I know, I’ve become obsessed with shrimp sliders and shrimp seems to go so well with other S words like sriracha and southwest.  I think this one was my favorite shrimp sliders so far although a few more idease have popped into my head that I’m going to try.

I love getting those bags of frozen raw peeled shrimp that are ready to use.  They’re not big but it doesn’t matter.  The price is usually good and I can keep them in the freezer for when the urge for another shrimp slider hits me.

For this recipe I actually prepared some of the ingredients ahead of time.  Not something I’ve been doing lately but I wanted the corn, onion, celery and pepper to be a little charred before I mixed it with the shrimp.  The result was a great taste and texture.

I did let my shrimp thaw so they were not wet and filled with ice.  Works much better than trying to thaw at the last minute under water.

Also the night I made these I had great intentions on dicing up an avocado for a salad to serve along side but we went out for a long walk and by the time we got back it was late and we were so hungry.  But no reason you can’t create this addition.  I was thinking of a chunky salad with the avocado, some tomatoes, red onion and black beans tossed with lime juice and cilantro.  If you do this let me know what you think.

Also the sauce you see here is my fast and easy Sriracha Mayo.  The ratio is 1/2 cup of mayonnaise to 1 tablespoon sriracha sauce mixed well.  If you like it hot you’ll need to add in more sriracha sauce.  Also as a side note, these are good cold too.  Had a taste the next day so these would be good for just about any occasion.

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?

It’s the holidays and that means lots of parties at friends houses, your own or at the office.  What’s a gluten free girl to do?  Bring these tasty treats and you’ll have something to eat and secure your repeat invitation.

These are really fast to make and they pack a ton of flavor.  You can choose how large or small you make them and what you serve them on or in.  Just make sure you serve it with the secret sauce.  Use your creativity with these little gems.  I’ve served them on round slices of polenta.  You can also use them to make Sriracha Shrimp Jalapeño Poppers or Stuffed Roasted Anaheim or Poblano Peppers.  It depends if you are using them as an appetizer, side dish or main dish.  By using the green herbs and the roasted red peppers they are very festive for the season.  Also this can be used as a subsititute for the Mushroom Party recipe in the 2013 Cookbook Desk Calendar.

You’ll also want to tuck this recipe away for all of those college bowl games and the Super Bowl.  I’m sure you’ll start to find any reason you can to make these.  I’m going to warn you that these are highly addictive.   You can make these on any busy night and don’t even worry about the polenta rounds.  Make them larger like a burger and serve them on a toasted bun, gluten free of course.

To learn more ways to succeed at Gluten Free Holiday Survival, please join me on Wednesday for a free teleseminar.   You can join via phone or computer no matter where you live.  You can find out more here.  Even if you can’t make the call, register so you’ll receive the recording.

I do love meatballs.  I take hiding some good vegetables inside for those who won’t eat them otherwise, as a challenge.  How many different and good vegetables can I hide and still have them taste good and something my son will eat.  You may recall my Meatballs With A Heart as a past example.

This week we found out my son will need to be on a Candida diet.  That means at the beginning no fruits or sugars at all, stay away from grains and increase those vegetables.   There’s more to it than that but that’s the abbreviated version   So basically I’m taking away all of his snacks and favorites and giving him his least favorites.

This was the inspiration for the Magic Meatballs.  These are gluten and dairy free but full of vegetables.  It includes natural antibacterial foods like garlic and detoxing herbs like parsley.

The trick to making meatballs like this is the spices you use to dominate the taste buds.  I opted for a Southwestern blend from Penzeys that is strong and flavorful and contains no sugar.  It contains salt, sweet ancho pepper, onion, garlic, Mexican oregano, Tellicherry black pepper, cayenne pepper, cumin, sweet paprika, chipotle pepper and cilantro.

I will be making many variations on this recipe I’m sure.  These are great for week days, weekends, game days or of course you an always serve these for Halloween too!

I also want to tell you about a new piece of kitchen equipment I was given to try.  It’s called the Ninja Cooking System.  It’s a stovetop cooker, oven, slow cooker and steam roaster/baker in one.  When I heard this I thought that’s too many things in one so none will work well.  I’m so skeptical.  But as I’ve mentioned before I’ve moved into an apartment and something that does many things sounded appealing being in a smaller kitchen.  I’ve also found out that when using my oven it heats the whole apartment which is not great in a warm climate.  So I busted this out of the box this weekend and started cooking like crazy.  I made my Paleo Scrapple without having to use an extra pot.  I steam roasted a turkey breast which tastes amazing and I made these Magic Meatballs.  So I’m sold.  I love it.  I can cook anything in here and it’s super easy to clean.  But don’t take my word for it, read Stephanie O’Dea’s review, from A Year of Slow Cooking.  This recipe was shared on Allergy Friendly Friday.

What do you like to hide in your meatballs?

Say goodbye to summer with a quick gluten free quesadilla .  Grab that basil growing in the garden and those delicious tomatoes before they are gone for the season.  Make a pesto and add it to a tortilla with avocado and chicken and you have a meal!   Oh and did I mention how great these are for game day when you want to watch the game and not be stuck in the kitchen!

This was so delicious I had a hard time not making it every day.  Well I did for a couple days in a row but who could blame me.  I love pesto and the health benefits of basil makes it even sweeter.  This is a great way to use up any cooked protein you have around and can be made start to finish in about 15 minutes.  Now that helps with that easy healthy gluten free life.  You can also keep this vegetarian and vegan by not adding in the chicken. Beans make a nice sub here.

I’m talking of course of the latest meatball craze.  Meatballs are so hot there are meatball only restaurants and cookbooks.  They have recipes for Goat Balls and Bunny Balls.  Don’t think I’m trying either of those.

We’ve been eating a variety of meatballs around here for some time.  I love to make them because there are fast, easy and you can put just about anything into them.  They make great every day food, party food, special occasion food, can be served alone, with a side dish, in a soup or in a sandwich and are easy to make as a gluten free recipe.

I’ve made Meatballs with a Heart, Chicken Meatballs, Simply Dressed Meatballs, North African Meatballs, and the traditional Spaghetti and Meatballs.  With the price of meats increasing I’m sure I will be making more balls from assorted foods.  What’s the most interesting ones you’ve made or eaten?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

I love a quick meal, especially one that yields leftovers to keep me stocked in chicken legs for the month.  This is my version of that old classic shake and bake.  All you do is toss the ingredients into a plastic bag, shake it up and then bake.

You can of course use this recipe with any cut of chicken but the drumsticks are a really good value and they are very flavorful.  They also make great party foods because it comes with it’s own handle!  You can serve them for the big game.

You can also change up the spices to change the taste.  You can make it a little more spicy by adding in some smoked paprika instead of the sweet paprika and bump up the cayenne pepper a little.  For another option you can serve it with different dipping sauces.

Ingredients:

1-2 cups of garbanzo bean flour

1/4 cup sweet paprika

1/2 tsp red and black pepper

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp granulated garlic

1 tsp toasted onion powder

1 tsp Celtic Sea Salt

large package of organic chicken legs

Directions:

Add all the ingredients into the bag, shake and then place onto a foil or parchment paper lined large cookie sheet.  Place into a 375 degree preheated oven.  Cook for 30 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees fahrenheit.

Serve with your favorite vegetables like Roasted Pee Wee Potatoes with Mushrooms and Green Beans.

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.

Do you have guests with different food allergies or intolerances in your family?  Maybe they just don’t like the same ingredients in their salad?  It’s Thanksgiving and they’re all coming to your house for dinner, so what’s a host to do?

Individual Stacked Salads, of course!

The beauty of these salads is you can make them the day before, cover and store them in the refrigerator and bring the salads out as you sit down to your meal.  How great is that?!?  Salads are always the last thing you’re thinking about and they can sometimes get left off until dinner is almost over and then you jump up and run to get them.  Oh wait, that’s me.  You can also make these salads the same day and let those who want to help in the kitchen keep busy.  You can even have everyone make their own if they are feeling creative.  Simply set out the ingredients, including your dressings, and let them build their own.

Let your creativity out and build your favorite salads in a glass.  Add in what you like, remove what you don’t like or can’t eat.  Mix and match ingredients and you could have a different salad almost everyday, not just holidays.

My salads here are made using the Simply Dressed Salad Dressings from Marzetti.  I had a lot of fun creating these salads and having the dressings all ready to go was great.  These are sweet and tasty dressings that are gluten free and some are dairy free too.  You can read my recent review of their products.

Serve your salads on a plate.  When ready to eat, place the plate on top of the salad, hold tight, and then flip it over.  Slowly and gently pull the glass up and your salad will be completely dressed on your plate.  This is not something I would let your younger  or older guests attempt on their own.  You can even do this yourself and serve them on the plate ready to eat.

Here is the formula to follow for your Individual Stacked Salads.

First you want to prepare all of the ingredients you’ll layer in the glasses.  When you assemble them you’ll want everything at your fingertips.  I LOVE my Spiral Vegetable Slicer  (affiliate link).  It makes any vegetable look appealing even to those who say they don’t like vegetables.    (affiliate link).  It makes any vegetable look appealing even to those who say they don’t like vegetables.  

Grab a short tumbler glass with straight sides. I bought my glasses at Pier One Imports.  Add your dressing first, about 1 – 2 TB.  I used 2 TB, the serving size on the Simply Dressed Salad Dressing labels.

The next layer is something that can sit in the dressing without absorbing it all or making it wilt if you are making these the day before.  Tomatoes, onions, olives, peppers, carrots and such.

Then layer away.  Think about how the layers will look next to each other.  Color and textures are key.

Make sure you lightly press these layers into place so you can keep it compact.  This will also help if you want to have the salad hold this shape when you flip it.  I don’t care either way, stacked on the plate or scattered to fill the plate, it all tastes great.

Oh and here is the best part, there is no wrong way to layer these salads.

You can also use this method with just about any salad recipe you have.  Take the list of ingredients and layer them instead of adding them to a bowl and mixing.  Here are a few salad ideas to choose from to get you started:

Chopped Salad

Pineapple, Bacon and Arugula

Vegan Slow Roasted Tomato and White Bean Salad

Grilled Jicama Bean Salad

Deadly Serious Beet and Spinach Salad

Chinese Chicken Salad

Vegan Jicama Salad

A Little Crunch of Cabbage 

Golden Beet, Persimmon and Pomegranate Salad

Arugula, Pear and Pomegranate Salad

Here are some of the stacked salads that I’ll be serving to my family:

Pictured here:

Simply Dressed Balsamic Salad Dressing with tomatoes, red onions, fennel, red peppers, spinach and beets.

Simply Dressed Ranch Salad Dressing with tomatoes, zucchini, red onions, cucumbers, mushrooms, hard boiled egg, romaine lettuce and carrots.

Simply Dressed Pomegranate Salad Dressing with tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, carrots, romaine lettuce and golden beets.

Other ideas:

Simply Dressed Champagne Salad Dressing with tomatoes, red onion, fennel, bacon, and romaine.

Simply Dressed Strawberry Poppyseed Salad Dressing with tomatoes, onions, spinach, almonds, dried cranberries and mushrooms.

Simply Dressed Caesar Salad Dressing with romaine, onions, cheese, kale, and jicama.

Simply Dressed Greek Feta Salad Dressing with tomatoes, olives, red onions, cucumber, green peppers, parsley and feta cheese.

Disclaimer:  “I was one of six bloggers selected by T. Marzetti Company to be a Simply Dressed Ambassador. They compensated me for my time, however, my opinions are entirely my own and I have not been paid to publish positive comments.”

And now it’s your turn.  Here is your virtual salad bar.  Let me know what combinations you choose for your Individual Stacked Salads.

Leafy Greens

Vegetables

Protein

Fruit

Crunchy

Herbs and Starch

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I’m always looking for ways to get good food into my family, especially my teenager who is the pickiest eater I have ever met.  He’s even more picky than I was at his age and that’s saying something.  For some reason I can usually get him to eat meatballs.  I have learned to get really creative in what I incorporate into meatballs.  Earlier this year I shared my Meatballs with a Heart.

The secret to these Chicken Meatballs, they have chia seeds in them.  Chia seeds are good for many things including controlling your blood sugar.  It slows down how fast our bodies convert carbohydrates into simple sugars.  They are also rich in Omega 3′s and have more than salmon.

I served these Chicken Meatballs with Roasted Red Pepper  and Garlic Aioli Sauce (Kalyn’s Kitchen) and my Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Bacon Recipe which I shared in my newsletter.  The combination of the chicken meatballs with the sauce was really a party in your mouth.  For Kalyn’s recipe I made my own roasted red peppers because I couldn’t find any organic ones in a jar and sweet bell peppers are one of the dirty dozen. You know the foods that absorb the highest levels of pesticides and if you can pick organic for anything, pick it for those listed on the Dirty Dozen.  Jar peppers work great but I would still recommend organic.

Can you name all of the Dirty Dozen?  I use my iPhone app to help me remember.

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.

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.

This week’s worth of gluten and dairy free menu ideas is brought to you by having too much food in my house!  So it’s my leftover week.  It starts with Super Bowl Sunday leftovers.  But first congratulations to the Green Bay Packers for winning the Super Bowl 31-25.

Don’t let those Buffalo Chicken Wings go to waste.  Pull the meat off the bones and make a great salad or wrap sandwich.  That is how my menu starts along with making those stuffed jalapeno peppers I never got to make on Sunday.  Then it continues with using up the cooked meats I have in the freezer and adding fresh vegetables to make new meals.

Monday- Super Bowl Leftovers

Tuesday- Stuffed Jalapeno Peppers

Wednesday- Shepard’s Pie with a Twist

Thursday- Chicken and Green Chile Soup

Friday- Crabby Veggie Pizza

Saturday- Turducken Burger

Sunday- Beef Brisket Soup

This menu was shared on OrgJunkie.

Well it’s almost here.  All of the excitement leading up to the last game of the season, the Super Bowl.  Have you picked out your gluten free Super Bowl recipes yet?  Just in case you have not I’ve got you covered.  The football teams I really follow during the main season are not in the big game this year but I always have a team I’m rooting for.  This year it’s the Green Bay Packers.

While watching the game we also like to graze and eat a little something each quarter.  This is where the menu gets to play it’s part.  When you are thinking about your game day menu think about how you like to eat.  Do you like to get a plate, fill it up, eat and then that’s it for the rest of the game?  Maybe two small meals, one at the beginning and one at half time.  What do you think about sweets for the game?  Do you like to have one big dessert or do you like snack size treats?

If you’re looking to recreate the foods sold at the perspective team’s stadium here are the two favorites:
First you can have this towering sandwich which includes capicola, provolone cheese, fresh-cut French fries, coleslaw, and tomatoes served on fresh Italian bread.  Not gluten or dairy free but some stack!  Easily made gluten free.

Primanti Brothers Sandwich in Pittsburgh

Or if you’re a Packers fan try this Johnsonville brat topped with savory house-made kraut.  Again not gluten free but they look so pretty.  You can make just a few changes to make these puppies gluten free.

Bratwurst with Kraut

You may even be inspired to build your food into a football stadium.

photo by Scott Pham

Thanks for sharing your stadium Queen of Sports.

It looks like this first one is made with twinkies, cheese, chips and dip and maybe some sausage.

The next one adds in potato chips and rice crispy treats.  Both look really cool and lots of calories and you’ll probably need some Tums after digging in.  I’m not sure how many people these serve but I’m guessing an average size party.

But my favorite stadium of food was shown in a commercial for the Honda CRV. They reconstructed the two tier Soldier Field and I think it could feed a whole football team.

I’m wondering if these really cool football fields that are made from junkfood could actually be made from real food that was actually healthy?  Oh I’m seeing a challenge here.  I think next year we’ll have a contest for making a football field from healthy food.

But back to this year.  I have gathered a ton of recipes here for you.  Some are from this blog and others are from both gluten free and non gluten free blogs.  I hope you have a great day and enjoy the game.

So who’s going to win, Packers or Steelers?

Here are a few recipes I’ve shared in the past which work great for game day:

BBQ Jalapeno Poppers or Jalapeno Poppers -this recipe uses dairy but you can change that for non-dairy

3, 2, 1 Chili

Dairy Free Cheese Crisps

Buffalo Chicken Mini Burgers

Gluten and Dairy Free Crabby Veggie Pizza

Spinach Artichoke Dip Pizza

Diane’s Mexican Pizza

Za’atar Pizza

Refried Beans and Bean Guide or Refried Beans 8 Variations

5 Minute Guacamole Everyone Loves

Creamy and Regular Tomatillo Salsa

Chili Shrimp, Chicken with Avocado Salsa, and Roasted Jalapeno and Pablano Peppers

Roasted Chickpeas or Amazing Toasted Nuts

Double Chocolate Clementine Cake or Cupcakes

Cranberry Chocolate Nut Truffles

Twisted Chocolate Bark

Captain Jack’s Chocolate Rum Cookies

So here are some ideas for foods to have at your game day party (some may need ingredient adjustments if you are living gluten and dairy free):

Gluten Free Hawaiian Meatballs by Simply Gluten-Free

Buffalo Chicken Wings from The Sensitive Pantry

Buffalo Tofu by Gluten Free Diva

Gluten Free Pumpkin Ale Chili by Cook it Allergy Free

Mini Potato Skins by What’s Gaby Cooking

Super Bowl Cake Pops by Elana’s Pantry

Super Bowl Party Recipes by Elana’s Pantry

Hummus and Cucumber Appetizer Bites with Sesame Seeds by Kalyn’s Kitchen

Girlie-Man Super Bowl Recipes from Leite’s Culinaria

Here’s some more recipes from gluten free easily

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Pulled Pork

Fried Calamari

Oven-Steamed Shrimp

That Chili with the Mushrooms

Garlic Teriyaki Wings

Tasty Chicken Nuggets

Crispy Chicken Nuggets

Deviled Eggs

Sweet and Crunchy Snack Mix

Classic Spicy Snack Mix

I love 3, 2, 1 Chili because you change up what you add as your 3, 2, 1! This recipe is 3 types of beans, 2 types of onions, 1 type of meat.  You can change this up according to what you have on hand and what you like to eat.  You can even make it vegetarian and vegan.  I love to serve the Dairy Free Cheese Crisps with my chili too!

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.

I totally forgot to share this recipe so finally,  here’s my Crabby Veg pizza recipe.  It takes 6.5 min. to prepare, 25 min. to cook and somewhere in between to eat it.

Again, start with the Chebe All Purpose Mix and build your pizza from there.

I was really excited to get to use my new Breville Smart Toaster Oven.

Ingredients:

Chebe All Purpose Mix (2 eggs, 2TB Oil, 5TB milk or water)

2 organic tomatoes sliced

1 large handful of fresh organic spinach, cleaned and chopped

2-5 TBS Tofutti cream cheese

1 large roasted sweet red pepper diced

2 TBS crab meat or more if you have it

1-2 tsp Pasta Sprinkle Penzeys (California basil, Turkish oregano, minced garlic and thyme)

1/4 tsp granulated garlic

1/4 tsp toasted granulated onion

cornmeal

Directions:

Make the dough according to the package directions.  Roll out the dough using the cornmeal to keep it from sticking to the rolling pin or surface.

Place the dough onto the pizza pan.  Spread with cream cheese.  Sprinkle with garlic and onion all the way out to the very edge of the pizza.  Place sliced tomatoes around and sprinkle with Pasta seasoning.  Toss on the spinach, sweet red pepper and crab.

Bake according to package directions.  20-25 minutes at 375 degrees.

If you want to keep it soy free, use the Daiya Mozzarella Cheese.

There is nothing our family likes more than pizza.  Living gluten and dairy free has not slowed us down.  It has however made me a lot more creative and we are eating amazing pizzas now, not just cheese and pepperoni.

So far I have made:

Za’atar Pizza

Spinach and Artichoke Dip Pizza

Crab Veggie

Old Bay Farmers Market Vegetarian

Of course there has been the typical pepperoni, ham and pineapple and BBQ chicken.  But anytime I can clean out the refrigerator with great leftovers and put them on a pizza, I’m saving time and money.

Today I’m sharing my Mexican Pizza on Carrie’s Ginger Lemon Girl blog.  She has started 30 Days Gluten Free Quick & Easy Meals.

Yep, that means the recipe is on her blog today.  Diane’s Mexican Pizza.

I used a combination of great farmers market finds and what was in my refrigerator.  I used both tomatoes and tomatillos, cheddar and mozzarella Daiya cheeses, jalapenos and mushrooms plus some key Mexican spices.  I hope you will give it a try and let me know what you included and what you changed.

Another way to build a great pizza is to use leftovers from the grill like kebobs.  They have that great flavor that are wonderful on a pizza.  A pizza is also a great meal to make when you don’t have enough of a particular ingredient, especially a protein.  You can really stretch out your budget.

I love bacon and anytime I can cook with it I do.  I know, yell at me now but I only use organic bacon.  Now I’ve made Gluten Free Jalapeno Poppers before, but never without dairy.  Well when I opened Ree Drummond’s new cookbook The Pioneer Woman Cooks and saw BBQ Jalapeño Poppers, I knew I had to get busy adapting her recipe so I could eat it.

First let me talk about this new cookbook.  It is beautiful.  If you have not checked out her website, The Pioneer Woman, go there first.  Then you’ll want to pick up her cookbook.   In The New York Times Dining section this week they described her book as “a portrait of a real American family kitchen”.  Throughout the book you get a glimpse into life on a cattle ranch, her family and the food from her kitchen.  I was fortunate enough to meet Ree and hear her talk at the BlogHer Food Conference in September.  She is just as down to earth in person as she comes across in her cookbook.  Now the recipes are not gluten free or dairy free so you will need to adapt them, but I think you will enjoy them.  If you have questions about changing up ingredients, just drop me a note.

Her recipe for the poppers is the first recipe in her cookbook.  I can’t wait to get busy on making more.

So, now on to my version of BBQ Jalapeño Poppers.  I’d like to thank Alisa Fleming from One Frugal Foodie and author of Go Dairy Free the book and the website.  She gave me the heads up on Tofutti Better than Cream Cheese.  I was looking for a good non-dairy substitute that was gluten free, non-hydrogenerated and didn’t taste like a foam cushion.  So I bought a container and I have to admit, I didn’t taste it until the poppers where cooked.  I was a little nervous and didn’t want to know if it tasted bad before it was cooked.

Well let me say, the BBQ Jalapeño Poppers tasted amazing.  They are so full of flavor and gluten and dairy free.  I’m in love.  I also made this recipe with pablano peppers for a mild version.  You can eat just one of those for a whole meal!

Now the filling for Ree’s BBQ Jalapeño Poppers was cream cheese, cheddar cheese and green onions.  I added a little more to the cream cheese mix.  You can really add whatever you like to the mix.

I’m also going to take Ree’s dare of putting two of these on my hamburger.  She warns of instant addiction and you know what, I bet she’s right.  I’m going to give that a try today with my leftover BBQ Burgers (ground beef mixed with BBQ sauce).

Update:  This was submitted to What Can I Eat That’s Gluten Free and Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays.

On to my version of Gluten and Dairy Free BBQ Jalapeño Poppers!

Ingredients:

10 organic Jalapeño peppers

1 organic Pablano peppers

1 container Cream Cheese- I used Tofutti non-hydrogenerated Better than Cream Cheese

2 organic green onions, sliced

1 tsp crushed cilantro

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp toasted ground onion

1/2 diced organic avocado

12 slices organic bacon, gluten free- half slice for jalapeño peppers and full slice for a pablano pepper

Your favorite BBQ sauce – I used Organicville Organic Original BBQ Sauce with no sugar (find it in my Favorite Food section in the store)

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 275 degrees.  No that is not a typo.

Carefully slice your jalapeño peppers in half and remove the seeds and membrane.  You can use a knife or spoon and you may want to even wear gloves to keep the hot oils off your hands.  If you don’t, make sure you get that oil off of your hands before you do anything else.  If you would accidentally touch your nose, eye or anywhere else on your body, it will burn like the dickens.  Run you hands under cold water, smacking them back and forth.  Then you can use some soap just for good measure, again with the cold water.

Mix together the cream cheese, green onions, seasonings, and avocado.

Spoon or using a tiny spatula, add the mix onto each jalapeño and pablano pepper.

Now you want to take your bacon and wrap it around the pepper.

Brush on the BBQ sauce and then secure the bacon onto the pepper with a toothpick.

BBQ Jalapeño Poppers

Cook in the oven for 1 hour.  This temperature and timing is how Ree cooked hers.  I thought at first that can’t be right but you know it worked perfectly.  That hour of cooking gave me time to get the rest of the meal ready.

I won’t lie, this takes time to put together.  But it is so worth it.  My mouth is watering now just writing about them.  I’m going to take the rest and freeze them for the next football game and these will definitely be at my Super Bowl Party.  I also think next time I make these I will make a double batch so I have more leftover for later.  They are that good!

Substitution ideas:

You can use any type of cream cheese and add in any other hard cheese to that mix you like.

If you want different flavors,  change up what you mix into the cheese and the type of BBQ sauce you use.

If you like it hot, leave in some of the membrane on the peppers.  Warning, I did that and when I say hot, I mean hot.

If you want to make these but you want a lower heat or not heat at all, try using a long red sweet pepper, red, orange or yellow bell pepper cut into quarters or the pablano and cubanella peppers that are mild.  You can always check the scoville scale or heat level of peppers.

If you can’t find organic produce, try for local and if that’s not available get what is.

Note:  I like strong flavors and the amount of cumin and cilantro did not stand out as strongly as I would like so I would add just a little more.  You should adjust to the flavors to what you like.

Chili Shrimp and Chicken with Avocado Salsa, Roasted Jalapeno and Pablano Peppers

Are  you looking for a new fun menu for your next picnic or tailgate party?  Then you might want to give this Chili Chicken and Shrimp with Avocado Salsa, Roasted Jalapeno and Pablanos a try.  This meal traveled well, tasted delicious, and was easy to pull together.  All of the ingredients are gluten free, dairy free, soy free and grain free.  I wanted to have something to eat that I could hold in my hand, didn’t have any grains and would taste good cold.  So we made this meal into lettuce wraps but you could also use tortillas, gluten free wraps or even just a plate.   I also added in tropical fruit kabobs.  They were handy.

I packed everything into one cooler bag and then a roll on backpack to take on the DC Metro.  I met up with Scott, who had just delivered the last session in our Next Level Leadership™ group coaching program in Baltimore. We were headed to the U2 concert at FedEx field.  This was his birthday present, delivered a little late. His birthday was in April when the tickets went on sale.

First let me say the concert was amazing.  If you get a chance to go, take it.  If you live in the DC area you know what traffic can be like on the 495 during rush hour and if your lucky enough to have gone to an event at FedEx Field, you also know there is only one road in and out.  Major traffic jam.  They opened the gates at noon for parking and we got there around 4pm.  We had lots of time to tailgate and enjoy our meal.  With this being a celebration I brought along a little bottle of Veuve Clicquot champagne. It went great with the meal.

We capped off this meal with Elana Amsterdam’s Homemade Starbucks Orange Cake.  I made this over the summer for Adopt a Gluten Free Blogger- Elana’s Gluten Free Twinkies.  Brad had made the Twinkies and I made the cake.  It was an easy cake to make and it tastes great.  I like to eat some and freeze some.  I was so glad I had this on hand because it went great with this meal.  I also snuck a piece into the concert with me so I could have a gluten free snack during the break between bands.

I hope when you head out for your next picnic or tailgate party, that you will consider making your food instead of picking up some fast food along the way.  This meal can even be made the evening before and still taste great for your event.  It actually might taste even better when the spices have more time to marry with the protein.

Substitution Options

Don’t forget  you can always substitute ingredients for what you have on hand or your taste buds.  For the protein you can use a sturdy white fish and even scallops would taste great.  You can also use pork or beef.  If you don’t have time to roast the peppers you can always use fresh sliced jalapenos and Pablanos or you can use the jar of pickled jalapeno peppers.  You can also change up the type of salsa you use.  Tomato, tomatillo or a jalapeno salsa would also do the trick.  If you use a salsa out of the jar, I would recommend taking along some lime wedges and chopped fresh cilantro.  It’s the key to brightening up the flavors of the chicken and shrimp.

To assemble I took a lettuce leaf, added in either the shrimp or chicken, the avocado salsa and then some peppers.  It did get a little messy and I was glad I had added in a couple of plates at the last minute to catch the filling if it fell out.  It must have looked as good as it tasted because the couple in the car next to us asked what we were eating.  They had stopped for fast food and I think were waiting for us to invite them to dinner.  Maybe next time I’ll bring extra just in case.

If you give this dish a try, either for a dinner, lunch, picnic, tailgate party or even breakfast,  I’d love to hear from you what combination you used.

This recipe was submitted to What Can I Eat That’s Gluten Free on the Gluten Free Homemaker blog.

Update- These recipes were submitted to Slightly Indulgent Mondays & a giveaway.

Keep reading on for all three of these recipes.

Chili Shrimp and Chicken Ingredients:

1 pound medium (26-30) shrimp, peeled, de-veined and tail off

3/4 – 1 pound of chicken cutlets cut into bite size pieces

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground ancho chili powder

1/2 tsp minced dried garlic

1/2 tsp ground onion powder

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (this is mild, add more for more heat)

Sea Salt and Pepper to taste

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (I used Spanish oil but not necessary)

Chili Shrimp and Chicken Directions:

Heat your pan on medium high and add in the oil to warm up.  Next add in all of the spices except the salt and pepper.  You want to let it heat up until it foams.

Sizzling Spices

Then you want to add in your protein, either the shrimp or chicken.  Please make sure it is totally dry before you put it into a pan of hot oil.  I cooked the chicken and shrimp separately and heated the spices for each batch.  You don’t need to have two different types of protein, one will work great.  I just wanted a little variety and I knew I was going to be very hungry.

Take the protein out of the pan and place on a plate to cool.  Then you can put it in your to go container.  I find glass works the best for me.

Avocado Salsa Ingredients:

Avocado, Lime, Red Onion and Cilantro

1 Haas avocado, diced

1/4- 1/2 chopped red onion

handful of fresh cilantro chopped

1-2 limes juiced

Sea Salt and Pepper to taste

1/4 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Avocado Salsa Directions:

Run your knife all the way around your avocado making one continuous circle to cut it in half.  Twist and pull apart.  To take out the pit carefully take your chef knife and cleave the pit.  If you are not use to doing this, DO NOT hold the avocado in your hand while you do this, place it securely on your cutting board.   I like to use the groove where the handle is on my cutting board.  Once the knife is lodged into the pit, hold the avocado with your non dominant hand and the knife in your dominant hand.  Give the knife a little twist and the pit should release.

I dice my avocado right in the skin and then scoop it out with a spoon.  Make cuts like a tic tac toe board, only more lines.  You can also scoop it out and dice it on the cutting board.  I find it slippery and it moves around a lot.  Slippery and knives are not a good combination.

I like to rough chop the onion and cilantro for this recipe to give it more texture.  Add those ingredients into your bowl or for a picnic right into your to go container.  Squeeze in the lime juice and add salt and pepper to taste.  That means you add it, mix it up and taste it.  If it needs more, add it.  Keep in mind you can add more but not take any away so go slow until you get the taste you want.

Roasted Jalapeno and Pablano Peppers Ingredients:

2 large pablano peppers, sliced in half

6-12 jalapeno peppers, sliced in half

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Roasted Jalapeno and Pablano Peppers Directions:

Pre-heat your oven to 425 degrees.  Cut your peppers in half and toss in olive oil.   Place on cookie sheet and cook until blistering.  This takes anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes.  You can always turn the oven up to 450 and it will go a little faster.  I turned it down so I would have time to get a few other things done at the same time.

When the peppers are done, take them out and let them cool enough to be handled.  Take the stems and skin off.  You decide how much of the seeds you want to take out.  The more seeds you leave on, the hotter the heat of the pepper will be.  You can decide to leave just a couple with seeds and get rid of the rest.

Once that is done, chop the peppers and put into your container.

I added in the fruit kabobs so we could have a refreshing treat with our meal.  We ate so much of the wraps that we were full and only ate a few of these fruit kabobs.  Guess what today’s breakfast was.

Good Food No Matter What!™

I love to have refried beans on hand.  You never know when a party will break out or the desire for a Mexican meal.  They go together well with so many proteins, vegetables and grains.  Your options are only limited to your imagination.  So imagine how you’ll use them!

Ingredients:

Chipotle Burgers with refried beans ©Diane Eblin

1 bag dried organic pinto beans
9 cups of filtered water for soaking only
4 cups Stock- vegetable or chicken
1 onion diced
2 cloves of garlic diced
Ancho chili pepper (use your favorite chili powder) or a whole Cascabel dried pepper from Penzey’s 11,000 heat units (remove before serving)
2 tsp Ground Cumin
1 tsp Epazote
1 bay leaf
2 tsp cilantro
Sea salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Rinse and sort beans.  Put into a pot and add water so is twice as high as the beans.  Soak overnight or at least 8 hours.   Drain

Add soaked beans and other ingredients to crockpot, cook on low 6-8 hours,  and keep in mind you should learn your crockpot, everyone is different.

When done mash beans.  Remove bay leaf first. There are a few ways you can do this.  You can use a fork or a potato masker to have a chunky end dish.  You can use your blender or food processor for a smoother texture.  I like to use a hand blender right into the pot.  Whatever way you choose please be very careful if you are doing this to hot beans.  They will splatter and burn you.   Always taste before serving.
You can also set some aside and freeze.

Variations:

Tostado ©Diane Eblin

Chipotle Refried Beans- add 1-2 tsp chipotle pepper powder or 1-2 chipotle in adobo peppers chopped (spicy!)

Lime Refried Beans – add the zest of 1 Lime in last hour of cooking

Salsa Refried Beans- add 1 can Diced fire roasted tomatoes and 1 can diced green chilies

Bacon Refried Beans- add 4 slices of bacon to pot so the fat renders.  Add in onions at this point and brown.  You can either dice the bacon and keep in pot or just take out.  Then add all to the crockpot and keep going.

Black Refried Beans- substitute black beans for pinto beans

Jalapeno Refried Beans- add 2-3 diced jalapeno peppers (remove seeds to keep heat down or leave the seeds for a really spicy dish) In a pinch add 2 tsp dried jalapenos from Penzey’s.

Burn your mouth refried beans- use Chili Piquin 140,000 heat units each, add 1 to pot, do not touch peppers.

Dried Bean Guide

1/3 cup dry beans = 1 cup cooked beans
1/2 cup dry beans = 1 1/2 cups cooked beans
2/3 cup dry beans = 2 cup cooked beans
1 cup dry beans = 3 cups cooked beans
2 cups (1 pound) dry beans = 6 cups cooked beans

This is very quick and easy and everyone always asks me for the recipe.  It must taste difficult to make because in reality, it’s not.

Ingredients:

2 large ripe Haas Avocados (dark and soft, not mushy)
½ red onion diced
Large handful of fresh cilantro chopped
Celtic Sea Salt & Pepper
2 limes
½ orange
1-3 diced jalapenos (if want spicy) membrane and seeds taken out.   Remember to always smack your hands across each other under running COLD water to get the oils off your hands.  Never use hot water as the oils will enter your skin creating a weapon that could really hurt depending on what you touch.  Adding these will add to the prep time.

Directions:

Slice the avocado in half then use your knife to grab the pit with a quick downward cleave.  Give it a twist and the pit should come out clean.  Use the thumb that is holding the knife to slide the pit off of the knife.

Scoop out the avocado into a bowl.  Add the onion, cilantro, jalapenos and juice the limes and orange on top.  Then mash the mix.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Always taste before serving.

Having the right tools is important too.  Here is my favorite avocado scoop and masher!  I purchased it at Sur la Table. When I went searching for this tool so I could direct you in case you also wanted to purchase one it was almost impossible to find online. So I called my local Sur La Table store in Tyson’s Corner (yeah I know, how lucky am I) and talked with Chris. He was great! He gave me the item number #551705 and the national phone number for Sur La Table 1-800-243-0852. He also said we could call his store 703-749-1125. These tools are inexpensive and wonderful. You can scoop out the avocado and not leave anything behind.

Avocado Scoop

12 fresh jalapeno peppers, halved lengthwise, stems, seeds and membranes removed
6 ounces cream cheese, let it set out to soften
1 1/2 cups grated Monterey Jack or mozzarella cheese
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne, or less, to taste
2 large cage free eggs
2 tablespoons organic milk
8 teaspoons of a mix of the following seasonings:
1 TB paprika (smoked will add a nice flavor)
1 TB Salt
½ TB black pepper
½ TB cayenne pepper
½ TB dried leaf oregano
½ TB dried thyme
½ TB onion powder
1 TB garlic powder

1 cup Gluten Free bread crumbs ( I like Corn Tortilla crumbs)
1/2 cup rice flour (other flours can be substituted like garbanzo bean flour)
You can also add crushed Gluten Free corn flakes to the bread crumbs.

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a bowl, cream together the cream cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, cumin, and cayenne.
In a small bowl, beat together the eggs, and milk.. In a shallow dish, combine the Gluten Free bread crumbs and 4 teaspoons of seasonings. In a third dish, combine the flour and 2 teaspoons of seasoning mix. Spread 1 tablespoon of the cheese mixture into the middle of each jalapeno half. One at a time, dredge in the flour, dip into the egg mixture, then dredge in the Gluten Free bread crumbs, pressing to coat. If necessary, repeat the process. Place the coated peppers, cut side up, on a baking sheet covered in foil (easy clean up) and bake until the filling is runny and the crust is golden, about 30 minutes.
Make sure all of your spices and other ingredients are gluten free.

Shrimp Tostados ©Diane Eblin

We love Mexican cooking around here so having refried bean on hand is a must.  I’ve always kept canned beans but working to get away from processed foods I’ve started making my own.  What a difference in taste!  There is no comparison to beans from a can to your homemade beans in your recipes.  Beans are very versatile and you can season them up in many different ways.  Above you can see I’ve used them as the base to my Shrimp Tostados.  Don’t worry, that recipe is coming tomorrow.  I like to cook my beans in the crockpot, saves money, stove top space, and I can leave them.  You just need to check them once in a while to make sure there is still liquid in the pot.

Ingredients:

1 bag dried organic pinto beans
9 cups of filtered water for soaking
4 cups Stock- (vegetable, chicken, pork work best)
1 onion diced
1-3 cloves of garlic diced
1-3 tsp Ancho chili pepper (use your favorite chili powder) or a whole Cascabel dried pepper from Penzey’s 11,000 heat units (remove before serving)
2 tsp Ground Cumin
1 tsp Expote
1 bay leaf
2 tsp cilantro
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Rinse and sort beans.  Put in pot or bowl, add water so is twice as high as the beans or a 2 to 1 ratio.  Soak the beans overnight or at least 8 hours. Drain the beans and add the following to crock pot and cook on low for 6-8 hours:

beans
chopped onion
cloves garlic
stock to cover beans
ancho chili pepper
tsp cumin
expote
cilantro
bay leaf
Celtic sea salt and pepper to taste

The beans are done when you can mash them easily with the back of a spoon.  Remove bay leaf first and mash the beans. There are a few ways you can
do this.  You can use a fork or a potato masher to have a chunky end
dish.  You can use your blender or food processor for a smoother
texture.  I like to use a hand blender right into the pot.  Whatever
way you choose please be very careful if you are doing this to hot
beans.  They can splatter and burn you.   Always taste before serving.  If you want true refried bean heat a skillet with a little virgin coconut oil and extra virgin olive oil mixture and cook until it bubbles.

You can also set some aside and freeze.

Variations:

Chipotle Refried Beans- add 1-2 tsp chipotle pepper powder or 1-2 chipotle in adobo peppers chopped (spicy!)

Lime Refried Beans – add the zest of 1-2 Limes in when it’s time to mash.

Salsa Refried Beans- add 1 can Diced fire roasted tomatoes and 1 can diced green chilies

Bacon Refried Beans-
add 4 slices of bacon to pot so the fat renders.  Add in onions at this
point and brown.  You can either dice the bacon and keep in pot or just
take out.  Then add all to the crockpot and keep going.

Black Refried Beans- substitute black beans for pinto beans

Jalapeno Refried Beans-
add 2-3 diced jalapeno peppers (remove seeds to keep heat down or leave
the seeds for a really spicy dish) In a pinch add 2 tsp dried jalapenos
from Penzey’s.

Burn your mouth refried beans- use Chili Piquin 140,000 heat units each, add 1 to pot, do not touch peppers.

Tomatillo Salsa ©Diane Eblin

I will warn you up front, this is hard to stop eating.  The flavors dance on your tongue and cause you to keep picking up chip after chip and dipping and eating.  I couldn’t stop myself.  This is a great salsa but an amazing creamy salsa too.  I will find many ways to use these besides dips.  Maybe sauces to chicken, pork or fish just to name a few.  This morning it was great on top of my omelet with pinto beans. How many ways can you find?

Ingredients:

1-2 dozen fresh tomatillos, husked
1 onion quartered
1 pablano pepper, seeded and cut into quarters
1-2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and cut into quarters
1-3 cloves of garlic, skin off
Full handful fresh cilantro
1-2 tsp ground cumin
Celtic sea salt and pepper to taste
Virgin Olive Oil

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.  Clean and prep the vegetables- peppers, onion, garlic, tomatillos.  Toss in oil and spread out on the baking sheet.  Bake for 30-40 minutes until browned.  Remove and let cool for 15 minutes.  Put all the roasted foods into food processor with cilantro, seasonings and a little oil (1 tsp) and puree.  Add in cumin, salt and pepper.  Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.

Creamy Tomatillo Salsa

Start with the Tomatillo Salsa recipe and add 1-3 avocados into the processor.  I used half of salsa recipe with 1 large avocado.

©Diane Eblin