kind enough to even include some of my recipes in her roundup!

Head on over to Wheat Free Meat Free to check out even more delicious recipes, like Kale Apple Shiitake Risotto, 3 Musketeers Pancakes, or Avocado Pie (drool!).

posted on Thursday, March 1st, 2012 by altawrites Posted in Dairy-Free,Gluten-Free,Quick and Easy,Vegetarian 6 Comments

When I started a gluten-free diet, I inevitably reduced my crackers/chips/salty snacks intake. Sure, there are options available (more now than ever), and some brands sell pretty tasty gluten-free crackers, but most of the time, they aren’t exactly full of healthy ingredients (and sometimes, I can’t tolerate the ingredients in them), and they’re rarely cheap. For those reasons, I have grown accustomed to not eating too many of these kinds of foods.

But every now and then, a (gluten-free, dairy-free) girl needs a cracker. And not just any cracker. A “cheesy” cracker.

How does one make an enjoyable “cheesy” cracker without the cheese, exactly? By using some clever flavor combinations, of course – a mix of nutritional yeast flakes, red pepper, onion powder, lemon juice, and a touch of cayenne seems to elicit that “cheese” flavor to me in these crackers.

By the way – making your own crackers is way easier than it sounds. This cracker dough doesn’t stick (especially since you roll it between sheets of parchment paper), and it only takes a few minutes. I love making crackers, and these are my favorite so far. They are highly seasoned and perfect as is (I served them alongside some chicken soup), but I imagine they’d be delicious as a vehicle for scooping up mounds of hummus or baba ganoush.

“Cheesy” Crackers (Vegan, Gluten-Free)

1/2 c blanched almond flour

1/2 c almonds

2 T quinoa flour

1/2 c sunflower seeds

2 T hemp seeds

1 T flaxseed meal

2 T nutritional yeast flakes

1/2 t kosher salt

1/4 t onion powder

1/8 t cayenne powder

1 T coconut oil

1 T lemon juice

1 T roasted red pepper (from a jar or freshly roasted – your preference)

1-2 T water

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. In the bowl of a food processor, add the almond flour, almonds, quinoa flour, sunflower seeds, hemp seeds, and flaxseed meal. Process until ground and no chunks of nuts remain. Add nutritional yeast flakes, salt, onion powder, cayenne pepper, coconut oil, lemon juice, and red pepper and process again until the dough comes together. Add water as needed to make the dough stick – it shouldn’t be wet; it should look kind of dry but wet enough so that it holds together when you form some into a ball.

Place a large sheet of parchment paper on the counter and transfer the cracker dough to the paper. Cut another sheet of parchment paper and place on top of the dough. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough between the two sheets of parchment paper, lifting and repositioning the paper as needed, until the dough is about 1/8 inch or less and is as rectangular in shape as you can get it. Peel off the top piece of parchment paper. Using a pizza cutter, cut a grid of 1-inch squares.

Carefully transfer the entire sheet of parchment to your baking sheet, keeping the grid of crackers in tact. Bake for 20 minutes or until crackers are golden brown. Remove from oven and run the pizza cutter along the cut lines again. Allow to cool, then separate and serve.

Makes about 30 crackers.

What are your favorite gluten-free crackers? We’re sharing our favorites over at Udi’s Gluten-Free Living Community – a free, gluten-free resource for anything gluten-free!

This post is linked to Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays over at Simply Sugar and Gluten-Free.

posted on Sunday, February 26th, 2012 by altawrites Posted in Appetizers,Baked goods,Dairy-Free,Gluten-Free,Healthy Meals,Kid-Friendly,Vegetables,Vegetarian 26 Comments

Today I am blogging over at Simply Sugar and Gluten-Free, and I’m sharing this delicious, easy, one-pot braised chicken recipe. It’s healthy and perfect for a still-chilly February day. (Ironically, today, we’re far from chilly here in Dallas – highs near 80 degrees are forecasted. Only in Texas.)

Head on over to Simply Sugar and Gluten-Free to check out the recipe!

posted on Thursday, February 23rd, 2012 by altawrites Posted in Budget-Friendly,Chicken, Turkey, and other Poultry,Dairy-Free,Gluten-Free,Healthy Meals,Kid-Friendly,Main Dishes 2 Comments

My dear friend Amy of Simply Sugar and Gluten-Free is a brand ambassador for Attune Foods, and a few weeks ago, she graciously asked me if I would mind reviewing some of their products. They offer quite a few gluten and dairy-free products (like Crispy Brown Rice Cereal or Corn Flakes), but what I was asked to review was possibly the most intriguing, exciting product they have – a Probiotic Chocolate Bar.

Now, mind you, I have no problem having a nice, high-quality chocolate bar stashed away in my refrigerator, just so I can nibble on it now and then when the chocolate craving strikes (and it strikes a lot!). And we always hear that chocolate has positive health benefits. But now, I have one more little reason to indulge (as if I needed an excuse)!

So when my sample arrived, the first thing I did was just enjoy a bar of the chocolate, unadulterated and pure. It was creamy and not-to-sweet, just the way I like it. Honestly, I could have polished off the rest of the box in a similar manner over the following week, if it weren’t for my commitment to post a review. You see, I wanted to share my thoughts about these bars not only just as they were, but I also wanted to play with them a bit, to see if I could create a delicious, healthier treat with the chocolate. I’d have to make something that didn’t require heating the chocolate, or else I’d kill the probiotic cultures. So I opted to go for the ever-popular “truffle”.

I’ve made healthy truffles before and have shared them here – have you seen my pecan pie or pistachio sesame truffles? How about the chocolate cherry ones? While those are all full of whole, natural ingredients, I thought I’d sneak in even more little healthy morsels of goodness in these truffles.

So, yes, my friends, I threw in beets. And spinach. In a dessert.

Now, before you click away, let me explain. These don’t taste like vegetables. Not in the slightest. The beet turns the inside a lovely pink-red color (think red velvet cake), but the spinach is invisible here, as is the earthy taste of both of these ingredients. What you taste is a lovely mix of almonds, chocolate, a faint hint of strawberries, and a nice, not over-the-top sweetness. You could totally feed these to any crowd and they’d be none the wiser. They’re a delicious little bite, perfect for curbing that little craving for a taste of something sweet.

So I encourage you to give these chocolate probiotic bars a try. Indulge your chocolate sweet tooth by enjoying one (or two) by themselves. They’re a delicious little treat. But once you’ve done that, try these truffles. I think you’ll be pleasantly delighted.

Probiotic Beet and Almond Truffles (Gluten-Free, Vegan)

1 medium beet

1 1/2 c almonds

1 T cocoa powder (plus more for rolling)

1/4 c packed spinach leaves

1/4 c strawberries (I used frozen and thawed them)

6 pitted Medjool dates

1 t vanilla extract

1/4 t kosher salt

1 T coconut flour

1/4 t stevia extract (optional)

2 Attune Foods Probiotic chocolate bars, chopped

Peel the beet and cut into slices. Steam or boil beet slices until tender enough to be easily pierced with a fork. Puree the beet in a food processor or blender, scraping down the sides as needed. Portion out 2 tablespoons of the beet puree, and set aside the remainder for another use (this puree is gorgeous and tasty in a smoothie!).

In the bowl of a food processor, add almonds and process until they are crumbs. Add beet puree, cocoa powder, spinach leaves, strawberries and dates, and puree until the consistency is somewhat uniform and no large chunks remain. Add vanilla extract, salt, coconut flour, and stevia and process again until incorporated. Add chocolate bars and process once more to incorporate those as well.

Using a tablespoon, measure out even portions of the truffle “dough” (it should be stiff but a bit sticky) and roll into a ball between your palms. Roll into a bit of cocoa powder. Repeat with remaining truffle “dough”. Refrigerate until firm.

posted on Tuesday, February 21st, 2012 by altawrites Posted in Dairy-Free,Desserts,Gluten-Free,Healthy Meals,Vegetarian 19 Comments

About 2 weeks ago, a large box arrived at my doorstep. I love when these things happen (even if it’s just because I’ve placed an order for something as mundane as almond flour) because it’s like there’s a little present waiting for me to open it. This time, however, the box really was more gift-like in nature. What did the box hold?

Why, six beautiful, highly fragrant Texas Rio Star Grapefruit.

It’s no secret that I love grapefruit. You already saw that I made a grapefruit and avocado salad a few weeks ago for Amy’s baby shower. Most of the time, though, I simply eat grapefruit out of hand. When it’s in season, ruby red grapefruit like this Rio Star is unbelievably sweet and is a perfect way to enjoy some sunny, delicious vitamin C, fiber, and lycopene. As I was eating each one of these babies, day after day, I thought I really should try to incorporate one into another actual recipe, and not just keep snacking on them at my desk at work.

And so with a few minutes to spare while I was waiting for other components of dinner to finish cooking, I grabbed some kale from my “garden” and got to work making this quick salad.

Why the quotes around garden? Well, right now, it’s not much of a garden. I anticipate revamping things, but for right now, I have a bunch of empty whiskey barrels. Except for one. You see, last spring, I planted some Red Russian kale seeds. They sprouted and grew, but not very well, and after watering them for months and watching them remain small baby kale leaves, I decided to scrap the kale plans and I pulled the baby plants and made one little salad. (I’m not an expert gardener by any stretch, so much of my gardening is trial and error) I planted some cilantro and dill in its place.

As the summer wore on, the cilantro and dill couldn’t withstand our never-ending 110 degree days with no rain. So eventually, I realized there was no keeping these herbs alive, and I pretty much ignored this barrel, instead tending to the few surviving plants in the other barrels in my garden (I did have some tomatoes, butternut squash, and plenty of sage, basil, rosemary and lemon thyme).

When fall arrived and the heat finally subsided, something started sprouting in the long-forgotten barrel. Turns out, it was more kale. I watered it once in a while, but once my tomato plants were finished for the season, I gradually began ignoring the whole garden project, aside from grabbing some rosemary every now and then for a recipe. We were finally getting enough rain by that time that it apparently stayed alive without my interference. Meanwhile, the kale grew. And grew.

Now, with my continued lack of attention, my Red Russian kale has thrived. I can go outside anytime I’d like and cut enough kale for a meal, and there’s still plenty to be had. It seems happy in that barrel. I imagine it won’t appreciate the heat when late spring comes, but until then, I’m happy to have it.

The moral to this story? Ignore your garden, and sometimes, good stuff will come out of it! (Okay, not really. I think it’s just that I’ve learned that kale is a cooler weather crop and in Texas, that means I should grow it in winter.)

Anyway, back to the salad. This salad was a perfect, healthy, light accompaniment to our meal that evening. I simply massaged the kale leaves with the dressing, and topped it with the grapefruit and sunflower seeds. It couldn’t have been easier. Come to think of it, I have more grapefruit (and obviously more kale!), so perhaps I should make some more for this evening!

A big thanks to TexaSweet for sharing some grapefruit with me. I definitely made good use of it, that’s for sure.

Raw Kale Grapefruit Salad (Gluten-free, Vegan, Nut-Free, Soy-Free)

1 grapefruit, sectioned (catch the juice as you section it in a bowl)

1 T olive oil

1 t coconut aminos

kosher salt to taste

1 bunch kale, leaves torn into bite-sized pieces

2 T raw sunflower seeds

Whisk together the grapefruit juice, olive oil, coconut aminos, and salt together in a bowl. Add to kale leaves and massage with your hands until all of the leaves are well-coated with the dressing. Add the grapefruit sections and sunflower seeds and gently toss to coat in dressing.

Serves 2-4.

posted on Saturday, February 18th, 2012 by altawrites Posted in Appetizers,Budget-Friendly,Dairy-Free,Gluten-Free,Healthy Meals,Quick and Easy,Salads,Vegetables,Vegetarian 9 Comments

I’m blogging over at The Balanced Platter today about some easy tips to keep eating healthy. Eating healthy can still be doable, even after that initial “I’m gonna change my diet and be healthy!” push you made at the start of the new year has long since fizzled. Along with some ways to make cooking and eating whole, healthy, unprocessed foods a bit easier, I’m also sharing a technique for roasting chicken that I’m sure you’ll love – spatchcocking. This technique can make roasting a whole chicken a weeknight event, and can make it taste better than any other method I’ve tried! (Roast chicken is definitely a wonderful way to your lover’s heart, too, so why not try it tonight for Valentine’s Day dinner?)

Head on over to The Balanced Platter to find out how to whip up a delectable roast chicken!

This post is linked to Gluten-Free Virtual Support Group at Gluten-Free Easily.

posted on Tuesday, February 14th, 2012 by altawrites Posted in Budget-Friendly,Chicken, Turkey, and other Poultry,Dairy-Free,Gluten-Free,Healthy Meals,Quick and Easy 4 Comments

Today is a wonderful occasion! We are celebrating a soon-to-be new arrival – a lovely little bundle of joy coming any day now to the Green household! Amy Green is the founder of the blog Simply Sugar and Gluten-Free, and the author of Simply Sugar and Gluten-Free: 180 Easy and Delicious Recipes You Can Make In 20 Minutes Or Less, and co-founder of The Balanced Platter, a new healthy living website that just launched in 2012. And those are just the highlights – Amy also is a co-founder of Nourished – a food blogger conference, has held countless cooking classes, has been an amazing mentor to many fellow food bloggers, and has touched many lives for the better through her dedication to healthier gluten-free, refined sugar-free living. She’s obviously a very busy, accomplished individual.

But personally, Amy is so much more than just these things. She’s a dear friend of mine. She has a huge heart and gives so much to so many of us. When we heard Amy and her husband Joe were expecting a baby boy, we knew we needed to take this opportunity to give back just a bit of the love Amy has shown for us…

…by having a virtual, surprise BABY SHOWER!

Of course, those of us throwing this shower are spread all over across North America, so it’s not exactly easy to get together for a party. So why not have a virtual shower? The added bonus, of course, is that you all can share in the fun!

Check out all of the amazing baby shower food being served at our Simply Sugar and Gluten-Free Surprise Shower:

Hallie at Daily Bites

Maggie at She Let Them Eat Cake

Lexie at Lexie’s Kitchen

Kelly at The Spunky Coconut

Carol at Simply Gluten-Free

Cara at Cara’s Cravings

Ricki at Diet, Dessert, and Dogs

Alisa at Alisa Cooks

Kim at Cook It Allergy Free

Silvana at Silvana’s Kitchen

Jen at Gluten-Free Life

Cybele at Cybele Pascal

Helen at Miz Helen’s Country Cottage

Wow, going through that list makes me hungry! Personally, I opted to share a refreshing grapefruit salad with avocado and jicama. Texas grapefruit is in season right now, and is such a sunny, welcome treat when spring produce still seems so far off. With creamy avocado, crunchy jicama, refreshing mint, and a slightly savory dressing, the grapefruit really sings. It’s perfect for a baby shower, or any winter brunch or lunch. I’m already aware of Amy’s love for grapefruit, so it only seemed fitting to serve a salad such as this at their baby shower.

Help me wish Amy and Joe congratulations as they welcome their new baby boy!

Grapefruit Salad with Avocado and Jicama

2 large pink grapefruits

1 navel orange

1 jicama, peeled and cut into strips

1 avocado, diced

1-2 handfuls arugula

2 T mint leaves

1 t Dijon mustard

2-3 T olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Peel and section the grapefruits and oranges over a bowl so you can catch the juice. Squeeze the membranes to get as much juice as possible. Discard peels and membrane. Carefully remove the slices from the juice and place into a separate bowl.

On a large plate, place the handfuls of arugula and spread out. Lay the slices of grapefruit, orange, and jicama on top of the arugula. Scatter diced avocado over the top of the salad. Garnish with mint leaves.

Place the grapefruit and orange juice in a small bowl with the Dijon mustard. Whisk together, and drizzle the olive oil in and whisk constantly until well-blended. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle the dressing over the top of the salad and serve immediately.

posted on Monday, February 6th, 2012 by altawrites Posted in Appetizers,Dairy-Free,Gluten-Free,Healthy Meals,Quick and Easy,Salads,Vegetables,Vegetarian 18 Comments

Whether you’re looking for another SuperBowl recipe (I’ve already shared some healthy sweet-and-spicy dip) or just a delicious treat to feed your family, these unassuming meatballs might just be the thing. Sure, I’ve shared meatballs before. We’ve had Swedish Meatballs. Spanish Almond Meatballs. Good ol’ Spaghetti and Meatballs (these aren’t dairy-free, FYI). Needless to say, meatballs are a beloved dish in our house. They are one of the few things everyone in the house will eat without complaint, even the child who refuses to eat hamburgers will still gladly eat meatballs. (And even meatball sandwiches, which makes no sense to me – both are ground meat and bread..? I am not a picky eater, however, so some of the picky eating habits baffle me.)

These particular meatballs are a light and lean variation with clean, Mediterranean spices (I used cinnamon, cumin, garlic, mint, and parsley), but a delightfully American slant, as I used ground bison in place of beef or pork. When I can find ground bison, commonly referred to as buffalo, I love to get it. It’s leaner than beef, but boasts a great amount of protein, iron and vitamin B12. If you can find grass-fed buffalo meat, even better. The meat is flavorful in spite of the leanness, which means your meatball can be “meaty” without being fatty. Not that I’m one to shy away from fat – you won’t find me cutting off the fat on a delicious, grass-fed beef rib-eye anytime soon – but once in a while, lighter is better. That, and I’m an equal opportunity eater – bison deserves a chance at my table just as much as any other protein! That being said, if you prefer to use beef in this recipe, feel free to substitute.

You can serve these meatballs with a squeeze of lemon, or even a more substantial sauce, if you feel like experimenting. I imagine a tzatziki or other cool, creamy sauce would be delicious with these babies. They are great both as an appetizer, or as part of a main meal. For me, they were a success for the picky eaters, as each could decide whether to eat them unadorned, mix them in with a gluten-free pasta I’d made, or squeeze some lemon juice over. Personally? I enjoyed mine on top of a heap of these collard greens. Delish!

Minty Bison Meatballs (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)

1 large yellow onion, peeled and cut into large chunks

6 cloves garlic, peeled

2 T olive oil

2 1/2 lbs lean ground bison or beef

2 eggs

1 c packed flat-leaf parsley

½ c packed mint leaves

½ – ¾ c gluten-free bread crumbs (can substitute almond flour as well)

3 T ground cumin

½ t ground cinnamon

¼ t cayenne pepper

1 ½ t kosher salt

½ t ground black pepper

Lemon wedges

Preheat oven to 425 degrees, and arrange one rack in the upper third of the oven, and one rack in the lower third. Place the onion and garlic in the bowl of a food processor. Puree until it becomes a paste. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, and scrape onion paste into skillet. Sauté paste until it softens and no longer has a raw taste, about 4-5 minutes. Remove and allow to cool.

Combine onion paste, ground beef, eggs, parsley, mint, bread crumbs, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Mix well (using your hands is the easiest method). Form into 1 oz meatballs and place on 2 foil-lined baking sheets about 1 inch apart. Bake both sheets of meatballs on two racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven for 10 minutes. Rotate sheets and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Remove and serve with lemon wedges for garnish.

Makes about 40 meatballs.

posted on Thursday, February 2nd, 2012 by altawrites Posted in Appetizers,Beef,Dairy-Free,Gluten-Free,Healthy Meals,Kid-Friendly,Main Dishes 5 Comments

It’s that time of the year – time to gather around friends and family and watch football! Superbowl is one of those events that draw football fanatics and non-football watchers alike. After all, it’s a big party that often includes booze and delicious-but-unhealthy snacks, and it’s an opportunity for people to get together and have fun.

But what if you are following a gluten-free or other allergen-free diet? Or are simply trying to eat healthier? What do you do to combat the beer, pizza, wings, and chips-and-dip-fest that occurs at a Superbowl party? Bring your own healthier, wholesome, nutritious snack, that’s what! This dip is creamy and slightly spicy, but packs a good amount of vitamins from the butternut squash, and healthy fats from cashews, tahini, and olive oil. It’s also addictive – I love it paired with gluten-free crackers, but it really works well with raw veggies, such as celery sticks.

This is like an indulgent party dip, but in fact, it’s full of whole, healing foods, and for that reason, I’m sharing this recipe also as part of Go Ahead Honey, It’s Gluten-Free this month, hosted by Maggie of She Let Them Eat Cake. The theme this month is Foods That Heal.

While I’m a huge fan of vegetables in all forms (I do green smoothies and love them), I realize not everyone shares the same enthusiasm. However, veggies are an integral part of healing your body – something many of us on a gluten-free diet are working to do. When the opportunity comes along to eat something healing and nourishing that feels like party food, well, that’s a win-win for everyone, as even those that usually shy away from veggies can be enticed to indulge!

Of course, this isn’t a Superbowl party-only treat. I have been enjoying it in my lunch lately. I even shared it on Instagram the other day.

See that orange in the background? Yep – it was an orange-y food kind of day.

Anyway, this dip is easy to throw together in advance, and will store in the fridge for a few days (tastes great cold), so there’s no reason why you shouldn’t find a reason to make it. It’s like a sweet-and-spicy orange hummus. Only better.

Creamy Chipotle Butternut Dip (Gluten-free, Vegan)

1 ½ c cooked butternut squash

½ c raw cashews

¼ c tahini

2 garlic cloves

1 lime, juiced

2 T olive oil

1 T maple syrup

½ t cinnamon

½ t chipotle chile powder

¼ t ground cumin

½ t salt

Roast butternut squash – either cut in half and scoop out seeds, and roast cut-side-down in an oven at 375 degrees until soft (about 45 minutes), or do like I do – poke holes in the squash with a knife, place on a plate, and microwave until soft, about 10-12 minutes. Allow to cool, and then cut in half and scoop out seeds.

Place cashews and tahini in food processor and puree until smooth. Scoop out cooked butternut squash and add it, the garlic, lime juice, olive oil, maple syrup, cinnamon, chipotle chile powder, and salt. Puree until smooth. Adjust seasoning as needed.

Serve with gluten-free crackers, chips, or raw vegetable crudités.

Looking for more gluten-free Superbowl recipes? Check out this forum discussion at Udi’s Gluten-Free Living Community, or these recipes:

Texas Chili

(Dairy-Free) Nacho Cheese Stuffed Jalapenos

Adzuki Bean Spread

Deviled Eggs

Turkey Pumpkin Chili

Spicy Roasted Cashews

Quinoa Pizza Crust

This post is linked to Allergy-Free Wednesdays at Tessa the Domestic Diva.

posted on Wednesday, January 25th, 2012 by altawrites Posted in Appetizers,Budget-Friendly,Dairy-Free,Gluten-Free,Kid-Friendly,Quick and Easy,Side Dishes,Vegetables,Vegetarian 41 Comments