Crock Pot Breakfast: Cran-Maple-Apple Steel Cut Oats

Happily helping Mommy mix the cinnamon in!

Isaac was more than willing to help me prep this crock-pot meal. He loves to help in the kitchen and especially loves each of the ingredients that went into this meal. He sampled everything and became excited when he found out it would have oatmeal in it. Then, he adapted 'Someone's in the Kitchen with Dina" to.. "Someone's mixing apples with Mommy", making it into a full fledged song re-mix.



Once he realized the camera was on him,
he became my ham again :)

This is an extremely easy crock-pot breakfast. The trick was to throw everything in the night before and just cook on very low all night.


Crock Pot Breakfast: Cran-Maple-Apple Steel Cut Oats
(GF, DF/CF, CoF, SF, NF, EF)

Ingredients:

1.5 cups of steel cut oats
         (I used Gluten Free Bob's Red Mill- be sure you use steel cut and not regular oats!)
3 diced Granny Smith apples
1/2 cup Craisins (dried cranberries)
2.5 cups apple or apple-grape  juice  (I used apple-grape for some extra zing)
3.5 cups water
1 TBS cinnamon (in retrospect, maybe cuting this down to 1-2 tsp would be better!)
2 TBS Maple Syrup
Pinch of Sea Salt

Throw it all in, cook on low for 8-9 hours.

Let me know your thoughts!

Naturally,
Raych

3-Ingredient, Non dairy Frozen "Ice Cream", Banana-Chocolate-Peanut Butter!

This recipe is AWESOME. That's really all I have to say about how it came out. I did not develop this recipe at all, but rather, I'm passing it along to you from a pin I found on pinterest: http://userealbutter.com/2010/08/12/single-ingredient-ice-cream-recipe/.

The irony of this web address, is that this recipe does not call for any dairy. I wish I would have known about this recipe when my eldest son Isaac was younger. He was unable to consume dairy without getting "ill", an "intestinal milk allergy", not lactose intolerance. While he can now each most dairy products within limitation, I would give him (and my younger son Henri) this treat anyday! Lets face it, I feel like the whole family shouldn't be eating as much dairy as we do... since we all get stomach issues. Not to mention that this is a relatively healthy snack!

The only sugar in this treat is from the banana. I use all-natural panut butter with no sugar added. For my littlest guy Henri, I only used banana and cocoa. For whatever reason I am worried about having him try peanut butter, I don't remember being this nervous with Isaac. That being said, he will be tryign peanut butter tomorrow... when we are at my praetns house... which is closer to "help" shoudl we find out he's allergic. I live in the woods and at least 20 minutes form the nearest medical center- food allergies scare me. Henri is already known to be allergic to kiwi and mango (like me).

Ok, so on to the recipe...

This is the blend at a Fro-Yo consistency,
you CAN freeze longer for an ice cream texture!

Non-Dairy "Ice Cream", Banana-Chocolate-Peanut Butter

GF, DF/CF, CoF, SF, EF (Can make it NF, as I did for my mini-man!)

"4 bananas, just slightly overripe (I used 5 or 6 bananas)
2 tbsps creamy peanut butter (and I used 3 TBS)
2 tsps cocoa powder (Dutch process) (I used 1 TBS, to much chocolate before bed doesn't work for my kids)

DO NOT FREEZE THE WHOLE BANANA, you’ll have a heck of a time blending that beast.
Peel the bananas and slice them up into 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick disks. Place the banana slices in the freezer for about an hour or until they are frozen solid. Put the frozen slices in a food processor and pulse. First they will start to resemble gravel, but keep going. The bananas will soon turn into a frozen mush – at this point, start scraping the sides down. The banana begins to blend into a creamy texture. When the bananas look like whipped ice cream, you can add your mix-ins like peanut butter and/or cocoa powder..."

The quantity I made was a little over a pint. Enought to feed 4 of us pretty good size servings. I would reccomend that you re-freeze the blended banana & other ingredients before serving, otherwise is more like a smoothie or "yogurt". I blended the chocolate in first, then removed some for Henri, THEN added in the peanut butter.

The whole family enjoyed this treat. I will definately be making this again!

Let me know your thoughts!

Naturally,

Raych

Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Cranberries and Quinoa

It sure has been a while since I have posted any recipes. That being said, I have been constantly writing down new recipes, with no time to actually post them! It's a busy life :)

I started a new teaching job at the begining of this school year, adding an extra 20 minutes of commute time and a tiny bit more stress to my schedule. It has been a struggle to get tastey, healthy, and 100% natural home-cooked meals on the table every night. Unfortunately, that has meant the addition of some shortcuts in my cooking.

Tonight's meal, however, was a different story... a return to my goal or providing my family with some healthy made-from-scratch goodness. I can not, in any way, take credit for this recipe... I quite honestly found its precursor on pinterest. My adaptation is very similar to the original found at http://cookieandkate.com/2012/roasted-brussels-sprouts-with-cranberries-and-barley/. Biggest differences being my preparation technique and timing... and the fact that I do not use barley... I'M GLUTEN FREE! Either way, this sounded like a deliciously nutritious fall meal, using mostly ingredients that are IN SEASON (another big goal).

Once we had finished this dinner, which I had served with a sub-par steak (sorry to my hubby, Justin) I returned to my pinterest page to collect the recipe for another pin... a banana/peanut-butter/chocolate faux ice cream. That recipe should also be posted tonight, with credit, of course, being given to it's original author!

And before bed... I will be prepping up a delicious steel cut oat based breakfast to cook over night in the crockpot! If all goes to plan, that recipe will be posted tomorrow. I had a quick conversation with a woman in the GF section at Price Chopper today regarding what I do with steel cut oats- so maybe she'll search online and find my recipe too?

So, here is the recipe. It could be used as a main course, depending on the grain you use, or as a side-dish (you could avoid the grains all together).

(The picture does the final product no justice- DELICIOUS!)

Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Cranberries and Quinoa

(GF, SF, CoF, EF) It can be made without the pecans or the gorgonzola if you need DF/CF or NF!

Ingredients:
1 lb Brussel sprouts, "cleaned" and sliced in half
1 cup fresh cranberries
Sea salt Olive oil
1 cup quinoa
1 tsp onion powder
A little under 1/4 cup Gorgonzola
3 Tbs Pecans, crushed
Balsamic vinegar
1 Tbs Maple syrup

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400* F
Prepare/slice and clean the Brussel sprouts
Toss the sprouts with 2 Tbs olive oil and 2 tsp sea salt
Heat a frying pan to medium temp, then add the Brussel sprouts.
 
 Try to keep the sliced side down for a nice golden color.
Cook for about 2 minutes.
Add 1 cup of cranberries, stir, and immediately transfer to a casserole/ baking dish
Bake at 400* F for 30 minutes, stirring once.

Meanwhile, in the pan you just cooked the sprouts in... Add 2 Tbs olive oil and 1 cup quinoa.
Stir, then stir in 1 cup water and the onion powder.
Allow to cook for a bit, until water is absorbed, then add another 1 cup of water
Remove sprouts/cranberries from oven
Toss in pecans
Drizzle balsamic vinegar and maples syrup over the top.
Serve over the quinoa sprinkled with Gorgonzola.

This was delicious and decently healthy. I am actually considering making this as a side dish, without the quinoa, for Thanksgiving in a couple of weeks!

Let me know your thoughts; and, as usual- email me should you have any recipes you would liek to see adapted to Gluten free or allergen friendly. I am always up for a challenge!

Naturally,
Raych

Recipe 37: GF Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler

I made this delicious treat for the first time as we celebrated both Mother's day and mym moms birthday... it was a hige hit. Unfortunately, I am posting this AFTER rhubarb season, but I will be making this, without a doubt, next season!!!

GLUTEN FREE Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler Recipe

INGREDIENTS

Filling
·         3 ½ cups rhubarb stalks cut into 1/4-inch pieces (I peel the stringy layer off and you MUST throw away the leaves… they are poisonous.)
·         2 ½ cups strawberries, sliced
·         ¾  cup white sugar
·         3 Tablespoons of quick cooking tapioca
·         1 TBS Lemon juice

Crust

·         2 Tbsp white sugar
·         ½ cup brown rice flour
·         ¼ cup tapioca starch
·         ¼ cup potato starch
·         1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
·         1 ½ tsp xanthan gum
·         1/4 teaspoon salt
·         1/4 cup butter
·         1/4 cup milk
·         1 egg, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a bowl, mix the rhubarb and the strawberries with the sugar, tapioca, and lemon juice. Let sit for 30 minutes.

Combine the crust ingredients in a bowl.

Pour filling into a casserole dish. Drop the crust batter over the filling.

Bake in a 350°F oven for 35-40 minutes until cobbler crust is golden brown.

You can serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream of choice.


Let me know you're thoughts! This is one of my favs!

Naturally,

Raych

Recipe 36: Gluten Free Waffles

 I am going through a series of recipes tht I have been writting down but have failed to post on here. For that reason you will likely see a slew of posts coming up that were written in the past, but I had not had time to edit and add images! It has been a busy spring and summer. I actually go back to teaching in a couple of weeks and I have no idea where my summer vacation went!

One thing I did have more time for over the summer was making some delicious breakfast meals for my family. Usually I'm up and out of the house before anyone else is awake during the school year!

Here's one of our favorites... it cqa be topped with ANY seasonal fruit or frozen and reduced berries!

Gluten Free Waffles

GF, CoF, Can be DF/CF if you use an alt milk, NF & SF (pending your oil choice)

Adapted from a recipe at “thishomemadelife.com”

 Ingedients:

2 cups brown rice flour
1 cup potato starch
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1 TBS baking powder
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 TBS sugar
1/2 cup of veggie oil
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups buttermilk (or make your own with 1 tablespoons lemon juice and enough milk to reach 1 1/2 cups)
1 TBS vanilla

 Preheat the waffle iron.

Combine all dry ingredients and add wet ingredients one by one until mixture is nearly smooth (it may be just a little lumpy, but that’s ok)

I use a large beligian waffle maker, but I would say for you to just use your best jusgement on how much batter to out in the waffle iron. Cook until golden and not sticking to the iron.

I love this recipe because my whole family can enjoy it without anyone feeling they need to say it "tastes" gluten free! My only other reccomendation or issue would be that it does not refrigerate well if you have extra. I haven't tried freezing, but I'm sure if I had placed even the refrigerated one back in the toasted for a bit it would be great too!

Let me know your thoughts or what you may have changed or added?!

Naturally,

Raych

Recipe 35: Sauteed Kale with Turkey Meatballs (BABY FOOD option included)

Sauteed Kale with Turkey Meatballs (BABY FOOD option included)
IMAGES WILL BE UPDATED SOON!

Saute Blend:
2 cups of kale
1- 10oz container of mushrooms
1/2 medium onion, sliced into thin pieces
1/4 tsp salt
1 Tbs minced garlic
1 tbs water
olive oil (for cooking kale and onion/mushrooms)

Saute the onion and peppers in enough olive oil to coat pan... until it starts to carmelize, add in the kale, 1 tbs minced garlic and salt. Saute on medium, then add 1 tbs water so kale does not burn and steams a little. Continue to stir for 3-5 more minutes, until kale becomes soft.

Turkey Meatballs:
1 lb ground turkey (not turkey breast- too dry for this recipe)
2 TBS minced garlic
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1/2 tsp basil (dried minced)
2 FLAX "eggs" (2 flax gel eggs= 2 Tbs ground flax and 6 Tbs water) I used flax gel
1/2 cup of GF breadcrumbs (I used Gillian's)

PreHeat oven to 350
Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl.
Create 1 inch balls and space about 1.5" apart on a lined baking sheet.
Cook until golden (about 25 minutes)

Serve meatballs sprinkled with parmesan on top of the kale saute.


You can blend a desired portion into baby food. My son Henri loved it!!

Naturally,
Raych

Recipe 34: Gluten Free Chocolate Banana-Nut Bread

Paying homage to my friend Chrissy- a HUGE Monkees fan (specifically Davy Jones, who passed away this past week) I had decided to make to GF Banana Nut Bread... because as Chrissy said, while she may not know what Davy's favorite foods are, "everyone knows 'Monkeys' like bananas".
And, while Davy may or may not have enjoyed bananas... I sure as heck enjoy chocolate... so I added some in. By some, I mean a lot.

While my post itself isn't long this time around... trust me... the bread speaks volumes. YUMMM!

Double Chocolate Banana Bread

GF, CoF, SF

(DF: if you avoid the chocolate chips or use Carob or Enjoy Life brand...

NF: You could also forego nuts if needed)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup tapioca starch

1 1/2 Cup Brown Rice flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 eggs

2 cups mashed ripe bananas (4-5 medium)

1 cup sugar

2 TBS Cocoa

1/2 cup canola oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

½ cup white chocolate chips (I used Ghiradelli)

Instructions:
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
Combine wet ingredients
Sift in dry ingredients (flours)
Add in nuts and chocolate chips last. (I sprinkled some buts on top too)
Coat a large loaf pan (or two small loaf pans)
Bake for 40-50 minutes. I did one large pan and it overflowed... so it may have taken be longer.


This makes a LARGE loaf. Be forewarned. If the dough exceeds 3/4 up the pan.. use two pans or do two batches... Mine overflowed as it rose. It WAS still absolutely delicious.

This recipe was a hit... and gone well before it hit the 24 hr mark on my counter.

Enjoy!

Naturally,

Raych

Recipe 33: Apple/Pear/Kale Baby Food

Because the mini-kiddo needs to eat too; AND, because I like to use the superfood that is kale... I made the following recipe. The fruit hides the blander (to a baby) taste of the kale.

Enjoy!

Apple/Pear/Kale Baby Food

GF, DF/CF, NF, SF, EF, CoF (BUT NOT MISSING TASTE!)

Ingredients:

Medium sauce pan of chopped kale

3 anjou pears

3 cortland apples

Instructions:
To cook the kale... boil in water until soft. Reserve the water.Peal and cut the apples and pears into cubes
Boil in "kale water" on stove until soft. Drain.


I use the same water because I have myself convinced that I'm boiling off some of the nutritional value of the kale and by ising the same water I might be able to reserve some of that. It may be silly... but it conserves water too... so there.

Let me know your thoughts!!

Naturally,

Raych

Recipe 32: Millet-Turkey Meatloaf

A goal renewed. While I have not been posting on here very much in the last month- I have been keeping track of all of the recipes that I have been creating for my family. I have decided to stick with the goal of creating natural delicious recipes for the family... but the recipes might be posted later. In all, I hope to have 366 recipes by January 1st 2013. What you'll find below is recipe 32. It is actually what we had for dinner last night, so I thought it appropriate to post today :)


Every time that I have made gluten free meatloaf in the past it has come out dry. If you don't add breadcrumbs... you can a giant "burger" tasting result. If you add gluten free breadcrumbs (ie. Gillian's) you get a dry "lifeless" meatloaf. I searched through my cabinet to find somethign that might help retain moisture in the meatloaf without detracting from the flavor, perhaps eve genhancing it more that simple breadcrumbs. My final thought- millet. You can find it in most major grocery stores- I found mine in the kosher section. It is a naturally gluten free food and very easy to prepare!

Millet-Turkey Loaf

GF, DF, CoF, NF (Contains eggs and soy)

Ingredients:

¾ Cup Hulled Millet

1 TBS olive oil

1 lb ground turkey breast

½  (minced) medium onion
1 tsp soy sauce
2 TBS ketchup (+ extra for top if desired)
2 TBS garlic
1 tsp basil
1 egg

Instructions:
A really simple recipe to make... preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cook the millet according to package intructions (toasted in olive oil, then add water and boil covered until soft... adding extra water as needed). Combine all ingredients, with the cooked millet in a bowl. Press into an olive oil coated baking dish (I used corningware). You can add additional ketchup on top for a little extra flavor as well... I ALWAYS do. Cook for about 40 minutes or until cooked through but not tough.

The family approved... and very importantly, I didn't feel like I was missing out. IT WAS MOIST AND DELICIOUS. Two 3-year-old thumbs up as well! I served it with kale chips... which you'll see my recipe for later... and homemade hummus... also coming later.

Naturallly,
Raych

Day's 32-42: Blog... what blog...?

This past week has been a little rough in the Riendeau household... While I can assure you that I was keeping up on my promise to create healthy family recipes (all of which I will share as "extras" in my next few entries), I was completely and totally unable to get on my blog. Not only have I had three ridiculously crazy migraines, but my hubby went off to work in Indiana for the last week. Par Dela has gained about nine more official stores, though there are quite possibly more, and our intern started last night. Did I mention that my little man had his first two teeth pop out this week... at the same time? Yeah, that's fun. Long story short- I've been busy.

Now that things have resumed to normal, the plan is to attempt a croissant/puff pastry type recipe this weekend. I had mentioned my want for GF croissants to a few people over the past month, saying that I would attempt a recipe... but then I received another email from a customer, Grace. Her email has inspired me to spend the week deciding what might work best in the recipe, then attempting to actually make it tomorrow. I'll be posting on here how it comes out.

So for now, I'll bid you all adeiu and good night... but expect that I am back and ready to cook it all up for you!

Naturally,

Raych

Day 31: Blueberry Glazed Pork Loin

I know... it sounds like a bizarre combination of flavors tonight. I had blueberries in the refrigerator that I needed to create some recipe out of. I knew I would need berries for Henri's baby food (in my day 30 recipe), but what to do with the leftovers? I looked up savory berry recipes and found one that used pork chops... raspberries... and wine... all of which I could substitute for. While it would provide for a different flavor, it gave me a jumping off point.

What I ended up with is below...

Blueberry Glazed Pork Loin

GF, CF/DF, CoF, SF, NF, EF

Ingredients:

1 small pork loin (about 1- 1.5 lbs)

1 tsp garlic powder

1 1/2 cups blueberries,

2/3 cup chopped (about ½ of a medium size) onion,

¼ C Apple Juice

2 tablespoons agave,

1 TBS balsamic vinegar and

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 tsp thyme

Instructions:

Sprinkle the pork loin with a little garlic powder

Sear the pork loin in a sauté pan with olive oil then transfer to a baking dish

Bake at 350 until cooked thoroughly

Combine blueberries, chopped onion, apple juice, agave, balsamic vinegar, pepper and thyme in a blender or food processor.

Cook over medium heat until liquid reduces by about 1/3. This takes about 10 minutes.

Serve the pork sliced with a little bit of berry mixture on it. Delicious!

We had roasted red potatoes and green beans with this meal as well.
Let me know your thoughts!

Naturally,

Raych

Day 30: Pear-Blueberry Baby Food

Pear-Blueberry Baby Food

6 D’Anjou Pears, peeled and chopped

1 TBS Fresh lemon Juice

1 C Blueberries (fresh)

1/3 cup water         

½ C Baby Rice Cereal

Combine all ingredients in a medium sauce pan.

Cook on medium heat, stirring often.

Once all fruit it burst and soft, transfer it to a food processor and blend to desired consistency.

Day 29: Buffalo Chicken Pasta

What a gorgeous day today! We spent the latter part of this morning hiking through Yale forest with the kids. It was our first time using the Kelty kid carrier (so generously passed along to us) with Henri! By the time we started out back to the car, Henri was snoring in my ear. He’s such an easy-going little fella’ that we didn’t actually expect any issues. Isaac spent our hike checking out animal prints and trying to decipher them with his mommy and daddy.

We don’t often get “family time”, and today was a lot of fun! It made me feel a little guilty for all of the time Justin and I spend away from the kids, or at least not using the time as quality time. When we came home (and after family nap time) I decided to cook up one of Justin’s favorite meals. I’m just that awesome of a wife. Of course, his favorite meal usually contained gluten… and uses a jarred alfredo sauce… so I thought this the perfect opportunity to fulfill my “no processed products” rules. I would venture to make some alfredo sauce from scratch… then turn it in to buffalo chicken pasta.

This is an EXTREMELY easy meal. Of course, it is by far not the healthiest I’ve made, but I did try to use some “lower fat” options in my creams and cheeses. We'll call it our after-hike carb-loading. The meal would have been a whole lot easier if my sea salt cracker hadn’t completely broken open during my final seasoning of the alfredo sauce… I had to start all over from scratch, and was thankful we had an extra cream cheese. Something about the inch of sea salt in the bottom of the sauce pan didn’t seem too appealing.

So here is today’s recipe in its entirety. It was scarfed down by both Justin and Isaac. I have to be quick with this meal to put a little extra to the side for the next day’s lunch for me. Otherwise, the boys would have eaten that too!

Buffalo Chicken Pasta

GF, CoF, SF, NF

Ingredients:

1lb of chicken tenders, cut into small pieces

1, 8oz package of Neufchatel cheese (less fat the cream cheese)

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter

½ cup grated parmesan

1cup light cream

1 cup of 1% or skim milk

1 Tbs minced garlic

1 tsp garlic powder (I added this later, because it need a little more)

¼ tsp each Sea Salt and pepper

2-3 TBS Frank’s Red Hot Buffalo Wing Sauce (website lists as GF) Amount depends on how much heat you want.

12oz package of GF pasta

Instructions:

Chop chicken into small bite-sized pieces and cook in pan with olive oil.

Melt butter in a sauce pan

Add in cream, milk, Neufchatel cheese, parmesan and garlic. Bring to a boil.

Add in chopped (or broken) mushrooms.

Cook until thickened. This does not take long, and it will thicken more once added to the pasta

Season the alfredo with desired amount of salt and pepper

Meanwhile, prepare pasta according to package instructions. Once cooked, add in cooked chicken. And combine. Then, stir in the alfredo/mushroom mixture.

Stir in desired amount of Frank’s Red Hot buffalo sauce.

Let me know your thoughts! This is a family favorite and very easy way to get Isaac to eat chicken!

Sleeping Henri (with his hat falling down)

Me with the boys (of course, Henri's hard to see)

Daddy and Isaac

Naturally,

Raych

Day 28: Carrot Cupcakes

This afternoon I was responsible for making the dessert for dinner at my paretns house. I neeed somethign that Isaac could help me make, while Justin and Henri were napping. We decided to attempt carrot cake, since Isaac LOVES carrots.

Here is the recipe... before we head off to the 'rents :)

Isaac showing you how to bake

 

Carrot Cupcakes

Ingredients:1 cup sugar

2 eggs

2/3 cup veggie oil

1 tbs vanilla

½ cup tapioca starch

1 cup brown rice flour

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp baking powder

1 ¾ cups of grated carrots (I ran some baby carrots through the food processor)

½ cup of walnuts (I used halved walnuts, then Isaac slammed a spoon into a Ziploc filled with the ½ cup- thouroughly enjoyed by all… especially Daddy and Henri- who were trying to sleep)

Instructions:
Combine eggs, sugar and oils in a stand-mixer

Combine all of the dry ingredients and sift in to the egg mixture

Gently blend in the carrots and chopped walnuts.

Bake at 350 for approxzimately 12-15 minutes, or until cakes are firm to the touch.


We topped ours off with cream cheese frosting.




Naturally,

Raych

Days 26 & 27: Bagel pizzas and cherry cupcakes.

Ok, so I may be cheating a little this time around by putting two posts together; but let me be honest, Thursday night's dinner was bagel pizza's (using Udi's brand bagels). Isaac, Henri and I were alone for the evening. Justin was working in Pittsburg. I thought it woudl be clever idea for somethin Isaac could help assemble. It was just sauce cheese and mushrooms (Isaac's favorite). We sat in front of the TV and watched kids shows. Not a bad- Mommy-son night at all! I figured you all didn't need a picture of my bagel pizza... not very creative... so I delayed wrtting my post until today.

Tonight I made Cherry angel-food cupcakes. They were originally destined to be cherry cupcakes, but the airy-ness of the result led me to call them angel food. Perhaps it was the quantities of sugar and tapioca starch that changed my plans.

PICTURE COMING SOON!

Cherry Cupcakes

Ingredients:

1cup white sugar

2 large eggs

½ cup brown rice flour

¾ cup tapioca

¼ cup potato starch

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp xanthan gum

1/3 cup canola oil

1 TBS cup milk

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 cup frozen cherries, (keep the juice from the melting cherries!)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Combine all ingredients, adding cherries and juice last. I mashed the cherries slightly while mixing.

Fill lined muffin/cupcake tin cups about 1/2 way (these expand quite a bit)

Bake for 20-25 minutes (or until center is cooked when you stick a toothpick in)


A pretty simple recipe. and a pretty short blog... but I'm off to prep for my saturday recipe. Check it out tomorrow!!!

Day 25: General Tso's Chicken w/ Zucchini on the side

What I like most about the vaguely named "Asian" cuisine section of the grocery store is that much of it is gluten free. Of course, you have to read labels carefully, as wheat is OFTEN added into soy sauce- however, I love being able to find various mixes and rice noodles to experiment with. This evening, as I shopped with my mini-man, I found a packet of spices for General Tso's chicken. This made me immediatly crave PF Chang's... so I bought it.

The packet/brand used for
tonight's dinner

You really won't need an ingredients list for this one... as the recipe is right on the package of spices.What I can tell you, is that I subbed in tapioca starch for the flour that the recipe called for. I am in no way claiming that this mix is 100% gluten free. The ingredients appear to be, but I did not get a chance to do a company call. Also important to note, companies very often change ingredients without notice. Needless to say, I wouldn't have made the reccomendation if I had gotten sick... and so far I'm good! This meal has inspired me to make my own G-Tso's GF chicken sometime soon!


On the side tonight, I baked up some sliced zucchini with garlic, sea salt, and pepper. Cooked at 350 until soft. The whoel dish was served with brown rice.

if anyone has a delicious from scratch G-Tso's Chicken recipe, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE share it with me. I'd love to try it out!

Naturally,

Raych


***This just in... according to posts on celiac.com, this brand of GTso's seasoning IS indeed GF!! YUMMMMM!!!

Day 24: A Review of Ted's Montana Grill

We went the lazy route tonight and ate dinner out. It was gorgeous outside and a nice walk around Evergreen was perfect. We have eaten at Ted's Montana Grill in the past, but I thought it appropriate that I should give them a little plug in here, as I didn't make ANY of my own food tonight.

I have to admit that my favorite meal there is the "Montana Breakfast" bison burger. It's basically the most unhealthy item on their burger menu, with the exception of maybe one or two others (they have nearly 15 options)! It's a burger with cheese, ham and a fried egg- served with a tomato jelly. Their gluten free menu is pretty vast, but they DO NOT have a GF burger bun. While this is dissapointing, the bun is really not neccessary when you have a perfectly cooked bison burger, a fork, and a knife. Bison is a far healthier option that the usual low-grade beef that many restaurants use.

Isaac likes their bison kids sliders.
Justin opted for the healthier salad with chicken and avacodo. (Usually I'm the salad girl- so I felt like a piggy!)

Overall, I would rate this restaurant a 7 out of ten for GF. They are knowledgable about their product and how things are cooked. They have a legitimate GF menu, offer desserts (though I didn't need one), and quite the selection of sides. They lost 3 points based on not having buns, or unique GF options. I coudl order a burger sans bun just about anywhere... but maybe not bison :)

Thsi is not my most exciting recipe, but I enjoyed a night with my family and some friends far too much to sit in front of the computer for an hour :) Sorry folks!
Let me know your experiences with Ted's in the comment box below!

Naturally,

Raych

Day 23: Steak-Tip tacos with Shallot-Tomato Sauce

There are images to go with tonight's meal, but I will have to post them tomorrow, when I post my usual blog for tomorrow... I am EXHAUSTED tonight. 

It was a long day at work (grades were due) and a long afternoon trying to get paperwork done for the bakery. Never mind juggling my family- you know, the one that takes TOP priority among my "regular" full-time jobs... so tired. Due to this utter exhaustion, and my need for cuddle time with the kiddos, tonight's entry will be cut short.

I can promise you that the following recipe, our dinner tonight, was absolutely delicious and I was pleasantly surprised at how well it came out. This wasn't a recipe from any book, website or magazine- but rather a sampling of what I had in my refrigerator! I wanted something "authentic" but not too spicy for little man. It was a late dinner, spices and chocolate keep my kid up and a little nutty- I wasn't going to risk it!

So here it is... try it for yourself... maybe add some cilantro (I didn't have any on hand) or your own adaptation. 

Steak Tacos w/ Tomato-Shallot Sauce

GF, SF, EF, DF/CF, NF (Contains Corn)

Ingredients:

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon chipotle seasoning

1lb of sirloin steak tips (thin steak)

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 large garlic cloves, minced

3 large vine-ripened tomatoes, seeded, diced

1 Cup shallots, minced

Also needed/ Extra toppings:

Corn Tortillas

Shredded cheese

Avocado

Cooking the steak:

Coat both sides of all of the steak with the cumin and chipotle seasoning.

Using 1 tbs of the oil, cook the steak in a sauté pan on medium heat until it is cooked to your desired level of “done”.

Set aside to cool, then chop up into steak strips for the tacos.

The Tomato/Shallot Sauce:

In the same pan (without washing, because you get the residual spices), add the remaining 2 TBS of oil.

Saute the garlic and shallots until soft

Add in the tomatoes

Cook until the tomatoes “burst” a little and become soft.

To prepare the tacos:

Preheat oven to 200 degrees

Warm the tortillas in the microwave; fill with steak chunks, tomato/shallot sauce and a sprinkle of cheese.

Wrap each taco in foil and place on a baking sheet.

Warm in the oven for 5-8 minutes (to melt the cheese and re-warm the steak)

Serve in foil with fresh avocado slices.

This meal turned out delicious- especially considering it was just a “throw together” meal. As I’ve said in the past, our family is definitely a taco family, so any variety of taco is usually a hit.

Leave a comment if you try it out, and let me know what I can add to it in the future!

Naturally,

Raych