Roasted Artichoke and Spinach Dip

One of my absolutely favorite things to make for entertaining is Spinach and Artichoke Dip, but what really can make it stand out is using roasted artichoke!

Roasted artichokes are amazingly delicious! I usually make a large batch so that I can serve a whole artichoke for dinner and then use the rest for the spinach and artichoke dip. 

What usually makes people intimidated about artichokes is how to properly prepare them. But don't worry-- it's easy! I'll give you some step by step instruction as to how I prepare an artichoke for roasting.

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No Noodles Manicotti with Spinach & Sun-dried Tomatoes

After I started making this simple Italian Salami Salad, I've been obsessed with it! As a result, we now have weekly (sometimes bi-weekly) Italian nights. However Italian food can be a little difficult when you're on a low-carb diet.

Oh, the dilemmas!!

So, Pinterest gave me the idea to make my standard manicotti recipe with eggplant instead of noodles. {Mind Blown}  Yeah, it sounds crazy but it's sooooo good!!! I promise-- you won't miss the noodles and it's a great way to cut down on carbs.

Even The Man likes Eggplant Manicotti so I think it's a win especially considering that I don't even use meat in this recipe! After all, he's a steak and potatoes kind of man, but what's even better is that he actually requests the Italian Salami Salad on a regular basis.

He. Wants. Lettuce. (aka "rabbit food). {passes out from shock}

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Pesto Linguine with Scallops & Roasted Tomatoes

The Man decided to have a boy's night out so I decided to indulge myself with some delicious seafood pasta! The best part is that it takes about 15 minutes to make! This is a gluten free version, but you can use regular pasta, too.

Serves 2

Pesto

• 1 cup basil leaves
• 1 oz pine nuts, lightly toasted
• ¼ c parmesan cheese, grated
• 1-2 roasted garlic cloves, minced
• ⅛ c olive oil
• Salt and pepper (optional)

Put all the ingredients into a food processor except the olive oil. Blend until paste forms, then slowly add the olive oil until a sauce forms. Add salt and pepper if desired and pulse to mix.

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Southwestern Scrambled Eggs

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season! Now it's back to the grind… and trying to lose that holiday weight! {insert sad face here}

This recipe is deceiving because it's actually pretty healthy, but it looks gloriously sinful as it's piled high on a plate and topped with sour cream. And, it's just a little spicy, but we all know that a little heat in the morning can rev up your metabolism for the rest of the day. Goodbye holiday love handles! ;) My favorite part of this breakfast is the kick of the jalapeño which is complimented nicely by the creaminess of the avocado. The protein content will also keep you feeling full well into lunch. I promise you that you won't feel deprived with this breakfast, but you're getting quite a wallop of veggies in every bite.

I'm excited to share this because it is one of my absolute favorite breakfast dishes. The first time I made it I loved it so much that I made it every morning for a week. But what's not to love: It's simple, it's easy and it's delicious!

It's also Gluten Free (in case you were worried).

What You Need:
Serves 2

• 4 eggs 
• 2 large or 3 small pieces of bacon, chopped 
• ½ small jalapeño, diced finely
• ¼ yellow onion, diced
• ¾ cup fresh spinach and/or arugula 
• ½ tomato, diced
• ¼ c shredded cheddar cheese, sharp
• ½ large avocado, cubed
• Optional: Salsa, sour cream

Cook the bacon per the instructions and set aside to cool, then tear into small pieces. If you want to save some calories use Turkey bacon and cook it in the oven! 

Over medium heat, sautee the onions and jalapeño. Once soft, add the spinach/arugula and cook until wilted. Toss in the diced tomato.

Whisk the eggs in a bowl right before you put them in the skillet-- it'll help them stay a bit fluffier. Add to the skillet with the vegetables and lower the heat to medium-low. I like to cook my eggs low and slow.

Add the cheese and half the bacon right on top of the mixture. Salt and pepper per your tastes.

Stir them in the skillet every minute or so until they are cooked through.

Serve immediately and top with the remaining bacon, salsa, avocado, and sour cream.

Bon appetite! And I hope 2014 brings you lots of good food and happiness (which are basically the same thing).

If you're wondering about the organic egg shortage then read this post from Lindsay Dahl: Organic egg shortage- what can we do to support organic production?

And check out Ribas with Love's Delicious Egg Souffle recipe!

Asian Inspired Salmon over a warm Bok Choy Salad

I freely admit that I have an obsession with a vegetable. I don't often see it in the supermarket or even the farmer's markets, but when I do you'd think that I just found the Queen's diamonds. I'll tip toe over to it, look around to make sure no one's watching and then snatch it up, clutching it to my chest! I know that if everyone else knew what I know, then people would be taking it from my hands. It's best to be sneaky.

So what am I talking about? Bok choy, of course!

Now don't get all hopeful and think it tastes like chocolate dipped in gold. Bok choy is Chinese cabbage, but it's so much more amazing than any cabbage I've ever had. It can be a little bitter if eaten raw, but steamed or sautéed and it's perfection! The leaves are similar to spinach, but it has a more nutty flavor and the stems will keep a little bit of crunch after they've been cooked. Ahhh… so good!

And bok choy is really good for you-- it has a mega dose of vitamin A and a decent amount of vitamin C, calcium and iron. And the best part: it's only 20 calories for cup of shredded bok choy! Yay!

Have I convinced you yet to try it? I hope so because it's delicious!

I've been making Salmon over Bok Choy Salad for years and I absolutely love it. I've converted it to a gluten free version from my original recipe, but I'll let you know what you can substitute if you wanted to do the regular version. I hope you like it as much as I do!

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Chicken with Chorizo Sausage and Sweet Potatoes

Hello my foodie friends! I hope you're ready for the holidays because I'm not! It's been a bit crazy with finals and shopping... and shopping. :)

But through all the stress something fun did happen! While procrastinating writing a school paper, I met a new blogger friend (Dirk, the sarcastic German) who happens to cook. Yay! He gave me his recipe for this yummy meal that I'm going to share with you today. Definitely check out the link-- he has other yummy looking recipes and I'm dying to try some of his German meals!

However, I did make a few adjustments to his original recipe because that's what I do. Surprise surprise!

Orange Chicken with Chorizo Sausage and Sweet Potatoes

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Four 0 Seven Revisited: Gluten Free Bakery Orlando (Fall and Christmas Flavors)

Okay, it's not a secret that I'm obsessed with Four 0 Seven Bakery in Orlando. Since my guilty secret is out in the open I wanted to show you some new gluten free fall flavors! Yummy!!

Pancake Breakfast with Candied Bacon: Um, yum! It actually tasted like breakfast and the candied bacon add a nice savory twist. Delicious!

This is my crazy cupcake lady look.
Do you like it?

S'mores: The best part was definitely the toasted marshmallow frosting and the spot on flavor profile. The Man ate one and just said, "Wow" and then promptly ate another one. He said it's amazing because it tastes exactly like eating a s'more.

Irish Cup of Joe: My favorite of the bunch! Your mouth will thank you for the perfect combo of delicious rum and glorious chocolate and rich coffee. A beautiful pairing done marvelously well that just explodes in such a tiny little cupcake.

I could eat this All. Day. Long.

Banana Fosters: This one definitely has a complex flavor profile. At first the frosting laced with caramel hits you and then your tastes buds switch over to appreciate the mild banana flavoring of the cupcake itself. Definitely a win and definitely got 2nd place for my favorite cupcake of the bunch!

I still love my old staple: pumpkin with maple frosting, but these are definitely changing the game for me a little bit.

And then this happened…

Christmas Flavors!!!

Chocolate Orange: Delicious! It's a little fruity and a little chocolaty, but the candied orange peel steals the show. Seriously, I giggled when I ate it because it was so good.

White Chocolate Cranberry: Mmmm… a sweet cranberry filling laced with delicious white chocolate. I thought for sure this was going to be super sweet, but it was a really nice balance. So good!

Peppermint Bark: Seriously, this is like Christmas exploded in your mouth. It's so good and the little bit of park on top of the cake really added something to the texture.

Egg nog: This has the most subtle flavoring of the three, but the egg nog is flavoring is perfect and the rum buttercream adds a deep richness to the experience.

I think I'm doomed to be fat.

Come check out Four 0 Seven at the Lake Nona Farmer's Market on Saturday mornings from 8am - 1pm for a taste of heavenly cupcake goodness. She makes both regular and gluten free cupcakes and cakes! You can check out my first review to see how the gluten free version stacks up to regular cupcakes!

Or you can call and place an order. She will also be making deliveries for Christmas! Yay!

You can check out her website here or her facebook site here for more information.

Savory Loaded Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes

There is nothing more delicious than a loaded twice baked potato. Well, except chocolate, but that's different post. ;)

Most recipes for a baked sweet potato seem to be sweet with cinnamon or spicy with chipotle pepper, but I wanted something more like a traditional baked potato. You know-- something covered in bacon, oozing with creaminess and just the right amount of veggies to make me feel like it's might actually be healthy.

I'm going to tell you how easy it is to make a delicious savory baked sweet potato. I'm really excited to share this with you guys today!

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Easy Gluten-Free Chocolate Pumpkin Muffins

In honor of Halloween, I killed a pumpkin.

Don't worry-- it didn't feel a thing!

Now I'm going to give you a couple of ideas on what to do with a fresh pumpkin, but pretty much all roads lead to one basic thing-- a roasted pumpkin.

With a roasted pumpkin you can do pretty much anything (soup, pie, cake, risotto). Of course, you can also buy pumpkin in a jar. But if you are so inclined to roast your own pumpkin, then I'll tell you how to do it.
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Gluten Free Bakery in Orlando

Sometimes life gives you something exactly when you need it exactly when you need it. In my case it was cupcakes.

One cupcake is gluten free and the other is not

I am so incredibly excited to share this wonderful bakery find with you today! I HOPE you live in or near Central Florida or are planning to visit because you will want to stop by and see Leah from Four 0 Seven Bakery.

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Spice It Up: 9 Jalapeño Recipes (Gluten Free)

Recently I have come into the possession of quite a few jalapeños from SpaceGirl Organics. For a while The Man and I brainstormed about what I would do with all of these jalapeños, but somehow the ideas kept coming! We started by talking about salsas, sauces, stuffed peppers, and then moved on to ideas about jalapeño breads, jalapeños for breakfast, pickled peppers, jams, and could we do a dessert?! Oh, and what about a margarita with a kick?! The ideas kept coming! We reined ourselves in a bit and decided to stick with some tried and true recipes. We hope you like it!!

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Bock Bock... It's Time For Some Organic Chicken Stock!

I have to admit that I can be a bit lazy so I often try to find short cuts to make my life easier, but somethings just deserve to be done right. You know like how a man treats a woman (wink wink), a good piece of dark chocolate, making French pastries and cooking homemade chicken stock.

Lucky for us making chicken stock isn't actually hard. It just takes time. But it makes a world of difference in the flavor profile of what you're cooking.

And the best part is you can give away your recipe and don't tell them that you made your own chicken stock-- they will never be able to recreate it and you will be held up as a goddess of soup/risotto/gravy/whatever. Yay!!

It's always nice to be adored.

This is such a culinary staple and it is probably the easiest thing in the world to make. Homemade chicken stock is heaven in a tiny little bowl and it can take your dishes from yum to YUM!!
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Saucy Pork Chops Inspired by Julia Child (Paleo)

I'm literally in the car on my way home from my vaca, but I thought I'd post this recipe for you guys while I'm on the road! We are in southern TN close to the GA border and this is what it look like outside my window:

It's a beautiful view, but it's been beautiful for a few hours so I am getting bored which made me hungry which made me think about my blog.

Oh, ADHD, how I love your tricky ways!

Being hungry made me think about how much I love, love, love French cooking. It's so rich and buttery! Mmmm!! Delicious! Did I mention I love french cooking?! I hate to admit it but I like to talk like Julia Child when I'm cooking, especially about anything that has to do with butter, bacon or wine.

How? Well, it's easy. You say something like "If you're afraid of butter, use cream" while waving a wooden spoon around wildly in one hand while you have a glass of wine in the other.

"Always cook with wine and sometimes put it in the food"!

 That Julia was one smart lady.

One of my favorite Julia dishes is her classic Beef Bourguignon. The meat melts in your mouth with a wonderful tang from the tomatoes, the sweetness from the wine and the delicious fresh herbs! It's hearty and rich and it makes you feel like your participating in something special by simply eating it.

But there are a lot of steps and it can take an afternoon to make. Don't get me wrong-- it's totally worth it, but ain't nobody got time for dat.

So I took inspiration for Julia's Beef Bourguignon and I decided to make a dish with a lot of the same flavor base, but with only about an hour of cook time, plus it's paleo friendly! I hope you like it!
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Bridal Shower with Gluten Free or Paleo Foods

Oh, Bridal Showers, how I love you. I especially love my dear cousin who is getting married in October!!

My heart gets little palpitations when I think about it. I can still remember her as this tiny little girl sitting on the floor with a head full of dark curls screaming because she wanted something that I wasn't about to give her. ::sigh:: Oh, cousinly love.

It's amazing what a beautiful woman she's grown up to be and I'm so happy that she found such a wonderful man to share her life with. So, of course, I was excited when I was recruited to help with her bridal shower!
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Non-GMO Multivitamins (SunWarrior vs NewChapter)

Seriously, I don't get it.

I watch what we eat, choose healthy food, try to buy organic fruits and veggies and then take a vitamin full of stuff we can't pronounce.

Why?

It took me a while to figure it out: There are ZERO options at local stores. I honestly didn't even know I could get a non-GMO plant based vitamin until I started looking for it.

If you wonder what the difference, then here's a great chart by SunWarrior that shows you how synthetic vitamins are made vs sources for natural vitamins. Even if you don't opt to go with sunwarrior, please look at this list! It's really amazing.

Personally, I wanted options because that's how I roll so I opted to try to vitamins to see how they compare.

According to my strict standards, I had three choices: SunWarrior, NewChapter and Pure Synergy, but I'm a baby-- I don't do big pills, so I scratched Pure Synergy off the list. They are rather large, but if you don't mind-- definitely check them out.

It is kind of important to note that if your VEGAN then SunWarrior is the only one that will actually fit your diet. However, I love meat so I didn't care.

So. let's look at the pills...
(or if you're lazy just read the summary) ::wink::

SunWarrior vs NewChapter

Okay, so they are both great companies. They pick quality ingredients and take great efforts to make sure their products are safe, healthy and even suitable for gluten free diets. They source most ingredients from organic or non-GMO sources which is huge!

But if we're going to talk important stuff, then you need to know what you're dealing with. How big is this pill?! 

First, I want to talk about the capsule itself:

SunWarrior multivitamins are made from kosher vegetable gelatin, which is great in terms of capsules. They can be broken apart and the contents can be placed into something like applesauce if you like. They are pretty easy to swallow and that's coming from a person who hates taking pills.

NewChapter's pills are solid pills-- no capsules so no mixing in applesauce. They are still a reasonable size, but just a little more difficult to swallow, but barely. 

Proprietary Blends:
SunWarrior added a longevity proprietary blend which is supposed to help with anti-aging. Sounds pretty nice! While NewChapter also added two immunity blends and a digestive support blend using all natural ingredients. So, I guess it's just really what you're looking for!

Also, SunWarrior and NewChapter don't add fillers or synthetics to their supplements which is so important. It's kind of impressive. Most of the "propriety blends" are just a bunch of junk, but both of these companies make their ingredients transparent so you know what you're getting.

 Probiotics:
Sunwarrior added 5 sources of probiotics from both the Lactobacillus and the Bifidobacterium types, which makes your gut happy on so many different levels. It's important to have both types because they act on different parts of the GI system. NewChapter only has two strands of probotics and they are both from the Lactobacillus family.

However, at such low numbers, I don't believe that either brand should be your sole provider for probiotics so make sure that you're taking an additional source for optimal health.

Let's take a look at the labels...

Sunwarrior:

NewChapter:

They both recommend taking 3 capsules a day. SunWarrior gives you 90 pills and NewChapter gives you either 72 or 96 tablets depending on which bottle you buy.

However, remember that these are supplements to supplement your diet. Take what you feel you need for optimal health.

SUMMARY:
Cost:

• NewChapter is slightly cheaper.

Pill:

• SunWarrior is a capsule
• NewChapter is a solid pill
• Size is comparable, but NewChapter is SLIGHTLY larger

Special Diets:

• Both are gluten free
• Both are non-GMO
• SunWarrior is Vegan.

Bottle:

• Sunwarrior comes in a plastic bottle
• NewChapter comes in a glass, dark bottle. 

Probiotics: 

• Sunwarrior added 5 sources and they are from both the Lactobacillus and the Bifidobacterium types
• NewChapter only has two strands of probotics and they are both from the Lactobacillus family.

Proprietary blends:

• SunWarrior added a longevity proprietary blend which is supposed to help with anti-aging.
• NewChapter also added immunity blends and a digestive support blend 

I would definitely recommend either of these multivitamin! In fact, I take both.

You can find both on Amazon.com or at their brand stores:

• SunWarrior: Raw Vitamins for Her
• New Chapter Perfect Immune Multi Vitamin Tablets, 96 Count

(These are Amazon Affiliate links-- your price stays the same and I make a small fee from Amazon to help buy supplies for the blog!)

Plus, they really are the best prices. You can also buy the SunWarrior vitamins from the SunWarrior store, but they end up being more with shipping. :)

Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies (Gluten Free)

As some of you know I have been gluten free for a bit of time now and I am loving it! However, I do have a sweet tooth and sometimes, just sometimes, I splurge and make something chocolately. Because, come on! A girl needs chocolate!

I have a soft spot for chocolate chip cookies and I've had a really hard time finding a paleo/gluten free recipe that made me happy. Eventually, I gave up and just started experimenting with batters until I came up with this recipe. It's buttery, soft, and oh so chocolately! Mmmmm!! Delicious!

 

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Date and Bacon Chicken with a Tomato and Green Onion Salad (Gluten Free/Paleo)

I hate to toot my own horn, but this is pretty darn good AND super easy. The sweetness of the dates pairs perfectly with the saltiness of the bacon and when you add the shallots, garlic and that creamy goat cheese.... well, it's basically heaven in my mouth. And it's ready in less than 20 minutes.

Bam! Take that Food Network!!

Seriously, this is so easy and so delicious! I was inspired by a meal card at the grocery store and I thought that it really had some potential to be a delicious paleo meal, so I made a few alterations and now it is a delicious, easy, go-to Paleo dinner which is perfect to make when you don't have much time.

What You Need

• 1 lb Chicken Tenderloins
• 1 TBSP Chicken Seasoning (I like Weber Garlic and Herb)
• Salt and Pepper (if desired)
• 6-8 dates, pitted and chopped
• 1 shallot, sliced thin
• 1 tsp garlic, minced
• 2 slices of bacon, coarsely chopped (I used Turkey)
• 1 cup of white wine 
• Goat Cheese (optional, but highly recommended)

Season the chicken with the herb seasoning and add salt and pepper if desired.
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Paleo Chocolate Cake with Ganache with a Paleo Nutella Mousse Recipe

Inspiration comes in all shapes and flavors

I stumbled upon this cafe in Orlando called the "Drunken Monkey" and with a name like that how can you not go in, right?!

I was just amazed that they had all these desserts for people on special diets-- vegan, vegetarian, gluten free.... yada yada. It was like my own little corner of heaven!

Doesn't it look yummy?!

So, of course, after I got home I was so inspired to make something delicious and paleo that isn't traditionally "healthy" and included chocolate.

Lots and lots of chocolate.

How about some Paleo Nutella, y'all!

Oh, and cake. ::wink::
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Paleo Pizza: Thin Crust

Lately I have felt like the world was torturing me with commercials about pizza. Since I've started the Paleo diet, I haven't been able to eat traditional wheat and even though my body is feeling better because of it, my mind misses it. A lot.

I've experiment a bit until I found a recipe that I was happy with and here it is! I really hope you like it as much as we do!

The crust is thin, soft, yet crunchy with mild flavors of herbs and garlic. If you're looking for a pan pizza, then you've come to the wrong place! But for a thin crust pizza, this is pretty darn good.
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7 Paleo Breakfast Ideas (Gluten Free)

I have always been a foodie, but it took a bit of time after I went paleo to really start to play with recipes and make my own creations. The hardest transition was breakfast because I had always eaten carb heavy meals first thing in the morning and with paleo it seemed like egg "muffins", scrambled eggs and fried eggs were going to be my life.  I needed to figure out new, improved ways to make breakfast!

Here are some of my favorite recipes. I hope you like them!
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