Frozen Avocado Key Lime Pie

I’ve always enjoyed key lime pie, but with the sweetened condensed milk and the eggs and so on, it was hard to make it dairy free and plant based. I posted about trying to use the coconut sweetened condensed milk by Nature’s Charm and trying to find the right science to make it firm. It wasn’t the coconut sweetened condense milk, it was me. Here’s the post if you want to see my Key Lime Pie Fail.

At the end I do post my recipe that finally worked! So if you still want a good fattening creamy key lime pie that is dairy and egg free, it’s on that link. And it was delicious.

Dairy Free and Egg Free Key Lime Pie

HOWEVER – I wanted to share a healthier recipe that I’ve made. The original recipe is from The Salty Tomato. Lauren has some great flexitarian recipes! When it gets hot outside, I start thinking of this pie and it’s so simple. I also decided to make cupcake size portions for it so you can just get out one serving from the freezer. It’s basically avocados, key lime juice, agave, and a little bit of coconut oil to help keep it firm. The crust is originally graham cracker crust – which is my favorite – but this is a nutrition blog, so less of the graham crackers and butter, and more of the dates and pecans/walnuts.

Keep in mind – this is pretty much all fat. Healthy fats. But still fat. That’s why I like making the cupcake-size portions so that I don’t go overboard and I can stay “on track” with my goals.

• Healthy fats
• No processed sugar
• Delicious
• Easily Gluten-Free

 

Good Fats

Let’s talk about healthy fats for a minute while we’re on the subject. Good fats usually come from vegetables, nuts, seeds, and fish. They are unsaturated fats. There are two types of unsaturated fats – polyunsaturated (think omega 3 & 6) and monounsaturated (think olive oil). So when you see those on the bottom of my recipes, those are good fats.

• Easily digested and used for energy
• Build cell membranes
• Creates the covering over our nerves
• Needed for muscle movement
• Breaks down inflammation
• Helps with blot clotting
• Reduces harmful cholesterol and triglycerides

On top of that, the good thing about this recipe – you are getting those fats along with keeping the original fruit or nut that it came from so the fiber and other nutrients are there as well. Just remember although it’s healthy for you, it doesn’t mean you can indulge and eat the whole recipe. Trust me I’ve tried. I don’t think it’s even possible with how rich these things are. Then if you add my Dairy Free Whipped Cream on top… you’re done!

Raw Avocado Key Lime Pie

• Servings: 12 small cupcake size servings
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Ingredients

• 2 ripe avocados, peeled and pitted
• 1/2 cup key lime juice
• 1/4 cup agave or honey
• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 tsp lime zest
• 1 1/2 cup pecans or walnuts
• 1/2 cup dates
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• pinch of salt

Directions

1. Prepare a medium size muffin tin, either lining it with parchment paper or taking a small amount of coconut oil and rubbing the insides.
2. Take the pecans or walnuts, dates, vanilla, and small amount of salt. Blend in a food processor until slightly chunky but combined and you can press together. ***If you are like me and don’t want to drag another piece of equipment out: Take a gallon size bag and with a heavy rolling pin (I have a marble one) crush the nuts as finely as you can. Take the dates and chop into the smallest pieces you can. Add those to the bag with the vanilla and salt. Smash and roll the rolling pin over it until all is combined. It should look crumbly, but will stick together if you mold it.
3. Take about a large tablespoon of the nut and date mixture and add to the bottoms of the cupcake molds. Press down hard. Spread evenly until all of the mixture is used.
4. In a blender, blend the avocados, key lime juice, agave or honey, coconut oil and lime zest until smooth.
5. Take about 1 1/2-2 large spoonfuls of the avocado mixture and place on top of the nut mixture in the cupcake tin. Freeze for at least 2 hours or overnight. Allow to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before eating.

Nutritional Information

Per 1 Cupcake Size Serving

182 calories | 15 g total fat | 3 g polyunsaturated fat | 8 g monounsaturated fat | 2.5 g saturated fat | 0 g trans fats| 0 mg cholesterol | 3 mg sodium | 2 g protein | 13 g carbohydrates | 4 g fiber | 8 g sugar

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Honey Dijon Chicken with Red Potatoes & Carrots (with Chickpea Version)

I love dinner recipes when everything goes in one dish! Easy to make, easy to clean, and delicious to eat! This is one of the recipes I make on a regular basis. Partly because my husband loves mustard. A little too much. And partly, because it’s a balanced meal and easy to make vegetarian/vegan. I usually make a pan for my parents and him, and then half the recipe to make a small version of it with chickpeas or garbanzo beans for me. I will be hopefully making more dishes like this for easy dinners with not a lot of clean up for weekday meals. You could also get this prepared the night before so that when you get home all you need to do is throw it in the oven.

Let’s talk nutrition for a moment. Not only is this recipe low in fat and high in fiber, there are specific things that potatoes and carrots are good for.

Red Potatoes

• Good Source of Iron – Oxygenation of Cells
• Good Source of Vitamin C & Zinc – For Immune Health
• Good Source of Potassium – Heart and Muscle Health

Carrots

• Good Source of Beta-Carotene – helps slow down the aging of cells, including cells in the eye
  • Beta-Carotene is converted into Vitamin A in the liver
  • Vitamin A is converted in the retina to rhodopsin – used for night vision
• Good Source of Vitamin A – protects the skin from sun damage

• Servings: 4 Servings
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Ingredients

• 3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (depending on size)
OR 2 cans of chickpeas or garbanzo beans, drained
• 1/4 + 1/8 cup honey or agave (plus more for extra sauce to dip)
• 1/4 + 1/8 cup Dijon mustard (plus more for extra sauce to dip)
• 2 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 3 lb. bag of red potatoes, chopped
• 12-16 oz. bag of baby carrots
• Salt and pepper, if desired

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Make your sauce. Combine 1/4 cup honey, 1/4 cup mustard, rosemary, and olive oil. Whisk together.
3. In a gallon size bag, add potatoes and carrots enough to almost fill the bag. If you are using the chickpeas, you can pour those in too. Pour sauce over top. Close the bag and toss for about 3 minutes to make sure the sauce is covering the vegetables.
4. Pour vegetables in a prepared 9×11 baking dish. Add your chicken breasts on top. Make a smaller batch of the sauce – 1/8 cup honey + 1/8 cup Dijon mustard, and cover the top of the chicken breasts. If using the chickpeas, if you need to add a little extra sauce, drizzle some on top.
5. Put the dish, uncovered, in the oven for about 35 minutes or until the vegetables start to brown on sides and chicken juice is running clear.
6. Let cool for about 5 minutes and serve! While it’s resting, if you need to whisk together extra sauce to dip or drizzle on top, do it now before serving.

Nutritional Information

With Chicken

555 calories | 8.5 g fat | 1.9 g polyunsaturated fat | 3.7 g monounsaturated fat | 2.2 g saturated fat | 0 g trans fat | 204 mg cholesterol | 459 mg sodium | 59 g carbohydrates | 6.9 g fiber | 32 g total sugar | 64 g protein | 673% Vitamin A | 22% Vitamin C | 8% Calcium | 40% Magnesium | 38% Potassium | 33% Zinc

With Chickpeas

435 calories | 5.7 g fat | 1.7 g polyunsaturated fat | 1.9 g monounsaturated fat | 0.5 g saturated fat | 0 g trans fats | 0 mg cholesterol | 87.5 g carbohydrates | 15 g fiber | 37 g total sugar | 13.4 g protein | 673% Vitamin A | 22% Vitamin C | 13% Calcium | 29% Magnesium | 25% Potassium | 21% Zinc

Green Chile Egg Muffins + Green Chile Garbanzo Flour Muffin Version (egg, soy, dairy, corn, gluten free)

An easy savory breakfast to prep is always something I love! And green chilies. Eggs have had some hype over the last few years and there is debate over whether they are something healthy to eat or not. Let me take a minute to talk about them and why you might not need to be so afraid to have them.

Photo by Alison Marras on Unsplash

Eggs have gotten a long and bad reputation for being bad for your cholesterol levels. True, eggs are high in cholesterol and there is no nutritional need to ingest cholesterol since our body, mainly the liver, makes it for us. However, eggs or other foods high in cholesterol are not necessarily the culprit when it comes to high cholesterol. Here is a peer reviewed study of egg consumption and the risk of increasing high cholesterol and stroke risk. They found there was no real evidence that eating high cholesterol foods, like eggs, resulted in high blood cholesterol or a greater stroke risk.

That being said, here are some tips on how to lower cholesterol which includes decreasing weight (even 5 lbs.), eating high fiber foods, and eating less saturated fats.

So now that we know eggs aren’t as bad as they might have seemed before, let’s look at the Green Chile Muffin recipe and nutrition!

Green Chile Egg Muffins

• Servings: 6 Servings/Muffins
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Ingredients

• 6 eggs
• 1/2 4oz can of chopped green chilies
• 1/2 cup minced green onion
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• Salt and Pepper
• 1/2 c grated sharp cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Take a medium muffin tin and if not using liners or it’s not a non-stick tin, coat the insides with oil. I used a small amount of coconut oil.
3. Put about 1 teaspoon of green chilies in the bottom of each of the 6 muffin molds, and about 1 tablespoon of the green chilies.
4. In a medium bowl whisk together the eggs, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper until mixed together. Pour into the muffin molds until almost fill. Start with 3/4 of the way full and fill with what may be left.
5. Cook for about 15 minutes. Top with cheese and cook for another 3-5 minutes
6. Let rest for a few minutes before trying to move the egg muffins out of the tin.

To store, place in the fridge for about 3-4 days. For a more balanced breakfast, have 1-2 egg muffins with 1/2 cup of fruit.

Nutritional Information

1 Egg Muffin = 192 calories | 12.7 g total fat | 1.72 polyunsaturated fat | 5.37 monounsaturated fat | 3.89 saturated fat | 0 g trans fats | 626 mg cholesterol | 8.27 g carbohydrates | 3.5 g fiber | 2.92 g sugar | 12.89 g protein

Now that we have the egg version, and after all this is Food Allergy Awareness Month/Week, here is an egg/soy/gluten/corn/dairy free version for a savory Green Chile Breakfast Muffin.

Tip: You might want to eat this with some green salsa since the garbanzo flour can make it dry.

Green Chile Garbanzo Flour Breakfast Muffins

Ingredients

• 1 1/3 cup garbanzo bean flour
• 1 1/3 cup unsweetened, plain plant based milk
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 4oz can chopped green chilies
• 1/2 c minced green onion
• Salt and Pepper
• Optional: 1/2 cup plant based cheddar shreds

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Take a medium muffin tin and if not using liners or it’s not a non-stick tin, coat the insides with oil. I used a small amount of coconut oil.
3. In a medium-large bowl whisk together all ingredients, except for the plant based cheddar shreds if you are using, until smooth.
4. Pour mixture into the muffin tin. It will not rise very much so fill them to the top.
5. Cook for 18 minutes. Top with the plant based cheddar shreds if using, and cook for 5 more minutes. 23 minutes total.
6. Let cool for a few minutes before moving them from the muffin tin.

For a more balanced meal, have with a 1/2 cup of fresh fruit.
If the muffins seem a little too dry, have a small amount of salsa to eat with it.

Nutritional Information

1 Garbanzo Flour Muffin = 170 calories | 6.46 g total fat | 2.5 g polyunsaturated fat | 2.3 g monounsaturated fat | 0.9 g saturated fat | 0 g trans fats | 0 mg cholesterol | 21.5 g carbohydrates | 6.1 g fiber | 3 g sugar | 8.72 g protein

Garbanzo Flour Eggs

Since February is “Heart Health Month”, I thought I’d share with you an egg alternative that is truly heart healthy, and not just because it’s cholesterol-free. There has been studies that show it’s more the saturated fat than the dietary cholesterol that raises bad cholesterol. And although that might be true, eggs are one of the most dietary-cholesterol dense foods out there. So although there might be worse things for you to eat, especially when watching your cholesterol, limiting your intake of dietary cholesterol will help too.

Eggs are one of the things I craved when making the switch to being plant based. I have them here and there but it makes my stomach feel heavy and sometimes I’ll feel like I’m going to get sick about an hour after eating them. So I’ve looked for other options and here is an easy recipe to make at home for those staying away from eggs. Whether that’s because of an allergy, you’re watching your cholesterol, or are plant-based.

This recipe uses garbanzo flour. Since garbanzo beans have a sulfuric taste and smell, they do great for making an egg substitute. There is also a black salt called “kala namak”, usually found in Indian grocery stores, that has a sulfuric taste and smell too that you can use instead of regular salt. Note that it isn’t just “black salt” that you can find some places, but you will have to find something titled “kala namak”.

So let’s still talk about garbazo bean flour for a second and learn why this isn’t just an alternative egg recipe, but also a nutritious one.

Garbanzo Flour

• High in Fiber to help with Weight Management, Heart Health, Stabilize Blood Sugar
• Beans like Garbanzo Beans (Chickpeas), help to Lower Cholesterol Naturally
• Lowers Inflammation
• Improves Immune Fuction
• Easily Digestible & Gluten-Free

Basic Recipe & What I Use

Before I show you the base recipe I use at home, I wanted to give you the equation I use for making garbanzo eggs.

1/4 garbanzo flour to 1/4 liquid = 1 large egg

The Liquid I Use

I use to use water but found that it came out dry. I used almond milk and it helped a little, but then I started using the liquid from a can of chickpeas known as “aquafaba” or bean water. It has proteins in it from the beans. Because of that, when whipped it can even be used in place of egg whites in some recipes. Since I use a can of chickpeas at least once a week, I just put the chickpeas in a container and store it in the fridge and use the liquid from the can. Easy as that!

It still comes out a little dry compared to normal eggs, but when you use it with other veggies and add a sauce it’s great! It does better as being an omelet since scrambling it can be a little bit of a hassle, but can still work!

Cholesterol-Free Garbanzo Flour Eggs

• Servings: Makes 2-3 eggs worth, 1-2 servings
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Ingredients

• 1/2 c garbanzo flour
• 1/2 cup aquafaba (liquid from 1 can chickpeas)
• 1/2 tsp garlic
• 1/2 tsp onion
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• turmeric, for color
• Salt and Pepper, to taste (or kala namak salt)

Directions

1. Whisk together ingredients in a small bowl. Once it is combined, pour into skillet. If you are using a non-stick skillet you will not need to add any oil. If you do not have a non-stick skillet, use a small amount of oil before pouring. Heat the skillet on medium heat.
2. Once the batter starts to bubble in the middle like a pancake would you can either flip it if you are going to use it as an omelet or start to scramble it with the spatula. You might have to cut it after it’s done to scramble it more once it’s out of the pan.
3. It usually takes about 5-10 minutes for it to cook.

If you are wanting to make a scramble with veggies, the scrambling becomes easier since it won’t stick to itself as easily. I’m sure I’ll be adding some omelet or veggie scramble recipes soon using garbanzo flour.

Nutritional Information for Whole Recipe

107 calories | 1.8 g total fat | 0.2 g saturated fat | 0.7 g polyunsaturated fat | 0.4 g monounsaturated fat | 0 g trans fat | 0 mg cholesterol | 181 mg sodium | 16.9 g carbohydrates | 2.9 g fiber | 2.6 g sugar | 6.0 g protein

Macro Sources

63% Carbohydrates | 15% Fat | 22% Protein

Dietary Servings per Portion

• 1.1 Meat Alternative
• 0.5 Vegetables

Dairy Free Whipped Cream

Did you know “non-dairy” products are not completely dairy-free? Confusing I know. “Non-dairy” whipped toppings or “non-dairy” creamers can still have milk proteins in it like whey and casein, as allowed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. To see my previous post about dairy labels, click here.

With that being said, I wanted to share with you what I do to make dairy-free whipped cream that is also soy-free as well. It’s not anything new. There are plenty of coconut whipped creams out there, but it’s one of my staples and something that is good to know if you or a family member is allergic to dairy. James is lactose-intolerant and there are a few things that he’s gotten use to, like almond milk in his smoothies and soy in his lattes. But when I had made this he couldn’t get over how good it was. I originally made a version of it to go on a cake I made with fresh berries and since then have adjusted some things to my liking.

Some things I want you to know are that:

• No, it’s not as easy as just buying whipped cream from the store, there is some forethought.
• It’s not that hard to do.
• It’s dairy free, but this is still just straight up fat, and not all healthy fats.

I can’t say this is a “healthy” recipe, as it is an alternative to a major food allergy so you don’t have to miss out on whipped topping for your pumpkin pie this year.

A healthy alternative for a dessert using the whipped cream would be having fresh fruit with a dollop of this instead of a pie with added sugars and a buttery crust. Just know that you need to use this sparingly as with any whipped cream, but it’s definitely something to try and no hidden ingredients!

• Servings: 2 cups of whipped cream, 16 2-Tablespoon servings
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Ingredients

• 1 13.5 oz can of coconut milk, full fat not lite
• 2/3 cup powdered sugar, optional, depending on if you want it sweet or how sweet you like it
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Optional – You can use other extracts like almond, lemon, cinnamon, etc. depending on what you are making it for

Directions

1. Before you start, freeze the bowl and whisk you’ll be using, and put the can of coconut milk in the fridge. DO NOT SHAKE. The colder it is the firmer it will be. At least have them in the fridge/freezer for about 2-4 hours.
2. Take the bowl, whisk, and canned coconut milk out. Open the coconut milk. The cream should be at the top of the can. The coconut water will be below the cream. Carefully take out the cream and put it in the bowl without getting any coconut water in the bowl. Leave some cream in there if you have to.
3. Whisk like crazy! Use a mixer if needed. Add in the powdered sugar if using a little at a time until it’s all incorporated. Add in the vanilla extract. You might need to put the bowl in the fridge or freezer after a few minutes to cool it back off. Sometimes I have to, other times I don’t. Just whisk until it forms stiff peaks.
4. I usually will make this early and put it back in the fridge for a few hours until ready to use. Just remember to keep it cold.
5. Top your favorite dessert or fruit with it and enjoy!

Nutritional Information

152 calories | 10.4 g total fat | 0 mg cholesterol | 1.2 mg sodium | 13.4 g carbohydrates | 0.4 g fiber | 10.7 g sugar | 1.1 g protein

Macro Sources

35% Carbohydrates | 61% Fat | 4% Protein

Dietary Servings per Portion

N/A