Grajeda Family Salsa

8 cloves garlic (leave skin/paper on)
1/2 lb onion
1/2 lb jalapeno or sorreno peppers
4 lbs hot house tomatoes
2 lbs tomatillos
1 bunch cilantro
3 tblsp tomato paste
1/2 tsp cumin
salt to taste

Preheat oven to 500F degrees.

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Arrange garlic, onion, peppers, tomatoes and tomatillos on the baking sheet. (DO NOT REMOVE GARLIC PAPER) This will prevent the garlic cloves from burning and becoming bitter.

Place in oven until the skins of the red tomatoes break and begin to peel back. Remove skins/papers of the garlic. Place all roasted ingredients & cilantro into the food processor. Process until slightly chunky. Add tomato paste, cumin & salt. Process again. (DO NOT OVER-PROCESS or your salsa will get runny.)

Serve warm or refrigerate up to 2 weeks. I have froze this salsa many times and it defrosts nicely! :) Enjoy!!!

Oat & Nut Muesli

2c old fashioned oats
grated zest 2 oranges
1/4c orange juice
1/2c unsweetened shredded coconut
1 tsp cinnamon
3 tblsp slivered almonds
3 tlbsp sunflower seeds
3 tblsp sesame seeds
3 tblsp flaxseeds
3 tblsp amaranth puffs
3/4c dried currants, chopped dried apricots or dried cranberries


Preheat oven to 400F. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Pour the oats on the pan in a line. Top with zest and orange juice. Next pour the coconut in a line and sprinkle with cinnamon. Continuing this stripe pattern, add the nuts and seeds.  Bake for 10 minutes until lightly golden. Remove from oven and place in glass bowl. Toss with amaranth puffs and dired fruit.

Muesli can be stored for several weeks in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Refrigeration is needed to prevent the nuts and seeds from becoming rancid.

Flourless Chocolate Chip Blondies

I wish I could take credit for this recipe because quite frankly...it's amazing! Thank you to Monique at Ambitious Kitchen for this remarkable recipe! I have fallen in love with MANY of her dessert recipes. Gluten free baking is tricky business and I don't like to mess with perfection. Try out her Black Bean Avocado Brownies too...delicious!

Now to the Blondies! I'll post the recipe here, but please visit her website and check out her recipes and photos!

Flourless Chocolate Chip Chickpea Blondies with Sea Salt

olive oil spray
1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup all natural almond butter or peanut butter
1/3 cup pure maple syrup or agave nectar (you can also use honey if you’re not vegan)
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup vegan (or regular) chocolate chips plus 2 tablespoons
sea salt, for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and spray 8×8 inch pan with nonstick cooking spray.

In a food processor, add all ingredients except chocolate chips and process until batter is smooth. Fold in 1/3 cup of chocolate chips, I like to use dark chocolate because it has less sugar but it’s up to you. Note: Batter will be thick and super delicious, so you could actually just eat it on it’s own! (no eggs!)

Spread batter evenly in prepared pan then sprinkle 2 tablespoons of chocolate chips on top. (The batter may stick to your spatula, so I like to spray my spatula with nonstick cooking spray first.) Bake for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean and edges are a tiny bit brown. The batter may look underdone, but you don’t want them to dry out!

Cool pan for 20 minutes on wire rack. Sprinkle with sea salt then cut into squares. Makes 16 blondies.

For variations and nutrition information, visit the Ambitious Kitchen website.

Cheddar Jalapeno Chicken Burgers with Guacamole

1 1/2 pounds ground chicken
1/2c finely chopped yellow onion
1/4c finely chopped fresh cilantro
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tsp chopped jalapeño
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp paprika
1/3c finely shredded cheddar cheese
kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Prepare an indoor or outdoor grill over medium heat.  Transfer the ground chicken to a medium bowl. Add in the onion, cilantro, garlic, jalapeño, cumin, paprika, cheddar cheese, salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Using your hands, incorporate everything together. Make sure everything is evenly incorporated without over mixing the ground chicken. Form the mixture into four 1/2"-thick patties. Grill burgers over medium heat until cooked through, 5-7 minutes per side.

Serve each patty in a burger bun topped with guacamole and sour cream and salsa if desired.

Green Eggs & Bacon Sandwich

This sandwich was a stroke of genius and is a great lunch idea for kids. Lots of veggies, but they can't taste them!

Yesterday, I decided to use up a bag of fresh Kale I had lurking in the fridge. I hate letting food go to waste and unfortunately I bought one too many bags at Trader Joe's.  With the expiration date in sight, I wanted to make one of my favorite dips.  If you've never tried Kale Pesto, you are sooo missing out! Kale tends to be very fibrous and bitter unless prepared well.  Using it in a pesto is a great way to accentuate the natural flavor and healthy nutrients while masking the slightly bitter flavor.

And why not add some bacon? EVERYTHING can be fixed with BACON! That's right! I said bacon! Yes, you're still on a "healthy eating" blog.  At both Trader Joe's and Whole Foods, you can find a great selection of smoked, uncured meats with no nitrates or preservatives. They also have much less sodium than traditional bacon and when used in moderation can really spice up a meal :)

Green Eggs & Bacon Sandwich
1 egg, scrambled
2 slices uncured, nitrate free bacon
2 pieces of Udi's Gluten Free Whole Grain Bread
2 tblsp Kale Pesto (see recipe below)

Slowly saute bacon until crisp, set aside to drain.  Scramble your egg.  Toast your bread. Spread with Kale Pesto and top with bacon and eggs. It's just a little bit of heaven!!! :)

Kale Pesto
1/2c olive oil
1/2c grated parmesan cheese
3 medium garlic cloves, peeled
2-3c Kale Leaves, stems removed
3 tblsp pumpkin seeds
pinch pepper
pinch of salt (to taste, may omit)

Place all ingredients in blender/Vitamix until smooth and well combined. Keep refrigerated.

And why would you eat Kale, you ask? Check out these stats for yourself!!