Spoonful of Sugar Free

Registered Dietitian

Appetizers

Before Summer Ends…

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I want to share this Gazpacho recipe with you!

Fresh Summer Gazpacho

~This recipe is raw, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, and of course, sugar-free!

This is very refreshing, and is best when served cold. My sister even likes to dip her tortilla chips into it!

Ingredients

  • 4-6 large tomatoes
  • 1 medium cucumber
  • 1 bell pepper of any color
  • 1/2 yellow onion
  • 1 clove garlic
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • small bunch of fresh cilantro
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper (add to taste)
  • 1 teaspoon salt (add to taste)

Thoroughly wash all veggies first. Then, place the tomatoes in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Then chop the rest of the veggies in the blender/food processor or by hand and add to tomatoes. Finally, stir the veggies with the salt and pepper and lemon juice.

For best results, chill in the fridge for at least one hour before serving. This allows the flavors to mingle with each other nicely.

Again, don’t forget to send in or blog about your favorite food for the Food Loving Post!! August is almost up!

Thought-provoking, mind-prodding question of the day:

What have you been wanting to do this summer, but haven’t gotten around to? I’ve been wanting to go to the beach…but that has not been done….

I can’t believe sumer is almost over! In Iowa, the breeze has started to blow, ad the temperature as dropped! Before you know it, the leaves will drop, too!

Psst! Looking for my Namaste Giveaway? Click HERE.

I’m Lucky!

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Not just because I won a blogger giveaway, but because the giveaway was to One Lucky Duck!!! Thank you, Lauren! I am so pumped!

I am also excited to announce that I received 2 coupons from the wonderful people of Woodstock Farms to try their products for free and do a product review. What should I try, guys?

I have a few product reviews coming up (and a giveaway!), so stay tuned!

Now, I don’t know about you guys, but it is blisteringly hot down here. Yesterday we had a 105* heat index, and today 107*. But that doesn’t stop me from charging onto the tennis court for a couple hours! No sir-y, I have been sweatin’ up a storm this past couple days.

This summer weather calls for a summer dinner!

Burgers, potato wedges, watermelon (blindingly red), and a fresh salad

Alex’s 10 Minute Burgers

  • 1 pound lean ground beef
  • 1/2 chopped onion
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1-2 Tablespoons Worcester Sauce
  • 1/4 teaspoon chili powder

Mix all ingredients together by hand. My burgers are very onion-ey, that’s what makes them good! Roll them into balls about 1.5 inches thick. Then, place them on a pan (I used a cast-iron skillet) and smash them down to patty size. Cook for about 2 minutes each side. I didn’t really count, but I just kept an eye on them to see when the bottoms turned nice and brown. Serve with your favorite condiments! (Mine are pickles, avocado, tomato, spinach, and mustard! I like mine bun-less…oh yeah….)

Healthified Potato Wedges

  • 3 or 4 potatoes (or sweet potatoes)
  • olive oil spray (or fingers 🙂 )
  • salt
  • pepper

Preheat oven to 425*. Scrub potatoes thoroughly because we are keeping the skins on. Slice potatoes into wedges. Try to slice evenly so that they will cook evenly. Soak the potatoes in water for 10 minutes so that they will be crunchy on the outside, but soft on the inside. Pat the potatoes dry with a paper towel. Spray the cookie sheet with olive oil (or spread it around with your fingers) and lay the potatoes flat on their sides. Spray with more olive oil and sprinkle salt and pepper (and other spices if you wish. garlic, chili powder, rosemary, whateva!) Bake for 10-15 minutes each side or until they look pretty like my picture below.

Yup! So go make some summer food!

I actually think I am breaking my summer food demand tonight and making pancakes and eggs…Oh well! You know how good breakfast tastes for dinner, right?

Thought-provoking, mind-prodding question of the day:

I have a couple, so stick with me, please:

What should I go get with my Woodstock Coupons? What about my One Lucky Duck gift card?

What is your favorite summer meal? I know that in my family, if we have watermelon and corn on the cob, we are happy!

Now That’s What I Call Sweet and Spicy

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First off, I would like to thank everyone yesterday for being so supportive of me in my sickly state. I’d love to try all of your magical cures! Especially Kelsey’s Veggie Soup! Do you have a recipe you’d like to share? Or is it Top Secret? 🙂

In fact, I think we should all get together to test out sickness-cures! It will be perfect! We can all get sick on purpose and try each other’s recipes to see who’s recipe works the best!

Ok…maybe I didn’t think that through thoroughly enough….hehe…..

Anyway, While I was in my daze the last couple days, I decided that I wanted some sweet potatoes! So I made up a recipe that is healthy for a sick girl, but yummy for a sweet tooth.

Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes

~These potatoes can be served as a side dish, or even for dessert! They are gluten free, vegan, dairy-free, and of course, sugar-free!

Ingredients

  • 2 Sweet Potatoes
  • 1 Tablespoon butter or yogurt (I use coconut milk yogurt)
  • About 1/4 cup nondairy milk (I used almond milk, but coconut milk would go really well with this recipe)
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Preheat Oven to 400*

First, scrub the potatoes with water to get all the dirt off. Next, prick them with a fork a few times, and stick them in the oven for about 45 minutes. Bake until they are soft when you squeeze them.

Next, scoop out the insides of the potatoes into a mixing bowl and add the milk,yogurt or butter, and spices. Mix with an electric mixer, or stir vigorously by hand. Finally, scoop the insides back into the skins and bake for another 15 minutes or until the peaks of the potatoes turn brown.

Serve with a dollop of almond cream, and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Raw Almond Cream

~This cream is vegan, gluten-free, raw, dairy-free, and of course, sugar-free!

Ingredients

  • 1 cup raw almonds (unsalted and not roasted)
  • 1 cup water (plus more for soaking)
  • optional: spices like cinnamon

Soak the almonds in water for a few hours. The water should completely cover the nuts. Then, drain the almonds, and add one cup of fresh water. Pour into a food processor and process until smooth. Add desired spices.

For a creamier result, take the skins off of the almonds before blending them. This is done by emerging the almonds in a pot of boiling water for about 10 seconds, and then squeezing the ends of the almonds so that the shell will pop off.

I also have a recipe of spiced almonds to share (shown in picture above), but I think that will have to wait for another time. i don’t want you guys to be too recipe-ed out!!!

Thought-provoking, mind-prodding question of the day:

Today’s question is an add-on from yesterdays. What do you do when you are sick? Do you watch t.v., scrapbook, work, paint, cook, or just sleep?

One Last Thing before I go! Lauren from Clean eats in the Dirty South is having a giveaway–a $10 gift card to One Lucky Duck! if your interested, check out her website!

Lights! Camera! Action!

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Wouldn’t life be so interesting if it were a t.v. show? Or a action movie? A chick-flick drama? Or a horror film?

How about a culinary masterpiece for every meal? Something that looks like it came right out of the magazine?

Well, that’s what I felt like for lunch today. I felt like creating a beautiful dish of that I could eat as a meal. But this was, of course, going to be healthy. This is what I came up with:

This beautiful plate uses black olives, crunchmaster crackers, spinach leaves, grape tomatoes, capers, roasted red peppers, hummus, purple onion, and avocado. I made mini spinach wraps, crackers with toppings, and layered veggies to create this.

What do you think?

It took me about thirty minutes to make, and about 15 minutes to eat……

Thought-provoking, mind-prodding question of the day:

If you could live in a movie, which one would it be? Action, horror, drama, romance?

I would want to live in The Sound of Music, I think. They live in such a beautiful country, and they are always singing! I like that.

Fiesta Time!

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Happy Memorial Day!!! (If I can say “happy,” what else do I say? hmmmm….) Anyway, Thank you to all of the soldiers out there right now fighting for us! My heart goes out to them, and their families.

What are you up to for Memorial Day? Picnic? Parade? Party? Have fun with your day off, if you have one. No day off for me……I still have homework…..

If you are having a party or picnic, why not serve some fresh salsa? I always get into the mood for salsa when summer comes around. At my house, I am known as the salsa queen! Whatever crazy stuff I throw into it, the salsa always turns out ok. Perfect example: A couple nights ago, we were having Mexican chicken salads (or ensalada de pollo). Then, disaster struck!!! We were OUT of salsa!!! No!!!! But…Lucky me! We still had a couple of fresh tomatoes, but no cilantro 🙁 Thus, the Leftover Salsa was born!

Leftover Salsa:

  • 2 medium sized tomatoes
  • 1/4 onion (i used purple this time)
  • handful of spinach
  • salt
  • pepper
  • lemon or lime juice
  • vinegar
  • hot sauce (optional)

Place the ingredients in a food processor (or blender) and pulse to desired consistency. I didn’t measure the spices or lemon juice or vinegar, but just added them to taste. I would say that I added about 1/2 tsp vinegar, 1/4 tsp hot sauce, 1/2 tsp lemon juice, and 1/4 tsp each of salt and pepper. But have fun! It is leftover salsa after all! Add whatever you want to it!

When you read through the ingredients, you might be thinking, “Spinach?! Why would I put spinach in salsa?!” Trust me, it tastes good! I just added the spinach because the salsa didn’t look very pretty without something green in it, and I was out of cilantro. Plus, spinach is good for you! It has good calcium.

Here was my Mexican chicken salad with the salsa! A bed of spinach topped with brown rice, black beans, chicken, salsa, and homemade guacamole! (I’ll give you the recipe for guacamole another time!)

Thought-provoking, mind-prodding question of the day:

Do you guys like to eat ethnic foods? I know I do! Greek, Indian, Spanish, Italian……What’s your favorite?

Wonderful Legume: Chickpeas

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Oh what fun I have with the protein-packed legume family! Chickpeas (or garbanzo beans) are a wonderful creation from nature. Chickpeas are full of protein and fiber, and they also contain minerals like zinc, iorn, manganese, and magnesium. Chickpeas have a low glycemic index of 28, and are full of fiber making this legume an excellent choice for diabetics.

Chickpeas can be bought dried or canned. Depending on the recipe (or time availability), I use both varieties. here are so many wonderful recipes to make with chickpeas. Falafel, hummus, and soup are just a few of the ways I enjoy them. As an athlete, chickpeas are an easy way for me to consume protein. They contain a whopping 15 grams of protein per cup, and 12 grams of fiber (that’s half a days worth!)

Yesterday I made my favorite, super-easy hummus. It is so easy to make, and is a wonderfully satisfying afternoon snack. Here it is below served with my favorite Crunchmaster crackers.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Simply Hummus

This hummus is gluten-free, vegan, dairy-free, and low-fat and low-calorie compared to other hummus recipes.

  • 2 cans chickpeas (rinsed and drained of juice)
  • 2 Tablespoons tahini
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion (about 1/2 onion)
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 3-4 tablespoons water
  • optional add-ins: roasted red peppers, pesto, black beans, tomatoes, olives, artichokes, be creative!

Put all ingredients into food processor except water, onions, and add-ins (if you want any). Process ingredients, and add water until desired consistency is reached. Next, add the chopped onions and a handful or two of your add-ins. Stir until mixed. Your done! Now was that hard? No!

Serve your delicious hummus with pita, crackers, vegetables, on top salads, or in wraps or sandwiches! This recipe is a great appetizer for parties!

Thought-provoking, mind-prodding question of the day:

What is your favorite power-packed food? Is it something that is full of protein or carbs? What makes you feeeeeel so powerful after you eat it?