Guacamole Stuffed Peppers

Last week I noticed a new item at my local grocery store, a bag of small, bright colored, sweet peppers. I picked up a bag with the thought that something that cute and vibrant had to be used in a new dish!

When I got home I realized I had purchased a bag of avocados last week that were now perfectly ripe, and so the guacamole stuffed peppers were born!

This dish is not only delicious, it’s also gluten free, vegan and paleo making it the perfect party appetizer for all guests!

Ingredients

• 10-12 small sweet peppers
• 3 avocados
• 1 small tomato (chopped)
• 1/4 onion (chopped)
• 1 lime (juiced)
• 1 tbsp fresh cilantro (chopped)
• 1 serrano chili (minced)

Begin by slicing the tops off of the peppers and cutting them in half, removing the white membrane and seeds from inside.

Next, place the peppers on the grill over medium heat for 7-8 minutes.

Remove from the heat and allow to cool while preparing the guacamole.

Prepare the guacamole by removing the avocado from the shell and smashing in a small bowl.

Next add the tomatoes and onions.

Add the lime juice, cilantro and serrano chili, then mix well to combine.

Spoon the guacamole into each pepper.

Simple as that, you have a beautiful, easy and healthy dish to serve as an afternoon snack or appetizer!

With all the beautiful bright colors in this dish, it just screams summer to me! Am I the only one super excited for shorts everyday, pool parties and BBQs?

♣ Vegetarian Option: Omit the ahi to make this recipe vegetarian.

♦ Gluten Free Option: This recipe is gluten-free.

♠ Paleo Option: This recipe is paleo.

Tomato Basil Bruschetta Baskets

For the third and final dish of my low-sodium series for the San Diego 6 Morning Show, I chose to make my famous tomato basil bruschetta recipe. I skipped the cheese and replaced the baguette it’s traditionally served on for fillo baskets!

One small slice of a baguette can cost you almost 400 mg of sodium, where as one fillo basket has only 10 mg, talk about a super swap!

Ingredients

• 4 roma tomatoes (chopped)
• 1/2 red onion (chopped)
• 3 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1 tbsp fresh basil (chopped)
• 2 tbsp Enzo Basil Olive Oil
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 15 fillo baskets

Combine the first 7 ingredients in a small bowl.

Spoon the bruschetta into the fillo baskets and serve.

Yes, it’s really that easy!

I love using fillo baskets for everything from these delicious Black Bean and Chorizo Appetizers to scrumptious Mini Dessert Cannoli’s!

They are healthy, vegan and perfect for parties!

♣ Vegetarian Option: This recipe is vegetarian (and vegan!)

♦ Gluten Free Option: Replace the fillo baskets with strips of red bell pepper to make this recipe gluten-free.

♥ All pottery seen on the littleleopardbook can be purchased by visiting www.longaberger.com/muffetbond or e-mailing keepsakebl@sbcglobal.net.

Homemade Baked Sweet Potato Tots

What do you serve with a super healthy Sweet Potato Quinoa Burger that will compliment the burger without ruining its health benefits?  Homemade, gluten-free, baked sweet potato tots, of course!

A large serving of tater tots at a fast food chain packs:

• 580 calories
• 31 grams fat
• 1450 mg sodium
• No fiber
• No vitamins

An equivalent serving of these delicious Sweet Potato Tots has:

• 212 calories
• ZERO grams fat
• 434 mg sodium
• 6 grams fiber
• 689% vitamin a
• 47% vitamin c

Simply said, this is one starchy side dish you can feel good about eating!

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients (makes 2 dozen tots)

• 1 lb sweet potatoes
• 1/4 cup brown rice flour
• 1 tsp kosher salt

Begin by boiling a large pot of water. Add the whole potatoes to the water with skins on. Boil for 20 minutes. Remove from the water and allow to cool.

Once cool enough to handle, shred the potatoes using a box grater.

*As you begin shredding the potatoes the skins will peel off. Snack on them while you prepare the tots or simply discard them.

Add the grated sweet potatoes to a large bowl with the flour and salt. Combine well.

Now we get to my favorite part, putting the tots together. Actually my favorite part is eating them, but this part ranks up there simply because I lovingly named this process the “roll and squish”.

Roll…

… and squish!

And this is how you get perfectly shaped tater tots!

Place them on a baking sheet and into a 375° oven.

Bake for 30 minutes or until crisp on the outside.

Now it’s time to dig in!

♣ Vegetarian Option: This recipe is vegetarian AND vegan.

♦ Gluten Free Option: This recipe is gluten-free.

♥ All pottery seen on the littleleopardbook can be purchased by visiting www.longaberger.com/muffetbond or e-mailing keepsakebl@sbcglobal.net.

Double Chocolate Gluten Free Birthday Cake

Pulling in double duty today on the LLB with a new recipe and another cross off the summer bucket list!

Almost a year ago my brother was diagnosed with Celiac disease. Although I’ve learned how to incorporate a gluten-free diet into most recipes I cook, I was yet to bake gluten-free. I decided it was time to go big or go home and attempt my first gluten-free baking experience with my brothers 30th birthday cake!

Growing up my brother was always a chocolate addict so when I asked him what kind of cake he wanted, of course his answer was chocolate. That’s when the Gluten-Free Double Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Fudge Frosting was created!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups gluten-free baking flour
• 1/2 cup cocoa
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 5 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp vanilla
• 1 cup almond milk

Start by combining the flour, cocoa, baking soda and baking powder in a small mixing bowl.

Next, in a large mixing bowl, combine the 2 sugars, eggs, vegetable oil and vanilla. Next, add the almond milk.

Then add the flour mixture and combine well.

Spray an 11 x 7 baking dish with olive oil cooking spray (be sure not to use a “Baking Spray” as it has flour in it, almost had a catastrophe with that one!)

Next, pour the cake batter into the dish.

Now it’s ready to go in the oven at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Not going to lie, this was the longest 30 minutes of my life!  Since I had already tasted the batter, I knew the flavor wasn’t the problem.  The problem was, will it rise?

And it did! You should have heard the screams when I opened the oven door to view this beautiful baby basking in the oven lights!

Now it was time to let it cool down before I frosted it up!

To make the Chocolate Fudge Frosting:

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 3/4 cup cocoa
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup milk

Start by melting the butter in the microwave or on the stove.  Remove the butter from the heat and stir in the cocoa and vanilla.

Next, alternate mixing in milk with powdered sugar until you get to your desired consistency. The measurements I listed worked for me, but if you want a thinner or thicker frosting you can add or take away milk or powdered sugar.

Now it’s time to frost that delicious, fluffy, gluten-free cake!

I felt like a proud Momma looking at that cake!

Brother made his birthday wishes (pretty sure he wished for his little sister to get a show on the Food Network because he was so excited about the cake )

Then it was time to slice it up and dig in!

Thick and rich just like a normal chocolate cake with NO GLUTEN!!  I feel like I found the 8th wonder of the world by making this cake  (and the way I’ve been bragging about it, you would think so too! haha)

Go to your kitchen immediately and make this cake for your favorite gluten-intolerant!

♣ Vegetarian Option: This recipe is vegetarian.

• Vegan Option:  The cake can be made vegan by replacing eggs with silken tofu and the frosting by substituting the dairy milk with coconut or almond milk.

♦ Gluten Free Option: Pretty sure by this point you’ve gotten the fact that this recipe is gluten-free!

• I used Bobs Red Mill Baking Flour to replace traditional flour containing gluten. You can also make your own gluten-free flour combination using any or all of the following: sorghum, tapioca, rice, garbanzo or fava flour.

♥ All pottery seen on the littleleopardbook can be purchased by visiting www.longaberger.com/muffetbond or e-mailing keepsakebl@sbcglobal.net.

Mexican Chorizo Meatballs with Sweet Jalapeño Sauce

Meatballs in the middle of “Meatless May” say it ain’t so! Don’t worry people, I used Soy Chorizo to make these spicy, scrumptious Mexican Meatballs!  To cool down the spiciness I topped them with a Sweet and Creamy Jalapeño sauce then added a Roasted Tomatillo and Corn Couscous for the side.

This recipe also gave me a great reason to use my new Meatball Grilling Basket from Sur La Table (love this place!)

My newest culinary gadget was easy to use and worked perfectly!!!

Ingredients (makes 12 meatballs)

• 12 oz soy chorizo
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 cup red onion (diced)
• 1/4 cup green onions (chopped)
• 2 tbsp fresh cilantro (chopped)
• 2 cloves garlic (crushed)
• 1 large egg
• 4 oz can green chilies

Start by adding the bread crumbs, cumin, cayenne pepper and chili powder to the soy chorizo.

Next add the red and green onions, cilantro and garlic.

Finally add the green chilies and egg to combine the ingredients.

Mix well then form into meatballs. Spray the grill basket with olive oil cooking spray then place the meatballs in the basket. (If you do not have a grill basket, or a grill for that matter, you can cook the meatballs in a skillet with a tablespoon of olive oil on the stove.)

Now close the basket and place on the grill over medium heat.

Grill for about 6 minutes on each side. While the meatballs are grilling, prepare the sauce and side.

Sweet Jalapeño Sauce

Ingredients (makes app 1/2 cup)

• 1/2 cup greek yogurt
• 1 jalapeño (de-seeded and chopped)
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp cumin

Place all ingredients in a blender.

Blend until smooth.

Now, prepare the Roasted Tomatillo and Corn Couscous:

Ingredients (makes app. 2 cups)

• 1 cup couscous
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tomatillos (husks removed)
• 1 ear corn (kernels removed)
• 1/4 cup tomatoes (chopped)
• 1/2 cup red onion (chopped)
• 1 jalapeño (de-seeded and chopped)
• 1 lime (juiced)
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 tbsp fresh cilantro (chopped)

Start by boiling the water and salt in a medium saucepan.  When the water comes to a boil, remove from the heat and add the couscous. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes. In the meantime chop the vegetables and remove the kernels from the ear of corn.

At this time roast the tomatillos on the grill until slightly charred.

Remove from the grill and chop.  Add these, as well as the other vegetables to the couscous and mix well.

Top with the lime juice, cilantro and cumin.

Mix together and your side is ready!

At this time the meatballs should be cooked through and ready to come off the grill.

Now remove the meatballs from the grill basket.

Place on a plate with the couscous and jalapeño sauce.

A unique and delicious dinner, but not for the faint of heart, this one is spicy!

One of my new favorite meals!

♣ Vegan Option: Substitute the egg with Ener-g vegan egg replacement in the meatballs. Instead of breadcrumbs use Food Should Taste Good gluten-free, vegan tortilla chips put through a food processor to form a fine crumb mixture. (Chips can be found at most major grocery stores) In the Sweet Jalapeño Sauce replace the greek yogurt with Veganaise, Vegan mayonnaise  and the Honey with Agave Nectar.

• “Add the Meat” Option: Use a ground beef and pork chorizo combination instead of soy chorizo.

♦ Gluten Free Option: Substitute traditional breadcrumbs with gluten-free breadcrumbs or use the chip crumb mixture from the Vegan Option above. Use gluten-free couscous for the side.

♥ All pottery seen on the littleleopardbook can be purchased by visiting www.longaberger.com/muffetbond or e-mailing keepsakebl@sbcglobal.net.