Foods High In Iron

Bring on the party with these delicious tomato soup shooters! Served at room temperature or chilled, these shooters are the great way to get any party or meal started and they are one of the best tomato soups ever!  With just 5 ingredients, preparation is a breeze! The recipe meets my criteria for health, ease, convenience and taste. It's made from real food, is naturally gluten free, and vegan. In addition, it makes a fun presentation and can be served without heating- a real plus when you are trying to juggle last minute details for a dinner party! A shooter is just the right amount of soup for a big meal. Who wants to fill up on the soup when you have a full meal coming?? And you really get to enjoy the exceptional flavor when you are limiting the quantity. Get Creative Or you might want to serve them as part of your appetizers at a party or other gathering! Paired with some cheese and crackers, it's delicious! You could also top the shooters with some fresh salsa, a touch o...

Thank you Shirley at Gluten Free Easily! I could't have asked for a more delicious, health conscious fast and easy recipe for dinner tonight. I just didn't feel like cooking, but needed something quick, yet healthy, for dinner. I found this quick bean salad that can be made in under 10 minutes on Shirley's blog. ( Another few minutes for the dressing) This recipe has everything I love- chick peas, kidney beans, and black beans, chopped tomatoes, chopped red onion, chopped red peppers, cilantro optional. In addition, there is a homemade citrus dressing that enhances the recipe. 7 Reasons I love this recipe:   1. No cooking involved 2. It's a quick and easy meal 3. Lot's of fresh summer produce 4. It's high in fiber and nutrients 5. It's vegan, gluten free, and allergy friendly 6. It can be made in advance 7. Makes a beautiful colorful presentation and tastes great No cooking - Sometimes I just don't want to cook! It's already hot outside, so why hea...

Did you know that you can freeze whole lemons and limes and always have one handy for fresh lemon juice or lemon zest! I buy organic lemons or limes by the bag at Trader Joe's.  They usually are good for about a week. Sometimes I just don't get to use them fast enough, so they start to spoil. While browsing Pinterest, I found a post that says you can freeze lemons or limes for convenience and ease! Who knew? I love the idea!  Not only does it prevent waste, but you will always have lemon in the freezer if you need some. Frozen lemons/limes defrost quickly and are great to have in a pinch. You can even buy extra organic lemons when they are on sale and keep them frozen until you need them.  How to Freeze Lemons and Limes:  Wash the lemon or lime well and pat dry. Depending on how you want to use the lemons or limes in the future, either freeze the whole lemon/lime just the way it is,  or cut the lemon into quarters. Do not remove the peel. Place in a baggy and l...

There is no getting around it, this recipe for fresh watermelon limeade is an all natural drink that is beautiful to look at and blissful to drink. I made my drinks without alcohol, but you could easily add some light rum if you like and then call them cocktails. Whatever you choose, the finished product will be outrageously delicious!  With a strong blender, I can make these in just minutes using three real food ingredients: watermelon, fresh organic lime, and raw organic honey. It sounds like it would be terribly sweet, but it wasn't. I used a quarter of a fresh organic lime including the rind which pulverized completely in my Vitamix. I think that is what gave it a tarter flavor! Don't leave out the honey I thought about leaving out the honey, because watermelon is already sweet, but the honey imparted  a lovely flavor. I only used a teaspoon of local raw honey per 2 drinks. Raw honey offers a powerhouse of nutritional benefits. Because it is not heated, the healthy enzyme...

Leftovers can be recreated into something special! I was in a hurry and used three leftovers to create a quick and tasty quinoa salad. I found out that tossed salad, leftover cooked quinoa , and homemade lemon dressing taste great together. Sometimes you discover something by accident that turns out to really work well !   That's what happened to me today. I had leftover salad from last night's dinner, leftover bold lemon salad dressing, and leftover red quinoa. I was looking for a quick, yet healthy lunch and decided to combine all three of them together in one bowl. I mixed, ate, and really enjoyed!  My creation tasted great, involved no prep, and was satisfying!   What more could I ask for? Although this salad is a simple idea, it's gluten free, vegan, and nutritious! There's not much more to say! All you need is 1/4 cup of leftover red quinoa per serving, a cup or two of any salad per serving, and a tablespoon of any homemade salad dressing! ( scroll down for 8 h...

Got yellow summer squash? Try this easy recipe that can be made into a quick summer soup or a delicious summer salad! Today I received 5 pounds of golden yellow summer squash from my CSA. In addition, I received 3 pounds of carrots, two different kinds of lettuces, chard, 2 pounds of string beans, a pint of raspberries, lots of cucumbers, 2 eggplants, scallions, etc. When you belong to a CSA you need to be ready to prep, cook, and freeze on the day you bring everything home. Otherwise, you run the risk of the vegetables deteriorating! I love the simplicity of fresh vegetables right from the farm. They taste so good that they very little seasoning. From the Farm Add caption I decided to cook the carrots and squash together in a large sauté with some onions.  I then divided the sauté in half and made two different recipes from that one sauté.  Of course both recipes are gluten free and vegan. Recipe 1 : Yellow Squash Quinoa Salad ( eaten hot or cold as a quinoa salad) Recipe 2:...

Looking for a perfect side dish to make for Memorial Day Weekend? I could eat this delicious fresh green bean salad every day. It is easy to make, travels well, is great served at room temperature, and is gluten free and dairy free. It does contain sunflower seeds and almonds, but they can be omitted if nuts are a concern. The spring flavors of red onion, tomatoes, green beans, and sunflower seed s are laced with my sweet balsamic vinegar reduction dressing and is really delicious. Did I mention there is no oil, so it is relatively low calorie too and works for low carbohydrate too!  If you are not vegan, you can add crumbled blue cheese for an even more enticing dish ! Optional: Add crumbled blue cheese or feta ( I like it with blue cheese)  What's Special About The Beans In This Salad I love cooked fresh string beans, but sometimes they come out too soft, sometimes they come out too tough, and sometimes they come out an unappealing grayish green- but with this method. These ...

There is nothing that I like better than a piping hot bowl of homemade soup. I find it soothing, tasty, and satisfying. Truthfully, this little bowl of roasted tomato and avocado soup packs a lot of super nutrition with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. And because it is liquid, it is easily digested and absorbed. Since this soup can be made in advance and stored for 3 days in the refrigerator, you can easily add a cup to your lunch or a bowl to your dinner. Making your own real food recipes ( as opposed to processed packaged food) is a health booster and can make you feel better and more energetic in the long run. Excellent Nutrition This creamy soup is not only gluten free, it is also vegan like many of my recipes, making it allergy friendly to serve to just about any guest. Although it tastes rich and creamy, the creaminess comes from the addition of an avocado ( not cream) after the soup is cooked. If you are not a fan of avocado, the soup is absolutely delicious without the av...

Skinny Zucchini pasta ( spiralized zucchini)  is a delicious substitute for a regular bowl of high carb/ high calorie pasta . Remember, even gluten free pasta is also high in carbs and calories! I find that spiralized pasta made from a zucchini is the way to go. It's low calorie and low in carbs making it the perfect and delicious meal! Many zucchini pasta recipes serve the zucchini noodles raw; I like to lightly saute mine. I love the zoodles ( zucchini noodles)  prepared this way. It satisfies me as much as real pasta. In fact, I like it so much, I usually make it for lunch or a side dish at least two or three times a week. It's versatile and lends itself to many variations. Don't overcook it or it will become watery!! This is such a fast and easy recipe! Basically, you just need to spiralize your zucchini, which takes about one minute. If you are not familiar with how to do this, go to my zoodles post which explains in detail This is a simple vegan and gluten free reci...

Following Weight Watchers? This fabulous chilled soup is ZERO points and you can make it quickly. Talk about veggies; this soup is loaded. Lets face it, it may be well into September, but it is 90 degrees outside. A nice bowl of ice cold Mango Gazpacho will hit the spot! I found this recipe on Pinterest! It sounded interesting, so I thought I'd give it a try. It was definitely different -but very tasty. My adapted recipe called for most of the end of summer vegetables: tomatoes, peppers, red onion, garlic, cucumber, corn on the cob kernels, and mango. Using my blender, it was easy enough to make. I served it in these cute little bowls. The presentation was lovely and everyone seemed to like it. It is certainly healthy and the best part as I said is that on Weight Watchers it is Z ero Points Plus .   The soup itself is a creamy puree, but it is topped with a hearty medley of crunchy vegetables and mango. I loved the texture and colors. And of course it's gluten free and vega...