Posted by alisa on August 7, 2012 | Comments Off
Big news coming soon! But first …
I’ve got a new recipe being featured on Attune Foods today … Healthy “Cheesecake” Grahamwiches! The cheesecake-inspired filling is vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free, peanut-free, soy-free, and SO easy to make! Check out the recipe by clicking on the image below (yes, I did sandwich some chocolate in there, because why not?) …
Filed Under: Alisa's Recipes
Posted by alisa on March 6, 2012 | 4 Comments
Today, you’re going to love me and you’re going to hate me.
I’m sharing my recipe for what we call “Chocolate Crack Bars.”
See, look what they do to the gnome! Everyone gets excited when I pop these out of the freezer, which is far too often since they literally take minutes to make.
The recipe is being featured on Attune Foods today, so “crack bars” seemed slightly inappropriate for the title. You will find them labeled as Addictive Double Chocolate Granola Bars.
Go, check out the recipe here!
Filed Under: Alisa's Recipes
Posted by alisa on February 8, 2012 | No Comments
Just in case you missed these recipes yesterday …
Vegan White Chocolate Crispy Bars
Two-Tone Chocolate Crispy Bars
Filed Under: Alisa's Recipes
Posted by alisa on February 6, 2012 | 25 Comments
Today we are honoring our good friend Amy of Simply Sugar & Gluten Free with a Virtual Baby Shower …
For my contribution to the shower, I went out on a limb, choosing something savory that doesn’t involve any butter, cream, or cheese (hang with Amy, you are still going to love it, I promise!). Nonetheless, these little frittatas are rich and packed with flavor.
Unfortunately, I didn’t have any baby shower inspired props for decorating. But, I did my best to honor Baby Boy Green with some little blue plates that I actually won at a baby shower! That’s themed enough, right?
Summary: Unlike so many egg-based recipes, these little bites are dairy-free AND soy-free! If desired, you can make them larger in regular-sized muffin tins and serve them for brunch.
The amount of salt you will need will depend on the saltiness of your smoked salmon. I used a fairly salty one with 1/2 teaspoon salt. They were devoured, but I definitely could have used a little less salt.
Preparation time: 10 minute(s)
Cooking time: 10 minute(s)
Diet type: Pescatarian, Dairy free, Gluten free, Peanut free, Soy free, Wheat free, Sugar free
Number of servings (yield): 12
Copyright © Alisa Fleming.
And don’t forget to check out the other delicious recipes (all gluten-free and refined sugar-free!) for this Surprise Baby Shower by …
Hallie with Chocolate & Vanilla Pudding Parfaits
Maggie with Vegan Gingersnaps
Alta with Grapefruit, Avocado & Jicama Salad
Lexie with Dairy-Free Crepe Quiches
Kelly with Grain-Free Lime Pound Cake
Carol with Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes
Cara with Mushroom Pesto Pinwheels
Ricki with Vegan “Wine and Cheese” Charlotte
Kim with Maple-Glazed Apple Cinnamon Squares
Silvana at www.SilvanasKitchen.com
Jen with Tomato Panzanella Salad
Cybele with Allergy-Free Focaccia
Helen with Cranberry Chicken Salad Surprise
Filed Under: Alisa's Recipes
Posted by alisa on November 29, 2011 | 8 Comments
I decided to join in for one last hoorah on Taste & Create and was paired up with Kat of the blog Study Food. She’s a relatively new food blogger, which made narrowing down options easier! I ended up going with her Chilli Con Sausage recipe, which was inspired by a Nigella recipe.
I picked this recipe because I’ve always wondered about cocoa in chili. It is a “spice” that I’ve never used before and thought it might be great for making a more full-bodied flavor.
I used a hot sausage, so I skipped the jalapeno and used juste chili powder for a little more heat. We like our chili lightly spicy. A very bad inedible chili experience keeps me timid with the spices these days. I also used all tomato puree plus a little honey instead of tomato puree and ketchup.
For some reason (the weather perhaps?) I’ve been craving richer foods, and though the cocoa powder added to the flavor, I wanted a little more … so I added a chunk of dark chocolate too. Melted that in, and it worked great!
We served it with tortilla chips (no rice) and diced avocado. I forgoed the spoon, since it was nice and thick, and used the tortilla chips for scooping instead …
Filed Under: Alisa's Recipes
Posted by alisa on October 6, 2011 | Comments Off
Quick note: If you haven’t seen the Cooking Challenges Recipe Contest yet, go check it out! Three people will win $200 in groceries and more!
I received some sad news at Attune Foods last month. Their chocolate probiotic granola is being discontinued. Since it has a loyal following, they requested that I come up with a chocolate granola recipe to help ease the blow. You can imagine how that elaborate conversation went … something like:
Attune: “Next month, could you make a chocolate granola re …”
Me: “Hells yeah!”
Okay, I didn’t really respond like that, but that’s what was going through my head. And I really have no idea what else was mentioned beyond that first half sentence. The words chocolate and granola were uttered, and I was in the kitchen within about, um, 30 seconds.
The resultant recipe has already been tested by me, my husband, our neighbor, our neighbor’s entire office, and an Attune chocolate granola customer. The verdict? Awesome. And that is me being modest about it.
I kept the recipe simple, vegan, and nut-free, so that it is school-friendly, allergy-friendly, and you can customize to add in any nuts or seeds if desired. I also like that it has a crispier crunch than your average granola.
You want the recipe you say? Here it is: Chocolate Dairy-Free Granola
If you like it, have any questions, or suggestions, please leave a comment on that post. I will be checking them!
Filed Under: Alisa's Recipes
Posted by alisa on October 3, 2011 | 30 Comments
Quick Note: this giveaway is open until Oct 5th now since I messed up the date. Enter to win Cooking with Crispbread gift pack!
When it comes to online presence, I’m certainly not hard to find, but I rarely offer many personal tidbits. A little mystery is good, right? But since today is my birthday, I thought I would share just a little more about myself … and a recipe, of course ..
Summary: Yes, I gave in. I received some Mesquite Flour at a recent conference, and well, how could I not try this legendary recipe for Mesquite Chocolate Chip Cookies? It is adapted from David Lebowitz, who adapted it from Heidi Swanson, author of Super Natural Cooking and famed blogger at 101 Cookbooks. I made quite a few modifications so that it would be dairy-free and egg-free (a vegan version!), and just a touch sweeter. Everyone loved these!
Mesquite flour has the taste and texture of what I would describe as a malted cocoa powder. It’s mellower, yet deep and rich. I definitely recommend giving it a trial for something new and flavorful. David Lebowitz states that buckwheat flour might be an optional subtitute if you don’t have any mesquite flour on hand. I think you could also sub cocoa powder, carob powder, or a combination of the two, but the resultant flavor would definitely be different from the original.
Preparation time: 20 minute(s)
Cooking time: 10 minute(s)
Diet tags: Vegan, Dairy free, Egg free, Nut free, Peanut free, and optionally Soy free
Number of servings (yield): 24 cookies
Copyright © Alisa Fleming.
Sigh. The last cookie. That’s what I get for making the batch the day before my birthday. At least I have this one …
I think this recipe definitely does justice to Heidi’s original recipe and David’s adaption, even without the eggs and butter! But you be the judge.
Filed Under: Alisa's Recipes
Posted by alisa on September 26, 2011 | Comments Off
Just in case you didn’t see it on Go Dairy Free, I have a guest post today over at Attune Foods, and I’d love for you to check it out and offer feedback (on that post please! I’ve closed the comments here). Yes, there is a yummy, 6-ingredient recipe for granola bars over there that was created in my little kitchen … but … I’d also love for you to read the article / intro I wrote also.
You see, this month the theme for Attune is “clean eating,” and I thought it would be neat to compare the ingredients of a store bought product to a comparable (but obviously better!) homemade version. However, as I was writing out the ingredients for the store-bought granola bars (leading brand), I started to get a little concerned. In paragraph form it didn’t look like THAT many ingredients. Would they really differ that much? Would my ingredient list be shorter and would it really look healthier to help people understand the value of homemade?
Holy cow! Was I worrying myself over nothing. It actually shocked me a little when I looked at the two ingredient lists side by side. Go check it out for yourself, and enjoy the recipe while you’re at it: Chewy Chocolate Chip Granola Bars Recipe.
Filed Under: Alisa's Recipes
Posted by alisa on September 20, 2011 | 15 Comments
One of the joys of blogging is making friends with amazing people, and even meeting a few (in person!) whose work you’ve admired over the internet for what seems like ages. For me, one of those people was Amy Green. I got to chat with this sweet lady nearly a year ago (my how time flies!) and meet her face to face at the GFAF Expo earlier this year. Now that I know her personally, it is that much more fun to use her cookbook, Simply Sugar & Gluten Free. Knowing her voice makes me feel like she is right there in my kitchen as I read the recipes.
Some cookbooks I tag like mad with excitement, then set them down, never to return again. But Amy’s was easy to dive into. The recipes are every day gems, with a definite slant toward baking. Granted, some of the recipes use dairy, but this isn’t a milk-heavy cookbook, and most seemed easy enough to convert for me. Even so, I started with ones that were dairy-free as is, and wasn’t a bit disappointed …
First up was the Slow Cooker Chicken and Wild Rice. The chicken came out so perfectly tender, but the surprise was really the rice. I used a wild rice blend from Lundberg, and it turned out like a really rich risotto! I enjoyed the brown and wild “risotto” for a light lunch the next day with broccoli. Doing just this rice and vegetable portion alone, would be an easy vegetarian crockpot meal if desired. The only change I made was to add a little garlic, and I doubled the mushrooms.
Next up was the Cocoa-Roasted Nuts. This is such a lovely and creative recipe! I love how Amy doesn’t rely just on stevia to sweeten, but rather uses it in combination with other unrefined sweeteners for a pleasant flavor that isn’t overpowering (as stevia alone can be). Amy uses almonds and egg whites in this recipe, which I didn’t have on hand, so I made quite a few modifications. The version I ended up with was a little more than “cocoa” and almost bordering on dark chocolate. However, I was true to her flavors, which made for a snack that was just lightly sweet and salty, but rich with cocoa flavor. Below is my version, adapted from Amy’s original. But, for a lower fat and more “polished” version, try the Cocoa-Roasted Nuts in Simply Sugar & Gluten Free.
To note, other scrumptious recipes that I have marked to trial (soon!) from this cookbook include the Banana Oat Bars, Buckwheat Blinis, Slow Cooker Ketchup, Ruthie’s Apple Crisp, and the Grilled Balsamic Dijon Chicken.
Summary: Recipe adapted from Simply Sugar & Gluten Free: 180 Easy and Delicious Recipes You Can Make in 20 Minutes or Less by Amy Green. Keep in mind, this is just a lightly sweet, lightly salty recipe – good for some cocoa antioxidants in snack form. For more of a dessert, I’d coat them in melted chocolate once cool (mmm, nuts with a crisp cocoa coating enveloped in chocolate!), but that’s just me.
Preparation time: 10 minute(s)
Cooking time: 50 minute(s)
Diet type: Vegan, Dairy-Free, Egg-Free, Gluten-Free, Peanut-Free, Wheat-Free, Refined Sugar-Free
Number of servings (yield): 6
Blog Events:
Filed Under: Alisa's Recipes, Cookbook Trials
Posted by alisa on September 12, 2011 | 12 Comments
Over the weekend I tested three recipe batches of chocolate granola for Attune (yes, yes, the recipe is coming – in October! I’ll keep you posted) and chocolate muffins for my next cookbook. This week I have several cookies on deck for testing along with round 2 on those muffins (very good, but not perfect) and two loaves of bread. Though I definitely don’t eat all of these goodies myself (no, I share the calories with my husband and neighbor), a lot of baking means a lot of tea consumption for me.
To say that I love herbal tea would be a dramatic understatement. I have at least five different types of herbal tea on hand at all times, so this weekend when I was down to just two, it was time to go shopping. Thanks to grocery sales coupled with some Yogi Tea and Tazo Tea coupons from Mambo Sprouts, I repacked my tea box with all of these …
Yogi Ginger Tea used to be a staple in my tea box, but I actually haven’t had it in months. I’m looking forwad to enjoying this spicy one again.
Yogi Vanilla Tahitian Tea is a new one to me. I like it. Mellow, notably vanilla, and lightly sweetened with stevia. Not my favorite, but not bad.
This Rooibos is a nice one, simple but bold.
Stash Mellow Moments I’m still indifferent on. I like having a nighttime tea around, and this one isn’t bad, but I think I still like Celestial Seasonings Honey Vanilla Chamomile better.
Tazo Refresh is our favorite mint tea, and probably one of the only herbal teas that my caffeine-loving husband will drink. A nice natural pick-me-up sans caffeine.
I still need to hop on the making my own tea blend bandwagon, and also buy some teas in bulk since I do have a diffuser now.
Do you drink herbal teas? What are your favorites?
I’m off to work off some of that chocolate right NOW! After seeing that this is being released …
… I knew it was time to get my rear in gear. Today is the first day of P90X round 3 for me. The first round I did was almost three years ago (yikes!). It was amazing. I did a second round about 18 months ago that was a bit half-assed (okay, cutting myself some slack, it was more like three quarters-assed). But I’m ready to do this full force, and this time I’m trialing the Lean routine. Once I’ve conquered this again (expected end date Dec. 3), I’ll have earned the right to beg my husband for P90X-2 for Christmas.
How do you stay active in the cooler months?
(Two new recipes this week, stay tuned!)
Filed Under: Health and Fitness, Tips, Ideas, and Deals
