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.