Rosemary Olive Oil Crackers (GF)

I started making these crackers after coming across this recipe for vegan gluten-free crackers. So many crackers in stores nowadays are full of enriched flour and ingredients that I can't pronounce, so I wanted to make my own. I like knowing what I'm putting into my body.



 I adapted this recipe according to what I had at home. They're a huge hit here, I make them every week or two and keep them in an airtight container.

Feel free to get creative with them. You can sprinkle garlic granules or onion powder for extra flavor. Personally, I like the rosemary-olive oil combination best.


Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup gf oat flour
3 tablespoons ground chia seeds (measured after grinding)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 tsp salt
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey
1/4 cup filtered water


Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

In a bowl combine all the ingredients. Mix well and let sit for a minute or two. It will appear to be too wet but as it sits the ground chia seeds will start to absorb the liquid. Remove from bowl and knead until it forms a nice dough.

Split the dough in two even rounds and roll each one out between to pieces of parchment paper. You want the dough to be very thin, like a cracker, but not so thin that it would rip. Cut the dough into any shape you want, I've done squares, rectangles, diamonds, and circles (with a small biscuit cutter). Place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet making sure to leave about a centimeter of space between each one. You may have to bake in two rounds if you can't fit them all on one sheet.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until lightly golden, making sure to check half way through. Sprinkle with sea salt once you remove from the oven and enjoy!

Peanut Butter-Banana Green Smoothie

This smoothie is so incredibly easy and so delicious. The peanut butter flavor over powers all of the veggie flavor, and it's super creamy and sweet from the bananas and dates. I love to have this smoothie for breakfast, or even as a post-workout meal. It holds you over for hours.



I use an organic, non-GMO powered peanut butter because it's lower in fat and calories spoonful for spoonful than regular peanut butter, but you can use any type of nut butter you like. The great thing about this smoothie is that it's super versatile, you can throw in pretty much any veggies you like, given that the flavor is not too over-powering. Some great add-in's are kale, spinach, avocado, zucchini, or any mild tasting vegetable or fruit. However, using banana is key in this recipe as it allows for the smoothie to be creamy.




Ingredients: 1 serving

1 chopped frozen banana
1 date (optional)
1 cup almond milk
1 cup spinach
1/2 cup chopped zucchini
1 tablespoon peanut butter powder (or regular peanut butter)
sweetener to taste (stevia, honey, maple syrup, agave, etc)

Place all ingredients into a blender and blend on high until smooth and creamy.

Cauliflower Crust Pizza Revisited

I posted a cauliflower crust pizza recipe last year, but since then I'm come to perfect my recipe. With the addition of coconut flour instead of almond flour, I've discovered that the pizza gets much more sturdy after baking. I also added some mozzarella cheese in with the cauliflower 'dough' to help hold it together and give it a bit more crunch. This one definitely holds up, no silverware needed!
Give it a try!

Due to the fact that my husband gets home so late from work, I only have horrible lighting to work with. Hopefully I'll be able to take better photos soon!

Ingredients: Serves 2 people (you can easily double the recipe if you'd like)

1/2 head of cauliflower, cut into florets

1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon coconut flour

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder (or 1 clove of minced garlic)

1/8 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon psyllium seed husks (will work without it)

1 egg

In a steaming pot steam the cauliflower florets until soft and set aside to cool.

In a bowl mash or rice the cauliflower florets until they resemble white rice. Place the riced cauliflower in a mesh cloth or rag and squeeze excess water out over a bowl or into your kitchen sink. You really want to squeeze the crap out of it and get as much water out as possible, thus allowing your crust to get nice and crispy. 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Return riced cauliflower to a bowl, it should resemble a dry puree or dough. Add in all the remaining ingredients, mixing and kneading well until completely combined. On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (that has been sprayed with cooking spray or oil) mold the cauliflower dough into a rectangular shape. I find the rectangle shape allows the dough to crisp up the best, but you can also do two round personal pizza's instead.

Bake pizza for 20-25 minutes or until it just starts to brown on the top. Remove from oven and carefully add pizza toppings of choice. I did kale and mozzarella with truffle oil for me and pepperoni for my husband. Bake for another 10 minutes or so.

Zucchini Waffles - Gluten Free

I came up with this recipe when I had some extra zucchini lying around, and I wanted to somehow sneak it into my husband's breakfast. He hates eggs/omelettes, so I had to do something sweet, but zucchini bread takes over an hour to make. So I came up with this zucchini waffles recipe and Brett LOVED them. They're full of good-for-you ingredients and you can't even taste the zucchini. Perfect for picky eaters.











Ingredients:  makes 2-4 waffles

3/4 cup gluten free oat flour
1/4 cup buckwheat flour
1/2 cup almond flour
1 tsp psyllium seed husks
2 packets stevia
1 tbsp olive oil (or coconut oil)
1 egg (can sub chia or flax egg)
3/4 cup almond milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup grated zucchini

Blend wet ingredients in blender, then pour into a bowl. Fold in dry ingredients. If batter is too dry, add hour almond milk as needed. Pour batter into waffle iron as directed. Serve with pure maple syrup, fruit, or nut butter or choice.

Gluten Free Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

I came across this recipe a few weeks ago for THE BEST gluten free chocolate chip cookies made with gluten free oat flour. Since oat flour is so similar to regular flour it makes the perfect gluten free substitution.




These cookies are THE BEST gluten free cookies I have made to date. They're chewy, yet slightly crispy on the outside, and the brown butter makes them out of this world. And on top of that, they're free of white sugar, and the oat flour makes me feel a little better about eating them. Seriously, make these cookies. You will not be disappointed.








Ingredients:

1 stick of butter
1/2 cup coconut palm sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/4 cup gf oat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup chopped gluten free chocolate chips

In a small saucepan melt the butter on medium low heat, swirling around every once in a while for about 5 minutes, or until the butter browns. Immediately remove from heat and pour into a heat-proof bowl to cool.

Add palm sugar and brown sugar to brown butter and mix gently. Set aside to cool. Once cool, whisk in egg and vanilla to brown butter/sugar mixture.

In another bowl mix together oat flour, salt, and baking soda. Combine wet and dry ingredients, then add in chopped chocolate chips. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Meanwhile, cover bowl with plastic wrap and set in fridge for 15 minutes while oven is preheating.

Scoop dough into mounds with an ice-cream scoop, or roll into 1 1/2 inch mounds. Bake for 6-8 minutes, or until they just start to brown. (I personally think they're better under-baked)

Gluten Free Blueberry Scones

I saw a picture of someone eating scones the other day, and I could not get them out of my head.



But when I think of scones, I think of butter and cream. And sugar. And deliciously crumbly little morsels of sugary crust with a soft and fluffy center.




Then I decided I should make them. But the thought of all that cream and butter going straight to my thighs was a little off-putting. So I came up with this recipe that would make me feel a little less guilty about stuffing my face with one, or five, of these babies.





The result was amazing. Slightly sweet, crusty outside, and soft pillowy goodness on the inside. I made half the batch and put the others in the freezer for later consumption…which means tomorrow. But due to the gluten-free nature and the lack of starches/weird gluten free ingredients, they can tend to be a little crumbly. So handle with care.

The best part about these is that they have only 215 calories, 3 grams of fiber and 4.5 grams of protein per serving.  AND there is only four tablespoons of butter in the entire recipe. That means there's about half a tablespoon of butter in each scone, so eat up!









Ingredients: (makes 8-10 round scones)

2 cups gf oat flour
1/2 cup almond flour/meal
1/4 cup coconut palm sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons psyllium seed husks
3 packets of stevia (or you can just do three more tablespoons of coconut sugar)
4 tablespoons extra cold butter
3/4 cup almond milk
1/2 teaspoon vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
3/4 cup blueberries


Begin by adding 1/2 tsp vinegar to the almond milk and set aside for 5 minutes. This is to make a dairy free 'buttermilk'.

Whisk almond 'buttermilk' with the egg and vanilla.

In a bowl mix together oat flour and almond meal with baking soda, salt, stevia, psyllium seed husks, and sugar.  Cut in cold butter until it resembles coarse crumbs. Pour liquid ingredients into bowl of flour  and gently mix until there are no more flour streaks. Be very careful not to over mix! Fold in blueberries and place bowl in fridge for 15-20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Scoop batter with a large ice cream scooper (or roll into 2 inch balls, but batter will be a bit wet) onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet. You can brush them with a bit of almond milk and sprinkle with turbinado sugar if you'd like. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until scones begin to brown.

You can also scoop out batter into scone shape and freeze for later baking. Simply bake at 375 and extend the baking time to 20-25 minutes.

Grilled Zucchini and Squash Salad (GF)

Who says you can't pretend it's summer in the middle of winter?

Well, it feels somewhat like summer here in Los Angeles right now, which is why I decided this salad was such a good idea. Grilled zucchini and squash on top of fresh baby romaine lettuce, with a sprinkle of feta, basil, and marcona almonds.  For the dressing I just squeezed a bit of lemon juice along side a drizzle of really good olive oil. This salad is so amazing.

So if you're in need of a little taste of summer this winter, go ahead and try this. You won't regret it.




Ingredients: (serves two)

1 large zucchini
1 large yellow squash
4 cups of baby romaine (roughly)
1/4 cup marcona almonds
1 tablespoon fresh chopped basil
crumbled feta
2 slices of lemon
2 tablespoons good olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Thinly slice zucchini and squash and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill on an indoor (or outdoor) grill, only about 30 seconds on each side (you don't want the veggies to be soggy, just have nice grill marks).

Once grilled, set aside to cool.

Meanwhile put romaine in a bowl along with feta, basil, and marcona almonds. Squeeze lemons on top of romaine, along with olive oil, seasoning with a pinch of salt and pepper. Add grilled veggies and toss everything together. Serve immediately.

Guilt Free Banana Muffins (GF)

I needed to use up an avocado one day before it went bad, and came across a banana bread recipe that uses avocado in place of butter! Yes, avocado. Sounds disgusting you might say, but honestly you cannot even taste the avocado. In fact, when combined with coconut palm sugar, it tastes like butter.

These muffins are absolutely delicious and taste like they are chalk-full of butter, when really, they're guilt free! I also used a technique I came across to help the muffins get more of a 'rise', which is often hard to find in gluten free baked goods. The trick is to bake the muffins at 400 degrees, which allows them to have more of a dome look.


These muffins are absolutely delicious and taste like they are chalk-full of butter, when really, they're guilt free!




I apologize for the horribly lit images, I made these one evening and my wonderful daylight was gone. On top of that, these muffins were practically gone by morning and I didn't have a chance to re-shoot.




Ingredients:

1 cup brown rice flour
1 cup almond meal
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 very ripe bananas, mashed
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup mashed/pureed avocado
1/4 cup coconut oil
2 eggs (room temp)
1 cup coconut palm sugar
6 tablespoons room temp almond milk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a bowl, mash/mix together bananas, honey, vanilla, avocado, and coconut oil until mixed well. Whisk in eggs, coconut palm sugar, and almond milk and set aside.

In a separate bowl combine brown rice flour, almond meal, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda.

Pour wet ingredients over dry and mix until just combined, do not over mix.

Pour into greased muffin tins and bake for 15 minutes, or until a toothpick once inserted comes out clean.

Blueberry Crisp Bars (GF)

I apologize for the severe lack of postings lately. I've been a combination of lazy and busy. But here's a delicious recipe for blueberry pie bars, which are surprisingly gluten free and almost guilt free! A slightly gooey and creamy interior sandwiched in between crispy cinnamon-y crumble. It tastes exactly like blueberry crisp…but in bar form!





These bars are great for breakfast, or even dessert with a healthy scoop of vanilla ice-cream on top. There is very little sugar in them, because I sweetened them with stevia as well.



My husband loved them. They're best in the first day or two, but my husband ate them for breakfast all week. I'd recommend storing them in an airtight container in the fridge and reheating prior to eating. But to be honest, they're best straight out of the oven, still warm, and crispy on top.

 Ingredients:

1/2 cup almond meal
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup gluten free oat flour
1/2 cup coconut palm sugar (you can use regular sugar if you do not have coconut)
2 packets of stevia
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon psyllium seed husks
8 tablespoons cold butter, cubed

 Wet Ingredients:
1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
1 egg white
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons honey
1 packet of stevia
juice of half a lime
5 tablespoons oat flour
1 cup fresh blueberries

 Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

In a bowl, mix together dry ingredients and cut in cold butter, until it forms into small balls and set in the fridge. In a separate bowl mix together yogurt, egg white, vanilla, honey, stevia, lime juice, and oat flour until well combined. Fold in blueberries and set aside.

Remove crumble mixture from fridge. Using an 8 x 8 pan, line the bottom with wax paper, leaving enough wax paper showing on the sides to help you take out the crumble once it's baked. Take half of the crumble mixture and evenly coat the bottom of the pan. Press down the crumble to form a thin layer on the bottom of the pan. You want to make it as uniform as possible.

Then add the wet ingredients and spread into a thin layer. Top off with remaining crumble, scattering on top of batter as evenly as possible. Bake for 25-35 minutes, or until top is crispy and batter is set. (My oven is broken and is way too hot, which is why the cook time in this recipe is so broad).

Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes before cutting.

Creamy Cauliflower and Veggie Soup (GF)

So I know it's the middle of the summer...



But the other day, I was in the mood for creamy soup.



I didn't want anything with cream in it. So I came up with this recipe.

I might be the only person in Los Angeles that's okay with eating hot soup while it's 90 degrees outside.



I could honestly eat soup every day, it doesn't matter how hot it is.

But back to the soup...

I pretty much just threw in whatever veggies I had in the fridge. Luckily, I had zucchini and asparagus, and they worked perfectly.



We also had some spicy chicken sausage in the fridge, so I grilled it, chopped it up and threw it into the soup too.

The result was a hearty, healthy, deliciously creamy soup without all the guilt. Honestly, I was full for hours.



Ingredients: Serves 4

1 large head of cauliflower
1 1/2-2 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
1 cup almond milk
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil or butter
1 bunch of asparagus, chopped into 1 inch strips
1 large or two small zucchini's, chopped
2 links of sausage (optional)

Cut the cauliflower head up and steam in it in a pot of simmering water, drain and set aside.

In a sauté pan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sauté veggies in medium heat with salt and pepper, until they are al dente. Make sure avoid over cooking. Set veggies aside.

When the cauliflower has cooled, add it to a blender or food processor along with the 1 1/2 cups chicken broth, 1 cup milk, and parmesan cheese. Process until the mixture has a smooth, soup-like texture, adding more chicken broth if needed.

In a pot on medium-low heat, sauté the garlic with the olive oil and carefully add cauliflower puree. Stir in veggies, and chicken sausage, if you like. Add salt and pepper to taste, as well as more broth if the soup is too thick. Stir soup until just hot, you do not want to cook the veggies too much more.

Serve with grate parmesan cheese and basil on top.