Good Thyme Kitchen

You are here: Home / Archives for Dietary

Dietary

Flourless Peanut Butter M&M Cookies

by Leave a Comment

If you are a peanut butter fanatic, these are the cookies for you. They are rich and ridiculously moist – sorry to use the “M” word but it’s necessary when describing these cookies! The best part is that they can be in your mouth in 15 minutes flat.  Only 4 basic ingredients go into these cookies with 1 optional but really (NOT optional) ingredient..the m&m’s or dark chocolate chunks.  We say they are optional but who are we kidding? Just do yourself a favor and throw the m&m’s in too. If you are gluten free these cookies should be an absolute staple in your life.  Oh and by the way, you might as well double the recipe because we guarantee they won’t last long!

flourlesscookies

Flourless Peanut Butter M&M Cookies
 
Save Print
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Serves: Makes 12 cookies
Ingredients
  • 1 C peanut butter (We use Skippy natural for this recipe)
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • ½ C dark brown sugar, packed
  • ½ tsp vanilla
  • ¼ C mini m&m's or dark chocolate chunks (optional)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350. Add peanut butter, egg, brown sugar and vanilla together, mixing thoroughly. Either fold in m&m's or top with m&m's. Using a cookie scooper, drop cookies onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Use the back of a fork (may need dip fork in water so it doesn't stick to the cookie dough) to score and slightly flatten cookies. Top with m&m's if they weren't folded into the dough. Cook for 10 minutes, let cool for 2-3 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Quesadilla Bar with Fresh Pico de Gallo

by 1 Comment

Sometimes it’s the simplest of recipe concepts that create the biggest buzz.  I think it’s because they tend to be a spin on foods that we are comfortable with and have come to love.  Make your own quesadilla night at our house is something that I NEVER get complaints about.  Not only is it a family favorite but it’s fun to change it up each time with different ingredients.  One thing that is always included is homemade pico de gallo, quesadilla night is just not an option if pico is not on the table.

pico

If you have 5 minutes then you have enough time to make pico, and you will be so happy you did. It’s simply a mixture of chopped tomatoes, jalapeño, red onion, cilantro and fresh lime juice.  You can make this ahead of time which is even better because it gives the flavors time to marinate together.

As far as the quesadilla ingredients, that’s entirely up to you!  On this night we chose to go meatless and fill our quesadillas with roasted vegetables.  I used baby bell peppers, zucchini and a couple of ears of corn and it was a winning combination.

babypeppers

There are so many ingredient options to choose from, we also  like grilled chicken with sautéed mushrooms or black beans with sweet potatoes, just to name a few. If you are roasting vegetables, you can roast the vegetables ahead  as well so they are ready to go at dinnertime.  Now all this talk about quesadillas is making me hungry, I think it’s time to plan another quesadilla night STAT!

quesadilla2

Quesadilla Bar with Fresh Pico de Gallo
 
Save Print
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Serves: Serves 4
Ingredients
For the Pico de Gallo:
  • 4 Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
  • ½ jalapeno, seeded and chopped - use more if you like it spicy
  • ⅓ C chopped red onion
  • ⅓ C chopped cilantro
  • ½ lime, juiced
  • pinch of kosher salt
For the Roasted Vegetables:
  • 2 zucchinis, cut into 1 inch strips
  • 12 (or so) mini bell peppers, seeded with membranes removed and cut into strips
  • 2 ears corn, shucked
  • 2 Tbsp good quality olive oil
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
For the Quesadilla:
  • 8 flour tortillas
  • 1½ cups grated jack cheese (pepper jack, mozzarella, cheddar and gouda work well too)
Instructions
For the Pico de Gallo:
  1. Mix all ingredients together and serve or make up to one day in advanced and store in the refrigerator.
For the Roasted Vegetables:
  1. Preheat oven to 450
  2. Toss peppers and zucchini in a bowl with 1 1/12 Tbsp olive oil
  3. Line baking sheet with parchment paper and lay vegetables out on baking sheet. Rub remaining olive oil on corn and place on baking sheet as well. Sprinkle vegetables and corn with salt. Roast for approximately 30 minutes until vegetables are tender and slightly brown around the edges.
  4. Remove corn from cob and place vegetables on a platter or in individual serving bowls.
For the Quesadilla:
  1. Create your own quesadillas by placing cheese on one side of a tortilla and piling your favorite ingredients on the cheese. Top with another tortilla and cook over medium-high heat in a skillet until golden brown (about 2-3 minutes). With a spatula flip the quesadilla over and cook the other side. Remove from heat and cut into sections like a pizza. Serve with pico de gallo.

Elote (Mexican Street Corn)

by Leave a Comment

This is the stuff dreams are made of, no really it’s happened, I’ve actually had dreams about elote.  I probably just over-shared but now you know, elote or Mexican street corn, is one of my many food dreams. This particular dream may or may not be recurring, I will just leave you guessing on that one!

Elote is really best off of a sidewalk cart or a food truck but if you can’t have that then we’ve found the next best way, to make it at home.  Extra bonus is that our version of elote is probably half the calories as the real deal but it still tastes just as amazing.  Whether you like your corn on or off the cob, it’s great either way.  Better yet, try it both ways!

elote2

eloteoffcob

 

Elote (Mexican Street Corn)
 
Save Print
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 4 ears corn, shucked
  • 1-3 Tbsp canola oil
  • ⅓ C Fage 0% Greek yogurt (can also use mayo)
  • ⅓ C mexican crema (can also use sour cream)
  • ½ C cotija cheese, crumbled
  • ½ tsp chili powder + more for serving
  • ½ tsp cayenne powder + more for serving
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • ⅓ C cilantro, chopped
  • juice of 1 lime
  • ¼ tsp kosher salt
  • 1 lime, cut into wedges
Instructions
  1. Heat BBQ. While BBQ is heating, combine Fage, crema, garlic, ⅓ C cilantro, chili powder, cayenne powder and lime juice. Set aside
  2. Rub oil on corn. Grill corn evenly on all sides until golden brown and slightly charred but not burnt.
  3. Remove from grill. Roll corn through yogurt mixture. Sprinkle cotija, a dash of cayenne and chili powder and sprinkle with cilantro and serve with lime wedges.
Good Thyme Tip - You can also remove the corn from the cob. Just mix corn in a bowl with yogurt mixture and garnishings. Great either way!!

Peanut Butter Acai Bowl with Fresh Fruit, Homemade Granola and Honey

by Leave a Comment

This recipe is for all the Acai bowl lovers out there!! If you don’t know if you are an acai bowl lover, here is your chance to find out! We are pretty sure that you will become one after you try making these. The fun part about making acai bowls is that you can add in a variety of healthy ingredients of your choice and they all taste fantastic! We were feeling a little “nutty” today so we threw in some peanut butter. Terrible joke but we are going with it! Seriously though, we buy these frozen packs of Sambazon Acai berry and guana mix at Costco (they have it in regular grocery stores too) and toss them in the blender with whatever we have on hand. We added a little almond milk along with the peanut butter and topped it with some homemade GTK granola (store bought is great too), fresh blueberries and sliced bananas. This whole process took a whopping 5 minutes and just like that…breakfast is served! Kids are fed and at school. Peace out, time to go walk the dog now.

acai

Peanut Butter Acai Bowl with Fresh Fruit, Homemade Granola and Honey
 
Save Print
Prep time
Total time
 
Author:
Serves: 2
Ingredients
  • 2 - 3.5 oz single serve packs of Sambazon acai berry + guana mix (can be gound in the frozen section of most grocery stores or Costco)
  • 2 Tbsp natural peanut butter
  • ½ C light almond milk or other nut milk of choice
  • fresh berries and bananas
  • GTK homemade granola (search homemade granola) or store-bought granola
  • honey for drizzling on top
Instructions
  1. In a blender add acai, peanut butter and almond milk. Blend until smooth. Remove from blender and place in bowl. Top with fresh berries, sliced bananas, and granola. Drizzle with honey and serve immediately.
Good Thyme Tip - You can add whatever you like on top. Coconut flakes, slivered almonds or hemp hearts would also be good if you don't have granola on hand.

Spiralized Beet Salad

by Leave a Comment

I have to admit that growing up there was no way I was going to touch a beet with a 10 foot pole much less take a bite of a beet salad. I’m sure if my mom would’ve tried smearing hot fudge on top I would’ve considered taking a little taste but it never came to that I guess. I should ask my mom why she never thought of that tactic! Fast forward to my adulthood and I eat beets like they are going out of style. Typically I place them on a parchment lined roasting pan and roast them in the oven, remove the skin once cooled, cut them up and throw them in salads or just eat them as is. Most recently Courtney and I discovered that beets make the perfect spiralized dish, not to mention they look gorgeous this way. Just a warning….yellow beets will turn to a brownish color (not pretty but still good) when spiralized and roasted or steamed. If you want to keep your spiralized beets looking vibrant, stick to red beets. We tossed this spiralized beet salad with creamy goat cheese, salty pistachios, drizzled with our favorite honey lime vinaigrette and set over a bed of frisee lettuce. This salad is delicate but filled with bold flavors and it tastes as good as it looks! I’m glad I got over my beetphobia!!
beetsaladredhands

Stych Photography

Red beets especially can get a little messy so don’t wear your brand new white shirt while putting this salad together!

courtbeetsalad

Stych Photography

Courtney adding the Honey Lime Vinaigrette

beetsalad

Stych Photography

 

Spiralized Beet Salad
 
Save Print
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Serves: 4
Ingredients
For the Salad:
  • 1 large red beet, peeled and spiralized *See notes on how to prepare beets if you dont have a spiralizer.
  • 1 large handful frisee lettuce, chopped
  • 3 oz goat cheese
  • handful of pistachio nuts, shelled
  • S & P to taste
For the Honey Lime Vinaigrette:
  • juice of 2 large limes
  • 2 Tbsp honey
  • ⅓ C white balsamic vinegar
  • ¼ C good quality olive oil
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place spiralized beets on a parchment lined roasting pan and roast for 5 minutes. While beets are cooking, make the honey lime vinagrette.
  2. In a small bowl add all of the ingredients for the vinagrette except for the olive oil. Slowly drizzle the olive oil while whisking. Set aside
  3. Remove the beets from the oven and set aside to cool. Once cooled, trim the beets so they are the length of a spaghetti noodle. Place the frisee on a large plate, top with spiralized beets, sprinkle with goat cheese and pistachios, drizzle vinagrette over the top and season with S & P.
Good Thyme Tip - Thinly sliced oranges (skin removed) would be a great addition to this salad!
** If you do not have a spiralizer, leave skin on the beet and line roasting pan with parchment paper. Wrap beet in foil and roast in the oven at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Let cool, remove foil from beet and pull the skin off. Cut into slices, approx 1 inch pieces and use in salad instead of spiralized beets.

 

Salted Caramel Apple Dip

by 2 Comments

How do I say this without sounding a little bit like a bad mom? Ok, I will just come right out and say it…I’m happy that the kids are back in school, actually thrilled. It was time, summer was long enough and if I had to hear “I’m bored” one more time I was thinking of temporarily moving out. Those moms that look at me with a tear in their eye and tell me how hard it was to send their kids off to school and how much they miss them during the day. You know those moms? I often wonder if they really and truly feel that way or if they are just saying that because they think that’s what they are supposed to say. I think they are secretly doing cartwheels inside, but more power to them if that’s really how they feel. I on the other hand am a part of the thrilled that the kids are back in school club.

Okay, let’s regroup…sorry, I guess I’m just really excited about the back to school thing.  Since the kids aren’t as excited as I am about being back in school, I am making them this little slice of heaven to have when they get home today. Courtney and I started making this last year and it was such a hit with our kids we added it to our GTK favorite list. Salted caramel apple dip, yes it’s as good as it sounds. The caramel is simple to make and is actually healthy. Yes, healthy caramel exists when it’s made with dates and coconut oil. Your kids will love it and it just may end up being one of your favorite snacks too.

caramel apple dip'

5.0 from 1 reviews
Salted Caramel Apple Dip
 
Save Print
Prep time
Total time
 
Author:
Serves: Makes 1 cup
Ingredients
  • 10 medjooli dates, pitted
  • 1 Tbsp coconut oil
  • pinch of malden salt (or other course salt like sea salt)
  • 1 apple (honey crisp if available) sliced into wedges
Instructions
  1. In a food processor combine dates and coconut oil until mixed to a paste, scraping down sides. Romove from food processor and place in serving bowl, sprinkle with maldon salt. Serve with sliced apples, yum!!

Pasta with Broccoli Rabe, Mushrooms, Roasted Red Peppers & Goat Cheese

by Leave a Comment

Last night was one of those nights, like many nights in our house, that I had absolutely nothing planned for dinner. I had 4 hungry mouths looking at me asking what I was making and 3 of those mouths had been asking me what they were having for dinner since the second I picked them up from school. I guess that means that they think about food as much as I do! Sometimes I tell them that I have no idea what I’m making for dinner but secretly I have a few options up my sleeve; this was not one of those nights. I had to scramble and scrounge for a few ingredients I could throw together to make a meal.  Often times it’s those nights that I end up making something very easy and simple that becomes a family favorite.  This was one of those nights, all four of those hungry mouths absolutely loved this dinner…including mine, so that makes five!

The last of my produce was a large stalk of broccoli rabe and a package of crimini mushrooms, and I happened to have a bit of goat cheese left.  I found a jar of roasted red peppers, gluten free brown rice pasta and some chicken broth in the pantry.  These few ingredients mixed with a couple of other kitchen staples turned into an awesome dinner that I’m pretty sure you will be happy that we are sharing with you.  Now don’t be like me with no dinner plans, go grab these ingredients and serve this awesome pasta dish up tonight!

brocollipasta1

Pasta with Broccoli Rabe, Mushrooms, Roasted Peppers & Goat Cheese
 
Save Print
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • 10 oz GF brown rice pasta - or pasta of choice
  • 1 bunch broccoli rabe, bulky stems removed
  • 8 oz crimini mushrooms, sliced
  • ¾ C roasted red peppers, coarsely chopped
  • 1 tsp unsalted butter
  • 1 tsp good quality olive oil
  • 1 shallot, minced
  • ½ C dry white wine
  • 1 C chicken broth
  • 2 oz goat cheese, crumbled into chunks
  • 1 tsp red pepper flakes - optional
  • S & P to taste
Instructions
  1. Fill a large stock pot with water, generously salt and bring to a boil. Add broccoli rabe and remove with a mesh strainer after 30 seconds. Place broccoli into ice cold water (blanche), and then drain. Add pasta to the same pot of boiling water and cook according to package instructions.
  2. In a large skillet over medium heat melt butter and olive oil. Add shallots and sautee for 1 minute. Add sliced mushrooms and continue to cook for about 5 minutes. Turn up the heat to medium-high and add white wine. Let the wine cook off for about 1 minute. Add roasted peppers and chicken broth and simmer for about 3 minutes. Add broccoli rabe and season to taste with S & P, add red pepper flakes for spice (optional). In a large serving bowl add pasta, pour in the vegetables and sauce from the skillet and fold together. Top with goat cheese and additional red pepper flakes if you like it extra spicy!
Good Thyme Tip - Chicken is a great addition to this dish if you want to add protien.

Meusli

by Leave a Comment

By now you know our obsession with overnight oats. They are an answered prayer to those of us that want breakfast ready and waiting in the morning but don’t want to actually have to make it! Somehow having breakfast at your finger tips almost calling your name in the morning makes your day that much brighter. Meet overnight oats older sister, her name is Meusli. Meusli is a little more complex and sophisticated but don’t let her fool you, she’s easy just like her sister!!

I first had Meusli on one of the most memorable girls trips ever. I went to this super cool wellness resort outside of Tucson, AZ called Miraval. The resort experience is supposed to teach you how to gain greater self-awareness and experience personal growth. I did sucessfully climb way too high up a pole and shimmy across a tight rope, although I almost peed my pants during the process. I don’t know if I really accomplished any of the personal growth stuff. However, I had a blast with my friends and we ate a lot of awesome food! Isn’t that really the point of a girl’s trip anyways?

IMG_1523

The Meusli, along with the merengue cookies which is a must share as well, stuck with me and I have been making it ever since! It’s basically the same base as overnight oats (rolled oats combined with nut milk or dairy milk soaked overnight) but being the sophisticated older sister, Meusli has the added zip of orange juice and chopped apples. The citrus gives it an unexpected zing, in a good way! Just like Meusli’s little sister, Overnight Oats, you can’t help but fall in love with both of them…they really are great girls!

mesuli

Stephanie Heymann Photography

Meusli
 
Save Print
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 1¼ C rolled oats
  • ⅔ C unsweetened cashew milk - or milk of choice
  • ⅔ C 0% greek yogurt
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • ⅔ C orange juice
  • 3 Tbsp pure maple syrup
  • 1 apple peeled and chopped into ¼ inch pieces
  • ¼ C unsweetened coconut flakes
  • ½ C raisins
Good Thyme Tip ? - Also great to add sliced almonds, chia seeds, oranges...be creative!
Instructions
  1. Mix all ingredients thoroughly in a bowl. Cover and chill in refrigerator overnight or for 6 hours before serving.

Steamed Hard Boiled Eggs

by Leave a Comment

How frustrating is it when you boil up a nice batch of hard boiled eggs only to find that when it comes time to peel the egg, half of it gets stuck to the shell? That is seriously the worst!

Never fear, do we ever have the solution for you. Try steaming your eggs instead of boiling for a clean peel every time. This is seriously borderline life changing if you are as egg addicted as we are. We both wasted many years boiling our eggs, until our friend let us in on her little secret and it’s been steam city ever since. Peace out shell stuck eggs, our relationship is officially over!

steamedeggs

Steamed Hard Boiled Eggs
 
Save Print
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Serves: 12
Ingredients
  • 12 organic eggs - or desired amount
Instructions
  1. In a multi pot or steamer add eggs to the steamer basket, fill pot with approximately 1 inch of water, cover with lid and bring to a boil. Once boiling, continue to boil for 12 minutes. Remove from heat and remove eggs in steamer basket from pot. Let cool or if you are in a big hurry to eat the eggs, blanch the eggs in ice cold water.

Gluten Free Pesto Pasta with Sautéed Baby Hierloom Tomatoes, Fresh Spinach and Feta

by 1 Comment

We are obsessed with this dish. How can something with so few ingredients be bursting with so much flavor? Well, the answer is easy…Pesto!! We have a little bit of a love affair with pesto. It can honestly be life changing…okay, that could be a stretch but seriously, that’s how strongly we feel about it. Making up a batch of pesto takes only a few minutes and then you can easily transform anything into the most flavorful dish ever. So for this amazing creation, we just boiled up some gluten free pasta that we had in the pantry, sautéed some gorgeous baby heirloom tomatoes in a little olive oil and then tossed it all together with some fresh spinach and feta cheese and voila! There you have it folks, an easy peasy healthy pasta dinner. The great thing about this dish is that the leftovers are amazing too.  Hopefully you have some left so you can enjoy this one again tomorrow!

pestopasta

Pesto Pasta with Sautéed Baby Hierloom Tomatoes, Fresh Spinach and Feta
 
Save Print
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • ½ lb GF brown rice pasta (TJ's - or pasta of choice)
  • 1 small container mini organic hierloom tomatoes, halved
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 3 C loosely packed fresh spinach, stems removed and chopped
  • ⅓ C feta cheese, crumbled
  • approx ⅓ C pesto - (see homemade recipe below- can also use store-bought)
  • approx ½ C reserved pasta water
  • S & P to taste
For the Pesto:
  • 2 C packed fresh basil leaves
  • ¼ C toasted pine nuts
  • 1 cloved garlic, chopped
  • ½ C grated parmesan cheese
  • ½ C good quality olive oil
  • S & P to taste
Instructions
For the Pesto:
  1. In a food processor combine basil, cheese, garlic, pine nuts and ¼ C olive oil. Slowly drizzle in the remaining ¼ C olive oil while the food processor is running. Season with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste. Store remaining pesto in airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
For the Pasta:
  1. Boil large pot of generously salted water. Add pasta, stirring occasionally. While pasta is boiling, heat olive oil in a medium sized skillet over medium heat. Add tomatoes and cook for approx 5 minutes until they begin to break down. Remove from heat and set aside. When pasta is done remove approx ½ C of water before draining. Drain pasta and place back into original pot. Add spinach and stir to incorporate, add pesto and water, pouring water slowly as to not add too much. Add tomatoes and feta and fold into pasta. Season with S & P and transfer to a serving bowl. May need to adjust pesto measurements depending on how strong of a pesto flavor you prefer.