Pesto Tomato Bites

Pesto is my favorite summer spread. And it does not need to contain dairy to be delicious. Follow this recipe below for a quick and easy dairy-free pesto. The nutritional yeast is in place of cheese, giving it a creamy (and not to mention a nutritional) boost! Pesto is delicious spread on rice crackers, mixed in quinoa or rice, or even on top of tomatoes. Here is a super-easy appetizer in the spirit of summer.

Dairy-free Pesto
3 cups basil leaves
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions
Place basil and garlic in a food processor and blend until finely chopped. Add the remaining ingredients and process until it is a smooth paste.

Pesto Tomato Bites
Pesto from above
Sugar plum tomatoes sliced in half, length-wise
Mozarella cheese or cheese substitute (optional). I used graded goat mozarella.

Instructions
Preheat oven to broil. Place sliced tomatoes cut-side up on a baking sheet. Spread each tomato half with pesto. Top with cheese or cheese substitute (optional). Broil for 3-5 minutes.

Zucchini Eggplant "Lasagna"

Sometimes you just have a craving for some tasty comfort food...like lasagna. But if you are like me, you want a dish high in protein and veggies and not high in gluten, or empty carbs for that matter. So here is a delicious recipe that is gluten free, vegetarian, and can be made vegan. Instead of noodles, zucchini and eggplant are cut lengthwise to take their place. And the quinoa is extra filling so you won't go hungry after this meal. Quinoa is one of the few grains that is full of protein. Cece has a new found love for quinoa. She calls it "Jaoquin," after one of her friends at day care! She devoured this dish! It really is a crowd pleaser.

Zucchini Eggplant "Lasagna."

• 1 medium sized eggplant, cut lengthwise
  
• 4 medium sized zucchini squash, cut lengthwise
• Olive oil
  
• 1 jar of organic marinara sauce
• 1 onion, diced
  
• 1 cup quinoa
• Italian spices- oregano, thyme, salt and pepper
• 2 cups organic vegetable broth
• 1 cup frozen chopped spinach or collard greens (can use fresh-I just always have frozen around)
  
• 3-4 tbsps cream cheese (to make vegan or dairy-free, you can use cream cheese substitute, such as "Tofutti.")
• Grated mozarella cheese or cheese alternative to top (I used goat mozaraella. Soy or Daiya cheese alternative is acceptable too.)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Place sliced zucchini and eggplant on a cooking sheet and paint each side lightly with olive oil. Roast veggies for 5-6 minutes on each side until lightly brown and tender. Remove from oven and set aside.
2. In a pot, combine 1/2 cup marinara sauce, quinoa, onion, spices and broth. Bring to a boil and then reduce to simmer. Simmer on low-medium heat for approx. 25 minutes. Once the quinoa is fluffy (about 25 minutes cooking time), remove from heat and stir in 3 tbsps cream cheese.
3. In glass pyrex dish (lasagna pan), coat the bottom with about 1/3 cup of marinara sauce.
4. Place zucchini on bottom of pan. Then cover with quinoa mixture. Then sprinkle some fresh or frozen greens (spinach or collards) over top. Place a few tablespoons of marinara over top. Then stack with eggplant. Then cover with quinoa mixture, greens, and marinara sauce. Repeat until you have a nice layered dish and you have used up all of your ingredients. Top with marinara and grated mozarella of your choice. Bake for approx 30 minutes at 400 F.

Nut and Seed Balls

These nut and seed balls are a great vehicle to pack in nutrients. They are full of protein and essential nutrients, such as vitamin E, zinc (good for the immune system), and magnesium. They are also full of essential fatty acids, particularly omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3's are great for nourishing your child's developing brain and preventing chronic disease.

And they are of course easy and delicious! We eat them for snacks and desert. I pack 1-2 in Cece's lunch as a nutrient-dense treat! And Cece has fun making them with me. Bonus!
Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup nut or seed butter (almond butter, pumpkin seed butter, sunflower seed butter, peanut butter, tahini etc)
• 1 cup dried fruit (dates, cranberries, cherries, raisins, goji berries)
• 1/4 cup chopped raw nuts or seeds (almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds)
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 3-4 tbsps ground flax (grind the flax seeds in coffee grinder or buy pre-ground seeds)
  
• Optional: 1-2 tbsps greens powder, or maca powder (see previous post)
  

• Topping to roll the balls in, set aside in a bowl: dried unsweetened coconut, puffed millet cereal, brown rice krispie cereal, sesame seeds

Directions:
Blend the dried fruit in a food processor. Add the remaining ingredients (excluding the topping such as coconut or sesame seeds) and process until a dough forms. If the dough is too dry, add a touch of water. If it is too sticky, add more chopped nuts or seeds. roll the dough into 1 inch balls and then coat them with the topping of your choice. Refrigerate in an air-tight container (tupper-ware) and enjoy!