Brain Food Salad Dressing

Flaxseed oil is my jam. It’s one of my top recommendations to clients.  Its chock full of brain healthy, inflammation reducing omega 3 fatty acid. But the best part is its one of the cleanest sources of omega3s.  Although I love the taste, I get that some of my clients can’t stand it.  Here’s a simple and delicious salad dressing recipe that will give you your flax seed oil while also masking the flax seed oil taste.  

Its a simple dressing you can use liberally on any salad.  I love it with a good chopped salad. It tastes fresh and light.  I chop whatever raw veggies (or roasted) I have in my fridge and mix in this dressing.  Goes well with romaine, tomatoes, avocado, cucumber, black olives.  Or use whatever you've currently got going on.  Its as versatile as whatever you got in your fridge.  Its so simple and easy!  But the best part is you're lowering your body's inflammation and improving your brain health.  Its a win-win!

Ingredients:

• 4 Tablespoons flaxseed oil
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1.5 tablespoon yellow mustard
• 2-3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Method:

Mix ingredients in a small bowl.  Mix dressing onto salad of choice.  Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

A real winner.  This is a new and improved recipe for this holiday season.  And the verdict came in with glowing reviews.  Probably the best bars we've made to date. It's healthy, delicious, and guilt-free.  Could you really ask for more?

Try it for dessert, a snack, or a healthy on-the-go breakfast.  It's all good and yummy. 

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups oat bran blended to flour
• 1 cup pumpkin purée
• 1/2 cup almond butter
• 1 cup almond or cashew milk 
• 2 banana 
• 1/2 cup pitted dates 
• 1 tsp - 1.5 tsp pumpkin spice 
• 1 tsp Ceylon cinnamon 
• 1 tsp baking soda 
• Generous handfuls of chocolate chips.  I use Lily's brand stevia sweetened vegan chocolate chips. 

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Blend oat bran in a blender till a flour forms. 
3. Blend all other ingredients. 
4. Mix in handfuls of chocolate chips and stir into batter. 
5. Place batter in a parchment paper lined baking pan.
6. Bake at 350 for 35 mins or until toothpick comes out clean 

Creamy, No-Cream, Green Spread

Ingredients:

• 1 can garbanzo

• 1 avocado

• 3 tablespoons flax seed oil

• 2 tablespoons garlic powder or to taste

• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

• 1 tablespoon Himalayan or sea salt (or to taste)

• Optional: hemp seeds

Method:

Step 1: In a food processor or blender, blend all the ingredients. 

(Optional) step 2: Top with hemp seeds if using. 

Step 3: eat

Forget mayo. This spread is tastier and 10x healthier than mayo.  But you can use it for all the same things you'd use mayo for and probably 100 other things that you wouldn't use mayo for. 

My favorite uses:

1. Sandwich spread
2. Tasty dip for veggies. 
3. Spread on top of grilled veggies, grilled fish, or grilled chicken.
4. Or turn into a delicious salad dressing by adding more flax seed oil and red wine vinegar. 

The Nutritional Low Down

Garbanzo beans are an excellent source of fiber, protein and the essential vitamin, Folate.  Folate helps prevent cancer by protecting cell development. The fiber in garbanzo beans help keep you full longer, lower cholesterol and help support regularity. 

Flax seed oil is one of the cleanest sources of Omega 3 fatty acid.  Omega 3 fats are essential at lowering inflammation in our bodies and supporting healthy brains. 

Avocado has more potassium than bananas and is loaded with fiber and nutrients.  Studies have shown that eating avocados can increase HDL ("good") cholesterol and lower LDL ("bad") cholesterol.  It also works to improve blood triglycerides by up to 20%. 

Chocolate-Dipped-Strawberries Breakfast Cake

Please excuse the big photo of my head....

I was conducting a workshop this week on how to make quick meals.  So the night before I quickly made a batch of my famous Mimi's bars.  In a snap, I decided to make another flavor as well that was equally as healthy.  Enter these Chocolate Dipped Strawberries Breakfast Bar.  The ingredients were all things I had lying around and the prep work was ridiculously simple.  

The real shocker was when they were nearly all eaten half way through the workshop.  They were definitely a hit!

“Word to the Wise: Oats are generally heavily sprayed with pesticides, do yourself a favor and purchase organic oats and oatbran. ”

What I love about them (in addition to how easy and delicious they are), is is that they are full of fiber.  Oat bran, which by now, you know I eat daily, is so full of really good for you fiber and protein.  It makes a wonderful on-the-go breakfast that keeps your body healthy. 

 These bars are wonderful for either breakfast or a healthy dessert.  They are also intensely moist, which I personally love!

It was a seamless process to make.  Toss in blender, then bake.  Full recipe deets below. 

INGREDIENTS

• 1.5 cups raw almonds (can sub almond butter or almond flour)
• 2.5 cups oatbran 
• 2 heaping tablespoons coconut butter 
• 3 ripe bananas 
• 1 handful of pitted dates
• 1 pack frozen strawberries 
• 1-2 cups of plant based milk
• 1 pack frozen raspberries (or another pack of frozen strawberries, bur raspberries work best)
• 1 cup sugar free chocolate chips ( I used stevia sweetened Lily's brand chocolate chips)
• OPTIONAL: coconut flakes for topping

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Blend almonds in a high speed blender until a powder is formed. 
3. Throw everything else except the raspberries and the chocolate chips in the blender. 
4. Blend until smooth.  Adjust the amount of milk until you get desired consistency.  More milk will yield more baking time and more moisture in the bars. 
5. Toss in chocolate chips and frozen raspberries.  Mix into batter. 
6. (Optional) Top the batter with coconut flakes. 
7. Throw batter onto a parchment paper lined baking pan and into oven.  Remove from heat when the outside is perfectly cooked and the inside is cooked but still slightly moist.  (About 40 minutes). 
8. When cooled, cut into bars and eat!

As with all FastBeets Recipes, please use your very own tastebuds in measuring the amounts of each ingredient.  You can't go wrong with how much of anything you add or subtract.  

I'm so happy you're making one of my quick + healthy recipes! Please make sure you share it on Instagram and tag @FastBeets so I can see your masterpiece or leave a comment below with any questions! 

xx, SS