Dessert

Breakfast Dairy-free Dessert Featured Gluten-free Seasonal Vegetarian

Pumpkin Bread

September 25, 2019

Officially Fall season and nothing says Fall like baking fresh pumpkin bread. The aromas that fill your kitchen when making this bread will get you quickly into the Fall season. Y’all know by now I love Fall and although it may be a little too warm in South Texas (93 degrees today) I am baking up all the pumpkin bread to trick my mind into thinking its cooler out, that logic works right!?

This pumpkin bread is SO delicious! Heavy on the pumpkin flavor, perfectly sweetened, a little crunch from the pumpkin seeds, super moist and spiced with all the Fall spices…cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg, YUM!

This recipe is entirely gluten-free. I used Trader Joes all-purpose gluten-free flour. No dairy either but honestly you wouldn’t know it as this bread is incredibly moist thanks to the pumpkin puree and coconut oil. It’s literally the best pumpkin bread I’ve made and not just for gluten-free for ANY pumpkin bread.

Drizzled with Maple Butter from Trader Joes

This pumpkin bread is SO good slightly warm out of the oven, drizzled with some maple butter (a new product I found at Trader Joes.) If you’re like me, you’ll eat this bread in a day but if you have some self control the leftovers are fantastic for breakfast. This bread also pairs perfectly with my Pumpkin Spice Latte, so you really should make both together to really embrace the cozy Fall season. You’re going to love it!

Plus this pumpkin bread would make a beautiful hostess gift and is a must for your holiday gatherings!

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do and if you make it please tag #platefulnutrition so I can see your baking skills!

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Breakfast Dessert Featured Food

STRAWBERRY ROSE GRANOLA POPS

August 25, 2019

Seriously, these pops are ridiculously good. Creamy, refreshing, and juicy strawberry flavor. Oh, did I mention this is totally a legit breakfast too!

Made from wholesome ingredients like oats, fresh strawberries, honey and Culina yogurt as the dairy-free star! This nutritious popsicle provides probiotics, protein, whole grains and fruit making it a perfect on-the-go breakfast situation you didn’t know you needed in your life.

Whips up SO fast and stays nice and chilly in the fridge for when you need a quick breakfast, snack, post-workout, healthier dessert or whenever, just because it’s that’s GOOD.

What makes these pops truly AMAZING is the Culina yogurt providing a creamy thick and delicious texture. Plus Culina is a dairy-free yogurt but not just any dairy-free yogurt, this stuff is clean like no gums, fillers or junk that a lot of other dairy-free yogurts contain. Hands down the best dairy-free yogurt on the PLANET and dare I say best yogurt PERIOD. You lactose loving folk will find that this yogurt lacks nothing in taste, texture and quality that you might just forgo your usual cow’s milk based yogurts 🙂

Culina yogurt is based out of Austin, TX. Small run business turning it up in the yogurt community. They have four excellent flavors; Strawberry Rose, Blueberry Lavender, Bourbon Vanilla and Plain & Simple. With pretty low sugar content, only 1-9 grams of sugar (depending on the flavor). PLUS a dose of gut-healthy probiotics and good-for-you ingredients made straight from coconut cream and only sweetened with maple syrup and real fruit!

If you’ve seen my photos of Culina yogurt by now you’re probably asking yourself “is this yogurt in a terra cotta pot?” And the answer is YES and how genius, right?!! Not only are they cute but they are better for the environment too. In an effort to reduce waste of plastic yogurt containers Culina put their yogurt in these adorable little 5 oz terra cotta pots so you can reuse them in anyway imaginable! Snack bowl, new succulent pot, beverage cup, paper clip holder on your desk, etc…

I hope you enjoy these pops as much as I do! Please tag @platefulnutrition in your photos!

Be sure to check out Culina yogurt or @culinayogurt on IG. Get Culina yogurt delivered to your door, click link Culina Yogurt

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Dessert Featured Food

SIMPLE PEACH CRUMBLE

July 13, 2019

Crumbles, crisps, cobblers, I’ll take it any way you make it! One of my absolute favorite desserts in the summer because you can use all the delicious fresh seasonal fruit. July in Texas is in full peach season! We get the best juiciest peaches from Fredericksburg, TX. Its like a cult around here when the peaches are ready, people travel from all over Texas to get their hands on these peaches and they are worth it!

We headed to Vogel Orchard this year to buy our peaches. It’s right off highway 290 in the beautiful Hill Country of Fredericksburg. It is also right along the path of wine country so we may have gotten distracted by a winery or two on our way 🙂

Inside the green peach stand was a variety of seasonal peaches. The workers were so helpful inside by explaining the different varieties and provided a sample of each one. Honestly, they all tasted great, it was so hard to pick which one to buy but we ended up with the loring peaches. The loring peach is a firm but super sweet peach which will make for the best crumble.

Vogel isn’t just peaches, they also had giant watermelons for sale and during certain seasons you can also get local berries, farm fresh vegetables and pumpkins in the Fall. Inside they had a little market which sold all types of jams, preserves and sauces many of which were peach flavored. And if you’re really in the peach mood you can get their homemade peach cobbler with a scoop of ice cream!

So if you plan on making this crumble recipe, which I know you will, I HIGHLY recommend you use local farm fresh peaches! It seriously made the best crumble. The peaches were sweeter and provided a more peachy flavor than the ones I’ve gotten at the grocery store.

SIMPLE PEACH CRUMBLE RECIPE:

This peach crumble recipe is truly the easiest. Using basic pantry items you can throw this dessert together for any last minute summer soiree. Keeping it healthier, I used oats and nuts for the topping mixed in with a little brown sugar.

TO GET STARTED you first want to slice your peaches and arrange them in your cast iron skillet or any type of oven-proof dish will do. You don’t need to add anything to the peaches. If you are using ripe peaches they are already sweet and will cook down nicely.

NEXT in your food processor, pulse the oats, flour, cinnamon, pecans, brown sugar, and salt until crumbly. Next add coconut oil and pulse a few more times until the mixture comes together into a soft crumble.

SPRINKLE topping over your peaches.

DONE! Well almost, now you just have to wait about 15 minutes for it to cook. At the end of cooking I usually set it to broiler for a minute or two just to get the topping a little crispier, but that’s really optional.

We often enjoy our crumble with a scoop of ice cream on top. My favorite ice cream is Dolcezza gelato. However, this crumble is delicious on its own or even simply with a dollop of whip cream.

TIP: If you have extras, I love adding in a spoonful or two into my oatmeal in the morning! So good!

Don’t forget!! When you make it, I want to see it! Use #platefulnutrition on IG!

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Dessert Drink Food

5 Favorites

June 2, 2019

Welcome to my first edition of “5 Favorites” where I’ll share my new finds and favorite foods or wellness products. I hope you enjoy a little sneak inside what inspires me and the foods I enjoy.

ENJOY LIFE PROTEIN BITES

Why I like these is there are no funny ingredients. No weird oils or sugar substitutes. Real chocolate and real sugar is used. 100% plant based protein (coming from sunflower seeds & rice protein) these little balls pack about 8 grams of protein per package (4 bites per package).

Although you could use this as a snack I find these are a great dessert alternative too. They are sweet and chocolatey so definitely could satisfy that sweet tooth.

Enjoy Life prides themselves on creating products that are allergy friendly. Although I don’t have any food allergies I still like to eat these because they are delicious plus I like finding clean and wholesome alternatives for my clients that may be in need of soy-free or wheat-free products. And nowadays most kids have to pack peanut-free lunches. Fortunately, Enjoy Life is free of all these allergens plus free of dairy, egg, tree nuts and more. If you are not familiar with Enjoy Life check out their website here. They make chips, cookies, baking chocolate, etc.

I found these little treats at Trader Joes for $1.29 or you can buy the larger packaged size on Amazon, click here.

CULINA YOGURT

The BEST dairy-free plant-based yogurt out there! Creamy, smooth, thick and honestly if I didn’t already know it was diary-free I would think it was regular Greek yogurt. I find its not as tart as Greek yogurt and has a subtle sweetness that balances out the mild coconut flavor. This yogurt is so addicting and cute, it comes in a little reusable terra cotta pot! Just adorable!

This stuff not only tastes delicious but is GOOD for you too. How often does that happen?! It is made with simple and limited ingredients like coconut cream (just coconut + water), real fruit like blueberries or strawberries, sweetened with maple syrup and good-for-you probiotic cultures (more on probiotics here).

Culina is based in Austin, TX. and is a newish company but growing fast. They are currently available at some retailers like Whole Foods or Sprouts. You can go to their website to find a location near you here. And if there isn’t one, shoot them an e-mail so they can work with grocers in your area to get the product on the shelves!

Although I love the terra cotta pot idea, sustainable zero waste grass to clay packaging. After 5-6 pots I run out of ideas on what to do with them. At this price point, its more of a splurge than something I would buy regularly. Maybe over time another less expensive bio-degradable material will be used to bring down the price point to be more comparable with other non-dairy yogurts.

GOURMET TEXAS PASTA

I came across this company at my local farmer’s market in San Antonio and I am so glad I did! They make wholesome plant-based pasta. All their pastas contain zero eggs or dairy unlike regular pastas. They use non-GMO vegetables, herbs and spices to create a flavorful pasta. I tried a sample that was simply prepared; boiled, seasoned with a little EVOO and salt. WOW it was delicious and so flavorful! The texture wasn’t weird either, it was just like pasta!

They currently sell only fusilli, fettuccini and linguini but you can get these in a wide array of flavors, in fact they have 38 varieties and 8 gluten-free pastas. Some of the flavors that sound delicious are the Spicy Red Curry & Coconut Linguini, Hatch Chili Pasta, & Szechuan Orange Spice Linguini to name a few.

The pasta is available for nationwide shipping online at Gourmet Texas Pasta. OR if you live in the San Antonio area head to the Pearl Farmers Market on Saturdays to taste test and buy your favorite pasta flavor.

KOSMIC KOMBUCHA

Another favorite food company based in Austin, TX. Kosmic has crafted the art of kombucha with so many interesting and delicious flavors. I recently tried the Sway Home Brew (at the restaurant Sway in Austin) made of organic kombucha, lemongrass, lime, young coconut water, local honey. It was so refreshing! Even my mom who doesn’t like kombucha said “I could drink that.”

What I like most about Kosmic is their kombucha isn’t too kombucha-y, it’s not overly fermented or vinegary tasting and not overly sweet either. Kosmic’s kombucha is brewed with teas and herbs & with a touch of sweetness from honey it really is the perfect refreshing drink. With so many unique flavors I can’t wait to try others like Local Lemon Love – organic kombucha, hibiscus flower, lemon and local honey or Groovy Green – organic kombucha, kiwi, pineapple, coconut, wheatgrass & agave.

What is Kombucha: in brief, it is a fermented tea. A “scoby” or bacteria culture is grown during the fermentation process providing a probiotic & antioxidant rich beverage with many health benefits. Kosmic Kombucha also explains it here in more details.

Where to buy Kosmic Kombucha, check out their location finder. It seems mostly Texas stores like Whole Foods, Sprouts, etc. are carrying the product.

DOLCEZZA GELATO

We’ve all had gelato, that rich creamy frozen goodness that originated in Italy. I’m no gelato expert but I’ve had the real Italian gelato from Italy and I have to say Dolcezza does a real good job and officially is one of my favorites!

Based out of Washington, D.C. this company focuses on using local farmers to source their seasonal ingredients from the fruit to the cream. I appreciated that Dolcezza keeps the ingredients minimal and uses real straight-forward ingredients to churn their slow made small batch gelato.

I picked up a pint at my local Whole Foods, Peanut Butter Stracciatella. Oh my, this was so creamy and not an overpowering peanut butter flavor. Truly a perfect balance of creamy peanut butter gelato with thin chocolate pieces throughout. Other flavors I’d like to try are Mascarpone & Berries, Roasted Strawberry and Espresso, mmm!

Their website did not provide much detail on where you can get this gelato. Looks like they are only selling through wholesalers right now or if you live in the D.C. area they have several retailers. But I’d keep an eye out at your specialty grocery you might be seeing this one on the shelves soon. And if you do see it, stock up! You’re going to love this gelato!

Head to Dolcezza Gelato to see their flavors & locations.

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Dessert

J A M D O T COOKIES

May 15, 2019

Sometimes you need a little treat during the weekday that isn’t going to make you crash from a sugar high. Meet Jam Dot. The best wholesome, slightly sweet cookie you can eat every day because it’s made with good-for-you ingredients.

Made with oats, almond meal and coconut flour so its a gluten and dairy-free cookie. Keeping it simple and slightly sweetened with coconut sugar and maple syrup.

JAM DOT Recipe:

All ingredients go into a large bowl, mix well. You might need a little more coconut oil if the dough isn’t sticking together.

Also, if you don’t have any coconut flour, no worries any gluten-free or regular flour subs in perfectly here.

Roll dough into 12 little patties. Using your thumb gently press an indent in the center. You may need to form the dip so the cookie doesn’t crumble.

Bake about 15 minutes. The center might puff up a little but just gently press back down using the back of a spoon or teaspoon. Fill each cookie with ~1 tsp jam. I used Trader Joe’s Organic Raspberry Jam.

Bake into the oven for another 4 minutes.

Let cookies cool completely, they crisp up as they cool. I found these cookies are best left out to maintain the crisp texture. If stored in an airtight container they will get soft.

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