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Healthy Green Bean Casserole Recipe

I was talking to a few ladies in my class this week about the Thanksgiving meals we remember from our childhoods and how they have evolved, if at all. We celebrated with my mother’s family some years and with my father’s family other years. Even though my mother’s family is Italian-American, their Thanksgiving dinners were pretty straightforward, even including sweet potatoes with marshmallows. My father grew up in Italy and therefore Thanksgiving was truly a foreign concept. Suffice it to say, that side of the family served ravioli as a first course. No, not pumpkin ravioli with brown butter and sage. Cheese ravioli with marinara sauce! Cracks me up to think about that now.

Then the discussion transitioned to new recipes which have made it onto our Thanksgiving menus in the last few years. That’s a tough one, no? I’ll tell you right now, I teach 5 new recipes every November and very few make it to my personal Thanksgiving table. Not because they aren’t fantastic, but because how many recipes can you really have on one menu? At some point, enough is enough and my menu has been at capacity for a few years now.

But, allow me to introduce a favorite newcomer to my Thanksgiving spread…..green bean casserole! But not just any green bean casserole. I am not talking about canned green beans, coated with cream of mushroom soup and canned fried onions. Thanksgiving deserves more respect than cans, people. Sure, we can use heavy cream and loads of butter instead, but we don’t have to.

This green bean casserole is fresher, lighter and even tastier than all of those. I use mushroom stock with a little (and I mean little) flour and butter to thicken it up. Super good flavor and super easy to make. Plus homemade crispy onions that everyone will be sneaking bites of during the day. Trust me — 100 times better than canned. Voila! The best green bean casserole ever. I have served this the last two years and I have never had a single green bean left. If you like getting stuff done ahead, here’s your plan:

Blanche the green beans the day before
wipe mushrooms clean and slice the day before
make the onions the morning of
make mushroom mixture and assemble casserole up to 2 hours ahead
bake when the turkey is resting out of the oven.

See you back here next week with some more fabulous Thanksgiving recipes and tips!

5.0 from 2 reviews

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Healthy Green Bean Casserole Recipe

Ingredients

Crispy Onion Topping:
1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced and pieces separated
¼ cup all-purpose flour or rice flour
2 Tablespoons panko breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon sea salt, plus additional for sprinkling
Unsalted butter
Unrefined, cold-pressed olive oil
Casserole:
1 pound of green beans, trimmed
2 Tablespoons kosher salt
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
6 ounces cremini mushrooms, wiped clean and sliced
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour, or flour of your choice
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 ½ cups mushroom stock (or chicken stock) + possibly a little more in case the gravy needs thinning
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
½ teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

Make the onion topping: Combine the onions, flour, panko and salt in a large mixing bowl or paper bag and toss to combine.
Warm 1 ½ Tablespoons of butter and 1 ½ Tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Drop one piece of onion in the pan to make sure it sizzles. Add as many onion pieces as can fit in the pan in one layer. You may need to do this in batches.
Turn the onions when they become golden on the bottom. Cook until crispy and golden on the other side. Transfer onions to a plate lined with a paper towel. If you have to cook a second batch, you may need to wipe out the pan and start with fresh butter and oil.
Prepare the green beans and casserole:
Blanche green beans: prepare a bowl of ice water for the green beans. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the kosher salt. Add the beans and set a timer for 3 minutes. Drain and immediately submerge in the ice water bath. Drain after 5 minutes or so, pat dry, and place green beans in a 9” square or round baking dish.
Melt the butter in a medium skillet, add mushrooms, season with salt and pepper to taste, and sauté over medium until mushrooms have lost their shape and released most of their liquid (about 5 minutes).
Stir the flour and thyme into the mixture and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
Add the mushroom stock, Worcestershire sauce, and salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook until the sauce has thickened, stirring occasionally, about 6-8 minutes. Taste for seasoning.
Pour evenly over green beans, top with the crispy onions and bake at 350 degrees until bubbling on the sides and the beans are warmed through, about 15-20 minutes. Serve immediately.

The Best Butternut Squash Soup Recipe

I had such a lovely weekend visiting my older daughter at college. I was sitting with my husband and all three of the kids talking about Thanksgiving. You all know how much I adore planning this holiday and having a full house all day long. My favorite part is when the kids help me in the kitchen, especially all three of them together with me at the same time. I just live for that.

Anyway, I do this every year around this time, when I test the waters about changing the Thanksgiving menu. “I think I might just do a huge cheese board/crudités for hors d’oeuvres this year.”

“Whoa,” says my older daughter. “You’re still going to make the zucchini tart though, right?”

“Actually, I was thinking about not making it this year.”

“You can’t do that. It’s a tradition and everyone loves it. Not possible.”

“What if I make it for lunch instead of the butternut squash soup?”

“Mom, what is Thanksgiving without butternut squash soup? That’s even more of a tradition!”

And this is why my Thanksgiving menu grows each year. But she’s right. Even I look forward to taking a cooking break at noon with a hot mug of bright orange, silky butternut squash soup and a mini cornbread muffin. Nothing says Thanksgiving (and fall) quite like it. When I was first married and the seats at our Thanksgiving table were few, I used to serve the soup as a first course. It was easy to do and I didn’t prepare so many side dishes back then either. Once our numbers edged past 16, serving a first course seemed a little difficult. It was around the same time that the kids were old enough that they needed a little something to eat around noon to tide them over until our 4:00 dinner time. That’s when the soup was moved to a noon lunch break.

If I do say so myself, I think it’s the best butternut squash soup I’ve ever had. And there’s no cream or milk or flour. It’s nice and thick from just butternut squash. There is a very long roasting time involved, but I assure you it is worth it and it’s all hands-off time. The squash develops a very rich flavor this way and a bonus is that you can avoid doing any peeling and cubing of the squash beforehand. The flesh becomes so meltingly tender, that all you need to do is scoop it out of the skin. So easy!

There are certainly tweaks you can make. The way I have written it is the way I like it best, but I have done all of the following at some point:

Finished the soup with a little coconut milk

Added a pinch of nutmeg

Added extra cayenne

Garnished it with toasted, salted pumpkin seeds or chives or fried sage leaves or grilled gruyere sandwich croutons

Even though I make this every year for Thanksgiving, I have also made it for fall and winter entertaining and Sunday dinners. The soup is perfect made a day ahead and it freezes very well. It truly is the best butternut squash soup!

5.0 from 9 reviews

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Butternut Squash Soup

Author: Pamela Salzman

Serves: serves 12

Ingredients

8 pounds of whole butternut squash, washed well
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter
2 Tablespoons pure maple syrup
3 carrots, peeled and halved
1 large onion, thinly sliced
10 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock, preferably homemade, divided
Pinch cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons sea salt (double this if your stock is unsalted)
Accompaniments: toasted pumpkin seeds, crème fraiche, chopped chives, croutons, fried sage leaves

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cut the squashes in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds and discard.
Place the squash halves cut side up in a roasting pan. Divide the butter and maple syrup evenly amongst the squash cavities. Arrange the carrot and onions slices around the squash. Pour 2 cups of stock in the pan and cover tightly with foil. Bake for 2 hours.
Remove the pan from the oven and allow the vegetables to cool slightly or enough that you can handle them. Scoop the squash pulp from the skins and transfer to a large soup pot. Add the carrots, onions and cooking liquid from the pan.
Add the remaining 8 cups of chicken stock to the pot with cayenne and salt to taste (I usually add 1 Tablespoon when I use unsalted stock.) Stir well and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer, uncovered for 10 minutes.
Puree the soup until smooth in the pot with an immersion blender or in batches in a blender. Taste for seasonings.

Notes

Soup can be made up to 2 days ahead and reheated.

butternut squash onions

Savory Oats with Kale, Mushrooms and Walnuts Recipe + other ideas for savory oats

I teach a breakfast cooking class once a year and in this past one, savory steel cut oats were on the menu. That’s right, savory oats, as opposed to the standard oatmeal with sweet toppings like bananas and brown sugar or raisins and peanut butter. There were quite a few raised eyebrows and comments like “I’m not so sure about this” or “I trust you, but this doesn’t sound good.” Needless to say, the risky recipe that month was also the surprise hit. No one could believe how much they enjoyed a savory version of oatmeal.

I’ll be the first to admit that I have a sweet tooth which needs no more encouragement than it already gets. Starting my day on a savory note often helps to keep sweet cravings at bay, at least until late afternoon. If an egg and veggie scramble or avocado and tomato toast is acceptable for breakfast, why not oatmeal with vegetables? Oats are so bland, the perfect backdrop for almost anything. In fact, I like to think of oats like pasta or risotto or polenta — infinitely versatile. One of my students thought she could easily serve her family these savory oats for Sunday dinner. Why not?

This post is more about encouraging skeptics to try this, than providing a specific recipe. Because once you are open-minded about eating oatmeal with veggies, you’ll see that you don’t really need a recipe. But, I would like to point out that I always try to incorporate high quality fat and protein in my breakfasts so I will have staying power until lunchtime. Protein can be anything from an egg to nuts and seeds to dairy, like cheese, yogurt or milk. Good fats are in eggs, nut and seeds, avocado, olive oil, ghee or organic butter. I’m a texture gal, and since oatmeal is creamy, I do like to add something with crunch, like nuts. But that’s my personal choice. I do think oats can accommodate bold flavors in the flavor department, so don’t be shy with garlic, crushed red pepper or ginger, for example.

Let me come clean. Even though I am crazy about savory oats, my kids prefer sweet. But the beauty of making a pot of oatmeal, whether it’s rolled oats or steel cut, is that you don’t have to commit to sweet or savory. I leave the pot on the stove and everyone does his or her own thing. I will do a quick sauté of veggies for myself and anyone else who wants them. If I have no takers, they know where to find the bananas and pecans.

I took images of my favorite combo, which is sautéed kale and mushrooms plus gomasio and chopped walnuts. But I have done many iterations of veggies on oatmeal and I’ve listed a few at the bottom of the recipe. If it looks like I won’t be eating lunch until late and I won’t have time to take a snack break in the morning, I will add a drizzle of olive oil. In my June class, I sautéed lots of garlic, crushed red pepper, cherry tomatoes, shredded zucchini and basil in olive oil and served it over the oats with grated Pecorino on the side. It was absolutely delicious.

What do you have in the fridge from last night? Roasted cauliflower? Reheat it and put it over oats with sautéed garlic and shallots, toasted pine nuts and raisins. In fact, you don’t have to use oats! You can use your favorite warm porridge, like this gluten-free blend I sometimes make. You know I probably shouldn’t play this game, because I’ll be here all day coming up with great possibilities for oats. I would love to hear from you though. Are savory oats a thing for you yet? Any combinations you’d like to share?

5.0 from 2 reviews

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Savory Oats with Kale, Mushrooms and Walnuts

Author: Pamela

Serves: 4

Ingredients

1 cup steel cut oats
4 cups water (use 3 ¾ cups if oats were soaked overnight and drained)
pinch of sea salt
2 Tablespoons unrefined, cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
1 big bunch kale, stripped and chopped coarsely
½ pound shiitake mushrooms, wiped clean with a damp paper towel and sliced
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
⅓ cup chopped walnuts (or another nut or seed, toasted or raw)
gomasio for sprinkling on top

Instructions

Place the oats, water and sea salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower heat and simmer oats uncovered until oats are tender, about 40 minutes. (Soaked oats only take 30 minutes.)
In a large skillet, warm olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and a pinch of crushed red pepper. Saute until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add vegetables, a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper, and sauté until tender, about 6-8 minutes.
Portion the oats into 4 bowls and top with the vegetable mixture. Add an extra drizzle of olive oil or a different oil like flax, hemp or avocado. Top with walnuts and sprinkle with gomasio.

Notes

Other options I love:
Sauteed cabbage and scallions, sesame oil, shoyu, gomasio or sesame seeds and a poached egg
Shredded zucchini or sautéed asparagus, goat cheese and toasted, salted pistachios
Burst cherry tomatoes, garlic, crushed red pepper, basil and grated Pecorino or Parmesan
Dried chilies, coconut milk, dried unsweetened coconut, toasted cashews, scallions and shoyu

kale oats shiitake mushrooms walnuts

Arugula salad with persimmons, beets and burrata

I have a bad habit in my classes of demonstrating a recipe and then going on and on about all the ways to tweak it. It’s one of my favorite dorky cooking things to do. I’ll say, ” … and then you can sub avocados for the cheese for a different twist. And if you use avocado, toasted pumpkin seeds would be a nice addition. And if you happen to have leftover roasted red onions lying around, add those too. If you add roasted red onion, take out the grains and add roasted butternut squash for a completely different dish. And then in the summer when peaches are in season….” I can do this all day. If your brain works this way too, we should hang out. There will never be a dull moment between the two of us.

But I learn a lot from my students about different styles of cooking (e.g. measuring everything) and what people are afraid of (e.g. improvising). I was talking to some ladies about the nectarine salad I posted over the summer and I mentioned that I was going to tweak it for fall by subbing persimmons for the nectarines and beets for the tomatoes and maybe a sherry vinaigrette. “Are you going to post that?” To which I responded, “If I posted a picture on Instagram, would you still need a recipe?” Duh, was the look I got. Ok, then. Ask and you shall receive.

Even though I am obliging by posting this recipe, I would like to point out that the most flexible recipes are salads, where ingredients can always be substituted in or out. In fact, if you have one good basic salad dressing like my Everyday Salad Dressing #2, you can have an infinite number of great salads any time of year. And they can usually be put together at the last minute with items from the crisper drawer and the pantry. I am crazy about this fall combo of arugula, persimmons and golden beets. Doesn’t it look like an autumnal tree? Or at least a tree of a lot of caretenoids? My favorite part is the very thin slices of Fuyu persimmon, which is a crunchy, sweet variety of persimmon very different from the ones you have to eat super soft. I sliced both the persimmons and the beets uber thin using the adjustable slicing blade on my food processor, but a mandoline can do the trick, too. Otherwise do your best with a very shape knife. Persimmons and beets, which are also slightly sweet, are such great contrast to peppery arugula. People are always surprised to know that arugula is a member of the cruciferous family of vegetables and has all the tremendous health benefits to go with it. But feel free to use a more mild lettuce like butter lettuce if arugula isn’t your thing.

I used burrata as a special treat in this salad. It’s not something I eat often, and when I do it’s just a couple bites. Burrata is a ball of mozzarella on the outside and mozzarella and cream mixed together on the inside. Very delicious, but rich. If you do not eat dairy, I usually sub avocado for cheeses since it can provide the same creamy factor. In LA, my favorite brand is Di Stefano which can be found at my local Whole Foods and at the Cheese Store in Beverly Hills.

One of my go-to classic salad combos is greens, fruit, cheese and nuts, so I couldn’t help but add walnuts here for a little nugget of crunch in every bite. You can add pomegranate seeds instead if you are nut free. I have over-dressed this salad the day I took these images, but try not to when you make it! I have also used a non-dressing dressing of drizzling everything with olive oil, aged white balsamic and a sprinkle of maldon salt and freshly ground black pepper. Very easy and also rather tasty. Other ways you can go are thinly sliced pieces of Manchego instead of the burrata, radicchio and endive for the arugula, and even a sprinkling of cooked quinoa in there. If you use quinoa, feta would be nice instead of the burrata. And there I go again. Let me know if you make this and what your spin is!

5.0 from 1 reviews

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arugula salad with persimmons, beets and burrata

Author: Pamela

Serves: serves 4-6

Ingredients

1 bunch baby golden beets, greens removed and saved for another time
vinaigrette: (or don't make a dressing and just drizzle with olive oil, aged white balsamic and salt and pepper)
3 Tablespoons sherry vinegar
1 small shallot, minced
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons mild flavored raw honey
½ teaspoon sea salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
½ cup unrefined, cold pressed extra-virgin olive oil
5 ounces arugula
1 persimmon, sliced crosswise as thinly as possible
8 ounces burrata
¼ cup chopped walnuts
Maldon sea salt to taste

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Scrub beets and place in a pie plate or a baking dish with ½ inch of water. Tightly cover with foil and roast beets until tender, about 45-50 minutes. You should be able to insert a paring knife easily into the center of the largest beet.
Set beets aside uncovered until cool enough to handle. Peel and slice crosswise as thinly as possible.
Make the vinaigrette: whisk together all ingredients until emulsified or shake in a screw top jar.
Place the arugula on a platter and drizzle with just enough dressing to coat lightly.
Tuck the slices of persimmon and beets throughout the greens.
Tear the burrata into bitesize pieces and arrange over the salad.
Scatter the walnuts over the salad and drizzle with a little more dressing. You may not need to use all the dressing.
Sprinkle salad with a couple pinches of Maldon salt.

arugula golden beets persimmons

Pumpkin pie smoothie recipe (with a secret ingredient!)

Ironically, I will start this post about a smoothie recipe by telling you that you don’t really need a recipe for a smoothie. I’m no smoothie expert, but I can’t say that I have ever followed “directions” or a “recipe” for one. I quite literally place some ingredients into a blender, blend, and taste. Then I add according to what it needs more of — sweet, chocolate, liquid. That said, I think there are ingredients that we may not have thought about adding to smoothies or tips about how to incorporate more protein or fat into one that we can discuss. But in general, I think the flavor and consistency of smoothies is a personal thing. I like mine pretty thick and my son likes his thin. I don’t like overly sweet smoothies, but I do like a little bit of texture or grainy-ness. I don’t mind a horrible color (like when you blend spinach and mango and blueberries), but my kids are usually repulsed. And so on.

This smoothie is one my students encouraged me to post because it’s delicious, seasonal, contains a very unusual ingredient and they wanted the proportion of spices that I used. If ever I were to post a recipe for a smoothie, this would be a good candidate.

Everything is coming up pumpkin right now, whether you are scrolling through your social media feed or perusing the aisles at Trader Joe’s. I actually asked the cashier at Trader Joe’s if there was anything they hadn’t converted into a pumpkin flavor. But it’s all seasonal. After Thanksgiving, pumpkin-flavored anything becomes persona non grata. Which I find silly. I don’t see why that should be the case if you enjoy the flavor of pumpkin and the traditional accompanying spices. We all know pumpkin puree is available all year long.

Smoothies are something I do not make all year long, though. Smoothies are typically cold and cold foods are not great for digestion, especially first thing in the morning. In addition, if the weather is cool, smoothies are also not great for you since cold foods cool you down. However, if you’ve been reading my blog at all for the last 6 weeks, you know that we have been suffering through an EPIC heatwave. I pretty much want to eat smoothies for breakfast, lunch and dinner. And sometimes we do. And since there seems to be no end to this heat, I will be making smoothies, pumpkin or otherwise, indefinitely.

This pumpkin pie smoothie has become a favorite. I actually feel like I am consuming a pumpkin pie milkshake. It’s creamy and lightly sweet and feels quite indulgent, but it is downright good for you! Pumpkin is so rich in caretenoids, fiber, Vitamin C and can help to lower blood pressure. Pumpkin puree is perfect for a smoothie because it’s so creamy, but on its own is not really that sweet. So besides adding classic pumpkin pie spices, a pumpkin pie smoothie needs some sort of sweetness. You can use whatever you want – stevia, honey, maple syrup, maple sugar, lucuma powder, sweetened protein powder, pitted dates, or frozen banana. All of these are great options.

But the one thing I find tricky is adding bulk to a smoothie without having to add fruit. Fruit is terrific and it’s a whole food, but it is still a relatively high glycemic food. High glycemic foods raise your blood sugar and encourage your body to release insulin, a pro-inflammatory, fat-storage hormone. So yes, fruit is a healthy food, but there is such a thing as too much fruit, especially if there’s not much else in the way of fat and/or fiber to balance it out. So when I saw my friends at CJ Nutrition add cooked, cold cauliflower to their smoothies, my eyes bugged out of my head. Genius. Lots of bland, creamy nutrition to add substance without sweetness. Adding vegetables to smoothies is nothing new, by the way. Spinach and kale are old hat. So why should cooked cauliflower be looked at with skepticism? I tell you, it’s a game changer and cold, cooked cauliflower is the secret ingredient in my pumpkin pie smoothie!

Next, protein is always a priority if a smoothie is to be a meal replacement. I very often look to nut butters like raw cashew butter or almond butter, hemp or chia seeds, raw walnuts, cashews or pecans, yogurt, hemp milk, or protein powder. Protein powder is either sweetened or unsweetened. Either way, that will factor into the other ingredients you add. I sometimes add ice to cut the sweetness of sweetened protein powder.

Lastly, there are also a few ingredients that I might throw in for the heck of it such as cold, leftover oatmeal which makes a nice thick, creamy smoothie. Or coconut butter — gives a lovely sweet flavor and some extra calories for those very active kiddos that need it. And superfood powders like maca, lucuma, reishi, chlorella and the like. I usually use 1 teaspoon of any one of those, but keep in mind chlorella is bright green. The point is that there are infinite ways to tweak this smoothie or any smoothie. But if you don’t feel like messing around and you want a sure winner, look no further than the bottom of this page!

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Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

Author: Pamela

Serves: serves 1

Ingredients

½ cup pumpkin puree (preferably fresh, but if store-bought, look for tetra-paks or BPA-free cans)
1 ripe banana, peeled, cut into pieces and frozen
a handful of ice
1 Tablespoon vanilla protein powder (such as Sun Warrior)
¾ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice*
½ - ¾ cup unsweetened almond milk
extra sweetener, if needed: 1-2 pitted dates, pure maple syrup to taste or a couple drops of stevia
other delicious and healthful add-ins: a handful of frozen or cold, steamed cauliflower; 1 Tablespoon flax or hemp seed, 1 Tablespoon almond butter or raw cashew butter, spoonful of lucuma powder, spoonful of coconut butter

Instructions

Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth and creamy. Taste for sweetness and consistency and adjust if desired. Enjoy as is or top with a dusting of ground cinnamon and shredded, unsweetened coconut.

Notes

I am crazy about Oaktown Spice Pumpkin Pie Spice right now, but you can make your own blend combining cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves. Cardamom is nice, too.

Roasted chicken with tomatoes video

I had completely forgotten about this video I taped a few months ago for a chicken recipe I had posted in the spring. It is probably my favorite new chicken dish in the last couple years and it was a big success in my classes when I taught it. I had done this video though instead using cherry tomatoes instead of jarred tomatoes, and using fresh basil. I am still seeing local cherry tomatoes in our farmers markets, so you can still make this variation on the recipe. Otherwise, just view the tutorial and learn my technique for carving and presenting the chicken breasts. Check out my other videos on YouTube here!

For the recipe, please go to this post here!

Whole Grain and Almond Pulp Apple Quick Bread Recipe

I know not all of you are making your own almond milk and therefore aren’t desperate for almond pulp recipes. But believe it or not, it’s one of the most common SOS’s I receive in my email inbox. “More uses for almond pulp, please!” “I have a freezer full — HELP!” Believe me, I’m in the same boat since I make almond milk twice per week. And almonds are expensive, so it is nice to have several great ways to use the resulting pulp which might otherwise be thrown out. Or snuck into someone’s smoothie and at this point, my son is onto me. “Mom, did you put almonds in here again?!” Maaaaay-be.

I actually do have two recipes on the blog already which use almond pulp, a banana quick bread and pancakes. Both use almond pulp AND a whole grain flour. I haven’t not had excellent results with recipes that only use almond pulp. Unless of course I enjoy eating something that looks like tree bark. I like nutritious food, but even I have my limits. Adding a little flour is the way to go. Gluten-free flour blends with a little xanthan gum works, too.

The temperature outside may say one thing, but it is technically fall. So I am embracing the change in produce with an apple recipe. Everyone in my family loves apple anything, so I figured this was a safe bet. And it was devoured on the first day. Chunks of tender apples, cinnamon and spices and some little surprise nuggets of caramel-y dates all nestled in a moist bread. Perfect with a cup of tea or a turmeric latte. And if you’re not using almond pulp, I don’t want you to feel left out. I bet you can take my zucchini bread recipe and just adapt it with apples and the spices from this recipe.

What’s wonderful about using almond pulp though, is that it gives a nice protein boost to whatever you’re making. Normally I don’t like to give the kids muffins or quick breads for breakfast unless I can add a smidge of protein like nut butters or a side of yogurt. But the almond pulp changes everything. In fact, I offered some to Mr. Picky for breakfast a few weeks ago, on a school day mind you, and he said, “I can have just this? Without anything else? Really?” Munch, munch. And then he added,”Did you put protein in here??” Definitely onto me.

5.0 from 2 reviews

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Whole Grain and Almond Pulp Apple Quick Bread Recipe

Author: Pamela

Serves: 1 8 ½ X 4 ½ -INCH LOAF

Ingredients

¼ cup unrefined coconut oil*, melted plus additional for greasing pan
½ cup 100% pure maple syrup, Grade A or Grade B
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour or whole spelt flour
¾ cup almond pulp (from 1 cup soaked almonds used for almond milk)
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
½ teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
1 ½ cups diced, peeled apple, about 1 large
½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans
½ cup pitted, diced dates (or you can use raisins)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease an 8 ½ “ x 4 ½ “ loaf pan, or if aluminum, grease it and line it with parchment paper.
In a blender, process the oil, maple syrup, eggs and vanilla until combined. This helps to emulsify the oil and keeps your bread from being greasy.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, almond pulp, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry. Fold in the apple, walnuts, and dates. Pour into the prepared pan.
Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool slightly, about 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely.
You can also make these in standard muffin tins and bake for about 20—25 minutes. This will yield 12 muffins.
After one day, best stored in the refrigerator.

Notes

*I haven't tested it, but I'm sure olive oil would also work.

almond pulp apple cinnamon whole wheat pastry flour

How to Make Healthy and Delicious Summer Rolls VIDEO

I love summer rolls — crunchy, fresh, and flavorful all wrapped in a delicate rice paper wrapper. Summer rolls are one of those things I never thought I could make at home. The wrappers, the rolling, the sauce! Not only are they way easier than I imagined, but they can be quite the nutritious dish to boot. Filled with loads of raw veggies and herbs, a summer roll is like a salad all wrapped up in a neat little package. In the video above, I go a pretty traditional route with avocado, cabbage, carrots and herbs, but also I use less traditional roasted sweet potato sticks and shredded Brussels sprouts. Rice paper is so neutral. Who says you couldn’t put a cobb salad in there or poached chicken, corn, cabbage and barbecue sauce? I say the sky’s the limit and can we talk about perfect these would be for school lunches?! Per-fect!

If you want to make these in advance, cover them with a damp paper towel and refrigerate for ideally up to one day, but I’ve even kept them 2 or 3 days.

5.0 from 4 reviews

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Healthy and Delicious Summer Rolls

Author: Pamela

Serves: 8 rolls

Ingredients

For the sauce:
2 Tablespoons creamy peanut butter, preferably organic (or cashew or almond butter)
1 Tablespoon unrefined, cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar
½ Tablespoon raw honey (choose a mild flavor)
½ Tablespoon water
½ Tablespoon shoyu or gluten-free tamari
pinch sea salt
pinch cayenne pepper
For the summer rolls:
8 (8-inch) rice paper rounds, plus additional in case some tear
1 large sweet potato, (peeled if desired) and cut into ¼” matchsticks
unrefined coconut oil or extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
sea salt and black pepper to taste
4 medium brussels sprouts, thinly sliced or shredded
¼ head of small red cabbage, thinly sliced or shredded
2 medium carrots, shredded, grated, or julienned
1 large avocado, cut into thin slices
handful each of fresh mint leaves, basil leaves and cilantro leaves
Other possibilities: cooked shrimp, chicken, tempeh or tofu, cooked rice noodles

Instructions

To make the sauce: whisk together all of the ingredients in a bowl or a glass jar and set aside. *
To make the summer rolls: Drizzle the sweet potatoes with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast in a 400 degree oven for 18-20 minutes until tender.
Fill a shallow baking dish or a skillet with warm water. Soak 1 rice paper round (make sure there are no holes) in warm water until pliable, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Remove from the water and transfer to a plate or cutting board.
Spread 2 teaspoons of peanut sauce on the rice paper (or omit and use as a dip once rolls are assembled) and top with 2-3 large mint leaves, 1-2 large basil leaves, a pinch of cilantro leaves, a
pinch each of the Brussels sprouts, cabbage, and carrot, a few sticks of sweet potato, and a couple of avocado slices, taking care not to overstuff. Roll up rice paper tightly around filling, folding in sides and continue rolling.
Transfer summer roll to a plate and cover with dampened paper towels.
Make the remaining rolls in the same manner. Serve rolls halved on the diagonal.
Store in the fridge covered with a damp paper towel 2-3 days.

Notes

* Sauce can be refrigerated for up to 5 days. Bring to room temperature and re-emulsify before using.

You are going to have so much fun making these summer rolls!

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avocado basil cabbage carrots cilantro mint rice paper sweet potato