Welcome to Lexie’s Kitchen! Since 2007 we've been on a journey to recovery with our youngest son. Through diet and targeted biomedical treatments we have made great strides in healing him from the inside out. Click here for the full story and a few words about the ingredients I use.
Happy New Year my sweet friends! It's going to be a great one, I just know it.
If you're ready for a fresh start and some positive change, I invite you to follow the “31 Days of TeaLC” challenge Celestial Seasonings is hosting this month.
Hello from Jeanette's Healthy Living!
Hi everyone, I'm Jeanette from Jeanette's Healthy Living! Thanks so much Lexie for hosting me here at Lexies' Kitchen as part of the 2012 Gluten-Free All-Star Recipes event. What a fun way this has been to see the best of the best gluten-free recipes for 2012!
Our Story
I started Jeanette's Healthy Living 2 1/2 years ago as a place to record recipes I was making for friends with cancer. In December 2010, our youngest son was found to have food allergies and I began chronicling my journey to learn how to cook and bake gluten-free for my son. At first, I was at a loss at how to make his favorite meals free of the foods he was allergic to. Through an elimination diet, we were able to heal my son's gut and today, he is only gluten-free. Thanks to Lexie's Kitchen and other gluten-free blogs, I can now cook and bake gluten-free easily (most of the time).
I try to cook as healthy as I can for my family, but never sacrifice on flavor. My motto is that everything I make has to taste great. I'm always trying out new recipes and cuisines on my family, so you'll find all sorts of gluten-free recipes on my blog - North American, South American, Asian, European, and African. In fact, I've found it much easier to cook gluten-free because I have learned how to cook different cuisines that are naturally gluten-free.
My Favorite Recipe from 2012
Before revealing the 2012 Gluten-Free All-Star Recipes from my site, I want to highlight an all-star blogger and recipe that quickly became a family favorite in 2012. It's decadent, but perfect for a special occasion and lighter than you might expect—Chef Dennis' Spaghetti Fresca with Jumbo Lump Crab (served over gluten-free pasta of course!).
This dish is very easy to make and doesn't require a lot of ingredients. I've adapted this recipe slightly to make it saucier by adding more tomato and stretching the crabmeat (I use a 1-pound can from Costco's for 4-5 servings). This has become our kid's favorite 2012 celebratory dish and would be perfect for New Year's Eve. It's also perfect for anyone who is dairy-free and egg-free. Given how decadent crab is, I love how light this recipe is.
Jeanette's Healthy Living 2012 Gluten-Free All-Star Recipes
Now for the drumroll...This year the top three honors at Jeanette's Healthy Living go to Beginner Green Tea Smoothie, Detox Beet and Carrot Smoothie, and Strawberry Banana French Toast Casserole. Interestingly enough, two of my most popular recipes are for smoothies. These smoothie are so good for you, so I'm glad to see that they garnered so much interest. I know they'll be a great way to kick-start the New Year! I'm not at all surprised that the Strawberry Banana French Toast Casserole made the top 3 as it is a favorite in our house, easy to make, and so naturally beautiful.
Beginner Green Tea Smoothie
{Vegan, Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free}
I posted this recipe at the beginning of the year when everyone (including me) was coming off all the celebratory eating from the holidays, and ready to detoxify their bodies. I think people were especially drawn to this Beginner Green Smoothie because I served it in shot glasses. It was a great way to get my kids (and adults alike) to try a green smoothie. Here is the recipe.
Detox Beet and Carrot Smoothie
{Vegan, Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free}
This red smoothie is a tease because it is so vibrant in color and looks like it's going to taste like strawberries. I posted this smoothie recipe at the beginning of the year when I was trying to incorporate more vegetables at breakfast time. It is such a brilliant red color that my husband thought it was a strawberry smoothie. He drank it all, then looked at me with a puzzled face, wondering what was in the smoothie. I had "tricked him" into drinking something healthy—ha! Here is the recipe.
Strawberry and Banana French Toast Casserole
{Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free}
I first made this pretty French toast casserole for my kids after one of my sons had his wisdom teeth pulled and I wanted to make something soft and special. It's a great way to get kids to eat fruit at breakfast time, and it's really easy to make. One father wrote: "This is awesome!! My son and I made for my wife for Mother’s day. Easy to make and tastes great! Thanks for the recipe." Here is the recipe.
Follow Jeanette's Healthy Living
I hope you enjoyed my 2012 Top Recipes. Please pop over to Jeanette's Healthy Living and check out more recipes. I have lots of recipes focused on whole food living, all family tested.
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Hello from Sarah Bakes Gluten Free Treats!
Hi there! My name is Sarah and I love to bake...gluten free! I share all of my most favorite recipes and baking adventures over at Sarah Bakes Gluten Free Treats. From cakes, to cookies, to breads, to muffins. All of my recipes are gluten free, and you'll find dairy/egg free goodies too. I am so excited to be sharing my top 3 recipes on (insert your blog) for the 2012 Gluten Free All-Star Recipes event. So fun!
Hello from Tasty Yummies!
Hi there, I am Beth from Tasty Yummies! I am so excited to be here at Lexie's Kitchen as part of the 2012 Gluten-free All-Star Recipes event. Thanks so much to Lexie for having me!
I started sharing my gluten-free recipes on Tasty Yummies nearly 3 years ago when I decided to clean up my diet, cut out all processed foods and be much more mindful and aware of everything I was eating and where it was coming from.
Hello from Cara's Cravings!
Raise your hand if you're hungry.
Glad I'm not alone! Who wouldn't be ravenous after all the temptingly delicious 2012 Gluten-Free All-Star Recipes that have been shared around the web this week? Kudos (gluten-free ones, of course) to Lexie for coming up with this fabulous idea and rounding up some of the most talented gluten-free recipe developers to be a part of it. I'm honored to be a part of it! And big thanks to Lexie for featuring me today!
Something you should know about me is that I'm not your average gluten-free blogger. Believe it or not, I can tolerate gluten seemingly just fine, as can my husband (the only other member of my household for now, but that will be changing in a few short months!) And yet, just about everything I cook at home (and all of what has made it to my blog in recent years) is gluten-free. Everyone from gluten-eating carb-lovers to discouraged celiacs must be wondering, "Why do that to yourself if you don't have to?" If that is eating a variety of clean, wholesome foods that offer myriad nutritional benefits and never getting board, I'll happily keep doing it. Bonus if more people can enjoy my food because it happens to be gluten-fre—and if gluten-lovers can learn that there are good reasons to go beyond wheat flour every now and then.
Of course, I haven't always embraced this philosophy. I've always been a food lover, which was very evident as I was obese through early childhood and most of college. Things turned around in my early 20's, when I decided that someday I'd meet a wonderful guy and with that man I'd probably want to have children, not raise them to be obese, and that I'd be so in love with said husband and children that I'd want to live as long and active a life as possible and soak up every minute with them. This motivation was worth a lot more than simply wanting to fit into a pair of size 6 jeans. I adopted a (mostly) low-carlorie diet and began exercising until I reached a healthy weight. And how have I managed to stay there and indulge my love of food? By learning to cook! With colorful, nutritious, and exciting ingredients. It's funny how many people think you must deprive yourself to eat healthy as a food-lover; I think it's quite the opposite. I'm grateful to enjoy so many foods as it just opens up more possibilities for healthy, delicious things to eat.
Cara's Cravings Gluten-Free All-Star Recipes of 2012
Now that you know me, how about getting to know some of my recipes? Here are a few that my readers really loved in 2012.
Mint Chocolate Brownie Protein Bars
These Mint Chocolate Brownie Protein Bars were hugely popular both on the blog and in this house. In fact, they've spawned a wide variety of spin-off flavors we regularly enjoy, so much that I've considered putting out an e-book of all the flavors. Would you like to see something like this? These bars are sweet and chewy, naturally sweetened, and vegan—yet they boast 12 satisfying grams of protein, something I see missing from most dried-fruit-and-nut concoctions. Here is the recipe.
Salted Caramel Ice Cream
When going through this year's top views and comments, I was psyched to see my Salted Caramel Ice Cream right near the top! Just the other day I was telling my husband I *need* to make this again. I could tell you about the healthy, vegan ingredients and lack of refined sugar, but I'd rather let your mouth water with thoughts of rich, dark caramel blended into an unthinkably creamy base, perfect for scooping on top of a warm, gooey chocolate chip cookie. That's how we first fell in love with it! Here is the recipe.
Melon Mojito Fish Tacos
And since sweets aren't for everyone, I'm happy to share some savory nosh that went over particularly well. My Melon Mojito Fish Tacos are certainly not your average taco; but we love our tacos here and I rarely make normal ones. This fusion of zesty mint-and-lime marinated white fish topped off with bright purple cabbage and green honeydew melon was as pretty to look at as it was delicious to eat, and got me through a long-lasting summer affair with melon. Here is the recipe.
One of My Favorite Recipes of 2012
Finally, I want to highlight an extremely popular recipe that I can't take total credit for. This Strawberry "Cheesecake" with Almond-Macadamia Crust by my friend Alta of Tasty Eats at Home was the inspiration for my Vegan Blueberry Cheesecake Cupcakes—and a jumping point for me to begin incorporating cashews into more creamy dairy-free concoctions.
Follow Cara's Cravings
Once again, thanks to Lexie's Kitchen and all the other participating bloggers for making this such a yummy and fun event—and proof that 2012 is going to be hard to top!
Want to join me for a delicious 2013? Here's how you can stay in touch:
Subscribe to Cara's Cravings via email or your favorite reader
"Like" Cara's Cravings on Facebook
Follow @carascravings on Twitter
Check out my favorite recipes on Pinterest
See what I'm eating on Instagram
Copyright © 2013, Lexie's Kitchen. All rights reserved.
Affiliate Links: Some posts on this blog contain affiliate links. I receive a small commision whenver a product is purchased through these links. Occasionally I receive products in exchange for a review or giveaway post. However, all opinions expressed on Lexie's Kitchen are my own, and I only suggest products or services that I believe my audience could benefit from.
Disclaimer: I am not a doctor and the statements on this blog have not been evaluated by the FDA. Any products mentioned are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
Authorship: Lexie Croft
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