Microwave Chocolate Cake

My friend Stacey sent me this recipe the other day (she got it from this blog) and last night I was having a huge chocolate craving so I gave it a shot. It definitely satisfied my chocolate craving but I would've liked it to be a little sweeter. My husband ate it too and we both agreed the consistency was great but it didn't have that sweetness we desired. I plan to make it again but I'll probably add a little sugar;) Sorry the picture isn't so pretty, we were getting ready to watch a movie and I was in a rush so the frosting literally got dumped on.

Here is the recipe: 

Microwave Measuring Cup Cake

Dry Ingredients:
2 TBSP Sorghum Flour (Can use Brown Rice) *see note
2 TBSP Almond Meal, 
2 tsp Coconut Flour
, 1 TBSP Flax Meal, 
2 TBSP Potato Starch, 
1 tsp Baking Powder, 
1 ½ TBSP Cocoa Powder, 
¼ tsp Xanthan Gum, 
Pinch of salt

Wet Ingredients:
3 TBSP Organic Applesauce (warmed in microwave 20 seconds)  **see note about using egg instead, which is what I used, 
3 TBSP Coconut Oil (melted in a 2 C measuring cup), 
1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract, 
3 TBSP Pure Maple Syrup (Grade B is Preferred)

1) In a medium bowl, whisk together dry ingredients.


2) Add warm applesauce, vanilla, maple syrup and the coconut oil to the
 dry ingredients.  Leave a little coconut oil in the measuring cup and
 swirl it around to coat the sides.


3) Stir together all ingredients until well blended.


4) Pour cake batter into the measuring cup with the remaining coconut oil. Smooth top with a spoon.


5) Place cup in microwave and cook on high for 1 minute 40 seconds. 
Remove cup from microwave, let it rest for 30 seconds.


6) Run a butter knife gently around the edge of the cake, invert cup onto
 a plate and tap the bottom of the cup to release the cake.


7) Let cake cool for awhile (if you can wait!).  Frost with quick microwave
 frosting recipe. (below)


*Note:To make this cake grain free, replace the sorghum or brown rice with almond meal (in addition to the other almond meal).  Also tasty! 

**Note:  If you can tolerate eggs, replacing the applesauce with 1 egg does result in a taller, fluffier cake.


Microwave frosting

¼ C GF DF Chocolate Chips (Enjoy Life)
2 tsp Coconut Milk

1) Place chocolate chips and milk in a microwave safe bowl. 


2) Heat in microwave for 15-20 seconds.  Stir.


3) Heat in 10 second increments until most of chocolate is melted.


4) Stir until all chocolate is melted.


5) Spoon frosting on top of Measuring Cup cake and smooth across top
 and sides.  Now dig in!

Roasted Chicken and Goat Cheese Pizza

Made this for dinner tonight. Super easy and super yummy. I just used the Namaste Pizza Crust Mix (the whole package) and baked it without the toppings for 10 minutes on a cookie sheet (the actual directions say to cook it longer but I think it's way over done if you do that). Then drizzle with olive oil, sea salt, roasted chicken (I buy the ones at Costco, they are labeled gluten free!), goat cheese, rosemary, and tomatoes. I also sprinkled a little garlic salt and onion salt on just to add a bit more flavor. Baked it for 7 more minutes until everything was slightly toasted and voila! Dinner is served. 

Another Success From "Cooking For Isaiah"

I made brownies from scratch last night following Silvana Nardone's recipe book, "Cooking for Isaiah" and they were a huge hit with our guests tonight. Very fudge like & decadent. I served them with whip cream and strawberries. I skipped the whip cream and just had strawberries on them and they were delicious! So far I'm very pleased with the 3 recipes I've made from this cookbook. My mom even said, "These are way better than any I've had from a mix" which is always nice to hear! I love when non gluten free people compliment my gluten free baking:) 

Meatball Sliders

 I made a new meatball recipe this week and it was soooo good! These are pretty healthy little meatballs too. We liked them as sliders, but I actually think they'd be really good with spaghetti. 

 Since gluten free slider rolls aren't exactly easy to come by (though I know there are a few out there) I made my own biscuits in mini muffin tins. Next time I'd make them in regular size muffin tins, or make the meatballs smaller. I used Pamela's bread mix for the muffins which is also dairy free! 

I toasted the biscuits with a little mozzarella cheese (we were living on the edge that night and ate a little dairy!) and covered them some marinara sauce and voila! Yummy meatball sliders! 

Here is the recipe (from All You magazine)

Ingredients: 

• 1 lb organic ground beef
• 5 oz frozen spinach, thawed, rinsed, & drained
• 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• salt & pepper
• 2 tbsp olive oil 
• 1 cup marinara sauce (I used Classico)
• gluten free dinner rolls (or gluten free pasta if going the spaghetti route)
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (optional) 

Directions: 

1. Mix ground beef, spinach, onion, garlic, and 1 tsp each of salt & pepper in a large bowl. 
2. Gently shape meat mixture into small balls. 
3. Heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Cook meatballs on each side until cooked all the way through (about 15 minutes). 
4. Warm marinara sauce in saucepan over low heat. 
5. If desired, melt cheese on biscuits in oven. 
6. Top  half of biscuit with meatball and drizzle marinara on sauce. Cover with the other half of biscuit to make a sandwich. 
7. Enjoy! 

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Oat Bites

I love love love chocolate, peanut butter, & oats combined, I just think it is one of the best combos ever. So I was SO excited when I saw this recipe in All You magazine. I only had a to make a couple changes to make them gluten free. Our whole family loved these and we decided they were practically the same as a breakfast bar, I even ate one before a run the other day to give me a little extra energy;) 

Ingredients: 

• 2 tbsp butter (I used Earth Balance)
• 2/3 cup peanut butter (make sure it's gluten free, all natural is best)
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 tsp gluten free vanilla
• 1 1/2 cup crushed Rice Chex cereal
• 1 cup gluten free oats
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips (I use Nestle Semi Sweet)

Directions:

1. Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat. 
2. Remove pan from heat and stir in peanut butter, sugar, honey, & vanilla. (I had to keep it on low heat to get this to melt completely)
3. Stir in oats & Rice Chex. Allow mixture to cool. (I didn't wait long enough and the chocolate chips melted, not really a big deal, just depends on if you want the chocolate chips whole or melted I guess). 
4. Stir in chocolate chips . 
5. Form into 1 inch balls and set on cookie sheet in refrigerator to harden. I stored mine in the a sealed container in the refrigerator but the actual recipe does not say you have to. 

Enjoy! 

Sausage and Mushroom Risotto **Revised, I skipped a step!

I love love love Risotto. When the original Spazzo's used to be in Bellevue I adored a mushroom risotto they had and was so sad when they changed their menu. I am always on the look out for a good risotto recipe and have made a few that were just so so. But this one is in the running with Spazzo's. It is AMAZING. Kevin & I both were in heaven with it. Savory, flavorful, delicious. I did use parmesan cheese which I think made it extra good, but I think it would still be very enjoyable without the cheese. 

**I don't tolerate all cheeses that well but I've found that if I buy the block of pure parmesan cheese and grate it myself it doesn't bother me much. I think all the additives in the shredded kind are 1/2 the problem for me. 

I found this recipe in the February issue of All You magazine and I didn't even need to make any changes to make it gluten free, yay!

Ingredients: (serves 4)

• 1 lb italian sausage (make sure it is gluten free)
• olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• salt & pepper
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 8 oz sliced cremini or button mushrooms
• 1 1/2 cup arborio rice
• 4 1/2 cups chicken broth (make sure it's gluten free)
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. 
2. Cook sausage over medium heat until browned, stir to break up into small chunks. Remove from pan and drain fat. Set aside. 
3. Add 2 tsp olive oil and saute onions & mushrooms. Season with salt & pepper. Cook until onion is soft and mushrooms are cooked through, about 8-10 min. 
4. Pour in wine and cook until reduced by 1/2. 
5. Stir in rice and cook for 3 minutes. 
6. Pour in 3 cups chicken broth and stir well. 
7. Pour into baking dish with lid and bake at 325 for 20 minutes.
8. Add the sausage stir in the parmesan cheese (if using) and pour the remaining broth over the top. 
9. Cover and bake until rice is tender, about 30 minutes. 
10. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. 
11. Enjoy! 

Lemon Thyme Chicken with Zucchini & Squash

I've made this healthy & yummy dish a few times recently and it is always a hit! 

I got it out of Health magazine, I love it because it is naturally gluten free, no substitutions needed!

Ingredients: 

• 2 tbsp lemon zest (I usually juice the lemon too and use the juice for some extra zing)
• 2 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
• 1 lb chicken breasts cut into cutlets
• salt
• pepper (fresh ground is best)
• olive oil
• 2 medium zucchini, sliced
• 2 medium yellow summer squash, sliced
• 1/4 cup chicken broth (make sure it is gluten free) 
• quinoa

Directions: 

1. Mix lemon zest, lemon juice, and thyme in medium sized bowl
2. Sprinkle a little salt & pepper on the chicken, then coat in the lemon & thyme mixture. 
3. Heat olive oil in a large non stick skillet over medium heat. Cook the chicken until it is golden and cooked through (a few minutes on each side, depending on thickness). I usually pour any leftover lemon & thyme mixture in the skillet as well. 
4. Remove chicken from skillet and set aside (to keep warm I usually set my toaster oven to warm and put the chicken on a plate in there). 
5. Using the same skillet saute the zucchini and squash ver medium heat. I usually add a little extra olive oil. After the veggies are golden & tender (about 5 minutes) stir in the chicken broth.
6. Add the chicken back in and let simmer another minute or two. 
7. I usually serve this over quinoa which I make in my rice cooker. 
8. Garnish with fresh thyme if you want to feel a bit fancy:) 
9. Enjoy! 

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

A friend sent me this recipe for these tasty little morsels (she got the recipe off a blog but I can't remember which one) and changed it a little to make them gluten free. They are fabulous. I love them. They are calling my name in the fridge as I type this. I'll probably never make them again unless I take every single one of them to a party because they are too dangerous to have in my house. But I promise you, they are delicious.

p.s.- even though Reese's Peanut Butter cups are listed as not containing gluten, my daughter and I both get sick every time we eat them, so we don't. Does anyone else have that same reaction? I'd love to know.  

Here is the recipe:

*makes 24 mini cups (use mini cupcake tin)

•                3 cups chocolate, I used Nestle Semi Sweet

•                1 cup peanut butter, I used Adam's All Natural Crunch

•                1/2 cup powdered sugar

•                1/4 cup honey rice Chex, crushed

•                1 teaspoon sea salt

1. Place cupcake liners in cupcake tins. 

2. Melt chocolate. You can use a double boiler if you have one (I don't yet!), a sauce pan on low heat with constant stirring, or 10 second bursts in the microwave with stirring in between until melted. 

3. Once chocolate is melted put a spoonful in each cup and use a brush to paint the chocolate up the sides of the cupcake liners. I didn't have time to fully do this so I just plopped chocolate in each cup and it still worked, just looked more layered. 

4. Place cupcake tins in the fridge for about 10 minutes so chocolate can set, set aside the rest of the melted chocolate.

5. Meanwhile, mix peanut butter, crushed Chex, powdered sugar, & sea salt. 

6. When chocolate is set, pull out of fridge and put little balls of peanut butter mixture in each tin (about 2 tbsp each). 

7. Use melted chocolate (I had to reheat mine for about 10 seconds) to fill the cups. Put back in fridge to completely set. 

8. Enjoy! 

These need to be stored in fridge, but are best to eat at close to room temp. I take them out of the fridge for 10 minutes or so before eating. I took these to a party this weekend and they were quite the hit! While they aren't exactly "healthy" they are a lot better for you than the store bought Reese's Peanut Butter Cups because all the ingredients are whole and recognizable:) 

Love it!

I've had this cook book for about a month now and I LOVE it! I have only had time to make 2 recipes out of it, but I have lots more marked. They are much "friendlier" recipes that the Gluten Free Girl and the Chef's cookbook, at least in my opinion. I got that book for a gift in November and was so excited but haven't found the energy to even make one thing in it, they are all so overwhelming. This books has recipes that look yummy, have ingredients I recognize and know where to buy (a lot I already have in the house) and they are on the simple side. I totally recommend it! 

P.S.- I made the meatloaf & the chicken and mushroom tetrazzini. Both got rave reviews! 

P.S. again- Going out of town for a few weeks, probably won't update much until March! Have a good couple weeks:) I'll let you know if I find any great gluten free places or foods in Southern California. 

Chinese Chicken Salad, gluten & dairy free

 I love Chinese Chicken salad and I especially loved the old recipe I had. Unfortunately it called for Top Ramen noodles and the Oriental Spice pack that comes with them. I know the noodles have gluten in them and can pretty much guarantee that spice pack has gluten as well as tons of msg and all sorts of other stuff that has an infinite shelf life, so I knew I couldn't use that recipe. 

I did some searching and came across a recipe on cooks.com that looked pretty good and I changed it a little bit so it'd be just right. It was soooo good, Kevin loved it too. I think it is equally as good as my old recipe, if not better. Plus it doesn't have an infinite shelf life, which I think is a plus:) 

Ingredients:

• 2 chicken breasts, cooked and cut into chunks (I poached mine)
• 3 tbsp gluten free teriyaki sauce
• 1/2 head iceberg lettuce
• 1/2 head cabbage
• 3 stalks green onion, I used the green & white parts
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted
• 3 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
• 1/4 package maifun noodles (cook according to package directions, these are messy but so fun to watch puff up and cook, my whole family was quite entertained!) I used the Sun Luk brand, found them at Fred Meyer in the Asian food section. 

Dressing:

• 1/8 c sesame oil (I didn't have any, just used Omega 3 Vegetable oil)
• 1/8 c grapeseed or olive oil 
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 3 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp pepper

Directions:

1. Cook chicken and cut into chunks. While preparing the salad toss the cooked chicken with teriyaki sauce and let cool. 
2. Wash and chop lettuce and cabbage and mix together. 
3. Add sliced green onion and cilantro. 
4. Toast sesame seeds & almonds (I toasted them together at the same time). Let cool, then mix in with salad. 
5. Make dressing, set aside. 
6. Make maifun noodles according to directions. Let cool on a paper towel for a few minutes. 
7. Toss salad together and add maifun. 
8. This salad is best served cool, enjoy! 

Almond Berry Muffins! Gluten, Dairy, & Egg free!

I found this recipe over a year ago on some website, printed it and tucked it away. I recently came across it in my recipe notebook and decided to make them and WOW! They are hands down my most favorite gluten free muffins I've ever made. My kids devoured them and so did I. I didn't use blueberries because I didn't have any, but I had frozen blackberries left from this summer, so I substituted those and they were fabulous! 

**I buy my almond flour at Trader Joe's, it is so much cheaper than anywhere else. 

Blueberry Muffin Recipe with Almond Flour (Gluten-Free)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a standard muffin tin with paper liners.

Whisk together:

1 1/3 cups almond meal

1 cup sorghum (or brown rice flour, if desired)

1/2 cup tapioca starch or potato starch (not potato flour!)

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum

Beat in:

1 1/3 cups organic light brown sugar

2 tablespoons light olive oil

1 tablespoon Ener-G Egg Replacer whisked with 1/4 cup warm water till frothy

1/2 cup warm water, more as needed, up to 3/4 cup

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Beat the batter until it is smooth, like a slightly thickened cake batter.

Add in:

1 pint fresh berries, washed and patted dry (I used blackberries, the original recipe I had called for blueberries, I think any berry will work just fine). 

Stir gently and briefly.

Plop the blueberry muffin batter into the twelve lined cups. You'll probably have some extra- for a baker's dozen. We made tiny mini-muffins with our extra better. 

Bake in the center of a preheated oven for 23 to 25 minutes, until golden and firm to the touch. A wooden pick inserted into the center should emerge clean.

Cool the muffin pan on a wire rack for five minutes. Gently pop the muffins out to continue cooling on the rack (don't cool them in the hot pan- they'll get soggy).

Sausage and Potato Bake

I found this recipe in a magazine and made it the other night. I altered it a little bit and it was really good. Kevin & I both agreed it's actually more of a breakfast type food than a dinner one. It'd be perfect for a brunch, and adding egg would make it even more "breakfasty". 

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

Ingredients:

• 1 small yellow bell pepper, cut into small pieces
• 1 small orange bell pepper, cut into small pieces
• 1/2 sweet onion, slided
• 3/4lb red potatoes, quartered (I cut them into small slices just because I wanted to make sure they cooked all the way through)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp garlic salt
• pepper to taste
• 1 lb ground sausage (make sure it has no fillers with gluten, I used an all natural one)

Directions:

1. Brown sausage in a skillet. 
2. In a large bowl toss all ingredients together and mix well. 
3. Spread sausage on top of potato and pepper mixture and mix in. 
4. Bake for about 30 minutes or until potatoes are soft, stirring once or twice while baking.

Enjoy! 

**Kevin sprinkled cheese on top of his and loved it:) 

Honey & Walnut Salmon

I am always looking for new ways to prepare salmon, especially in the winter when the grill isn't that accessible. I found this recipe in the free Costco cookbook that they give out every Thanksgiving weekend. I made it the other night and it was delicious. I served it with potatoes just because we had rice the night before, but next time I make it I will serve it with rice or mixed greens. 

Here is how you make it: 

Ingredients: 

• 1 1/2 lb salmon fillet
•  sea salt & pepper
• 2 tbsp stone ground mustard
• 2 tbsp honey
• 2 tsp finely chopped basil or tarragon (I used tarragon) 
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat baking sheet with cooking spray (or lay foil down, that is what I usually do).

1. Remove skin from salmon (if you can, I always wait until after it is cooked because it is just too hard to get off when raw I think). Cut into 4 pieces. Place on baking sheet and lightly season with salt & pepper.  
2. In a small bowl, mix mustard, honey, herb, & garlic. Spread mixture evenly on top of the salmon pieces. 
3. Sprinkle chopped walnuts evenly on top of each piece of salmon. 
4. Bake for 10- 15 minutes or until the salmon flakes easily with a fork. 

Hope you enjoy it as much as we did! 

Bacon & Sage Wrapped Lemon Chicken

I found this recipe in All You magazine a few months back and finally got around to making it tonight. It was so tasty, the whole family loved it, including the kids! 

Ingredients: 

• 4 chicken breasts
• 12 sage leaves
• 8 slices thick bacon (I use Hempler's all natural, it is labeled gluten free. You can buy it at Fred Meyer) 
• 1 1/2 tbsp gluten free flour blend
• 1/2 cup gluten free chicken broth
• 1/4 cup lemon juice

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. 
2. Place 3 sage leaves on the top of each chicken breast. 
3. Wrap 2 slices of bacon around each chicken breast and lay flat in baking dish. 
4. Bake until chicken is cooked all the way through, about 40 minutes. 
5. When chicken is done, drain juices from the pan into a small saute pan. Cover chicken with foil and let rest for a few minutes. 
6. In small saute pan heat juices from the chicken, broth, and lemon juice. Slowly whisk in gluten free flour until sauce has thickened ( I brought it to a quick boil while continuously stirring and it thickened in about 2 minutes). 
7. Poor sauce over chicken and serve! I served it over rice and it was delicious. 

Hope you like it as much as my family did! 

Peppermint Bark

 This has to be the easiest gluten free dessert to make!

 My kids are addicted to it and I'm having a hard time turning it down as well. 

Here is what you need: 

Ingredients: 

• 2 bags Nestle Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips
• 2 bags Nestle White Chocolate Chips (both are gluten free, I linked their website in the side bar) 
• candy canes (I used 6) 

Directions: 

1. line baking sheet with wax paper
2. melt 2 bags of semi sweet chocolate chips (you can do it in microwave or over the stove)
3. spread semi sweet chocolate over the baking sheet and place in refrigerator to cool 
4. while cooling put candy canes in a Ziploc bag (I double bag it) and smash candy canes into tiny pieces
5. when semi sweet chocolate is hardened remove from fridge
6. melt white chocolate and spread on top of semi sweet chocolate
7. sprinkle crushed candy canes on top of white chocolate
8. gently press candy canes down so that they are set into chocolate
9. place in refrigerator again to cool
10. once cool use a butter knife to break up into pieces
11. Enjoy! 

Coconut Curried Chicken & Chickpeas

I found this recipe in a magazine a few months ago and decided to give it a try the other night. I'm not a huge curry fan but I am trying to branch out a bit, plus it's a crock pot recipe and I love those. I changed the recipe a little to suite my taste more and I actually liked it! 

Ingredients:

• 2 boneless chicken breasts
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp curry powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 onions, thinly sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped 
• 1- 28 oz can diced tomatoes with juice
• 1 can coconut milk (I used the light kind to keep the fat content down)
•  2- 15 oz cans chickpeas, rinsed & drained

Directions:

1. Coat chicken with olive oil, curry powder, and salt. Put in crock pot. 
2. sprinkle onions and garlic on top of chicken. 
3. Pour tomatoes on top and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. 
4. During last hour of cooking add in chickpeas and coconut milk. 
5. Shred chicken with forks before serving. 
6. We served it over rice and it was delicious

Gingerbread Cookies

Sorry I haven't been posting as much lately. Just super busy with the holidays, but I promise I'll get back on track soon! 

For now, here is a super yummy Gingerbread Cookie recipe we made last year that worked great for cutting out gingerbread men. Let the holidays begin!!!

Gingerbread Cookies (Gluten-Free)

1-¾ cups gluten-free flour mix
½ to ¾ teaspoon ginger
½ teaspoon cream of tartar
1/8 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ cup butter or margarine (cold)- we used Earth Balance
1-½ teaspoon xanthan gum
½ cup brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon cloves
1 egg (cold)
¼ to 3/8 teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup gluten-free molasses

Combine the gluten free flour mix, cream of tartar, baking soda, xanthan gum, cloves, cinnamon, ginger, and salt. Mix well. Cut in the butter or margarine until the mixture is in crumbs the size of peas.

In a small bowl beat the sugar, egg, and molasses together. Add this mixture to the dry ingredients and mix until the dough pulls away from the sides. Form the dough into a flat ball shape and refrigerate for one hour.

Dust some freezer paper (not wax paper) with gluten-free flour or confectioners sugar. Put the dough on the freezer paper and sprinkle with flour or confectioners sugar. Roll the dough to ¼ inch thick and cut out shapes as desired. Bake at 350 degrees F for 12 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Makes about 20 cookies.

A few notes from me:

**Don't know what freezer paper is. I think we used plastic wrap last year but can't remember exactly. 

** I remember last year that the dough didn't taste good and we were really worried that these would be a bust but once they were cooked and decorated we all loved them! I think it's just that xantham gum is gross until it's cooked. 

Veggie Spaghetti

Tonight I took a chance with dinner and didn't know which way it'd go. I told my family we were having spaghetti but I didn't mention that I wasn't using pasta. I've always heard that spaghetti squash makes a great substitute for noodles but I've never tried it. So I gave it a shot and it wasn't just a hit, it was a home run! Lauren cleaned her plate in 3 minutes flat and asked for seconds and Kevin said he'd have this in place of noodles any day!

Here's how I made it: 

preheat oven to 350 degrees

• 1 spaghetti squash
• olive oil
• 1 1/2 jar marinara sauce of choice (make sure it's gluten free)
• 2 carrots, finely chopped
• 1 head of broccoli, finely chopped
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp garlic salt 
• 1 lb hamburger (or ground turkey) (optional) 

1. Cut squash in 1/2 lengthwise, remove the guts
2. Lay squash halves in a baking dish and lightly brush with olive oil. I also sprinkled about 1/4 cup of water over them just to keep them moist. Put 1 cup of water in the baking dish. 
3. Cook at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Check with a fork to see if squash in tender. If it isn't, sprinkle a little more water on them and bake for 10 more minutes or until tender. 
4. While squash is baking, heat olive oil in a pan and saute onions. 
5. Add ground beef and cook all the way through. 
6. Add diced carrots and broccoli and saute until soft. 
7. Add Marinara Sauce and spices (I don't like a lot of spice so I kept the amount low, feel free to adjust to taste) 
8. Let simmer on low until the squash is done. 
9. Fork the squash out, it will instantly shred to look like spaghetti. 
10. Poor sauce over it and voila, you have a really healthy & delicious "spaghetti". 

Spiced Scallops with Avocado and Corn

This is one of my latest favorites! I have always loved scallops and order them in restaurants every chance I get but I have never been brave enough to make them on my own. This summer I decided they were so good I should learn to cook them. I found this recipe in a magazine, altered it a bit and Voila! I made scallops and they actually tasted good. My husband even said, "I feel like this is something we would order in a restaurant". Success! 

Ingredients:

• 1 medium avocado (peeled and diced)
• 1 tbsp fresh lime juice 
• 1 1/4 lbs sea scallops (about 12) 
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 4 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels
• 1 chopped scallion
• 2 tbsp fresh cilantro 
• 1/4 cup dry white wine

1. Toss diced avocado & lime juice in a bowl. Set aside. 
2. Sprinkle scallops with salt, pepper, & cumin. Stir in a bowl until well coated. 
3. Head oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add scallops, cook for a few minutes, turn, and cook for a couple more minutes. 
4. Transfer scallops to a plate and set aside (I set my toaster oven to "keep warm" and set them in there for the few minutes I cook the corn because I don't want them to get cold.) 
5. Add corn, scallion, & white wine (sometimes I add a dash more of cumin too if I want more flavor) to the skillet (don't clean it out, the juices left from the scallops add flavor to the corn) and cook until corn is tender- just a few minutes. 
6. Spoon the corn mixture on the plate, put scallops on top, spoon on avocado mixture and sprinkle with fresh cilantro. 
7. Enjoy! 

*Last time I made it I was out of limes and cilantro and it wasn't as good as when I had those items. They add a lot of zest, so make sure to include them! 

Soy Apricot Pork Tenderloin

I found this marinade in a magazine this summer and it has since become a family favorite. Super easy and really tasty. We usually do it in the oven but the other night we cooked it on the rotisserie and it was fabulous. So if you have a rotisserie and have the time, I highly recommend going that route (it took about 1.5 - 2 hours). 

*This picture is of just half of the 2 lb. tenderloin.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

Ingredients: 

• 2 lb pork tenderloin
• 1 cup apricot preserves
• 2 tbsp gluten free soy sauce (I buy San J, they sell it at Fred Meyer as well as all health food stores)
• 2 tbsp canola oil

Directions:

1. Mix preserves, soy sauce, & oil with a whisk until well mixed. Use as marinade. 
2. Set pork on roasting pan and coat both sides with marinade.
3. Cook for 30 minutes. 
4. Coat pork again with marinade and put back in the oven for another 30 minutes (or until cooked through). 
5. Slice up and enjoy!