Apricot Oatmeal Cookies {Gluten Free} | Swirls and Spice

Apricot Almond Oatmeal Cookies {Gluten-Free}

As a lifelong chewy oatmeal cookie fan, these new cookies have me convinced that apricots are amazing in a cookie. And when you toss crunchy almonds into the mix? Triple win. If offered a choice between a chocolate chip cookie and an oatmeal cookie, I will pick the oatmeal every time. Unless it’s a chocolate chip oatmeal cookie. That just doesn’t sit right with me. I’ll take fruit with my … Continue reading Apricot Almond Oatmeal Cookies {Gluten-Free}

aiming4simpleJanuary 2016January 201611 Comments

Vegetarian Breakfast Casserole with Grits and Split Peas | Swirls and Spice

gluten free, recipes

Vegetarian Egg Casserole with Grits and Split Peas

Sage-accented eggs blend together with grits, mushrooms, celery, onions, and mild yellow or green split peas in this breakfast casserole fit for a vegetarian feast. I love being challenged to include a certain ingredient in new recipes I develop. So far this month I’ve been working to create dishes with split peas. The arancini and the peanut butter smoothie were definite winners, so I continued to experiment … Continue reading Vegetarian Egg Casserole with Grits and Split Peas

aiming4simpleJanuary 2016January 20168 Comments

gluten free, recipes, sweet, vegan

Peanut Butter Pulse Protein Smoothie

I’ve found the perfect breakfast and post-workout smoothie! No expensive whey protein or other powder is required, thanks to the yellow split peas contained within. Yellow split peas are a mild-tasting type of pulse that helps boost the protein and fiber in a super healthy way. This week’s Pulse Pledge challenge is to include pulses for breakfast. And this smoothie is such an easy, delicious way to … Continue reading Peanut Butter Pulse Protein Smoothie

aiming4simpleJanuary 2016January 201611 Comments

gluten free, recipes, vegan

Black-Eyed Pea Rice Pilaf

A traditional way to welcome the New Year, black-eyed peas get a boost of flavor from the bold Persian spice cardamom. With just five ingredients, this quick and easy basmati rice pilaf does double duty as either a side dish or vegetarian main dish. This pilaf is also very forgiving and can be made with other kinds of rice, like jasmine rice. The black-eyed peas, … Continue reading Black-Eyed Pea Rice Pilaf

aiming4simpleDecember 2015December 20152 Comments

recipes, sweet

Swedish Pepparkakor Cookies

The first Christmas I made pepparkakor, my son, who we call “the eating machine,” snuck past me and secretly devoured most of a heaping plate full. Probably about two dozen at once. So be warned. Baking these cookies is a risk. Well worth it though! Surprisingly, I did not encounter these cookies as part of my Swedish family heritage. Rather, I discovered them through a children’s Christmas … Continue reading Swedish Pepparkakor Cookies

aiming4simpleDecember 2015December 201512 Comments

gluten free, recipes, sweet, vegan

Flourless Cardamom Coconut Date Squares

Lightly sweetened oats spiced with cinnamon and cardamom surround the naturally sweet date filling in these squares, creating layers of warmth and richness.Cardamom has the power to transform a standard recipe into something remarkable. Rice pilaf? Better with cardamom. Swedish tea ring? Adding cranberries and cardamom elevates it into a fragrant, beribboned wreath. And there’s chai, like the mix I use in Chai Chokadbollar, which is simply incomplete without cardamom. I had a strong inkling that … Continue reading Flourless Cardamom Coconut Date Squares

aiming4simpleDecember 2015December 201517 Comments