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!

Greenie Bites

I love greens+ products! Their green powder is amazingly nutrient dense. Although it doesn't always go down easy. It has a very strong flavor making it almost impossible to give to a child! So, I decided to do what the greens+ people did.....put the powder in the form of a bar and actually make it taste good! I made a small batch of these little bites and my son devoured them! And yes, he gets very picky pants sometimes. These are definitely cheaper to make than buying the bars themselves. The powder is around $30, and an entire container makes roughly 35 bars!! Greens+ charges $30 for 12 bars in a box So it's quite a better deal to DIY!)
The original bars do not contain chocolate, I did them both ways and they both were amazing, but obviously, the chocolate LOOKS more appetizing, so I would start with that one if your little ones are freaked by green:)

Homemade Turkey Sausage

Homemade sausage is something I never really thought to do. Although now that I have, I can't believe I waited this long to try it! It really is amazing and simple. The original recipe came from my friend Sara, who is our paleo guru. She made it for us one night and we were hooked! I had to change around some of the spices for my hubby because he's not a huge sage fan, but the idea behind anything homemade is that you call the shots. Use whatever spices you like. It can be sweet, spicy, bland, whatever you want. That's the beauty:) We like ours a little sweet:) You could sub ground beef for the turkey, but to me, the turkey is more tender so it makes it more juicy and flavorful.
makes 15 small patties
1lb. organic ground turkey
1/2tsp. poultry seasoning( you can always add whatever herbs you like, I just use poultry seasoning because it's what i have on hand most of the time and it has the flavor we like)
1tsp. sea salt
1/2tsp. black pepper
1tbls. mustard
2tbls. blackstrap molasses(omit if you don't want any sweet flavor)
Combine everything in a bowl. Shape into small patties or links...and cook on a medium-high heat skillet, about 2-3 minutes on each side until cooked through. I always cut one in half to judge the others.

The "I'm Not Spending An Arm And A Leg For Crabmeat!" Crabcakes

Right off the bat, excuse the pic...it was rushed and a little out of focus, but it gets the job done:)
This post is a little off my norm as far as posts go. But I wanted to share this recipe, because.....these are SOOOOO DARN GOOD! Now I love crab as much as anyone, but let's be real, Im not gonna pay an arm and a leg for a lb. So, I decided to substitute the crab....I know, who would do such a thing??! Well it worked! Instead of buying lump crab which is a bit $$$, I bought tilapia...which is roughly $6 a lb. I'm quite sure another white fish would work in this recipe. But again, tilapia is the cheapest I know of so far, but if you try something different please share!:)
Makes 8 "crab"cakes
1lb. fresh tilapia fillets (3-4 pieces of fish) you can get your fish market to steam it or you can pan sear it right before combining.
1egg
3tbls.vegannaise ( this is a vegan mayo, if you don't have it,sub olive oil. I did this the other night and it worked great!)
2tsp. old bay seasoning
1/2tsp. sea salt
2tsp. fresh lemon juice
2tsp. dijon mustard
1tsp. braggs liquid aminos
2 dashes hot sauce(I use cholula)
Mix these together, set aside
In a separate bowl:
1/2c. fresh bread crumbs( I use leftover bread that I've baked, but you could use any gf bread or even ezekiel bread. Yo could also use 1/4c. almond meal 1/4c. flax meal as well. Run it through the food processor until it's fine crumbs)
1tbls. fresh cilantro,chopped (or parsley if you don't like cilantro)
After tilapia is cooked, break into small chunks and add the bread crumbs and cilantro. Once combined, add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. At this point, you could form patties and cook them, but I like to freeze mine for about 15 minutes, so they are easier to work with. Preheat a skillet on medium-high heat. Add 1 tbls. grapeseed or light olive oil to the hot pan. Cook about 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Serve plain with lemon juice or with Cilantro chimichurri (as follows)
1 small bunch fresh cilantro
1/4tsp sea salt
1/4tsp. black pepper
2tsp. lime juice
1clove garlic
1tsp. honey
1/4c. olive oil
combine in food processor until emulsified
If you like a more creamy type dressing, sub 2tbls. greek yogurt, and 2tbls. vegannaise for the olive oil:)

The Perfect Gluten Free Sandwich Bread....Finally!!!

Well as of right now I am doing a happy dance in the kitchen! Lol! I really cannot describe to you how long I have looked for a gluten free bread recipe that actually held up to sandwich scrutiny. We're not big sandwich eating people, except for the Sunday night Egg Sandwich....which is a pretty big deal at our house. Thus, the glorious eggs needed a bread worthy enough. I have made many loaves over the years, they all turned out pretty, and for the most part tasted great. But all that seems to disappear when you're trying to assemble a tower of eggs or turkey on seemingly wonderful bread that is crumbling piece by piece. And then you realize that you have to search....again....for the RIGHT recipe. I was doing just that today and stumbled upon a new website,thankfully! I read some of the reviews, all stating this bread to be IT! So, I gave it a shot, and boy was it worth it! I did change around some of the flour, not too much, and used honey instead of sugar. So if you've been looking for a simple gluten free bread that will hold it's own come sandwich time, this is it!. I'm sure the eggs will be thrilled!
Makes 1 loaf
11/4c.almond meal or almond flour
1c. tapioca flour
3/4c.millet flour
2tsp. xanthan gum (DO NOT OMIT)
1pckg. hodgson mill yeast or 2tbls.
1 1/4tsp. sea salt
2tbls. honey
3tbls. olive oil, coconut oil, or melted butter
2eggs
3/4-1c.warm water ( I always start with the least, then add if the batter is dry, but usually 3/4 is perfect!)
Beat the eggs in a stand mixer with the whisk attachment or handheld until frothy, add in the rest of the liquids, make sure your water is warm, not hot! switch to paddle attachment.
Combine dry ingredients, then slowly add into mixing bowl (you can use a hand held if you don't have a stand mixer, but the mixing time will have to be doubled) Turn the speed to high then beat for 2 minutes. The mix should resemble cake batter. Pour batter into a greased loaf pan. I only had a 9x5, but next time I will use a smaller one to get a higher loaf. This bread rises very well, but is more wide than high. To help the bread rise, heat a small cup of water in the microwave until it boils slightly and there is steam coming off the top. Place dough, uncovered in the microwave with the steaming water. Let it rise for 40-50 minutes or until the dough has reached the top of the pan. Preheat the oven to 400,place the bread in for 10 minutes, then cover with foil for remaining 20-25 minutes. Obviously not all ovens are the same. You may need to cook yours longer or shorter. The original recipe said to cook for 40 minutes, mine was done in 30.The bread should have a golden brown color all over and sound hollow when tapped. Leave it in the pan about 10-15 minutes, then remove it and place on a cooling rack. DO NOT CUT INTO THE BREAD! As much as you may want to, let the bread cool completely before cutting. This allows the inside to get firm, if not, the bread will be too moist and fall apart when cut:) Bon appetit!

Chewy Honey Cookies

 My friend Sara made a version of these for us one night and I fell in cookie love. She used walnut oil, but since I didn't have any,I used coconut oil. I adapted these from elanaspantry.com chocolate chip cookie recipe. She uses a LOT of almond flour, which I happen to love for baking. Almond flour is so versatile and can be used in just about anything. Blanched is usually best for cookies, but I have used both blanched almond flour, and almond meal(simply ground up almonds) and my results were not different enough for me to really care. I use whatever I have on hand, and today, I had almond meal. She also uses a lot of agave nectar which I have completely turned away from due to the recent discoveries about it's fructose levels. So I used honey instead. These cookies are chewy and sweet, and a treat you can feel good about because not only are they naturally sweetened, but protein packed. They are delicious without chocolate, but of course, even better with it! Give em a try with your favorite tea or coffee:)

2c. almond meal or blanched almond flour
1/2tsp. baking soda
1/4tsp sea salt
1/4c.honey
2tsp. vanilla
6tbls. coconut oil or butter melted (my family prefers butter, but I adore the coconut oil)
1/2c. chocolate chips or cocao nibs optional, but, come on!:) (again I prefer the nibs here, but family prefers c.chips. If you really want cccookies, then obviously,use chocolate chips:)
Combine dry ingredients. Melt butter(or oil) and immediately combine with honey and vanilla so that the honey is slightly warmed and thins out a bit. Combine all ingredients. Shape into small or large discs and bake on the top rack of oven @350 for 5-8 minutes. Mine came very close to burning today....they were on the middle rack:/...so make sure they are on the top:) The cookies will be brown along the edges and still soft and gooey in the middle. Once out of the oven let them cool before eating....I know...yeah right!....but really, if you can resist, letting them cool will let the honey and butter solidify allowing for best results:)