Focaccia Quick Bread (grain-free, starch-free, egg-free)
A couple weeks ago I made an ooey gooey butter cake without eggs or grains. It got me thinking that a variation of the cake would also make a great quick bread that the kids could make all by themselves. So we modified the recipe and turned it into a yummy little focaccia. Now the girls can say that they make their own bread—which they think is pretty cool 
We love adding kalamata olives and oregano to this quick bread, but ask your kids what they would like to add. It’s amazing how much more likely my kids are to eat something if they 1) made it themselves, and 2) got to choose some of the ingredients.
This bread would also be nice with sundried tomatoes, roasted garlic, pepperoni, or green onions. We haven’t tried it yet, but I think it could become a sweet bread with cinnamon, raisins and nuts.
Keep reading for Kelly’s easy Focaccia Quick Bread recipe
Oil-Free Sweet Dijon Salad Dressing
Though the fall is technically my favorite time of year when it comes to the food calendar, I do love breaking out our serving bowl (known as “the big bowl”) in the spring and filling it with a jumbo salad for one. This tradition starts as soon as the snows melt in April, and occurs nearly every day at lunch until the snow flies again in October. My love for warm weather salads is threefold: The fresh taste of the produce, the energized feeling I get after consuming all of those greens, and the desire to not look worse than the year prior in a swimsuit. Come on, I know I’m not the only one!
Anyway, as amazing as salads can taste, the dressing really is the icing veggie cake. I like to use a lot of it, but don’t love the heavy oils. So, I’m always mixing up oil-free blends that still satisfy my cravings for something a little rich. One of my favorites is honey dijon.
Get Alisa’s Oil-Free, Dairy-Free Salad Dressing!
TBP’s Friday Favorites: Gluten-Free Travel
Source
It’s almost Spring Break, and I don’t know about you, but I’ve got a bit of a travel bug. I would love nothing more than to spend a week by the beach with my family. Swimming, building sand castles, and long walks on the beach. A girl can dream, right?
Tips for gluten-free travel:
Hotel tips for the gluten-free traveler.
Holidays with gluten-free kids.
Keep reading for more gluten-free travel tips from The Balanced Platter…
New Year Detox Smoothie
Now that the holiday cheer has abated, you may find yourself yearning for a lighter, cleaner diet once again. Perhaps you’ve overindulged just a little on the wine at the office party, or dug into that cheese ball at the buffet table one time too many. . . or was it the sticky toffee pudding that put you over the edge?
For me, January heralds a perfect time to reflect and refresh. But a good cleanse doesn’t have to mean near-starving or downing massive amounts of wheatgrass and lemon water (though I do imbibe those on a regular basis anyway).
A simple, natural way to detox involves eating and drinking whole, real foods as close as possible to their natural state.
If you’re looking to repair some of the effects of too much holiday hoopla, this smoothie is one of my all-time favorite tonics. Its secret ingredient is beets, a powerhouse root vegetable that provides a range of health benefits.
Beets help tone the liver (perfect to counteract the effects of excess alcohol, sugar or party food). They’re also chock-full of antioxidants that prevent several types of cancer (including colon, breast, prostate and testicular); they thwart inflammation that can lead to heart disease or Type II diabetes; and they are full of soluble fiber, folate, potassium, vitamin C and a host of other essential nutrients.
The other ingredients are all great for detoxing as well: kale contains chlorophyll, a potent detoxifier, and cucumbers are highly alkaline, perfect to reset a healthy pH balance in your body.
When blended into this fruity sipper, these nutritious roots will add a wee bit of sweetness and a vibrant fuschia hue, while working their healing detox magic–all without you even knowing they’re there (promise!).
What’s in your favorite healthy smoothie?
Brilliantly Beet Smoothie
Makes 1 large or 2 small servings.
1 medium beet, baked until soft, peeled and cut in chunks
1 cup (240 ml) mixed fresh or frozen berries (I used blackberries, blueberries, raspberries and strawberries)
3 large or 4 medium kale leaves (in keeping with the color scheme, I used purple kale)
1/2 medium cucumber, peeled and cut in chunks
juice of 1/2 lime
1 scoop of your favorite plain or vanilla protein powder (such as Vanilla SunWarrior)
1 cup (240 ml) plain or vanilla rice milk
5-10 drops (or 1 packet dry) plain or vanilla steviaPlace all ingredients in a high powered blender and blend until smooth. (Note: if you use fresh berries, you may wish to add 1-2 ice cubes for a cold smoothie). Drink immediately.
Ricki Heller is the author of Sweet Freedom: Desserts You’ll Love without Wheat, Eggs, Dairy or Refined Sugar (one of only three cookbooks endorsed by Ellen DeGeneres on her website) as well as three e-cookbooks. She writes the popular food blog Diet, Dessert and Dogs, where, for the past three years, she has chronicled her journey with candida and posted almost 600 sugar-free, gluten-free, vegan, whole-foods recipes.
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