Meat sauce (Vegan style)

Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

1 - 14.5 oz can of Muir Glen fire roasted diced tomatoes ---puree them
1 T garlic (minced)
1 small shallot (diced)
1/4 C peeled zucchini (diced)
1/3 C peeled Eggplant (diced)
1 T of fresh basil(chiffonade --means sliced- see photo)
1/4 C red wine
1 tsp oregano


In sauté pan at medium heat with oil sauté shallot and garlic for 2 mins or until shallot is translucent. Then add wine and cook for 1 min then add tomato puree and bring to simmer and add salt & pepper. Cook for 20'. Then add zuch and eggplant then simmer for another 20'. After time is up add herbs, cook for 20' and then it's ready to serve over your favorite pasta!







- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Red Lentil Soup

It is getting to be that time of year where nothing sounds better than a hot bowl of soup! This was my thought exactly when I started looking for some new recipes. So here is an interesting twist, it is a vegan soup, with great protein content and amazing taste!

Ingredients:

1 c red lentils, rinsed and drained
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium sweet onion, chopped
2 cloves of chopped garlic
2 Tbsp tomato sauce
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp thyme
1/8 tsp (or less) chili pepper
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 stalk of celery, chopped
1 quart vegetable broth
2 cups water
1 tsp lemon juice



Directions:

1. In a soup pot, heat olive oil, onion and garlic until golden, a few minutes.

2. Stir in tomato sauce, and spices, cook for another 1-2 min

3. Add broth, water, lentils, carrots and celery. Bring to a simmer, then cook on medium for about 30 minutes, partially covered. (until lentils are soft)

4. Add lemon juice

5. Puree soup if desired

Vanilla Maple Granola

A really yummy breakfast, to go snack or treat. Makes the house smell wonderful too! Makes approx 5-6 cups of granola.

4 cups GF oats
1 c sliced almonds
1/4 c brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinammon
1/3 c light olive oil
1/8c honey
1/8c pure maple syrup
4 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 300. Spray/grease cookie sheet. Mix oats, salt, and cinnamon in medium bowl. In a small saucepan combine brown sugar, oil, honey, maple syrup. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Pour hot mixture over dry ingredients and mix until evenly coated. Spread onto cookie sheet and bake for 30 min. Stir 1/2 way. Cook completely and store in airtight container. Lasts up to 2 weeks!

Lemon Sugar Cookies

A nice little treat of a cookie, not too sweet, very lemon!

Bake at 325, makes 10 cookies

1/4 c butter
2 Tbsp honey
1/2 c sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 3/4 C Bob's red mill GF flour mix (or your favorite)
3/4 tsp Xantham gum
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp grated lemon peel
1 egg white

blend butter, honey, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Add dry ingredients and egg white and lemon peel. Mix until a ball forms. Shape into disc. Refrigerate for 3-4 hours if able, minimum of 1 hr. Roll into balls and place on cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 min or until lightly golden on edges. Sprinkle lightly with sugar 1 min before removing from oven.

Summer Veggie Medley

This time of year the late summer veggies are ready to go! This came together for a get together and turned out marvelous! Enjoy!

2 medium peeled zucchini, sliced in 1/4" rounds
2-3 medium tomatoes, diced
1 small onion
1 tbsp chopped fresh garlic
8-10 leaves fresh basil
2 tbsp olive oil


Heat pan on medium, add olive oil and garlic, slice onion into medium pieces and stir in. Once softened, add in fresh basil, and zucchini, sliced in 1/4" rounds, stir frequently. Add in diced tomatoes, cook for 1-2 min and remove from heat. Garnish with fresh basil if desired.

No bake cookies

Some yummy chocolate treats without turning on the oven!!! A win win!!

1 1/2 c sugar
1/2c almond milk
1/2c butter or alternative
4 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 c almond butter
3 c quick cook GF oats
1 tsp vanilla extract

In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, milk, butter and cocoa. Bring to a boil, cook for 1 1/2 ,
Minutes. Remove from heat and stir in almond butter, oatsvand vanilla. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto was paper. Let cooled until firm! Enjoy!!

Watermelon Sorbet

Here is a simple and tasty treat! enjoy!!

5 cups cubed watermelon
1/2c sugar
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1/3c apple juice

Blend watermelon in blender or food processor until smooth.
Combine gelatin and apple juice in small sauce pan and stir over low heat until dissolved.
Stir gelatin into watermelon in 8x8 pan. Cover and freeze for 2 hours.
Break up frozen sorbet and beat on medium high until fluffy. Retrn to pan and freeze for 6 hours or until firm. Serve in scoops!

California style scramble

Dear readers,
Sorry for the long absence, we had a wedding in the family and life has been so crazy!! I have a whole list of new recipes to share, just need to roll them out! So here is a quick and favorite one! Great for breakfast or lunch!

2 whole eggs
2 whites
1/4c fresh basil
1/4c cherry tomatoes
Goat cheese (desired amount)
Sliced avocado
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat egg pan on medium-high. scramble eggs and whites together until 3/4 cooked. Add basil, tomatoes, salt, pepper and goat cheese. Cook until fluffy but
not runny. Plate and top with avocado slices. Serve warm!

T.L.T Sauce

First off sorry for the lack of posts lately...Between life being crazy and both of us racing this coming weekend at REV3 PDX, not s excuse but sometimes life leaves little time and certain things need to get cut to keep one sane. Funny thing but people generally don't do that, thus causes chaos in ones life.

This is a simple and killer recipe.


Tomato-Lime-Tequila Sauce

Serves 2-4

1 -14.5oz can of (Muir glen we use) fire roasted diced tomatoes (we puree, but dont if you prefer it chunky)
2 T of tequila of choice- cheap will taste stronger
1 shallot-diced
1 clove, garlic minced
1.5 tsp cumin
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp oregano
1/8 cup water
Salt and pepper
Juice of one lime

Optional:
1 Chipotle pepper, puree it, add on step 2
 Spinach- add 1 minute before serving to wilt


Instructions:

-over medium heat, saute shallot and garlic for 1-2 mins, or until shallots are slightly translucent
-add all other ingredients, and simmer for 20 minutes

You can serve over rice, pasta, quinoa and goes great with this chicken:
http://matt-qsack.blogspot.com/2010/05/grilled-chicken-marinade-recipe.html

Please excuse the crappy photo...will replace when make this recipe again since I know I will since it was killer!

Short Cakes

I was in the mood for some baking tonight, so here are the new creations! :) Let me know what you think!

Short Cakes-- good with any topping you can think of! Just slightly sweet, but still somewhat healthy! :)

 Ingredients:
1 c brown rice flour
1 c white rice flour
3/4 c sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
4 Tbsp butter (or alternative, must be cold)
2 large eggs (or substitute)
1/2 c almond milk (or alternative)
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp molasses (optional)
Cinnamon and sugar for sprinkling

Instructions:
Bake at: 400 F, for 8-10 min
Makes: 6-8 cakes

Whisk dry ingredients. Cut in better (or my new trick, grate it with a cheese grater, then stir in). Add stirred eggs, milk, vanilla and molasses. Combine with fork.
Pat dough onto floured surface, cut circles with glass or cookie cutter. (~1 1/2" thick)
Place on greased or parchment lined pan.
Sprinkle with cinnamon/sugar mixture

Bake until lightly browned.

Top with fruit, jam or other topping of your choice!

Yummy Biscuits

Biscuits

Makes: 6 biscuits

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 1/3 cups cornstarch
• 1 1/4 teaspoons xanthan gum
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a baking sheet.

In medium bowl, blend all dry ingredients, cut in the butter

Add milk and vinegar. Mix together well. (Dough will be soft)

Pat into rounds, drop on prepared pan

 

 

Bake 15 minutes, will just start to turn light brown. brush with melted butter (optional)

Finished Product!! Yum!

Sweet Potato Disk's

This recipe was orginally gonna be a mod of this one: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Sweet-Potato-Biscuits-361611?mbid=ipapp   
But quickly became different. I removed things like the butter, I am not one of the people that dislike fat I feel its very good to have a high fat diet but I limit dairy...not much good comes from it!

These go great as a side to most dinners as well as just something to snack on, I ate 2 on a ride and worked great!

Sweet Potato Disk's

1 large red-skinned sweet potato (yam; about 1 1/4 pounds), pierced with fork
1 1/2 cups gluten-free flour plus additional (3/4 cup brown rice flour, 1/2 C of millet flour, rest white rice flour)
2/3 cup yellow cornmeal
1 tablespoon baking powder
1  teaspoon Xanthum gum
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup Apple Sauce
1/8 cup olive oil
1/2 cup unsweetend Almond milk
1/4 cup  maple syrup (the real stuff not fake stuff)
1/2 cup pecans, toasted , chopped

Preheat oven to 425°F. Line baking sheet with parchment. Microwave potato until tender, about 6 minutes per side. Halve; scoop out 1 cup flesh. Cool. Blend 1 1/3 cups flour and next 3 ingredients in processor. Add oil and apple sauce; pulse to coarse meal. Add potato, milk, and syrup; process to blend. Add nuts; pulse to blend.
Sprinkle dough with flour. Pat into 1/2 x 3 inch disks Transfer to baking sheet. Bake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, 10-15 minutes.

Brownies

I needed something quick for a work function, so I started looking for some brownie ideas.... I found some strange things out there, but one idea I really liked was the use of nut butters. So here is a new spin on the classic brownie (gluten free of course!)

1/3 c unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 c olive oil
2 large eggs (or substitute)
2 Tbsp almond butter
1.5 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 c tapioca flour
1/2 c brown rice flour
2-4 Tbsp almond milk (or any milk of your choice)
1/2 c milk choc chips (or any flavor)

Combine cocoa and oil. Whisk eggs, almond butter and vanilla, add sugar, baking powder and salt.
Add flours and milk. Stir in choc chips. Lightly grease 8x8 pan.
Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes

Carrot Cake Smoothie

Heard someone mention this on Twitter, not sure if anything similar...they didnt post recipe, probably keeping this gem for themselves,  so I decided to take it on for myself and figure it out and figure it out I did...not to bad!!

Carrot Cake Smoothie

• 2 cups cooked carrots, cooled than Frozen (organic of course..)
• 6-8 ounces Almond milk (I used unsweetened Vanilla)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp vanilla (can omit if using the flavored milk but still is great)
• smidgen of nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon orange zest
• Optional: L-Glutamine or Whey Protein or a few pecans or walnuts for nutty flavor.

The hard part..

1. Cook carrots until soft and easy to break apart, then cool and freeze.
2. Put ALL into blender or if your lucky a Vitamix..and blend away.
3. Drink up!

Recovery Smoothie

After a recent thought provoking conversation with James about smoothies and such. I got to thinking, made this one today after a hard tempo run. Tastes great and is easily absorbed as well as aids in recovery!


6-8 oz Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
1 Large Banana-frozen works best
1 T organic Cocoa Powder
2 small handfuls of fresh Organic Kale
1 T Almond Butter or any preferred nut butter
5g L-Glutamine
10 g Whey Protein , I use a vanilla flavored Gluten free whey as well as lactose free
*Ice if not using a frozen banana

Put all into a blend EXCEPT whey, and blend to a smooth consistency, then add the whey and blend for a few seconds until mixed it but no longer.


Other items that one can add:
 1-2 T of Maca Root
Chia seeds
Omega 3 oil
Coconut water in place of milk
one of my fav's a starbucks via instant coffee-very easy and simple but adds amazing flavor and a kick of caffeine!
If you have milk or dairy issue, may want to try hemp or brown rice protein.

If anyone has their favorite recovery smoothie or ingredient suggestions feel free too add it in the comments!

Chocolate Chip Cookies!

For those die hard choc chip cookies fans, here you go!
Not terribly healthy, but sooooo yummy!! :)

2 1/2 c brown rice flour (our your favorite mix)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp xanthum gum
1/2 tsp salt
1 c butter softened (or substitute)
1/2 c sugar
3/4 c brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
2 eggs
2 c milk chocolate chips (or your fave!)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Beat butter and sugars until creamy.
Add vanilla and eggs, one at a time.
Drop onto ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 9-11 minutes, or until tops begin to brown.
Makes approx 2 1/2 dozen medium sized cookies.

Shredded Chicken Enchiladas (w/ homemade sauce)

Sauce
16 z cans whole peeled tomatoes
1 (4 ounce) can chipotle chili peppers, undrained
1 karge shallot, chopped
2 teaspoons chili powder (ancho, new california are best if know where to find, basic powder will do just less flavor with it)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1 clove garlic, minced
Combine all tomato sauce ingredients and place in a blender. Puree ingredients. Then place in a saucepan. Heat over medium heat until heated through, about 5-10 minutes. Use as desired for enchiladas, I prefer to use over when cold then bake them, otherwise doesnt come out as well IMHO.

 Filling

3-4 breast worth of Shredded chicken
Sauce from above
Cheddar cheese (I prefer a medium or sharp cheddar of good cheese, not the bagged kind)
Sprouted corn tortillas (gluten free and not void of any (but still little) nutrients, mainly not as processed as other corn tortillas.


Place a thin layer of sauce into the bottom of a baking dish. Place a tortilla on flat surface, put a little cheese in a line down center, then do same with chicken. You can make these as plump as you prefer. Roll it then place into the backing dish. Then repeat until finished with desired amount of enchiladas are completed. Cover enchiladas with sauce (I try and cover enough that I dont see any tortilla not covered in sauce), then place cheese over the enchiladas, again desired about since some dont like lots of cheese.

Greek Lemon Chicken Soup

This is a twist on a traditional Greek soup.
I was not sure at first but it is pretty tasty and something different.
Works great with rotisserie chicken if you are in a hurry.

Ingredients:
1 bay leaf (remove before you add eggs)
8 c chicken broth
2/3 c wild rice (or 1/3c Quinoa )
6 egg yolks
1 1/2 c shredded chicken
1/4 c lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Bring chicken broth to a boil. Add rice or quinoa and boil until tender. Beat 6 egg yolks in small bowl, then add 1 c hot broth and whisk. Add egg mixture to sauce pan and cook over medium for 5-7 minutes. Add chicken and lemon juice and stir well. Serve hot!

Homemade Italian Meatballs

Okay, after numerous requests, here is the family recipe turned Gluten Free!
Use your favorite sauce (if you need some ideas or want ours, let me know),you need approx 7 cups of sauce/liquid to cover meatballs and cook properly, add water to make up total amount if you use thick sauce.
Heat sauce in large saucepan or small stock pan so that it is hot and beginning to boil when you add meatballs.

Ingredients:
1 c. toasted GF breadcrumbs (we used the heels of Udi's GF bread and processed it into crumbs)
1 lb ground beef (or bison)
1 egg
(this recipe can be easily doubled or tripled and frozen for latter!)

Directions:
There are two ways to make meatballs, with your hands (yuck) or in a bowl! I prefer the latter, but feel free to try either way.

whisk egg lightly in medium bowl. Add ground beef and mix well with fork/spatula (or hands). Once meat is coated, add bread crumbs while mixing into meat. Should take several minutes and should be well mixed when finished. The finished product should look like meat with lots of bread throughout.
Then pinch off about 1.5"-2" diameter pieces and roll into balls. Make sure they are well formed and add more breadcrumbs if they are not staying together.
Once formed place in large skillet on medium heat and brown on all sides.

After browning, place meat balls gently in sauce and simmer for 2-3 hours on low heat.

Should make 12-14 meatballs depending on size.

Curried Chicken Salad

A summery salad to have as a meal or as a side!
Use rotisserie chicken for a shortcut, and leave out the honey if desired.
Great with crackers or baguette!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 c chopped cooked chicken breast
1/2 c halved seedless red grapes
1/2 c diced peeled apple
1/2 chopped celery
2 Tbsp low fat mayonnaise
1 Tbsp honey
1/2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice
dash salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbsp toasted sliced almonds, or walnuts (optional)

Mix all ingredients to coat with liquids. Serve.

Cucumber Herb Salad

This time of year has me hopeful for spring, so here is a light salad to accompany any meal. Be sure to use fresh herbs, as dried do not taste as good for this purpose.

Ingrediets:
2 large cucumbers, peeled, quartered, then sliced
1 Tbsp chopped fresh dill
1 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
2 Tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
dash salt
dash pepper

Directions:
Chop basil and combine with dill, add salt and pepper. Combine all ingredients in bowl and gently toss to coat. Serve immediately or make ahead and chill up to 2 hours.

Gluten Free Red Velvet Cupcakes (speedy version)

Okay, so normally all of my recipes are from scratch, but we all have those times where we need something in a hurry... so here is my cheater version of red velvet cupcakes (can also be a cake)  :)

Ingredients:

Pamela's Products Classic Vanilla Cake Mix (mix ingredients according to directions, add another egg for a total of 4 eggs)

2.5 TBSP cocoa powder

1 bottle red food coloring

1 can of Betty Crocker cream cheese frosting

Directions:

Mix according to directions, add in cocoa powder and red food coloring. Mix well. Bake according to instructions and cool on rack. Frost when completely cooled. 

Makes 14 cupcakes

Spinach Quinoa

This is a great side, since you can make extra and eat hot or cold. This is important for me since at school, I save time when I dont have to go to find a microwave as well as on the go.

Quinoa is a great GF alternative to rice, much healthier too :)

Spinach Quinoa
serves approx. 4


2 C Uncooked Quinoa
1/2 C white wine
3.5 C Chicken Broth (or water)
1 shallot, minced
1 clove Garlic, minced
1 C of Packed Spinach, remember to wash
1 T ground Cumin
1/2 T Thyme
TT salt and pepper
2 T olive oil

Turn Sauce pan on at medium heat. Add oil, garlic, and shallot and saute for 2 min until garlic is lightly browned. Then add all other ingredients EXCEPT spinach. Cook for 15-20 minutes stirring occasionally. When done turn off then add in the spinach and stir, this will wilt in the quinoa.

Other ideas:
-add parmasen cheese to add some more flavor to it.
- Toss in some shredded chicken and make a meal out of it
-add sauteed shrooms or red peppers when add the spinach

Sugar Free Blueberry Muffins

Makes: 9 muffins
Bake @ 400 for 20 min

Ingredients:
1 c blueberries, dusted with flour to keep dry (would be excellent with raspberries too!)
1 c brown rice flour
1/2 c tapioca flour
1/4 c millet flour
1 tsp xanthum gum
1 tbsp baking powder (make sure its GF!)
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs  (or beaten whites, make sure to add more liquid to balance)
1/4 c applesauce
3/4 c orange juice
1 tsp grated orange peel


Preheat oven to 400.
Line pan with baking cups (might want to dust with flour or spray, did stick a bit)
Mix dry ingredients in medium bowl
In a small bowl- beat eggs lightly, add remaining liquid ingredients.
Add liquid to dry ingredients and gently stir, fold in berries very gently.
Bake for 20 minutes, watching for over-browning of tops.

Nutrition info:
1 muffin

• Calories: 142.5
• Fat: 2 grams
• Carb: 27.5 grams
• Fiber: 2 grams
• Sugar: 4 grams
• Protein: 3.6 grams

Butternut Squash Risotto

Tonight while craving risotto, I searched around for what I had to work with and 1/2 through cooking in I found the cooked squash so score! Lucky enough I can put together a recipe pretty quickly in my head, so off I was creating this yummy dish.

A little primer on how to make risotto, its not like your typical run of the mill rice: LINK

Serving Size: ~2

1 Cup of Aborio Rice (risotto ;)
2 T olive oil
2 C of Chicken Stock (heat before use) may not use all but may need more.
1 Shallot diced
1/2 Cup of White wine, I feel a semi sweet one works well
1 T of Brown Sugar
3/4 Cup of Butternut Squash, cooked and pureed until smooth
1/3 C Parmesan Cheese, shredded (imported always tastes better)
Pinch of Nutmeg
1 Bay Leaf
Optional-heavy cream if would like creamier.

At medium skillet over medium to medium-high heat with olive oil. When can smell oil, add the shallots and soften 2 to 3 minutes. Add rice and toast 2 to 3 minutes. Add wine and cook it out completely, stirring occasionally, 2 to 3 minutes. Ladle in stock in intervals, a couple of ladles at a time. Allow liquids to evaporate each time. Risotto will cook 20 minutes, total, from the first addition of liquid. At 12 minutes add the pureed sqaush season with nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste. In the last minute of cooking time, stir in  cheese, then serve.

Zucchini Carrot Muffins

So I have taken on a new challenge...

I am trying to avoid added sugar in my daily food choices, I have become inspired to look for more recipes and work on the ones I had been playing with to remove added sugar. Here is my first successful attempt!!

1 1/2 cups unsweetened applesauce
1 egg
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup brown rice flour
1 cup white rice flour
2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon xanthum gum
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon all spice
1/3 cup carrots

1/3 cup zucchini

In a large bowl, beat together the applesauce, egg, oil. 

Stir in the dry ingredients; stirring just to moisten. 

Stir in the carrots and zucchini and divide the batter among 12 muffin cups. 

Bake at 375F for 20 minutes. Makes 12 servings.

Optional: try baking raisins or regular raisins in addition to the carrots and zucchini. Add more cinnamon or pie spice as desired.

Mushroom Ragu

Ok, first of I NEED to explain what a Ragu is NOT that crap they sell is a bottle that I wouldn't feed the a stray dog, its means a hearty sauce (again what the stuff at the grocery store called Ragu is not ;) Sorry about my hate for that stuff but Italians really dont do canned sauces, its a huge sin. Dont believe me try bringing a bottle into my moms house = pure chaos ;)

Ok to the good stuff, this is hearty sauce that can be served over chicken, pork, pasta or almost anything but can be a bit much for seafood.

4-8 Crimini Mushrooms sliced (white caps not great, tend to get too mushy) how many depends on size and how shroomy you want it..
1 Garlic clove, minced
1 Shallot, diced
1 Roma tomato, diced or pureed
2 Cups of Broth of choice (match broth w/ dish, like chicken dish-> chicken broth)
1/2 Cup of Wine of choice (match as above)
1.5 Tsp of Thyme (fresh always better)
4-5 Asparagus Spears, cut into 1 inch pieces
Salt and Pepper to taste
Cornstarch slurry to thicken to desired consistency which will be different as the uses as this sauce can be used for many different types of dishes- best thickener for GF cooking-ask if not familiar with and will do a post on it.


-Saute garlic and shallot over medium heat in saute pan, cook until garlic is lightly browned
-Add mushrooms, cook for 3 minutes or until darker in color
-add wine, cool for 4 minutes
-add broth, tomatoes, salt/pepper
-cook for 20 minutes at a good simmer
-add Asparagus and Thyme, cook 5 minutes
- add slurry but removed from heat when adding , then stir then put back on heat
-Cook for 3-5 min at light simmer
-Serve over desired dish

Tonight I made with chicken over pasta, when I added the Asparagus I added diced cooked chicken breast. Sorry about the photo, camera is acting up

Gluten/Soy Free Stir Fry Sauce

After wanting to make some stir fry and not using Soy (I wont bore you on why I dont..) made it hard but after some hard thinking and chatting with some other culinary studs I came up with this version, which is very good:

Sauce:

2 cups beef broth (Organic is best, doesnt have a lot of added stuff and wont end up too salty)
1 tsp. molasses
1 tsp. diced ginger
2 tsp. cider vinegar
2 bay leaves
1 T diced shallot

Put all in saucepan, boil lightly (uncovered) until reduced to 1/2-1/3 of a cup.
-Strain it and use as needed but add dash of pepper, onion powder and garlic powder before using.

Worked great in a stir fry and would be a perfect marinade as well.

If anyone ever has any recipes they would like me to work on or anything at all just ask away! I love to experiment

Enjoy!

BBQ Pork Tenderlion w/ Pineapple

BBQ Sauce:

1.25 C of Whole Peeled tomatoes --pureed til no more chunks
2/3 T Cumin
1 T Apple Cider Vinegar
1 medium sized Shallot , diced (can use yellow onion but 85% of the time I will use shallots, MUCH better flavor than standard onion)
1 clove of Garlic , chopped, not pressed ;) that thing is evil..
1/3 C Brown Sugar
1 tea Granulated Garlic

optional: 1 tea of mustard powder-> adds nice little flava

-Heat small sauce pan to medium heat
-Add chopped garlic and onion, cook for 1 min
-Add rest of ingredients
-bring sauce to simmer and set there for 20-25 minutes then will be done, can cook longer if want thicker sauce.

-----------
Rest of Grub:
1 Pork tenderloin, slices into strips
1 cup of cubes of pineapple

In separate saute pan, saute the pork for 8-10 minutes at a medium heat. When fully cooked, add enough of the sauce to cover the bottom of the pan and a bit more then cook for 5 minutes (as seen in photo). Next add the pineapple, cook for 3 more minutes then its ready to grub!

Tips and Suggestions:
-Make sauce day before, just like a soup flavor is best the day after made
-Works great with fresh cubed mango's in place of pineapple
-Buy unseasoned pork tenderloin, its common to find them marinated..
-Feel free to ask any questions if recipe is unclear or anything for that matter

 

Apple (or Pear) --Nut Bread

This is a great little snack, and with the quinoa flour, it makes it grain free :)  which is even better the GF

Ingredients:
2.5 C Quinoa Flour (have used Brown rice flour and liked a lot too)
1 1/3 C of apple sauce
1/2 C of butter or olive oil
1 C of Honey
1/2 C chopped walnuts (pecans work great too)
1 apple or pear, grated
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
tsp of cinnamon
opt: 1 C of raisins
1/2 tsp of salt
3 eggs







Steps->

Pre heat oven to 350-
-Cream butter (or oil) and honey together
-Beat egg in one at a time
-Stir in apple sauce, grated apple, raisins, vanilla
-In other bowl combine all remaining dry ingredients
-Add wet mix, stir by hand until well combined
-Turn into oiled 5 x 7 loaf pan
-Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes or until when poked with toothpick so when comes out clean, its done!
-Cool 10 minutes before removing from pan.

Pumpkin Bread

Here is a great one that is suiting for the Holiday season (past...):

1/2 cup of butter (or 1/4 cup of olive oil and 1/4 cup of apple sauce
1/4 cup of Agave Necter or honey
15oz Can of pumpkin (Libbys is GF)
2 eggs

1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 tsp of cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg & clove
-optional- I like to add a pinch of ginger powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp of baking soda
2 tsp of baking powder
1.5 tsp of Xanthan Gum
1.75 cups of Brown rice flour
1/4 cup of tapioca starch
1/2 Cup of Pecans or Walnuts

Preheat oven to 325 F

Mix first 4 ingredients together separately until well blended, do same with rest in another bowl then mix the dry ingredients into the wet in 2 batches. Mix batter until well mixed. Put batter in lightly grease loaf pan.

Cook for 65-75 minutes (until lightly browned on top.)

This makes for a great after run snack or anytime for that matter since I love pumpkin!

Chicken-Prosciutto Roll ups

When trying to think up of something good to make for this past New Years Eve dinner I came up with this recipe, and we have made it 2 times since then since it was so good. After the recipe there are photos for each step up to it being plated (sans veggie..)

Sides that go well with dish:
Mushrooms sauce
Wild Mushroom/Parm Risotto
Asparagus Almondine

A few nice things about this recipe:

• easy to pack the roll up for lunch
• slices up great for a sandwich
• takes up little room in fridge
• yummy

Pre-Heat oven to 425 degrees

Serving size: 3-6 roll ups*

->3 Chicken breasts
->Slices of Prosciutto -will be dependent on how many chix breast send up with -GET IMPORTED..only way to go! If you dont eat pork, you could replace with a veggie like a roasted red pepper.
 ->Shaved Parmesan Cheese- I prefer to shave my own of a chuck of cheese since only way to get the good     stuff here is in big chucks.. Again, imported is best!
->3-6 med-large Sage Leaves (FRESH only)
->ground pepper to taste

How to whip this bad boy up:

1) Clean chicken breast to your liking

2) Next step is optional depending how comfortable you are with a knife--> so I prefer to cut the breast into 2 pieces, so that it is 1/2 as thick.

3) Slice cheese into thin sliced then, cut into cube like pieces, pick sage

4) Put down parchment paper, put chicken onto paper with an inch between each, then cover the chicken with saran wrap

5) With a meat tenderizer (like this one) and gently beat the meat with the textured side so that it becomes thinner, then remove wrap but keep we will use again.

6) Place a few small pieces of cheese in middle of the breast, place 2 leaves of sage side to side over the cheese, then place a slice of prosciutto over the chicken (in some cases you dont need entire piece of prosciutto)

7) place wrap back over and lightly beat the chicken again so the prosciutto adheres to the chicken.

8) remove the wrap and season with pepper, I dont use salt since the prosciutto is cured in turn being salty and the cheese is too.

9) gently roll it , then place it onto a ungreased baking sheet

10) bake 10-12 minutes



 
 

 

Cranberry Muffins

For those of you who do not know Matt and I, this blog is about our journey towards Gluten free living. I titled it cranberry muffins because it is one of my first successful baking trials and one of my favorite.

An introduction to the authors... Matt is a culinary guru with a degree in the culinary arts. He has always been an amazing cook but has learned how to take it a step forward into gluten free cooking which requires even more imagination. For his real job he is a student in the Special Education field and will soon be a teacher. He is an avid triathlete and loves the outdoors. I (Jessie) am newer to cooking and I like baking the most. I am really enjoying playing around with the gluten free variations to traditional recipes and finding new yummy, non store bought treats. I am an occupational therapist in the day time and love biking, swimming and anything outside!

For those of you who have tried gluten free shopping you know how expensive prepared items can be, so we have been finding ways to make wonderful food without the high cost. Our goal is to help others who are gluten free or interested in gluten free have the benefits without all of the searching!
Welcome...

Gluten Free Cranberry Muffins

Preheat: 400 degrees
Grease or line 9-12 muffin cups
Bake for 20 minutes

Mix these ingredients together in a bowl:1.5 cups brown rice flour
1/2 c. tapioca flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
3 tsp gluten free baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4c ground flax (optional)

Beat these together gently
1 large egg
3/4 almond milk (or other g-f milk)
1/4 c olive oil
1/4 c brown sugar
2 tbsp applesauce
1 tsp honey
1 cup fresh cranberries (or frozen)

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones, then fold int he cranberries gently. (optional: Add 1/2 c nuts, 1 tsp orange zest, and/or other berries) Spoon evenly into muffin cups and bake until lightly brown on tops.