My new favorite “indulge” snack comes from The Beaming Baker (click for recipe).
7 ingredients only (I added a bit of salt and a little extra oil) and free of all the things that make my tummy hurt, just enough sweetness, and filling with the knowledge that they are actually healthy!
Tips: Add salt to taste. Let them sit to absorb moisture and add coconut oil as needed. These refrigerate well and keep a couple days. I used a Tablespoon to mold the balls, so the recipe made about 12. Enjoy!
Due to circumstances beyond my control, I ended up with quite a bit of leftover holiday nog.
I love the taste of holiday nog – whether it tastes like eggnog or not, I wouldn’t know- but two cartons is a bit much for one person to drink. Naturally my mind turned to baking… and breakfast and scones and pancakes and muffins… and finally, came a new recipe! So, here they are, gluten-dairy-egg-soy-nut free holiday nog pancakes!
INGREDIENTS:
*Note: I made a flax seed egg by letting it stand 5 minutes in 1-2 Tbs. water. However, the dough needed more help thickening, so I ended up sprinkling another 1/2 tablespoon on top. Next time, I will try just adding the flax seed and letting it gel in the pancake batter.*
DIRECTIONS:
Mix all ingredients in a medium-sized bowl snd stir until blended an few lumps.
Let the mixture stand to thicken. It should look about like this:
I added avocado oil to the skillet because it is not a strong-tasting oil, so it wouldn’t mask the flavor of the nog. Word to the wise, use a really good non-stick skillet so that you can use as little oil as possible. If you aren’t avoiding cooking spray, that would be best. Too much oil makes the edges a bit crumbly…
But they make good, thick pancakes nonetheless. I used a full 1/4 c. measuring cup to pour the pancakes into the skillet once it was to temperature (water droplets sizzle when dropped in pan). To help the pancakes rise, I cover for the first few minutes with a lid. I had more trouble with this recipe burning… maybe because of the extra sugar in the holiday nog.
This recipe made six pancakes and taste delicious!
Sixth pancake not pictured because I was already eating it…
Bright skies. Crunchy and colorful leaves. Open windows. Happy Fall Day.
For the summer, I’m really trying to limit my grain consumption, including rice and, tragically, scones.
I recently purchased chicken to begin re-introducing them to my diet. Since it’s also a day with a free afternoon, I decided to try grain-free fried chicken.
This recipe was quick, easy, and oh so good! Clean up is a breeze… unless turmeric gets on the counter. Don’t get turmeric on the counter.
Which brings me to my next point. Not only is this chicken grain, dairy, and egg free, it features the “Queen of Spices”: turmeric.
And it’s tasty!
It makes everything yellow (including counters), hence the golden chicken.
This savory chicken would be great paired with asparagus, carrots, and lime cilantro rice… if you aren’t avoiding grains.
1/8 c. Coconut flour
1/4 c. Almond meal/flour
1-1 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
1/2 tsp. Garlic powder
1/2 tsp. Onion powder
1- 1 1/2 tsp. Turmeric
Coconut oil (3 Tbs.)
1/2 cup almond milk
1 large raw chicken breast cut into 1/2 in. slices or 1 pound raw chicken tenders.
Cook on medium to medium-high heat for about ten minutes on both sides, until the coating is crispy and internal temperature is 165 F. (Tip: if the chicken is cooked, but the coating isn’t crispy, increase heat to high to quickly get that crunch.)
Serve warm and enjoy!
This is a spin on last week’s Monday Meal (click here for Zucchini Noodles and Rice).
They say that necessity is the mother of invention. This is no less true than trying to cook for a road trip because of food intolerances. Happily, shredded butternut squash was on sale at Kroger last week, so I snagged a bowl, along with two pounds of beef and a bundle of spinach.
The following recipe makes 4 meals. I ate one as a freshly cooked dinner. The other 3 were simply 1/2 cup each of rice, beef, and shredded butternut squash layered and frozen for my on-the-road meals.
This recipe is great for making lunches or just having a homemade freezer meal to reheat on a busy night. The meals reheat beautifully without losing flavor or getting mushy.
*note: I do not use much added spices to flavor this meal. I relied on the caramelized flavor of the cooked squash and salt to round out the meal. The more I cook simply for my diet, the more I enjoy the distinct flavors of the food itself that can be otherwise masked with other flavors. The savory flavor of the beef with the hint of sweetness from the squash is a great combination.
1. Brown 2 lbs of lean hamburger meat, salted to taste. Save grease and set meat aside to drain/cool.
2. In the same skillet, sauté 2 cups shredded butternut squash in 2 Tbs. of hamburger grease. Season with salt (and ginger, if desired). Cook about 10 minutes on high heat so that the squash is cooked through (but not mushy), and getting some crispy-ness and caramelizad for extra flavor.
3. In a smaller skillet, sauté 1-2 cups of spinach on high heat with 1 Tbs. oil and some salt to taste. Cook about 2-3 minutes, or until desired done-ness.
4. Top 1/2 cup warm, cooked rice with desired amount of beef, squash, and spinach. Divide the remaining beef and squash with rice (see notes above) for freezer meals. Enjoy!
