Paleo Coconut Power Bar Bites

Mmmm! A new recipe is here!

With a little time on my hands and some ripe bananas to use, I created a new bar recipe. This one is Paleo Coconut Power Bar Bites...and since it's Paleo, it's also gluten-free, dairy-free, with only naturally occurring sugars, (and accidentally vegan). These are a sweet treat, not unlike a cookie--so that's why I'm cutting mine into square inch bites.

Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees F.

In a large Pyrex baking dish, combine:

• 5 small/medium ripe bananas (mashed)
• 2 cups shredded UNSWEETENED coconut
• 1 cup hemp hearts
• 1/3 cup chia seeds
• 1/3 cup goji berries
• 1/2 cup pecans (chopped)

In a separate bowl combine:

• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 cup coconut oil (melted)
• 1 cup pitted dates (blended *I did mine with a hand blender along with the top two ingredients)

Mash the date blend into the Pyrex dish with the other mixed ingredients. Press evenly into the pan, and smooth edges.

Bake at 300 degrees for 50 minutes. Allow to cool. Cut into little bite size squares!

Enjoy :)

Dairy-Free Crock Pot Butternut Squash Soup

I've been on a bit of a roll with soup lately. My old crock pot unfortunately died, and we picked up a new one...so of course, I've been inspired to use it!

Overnight I made a delicious crock pot soup, and I'm happy to share the recipe here! It's gluten-free, and dairy-free. It's got a subtle hint of cinnamon and is absolutely belly and heartwarming.

Butternut Squash Soup

4 cups chicken broth
1 butternut squash: peeled, seeded, and diced (pieces don't have to be of equal size)
2 carrots, diced
1 large yam, peeled, and diced
1 yellow onion, diced
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 tablespoon cinnamon
salt and pepper, to taste

Simple ingredients! Just dump them all in a Crock Pot, stir, and cook on low for 8-10 hours. Once finished, blend up with a hand blender.

Enjoy!

Crock-Pot Mango Coconut Chicken Curry

Absolutely delicious, and a wonderful lunch to bring to work! This makes a crock-pot full!

Ingredients:

12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 tablespoon coconut oil (if you don't have this, go ahead and use butter)
1 can coconut milk
2 cups diced carrots
1 zucchini, quartered, then diced
2 tomatoes, diced
2 mangos, skinned and diced
2 bell peppers, colours of your choice, diced
1 1/2 tbsp medium curry powder
1 tbsp grated ginger
1/4 cup cilantro (I used freeze dried)
1 tbsp cumin
1 tsp onion powder
salt, and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Toss it all in your crock-pot or slow cooker, and stir.
Cook on low for 9 hours. No need to stir!

Roasted Chestnuts

It's that time of year (in Vancouver anyways...) that the roasted chestnut vendors scatter the streets downtown. Those difficult to peel, but delightful and filling bites are such a treat when you're doing your Christmas shopping, but have you ever considered making them at home? I sure hadn't...until I saw raw chestnuts on display at my local No Frills.

This is a super easy recipe that takes about 40 minutes. When shopping at the grocery store, pick the large round chestnuts with a smooth glossy shell. Keep them in the fridge until you're ready for them. From my research, they should last in the fridge about 2 weeks...but I wouldn't keep them that long.

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Hold the pointy end of the chestnut from your forefinger to the flatter end with your thumb. Make a thin slice across the rounded part of the chestnut shell, making sure you cut through the shell part (but don't go too deep). Use a serrated knife, versus a smooth blade.

3. Toss the chestnuts into a pie pan, making sure there's only one layer (don't stack them)

4. Bake for 35 minutes.

5. Enjoy!

Coconut Crusted Chicken with Spicy Peach Dipping Salsa

I apologize for the hiatus...this happened last summer, too. I've been very busy (as summers seem to go...), but also haven't really had much worth blogging about until now!

A few weeks ago I went to a girl's night at my friend's place. She served us a delicious recipe similar to this, and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. Coconut crusted chicken....just thinking about it makes me drool. We had peaches laying around in our fridge, and I thought...coconut....chicken...peaches...yes! I'm going to have it all!

This recipe is extraordinary, and I know I'll be using coconut to crust more than just chicken in the future. We used 2 chicken breasts for this recipe, and ate it for dinner. It would also serve as a fantastic appetizer!

*This recipe contains egg.

Coconut Crusted Chicken with Spicy Peach Dipping Salsa

You will need:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced into strips
1 egg, yolk and white lightly whipped
1 cup (at least) unsweetened coconut (I used unsweetened coconut ribbons from Whole Foods and cut them up a bit smaller to accommodate)

AND

2 peaches, peeled with pits removed
1 tbsp raw honey (optional...if your peaches are really sweet, omit! The peaches I had were not at all sweet)
1/2 tsp red chili flakes


1. Using a hand blender, blend peaches, honey, and red chill flakes until MOSTLY smooth. Refrigerate 30 minutes.

2. Dip chicken strips into egg mixture, then coconut. Cover thoroughly with coconut before placing on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.

3. Once all are complete, bake at 375 for 10 minutes. Flip, then bake for another 5-7 minutes.

4. Allow to rest for 5 minutes prior to serving.


**I managed to save 2 small pieces and a little salsa before they were all devoured...here's what they look like!

Thai Green Curry Paste

Have you ever made homemade Thai curry?

Have you ever made homemade Thai curry with your own homemade Thai curry paste?! Now this picture below looks a little like just a bunch of green mush- but it's GLORIOUS when it's made into a beautiful Thai Green Curry.

Well, this was something that I'd wanted to do since I discovered Thai food. My boyfriend and I love our Thai food and have a favourite place we often frequent (It's called Khunnai Chang Thai Cuisine and I HIGHLY recommend it). We fell so in love with Thai food that we started making it regularly at home. Before I made my own batch of curry paste- we used to use Thai Kitchen. Now, that is good...but it is in no way close to the fresh stuff. This curry paste is amazing. It's easy to make (once you have the ingredients...), but now that I'm here to help you- it will be as simple as reciting the alphabet.

The beautiful thing about this recipe is that it is gluten-free and without preservatives or additives!

The hardest things to find are the Kaffir Lime Leaves and Limes. They are essential for this recipe- so don't substitute. These limes are heavenly. I found them at the South China Seas Trading Co. on Granville Island. I couldn't find them at Whole Foods, Safeway, or No Frills. You could probably also find them at a large Asian Grocery Store. The rest of the ingredients I found at No Frills.

If you've never worked with lemongrass before: here's a video on how to do it!

This recipe will make roughly 8-10 large curries.

Homemade Thai Green Curry Paste
2 stalks lemongrass, minced 
5 green jalapeños
3 shallots, sliced
1/4 cup ginger, sliced
1 cup chopped cilantro leaves & stems
1/3 cup dried basil
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground pepper
1 tsp. ground coriander
6 tbsp. gluten-free tamari
2 tsp. shrimp paste (available at South China Market on Granville Island) (I also read that you can sub this for 1 tsp salt if you're a vegetarian...no guarantees though)
2 Kaffir lime leaves

The zest of 2 kaffir limes

I blended all ingredients together using my new handy hand blender. I've also made a batch using a regular blender, but it takes a bit more time. Since the paste is thick, you have to stop and hand mix the stuff in the blender often. A hand blender took me 3 minutes at most. 
Once it's all blended together: stuff it in a jar, and put it in the fridge! It lasts up to a week in there. Another option is to put it into Zip-lock bags in single uses, and put that in the freezer! Then, when you're making curry, just pop your single serving amount out of the freezer, and drop it into your pan!

To make the curry:
Saute half a yellow onion in coconut oil.
Add diced chicken thighs (or your choice of meat or seafood)
Add diced bell pepper, bamboo, green beans, eggplant....really, whatever you want.
Add a generous dollop of this curry paste along with one can of coconut milk (I use Aroy-D--no binders or thickeners).
Cook until veggies are tender. Voila!

This curry paste is spicier the more you add! It's honestly amazing. SO worth it. I made a batch for my Dad for his birthday!

Superfood Superpower Nut Bars (Paleo Version of the Oat Bar)

I've been doing a lot of reading on the Paleo way of eating, and I think I might give it a try! In the meantime, I've been trying to eat up all the non-Paleo foods in my house (I hate wasting things), and have been buying a whole lot more veggies, fruit, and meat at the grocery store!

Because I'm OBSESSED with my new oat bars, I decided to play around with the recipe to try to make a Paleo version! They turned out great! Give them a try if you're trying to eliminate ALL grains.

If you're also looking to eliminate the maple syrup, I would suggest adding an additional banana to the mix- keep the apple sauce the same- OR use the equivalent amount of canned pumpkin in place of the maple syrup.

Here's the new recipe:

Paleo Fruit and Nut Bars:

¼ cup Goji Berries
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp vanilla extract
¼ cup black chia seeds
2 tbsp roasted sesame seeds
½ cup chopped almonds
3/4 cup hemp hearts
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
½ cup chopped pecans

1 small mashed banana

½ cup unsweetened apple sauce

¼ cup maple syrup (or if you don't want to use this- try the equivalent of canned pumpkin!)

Here's a close up! Look at all that Paleo goodness!

Spicy Turkey Lettuce Wraps

Here's a dinner idea that is not only delicious, but healthy! They're also low-carb- no grains here!
Spicy Turkey Lettuce Wraps

You will need:
lean ground turkey
1 head iceberg lettuce
2 organic carrots, shredded
3/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cucumber, diced
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 tbsp (or more!) diced fresh ginger
1/2 red pepper, diced

sriracha sauce to taste
pepper to taste
1 tbsp gluten-free tamari sauce

Fry turkey, onion, and ginger over medium heat until the turkey is no longer pink.
Add tamari, red pepper, pepper, and sriracha and continue to fry for 3-4 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine fried mix, carrots, cilantro, and cucumber.

Wrap with iceberg lettuce leaf.
Add more sriracha sauce, if desired!

Superfood Superpower Oat Bars

Tonight I created a recipe for an oat bar filled with healthy seeds, needs, and superfoods! Think protein,  healthy fats, and the added benefits of raw cacao, chia, and goji. Your body will love you.

Absolutely delicious- I hope you enjoy!

You will need:

½ cup roasted pecans, finely chopped

¼ cup goji berries

½ cup raw hemp hearts

2 tbsp raw cacao bits

2 tbsp black chia seeds

1 tsp cinnamon

1 ½ cup rolled oats

1 small mashed banana

½ cup unsweetened apple sauce

¼ cup maple syrup

Roast chopped pecans in a dry pan over medium heat, stirring constantly for about 5 minutes.

Add all ingredients into a bowl, and stir thoroughly.

Line a glass roasting dish with tin foil, pressing into the edges of the pan.

Press mixture into pan--trying to keep even throughout.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Allow to cool in the pan.

Body Awareness

Something I've mentioned through this process of becoming gluten (and allergy) free is my increased body awareness. Since gluten is a common ingredient in processed food--my intake of these processed foods and deep fried foods has decreased to barely any.

This post applies to everyone, whether they are gluten free or not, because it's about the changes in your body when you cut out processed and deep fried foods. Now, I haven't cut them out completely--I haven't even made a conscious decision to limit them...I've simply cut out my allergins, and processed foods are pretty much a main contributor of allergins into my body!

A few days ago I went out for lunch with a few of my girlfriends. I ordered a bunless chicken club sandwich (going bunless is always a great option- often you end up with a dressed up chicken breast for a fraction of what they charge for the entree), with 1/2 fries, and 1/2 salad. It had been AGES since I'd had french fries...and I decided I wanted to indulge (but my conscious only allowed me to order 1/2...).

The fries were delicious. Salty, greasy, comforting...I could have had a million of them. In the moment it was pure pleasure.

But here's the thing.

After, I felt awful. I noticed a change about 30 minutes after I had eaten. I felt sluggish, heavy, tired, lethargic...egh, just gross. I wanted to lay on my couch and nap for the rest of the day. ALL from a 1/2 order of french fries.

It's really unbelievable how my body was able to almost immediately tell me that I had given it something bad. It was upset with me, and just wanted to shut down for the rest of the day. My french fries had immediately told my body to be lazy.

I've found that eating healthier really does make you feel better...but you don't notice it until you've eaten junk. It's a more severe reaction- so you notice it more.

It's so obvious to me why weight gain is a vicious cycle. You would have to fight your every instinct to push against those awful calories and unhealthy fats...The junk food just wants you to sit down, be lazy, and eat more junk.

I think the only way to stop it is to start eating healthy. You eat junk- you feel like junk.
Start with the first step- eating healthy- instead of trying to fight against the current.

Chicken Soup for the Soul With a Cold

Last Tuesday I came down with a horrendous cold. They're just so inconvenient, you know? It's putting a serious hamper on my daily activities and production levels!

Since I've been sick, I've been eating Campbell's Chicken and Rice soup like it's going out of style- but I knew there was nothing better for me than homemade.

So tonight- that was my project!
I adapted a recipe from Canadian Living- but it didn't have an essential "get better" ingredient that I wanted to throw in there- GINGER!

Here's my recipe:

Chicken Soup for the Soul With a Cold
*this recipe makes a whole lot of soup- so be ready to put some in the fridge or freezer if you can't finish it all.

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 medium yellow onion
4 ribs celery, diced
2 carrots, diced
4 small yukon gold potatoes- peeled and diced
1/2 yam, peeled and diced
1 tbsp dried thyme (use fresh if you have it!)
3 sprigs fresh parsley, diced (I had some in my garden-- use dried if you only have that)
salt and pepper to taste
5-6 cups reduced sodium gluten-free chicken broth
1/2 cup rinsed jasmine rice
1.5 inch piece of ginger root, peeled and cut into very small pieces

Heat olive oil in your largest pot--you will use only this pot for the soup.
Brown chicken thighs over medium heat.
Once browned, remove from pot- chop into small pieces and set aside for later.

Add onion and celery to the pot.
Saute for 2 minutes.
Add carrots, potato, yam, thyme, parsley, ginger, salt, and pepper.
Saute for 3 minutes.
Return chicken to pot.
Stir in broth and 4 cups water.
Bring to a boil- simmer for 5 minutes.

Stir in rice.
Cover, and cook until rice is soft- approximately 15 minutes.

YUMMY!

Protein Powder and Favourite Smoothies!

With so many different protein powders on the market- it's hard to pick which one. I've had great, good, average, and terrible protein powders, and with all my allergies it's tough to find one that works!

I discovered Organic Rice Protein by Prairie Naturals through a friend, and absolutely love it! It comes in 360 and 720g versions, and in several flavours! It's organic, and vegan-- which I think is tougher to find on the market. Most protein powders have whey- which is milk-derived. It's 100% gluten-free, and is made from sprouted brown rice.

There are 24 grams of protein per serving, and most importantly, it's delicious.
I've tried only the French Vanilla favour, but it also comes in Café Caramel, and Natural. You can find information on all of Prairie Naturals protein products here.

I bought the 360g one, but found that between me and my boyfriend, we ZOOMED through the whole thing. I'm much happier with the 720g, but it's harder to find! In Vancouver, you can find the 720g at Body Energy Club for the best price of $38.99. Whole Foods sells the 360g flavours, but not as good of value.

Here are some smoothie recipes I've created, and have daily! They fill me up, and none of that "they really fill you up" diet lies--I mean it!

Awake Smoothie Recipe:

1 medium banana
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
Splash of juice
4 ice cubes
1 chunk of cucumber (about 2 inches- skin and all)
Small handful of kale
2 Scoops Organic Rice Protein
1 tsp Macha

Blend until smooth!


Simple Vanilla Smoothie:

1 medium banana
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
2 scoops Organic Rice Protein

Blend until smooth!


Cucumber is a great addition to a smoothie- it's a low-calorie, neutral vegetable that can go undetected in your otherwise fruity smoothie! Great way to get your greens!

West End Farmer's Market

Farmer's Market season has arrived! Vancouver offers a variety of Farmer's Markets, and there is sure to be one in your area!

My local area- the West End- is lucky to have a great Farmer's Market on Saturdays. It has been open for the past 2 Saturdays, but I finally got to go pay a visit yesterday!

I was surprised to see a bunch of familiar vendors from the Kitsilano Market- Paul's Produce, bluecometseafoods (mmm sashimi tuna loin!), Flippers Organic Acres, and many others!

Today's Farmer's Market purchases included:

Beets and tops
Cherry Tomatoes (absolutely unreal!)
Strawberry Spinach
Long English Cucumbers (some nice and solid ones this weekend!)
Radishes
New Potatoes (the teeny weeniest you've ever seen! so cute!)
Red Kale
Zucchini

Beautiful produce! 

The West End Farmer's Market is located between Bute and Thurlow on Comox St.
It's open Saturdays, from 9am- 2pm

Get there early to pick out the best stuff! Lots of vendors sell out of some of their goodies!
Go grab breakfast- there is always a food truck and coffee vendors for you to eat while you shop.

Also- don't forget cash, or if you do- you can get Market Money through your debit. It's a $2 charge per transaction.

Next week I'm looking forward to seeing a whole bunch of new vendors.
Check out the Interactive Market Map to see who will be there each weekend!

Mexican Hummus Recipe!

Hello!

So I created a delicious recipe I wanted to share with you all!

I named it Mexican Hummus because of it's delicious lime flavour, and cayenne and cilantro tones.

This hummus is dairy-free, and gluten-free, but most importantly GARLIC-FREE, so you can eat as much as you want without the embarrassing post-hummus bad breath!

Not only is making your own hummus easy, but it's incredibly healthy! Choose to use canned chickpeas or make your own from dried chickpeas! (The trick is to add a touch of baking soda when soaking the chickpeas- this will help keep their skins on!)

Mexican Hummus

You will need:

2 cups Chickpeas

4 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 tbsp Organic Tahini

1/4 cup Lime Juice

1 Jalapeño (I used a White Jalapeño)

1/4 cup Chopped Fresh Cilantro

1/8 tsp Sea Salt

1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper

Combine all ingredients in a blender.

Blend on a low speed until mixed. You may have to stop and stir- this could be too thick for some blenders.

Garnish with a cilantro sprig, and serve with chopped vegetables, or corn tortilla chips!

Would a caveman eat that?

Let's just think about the topic question for a moment:

Would (or could) a caveman eat that?

I think it's a pretty good evaluation on what you should and shouldn't be putting into your body. I think science, for the most part, has had a negative impact on food and how our bodies react to it. The more natural, the better.

It's incredibly important for those with allergies to be checking the labels on everything- this is for the happiness of your belly, and the healthiness of your body. However, not only people with allergies should be checking the labels of your products; everyone should be.

A couple posts ago in the Gluten-Free Kitchen, I mentioned that Skippy Peanut Butter has a strange ingredient you wouldn't expect to be in your peanut butter. Know what it is? Icing Sugar.

Um...
excuse me?

Icing Sugar.

When you think about someone whipping up a jar of peanut butter, do you imagine them reaching for that  white sugary powder? Absolutely not. And yet, it's there.

What about all the additional chemicals that science has created to "improve" texture, taste, or longevity of your food?

Here's another little story for you:

I used to go camping with my family every summer. We had a very nice trailer that we parked at a lake- my Mom is a city girl and didn't like "roughing" it- so we had a trailer with nice beds, a full kitchen, and a bathroom. It was the most comfortable form of camping- it was great!
Needless to say, we had a fully stocked refrigerator and cupboards. We used to make these delicious sandwiches over the campfire- ham, egg, processed cheese- all sealed in a toasted, buttery white bread. I'm salivating just thinking about them.

Anyways, after a lovely summer of privileged camping- we left our trailer on the property for the winter.
Fast forward 8 months.

It's June of the following year. My Dad recruits me to help him clean out the trailer to prepare for the summer. We're cleaning out the kitchen, going through the cupboards, and my Dad finds a loaf of bread---an (at the very least) 8-month-old loaf of bread. It's white Wonder bread...and guess what- it looks EXACTLY the same as the "fresh" ones on the shelves of your local grocery stores look.

If that doesn't make you shudder, I don't know what will. ALL food should expire. Everything except the magical goodness of honey.

If I had brought that loaf of bread to someone's house, and made a couple of sandwiches with it- no one would have known.

The only way this could have happened is if the product was either:
a. Plastic
b. Modified by science in order to NEVER expire.

That's just not right.
Our insides still function like cavemen- we may have outsmarted ourselves with our foods- but it doesn't have to be that way.

Meat, vegetables, raw nuts.

Don't worry about fats.
Cavemen ate lots of fats.

Worry about chemicals, processed foods, and of course, gluten. The hybrid wheat just isn't what our ancestors ate- and certainly isn't what cavemen ate.
Worry about "bad" oils- that's 'vegetable', canola, corn.

Consume good oils- that's olive, avocado, and coconut.

Use spices and herbs.
Salt is okay- but use good salt- sea salt, or pink Himalayan. Your body needs salt to live. Once you rid of the processed stuff- your major intake of salt will be gone. Season your meats with salt and pepper.

Eat like a caveman. Even though our world has gotten faster, more efficient, and smarter- your food should still be the same.

A Gluten-Free Kitchen

Starting up a gluten-free, dairy-free kitchen can be a bit of a commitment. You want to have yourself set up to be successful, with many opportunities to create the most wonderful, delicious meals, and treats for yourself and your family.

Basics to have around the cupboards:

• White Sugar
• Brown Sugar
• Honey
• Maple Syrup (The real stuff. Don't buy the poison. Keep it in the fridge or it will go moldy!)
• Sorghum Flour
• Rice Flour (brown or white, whichever you prefer)
• Tapioca Flour
• Corn Flour
• Millet Flour
• Buckwheat Flour
• Potato Starch
• Corn Starch
• Baking Powder
• Baking Soda
• Yeast (Both rapid-rising, and not)

All flours I have found at Whole Foods. Most of them are made by Bob's Red Mill- Whole Foods does have some in bulk (rice and buckwheat).

Great spices to have on hand:

• Cloves
• Cinnamon
• Ginger
• Nutmeg
• Turmeric
• Curry Powder (check the ingredients labels before buying!)

For the fridge/freezer:

• Fruits and Veggies. I cannot stress the importance of having these around to snack on!
• Fresh salsa! Grab some at your local farmer's market or deli! Fresh is best!
• Kale!!!! Kale chips....so good. Try using red or black kale for a bigger crunch!
• Frozen berries for smoothies!
• Unsweetened Almond Milk (The Silk brand is just terrible. Try Almond Fresh)
• Gluten-free Soy Sauce (Kikkomen makes it! Available at Safeway!)
• Chef's Natural Sausages (Available at the Vancouver Farmer's Market! Try Apple and Pork)
• Soy Good Frozen Dessert (ICE CREAM!!!!)
• So Delicious Cultured Coconut Milk (AKA YOGURT! This is BETTER than the real stuff. Available in Strawberry, Blueberry, and Vanilla. Just try not to get addicted)

For the cupboards:

• Vegetable Oil
• Olive Oil
• Balsamic Vinegar (Get both your Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar from an international market or deli! You'll absolutely find the best quality there.)
• Natural Peanut Butter (Try Adam's 100% Natural Crunchy! A little tip out there...next time you're buying peanut butter, check out the ingredients label on Skippy brand- one ingredient in there you probably didn't expect...)
• Rice pasta- vermicelli, as well as your standard penne, rotini...find a variety of brands at your local Whole Foods!
• Rice! Lots of it! Those who know me know that rice is my absolute favourite food.

Canned Foods:

• Black Beans
• Corn
• Campbells Chicken and Rice Soup. Great for a quick lunch.
• Young Sweet Corn (Stir Fries, and Curries)
• Bamboo Shoots (Thai Curries)
• Coconut Milk
• Dalla Terra Roasted Pepper Antipasto (Put on grilled chicken, mix into your thai curries...so versatile...so delicious)

Just a note: don't buy canned tomatoes. If you're going to: find them in glass jars. The acid in tomatoes leeches the metal out of the cans and creates an unhealthy metallic balance for you to consume. Google it.

Snacks

• Blue Corn Tortilla Chips
• Annie Chun's Seaweed Snacks (Try the sesame flavour)
• Rice Cakes
• Rice Crackers
• Make some of my OMG Bread and keep it on hand for sandwiches and toast!

I'll continue to add to this list as I discover new products! As of right now I've got most of this on hand. The baking ingredients may seem like a bit excessive- but all gluten-free baking uses a variety of flours versus just one to create a great product. Different flours for different recipes for different baked ingredients!

Dinner Idea: Baked Chicken Kebabs!

Tonights dinner: Baked Chicken Kebabs.

The great thing about this recipe is that it can be entirely customized with your favourite veggies, meats, or marinate some tofu and make it vegetarian!

The vegetables I chose:

White Mushrooms
Red Onion
Red Pepper
Yellow Pepper
Orange Pepper
Zucchini
Cauliflower

and for protein:

Chicken Breast

So simple...cut everything into bite size chunks...and skewer. I lightly olive oiled my veggies and chicken before I skewered them, and once skewered seasoned with salt and pepper! You can choose to make a marinade if you'd like, but I wanted the veggies to shine on their own!

Bake in the oven on the lowest shelf possible at 425.
After 10 minutes, flip!
Bake for 10 more minutes and you're done!

Serve over some jasmine rice, and with a delicious salad with balsamic and olive oil! I served the kebabs with some hot sauce, for dipping!

OMG Bread.

Gluten-free bread. Also Egg and Dairy-free.
I DID IT!
Homemade.
Delicious.
No seriously.
Delicious!!!!!!!!!

I hesitate even defining it as gluten-free because even though it is entirely gluten-free....it's not "gluten free", if you know what I mean.

WOW.

Make this recipe now. I adapted this recipe from another site seen here:
http://aprovechar.danandsally.com/?p=228

But below are the EXACT instructions that I did.

Recipe for 2 loaves:

In a large mixing bowl combine:

1 1/2 cups millet flour
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1 cup sorghum flour
1 cup cornstarch
1 cup potato starch
1 cup tapioca flour
4 tsp xanthan gum
1 Tbsp salt
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tbsp active dry yeast (not rapid rise)

Add:

4 tsp olive oil
3 1/4 cup warm water (not hot)

Mix well- don't worry about "toughening" the bread...that only happens when Gluten is involved. Mix away my pretties! When you finish mixing, the bread dough will be more like cake batter than traditional bread dough.

For the best rising: While mixing the bread, create a proofing box in your stove. Put a bowl of water in the stove, and heat it at your absolutely lowest heat- MUST be less than 100 degrees F. Pour the bread dough into two well-greased loaf pans (I use and reuse those cheap shiny ones from the supermarket...work great). Tuck the loaves into the oven with the water. Allow to rise until batter extends a bit over the top of the pan. It took mine about 50 minutes.


Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove loaf pans from oven and cover with aluminum foil. Return to oven and bake for an additional 35-50 minutes, depending on your oven. To test doneness: Insert a toothpick or knife into the center to see if it comes out clean or doughy. Clean is good.

Remove bread from oven, and let cool in pan for about 10 minutes- then remove and put onto a well ventilated area (I put mine on top of my strainer to cool).

Never refrigerate this or other bread—it will get dry and hard if you do. If you leave the bread on the counter (wrapped), it will be good for all purposes for a couple of days. Or freeze if you take your time eating it, like I do...

I'm not kidding you this bread is amazing. On the other site, some people went so far as to saying it brought tears to their eyes. It's so good. In fact, I'm going for another piece right now.



So, I just took this picture of a half-loaf, and I'm considering going back for a third piece. Unbelieveable.

Make it.
Do it.

All flours are available at Whole Foods- save yourself some money by buying the other ingredients somewhere else.
OMG.