Maple Glazed Carrots

Such a simple side dish! Versatile enough to serve a long side any main meal and is awesome as a snack later on. Using baby carrots makes this dish come together very quickly - no peeling, no cutting. I find baby carrots to be very convenient and always have some on hand. What's also great is that if you'd like, you could pureed the carrots and have a creamy carrot pureed (baby friendly!). Please, PLEASE do not use the fake syrup in this recipe. Make sure you use 100% maple syrup (any grade you prefer). I personally think the fake syrups are sickly sweet and using the real stuff is where the real flavor is.


If you follow a dairy-free diet, you could substitute the butter for coconut spread (found in the butter section at the grocery store), coconut oil or whatever oil you enjoy using.

Maple Glazed Carrots

Cook Time: 10 minutes
Prep Time: <5 minutes
Serves: 4


Ingredients:
1 lb of organic baby carrots
2 tbsp grade A maple syrup (dark)
1 tbsp organic butter
1 tbsp of organic vegetable stock
salt and pepper to taste
parsley, minced (optional)


Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat.


Add all of the ingredients except the parsley to the pan. Cover the sauce pan and let the carrots cook for about 8-10 minutes or until cooked to desired consistency. Stir every so often. Don't over cook them though, you don't want mushy carrots. The carrots should have a slight bite to them.


Garnish with the parsley and serve immediately.

Gluten Free Honey Roasted Peanut Butter Cookies

I am a peanut butter fiend! I seriously can't go a day without eating peanut butter on or in something. These cookies are an excellent way to make my peanut butter cravings portable. They are super dense, rich and peanut buttery. I really enjoy eating them with a cold glass of almond milk (you'll need something to drink, they are thick). 

I don't add sugar to this recipe because the honey flavor is just enough (for me). If you prefer a sweeter cookie, I recommend adding 1/2 cup of brown sugar. This recipe can also be halved or doubled easily. 

Gluten Free Honey Roasted Peanut Butter Cookies 

Cook Time: 8 minutes
Prep Time: <5 minutes
Serves: Makes about 24 cookies


Ingredients:
2 cup honey roasted peanut butter
2 egg
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt 


**How to make honey roasted peanut butter: In a food processor, add 3 cups of honey roasted peanuts (de-shelled) and process for about 2-3 minutes or until peanut butter consistency is achieved. You can add a little canola oil if you find it to be too thick. The peanut butter will not resemble smooth peanut butter, but have flecks of peanut throughout. 


Preheat oven to 350F. Prep a cookie sheet with a sheet of parchment paper.


In a food processor or by hand, mix all of the ingredient until well combined. Scoop a tbsp of the mixture and roll in between your palms, making a ball. Transfer the ball to the cookie sheet and continue with the rest of the mixture. Allow about 2 inches of room between cookies. With a fork, press down on each ball. Then repeat but in the opposite direction, making a checker design on top.


Bake for 8 minutes, or until slightly golden brown. Let the cookies sit on the cookie sheet for an extra minute or so to firm up. Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack.


Serve cookies warm or at room temperature. I recommend having these with a tall glass of almond milk. 


They keep well in a sealed container for 3 days (add a slice of bread to the container to help maintain the moisture)

Brown Sugar and Mustard Glazed Salmon

I really enjoy eating salmon, especially if I am cooking it the way I like. Salmon is so easy to prepare and absolutely delicious any way you make it. It is an excellent source of Omega-3's, Vitamin D and DHA. It is such a hearty and filling fish! I highly recommend if you are going to eat salmon, that you eat wild salmon. Farmed salmon usually has dyes added to it to give it it's pink color and they are usually much higher in PCB's (which are very toxic). Farmed salmon is given a fish feed that is made up of a bunch of foods that are unnatural for salmon to be eating such as soy, wheat and even antibiotics. Wild salmon isn't only a better choice for you but also better for the environment, so keep that in mind. 

In this recipe, you will be baking and then broiling the salmon. I like to bake fish, it seems to cook it throughout without burning the bottom or drying it out. I find that broiling it at the end gives the glaze a chance to brown up well and caramelize slightly. It really makes a difference.

Brown Sugar and Mustard Glazed Salmon 

Cook Time: <20 minutes

Prep Time: < 5 mins

Serves: 4 (4oz portions)

Ingredients:

• Olive Oil spray
• 1 lb of wild caught Alaskan Salmon (or wild pacific)
• 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp of dark brown sugar
• salt and pepper to taste
• parsley, minced (optional)

Preheat oven to 350F.

Spray an oven safe pan with oil to prevent sticking. Place the salmon skin side down.

Rub the mustard and brown sugar on top of the salmon, coating the entire exposed surface. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Transfer to the oven and cook for 15 minutes. Then turn the oven temperature to broil (high) and broil the salmon for about 2-4 minutes, or until the top starts to brown slightly. 

Sprinkle with parsley. Serve immediately.