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Healthy Lunchbox 2012: Tessa the Domestic Diva

August 22, 2012 By 3 Comments

When Tessa the Domestic Diva first started entering my Ingredient-Challenge Monday’s, I must say the events took on a new level of excitement. 

You see, when I do our Ingredient-Challenge Monday reviews, I actually do my best to make every recipe entered.

Yes, every recipe.

And Tessa’s first ICM Winning Recipe for Sautéed Kale with Caramelized Onions has become a staple in our home because of it. 

Anything that gets my kids excited to eat their greens is a welcome item in my home.

Since the this year’s Healthy Lunchbox series was well under way when I would normally have posted a challenge, I opted to skip this month but promise to feature our winning Blueberry Recipe when the ICM challenge opens again in September (and yes, Tessa is definitely in the running!).

Until then, I am so pleased to share Tessa’s lunchbox tips and delicious recipe below.

Thanks, Tessa! xo

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I have never considered myself a lunchbox guru. Just like every other mom out there, I find myself whirling around the kitchen to assemble a lunch before the bus arrives. But time and time again, I get asked about lunchboxes, AND I GET IT!! I have learned a thing or two about packing TASTY gluten free lunchboxes, and I would love to share with you! I did a whole 10 day day series on GF lunchboxes which could help inspire you in your GF Allergy-Friendly lunchbox endeavor this year! The topics I covered: Here are the topics I’ve covered in this series of lunchboxes: Reusable Lunchbox Wares, Sweet GF Wrap Ideas, Packing a Balanced Lunchbox, Stocking Up w/ an Oatmeal Snack Cookie, Lunch on a Stick, GF DF Dips & Spreads for a Lunchbox, 10 GF Wrap Ideas, Sweet GF Wrap Ideas, Making Use of Leftovers, Muffins & Waffles for a Lunchbox?!, Top Foods for a Healthy Lunchbox.

 

WHAT ABOUT MY SANDWICH??!!!:

The quintessential lunchbox filler: the sandwich. When gluten is out, sandwiches can be the very first thing that people look to recreate. But gluten free breads lack the softness, the texture, and appeal of most of their gluten counterparts (THERE, I said it!).

While my family has several breads we have grown to love…if you are looking to replace your old sandwich bread exactly…you might be disappointed. I have yet to find a GF bread my husband will accept in the form of a sandwich! Great Harvest makes a good loaf on Thursdays, but there are eggs and butter. Udi’s Chia-Millet is my daughter’s favorite, but it has eggs too. We have a local bakery (New Cascadia) that makes many delicious loaves …but all have eggs.

I propose you think OUTSIDE the box when packing a gluten-free lunchbox. Or more accurately: outside the SANDWICH!!

  • The Deconstructed Sandwich: Leave the bread off and cube some favorite sandwich meat, allowed cheese, cherry tomatoes etc. Serve with a toothpick and a mustard and mayo ‘dip’! In this method, I provide a serving of whole grains the form of a muffin or crackers…both popular with my kiddos.
  • The Toasted GF Bread Secret: OK, so maybe it is not a secret, but lots of newbies don’t know this: To get the BEST texture out of your GF bread for sandwiches, toast it lightly first!! I do this before I assemble the sandwich, and it improves the texture drastically in most instances.
  • Protein is protein: protein does NOT need to be housed in a tidy sandwich mold!! make yourself of list of proteins your child will go for (allowed yogurts, nuts, seeds, eggs, meats, nutbutters, etc). Figure out a a serving size, and stuff in it’s own container along with something from every other food group: wholegrains, fruits, vegetables, sensible treat. Think a mini buffet or salad bar: a little of this, a little of that…kids love it!

The Pizza Wrap (foundation):

Finding a perfect wrap. It was my mission.

When corn is out, so are corn tortillas and teff tortillas (they are made with corn too). And quite frankly, we don’t even like corn tortillas as a sandwich wrap, and the teff tortillas are not up our alley (strangely, as teff is one of our very favorite flours?!) We started using brown rice tortillas, but I REALLY wanted a soft, pliable tortilla that mimicked a whole wheat tortilla. It took loads of attempts, but I eventually came up with a recipe that I think is SO good, that even if I COULD have gluten again, these would be in my fridge at all times like they are now.

I used that here, and best of all? I have provided plenty of options for making it grain free or nut free (yet always vegan!) as your allergies dictate. And every version I have made ( and I change it up almost every batch) turns out great! Versatile and handy to have around, this is one recipe you definitely want in your repertoire!

I created this wrap to incorporate one of my kids favorite foods: pizza. The fillings you choose to put in can cater to each person’s preferences and is easily adaptable.

Ingredients:

  • 1 GF Flour Tortilla (find my favorite tortilla recipe here)
  • 1-2 slices deli ham, thinly sliced
  • Sliced pepperoni (we like Applegate Farms, no dairy, no gluten)
  • Grated mozzarella cheese (allowed), or any allowed cheese
  • Additional Topping Options: peppers, olives, mushrooms, tomatoes, artichoke hearts, etc.

Method:

  • Gently heat the meats in a medium skillet over medium heat.
  • Place the tortilla in an oiled pan, sprinkle with cheese, and top with warmed meats of choice. As the cheese begins to melt, remove from heat. Roll the tortilla up as tightly as possible. I like to make sure there is some cheese on the very end of the tortilla that I roll to to help ‘glue’ it closed in it’s rolled form.
  • Serve along with a marinara ‘dip’!

 

 

Filed Under: Gluten Free, Healthy Lunchbox, Other Tagged With: , , , , ,

Healthy Lunchbox 2012: Gluten-Free Gigi

August 20, 2012 By 7 Comments

Have you met my friend, Gluten-Free Gigi? Gigi is a scientist turned health specialist and I simply adore and always learn so much from her “A Side of Science” series. 

Gigi was one of the guest-bloggers for last year’s Healthy Lunchbox series where she shared a delicious chocolate chip mini-muffin recipe. 

This year she made me smile when she sent me an e-mail saying “Of course, amid all the veggies and healthy deliciousness, you can count on me to make a cookie. ;) ”

To which I replied, “even the healthiest diets deserve a cookie every now and then. ;) ”

No doubt your healthy lunchbox will deserve one of these grain-free, dairy-free, peanut-free and tree-nut free cookies, too!

Thanks, Gigi! Xo

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What a happy surprise when I opened an email from Sunny inviting me to be part of her Healthy Lunchbox series again this year! It’s a real honor to join Sunny and her awesome bunch of foodies again. I love seeing how each one makes lunchtime a little healthier.

In my home, because we home school, there is no “lunchbox” and lunchtime can happen at any time.

Sometimes our tummies tell us we need a veggie stir-fry at 11AM. When that’s the case, we take advantage of the “teaching moment”. Learning to put together a healthy, in-season veggie dish with what we have on hand, practicing knife skills (slicing and dicing the veggies) and fine-tuning our cooking techniques are important parts of our home school days.

Other times, we’re caught up in activities and projects (as we have been lately creating a hummingbird habitat in our backyard) and lunch comes late in the day. When that happens, we make up funny names like “linner” or “dunch” for that meal that fits neither into the “lunch” or “dinner” category. One of our favorite hearty late lunches is simple roasted chicken with garlic and lime, cauliflower mashed “potatoes”, and spinach salad with a tangy lime vinaigrette.

Regardless of how erratic our lunch schedule, one thing remains constant. We must have dessert. Every day.

Because we are cookie lovers to the core, we spend a lot of time revamping traditional recipes to fit our gluten-, dairy-, soy-, peanut-, tree nut-free household and to make the recipes just a bit more nutritious.

We each have “our” cookies – recipes developed especially for each of us. We also like creating cookies to mark occasions like our giant tooth cookies we leave for the Tooth Fairy and the autumn leaf cookies we make to celebrate the first day of fall each year. And of course, with each new school year, we create a brand new “Back to School” cookie.

To kick off this school year, my Little Chef (she’s 11) and I developed a new (healthier) version of one of her favorite flavor combos – chocolate and peanut butter!

When we created the recipe, I knew it would be perfect for sharing with you. It fits multiple special diets, is grain free and uses very little natural sweetener.

The recipe is so simple to put together and these substantial little cookies bake up moist, chewy, and delish, yet are sturdy enough for packing into a lunchbox to make the school day a little sweeter!

 

Little Chef’s Gluten Free Back to School Cookies

Grain free, dairy free, peanut free, tree nut free

Ingredients:

1/3 cup sunflower seed butter (I make my own from unsalted roasted sunflower seeds; you can find out how here. You can also substitute any nut or seed butter you like – store-bought or homemade.)

2 Tablespoons organic coconut oil, soft

2 Tablespoons pure maple syrup (or other liquid sweetener of your choice, like honey or agave nectar)

2 eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (Look for Rodelle brand grain free vanilla.)

4 Tablespoons tapioca flour

3 Tablespoons coconut flour

Pinch of salt

1/2 cup chocolate chips or chunks (We use Enjoy Life Foods gluten free allergen free chocolate.)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a baking pan or line with parchment.

2. In a mixing bowl, stir sunflower seed butter, coconut oil, maple syrup, eggs and vanilla together until smooth.

3. Add flours and salt. Stir until smooth.

4. Stir in chocolate pieces.

5. Spoon batter onto prepared pan in 1/2-Tablespoon rounds, about 1 1/2-inches apart. Do not flatten.

6. Bake approximately 10 minutes.

7. Remove pan from oven and allow cookies to cool on the pan.

Filed Under: Dairy Free, Desserts, Gluten Free, Healthy Lunchbox, Other Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Healthy Lunchbox 2012: Peachy Coconut Streusel Muffins

August 15, 2012 By 17 Comments

When most people think of muffins, they think high-carb, grain-filled, low-nutritional value item.

The last thing I want to feed my children is anything that meets that type of description.

The great thing about grain-free cooking is that a majority of flours (nut, seed and coconut) are naturally high in fabulous fiber, protein and nutrients.  Therefore, most anything I make is going to be nutritionally dense, very filling and will provide my family with enough energy to make it through the next meal.

These muffins are no exception.

Mildly sweet and easy to transport, my children love to find goodies like this in their lunchbox.

While not an everyday food, something as nutritional as this is good enough for the main course, delicious enough for a dessert.

Because the skins turn black when they are baked, you may wish to peel yours before dicing.  My children don’t seem to notice the color variation, and keeping the peel means keeping the nutrients… so we ‘suffer’ through the color variance and enjoy every tasty morsel.

 

Print
Peachy Coconut Streusel Muffins

Ingredients

  • 8 large eggs
  • ¼ c Palm Nectar, Honey or Agave
  • ¼ c Whole Fat Canned Coconut Milk
  • 2 Tbs Vanilla Extract
  • 1 c Coconut Flour (4 oz)
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp grain-free baking powder (I use Kelly's recipe and sub arrowroot for the potato starch)
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 c Fresh Peaches, diced (about 2 peaches)
    • Streusel
  • ¼ c Unsweetened Shredded Coconut
  • 2 Tbs Pumpkin or Sunflower Seeds
  • 1 ½ Tbs Coconut Oil
  • 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350f. Line or grease 12 muffin tins, set aside.
  2. In medium bowl, whisk together eggs, palm nectar (or sweetener of choice), coconut milk and vanilla extract. Set aside.
  3. In large bowl, blend together coconut flour, baking soda, grain-free baking powder and salt.
  4. Slowly mix in wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix until smooth.
  5. Fold in peaches.
  6. Scoop batter by ¼ c into each tin.
  7. Make streusel by grinding shredded coconut, pumpkin or sunflower seeds and cinnamon in coffee grinder until seeds are almost flour like. Add in coconut oil and mix with a fork until mix resembles large cookie crumbs.
  8. Sprinkle an even amount of streusel onto each muffin.
  9. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until firm.
  10. Makes 12 muffins.
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My contribution to this week’s FoodNetwork Summer Fest and the Healthy Lunchbox Series, I hope these Peachy Coconut Streusel Muffins bring as many smiles to your home as they do mine.

xoxo

Be certain to visit all of the perfectly peachy recipes entered in to this week’s Summer Fest!

Jeanette’s Healthy Living: Peach Blackberry Arugula Salad

Cooking With Elise: Streusel Topped Peach Muffins With Peach Butter

Heather Christo Cooks: Peach Coconut Pancakes

Ingredients, Inc: Easy Peach Pie

From My Corner of Saratoga: Grilled Peaches With Caramel-Ginger Sauce and Pound Cake

Dishin & Dishes: Peach Lacquered Chicken Salad

Big Girls Small Kitchen: Easy Peach Limeade

Napa Farmhouse 1885: Fresh Peach and Coconut Cake

Daily*Dishin: Caramelized Grilled Peaches

Delicious Lean: Smokey Peach Chipotle Grilled Chicken

Thursday Night Dinner: Peach Shortbread

Sweet Life Bake: Jicama Tortilla Salad With Peach Dressing

I Am Baker: Cilantro Peach Salsa

Zaika Zabardast: Donut Peach Quesadilla

Daydreamer Desserts: White Peach Margaritas

Cooking Channel: 4 Savory Uses for Peaches

Healthy Eats: What to do With Overripe Peaches

FN Dish: Peaches Move to the Big Kids’ Table

Filed Under: Dairy Free, Desserts, Gluten Free, Healthy Lunchbox, Main Courses, Paleo, Recipes, Side Dishes, Sugar Free, Vegetarian Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Healthy Lunchbox 2012

August 10, 2012 By 4 Comments

Welcome to Healthy Lunchbox 2012!

One year ago, I had an idea…

Every year the struggle to fill my children’s lunchboxes with healthy foods they will enjoy seems to become a little more complicated.

To keep things interesting, I asked some of my favorite bloggers for some help.

Thus, the Healthy Lunchbox Series was born.

Last year was the first year all five of my children were full-time students.

This year, with a new dedication to healthy eating, my husband joins the list of lunches that must be packed.

And if you weren’t certain, I too work full-time and bring my lunch to school as well.

That’s a whopping seven lunches every day, and sometimes I run out of ideas!  

To help with this, I once again sought help from a number of fabulous bloggers and am happy to announce that over the next 31 days, dozens of fabulous bloggers will be sharing their secrets to a healthy lunchbox with you!

What makes a healthy lunchbox?

Well, that depends on who you ask.

The government will tell you that a healthy lunchbox should reflect the new MyPlate plan.

I don’t know about you, but I trust the government with my health about as much as I can throw them, collectively.

My pyramid looks a little more like this one from Mark Sisson:

We love to bring sandwich rolls containing uncured meats, tuna, lots of veggies and healthy fats. Hard Boiled eggs, planned-overs and slices of salami make for easy to eat and carry lunches, too.

There is always a side of vegetables and often a side of fresh fruit, although for variety I love to throw in things like these Perfectly Sweet Fruit Roll-Ups.

Most importantly, a healthy lunch is a simple lunch.

These are the lunches I packed for my week away from home.

Planned overs with Shirley’s Bacon Chicken, Farmer’s Market Plums and Cucumbers.

 

Hard boiled eggs, carrots, cucumbers, grape tomatoes and Roasted Red Pepper Paleo Hummus

 

Dixie Chik Bok Choy Tuna Rolls (sans dip), cucumber and grapes from the farmer’s market.

 

Uncured turkey rolls with Melissa Joulwan’s Olive Oil Mayonnaise vegetables, cucumbers and cherries.

 

Columbus Salami, avocado dipped in lemon juice, carrots and cucumbers.

 

The cucumbers serve a double purpose…not only are they refreshing and nutritional, eating cucumber slices after your lunch can help refresh your breath without the need to rely on a chemically-packed piece of gum.

Once I learned this trick, cucumbers became my new best friend. :)

I cannot wait to share all of the amazing lunches my friends have been sending my way.

Be it school or work, I know you’ll find lots of new ideas and tasty ways to be proud of the lunches you are sending every day.

xoxo

Filed Under: Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Healthy Lunchbox, Main Courses, Other, Paleo, Sugar Free, Vegan, Vegetarian Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Roasted Red Pepper Paleo Hummus

August 8, 2012 By 20 Comments

I must admit that, when giving up legumes, hummus was not high on my list of things I would miss.

Don’t get me wrong…I love a good hummus. It’s just not one of those things that was on our regular shopping list.  In fact, previously, I might purchase hummus once a year and I might make it once or twice a year on top of that.

So you can imagine that creating a paleo-friendly hummus was not high on my priority list…and it wasn’t. That is until Shirley shared her Brazilian Un-Cheese Rolls/Biscuits where red pepper hummus is a key ingredient.

Couple this with the opportunity to adopt Shirley in last month’s Adopt a Gluten-Free Blogger event, perfecting a red pepper hummus suddenly hit the top of my to-do list.

To my surprise there are a number of paleo hummus recipes available online, but I still couldn’t find one that was just-right for what I needed.

I did find though, that I prefer cauliflower based hummus recipes over nut and squash based recipes.

Isn’t cauliflower amazing? From potatoes to hummus, this vegetable makes a delicious replacement for so many less nutrient-dense foods.  I love it!

My contribution to this week’s FoodNetwork Summer Fest, this recipe is so delicious that once I finalized it, I had to kick my kids out of the kitchen and force them to stop scooping vegetables through this to ensure I had enough to make Shirley’s Biscuits with!

Use this as a dip, a spread or as part of Shirley’s delicious recipe, I hope you enjoy this as much as we do.

xoxo

 

Print
Roasted Red Pepper Paleo Hummus

Ingredients

  • 1 large Red Bell Pepper
  • 1 head Cauliflower, cut into flourets
  • 2 Tbs Olive Oil
  • 2 tsp Ground Cumin
  • 2 tsp Smoked/Regular Paprika (I prefer smoked)
  • ½ tsp Smoked/Regular Cayenne (I prefer smoked)
  • ¼ tsp Salt
  • 3 cloves Garlic
  • ½ c Tahini
  • ¼ c Lemon Juice

Instructions

  1. Broil red pepper in the oven or over open flame until skin is charred and flesh is beginning to become tender, turning often to ensure even roasting. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
  2. Lower/preheat oven to 500f.
  3. In large bowl, mix together cauliflower, olive oil, cumin, paprika, cayenne and salt.
  4. Spread seasoned cauliflower evenly over parchment lined cookie sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.
  5. Once roasting is complete, peel skin from pepper and place this, the roasted cauliflower, garlic, tahini and lemon juice in blender or food processor. Blend/process on medium/medium-high speed and tamper as needed until ideal texture is achieved.
  6. Remove from blender and serve as-is, with vegetables or in your favorite hummus based recipe.
  7. Makes approximately 2 cups
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For more pepper persuasion, be sure to visit all of this week’s FoodNetwork Summer Fest bloggers.

Jeanette’s Healthy Living: Stuffed Peppers With Quinoa Grilled Vegetables and Pesto Sauce

Cooking With Elise: Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

What’s Gaby Cooking: Oven-Roasted Peppers With Herbed Breadcrumbs

Feed Me Phoebe: Grilled Flank Steak With Gazpacho Sauce

Big Girls Small Kitchen: Seared Pepper Tacos With Pintos and Avocado Crema

Delicious Lean: Peppery Kung Pao

Daily*Dishin: Shrimp and Chorizo With Red Pepper Chermoula Sauce

Napa Farmhouse 1885: Spicy Roasted Red Pepper Dip With Baked Corn Tortillas

Thursday Night Dinner: Black Bean and Sweet Pepper Salad

Cooking Channel: 5 Stuffed Pepper Favorites

HGTV Gardens: Garden to Table: Peppers

Sweet Life Bake: Rajas de Poblano con Elote y Crema

Dishin & Dishes: Bacon, Onion and Green Chile “Jam”

Healthy Eats: Peppers for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

FN Dish: Meat and Peppers

Filed Under: Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Other, Paleo, Recipes, Side Dishes, Vegan, Vegetarian Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

July Adopt a Gluten-Free Blogger Round-Up!

August 6, 2012 By 9 Comments

I had such a great time hosting July’s Adopt a Gluten-Free Blogger event and can’t thank Sea enough for giving me this opportunity! I hope her dissertation is progressing well and look forward to seeing more sweet images of her and toddler Yum before their trip is through.

Did you see the number of adoptions this month? What I enjoyed most were the number of new-to-me and long-time-favorite bloggers who participated and bloggers who were adopted.  So many gluten-free sites to love!

First, my friend Shannon from Enjoying Gluten-Free Life adopted Caitlin from Roost and used this as her chance to give some of Caitlin’s recipes a try.  I have to admit, these Harvest Cake Muffins look fantastic and make the idea of turning on my oven, even in this West Texas summer heat, seem worthwhile.

Delish!

Next, Dawn from Cuter than Gluten adopted Amber from The Tasty Alternative and made her Chewy Granola Bars.

Of course, now that I am sitting here in a hotel room away from home for a week of work-related training sessions, I am kicking myself for not making a batch of these to bring with me!  Hop on over to Dawn’s page and take a look at the little house Dawn’s daughter made from her Granola Bars, so fun!

Then I so honored when my friend Heather, the Gluten-Free Cat chose to adopt me this month! Heather made my Strawberry Mojito Sorbet  and says she loved it.  I love her brilliant idea to freeze individual scoops of sorbet on a cookie sheet for future use, so smart!

After that, Alta from Tasty Eats at Home adopted France from Beyond the Peel and made this gorgeous Chipotle Corn and Zucchini Salad.  With a mix of sweet, spicy and a hint of mint, this salad sounds devine!

Of course, Alta didn’t stop sharing her Beyond the Peel wishes from there…I mean, how could you with recipes like this Healthy Almond Butter Banana Fudge?  Oh my!

Alta is hosting the August Adopt a Gluten-Free Blogger event, so be sure to check back with her for more over at Tasty Eats at Home!

After this, Heather from Rise & Shine Life adopted one of my Ingredient-Challenge Monday regulars, Tessa The Domestic Diva, and had a really difficult time choosing a recipe to share (who could blame her?!).  Heather finally zeroed in on this Creamy Pumpkin Breakfast Cereal, yum!

Heather says she is a bit of a pumpkin-holic…a girl after my own heart.  :) I’m so glad she shared Tessa’s cereal with us.

Next, Mary from Sweet Roots adopted Christina from Dandelions on the Wall where she made both these Gluten Free, Raw, Vegan Chocolate Macaroons and this Spanish Style Rice in the Rice Cooker.

Mary says these recipes were easy and delicious, and they certainly look to be!  Those macaroons certainly have me swooning!

In a fun twist, when Christina heard that Mary was adopting her, Christina chose to adopt Mary from Sweet Roots in return! (Fun!)  Christina made Mary’s Refreshing Garbanzo Bean Salad.

There is something about cucumber and mint that scream refreshing, and from the looks of it, this salad is no exception.  I am so glad these ladies joined in with us!

Next, Paula from Live Free, Gluten Free adopted Megan from Allergy Free Alaska and made two fantastically frozen treats!

These Fudgesicles and Orange Cream Popsicles are both dairy-free and refined sugar-free and I cannot wait to give them a try! (From the looks of it, neither could Paula’s boys). Yum!

And the adoptions kept rolling in when Tessa, The Domestic Diva adopted one of my favorite cookie makers, Jenni from The Urban Poser.  Tessa made Jenni’s Perfect Grain-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies and shared them with her family, her neighbors and of course, herself and says everybody loved them!

I mean, they are the perfect grain-free chocolate chip cookie…how could you not love them? ;)

Then my friend Shirley from Gluten Free Easily joined us with her lovely adoption of Brittany from Real Sustenance.  With this, Shirley gave me another oven temptation with Brittany’s Nut (or Seed) Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins.  I mean seriously, is there a better combination than banana and chocolate?

I.think.not.

Shirley also went on to make Brittany’s Grain-Free, Thick Crust Pizza which she says is extremely filling.  :) I love it when our foods trigger the full feeling the way they should! All in all, Shirley seems like she had a great time with her adoption. :)

 

Finally, I was thrilled to not only host this month’s event, but to also be able to adopt a woman I consider to be my friend, mentor and inspiration for keeping it simple.  As you read, Shirley from Gluten-Free Easily certainly meets that description very well for me.

My family has loved every one of Shirley’s recipes that have graced our table, this Bacon Chicken and these Brazilian Un-Cheese Rolls/Biscuits are certainly no exception.  In fact, my children have already asked me to make both of these items again. They loved them that much. Seriously.

:) While July came and went too quickly, this event made every moment worthwhile.  I am so happy you have all stopped by and paid a visit, and hope you’ll take a moment to adopt your favorite blogger with Alta  later this month.

Have a wonderful Monday! xoxo

Filed Under: Gluten Free, Other Tagged With:

Roasted Garlic, Basil and Tomato Paleo Tart

August 1, 2012 By 20 Comments

This week on FoodNetwork Summer Fest, food and garden bloggers are joining up to share their favorite tomato recipes.

I don’t know about the other Summer Fest bloggers, but for me this was no easy task.  You see, tomatoes are a staple in our home.

Quartered tomatoes are the perfect side with our morning breakfast.

Marinara sauce is one of the greatest inventions ever.

Ever.

Tomato based chili is on our menu at least once a month.

Have you ever had tuna, mayonnaise, fresh dill and tomato chunks together?

Because you should. It’s not only easy, it’s super delicious.

Then there are green tomatoes, which are a southern staple.  We love to coat them in an almond flour mix and ‘fry’ them in the oven.

In fact, when we were given the challenge to bring forth our favorite tomato recipes, I was certain that is what I would share. But that would require green tomatoes and unfortunately my garden hasn’t been producing tomatoes (it’s too hot and they are rebelling), my tomato vendor hasn’t had them nor did any of the local grocery stores…

So instead, today I am pleased to share this Roasted Garlic, Basil and Tomato Paleo Tart with you.

You see, my husband and I just finished his first and my second Whole30, a clean-eating plan created by Melissa and Dallas Hartwig from Whole9Life.  If you have been to my page before, you have heard me talk about this program… if not, you can learn more about it through any number of my Whole30 related posts.

Even with the drastic changes this plan called for (at least in regard to my husband’s eating habits), we have found renewed energy and a commitment to stay as close to this way of eating as possible while allowing for the occasional treat.

This recipe is made with Whole30 approved ingredients, but because it is officially a ‘paleocized’ recipe I’m not certain Dallas would approve of this for the Whole30 plan itself.

That being said, served with a side of grass fed beef meatballs, this made for a perfect day 31 meal.

My children’s only complaint?

That there wasn’t more to go around.

;) No worries.

Don’t let the long list of instructions frighten you, this dish is actually very simple and goes together easily.

Print
Roasted Garlic, Basil and Tomato Paleo Tart

Ingredients

    Crust
  • 2c Blanched Almond Flour
  • 1 Tbs Italian Seasoning or Dried Basil
  • ½ tsp Sea Salt
  • 2 Tbs Coconut Oil
  • 1 Tbs Ground Flax Seed (I self-grind)
  • 3-4 Tbs Hot Water
    • Filling
  • 2 heads of Fresh Garlic, roasted (directions below)
  • 3-4 tsp Olive Oil
  • 1 oz fresh Basil, stems removed + some for garnish
  • ¼ tsp Salt
  • ¼ tsp Pepper
  • 2 Tbs Olive Oil

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400f.
  2. Peel the outer layers of the garlic bulb skin, leaving the skins of the individual cloves intact. Using a knife, cut ¼ to ½ inch off the top of the cloves, ensuring each individual clove of garlic is exposed.
  3. Using a muffin tin, place each head into its own section and drizzle a couple of teaspoons of olive oil over each. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30-35 minutes or until the cloves are golden and feel soft when pressed. Allow to cool.
  4. Using food processor, make the crust by mixing almond flour, Italian seasoning or dried basil, sea salt, coconut oil and ground flax seed. Slowly add hot water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the mixture begins to form a ball.
  5. Remove dough from processor and knead slightly, just enough to bring the mix together.
  6. Press dough into tart pan, ensuring even coverage across the bottom of the pan and about ¼ to ½ inch on the sides.
  7. Bake for 30 minutes or until lightly golden.
  8. Prepare basil by washing, removing stems and drying completely. Prepare tomatoes by thinly slicing.
  9. Once tart crust has been baked, prepare garlic by squeezing cloves out of their skin. Mash garlic with a fork and spread this evenly over the entire crust.
  10. Layer basil leaves evenly over the roated garlic and top with layered tomoato slices.
  11. Sprinkle salt and pepper lightly over the entire tart and drizzle with remaining olive oil to ensure even coverage.
  12. Bake the tart for 30-35 minutes or until tomatoes are tender and tart crust is a deeper golden hue.
  13. Top with fresh basil, slice and serve.
  14. Makes 8 servings.
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I hope you enjoy this dish as much as we have and look forward to seeing the other tantalizing tomato treats this week from all of the Summer Fest bloggers!

 

Cooking With Elise: Fresh Tomato Sauce
Jeanette’s Healthy Living: Tomato Gazpacho Salsa
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Tomato Cobbler Anyone?
Virtually Homemade: Spaghetti With Tomatoes, Prosciutto and Fresh Corn
What’s Gaby Cooking: Chicken Kebabs With Romesco Sauce
Big Girls, Small Kitchen: Salmon Spaghetti With Plum Tomatoes and Avocado
Feed Me Phoebe: Roasted Fresh Tomato Puttanesca Sauce
Chez Us: Easy Tomato Tart
Made By Michelle: Tomato and Pesto Pizza
Ingredients, Inc.: Lighter Fried Green Tomatoes
Delicious Lean: Creamy Light Tuna Salad Stuffed Tomatoes
Daily*Dishin: Spicy Tomato-Tomatillo Chicken Tenders
From My Corner of Saratoga: Tomato Jam
Dishin & Dishes: Tomato Zucchini Frittata
Healthy Eats: The Fresh-for-Once Tomato
Sweet Life Bake: Pico de Gallo
Zaika Zabardast: Grilled Tofu and Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Sandwich
Thursday Night Dinner: Tomato and Watermelon Salad
Cooking Channel: How to Prepare Summer Tomatoes
FN Dish: Tomatoes Go Beyond Salads

Filed Under: Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Main Courses, Other, Paleo, Recipes, Side Dishes, Sugar Free, Vegan, Vegetarian Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Growing Up Isn’t So Bad, Peter Pan Squash Spiced Oven Fries

July 25, 2012 By 25 Comments

Today on FoodNetwork Summer Fest, food and garden bloggers are joining up to highlight the vibrant staple: Summer Squash.

Oddly enough, the title “Summer Squash” has less to do with the time a squash is grown or harvested and more to do with the sustainability of a squash.

You see, summer squash like zucchini, yellow squash, bulan and ball squash as pictured here all have thin, edible skins and will only maintain their edibility for a few weeks after they are picked. Wherein winter squash like pumpkin, butternut, spaghetti squash and Hubbard squash have thick rinds and are able to keep for months at a time; hence, they are perfect for winter storage.

Of course, as it is with all vegetables, the sooner they are eaten after they are picked, the better the nutrient retention will be.

Still, when preparing food storage or planning meals, it is good to know how long you will be able to keep vegetables like these.

Today though, I would like to talk to you about my friend Peter Pan.
No, not the boy who refused to grow up…

Rather Peter Pan the squash. Peter Pan squashes are light-green scalloped squashes that are typically harvested when they are a mere 2 ½ to 3 inches across. Among the smaller of the summer squashes, it is said that their name comes from their refusal to ‘grow up’ like it’s sister squash, Patty Pan, which is golden in color and generally twice as large as Peter Pan squash is at harvest.

I told my kids that between the funny shape and light-green color, they look like something Peter Pan would wear and that must be how they got their name.

Meh. You decide.

Oddly enough, I had never eaten a Peter Pan squash before one of my dear Farmer’s Market vendors introduced me to them this year!

Goodness knows how I love to play with my veggies so I asked her what she does with them.

“Fries,” she said, “these make the perfect oven fries.” Then she continued “but I love to cover mine in an egg and flour batter so I don’t know what you’ll do with them.”

To which I smiled and said “oh, I’ll figure something out.”

;) That is what I do after all, isn’t it?

But you know, she is right. These precious little squash bake up to be some of the tastiest oven fries I have ever enjoyed.

The perfect mixture of grown-up savory yet maintain childlike undertones with just a hint of cinnamon and cocoa, great for children of all ages I hope you enjoy these Peter Pan Oven Fries as much as we do.

Print
Peter Pan Squash, Spiced Oven Fries

Ingredients

  • 3 lbs Peter Pan Squash (about four squash)
  • 1 ½ tsp Smoked Paprika
  • 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
  • 1 tsp Cocoa Powder
  • 1 tsp Sea Salt
  • ½ tsp Smoked Cayenne (I get mine from a local FM vendor, regular cayenne would work well, too)
  • 3 Tbs Olive Oil (not evoo)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 425f.
  2. Clean squash but leave skins intact. Slice squash in half and remove seeds with a spoon. Cut squash into fry-sized pieces and place in large mixing bowl.
  3. In small bowl, mix together smoked paprika, cinnamon, cocoa powder, sea salt and cayenne. Set aside.
  4. Drizzle cut squash evenly with olive oil, sprinkle spice mixture evenly on top and mix the squash with your hands to ensure even coverage. I recommend using gloves for this step if you have sensitive skin, that cayenne can sting!
  5. Spread spiced covered squash over parchment lined cookie sheets, ensuring they are in one thing layer—anything more will leave them soggy and nobody wants soggy fries.
  6. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown and crisp.
  7. Remove from oven and serve.
  8. Makes 6-8 servings
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Be certain to stop by all of today’s FoodNetwork Summer Fest featured recipes for more fantastic ideas on how to use your summer squash today! xo

Jeanette’s Healthy Living: Quick and Easy Sesame Summer Squash Stir-Fry

Cooking With Elise: Orange Summer Squash Bread

Feed Me Phoebe: Summer Squash and Cornmeal Cakes With Tarragon

Chez Us: Zucchini Pancakes With Minty Dill Crème Fraiche

Made By Michelle: Pattypan Squash and Tomato Frittata

Cooking Channel: Our Top 5 Favorite Squash Recipes

Daily*Dishin: Summer Squash Confetti Salad

Delicious Lean: Summer Squash Ribbons With Feta and Pine Nuts

Napa Farmhouse 1885: Summer Squash Chips

Ingredients, Inc.: Summer Squash and Kale Sauté

Thursday Night Dinner: Summer Squash Medley

Sweet Life Bake: Zucchini Fried With Tequila-Spiked Avocado Dip

Dixie Chik Cooks: Fried Summer Squash Parmesan Sliders

Healthy Eats: Summer Squash Any Way You Slice It

FN Dish: Cheesy Summer Squash

Filed Under: Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Other, Paleo, Recipes, Side Dishes, Sugar Free, Vegan, Vegetarian Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Plum Pickin’ Pineapple Jam

July 18, 2012 By 12 Comments

This time of the year our pantry and refrigerator is overloaded with all kinds of delicious produce.

Most recently, with the help of Bountiful Baskets we have received an overabundance of fruits like cherries, peaches, nectarines, plums and pineapples.

So much so that even my large family cannot keep up.

What’s a girl to do?  Well preserve them of course!

Freeze them, dehydrate them, jam them, can them, whatever you do, do your best to maintain the natural goodness of these fruits.

This recipe combines the sweetness of pineapple with the tartness of fresh-picked plums.  No added sugar, artificial flavor or preservatives, this is a jam you can be proud to serve your family.

The best part?  It’s only two ingredients and can be whipped up in minutes, poured into your crockpot and prepared overnight while you are sleeping.

It is that easy.

I suppose it’s not really fair to call this a jam.  The texture better resembles a fruit butter, but the process is very jam-like and the flavor reminds me of my great-grandmother’s plum jelly.  If you desire a more jam-like preserve, simply create a slurry of arrowroot and water (1 tbs of each should do the trick), remove the reduced pineapple and plum preserves from the crock, cook them over medium heat and add just enough of the slurry to create the jam-like texture you desire.

Because this recipe only makes four half-pints, I prefer to simply keep this in the refrigerator.  If you choose to keep yours in the pantry, I recommend a hot-water canning bath. Step-by-step directions can be found here.

Whatever you choose to do with your preserves, I hope they invoke memories of summertime and stories on grandmas lap, just as they do for me. :)

Enjoy!

Print
Plum Pickin’ Pineapple Jam

Ingredients

  • 3 lbs Ripe Plums
  • 1 lb Pineapple

Instructions

  1. Prepare plums by washing, slicing and removing pits. Leave skins intact. Place plums and pineapple into high-speed blender, ½ batch at a time.
  2. Blend until smooth and pour into 6-quart crockpot.
  3. Set crockpot to cook on high for 6 hours, do not use your lid! It is important to allow the mixture to reduce by at least half (mine usually reduces to about 1/3 once complete), so please leave the lid off to ensure for the best reduction.
  4. Once reduced to the appropriate thickness, fill four half-pint jars and refrigerate or process as directed.
  5. Serve on your favorite gluten-free/paleo bread.
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Be certain to visit the other FoodNetwork SummerFest bloggers to see what other fun dishes you can make with your plums this season!

Ingredients, Inc.: Pork, Plums and Rosemary Kabobs

Virtually Homemade: Grilled Plum Pizza With Goat Cheese

Cooking Channel: Best Plum Dessert Recipes

BGSK: Grandma Esther’s Plum and Walnut Cake

Delicious Lean: Plum Delicious Pork Chops

Daily*Dishin: Roasted Chicken With Plum Chili Salsa

Healthy Eats: 6 Ways to Cook With Plums

Napa Farmhouse 1885: Time for Plum Cobbler?

Thursday Night Dinner: Plum BBQ Chicken

From My Corner of Saratoga: Plum Upside Down Cake

Cooking With Elise: Vanilla Plum Tart

Sweet Life Bake: Plum Pineapple Margarita

FN Dish: Perfect Plum Recipes

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Adopt A Gluten-Free Blogger, July 2012 Sign-Up

July 16, 2012 By 37 Comments

Elana’s Cherry Vanilla Power Bars from my August, 2011 adoption.

I am beyond excited to be hosting this month’s Adopt a Gluten-Free Blogger event!  If you are new to AaGFB, this event was created back in 2008 by Sea over at the Book of Yum in the interest of helping the gluten-free community get to their members better and to encourage bloggers to try each other’s mouth-watering recipes.

Sea is in Japan this summer, working on her dissertation so I was honored when she accepted my request to host AaGFB this month!

Ready to participate?

Here’s how (if you aren’t a blogger but want to join in, you can! Read the info at the bottom of the post).

1) Pick a gluten-free blogger whose recipes you admire and adopt them by commenting on this post with your name, blog name and their name and blog name.

*Blogger’s recipes must all be gluten-free or have a way to sort and read ONLY gluten-free recipes

*Please pick a different blogger every time you participate

*Please pick a blogger that has not been adopted yet this month!

 

2) Pick one (or more!) of your gluten-free blogger’s recipes to try.

 

3) Make the recipe, photograph it and write a post in your blog introducing the blogger and their recipe.

*Follow the recipe as written, as closely as possible. And please don’t print their recipe on your post-just provide your reader a link to their original recipe.

*Provide a link to this event announcement page

 

4) Email me at: andloveittoo (at) gmail (dot) com with a photo of your recipe, the URL of your post, name of the recipe and the URL of the original blogger’s recipe post.  PLEASE SIZE PHOTO TO BE A MAXIMUM OF 500 PIXELS WIDE. (Pretty please)

 

5) Post YOUR POST’S URL in a comment to this post, and if possible try to visit two other blogger’s posts that are posted here (and comment!).

*The goal is to make this event interactive and fun!

Deadlines:

Sign up BEFORE July 28th (loose deadline; late sign-ups are OK)

Post your review and e-mail me by August 3 (firm deadline, no foolin’)

Now, this is a cool option if you don’t have a blog.  You can still sign up to adopt a blogger, then snap a photo of the dish you’ve made and email me your name, the recipe’s URL and title, and the photo.

I will start the adoptions by adopting Shirley from Gluten-Free Easily.  Now it’s your turn!

Adoption Sign-Up Sheet:

1)Shirley from Gluten-Free Easily (adopted by Sunny from And Love it, Too!)

2)Deanna of The Mommy Bowl (adopted by Rachel from The Crispy Cook)

3) Caitlin form Roost (adopted by Shannon from Enjoying Gluten-Free Life)

4) Amber from The Tasty Alternative  (adopted by Dawn from Cuter than Gluten)

5) Sunny from And Love it, Too! (adopted by Heather, The Gluten-Free Cat. Thanks, Heather!)

6) France from Beyond the Peel (adopted by Alta from Tasty Eats at Home)

7) Tessa from Tessa the Domestic Diva (adopted by Heather from Rise & Shine Life)

8) Christina from Dandelions on the Wall (adopted by Mary from Sweet Roots)

9) Tracy from Allergy Phoods (adopted by Gail)

10) Mary from Sweet Roots (adopted by Christina from Dandelions on the Wall)

11) Megan from Allergy Free Alaska (adopted by Paula from Live Free, Gluten Free)

12) Jenni from The Urban Poser (adopted by Tessa from Tessa the Domestic Diva)

13) Brittany from Real Sustenance (adopted by Shirley from Gluten Free Easily)

 

If you would like inspiration for your post, please visit a couple of my previous Adopt A Gluten-Free Blogger posts but remember, you only have to make one dish.

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