Lighter Self
18Apr

Healthy Brazilian Cheese Bread–Pão de queijo– Recipe! Gluten and grain-free; dairy-free option; Paleo friendly.

Categories: Breakfast
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IMG_9255I can’t deny my Brazilian heritage!  I can’t believe it took me so long to share with you my favorite treat that’s gaining popularity in the U.S. (You can find pão de queijo—traditional Brazilian cheese rolls–in some supermarkets around America). These delicious treats are sold in every corner of Brazil and Brazilians grow up learning how to cook these delicious rolls with our mothers and grandmothers. They have been part of our culinary culture forever! 

I’ve been eating pão de queijo my whole life and ever since moving to America, We have created the habit to have them as treats every weekend for brunch (breakfast for my family). Since I like to make my life simple when cooking, I have adapted the original recipe to prepare these rolls faster. 

This recipe calls for cheese, but you can remove the cheese to make it dairy-free and it will still taste delicious! 

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Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup tapioca starch 

1 egg

1/3 cup ghee (melted)

2/3 cup full fat coconut milk (or 1/3 cup whole milk for the dairy tolerant people out there)

1/2 cup grated parmesan
cheese (or you can skip this if you are dairy intolerant) 

1 1/2 teaspoon Celtic sea salt or pink Himalayan salt.

**for a bonus, try adding 1/4 tsp. Garlic powder, oregano, thyme or any other herbs you’d like to give it a different unique taste! 

 

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

In a large bowl, add all ingredients together and mix till well combined ( the dough is supposed to be soft and sticky).

Add some ghee to your hands to help shape the though into balls without it sticking to your hands, scoop the batter out with a spoon and roll the dough into a tiny bit smaller than a golf-ball size!

Place the balls in a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.

Bake for 20-23 minutes, or until they are golden and puffed!

Serve them warm and enjoy!

You can also freeze them for up to 3 months. To do so, after you place them on the baking sheet, bring them to the freezer until they freeze. Once frozen, transfer them to a ziplock bag. You can keep them in the freezer for uo to 3 months! (I must confess, they never last in this household). Once you are ready to serve them, preheat the over to 400 F, and bake them for 25-30 minutes or until golden and puffed.

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8May

Easy & Simple Sardines Salad!

Categories: Recipes Salads
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Simple & Easy Sardines Salad!During Spring, I love adding lot’s fresh vegetables and spring fruits back into my diet. The warmer weather means enjoying lots of salads, juices, smoothies and freshly made meals outside. Dinner today is light, easy to make and deliciously fresh: colorful salad with canned smoked sardines (from Wild Planet—all their products are sustainably caught), avocadoes, the juice of a lemon, salt and pepper! So easy and yummy!

Sardines tend to be an unappreciated fish in the U.S. However, if you like tuna, you should give them a try! Besides being super inexpensive; they are sustainable—small fish that feed off of plankton, making them low in mercury levels; they are a super protein packed with omega 3 fatty acids, calcium, vitamin D, B 12 and minerals such as magnesium, potassium and zinc. They are anti-inflammatory, amazing for bone and heart heath, and an immune system booster! My favorite part: I can be super creative, making different tasty salads with them by mixing and matching different veggies and spices, and I don’t have to clean up extra pots and pans since they are already pre-cooked, and I just mix it all together in a big bowl!

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10Jun

Nut Milk

Categories: Beverages Nutrition Recipes
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Making your own nut milk is super easy, and it is super nutritious and delicious! Nut milks contain no lactose, saturated fat, cholesterol, processed ingredients and additives, such as artificial sweeteners. There are so many options to create tasty and nutrient-dense unique milks: you can mix nuts, seeds, whole gains and even fruit to create your own version! My favorite type is almond milk! Almond milk is a good source of calcium, fiber, protein (6 grams of protein per ounce of dry nuts), magnesium, potassium, zinc, iron, vitamin E and much more…

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Nut Milk
Author: 
Cuisine: Beverages
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
 
Ingredients
  • 3 cups filtered water
  • 1 cup soaked almonds
  • For sweetness: Liquid stevia (100%pure stevia), stevia powder, raw honey, or pitted dates to taste
  • For extra flavor: 2-inch vanilla beans or 1tsp pure vanilla extract, and cinnamon to taste.
Instructions
  1. Soak the nuts overnight, soak your dates in the filtered water for 1 hour, blend everything for about 1 minute at a higher speed, strain the milk with a nut-milk bag or fine strainer, store your milk in an air tight container, such as Manson jars, for up to 6 days. Enjoy!!!

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13May

Gluten-Free Homemade Fruit Parfait

Categories: Breakfast Recipes
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With the warm weather arriving, there is nothing better than a refreshing, delicious and quick to make breakfast to go! Unlike most store-bought fruit parfaits out there, this one is made with just the right amount of the right ingredients to taste like a dessert, yet not loaded with heavy calories, fat and sugar! Plus, it is gluten-free for those of us sensitive or allergic to gluten!

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Fruit Parfait
Author: 
Cuisine: Breakfast
 
Ingredients
  • 6 oz. organic plain fat-free Greek yogurt
  • 1 tsp. cinnamon
  • Dash of non-alcoholic vanilla extract
  • Stevia to taste (or 1tsp. raw honey, or 2 pitted dates)
  • 2 tbsp. any mixture of raw nuts and seeds you’d like (eg. slivered almonds, walnut halves, chia seeds, buckwheat, hemp seeds…)
  • 1 tbsp. dried cherries
  • ½ small apple cut into cubes
  • 1 cup berries
Instructions
  1. Add cinnamon, vanilla extract and stevia into the Greek yogurt and mix.
  2. Sprinkle the slivered almonds, dried cherries, apple and berries and enjoy.
Nutrition Information
Serving size: 1

 

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21Apr

Creamy Cod

Categories: Recipes Soups and Stews
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Adding fish into your diet could be extremely important! Not only it has high amounts of omega 3 fatty acids, but it may also improve mental health, such as depression, cognitive decline, Alzheimer’s  and other chronic diseases related with inflammation, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, asthma, arthritis, and the list goes on… Fish is recommended to be eaten at least twice a week.  Wild Caught Pacific Cod is one of my favorite fish to add to my diet as it is a delicious source of low-calorie protein, vitamin A, C, Niacin, B 12, Folate, Choline, Calcium, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, among other vitamin and minerals. Cod is also super easy to cook, and there are so many healthy and delicious options that I will be sharing with you! So, there is no way to get tired of Cod! Today, I will share with you one of my favorite ways of eating Cod. Growing up in Brazil, I used to eat lots of Cod or tilapia fillets in delicious creamy tomato sauces like this one! Of course, I changed a few ingredients from my family’s recipe to make this dish even better. It is leaner and healthier, but still delicious!

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Creamy Cod
Author: 
Recipe type: Soups and Stews
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
 
Ingredients
  • • 6 Wild Pacific cod fillets, cut in half
  • • 2 better boy tomatoes, sliced
  • • 1small zucchini sliced
  • • 1 small red bell pepper sliced
  • • ¼ cup organic kefir
  • • The juice of 1 lime
  • • 1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
  • ½ jar organic tomato sauce (12.5 oz.)
  • 1 yellow onion, chopped
  • 5 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
  • 1tsp. oregano
  • ¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
  • Himalayan pink salt to taste (I use about 3 tsp.)
Instructions
  1. Marinate fish in lime juice, 1 tsp. thyme, black pepper, and salt (overnight in fridge, or half an hour prior to cooking it).
  2. Heat onions and garlic oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir until soft and golden (1 minute).
  3. Add tomatoes, zucchini, red bell pepper and fish to the pan; bring to a simmer (5 minutes).
  4. Add tomato sauce, cover and cook until fish is cooked through (10 minutes).
  5. Add kefir, the remaining thyme, and more salt, if needed. Cook, stirring (1 minute)
  6. Add olive oil, stir, serve in soup bowls and enjoy!
  7. PS: I served mine over steamed mashed cauliflower! Yummy!
Nutrition Information
Serving size: 6

 

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