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Greek Beet & Yogurt Salad (Patzarosalata me Yiaourti)⁣

I don’t always love eating veggies on their own (can anyone else relate?!), so I love finding creative ways to get them in!  I discovered this salad during a trip to Greece with my sister. Aside from the nostalgia for me, this salad is one my favorite fun and tasty ways to eat root veggies! 

Beets are a super nutrient dense food. “Nutrient dense” basically means that ounce for ounce a food packs in essential and beneficial vitamins, minerals, and other micro- and macro-nutrients without much fluff or non-beneficial components. ⁣

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Sugar-Free Baking: How To Use Bananas As A Sugar Alternative

I get a lot of questions about natural sweetener options for baking, and we often cover sugar alternatives like coconut sugar, honey, and maple syrup.

But one thing we don’t talk about as much is fruit options like over-ripe bananas!

Especially with banana bread being the baking sweetheart of 2020, I wanted to give a quick breakdown of this overlooked sugar-alternative.

Bananas add moisture, binding, and structure to a baked recipe. They don’t add as much moisture as one or maple syrup, but they may add more moisture than coconut sugar depending on ripeness. This is definitely something you’ll want to take into consideration when your substituting.

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Chocolate Covered Dates

An old joke my dad used to make during snack time was “Canteloupe, gotta date!”

Okay, maybe it’s more like half a joke but it used to crack me up when I was little! #dadjokes

Anyway, dates still make a great snack if you’re looking for something naturally sweet to hit the spot. And you can kick them up a notch by stuffing them and then dipping them!

My go-to has been to remove the pits and stuff each date with 1-2 almonds then dip them in melted chocolate and share them with friends. I recently tried them with 100% cacao chocolate which is EXTRA dark and they were amazing, but you can use a high-quality 70-80% cacao chocolate with excellent results. Sprinkle with a little coarse sea sale and it’s game over.

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Harissa-Tahini Roasted Cauliflower⁠

I’ve been on a cauliflower kick recently…but how can you blame me when it’s such a versatile and easy to make ingredient? This time I’m sharing a new recipe I tried that got rave reviews a few times in a row – this Harissa-Tahini Roasted Cauliflower.

I based it off a menu description I saw at a cafe. I didn’t order it at the time so all I had to go on were the listed ingredients and a few Google searches!

Did you know that tahini is one of the foods with the highest amounts of non-dairy calcium? Sesame seeds contain 88mg of calcium per tablespoon (that equals almost 10% of your RDV if you’re a woman)! Tahinini is also a source of healthy mono- and polyunsaturated fats and is also a source of plant-based iron.

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Classic Brownies

I’m taking a digital detox for my own sanity, but first I wanted to share one of my go-to sources of comfort during stressful times – baking!

I know food shouldn’t be used as a reward or a comfort all the time, but I feel better diving in because a.) it’s my job, and b.) when I do bake it’s gluten- and grain-free and I don’t use refined sugar, so I think it’s okay to self-medicate this way from time to time!

These “classic brownies are dense and chewy instead of cake-like, and deeply chocolatey with a hint of fruitless from the coconut sugar. It’s from my OG cookbook, Paleo Sweets. If you’re a fan of grain-free baking, grab a free copy here! (just cover a small shipping fee)

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Muhammarra (Roasted Red Pepper Dip)

Muhammara (Roasted Red Pepper Dip)

Making yummy recipes is one of my fave ways to keep myself occupied right now. This recipe is one I’ve been wanting to try for a few weeks, and I finally got organized to do it!

Based on a traditional Syrian recipe, this variation of Muhammara is modified to use ingredients you can find at most stores and to be gluten and grain-free. It’s perfect for dipping veggies or GF crackers while you’re binge-watching your latest show or movie series!

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Chai-Spiced Banana Bread

Seriously though, banana bread is the baking sweetheart of Q’tine 2020! And I’m honestly curious why this is…? Is it because we’re all buying bananas as the store and then they get super ripe before we can eat them all? Or has it been our secret desire all along to have enough time in the day to bake banana bread Monday-Friday?⁠

While there may be mysterious driving forces and conflicting opinions on this sweet treat, I’m obviously a fan. One of the reasons I love it so much is because of how versatile it is – like, yeah, it tastes like bananas, duh, but after that you can get creative! I like to mix it up and add things like chopped nuts⁠, chocolate chips or cacao nibs, shredded coconut, or chopped dates. The possibilities are endless!⁠

This chai-spiced variation is spicy, tasty and moist on its own and makes a great tea-time snack as-is or with a little schmeer of ghee.

I’d love to know what you put in YOUR banana bread! Let me know below in the comments.

And if you love grain-free baking, grab a free copy of my original Paleo Sweets cookbook here! 

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How To Make Slow-Cooker Bone Broth

Stocks and broths can be so nourishing and hydrating, and today I want to tell you how to make your own simple broth from scratch!⁠

Bone broth is so easy to make, especially if you have some scraps leftover from a meal. I usually start with the leftovers from a whole roasted chicken (carcass/bones with meat pulled off), or the bones from a few bone-in grass-fed steaks that I’ve saved in the freezer.⁠

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Sweet Potato Ravioli with Rosemary Brown Butter

Every night is pasta night in my house! Well maybe not every night but most nights, especially if it’s paleo! One of the most challenging things about going grain-free is finding alternatives that both taste great and have a familiar texture to the ‘real deal’. Pasta is one of those comfort foods that everyone can definitely miss once transitioning to a Paleo lifestyle but they won’t have to miss it for long, not if you have Cappello’s on hand. They really know how to do gluten free, grain free right and without further adieu, I present to you this savory and sweet Sweet Potato Ravioli recipe that will make your senses dance!Read More »Sweet Potato Ravioli with Rosemary Brown Butter