Quinoa chili

This. was. a hit. My husband ate 2 bowls, and told me how much he liked it, and he is in fact my biggest critic. His mother to this day is a fantastic cook, and in his lifetime he has become a food snob at times. So the compliment is taken highly when one is given! 

The recipe is as follows: 

• 1 cup quinoa
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 (14.5-ounce) cans diced tomatoes
• 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 (4.5-ounce) can diced green chiles
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder, or more, to taste
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 1/2 cups corn kernels
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 avocado, halved, seeded, peeled and diced

I have always really liked quinoa, its a great grain to use because it is the highest level of protein found in the grain world. Or pretty close ;) I really enjoy the red over the tan, I'm not sure why.

Quinoa can be made just like sticky rice, which is great. So I start by taking 1 cup quinoa to 2 cups water, and put it all in my rice cooker and let it cook away. I can ignore it-- which is what I like.

Put that bad boy on cook, and focus on your veggies. 

So I get an onion and 3 cloves of garlic. I peel the outside remnants off and start to dice.

I then take a quart pot or a dutch oven and put about a tablespoon of avocado oil into the bottom and let the garlic and the onion simmer until almost translucent. It says 2-3 minutes in the original recipe, but I think you should just stir and watch until you get your result. 

From there, add your black and kidney beans, 2 cans of diced tomatoes, and 15 oz of tomato sauce. stir and let sit.

I then had a can of full- peeled, and hollowed out chiles I bought for a 1.50 at the store and chopped myself. I'm sure you can buy them already chopped, but what the heck.

Add to your simmering beans and tomatoes, your spices and chopped green chiles 

Once your quinoa is done, there should be no remaining water in your rice cooker.

dump it all into the simmering mixture you've already put together.

Stir it all together and let it simmer for another 10-15 minutes until thick. To speed it along put a lid on your pot.

So thick, and there will be so much food, plenty for left overs!

add a dollup of sour cream and a pinch of cheese. 

and enjoy!

**Disclaimer: You can add corn and avocado to this recipe, but since I cant eat corn and my husband doesnt like it, we omitted it. & our avocado wasnt ripe enough yet. This meal cost roughly $15.00 ***

Glutino Pizza

I haven't had a decent pizza in years. Sure theres all sorts of gluten free pizza that people really like, but I've been rather picky on it. So I saw this product at this store and attempted it, I was actually pretty pleased with it considering it was another box mix.

I followed directions pretty on par. For the oil I used avocado oil instead of what was listed. I've had less and less spasms in my right side since switching oils.

So, 1 1/2 C water

avocado oil, and the box mix

Let the flour and the yeast rise for about an hour in a warm area

This night, I decided to be nice enough to my husband and bake him a home made "regular" pizza just incase the gluten free one was terrible.

I turned my oven on, and let the metal get warm, then covered the pots and let them rise. 

I then got a baking sheet out, greased it, and spread the dough out with my fingertips by wetting them under the sink repeatedly until it was the desired thickness. It's so much easer to spread dough on a baking sheet when you're dealing with different type of dough texture.

I then made my sauce, in order to make this, I use

1 8 oz can of huntz sauce

garlic powder to your liking

avocado oil, about a tablespoon

and stir together.

I usually add parsley or any italian seasonings I see fit. & taste & adjust until you get the desired taste.

spread on your dough.

then bake the pizza for about 10 minutes at 350* for 10 minutes- you do this so your cheese doesnt burn.

add cheese, and your toppings of choice. and put back into the oven- until the dough is cooked all the way through, and the cheese is starting to brown.

Let cool, & enjoy :)!

Potato Pancakes.

My husband and I love potatoes. But after a while you have to start jazzing them up a bit. Potatoes are one of the few starches I can have anymore. So today with the left over mashed potatoes that we have from last night, I made parmesan potato pancakes.

I started with some onion. I used about 1/4 of the onion and minced it. I used so little because it was just me eating.

I took how ever much of this container of potatoes and put it in a bowl. About 1/2 if we were to be precise. 

I added some coconut oil to my cast iron skillet.

& I browned the minced onion with a 1/2 teaspoon of minced garlic.

I then took my potatoes.

& added about 3 TBSP of pancake mix. I start with a smaller amout and add as I go along because it really depends on the consistancy after you add the rest of your ingredients

I add an egg & mix it up.

I added more flour here and there, then added my onions and garlic, parmesan and basil.

mixed it up, tried to get the remaining chunks mixed smoother

I then formed them into patties, & put them in a pan with coconut oil and let them sear. This takes patience which I do not have 99.99% of the time...because if you flip them too early, they may not set & you'll just have a mess

While they cooked,  I "basted"( made some eggs over easy to put on top.)

Potato pancakes, without and with eggs.

Enjoy!

Lemon Crinkle Cookies

I know, cookies again. But I decided to change it up just a little and skip the typical chocolate chip that I seem to be super attached to. I love lemon pastries and desserts. I'm not sure what it is, but I thoroughly enjoy them. A few months ago I had a lemon cookie that was so awesome and I had to find a way to replicate it. 

I'm sure by now you can figure out that I have a major sweet tooth. When I went gluten, & dairy free my sweet tooth just exploded. I mean sure before I was an ice cream junkie which probably had a lot to do with the lack of enzymes in my belly. But I crave sugary sweets on most nights. I try to stick to natural popsicles, but sometimes I have to bake something.

I realize I havent cooked an actual meal on here for a while and I'll be sure to put something up soon! 

So, this is the recipe I went off of 

• 2 cups flour
• 1½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3 tsp lemon zest
• ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• ¼ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• ½ cup powdered sugar, sifted

you can find this recipe without dietary restrictions on this website>> http://www.thekitchenpaper.com/lemon-crinkle-cookies/

& I followed her directions pretty closely

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Set aside.
2. With clean fingers, rub the zest into the granulated sugar until very fragrant.
3. In a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
4. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until smooth.
5. Add the lemon juice and vanilla extract, and mix again until smooth.
6. Add the flour mixture and mix until the dough just comes together.
7. Chill the dough for 30 minutes before continuing.
8. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
9. Roll dough into ⅛ cup balls, then roll in powdered sugar until well coated. Arrange 2" apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
10. Bake for 10-12 minutes.

So here's how what I did different:

I started by zesting my lemon like the recipe says into my cup of sugar. 

I then decided to skip the butter and use coconut oil. (I have become a huge fan of it)

Make sure that you follow the directions of beating until fluffy, because the longer you beat the coconut oil, the warmer it'll get and work into your sugar like it should if you used butter. Remember when using coconut oil, its a 1:1 ratio- so 1/2 c butter= 1/2 coconut oil

From there I added 2 eggs, beating them in one at a time,

Then I added my lemon juice and vanilla

I then added roughly 3 Cups of Pamela's Gluten Free "Baking & Pancake Mix"

Remember when using Pamela's in cookies its good to add a bit more because GF baking can have a runnier consistency.

my baking powder & salt--then beat.

The lemon zest with the lemon juice smells amazeballs. 

Then stick in the fridge for 15-20 min

Bake @ 350 for roughly 10-12 minutes.

you'll want a bowl of powdered sugar to put on top of your cookies, whether you prefer rolling the dough in it before baking or after they're out.

Roll your dough into small balls. 

& Bake! :)

They are so yummy, and a nice summery type dessert! Even my husband loves them which is a surprise since he doesnt care for sweets.

Enjoy! 

M