Category Archives: Kid-Friendly

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 12 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?

This post is linked to March Muffin Madness at Gluten-Free Easily.

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 and Gluten-Free Easily’s March Muffin Madness.

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

A few weeks ago, Iris over at The Daily Dietribe posted a Gluten-Free Birthday Cake challenge. My interest was immediately piqued. While birthday cake isn’t really one of my most favorite of desserts, I realize that for some, it’s practically a food group. There is a special place in Iris’s heart for birthday cake, and it’s my belief that no matter what food intolerances or allergies someone has, they should be able to enjoy those foods they love the most. For a special occasion such as a birthday, Iris ought to be able to enjoy a cake that doesn’t cause pain afterwards. I wanted to give her that cake.

So I started in my kitchen, experimenting. At first I tried to bake with stevia as the only sweetener. The first cake was terribly dense, and not sweet at all. I then attempted to increase egg whites in the batter, almost like an angel food cake, but the cake ended up so rubbery and chewy it was destined for the garbage can as well. The third cake showed promise, as I incorporated coconut nectar as a sweetener, but it was still rather coarse and tough in texture. The final cake, the one I’m showing you here, was the best gluten-free, dairy-free, refined sugar-free cake I made to date. The texture was still a wee bit more coarse than a traditional white birthday cake – I used coconut palm sugar, and I believe that had something to do with it – but it tasted good. The 100% fruit black cherry jam filling and carob “buttercream” frosting sealed the deal. Four tries later, I finally had something that would truly be considered “birthday cake”.

Like any cake, this still isn’t health food – the flours are refined, and it’s still sweet, but it’s a treat. (Especially the frosting, which I could have eaten by itself, by the spoonful…) I hope Iris likes it, and has a wonderfully happy birthday. (I wanted to ship a slice to her, but I imagine cake doesn’t travel well.)

Happy Birthday, Iris!

Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Vanilla Cake

2 eggs

1/3 c coconut milk

1 t vanilla extract

1/4 t almond extract

6 T virgin coconut oil or palm shortening

1/2 c sweet white rice flour

1/3 c plus 1 T tapioca starch

1/3 c potato starch

1/4 t xanthan gum

3/4 c coconut palm sugar

1/2 t salt

1 1/2 t baking powder

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch cake pan and lightly dust with gluten-free flour. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, coconut milk, extracts, and coconut oil. (warm the coconut oil slightly, if it’s solid, by microwaving for 10 seconds in the microwave.) In a large bowl, combine the sweet white rice flour, tapioca starch, potato starch, xanthan gum, coconut palm sugar, salt, and baking powder. Mix together the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until combined. Spoon batter into prepared cake pan.

Bake for 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before removing from pan and frosting.

(This recipe makes 1 layer. For a layered cake, double the recipe.)

Carob “Buttercream” Frosting

1/4 c Earth Balance buttery spread or other vegan butter

2 c powdered coconut palm sugar (you can make this by following a recipe from Simply Sugar and Gluten-Free by Amy Green – page 180)

2 T coconut milk

1/2 t vanilla extract

1 T carob powder

In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment, add the buttery spread, half of the powdered coconut palm sugar, the coconut milk, the vanilla, and the carob powder. Turn the mixer on medium speed and beat for 2 minutes, scraping down the sides, until well blended. Add the rest of the powdered coconut palm sugar in batches, whisking in each addition, until the frosting is stiff enough to hold its shape. Frost cake as desired.

posted on Monday, June 13th, 2011 by altawrites Posted in Baked goods,Dairy-Free,Desserts,Gluten-Free,Kid-Friendly,Vegetarian 9 Comments

This month for Adopt a Gluten-Free Blogger (which is a totally awesome monthly event hosted by and the brain child of Sea at Book of Yum) I adopted Brittany of Real Sustenance. Brittany is an over-achiever in the gluten-free world – if you don’t believe me, just check out this raw cake she made recently for her April in the Raw series, or this white cake that is free of gluten, dairy, soy, egg, and refined sugar. There is definitely no food intolerance that Brittany can’t work around, and she takes on the challenge full force. She’s definitely an inspiration.

But in spite of all of the enticing desserts Brittany has shared on her blog, I opted to go the savory route. I was making shepherd’s pie for dinner this past weekend, and thought we needed a special little treat to go along with it – Bacon Sage Popovers! (because what’s one more carb in a carb-heavy meal?)

These popovers were fun! I loved that they had that nice little flavor of bacon. They also were excellent for sopping up a bit of sauce (or as a mashed potato delivery device) that was in the shepherd’s pie. I wish I would have put more sage in them – I used fresh sage from my garden - but that will definitely be considered for next time. In the back of my mind, I also thought that bacon and sage would be a great combination for biscuits. I will have to think about that the next time biscuits are on the menu.

Then I found Brittany’s recipe for Orange Zested Carrot Fries. Carrots, masquerading as fries? Sure, why not? I like sweet potato fries, so I thought I’d give these a go. They were easy to throw together, although at first I was worried that there would be too much seasoning. But once the “fries” spent some time in the oven, I realized this clearly wasn’t the case. The seasoning made a crust, of sorts, (if I had to compare it to something, I’d say it resembled a better-spiced version of the coating on the curly fries popular at several major fast food restaurants – probably not the best comparison, but they were really tasty!) and the finished “fries” were crispy outside, perfectly seasoned, and sweet and creamy inside. These were perfect with or without ketchup. My only suggestion – make double or triple the recipe next time. I ate the entire thing by myself. (whoops)

I do fully intend to indulge in some of Brittany’s recipes for sweet treats soon. They all look so tempting. I did also “unofficially” try her vanilla-banana chai smoothie. Well, a version of it, anyway. I opted to use half the banana, make it extra thick (so less almond milk), and blend in a small cooked sweet potato. I then topped it with some grain-free granola (courtesy of Good Morning! Breakfasts without Gluten, Sugar, Eggs or Dairy), yogurt-style, and ate it with a spoon. (Sorry, no picture, it was 5 AM that it was made, and the granola wasn’t placed on top until I was at work this morning, eating my breakfast.) It was creamy and delicious, and I was so glad for the banana and chai smoothie inspiration!

Real Sustenance is definitely a real find in the gluten-free world. I can’t wait to see what Brittany dreams up next!

posted on Wednesday, May 4th, 2011 by altawrites Posted in Baked goods,Budget-Friendly,Dairy-Free,Eggs,Gluten-Free,Kid-Friendly,Side Dishes,Vegetarian 14 Comments

This recipe helps to dispel that myth that certain comfort foods are gone forever when one gives up gluten and dairy. Remember swedish meatballs? That creamy, silky sauce, coating delicious meatballs and a way-too-large plate of wide noodles? I do, although before I made this recipe, I hadn’t tasted swedish meatballs in several years – well before I went gluten-free. Even at their worst, (a.k.a. the “before I knew how to cook” swedish meatballs – processed powder in an envelope that you mixed together with the meat and some milk to make sauce) swedish meatballs still hold some nostalgia for me. My husband also loves the dish. So when I saw that Kelly over at The Spunky Coconut used cashews and lemon in place of sour cream in a dish (chicken paprika), immediately light bulbs went off. I knew I could make swedish meatballs. And so I made it happen the following night.

I soaked cashews before I left for work, and came home to start the sauce. I did add a non-traditional ingredient in the sauce – mushrooms – because I thought it would enhance the flavor. I had a leftover grilled portobello in the fridge, so why not? Since I pureed the mushrooms in the sauce, no one was any the wiser. It’s an optional addition, but personally, I loved the boost of flavor.

Once I had the sauce pureed and tweaked so that it tasted right, I worked on the meatballs. In the spirit of simplicity, I opted to bake them rather than cook them on the stovetop in batches. (The recipe already requires several steps – no need to complicate it further!) This allowed me time to make the pasta and warm the sauce, and then everything was ready to go. What I wasn’t prepared for was how good the result would be.

The sauce was excellent. Creamy, satisfying, and full of flavor. I had to double-check with my husband for authenticity. (Since it’s been so long since I’ve eaten certain gluten and/or dairy-filled dishes, my brain tends to somewhat forget what the original tasted like.) He said the sauce was lighter than the usual sour cream version, but that this wasn’t a bad thing. (I promise you, it’s still plenty creamy.) We both fell in love with it a little bit more with each bite.

This was one of those dishes where you wouldn’t find someone saying “This is pretty good for gluten/dairy-free” or “It’s different. Good, but different.” (I know we’ve all heard those statements once or twice before!) All our tastebuds knew was this was good eating.

Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Swedish Meatballs

For the cashew ”sour cream”:

½ c cashews

Juice from 1 lemon

1 portobello mushroom, cooked and roughly chopped

2 t nutritional yeast flakes

For the meatballs:

1 lb ground beef

1 lb ground lamb

1/3 c almond flour

1 egg

1 T flaxseed meal

1 t allspice

1/8 t cardamom

1 T onion powder

1 t salt

1 t ground black pepper

For the rest:

2 T ghee (or grapeseed oil – ghee is casein-free, but if you strictly avoid dairy, another oil will be a fine substitute)

2 T arrowroot powder

2 c beef stock

1 c vegetable stock

1 T onion powder

Salt and pepper to taste

1/8 t ground nutmeg

¼ c chopped fresh parsley

Soak cashews in enough water to cover overnight or around 8 hours. Drain and place in a blender. Add lemon juice and start blender to puree cashews. Gradually add about ¼ cup additional water and continue to blend until consistency is about that of thick sour cream. (Stop to scrape down sides of blender as necessary.) Add mushroom and nutritional yeast flakes and blend again until smooth. Set aside.

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

Combine ground beef, lamb, almond flour, egg, flaxseed, allspice, cardamom, onion powder, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Mix with your hands until well-combined. If desired, check seasoning by making a tiny meatball and cooking on a skillet – taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Use a tablespoon to scoop out meat and form into meatballs with your hands. Place on baking sheet. You should get around 50 meatballs.

Bake meatballs for 20 minutes or until cooked through.

Meanwhile, heat ghee or oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add arrowroot powder and whisk until combined. Add beef stock and vegetable stock and continue to whisk until boiling. Scrape the cashew cream from the blender into your skillet and whisk in. Turn heat to medium-low and heat until warmed through. Add onion powder and salt and pepper to taste. When meatballs are finished, add to sauce and stir to coat. If sauce is too thick, add additional stock and stir in as needed.

Once everything is thoroughly heated, sprinkle nutmeg over. Serve on top of gluten-free noodles and garnish with parsley.

posted on Friday, April 29th, 2011 by altawrites Posted in Beef,Dairy-Free,Gluten-Free,Kid-Friendly,Main Dishes,Pasta 4 Comments