Almond Cheeze from GF Vegan Holidays

My mom found this awesome recipe by Flying Apron's Jennifer Katzinger. It's an almond cheeze recipe from her Gluten Free and Vegan Holidays Cookbook. This recipe is absolutely HEAVENLY. Serve it with her homemade crackers or any type of cracker, and you have yourself an amazing dip for any festivity. I told my mom that she should've probably made it into a prettier log, but we were so excited to try this, we just wanted it! I had Bill try it, and he said it tasted like cheese!! So here it is, Flying Apron's Almond Cheeze

Flying Apron's Almond Cheeze

1 Cup Almonds, soaked for 10 hours or overnight

1/4 Cup Filtered Water

1/4 Cup EVOO

2 Cloves Garlic

1/4 Cup Fresh Thyme, plus extra for garnish

1/2 teaspoon Himalayan Sea Salt

Pinch of Ground Black Pepper

1) Combine all the ingredients in a food processor and combine until the cheese has a smooth, creamy texture (you might need to add more EVOO or water if it is not). Place cheeze into a mold and put in the refrigerator until it is ready to serve. To plate: add garnished thyme to the top

Two Awesomely Quick Snacks

Yesterday was my first day off in such a long time and I spent it mostly in front of the TV watching Wimbledon. As you can tell, I was chillin' so much that I just put my computer aside and had myself a personal day. I took a day off from working out, errands, all of the above and just relaxed. It was kinda nice, but then I felt a little bummed because I have so much to yet still do! Hmph! But hey, I got a day off to do nothing so I can't complain, right?

Almost the entire day I rummaged through the kitchen trying to find something I could maybe make, bake, cook, anything! I haven't been to the grocery store in such a long time and my food has been limited. Since I wasn't really hungryyy, I just wanted to munch all day. I had a lot of food that is on the verge of rotting, so I wanted to use most of it up.

Introducing the easiest and best sandwich post workout or as a snack- banana bread almond butter sammich! At work, my boss bought maybe 2 cases filled with bananas; which at work hardly sell. Usually I will take one here and there just so they don't go to waste (and also because I'm wildly in love with bananas). I was craving a Peanut butter and banana sandwich, but wasn't feeling like having a full on sandwich for the day. We were joking about how we are probably going to be making banana breads all week trying to compensate for our rotting bananas, and I thought hey! Why not make a banana act as the bread!! YES! It was actually really filling and it tasted amazing! All I did was slice a banana in half long ways and then add almond butter (homemade) on one side and squished the other side of the banana on top. EASY PEASY.

My next quick fix snackage recipe? Bruschetta. Yup. Vegan and gluten free and absolutely amazing. My mom said it was the BEST bruschetta she's ever eaten. The best part? Only took me 5 minutes to simple put together! Here's a quick little recipe to make the tomato mixture even better!

Tomato Basil Bruschetta 

Serves 8 tiny bruschetti

6 vine-ripened tomatoes, diced

2 shallots, diced

1 tablespoon fresh basil, minced

1 teaspoon dried oregano

2 tablespoons EVOO

a pinch of salt and pepper

1/4cup vegan cashew cream (recipes anywhere and everywhere)

2 tablespoons parmesan cheese (vegan)

8 pieces of gluten free bread, toasted

1. All ingredients except toast together and let it marry for an 30 minutes. 

2. toast your bread so it is nice and crispy then top it with your bruschetta. If you have fresh basil, place a leaf on bottom than put your tomato mixture on top.

So easy, yet so delicious!!

Rhubars & my Chip-Free Diet

it was probably my first weekend off in a while, so Bill and I decided to head to his side of town and visit his family. It was sweet- and I wished it didn't end. His family is so genuine, it's a nice getaway from my crazy family. Before we went, I made some rhubars that I will put the recipe on in just a minute.

But lately, I've come to a revelation. Ever since I found out about the Celiac Disease, I've been eating so many potato chips in an unhealthy, binging way. I've gained the weight to compensate, and starting tomorrow (Monday) I'm going to begin a healthier, chip-free diet! HA! I'm actually serious too. I am thinking about planning my meals for the week and sticking to that meal plan. Hopefully, this will be able to save me some money, and extra snacking , and if all goes well I'll probably post a sample week menu on my blog

Alright, enough of this- here's what I like to call the "rhubar" recipe, breaking it down into 3 parts

1. Rhubarb Compote

5 cups Rhubarb, chopped (like above)

1 cup sugar

zest of 1 lemon

• Place everything in a medium sized saucepan and cook over medium heat- until the sugar dissolves and bubbles
• Once sugar bubbles, reduce heat to a simmer for 10-12 minutes
• Once the Rhubarb is very mushy , either finish it off in a blender or use an immersion blender to get a smoother texture. 

2. Almond Crust

2/3 cup almonds

1 cup GF AP Flour (Any works)

2T sugar 

1/2t salt

4+T canola oil

4+ T unsweetened almond milk

• Spray a 9x13" pan with cooking spray and Preheat oven 350 F
• Put almonds, flour, sugar and salt into a food processor and process until it's a flour-like texture
• alternate between canola oil and almond milk, tablespoon by tablespoon. After 4 tablespoons, check to see if the dough is fully mixed. If not, add another round of each per tablespoon.
• If the dough in the processor begins to form a ball, then it is ready. Place your dough in the baking pan and press it down throughout with your fingers. It doesn't need to go above the sides- only line the bottom
• Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, then refrigerate. 

3. Rhubars

2 cups rhubarb compote

3/4c applesauce

1/4c lemon juice

1/2c sugar

3T corn starch

1 Almond Crust Recipe

• Reduce oven temperature to 325 F
• Whisk all your ingredients together until incorporated
• Take out your crust from the refridge and pour your filling over top
• Bake for 22-25 minutes

For best results, let it cool down before you cut. Also, I like to keep mine refrigerated for best taste.