Chocolate Mounds

These chocolate mound cookies were first introduced to me by my friend Aimee's mom. They have become a favorite of mine and are always a hit when I serve them to guests or take them to parties. I made them egg free for the first time today and they are still quite tasty. A little more brittle than the original recipe, but still very good. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Ingredients: 

• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 6- 1oz squares semi-sweet chocolate
• 2- 1oz squares unsweetened chocolate
• 2 tbsp butter (I use Earth Balance)
• 2 eggs OR 3 tsp egg replacer mixed with 4 tbsp water mixed until frothy
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 6 oz chocolate chips
• 1 cup chopped walnuts (or nut of your choice)

1. Mix cornstarch, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl. Set aside. 
2. In saucepan on low, melt squares of semi-sweet chocolate and squares of unsweetened chocolate with butter.
3. In large bowl mix 2 eggs (or egg replacer) with brown sugar. 
4. Add melted chocolate mixture to egg mixture. 
5. Slowly stir in the cornstarch mixture. 
6. Add chocolate chips and nuts until well mixed. 
7. Drop balls of dough onto cookie sheet and and bake 10-12 minutes

Enjoy! 

New Favorite Toast!

We just discovered this cinnamon raisin bread and it is AMAZING! Lauren asks for it every morning for breakfast. We bought it at Savory Moments in Redmond. I haven't seen it anywhere else but I haven't looked that hard either. If anyone knows of another store that sells it leave me a comment and let me know! 

Mexican Chili

I made this chili last night for a baby shower and it was a hit. My kids especially loved it and are already asking me to make it again! We served it over baked potatoes with cheese and sour cream on the side for those lucky ducks that can indulge in all the dairy! 

I got this recipe from a friend as "Taco Soup". I modified it a bit to make it thicker and now it's "Mexican Chili"! Magic. 

It's another crock pot recipe, seems to be a theme of mine these days. 

*With all canned foods make sure to read the ingredients to make sure they are gluten free. I always buy the organic Fred Meyer brand. They are well priced and have very little ingredients. 

Ingredients: 

1 pound ground beef (could use ground turkey instead)

1/2 chopped onion

1-2 cloves garlic

1 package taco seasoning (Make sure it is Gluten Free. I use the big McCormick's container from Costco and just put in 3 tbsp)

1 can diced green chilies (I used Ortega)

1 can kidney beans (drained)

1 can pinto beans (drained)

1 can Mexican Style Stewed Tomatoes

1 cup corn

1 14 oz can of tomato sauce

1. Brown the ground beef. Add the onions and garlic and saute with the meat until soft, about 5 minutes. 
2. Add the meat, onions, garlic and all other ingredients to the crock pot and let simmer for 6 hours on low. 
3. Serve alone, with chips, cheese, sour cream, or over a baked potato! 
4. Enjoy:) 

Simple Gluten & Dairy Free Pumpkin Muffins

 We're in a pumpkin mood around here lately so we've been making all sorts of yummy pumpkin concoctions! These muffins were a hit with Lauren & Ben. 

This is a really basic pumpkin muffin recipe that I found somewhere on line last year. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Makes about 9 muffins. 

Ingredients: 

• 1 1/4 cups Pamela's Baking Mix (or mix of your choice, Pamela's contains milk) 
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/3 cup honey or 1/4 cup sugar or agave nectar. I used honey once and agave nectar once, I preferred the honey. 
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ginger
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp cloves
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional) 
• brown sugar for topping

Directions: 

1. Mix all ingredients together and spoon into greased muffin pan (or use paper liners, I found that the muffins stuck to these though) until 2/3 full. 
2. Top muffins with a dusting of brown sugar (I left this off once and they weren't as good). 
3. Bake in preheated oven for 18- 20 minutes. 

I got creative with the pizza tonight

 I needed something quick and easy for dinner tonight but wanted it to be healthy too so I got a little creative. First I smeared the pizza crusts (Kinnikinnick, our fav) with pure pumpkin puree. 

 Then I covered them with a layer of spinach, then lots of tomato sauce.

 I covered one with tomatoes and goat cheese for me, the other with cheddar for the kids.

Overall they were a hit. Ben, my two year old who is usually really picky scarfed down every last bite. Lauren, my 4 four year old who typically loves all veggies and eats raw spinach like it is going out of style did not like the idea of it on her pizza. But neither noticed the pumpkin puree! 

Great New Find at Trader Joe's!

We found these at Trader Joe's last night and the kids are in heaven over them! They are free of the 8 most common allergens which means no eggs, dairy, or gluten so we were thrilled! I can't remember the exact price but I know they were $3 or less. The box we bought last night is already gone...oops.

Anyone want to join me?

Next Saturday, October 23rd at 1pm the owner of Sweet Cakes Bakery and Dr. Keith Halperin are putting on a gluten free health seminar in Kirkland at the Kirkland Women's Club.  It is only $5 and I'm thinking of going. Anyone want to join me? Let me know! 

(To RSVP you need to call 425-822-2858)

Slow Cooked Gluten Free Turkey Meatballs

Meatballs aren't something we ever ate often but after a year of not having any I started to crave them. I found this recipe (in the magazine All You) and decided to give them a shot. They were a hit with the whole family and super easy to make. I served them over mash potatoes but you could make a meatball sandwich too. 

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small onion, grated (I just chopped mine with the pampered chef chopper)
• 1 rib celery, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup gluten free oats
• 2 cups bbq sauce (make sure it is gluten free, I used Jack Daniel's bbq sauce)

1. Warm oil over medium heat and add onion and celery. Stir until soft. Add garlic and saute another minute or so. Transfer mixture to a bowl to cool. 
2. Place turkey in a large bowl, add onion mixture, egg, & oats. Use your hands to gently mix ingredients. 
3. Form meatballs, about 1 1/2 inches in diameter- it should make about 20. 
4. Pour a small amount of sauce over the bottom of your crock pot. Add meatballs and top with remaining sauce. Pour in 1/2 cup water. Cover and cook on high until meatballs are cooked all the way through, about 4 hours. 

**the meatball mixture is often pretty gooey, but if you refrigerate it for a few hours before you form the meatballs it will be much firmer and make better balls. 

**if you have any flaxseed around this is a really easy recipe to add it too. I just add 1/4 of cup to add a  nutritional boost!

Colophon Cafe in Bellingham, WA

We went up to Bellingham this weekend and I was pleasantly surprised to find that the Colophon Cafe serves some yummy gluten free treats! I had a really amazing chocolate peanut butter cookie that completely hit the spot. They also had a peanut butter and chocolate pie that looked to die for. Next time we go I'll be trying that for sure.  If you find yourself in Bellingham make your way to Fairhaven and stop in this cute little place. 

http://www.colophoncafe.com/index.htm

Kind of Impressed

About a month ago I wrote a post about my thoughts on Great Harvest Bread and their lack of attention to cross contamination. I assumed a few people would read it and that would be that. I was quite surprised when I received a comment on Friday from a person that works for the Great Harvest Franchise Corporation. Apparently they read it and talked to the owners about the importance of avoiding cross contamination. Kind of cool to know that my little blog actually gets read:) Bravo to Great Harvest Franchise for caring. I will be going back to try it again. 

just for fun

We decided to have a little fun with dinner tonight and make breakfast for dinner. Then I decided to make it even more fun and turn the pancakes into pumpkins. I used the Trader Joe's gluten free pancake mix and added some food coloring to make them orange. Then I used a cookie cutter to turn them into pumpkins and added chocolate chips for the face (not the healthiest dinner we've ever had but hey, we live on the edge sometimes!). I added a little kiwi to get some fruit in there:) These were a major hit, my kids LOVED them. Next time I'm going to try to use real pumpkin puree to try to naturally make them orange and a little healthier.

three pepper pesto pasta with chicken

This is one of my favorite meals. Maybe it is because it is one of the first meals Kevin made me. He made it for me for on our first Valentine's day in college and I was quite impressed! It has continued to be a go to meal over the last 10 years. It's simple, takes only a handful of ingredients, and tastes great. 

Here it is: 

• 1 box quinoa pasta (or any kind of pasta you prefer)
• 3 chicken breasts (poached and cut into chunks)
• 3 peppers (red, yellow, and orange, diced)
• 1 medium sized red onion, diced (sometimes I use yellow, they both work)
• 1/4- 1/2 cup pesto depending on how much you like
• 2 tbsp olive oil

1. Poach chicken until cooked through, but don't poach too long or it will be kind of tough. Cut it into chunks. 
2. While chicken is cooking, saute onions and peppers in big saute pan with olive oil. Once chicken is cooked and cut into chunks add it to the pepper and onion mixture and saute together on low. 
3. Boil pasta until done, then drain.  Add to the onion, pepper, and chicken mixture in the saute pan. 
4. Mix everything together and add pesto. Stir until mixed well and serve! 

I hope you enjoy it as much as we do:) 

Free E-Book from Jules Gluten Free Flour Company

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/FREE--Gluten-Free-Thanksgiving--e-Book---New---Improved-for-2010-.html?soid=1102490418648&aid=YqZjEl7ZBEE