A Clean Bake

Heart Beet Brownies

When it comes to Valentine's Day and other Hallmark holidays, the only thing that matters is the food. Valentine's Day is a worthy holiday because it's an excuse to eat lots of fancy chocolate, and I absolutely endorse any plan that involves a lot of chocolate (as you may have deduced from this, the 4th chocolate recipe in a row), and therefore consider Valentine's Day to be a valid holiday. Other benefits of Valentine's Day include buying heart-shaped cookie cutters, and an excuse to eat ... Read More about Heart Beet Brownies

Homemade Sugar-Free Dark Chocolate (gluten free, paleo, and vegan)

This vegan, dairy-free, and paleo homemade sugar free dark chocolate recipe is incredibly tasty and simple to make. You wouldn’t believe how easy it is to make homemade chocolate with just a handful of clean ingredients! I have nothing at all against someone buying me a lovely box of chocolate for Valentine’s Day. Unfortunately, my finicky stomach has forced me to resort to what I thought was extreme measures this year: making my own chocolate.  It sounds bananas — except when you ... Read More about Homemade Sugar-Free Dark Chocolate (gluten free, paleo, and vegan)

Not-tella, the Best Homemade Chocolate Hazelnut Spread (sugar free, gluten free, paleo, and vegan)

Nottella is a healthier, homemade version of that other chocolate hazelnut spread. Only this version contains real hazelnuts, and no dairy or palm oil! The recipe can be made sugar free or naturally sweetened. Once you've tried Nottella, you'll never buy chocolate hazelnut spread again! In our house, when my husband wants to surprise me, he brings me chocolate, not flowers. That's because he knows me very well, but also because once he brought me flowers to cheer me up after a week where ... Read More about Not-tella, the Best Homemade Chocolate Hazelnut Spread (sugar free, gluten free, paleo, and vegan)

Spicy Chocolate Popcorn Snack Mix (gluten free and vegan)

In the giant social experiment that they call Whole Foods, perhaps the most trying moment is the checkout line. I don't mean the part where they nonchalantly call out a total cost that is twice the GDP of Spain, but rather, the moments before that when you're side-eyeing all of the delicious, not-coincidentally-placed packaged snacks and sweets that are laid out on either side of you to really test your resolve. The real problem with Whole Foods is that they have successfully tricked us into ... Read More about Spicy Chocolate Popcorn Snack Mix (gluten free and vegan)

Portobello Mushroom and Kale Turkey Burgers with Cabbage Kale Slaw (gluten free, paleo, low carb, and Whole30)

A burger is a food for all seasons. That's poetry, folks, as are these burgers. These are not the turkey burgers you have heard about. Far from the dry, flavorless hockey puck reputation that turkey burgers often receive (sometimes fairly, sometimes not), these burgers are succulent and flavorful, and nutritious too, thanks to the hearty winter vegetables baked right in. I am by no means a burger person. Short of those cow pies masquerading as premade frozen veggie burgers, I went for over ... Read More about Portobello Mushroom and Kale Turkey Burgers with Cabbage Kale Slaw (gluten free, paleo, low carb, and Whole30)

Superfood Chimichurri Sauce (gluten free, paleo, vegan, and Whole30)

While most people dream of owning a mansion or a yacht, my aspirations are crushingly mundane: all I want is an herb garden. I love fresh herbs. I love them so much I want to take them behind the middle school and - no, wait that's weird. I just don't know how to express the intensity of my love for fresh herbs, especially in the middle of winter, without resorting to strong language or 30 Rock references. You'll just have to take my word for it. Chimichurri is an Argentinian sauce or dip ... Read More about Superfood Chimichurri Sauce (gluten free, paleo, vegan, and Whole30)

Olive Oil Spice Cupcakes with Bourbon Persimmon Frosting (gluten free and paleo)

I don't exactly know how to describe a persimmon to someone who hasn't had one before, but I can try. It's sweet but not cloying, and moist but not juicy. The flesh is firm and buoyant, somewhere between a Bosc pear and a sweet plum. The dry sweetness, too, reminded me of a plum/pear hybrid tempered with the sugary crisp sweetness of a ripe apple. The inside of the fruit is beautiful. I don't know what I expected, but not the beautiful simplicity that it contains. Cut a persimmon in half ... Read More about Olive Oil Spice Cupcakes with Bourbon Persimmon Frosting (gluten free and paleo)

Veggie-Packed Paleo Quiche (gluten free, grain free, dairy free)

This paleo quiche is packed with veggies and made from all clean eating ingredients! It's gluten/grain free, dairy free, whole30 compliant, and delicious! The best dishes are the ones that can do double duty, and if you can find one that does triple duty, well, then you're in business. After extensive research, I can assure you that this paleo quiche works equally well for breakfast, lunch or dinner and it's one that can be found in my fridge or freezer pretty much constantly. As you ... Read More about Veggie-Packed Paleo Quiche (gluten free, grain free, dairy free)

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Doughnuts with Peanut Butter Frosting (gluten free and paleo)

Can you believe the nerve of these doughnuts, showing up with their chocolate chip-stuffed innards, and their come hither sprinkles and their seductive chocolate drizzle? In January no less? Don't they know that January is a doughnut-free zone, full of vegetables and green smoothies and dietary hail marys? Don't they know it's detox season??? And yet, here they are. Staring us down. A dozen rich, decadent, chocolatey, gooey frosted doughnuts. Let's teach them a lesson. Let's eat ... Read More about Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Doughnuts with Peanut Butter Frosting (gluten free and paleo)

On Sunday Food Prep

Here is a list of all my tricks and notes on Sunday food prep. Just a few hours of prep per week is all you need to make quick, healthy dinners all week! I used to prep a ton of food every Sunday to get us through the week and I found it to be not only exhausting, but I never knew exactly how much to prep and often found that we ended up with too much and it got discarded or stuffed in the freezer only to be forgotten, accumulate freezer burn, and get thrown away. So I stopped entirely, ... Read More about On Sunday Food Prep