Category Archives: From Scratch Cooking

Spicy Quinoa Stuffed Avocados

. From Scratch Cooking, gluten free . , , , ,

Today’s post is courtesy of Kell Dos. She felt so strongly about these avacados that she typed up a post, sent it to me, and then sent me a text to inform me of this (apparently) incredible delicacy. If she felt this convicted about avocados, I felt it was my duty to post it for her.

So folks, I give you Kell Dos:

This week our neighbor was running down the stairs to catch one of her kids, in the process her foot landed in a plastic makeup bin that had been strategically placed by her 2.5yr old  to slow her down. (Because aren’t all toys strategically placed by kids as getaway tactics?)  As she fell, her foot stayed in the bin and she ended up with 2 broken bones in her foot.
As you know doing anything with kids let alone a 2.5 and 4 yr old, you need all of your body parts in working order.
And, as neighbors often do, a few of us signed up to bring meals to this (gluten and dairy free!) family. Knowing this, and how much they like quinoa, I signed up for the first day and went to my trusty Pinterest quinoa board.

Recently I pinned this amazingness. A recipe for Spicy Quinoa Stuffed Avocado:

spicy stuffed avacados

I thought this was the perfect opportunity to make it, but once I looked at the recipe I realized it was a bit more complicated than I felt it needed to be so I improvised.

Original recipe found here at Bullfrogs & Bulldogs
Improvised Recipe here:
(I fed my family too so keep in mind this is enough for about 4-6 adults and 4 kids)
8 -10 Ripe Avocados
1 1/2 cups of cooked quinoa
1 Can of Black beans, rinsed and drained
1 – 1 1/4 of steamed sweet corn
half of a red onion, chopped
cilantro, chopped (to taste)
1 large red pepper, chopped
sea salt to taste
pinch of sugar
Chipolte seasoning, to taste (here is a pin for homemade chipolte seasoning from food.com)
Cumin, to taste
Directions:

Cook quinoa and let cool (or you can rinse it under cold water to speed up the process)
Cut avocados in half, hallow out a bit of the center to make more room to stuff. Set aside.
Mix remaining ingredients in a bowl.
Combine cooled quinoa with the bean and corn mixture.
Fill the center of avocados with mixture
Top with cheese, sour cream (we use Greek Yogurt instead of sour cream) if desired.
Chow down!

A big thanks to Kell Dos for taking the initiative and getting this delicious recipe out there! I think I may have to try it tonight.

Lots of Recipes (and They Are Healthy and Gluten Free To Boot!)

. From Scratch Cooking, gluten free, yum

I have been doing a lot of cooking recently.

In fact, I cooked dinner 28 days during the month of March.

I know this because I did some menu planning at the beginning of the month and kept track of it.

I am kind of insane, yes.

However, the best part about this was that I was able to try out some new recipes that I found on Pinterest!

(click on the link to take you to the pin, click on the picture to take to you to the site and the recipe.)

Here we go….

Crunchy Black Bean Tacos: When asked what things from March’s menu should go on April’s menu, these were the first thing Matt mentioned. Grant seconded that thought. Very filling, really tasty, easy to make, great for Meatless Monday.

crunchy black bean taco(Source: Cornerstone Cooking)

Gluten Free Shepard’s Pie: We had this for St. Patrick’s Day dinner. I substituted ground turkey for ground beef. It was super flavorful and really easy to make. Will definitely make it again.

Gluten Free Shepard's Pie

(Source: Celebration Generation)

Quinoa Crusted Chicken: This looked good on paper, if you follow those instructions. I made this for some neighbors one night and didn’t cook the quinoa before I toasted it. (I read the recipe wrong…go figure) Needless to say, it was rather crunchy and very earthy tasting. My guests were kind enough to tell me they liked it. I did not. HOWEVER, if you do cook the quinoa and then toast it, perhaps it may taste better than mine. It looks good in the picture at least.

quinoa crusted chicken(Source: Taste and Tell Blog)

Another quick, easy, good-for-using-up-leftovers is this Better Than Takeout Chicken Fried Rice. A tip I learned about Chicken Fried Rice a few years back is to use rice that is a day old or else the dish turns out mushy. Also, if you use rotisserie chicken, you can make this dish in less than 10 minutes, easily.

Better Than Take out Chicken Fried Rice

(Source: Rachel Schultz)

This is a more popular pin that I always see on Pinterest, PB Oat Breakfast Bars. It goes to show you can’t judge a book by it’s cover. These are  just ok in my opinion. I didn’t like the texture (kind of gummy) but they boys ate them.  Sweetness, peanut butter, chocolate chips in a cookie-type form…why wouldn’t they? These could be a quick, protein-filled breakfast on the go, just not for me.

Peanut Butter Oat Breakfast Bars(Source: Watching What I Eat)

This prosciutto wrapped asparagus is super quick, easy and a great side dish (especially to bring to someone’s house for dinner). And BACON!

proscuitto wrapped asparagus

(Source: Eat Drink Paleo)

Easter dinner was a last minute thought this year. Like, “Hey, we have people coming over in 2 hours, what are we going to eat for dinner?”-type last minute. I had a ham, I wanted rolls. Do you know how long it has been since I have had a roll? Let alone a roll that tastes like regular bread. A ROLL THAT FOOLED EVEN THE BIGGEST LOVERS OF GLUTEN! They were devoured by all and I made them again, three days later with the ham and bean soup that I made from leftover ham.

For the love of everything that is gluten free, THESE ARE AMAZING! I followed the directions to a tee (even took the temperature of the milk to make sure it was between 110-115 degrees.) I used cornstarch for one batch and potato starch in another. The cornstarch muffins were fluffier, the potato starch ones were almost flakier. They reminded me of canned biscuits (which btw, I used to LOVE!) Flaky and buttery and light and fluffy. Takes about an hour and a half to make them start to finish (40 minutes of proofing) and it is so worth it. Anytime you need a gluten free dinner roll…make these!

nom, nom, nom, nom, nomGluten Free Dinner Rolls(Source: Joy of Cooking)

and I will send this off with the most incredible recipe ever. It is so incredibly good that I made it twice in one week. One time for dinner. And this is really a breakfast thing.

hashbrown quiche! Give yourself about an hour for this one. BUT SO WORTH IT! SO, SO, SO, SO, SO worth it!

IMG_5956hash brown quiche, loaded with goodness

Ok, so really, this just gave me the idea to make one because I didn’t follow the recipe at all. I just figured out how to make the crust.

Here’s how to make the crust:

Get a small bag of shredded hash brown potatoes and dump into a pie dish.

Spread around, up the sides making a well in the middle. Season with salt and pepper

IMG_5957like so

Bake at 450 degrees for 25 minutes or until slightly golden.

Here’s how to make the filling:

Crack 7 eggs in a bowl, add a bunch of stuff (and when I say “bunch” I mean it. LOAD it up until it seems like too much) and mix it up really good.

IMG_5962

Stuff you can add:

  • onions, mushrooms, broccoli, tomatoes, ham, bacon, and sharp cheddar cheese (that was our first combination).
  • Green onions, shredded chicken, swiss cheese, mushrooms, tomatoes
  • Black beans, onions, tomatoes, mild chiles (or green chili sauce), cheddar cheese

Get creative! Just add some meat, some veggies (I saute mine first), and cheese pour the entire mixture into the pie crust.

IMG_5964

Lower the temperature of the oven to 350 degrees and bake for another 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

The coolest part about this is that the egg mixture seeps throughout the hash browns making them this eggy, hash browney, mouth full of deliciousness. and it. is. so goooooooooood.

This would be great when having guest in town, for brunch, a holiday breakfast (Easter!), or just for a really quick and easy (and HEALTHY!) dinner.

And there you have it folks, a few recipe reviews for your liking (and gluten free to boot, what! what!) and it only took me 5 days to write. Seriously.

Ch-Ch-Ch-Chia! Not Just For Terra Cotta Farm Animals Anymore

. Chia, From Scratch Cooking, gluten free, Greek Yogurt, Organic . , , , ,

I’m not really sure what the proper etiquette is when you have taken a long hiatus from blogging and then one day you decide to come back to it. Do you offer an explanation? An apology (to the 40 people out there that read this..”thanks!” and “sorry!”) or do you just hop back on, pretending like nothing happened?

Just so you know, in case anyone out there is concerned. Nothing happened, life just kind of got in the way….and I think also, writers block. The only time I can ever remember having writers block was in school. Basically whenever I had to write a paper.

Some of you may already know this about me, but when I find a new product that I like, I kind of get a little obsessed about it (hello, Camelbak water bottles.)

Enter, my newest obsession:

Image

Not the actual “pet”. Chia seeds have been gaining popularity over the past year. I see all over my Facebook New Feed about my “friends” eating them or some page I am a fan of offering up some chia seed recipe and I finally snapped to the trend and bought some. Mostly because there was a 4 lb. bag of organic chia seeds being sold at my Costco and let’s be honest, I just couldn’t resist anymore.

Costco-holic

I love Costco

So what does one do with 4 lbs of chia seeds? Well, first I started researching why I should eat them. 1) They are good for your body. Like, REALLY, SUPER good for you! Like better-than-superfood, good for you.

health benefits of chia seedsPlus much more!

And here is why, this little seed, the one that you used to make into a gel and slather all over your terra cotta sheep, can do all of the amazing things above….because it is LOADED with all kinds of nutrients and trace minerals and trumps so many of your typical superfoods with health benefits.

chia seed comparisonand also know to the Aztec Indians as “running food”…and is infiltrating Wall Street; as a nose candy replacement, opting for a chia-enduced energy boost instead

So, good things in that little seed, I’ll eat it. Are there any possible side effects?  A few but nothing I am too concerned about (but those with high blood pressure should talk to their dr. first before diving into the wonderful world of chia.)

A few other side effects:

  • Possible excessive flatulence from an increased fiber boost (hmmmmmmm)
  • If you have reaction to mustard seed you also may want to be a bit hesitant to try chia seeds as some people have been known to have a reaction (I’m assuming similar proteins are found in both.)

Now, how do I use it?

Well, you can use it as a replacement for egg or flax in a recipe.

  • Replace 1 egg with 3 TBL water+ 1 TBL chia seeds (let sit for 5+ minutes to form a gel. Make sure ALL seeds are soaked)

Or you can toss it into smoothies, yogurt, muffins, pancakes…which, I have done all of and have served all of to both boys who DEVOURED everything they went into. They take on the taste of anything they are in so they don’t screw with the taste of what you are eating. They turn in to this weird gel-like, soft seed when moist and you can’t really tell you are eating them. Keyword here is moist (my husband hates that word). I noticed that everything I baked didn’t get all crumbly the next day. It was almost like a regular gluten-laden recipe.

Also, chia seeds make everything polka-dotty and that is fun.

The first chia recipe I made was this chia blueberry muffin recipe. It called for Pamela’s Baking & Pancake Mix, I used Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free all purpose flour. Only because they carry it at my Costco. Costco makes life so much easier, doesn’t it?

chia blueberry muffins

Outcome: I was surprised how good  these muffins were. Possibly a little too sweet with 1/2 of sugar and a 1/2 cup of applesauce, but the little guys didn’t mind. They scarfed them!

Next, I got really ballsey and decided to adapt my pancake recipe so it could get a little energy boots. I was surprised how easy it was to adapt and I learned that cooking with chia seeds was not that hard at all.

and so I will share my recipe with you that I created for some Energy Boosted pancakes

Gluten-Free Chia & Blueberry Pancakes

1 1/2 cups Gluten Free baking mix (we used Bob’s Red Mill)

2 1/2 TBL sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp xanthan gum

1 tsp cinnamon (optional, but Matt thinks the cinnamon makes them tastes like donuts!)

1 egg

1 TBL applesauce (I used this to cut down on the butter)

2 TBL melted butter (or coconut oil*)

3 TBL water

1 TBL chia seeds

1 1/2 cup milk (we use rice, but have also used coconut and almond with great results)

1/3 cup blueberries (frozen or fresh, either work well)

DIRECTIONS:

1) Mix chia seeds and water, let sit for at least 5 minutes stirring maybe once to submerge all of the chia seeds. You want it to form a gel-like substance.

2) While the chia seeds are soaking, preheat griddle to about 300 degrees and

3) Mix flour mix, sugar, baking powder, salt xanthan gum (and cinnamon) in one bowl

4) In a separate mixing bowl, combine the milk, egg, butter, applesauce and chia seed gel (if it is not a gel, wait it out a few more minutes…and gosh you are a fast measurer!) Mix 3-4 minutes.

5) Add dry to wet and mix until combined.

6) fold in blueberries and cook on griddle (or pan, we used a pan for 5 years until my BFF got me a griddle for my past birthday. Isn’t it great that BFF’s know just what you need and want.)

011Polka dot pancakes! (Click to enlarge, you’ll really see the polka dots!)

This recipe makes approximately 18 pancakes…give or take a few (poured from a 1/4 measuring cup)

Now, here is my caveat…I live at approximately 5,400 ft. in the atmosphere and this factor severely effects any sort of baking I do. Mostly, it makes me a shitty baker. So, here at 5,400 ft. I found that this recipe works well for me, if you try it at any other altitude, let me know how it works out for you.

Outcome: I now know this recipe by heart because a certain almost 4 year old requests them for breakfast (and sometimes lunch and dinner…and often as a snack) on a daily basis. Daily. I do not make them on a daily basis, but we are probably on a 4x a week schedule. Apparently, they are that good.

Here are a few other ways I have used chia seeds in the past few weeks:

  • I toss them into plain Greek yogurt, mix with organic fruit spread and a bit of honey (I have a bit of a sweet tooth). If you eat it right away they add a little, tiny crunch. If you let it sit, they swell up and just feels like you’re eating a soft raspberry seed or something like that.]
  • Grant and I make smoothies often. We don’t measure anything, just scooping and dumping ingredients as we see fit. Our newest favorite contains the following: Greek Yogurt, 1 banana, cup or so of organic frozen peaches, 2 cups or so of organic frozen cherries, 1 avocado, 1 TBL chocolate whey protein powder, 1 TBL chia seeds, 1 tsp of some green, powder, mineral/vitamin supplement stuff, non-dairy milk. Blend this on high until smooth (hence, smoothie). You could probably skip the green, powder, mineral/vitamin supplement stuff (since I I am very specific on what that is) or replace it with your own powder vitamin supplement stuff.
  • You can also make Chia pudding, chia drinks (Chia Fresca is a famous Mexican energy drink), pizza crust, add it to eggs or bread, jam, or even brownies (man, you can put everything in brownies.) Search “Chia recipes” on Pinterest and just see what comes up. Just make sure you do it with an open mind, the some of the concoctions look interesting.

In summary, chia is good for you and you should eat it. Ch, Ch, Ch Chia!

Join the Club! 1 in 3 Of You Are A Part Of It And You Don’t Even Know It

. Boulder, Devil Soy, From Scratch Cooking, gluten free, Monsanto, Organic . , , ,

Today was a TOTAL eye opener. I went to a doctor specializing in functional medicine, meaning, he specializes in finding the root of the problem and fixing it; rather than throwing drugs at some symptoms and dealing with the side effects. I never knew this practice existed but then again, this is Boulder so it really should come as no surprise.

I went there for my “stomach issues.” My “loyal” readers (all 6 of you, shout out!) know that my “stomach issues” have plagued me for my entire life, but have picked up in ferocity in the past 11 years. I have had the gamut of tests run with tubes put in places they just DO NOT belong, scopes, and blood tests. At 27 I was put on medicine typically administered to geriatric patients (but they soon after pulled it off the market because it caused heart attacks, or strokes…or something, but it wasn’t good and so no more drugs. I didn’t like being on them in the first place.) I have been tested for Celiac (negative) and allergies (oh so positive) and have years of internet research and books* and felt that I had a good handle on my “stomach issues”. Which was “diagnosed” as IBS which is really just some bullshit label they give you so can kind of have some piece of mind because they can’t figure out what the huck the problem is.

That is until today. Today, after approximately 3 and a half minutes of talking with this brilliant, genius of a doctor and telling him my issues, he laid it out on the table. He said those two words that I have been dreading to hear all these years, with every bite of toast I take. “Gluten-Free”.

I started crying. (I am particularly weepy lately due to sleep deprivation.)

Whatever you do, PLEASE DO NOT TAKE MY CARBS FROM ME! I will beat you with that loaf of french bread.

“It is the best decision you will ever make.” the doctor said and went on to tell me that about a year ago, he himself thought he was pre-Alzheimers, about to sell his practice, couldn’t remember ANYTHING, had to take his wife along with him to remember what he went out for, etc. His wife went gluten-free due to her fibromylagia and he joined her. Within two weeks his brain function was back and his chronic back pain (of 35 years) was gone.

Ok, that’s great for you guys…but seriously, this is not it.

“You had the stomach flu in your household how many times in a 6 month time span?” he asks. 15

Most likely because myself and the boys are probably gluten-intolerant which  is weakening our immune systems and hence….puke. (an aside, I am currently recovering from a bout of stomach flu from last week.)

“People with gluten sensitivity often are run down.” brilliant, genius doctor says. And I just thought it was kids.

“A lot of gluten sensitive folk also have dairy sensitivity or allergy” brilliant, genius doctor says. My eyes welled up more, I grabbed another tissue as the realization s l o w l y started to seep into my thick skull.

Back in 2006 when I overhauled my diet to to the fine, restricted list it stands at today, I noticed that artificial sweetners and high fructose corn syrup were total gut bombs for me. And let me clarify “gut bomb”, we are talking fetal position, rocking on the floor type pain. The lovely chemical cocktails of processed “food” interestingly enough, are know to cause digestive issues in gluten sensitive folk….hmmmm. ( I learned this from a fantastic article from the Gluten Free Goddess, How To Go Gluten Free.)

Coffee and Black tea are gastric irritants particularly for gluten sensitive and “IBS” folk. I always said caffeine was never a good choice for me (those who know me know why!) so it’s a good thing coffee and tea crush my stomach.

COFFEE

and beer. OOOOOOOOH beer, how I love thee. Not always, but a stint as a server and bartender at a brewery back in the day gave me a great appreciation for it. But I have also had a love/hate relationship with it.  I never know if it’s going to love me or hate me (my belly that is.) I blamed it on hops and draft lines because sometimes my stomach can handle beer no problem, most times I can’t.  But never once did it cross my mind that it would be the wheat. I was already tested for Celiac, I had never heard of gluten sensitivity.

I was in total denial and up until I started writing this post, I still wasn’t convinced that this is the culprit of all of the above. But I know it is, I can no longer deny that I have to further restrict to include another food that is prevalent in almost every.damn.product known on earth. And one of which I CRAVE and enjoy at almost every.single.damn.meal. Wheat, we are officially broken up. I’m pissed at you and your wheat relatives and damn hybridization that hybridized so much over that past 50 years that you made your fool damn self toxic to most humans. (Source)

and while we’re at it, Monsanto can still suck it. They don’t really have anything to do with this, really, directly, this time…but they still are evil.

F Monsanto

*THE book that changed my life: The Unhealthy Truth by Robyn O’Brien. It is an EYE OPENING book about our food industry, Monsanto, our corrupt FDA and how all of it can be tied into allergies, asthma, ADD, ADHD, and autism. Also, artificial food coloring will promptly be removed from your children’s diet after reading this book….and it will make a WORLD of difference.

Team Meeting

. From Scratch Cooking, i want to make this, Running, yum

I have mentioned in previous posts that Matt and I have this kind-of crazy race coming up in less than 5 weeks. Something about 200 miles, 12 runners, 48 hours non-stop, mountainous passes, Breckenridge, Aspen…something like that.  Our team, Last Call is a conglomeration of  spouses, friends, friends-of-friends, and neighbors, which are also friends. So lots of friends which also equals lots of fun and last night we got together for our second team meeting. In which I had two major responsibilities, a side dish and the t-shirt design. Don’t laugh, side dishes are very important and in fact, are my favorite part of the meal.

                                                                                       Watermelon Feta Salad with Basalmic VinegaretteBalsamic Watermelon & Feta salad – no olives please

Now, this came about because I am in desperate need of going to the grocery shopping and had little to work with, but I did have a mini seedless watermelon! And basil and mint! From my garden! (Yay summer!) And I always have feta and I never have olives (so get rid of them!) and balsamic should be a household staple and so there, that was easy. Thanks again Pinterest.

I made a few modifications: NO OLIVES, obviously and I added mint. I didn’t have enough basil so I made up for it with mint and it was goooood! But THE best part about it was that most people who tried it didn’t know it was watermelon, it looked tomato-y and the look of shock on their face after the first bite was kind of priceless. Score 1 on taste and shock factor.

It also most likely comes as ZERO surprise to anyone that knows me that I am in charge of team t shirts. Zero. I have been t-shirt girl for anything that needs a t-shirt since back in high school. And then in college when I joined a sorority, where ever single event is documented with a t-shirt, well yes, I did have my hand in coordinating more than a few of those t shirts. So, when Team Last Call came together I jumped on the t- shirt responsibility with a vengeance!

We took a team vote last night, it was almost unanimous. And only one person REALLY isn’t fond of it (“It’s too resume-y”), but she also has a strong preference to Comic Sans* so…..

without further ado…dun da da DUN!!!!!

Front, centered on our chest…no pocket logo

Back

What does this have to do with Pinterest? Well, type in “free font” in Pinterest and see what pops up. A lovely variety of typography just WAITING for you to download it for free! Because why? Font is important and font is FUN. So I found this font, CODE from this pin and knew I needed to use it for something. And so I found something to use it for.

and lastly, this:

Cheers!which is essentially, this recipe x16

I am not saying anything about if or how that was consumed or by how many people…but we may or may not have lived up to our team logo last night.

A Few Recipe Reviews – Lasagna Rolls Ups, Zucchini Tots and More!

. Friday Flop, From Scratch Cooking, yum

About once or twice a month I get super busy with work and everything (fun) is put on the back burner. As you might be able to tell from the lack of posts recently, this has been the case. Thankfully, that doesn’t include cooking because these three males that live with me demand to eat at least three meals a day. Seriously, the nerve of some people.

As I have said before, I am all about healthy, quick, and easy and here are a few that have been put to the test the past few weeks:

Lasagna Roll Ups : This happened because I planned a big lasagna dinner to carb-load for a The Bolder Boulder (See: previous post) but when it came down to preparing it, I did not have enough noodles. And I had already gone to the grocery store THAT DAY and was not about to go back to the store that I was just at a few hours prior. damn. But I remembered this lasagna roll up pin and decided to try the concept…the recipe was mine and it isn’t much of a recipe more so eyeballing everything, I am a Rachel Ray type cook.

(source: Cooking Classy) Also note, this looks relatively mess free

It is not relatively mess-free, but it ALL SORTS OF AWESOME! It is easier to serve, it is easier to eat, it is more fun to eat, it does not fall apart like a lot of other lasagnas I have eaten and/or made, and for some reason, it is tastier. Also a bonus, it is more economical. I used a 8 noodles and fed one LARGE man (and by large I mean 6’5 large, not fat large), Matt, who is in training, myself, my BF Kelly, and both of my children. Whom, at 1 and 3 you wouldn’t think they could put it down, but let me tell you…these boys can eat more than me. PLUS, we had enough left over for the boys to eat for the next few days. Love left overs!

Zucchini Tots (source: Curious Country Cook):  Let me start off by saying, zucchini could very well be the cure to world hunger.

A little TLC to a plant and that baby will give up the bounty, let me tell you!

On Monday, I made these zucchini tots only I added a mushroom to the mixture. Holy cow we they good. So good, I made them the next night too. And the biggest fan in the family, who ate six of them that first night? My almost one year old, Brody. No joke, six (6). Shoveling handfuls in his little pie hole, he couldn’t get enough. Such a satisfying feeling when that happens.

Pesto (source: Simply Recipes)  I am tending my neighbors garden while they are out of town and we have been eating really well the past week. They have these basil plants that are out of control and so I gave them a hair cut and made my own pesto. It is much easier for me to make my own pesto, rather than try and find one that is sans soybean oil. Also, you can control the amount of oil you put in allowing you to cut calories. I found that I didn’t need nearly as much oil as the recipe called for (I probably used half.) This lovely garden also provided us with some lovely (organic) lettuce and so I made a Chicken Pesto Salad. Here’s a new twist on salad that you may have not thought about. Add rotini noodle to the salad and use the pesto as salad dressing. LIGHTLY though, you do not need a lot to add flavor to this salad, pesto is a potent flavor anyway. This makes the salad a bit heartier and filling and more of a meal…and is damn good.

Banana Bread made with applesauce and honey instead of sugar and oil (source: 8 Weeks To A Better You Recipes): I always have an overripe banana or two around the house so banana bread is one sweet that is around more often than not. However, I believe this is the first loaf of banana bread that I have ever thrown away. No joke, it was so sweet I couldn’t eat one more piece. And while I definitely encourage substituting the applesauce, perhaps there was just too much honey in this recipe and so I am giving this the big, ‘ole Friday Flop.

It didn’t hurt as much as this did

And while we are on the topic of sweets…..my sweet tooth has kicked in full time these days. I am “in training” which just means I am a little more neurotic about getting a run in daily. The flip side is that I need to keep my calorie intake up and while 95% of the time the food that I put into my body is fairy unprocessed and healthy, well, I do have a thing for cookie dough.

And now is one of those times that I don’t feel bad eating it. So I took to Pinterest to find an eggless cookie dough recipe that I could sneak bite from the freezer every once in a while. I found one for Cookie Dough Bites from Dear Lillie.

While I give her props for coming up with a recipe she liked, it was too sweet for me. I could taste too much brown sugar. Plus, I really like the slight bite that baking powder gives a cookie, which was left out of this recipe. And salt although seems counter intuitive to add to sweets, actually brings out the flavor. By taking those out of her recipe (although, the baking powder is not necessary so I understand why it was done) it doesn’t taste like cookie dough anymore, just really sweet flour and butter mix with chocolate chips. My thought is, why can’t you just make your own chocolate chip cookie recipe, replacing the eggs with applesauce, banana, ground flax and water or the multitude of other egg replacements? Cream your butter with whatever your replacement is and make the batter eggless that way? I’ll try it the next time I make a batch of cookie dough and let you know how it turns out. But this recipe, as it is right now, gets chalked up on the Friday Flop list too. wah wahhhh.

Quinoa, Who Loves Quinoa?!

. From Scratch Cooking, yum . ,

About seven years ago before this quinoa craze took off, I discovered it while going through my complete diet and lifestyle overhaul. I was looking for something that I could actually eat (because at that point in time, even a glass of water threw my stomach into a downward spiral of stabby-death pains.) I needed something gentle that packed a big punch. I could pretty much only eat yogurt and knew I needed to get some protein in me to keep me healthy….enter into my life, our beloved quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah). The delightful, kind-of-grain from the Incas.

A single serving size (1 cup) offers:

  • 220 calories (70 percent carbs, 15 percent fat, 15 percent protein)
  • 40 grams of carbohydrates (13 percent daily value)
  • 8 grams of protein (16 percent of daily value)
  • 3.5 grams of fat (5 percent daily value with no saturated fat)
  • 5 grams of fiber (20 percent of daily value)
  • A glycemic load (blood sugar spike) of only 18 out of 250
  • 20 percent of daily value of folate (I ate it a lot when I was pregnant with Grant!)

Quinoa also contains all eight essential amino acids, the building block for protein!

(source: mother nature network – mnn.com)

So, there is your daily lesson on quinoa. Another good tidbit to know if you have never cooked with it, without flavor, it tastes kind of boring. Like nothing really, maybe a little nutty or slightly earthy-ish, but not really like anything. So it takes on the flavor of whatever you are cooking with very well.

Well, I have had my eye on this little doozy for a while. Quinoa Mac and Cheese with Broccoli! (from AroundTheTableRI) So. GOOD. and EASY!

Here are some tips and recipe adjustments I made:

  • The original recipe called for almond milk, but I don’t like cooking with almond milk (as I have stated before, too nutty of flavor for my liking) and so I substituted with rice milk.  Still kept the fat content way down if that is something concerning to you. And since quinoa is so absorbent, I didn’t have to worry about this dish being runny (like I do my mac and cheese). It just soaked up all of the extra milk/cheese goodness and made it amazingly flavorful. It was really cheesy and creamy and the eggs helped make it a nice consistency (and not nearly as messy as eating regular quinoa!)
  • I used sharp cheddar, mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. The mozzarella gave it a nice gooey-ness, the cheddar and parm gave it a sharp cheese flavor.
  • I would double the amount of broccoli only because I love anything broccoli
  • Panko. ‘Nuff said
  • I doubled the recipe and we ate it as a main dish. Later on in the week I reheated it with additional cheese on top and served it as a side
  • Guessing by the level of enthusiasm as this was literally shoved in mouths (some with hands, some with forks), it was a hit with both boys
  • I also mixed it in with some marinara later, later in the week only for Brody to shovel in his mouth…with equal gusto as day one (good way to get even more vegetables in his little belly)

Another keeper!