Rosemary Roasted Potatoes

One of my husband's favorite side dishes is roasted potatoes. I don't make them very often, but it's a real treat when I do. Come to think of it, I don't know why I don't make them very often, they are so easy and SO good!

These potatoes are the perfect side dish for fall!  They warm you to your core, are full of robust flavors and fill the house with the best aroma! We will definitely be making these again soon!


Roasted Potatoes:

8-10 small red potatoes (or golden would be good)
2 Tbps Olive Oil
1.5 tsp chopped Rosemary
3/4 tsp garlic powder

Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat over to 400.

Cut potatoes into eighths. Or Sixths. The smaller they are the quicker they cook. Put potatoes in a large bow. Add Olive Oil, Rosemary, garlic powder and salt and pepper. mix thoroughly until well combined.

Lay potatoes flat on a lightly oiled cookie sheet. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and stir. Bake for 15-20 more minutes, or until browned.

We had ours with Steak (for the hubby) and Salad for me (still having my animal protein aversion). It's the perfect side for any meal!

Pumpkin Spice Cookies

In my last post, I was boasting about the lovely September weather Seattle was having,well that has come and gone. October has brought nothing but rain!

Fall is by far my favorite season of the year. I don’t know if it is crisp cool air, the sweaters, boots and scarves, or the ushering in of the holiday season, but nothing can compare in my book!

My birthday is in October, so I will always have a special place in my heart for apples and pumpkins. They were always an integral part of my birthday parties and when my mom would start bringing them home from the grocery store, I knew my birthday was getting close!

I was at COSTCO the other day, and they had canned pumpkin in. I couldn’t resist and I bought a pack (I know have more pumpkin than I know what to do with!) While this isn’t organic pumpkin, Pumpkin is extremely low on the “dirty” list for produce contaminated with pesticides.

After my Costco trip, I couldn’t stop staring at the cans, wondering what deliciousness I could come up with! First on the list? Cookies of course!

These cookies are moist, packed with flavor and taste exactly like fall! I am definitely going to be making these again soon!

Pumpkin Spice Cookies:

1 cup softened virgin coconut oil (or unsalted butter)

1 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)

1 1/2 cups brown sugar (plus a little extra for sprinkling)

1/4 cup ground flax seeds

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

3 cups brown rice flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon sea salt

3 to 4 teaspoons cinnamon (plus a little extra for sprinkling)

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl use an electric mixer to blend together the coconut oil, pumpkin, sugar, flax seeds, and vanilla extract. Add the remaining ingredients and beat together again.

Drop by the spoonful onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Use a fork or flat edge to flatten the cookies (they will not change shape while cooking). Lightly sprinkle the tops of each cookie with cinnamon sugar.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until slightly golden around the edges. Remove cookies and place them onto a wire rack to cool. 

Serve with a scoop of "rice cream" or yogurt.  

* I apologize for the terrible picture quality in this post. These were taken on my cell phone, which is clearly lacking in the camera department!

Dairy-Free Peanut Butter Smoothies

Summer in Seattle always seems to start at the very end of August and linger into September. While it isn’t a long season, it’s truly one of the most beautiful places in the world to be during the few short months of sunshine.

One of my favorite breakfasts to make during the summer is this indulgent Peanut Butter Smoothie. It’s rich, creamy and a total treat! This would make a great desert as well!

I got this recipe from Heavenly Homemakers and adapted it to make it dairy free. 

  

Dairy-Free Peanut Butter Smoothies

(makes 2)

Ingredients:

1 Cup Coconut Milk (I have found other dairy free milks are too thin for this recipe. Coconut really is the best choice here)

¼ Cup Organic Peanut Butter (peanuts are extremely high in pesticides so I highly recommend organic peanut butter)

1 Tbps Cocoa or Carob Powder

1 ½ Tbps Honey

2 Frozen bananas, chunked

Okay, here is where it gets a little complicated:

Throw all the ingredients into a blender, and mix until smooth and creamy.

Whew!  I hope you were able to follow those complex directions.

Enjoy this delicious treat any time of the day!

Tomato Basil Pasta

I have been craving a “tomato-basil” anything lately. There is something so refreshing and wonderful about these two flavors together. I didn’t go out looking for a recipe like a usually do because I wanted to get creative with the food I already had in my house. I wish I would have had some fresh basil, but all I had was dried. This dish would be delicious with some fresh basil leaves as well!

I threw together this dish and while the sauce didn’t turn out exactly like I thought it would, I am still really happy with the final outcome. This dish is light, refreshing and perfect for a summer’s evening!

Tomato-Basil Pasta

1 pint grape tomatoes, halved (or quartered, depending on the size of your tomatoes)

½ onion, chopped and sautéed

3 chicken sausages, sliced (Italian sausage would be great as well)

1 Tbps + extra for sprinkling dried basil (a handful of fresh basil leaves would be divine as well)

1 package gluten-free spiral noodles (we get ours at Trader Joes)

Goat cheese (optional)

Dressing:

¾ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 Tbps (or to taste) minced garlic

1 tsp white vinegar

1 Tbps dried Basil

5-10 cashews

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp organic sugar

¼ cup water

I started by making the dressing. Add all ingredients to a blendtec or food processor. Blend until creamy and completely smooth. Set dressing aside.

Prepare noodles according to package. While noodles are cooking, cook your sausage until slightly browned. Saute your onions as well. Once noodles are cooked and drained, combine sausage, onions, tomatoes, basil and top with the dressing. Mix until well combined. Top with some shredded goat sheep and combine. Serve on plate and top serving with a sprinkle of additional basil. 

Tuna-Stuffed Tomatoes

Wow, it’s been almost 3 months since my last blog. I wish I could say that I had some awesome reason for my hiatus or that something exciting was going on in our lives, but… I don’t. I simply had been feeling unmotivated to blog.

I can’t pinpoint why I was feeling this way or what sparked me to start blogging again, but I’m back. I think I was pressuring myself to post something EVERY DAY, and if I didn’t, I was some kind of failure, when really I started this blog as a way to keep track of recipes I liked and a virtual diary of sorts.

I have a bunch of new recipes and ideas to share and I am excited to get them on the blog again!

While this first blog isn’t really a recipe, I thought the idea was so fun and clever I had to share.

Tuna-Stuffed Tomatoes

These cute little treats are so much fun to serve for dinner or would make a great addition to any potluck. We use mustard in our tuna, hence the yellowish color in the pictures!

Ingredients:

2 cans of Tuna (drained)

1 pickle, diced

Quarter of an onion, diced

Mayo (or mustard) to your liking

2 tsp minced garlic

3 beefsteak tomatoes, hollowed out.

Basil for sprinkling

Mix up your tuna to your liking in a bow. Hollow out the tomatoes, just as you would a pumpkin. Stuff the tomatoes with the tuna and top with a sprinkle of basil.

Serve with some organic tortilla chips for a wonderful appetizer or dinner! 

Chicken Con Cipolle e Formaggio

I have a plethora of chicken breasts at my house right now, about 40 lbs to be exact.So expect a lot of chicken recipes in the next few weeks.

I knew I wanted to try a new recipe, as my husband easily tires of chicken, and to get him to love any chicken dish, it has to be new, and something we don’t eat very often!

Thus came along Chicken con Cipolle e Formaggio, which is really just Chicken with Onions and Cheese, but it sounds so fancy :) 

Not to brag, but oh wow! This dish came out even better than I could have imagined. It was so moist and flavorful!

Chicken con Cipolle e Formaggio:

3-4 Chicken Breasts

1 medium onion, sliced

8 slices of goat cheese

Italian dressing of choice to marinate Chicken in

Coconut Oil to grease your baking dish and for Onions

Salt

Marinate your Chicken breasts in Italian dressing of your choice up to 24 hours.

Preheat your oven to 375.

Lightly grease a baking dish, add your marinated chicken breasts to the dish and cook for 25 minutes.

While your chicken breasts are cooking, add some coconut oil to a saute pan and heat over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add your sliced onion. While they are cooking, sprinkle with salt (this makes them sweet, not sugar surprisingly) Let them cook until they are slightly browned and very limp.

When the 25 minutes is up, take your chicken out of the oven, top each breast with 2 slices of goat cheese (or more or less), and then a large pile of onions. Put back into the oven for an additional 5-10 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.

I wanted my onions and cheese to brown slightly, so for the last five minutes I turned my oven to broil.

Quinoa Summer Salad

My dear friend, Jenny, emailed me a version of this recipe a few weeks ago. Her co-worker brought this salad to a work potluck, and Jenny thought of us, since it was gluten free and delicious!

After being on vacation (a post on our wonderful trip to Florida is coming soon) and just a crazy month of May, I finally got around to making this dish last night. It was a huge hit! My husband even said “Ang, I think I have a new favorite!” I love that he is so easy to please!

I adapted the original recipe a bit to add more protein and make it a dinner dish. My adapted recipe is below.

Quinoa Summer Salad

3 cups Quinoa

¼ Cup Olive Oil

1 bag (2 cups) frozen corn

2 Chicken Sausages

1 pint (about 10-12) grape cherry tomatoes, halved

½ cup cilantro

½ Onion finely chopped

¾ jar of creamy balsamic dressing (or dressing of your choice)

½ lime squeezed

3-4 sun dried tomatoes, diced

1 Avocado, chopped

Salt and Pepper to taste

Cook the Quinoa according to package directions. Once the quinoa is cooked and has cooled, add olive oil and fluff. Salt and pepper to taste.  Transfer to a large serving dish/bowl.

While the Quinoa is cooking, defrost corn and cook the sausage until heated all the way through. Chop the sausages into bite sites pieces.

Cut up the tomatoes, onion and cilantro and avocado.

Add the corn, onion, sausage, cilantro, grape tomatoes, and dried tomatoes to the Quinoa mixture. Squeeze your lime and add your dressing to the dish and mix until well incorporated. Top the dish with the avocado and serve.

 

 

I'm sharing this on Pennywise Platter Thursdays,  Full Plate Thursdays, and It's a keeper Thursdays

Coconut-Breaded Halibut

When I first started buying organic food in bulk, I might have gone a little crazy. I may have an entire cupboard full of 5 lbs bags of flour, baking ingredients and such, just maybe!

One thing that I bought in bulk (and look back and have NO idea why) was shredded coconut. Now, many of you are thinking that there is a lot you could do with 5 lbs of coconut, and I’m sure you are right, but me? I don't like shredded coconut! I never have, I probably never will! I don’t like the taste, I don’t like the texture and I avoid foods with shredded coconut on/in them.(This leads me back to the point “why do I have 5 lbs sitting in my house?!?)

Well, in an effort not to waste the coconut, I decided to try this recipe for Coconut-breaded Halibut. Let me bring up another point… I do not like seafood very much. In fact, I didn’t have my first voluntary bite of fish until I was dating my husband. Now, I can eat shrimp and tilapia and that’s about it! I am slowly working my way toward different varieties, but it is a slow transition.

All of that to say, I have no idea why I thought I would LOVE this recipe. It includes two ingredients that even on a good day, I don’t like! Needless to say, this is not my favorite recipe, however my husband really liked it and I’m sure if you are not afraid of coconut and like fish, this would be a great dish!

Coconut-breaded Halibut (or Cod or Tilapia)

1 cup shredded coconut, finely chopped

2 tablespoons coconut flour

1 tablespoon Cajon seasoning

4 (4 ounce) Halibut fillets or similar white fish

1/2 cup cornstarch

3 Egg whites

Preheat oven to 350

Toss together the coconut, flour and Creole seasoning in a bowl. In a separate bowl, toss the fish with the cornstarch, and shake off the excess. Pour the egg whites into a separate bowl, and dip the fillets in the egg. Next, press fillets in the coconut mixture coating all sides. 

Place fillets into a lightly greased baking dish. Bake the fish for 10-12 minutes, or until the coconut is browned, and the fish is flakey. 

Viola! 

Im sharing this on:

Real Food Wednesdays

What's Cookin Wenesdays

Pennywise Platter

Real Food Weekly

Full Plate Thursdays

Its a keeper Thursdays

Asian Green Beans

I have to admit that I get really lazy when it comes to side dishes for dinner. I spend a lot of time prepping and making sure that the main dish is delicious, that we usually end up having salad (every.single.night) or simple rice/quinoa.

I have been wanting to try and get more creative with the side dishes I prepare, so here is one of my first attempts! And boy, it was hit! I will definitely be making this again. You could even add some chicken and use this as a main dish!

Asian Green Beans:

2-3 Cups Frozen Green Beans (organic) or Fresh

½ Cup Walnuts or Pecans

Sauce:

1 Tbsp Soy sauce or coconut aminos

1 Tbsp Toasted Sesame Oil

1 Tsp Olive Oil

½ Tsp Garlic powder

½ Tsp  Onion powder

½ Tsp or less Salt

1 Tsp Sesame Seeds

Preheat your oven to 350

Steam your green bean on the stove top until done (typically about 10 -15 minutes if frozen, 5- 10 if fresh). While your beans are cooking, place nuts on a silpat or cookie sheet and place in the preheated oven for about 5 minutes, or until brown.

While everything is cooking, prepare your sauce in a small bowl.

Once your bean and nuts are done cooking, combine the two in a serving dish. Drizzle your sauce over the top of dish and mix well. Sprinkle Sesame Seeds over top of the dish and serve!

Here it is with our dinner from last night! (recipe for the fish is coming soon! Coconut crusted Cod!)

 

Im sharing this on Pennywise Platter Thursday!

Full Plate Thursdays and 

Its a Keeper Thursdays!

Nut Butter Bread

I found this recipe on Homemade Dutch Apple Pie’s blog and was so intrigued by the recipe I had to try it for myself.

I could not wrap my head around the fact that the ingredients in this recipe come together to make a… bread? But low and behold, they did! This Nut butter bread is moist, flavorful and a wonderful treat!

Nut Butter Bread

1 cup nut butter (I used almond butter!)
1/4 cup honey
3 eggs ( I only had two left, and the recipe turned out just fine, but I would recommend 3 if you have them on hand)
1/2 tsp baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 T vinegar or lemon juice (I used lemon juice)

Combine all ingredients except for the lemon juice and mix well. Add the vinegar or lemon juice and mix well, then pour into a greased loaf pan.

Bake about 40 minutes in a 350 degree oven (mine only needed about 25-30 minutes, not sure if it was because I omitted an egg or not?). It is done when a knife or toothpick comes out clean.

Homemade Chili

Seattle has had a late launch on Spring/Summer weather this year. This being the case, we are still drudging through rain, clouds and cold weather. I think I can handle this weather through the end of March, and that’s it. Once April rolls around I expect some sunshine (even if it is mixed in with rain showers) and some warmer weather!!

This weekend, we had the wonderful pleasure of going to a Mariner’s baseball game! While the roof was closed on the stadium (so we weren’t soaked) it was still chilly and I needed something warm and hearty to heat me up.

This recipe is so simple, its delicious and it makes a TON of chili. We usually have enough to last us through a few meals, and then an entire zip lock bag full for the freezer!

Crockpot Chili:

1 lb. ground turkey, grass fed beef
1 29 oz. can tomato sauce plus 1 -15 oz can of tomato sauce
1 29 oz can. large can of diced tomatoes
2 Tbls Minced Garlic
1 large onion, chopped
1 pepper, chopped
3 Tbls. taco seasoning mix
4 cups cooked beans (I used Kidney and black, but any kind will work!)
1/8-1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 cup rapadura or natural sweetener
1-2 tsp. oregano
3/4 tsp pepper
2 tsp salt
3 tsp cumin
1-8-1/4 cup chili powder, as desired.

In a large sauté pan, cook meat, onions, and peppers until browned. Add minced garlic and cook for about one minute.

Place in your crockpot with remaining ingredients and allow to cook over low heat for 5-6 hours, or high heat for 2-3 hours.

After having this for dinner last night and lunch today, here is the amount of soup we have left over:

We use the leftovers for baked potato bar (nothing like a chili baked potato) or chili hotdogs, or for another meal!

Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Now, if you are anything like I have been my entire life, than you read that title and though.. “noooo, thank you!” They have a bit of a unique smell, as a kid you hated them, but, have you tried them lately??

I am willing to argue that if you haven’t tried brussel sprouts in a while, that if you try these, you will change your mind. I know, I know, those are big words, and I better have the goods to back them up! All I can say is that when I was little (okay, now too) I was the pickiest eater in the world. I didn’t like much of anything. I have branched out a little as I’ve gotten older, but not much! This being the case, I LOVE this recipe. And if someone as picky as me can love this recipe, I strongly believe that you can too!

Okay, okay, enough tooting my own recipe horn, on to the recipe!

Roasted Brussel Sprouts:

Brussel Sprouts – as many you like, washed

Olive Oil

Sea Salt

Pepper

Preheat oven to 425

Slice the brussel sprouts in half. Transfer brussel sprouts into a baking dish. Drizzle sprouts with Olive Oil (we had about 20 brussel sprouts and used about 1 – 1 ½ Tbps). Arrange sprouts so that the flat sides are facing down. Sprinkle with Salt and Pepper to taste. Bake for 10- 15 minutes, or until done to your liking.

Cajun Casserole

 

I don’t know how I’ve had a blog this long without posting this recipe! I have been making this casserole (as least some version of it) for years! It is packed with protein, it’s quick and it’s good!  

(And yes, those are brussel sprouts in my picture. That recipe coming soon – I’m just like you, thought I HATED them, but oh man, these were fantastic!)

I call this Cajun Casserole because I used Cajun spices to season it. You could easily change the spices to better reflect what your family likes. You could make this more Italian, or Mexican if you prefer!

Cajun Casserole:

½ -1 lbs Ground Turkey or Beef (grass fed if using beef)

½ large onion, chopped

1 red pepper, chopped

2 Cups cooked quinoa (or brown rice)

1 can organic diced tomatoes

15 oz (1 can) cooked organic kidney beans (or black beans)

1 Tbps minced garlic

2 Tbps Cajun seasoning

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400

In a large skillet or pan, cook your ground turkey (or beef) until brown and cooked all the way through. Season with Salt and Pepper to taste. Remove meat from skillet and set aside.

Add a bit of oil (may not need to if you have grease left over in your pan) to your skillet/pan and add onions and pepper. Saute until soft – about 5-7 minutes. Add Garlic about one minute before your veggies are done.

Once your veggies are done cooking, add tomatoes, beans and meat into skillet/pan. combine well. Add 1 Tbps of Cajun seasoning. Let cook for 1 minute.

Add in Quinoa (or rice) and stir until well combined.

Transfer contents into a large baking dish. Top with remaining 1 Tbps of Cajun seasons. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until flavors combine. 

I'm sharing this on Pennywise Platter!
and on Full Plate Thursdays!
and Its a Keeper Thursdays!

How to Adapt "Normal"Recipes into Allergy-Friendly Recipes

When you live in a household where you have dairy, gluten and soy allergies, you learn very quickly how to adapt “normal” or “classic” recipes into allergy-friendly recipes.

This is one things I have prided myself on over the last few years. I can take just about any recipe and make it not only allergy-friendly, but much healthier.

I was thinking about this today, and I realize that some of you may not have allergies in your home, but have dinner guests who do have allergies, or are raising kids who are just developing allergies and you may not be as well adjusted to this practice.

I wanted to take the time to share with you some really basic substitutions for classic meals that can be allergy friendly and offer some basic substitution recommendations.

Allergy: Gluten

Substitution:

All-Purpose flour – Any Gluten Free All-purpose flour (Bob’s Red Mill is the most popular and can be found in most any grocery store) (also, please note you will need either xanthan gum or guar gum to make the flour work)

Pasta – Brown Rice Pasta (can be found at Trader Joes, Fred Meyer, QFC, ect)

Tortillas – Corn Tortillas (make sure they don’t have any wheat in the ingredients)

Chips – Either Corn Chips or Potato chips (make sure the seasoning doesn’t contain gluten in the ingredients on the back of the bag)

Bread – Udi’s Gluten Free Bread can be found at a lot of stores, Fred Meyer, QFC, ect, some times gluten free bread is found in the freezer section, with the organic foods)

Allergy: Dairy

Substitution:

Butter: Coconut Oil (can be found in the natural food section or online) or Vegetable Palm Shorting.

Heavy Cream: Full Fat Coconut Milk

Milk: Coconut Milk, Almond Milk, Rice Milk (I do not recommend soy milk)

Sour Cream: Cashew-Cream 

Cheese: Daiya Shreds (can be found only at Whole Foods, PCC, ect) or Goat Cheese (make sure your guest can have Goat cheese, contains no lactose, but does affect some allergy suffers)

Allergy: Eggs

Substitution: Ener-G Egg Substitute (for baking only), or 1-2 tsp Chai Seed Meal (ground up Chai Seeds) mixed with hot water, combine until stringy, per egg (for baking only)

Allergy: Nuts

Substitution:

Peanut Butter: Sunflower Butter (available at most stores)

Nuts: Seeds!

Allergy: Soy

Substitutions:

Soysauce: Coconut Aminos (can be found at health food store of Online)

Soy Milk: ANY OTHER KIND OF MILK (please do this anyway!)

Soybean Oil: Coconut Oil

Allergy: Shellfish

I don’t have any ideas. Probably just to avoid shellfish and eat other types of protein!

Although most recipes can use some of these replacements, not every recipe is going to ideal for guests with allergies. If you are having a guest over who has a dairy allergy, I wouldn’t recommend trying to make a dairy-free lasagna (if you do, and are successful, let me know!) Just as if, you are having a guest over who can’t have eggs, I wouldn’t recommend making omelets with one of the options above!

However, if you are having a guest over for dinner, or have a child with a gluten allergy, making spaghetti with brown rice noodles would be a fabulous replacement. Or, if you are making cheeseburgers for a dairy-free friend, adding goat or Daiya shreds to their burger would be wonderful!

Here is an example of a “classic” recipe that I will change into an allergy-friendly recipe.

Meatloaf:

Ingredients in the Classic Recipe:

• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
• 1 egg
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup dried bread crumbs
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons prepared mustard
• 1/3 cup ketchup

Ingredients in the Allergy- Friendly Recipe:

• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
• 1 -2 Tsp Chai Seed and Hot water (egg replacement)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 cup coconut milk (milk replacement)
• 1 cup Gluten Free Oats (bread crumb replacement)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar ( would also replace this for Turbando to make it healthier!)
• 2 tablespoons prepared mustard
• 1/3 cup ketchup

See? That was so simple, and with a few adjustments, you can make just about any meal for any guest.

Want another example?

Chicken Parmesan:

Ingredients in the Classic Recipe:

• 4 boneless chicken breasts, pounded to 1/2 inch thickness
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup milk
• seasoned bread crumbs
• 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 8 slices mozzarella cheese, or more
• 1 jar (16 oz) spaghetti sauce

Ingredients in the Allergy-friendly recipe:

• 4 boneless chicken breasts, pounded to 1/2 inch thickness
• Ener-G Egg Replacer (egg replacement)
• 1/2 Almond Milk (milk replacement)
• Gluten Free Bread, cooked and crumbed, or GF flour (breadcrumb replacement)
• 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Sliced Goat Cheese or Daiya Shreds (cheese substitute)
• 1 jar (16 oz) spaghetti sauce

I hope this helps ease the cooking process as you ease into allergy-friendly cooking!

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Because my husband and I are starting a detox next week, I decided that we had to have cookies this week, right? I mean we needed one last little treat! :)

I was looking for a simple, yet delicious recipe, when I ran across this recipe on Pie Birds, Buttons and Muddy Puddles. Oh man, peanut butter, oatmeal and chocolate all in one cookie? Sounds almost too good to be true!

Oh, but friends, they are true, and SO delicious! I adapted Andrea’s recipe to make it dairy and gluten free, and they turned out marvelous! Hope you enjoy these delicious cookies!

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies:

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose  gluten free flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill All-purpose, because I had some at home, but you could make your own, following these instructions!)
¼ teaspoon guar gum
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup organic vegetarian shortening (I use Spectrum), at room temperature
½ cup organic creamy peanut butter
½ cup Turbinado or Sucanat
1/3 cup light brown sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
½ cup gluten-free rolled oats
1 cup dairy free semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silpats and set aside.

2. Whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.

3. On medium speed, cream together the shortening, peanut butter, sucanat, brown sugar and vanilla extract, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and beat to combine. On low speed, gradually add the flour until just combined. Stir in the oats, and then the chocolate chips.

4. Use a large cookie scoop (3 tablespoons) and drop dough onto prepared baking sheets. Bake for 12 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly golden. Cool completely on the baking sheet and then store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Whole Food Detox: Coming Soon

When Mike and I first got married, we made it one of our goals to detox at least once a year.

After a lot of research, we decided to use a company called Standard Process. Standard Process is a whole food supplement company that offers a purification process using their whole food supplements and strict and short food list that you can eat while on the detox. It is a 21 day process and is AMAZING!

We did the Standard Process Detox last July and saw some amazing results. Mike lost over 20lbs in 3 weeks (I only lost about 5lbs, go figure!) but we both felt amazing, and we saw huge improvements in Mike's RA while on the detox and after we were done.

We are going to start the program again starting next Monday. I will be sharing our journey and some recipes that fit in with the program as we go along.

Standard Process is only offered by Medical Professionals. If you are interested in learning more about their products, click here!


Why Detox?

Purification, also known as detoxification, can help you remove natural toxins from your body and help maintain a healthy weight. We are exposed to external toxins everyday, including pollutants, pesticides, and chemicals. Internally our bodies produce waste byproducts as a result of normal metabolic function. Although your body is designed to rid itself of these toxins naturally, it can become overburdened. Purification offers your body additional support to expel natural toxins and minimize your weight, which is important to maintaining your health and vitality.
Toxins can contribute to a wide range of conditions:

• Stuffy head
• Fatigue or difficulty sleeping
• Digestion and other gastrointestinal problems
• Food cravings and weight gain
• Reduced mental clarity
• Low libido

What are the benefits of purification? 

A purification program can have a significant, positive effect on the biochemistry of the body while allowing natural toxins and byproducts of daily metabolism to be eliminated. By participating in a purification program, you may notice the following:

• Improved weight management results
• Increased energy/vitality
• Better digestion
• Less bloating
• Clearer skin
• Shinier hair
• Better sleep
• Clearer thinking
• Disappearance or lessening of past conditions

So stay tuned for updates on our progress, fun recipes and more information!

I should note that detox programs are not recommended if you are pregnant, nursing or if your doctor has advised you otherwise.

Simple Taco Salad

Taco Salad is a staple in our household. I put taco salad on our menu at least once a month. It’s so quick to prepare, it’s healthy, it’s delicious and it’s fun, because YOU get to pick what to put in your salad.

I always prepare the salad like a salad bar. I will cut up lots of different veggies, put out corn, beans, chips, seasoned taco meat, salsa, avocado, different salad dressings, ect and then my hubby and I top our salads however we choose!

There isn’t really a recipe for this salad, as you can choose whatever your family likes, but I will provide a list of ingredients that we typically use for our Taco Salads:

Taco Salad:

Carrots – chopped

Onions – diced/chopped

Peppers – chopped
Olives – chopped

Avocados – chopped or turned into guacamole

Corn

Beans – either refried as a topping or any whole bean (heated would be best probably)

Corn Chips – crunched as a topping

Tomatoes – chopped/diced

Shredded Chicken/beef – Seasoned w/homemade taco seasoning

Ground beef/turkey – Seasoned w/homemade taco seasoning

Cheese/Sour cream – if you can eat dairy

Salsa

Salad Dressing of Choice

Throw together and enjoy!

Taco Seasoning Mix

I found this recipe on Passionate Homemaking months ago, and have been using my original batch ever since. Last night, I ran out and had to make a second batch! This seasoning is great and it tastes just like the store bought, but is much cheaper to make, and it is SO much healthier!

Taco-Seasoning Mix

6 tsp chili powder
4 ½ tsp cumin
5 tsp paprika
3 tsp onion powder
2 ½ tsp garlic powder
1/8 – ¼ tsp cayenne pepper

Mix all the ingredients, and store in an air-tight container. The homemade mix is twice as strong as the store-bought one, so add only half as much.

Mike's Pasta

One night, in a mad scramble to make dinner in a hurry, without having anything planned for dinner, this dish came together and was quickly dubbed “Mike’s Pasta” because he has requested it almost weekly since I first made it!

This one dinner dish is quick, simple and hits the spot at our house every time I make it!

Mike’s Pasta

3 Chicken Sausages, chopped

2 Cups chopped Veggies (any veggies work, we use a frozen veggie blend with carrots, peppers, broccoli, beans, baby corn, onions, mushrooms, ect)

1 pack of elbow noodles (I use brown rice noodles from Trader Joe's)
¾- 1 Cup Italian Dressing (recipe below)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Grated Goat cheese to taste

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

While the water is coming to a boil, sauté veggies and sausage until well cooked (about 10 minutes) in a separate large skillet.

Once the water boils, add your noodles and cook according to directions on package.

Drain your noodles and rinse (if using rice noodles)

Add Sausage and veggies into the noodles and combine well. Top Pasta mixture with Italian dressing. Mix well. Salt and Pepper to taste. Grate Cheese into the mixture, and combine well.

Enjoy!

Note: Because rice noodles get hard when cold, this dish is best served warm. If you are using wheat noodles, this dish may be great served cold as well!

Italian Dressing (to go with above recipe)
(from heavenlyhomemaker.com):

2 T Dry Italian Dressing Mix (recipe below)

¼ Cup Vinegar

2 t. water

½ Cup Olive Oil (or extra-virgin)

Mix well. Enjoy!

Dry Italian Dressing Mix:
1 1/2 t. garlic powder
1 T. onion powder
2 t. oregano
1 T. dried parsley
2 t. sea salt
1 t. pepper
1/4 t. thyme
1/2 t. dried celery flakes

Shake ingredients together and store in a jar!

Gluten Free Corn Dog Cornbread Muffins

Monday night is our Salad/Stirfry night. While my husband and I both LOVE salads, sometimes a salad just isn’t enough to fill my husband’s appetite.

I decided last night to try and adapt Laura from Heavenly Homemakers Corn dog Muffins into a gluten free dairy free muffin that would work for our family to have for dinner.

Oh.My.Goodness. These are officially my favorite gluten free baked good I have never made or tasted! They are amazing! So moist, flavorful and filling! These would make a great breakfast, snack, or addition to any meal! These could easily be just cornbread muffins, by leaving out the hotdog!

I made a double batch of these muffins, so you are more than welcome to cut this recipe in half if you want only 1 dozen. These muffins freeze really well (and are delicious) so I encourage you to make a double batch (twice the payoff for half the work!)

Corn Dog Cornbread Muffins:

Dry:

2 Cups Cornmeal

1.5 Cups Sorghum Flour

1 Cup Tapioca Starch

2 Tsp Guar gum (or xanthan gum)

2 Tsp Baking Soda

3 Tsp Baking Soda

2 Tsp Salt

1 Cup Sucanat

Wet:

4 eggs

1 Cup plus 1 Tbps Olive Oil

2 Cups Water

8 hotdogs. Each hotdog should be cut into 3rds. (I used All Natural Uncured Beef hotdogs from Trader Joes)

Preheat oven to 400

Add dry ingredients into a bowl. Combine until well mixed.

In a separate bowl, add wet ingredients. Whisk wet ingredients together until well combined, about 1 minute.

Slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Mix by hand until batter is formed. Should be thicker than cake batter.

If not using a demarle pan, line your muffin pan with paper liners

Use a 1/3 Cup measure to pour batter into muffin cups

Then, drop one piece of hotdog into each muffin cup. 

Bake for 18 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Cool on a wire rack. Serve warm or throw them in the freezer for a later date!

I'm sharing this on Tuesday Twister!