Category Archives: Gluten Free

Roasted Broccoli

This is a really yummy way to cook broccoli. I usually steam broccoli until it’s bright green and just tender (which is super quick and easy), but we seem to end up with leftovers. This took a few more steps, but there were no leftovers. A delicious crispy roasted broccoli recipe and such a great side dish for this time of year! Even the kids loved it. Never thought I’d say broccoli and yum in the same sentence, but there you go! 🙂

Ingredients

1 head of broccoli, chopped into florets
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp sea salt

Directions

Oven to 400*
In a large bowl, toss broccoli with olive oil and salt
Spread in single layer on baking sheet
Bake for 15-20 minutes, until broccoli is tender and crisp and starting to brown
Cool a bit and serve!

Heirloom Tomatoes

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Nothing says late summer like heirloom tomatoes! Now I realize it’s fall, especially with the rain in Seattle this week, but I found the last of the heirlooms of the season this weekend!

One of my favorite snacks used to be tomato sandwiches: fresh bread, mayo, slices of juicy heirloom tomatoes. Heirlooms in particular are rich in flavor and super delicious. I am strict GF now and eat few grains, but tomatoes are so good just on their own!

Ingredients

Tomatoes, sliced
Olive oil
Fresh basil, chopped (optional)
Sea salt (optional)

Directions

Drizzle olive oil on tomatoes and sprinkle with a little sea salt and fresh basil

Dark Chocolate Covered Figs with Sea Salt

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I recently posted about my fig tree. I finally had a chance to dip some of the figs in chocolate. Something about the combination of juicy ripe figs, dark sweet chocolate and sea salt.. amazing! These were SO yummy!

This fig had just been dipped. As soon as you set these in the fridge to cool the chocolate will harden and set with a matte finish. 🙂

Ingredients

12 figs, rinsed and dry
1 cup chocolate chips (I used 1/2 and 1/2 dark and sem-sweet chunks)
Sea salt for garnish

Directions

Put chocolate in a bowl and microwave for ~1 minute or until melted
Stir chocolate with a spoon to even out consistency
Dip figs in chocolate
Place on parchment paper covered cookie sheet and sprinkle some sea salt on
Set in fridge to cool
Enjoy! 🙂

Baked Pumpkin Doughnuts with Maple Pumpkin Glaze // Paleo

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I’ve been dying to make baked pumpkin donuts. We finally did this last week, and they were so good! I couldn’t really find a recipe that matched up with the ingredients I had on hand (no time to go to the store ;)), so I kind of made it up as I went along using Against All Grain‘s “Baked Pumpkin Spice Doughnuts” as my guide and changed/added things here and there from what I had on hand and what I thought it needed.

These are baked instead of fried, are paleo, and have no refined sugar. No guilt, yet delicious-WIN!

I drizzled the Paleo Maple Pumpkin Sauce/Glaze that I posted yesterday over them, and…YUM!!!

Ingredients

5 large eggs
½ cup Almond Milk (you could use cocunut milk too)
½ cup Pure Maple Syrup
½ cup Organic Pumpkin Puree
¼ cup Coconut Oil
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 ¼ cup Coconut Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
¼ teaspoon Sea Salt (I did 20 grinds on my grinder :))
½ cup Unsweetened Applesauce
Maple Pumpkin Glaze

What to do

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and oil the insides of your doughnut pan really well. I put coconut oil on a paper towel and rubbed it around.
Mix all the wet ingredients until eggs are fully blended
Add the dry ingredients, then mix until dough is formed
Fill doughnut tins to the top (mine didn’t rise very much)
Bake for 20 minutes. Let them cool for about 10 minutes, then pop them out and cool on cooling rack.
Once cool. Drizzle with glaze. Best eaten right after glazing. Or…skip the glaze and eat as is!

Having a cute assistant isn’t necessary, but it helps 🙂

The batter is pretty dense and only rises slightly, so you can fill the molds up to the top. And then…you wait 🙂 Enjoy!

Easy Paleo Maple Pumpkin Sauce

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I made this with the thought of drizzling it over some pumpkin doughnuts I made (recipe coming tomorrow!). After I made it though, I thought of a kazillion different things it would be great on. Hence…it’s getting it’s own post 🙂

And…it’s only 4 ingredients. Paleo, no added refined sugar, nut free, dairy free, and vegan. BUT…it’s delicious and you’ll want to put it on everything haha.Ingredients

2 Tablespoons Coconut Oil
1 Tablespoon Pure Maple Syrup
1 Tablespoon Organic Pumpkin Puree
1 Tablespoon No Sugar Added Sun Butter (if you don’t have to worry about nut allergies, you could substitute any creamy nut butter)

What to do…

Combine all these ingredients and either microwave or heat over the cook top until all melted and combined to a creamy texture. Let it cool a little before you drizzle over whatever you are drizzling it over (doughnuts, cupcakes, banana ice cream, yogurt, oatmeal…the possibilities are endless) or dip fruit into it! It will harden after a few minutes.

Enjoy!

Stuffed Mushrooms

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It’s mushroom season! White or Crimini Mushrooms work great for this recipe. This is a great paleo snack. Make them with or without cheese!

Ingredients

6 oz white or crimini mushrooms
2 Tbsp butter
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 lb mild Italian sausage, casings removed
1 cup celery, finely chopped
1/2 cup red bell peppers, finely chopped
2 Tbsp fresh oregano leaves, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 egg
3 tsps. fresh Italian parsley, minced (or 2 tsp dried parsley)
Salt/pepper to taste
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated (optional)

Directions

Oven to 350*
Clean mushrooms with a damp cloth and remove stems
Finely chop just the stems
Place cleaned mushrooms, caps down on baking sheet and set aside
Heat butter and saute onion for 4-5 minutes or until golden
Add sausage to skillet and cook until browned
Add celery, red bell pepper, and finely chopped mushroom stems and cook for another 5-7 minutes
Add oregano and garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes
Place meat mixture in food processor with egg and parsley and pulse until mixture is finely chopped
Spoon meat mixture into each mushroom cap, top with cheese (optional and bake for ~20-30 minutes until mushrooms are tender and filling is starting to brown
Enjoy! 🙂

Eggplant Mini Pizzas

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These delicious mini pizzas are made with a base of eggplant and topped with sauce, veggies, cheese and fresh basil. I added some fresh pesto as well and these were delicious! 🙂 Gluten free and grain free and almost paleo (omit cheese for paleo) these are a great alternative to traditional pizza! 🙂

Ingredients

1 globe eggplant, about 8 ounces and 9-10 inches long and sliced into 3/4″ slices
Salt for sprinkling on eggplant slices to draw water out
1-2 T olive oil, for brushing eggplant before roasting

Toppings

1 can (14.5 oz) Tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes
1 tsp dried Italian seasoning or a combination of basil, oregano and thyme
1-2 mushrooms, finely diced
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1/3 cup finely grated low-fat mozzarella blend
Fresh Basil Pesto – 1 tsp for each slice of eggplant (optional)
10 large basil leaves, cut in chiffonade strips (optional)

Instructions

Cut off both ends of the eggplant; then cut it into 3/4 inch thick slices (trying to make them the same thickness)
Put the eggplant pieces on a double layer of paper towels and sprinkle both sides generously with salt. Let the eggplant sit with the salt on it for about 30 minutes to draw out the liquid. (After the eggplant sits for 15 minutes, turn on the oven to 375F/190C.)
After 30 minutes, wipe the eggplant dry with a knife or paper towels (this also removes most of the salt.) Spray a roasting sheet with olive oil or non-stick spray, lay eggplant slices on, brush the tops of the eggplant with olive oil, and sprinkle with dried Italian seasoning. Roast the eggplant about 20-25 minutes.
Remove eggplant from the oven and turn oven setting to broil.
Spread a few tablespoons of sauce on the top of each eggplant slice, sprinkle with chopped veggies, cheese and some of the fresh basil.
Put pizzas under the broiler until the cheese is melted and slightly browned.
Serve hot, with a dollop of fresh basil pesto and some more fresh basil if using.

Inspired by, modified and simplified from the original – thanks KalynsKitchen!

Pumkin Protein Balls with Coconut // Paleo

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Tis the season, no? I’ve been seeing Pumpkin Balls pop up here and there, and I decided to try my own.

I will say that these fall into the category of totally yummy, but…healthy 😉 I want to make the distinction, because I do love myself a decadent dessert!! This is not that. However, Maya chowed them down, and I love that I can make her things that she things are a total treat that are still healthy!

They are nut free, gluten free, and dairy free. So, once again…safe to take to preschool or daycare! Ingredients (Makes 12)

1/2 cup coconut flour
2 cups Organic Pumpkin Puree (got mine at Trader Joe’s)
2 Tablespoons Pure Maple Syrup
1/2 cup Sunflower Butter (can use any nut butter if you aren’t worried about allergies)
1/8 teaspoon pumpkin spice
2 Tablespoons each of coconut sugar and unsweetened coconut to roll the balls in (optional, but I liked the little added sweetness and texture :))

What to do

Mix the first 5 ingredients in a bowl, using a high powered mixer or Cuisinart.
Scoop out 1 Tablespoon amounts of the dough, and roll in your palm to form a ball.
Roll it around in the coconut sugar and coconut and set in the refridgerator to cool for at least an hour. You can eat them right away, but they are much better once they’ve firmed up!

And, because sharing is caring… We brought a few over to my parents house. Maya was a little excited 🙂

ENJOY!

Eggs and Bacon Tart

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No gluten, no grains, no dairy.. just a pure protein power breakfast tart. Served with some sautéed veggies and fresh fruit and you’ll have a great meal!

Ingredients

1 lb organic bacon
1 cup thinly diced scallions, leaks or onion
8 large eggs
salt and pepper to taste
Fresh chives for garnish

Directions

Oven to 350*
Cook bacon in skillet until browned, ~5 minutes
Remove and cool and then mince or finely chop
Pour off and discard fat from skillet
Return bacon with onions or scallions and saute for a few minutes
Beat eggs, pepper and salt
Put bacon/onion mixture in a round glass pan (8″ or 9″ works well) and pour egg mixture on it
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until firm
Let cool a bit and garnish with fresh chives

Paleo Banana Mini Muffins with Vanilla Coconut Milk Whipped Cream Frosting

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Ok, so I promised myself that I would let Maya pick what kind of birthday cake she wanted this year vs making something healthy that I wanted her to have.

Well….she changed her mind about 7 times on what kind of cake/cupcakes she wanted and on the day of, we were totally over booked. SO…at around 7pm on the night of her birthday I started throwing a bunch of stuff together, and…this is what we got 😉

Thankfully, Maya loves just about anything, so she was happy.

Happy birthday girl, happy me! Muffins (which I called Cupcakes for Maya ;))

Ingredients (made 24 mini muffins)

3 very ripe bananas (I actually used some that I had frozen and then thawed)
1 1/2 Cups Coconut Flour
1/4 Teaspoon Cinnamon
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1 Teaspoon baking soda
4 large eggs
1/4 Cup melted coconut oil
1 Tablespoon Raw Honey
1 Teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 Cup Unsweetened Applesauce

What to do…Besides grab a birthday girl dressed in a tutu?? 😉

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Mix all the dry ingredients.
Mix all the wet ingredients
Add the dry ingredients to the wet. The mixture will be pretty dense. Scoop out enough batter to slightly overlflow each mini muffin tin. These don’t raise a whole lot, so you can overfill each 🙂
Bake for 10-12 minutes depending on your oven. Tops should be golden brown, but still a little soft to the touch.

Frosting/Whipped topping

Put a can of full fat Coconut Milk in the refrigerator over night. When you open it, it will have separated and the top half will all be hard.
Scoop that out and put into a bowl.

Add….

1 Tablespoon of honey.
1/8 Teaspoon of cinnamon
1/4 Teaspoon of Pure Vanilla Extract

Mix with a blender and dollop on top of each muffin/cupcake. Refrigerate until you plan on eating them, as the topping will soften.

Enjoy!!

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