Not much to say about this recipe, besides that it is simple (5 ingredients), delicious, a crowd-pleaser (just don't tell people they're gluten-free), and highly adaptable. The original recipe - and the one I usually make - calls for peanut butter. I found it on the Whole Foods site a few years back while searching online for a GF peanut butter cookie recipe. Try it with any form of nut butter and see what happens. Add chocolate chips, or don't. Throw in some oats or some chia seeds. The nutritional information for these cookies will rival any granola bar or protein bar that you might buy at the grocery store, but you get to have control over the quality of the ingredients. These are great for dessert, or thrown into lunches, or stashed in a backpack to eat during a long hike. These are not crumbly or saliva-sucking like some GF baked goods can be. Ingredients: 1 cup nut butter (use a "natural", lower sugar form if possible) 3/4 cup sugar (or equivalent baking sweetener of your choice) 1 egg 1 tsp vanilla (this is actually optional) 1 tsp baking soda Variations: -Add chocolate chips -Use almond butter and add white chocolate chunks and dried cranberries or blueberries -Add oats, seeds, or chopped nuts Combine ingredients. Drop by spoonfuls onto cookie sheet. No need to flatten. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. They will still look a little underdone at this point, but take them out anyway and let them cool. If you overbake them, they get dry and crumbly.
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Fall time = pumpkin time, right? Pumpkin is not only delicious, but also full of nutrients including vitamin A, B vitamins, and minerals such as copper and potassium. I love pumpkin baked goods, but rarely bake them myself anymore. I saw a recipe shared on Facebook this week that looked so delicious, I thought I might try it. It was a "conventional" recipe, but I have adapted it to be dairy- and gluten-free. These muffins come out like the inside of a pumpkin pie, so if you don't like super moist cakes/muffins, this probably isn't the recipe for you. They are firm enough to hold onto and eat like muffins, but just a tad gooey. I LOVED them, as did everyone in the family, but I can imagine that there are some people who would not enjoy their texture. Saturday turned out to be a lovely fall day, cool and crisp, with some rain in the mix later in the day. It was a perfect day for baking, especially something involving pumpkin and cinnamon. I found that I had already packed my muffin tins away, but still had a mini-muffin tin to use, so that's what I did. Turns out they packed really well and tasted great at the summit of a mountain today, and were much easier to share due to their small size. This recipe would be easily "paleo-ized" by using almond meal or coconut flour in place of the GF flour I chose. Ingredients Pumpkin puree, make your own or buy a 15-oz can (I bought the can.) 3/4 cup of your favorite sweetener (I used 1/2 cup white sugar and 1/4 cup brown sugar) 2 large eggs 1 tsp maple syrup (original recipe calls for vanilla but I was out...) 3/4 cup coconut milk (from a can, stirred well before measuring) 2/3 cup flour (I used a GF blend that has xantham gum included, but remember to add 1/2 tsp xantham gum in addition to your favorite GF flour if not in the mix) 1 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp nutmeg (if desired) 1/4 tsp ginger (if desired) 1/4 tsp salt 1/4 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp baking soda Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter 24 mini muffin tins (or 12 regular sized muffin tins). Pour batter into tins until about 2/3 full. Bake for 25-30 minutes, checking occasionally for doneness. These will be very, very moist, but if you check them and they still seem too underdone, put them in for 5 minute intervals. Let stand and cool for at least 20 minutes, then remove from pan and serve. You can top them with whipped cream, or whipped coconut cream if you are dairy-free. How to make coconut cream, you ask? Buy a can of coconut milk (NOT "lite"). Scrape the solid layer off the top and add to a mixing bowl. Add about 1 Tbsp sugar. Whip with an electric mixer on high speed for several minutes, until peaks form in the cream. Serve as a topping for your pumpkin pie bites. At some point in the last 5 years, I made a recipe called Baked Potato Soup. It was made from potatoes that were - you guessed it! - baked. The insides were scooped out, mixed with butter and cream and broth and cheese and seasonings. It was pureed, then served with a dollop of sour cream, some chives, and bacon crumbles. It makes for a delicious but incredibly heavy soup - definitely a meal in and of itself.
I love potatoes, but in an effort to eat on the lower end of the carbohydrate spectrum, I tend to limit them. They certainly have a number of redeeming qualities, especially when the skin is consumed. But they are also one of the biggest offenders in the vegetable world for having high levels of chemical residue on them when not grown organically, so skin eating is typically not a great idea. I decided to take the baked potato concept and add in some colorful, lower carb squash in place of a few potatoes, take out the dairy altogether, and throw in some more exotic seasonings. I was very happy with the result, so thought I'd share. What I enjoyed about this recipe was that it did have a thicker, heavier quality due to the baking of the vegetables, but it was not overly rich. It's that wonderful time of the year when squash is plentiful. Buy lots and store it in a cool place (like a garage or unfinished basement) and it should keep for months. Or, better yet, dig your own root cellar (http://www.motherearthnews.com/do-it-yourself/root-cellars-zm0z11zkon.aspx?page=2) and store them outdoors. I used butternut for this recipe, but I think any squash would do the trick, whatever you have on hand. I'm sure pumpkin would be nice, as well. Last year right before their farmstand closed for the season, J&F farms in Derry offered 50 pound bags of potato and squash for $10, definitely enough for a few months. I baked the squash and potatoes earlier in the day and left them on the counter to cool. That made the soup prep/cook time very quick (about 30 minutes) at dinner time. I like to cut squash in half, scoop out the seeds, and bake it right in the skin. I put everything on a cookie sheet at 425 degrees for 1 hour. Ingredients 1 onion, chopped 1 Tbsp minced garlic 4 Tbsp oil or butter (I used butter) 3/4 tsp salt 1 Tbsp curry powder 1 tsp cumin 2 baked potatoes 1 baked butternut squash, or 2 smaller squashes baked 1. In a large pot, combine onion, garlic, oil or butter, and allow to cook about 5 minutes over medium heat, until onions are soft. 2. Add salt, curry powder and cumin. Cook until aromatic, about 3-4 minutes. 3. Add about 8 cups of water and continue to heat. Scoop flesh out of potato and squash skins and add to the pot. Stir well. Bring to a boil and let simmer for another 10 minutes. 4. Run soup through a food processor or use an immersion blender to puree. 5. Top with a few tablespoons of sour cream, chives or fresh green onion, and slivered almonds. Enjoy. I love vegetables. I really do. I try to eat them at every meal. But you know what? Sometimes salads get boring. Sometimes I get tired of crunching through a plate of greens or raw veggies like a rabbit. And so, every once in a while, I need to do something different like a stir-fry or a veggie-heavy quiche. I have also found that I like to have something warm around lunch time, but rarely feel like "cooking" in the middle of the day. I love soup, but don't care to buy pre-made soups, due in part to expense, processing, and, in the case of canned soups, the BPA that is released from the can lining into the soup itself.
I have been using this relatively easy method for making a creamy, veggie-rich soup when needed. It stores and reheats well. It's a great way to get 3 or 4 servings of vegetables without eating 3 or 4 cups of greens which, every once in a while, is a nice alternative. The best part is you can throw in any vegetables you have hanging around that you need to use up. So far, I have used the following (sometimes all in the same pot): tomatoes, zucchini, onions, broccoli, white cabbage, white potatoes, sweet potatoes, summer squash, spinach, red pepper...you get the idea. My inspiration for this came from a desire to make a lentil-free, lower-carb version of Turkish red lentil soup, which I blogged a recipe for a few months ago. I find this soup to be equally satisfying. It requires a food processor or blender, and I haven't tried it, but I imagine an immersion blender would work, as well. You can easily play around with seasonings - ginger and cinnamon, or curry powder and cumin, or oregano and basil. I use a splash of milk or cream at the end to add a little extra creaminess, but this could be skipped altogether or substituted for with coconut milk/cream. In terms of broth options, I use bone broth if I have a batch available, but generally I only use water, butter, and salt. I am not a fan of any form of bouillon, as most brands contain MSG or other sketchy additives/flavorings. Keep in mind that food packages can list "natural flavorings" on their ingredient list to refer to MSG. Ingredients 4 cups of chopped vegetables 2 Tbsp butter 2 Tbsp olive oil 1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp minced garlic black pepper Other seasonings as desired 4 cups water or broth 1. Melt butter and olive oil in a sauce pan over medium heat. Add vegetables and seasonings. Cook gently for 5 minutes. 2. Meanwhile, heat 4 cups of water in kettle to boiling. 3. After cooking for 5 minutes, add boiling water. Allow veggies to simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until the toughest vegetable (often carrots) are tender when pierced with a fork. 4. Pour entire mixture into blender or food processor. If desired, add a splash of milk or cream for extra creaminess. Blend until smooth. Ready to serve or store. Thai food, to me, is a cuisine which should be eaten at a restaurant, prepared by someone who knows what they're doing. I love Thai food, but have had very limited success preparing dishes that taste authentic. On New Years Eve this year, we ordered Thai take out with friends. As I watched my boys inhale the Pad Thai and other curries, I decided it might be worth it to try out some home-cooked Thai again. I found a few recipes online and created a fusion of my own based on my preferences and the availability of certain ingredients. It turned out to be a huge hit as dinner, and also made a great school lunch for the next day.
A lot of Thai food incorporates coconut milk (delicious and Primal), fresh vegetables, and your choice of protein - the cuisine is compatible and equally lovely with fish, chicken, beef, or tofu. Pad Thai is, in my opinion, the gateway dish to Thai food. Not spicy at all, with gentle yet complex flavors, it is often a kid pleaser as well as appealing to not-so-adventurous eaters. Since it's made with rice noodles and there is no soy sauce involved, gluten is not an issue. It's also quick to put together - my second time around, dinner was ready in 30 minutes from start to finish. The only unusual ingredients which you may not already have in your pantry are rice noodles, tamarind paste, and fish sauce, also called nam pla. Fish sauce is made from pressed fish (often anchovies) and salt that have been allowed to ferment. It has a very...umm...characteristic smell. Exactly the smell you would expect when you hear the words "pressed anchovies" and "fermented" used in the same sentence. Don't be alarmed. Your food won't taste like the fish sauce smells, and it imparts a very important, if subtle, umami quality to the taste of the dish. Vegetarians who do not consume fish, or vegans, may want to use soy sauce in place of fish sauce, but it will not have quite the same flavor. Tamarind paste has been harder to find, while the fish sauce and rice noodles have been in the Asian section of my grocery store. This particular recipe has other ingredients in place of the tamarind paste. To cut down on carbohydrate content, use spaghetti squash in place of rice noodles. Ingredients: Sauce: 1/3 cup fish sauce 2 Tbsp brown or unrefined cane sugar 2 Tbsp lime juice OR tamarind paste, if you have it (found at Asian markets) 2 Tbsp ketchup 4 garlic cloves, minced Stir Fry: 6 Tbsp oil 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 cup sliced red onion 2 cups of chicken, shrimp, or tofu, cut into bite sized pieces 1 egg 1 cup carrots, grated 1 cup green onion, cut into 1 inch lengths 1 cup bean sprouts 1/2 cup fresh cilantro 1/2 toasted chopped peanuts or other nut lime juice 1. Put the rice noodles in a large bowl. Cover with boiling water and allow to sit for 10 minutes, or until noodles are soft. Strain and set aside. 2. Meanwhile, put sauce ingredients into a small saucepan. Allow to simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and set aside. 3. Heat oil in a large skillet or wok. Add onions and garlic and cook for 2 minutes, or until soft. Add chicken or tofu and cook for 5 minutes, or until lightly browned. Clear ingredients to the sides of the skillet or wok, and scramble the egg in the center of the pan. Mix everything together. Add carrots, onion, and sprouts, and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Finally, add cooked rice noodles and sauce. Stir all together. Allow to cook for another 5 minutes. 4. Garnish with fresh cilantro, chopped nuts, and a sprinkle of lime juice. We ate this along with a "cheat" green curry soup - I bought a jar of Thai Kitchen green curry paste and combined several tablespoons with a can of coconut milk. It was easy and yummy, if a bit lazy. The secret to amazing tortilla soup? The right seasonings, and lots of fresh, chopped cilantro as a garnish. Everything else is secondary. You can leave out the beans and corn if you are strictly primal. I keep them in. You could easily substitute other chopped vegetables (zucchini? carrots?) and keep the carb count lower. But in general, the carb content on this recipe is still low if you leave them in.
I like to top my bowl of soup with, in addition to fresh cilantro, a generous slab of avocado and a blob of sour cream or whole fat plain yogurt. This is easily made on the stove (allow 1-2 hours) but I chose the crock pot today. Yesterday I bought a rotisserie chicken for lunch. I removed the leftover meat and saved in the refrigerator, then made a stock overnight in the crock pot. This morning, I strained the broth and threw the rest of the ingredients in. Ingredients: 6-8 cups chicken broth or water 2 cups of cooked chicken, shredded or cubed 1 cup frozen corn 1 can black beans 1 can diced tomatoes or 2 cups fresh diced/chopped tomatoes 1 tsp salt 2 tsp cumin 2 tsp minced garlic 1 tsp chili powder, or sweet paprika black pepper 1 bay leaf Mix everything together. Let simmer on stove top for at least 1 hour, or leave on low setting in crock pot. If you tolerate corn, serve with corn chips crunched over the top (I like Xochitl brand - no gluten, no GMOs), shredded cheese, sour cream, avocado slices, salsa, jalapenos, etc. Goes great with a big salad topped with a creamy Mexican ranch (1 cup plain yogurt, 1/4 cup milk, and 1/2 tsp of each of the following: salt, pepper, dill, basil, cumin). Nachos or cheese chips make a great side dish with this soup, as well. Mexican food seems to be one of my favorite ethnic foods category to massacre. I know that most of what I make is nowhere near authentic, but it's so fun to experiment. It seems to be a family of food that no one in our family tires of, and it lends itself so nicely to using fresh ingredients. I developed this recipe after eating at a Mexican restaurant and noticing how much everyone enjoyed the shredded chicken tacos. The key is long, slow cooking to get the chicken to the point of shred-ability. During the longer cooking period, there is ample time for the chicken to absorb the taste of the spices and herbs. I might try in the future with a splash of lime juice and some fresh cilantro added to the mix.
I also tried to make refried beans that tasted a little more like the restaurant version. I have found that the secret to this is using a food processor (or a VitaMix in my case) to make a nice, fine puree. That recipe is also below. The shredded chicken could easily be prepared in a crock pot using the recipe below. I would just put everything directly into the crock pot raw, cook at a low setting for 6-8 hours or a high setting for 3-4 hours. Shredded Chicken Tacos Ingredients: 1/2 onion, chopped 3-4 cloves garlic, minced 1 tsp salt 1 tsp cumin 1 tsp paprika or chili powder black pepper 1/4 cup chopped green chilies, if desired 2-4 Tbsp olive oil 4 chicken breast halves 1 can diced tomatoes with juice OR 2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes 3/4 cup water or chicken broth 1. Heat oil in a deep skillet over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and saute for 5-10 minutes. 2. Add all spices and cook until aromatic. 3. Add chicken breasts, whole. Cook until slightly browned on both sides. 4. Add tomatoes, green chilies, and water. Turn down heat. Cover and simmer over low heat for 1-2 hours. 5. Shred the chicken with a fork and knife. It should fall apart very easily at this point. Serve on a bed of fresh greens with all of the normal taco fixin's - sour cream, shredded cheese, salsa, guacamole - whatever you like. Also delicious ladled over rice. I served this with crunchy corn tortillas for the family. Restaurant-Style Refried Beans 2 cans of beans - I like to use a combination of 1 can of pinto and a 2nd can of either black or kidney 2 Tbsp olive oil 1/4 cup water 1/2 tsp onion powder 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp garlic, minced or powder 1. Put all ingredients into a food processor or blender. Run until smooth. If needed, add another 1/4 cup of water. The beans will look runny at this point, but you will cook off the extra moisture in the next step, at which point they will thicken up. 2. Put in a sauce pan and heat over low heat for 15 minutes, stirring often, until hot. This is one of those dinner creations born out of digging around in the freezer and the pantry and asking What can I make that won't require a trip to the grocery store? I found a few things and threw them in the crock pot this morning on low. It smells great. Like most crock pot recipes, this could be done on the stove over higher heat in less time, but I would still allow 2 hours or so for simmering.
Ingredients 4 chicken breasts, on the bone 1 large can diced tomatoes 2 tsp crushed garlic 1 tsp basil 1 tsp oregano 1 tsp salt black pepper 1 bay leaf Optional: Mushrooms, green peppers, chopped onions... Put it all in the crock pot. Stir. Turn heat to low and cook for 8-10 hours. Serve over rice or steamed vegetables. Turns out milk production is no longer limited to lactating women. No, this isn't some weird idea for losing weight or burning calories via hormone manipulation (although I bet you somewhere someone has tried it...) I'm talking about making milks from almonds and coconut at home. For people who don't digest milk well, or vegans, or people who want to avoid the milk industry for other reasons, finding good milk substitutes can be tricky. No, it's not hard to find milk substitutes, but notice I said good.
Soy milk was the sweetheart of the milk substitute world for the past 15 years or so. Touted as heart healthy, good for menopausal women, excellent source of protein, etc., etc., soy seemed like a great alternative. I know I used it back in my nearly-vegetarian, working-out-8-hours-a-week-but-still-unfit years. It seemed like a perfect solution. Sure, I didn't love the taste, but I could sneak it into a latte or a bowl of cereal here and there and, well, tolerate it. As it turns out (thank you researchers) processed soy is not necessarily the superfood that it has been presented as. Besides being a potential hormone disrupter, it is also implicated in the development of several types of cancer. Add to that the fact that 90% of soy grown in the US is genetically-modified and Round-Up saturated, and I'll pass on the soy milk. Thanks. (Non-GMO, organically-grown soy that has been naturally fermented to create tofu or tempeh seems to be pretty safe.) Almond milk is an interesting alternative in the sense that almonds seem to be a good food source, with lots of vitamins and minerals, protein, non-inflammatory fats, and they're pretty tasty. I thought almond milk seemed like a good option until I read the ingredients: almond milk (filtered water, almonds), evaporated cane juice, calcium carbonate, sea salt, potassium citrate, carrageenan, sunflower lecithin, vitamin A palmitate, vitamin D2, d-alpha-tocopherol (natural vitamin E). Not terrible, but I'm not crazy about the carrageenan and the sunflower lecithin as a daily part of my diet. Coconut milk is similar if it comes in a carton, such as the Silk brand. Thickeners are added, and it's supplemented with a few vitamins. Again, nothing that's going to kill you, but things I would rather not consume daily. When I'm cooking with coconut milk, I used the canned milk. It needs to be shaken or stirred, but it works great. And no weird additives. The Vitamix my in-laws gave me for Christmas came with recipes for coconut, almond, soy, and cashew milk. I thought that was a great idea, and was inspired to try them after talking with a friend last week who made her own almond milk. She said it was really easy, and she liked that she could control the ingredients. She used the method described below, and then I will describe making coconut milk. Almond Milk 1 cup almonds, soaked for 3-4 hours 3 cups water splash of vanilla and/or honey if desired Put everything in a food processor and process for about 2 minutes. Pour through a cheesecloth to strain out fiber. Coconut milk 1 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut 2 cups water Put everything in food processor or blender and process for 2 minutes. Pour through a cheesecloth to strain out fiber. Both of these can be stored in the fridge for 4-5 days. Try different flavors (chocolate?), sweetened versus unsweetened. Use for smoothies. Coconut milk is nice in coffee or tea, if you like the taste of coconut. It's quick, easy, and you know exactly what is in it. |
AuthorI'm Emily. I currently work in online education management, but I also have a Masters degree in Nutritional Sciences (my true passion). In addition, I am a mom, cook, avid reader, novice gardener, and enjoy all kinds of outdoor activities. On my blog, you will find articles on food, fitness, weight management, and eating issues. ALL recipes on my blog are gluten-free. Many are low-carbohydrate. Most are grain free. Enjoy! Categories
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