New Cookbook!

My very thoughtful mother-in-law got me this cookbook for Mother's Day. I am super excited about it since I'm a huge Quinoa fan. So far I've only made one recipe from it, Raspberry Coconut Bars. It was my first time baking with Quinoa flour and it has an interesting flavor (tastes like quinoa which is great in meals but a bit different in desserts). I served the bars to guests and the verdict was mixed. Some loved them, some thought they were so so, and some didn't love them at all. I was on the so so side. But there are SO many recipes in this book that I am dying to try, just have to find some free time. I'll keep you posted! 

Blogger took my post!

So there was a post here about getting good deals on Amazon.com using their subscribe & save deal. Blogger deleted it when the site was down yesterday, bummer. Anyway, what I was saying was that you can get some good deals on gluten free foods (any food actually & other things like diapers, wipes, etc) using subscribe and save. So far I'm using it to get Gluten Free Bisquick and Annie's Gluten Free Mac & Cheese. Both at prices lower than I've found in any stores. If you have a gluten free staple that you wish was more affordable, check out Amazon's subscribe & save, you just might find a deal:) 

Udi's Buns

The new Udi's hamburger and hotdog buns are out! Lauren was soooooo excited to have a "real" hotdog bun today. We've tried a few other brands but these are definitely the best ones we've had so far. The aren't quite as light and fluffy as the gluten containing buns but it still does the trick! 

We bought ours at PCC today and they were on "sale" for $3.99 per pack. Not exactly a steal, but nice to have as an option at those summer barbecues. 

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! 

Dairy Free

Being "mostly" dairy free, I am often asked if Lauren and I are getting enough calcium. My naturopath has assured me I need not worry about this as it's not an issue if I eat a healthy balanced diet. I have read many articles that all say the same things and most of the time I feel pretty confident with skipping out on the dairy (especially because it makes us feel so icky). But then I start thinking of how it has been pounded into our heads since birth that cows milk is essential and it's healthy and it makes strong bones, etc... and I start to wonder and think, what if I am missing out on an important health benefit not drinking milk. I am got this newsletter today from a friend who is a nutritionist and I thought this article was really great. I thought I'd share: 

Milk and Calcium Requirements, Dr. Pam Popper, ND, PhD

Dairy consumption does not promote bone health, and there is massive scientific evidence to document this fact.

Most of the world's population does not consume any milk after weaning, and these people grow normal, healthy skeletons and do not experience osteoporosis. Bantu women in Africa, for example, consume no dairy products and their calcium intake is between 250 and 400 mg. per day. These women generally have about 10 children and breast-feed each one for 10 months. Pregnancy and breast-feeding are tremendous drains on calcium, yet osteoporosis is virtually unknown among these women. Population studies further document that dairy consumption does not help bone health – countries that have the highest consumption of cow's milk products, like the U.S., Sweden, Israel, Finland and the U.K., have the highest incidence of osteoporosis.

Beyond population studies, research does not support the use of dairy foods as a tool for building bone. An article in the September 2000 issue of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reflected research compiled by two researchers who reviewed 57 studies that have been published since 1985 on dairy consumption and bone health. An overview of the studies concluded that 53% of them showed no benefit from dairy. When studies with weak evidence or poor techniques were excluded, less than half of the studies remained, and of those 57% showed no benefit and another 14% found that dairy consumption actually weakened bones. This means that 71% of the research published does not support the consumption of dairy products for bone building and health.

7 of the studies were randomized controlled studies, 6 of which were financed by the dairy industry. One looked at the consumption of milk by postmenopausal women. This study was published in the February 1985 issue of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. This study concluded that women who drank 3 extra glasses of milk per day were losing more calcium from their bones than they were absorbing, in spite of the fact that they were consuming 1400 mg of calcium per day. In fact, they were losing more than twice as much bone as the women in the control group, who did not drink the extra glasses of milk daily.

This reinforces that the amount of calcium you take in has little to do with the calcium balance in your body or your bone health. It is the source of the calcium, as well as your body's ability to retain and utilize it that are more important. This is why calcium supplementation is generally not recommended for bone health, and why dairy products are not helpful either.

The best diet for building healthy bones is a plant-based diet that minimizes processed and refined foods. The addition of proper exercise, sunlight, and avoiding tobacco, caffeine and alcohol will insure that your bones will last as long as you do!

--
Stacy Farrar
Certified Nutritionist

Certified Facilitator - Wellness 101

(619) 379-0910

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:)