The Best Ginger Miso Dressing

This is hands down one of the best ginger miso dressings ever! My sister found this recipe on The Delicious Life blog and now I cannot stop eating it. This dressing is part of my daily diet now. I eat it with just about everything - salads, chopped veggies, chicken and rice…it could even end up on my ice cream, who knows. It’s really easy to make and takes not time at all.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

• 1 -2 tbsp fresh ginger, grated (add more if you like a stronger ginger kick)

• 1 garlic clove, chopped

• 2 tbsp white miso paste

• 1 tbsp tamari (soy sauce will work too if that’s all you have)

• 3 tbsp rice wine vinegar

• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil

• 1/2 tbsp avocado oil or neutral flavored oil (olive oil has a strong flavor and could change the flavor)

• 2 tbsp water, might need a little more if too thick

HOW TO MAKE:

• Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor. If too thick, add more water, 1 tbsp at a time.

• Transfer to a jar or airtight container. Keep refrigerated. Should last about 5 days.

Time: 15 mins
Yields: 1 Cup

Life-Changing Bread

Making bread was soo quarentine 2020, but last night I made this Life-Changing Bread from Food52 and it’s the best thing I've had all year! (mind you it is only January 3rd…but still!). It hits all the healthy buzz words (GF, Vegan, etc.) plus it’s super easy to make, has a ton of nuts and seeds, which contain all the good fats and Omega-3s we need for our brain health, and it’s just really tasty and good!

What You Need:

• 1 cup sunflower seed kernels (not in the shell)

• 1/2 cup whole flax seeds

• 1/2 cup slightly chopped hazelnuts or almonds

• 1 1/2 cups old fashioned rolled oats

• 2 tbsp chia seeds

• 3 tbsp psyllium husk powder

• 1 tsp fine grain sea salt (add 1/2 teaspoon if using coarse salt)

• 1 tbsp maple syrup (for sugar-free diets, use a pinch of stevia)

• 3 tbsp melted coconut oil or ghee

• 1 1/2 cups water

How To Make:

1. Use a flexible, silicon loaf pan or a standard loaf pan lined with parchment

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients, stir well.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the maple syrup, oil, and water together. Add this to the dry ingredients and mix very well until everything is completely soaked and dough becomes very thick (if the dough is too thick to stir, add one or two teaspoons of water until the dough is manageable).

4. Transfer mixture to bread pan. Smooth out the top with the back of a spoon. Let sit out on the counter for at least 2 hours, or all day or overnight. To ensure the dough is ready, it should retain its shape even when you pull the sides of the loaf pan away from it or lift the parchment.

5. Once ready to cook, reheat oven to 350° F / 175° C.

6. Place loaf pan in the oven on the middle rack, and bake for 20 minutes. Remove bread from loaf pan, place it upside down directly on the rack and bake for another 30 to 40 minutes. Bread is done when it sounds hollow when tapped. Let cool completely before slicing.

7. Store bread in a tightly sealed container for up to five days. Freezes well too – slice before freezing for quick and easy toast!

Chia Seed Jam Thumb Print Cookies

I am a HUGE fan of any jelly type cookie - fruit bars, berry tarts, jam cookies…I am like a month to a flame whenever I see them. Since I have never made them myself, I decided to make these thumb print cookies over the weekend. They're super easy and take no time at all. Plus, this recipe is gluten free, refined sugar free and great to make with the kiddos.

What you need (makes about 10 - 12 cookies)

• 2 cups almond flour

• 1/4 tsp sea salt

• 1/4 tsp baking soda

• 4-6 tbsp maple syrup (raw honey works too)

• 1 1/2 tbsp non-dairy milk

• 1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

What you need for Chia Jam

• 1 cup berries (fresh or frozen)

• 1 tbsp chia seeds

• 1 tbsp maple syrup (raw honey works too)

Steps to make cookies

1. Pre-heat oven to 350

2. Mix all wet ingredients together in one bowl. Mix the dry in another bowl. Then mix all ingredients together.

3. Chill dough for at least 10 minutes. While dough is chilling, make the jam filling by heating all ingredients in a pan or microwave. Stir occasionally until ready to place in cookies.

4. Roll cookie dough into 10-12 balls and place on a baking sheet, gently press thumb in middle and bake for 10-12 minutes (until just golden brown).

5. Let cookies cool and then top with the chia jam.

No Joke, The Best GF Banana Bread

Jumping on the COVID-19 baking craze, I stumbled upon this delicious GF banana bread by The Kitchn that is seriously delicious. I’ve cooked a lot of GF things that turn out to be better door stops than actual food, but this recipe is easy, stress free and super moist (terrible word I know, but it’s true).

I pretty much followed the recipe to a tee with only a few modifications, which is very unlike me and why baking has never been a strength of mine. I prefer the game of “what can I make with what’s in my fridge” as opposed to actually planning a meal.

If you can still find bananas out there, I encourage you to try this recipe.

Ingredients:

• Cooking spray or vegetable oil, for coating the pan

• 3 medium, very ripe bananas

• 2 large eggs

• 1/2 cup honey or maple syrup (I used maple syrup and used just under 1/2 - modification #1)

• 1/4 cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt

• 1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil (I used 1/4 cup melted coconut oil - modification #2)

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1 1/2 cups gluten-free oat flour (I made my own by adding old fashioned Quaker Oats to Cuisinart and ground up until looked like flour - about 3 mins in total)

• 1 cup almond flour

• 1/2 - 1 cup chocolate chips (optional - modification #3)

• Cinnamon (optional, but I added about a teaspoon - modification #4)

Method

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Make sure oven rack is in the middle. Line an 8x5-inch loaf pan with a parchment paper OR coat the pan with cooking spray, butter or oil.

2. In a large bowl, mash up the bananas with a fork until not many large clumps are left. Add in the eggs, maple syrup, yogurt, coconut oil, and vanilla. Use the fork to whisk and combine. Add in the baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon (if adding).

3. Fold in the oat flour and almond flour with a rubber spatula until just combined. If adding chocolate chips, combine to batter and mix in to finish.

4. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and spread into an even layer.

5. Bake for about 50-55minutes, until the top is browned and the edges pull away from the sides of the pan. Insert a toothpick into the middle of the loaf - if it comes out clean, it’s done.

6. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Remove the bread from the pan to a wire rack and cool completely before slicing.