Living Life Balanced Blog

Fresh Margaritas

7/27/2020

I'm usually down for a good margarita when I am out at a Mexican restaurant or when making Mexican food at home. The thing is - oftentimes they are full of sugar and other additives, they are too sweet, too tart, too lime green, etc. I prefer a fresh margarita. Meaning - nothing weird added, just the ingredients that a margarita SHOULD have. I say that only to follow up with I have recently discovered bourbon margaritas and I believe they are even better than tequila - but, to each their own. Try it both ways and see what you prefer! I created this recipes as I was doing my first virtual cooking class (Taco Party) where we made tacos and white bean guacamole while sipping on margs! Since it was at the beginning of quarantine I emphasized the fact that it is okay to go rogue when following recipes and incorporate the things you have instead of running to the store again for one or two things. For example, we didn't have tequila at home but we had a bunch of bourbon so I gave it a shot...and I am glad I did! I usually host at least one virtual cooking class a month - follow me on Facebook and Instagram for updates!

While I'm not going to go as far to say that these are "healthy", they are definitely "less unhealthy" than most other margaritas. Everything in moderation.

Enjoy!

Photo credit goes to Adrienne Warren who took this during my Taco Party Virtual Cooking Class!

Fresh Margaritas: gluten free and dairy free recipes by Elena McCown, LLC a health coach in Franklin, TN

Total Time: 5 minutes
Serves: 1

Ingredients

1 lime wedge
sprinkling of salt with a pinch of sugar on a plate (to coat glass)
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice (1-2 limes)
2 tsp superfine sugar
1/3 cup tequila (or bourbon)
2 cups of ice

Directions

Rub lime wedge around edge of glass and dip onto plate with salt and sugar to rim your glass.
In a cocktail shaker or large glass or bowl, shake or stir together the lime juice and sugar until sugar partially dissolves - about 30 seconds.
Add tequila (or bourbon) and 1 cup of ice cubes, shake or stir vigorously for 30 seconds.
Pour into prepared glass and add remaining ice cubes.

Note: These can also be made in a pitcher (on the rocks) or the blender (frozen) for a large batch

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Everything Bagel Salmon Salad

7/24/2020

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One of my favorite brunch items is bagel and lox - or something similar, but as long as it involves salmon, cream cheese and onion, I'm in! I wanted to do a dinner take on that by using the Everything Bagel Seasoning I have in my pantry so I came up with a "deconstructed bagel and lox" salad. At first I thought I would make croutons out of a bagel I but ended up finding these super tiny potatoes and thought they seemed like a more nutritious, filling substitute instead. This was a refreshing, healthy, fun take on bagel and lox and I recommend thinking outside the box when you are cooking. More than likely, you can take something that might not be viewed as the most healthy meal and convert it into something that is more nutritious (or just enjoy it as it is in moderation). Living a healthy, balanced life means thinking outside the box, trying something new, still enjoying your favorites and making modifications when necessary.

Everything Bagel Salmon Salad a deconstructed bagel and lox recipe by Elena McCown, LLC a health coach in Franklin, TN with gluten free and dairy free recipes

Total Time: 40 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients

1.5 lb bag of mini baby potatoes
1 Tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 lb Wild Alaskan Salmon
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp Everything Bagel Seasoning
4 oz cream cheese (I used Miyokos Vegan Cream Cheese)
1/4 cup milk/milk alternative (I used Ripple unsweetened original)
2 tsp lemon juice
1 head of butter lettuce, chopped
1 English cucumber, sliced into half circles
2 tomatoes, chopped
1/2 sweet onion, chopped
1 avocado, chopped
4 stalks green onion, chopped
2 Tbsp capers

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Toss the potatoes with oil, salt and pepper and bake for 30 minutes, flipping potatoes at 15 minutes.
Preheat a pan over medium heat with olive oil. Once hot, add the salmon, skin side down, spray or lightly drizzle the top with oil and add the Everything Bagel Seasoning. Put the lid on and cook for about 5 minutes (depending on the thickness of your fish). Flip the fish over and cook for another 2-3 minutes or until cooked all the way through (firm to the touch and flaky).
Combine the cream cheese, milk and lemon juice until smooth. Add a little more milk if needed for a thinner texture.
Make your salad by assembling the lettuce, cucumber, tomato, onion, avocado, green onion and capers. Top with the salmon and drizzle the cream cheese dressing over it, followed by a dash more of the Everything Bagel Seasoning.
Enjoy as a healthy dinner or a fancy breakfast!

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Creamy Vegan Mushroom Pasta

4/16/2020

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I have really been enjoying playing "Chopped" in the kitchen lately and pulling together different ingredients to see what I can make. This week I decided on using - chickpea pasta, nutritional yeast, mushrooms and bok choy. I couldn't be any happier with how it turned out! So filling, full off fiber, and high in protein YET it was as thick, "cheesy", and decadent as mac n' cheese. Even my meat and dairy loving husband enjoyed it! I promise you won't miss the meat, dairy OR gluten in this dish!

Creamy Vegan Mushroom Pasta: gluten free and dairy free recipes by Elena McCown, LLC a health coach in Franklin, TN

Total Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients

6 Tbsp olive oil
5 Tbsp gluten-free all purpose flour (I used this)
4 cups unsweetened plain Ripple pea milk
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1/2 cup nutritional yeast (I used this)
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground mustard seed
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/3 sweet onion, chopped
16 oz baby bella mushrooms, rinsed and sliced
1 head of baby boy choy, chopped
4 servings chickpea rotini pasta, cooked according to package (I used this)

Directions

Add the 6 Tbsp olive oil to a large pot on the stove and turn to medium high heat.
Add the flour and quickly mix while stirring pretty vigorously.
Add in the pea milk and continue to stir, breaking up any clumps. Continue to cook until sauce starts to boil and thicken.
Once it reaches your desired thickness remove from the heat and stir in the mustard, nutritional yeast, onion powder, garlic powder, mustard seed, paprika, pepper and salt. Sauce will continue to thicken as it cools. (This sauce works as an awesome "cheese" sauce for pasta, lasagna, nachos, etc.)
Add 1 Tbsp olive oil to a saute pan over medium high heat.
Once hot, add the onion and cook until translucent. Add in the mushrooms and bok choy and continue to cook until wilted.
Add the pasta and veggies to the "cheese" pot and mix until everything is thoroughly covered in the sauce. Serve and enjoy!!!

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Burrito Bowl

3/25/2020

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This is another one of our go-to meals because it's easy, delicious (who doesn't like Mexican food?) and we usually have these ingredients on hand. Make it your own by just using up the fresh and pantry ingredients YOU have and get ready for your new favorite meal! Sometimes we eat this for dinner or we make a huge batch and eat it for the week. Yum!

Burrito Bowl: gluten free and dairy free recipes by Elena McCown, LLC a health coach in Franklin, TN

Total Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients

4 servings brown rice, cooked according to package
2 Tbsp lime juice
½ tsp chili powder
¼ cup cilantro, chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp minced garlic
2 bell peppers, sliced thin
1 onion, sliced thin
2 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
4 Tbsp guacamole
4 Tbsp salsa
2 cups blueberries

Directions

When rice is done cooking mix in lime juice, cilantro, chili powder and 1 Tbsp of olive oil.
Heat a skillet over medium heat and add oil, garlic, peppers and onion. Sauté, stirring frequently, until slightly softened and they start to brown. Add in the beans and cook until hot.
To serve, divide rice with the bean and pepper mixture between serving bowls. Enjoy with guacamole and salsa.
Serve with 1/2 cup blueberries each.

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Chicken Pot Pie

3/18/2020

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A few weeks ago I was back in Texas visiting my family for my birthday. I had been craving chicken pot pie but it is hard to find a gluten free and dairy free version. I asked my parents if they would be interested in eating it if I made one and they said yes! We went to Sprouts and grabbed all of our ingredients. The best part was that they had already cooked, unseasoned, rotisserie chicken that we could buy! I highly recommend using something similar to cut down on cooking time (unless you already have leftover shredded chicken). That is also where I bought the gluten-free pie crust and gluten-free flour. If you watch the video you will see that I had trouble with the pie crust because I let it sit out for too long before using it. This caused it to get very sticky and I was unable to pull it off the parchment paper to place on top of the pie. Instead, I just pulled off pieces and added it on top just like if you were using a biscuit batter - which probably is just easier to do in the first place! Fortunately, all it changed was the look of the pot pie - the taste was still incredible! If you want your pie to be a little prettier, you might be able to just pour the chicken mixture into a pie crust and then top it with the other one instead of rolling them out to top a baking pan. Either way, the result will be a delicious pot pie! Shout out to my mom for videoing and helping me with this recipe and my dad for the music! Video posted at the bottom.

Chicken Pot Pie: gluten free and dairy free recipes by Elena McCown, LLC a health coach in Franklin, TN

Total Time: 60 minutes
Serves: 8

Ingredients

2 Tbsp vegan butter
3 celery stalks, chopped
1/2 sweet onion, chopped
4 oz baby bella mushrooms, chopped
5 Tbsp vegan butter
7 Tbsp gluten-free flour (I like King Arthur Measure for Measure)
dash of salt and pepper, to taste
2 1/2 cups no or low salt added chicken broth
1 cup almond milk
16 oz frozen mixed veggies
1 25 oz rotisserie chicken, unseasoned, skin removed and pulled
3 Tbsp dried parsley
1 Tbsp dried thyme
2 gluten free pie crusts

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 400 F.
Heat 2 Tbsp butter over medium-high heat in a large pan and saute the celery, onion and mushrooms until tender.
Remove the veggies from the pan and set aside.
Add 5 Tbsp of the vegan butter to the pan and 7 Tbsp of the gluten free flour and a dash of salt and pepper to make a roux. Mix together until combined.
Add chicken broth and whisk until smooth and thick.
Stir in the almond milk until blended and smooth. Add more broth or almond milk if you need to thin it out a little more.
Now add in the frozen veggies (I like the one with green beans, carrots, peas and corn) and the vegetables you just cooked, as well as the pulled chicken, and mix together until well combined. Add parsley and thyme and set aside and turn off the heat.
Roll out the cold but not frozen pie crusts to fit over a large 9x13 pan OR just pull apart pieces of the crust to throw on top after you put the chicken and vegetable mixture in the pan.
Add the chicken and vegetable mixture into the pan and top with either the rolled crust OR the crust pieces to cover the entire top (see video).
Bake for about 30 minutes or until crust starts to turn golden brown. If your pan is really full you might need a baking sheet underneath to catch anything that drips out of the pan.
Let cool for a few minutes before serving.

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Learn how to make a delicious, gluten free and dairy free chicken pot pie! Recipe in bio. #livinglifebalanced #healthcoach #chickenpotpie #glutenfree #dairyfree #recipes #healthy

A post shared by Elena McCown â€¢ Health Coach (@elenamccown) on Mar 18, 2020 at 5:07pm PDT

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