CINNAMON PECANS

Oven roasted pecans coated in cinnamon are by far my new favorite snack.  It takes very little preparation, minimal dish washing, low carb, gluten-free and Paleo. 

This is a very basic recipe and when it comes down to it I only have to wash a bowl, spatula and my hand; I use my hand to toss the ingredients together.  This is the best lazy person treat and I say "lazy" proudly.  

INGREDIENTS:

• 8oz. pecan halves
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1-1/2 Tbsp. cinnamon, ground
• 1 pack Stevia In The Raw (or sweetener of choice)
• omit stevia for a 21DSD compliant treat

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Pre-heat oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper 
2. In a medium bowl toss the pecans and olive oil together until pecans are well coated
3. Add cinnamon and sweetener and continue to coat the pecans
4. Spread the coated pecans onto the parchment lined baking sheet and place in the oven for 15 minutes; checking every 5 minutes to prevent burning
5. EAT

Wanna add a little zing to your pecans? Try adding a few drops of essential oils to the olive oil.  Wild Orange and Lemon pair really well with the cinnamon. 
It's another way of adding flavor, without the calories.

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GLUTEN-FREE PEANUT BUTTER & BANANA CAKE

Let me start this off with...

"Sometimes I like to make quick and simple gluten-free desserts and sometimes that requires me using something out of a box"

Go ahead, take a moment and gasp in terror if you must, but it is what it is and that's that. 

I'd love to say that everything I make is from scratch, but with my work and life schedule I sometimes resort to using the "bad" stuff.  Betty Crocker has been my friend for years and I've had a really hard time ending the relationship.

So, if you're incredibly anti using packaged goods then stop reading now because this recipe is most definitely not for you...sorry.  However, I have tons of other things you can try, just checkout my recipe page. 

What would you add to this to make it even better? 

Some grape jelly or chocolate sauce?

INGREDIENTS: 

• 2 large bananas
• 1/2 c. almond milk (or milk of choice)
• 1 box Betty Crocker Gluten-Free Yellow Cake Mix
• 1 16oz. jar smooth peanut butter (or Sunbutter)
• 2/3 c. carbonated water (unflavored)
• Chocolate for garnish (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350°F and grease cake pan
2. Blend bananas and almond milk together until smooth
3. In a large bowl combine cake mix and banana puree, using an electric hand mixer combine until smooth
4. Add peanut butter 1/2 cup at a time, blending thoroughly 
5. Add carbonated water and combine until smooth
6. Pour into cake pan and bake for 25 minutes or until center is cooked through
7. Sprinkle with grated chocolate or chocolate sauce (optional)

This recipe is linked to Gluten-Free Wednesdays

COCO-DATE BITES

Sometimes the chocolate cravings kick in and rather then running to the nearest See's Candy, you just have to make due with what you have around the kitchen. 

This is how these coco-date bites came about. 

Ok, so this is not the best pic, sorry, but I had to shoot a photo before the last of them were gobbled up. 

You may want to modify the spices dependent on your preferences, I tend to like the spices and cocoa together. They  freeze really well and only take a few hours to defrost...or eat them frozen, no judgement ;)

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 bag dates (make sure they’re soft, if hard soak in water)
• 1/8 tsp Ground Cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp Ground Cloves
• Pinch of Sea Salt
• 4 Tbsp Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
• 2 Tbsp Coconut Butter (Artisan brand is my fav)
• ¼ c Water
• ½ c Shredded Unsweetened Coconut + another ½ cup to roll the dates in

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Line a tray with parchment paper
2. In a food processor blend the dates into a paste
3. Slowly add the remaining ingredients (except the reserved coconut)
4. Scoop out a 2 teaspoons at a time and roll into a ball
5. Roll the balls in the reserved shredded coconut
6. Place on the parchment paper
7. Once mixture is all on the tray, place in the refrigerator until it hardens