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Creamy Balsamic Dressing

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To say I could drink this dressing might sound aggressive but I’m sorry, not sorry…it really is that good!  Making you own salad dressing is not only easier than you think, but it’s a million times tastier (and healthier) than buying the bottled stuff.  If you have never tried making your own dressing, we insist that you give it a try, starting with this balsamic dressing.  We guarantee that you will never buy the pre-made stuff again.  This creamy balsamic is a GTK favorite, it goes with everything.  It’s literally just six simple ingredients, takes 5 minutes to make and will last up to a week in the fridge.  How can you argue with that?  The combination of the tang of the balsamic, the sweetness of the maple syrup and the creaminess of the greek yogurt knocks this one out of the park!  Drizzle this over your favorite salad and you are going to be happy happy!!

saladdrizzle

Creamy Balsamic Dressing
 
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Serves: Approx ½ C
Ingredients
  • 1 clove garlic, chopped
  • 2 Tbsp 0% Greek yogurt
  • 1 Tbsp pure maple syrup
  • 1 Tbsp dijon mustard
  • 3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 3 Tbsp good quality olive oil
Instructions
  1. Using a food processor, blender, or immersion blender - add all ingredients except olive oil and process until smooth, slowly drizzle in the olive oil and continue to process until incorporated. Store in airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Chocolate Chocolate-Chip Meringue Cookies

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These simple meringue cookies are one of our favorite treats. They are light and airy and crispy and gooey and chocolatey all at the same time.  Sounds like the perfect combination, right?

Meringue cookies are made of primarily egg whites and powdered sugar.  The outside forms a light crunchy shell and the inside stays gooey and chocolatey.  As far as cookies go they are on the lighter side with only about 70 calories per cookie.  Now that’s a good excuse to have more than one if you ask me!

I’ve never claimed to be a master baker, these cookies should’ve been a bit more on the pillowy side, but I over-mixed the egg whites a bit.  Oh well, they still taste amazingly perfect in every way.  I actually prefer them this way because they are like little stuffed sandwiches.  Believe me, nobody was complaining that they weren’t puffy!

These cookies are a fun and healthier alternative to your typical chocolate chip cookie.  You are still getting your chocolate fix but missing out on the flour and butter.  I don’t know about you but when I need my chocolate fix I NEED my chocolate fix….like get out of my way because I really need it!!  These cookies satisfy that chocolate craving in every way which makes me a much nicer person to be around. Ha ha….kidding but not really kidding!

Give these chocolatey meringue cookies a try next time your sweet tooth is calling your name.  And remember, it’s probably best if you have at least two or more…especially if you make them on a day when you NEED your chocolate fix too!


Chocolate Chocolate-Chip Meringues
 
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Serves: 32 cookies
Ingredients
  • 5 egg whites
  • ½ tsp cream of tartar
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 3 C powdered sugar
  • ½ C cocoa powder
  • ½ C mini chocolate chips
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Using a stand mixer or hand mixer beat egg whites, cream of tartar and salt until soft peaks form. Add in powdered sugar and cocoa powder at a low speed. Fold in chocolate chips.
  2. Line 2 large cookie sheets with parchment paper. Fill a piping bag or large ziploc bag with meringue batter. If using a ziploc bag cut a ½ inch hole on one of the bottom ends of the bag. Pipe approximately 1 oz of merengue batter in the shape of a circle, continue until cookie sheets are filled.
  3. Bake 20-25 minutes until a crust forms on the top of the cookies. Remove from oven and cool completely on sheet pan. Remove from parchment and enjoy! Store in an dry airtight container.

Guiltless Shamrock Shake

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The shamrock shake is something we look forward to every year around St. Patty’s day.  The only problem is they are not exactly healthy.  We decided to come up with our own version with all of the fresh minty taste but without the mint chocolate chip ice cream.  Believe it or not you won’t miss the ice cream when you taste our “healthy” version.

Packed with frozen bananas, spinach, greek yogurt, fresh mint and some other key ingredients you will be making this shake again and again.  It’s also kid approved, as you can see Blaise was loving his shake!

If you’re looking to cut the fat and calories this St. Patty’s day but still want to indulge in the quintessential Shamrock Shake, look no further.  We guarantee you will love this shake just as much as Blaise does!


Guiltless Shamrock Shake
 
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Serves: 1
Ingredients
  • 1 frozen banana (approx 1 C, sliced)
  • 1 C spinach, packed
  • approx 12 fresh mint leaves
  • ¼ C 0% Greek yogurt
  • ½ C almond milk - or milk of choice
  • ¼ tsp vanilla extract
  • ¼ tsp peppermint extract
  • 1 Tbsp agave nectar
  • tiny pinch kosher salt
  • 1 Tbsp shaved chocolate to top (can also use mini chocolate chips or cacao nibs)
Instructions
  1. Add all ingredients except shaved chocolate in a blender. Blend on high speed until smooth. Pour into a cup and top with shaved chocolate, serve immediately.

Dublin Cold Brew (Irish Whiskey)

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It’s almost St. Patty’s Day and what else do you do on St. Patty’s day besides enjoy an Irish whiskey cocktail…or two! We teamed up with our favorite bartender, Will Simpson, from Nori Sushi in Scottsdale for this extra special drink.

Will is known for his creative drinks and he did not disappoint with this “lightened up” version of an Irish coffee.

If you haven’t been to Nori Sushi in Scottsdale yet, it’s about time you take a little trip for some amazing sushi and of course a handcrafted drink from Will.  You will become a regular just like we are!

We asked Will to explain how he came up with this St. Patty’s inspired cocktail.  See below…

I LOVE a good Irish coffee just as much as the next guy, if not a little more. There’s just one thing holding me back: I’m lactose-intolerant. Since heavy cream is the enemy, and I’m looking to cut back a few calories, I came up with this solution. Bailey’s Almonde is an almond milk-based variation to everyone’s favorite Irish Cream. The honey is a great natural alternative to sugar with the added benefit of being healthier. Cold brew just brings it all home with 3x the caffeine of black coffee. This drink is an amazing, healthy and modern interpretation of an old classic. – Will Simpson

Cheers and happy drinking!!

 

Dublin Cold Brew
 
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Serves: 1
Ingredients
  • 1oz Jameson Irish Whiskey
  • 1oz Baileys Almonde (their new almond milk version)
  • 1.5oz Cold Brew (Starbucks version is great!)
  • 0.5oz clover honey
Instructions
  1. Pour all ingredients into a cocktail shaker, add some ice and shake like crazy. Strain into a martini glass - if you can put the glass in the freezer beforehand that's ideal. Cheers!

Gnocchi with Butternut Squash & Kale

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I can remember growing up making homemade gnocchi with my Nana.  Cooking with her is one of my favorite childhood memories, it was our special time together doing what we both loved to do.  The hours spent growing up in an Italian kitchen with my Nana and my Mom are priceless, I learned to appreciate the process of cooking with real food.  Just the taste of a dish we used to make together like gnocchi brings back the  most vivid memories that I feel so blessed to have experienced.  Cooking with others and creating a meal together is priceless, food really has a remarkable way of bringing family, friends and strangers together.  It’s something so simple but so special.  Our hope through this blog is that we are inspiring you to spend more time in the kitchen cooking with real food.  These are special moments that you can create with your own children, grandchildren, family and friends that they will look back on with fond memories and remember as well.  Okay, just had to share that little message because we both are so passionate about the food that we create and pass on to all of you!

Now…on to this bomb dish!  We did not make this gnocchi from scratch but that’s okay, it still tastes amazing.  This is really a one dish dinner since we threw kale and butternut squash in the mix.  Any good gnocchi must have fontina cheese sprinkled on top, I mean it’s just a requirement.  The butternut squash brings such a creamy and sweet texture and the kale really balances everything out.  Do not skip the red pepper flakes, the added hint of heat is an unexpected twist that is a huge part of making this dish irresistible.

If you aren’t familiar with gnocchi, they are cute little potato dumplings that literally melt in your mouth.  There are tons of different ways to serve gnocchi from tossing them with a simple marinara sauce to adding them to soup, to creating a dish like this with veggies. My guess is once you make this recipe you will  fall in love with gnocchi as well.  Taking just 35 minutes to serve up you can have this on your table for dinner tonight!


Gnocchi with Butternut Squash & Kale
 
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Serves: 6 as a side dish , 4 as a main dish
Ingredients
  • 3 C cubed butternut squash, peeled and seeded and cut into ½ inch chunks
  • 1 Tbsp melted unsalted butter
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 Tbsp chopped fresh sage
  • ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
  • ½ tsp kosher salt
  • 1¼ C low-sodium chicken broth
  • 8 C kale, stemmed and chopped
  • 1 16 oz package mini gnocchi
  • 1 C grated fontina cheese
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to broil. a large skillet with high sides melt butter over medium heat. Add chopped squash and cook, stirring occasionally for 12 minutes, or until softened and slightly golden. Add garlic, sage and red pepper and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
  2. Add chicken broth and bring it to a simmer. Add kale, gnocchi and salt and stir to coat. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Remove lid and add ¼ C fontina cheese. Transfer mixture to a casserole pan. Top with remaining cheese and broil for 3-5 minutes, until cheese begins to turn golden and bubbly.

Blood Orange, Fennel & Goat Cheese Salad

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Behold the holy grail of beautiful, light, fresh and delicious salads!!  This blood orange, fennel and goat cheese salad will not disappoint.  The star of this show is the ever amazing blood orange.  How can you not love these guys?  The gorgeous vibrant purplish color and the sweet citrus flavor pair perfectly with the fennel and creamy goat cheese.  Not only that, but the blood orange is also a nutritional powerhouse!  It’s loaded with antioxidants and is supercharged with vitamin C.  Boom!  Citrus is very much in season here in the desert and we are taking full advantage.  You just can’t go wrong with food that tastes amazing and is good for you.

This salad is super easy to make.  We used some beautiful organic mixed greens that we picked up at the farmers market.  You can use whatever greens you like.  Just combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and toss with a little quality olive oil and rice vinegar.  Sprinkle with a little salt and fresh cracked pepper and serve!  Bring this salad to your next dinner party as a side dish and everyone will be thanking you!


Blood Orange, Fennel & Goat Cheese Salad
 
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Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 3 handfuls organic mixed greens
  • ¼ C Fennel bulb sliced thin intro strips
  • 2 blood oranges, skin removed and cut into segments
  • 1 naval orange, skin removed and cut into segments
  • ¼ C crumbled goat cheese
  • drizzle of good quality olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp + rice vinegar
  • S & P to taste
Instructions
  1. In a salad bowl or plate layer mixed greens, fennel, oranges and goat cheese. Drizzle with olive oil and rice vinegar. Sprinkle with S & P to taste.

Himalayan Salt Block Salmon with Lemon

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Anyone else out there have experience cooking on a himalayan salt block?  So I have to be honest, Courtney and I both bought a salt block at the same time and tucked it away in the pantry for a solid 6 months.  I had good intentions to use it right after I bought it but that didn’t happen.  We both have friends who have used them who had nothing but amazing things to say about how delicious the food turns out.  I’m so glad I finally broke out the salt block because it’s a major game changer. Wow!

There’s just a little preparation that you need to do with the block before you cook on it.  It needs to be tempered as it is actually pretty delicate and you don’t want it to break.  It needs to be heated slowly…slow and steady baby!  Heating it up too quickly can cause it to crack.  So, follow the manufacturer’s instructions when you decide to give it a go.  (Which I’m sure will be soon after I tell you how ridiculously Ah-mazing this salmon was).  Oh, and keep in mind there are very few ingredients in this dish which we love so it’s easy peasy!  You don’t need a lot of added “stuff” as the salmon is the star of the show here. Literally, just salmon, fresh lemons, quality olive oil, cracked pepper and this cool salt block will do the rest!

We decided to also do some fun fingerling potatoes with fresh rosemary on the grill with the salmon.  Just trying to keep it simple!  A little asparagus or light salad and you have yourself a gorgeous dinner!  Once the salmon had cooked on one side, I flipped it and topped it with some fresh lemon slices.  The flavor was off the hook and just look at how pretty it was too!  This is an excellent dinner to serve to guests…winning in multiple categories…taste, uniqueness, simplicity and well, presentation! Don’t waste any more time.  Go buy one of these salt blocks and give it a try.  We are so excited to try some more recipes.  We promise to share them as soon as we do!


Himalayan Salt Block Salmon with Lemon
 
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Serves: 4 - 6
Ingredients
  • 1 himalayan salt block
  • 2 lbs salmon - preferably wild king
  • 1 lemon, cut into thin slices
  • 1 tsp good quality olive oil
  • cracker pepper
Instructions
  1. Turn on BBQ, place salt block on grill and allow to heat up as the BBQ heats.
  2. Prep salmon by rubbing olive oil on the flesh side. Season with cracked pepper.
  3. Place salmon on salt block skin side up. After approximately 5 minutes flip salmon. Add lemon slices to the top, cover grill and cook an additional 5 minutes until cooked through.
*Note - Allow salt block to cool for 24 hours before rinsing and wiping clean with a sponge, do not use soap. Allow 24-48 hours to dry.

Simple Garbanzo & Lemon Salad

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AS SEEN ON YOUR LIFE A TO Z!

There is nothing better than fresh produce from the local farmers market, like this Mexican green onion, you just can’t buy it like this in the grocery stores.  What’s a girl to do with a bunch of beautiful green onion bulbs??? Make one of her favorite garbanzo and lemon salads, that’s what!! This is such a simple salad and a GTK fav, it takes under 10 minutes to throw together and you can enjoy it all week long.  We usually double the batch just to make sure we don’t run out too quickly…that would be bad!

To assemble the salad drain and rinse garbanzo beans and add them to a bowl.  Add sliced bulb green onion, shaved parmesan cheese, chopped basil and a few tablespoons of our favorite lemon vinaigrette, season with S&P and just like that, you are done!!

You will have leftover lemon vinaigrette to enjoy the rest of the week as well.  Drizzle it over your favorite green salad or a piece of salmon. We like to add a few large spoonfuls of this bean salad to a bowl of arugula and top with additional lemon vinaigrette to make it into a green salad.  Adding a chopped avocado is also fab, because everything is better with avocado, right?


Simple Garbanzo & Lemon Salad
 
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Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 1 15oz can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
  • ½ bulb mexican green onion (bulb green onion), sliced thin
  • 2 Tbsp fresh basil, sliced into thin strips
  • 1 Tbsp shaved parmesan
  • 3 Tbsp lemon vinaigrette
  • S & P to taste
For the Lemon Vinaigrette:
  • 1 shallot chopped
  • 2 Tbsp honey
  • 1 Tbsp dijon
  • juice of 1 large lemon
  • ¼ C olive oil
  • kosher salt to taste
Instructions
For the Salad:
  1. In a medium bowl add garbanzo beans, sliced onion, shaved parmesan and basil. Drizzle with vinaigrette and season with S & P to taste. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
For the Lemon Vinaigrette:
  1. Add first 4 ingredients to a blender or use an immersion hand blender. Slowly pour in the olive oil. Season with salt to taste.

Oven Baked Beet Chips

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Whether you are a beet lover or not, you need to try these easy oven baked beet chips. Simple to make and so good! They make an awesome snack or serve them as an appetizer.

You can use any color beet, or mix up the colors for an extra colorful bowl of beet chips. Peel the beets with a vegetable peeler and use a mandolin or an extra sharp knife and slice the beets as thin as possible.  Line sliced beets on parchment lined roasting pans and spray with coconut oil.  As the beets cook begin checking them after 15 minutes, some beet chips will cook faster than others so remove the cooked chips and let the thicker chips cook longer.  Once they are done baking sprinkle with sea salt and serve!


Oven Baked Beet Chips
 
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Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 2 large red beets
  • coconut oil spray
  • sea salt
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using a vegetable peeler, peel outer layer of skin off of beets.
  2. Using a mandalin or a sharp knife, cut beets as thin as possible. Line beets on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Spray beets with coconut oil spray and sprinkle with sea salt. Bake 15-25 minutes, thicker slices will take longer. Begin checking beets after 15 minutes and remove slices that are cooked. Continue to let thicker slices cook, checking continually and removing when cooked.
  3. Sprinkle with sea salt and serve.

Crustless Spinach & Cheddar Quiche Cups

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Your crazy busy weekday mornings just got easier!!  What if we told you that you can have a delicious, healthy and filling breakfast ready before you even wake up?  These make ahead crustless spinach and cheddar quiche cups are beyond easy to make and a huge time saver.  It’s no secret that prepping your meals in advance helps you to make better choices in a pinch.  These delicious little quiches take only minutes to prepare and then breakfast is prepared for the next few days.  The kids love these and  parents love the healthy “grab and go” concept in the morning.

Just simply sauté  your spinach, prepare the egg mixture, add the green onions and cheese. Use cupcake liners or use parchment paper like we did, (we were out of cupcake liners) pour mixture into the cups and pop them in the oven.

Allow these guys to cool and store them in a airtight container in the fridge.  In the morning, just zap them in the microwave for about 30 seconds and voila, reakfast is served!  We are big fans of all things healthy, quick and easy at GTK!


Crustless Spinach & Cheddar Quiche Cups
 
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Serves: 10
Ingredients
  • 1 tsp good quality olive oil
  • 3 C spinach, stems removed and chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • ½ C cheddar cheese
  • 2 green onions, green tops only, chopped
  • 1½ C fat free half and half
  • 3 eggs, beaten
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • ½ tsp ground pepper
Instructions
  1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and sautee for 1 minute. Add chopped spinach and cook for 1-2 minutes until wilted. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
  2. In a large bowl add all remaining ingredients. Add spinach and mix thoroughly.
  3. Line muffin tins with cupcake liners or parchment paper. Mixture fills 10 cups evenly. Bake for 30 minutes until no longer jiggly and top begins to turn golden brown. Store in tupperware in the fridge, reheat in the microwave for 30 seconds.