Snacks

(My monster fudgesicle – gluten and dairy free! Happy Summer)

I’m always up for making things at home (beef jerky, granola bars, ice tea, etc.). I know there is convenience in buying many of these things, but I rather enjoy making things at home. One it’s a challenge for me, two I know exactly what is going into my food. I love making gallons of ice tea at home because I can control the amount of sugar (or honey, or agave) that goes into my tea. It is truly amazing how much can be found in a gallon of store-bought ice tea.

We don’t buy much ice cream at the store and I don’t ever make it only because I do not have an ice cream maker. Oh, how I wish I had one. Instead I make pops. We bought two packages of Monster Popsicle Molds (I found mine at Marshall’s/T.J. Maxx) which can be purchased from Read More »

I hadn’t realized it while planning this weeks’ posts, but there is an ongoing theme for many of the recipes this week.

fiber + healthy and happy digestion

I just love fiber, don’t you?

Abusing my body throughout my teenage and early adult years left me with a very broken digestive system.

After going through countless tests, x-rays, medications, hospital visits, acupuncture, massage therapists, and exercises I said enough is enough! And I made a promise to myself that I would Read More »

Zucchini is a veggie that you can easily add to just about anything, and that’s pretty much what I’ve been doing with it. Grated, it makes a wonderful “raw” pasta substitute, I love it lightly stir-fried with other veggies, it’s delicious sauteed and added to salads, omelets, or whatever else is cooking, and then of course there’s always zucchini bread. My grandmother used to make it every summer. She would bake it in loaves, and then sandwich softened cream cheese between thin slices. It tasted like cake, and I suppose it practically was the way she made it. YUM.

I started looking online for gluten free zucchini bread recipes, and I came across some zucchini mini muffins with chocolate chips over on Elana’s Pantry. I love that website, and I have her Gluten Free Almond Flour cookbook, which I use regularly. She now also has a Gluten-Free Cupcakes book, which is now on my wish list, if anyone is feeling generous.

But I digress. Here is the original Gluten Free Zucchini Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins recipe, and the only things I changed were my typical substitutions using Read More »

Gluten Free Rice Marshmallow Square Photo 2009 © Teri Lee Gruss

Gluten-free rice crispie squares are fast, easy and oh, so familiar- a gluten-free kid’s favorite recipe.

Make a batch to take along to sporting events, for sleep-overs or pack a bag for road trips.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients: Read More »

gluten free nutella recipe

Everyone has different reasons for making food (like Nutella) at home which they can buy off of the shelf; it might be economic or for health reasons. Since the first time I tried Nutella, I never had the desire to make it. But, when the day came that my darling dairy-free daughter could no longer partake because of the milk in it, I considered it.

I had seen a recipe for the hazelnut spread in my high-powered blender but assumed it was hard. I decided one day to take a look and was very happy to find that 1. it was not that hard (1 hour start to finish with time in between when you don’t have to do anything), 2. I had most of the ingredients in my cabinet with the exception of the hazelnuts (aka filberts), and 3. the recipe did not have any dairy in it. Ok, time to shift the paradigm again. Read More »

I have a new addiction. It happens to be to these Pumpkin Pie Roasted Almonds.

Pumpkin Pie Roasted Almonds

I…I….I…..just don’t know what to say. They are perfectly crunchy, pleasantly pumpkin-spiced, and they have a great balance between salty and sweet.

These almonds are subtle. They don’t walk into a room and yell obnoxious things, but rather they are comforting and pleasant to be around. This is why I have been keeping a little jar of them with me at all times. Read More »

Sunflower Seed and Kale Pesto

I ate a lot this weekend. Way too much actually…in a good way.

For my Dad’s birthday dinner, my mom and I made Ina Garten’s God-sent Truffled Macaroni & Cheese. Despite the loan she had to take out to buy the truffle butter and exotic mushrooms, it was by far the best mac n’ cheese ever.

Let’s just say, it’s going to be rough getting used to plain ‘ol mac n’ cheese after that eye opening experience.

Now, I’m not advocating going into debt over truffle butter, but if anything is worth over spending, this recipe is it.

We also had some extremely gourmet rib eye. Coated with McCormicks grill seasoning, seared on the charcoal barbeque, and finished off with Read More »

As we’ve discussed, everything is better in mini form.

Except portions of gourmet mac n cheese. Always take the big dish of that stuff. It’s not everyday that you will come across a heaping portion of creamy, cheesy, black truffle-y, mac n cheese.

Gluten-Free Mini Caprese Frittatas

Read More »

Baked Mac & Cheese Photo: Kimberly Bouldin

Macaroni and cheese is a great comfort food. When I eat it, I remember those days when my mom would surprise us with her baked macaroni and cheese. This wasn’t just any macaroni and cheese, this was the real deal, made from scratch!

After starting the gluten-free diet, pasta dishes were a little tougher to make. Some pastas don’t hold up well to being cooked in boiling water and then baked. I have found that Read More »

Gluten-free onion rings. © 2011 Teri Lee Gruss

Deep fried gluten-free onion rings are a real treat! I don’t deep fry often but when I do, I use this recipe and either Vidalia or Walla Walla onions. They’re crunchy delicious.

Prep Time: 6 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 26 minutes

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients:

• 2 sweet yellow onions, preferably Vidalia in season or Walla Walla
• 1 cup gluten-free all purpose flour mix Read More »