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Thursday, January 31, 2013

For All of My Gluten Free Friends

It seems now more than ever people are looking for gluten free options for their diets.   When I was suffering from Ulcerative Colitis, I tried a grain free diet for a while and discovered these cookies along the way.  You can typically find almond flour in a store like Whole Foods or Wegmans, or even order it online.  In a pinch, I have even ground up almonds in the food processor, however this makes for a coarser flour.  Enjoy!

Flour-less Almond Cookies

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups almond flour
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/4 cup melted butter
1/2 cup honey
1 egg, beaten
1/2 tsp baking soda
dash of salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
splash of orange juice 

Directions:

**Tip** When working with honey, spray the inside of the measuring cup with cooking spray so that they honey doesn't stick.  

Preheat oven to 325 

Mix all ingredients and drop by large spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet.  Press cookies down flat with a buttered fork.  Bake at 325 for 15-20 minutes.  


Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Greek Style Turkey Meatloaf

My husband is convinced that he hates ground turkey and ground chicken, however, when I make something with it, it's always a hit!  So, the key to using these lean meats is to use a lot of seasonings so that the recipes are full of flavor and not bland.  Last week, I had a 1lb of lean ground turkey to use and as I perused my kitchen, I found some ingredients to inspire this recipe.  This is so easy and is a great weeknight meal when time is anything but on your side!

Greek Style Turkey Meatloaf
(with cucumber yogurt sauce)


Ingredients:

1lb of lean ground turkey (you could also use ground chicken or ground beef)
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup of pureed spinach (**see note below**)
1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
2 tb wheat germ
1/4-1/2 cup feta cheese
2 tb chopped kalamata olives
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp black pepper
(*You could also add sun dried tomatoes, or roasted red peppers*)

**I like to have pureed spinach on hand at all times.  You can easily blend a bag of baby spinach and some water in your blender or food processor.  Freeze the mixture into an ice cube tray.  When a recipe calls for spinach, or you just want to add some extra nutrients, pop out a few cubes, defrost, and add it to your recipe!  

Sauce:
1/2 cucumber, peeled, and chopped
1 8oz carton of plain, Greek yogurt
2 tb lemon juice
dash of hot sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

Spray a loaf pan with cooking spray

Mix above ingredients into a bowl to combine, do not over mix.  Place mixture into loaf pan and bake for 1 hr.  The internal temperature should read 180 degrees.  Let loaf stand for 10 minutes and then slice.  Serve with cucumber yogurt sauce.  

Thursday, January 3, 2013

A Mexican Dish for the New Year


Now that the holidays are behind us, I figured that it was time to get back into the kitchen and make something that didn't include turkey, ham, or mashed potatoes!  My brother in law Sean passed along this fantastic recipe, that is filled with flavor!  It also makes enough to freeze left-overs for a second (or even a third) meal.  Enjoy!



Sean’s “El Gringo Loco” Crockpot Barbacoa Recipe


Ingredients:

3lb Brisket Cut of Beef (or rump roast)
2 Cups of beef broth (unsalted)
¼ Cup of Apple Cider Vinegar
5 Cloves of Garlic
2-3 Canned Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce (use less or more depending on how spicy you prefer)
½ Red Onion, diced
2 Bay Leaves
1 tsp. Kosher Salt
1 tsp. Ground Pepper
½ tbsp. Mexican Oregano
1 tsp. Ground Cloves
1 tsp. Ground Cumin
1 handful of fresh chopped Cilantro
Juice of 2 Limes
Vegetable Oil

Directions:

Cut excess fat from the beef and cut meat into 8-10 ounce pieces and season with salt and pepper. Heat frying pan with Med-High with vegetable oil and place meat to brown for approximately 2-3mins/side. Remove from heat and place browned meat into crockpot. Finely chop the chipotle peppers and garlic and add to the crockpot along with the remaining ingredients and stir once. Heat contents on Low heat for 8-10 hours. Remove beef and place on cutting board and using two forks pull the meat apart until it has a shredded consistency. Siphon off excessive fat from remaining liquid and place the liquid into a  blender. Carefully blend liquid then return liquid to the crockpot along with the shredded beef and continue heating for 1 hour.
Serve on heated corn tortillas along with fresh pico de gallo (tomato, onion, lime juice and cilantro) and guacamole (avocado, lime juice and salt and pepper).