Cowboy Chili over Quinoa

This Cowboy Chili was inspired by Heather Eats Almond Butter’s Cowboy Quinoa. It’s wintertime and I wanted to make something warm, hearty and filling for dinner (or even for lunch). Totally hits the spot!

RECIPE

Quinoa — I made my quinoa in my rice cooker and added a tablespoon of taco seasoning to give it a little flavor.

Chili

• 1 lb. of ground meat (turkey, beef, chicken, pork… your choice)
• 1/2 packet (or more) of taco seasoning depending on how spicy you’d like it.
• half an onion, chopped
• 1 tsp. garlic, chopped
• 2 tbsp of olive oil
• salt / pepper as needed
• 1 can of beans (white, kidney, pinto, black, your choice)
• half a bag of spinach
• Optional toppings: diced avocado, sour cream, and queso fresco or any kind of cheese you prefer.

1. In a sauce pan, sauté garlic and onions in olive oil.
2. Brown the meat and add taco seasoning, salt and pepper to taste.
3. Once the meat is cooked, add the beans (liquid too), and stir until beans are heated.
4. Toss in your spinach and cover until cooked.
5. In a bowl, scoop in some quinoa, then the chili. Top with diced avocado, sour cream and cheese.
6. Enjoy!

 

Avocado Pancakes

If you’re going to make these pancakes it’s because you like avocados. I, for one, really LOVE avocados so when I made these gluten-free, sugar-free, low-carb Avocado Pancakes, I was slightly disappointed that there isn’t much of a strong avocado taste. I even ate them with more avocados on the side. The texture of these pancakes are a little weird. It’s hard to explain. They’re kind of like French toast without the crispy bread crusts. Overall, pretty good. I’d make them again, especially with the way I ate them the following day… (scroll after the recipe).

RECIPE

1/2 chopped avocado
1/4 cup blanched almond flour
1 egg
1/8 cup seltzer water, plain water, heavy whipping cream, or nut milk
1/8 tsp baking powder
1 tsp of Stevia in the Raw (or 1/3 tsp of Stevia extract powder)
pinch of salt
healthy shake of cinnamon
2 egg whites

Directions:

1. In a blender, combine avocado, flour, egg, liquid, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon until you achieve a thick pancake batter consistency.
2. Whip egg whites until stiff white peaks form.
3. Fold avocado mixture into the egg whites.
4. Fry pancakes on griddle or in a greased skillet over low to medium heat.
5. Top with butter or a little dollop of whipped cream and more cinnamon.

I reheated the pancakes in the microwave for a few seconds, then I smothered it with all-natural peanut butter (and more avocados). Oooh… truly scrumptious! I can’t believe these are guilt-free.

(Recipe is from HeatherEatsAlmondButter.com)

Coconut Flour Flax Pancakes

Here’s another low-carb, gluten-free pancake I fell in love with… Coconut Flour Flax Pancakes. This one is from HeatherEatsAlmondButter.com and let me tell you, this girl is a genius. She added seltzer water to her batter to make this pancake FLUFFY! Let the picture speak for itself. I topped it with the smallest dollop of whipped cream, and a tiny drizzle of agave nectar as my “syrup” to make this all-American breakfast.

RECIPE

3 eggs
2 tbsp of flax seed meal
4 tbsp of coconut flour
1/4 & 1/4 cups seltzer water
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp vanilla or a few drops of almond extract
hefty shake of cinnamon
pinch of sea salt
1/3 tsp of Stevia extract powder (or Splenda)

1. Separate the eggs.
2. In a large bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff white peaks form. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk 2 of the egg yolks together with remaining ingredients except the seltzer water. (Save the third yolk for another recipe.)
4. Fold the egg yolk mixture into the egg whites.
5. Stir in 1/4 of seltzer water and allow your batter to set for about 10 to 15 minutes while warming your pancake griddle over low heat.
6. Your batter will thicken. When your ready to fry your pancakes slowly drizzle in the other 1/4 cup of seltzer water until your batter is pourable but not runny.
7. Fry pancakes over low heat.

Almond Butter Banana Nut Muffins

I found this guilt-free goodie, Almond Butter Banana Nut Muffins from this site (Thanks, Anthony!) which led me to HeatherEatsAlmondButter.com. (I adore this site because I do enjoy almond butter and Heather has some kickin’ recipes! You must read her amazing success story.)

By the time I post this blog, I’ve already made these muffins TWICE! (Yes, they’re that good.) They’re tasty yet not too sweet – just enough sweetness to call this a muffin vs. a cupcake. The muffins are dense and that’s because they’re packed with wholesome ingredients. So not only are they delicious, they’re nutritious, as well! My favorite part of this muffin is that although you’ve got all the healthy goodness going on in it, there’s a little burst of chocolate in every bite. Mmmm! For an extra protein boost, you can also smear the top with all-natural peanut butter. Now that’s decadent!

This recipe makes 15 cupcakes (YEAH!!!). I store them in the fridge so when I don’t have time to eat breakfast (or sometimes lunch), I can grab one of these “HEAB” muffins and I’m out the door. Keeps me full until my next meal.

RECIPE

• 3 ripe mashed bananas
• ¼ cup almond butter or your favorite nut/seed butter of choice
• 1/3 cup Stevia in the Raw
• 1 egg white
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 ½ cups oat flour (I pulsed 2 cups steel-cut oats in my food processor. What a workout! I suggest you buy oat flour or pulse rolled oats instead.)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt (omit if using salted nut butter)
• ½ cup dark chocolate chips (I chopped up a bar of 85% Lindt dark chocolate.)
• ½ cup chopped pecans

1. In a large bowl, mix first 5 ingredients until creamy.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together oat flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. Slowly add dry ingredients to the banana mixture stirring to combine.
4. Stir in chocolate chips and pecans.
5. Bake at 350 degrees 18 – 20 minutes in paper lined or greased muffin pan.

(Yields 15 muffins)