Category Archives: Kid-Friendly

Whether you’re looking for another SuperBowl recipe (I’ve already shared some healthy sweet-and-spicy dip) or just a delicious treat to feed your family, these unassuming meatballs might just be the thing. Sure, I’ve shared meatballs before. We’ve had Swedish Meatballs. Spanish Almond Meatballs. Good ol’ Spaghetti and Meatballs (these aren’t dairy-free, FYI). Needless to say, meatballs are a beloved dish in our house. They are one of the few things everyone in the house will eat without complaint, even the child who refuses to eat hamburgers will still gladly eat meatballs. (And even meatball sandwiches, which makes no sense to me – both are ground meat and bread..? I am not a picky eater, however, so some of the picky eating habits baffle me.)

These particular meatballs are a light and lean variation with clean, Mediterranean spices (I used cinnamon, cumin, garlic, mint, and parsley), but a delightfully American slant, as I used ground bison in place of beef or pork. When I can find ground bison, commonly referred to as buffalo, I love to get it. It’s leaner than beef, but boasts a great amount of protein, iron and vitamin B12. If you can find grass-fed buffalo meat, even better. The meat is flavorful in spite of the leanness, which means your meatball can be “meaty” without being fatty. Not that I’m one to shy away from fat – you won’t find me cutting off the fat on a delicious, grass-fed beef rib-eye anytime soon – but once in a while, lighter is better. That, and I’m an equal opportunity eater – bison deserves a chance at my table just as much as any other protein! That being said, if you prefer to use beef in this recipe, feel free to substitute.

You can serve these meatballs with a squeeze of lemon, or even a more substantial sauce, if you feel like experimenting. I imagine a tzatziki or other cool, creamy sauce would be delicious with these babies. They are great both as an appetizer, or as part of a main meal. For me, they were a success for the picky eaters, as each could decide whether to eat them unadorned, mix them in with a gluten-free pasta I’d made, or squeeze some lemon juice over. Personally? I enjoyed mine on top of a heap of these collard greens. Delish!

Minty Bison Meatballs (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)

1 large yellow onion, peeled and cut into large chunks

6 cloves garlic, peeled

2 T olive oil

2 1/2 lbs lean ground bison or beef

2 eggs

1 c packed flat-leaf parsley

½ c packed mint leaves

½ – ¾ c gluten-free bread crumbs (can substitute almond flour as well)

3 T ground cumin

½ t ground cinnamon

¼ t cayenne pepper

1 ½ t kosher salt

½ t ground black pepper

Lemon wedges

Preheat oven to 425 degrees, and arrange one rack in the upper third of the oven, and one rack in the lower third. Place the onion and garlic in the bowl of a food processor. Puree until it becomes a paste. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, and scrape onion paste into skillet. Sauté paste until it softens and no longer has a raw taste, about 4-5 minutes. Remove and allow to cool.

Combine onion paste, ground beef, eggs, parsley, mint, bread crumbs, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Mix well (using your hands is the easiest method). Form into 1 oz meatballs and place on 2 foil-lined baking sheets about 1 inch apart. Bake both sheets of meatballs on two racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven for 10 minutes. Rotate sheets and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Remove and serve with lemon wedges for garnish.

Makes about 40 meatballs.

posted on Thursday, February 2nd, 2012 by altawrites Posted in Appetizers,Beef,Dairy-Free,Gluten-Free,Healthy Meals,Kid-Friendly,Main Dishes 5 Comments

It’s that time of the year – time to gather around friends and family and watch football! Superbowl is one of those events that draw football fanatics and non-football watchers alike. After all, it’s a big party that often includes booze and delicious-but-unhealthy snacks, and it’s an opportunity for people to get together and have fun.

But what if you are following a gluten-free or other allergen-free diet? Or are simply trying to eat healthier? What do you do to combat the beer, pizza, wings, and chips-and-dip-fest that occurs at a Superbowl party? Bring your own healthier, wholesome, nutritious snack, that’s what! This dip is creamy and slightly spicy, but packs a good amount of vitamins from the butternut squash, and healthy fats from cashews, tahini, and olive oil. It’s also addictive – I love it paired with gluten-free crackers, but it really works well with raw veggies, such as celery sticks.

This is like an indulgent party dip, but in fact, it’s full of whole, healing foods, and for that reason, I’m sharing this recipe also as part of Go Ahead Honey, It’s Gluten-Free this month, hosted by Maggie of She Let Them Eat Cake. The theme this month is Foods That Heal.

While I’m a huge fan of vegetables in all forms (I do green smoothies and love them), I realize not everyone shares the same enthusiasm. However, veggies are an integral part of healing your body – something many of us on a gluten-free diet are working to do. When the opportunity comes along to eat something healing and nourishing that feels like party food, well, that’s a win-win for everyone, as even those that usually shy away from veggies can be enticed to indulge!

Of course, this isn’t a Superbowl party-only treat. I have been enjoying it in my lunch lately. I even shared it on Instagram the other day.

See that orange in the background? Yep – it was an orange-y food kind of day.

Anyway, this dip is easy to throw together in advance, and will store in the fridge for a few days (tastes great cold), so there’s no reason why you shouldn’t find a reason to make it. It’s like a sweet-and-spicy orange hummus. Only better.

Creamy Chipotle Butternut Dip (Gluten-free, Vegan)

1 ½ c cooked butternut squash

½ c raw cashews

¼ c tahini

2 garlic cloves

1 lime, juiced

2 T olive oil

1 T maple syrup

½ t cinnamon

½ t chipotle chile powder

¼ t ground cumin

½ t salt

Roast butternut squash – either cut in half and scoop out seeds, and roast cut-side-down in an oven at 375 degrees until soft (about 45 minutes), or do like I do – poke holes in the squash with a knife, place on a plate, and microwave until soft, about 10-12 minutes. Allow to cool, and then cut in half and scoop out seeds.

Place cashews and tahini in food processor and puree until smooth. Scoop out cooked butternut squash and add it, the garlic, lime juice, olive oil, maple syrup, cinnamon, chipotle chile powder, and salt. Puree until smooth. Adjust seasoning as needed.

Serve with gluten-free crackers, chips, or raw vegetable crudités.

Looking for more gluten-free Superbowl recipes? Check out this forum discussion at Udi’s Gluten-Free Living Community, or these recipes:

Texas Chili

(Dairy-Free) Nacho Cheese Stuffed Jalapenos

Adzuki Bean Spread

Deviled Eggs

Turkey Pumpkin Chili

Spicy Roasted Cashews

Quinoa Pizza Crust

This post is linked to Allergy-Free Wednesdays at Tessa the Domestic Diva.

posted on Wednesday, January 25th, 2012 by altawrites Posted in Appetizers,Budget-Friendly,Dairy-Free,Gluten-Free,Kid-Friendly,Quick and Easy,Side Dishes,Vegetables,Vegetarian 40 Comments

At the Gluten-Free and Allergen-Free Expo in Dallas last month, I had the privilege of meeting Laura B. Russell, author of The Gluten-Free Asian Kitchen. While I’m no stranger to making some Asian dishes gluten-free, (wheat-free tamari is a staple at our house, as are other gluten-free Asian pantry items, like fish sauce, coconut milk, curry pastes, ginger, garlic, sesame seeds – the list goes on.) there are gaps in my knowledge. For instance, I’ve never made dumplings or fried egg rolls, and I’m limited on my knowledge of Korean and Japanese cuisine. I tend to stick to South Asian curries and an occasional stir-fry. Well, friends, I’m here to tell you, not anymore. I’m branching out. After seeing recipes for gluten-free dumplings, bibimbap, and crispy spring rolls, I’m strongly considering making an Asian treat as often as possible. Laura definitely delivers, bringing foods back to my plate that I’d long since written off as one of those items I “used to eat”.

Have you ever done that? You’re sitting around chatting with a group of people, and the subject of food comes up. Someone mentions a restaurant or a food item that contains gluten. This restaurant has the best fried chicken, or OMG, homemade lasagna is the best are examples of such talks. And while you might not truly pine for the aforementioned fried chicken or lasagna, you join in the conversation, remembering that you “used to eat” it too, and you agree – it was good. I find myself in these conversations a lot – and find that I “used to eat” a lot of stuff, both good and bad. While 99% of the time, I’m much, much happier eating in a way that jives with my body (and over time, my body is thanking me for this – I’m feeling healthier every day), but there is that other 1%. That moment when the pining actually hits, and I truly miss one of those items I “used to eat”.

Laura helps fill that little void with her book. If you’ve ever missed your Chinese take-out, or long for crispy spring rolls, then pine no more, and grab yourself a copy of The Gluten-Free Asian Kitchen.  The pictures alone will make you drool, but don’t stop there. Make something. You certainly won’t be sorry.

After bookmarking half the book when trying to decide what to make, I opted for quick-and-easy. I made Laura’s Kung Pao Chicken, substituting arrowroot starch for the cornstarch. It didn’t disappoint – it was full of flavor, but not so spicy that it wouldn’t be kid-friendly. (You can certainly add more red pepper flakes if you need additional heat.) This Kung Pao Chicken delivers that delicious, Chinese take-out fix you need, without all the MSG and gluten, and it can be prepared in about the same amount of time it would take for the Chinese food delivery guy to arrive at your door.

Just because Ten Speed Press and Laura B. Russell are so awesome, they’ve graciously offered to provide a copy of The Gluten-Free Asian Kitchen as a giveaway for one of you. You could be cooking your very own Asian favorites in just a few weeks! Here are all the details on how to enter to win:

1. Leave a comment telling me what Asian food favorite you’d love to see made gluten-free.

2. Subscribe to Tasty Eats At Home and leave me a comment telling me you did so.

3. Visit Laura B. Russell’s website and subscribe, and leave me a comment telling me you did so.

4. “Like” Tasty Eats At Home on Facebook and leave me a comment telling me you did so.

5. “Like” Notes from a Gluten-Free Kitchen on Facebook and leave me a comment telling me you did so.

Best of luck to you! This giveaway closes on Friday, November 11, 2011. I will randomly draw one lucky name on Saturday, November 12.

Kung Pao Chicken, Reprinted with permission from The Gluten-Free Asian Kitchen: Recipes for Noodles, Dumplings, Sauces, and More. Copyright © 2011 by Laura B. Russell. Published by Celestial Arts, an imprint of Ten Speed Press and the Crown Publishing Group, Berkeley, CA. Photo Credit: Leo Gong.

1¹/₂ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into ¹/₂-inch dice

4 tablespoons soy sauce or 
tamari  , divided

1 tablespoon sake or dry sherry

¹/₂ teaspoon salt

¹/₂ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons warm water

1 tablespoon sugar

2¹/₂ tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar

2¹/₂ teaspoons toasted sesame oil

3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

8 cloves garlic, minced

6 green onions, white and green parts, sliced

¹/₂ teaspoon red pepper flakes

¹/₂ cup coarsely chopped roasted peanuts or cashews

Steamed rice, for serving (optional)

In a medium bowl, stir together the chicken, 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce, the sake, salt, and pepper. Set aside until ready to use.

In a small bowl, stir together the warm water and sugar until the sugar dissolves. Add the rice vinegar, sesame oil, and the remaining 3 tablespoons soy sauce.

In a large frying pan or a wok, heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add half the chicken to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned but not all the way cooked through, about 2 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a large bowl. Repeat with the remaining chicken and 1 tablespoon of the oil. Add the cornstarch to the chicken. Toss to combine. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Add the ginger, garlic, green onions, and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the chicken back to the pan and stir to coat. Stir in the soy sauce mixture and bring to a simmer. Cook until the sauce coats the chicken and everything is heated through, about 2 minutes longer. Stir in the peanuts; serve hot with steamed rice.

posted on Friday, November 4th, 2011 by altawrites Posted in Budget-Friendly,Chicken, Turkey, and other Poultry,Dairy-Free,Gluten-Free,Healthy Meals,Kid-Friendly,Main Dishes,Quick and Easy 59 Comments

Is it Monday again already? The weekend flew by, as they usually do. I actually am together enough this Monday morning to share a menu plan with you!

A little caveat – while I do create a menu every weekend and plan my grocery shopping around it, that doesn’t necessarily mean that I’m married to that plan. Things come up (both good and bad) that prevent me from preparing dinner on a certain night. Sometimes, I’m just plain too tired to attack a complicated meal. (This is why I often incorporate easy meals into the menu, so I can rely on those meals when I know I’m not going to have the energy to tackle a new recipe or a dish that takes a lot of steps.) I’m fine with not sticking to my plan 100%. What my menu plan does accomplish for me, however, is peace of mind. Peace of mind knowing that I don’t have to wonder what to make for dinner, peace of mind knowing I’ve (usually) purchased the required grocery items to make said dinner, and peace of mind knowing we are getting a healthy, balanced meal most of the time. I suppose it’s my way of establishing some sense of control over what can otherwise become an overwhelming, chaotic event that for a lot of people, results in grabbing take-out or processed foods.

Monday

Breakfast: salmon and baby carrots

Lunch: leftover cabbage from dinner last night, a Tanka bar, almond butter (As I was writing this, I realized that the leftover chicken I’d packed for today is really too old to be safe to eat – it’s from last Tuesday. Whoops. Major fail on my part. Good thing I have some snacks in my desk for emergencies, or I’d be only eating cabbage for lunch!)

Dinner: lamb chops, acorn squash, garden salad

Tuesday

Breakfast: hard-boiled eggs, apple

Lunch: salmon and steamed kale

Dinner: out or leftovers – I have two soccer games

Wednesday

Breakfast: green smoothie with kabocha, spinach, protein powder, and pumpkin pie spices

Lunch: chili (there is some stashed in the freezer!)

Dinner: crustless chicken “pot pie”, sauteed okra

Thursday

Breakfast: hard-boiled eggs, possibly cauliflower rice pudding, if I get time to make it

Lunch: leftover chicken “pot pie” and okra

Dinner: steak, sweet potato puree (see below!), broccoli

Friday

Breakfast: hard-boiled eggs, apple with almond butter

Lunch: sardines with celery, leftover broccoli

Dinner: meatballs with spaghetti squash (GF pasta for the kids and hubby)

 And now, on to the maple sweet potato puree.

Sweet potato puree is one of my favorite “go-to” side dishes. It’s easy, and my husband and I love it. We’re both huge sweet potato fans, and this is a great way to enjoy them. With a little drizzle of maple syrup, they are sure to make a meal seem special. The best part? I cook them in the microwave!

I’m honestly not much of a microwave “cooker”. I use the microwave to reheat foods and to heat water for herbal tea. During the fall, I also use it to easily “roast” pumpkins and spaghetti squash (that’s a topic for another post!), but honestly, that’s about it. Except when it comes to sweet potato puree. Microwaving the sweet potatoes speeds up the whole process, and since I am pureeing the flesh anyway, it doesn’t deter from the flavor one bit. (In fact, it results in a creamier puree than if I was to boil cubes of sweet potato, since there isn’t additional water in it.) Now that I’ve started making this using the microwave, I don’t think I’ll go back to the slower, more dirty-dish-making method.

Maple Sweet Potato Puree

5 medium-sized sweet potatoes

2 T maple syrup

Salt and pepper to taste

Using a fork, poke holes in each of the sweet potatoes 4-5 times. Place the sweet potatoes in the microwave on top of a plate or paper towels. Microwave for about 12 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are soft when squeezed. (Squeeze carefully – don’t burn yourself!) Remove and set aside for a few minutes, until they are cool enough to handle.

Get your food processor ready with the metal “S” blade. As soon as you can handle the sweet potatoes, cut open the skin and scoop out the flesh with a spoon. Place the flesh in the food processor. Drizzle syrup over, and turn on the food processor. Process until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides if necessary. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed. The sweet potato puree should still be hot enough to serve, but if it’s not, you can place it in a small saucepan and heat it over low heat on the stovetop.

If desired, drizzle additional maple syrup over each serving. We don’t usually do this, but it sure makes the photo look more drool-worthy! Serves 4.

This post is linked to Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays at Simply Sugar and Gluten-Free.

posted on Monday, October 17th, 2011 by altawrites Posted in Budget-Friendly,Dairy-Free,Gluten-Free,Healthy Meals,Kid-Friendly,Side Dishes,Vegetables,Vegetarian 10 Comments

 The Daring Bakers go retro this month! Thanks to one of our very talented non-blogging members, Sarah, the Daring Bakers were challenged to make Croissants using a recipe from the Queen of French Cooking, none other than Julia Child!

Yeah, when I read that, I got a lump in my throat. You know the kind – it was exactly like a cartoon character, facing imminent doom, swallowing that lump with the audible “gulp”. Scary.

Why so scary? Well, in addition to making gluten-free croissants (Kate over at Gluten-Free Gobsmacked has successfully made those, and they look amazing), since I really haven’t been consuming grains lately, I wanted to make them grain-free. And who has heard of grain-free, dairy-free, yeast-free croissants? Not me. But I figured I’d give it a shot. They wouldn’t be flaky in the traditional sense, but I’d try my best to make something edible and resembling a croissant.

And so I got started. I made a stiff dough and chilled it. I pounded out butter and chilled it too. I then read through the instructions posted on the Daring Bakers challenge, and in the spirit of how Julia Child makes her croissants, I folded over the dough multiple times, rolled it out, and eventually (very carefully) rolled up my croissants.

How did they come out? Well, like I said, not flaky in the traditional sense. However, they were edible. Tender even. I would have liked them a touch sweeter, actually, but overall, I was surprised that they came out. They’d definitely be tasty to dip into a sauce at dinner. It’s definitely a recipe worth investigating further.

I’ll consider this a win for me!

Grain-Free, Dairy-Free Croissants

1 c almond flour

1/2 c coconut flour

1/2 t baking soda

1 t salt

2 eggs

1/4 c non-dairy milk (I used So Delicious unsweetened coconut beverage)

1/4 c vegan butter*

1 egg white, for brushing

1 t turbinado sugar

Whisk together the almond flour, coconut flour, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs until frothy and add the non-dairy milk and whisk in. Add the wet ingredients to dry and stir to incorporate. The dough should be barely sticky; add additional almond flour as needed. On a large sheet of parchment paper, pat out dough to about 1/2 inch thick. Place another sheet of parchment paper on top and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, take another sheet of parchment paper and stick the butter on it. Place another sheet of parchment paper on top, and using a roller pin, pound out the butter until it’s about 1/8 inch thick. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and sprinkle with a bit of almond flour and roll out into 1/4 – 1/8 inch thick rectangle between the two sheets of parchment (if you’re having difficulty with the parchment sticking to the dough, sprinkle with a bit more almond flour. With some care, you ought to be able to peel away the parchment and leave the dough in one piece). Scrape butter from the paper and spread out onto the top two-thirds of the dough.

spreading out butter on my not-so-rectangular rectangle of dough

Fold the bottom third up. Fold the top third over the bottom third.

dough folded into thirds

Turn the dough 90 degrees, and roll out again to 1/4-1/8 inches.

turning dough 90 degrees

Repeat the process of folding in thirds and rolling out 4 times. After it’s rolled out for the final time, cover with parchment and stick in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Remove the dough from refrigerator and cut into about 9 squares with a pizza cutter. Cut each square in half diagonally to make two triangles out of each square.

cutting dough into triangles

Carefully roll up each triangle into a croissant shape, and place on a lined baking sheet. Curve the ends.

rolling up croissants

Brush each croissant with the egg white, and sprinkle a bit of turbinado sugar over each.

Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown.

 *vegan butter such as Earth Balance isn’t entirely grain-free, as it has ingredients derived from corn and soy, but you could possibly substitute shortening for the vegan butter. I’d be interested to see how it turns out.

This post is linked to Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays over at Simply Sugar and Gluten-Free.

posted on Tuesday, September 27th, 2011 by altawrites Posted in Baked goods,Dairy-Free,Gluten-Free,Kid-Friendly,Side Dishes 11 Comments

…and we’re taking a break from our regularly scheduled program.

…to bring you BANANA FRITTERS!

Lately, I’ve been posting a lot of grain-free recipes. Truthfully, I’ve been eating grain-free for weeks now. Honestly, it’s improved my energy levels, digestive health, and has kept me satisfied. But I did need to take a teensy little vacation from this, just so I could try this recipe. You see, I was watching The F Word on BBC America, and Gordon Ramsay did his little bit where he shows the viewers how to make his dessert. (This is the part that always makes you wish they gave out free samples through the television.) On this particular episode, he made these banana fritters. (Watch it here) The recipe seemed pretty easy, and to my delight, was already gluten-free.

I figured this was serendipity, and so I made sure we had bananas for the following weekend, and set off to make a little treat. I already had ice cream for the kids, and had just a little bit of dairy-free coconut ice cream in the freezer for me. The rest was a breeze – making a batter, heating up oil, and frying these fritters took only a few minutes. And then, it was dessert time.

These babies were tasty. While they weren’t a favorite of the kids (the banana flavor was too strong, I think), I loved them. I just about had to tie my hands back to keep from eating more than my fair share. I loved the Chinese five-spice, sesame seeds, and of course, the gooey banana center. They’d be an ideal special occasion treat, as they were for us. I’d love to convert them to grain-free – although I’ve never tried to fry with coconut flour or almond flour. Might have to experiment, although I’m not much of a deep-fryer!

Banana Fritters, adapted from The F Word

5-6 large bananas (ripe, but firm)

120 grams sweet white rice flour

120 grams tapioca starch

4 tablespoons sesame seeds

1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder

1 scant teaspoon fine sea salt

2 tablespoons coconut palm sugar

250 milliliters water

Vegetable oil for deep-frying

Vanilla ice cream and powdered sugar, to serve

Put the rice flour, tapioca starch, sesame seeds, five-spice powder, salt and sugar together in a bowl and whisk. Make a well in the center and pour in water. Whisk until incorporated and there are no longer lumps in the batter. Refrigerate while you prepare the bananas and heat the oil.

Heat 4 inches of oil in a deep pot (I used a small cast iron dutch oven) until it reaches 350 degrees. Peel the bananas and cut into 2-3 inch lengths. Dip 4-5 banana pieces in the batter and allow excess to drip off, and carefully lower into the oil. Fry, turning as needed, until outside is crisp and browned, about 3 minutes. Carefully remove with a slotted spoon and set on paper towels to drain. Repeat with remaining bananas.

Serve immediately, dusted with powdered sugar and with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Serves 4-5.

This post is linked to Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays over at Simply Sugar and Gluten-Free.

posted on Thursday, September 8th, 2011 by altawrites Posted in Dairy-Free,Desserts,Gluten-Free,Kid-Friendly,Vegetarian 9 Comments

I hope everyone had a lovely Labor Day weekend! We certainly did here. Not a lot of plans, really – just hung out with family, relaxed, and enjoyed the fact that finally, we’re not having 100+ degree days. We’re still continuing to be in one of the worst droughts that I’ve seen (the wildfires all over the state are terrible), but at least the weather is starting to change. It’s amazing how much the heat can impact your mood. I find it so much easier to relax!

It also makes it easier to grill outside. While I have been using the grill a lot throughout the summer (and really, Texas is just about a year-round grilling state) simply so I could keep the house cool, it’s actually a joy to do so when it’s not 105 degrees outside. Tonight, I made a simple grilled chicken. Nothing fancy, no intricate flavors – just a pleasantly sweet sauce over a juicy grilled chicken breast.

The source of the recipe? Gwyneth Paltrow. In case you haven’t heard, she has a new cookbook out. I don’t own it – yet – although it’s on my wish list. When I saw the article in Bon Appetit a few months ago on her new book, I was eager to try her recipes. They were simple, straightforward, and with lots of fresh, seasonal ingredients. I have a tendency to overcomplicate things at times, so I’m always drawn to people who can pull together a delicious dish and keep the ingredient list short. At a glance, Gwyneth’s recipes seemed promising. I bookmarked several, and then, as it inevitably does, time passed.

Until this week, when I looked back through my bookmarked recipes for some menu inspiration. That’s when it jumped out at me: grilled chicken with peach BBQ sauce.  You see, a few weeks back, I bought half of a bushel of peaches at the farmer’s market, and put them up in my freezer (and made some jam). I was dying to use some in a savory dish, and this would be perfect.

It was. While it wasn’t the best barbecue I’d ever had, it was perfect for today. It was approachable; perfect for kids, family, and easy, laid-back entertaining. The recipe was simple, so that if you had a busy day, were hosting a barbecue or party, or just were too pooped to execute a complicated meal, you could pull this one off. And since this weekend was all about relaxation and saying farewell to summer (and possibly a “good riddance” to the heat!), a simple, delicious recipe was definitely just the thing.

Peach BBQ Chicken, adapted from My Father’s Daughter

1 c chopped peeled fresh peaches

1/2 c sugar-free ketchup (I used Organicville, but I know Amy’s would have been great as well!)

2 1/2 T fresh lemon juice

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 t Chipotle Tabasco sauce

salt and pepper to taste

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Combine the first 5 ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Transfer to a blender and puree. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Spoon half of the sauce over the chicken breasts in a shallow glass baking dish. Toss chicken breasts to coat with sauce. Divide remaining sauce into two bowls. Allow to sit at room temperature for 20 minutes to marinate, or alternatively, refrigerate, covered, for 8 hours or overnight. (I only marinated for 20 minutes.) Refrigerate sauce if not using within the hour.

Prepare the grill for medium heat. Brush grates with oil. Grill chicken until browned and almost cooked through, 4-5 minutes per side. Brush some of the remaining sauce over chicken and continue to grill until cooked through, 1-2 additional minutes per side. Allow to rest for 5 minutes, and slice. Serve with remaining unused sauce.

Serves 4.

Menu for September 6-10

Monday

Breakfast: Coconut flour pancakes, scrambled eggs, fresh raspberries

Dinner: Peach BBQ chicken, garden salad

(no lunch, as breakfast was late)

Tuesday

Breakfast: leftover pancakes, steamed spinach with a bit of leftover ground turkey taco meat, plum

Lunch: leftover paleo lasagna with zucchini (still working to perfect that recipe!)

Dinner: leftover chicken, sausage, shrimp chili (working to perfect that one too!)

Wednesday

Breakfast: smoothie with spinach, peaches, protein powder, and a hard-boiled egg

Lunch: garden salad with leftover peach BBQ chicken

Dinner: chicken satay with cucumber salad and steamed green beans

Thursday

Breakfast: scrambled eggs with leftover green beans

Lunch: leftover chicken satay and cucumber salad

Dinner: grilled chicken-basil sausages, baked sweet potatoes, and steamed broccoli

Friday

Breakfast: smoothie with blueberries, spinach, mint, and protein powder, and a handful of macadamia nuts

Lunch: leftover grilled sausages, sweet potatoes, and broccoli

Dinner: fridge clean-out! We’ll be eating whatever needs to be eaten that day!

Have a great week, everyone!

This post is linked to Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays at Simply Sugar and Gluten-Free.

posted on Monday, September 5th, 2011 by altawrites Posted in Budget-Friendly,Chicken, Turkey, and other Poultry,Dairy-Free,Gluten-Free,Healthy Meals,Kid-Friendly,Main Dishes,Meal Plans,Quick and Easy 6 Comments

The August 2011 Daring Bakers’ Challenge was hosted by Lisa of Parsley, Sage, Desserts and Line Drive and Mandy of What the Fruitcake?!. These two sugar mavens challenged us to make sinfully delicious candies! We were challenged to make one chocolate candy that required tempering the chocolate, and one non-chocolate candy.

I love to make candy. During the holidays, I tend to go wild making everything from nut truffles to chocolate pecan pralines to brittle. And while I take care to melt my chocolate in a double boiler (well, actually, a stainless bowl set over a small saucepan with simmering water, but it does the job), I’ve never actually tempered chocolate. But after reading instructions in our Daring Bakers’ Challenge, I was sure I was up to the task. And since I’ve been craving coconut, I thought it was high time I try to recreate one of my favorite candy bars – a Mounds bar. I already had a lot of various candy molds, since I purchased them to make peanut butter cups (the desire to make candy extends to other members of the family too), so I put them to work.

I was worried I wouldn’t be able to temper the chocolate properly, as you’re supposed to bring down the chocolate to around 80 degrees F to get it to temper properly. It’s been a miserable 100+ degrees F here for over 60 days so far this summer. This means our house is hot too – many times, the kitchen is around 80 in the afternoon. However, I happen to have a marble slab, and so I snuck it into the freezer for a bit so I could be sure my chocolate would cool down as needed. Worked like a charm. In fact, the heat had no real bearing on the whole project, except that in spite of the chocolate being tempered, during the photo shoot, I still managed to get fingerprints on it. Whoops. They’re tasty enough though, that I hope I’m forgiven.

If not, there’s always peanut butter fudge. I chose to adapt the recipe that our hostesses chose to be dairy-free and refined sugar-free. I have some co-workers that are peanut butter fans, so I thought this would go over well at the office. (Or else I’ll be in trouble for bringing too many treats…we’ll have to see!) Even though I used coconut sugar in place of the brown sugar and powdered sugar called for in the recipe, it still was quite sweet – a truly rich treat for a peanut butter lover.

This was a wonderful challenge – as always, I am up for candy making. Now, it’s time to promptly get rid of this evil, overly-tempting candy share the fruits of my labor before I indulge in any more though!

Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Chocolate Coconut Candy (a.k.a. “Mounds” candy)

4 oz high-quality dark chocolate, chopped

2/3 c shredded unsweetened coconut

1/4 c coconut milk

1 T coconut oil

2 T raw agave nectar

1 t coconut manna (optional, but gives an additional punch of coconut-y deliciousness)

pinch of salt

Prepare a double boiler. Once water is simmering, add chocolate to the top bowl/pot. Allow to melt and come to about 113-120 degrees F, stirring occasionally. Scrape chocolate onto a cool marble slap, and using a bench scraper, smooth out the chocolate and move it around the slab to help it cool. Once it’s about 80 degrees F, scrape the chocolate back into the double boiler. Allow to come to about 90 degrees F, stirring occasionally. Chocolate is now ready for the mold.

Using a small paintbrush, paint chocolate into the molds of your choice. Allow to dry. (I had to place the molds into the fridge for 10 minutes or so to set) Meanwhile, prepare the coconut filling by stirring together remaining ingredients in a small bowl. When your molds are ready, spoon a small amount into each mold, being careful not to overfill. Your filling shouldn’t come all the way to the top. Paint more chocolate on top of the filling, making sure you “seal” the edges and smooth it out. Allow to dry (or stick in fridge again for 10-15 minutes). When ready, turn molds over and carefully pop each chocolate from the mold.

Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Peanut Butter Fudge

1/2 c vegan buttery sticks

2 1/4 c coconut palm sugar

1/2 c coconut milk

3/4 c smooth peanut butter (natural, no sugar added)

1 t vanilla extract

3 1/2 c coconut palm sugar, powdered (you can find out how to powder coconut palm sugar at Simply Sugar and Gluten-Free - I used tapioca starch instead of cornstarch)
Place buttery stick into a medium saucepan and melt it over medium heat. Add coconut palm sugar and coconut milk, stirring. Boil for 2 minutes, stirring frequently, then remove from heat. Mix in peanut butter and vanilla. Place powdered coconut palm sugar into a large mixing bowl. Pour hot peanut butter mixture over powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Pour fudge into an 8 by 8 inch pan. Chill until firm, about 1 hour. Cut into 1-inch squares.

posted on Saturday, August 27th, 2011 by altawrites Posted in Dairy-Free,Desserts,Gluten-Free,Kid-Friendly,Vegetarian 11 Comments

During the week, breakfasts have to be quick. I eat breakfast at my desk at work, (I know, probably not ideal, but I HATE the idea of eating earlier, at home, only to be starving at 9am again. I leave the house around 6:30-45 in the morning, and that’s just too early to eat!) so whatever I bring must be portable, easily and quickly microwaveable, and low on the mess factor. Many times, this means I make something in advance, and reheat it as needed.

This week, I made egg muffins. No, not sweet, carb-heavy, make-you-sleepy-then-hungry-soon-after muffins. These are a savory, nutrient-packed breakfast. They’re muffins in name only – they were made in a muffin tin. Truth be told, they’re more like mini-frittatas. And contrary to what you might be thinking – they actually reheat in the microwave quite well. Just make sure not to overdo it: I warmed up three of these babies this morning for breakfast for just under a minute. A healthy, tasty, protein-packed breakfast in a minute. That’s my kind of meal.

Zucchini Red Pepper Egg Muffins

8 large eggs

Salt and pepper

1 t coconut oil, plus more for greasing pan

1 large zucchini, cut into ½ inch dice

2 oz roasted red pepper, diced (about ¼ cup)

1 green onion, minced

10 green olives, chopped

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a muffin tin with oil and set aside. Scramble eggs in a medium bowl and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Heat a skillet to medium heat and add oil. Add zucchini and sauté for 3-4 minutes or until lightly browned and just starting to soften. Add red pepper, green onion, and olives and sauté for another minute. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat.

Divide vegetables evenly among the 12 muffin cups. Divide the scrambled eggs evenly among the muffin cups, pouring the eggs over the vegetables.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until eggs are set in the center.

Serves 4.

These will be on the menu this week, along with a lot of other (hopefully) delicious new creations. Stay tuned, if they’re good, they may be coming to a future blog post (or the cookbook!)!

Monday

Breakfast: Zucchini Red Pepper Egg Muffins

Lunch: leftover tilapia with tomatillo-avocado salsa (salsa was good. fish needs work.), green beans, leftover eggplant salad with dehydrated tomatoes, olives, and parsley (this is definitely a cookbook candidate!)

Snack: homemade beef jerky, orange

Dinner: Shrimp Lettuce Wraps with Cabbage-Carrot-Jicama Slaw, Sweet Potato Fries

Tuesday

Breakfast: Zucchini Red Pepper Egg Muffins

Lunch: leftover shrimp lettuce wraps, or if no leftovers, tuna salad with leftover tomatillo-avocado salsa and spinach

Snack: pear, beef jerky

Dinner: Pork Tenderloin with Peach Glaze, roasted red potatoes, sauteed okra

Wednesday

Breakfast: green smoothie with spinach, pear, cucumber, hard-boiled eggs

Lunch: leftover pork tenderloin and okra

Snack: handful of hazelnuts

Dinner: large salad with romaine lettuce, spinach, radishes, carrots, bell peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, and grilled chicken

Thursday

Breakfast: Zucchini Red Pepper Egg Muffins

Lunch: salad with grilled chicken

Snack: beef jerky, orange

Dinner: Thai Green Chicken Curry, braised eggplant

Friday

Breakfast: Zucchini Red Pepper Egg Muffins

Lunch: leftover chicken curry and eggplant

Snack: homemade beef jerky, pear

Dinner: paleo lasagna (a version based on Sarah’s over at Everyday Paleo - only I am thinking of adding some cashew-based “ricotta” cheese)

Do you eat breakfast on the go? What healthy, easy-to-grab foods do you often eat?

posted on Monday, August 22nd, 2011 by altawrites Posted in Budget-Friendly,Dairy-Free,Eggs,Gluten-Free,Healthy Meals,Kid-Friendly,Meal Plans,Quick and Easy 9 Comments

A few weeks ago, my husband surprised me. Little did I know he’d been tucking away money, but he sat me down, whipped out some cash, and told me that it was for a new VitaMix. I nearly cried, I was so excited. I ordered it right away, and it arrived at my doorstep a few days later.

Of course, the first things I made with it were my morning smoothies. No real recipe there – often I toss a fruit or two, some spinach, some protein powder, and give it a whirl. But now, the smoothies are creamy. No more chewing bits of spinach! This Blueberry Spinach Mint Smoothie is even more of a delight in my new blender. Lately, I’ve been throwing fresh, ripe peaches in the blender and making creamy peachy concoctions. Delish.

But the VitaMix can do so much more than just make smoothies. You can actually “cook” soup in the blender – just blend on high speed for a few minutes, and I promise you, your soup will come out creamy, smooth, and HOT! It’s amazing. But it can also blend batters for baked goods. My first attempt? A chocolate zucchini muffin – without the addition of oils.

I wanted a little treat for breakfasts that wouldn’t be too rich, too sweet, or too indulgent. This muffin definitely delivers. You’d never know there was zucchini in the batter, as the VitaMix takes care of all of those little pieces. The muffin is denser than some, but I found it really enjoyable. Just the right amount of texture for a good, hearty muffin.

Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

1/4 c brown rice flour (30 grams)

1/4 c potato starch (35 grams)

1/2 c sorghum flour (60 grams)

1 t baking soda

1/2 t baking powder

2 T cocoa powder (12 grams)

1/4 t guar gum

1/4 t salt

1/2 t ground cinnamon

1/2 t allspice

1/4 c egg whites

1 t vanilla extract

2/3 c coconut palm sugar (100 grams)

2 c coarsely chopped zucchini (255 grams)

1/2 c chopped pecans

1/2 c raisins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tin with papers.

Combine brown rice flour, potato starch, sorghum flour, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa powder, guar gum, salt, cinnamon, and allspice in a large bowl. Whisk until completely blended.

Place egg whites, vanilla, coconut palm sugar, and zucchini into blender and secure lid. Select Variable 1, then turn machine on and quickly increase speed. Blend for 15 seconds or until everything looks uniform. Stop blender and add dry ingredients. Secure lid and continue to blend for 20 seconds or until everything is uniform. If necessary, use tamper to press any ingredients into the blades.

Stop machine and pour mixture into large bowl. Mix in nuts and raisins by hand. Spoon into muffin papers 2/3 of the way full. Bake 16-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Makes 1 dozen.

This post is linked to Eggs, Cream and Honey.

posted on Thursday, July 21st, 2011 by altawrites Posted in breakfast,Dairy-Free,Desserts,Gluten-Free,Healthy Meals,Kid-Friendly,Quick and Easy,Vegetables,Vegetarian 19 Comments