Celebration Food To-Go!

Packaged cookies and pastas can be packed full of harmful, toxic additives and preservatives and way too much sugar!  A national chain grocery store chicken salad recipe revealed 88 ingredients most of which are additives, preservatives, food dyes, etc.  Get this, there is NO CHICKEN in those ingredients!  A homemade chicken salad uses 12 ingredients, most of which are spices and herbs.

These recipes are low in refined sugar and high in nutrition, as a bonus they are quick and easy to make.  Your family and friends will love them, just don’t tell them “it’s healthy”.

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

(makes 24 two inch cookies)

These are my favorite cookies, they are chewy with just the right sweetness, low sugar and some protein!  This recipe is my version of one from the Clean Eating magazine (www.cleaneatingmag.com).

INGREDIENTS

1 cup plain nut butter (almond, cashew or macadamia nut)

¼ to¾ cup sucanat or Rapadura unrefined sugar

1 large cage free egg

½ teaspoon Bob’s Red Mill aluminum free baking soda

1/3 cup Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips or organic dark chocolate chunks

INSTRUCTIONS

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• SUGAR:  If you use ¼ cup the cookies will have a soft crunch on the outside but be chewy on the inside.  If you use more sugar they will have a chewy texture all the way through.  I prefer to reduce the sugar to ¼ cup.
• In a bowl, blend nut butter, unrefined sugar, egg and baking soda with an electric mixer until well blended.
• Stir in chocolate
• Cover baking sheet with parchment paper and drop dough by the tablespoon on the parchment paper.
• Bake 10 minutes until lightly browned.
• Allow to cool for 5 minutes on baking sheet (cookies will firm up)
• Remove cookies from baking sheet and finish cooling on a wire rack

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Grandma Davis’ Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Grandma Mary Lou Davis, adapted by Celeste Davis makes about 4 dozen

We loved these cookies Grandma made for many years with not-so-healthy ingredients.  This recipe keeps the great taste and texture very little refined sugar and spelt flour rather than wheat flour.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup melted coconut oil

1 cup melted organic butter or earth balance (can also use part nut butter)

¾  cup raw local honey

½ cup organic brown sugar or sucanat

4 eggs

1 teaspoon organic vanilla

2 cups white spelt flour

2 cups whole grain spelt flour

2-teaspoon Bob’s Red Mill Aluminum Free Baking Soda

1 teaspoon Celtic Sea Salt

2 cups organic rolled oats

1 package Enjoy Life! Chocolate Chips

INSTRUCTIONS

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F
• Cream together in Food processor with S blade or in mixer
• Melted coconut oil, softened butter, honey, and eggs, sugar vanilla.  Mixture should be fluffy and well blended.  It will be somewhat liquid because of the melted coconut oil and butter.
• Add dry ingredients:  white and whole grain spelt flour, baking soda, and sea salt and mix by hand or with an electric mixer until well blended.
• Stir in oats and chocolate chips

Bake at 325 degrees F for about 8 minutes until soft and puffy.  Should be soft in the middle and almost look like they are still doughy.

Remove from oven and let sit on the baking pan for a few minutes, put on rack to completely cool.

Bake some now, freeze the dough for later

Dough can be made into balls and frozen.  To bake frozen cookies, put on baking pan and allow to sit for 10 minutes, bake at 400 degrees for 8 minutes.

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Janice’s Asian Pasta Salad

Janice Gietzen, adapted by Celeste Davis  (serves 4 as a main dish, more as a side dish)

This is an adaptation of a favorite salad made by my good friend Janice Gietzen.  A Whole Foods cooking class favorite this is a great salad to take to a party or serve to guests; however, it is also very good to make just for you! Amounts of salad ingredients depend on how many you are serving, adjust accordingly.  Cook pasta and marinate veggies the day before, toss together just before serving.

INGREDIENTS

1 package small penne pasta (Quinoa or Rice Pasta is best, gluten free)

1 bunch asparagus

2 large carrots

¼ lb. Snow peas or Snap Peas

1 lb. broccoli florets

1 small Vidalia onion

2 cups garbanzo beans or fresh green peas

¼ cup Veri Teriyaki Sauce, available at most grocery stores

¼ cup fresh squeezed or bottled orange juice

INSTRUCTIONS

**Steam veggies very lightly (just to warm to touch)

Mix Teriyaki sauce and orange juice together, stirring well.

Toss veggies in the Orange-Teriyaki sauce mixture and set aside

Cook pasta according to package directions

Toss all ingredients together, add more sauce as needed to taste

** Make it raw by putting veggies in marinade a minimum of one hour and up to one day in advance, they will soften as if they were steamed.

**Non-vegan version: Sauté sliced free range chicken or turkey in a little Grape seed oil, add teriyaki sauce, simmer.  Remove from stove and allow to cool.  Add veggies and pasta, serve warm or cold.

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Tags: gluten free chocolate chip cookies, gluten free pasta salad, healthy family food, oatmeal chocolate chip cookies

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