Robust Recipes

Healthy, Flavorful Food

Gluten Free Jalapeno Cornbread Muffins

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CORNBREAD MUFFINS!!! Yes, I am so excited about this recipe that I had to type it in all caps! If there is anyone out there who doesn’t like cornbread, especially in muffin form, and especially slathered with butter and honey, then I’m sorry but we can’t be friends anymore. KIDDING! But not really. In my very humble opinion corn bread should be fine in texture; use the fine ground corn flour. Cornbread should be tender; you don’t want it so dry that it gets stuck in your throat as you’re … [Read more...]

Strawberry Cucumber Salad with Creamy Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing

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With the approach of fall just around the corner I simply had to sneak in one more summery salad recipe! If baby spinach, strawberries, cucumbers, and Creamy Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing don’t scream summer, then I’ve got it all wrong! During the summer I always have a huge container of organic, pre-trimmed, pre-washed baby spinach leaves in my fridge just waiting for me to make use of it in a salad. Being a huge fan of whisking up my own salad dressing, I have been playing around with creamy … [Read more...]

Baked Coconut Shrimp with Two Dipping Sauces (GF)

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This past week I was on my family vacation, in South Carolina. Actually, as you are reading this, I am on my way home right now. By now I have officially enjoyed the lifestyle of a beach bum for a week. I will be rested up, hopefully I will have a nice tan (and not be burnt), and I will have had plenty of time to catch up on my summer reading list. Oh, and yes, of course I will have enjoyed visiting with my family. Especially the ones that I only see once or twice a year. Isn’t it a wonderful … [Read more...]

Grilled Corn and Black Bean Guacamole

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I have a confession to make: I didn’t make my first batch of summertime guacamole until 2 weeks ago! What’s wrong with me? How did I allow so much of the warm weather to pass by without making guacamole? It’s blasphemy! Don’t worry, I have since been making up for it by whipping up at least one or two batches of guacamole per week. I think it’s impossible for me to ever get sick of eating guacamole. Usually I make my basic guacamole recipe. It is the simplest to make, with the most basic … [Read more...]

Classic Potato Salad

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Potato salad is one of my ultimate summertime comfort foods. My grandma would make this potato salad all of the time. The sauce was a thick, creamy, stick-to-the-potatoes-and-your-spoon kind of dressing with a kiss of salt and pepper and a hint of yellow mustard. Just as potato salad should be. She would bring this potato salad to almost every family gathering, especially during the summer.  It was rare that she would take any leftovers home. It was just that good. Like most of … [Read more...]

Spicy Refrigerator Pickles

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  Hey, everyone. Happy Monday, happy July! Um, how did we get to the second week of July already? Time flies when you’re busy and having fun! I love July for several reasons: It’s really, really summer! The days are long, there are books to be read, there are pools to swim in, and there are parties to go to. Best time of the year! My week-long family vacation occurs every July. Lazy beach time here I come! My birthday is at the end of the month! The 29th, just in case you … [Read more...]

Pineapple Salsa

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Whoohoo it’s summertime! There are two things I love most about summertime food: 1) Grilling food and eating outside 2) all the fresh fruit in the world. I could probably go on and on for a year about how much I love the abundance of summertime fruit. It’s really difficult for me to pick a favorite fruit. I am pretty sure it changes every time I go to the grocery store during the summer depending on what catches my eye. I suppose you could say this week it is pineapple. Funny story: last … [Read more...]

Coconut Mojito Fruit Dip (V + GF)

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My friends, ever since I discovered the goodness of coconut whipped cream, I have not been able to stop making it! My mind keeps coming up with ways to make use of it. First I used it as a topping to my Chocolate Coffee Avocado Pudding, second it was the filling to my Chocolate Coconut Cream Cups, now it’s this beautiful Coconut Mojito Fruit Dip. Can’t stop! Won’t Stop! What’s great about making coconut whipped cream is that it so easy, so simple, and yields a creamy, rich texture with a … [Read more...]

Cashew Ranch Dip (V + GF)

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  Who doesn’t love dipping a sweet orange carrot into some creamy, garlic-y, herby ranch dressing?  Ranch is the ultimate way to enjoy your fresh cut veggies. Ranch and raw veggies go together like peanut butter and jelly, like strawberries and chocolate. As a kid I wouldn’t touch raw veggies without dipping them into some ranch dressing. I used to drown my salads in the stuff. My poor mom, she wasn’t a fan of the stuff. She knew ranch was packed full of preservatives, a ton of sodium, … [Read more...]

Creamy Sundried Tomato and Chipotle Dip

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You know those moments in life when things don’t go as you’d planned them, not even a little? This recipe was exactly one of those moments. During Christmas I was in Texas visiting family and we went out to eat at this amazing Mexican restaurant. It was a huge treat for us to enjoy a really good Tex-Mex restaurant. Remember, I discuss how Midwestern Mexican food doesn’t even compare to Mexican/Tex-Mex in Texas? This wonderful restaurant in Texas served us chips and salsa of course, but it … [Read more...]