Delectable Gluten Free,Dairy Free, Chocolate Chip Cookies

I've done enough experimenting to know that not just any gf flour will yield a perfectly awesome cccookie.I've tried many, and it's been disappointing making batch after batch, and everybody always says..."yeah, they're good". But they were never GREAT! Not like store-bought, lard filled, sugar filled GREAT. Which of course seems virtually impossible if you're not willing to use any of that in your cookie! My husband is the toughest and most helpful critic at our house. That's not saying he turns his nose up at healthy desserts and treats, because he tries and likes/loves most everything I make. But he is very aware of my goal, which is to create healthy meals, snacks, desserts, etc...without the "health food taste". This recipe looked and sounded good, so I tweaked it a little, of course, and boy did it surprise this girl! And my hubby??? He was shocked and amazed at the deliciousness of this cookie. His exact words were "OMGah!! I could eat that every night!!" which of course, we won't, but that was his way of saying that I had nailed this recipe.:) Thank Goodness!!!!

 They are crispy on the bottom, chewy in the center, and just so scrumptious!

Makes 25 cookies
Preheat oven to 375
2c. blanched almond flour or almond meal will work as well ( you can also use 1/2 oat flour 1/2 almond flour but you may need to add a little more butter as it's more dry)
1tbls. flax meal
1/4tsp. baking soda
1/4tsp. sea salt
1/2c. coconut crystals
3 packs or dropperfulls of stevia
1/4c. water
1/3c. coconut oil, or REAL butter (melted) if you can tolerate dairy...(no fake stuff!!!)
2tbls. vanilla
1/2c. chocolate chips

• Combine dry ingredients. Mix in butter, vanilla, and water and stir until it forms a soft dough. Roll cookies into small balls and flatten with your hand. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes.

The One....The Only....Gluten Free, Yeast Free Pizza!

Well honestly, I can't believe I've waited this long to post my pizza recipe, but I just HAD to have pictures before I could post, and it's been a while since we've last eaten this delectable delight:) I have been making homemade pizza for about 7 years, and when I first started, I was using home ground winter wheat, which made the pizza taste similar to grainy circles of cardboard at best! Then I switched to rye and wheat which made a small difference, but not enough to jump for joy.Then, about 4 years ago, I started exploring the gluten free realm. In short, our son was having some allergy issues, and it made tons of difference when we switched. That was all the motivation I needed! At first, I probably made pizza every weekend, trying out new flour blends, store-bought bags, anything that claimed to be delicious. I really enjoy the thrill of trying something new, and especially enjoy using my family as guinea pigs! I think they enjoy it too! The fact is, there are LOTS of pizza recipes out there....yeast, no yeast...gluten free, dairy free...ones that endlessly knead the dough, let the dough rise...prebake...I mean, it can be flat out confusing....I just wanted to make pizza every couple of friday nights! And I didn't want to be in the kitchen for 5 hours kneading and rolling and baking and topping....so after many, many experiments...and a couple of crumbly failures later, I finally developed a recipe that my family loves, and is super easy and delicious. Grant it, it's not as convenient as dialing a number and having it delivered to your door, but it is much healthier, and HOMEMADE! And homemade, is best! So pizza lovers rejoice!  It is possible to have yummy gluten free pizza:)

Mashed Cauliflower

Mashed cauliflower is something that probably doesn't quite make it to the table that often in most homes. Mainly because, I believe, cauliflower isn't the most popular of vegetables. It's a little misunderstood. Poor cauliflower:( But recently, it's earned it's place at the dinner table, by being a pleasant alternative to mashed potatoes. It is super creamy, rich, and definitely a great alternative. Try this healthy sidedish on your family, you may never go back to potatoes:) Or at least you'll have another super yummy side to add to the weekly menu:)

serves 4

1 head cauliflower

chicken broth

sea salt

2tbls. butter

Pour enough broth to come up about halfway on the cauliflower and bring to a boil. Cook until very tender.

Place cooked cauliflower in a food processor with a small amount of boiling liquid. Just enough to get a creamy consistency. Add butter and sea salt to taste. You could also add garlic if you like.

Sara's "Fried" Chicken

This chicken is amazing! If you're from the south, or just southern at heart, you will love this recipe! It's lightly coated with almond flour, then pan fried in coconut oil,which doesn't make it taste coconutty, so no worries for you coconut haters out there:) So yummy! Try this on your toughest food critic, and just see if they can resist!

2lbs. chicken, breasts, thighs and drums(or whatever part you like best)
2 eggs
1c. almond flour
1tsp. paprika
1tsp. garlic powder
1tsp. sea salt
1/2tsp. black pepper
1/2tsp. dried thyme
1c. coconut oil
Preheat oven to 400
Heat oil in a large frying pan at medium-high heat
Mix together dry ingredients
Whisk the eggs, dip the chicken in the egg, then in the dry ingredients. Coat well
Place the chicken in the pan and cook about 2-5 minutes on each side, until brown.
Place chicken on a drying rack on a sheet pan. Make sure chicken is spaced. Place in oven for 15-20 minutes until cooked through. Serve with some veggies and mashed cauliflower! Recipe to come!:)

Heavenly Strawberry Scones

My mom probably didn't think of herself as the "happy baker mom" while we were small, but nevertheless, I remember being greeted many a morning by delicious homemade muffins, pancakes, or breads. Most of them came from a box, but were still technically worthy of the title "homemade",because it was "made at home". She did great for the information and resources she had then, and I'm just grateful I wasn't forced to eat cereal or poptarts every morning lol!:) My favorite of all these, was the strawberry muffin. They're just pretty hard to beat in my book. I did, however,change the muffin status to a scone because they cook faster than a muffin. This recipe is made with wonderful coconut flour. It is low in calories, and high in fiber. Oh how I like coconut flour! I have made these before using blueberries, but when I went to make them the other day, I was saddened to find no blueberries in my fridge, but spotted the last of some lonely strawberries just waiting for the spotlight! They were moist, sweet, and the strawberries just took them to a whole nother' level! I made these the night before a trip, and took them as a "waiting in the terminal" snack.....well, I probably ate 4 waiting to get on the plane, but considering it was my lunch AND dinner for that day, I didn't feel too bad about it:)  Go make some now! That way you can have some for a snack, then again for breakfast!