Graham Cracker PB Chocolate Sandwich

So basically, this is a variation of the paleo crackers I posted awhile back. I decided to make some graham crackers using the almond meal, and they're pretty delicious :)

1 1/2 C Almond Meal
1/4 C Sugar (you can use more if you want them sweeter)
2 TB Butter, Melted
1 Egg

Peanut Butter
Chocolate Chips

-Mix almond meal and sugar.
-Cut in melted butter with a pastry blender.
-Mix in egg.
-Roll out to 1/4" thickness and cut into rectangles.
-Bake at 375 for 15-20 min or until lightly golden.
-Put chocolate chips on one cracker and allow to get melty.
-Spread peanut butter on the other cracker.
-Bring 'em together and enjoy!

p.s. pretty sure these would be fantastic with Nutella :)

One for the Dogs!

I decided to make some pup-sicles for Bruno, and he sure did love them! We sell these at work, but I figured, why not make them myself????

1 Pint Answers Raw Goat's Milk
3 TB Molasses (you could use honey if you don't have molasses)
1 C Peanut Butter
1 Banana, Mashed

-Combine all ingredients.
-Pour into ramekins or disposable cups.
-Freeze.
-Serve on a hot day!

Breakfast Nachos

Mmmmmm. Why didn't I think of this before? I love breakfast burritos, so this is only a logical next step. . .

Tortilla Chips (I <3 the Juanita brand chips, they're my fav)
Bacon (already cooked and crumbled)
Egg (scrambled)
Olive Oil
Salt
Diced Red Pepper
Diced Red Onion
Diced Tomato
Cheddar Cheese
Pepper Jack Cheese

-Saute veggies in olive oil and add salt to taste.
-Load it all up on the tortilla chips.
-Bake at 375 for 10-15 min.
-Serve with sour cream, guac, and salsa!

Italian Veggie Chop & the Best Portabella Mushrooms You've Ever Had

Lately I've been all about produce. Zucchini, mushrooms, salads, everything I can get my hands on. I feel like vegetables are over-cooked most of the time, but they usually taste way better when only lightly cooked. The veggie chop was inspired by my craving for good fresh veggies that are cooked but still have the crunch. The portabella mushrooms are great for the grill, which sadly I don't have, but still taste amazing on the stove. I only have a picture of the veggies, unfortunately, but both turned out beautifully.

Italian Veggie Chop:

Broccoli
Zucchini
Red Onion
Red Pepper
Olive Oil
Garlic, Pressed/Minced
Basil
Oregano
Salt

-Slice all vegetables.
-Soak broccoli and zucchini in water, then place on a plate and microwave for 1 minute. Turn vegetables, and cook another minute.
-Heat olive oil, garlic, and spices over medium heat. Add all vegetables and turn constantly until coated with olive oil.
-Turn heat up to high and continue turning. You don't want to cook the vegetables all the way through, so make sure you continue turning them until they get cooked and singed on the outside only.
-Remove from heat and serve fresh!

Note: If you have a grill, you can cook them in foil too!
  
Portabella Mushrooms

Large Portabella Mushroom Caps
Olive Oil
Garlic, Pressed/Minced
Smoked Paprika
Lawry's Seasoning Salt

-Wash mushrooms lightly. Remove stem if not already done.
-Allow mushrooms to dry on a paper towel, gill-side down. Let rest 10 minutes.
-Flip mushrooms over and rub garlic into the gills. Sprinkle a small amount of each seasoning onto the gills, and pour about a tablespoon of olive oil into the gills.
-Heat olive oil in a pan on medium heat. Place mushrooms in pan gill side up.
-Cook for 5 minutes and then flip over, gill side down. Cook 5-10 minutes and then flip.
-Continue flipping every few minutes for ~10 minutes. Serve fresh.

Note: Another great recipe for the grill : D

Summer Strawberry Lemonade Pie

Kudos to my friend Laura! We were talking about pies and she posed the question, what about a strawberry lemonade pie? The gears started turning, and I fashioned something that exceeded my expectations! I combined a lot of different ideas/recipes, but the main part of the recipe is from Food Network:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/lemon-meringue-pie-recipe/index.html

Crust:

1 1/2 c Almond Meal
3 TB Sugar
3 TB Butter, Melted

-Combine all ingredients, stir until mixed well.
-Press into the bottom of a pie dish.
-Cook @350º for 8-10 min.
-Allow to cool and set aside.


Lemon Filling:

4 Egg Yolks
1/3 c Cornstarch
1 1/2 c Water
1 1/3 c Sugar
1/4 tsp Salt
3 TB Butter
1/2 c Fresh Lemon Juice
1 TB Lemon Zest

-Whisk yolks and set aside.
-In a saucepan, combine cornstarch, water, sugar, and salt. Whisk together over medium heat until near boiling. Stir until sauce starts to get heavy and thick. Take off heat.
-Slowly add cornstarch mixture to egg yolks, one whisk full at a time. Combine until half of cornstarch mixture is combined with yolks, and then transfer back into saucepan with remaining cornstarch mixture.
-Cook on low heat for 1 minute, continually whisking mixture.
-Remove from heat, and add butter, lemon juice, and zest. Stir until well combined.
-Pour mixture into pie crust and bake @350º for 10-12 minutes.
-Store in refrigerator. 


Strawberry Topping:

1/2 c Water
1/2 c Sugar
1/4 c Cornstarch
Fresh Strawberries
Lemon Juice
1/4 c Cornstarch
Powdered Lemonade Mix

-Combine water, sugar, and cornstarch on medium heat until thick. Remove from heat and set aside.
-Dice half of strawberries.  Combine with a few tablespoons of lemon juice in a food processor. Pulse until smooth.
-Add pureed strawberries to cornstarch mix at medium heat and whisk in up to 1/4 c more cornstarch until mixture starts to thicken.
-Stir in powdered lemonade mix to taste (depends how sour you like it!).
-Remove from heat and allow to completely cool.


Putting it Together:

Freshly Cut Strawberry Slices

-Make sure both the pie and topping are completely cool (I didn't and wound up with more of a custard than a pie, which was still delicious).
-Pour strawberry topping on top of pie (optional: swirl with knife)
-Place strawberry slices on top.
-Store in refrigerator until it's being served.

Paleo Crackers

Lately I've been diving into the whole paleo diet trend, and while I'm not doing it 100%, I am pleased with how healthy it's making me feel. A lot of people use this as a straight up diet, and others make it a lifestyle choice, but I prefer to slowly change over my eating habits, yet still allow myself the freedom to eat what I want. I found this delicious recipe for crackers using almond meal, and find it to be more than sufficient for cheese, hummus, etc. I see that they recently updated this recipe on the website, so I'll have to try the updated recipe, but in the meantime, here's how I made mine using the old recipe

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/paleo-primal-cracker-recipe/#axzz1z4G7Mg8u

I recommend poking around on this website too, he has some really interesting points.

Ingredients:

2 c Almond Meal
1 tsp Baking Soda
Salt to taste
Basil to taste
Oregano to taste
1-2 Cloves Garlic, Pressed/Minced
2-3 TB Olive Oil
Cold Water

Directions:

-Mix together dry ingredients.
-Add olive oil and mix with a pastry blender until well mixed.
-Add cold water one tablespoon at a time until dough gets sticky.
-Place dough on a baking sheet and cover with parchment paper. Roll dough out thin to about 1/8" thick. Slice with a pizza cutter into squares or triangles.
-Bake for ~15 min at 350º until crackers are golden.

Alternative Recipe:

Ingredients:

2 c Almond Meal
1 tsp Baking Soda
Salt to taste
Rosemary (fresh and diced finely) to taste
Thyme to taste
2-3 TB Olive Oil
Cold Water

Directions:

-Mix together dry ingredients.
-Add olive oil and mix with a pastry blender until well mixed.
-Add cold water one tablespoon at a time until dough gets sticky.
-Place dough on a baking sheet and cover with parchment paper. Roll dough out thin to about 1/8" thick. Slice with a pizza cutter into squares or triangles.
-Bake for ~15 min at 350º until crackers are golden.

Gluten-Free Strawberry Shortcake

I got this recipe from:

http://www.food.com/recipe/gluten-free-strawberry-shortcake-174106

I have to say, they turned out pretty nice, but one thing I dislike about this recipe is being able to taste the eggs. Next time I think I'll use fewer eggs and add some extra mass using rice flour.

Shortcake:

-1/2 c Butter
-1 c Powdered Sugar
-1 tsp Vanilla
-4 Eggs
-1 c Cornstarch
-1 1/4 tsp Baking Powder

-Beat together butter and sugar.
-Add vanilla and beat in eggs one at a time.
-In separate bowl, combine cornstarch and baking powder; mix thoroughly. Add to butter mixture slowly and beat until well combined.
-Grease muffin pans/ramekins ( I used this cute flour shaped ramekin pan I have), and pour batter in until halfway full.
-Bake at 375º for ~15 min or until golden brown on top and toothpick comes out clean.
-Remove from pan and allow to cool.

Chocolate Sauce:

-Butter
-Cream Cheese
-Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
-Sugar
-Melted Bittersweet Chocolate Chips
-Bailey's or Kahlua
-Vanilla
-Water

-Cream together butter and cream cheese.
-Add cocoa powder and sugar to taste.
-Melt ~1/2 c chocolate chips and add to mixture.
-Add 1-2 oz Bailey's or Kahlua and some water if mixture is too thick.
-Heat on stove top at medium heat for 5-10 minutes until desired consistency is reached (you want to be able to drizzle with it).
-If it's too thick, add water. If it's too thin, whisk in cornstarch a little at a time until it thickens up.

Strawberry Sauce

-Butter
-Whiskey
-Sugar
-Fresh Strawberries, Chopped 

-Combine butter and whiskey on stove top at medium heat.
-Chop strawberries and add sugar, let stand 5 min.
-Add strawberries to stovetop mixture and cook for 5-10 minutes until strawberries soften.

Assembly:

-Shortcake on bottom, dust with extra powdered sugar.
-Fill/surround with strawberries/strawberry sauce.
-Drizzle chocolate sauce on top.
-Put cool whip or whipped cream on top.
-Serve fresh!

Night of the Salads!

Eating lightly tonight, and I made a pasta salad to bring to work tomorrow! The chopped salad was inspired by my favorite restaurant: The Purple Wine Bar and Cafe. The other was just something I had a craving for. . .

Gluten Free Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

Gluten Free Pasta

Diced Broccoli Florets
Diced Red Onion
Diced Red Pepper
Diced Grape Tomatoes
Canned Sliced Olives

Olive Oil
Canola Oil
Red Wine Vinegar
White Wine Vinegar
Celery Salt
Black Pepper
Basil
Parsley
Minced Fresh Garlic

Directions:

-Cook pasta, set side.
-Chop up all vegetables, set aside.
-Combine vinegars, oils, and spices. Mix well.
-Combine dressing with pasta and vegetables. Mix well and refrigerate.


Chopped Salad

 
Ingredients:

Romaine Lettuce, Chopped
Diced Red Onion
Diced Red Pepper
Diced Avocado
Diced Cooked Bacon
Gorgonzola Cheese
Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing

Directions:

-Combine all ingredients. Mix Well.
-Serve fresh.

Almond Breaded Chicken with Basil Pesto

Ingredients

Sliced Chicken Breasts
2 Eggs
1/3 c Milk
Panko Bread Crumbs
Sliced Almonds
Olive Oil

Pasta (obviously I used bowtie)
Broccoli
Basil Pesto
Sliced Almonds
Salt
Garlic
Shredded Cheese (mozzarella or parmesan work best)

-Beat eggs and milk and submerge chicken breasts in mixture. Mix almonds and bread crumbs together and cover chicken breast in mixture. Dip in egg mixture again and then cover again in bread crumbs.
-Heat olive oil (not too hot, olive oil has a much lower flash point than vegetable oil, so you want it to be approx. medium heat), and fry chicken breasts. Flip occasionally and cook until golden brown. Set aside.
-Cook pasta and broccoli. Drain and put in bowl. Add olive oil, pesto, and spices, and mix.
-Spoon mixture into serving bowl, and place cooked chicken breast on top. Melt shredded cheese on top in microwave.

Chili (with a strange random addition...)

Caribou. That's right, I said it. That's the random addition. How did I come by this, you ask? A coworker. I'm not sure if I would use it again for anything, truth be told, but it wasn't bad. The meat is very lean and has an odd gamey flavor. Anyhow, I used ground beef in this too and that seemed to help even it out. I actually have never made chili before, so I kind of just made it up as I went along. . . As usual, no measurements here, just the ingredients, a tester spoon, and me.

Ingredients:

2 Large Onions, Chopped
4 Cloves Garlic, Pressed
1 Red Bell Pepper, Chopped
2 Roma Tomatoes, Chopped
1 C Beef Broth

Ground Caribou Meat
Ground Beef
Bacon
Cumin
Cayenne Pepper
Turmeric
Paprika
Chili Powder
Salt

2 Cans Petite Diced Tomatoes
1 Can Tomato Paste
1 Small Can Green Chilis
1 Can Pinto Beans
1 Can Black Beans
 
-Chop all vegetables and put in slow cooker, crock pot, or whatever you're cookin' in. Add beef broth.
-Dice bacon, put in a big skillet with the meat. Add seasonings and cook meat until lightly browned.
-Add meat and canned ingredients to cooker, set to low-medium, depending on how long you're cooking (I let it cook for 6 hours and stirred occasionally)

Gluten-Free Samoas

I love Samoa Girlscout cookies- they're definitely my favorite. I had one the other day at work but felt bad because most of my co-workers can't eat them (gluten intolerant/don't eat gluten for health reasons). I saw a recipe some time ago for home-made samoas, and it seemed like a perfect idea to make them and just use a gluten-free version of the shortbread. I found a good shortbread recipe, and it wasn't difficult at all to make.

Gluten-Free Shortbread Cookies

2 c Rice Flour
1/2 c Cornstarch
1 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Xanthan  Gum
1 3/4 c Butter
3/4 c Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla
Milk

-Mix together dry ingredients.
-Cream together butter sugar and vanilla in separate bowl.
-Add dry ingredients and mix until soft dough forms (I had to add a little bit of milk because it just wouldn't stick together no matter how long/fast a blended it)
-Roll dough out to 1/4" thickness and use a round cookie cutter. Cut out a small circle in center of cookies to get the classic samoa shape.
-Bake @ 300º for 20-30 minutes until edges of cookies are golden brown.

Recipe from: http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2011/09/gluten-free-tuesday-shortbread-cookies-recipe.html

Samoas

3 c Shredded Coconut
12 oz Chewy Caramels
3 TB Milk
1/4 tsp Salt

-Spread coconut out in a jellyroll pan. Bake @ 300º for 20 minutes, turning/stirring ~every 5 minutes.
-Combine caramels, milk, and salt in a glass bowl. Melt in microwave for 3-4 minutes, stirring every minute until caramels are completely melted.
-Add toasted coconut to melted caramel and stir until well combined.
-Spoon caramel onto cookies. (This part was a huge pain. The best advice I have is to add the caramel/coconut in small amounts, working around the cookie a little at a time)

Finishing Touch

Semi-Sweet Milk Chocolate

-Microwave or use a double boiler to melt chocolate down.
-Dip the bottom of the cookie in melted chocolate (you will have to spread/smooth the chocolate out a little on the bottom. I actually found it easier to just spoon some melted chocolate onto the bottom and spread it that way)
-Pour some of the melted chocolate into a plastic bag. Cut away a small section of the corner and draw stripes on the cookie.
-Put cookies in freezer for ~5 minutes to help them set.

Recipe from: http://sweetkiera.com/?p=919

In the end, I think these cookies turned out beautifully. I did have a few issues with them, however. First of all, the caramel. I'm not sure if it was because of the kind of caramel I used or because the caramel was melted and then re-solidified (I used Kraft as it was the only option at the grocery store), but I found that when the cookies were done setting, the caramel was fairly tough. Also, the whole process of spooning the caramel onto the cookie was tough; it wouldn't have been so bad if I wasn't so insistent on them having the hole in the center like the actual cookie. Next issue: the chocolate. I'm fairly certain that this is because of the kind of chocolate I used, but every time I use chocolate for dipping etc. it seems like once the chocolate has hardened, the melting temperature is even lower than before (so basically it completely melts in your hands). I think I just need to experiment more with this and try switching up the ingredients a little. Apart from this though, the cookies are delicious, and very pretty : )