Recipes – Page 2 – The Creative Salad

Quick Rice Krispie Treats

Most pregnant women crave pickles and ice cream.

I am not one of those women.

This pregnancy I’ve been craving string cheese and cucumbers. When I was pregnant with my four year old, I craved string cheese and kiwi fruit. No, really. I know, it’s weird.

The other day though a rice krispie treat craving hit that just couldn’t be ignored. I do believe it’s been a full decade since I’ve had that gooie, tasty dessert. Oh, my, was I in for a treat.

This recipe for Gluten-free Brown Butter Rice Krispies took 5 minutes, tops, and was absolutely delicious.

This recipe was SO easy and such an over-the-top tasty treat. Go make it!

How to Quickly Cook Dried Beans in an Electric Pressure Cooker

Remember that Christmas present that I was less than thrilled about? Well, I’ve been using it nearly every day. That electric pressure cooker was just the present I didn’t know I needed. (Thanks again, David!)

Here’s how I make a pot of beans. The prep takes five minutes tops, the pressure cooker does all the work (with the push of a button), and the meal costs pennies.

To two cups of dried beans (e.g. chickpea, pinto or black), add two tablespoons of olive oil, two garlic cloves (either whole to remove later or crushed for a more fully infused garlic flavor), two bay leaves, and a whole lot of freshly ground black pepper.

Add water, plug in the electric pressure cooker, press the “beans” function, and about an hour later the beans are done ready for burritos, chili, nachos or salad. (Don’t forget to season the beans generously with salt!)

I love a tasty, quick, and cheap meal, especially one our daughter enjoys helping with:

What quick meals have you been enjoying lately?

A Healthier Popcorn Recipe

I’m not going to lie: I sometimes let our daughter eat popcorn for dinner. I can make all sorts of excuses: it’s late; we’ve had a long day; popcorn is super easy; she adores it. But the truth is we’ve found a way to make regular popcorn into a filling, nutritious, and protein-rich snack chock full of omega-3’s, omega-6’s, vitamins B-1, B-2, B-12, C, E, and carotene, iron, zinc, lignins, and lauric acid.

When the kid says she wants popcorn for dinner, I can’t argue with that!

Here’s our family’s favorite popcorn recipe (thanks to our friend Mariah for the flax seed oil tip!):

We melt coconut oil in the bottom of our stovetop popcorn popper and pop around 1/3 cup of popcorn kernels.

We then thoroughly coat the popped popcorn with 1-2 tablespoons of flax seed oil. On top of that we mix in 1/4-1/2 cup of nutritional yeast, depending on how coated we want the popcorn (my daughter and husband like every kernel completely covered in yeast!), and a pinch of salt.

If you’re like our four year old, than you may want a side bowl of nutritional yeast to go with your popcorn so you can roll each kernel until it’s mounded in nutritional yeast (oh, the protein! oh, the B-vitamins!).

It’s finger-licking good!

Please try it and let us know what you think!

Fruit Salad Upgrade

I love when a single ingredient transforms a dish. On our trip to San Diego last month, I ordered a fruit salad containing simple ingredients: apple, strawberries, banana, dried cranberries, and a sprinkling of DRIED COCONUT!

That last ingredient made all the difference.

I gobbled it up and couldn’t wait to make it at home.

An easy, tasty fruit salad that feels truly decadent. I love a healthy dessert.

Healthy Chocolate Pudding Recipe

This chocolate pudding tastes decadent, but is actually quite healthy! You’ll never guess what’s in it…

… chia seeds!

I’ve heard for years that chia seeds are good for you — they’re rich in omega-3 fatty acids and once soaked in water they can help with hydration. While David drinks a cup full every morning, I have never been able to get past their texture… until now!

David added his own spin to this chia seeds chocolate pudding recipe I found on Pinterest, adding a banana to the mix and blending the chia mixture in the Vitamix to create a smooth texture.

Here’s how to make this rich tasting, yet healthy dessert:

In a medium sized bowl, add 1/4 cup chia seeds, 3/4 cup milk, 1 heaping tablespoon of cocoa powder, and a splash of vanilla extract (optional):

Thoroughly stir the mixture, then allow it to sit for at least 10 minutes so the chia seeds can absorb the chocolate milk. Look how it thickens during that time:

Add this mixture to your blender with a banana, sweetener of your choice (we used 2 tablespoons of maple syrup since our banana was barely ripe), and enough milk to thin the mixture so it moves freely in your blender (we used about 1/2 a cup):

Blend on high until smooth:

Serve and enjoy!

Yum!