This is one of those easy, healthy, gluten free meals you make when you really are hungry and don’t want to spend very long cooking.  The meal took me 10 minutes to make and much longer to eat.  The trick to this meal, is to have the ingredients on hand!  I tend to always have these items around and what I don’t have I pick up after I make my menu for the week.

This meal also does not have to stay vegetarian.  You can add in whatever cooked meats you have handy.  Maybe you cooked a chicken the day before and have leftovers you can use. If you eat dairy feel free to add in just a touch of cheese.   I will say we both loved this dish and it was very filling.

So just thinking out loud here but if you have a bunch of people headed over to watch the Final Four this weekend and you want to fill them up, not spend a ton of time in the kitchen and not spend a fortune, serve this.  Make it even easier and grab some gluten free tortilla chips so they can just scoop and eat.  Or heat up the tortillas and let them create their own with an assortment of toppings.  You could slice up some jalapeno peppers, maybe a little sour cream or cheese (dairy or non), different types of salsa (there’s a ton out there), some cooked chicken, beef or pork for your non-vegetarian friends joining you (keep it separate and everyone is happy), shredded lettuce, black olives, and really the list could just go on and on.

But you get my point, this dish is great for a busy night alone or party time with friends.  Home cooked meal that takes less time than running out for a burrito.

Enjoy the Super Bowl, eat well and let’s hope it’s a good game.  Although I can already tell you who wins, Coach Harbaugh!

My favorite day of the year is almost upon us, the Super Bowl.   I love putting together a spread of fun foods to eat that are gluten free and dairy free and watching the game with friends.  This year I’ll be making some of the recipes in my 2013 Cookbook Desk Calendar.  There are some great options that you can make too no matter if you’re hosting or taking a dish to someone else’s party.  If you don’t have a copy of the calendar order it now so you’ll have it in time to cook up the recipes for the big game.  It will help you on the path to living an easy, healthy, gluten free life.

This year there will be a first for the game.  Two brothers are coaching against each other.  Jim Harbaugh for the San Francisco 49ers and John Harbaugh for the Baltimore Ravens.  Can you just imagine their parents and what that would be like?  I’m guessing they’re rooting for both.  Who are you hoping wins the game, Ravens or 49ers?

No matter who wins you’ll want to have some good eats while watching the game and the commercials.  Scroll down and you’ll see each month and some ideas on how to serve them for the big game.  This calendar is a party in a box!

Oh and don’t forget for those who own this cookbook calendar, to go to the last page and grab the Secret Code for the webpage full of photos giving more detailed directions, links to more recipes using the ingredients in these 12, plus a ton more recipes and cooking tips.

January is a must to have at the party, Jicama Tacos or Tostados.  I love guacamole and anytime I can find more creative ways to use it I will.  Here I’ve combined it with purple potatoes and mushrooms or shrimp and bay scallops.

February Little Lasagna Flowers are good since there are in single serve size.  What you use for the flower itself and the filling is totally up to you.  I give you a few suggestions for both.

March would be good if you cut up this Tunisian Frittata and served it on a pizza peel.  You know the wooden paddle you see them pull pizzas from the oven with.  I love that as a serving dish.  Easy to carry over to the coffee table or even to carry around and serve people from.

April is something you may want to keep for the celebration meal the next day when your team wins.  This Garlic Roasted Asparagus with Poached Egg and Prosciutto is a classic but with my twist of Polenta Croutons.

May is something that can be made in a large casserole and your guests can serve themselves this Easy Layered Mexican Casserole.    You could even pair it up with the Jicama Tacos.

June is also a dish you can make in a nice large casserole or lasagna pan.  It also takes just a few minutes to put together and then you pop it into the oven.  With it being winter however I would use canned fire roasted tomatoes instead of fresh for this Oven Roasted Pesto Vegetables Deluxe.

July is the month to use fresh tomatoes for this Can’t Beet California Cobb Salad and since it’s January you’ll want to swap that out for another favorite ingredient if serving it now.  I really like having some type of salad when watching the big game.

August is one of those dishes that looks really hard to make but trust me anyone can do this.  The Summer Vegetable Rosettes you see pictured here was cooked by my husband who is not a cook.  He can make scrambled eggs but doesn’t venture too far from that.  Zucchini is in season during the summer but you can buy it any time of the year.  This recipe uses cashew cream cheese as an option so if you make a batch save some for the many other recipes I’ve shared using that ingredient.

September is one of my favorite fast meals to make, Hash in a Flash.  It uses ingredients you have on hand and is cooked in one pan so clean up is fast.  If you make this serve it in a big bowl and let your guests spoon out as much as they like.

October is a very satisfying and flavorful Smoky Simmering Soup.  It’s one of those great chop and drop recipes right into your slow cooker.  Put it in there in the morning and it will be ready for you at game time.  How easy can it get!

November is another recipe that uses cashew cream cheese.  It’s a wonderful dish for those who want their big game food to be a little fancier.  Cashew Cream Yam Cannelloni served with a bechamel sauce is sure to delight.

December Mushroom Party recipes are perfect for the big game food.  Keep the mushrooms smaller so they are finger foods and not something you’ll need a fork and knife to eat.  I give you three options and the recipes for each.  You can keep them vegetarian and make the Yam Packed Mushrooms or not and make the Crabby Mushrooms or Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms.

Enjoy the game, your friends and family and the good food you’ll make.  I hope your team wins!

So, what are you going to make and who do you hope wins the game?

I love soup and could eat it everyday, but especially in the winter.  It provides warmth and comfort and we call can use that no matter what the temperature is outside.  I’m lucky enough to live where the farmers market is open all year long.  This is new to me and I’m having fun seeing what is in season here.  This week I found great mushrooms, bok choy, napa cabbage, and carrots.  For some reason I’ve really been wanting to make a soup with rice noodles.

This is not a soup that swims in a lot of stock but just enough that you can call it a soup.  If you want more stock please add it in until it makes you happy.

So I put this soup together in 10 minutes and was eating it 2 minutes later.  It’s fast and easy.  When making a soup like this I tend to prepare the ingredients as I need them instead of all together first and then build the soup.  Probably because I was hungry when I was making it and I wanted it fast.  Feel free to prepare it either way.

Cyber Monday Special ONE Day Only Offer

Only on Monday November 26^th :  get FREE Shipping on any 2013 Cookbook Desk Calendar order, no matter the size.  That means the more you buy the more you save!  This does not apply to wholesale orders.  Offer is good from 12amPT Monday to 12amPT Tuesday, November 27^th 2012 only.

So NOW is the time to check off your gift list for EVERYONE!

This is a great gift for anyone, no matter what they eat.  They can live gluten-free or not, dairy-free or not, vegetarian and vegan or not, and even Paleo or not.  It’s for people who love to eat good food! 

It’s a Calendar and a Cookbook that sits on your desk or countertop. 

• 12 beautifully-designed cards in a clear CD case specially made to stand-up and display on your desk or countertop.  (4 5/8” x 5 3/8”)
• Gorgeous color photos of each dish with easy-to follow recipes on the back.
• Each calendar comes in its own gift/shipping box to make your gift-giving really simple.
• All recipes are gluten-free and dairy-free!
• Vegetarian, Vegan, and Paleo directions for each recipe to fit any diet!

• BONUS EXCLUSIVE CONTENT! Secret access code for a hidden web page that includes:

• 28 additional recipes
• cooking tips & tricks for each recipe
• additional recipe suggestions along with instructional photos
• resources for ingredients and tools
• instructional cooking videos

 This offer does not apply to wholesale orders.  Offer is good from 12amPT Monday to 12amPT Tuesday, November 27^th 2012 only.

January 2013 through December 2013

Size – 4 5/8″ x 5 3/8”

$14.95 each

Order more and save! 
Order 10 to 99 for only $13.95 each

Order 100 or more for only $11.95 each

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Start your day off on Thanksgiving with an amazing juice to make your body happy! It will thank you for sure.

On this day where we tend to stuff ourselves with too much of everything, why not start your day off with something to help your body.  The ingredients in this juice or smoothie recipe is filled with antioxidents (fight off anything someone walks in the door with), tons of vitamins and minerals, protein, anti-cancer fighting ability, anti-bacterial and reduce inflammation.  Do you need more convincing.  OK, this glass of juice is very low calorie which I’m guessing is a good thing today.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Just a reminder to join me on Facebook tonight along with Shirley Braden (gluten free easily) and Ellen Allard (Gluten-Free Diva) to Talk Turkey, Gluten Free Style.

This is a fast gluten free recipe that can be made to taste any way you like.  There really is no end to the possibilities of seasonings you can use.  If you’re looking for something orange to serve for Halloween try the Buffalo Wing Sauce.  Have fun with your food and have a Happy Halloween!

Did you hear the latest news? Subscribers to The Gluten Free Insider Newsletter had a sneak peek.  Don’t miss out on the news.  

Announcing:

I am very excited to share with you that I have created the ultimate cookbook. Wait until you hear how it works. This is a 2013 Cookbook Desk Calendar. That means it is a calendar and a cookbook that sits on your desk in the size of a CD case!

Each month features a color photo and calendar on the front and an easy recipe on the back. Every recipe is gluten and dairy free plus instructions on how to easily make it Vegetarian, Vegan and Paleo. How cool is that?

I don’t know about your family and friends, but mine all have their own dietary needs. My oldest son is a vegetarian but can’t eat soy, my husband eats Paleo, my youngest son thinks the word vegetable is a swear word and for me it’s strictly gluten and dairy free. Having to juggle these needs and not cook 3 or 4 different main dishes for one meal has taught me how to take one recipe and make it work for everyone at the table.

This is what I’ve shared with you in the 2013 Cookbook Desk Calendar. Each recipe is coded and noted to make cooking a breeze.  I even had my non-cook husband give some a try and he looked like a master chef! Check out the August photograph, that’s his work. 

Each cookbook calendar comes in a clear case that flips open to sit on your desk or your countertop as you are cooking from the recipe. I know, brilliant right? So much goodness in a CD case the size of your hand.

BONUS: Every calendar comes with a special code to a hidden page on The WHOLE Gang website that will include additional recipes, tips, tricks, tools and how to make each recipe suit multiple dietary needs at the same time.  That means cook once and everyone eats!

This 2013 Cookbook Desk Calendar is not only great for you, but it makes a great gift for family, friends, teachers, hostesses, co-workers, employees, clients and that person who has everything. Each calendar comes in it’s own gift/shipping box so you’ll be ready to send them out as gifts. If you are giving them as client gifts there is a space in the back for you to place your business card so they’ll know who to thank!

Pre-Order Special:  I am offering you a special pre-order deal for ordering now. If you order this month you will receive $2 off the list price of $14.95 each. This discount will expire October 31st, 2012.  Even bigger savings the more you order.

Pre-Order Now!

Here’s what some folks are saying:

Hash in a Flash is a great one pot dish the whole family loved, including my 12 year old daughter. – Sara Nicole in Bellflower, California

This Vegan Tunisian Frittata has become a staple in my gluten free kitchen. Prior to making it, I wasn’t convinced that I could make a decent tasting frittata without eggs, but this recipe completely changed my mind. It is beyond delicious and on the first and second day, the leftovers were just as delicious as when it came out of the oven. Try it, you’ll be glad you did! - Ellen Allard, Worchester Massachusetts

We very much enjoyed the Vegan Tunisian Frittata. The recipe is very straight-forward and easy to follow for a quick prep meal. While it would make great leftovers, we’re yet to have any left after a meal–it’s a big hit! I would not hesitate to share this with egg eaters, the tofu is a slick substitute! We now keep a container of the easy harissa on hand so we can make this often.  - Johnna Perry Kansas City, Missouri

12 months of great meals!

• January: Jicama Tacos & Tostados
• February: Little Lasagna Flowers
• March: Tunisian Frittata
• April: Garlic Roasted Asparagus with Poached Egg and Prosciutto
• May: Easy Layered Mexican Casserole
• June:  Oven Roasted Pesto Vegetables Deluxe
• July: Can’t Beet California Cobb Salad
• August: Summer Vegetable Rosettes
• September: Hash in a Flash
• October: Smoky Simmering Soup
• November: Cashew Cream Yam Cannelloni
• December: Mushroom Party

This is another fast and easy summer gluten free recipe to help you use what’s fresh and in season and spend more time enjoying the summer.  This uses that fun new kitchen tool I’ve been playing in the kitchen with.  It can help you make really fast, delicious and nutritious meals.

I served these with the Chick and Pork Balls.  Again another recipe working to help you live an easy healthy gluten free life.

You can keep this totally vegetarian and vegan by serving it with beans, tofu or your favorite protein.  Or just serve it alone.  It doesn’t need any help on the plate to make it a meal.

Both of these recipes use what I found fresh at the farmer’s market.  If you find something different, change up this recipe and please let me know what you created.  This was shared on Wellness Weekend.

I’ve always wanted to try my hand at making these. Funny enough I decided to give this a try while I’m not at my kitchen. I don’t have all of the usual tools and equipment or supplies so I got creative.

I found these amazing flowers while at the farmers market. I brought them home and put them on the top shelf of the refrigerator. This not being my typical unit I didn’t know many of my flowers would freeze. What I did salvage was not in the best shape but I was determined to give this a try.

Also with this being my first attempt I wanted to use real cheese as the filling. I’d really like to give cashew cream cheese a try in these now that I have my first ones under my belt.  So this is not dairy free but of course a gluten free recipe.

I only knew a couple of things about attempting this dish after listening to the man who grew these zucchini blossoms talk about them in the farmer’s market.  He made it sound so easy and so delicious.  His main tip is that you need a very thin batter so it doesn’t weigh them down and stuff them with a soft cheese.

I travel with my little Magic Bullet which really comes in handy.  It’s less weight to travel with than my Vitamix and can work on some things if you’re patient.  I used this to make the batter and it worked extremely well.

The most important thing to remember when trying something new is don’t worry about it.  If it fails, well you learned something along the way.  For instance, don’t let the blossoms freeze or they just melt into nothing useable.  Also don’t worry if the cheese sneaks out while cooking.  That just means you need to adjust something like the level of heat.

Let me know if you have ever made stuffed zucchini blossoms and what you stuffed them with.

I’m going to keep playing with this recipe to make a vegan version and a Paleo version.

I am loving only cooking for 5 or 10 minutes and having a meal that fits my easy healthy gluten free life.  Once you get the process of these gluten free recipes down you can start to change up the ingredients and create your own set of 5 minute meals.

This one is great for any meal of the day.  This one I created for lunch and served it with a gluten free wrap of green leafy vegetables and sliced meats.

If you get my newsletter you’ve already seen this cool gadget and gotten these two recipes.  What you’re not receiving the newsletter!  Sign up now so you get the scoop first, plus any offers and discounts will be in that newsletter.  Click Here for more info.

Love this new kitchen gadget! I don’t know why I waited so long to get one. I’ve seen others use it and thought wow that looks cool but really, can’t I just do that with a knife?

I could if I had all day to prepare my meals. If you have endless hours to prepare your meals no need to read on any further.

However if you want to have an easy healthy gluten free life, lots of fun, make great meals and have people who don’t typically eat vegetables start asking for second helpings, well check this out.

For lunch I made a Cucumber and Tomato Salad.

For dinner I made a Zucchini and Squash Pesto Pasta which had no grains in it whatsoever.

Oh the fun I’m going to have with this tool.

So I’ll share the recipes for these two dishes along with the great boulettes de poulet et de porc au pesto.

I just love heading to the farmer’s market without a shopping list.  It leaves me open to finding great foods and often new things I’ve never tried before.  Then I bring them home and start tossing a bunch in a pan for a hash, into a bowl for a salad or into a baking dish to roast up.  It’s all good and will keep you living that easy healthy gluten free life.

This hash was created from my latest trip to the market.  Feel free to change up the ingredients according to what you like and what you find at your farmer’s market.  I served this with my 5 Minute Dover Sole.

Are you a bubbles or no bubbles water drinker?  I’ve always been no bubbles but on a recent trip I started drinking bubbles.   So far my favorite has been San Pellegrino water and Orangina Soda.  It was fun to drink while traveling.  When I returned home I wanted to recreate that great bubble and juice flavor.

So I took my fresh juiced fruit and vegetables juice and mixed it with some San Pellegrino and I had a fun drink with bubbles that was packed with good for you juice.

Recently I had the pleasure to hang out with fellow gluten free food bloggers and what a time we had.  We spent a lot of the time eating of course and then taking pictures of the food.  We were in an amazing setting in the woods that was so peaceful except for our giggling fits.

One of the meals we shared was a Dairy Free Cheese Fondue.  We dipped gluten free bagette, broccoli and cauliflower florets into the creamy fondue.  We also had a side of Sweet Italian Sausage that we could dip into the cheese on our plate so we could keep the fondue pot vegetarian for our vegetarian guests.

photo credit Gluten-Free Cat

This is not the first time I’ve made this fondue recipe.  My youngest son requested it for his birthday and after I made it the first time I was totally hooked.  I know if you give this a try you will be too.  This recipe is not mine but one from The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook: Delicious Dairy-Free Cheeses and Classic “Uncheese” Dishes.  I choose the Chedda Fondue from the selection of fondue recipes.  Yes there are quite a few in there like Pizza, Swiss, Smoky, Classic, Pub, and South-of-the-Border Fondue.

Not only are there fondue recipes but all of your favorite cheese recipes that are all non-dairy.  Each recipe is noted if it is vegan, gluten free, soy free, and more.  If you are living dairy free and miss that cheesy gooeyness, check out this book.

We made a single batch and I don’t think we had any leftovers.  When I made it for my son and two friends we did have some leftovers because he also had a broth fondue and a chocolate fondue to fill them up.  I took the chedda leftovers and mixed it into cooked pasta to make Mac & Cheese. Yum!

If you’re like me and there are certain cookbooks you really like to travel with but you don’t want to carry all your cookbooks, put them on your Kindle or iPad.  You can get The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook for your Kindle and be reading it right now.

For a more visual representation of this amazing fondue check out this short video.

Dairy Free Chedda Fondue Gluten Free Recipe

photo credit Gluten-Free Cat

Ingredients:

2 3/4 cups water or plain nondairy milk  (I used unsweetened Almond Milk)

1 cup roasted red peppers (skin and seeds removed), or pimento pieces (I used a jar of organic roasted peppers)

1/2 cup nutritional yeast

1/2 cup  raw cashews, or 1/3 cup cashew butter  (I used the raw cashews)

1/3 cup  quick-cooking rolled oats, or 1/4 cup flour (any kind, your choice)  (I used sorghum flour)

1/4 cup kuzu, arrowroot, or cornstarch  ( I used arrowroot)

3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 Tablespoon sesame tahini

1 Tablespoon onion powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

1/2 teaspoon crushed garlic

1/4 teaspoon Tabasco

1/4 teaspoon each paprika and grated nutmeg

Instructions:

Place all the ingredient in a blender and process several minutes until the mixture is completely smooth.  Pour into a medium saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.  Reduce heat to low, and continue to stir and cook a few minutes longer until thick and smooth.  Transfer to a fondue pot and keep warm over a very low flame.

Makes 4 cups (about 7-8 servings)

This opulent fondue is fabulous with button mushrooms, cauliflower chunks, bell pepper squares and cutes of sesame or her-seasoned whole-grain bread (gluten free for me!)

From The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook, copyright Jo Stepaniak, reprinted by permission of the author.

Now I want to hear from you!  Let me know if you’ve tried this and what you think.  Also, what would you do with the leftovers, if you have any?

Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.

This article ran in my newsletter, The WHOLE-istic Life last month.  I don’t usually share the information given in my newsletters on my blog, I keep it exclusive.   But I felt this information was so important that I’ve decided to repost it here in order to help save you from my pain.  If you read this in the newsletter forgive this repeat.  Please leave me a comment if you have ever had any experiences like mine.  Also I’d love to know if you have tried either of the juice recipes shared and what variations you made.

Juicing is a part of my daily easy healthy gluten free living diet.  Read and you will see why.

Juice Detoxing From House Rennovation Chemicals

There are times during the year that are natural landmarks for a detox.  Spring and Fall are the two that most folks use.  Four times a year would be even better would be four times a year.  The more you do the better and deeper they work.

This past couple of weeks, I found another reason to detox – exposure to excessive chemicals that my body couldn’t process.

We are having remodeling work done in our house to bring it up to date.  We’ve put a new granite countertop in the kitchen and are also remodeling our bathrooms with granite tops for the vanities.

I’ve never had a granite countertop and had no idea about the installation process.  It turns out that  the installers use an epoxy glue for the seams, a chemical to seal the top and another chemical to clean off the top to remove excess epoxy and anything else.

I was actually away when the kitchen countertop was installed and arrived home on the evening of May 10^th with my son.  I got ten steps into the house and, even though the smell was overwhelming, I didn’t realize the physical and neurological effects the epoxy fumes were having on me.  Thankfully, my son was with me and as I started to bob and weave he got me upstairs and opened the windows so I could get some fresh air.

I kept the windows open all night.  The next morning when I awoke the effects on me were apparent.  I felt nauseous, tired, and my brain felt detached from my head.  I was at a loss for words, couldn’t string thoughts together, my short term memory was not working and I mostly sat in a dazed state.  I also had sharp headache pains around my temple that migrated to different spots on my head. I also had aches and pains all over my body in random places.

My kitchen was still torn apart so I couldn’t cook myself some good cleansing food.  I spent as much time as I could outside in the fresh air.  Thankfully, the weather was amazing.  We spent most of our meals eating out however whenever I came in the vicinity of any type of cleaning chemicals I immediately become ill.  The nausea, dizziness and disorientation returned in full force within seconds.

My reaction was more severe than anyone else in my family.  They call me the canary in the coal mine because I detect odorless gas before most other humans.  I’m not very happy to have this job but I don’t really have a choice.

Thankfully, I’ve taught my family so much about nutrition and detoxing that they stepped in and helped me when I couldn’t help myself.  Off we went to the grocery store and filled the cart with lots of kale, parsley, cucumbers, beets, ginger, apples, pears, pineapple, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, cauliflower and baby broccoli.  As soon as we got home I started juicing and drinking.

Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve been drinking lots of water and fresh juice to help my body detox.  Regular walks outside for some exercise and fresh air has also helped.

It’s been almost three weeks and I’m finally able to get back to writing and taking care of my family.  I’m not at 100% yet but I know I will be as long as I keep drinking my juice and taking care of myself.

I also know that if you are dealing with anything that could be throwing you off balance that juicing and smoothies full of great vegetables and fruit will do your body good.  Drink these to detox your liver, get your kidneys and adrenal glands in better shape to work as the filters they are meant to be.

Now I’d like to share the detoxing and restorative juices I’m using.  If you don’t have a juicer you can make smoothies in a blender.

If you are looking for a juicer I have to say I am in love with mine.  I have a Hurom Slow Juicer.  http://www.slowjuicer.com/

When I watched the video on the Sur la Table website I was convinced this was the one for me.  It is very easy to use and very easy to clean up quickly.  I’m one of those people if it’s too hard to use or especially clean, I’ll use it once and then it will just sit there.

So, with no further ado, here are two of my favorite fresh juice recipes.  First, you’ll find the Green Elixir of Life which is a great way to mix fresh green vegetables with tasty fruit.

The Golden Joy is a great way to sneak in beets.  The combination is sweet and even wins the approval of my most extremely picky son.   The Green Elixir of Life taste is dominated by the fruit used.  The key is to have some type of citric fruit in the mix and your favorite fruits helps too.  The only way to know what will work best for you is to play in your kitchen.

Just a warning about ginger.  It is extremely potent so use only a small amount.  By small amount I mean a slice the size of a dime both in roundness and thickness.  Taste and you can always add more.  Trust me you won’t have enough fruit and vegetables in the house to reverse too much ginger.

Green Elixir of Life

Ingredients:

1 bunch organic kale

1 organic cucumber

large handful organic parsley leaves

1 organic lemon

1 organic green apple

1Ž2 cup pineapple

1 thin slice of ginger root size of dime

Instructions:

Put it all through the juicer.  I like to run the juice through one more time to get it as clear as possible.  I find when I make a pitcher full for the day that it stays together and more fresh for the entire day and even into the next if there’s anything left.

Golden Joy

Ingredients:

2 organic Golden Beet

1 Organic green or red Apple

1 Orange

10 Organic Carrots

Instructions:

Put it all through the juicer.  I like to run the juice through one more time to get it as clear as possible.  I find when I make a pitcher full for the day that it stays together and more fresh for the entire day and even into the next if there’s anything left.

Father’s Day is quickly approaching and one thing I know about most dads is they like a good meal.  As the person making the meal I like it to be an easy healthy gluten free recipe.  This recipe is sure to please both plus it’s also dairy free.  First it has sausage and potatoes which I know is a favorite of many guys.  For those making the dish you can have the base created, store it in the refrigerator overnight and when it’s time to serve finish up the topping and it’s good to go.

Now you might be asking how is sausage and potatoes healthy.  First let me say anytime you are into your kitchen cooking from whole ingredients where you can have control over what goes into your food, well you’re going to eat a lot more healthy than just opening a box of something.  Now potatoes, especially organic potatoes, provide a good source of Vitamin C, B6 and Potassium without the pesticides.  As for the sausage, we’ll just keep the portions of that to a respectable size of two links for the entire pie which makes 16 slices.  If you like you can always swap out mushrooms for the sausage.  Of course if you eat the entire pie yourself, well then you’re on your own.

Another way to keep the sausage more to your liking with less fat and filler than the best thing to do is make your own.  I have a few recipes on this site but you might want to  use the Sweet Italian Sausage recipe.

When serving this pie I suggest a nice big green leafy salad with a simple Easy Healthy Gluten Free Salad Dressing.

With this recipe, as with any of my recipes I like to give you options so please read all the way through the recipe.  If you create more options I’d love to hear them so please share.

Disclosure:  I was compensated for creating a recipe for the Idaho® Potato Commission.  All opinions shared are my own.

You can also view this recipe on the Idaho® Potato Blog.

The other day I made a quick and easy lunch that I offered to share with my husband.  He refused stating he didn’t like cauliflower.  I reminded him he’s eaten it on many occasions and really liked it.  He then added “that’s my story and I’m sticking with it.”  Well he shared this story along with some great leadership points on his Next Level Blog.   He had many requests for my recipe so thank you to all who asked.

So today I’m sharing this fast and easy recipe you can make for any meal.  Yes you can make this for breakfast too.  If you are wedded to eggs scramble a few and serve alongside.  I like to munch on some sunflower seeds or a few almonds with this dish too.

Here is one of my secrets on making this meal fast.  I have an amazing Spice Tiffin that was created by Anupy Singla Gupta.  I love this and I’m seriously considering converting all of my other spices to these containers.   All I need to do is scoop out my spices using one of the two measuring spoons that comes with the tiffin and the cool half moon catch to level off that measurement and I’m set.  You know if I put my baking supplies in one of these I might actually bake.  It makes measuring and getting to these ingredients so fast and easy.  I’m in love.  When I purchased my tiffin I also made sure to get the spices.  I’ve been using them ever since and you know I’m one of those sensitive gluten free gals so they are good to go.

Anupy also wrote a great cookbook that I originally bought for my son when he was in college, The Indian Slow Cooker: 50 Healthy, Easy, Authentic Recipes (affiliate link).  Authentic, easy and healthy recipes to cook up in your crockpot.  How great is that!

Here is my recipe for today.  I’d love to hear from you what you love to cook up that makes an easy healthy gluten free meal.  This recipe was shared for Allergy Free Wednesdays on Tessa The Domestic Diva.

This gluten-free and dairy-free dish of Sautéed Endive, Mushroom and Crisp Pancetta with Wine will melt in your mouth and make your body dance with joy (read on to see why).   It will also have your diners asking for more.  Shhh plus I snuck in a bonus recipe for the Almond Chicken I served this with at dinner.

In fact it was so good I only had time to grab my iPhone to get a picture before it was devoured.  This dish was so fast and easy to make and tasted so amazing that I will be making it many more times for sure.   Maybe the next time I make it I’ll steal some off to my photo table to get more shots.

Let me share just a little about the ingredients before I share the recipe.  Endive might be one of those items you passed over in the grocery store because you were not sure what to do with it.  Let me assure you there are many ways to enjoy endive but more importantly I’m going to give you the reasons why you should give them a try.

Endive are of course low in calories, fat, sodium and cholesterol free.  They are loaded with vitamins and minerals our bodies need such as vitamins B and C, calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, folate and selenium.  Plus they are a good source of both beta-carotene and potassium.   If you are looking to have more fiber in your diet and you don’t eat whole grains then endive is a great option since it’s high in complex fibers.  It also aids in digestion including helping to remove toxins from your digestive track.    Are you sold yet?

I love to put them into a pan and sauté or keep them raw and fill them with amazing morsels of shrimp and crab or maybe something as simple as egg salad.  They are really very versatile.  Don’t forget if you are a smoothie or juice goddess like me, toss them into your morning smoothie and get all of those health benefits in your drink.

Mushrooms, especially the Shiitake mushrooms used here are also filled with great health benefits.  Mushrooms are a great source of your B vitamins and minerals such as selenium, copper and potassium.  Mushrooms have been shown to help protect against some cancers and are full of antioxidant power.  But here are my two favorite benefits of mushrooms.  They are one of only a few sources of Vitamin D in real food, not added or fortified.  Plus mushrooms, especially shiitake, oyster and split gill mushrooms contain beta-glucans that have been shown to stimulate immunity in our bodies helping us resist allergies and help in the process to metabolize fats and sugars in our bodies.

So now you see why your body will be doing the happy dance with both endive and mushrooms helping your body stay healthy.  Now this recipe does include pancetta which you can add more or less or even take out completely to keep this a vegetarian and vegan recipe.  Serve this recipe for your best dinner party or your Tuesday night family dinner.   Either way, get these great ingredients on to your plate and into your body.

Soup is great to eat while on a detox.  You can get so much goodness into a bowl, keep it gluten and dairy free and vegetarian and vegan.

I was about to share my tasty Mushroom Vegetable Soup with you which I made using Melissa’s recipe as a starter from Gluten-Free For Good and realized I had not shared my recipe for easy Vegetable Stock.  It’s so easy I don’t really think of it as a recipe but it’s a great time and money saver.

This soup is great for detoxing and fighting those flu and cold cooties Melissa talks about.  Grab her recipe and make it fit your needs.  I wanted to keep mine vegetarian and I also added in more than just shiitake mushrooms.  I added portobello too as they have a hearty flavor.  I also switched out the canned tomato sauce for a box of Pomi Chopped Tomatoes (affiliate link).   I made a nice big pot and then froze it in portions with my soup mugs that have lids.  Great to pull out when I want soup that I know is all good inside.

I love using vegetable stock to add extra flavor when cooking and it’s a must when making a vegetarian soup.  My favorite way to make stocks is in the crockpot and overnight.  So how darn efficient is that.   If you really want to save even more time and money save those scraps as you are cooking and toss them into the freezer to pull out and put into your crockpot or stockpot.  Things like the onions skins, carrot tops and peels both add great flavor.  I wish I could say I remember to do this more than I do.

This recipe will make a light vegetable stock.  If you would like a deeper richer color and flavor, roast your vegetables first and then make the stock.

Now I’d like to hear from you.

How is Diane’s Detox going?  Have you been trying anything new?  How do you feel?  Have you had some soup too?

You may be wondering why this recipe is titled a Dairy Free Chocolate Whipped Cream, Mousse or Icing recipe.  Well first it’s gluten and dairy free because I use coconut milk and make sure all of the other ingredients fit the bill.  Next when you make this recipe you can use it for either whipped cream, a mousse especially if you put it into the refrigerator after you make it or use it as icing on a cake, cupcake, brownie, donut, cake pop, cookie or anything else you want to top with icing. Obviously my favorite is my finger!

This is a fast recipe to make but only if you do the set up.  Everything MUST BE COLD.  That means the bowl and beaters used to whip the coconut milk and the coconut milk itself.

If you follow these simple directions then you will have Chocolate Whipped Cream, Mousse or Icing any time you want it.  Yes I said anytime so be careful.  But of course always keep 2 cans of coconut milk in your refrigerator just in case you need to whip up a batch.  And once you get the hang of this I’m sure you’ll be playing around with flavors.  Maybe you want to add in a different flavor like strawberry or even chocolate mint.  Be creative and experiment.  Please let me know what you create.  Take a picture and send it to me and I’ll happily share it with your name on it.

Now if you want the traditional Vanilla Whipped Cream, here is that recipe.

Ingredients:

2 cans of organic coconut milk 13.5 ounces, full fat not light and not in a carton

1 tsp Mexican Vanilla or any pure vanilla

1/4 cup sweetener, agave, coconut nectar or powdered sugar works well

1/4- 1/2 cup good quality cocoa powder, make sure it’s gluten free (I used Scharffen Berger)

coconut water from milk can

Directions:

Put your coconut milk in the refrigerator for at least 2 days and your bowl and beater for at least 1 hour.

Open the cans of milk and carefully scoop out the solid coconut milk into your mixing bowl leaving the watery liquid behind in the can.

Start your standing mixer on low speed.

Once the coconut milk as started to spread out, add in the vanilla and sweetener.

Once that is combined turn it on medium high and let it start to whip.

Slow your mixer down again and add in the chocolate.  Once the chocolate is combined turn the mixer up to high.

If the cream is two thick you can always add in a little of the coconut water that was left in the can.  It’s really just a matter of the consistency of your whipped cream.  I’ve never had two batches use exactly the same amount of that water.

Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed throughout this process and of course pick who gets to lick the beater and bowl!

If you put this into a bowl and let it chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour it will have more of an icing or mousse consistency.

I love a juicy succulent bite of organic gluten and dairy free chicken.  For me it’s even better if it bites back.  If you’re ready to kick it up a notch why not take that wonderful plain organic chicken breast and make it Blackened Chicken!  If it’s cold where you live, this will help heat up the night.

This is a quick meal to make especially if you make your seasoning mix and keep it around for the next time you want to add a little extra spice.  I love to add this mix to chicken, fish, shrimp, pork or beef.  To make this Vegetarian and Vegan you’ll love the Blackened Seasoning Mix on sweet potatoes, grilled vegetables, polenta, stuffed mushrooms or just about anything you fancy.

This is also a great mix to tuck into your notes to make and give away as gifts with your favorite ways to use it.  People love to get gifts they can eat or make their life easier and this will do both.

Have fun with the mix and let me know what creative ways you use this besides chicken.

Blackened Chicken Recipe

Ingredients:

1 pound of organic chicken breasts, boneless and skinless

Seasoning mix to coat

2-3 TB virgin coconut oil

Blackening Season Mix
1 TB Paprika
1 TB Celtic Sea Salt
1 tsp ground onion (I like toasted)
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp white pepper
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp garlic powder

Directions:
Heat your pan on medium high and let the oil get hot.  Pour out some of the spice mix onto a plate.  Take your chicken and press it into the spices on all sides.  When the oil is hot and you will know because it will start to ripple, carefully add the chicken to the pan.   I always use my splatter screen when cooking this but don’t think it will keep the stove clean, it won’t.  When the top of the chicken starts to change from a raw look to slightly cooked in color, turn it over.  Don’t be alarmed when you do and your chicken is black, it’s supposed to be.  Remember this is blackened chicken.  The second side will take less time to cook.  After 3-5 minutes, I check by pressing down on the chicken.  Raw chicken and cooked chicken will have a different feel.  When it feels done, more firm when pressed, I take it out and cut into the middle.  If it is no longer pink and the juices run clear, it’s done.

I served this with rice cooked with a bay leaf and toasted onion and fresh thin green beans with shallots.  If you like your meals spicy hot, the rice is a good side dish to help put out that fire on your lips.

These little Guaco Tacos are easy to make grain free, gluten free and dairy free and are perfect for anytime.  These are great if you have just made your guacamole or if you have some left over from your big game party!  You will absolutely love these.

I first had a version of these little bundles in LA at José Andrés restaurant The Bazaar (review coming soon).  Of course he had a really creamy version of guacamole in his little bundles and they held together like a little pouch.  He added a little crunch into the bottom with some crumbled Fritos.  I tried that and it was good but the secret to the crunch is really in the “shell” so you can keep it grain free by not using them.

So the secret to the crunch is the “shell”.  It’s thinly sliced jicama.  Yep you read that right.  All you need is a way to slice them.  A mandoline or V slicer works great.  They are as much fun to make as they are to eat.  Just in case you don’t eat all the ones you make, they will still be crunchy the next day.  Jicama is a great vegetable to use for this too because they will not discolor.

Now that I’ve shared this little secret can you just imagine all the fun things that can go into thin slices of jicama.  But for these grab your guacamole recipe and lets get started.

Ingredients:

guacamole

jicama peeled and sliced thin

fresh cilantro sprigs

Directions:

After you peel the jicama slice it as thin as you can.

Next I lay out some slices onto a plate and if you want to add in crunched up Fritos do that first.  Then spoon on a teaspoon of guacamole.  You can top each one of these with a sprig of fresh cilantro or just the plate.

Pick it up and shape as a taco or whatever you fancy.

These make a great snack, topping to your favorite Mexican dish or even potato skins.  Let me know how you use them.

I think zucchini is an amazing vegetable.  You can create so many different recipes that you can have something different every week.  I however have a very picky eater.  We have many discussions over the topic of potatoes not counting as a vegetable and raisins not counting as a fruit.  You can see I have a challenge on my hands but I do love a good challenge.  He will however eat my Zucchini Fritters.  I have a couple of secrets for your meat eaters of the family who you want to get a few more vegetables into their bodies.

Shhhh, If you make these a little smaller they make great finger food for a party like the Super Bowl this weekend.  Sneak in a few vegetables amongst the chicken wings.   You can even serve them with a little something to dollop on top like a sour cream either made from dairy or cashews like I used for the Best Ever French Onion Dip or the Pumpkin Dip.

These are also great to make the same time you are making my Quinoa and Vegetable Stuffed Zucchini.  You can use the extra insides of the zucchini that you’ve removed to stuff them.

So the first secret is a little bacon or pancetta.  I’ll crisp some up in a pan as a topping for the fritters and then cook the fritters using a little of the pancetta oil created.  I realize this is like cheating but he’s eating mostly vegetables since I only cook up 1 or two slices of the meat.

The second secret is if you also have someone who you have a hard time getting to eat vegetables, don’t shred the zucchini like is often done, finely chop it.  I use the food processor.

If you want to keep them completely vegetarian you obviously want to skip the whole pancetta step.  You can use coconut oil and keep the healthy fats.  Either way I don’t use very much oil in the pan as these are not deep fried, just cooked more like a pancake.

Ingredients:

1 organic zucchini whatever leftover zucchini fillings you have from making the stuffed zucchini.  If you have none add in another zucchini

1/3 large onion chopped

1 tsp Majestic Garlic or 1 clove garlic

1 organic egg

1/2 cup garbanzo bean flour or your favorite flour

1/8 cup tapioca flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

Celtic Sea Salt to taste

Coconut oil or pancetta oil

Directions:

Cut the ends of the zucchini off and discard.

Cut the zucchini into 4 pieces.

Toss them along with the other zucchini, onion and garlic into the food processor and pulse until finely chopped.

In a separate bowl beat the egg.

Mix in the contents of the food processor into the bowl and add the flour and seasonings.

Using a tablespoon from your drawer, spoon this batter into your heated pan with either the pancetta oil or coconut oil and cook over medium high heat until browned.  Turn it over gently and finish cooking.

Remove from pan, sprinkle with a little salt if you like and serve.   You can also top them with the crisp pancetta if you like.

Zucchini is typically a summer vegetable but of course you can buy it year round.  I typically only cook these in the summer but I was really missing my zucchini.  It’s also one of the few vegetables I can make into fritters and my son will eat them.  I’ll share that recipe tomorrow in case you want to make some for the big game.  They are great to pick up and eat and you can sneak a vegetable in amongst the chicken wings and guacamole. (Gluten-Free Zucchini Fritters)

Previously I’ve shared my recipe for Easy Pork Stuffed Zucchini but I wanted to give you my vegetarian version.  It’s grain free, egg free and dairy free so I guess it’s vegan then.  This will be a great meal to pull out when you are not eating meat no matter if that is how you eat every meal or just once in awhile.

When I make these I like to cook the stuffing ingredients first and mix that all together.  You can even use this stuffing mix for mushrooms, tomatoes, peppers, onions or other vegetables you like to stuff.  Have fun with these and mix up what you add to the stuffing or what you stuff.

Ingredients:

3 small zucchini about 6-8 inched in length

1/2 onion diced

1 tsp Majestic Cayenne Garlic or 2 cloves garlic minced and 1/4 tsp Cayenne pepper

8 oz mushrooms chopped

large handful of spinach chopped

1 1/2 cup cooked quinoa

Red sauce, marinara or pasta sauce

Celtic Sea Salt and pepper to taste

2 tsp organic coconut or olive oil

Direction:

Cut the ends off of the zucchini, cut it in half and then scoop out the seeds with something like a melon baller, a teaspoon or anything you can find to scrape out the seeds.

Use about one third to half of what you just scooped out and chop that up.  The rest can go towards your Zucchini Fritters.

Preheat a frying pan and saute the onions in a little coconut oil.  When they start to brown add in the garlic or Majestic Garlic and let combine.  Set aside in a mixing bowl.

Saute the mushrooms and after they brown add in the chopped spinach and just combine.  Add this mixture into your mixing bowl.

Add in the cooked quinoa to your mixing bowl and mix well.

This is a good time to give the stuffing a taste and see if it needs any salt or pepper and make an adjustment.

Put a nice layer of sauce in the bottom of the baking pan so it comes up a little on the side but not very much.  I’d say 1/4 – 1/2  inch.

Lay the empty zucchini into the sauce and then add the stuffing into them.

Cover tightly with foil and place in preheated oven to 375 degrees.  Let it cook for 30-45 minutes or until the zucchini is tender.

Notes:  If you are a fan of cheese you can sprinkle a little on top and heat without the foil on top.

If you are a fan of meat sprinkle a little crispy pancetta on top when serving.

Hummus is the one thing that 3 out of 4 of people in my home will eat.  It’s vegetarian, a protein, as flavorful as you want and can be changed up in many ways and used with so many meals.  The two favorites at our house is this Garlic Hummus and my Roasted Red Pepper Hummus.  I’m experimenting to see what else I can toss in there to change up the flavor.  I just got a jar of peppadews and I’m thinking of giving that a go.  What about you?  What flavor hummus do you like?  Kalamata Olive, Sun Dried Tomato, Artichoke or Extra Spicy?

Now I’m sure you want to know my secret ingredient.  It’s the one thing that is the difference between a passable hummus and a really good  lick the bowl hummus.  It’s all in the tahini sauce.  I’ve tried 5 or 6 different brands, some organic and some not.  No one will even eat my hummus unless I use the Joyva Sesame Tahini.  It really does make all the difference in the world.  You can find this in most grocery stores but just in case you can’t I’ve shared my affiliate link.

If you want to make this dish for pennies instead of dollars, start with dried chick peas.  You can soak them all day and then toss them into the crockpot on low to cook overnight.  Drain the next morning and put in the refrigerator to cool.  They will be ready to mix up into the most amazing hummus and you will have saved a bundle.  Oh and you won’t have to worry about spending extra for a BPA free can to get BPA free chickpeas.

What you can serve with your hummus is also a long list of possibilities and all of these are gluten free of course.  Red, yellow or orange bell pepper strips, carrots, cucumbers, celery, radish, tomatoes, rice crackers, falafel, gluten free pita, chicken or lamb skewers.

What a great spread you could make with this for your Super Bowl party.  Mix us different flavors and have a large assortment of great things to dip into the hummus.  Keep in mind dipping your finger adds no additional calories, just keep that to your own plate.

Here is a tip from an ex-caterer.  You can make a big splash at your party with your serving containers.  For parties I like to put the hummus into scooped out red cabbage, green cabbage, peppers, and tomatoes.  People will think you had an expensive caterer create your spread but you can just smile and said you did it all!

Ingredients:

15 oz garbanzo beans BPA free can or cardboard container

2-3 TB Joyva Sesame Tahini

1 lemon juiced

1 tsp cumin

3 cloves of garlic or 3 tsp majestic garlic original or 1 whole bulb or roasted garlic

1/2 tsp white pepper

1/4 – 1/2 tsp cayenne

1/2 – 1 tsp sea salt

1/3- 1/2 cup organic olive oil

Zaatar

Organic Olive Oil for the top

Directions:

Add to your food processor the chickpeas, tahini, lemon, garlic, salt and peppers.

Turn on the processor and pour the oil in from the top.  You’ll want a creamy consistency.

Stop and taste and then adjust your seasonings and add more oil if you want it a little more creamy.

When serving drizzle the top with olive oil or create a crater in the center and add the garlic there.

I like to sprinkle on the Zaatar on top.

If you want to make this into the Roasted Red Pepper Hummus add in 2 whole large roasted red peppers, no seeds.

This is one of those foods that once you make it, it will become a highly requested regular on your menu.  If you take it or make it for your Super Bowl party it will be all they talk about.   It’s hard to describe but the garlic is not overpowering and it totally lures you in and then makes you keep eating.

The secret ingredient for this pizza is the Majestic Garlic.  I found this at the farmers market in California in October when hanging out with some amazing gals.  I was cooking that night so I made a version of this pizza but instead of chicken we had fresh shrimp.  I cooked them up in a little of the leftover bacon grease.  Just a little adds so much flavor to the shrimp.

This pizza was destined for chicken since that is what I had on hand.  It was already cooked so I just warmed it up with some cooked bacon.  If you are cooking the chicken or shrimp for the pizza and you have a little bacon, pancetta, pepperoni or salami around toss it in together.  Oh and just a dab of the bacon grease if you have that.

As for the Majestic Garlic paste you will want to get your hands on some of this.  As you know garlic has been found to have many healthful properties.  It is said to have antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal activity and to help prevent heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and cancer.  Oh and rumor has it that it keeps away vampires.

The garlic pastes they sell come in many different flavors.  For this pizza I used the Sun-dried Tomato - Jalapeño.  For the Sausage and Bean Bake I shared in my newsletter, The WHOLE-istic Life, I used the Basil.  There is also Cilantro, Cayenne, Curry, Cucumber – Mint, Dill, Jalapeño and Original.  I’ve had almost every one and I’ve loved them all.  You can view their presentation to learn more about their products.  Once you taste it you’ll know why they are a 6 time winner of America’s Best Food Award.

I must admit when I first tried these and brought them home with me from California I tried for days to recreate the taste.  Well after tons of garlic and no success I called them and begged them to ship me some.  That was when I learned they were just about to start doing just that.  It took a couple of months to set up their system and my first order just arrived.

If you are a fan of hummus they make that also and it is amazing.  I’m thinking they must use some of their original paste in the hummus.  For those interested the products are raw and vegan so if you wanted to build a raw pizza this would be an ideal ingredient.

I hope you will give this recipe a try and please remember if you are not using this garlic paste it will in no way whatsoever taste anything like this recipe.  If you go online and order please tell them I sent you.  I do not receive any money from them and they have not given me any product for free or asked me to endorse them.  I just am in total love with this product.

Majestic Garlic Chicken and Vegetable Pizza Recipe

Ingredients:

Pizza crust (I use Udi’s)

2 TB Majestic Garlic Sun Dried Tomato & Jalapeño flavor

1 small organic onion chopped

1 organic bell pepper chopped

1 organic zucchini rough chopped

2 portobello mushrooms sliced (can use your favorite mushroom)

1 organic chicken breast cooked (if uncooked cook it up in a little coconut oil and a dab of bacon grease)

2 slices organic uncured bacon cooked

Directions:

First you’ll want to prep all of your toppings.  I like to cook up the vegetables so they start to soften and caramelize.  I only cook one ingredient at a time so there is room in the pan to brown.  Also I keep my vegetables separate so my vegetarian son can eat too.  Once that is done you can create your pizza.

Spread the garlic paste onto the pizza shell.  Then I topped it with all of the vegetables.

Lastly the  meats if you are having any.  I like to warm up the bacon with the chicken prior to putting it onto the pizza.

Bake at a preheated 375 degree oven for 8-10 minutes and serve.

If you want to keep it totally vegetarian leave off any meats or seafood.  If you want to keep it vegan you’ll need to find a base that has no eggs or honey in it either which can be done.

This is one dip you will want to make sure you have an abundance of items to dip into it. My favorites are potato chips, cassava chips, celery, carrots, peppers, cucumbers and my fingers.  This is great to also serve as a garnish for chicken or pork and is great as a spread for a wrap.  My favorite however is to eat it watching the Super Bowl game next month.

If you’re a long time subscriber to my newsletter you’ll recognize it from a very old newsletter.  I always like to share some recipes in the newsletter before I share them here.  Just another reason to subscribe. (link to the right)

Today I’m also going to update this recipe to keep it soy free too.  I do this by using Cashew Cream instead of the soy cream cheese and sour cream.  It works perfect and still highly addictive.

Best Ever Gluten and Dairy Free French Onion Dip Recipe

Ingredients:

8 oz Cream Cheese (Tofutti gfdf)**

4 oz Sour Cream (Tofutti gfdf)**

2-3 large onions sliced thin

1 cup organic chicken stock *

1 tsp garlic powder

1-2 tsp Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1-2 tsp Butter (Earth Balance Buttery Spread Soy Free)

Celtic Sea Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

Cut your onions in half and then into thin slices. A V-slicer or mandoline is great for this but if you don’t have those make sure your knife is very sharp.  Heat your pan on medium high. Heat up the oil and butter until it starts to ripple. Add in your onions and toss them around so they all separate and are coated with the oils. I like to use tongs to do this instead of a spoon or spatula. It gives me more control over the onions.

Keep an eye on them and as they start to brown mix them up so every onion has it’s chance to brown on the bottom of your pan. You’ll want them to brown deeply but not burn. Once they start to brown you can turn the heat level down so they continue to brown.

If you are using a non-stick pan instead of stainless it will not work as good, but it can still be done. This whole process can take 15-30 minutes depending on your pan and how many onions you have. Once you are happy with how brown they are, add in the chicken stock and reduce the liquid so it’s almost all gone.

Once this is done remove your onions and let them cool to room temperature.

In your food processor mix the two cheeses and the garlic powder. Scrape this out into a mixing bowl. Once the onions have cooled add them to the processor and chop them. You decide how small you want the onions to be. I don’t like big pieces of onion in my dip but you might.  If using cashew cream cheese instead mix in the chopped onions and garlic powder in a bowl.

Once these are processed add them to the cheese mixture and combine well. Give it a taste test and see if you want to add in any salt and pepper. Be warned, that taste testing can be dangerous to your waistline if you taste the whole bowl.

This makes a good size bowl of dip. Once your party is over, what can you do with the leftovers besides just dipping?

It makes an amazing sauce for your Swedish meatballs and noodles, a topping for a grilled chicken breast and a great addition to your brown gravy.

Notes: 

You can always substitute regular dairy for those who eat it.

* To keep this vegetarian use vegetable stock in place of the chicken stock.

** To keep this soy free use Cashew Cream Cheese

1. Soak the cashews in water for 3 hours. If you are short on time you can use hot water and soak for 20 minutes to 1 hour.
2. Drain the water and add cashews, lemon juice, salt and water to very fast blender like a VitaMix (affiliate link).
3. Start off slow and increase in speed as the cashews begin to break down. Add in more water if needed. Blend until creamy. This took me 10 minutes going slow until the very end where I put the Vitamix on high.
4. Let this cashew cream set up in the refrigerator for at least an hour and up to a couple of days.

What could be better on a cold winter morning but hanging out with your family eating a nice warm breakfast that was fast and easy to make?  Maybe if you’re getting presents that day too!  Here is something that can help with the warm fast and easy breakfast.  The rest is up to you.

This is one of those recipes I have a hard time calling a recipe.  To me it’s more like a method.  It is easily made gluten free, dairy free, soy free and even vegetarian all in one muffin tin.  Having said that my math minded son figured out with all of the possibilities I’ve shared here, you could make 392 different versions and I didn’t even give you all the possible choices!

Easy Egg Cups with 392 Possibilities

First decide what you want as the base layer.  You can use thin slices of ham, turkey, prosciutto,cooked slices of bacon,  cooked sausage, cooked chorizo, smoked salmon, small corn tortilla, hash browns, flattened slice of gluten-free bread, spinach, kale, tomatoes, empty baked potato skin or anything else you can come up with to include.

Next you need an egg for each cup.

Then you can add in some cheese if you like even if it’s Daiya dairy, gluten and soy free.  If you eat dairy try parmesan, marscarpone, manchego, cheddar, mozzarella, provolone, or even cream cheese.

If your base layer is more on the neutral side like a tortilla, bread, potato and the like, you probably want to add in some spices.  Think about the flavors you enjoy.  Do you want Italian spices, Mexican, French or maybe even Spanish.  Just keep in mind these are small cups and dried herbs are more intense in flavor than fresh.

Now that you have layered your favorites into the greased muffin tins or ramekins, place into a 375 degree pre-heated oven and cook for approximately 20 minutes or until the whites are cooked.  Mine took 22 minutes.

When they are done use a straight spatula to losen around the edges and place onto a plate to serve immediately.  Garnish your plate with a little fruit and you have a great meal that looks amazing and really all you did was layer a few items into a muffin tin.

Below will be Ham and Cheese or Tortilla Chili Egg Cups but please do not be limited by this.  Use some of the possibilities mentioned above and have fun!

One idea to engage the troops is to place the items out on the counter and let people put what they want into their pre-greased cup or muffin tin.  Put it into the oven while you open presents on Christmas morning and when you’re done breakfast will be served.  Keep in mind this is not just an idea for Christmas morning but for any morning, afternoon or evening.

I’d like to wish everyone a wonderful holiday season no mater what you’re celebrating and a Happy New Year!  I’m taking a little time off to spend with my family and I hope you get to do the same.  If you’ve missed any of my newsletters, including the last one with a big announcement, visit my WHOLE-istic Life newsletter page.    If you are looking for some gift giving ideas check out my Favorites page.

 Have a wonderful holiday season, stay safe and please cook good food for the people you love.

Are  you still looking for something amazing to share with guests on Thanksgiving that is gluten and dairy free?  I was playing in the kitchen today and updated an old recipe of mine.  This pumpkin dip is a combination of pumpkin puree and cashew cream cheese.  Serve it with your favorite Ginger Snap Cookies, gluten and dairy free at my house.  This will keep them company while you are tinkering in the kitchen with the turkey.

Thank you for sharing my gluten and dairy free world.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Gluten-Free comfort food is one of my specialties and I think Mac & Cheese has to be one of my favorite comfort food meals.  Truffled Macaroni and Cheese is the ultimate in comfort and taste.  I also eat dairy free so all my recipes that would typically have cheese in them, have been created without it while keeping the traditional focus of a cheesy meal.  I’ve done this with my Mac & Cheese while also keeping it soy free.

When I was making my Curried Macaroni and Cheese, I also made this Truffle Macaroni and Cheese just in case the first one didn’t work out. Well both turned out great so we had a Mac & Cheese Party.  Of course we couldn’t eat it all so let me say they make great leftovers. Just make sure to heat thoroughly. However the Curried Mac & Cheese did not freeze then reheat well over time.

While shopping for the ingredients to make the macaroni and cheese I came across white truffle oil and black truffle oil. I’ve really wanted to experiment with these for some time so I thought, why not add mushrooms to a mac and cheese with a touch of this oil. How would that taste? Well it tastes amazing. The flavor of the truffle oil fills your mouth and navel cavities with an intense but subtitle flavor. Now if you are fascinated with truffles too, you’ll want to read David Lebovitz’s posts on Truffle Hunting and Black Truffle Extravaganza.

As I was wandering the market for mushrooms, they really didn’t have many to choose from that day so I choose cremini and oyster. I was hoping to find some shiitake mushrooms (great for your immune system, cardiovascular system, source of iron, B vitamins and fiber) but the two I used worked great. Now if they only had some truffles, then I would have been in hog heaven.

Making macaroni and cheese is a basic recipe with a bechamel sauce, cheese, macaroni and for me an assortment of flavors to combine to take it from plain mac & cheese to a wonderful meal.

I love food magazines.  I get way too many of them but I love the photos and they inspire me to try new things.  Just like reading the many blogs that I do.  I hope you get inspired to cook something new after your visit here.   This week I received the new Saveur.  They bring dishes from all over the world to my fingertips.  This issue has an article, The Art of Soup.  I love soup.  I could eat it every day in a cup, or a bowl or one of my favorites, a soup mug.  I find it an easy way to use up bits and pieces of food I have around and also a great way to eat more vegetables.  You can also get in some great bone broth which is full of key nutrients.

My husband however has told me over and over, he does not like soup.  I should have included that in the I won’t marry you unless line.  All I said was I wouldn’t marry him unless he liked football, more specifically the NFL.    Oh well, I got lucky on everything else and he usually eats whatever I cook so I thought I would slip in some soup.

The first soup that caught my eye was this Paprika-Spiced Cauliflower Soup.  I quickly scanned the recipe which called for butter and flour for the dumplings.  I could change that up rather easily.  The hard part would be getting the cauliflower in a soup past the hubby.  The next would be to make some type of meat that could be added as a topping so I could keep it vegetarian for my oldest son but serve it in an appealing way for hubby.  I didn’t want to cook more than the soup for dinner so it had to make an impact and be filling.

Success!  I crisped up a package of pancetta because everyone in my family, with exception to said son, loves pig.  So now to work on the soup and the dumplings.  I’ve started using Bob’s Red Mill All Purpose Gluten-Free Flour mix.  I rarely make anything that needs any type of flour but I thought dumplings would work with this mix.  I also always have Earth Balance dairy and soy free spread here.  It makes a good substitute for butter.

When dinner time came around and a quick glance to the stove top from hubby, I received that look.  You know the one.  You know their thinking … Oh no, what is she feeding me tonight that is probably good for me but I know I won’t like…  Well I served it anyway and to everyone’s surprise it got rave reviews and eaten so fast I barely could snap a photo. So here is the recipe from Saveur with my changes which are marked with an *.  The original recipe comes from chef Andrea Németh  at the restaurant Bagolyvár in Budapest.

This naturally gluten free traditional Mexican meal is one of my favorite go to meals that is quick, easy and inexpensive.  The best part of this meal however is it’s one of those great tasting great mouth feel meals.  I keep mine dairy free too but you can always add in cheese.  It’s great for breakfast, lunch or dinner and works well with leftovers.

The key to this dish is having the ingredients on hand so you can make it at the drop of a hat.  I’ll make big batches of enchilada sauce and freeze it in portions needed for this recipe.  If I run out I always have Rick Bayless’ sauce on hand too.

Have fun with this recipe.  If you’re thinking you’ve seen this before, well you must be a newsletter subscriber.  I shared this recipe some time back through the newsletter.  Make sure you’re signed up so you can get these recipes and lots of great tips first hand.

Summer time is the perfect time to fire up the grill and barbecue.  I know you’ll love this sauce which is gluten free and vegan (no dairy).  If you have subscribed to The WHOLE-istic Life newsletter than you have already received this recipe a couple of months ago.  One bonus to subscribing.

I thought I would share it now with everyone else.  You can use this on meats or vegetables as it will add flavor to anything.

Last October I was walking through the Reston Town Center and there was a huge line of people coming out  the door of a new little shop.  It was the Red Velvet Cupcakery and they were giving away free cupcakes.  I of course was skeptical that I would get one but sure enough they had a gluten and dairy free cupcake.  I was too chicken to give it a try when they were free so I came back later when it was quiet and I could ask them my 20 questions.

They seemed to know every answer without hesitation so I bought the only gluten and dairy free cupcake available at the time, the Black Velvet.  This is the moist chocolate cake with the very generous portion of chocolate frosting on top that even dips into the cupcake to keep it from sliding off.  Ever since then I’ve been hooked.

Inspired by the first cupcakery ever opened, Sprinkles from California, the owners came east and opened Red Velvet Cupcakery.  They have two shops in Washington, DC, one in Reston Virginia and two in Tucson Arizona.  The Reston location is the one I frequent and where my pictures were taken.

The head pastry chef is Ciji Russell and as you can see from my photos doesn’t sit down very often.  She did sit for a few minutes with me as I asked her my 20 questions.  Ciji is a graduate from CIA, the Culinary Institute of America, where they don’t mess around.  The CIA has been around for more than six decades and sets the standards for professional culinary education.

Ciji let me know that the gluten free cupcakes are the first batter batch made in the morning.  These cupcakes are not baked until the next day when they are sold so they have time to set up.  At the end of the day everything is wiped down and sterilized.  This will mean it’s clean and ready for the next morning baking.  The gluten free cupcakes have their own separate dedicated pans.

One thing I did notice is that anytime I happen to go in and ask anyone working there questions, they all know what they are talking about.  That is very reassuring that it’s not just Ciji who understands what should happen to keep the gluten free cupcakes safe, they all do.  I can’t say enough about how key it is that the entire staff understand how to keep gluten free diners safe when they are eating in your establishment.

When making cupcakes if they measure out any ingredients like cocoa and have extra it’s always marked not to be used for the gluten free cupcakes just to insure there is no question about cross contamination.  There is no double dipping.  They keep their ingredients clean and free of gluten.  Of course this is a bakery and gluten flours are being used.  This is something to be aware of.  However I am very sensitive to gluten and a floured finger print would have me down and out.  I’ve never had a problem with any of their gluten free cupcakes.  Well, except maybe eating too many of them.  They are really good.

The store bakes daily for people walking in and they also cater.  For my husband’s big birthday bash we ordered cupcakes for the dessert.  We had the chocolate cake and chocolate icing and they also created a chocolate cake with vanilla icing for us.  The ones with the vanilla icing were and still are our favorites.  They do have a new vanilla cake with vanilla icing that is good too.

As you can see the gluten free cupcakes are kept separate from the others.  They have their own stand that is covered and off to the side.  However when you order the cupcakes they are pulled from the rack.  The gluten free cupcakes are always on the top of the rack to insure no crumbs fall onto them.  They also always have a candied violet on top that is only for the gluten free cupcakes.  So when you order one they will change gloves and then grab your cupcake from the top.  It may appear that they didn’t even read anything to make sure it was gluten free.  Their systems with those cupcakes on the top rack only and the candied violet mean they know exactly what they are giving you.

Flavor to flavor comparison, Black Velvet gluten free compared to Devils Food Cake, they make about 1/3 the number of gluten cupcakes.  That is around 2 dozen a day and it’s been steadily increasing over time.  If you want more for your picnic, party or because today ends in a y, then order ahead.  You can do that online or call.  If I go into the Reston shop for my cupcake fix and you just cleaned them out I’m not going to be very happy.  So far that’s never happened and I promise to not take the last one from you either.  However once they get home this is usually what I’m left with, an empty box.

This Red Velvet Cupcakery is located in the Reston Town Center.  Their phone number is 703-464-7075 and you can find them online for that special order.   If you stop in or call tell Ciji hello let them know you read about their cupcakes here.  And please keep asking for the chocolate cake with vanilla icing gluten-free vegan cupcakes.  I’m hoping they will make that combo a regular.

If you were not a fan of the Chocolate Peanut Butter Cream Pie from last week because you can’t eat chocolate (what other reason would there be) then you’ll love this gluten and dairy free Deep Dish Coconut Cream Pie.  It’s just as easy and you will definately get more coconut bang for your buck.

This is again another adaptation of Elana Amsterdam’s wonderful recipes.  As many of you know I really don’t like long recipes when it comes to baking and Elana doesn’t have any of those.  I don’t consider myself a baker but I’m starting to now.  Well I have to say that Elana’s Pantry makes such great recipes that even with my shortened baking attention span I can look like a baking rock star.

I also have a secret to share.  Lean in because I’m only going to whisper this once.  Her new Gluten-Free Cupcake Cookbook is on pre-sale for only $9.03.  If I were you I’d jump on that like ants to a picnic.  You never know when they are going to put that price back up to the regular list price.

OK so back to the Coconut Cream Pie.  Make sure when you purchase shredded coconut that you look for the highest quality and make sure it doesn’t have added sugar.  Organic is great.

So first you want to make the crust.  I used the Coconut Pie Crust recipe from Elana’s first cookbook, The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook.  It’s really great as it adds in coconut to the crust and uses coconut oil.

I then followed her recipe for Chocolate Cream Pie but I didn’t add in any chocolate.  Instead I just kept it vanilla.  Now it didn’t set up as firm as the chocolate but it still works great and tastes amazing.

I used my deep dish pie plate for this recipe as I wanted to capture every drop of filling and topping.

For the topping I added my Coconut Milk Whipped Cream and sprinkled it with toasted coconut.  This is my husband’s favorite pie and I was very happy to make it for him for his 50th birthday.  I’d offer you a slice but he ate it already.

My family loves gluten and dairy free chocolate peanut butter cream pie.  So much so that when I went away for the weekend recently it was requested I make one before I leave.  Since it’s so easy I was happy to do so. I like it because it’s also vegan and grain free. This recipe makes two pies in an 8 inch pie plate or one pie and pudding cups on the side.

I start with Elana’s Pantry Chocolate Cream Pie recipe.  The crust is made with almond flour so you know it’s full of great nutrients and protein.  I double the crust recipe when making this into two pies.

The peanut butter layer was requested by my son.  He loves chocolate and peanut butter together.   I heated the peanut butter and then mix in powdered sugar.  1 Cup of peanut butter and 2 TB of powdered sugar.  Mix them together and smooth into the bottom of the cooked and cooled pie crusts.

Follow the directions for the chocolate cream filling.  If you do not make two pies you will have leftover filling which is basically wonderful pudding.  Put it into cups to eat later.  Or  you can use a deep dish pie plate and make one big pie.  I might have to do this the next time.  Although with two smaller pies we get to enjoy it longer.

I let the pies set up in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours.  This of course is the hardest part, the waiting.

As you see if left in the refrigerator without a cover a skin forms on the top just like with any pudding you would make.  If you don’t like that make sure you cover it.

This pie is also great topped with Coconut Milk Whipped Cream or just eat it plain.  Be forewarned, it is really good and it won’t last long.  

I like this recipe because it’s a healthy twist on typical buffalo chicken wings, which I obsess over, and it’s so much easier and less messy to eat.  It’s of course gluten and dairy free and delicious.  So as you settle in to watch the Final Four, which only 2 people in 6 million predicted on ESPN brackets, try this recipe so when the games are over you can still get off the couch.

This is fast easy meal that can have your tongue tingling.  It uses cooked chicken, home fries and kale.  It only took a little longer to make this than it took for the potatoes to cook.  You can even shorten that time too.

Now the most important part of this recipe is the wing sauce.  Find one you like the best.  I used Wing Time and loved how it was thicker and clings to the meat.  Amazon has The Ultimate Wing Sauce Collection – Wing-Time Buffalo Wing Sauce – Three Pack or you can get them separately, Wing Time Medium Buffalo Wing Sauce, Wing Time Hot Buffalo Wing Sauce, Wing-Time, Super Hot Wing Sauce.  I’ll warn you the super hot will have smoke coming out your ears but the medium passed the “I hate hot foods test” by someone in our house.

January is Detox month over at G-Free Mom.  Every day this month a different blogger is sharing a recipe with you to help you eat fresh fruits and vegetables.  All the recipes will be gluten free juices, smoothies or soups.  I’m happy to be contributing to this event.  January is a great month to get ourselves back onto this path and using a detox is a great way to to jump start that.

You know there have been two words that have put fear into me, detox and green smoothie.  Detox sounded hard to do, restrictive and painful and green smoothies well those are just two words that didn’t go with each other in my mind.  Well that is until I’ve started on both.

I started making green smoothies after Ali at The Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen shared one that didn’t seem too far out there so I gave it a try.  I actually liked it because it tasted more like the fruit than the vegetables.  I didn’t have a very good blender so I had to let it run a long time to get a smooth drink.  Now that I have my VitaMix I can make amazing smoothies in no time at all.  A fast and easy way to get really good nutrients into my body.

I’ve realized you can just about put any fruit or vegetable combination and come up with something that tastes good.  If you have an over powering taste, adding some cinnamon is a great trick to tame that taste and move it to something you’ll enjoy.  Oh and cinnamon is really good for you too!  I have gotten my husband hooked on these smoothies and now I’m working on my youngest son.

This kid does not like vegetables.  I have to get very creative to make something he’ll eat with vegetables and I have lots of secrets on that topic (promise to share soon).  We have over the past year increased his list of vegetables he’ll eat, but it’s not going to include a green smoothie in a glass right now.  So this smoothie has more fruit than vegetables but it’s a start.  I have gradually added in more darker green vegetables to this recipe and it has still maintained the good taste he’ll eat.  I add kale and spinach and serve it in a tall thermal cup from Starbucks and a dark colored straw.  He knows not to open the lid.  My hope is that he never reads this post or the gig is up on how many vegetables he’s really eating.

When you make a smoothie I think it’s more of an art than a science.  What I mean by that is you don’t have to put in exactly what you read in a recipe.  You add what you like or what you have on hand.  Just make sure you give it a taste before serving, especially if you are trying to hide something.

So this smoothie I’m sharing was first created by Melissa on Gluten Free For Good as Cherry Cabbage Chia Recovery Smoothie.  I’ve made it so much it felt like mine but it’s really her creation.  She adds yogurt and uses napa cabbage in hers.  I changed those items up according to our needs.  If you are looking for more smoothie ideas, food that’s not only good but good for your body and want to know why, go to her blog.   Everything she creates has been great.  Our family particularly loves her Healthy Power Bars.  Melissa is amazing and creates recipes that are packed with ingredients that are good for you on so many levels.

Today I’m sharing something new with you that I hope you will take just a minute to stop and think about.  I’m participating in the virtual progressive fund-raising dinner, Share Our Table.  This seven course dinner which is being brought to you by 50 different food bloggers, is designed to raise awareness and understanding of child hunger in the US.  Food is something most of us who are writing or reading food blogs takes for granted.  Even if you have a modified diet and you are looking for different ideas, you still are making food and not dealing with hunger.

MORE THAN 50 MILLION AMERICANS STRUGGLE TO PUT FOOD ON THE TABLE.

MORE THAN 17 MILLION OF THOSE AFFECTED ARE CHILDREN.

What can you do? You can support Share Our Strength’s NO KID HUNGRY campaign to ensure that no kid in the US goes hungry. NO KID HUNGRY has made a commitment to end childhood hunger in America by 2015, and they need your help.
Here’s how you can help:
1. Visit the Share Our Strength’s NO KID HUNGRY website.
2. Click on “Take the Pledge.”
3. Act now by choosing any of the options provided.
4. Click here to make a donation.
5. Spread the word. Tell your friends and family about it. Are you a blogger? Visit Share Our Strengths’ Blogger Resource Center to find out how you can help.

Today’s I am joined by 14 other bloggers sharing side dishes in the categories of Gourmet, Family Friendly, Vegetarian and Gluten Free.  My fellow gluten free blogs are Jenn Cuisine and Creative Cooking Gluten Free.  Check out the complete list or head to the bottom of this post.

Now on to the recipe.  Today I’m sharing a wonderful creamy tart free of gluten, dairy, and grains.  It makes a wonderful side dish to ham, fish, beef, poultry, and just about any protein.  In fact it can be a meal on it’s own.

The dish is inspired by Jamie Oliver’s tart from his cookbook, Jamie at Home: Cook Your Way to the Good Life.  His tart is full of dairy and he uses filo pastry which of course contains gluten but it uses real food.  I find if you have recipes made with whole or real food ingredients, it’s usually really easy to adjust or change it up to suit your needs.  The point is to cook with as many ingredients as you can that doesn’t have a food label.

This recipe was also shared on Ginger Lemon Girl’s A Gluten-Free Holiday- Breakfast and Brunch.  Head there before Wednesday 10pm for your chance to win a gluten free cookbook!

SHARE OUR TABLE

Check out all the great recipes shared today!

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December 13: Sides

Gourmet

• The Urban Baker (read the post)
• Heather Christo (read the post)
• We Like to Cook, and Eat (read the post)
• Plum Pie (read the post)

Family Friendly

• What’s Cooking (read the post)
• Dine and Dish (read the post)
• The Evolving Cook (read the post)
• Katrina Runs for Food

Vegetarian

• My Kitchen Addiction (read the post)
• Taste as You Go (read the post)
• Flamingo Musings (read the post)

Gluten Free

• The Whole Gang (read the post)
• Jenn Cuisine– A mostly gluten free cooking blog. (read the post)
• Creative Cooking Gluten Free (read the post)

Tomorrow is the last day of this event and desserts will be shared. Here are the blogs participating plus all of the previous delicious dishes:

December 14: Dessert

Gourmet

• Little Bo Bakes
• Hunter Angler Gardener Cook
• TableFare
• Cooking On the Side

Family Friendly

• Devour The World
• Hoosier Homemade
• For the Joy of Food
• Daydreamer Desserts
• The Food Junkie

Vegetarian

• Deliciously Organic
• Savory Sweet Life
• Jeanette’s Healthy Living

Gluten Free

• Cook It Allergy Free
• Gluten Free Girl

December 13: Sides

Gourmet

• The Urban Baker
• Heather Christo
• We Like to Cook, and Eat
• Plum Pie

Family Friendly

• What’s Cooking
• Dine and Dish
• The Evolving Cook
• Katrina Runs for Food

Vegetarian

• My Kitchen Addiction
• Taste as You Go
• Flamingo Musings

Gluten Free

• The Whole Gang
• Jenn Cuisine– A mostly gluten free cooking blog.
• Creative Cooking Gluten Free

December 10: Entrees

Gourmet

• What’s Gaby Cooking (read the post)
• Food Blogga (read the post)

Family Friendly

• Life in Recipes (read the post)
• Bluebonnets & Brownies (read the post)
• Foodie Tots (read the post)

Vegetarian

• The Peche (read the post)

Gluten Free

• The Sensitive Pantry (read the post)
• Nourishing Meals (read the post)

December 9: Soup

Gourmet

• edible cville (read the post)
• The Runaway Spoon (read the post)
• A Girl, A Market, A Meal (read the post)

Family Friendly

• Ladles and Jellyspoons (read the post)
• Two Dollar Dinners (read the post)
• All About Alton Brown (read the post)
• Cookie Central’s Great American Bake Sale (read the post)

Vegetarian

• Good Life Eats (read the post)
• Feed Our Families (read the post)

Gluten Free

• Celiac Teen (read the post)
• Celiacs in the House (read the post)
• Gluten Free Life with Jen (read the post)
• And Love it Too! (read the post)

December 8: Salads

Gourmet

• The Bitten Word (read the post)
• girlichef (read the post)

Family Friendly

• Food For My Family (read the post)

Vegetarian

• Glugle Gluten-Free (read the post)

Gluten Free

• Add a Pinch (read the post)
• Gluten Free Diva (read the post)

December 7: Drinks

Gourmet

• Food Woolf (read the post)
• The Gringo Chapin (read the post)
• Neo-Homesteading (read the post)
• Three Many Cooks (read the post)

Family Friendly

• Fat Wuz Here (read the post)

Vegetarian

• Lexies Kitchen (read the post)
• Simply Sugar and Gluten Free (read the post)

Gluten Free

• Gluten Free Easily (read the post)

December 6: Appetizers

Gourmet

• The Italian Dish (read the post)
• Recipe Girl (read the post)
• Neo-Homesteading (read the post)

Family Friendly

• Family Fresh Cooking (read the post)
• Giving Up on Perfect (read the post)

Vegetarian

• Two Peas and Their Pod (read the post)
• Smith Bites (read the post)

Gluten Free

• La Fuji Mama (read the post)
• Wenderly (read the post)

I love making frittatas but I’ve been trying to make them with more vegetables than fat filled ingredients.  I’m using less eggs which creates more of a pizza like dish instead of something more like a quiche.  I even serve it on a pizza paddle.   This is a great dish to make for your holiday breakfast or brunch and one I’ll be sharing for A Gluten-Free Holiday.  Today Carrie at Ginger Lemon Girl is hosting the event spotlighting Holiday Breakfast and Brunch.  You can head there to share your recipes and leave comments for your chance to win

• 4 copies of The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook by Elana Amsterdam
• 4 Elana’s Pantry totes
• 2 copies of Cooking for Isaiah: Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free Recipes for Easy Delicious Meals by Silvana Nardone
• 3 copies of The Gluten-Free Diner e-book by Diane Eblin -yep that would be me
• 3 copies of Gluten Free Breakfast and Brunch by Lori Karavolis

I just need to say how honored I am to have my cookbook as part of a giveaway with two amazing women and their cookbooks.  I’m so lucky to know both Elana and Silvana and you couldn’t meet two more wonderful gals.  They are so smart, talented, have written amazing cookbooks and to boot they’re really nice and what I call good people.  Please make sure you head over and enter to win their cookbook.

Each week there are opportunities to win wonderful cookbooks.  Last week you had that same chance here.  The winners were chosen last night via random numbers.  Carrie has the complete list of winners!

This Twisted Chocolate Bark recipe has a secret.  It’s full of nuts, seeds and legumes!  Yes I said legumes.  I’ve been playing with different ways to use my Roasted Chickpeas in more ways than just eating them by the handful.  Of course the hardest part is they are so amazing eating them by the handful you have to be intentional and set some aside for other uses.   Or you can always make a double batch which is what I do.

The great part about this recipe is there is no measuring.  I know, blasphemy.  How can you have a recipe with no measuring.  Well trust me this will will work no matter what.  How could it go wrong with chocolate as the base.

The key is in the prep.  You of course have to first make the Roasted Chickpeas.  This is where you can really change up the flavorings of your Twisted Chocolate Bark by changing the seasonings you bake into the chickpeas.  You can use just plain salt, maybe a little cinnamon, how about some cayenne pepper so your chocolate will have a kick.  Maybe you want to toss it in a little cinnamon and achiote for that Mayan twist.  I’ve used my Turkish blend as well and they tasted great on the chocolate.

You can also use that same principal with what you add to the top of your chocolate bark.  Think about your favorite combinations.  You could use some of Ali’s Candied Walnuts or Hallie’s Spiced Maple Pecans instead of plain ones.  Maybe you want to drizzle a little honey (like the kind Shirley makes) on top or some gluten and dairy free caramel from Adventures of a Gluten Free Mom.   If you like to make your own Home Made Marshmallows try Carol’s recipe from Simply Gluten-Free.

Here is my Twisted Chocolate Bark that I made yesterday.  The fun thing is, it’s never the same twice.  You may not see all of these ingredients on this bark, but these are my favorite ones to use.

Ingredients:

Chocolate to melt for base (Enjoy Life chocolate chips used here, gf, df, soy free)

Turkish apricots diced

organic raisins

dried blueberries

dried cranberries

pitted dated diced

pistachios

organic pepitas

organic sunflower seeds

almonds

raw cashews

pecans broken into pieces

walnuts

hazelnuts

marshmallows

roasted chickpeas

course sea salt

Directions:

Really, do you need directions?  It seems silly to give directions to a non-recipe but I gave ingredients so lets keep it balanced.

OK, melt the chocolate and pour it out onto parchment paper.  Toss on your toppings, make sure you press them into the chocolate and then let cool to set up.  Break up into pieces and then try not to eat them all at once.  Good luck.

PRIZES read on.

This recipe is being shared on Tasty Eats at Home as part of A Gluten-Free Holiday.  You can gather and give your recipes for Gifts of Good Taste.  There will also be lots of giveways so make sure you leave a comment on her post. She’s giving away 5 copies of  Free for All Cooking: 150 Easy Gluten-Free, Allergy-Friendly Recipes the Whole Family Can Enjoy and 2 copies of Artisanal Gluten-Free Cooking: More than 250 Great-tasting, From-scratch Recipes from Around the World, Perfect for Every Meal and for Anyone on a Gluten-free Diet–and Even Those Who Aren’t.

Alta is sharing these two great looking gifts of Macadamia Almond Brittle and Pistachio Coconut Macaroons.

After I had taken photos of my bark I just couldn’t decide which ones to share, so I thought I would share a few in this video.  It’s paired with a favorite song of mine back from when I used to teach Jazzercise.  Enjoy.

Twisted Chocolate Bark

I made this easy recipe for gluten free Roasted Squash and Mushroom Penne Pasta for  Thanksgiving last year.  This version had dairy but you can make it dairy free too or even add in some sausage if you don’t want it to be vegetarian.  It’s all about options and easy Thanksgiving meals.  One option I like with this dish is you can make it ahead of time and finish the cooking when you are ready to serve, even the next day.

Recently Kalyn from Kalyn’s Kitchen posted a recipe for Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Mushrooms with Thyme and Parsley.  You could also start with that recipe and add pasta.  I think that is exactly what I’ll be doing this year for our vegetarian main dish.

As you see below I started with caramelized onions and sauteed mushrooms.  I love the flavor of a caramelized onion in a dish and Scott said he’ll eat anything that I tell him has caramelized onions.   That’s how I got him to taste this dish last year.

I like having Tinkyada Organic Brown Rice Penne, 12-Ounce Packages (Pack of 12)
in my pantry.  It can be made into so many different dishes because it holds up pretty well when cooked.

Shirley's Cushaw Peacon Pie

I will be sharing this dish over at Shirley’s gluten free easily website for this week’s edition of A Gluten-Free Holiday.  You’ll want to visit her site to share your favorite Thanksgiving recipes and enter to win one of the cookbooks being given away.  This week it’s Make It Fast Cook It Slow which I have and love  and The Spunky Coconut from the blog with the same name!  I wonder who are the lucky winners from week 1!  Check out the entire schedule for this event. Don’t forget you want to visit Shirley’s blog and leave a comment and find out all of the ways to be entered for those great cookbooks.  Don’t forget the cool #GFHoliday if you are tweeting!

Ingredients:

1 large butternut squash cut into cubes

1 large onion, sliced

2 cloves of garlic

1-2 tsp olive oil

2 portobello mushrooms sliced

8 oz cremini mushrooms sliced

8 oz shitake mushrooms sliced

1 cup Soup, Creamy Portobello Mushroom, 32 oz.- this contains soy but not dairy

2 fresh sage leaves sliced

1/2 tsp fresh parsley chopped

1/4 tsp nutmeg

Parmesan cheese

1 box gluten free penne pasta

Directions:

Coat the squash, garlic and onion in olive oil and roast in a preheated 400 degree oven for 30-45 min or until the squash has softened.

Slice mushrooms and saute in pan with a little oil.  While those are cooking, cook your pasta and drain.

You can prepare this dish up til this point and finish cooking it later in the day or even the next day.

Mix pasta, mushrooms, squash, garlic, onions, seasonings and mushroom soup.  I added the squash around the edges but you can mix it all the way through.  Bake in oven for 20 minutes covered, sprinkle with cheese, keep uncovered and bake 10-15 min more.

OK, that sounds funny even to me.  Dairy Free Cheese Crisps.  They happen to be gluten and soy free too.  So what do you use to make a gluten, soy and dairy free cheese crisp…. Daiya Cheese of course.

There are only a few things I miss in the dairy world and with the help of Daiya cheese I can get a few of them back.  One thing I used to serve with soups, salads, chili and my fingers were cheese crisps.

These are so easy to make it seems silly to even give you a recipe but I’m guessing you’ll want to know how so you can be eating these little gems tonight.  To be fair I have to give my kids credit on this.  My oldest decided we should try to make them in a frying pan.  DON’T do that.  It sticks and it can be a bugger getting that off.  My youngest started to experiment while making pizzas and the cheese missed the pizza and so we had it.  Well almost, they still needed a little seasoning.

Ingredients:

Daiya Cheese Shreds 8 oz.
- either cheddar or mozzarella

sea salt

foil

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Cover your tray with foil and place teaspoon size piles of cheese on top.  You can also make them larger or smaller.  You pick!  You just want to give them a little space in between.

Bake for 10-14 minutes.  It really depends on how much cheese you pile up and your oven.  After 10 minutes keep a close eye on them.  You will want them to brown but not be totally dark.  They make that shift in a blink of an eye.

The ones pictured here have melted and started bubbling but have not browned.

When you take them out of the oven sprinkle with sea salt right away.

If you want to roll the larger ones around a spoon handle you had better do it really fast. You have about 30 seconds before it will break instead of bend. I’ve only done this once around a metal handled spoon.  I wouldn’t recommend wooden but plastic should work.

Notes:

If you want to add to the flavor these taste great with a mix of ancho pepper, adobo, salt and cayenne pepper lightly sprinkled on top.  It’s a nice little kick for your cheese crisp when using it to top your 3, 2, 1 Chili.  (recipe coming this week)

For a festive look you can mix the two cheeses together.

These also make great crackers so feel free to top them off and serve them as canapes!

I think for Christmas I’ll try sprinkling them with chives and red pepper flakes for a kick or sweet paprika for a more mild option while they are still bubbling.

Brad says he thinks the mozzarella tastes the best.  Let me know what you think.

Oh yeah, if you’re coming to my house for the holidays you will be snacking on these.  I found out they keep really well without losing their crisp.

This was shared on Slightly Indulgent Tuesday.

Today is the first of 6 weekly installments on A Gluten-Free Holiday.  Today over at Diet, Dessert, & Dogs the focus is Healthier Through The Holidays. When you’re done reading my recipe and tips, take Ricki your favorite healthier dish that won’t pack on the pounds.  Or, maybe you can share your top tips for staying safe when there’s tempting food everywhere.  Either way head over to Diet, Desserts & Dogs to link up or leave a comment to have your chance to win some amazing cookbooks.  To see which ones you could WIN this week, look at the end of this recipe.

So from now until the end of the year there will an abundance of food.  Everywhere you go people will be trying to give you food, try a sample, buy this buy that.  It’s like it’s just floating in the air all around us.  I like to think that not being able to eat gluten, dairy or rice is a huge advantage.  I can say no to almost everything because I don’t want to get sick from whatever is in that sample they want me to try.  Why on earth would I want to take a chance in getting sick and being exhausted at this time of the year.  NO THANK YOU!

This time of the year is extra busy for us and we are often out and about.  Is that true for you too?  This can be a recipe for spending extra money on fast food if I don’t plan.  That means I’m also getting extra calories.  I don’t know about you but if I’m having extra calories I want it in the form of a piece of chocolate, not some fast food condiment or side dish.  Also, if I plan it right, that piece of chocolate won’t even be in the extra calories category.

If you read up on my November Menu Plan you know that I am armed and ready for this month with a plan.  Knowing what the obstacles are makes it easier to plan around them.  If you want to win one of my prizes from Monday, check out how.  The deadline is this Saturday.

One of the many crazy challenges can sometimes be I don’t have time to stand at the stove but I can get something into the oven.  This is where the Wild Rice and Mushroom Bake comes in handy.  It dosen’t take long to pull together and it can be left to bake in the oven for 2 hours.  It can also be cooked in the oven at a higher temp in an hour, if that is all the time you have.  This recipe has ground beef in it but you can use another ground meat or keep it vegetarian or vegan.  Either way, it’s flexible and delicious.  Oh and did I mention it doesn’t cost a lot, it’s packed with good nutrition and low in calories.

Now some of you are thinking, didn’t she just say she can’t eat rice and this is a wild rice recipe?  Well rice does bother me but wild rice not a true rice.  Wild rice is a grass and is more closely related to bamboo.

Almost always sold as a dried whole grain, wild rice is high in protein, amino acid lysine and dietary fiber, and low in fat. Like true rice, it does not contain gluten. It is also a good source of the minerals potassium and phosphorus, and the vitamins thiamine, riboflavin and niacin.

Ingredients:

1-2 tsp organic coconut oil

1 medium yellow onion, diced

1 stalk of celery, preferably with leaves, diced

1 pound white button mushrooms, sliced- with or without stems

1 pound cremini mushrooms, sliced- with or without stems

1/2 – 1 pound organic ground beef

8 oz wild rice

2+ cups organic chicken stock

2+ cups organic beef stock

1/4 – 1/2 cup sour cream

Sea Salt and Pepper to taste

sliced or slivered almonds

Directions:

In an oven-proof pot, sautee the onions and celery in a little oil on medium high until they start to soften.  Now add in the mushrooms and cook until they start to brown and soften.  Now remove all of this.

If you are using meat, brown the meat in the pot.  If it gives off a lot of oil, drain that extra oil.

Add the vegetables back into the pot, add the wild rice and stock and bring to a boil.  Put into a 325 degree pre-heated oven, uncovered, for 2 hours.

About 1/2 to 3/4 of the way into the cooking time you can check to make sure there is still a little stock in the pot.  If not you will want to add more.

When the rice is no longer crunchy the dish is done.  Remove it from the oven.  If you are going to use sour cream, this is when you want to mix it into the dish.  Serve immediately and sprinkle with almonds.

Yield:  6-8 servings

NOTES:

I use my round french oven enameled pot from Le Creuset to cook this dish.  It’s great on the stove and in the oven and they come is many different sizes and colors.

I use a dairy free sour cream that is soy based.  You can use whatever sour cream you prefer.  I will say this dish tastes great with or without the sour cream so if you can’t eat dairy or soy, don’t worry.  I’ve not made a sour cream with cashews but if you have, that might be a good option.  If you try that please let me know how it turns out.

If you are keeping this vegetarian or vegan use vegetable stock instead and omit the ground meat.  You can even add in a third type of mushrooms like portobello.

If you want it more like a soup make sure to add extra stock.

I only used half a pound of ground meat and it tasted great, but with less calories.  You could also use ground turkey, chicken, veal, pork or meat substitute.

If you don’t have a yellow onion you can use whatever color you have.

If you don’t have coconut oil, why not!  Go get some now!  You can also use olive oil or a canola oil but the coconut oil has a lot of great health benefits.

If you don’t have homemade stocks be careful when you buy pre-made.  Read the labels as many have wheat.  I use Kitchen Basics but every time I buy it I always check.  You never know when they are going to change their formula.

If you want this to cook in 1 hour, turn the oven up to 375 degrees.

This was shared on Gluten Free Wednesdays on Linda’s Gluten Free Homemaker blog.

Don’t forget to visit Diet, Desserts and Dogs to check out and share more great ideas and recipes.  Leave a comment too to be entered to win a cookbook!  Here are the two being given away this week.

A Gluten-Free Holiday Schedule & Themes:

November 4^th – Healthier Through The Holidays at Diet, Dessert, & Dogs

Let’s all get off to a healthy start this holiday season.  Bring Ricki your favorite healthier dish that won’t pack on the pounds.  Of, maybe you can share your top tips for staying slim when there’s tempting food everywhere.

November 11^th – Thanksgiving Favorites at gluten-free easily

Share your favorite gluten-free Thanksgiving dish from appetizers to desserts at Shirley’s place. We want to see your stuffing, turkey dishes, pumpkin pie, mashed potatoes, cranberry jelly…anything Thanksgiving goes. (To our Canadian friends – please share your Thanksgiving dishes, too!  We know you celebrated earlier than the US!)

November 18^th – Gifts of Good Taste at Tasty Eats at Home

Who doesn’t love a gift made with love? Share your favorite foodie gift that’s gluten-free. Have a fabulous way to pack a yummy treat? We want to see that, too.

December 2^nd –Holiday Entrees & Sides  Dishes at The W.H.O.L.E. Gang (That’s right here!)

Bring your families favorite entrees and sides.  We’ll will be ready for them all.  We know that Haunnkah starts on December 2^nd this year but still hope to see some of your favorite dishes.

December 9^th – Holiday Breakfast & Brunch at Ginger Lemon Girl

A warm, cozy breakfast or brunch is a wonderful way to start off the holiday.  This is a great time to help someone else whipping up your fabulous gluten-free cinnamon rolls or a crumb-topped coffee cake by sharing your favorite recipes.

December 16^th – Holiday Desserts at Simply Sugar & Gluten-Free

Just like it sounds – bring your favorite gluten-free Christmas desserts for all to share.  Cookies, pies, truffles, cakes, and candies….we want to try them all.

So, get your recipe box out and start browsing…then get in the kitchen and start cooking for the best ever gluten-free holiday!

PRIZES

Here’s a list of what we have for you:

• Allergen-Free Baker’s Handbook
  by Cybele Pascal – This Thursday’s give-away at DDD!

• The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook: Whole Foods Recipes for Personal and Planetary Health, Second Edition
  by Ali Segersten  & Tom Malterre This Thursday’s give-away at DDD!

• The Spunky Coconut Cookbook: Gluten Free, Casein Free, Sugar Free (Volume 0)
  by Kelly Brozyna

• Free for All Cooking: 150 Easy Gluten-Free, Allergy-Friendly Recipes the Whole Family Can Enjoy
  by Jules Shepard

• Artisanal Gluten-Free Cooking: More than 250 Great-tasting, From-scratch Recipes from Around the World, Perfect for Every Meal and for Anyone on a Gluten-free Diet–and Even Those Who Aren’t
  by Kelly & Peter Bronski

• Gluten-Free Girl: How I Found the Food That Loves Me Back…And How You Can Too
  by Shauna James Ahern

• Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef
  by Shauna James Ahern & Daniel Ahern

• The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook
  by Elana Amsterdam AND 4 Elana’s Pantry Totes

• Sweet Freedom: Desserts You’ll Love without Wheat, Eggs, Dairy or Refined Sugar
  by Ricki Heller

• The Gluten-Free Diner by Diane Eblin (yep that’s me)

• Make It Fast, Cook It Slow: The Big Book of Everyday Slow Cooking
  by Stephanie O’Dea

• More Make It Fast, Cook It Slow: 200 Brand-New, Budget-Friendly, Slow-Cooker Recipes
  by Stephanie O’Dea (will be released Dec. 28th!)

• Simply Sugar- and Gluten-Free Meals in 20 Minutes: 120 Easy and Delicious Recipes
  by Amy Green (will be released January 2011!)

I first saw this wonderful bread on Dolce Vita, David Rocco’s cooking show.  It is naturally gluten and dairy free and so easy to make.  I really like this bread with a salad, a meal, or as a meal on it’s own when I’m traveling.

If you are looking for something that is also budget friendly, well this is the deal.  A bag of chickpea flour is a little over a pound and costs around $3-4.  It’s a great deal and can be the centerpiece of your meal.  My oldest who is a vegetarian, likes to toast this bread and top it with Buffalo Wing sauce.  He’s very creative that way.

David says that La Cecina is very common in Italy.  I hope to go there sometime just to see if that is really true.  I followed David’s recipe the first few times I made this bread, but you know me.  I like to experiment and change up seasonings so this recipe is a little different, but not much.  I asked David on Facebook if he ever made this with rosemary or garlic.  He said no but it sounded good.  So I gave it a try.  I hope you will too.

La Cecina

Servings: 16

Prep Time: 5 minute active, 60 minutes inactive

Cooking Time:  35 minutes

Ingredients:

1 pound chickpea flour

6 cups of cold filtered water

5 TB Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 TB Celtic Sea Salt

2 tsp minced toasted onion

1 tsp minced toasted garlic

Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Mix together everything in a large bowl except only mix in 2 TB of the oil.  Make sure you get rid of all lumps in the mixture.

Let this rest for 1 hour.

Put the remaining olive oil into your 14 inch pizza pan.  Pour the batter into the pan slowly so it floats in the oil.

Put into a 450 degree oven and bake until golden brown, 30-40 minutes.  I slice it up like a pizza but you can cut it any way you like.

I usually will eat this warm right out of the oven but it does taste good cold.

This was shared on Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays.

How I love chickpeas or as some call them, garbanzo beans. I was not always a fan but over the past 5 years we have become very close. I make La Cecina which uses garbanzo bean flour (recipe coming later this week), hummus and these little gems.    All three of them traveled with me to the IFBC (International Food Bloggers Conference).    They were practically all I lived on during the conference.   More on that later.

Now many people have shared recipes for roasting chickpeas.   The most recent was Jaden Hair on Steamy Kitchen.   So I’m going to refer you to her post where she shows you with great photos step by step how to make this recipe.   I have only changed a few things but this is a basic recipe most people use. (I am not sure if the spices she used are gluten free so check your spices before jumping in).

First, I didn’t use a convection oven like she did and it takes my chickpeas more like 45 minutes to cook and get crispy.  I would suggest you start checking after 30 minutes to see how they cook in your oven.  I will say I have pulled them out and let them cool a little only to find out they were not as crunchy as I had wanted.  I just put the pan back into the oven for 5-10 minutes and that did the trick.

Next I like to vary my seasonings.  Most recently my favorite is a Turkish Blend from Penzeys.  It contains salt, cumin, garlic, half-sharp paprika, black pepper, Turkish oregano, sumac and cilantro.  I also love to sprinkle it onto my hummus with a little olive oil.

Also, I like to use Eden Organic cans of chickpeas because the cans are BPA free.  I’ve never had a problem with their products as far as cross contamination but you should be ever vigilant with anything you eat.

Now I’ve also made a variation on this with nuts called my Amazing Toasted Nuts.  So if you are looking to expand this beyond beans, give that one a try.

Roasted Chickpeas

Servings: 1 if it’s me, 2 if I share, 3 if I’m having an off day

Prep time: approximately 3-5 minutes

Cooking time: approximately 30-50 minutes

Ingredients:

1 can of chickpeas, drained, rinsed and dried (while you’re at it use two cans)

Organic Olive oil to coat

Celtic Sea Salt

Turkish Seasonings or your favorite

Directions:

After you rinse the beans you need to dry them or the oil will just roll right off.  Toss them in oil and put them on your cookie sheet.  I like to line the sheet with foil so there is less clean up for me in the end.

Bake 30-50 minutes in a 400 degree oven or until crispy but not burnt.

As soon as you take them out sprinkle with salt and seasonings.  Now I’m not good at letting them cool before I start popping them into my mouth so I sometimes get burnt.  I like to see if they are as crunchy as i like but use caution and your own better judgement than mine.  Also, let them cool completely before putting them into a container.  If they are still hot and you seal them in, you will steam them and they will no longer be crunchy.

It’s rare but sometimes they do make it into a container.  It’s usually a little baggie that goes into my purse for trips or my “emergency stash”.  The ones pictured above are ready for the NFL season opener game on Thursday night.  Last year’s Super Bowl teams are playing again.  I wonder who will win this one?

Give these tasty treats a try and let me know what seasonings you like on yours.  Don’t forget to check out Jaden’s post for the pictures and she also has a list of where you can find more recipes using different spice combos.

So I hope this recipe has you thinking about chickpeas.  They are the Secret Ingredient for Friday Foodie Fix this week.  Feel free to make a variation on this recipe and share it then.

Yes, this week’s edition of 30 Days to a Food Revolution is written by me.  I’ve wanted to join in but wanted to make sure I gave lots of great bloggers a chance to share.  With this being  August with lots of people on vacation there was an open week.

Diane’s Recipe:  Italian Torta

Diane’s Tip:  Use what you have on hand, especially if it came from your garden or local farmers market.

This may sound silly but this is one of those meals I make when I don’t want to cook.  Now I realize I’m cooking but for me this is a no-brainer recipe because it’s a method and I’ve done it so many times I just don’t think about it.  This meal is also Budget Friendly and can be made in no time flat.  I like to serve it on a pizza paddle but it’s grain free!

Ingredients:

Eggs

Fresh Vegetables

Potato- white or sweet

Onion and Garlic

Tomatoes if going with Italian

Salty meat on hand like bacon

Herb from garden- I used basil, thyme, rosemary

Directions:

I’ve gone back to a little trick with bacon that is a great way to always have some ready to use without eating a whole package. (yep) First let me say I only use organic uncured bacon.  I don’t think I’ll ever go back.  When you open a package of bacon, take out what you don’t need at the moment and roll each slice individually.  Then I use that plastic wrap that is sticky but you can use any type.  I space out the bacon and cover it so each piece has plastic all around it.  It makes little packets of individual rolls of bacon.  Then when I need it I can just grab one or two pieces and save time and money.

I start this recipe by putting two of those frozen pieces of bacon in my skillet so they cook up nice and crisp and flavor my oil.  Once they are cooked remove the bacon to use as a topping.

Of course to keep this vegetarian either omit the bacon or use a vegetarian version.

Dice up the onions and potatoes.  Cook them in a little oil in the non-stick skillet.  I like to use Organic Virgin Olive Oil but Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil works great too.  Remove them from the pan.

Next saute whatever other vegetables you have.  I always have mushrooms around and this week I had zucchini from the farmers market.  Once browned remove from pan and combine with onions and potatoes.

Now you want to toss in your tomatoes and herbs.  These cute little round cherry tomatoes came from my garden.  This tomato plant is growing like crazy.  It’s taken over my front garden and I don’t do anything to take care of it.  Love that.

Once the tomatoes have started to burst open and start to char remove the herbs, add in your eggs that you have beaten for a few minutes.  The longer you beat the fluffier it will be.

When a little crust starts to form on the bottom add back the vegetables spread throughout the pan.  I also sprinkled it with fresh spinach leaves.  Add in some Sea Salt and Fresh Cracked Pepper and sprinkle with some Daiya cheese.  You can also top with basil.  I used both the green and the purple opal basil.  Oh and don’t forget to toss in the bacon.  Turn down the pan from medium high to medium.  If your pan is small you will need to put a piece of foil over the top to it will cook.  You can always finish it in the oven but I was in a hurry so I just used the foil even on a large pan.  Before serving top with basil.  I used both the green and the purple opal basil.  When the eggs look cooked you’re ready to eat.

I slid it onto the pizza paddle and cut it up like a pizza.  It was a great fast meal that went great with a glass of wine.

Shared this on Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays.