Gluten Free Vegan Chocolate Avocado Cupcake Recipe

May 20, 2013 By Leave a Comment

I came across this recipe back in 2009, except it wasn’t gluten free. The avocado in the recipe intrigued me so I converted it and posted it in my Chicago Family Health Examiner Column. However, Mighty Nest, a local e-commerce company that sells non-toxic, eco-friendly home goods, asked me to help them un-cupcake the cupcake, I happily agreed. We don’t have to sacrifice not eating a cupcake do we? I like to think the calories don’t count in this Gluten Free Vegan Chocolate Avocado Cupcake Recipe, but alas they do. But this sweet treat has no refined sugars and made with healthy fats using both coconut oil and avocado. That is something you can feel good about!

Avocados are super healthy, in fact it can help aid in losing weight and it makes an excellent first foods for baby. Here are some other great facts about avocados:

  1. Avocados also have 60% more potassium than bananas.
  2. They have the highest fiber content of any fruit  (almost 7g!) including 75% insoluble and 25% soluble fiber
  3. Avocados can protect your vision as they are also rich in lutein and zeaxanthin, antioxidants found in the retina that keep eyes healthy.
  4. A study done from The Ohio State University found people absorbed 4.5 more times lycopene, which has been linked to protection against prostate cancer, and 2.5 times more beta-carotene, which, along with alpha-carotene, helps protect against cancer and heart disease. Hello guacamole!
  5. Historically avocados had a long-standing stigma as a sexual stimulant and is known by the Aztecs as the “fertility fruit.”  Due to their high monounsaturated fat content and vitamin B6, both are needed to keep energy and libido up.

Well that last fact is surely a fun one, because combined with chocolate it is a win-win.

Gluten Free Vegan Chocolate Avocado Cupcake

Yes, you can have your cupcake and eat it too!

Yes, you can have your cupcake and eat it too!

1 1/4 cup of flour

3/4 cup of unprocessed unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp of guar gum (I like this better than Xanthan Gum and it is cheaper!)

1/2 cup of non-dairy milk combined with 3/4 tsp of apple cider vinegar set aside

1 avocado pitted

1 cup of Grade B Maple Syrup

1/3 cup coconut oil

Add dry ingredients together and set aside

  1. Puree the avocado, maple syrup and coconut oil together
  2. Add half of dry ingredients into the avocado mixture and blend
  3. While blending, ddd the milk with apple cider vinegar
  4. Finish off with the dry mixture

Scoop mixture into muffin pans and bake for approximately 22 minutes at 350 degrees. Makes about one dozen cupcakes

I also do not like canned frosting. They actually put food dyes in it and I don’t understand why, even for white frosting there is still red and blue dyes in it. I make my own, always. Here is my favorite Whipped Chocolate Frosting that takes 5-minutes to make, literally!

Whipped Chocolate Frosting

3/4 cup of organic powder sugar

1/4 cup of raw cocoa powder

1/2 cup of Spectrum Shortening

2 tsp of coconut milk

In order for me to get truly whipped frosting that feels like it comes from the can (ick!). I like to blend it in my food processor. It adds air to the powders that make it fluff up.  I like using the coconut milk because of its consistency. Here is the quick recipe!

  1. Whip the shortening up until nice and soft.
  2. Add the powders and blend with the shortening
  3. While blending add the milk or for a mocha flavor add coffee

That is it!  Total Time for making your own frosting 5-minutes and you can’t beat that!

 

Filed Under: Family Health, Food, Gluten Free, Healthy Eating, Recipes, Vegan Tagged With: ,

Champagne Mango Guacamole

May 5, 2013 By 1 Comment

Once a month a group of mom’s from my neighborhood get our kids together to hang out and play. It is strange, they all go to different schools, but it is a way for us to stay connected in our hood. It was my turn to host in May and I gladly wanted to because we did a small birthday celebration for my son. I was in the mood to make some guacamole, but wanted to make an untraditional flavor. I had 3 champagne mangos starting to wither a bit and thought, hmmm…Champagne Mango Guacamole.

What is a champagne mango? Well not much different than most regular mangos except they have about 5 times the vitamin C content as most other popular mango varieties available in the United States. Their orange color makes it rich in Vitamin A as well.

Champagne mangos start off with green skin and fully ripen and are very sweet when they are a deep golden yellow. Check out this chart here. The one thing I teach folks when we go on grocery shopping tours is to smell your produce, especially your fruits. When it smells just as it should, that means it is ripe and ready to be eaten.

 

Now you can use regular mangos easily, champagne mangos were on sale a few weeks ago so I bought a few and used one. (oops). But I was not worried, the skin had just begun to wrinkle and that is when mangos are at their sweetest. Using a champagne mango just sounds more rich and  I like the sound of that and the recipe came to mind. I took a quick pic just in case it was good..and it was! This is a fun twist on your traditional guac and a way to impress your guests.

 

Champagne Mango Guacamole

photo

 

4 avocados

1 ripe champagne mango

1/2 lime juiced

1 shallot

2-3 green onions

1/2 tsp of garlic powder

1/2 tsp of Celtic Salt

 

 

  1. Scoop avocados out and into a bowl
  2. Peel mango and dice it into squares while still on the pit, then scrape it off into your bowl.
  3. Juice 1/2 lime
  4. Dice shallots and green onions
  5. Add garlic powder (yes you can use one clove of garlic, I was pressed for time)
  6. Salt to taste

Scoop and enjoy!

For the ultimate Cinco de Mayo feast, start your day with the Strawberry Colada Smoothie

This would be an excellent appetizer to go with the Rainbow Mango Salsa with Coconut Cilantro Lime Chicken for dinner

Filed Under: Food, Gluten Free, Healthy Eating, Recipes, Vegan Tagged With: ,

Bacon Brussels Sprout Slaw

May 4, 2013 By Leave a Comment

I have been wanting to do something with the pre-shredded Brussels Sprouts bag that I see at Trader Joe’s. I bought a bag, then it went to waste..I hate when that happens. Then it came to me a few weeks ago when a friend of ours was visiting from Boston with their family. I then whipped it up and she was like, That’s It? I said yep! She helped me take some food pics and we named it: Bacon Brussels Sprout Slaw.

I hated brussels sprouts for a long, long time. I decided to try and get over my hatred for them when I bought a package of halved brussels sprouts from Trader Joe’s that had salt, pepper and chunks of garlic on it. I roasted them with coconut oil, then drizzled olive oil on them.  Oh my gosh, were they fantastic. One time while I was entertaining, I put them on a vegetable kabob and put them on the grill…yes you must try that this summer. Be sure to use that coconut oil when grilling for its high heat content.

What I love about this recipe is that all these ingredients can be found at Trader Joe’s and it takes less than 10-minutes to make…well once the bacon has been baked.

 

This slaw is made with good fats to give it that rich and creamy texture

This slaw is made with good fats to give it that rich and creamy texture

Bacon Brussels Sprout Slaw

4-6 pieces of Apple Smoked Bacon baked in oven at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes

1 bag of shredded brussels sprouts

1/2 cup of shredded carrots

1 avocado

2 cloves of garlic

2T of coconut oil

1/2 cup of cilantro

1/2 fresh lemon squeezed

1/2 tsp of smoked paprika

salt to taste I used about 1/2 tsp of Celtic Salt (which is higher in trace minerals and good for you!)

 

  1. Cook bacon until crispy. Crumble real good
  2. Blend avocado, melted coconut oil, cilantro, garlic, and paprika in a food processor.
  3. Add bacon, carrots and shredded brussels sprouts together
  4. Mix avocado mixture in with the brussels sprout mixture
  5. Squeeze lemon juice and mix
  6. Add salt to taste

This makes an excellent pot luck side dish. What I love is that you can make it completely vegan by omitting the bacon and you will still have that smokey flavor using the paprika.  The other great thing, you won’t have to worry about any mayo going bad..well if the slaw lasts that long!

Filed Under: Food, Gluten Free, Healthy Eating, Recipes, Uncategorized Tagged With: ,

Creating a Healthy Home for Your Family with Mighty Nest

April 26, 2013 By 5 Comments

It is work in progress trying to create the ultimate healthy home for my family. When I changed my diet several years ago, I also changed up many of my household cleaning products and cookware. Yep bye, bye to non-stick, bye-bye to aluminum pans, melted plastic utensils, personal care products, you name it, it was G-O-N-E. Yes, it was a costly switch, but one I made over time (not all at once!). One of my issues was finding a place that housed items that made for a healthy home. I had to research several companies and shop at several places to find what I like and in my terms. It had to be eco-friendly, made with non-toxic products, sustainably made, and affordable.

MightyNestLocal company Mighty Nest is just that, yay! They have done that research and sell items that are well healthy and some things I already have in my home, so I know it is research well done.

They are offering a fantastic fun way to win many of their items and I have joined in on the fun. First take a look at my Healthy Home Makeover Pinterest Board to see what I may have or would like to incorporate more into my home.

 

Now you can enter to win a Healthy Home Makeover too! Simply enter here for their Pin It To Win It Campaign.

Yes you can win money to shop directly at their store. If you are not sure about what to buy, create your own board and see what I like and what I may already have in my home!  The fruit paint is so fun as their non-toxic play-dough and my kids have personally loved. I would love to get my hands on that cast-iron griddle to make our gluten free pancakes and have been researching for a shower head that eliminates the use of chlorine and other harmful chemicals to help ease my son’s psoriasis (great for eczema and other skin conditions too). These two items is something I have been searching for quite some time, especially the shower-head.

And of course, my wooden spoons are looking a little rough an it is time to renew them and who can’t use more dish towels? I can go on and on, so what are you waiting for?  Hurry up and enter now!

Please share with me what your healthy home will look like!

 

 

Disclosure: I am being compensated by MightyNest for your participation in this campaign.

Filed Under: Family, Family Health, Healthy Eating, Healthy Home Tagged With: , ,

Kid-Friendly, High in Veggies, Red Beans and Rice

February 19, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Each time a holiday comes up, I try to mimick the meal to help celebrate the holiday and explain to my daughter what we are celebrating and why. Though she thinks it is fun to celebrate anything, it is a fun age. On Fat Tuesday was no exception. My daughter has a few of her own cookbooks, including the Princess and the Frog’s Cookbook, celebrating Louisana home style cookin. Though the recipes are not gluten free, I can easily convert each one now. I pulled the book out and showed her what we were making for dinner, Red Beans and Rice. She was excited to make something from HER cookbook. I made quite a few modifications, here is what we came up with:

Using a lot of veggies, this is a win-win with kids.

Using a lot of veggies, this is a win-win with kids.

2 cups of red beans soaked over night
1 medium yellow bell pepper, diced
1 small white onion, finely diced
2 stalks of celery chopped
½ tsp of crushed garlic
4 slices of peppered turkey bacon from Trader Joe’s cooked and chopped
1lb of Turkey Keilbasa sausage
2 Tablespoons of my own Cajun spice mix (see below). This is something I do not keep around, I found a few recipes on line and created my own version.
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 c of organic ketchup (organic has no High Fructose Corn Syrup)
2 Tablespoons of tomato paste
2 tsp of hickory smoke flavor (optional)
1 cup of basamati rice cooked with 1 cup of shredded carrots for more veggies

Cajun Spice Mix:

2 tsp of Celtic salt (sea salt is fine, this is better for you)
1 tsp of white pepper
1 tsp of garlic powder
1 ½ tsp each of oregano and thyme
1 tsp of cumin
2 tsp of paprika
½ tsp of cayenne pepper
¼ tsp of crushed red pepper
The last two can be increased to desired heatness or avoid one. This is meant to be kid friendly.

Place soaked red beans in a dutch oven and cover with water adding about a ½ inch of water above the beans. Cook for 2 hours do not add salt.

While beans cooking cook chop turkey kielbasa and peppered turkey bacon in a pan (both purchased from Trader Joe’s). Once they are done, take out the meats preserving whatever oils is left and sauté onion, pepper and celery until onions are clear, add garlic once completed. You may add about 1 tsp of olive oil if needed for more moisture. Add the meats back into the veggies. Set aside.

While veggies are sautéing place 1 cup of basamati rice and 1 cup of shredded carrots in 2 cups of water with 1 tsp of grapeseed oil (or coconut oil-my son cannot tolerate coconut oil so we use grapeseed oil because of its high heat content) and cook for 20-25 minutes. I like the basamati rice from Trader Joe’s because it has dehydrated veggies in it and it cooks fast. Set aside when done. You may open it up to fluff up the rice and see if the water is gone.

After the beans are done, discard most of the water preserving about ½ c of the bean liquid. I took about one cup of beans to freeze and use at a later time. (I cook beans in batches and freeze what I don’t use, but do have some Eden’s Organic canned beans on hand).

Add the veggie/meat mixture with the beans adding the can of diced tomatoes, ketchup, tomato paste, Cajun spice mix and continue to cook on low/simmer for 2 – 4 hrs.

Omit the meat if you are looking for a plain vegetarian dish. I also mixed in some “cauliflower” rice in this mixture as we are slowly transitioning to eat less grains.

Serve and enjoy!

Filed Under: Corn Free, Food, Gluten Free, Healthy Dinners, Healthy Eating, Recipes Tagged With:

Gluten-Free Spinach Pesto Pizza Topped with Goat Cheese

February 6, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Back in January at an play date with some local moms, they said Friday nights was pizza and a movie night. I had just been thinking a few weeks ago how we as a family need to do something fun on either Friday or Saturday night. This is all part of my family-focused goal setting resolution. Spend more quality time as a family. All my daughter talked about the next day was how she wanted to do pizza and a movie night. So in January we began. My hopes is to have a recipe posted for you each Wednesday, so you too can enjoy some healthy, homemade pizza options to make with your family that is not just sausage, cheese and pepperoni, though that is my kid’s favorite too. I believe when we expand outside our palate comfort zones, our kids too will enjoy more. While I did make their favorite, I made this Spinach Pesto Pizza topped with Goat Cheese for kicks. I sprinkled red pepper flakes on it and enjoyed this quite a bit. My daughter tried it, but was not a fan, only liked the goat cheese. Baby steps!

What I like about this recipe is that without the goat cheese, it was vegan, I even made the crust without eggs. My favorite pre-packaged gluten free pizza crust mix is by Breads By Anna. It is also nut, corn, rice, peanut free. And she is super sweet too. Just follow the directions to make the crust. If you need it to be egg free, here you go:

Add 3 tsp of corn-free baking powder to the oil
Pour 1/2 cup of carbonated water to the oil and baking powder, watch it foam and bubble
Add half of the mixture and mix, then add another 1/2 cup of carbonated water until mixed and add the rest of the pizza crust mixture
Don’t forget to add the yeast packet, I almost did!

The pesto is nut and peanut free too. I use raw and soaked pumpkin seeds and replaced the cheese with Nutritional Yeast for the added boost and protein. It also has a cheesy flavor, which we all like.

Omit the goat cheese for a gluten-free and vegan pizza!

Omit the goat cheese for a gluten-free and vegan pizza!

Spinach Pesto Pizza Topped with Goat Cheese

I used my vegan pesto recipe and omitted the shredded zucchini and mixed the pesto with frozen spinach
Topped with goat cheese

Bake until the cheese is melted and enjoy!

This pizza crust makes enough you can bake it all and enjoy for lunch the next day or freeze the other half of the dough for next week.

I can’t wait to share what I have in mind for this Friday night.

Here is how I make Breads From Anna’s Yeast Free Bread Mix Egg-Free too!

Filed Under: Corn Free, Food, Gluten Free, Healthy Dinners, Healthy Eating, Recipes Tagged With: , , ,

Cutie Pie? A Very Healthy Valentine’s Day Idea

February 5, 2013 By 3 Comments

Last year when my in preschool, I was new on Pinterest and looked hard for healthy valentine fun treats. There are a ton of cute homemade treats you can give out, but our school has a no candy policy (which I like). Being a foodie, I wanted to do something healthy and did not include those goldfish crackers. After seeing a bag of cuties, it came to me. Cutie Pie? Here was last year’s A Very Healthy Valentine’s Day Idea.

I started by making hearts out of construction paper. I hand wrote all the messages, taped them onto cake pop sticks with the following sayings:

Cutie Patootie

Will You Be my Cutie?

Cutie Pie

Valentine’s Cutie

Valentine cutie's color change
I then wrapped the cuties in Valentine cake pop bags, placed on stick and tied them up to hold the Valentine’s message. The only thing my daughter had to do was put them in her friend’s mailbox. She did not have to address each Valentine, which made it super easy. We made some extras for the teachers, they need to be healthy too!

How easy is that? It was definitely a win-win and parents loved the healthy treat and message that went along with our healthy Valentine’s Day. And they are heart healthy!

Do you have any healthy Valentine’s Day treat ideas? I’d love to hear them.

Filed Under: Food, Healthy Eating, Healthy Snacks, Recipes Tagged With: , , ,

Libido Boosting Smoothie

February 3, 2013 By 10 Comments

As I just finished writing a guest post for Modern Alternative Pregnancy about, Seven Sexy Foods That Boost Your Libido Naturally. I had a smoothie come to mind, of course! I love smoothies. I love making smoothies that are functional too. While I have received some emails from moms for my Homemade Miralax Smoothie, this one is bound to be more “pleasureful.” :) Drink this Libido Boosting Smoothie for a few days and take notice how things heat up in the bedroom!

Libido Boosting Smoothie:

Sexy Smoothie1 Organic Celery Stalk
1/2 Avocado
12 Organic Frozen Strawberries
1/2 cup of raw almonds soaked over night
1/2 cup of fresh spinach leaves
1 tsp of Raw Maca Powder
2 tsp of Raw Cocoa Powder
2 tablespoon Grade B Maple Syrup (Remember, B is for “Better”)

Whip it up in your blender and enjoy. This makes 2 servings. This is not a very sweet smoothie, so if you need to add a little more syrup, go ahead and add some to your liking.

Are you wondering why this combination?

Celery: Eating raw celery increases sexual stimulation in men

Avocado: This “fertility fruit” is known to help increase libido in both men and women

Strawberries: Foods rich in Vitamin C can actually enhance arousal and sensitivity and Vitamin C is also needed to help increase sperm production.

Almonds: High in Vitamin E, Essential Fatty Acids and the amino acid L-Arginine, which helps improves blood circulation and enhances erectile response in both men and women. Soaking raw almonds not only releases residue and tannins from the skins, but has greater absorption of the nutrients by the body and increased digestibility

Maca Powder: One of my favorite ways to boost my energy naturally in the morning, this Peruvian root vegetable used as a folk remedy to increase stamina, fertility, energy, and sexual function. It also helps balance hormones

Chocolate! Truly nature’s aphrodisiac, it releases those good hormones we feel after the a little romp in the bedroom.

I hope you enjoy this, whenever you need a little fuel for the fire.

Filed Under: Food, Gluten Free, Healthy Eating, Healthy Smoothies, Recipes, Smoothie, Vegan Tagged With: , ,

Announcing the launch of my Snack Smart Solutions App

January 28, 2013 By 5 Comments

Snack Smart Long Logo

For the majority of 2012, I spent more than half of the year creating my app, Snack Smart Solutions. I originally met with the developer to create an ebook in helping parents understanding and recognizing early food sensitivities. She said, “Jasmine you need to do an app!” I left our meeting perplexed and drained about the idea of doing an app. However later that evening, next to my nightstand was a talk I had just given to new moms about healthy and quick snack tips to help moms with their energy levels. The idea was right next to my bed. Even though I had about 15 snacks that were paired to help boost energy and sustain blood sugars, I wondered how many moms were really going to keep that handout around. No body likes clutter, even I hate having papers around our small condo.

Throughout the years, after doing numerous corporate wellness seminars, I learned people want to be told exactly what to eat and when to eat it. Working folks don’t have time to think during their day often grabbing something from a vending machine. But what about moms on the go? People who are trying to lose weight? Or those who are just bored with their snacks. The more I thought about it, the more excited I got about the idea.

During my research I learned quite a few snack facts:

Americans are consuming 570 calories extra in snacks than we did 10 years ago

Americans first choice of snacks are chips and soda

We eat the same 40 foods each week, including what goes into our snacks, boring!

While fruit is making its way on top of the list and is a good choice, it is not the best choice as eating fruit leaves us still hungry because we did not pair it with some protein and good fats.

We also snack 2-3 times per day

Then I thought, how cool would it be to pull up an app and find a healthy snack idea that is proportioned, is Snack Smart Solutions short logothe right amount of fiber, protein, and good fats that help sustain blood sugars to avoid over-eating and crashes at the wrong time of day. Also to have snacks that have been paired at certain times of the day to help create energy in the body naturally or to help it slow down, especially for the evening snackers.

All 40 snacks on the app do just that. Are the snacks all fruits, nuts, veggies and seeds? No, you will see a couple of your favorites like Beanitos and surprisingly, Unreal Candy, but a couple of my local favorites like Simple Square Bars and Square One Organics Baby Food. Majority of the snacks are gluten free and there are Paleo, Vegetarian, dairy-free, nut and peanut free options, though they do not have their own category.

The Future of the App:

The app has the potential to grow and be more intricate. The plan is to work with healthy food companies that are free of GMO’s, food dyes, artificial sugars and preservatives. The ability to click on the product and go directly to their website will be a great feature.

20 more snacks will be uploaded between March-June and the goal is to have 100 snacks by the end of the year
More categories will be added to the app such as: Toddler Snack Solutions, After School Snacks, Pre Workout and Post Workout Snacks, “Barred” Snacks and others.

So come on over to the Snack Smart Solutions Facebook Page and like it to learn more Snack Smart tips. If you are on Twitter, the hashtag is #SnackSmart and you can follow me @HealthyJasmine

And if you don’t believe me, check out Mamavation Mom, Aries Mom’s Review on the app.

The app is available at iTunes App Store on Google Play and on Amazon Apps for $1.99

Tell me, what category or healthy food company would you like to see on the app?

Filed Under: Food, Gluten Free, Healthy Eating, Healthy Snacks, Recipes Tagged With: , , ,

Homemade Pedialyte Recipe

January 22, 2013 By 15 Comments

I’ll never forget when my daughter was sick at 18 months old. She hadn’t had a wet diaper in 24-hours, sick with the stomach flu and not keeping anything down, we went to the ER. It was an awful experience, long lines and we made the decision to go home and wait it out through the night so we all could rest comfortably at home. I recall reading somewhere about coconut water’s natural electrolytes and since I am against having anything artificial, I opted to give my daughter some coconut water to drink that evening. I refused to buy Pedialyte, even though my husband was willing to go buy it. The coconut water was the first thing she took well and wanted to drink. Still not keeping much in, we decided to go back to the ER first thing in the morning. No long lines, we got right into see a doctor. They asked their questions, then they asked what was she drinking:

Me: “Coconut Water”
Nurse: Head turns, “What?
Me: “This, coconut water”
Nurse: “Did you try Pedialyte?”
Me: “No, this has electrolytes in it.”
Nurse: “Ok, we’ll bring some out.”
Me: Shrugging shoulders, “Ok…”

I am sure she went back to her co-workers, “Yeah, we have one of those granola moms out there.”

They brought it out and gave it to her, she drank it. Then hurled it right back up. :) I was not happy, afterall, my daughter had not even had juice at that point in her life, let alone red, blue dyes, sucralose and other crappy preservatives that is in there. She grabbed the coconut water and I made her sip it slowly.

Since then, I created my own homemade version. What I like about this:
1. It is cheaper
2. It doesn’t go bad in 24 hours
3. Free of dyes, artificial sugars, and other preservatives
4. Tastes better

I have passed this recipe on to other mothers and while some kids take it and others don’t, the one thing I do know about moms, is that they feel good about this recipe and they can keep the contents on hand in their pantry when needed. I do! If all else fails, you can give them just straight Smart Water.

Homemade Pedialyte:
1/2 cup of Smart Water
1/2 cup of unflavored coconut water
1/4 cup of organic, unfiltered apple juice
2 drops of Vitamin D3 drops (400 iu per drop)

Mix and drink up! Also makes for a great post recovery drink after a long workout.

Check out my recent post on What To Do When the Stomach Flu Strikes

Do you have any special drinks or remedies that you use when you are sick and dehydrated?

Filed Under: Food, Healthy Eating, Healthy Smoothies, Recipes Tagged With: , , ,
«Older Posts