Apple Walnut Bread (gluten free)

Yummy Gluten Free Bread

2 cups of ground almonds

1 cup chopped walnuts

2 tablespoons ground flaxseeds

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoons sea salt

2 large eggs

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

½ cup walnut oil or coconut oil or butter

¼ cup sour cream

1.Preheat the oven to 325 F.  Coat a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with coconut oil.

2. Combine the ground almonds, walnuts, ground flaxseeds, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt in a  bowl until thoroughly combined. 

3. Combine the eggs, applesauce, oil and sour cream or coconut milk in a measuring cup.  Pour the mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until just incorporated.

4. IF mixture is stiff, add 1-2 tablespoons more of coconut milk.

5. Press dough into the pan and bake until a toothpick comes out dry, about 45 minutes.

6. Allow to cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then turn out.

Can substitute ½ cup pumpkin bread instead of applesauce.

More Eggplant! Three Cheese Eggplant Bake

Spreading spinach over eggplant and tomatoes

Finished product- half eaten

1 eggplant

½ cup olive oil

1/2 yellow Spanish onion, chopped

2-3 cloves garlic minced – can substitute garlic powder

3-4 tablespoons sun dried tomatoes- diced

4- 6 cups spinach leaves

2 tomatoes, cut into wedges

2 cups tomato sauce

1 cup ricotta cheese

1 cup shredded whole-milk mozzarella cheese

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

4 to 5 fresh basil leaves

1. Preheat the oven to 325 F.

2. Cut eggplant into ½ inch slices or into strips. Brush both sides of slices with the olive oil.

3. Bake eggplant slices for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.

4. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add onion, garlic, sun dried tomatoes, and spinach.  Cook until onion softens.

5. Place cooked eggplant slices in a baking dish.  Place tomato wedges over the eggplant slices. Spread the spinach mixture on top. 

6. Pour tomato sauce over spinach. 

7. Mix together ricotta and mozzarella in a bowl. Spread the cheese mixture over the tomato sauce and sprinkle with basil. 

8. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese or a little Gruyere.

9. Bake uncovered until bubbling and the cheese is melted- roughly 25-30 minutes.

Note: I prefer to make my own tomato sauce rather than use store bought.  It's pretty easy to make a simple tomato sauce. Here's a simple recipe that lasts well in the freezer or in the fridge for a few days. I usually make this a day or two ahead of time so I don't have to assemble the entire eggplant bake all in one night.

1/2 onion, chopped
3 heirloom tomatoes cut into wedges OR 3 handfuls of cherry tomatoes cut in half
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 leaves fresh basil

1. On medium-low heat, cook tomatoes and onions in olive oil.  Season with a sprinkle of salt and pepper.
2. Let cook covered for 10 minutes, reduce to low and let cook for 25 more minutes.
3. Transfer to a food processor and add basil.  Blend (with vent open but covered with paper towel) until desired consistency.  Add garlic powder and pepper to taste. 

Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

My cookies!

These are delicious gluten free chocolate chip cookies, especially if you're a fan of nut meals in your desserts.

    * 1 1/2 cup almond meal

    * 1 cup hazelnut meal

    * ¼ teaspoon sea salt

    * ¼ teaspoon baking soda

    * 9 tablespoons butter, melted

    * 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

    * 1/4  cup brown sugar

    * 1 cup dark chocolate chips

   1. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl.

   2. Stir together wet ingredients in a smaller bow.l

   3. Mix wet ingredients into dry.

   4. Form 1-inch balls and press onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet.

   5. Bake at 350° for 7-10 minutes.

   6. Cool and serve.

Goat Burgers!

Goat Burger served with brie and onions on the side and sauteed kale with a mixed greens salad.

These are my first experiment with goat meat.  Don't be scared off by the idea of eating goat.  It is a delicious meat and is very common protein source outside of the US.

-1 lb ground goat

-½  medium sweet onion, chopped- cooked balsamic style

-1 teaspoon of dried rosemary leaves

-1 teaspoon of ground cumin

-1 teaspoon of sea salt

-2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard

-1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce

-2 tablespoons of olive oil

1. Combine all ingredients with ground goat meat.  Form into small patties.  Cook on the grill.

Note: To cook onions balsamic style, slice onions and cook over medium heat.  After 7 minutes the onions will be soft.  Add one tablespoon of balsamic vinegar to the pan.  The onions will quickly absorb the vinegar and have a delicious sweet taste.

More goat recipes to come soon!

Portuguese Post! Cakes Dona Amelia

My favorite box to store baked goods in :) available at Sur La Table

Bolos Dona Amelia

I made these delicious little cakes for dinner with Gram and Papa.  I couldn't find all the original ingredients so I changed the recipe a little.  As it turns out, the recipe i chose to make uses corn meal flour so these are a gluten free Portuguese treat!

Ingredients

-9 egg yolks

- 2 1/3 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup butter (room temp)
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- grated rind of half lemon
- 1/2 cup currants and two dried figs put through a grinder
- 2 cups blue corn meal flour
-5 egg whites
- powdered sugar or superfine granulated sugar

1. Beat egg yolks with the sugar until thick and lemon color.
2. Melt the butter and let it cool. Add the honey, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon rind, currants, figs, and the melted butter. Stir to combine.
3. Sift the corn meal flour and stir in thoroughly.  Beat the egg whites until stiff and gently fold into the batter.
4. Spoon the dough into greased, floured cupcake tins and baked at 325 F for 30- 35 minutes.
5. Remove the cakes from the pans and while still warm, roll in superfine sugar OR sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Gluten-Free Pizza

Some of my toppings: Sun dried tomatoes, Parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese, shredded chicken and truffle salt.

Cooked Gluten-Free Dough

Finished product!

This doesn't taste like regular pizza but it is a tasty alternative. This recipe can take quite a long time to make if you make everything the day of.  I cut prep time down by using shredded chicken that was left over from the previous night's dinner.  I also have cauliflower rice stored in bulk in my freezer so I didn't need to take time processing the cauliflower.  Lastly, I made the tomato sauce over the weekend- so all I was left with was making the dough and assembling the pizza.


 Dough
- 1 3/4 cup cauliflower rice (lightly cooked)

- 1 1/4 cup almond meal

- 2 eggs 

- 1/4 cup oil

- 1 cup shredded mozzarella

Pizza Sauce
- 12 ounces of store bough sauce

OR
- a simple tomato sauce can be made with onions, tomatoes, basil and garlic. Cook 4 chopped tomatoes and 1/2   a  chopped onion on low with two tablespoons of olive oil.  Keep the the pan covered while cooking to keep the moisture in. When the tomatoes are soft (about 25 mins), transfer all of the pans contents to a food processor.  Leave the vent open because steam will need to escape. Just hold a paper towel lightly over the vent to prevent spills. Add three chopped basil leaves and some garlic powder. Blend together until all contents are combined. Season with salt and pepper.

Pizza toppings
whatever you want but here is what I used:
- Shredded cooked chicken

-chopped sun dried tomatoes
-sauteed red onions

-2 cups shredded mozzarella

-1/4 cup parmesan cheese shredded



1. Cook cauliflower rice for 5 mins so that it is mostly cooked through. 

2. Set rice aside and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Add almond meal to rice and stir.  Next, add eggs and oil.  Stir to combine. Last, add 1 cup of mozzarella cheese (shredded).
3. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and brush with coconut oil.  Mound dough evenly across dish, about 1/2 inch high.
4. Cook for 20 mins at 350 F.
5. Remove the dough from the oven.  Spread tomato sauce over dough. Next, sprinkle two cups of mozzarella over tomato sauce.  Add toppings over cheese. 

6. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese over the toppings.

Eggplant, Tomato and Goat Cheese “Sandwiches”

These are delicious with either goat cheese or mozzarella. They are a great option for dinner if you participate in Meatless Mondays!

Ingredients
- 1 large eggplant

- 3 ripe tomatoes

-  1 package of goat cheese

- Balsamic vinegar (I used a garlic infused vinegar) and olive oil

- Salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat a grill to medium heat.

2. Slice eggplant into half inch slices. In a bowl, toss eggplant with 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Let sit for 5 minutes to marinate.

3. Meanwhile, slice tomatoes and goat cheese.

4. Assemble sandwiches with from bottom to top as follow: eggplant slice, tomato slice, goat cheese slice and eggplant slice.  Use tooth picks to keep sandwiches together.

5. Place on the grill and cook on each side for 6-8 minutes.

6. Assemble on serving plates and remove toothpicks (or warn your diners so they can remove the toothpicks themselves)

End of the week (I have no produce left) Salad

My dinner plate: Chicken Sausage, Cauliflower Rice and End of the Week Salad

I threw this together with my produce leftovers.  Usually by Friday I don't have any mixed greens or spinach left so I settle for random salads like this delicious one. 

Ingredients (whatever you have in your fridge! but below is a list of what I used)

2 avocados (cut into chunks)

1/2 orange bell pepper (cut into chunks)
1 small red bell pepper (cut into chunks)
1/2 red onion (diced)
2 jalapenos (diced)
1/4 cup cilantro (chopped)
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Sprinkle of sea salt

1. Mix all cut produce in a bowl.  Add olive oil and lemon juice. Let marinate for 30 minutes. Add a sprinkle of salt and serve.

More Wheat Belly Recipes...Flaxseed Wrap

This is a great alternative to pita or any other gluten heavy bread.  The wraps only take a few minutes to make and they hold well in the fridge overnight.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons ground flaxseeds

¼ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon onion powder

¼ teaspoon paprika

Pinch of sea salt

1 tablespoon coconut oil plus more for greasing

1 tablespoons water

1 large egg

Prep Time: 3 minutes                                     Cook (and Cool) Time: 8-9 minutes

1. Mix together ground flaxseeds, baking powder, onion powder, paprika and salt in a small bowl.  Stir in coconut oil.

2. Beat in egg and water until combined.

3. Grease a microwave safe pie pan with coconut oil.  Pour in batter and spread evenly.  

4.  Cook in microwave on high for 3 minutes. Allow wrap to cool for 5 minutes before using a spatula to loosen the edges from the pan and  peel off the pan. 

I use these wraps for breakfast burritos and yummy lunch wraps.

Wheat Belly Recipes! Hot Coconut Flaxseed Cereal

I used blueberries!

Wheat Belly has a lot of quick and easy gluten-free heart healthy recipes.  This is the first one I tried out.

Ingredients

½ cup coconut milk

¼- ½ cup ground flax seeds

¼ cup unsweetened coconut flakes

¼ cup chopped walnuts or hulled sunflower seeds ( I add a few chopped almonds as well)

Ground cinnamon (just a pinch)

¼ cup sliced strawberries, blueberries or other other berries

Prep Time: 5 mins            Cook Time: 5 mins

1.       Combine all coconut milk, ground flax seeds, coconut flakes and walnuts (or sunflower seeds). Stir to incorporate.

2.       Cook in the microwave on high for 1 minute.

3.       Add a pinch of cinnamon and sliced berries.  Stir and serve. 

The picture doesn't really do this recipe justice.  It really is a super tasty and healthy alternative to the gluten and sugar heavy recipes found in the grocery store.