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.  

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.  

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).

A Flavor Explosion

The other night I was flipping through an old Cooking Light and I came across this recipe for Chicken Posole.  I figured that I would give it a shot, since the recipe said that it would only take 20 minutes. I adapted a few things, like using fresh tomatillos instead of canned.  This recipe is definitely a keeper!  It is so flavorful and it tastes like a restaurant soup.  The next time that you are looking for a quick and healthy dinner, try this.  You won't be disappointed!

Super Fast Chicken Posole

Ingredients:

1 tb olive oil

1 tsp dried oregano

3/4 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp chili powder

2 garlic cloves minced 

1/2 onion chopped

2 celery stalks chopped 

4 fresh tomatillos chopped

2 (14 oz) cans fat free, less sodium chicken broth

1 (15 oz) can hominy, rinsed and drained

2 cups chopped skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken breast (I used the plain cooked chicken strips from Trader Joe's)

1 tb fresh lime juice

1/4 tsp black pepper

a few dashes of hot sauce

1/2 ripe avocado, diced

4 radishes thinly sliced

chopped cilantro leaves

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in a large sauce pan over medium high heat.  Add oregano and next 4 ingredients (through onion and celery); saute two minutes.  Stir in tomatillos, cook 1 minute.  Add broth and hominy; cover and bring to a boil.  Uncover and cook for 8 minutes.  Stir in chicken; cook 1 minute, or until heated.  Remove from heat and stir in lime juice, pepper, and a few dashes of hot sauce.  Divide evenly among 4 bowls.  Top with avocado, cilantro, and sliced radishes.  

Can Dinner Really Be This Easy?!

For those of you that know me, you won't be surprised that I am once again raving about my crock pot.     It is so easy to make an awesome dinner, with little to no effort or clean up.  I am convinced that you can toss just about anything into this underrated appliance and it will be delicious! The added bonus of cooking your own meals is that you can control what goes into it.  Forget about pre-packaged, processed foods...you have all of the tools that you need to start eating better now!

 Tonight I decided to make beef stew and it turned out great!  If you know how to use a knife to cut some vegetables, and if you have some seasonings in your pantry, you can make this recipe.  Serve it with a salad and some Italian bread.  It's the perfect weeknight meal!  Enjoy!  

Crock Pot Beef Stew

Ingredients: 

1 lb stew meat (I use organic beef)

2-3 celery stalks chopped (leaves included)

3 Idaho potatoes (peeled and cubed)

1/2 onion, chopped

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 32 oz carton of lower sodium chicken or beef stock (or broth)

1 12 oz can of low sodium V-8

1 tb spicy mustard

1tb Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp chilli powder

1 tsp hot paprika 

3 bay leaves (remove after cooking)

1 tsp basil

salt and pepper to taste  

Directions:  Place all ingredients into the crock pot, stir to combine.  The liquid should just cover the meat and vegetables.  Turn on low and cook for 4-6 hours.  The meat will shred with a fork when cooking is complete.