Tag Archives: vegitarian

Pistachio Ambrosia Salad

This recipe is to good to be fat free and low in sugar. I know I had something like this before but never tried to make it. I love pudding so anything the can kick it up a step is worth it. This wonderful green color would be great for a St. Patty Day Treat or Easter Dessert. You could also use a vanilla or butter scotch pudding with some food color to change it for any holiday. Orange pudding and chocolate chips could be fun for Halloween. Have fun with this one and enjoy.

Ingredients:

1 20 Oz Can Crushed Pineapple in Light Syrup

1 20 Oz Can Pineapple Chucks in Light Syrup

1 Box Sugar Free, Fat Free Jell-O Instant Pistachio Pudding Mix

1 Cup Mini Marshmallow

1 Cup Softened Fat Free Cool-Whip

¼ Cup Unsweetened Coconut Flakes

Place canned fruit in a large bowl and drain most of the liquid away. Add pudding and mix well for a minute. Now add marshmallows and Cool-Whip and continue to fold together. Add the coconut and mix it all to combine. Place in the fridge and allow to firm up for an hour. Serve cold with a little extra coconut to garnish.

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Carrot Kugel – Gluten Free

I loved noodle kugel as kids. Something about a sweet side dish alway gets me. Since gluten free noodles do not bake well and are something I try to avoid I came up with a much healthier, guilt free version. Filled with only good stuff you will be happy to watch your family gobble this one up.

Ingredients -

1 Peel Sweet Potato

2 Carrots

1 Apple

1/3 Cup White Raisins

2 Eggs

2 Pieces Gluten Free Matzo

1 Tsp Cinnamon

1 Tbs Honey* Optional

1/2 Tbs Lemon Zest

1 Tbs Fresh Lemon Juice

Start by grating potato, carrot and apple all into a large bowl. Add lemon juice and mix well to help keep bright color. Add cinnamon, zest, raisins, eggs. Add honey if you want to make it sweet but no needed. Mix well. Place Matzo in a food processor and grind into crumbs. Add matzo to mix and combine well. Place mix in a sprayed baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for an hour. I cooked it uncovered for the first 30 minutes and then covered it for the remaining 30 minutes. Cooking time will depend a little on the height of the dish you are using so make sure to watch. Serve in nice slices or square either cold or warm. Enjoy!

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Gourmet Focaccia the Chebe Way

I really can not get enough of all the Chebe bread blends. No matter what I do it keeps getting better. This time I was testing it on my dad and he forgot it was Gluten Free. I love this stuff. Chebe makes a Focaccia Blend which is fun as a great brunch or dinner side. My recipe adds great twist to make your bread supper fancy.

Ingredients:

1 Box Focaccia Chebe Mix

2 Tbs Olive Oil

1 Cup Parm Cheese

Pinch Sugar

Pinch Salt

1/4 Tomato Sauce

2 Eggs

1 Tbs Milk

Topping

1/2 Tbs Salt

1 Tbs Truffle Oil

1/2 Basil

Mix all bread ingredients together very well by hand, kneading as you go. Press into a lightly sprayed square baking dish. Coat the top with truffle oil and make sure to brush it allover the top. Using your finger tips make a munch of shallow indents in the top of the dough. This will make a great texture and allow some of the oil to poll on top creating an interesting a great effect when it comes out of the oven. Sprinkle with salt and basil. Bake as directed on the box and then slice into sticks to serve. Great for dipping :)

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Quinoa Salad

Quinoa is truly a power ingredient. Full of protein and all the good stuff. Alone it is nutty, fluffy and full of life but when combines in a number of recipes the result is outstanding. I made this recipe on Saturday at Sweet Christine’s Bakery and everyone lived it.

Ingredients:

4 Cups Cooked Quinoa
1 Cup Chopped Parsley
2 Cups Cherry Tomatoes
1 Bell Pepper Diced
1 Cucumber Seeded and Diced
1/2 Cup Olives
2/3 Cup Feta Crumbled
1 Lemon
Pinch of Salt and Pepper
1 Tbs Honey (optional)
1 Tbs Olive Oil
2 Tsp Oregano

Start by making the dressing in a large bowl. Whisk together the juice of one lemon, salt, pepper, oregano and honey. Then add diced pepper, cucumber, olives, parsley, tomatoes sliced and parsley. Mix together well. Now add quinoa and toss together well. Let it all sit for a minute so the dressing is absorbed. Last, add feta and enjoy.

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Forgot the Sweet Potato Peanut Butter Soup

Well the other day I made a bunch of cooked sweet potatoes and made sure to leave some extra to make a creamy hearty soup. Well…. lunch time came around and I blame this on my blood sugar running low but I got everything together to make an amazing pot of soup and I completely forgot the sweet potato. It was so ridiculous that I did not realize it until Jay asked what was for lunch and I started to say African Sweet Potato Soup and I just start to laugh because I opened the fridge and found the wonderful orange chunks of potato still in the fridge. Figures… But regardless this soup was amazing.

Ingredients -

4 Tbs Peanut Butter

3 Cups Crushed Tomatoes

3/4 Cup Water

1/4 Cup Fresh Chopped Parsley

1/4 Cup Fresh Chopped Cilantro

2 Celery Stalks Chopped Fine

1 Carrot Diced

1 Tbs Honey (Optional)

1/4 Milk

1/2 Tbs Onion Powder

1 tsp Pepper

1 tsp Salt

1 Tsp Chili Powder

1/2 Tbs Mombasa Spice (African Blend)

Start by sautéing celery, carrots with onion, pepper, salt, chili powder and Mombasa spice. After a few minutes add tomatoes, honey, peanut butter, water, cilantro and parsley. Once simmering add peanut butter and mix well. Let simmer for 10 minutes and then add milk and condensed milk. Continue to cook low for another 5-10 minutes until desired consistence is reached. Serve hot with a nice salad.

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Strawberry Jam

It may not be the season but the market has been filled with strawberries all week. This is a super easy recipe and it came out AMAZING. Best jelly I have done yet. Great in oatmeal, on toast, or yogurt in the morning. Also great with a peanut butter sandwich or as a cookie center.

Ingredients-

4 (1lb) Container’s of Strawberries

2 1/2 Cups Sugar

1 (Lemon Juice and Zest)

4 (8oz Jars)

Rinse and dry all the berries. Then slice them slice them all and place in a large container with a lid. Pour in 1 Cup of the sugar, mix well and place lid on top. Leave in the fridge for 1-3 days. This will quickly break down the berries. Its great recipe because you can by the berries fresh today and it only takes a few minutes to get the first steps done and then you have up to three days to find time to can them.

When your ready set up your three pot Jar making process like below. In the one pot pour in all you strawberries and bring to boil. Add an additional cup and a half of sugar and mix well. Bring to boil and then simmer for about 30 minutes. Until it begins to reduce, hits 220 degrees and passed the glass test on the back of a spoon. Mash the mixture with a potato masher till you get the consistency you are looking for. Now add lemon zest and juice of one lemon. Cook an additional ten minutes. Now your ready to JAR!!!!!

I copy and pasted the method from my orange marm below:

This recipe makes 4 (8oz Jars). Start with the three pot set up below:

Pot 1 -Using the recipe above – In a medium size pot non-reactive surface to make the jam. Continue to stir and watch the mixture so that it continues to bubble but not burn or boil over. You must stir it every few minutes. Your goal is for the mixture to become thick. It should get to the point that it wont create droplets or run easily off a cold spoon. You are looking for a consistency that slowly forms large clumps that look almost like glass forming on the spoon. Many recipes say this will take 10-15 minutes. It took me about 45 minutes but weather plays huge factor.

Pot 2- The next pot should be small with hot water for cleaning the lids. When you preserve anything in jars, the metal circle part of the lid is not re-usable. Each time you must use new lids.This is because they have a rubber lining that helps form a seal but it only works once. The jar and twisty top are good for many uses but not the flat part of the lid. In order to active the new flat top you must heat the lids to help soften the rubber. Do this by putting just the flat part of the lid in the pot with very hot water but not boiling and allow it to sit for about ten minutes before processing.

Pot 3 – Place water into the pot high enough to cover the jars with a little extra water because water will evaporate. You should use the biggest pot you own for this one like a lobster pot. Place a small towel in the bottom of the pot. This acts like a pillow to avoid the jars from breaking in the pot. Place the jars and lids in the pot and bring water to boil. Boil for ten minutes and then keep the jars in the hot water until your ready to fill.

Once the jelly cooks down and is ready to go, shut the heat off and allow it to cool for 5 minutes. Remove jars from hot water and drip dry. Fill each jar with jelly about one half inch from top. Clean the tops of the jar well with a clean wet towel to insure that you will make a good seal between the jar and lid. Place the lids on jars. Its important not to twist the lid on to tight because you want air to escape. A good rule is to make it finger tight.

Next, place the complete jars in the big pot of water on high heat for ten minutes. Once the water is boiling you may want to lower it a bit to keep the jars from moving to much. After ten minutes CAREFULLY remove the the jars with tongs from pot and place on counter. Its important not to put the jars on a cold surface because the sudden change in temp from the hot water to the cold counter can break the glass.

The final step is my favorite. I call it the canning musical. Once jars are out of the water you want to hear each lid make a pop sound. This insures a good seal. The sound is like the what you hear when you open a glass juice bottle. This can take up to 15 minutes depending on room temp. If you don’t hear the pop or see an indent on the top of the lid then you should keep that jar in the fridge and use it first.

Jam can stay shelf stable for up to a year but once opened should be stored in fridge. Enjoy!!!

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Hidden Vegetable Pizza

Finding good gluten free pizza is a daily adventure. I found some already made crusts that work great but I missed making it from scratch at home. I have tried a bunch of my own blends and it was never very good but when I tried the Chebe pizza crust blend I was amazed. This stuff is amazing. It was so great I was able to hide vegetables in it and cut some of the fat to make it a guilt free pizza for the whole family.

Ingredients:

Crust -

Chebe Pizza Crust Mix

2 Tbs Olive Oil

2 Large Eggs

1/4 Milk

I did not add the cheese to the crust the box calls for*

Sauce -

1/3 Cup Crushed Tomato

1 Carrot Diced

1 Celery Stalk Diced

1/8 Cup Diced Onion

1 Tbs Oregino

1 tsp Garlic Powder

1 tsp Sugar

1/2 Tbs Tomato Paste

Cheese -

1 Low Fat Mozzarella Sticks

1/2 Cup Ricotta

1 Tbs Onion Powder

2/3 Cup Chopped Frozen Spinach Cooked and Drained

1 tsp Salt

Start by cooking onion, carrot and celery in a pot until lightly brown and soft. Add tomatoes, garlic, sugar, tomato paste and oregano cook for a few minutes. While sauce is cooking mix all the crust ingredients and knead in bowl. Spray a 14 inch round pizza pan and spread dough on top. Now top the crust with sauce. In a small bowl mix ricotta,salt, onion powder and spinach. Spread ricotta on top of the sauce in small clumps. Shred cheese sticks and top the whole pie with shredded cheese. Spray the outer crust not coated with sauce. Bake in a 450 degree oven for 15-18 minutes until golden brown. Slice and serve hot!

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Sicilian Dirty “Rice”

I have always been a fan of using cauliflower in place of rice but sometimes you really need to kick it up a notch. This is a great way to make cauliflower a base or side dish to any protein for an easy and healthy gourmet meal.

Ingredients:

1 Head Cauliflower Riced (This mens grate the whole thing on a greater or finally chop it. I promise it is worth it)

2 Tbs Capers

1 Orange Bell Pepper Chopped

1 Tbs Orange Marmalade or the Juice and Zest of half an Orange)

1 Tbs Butter

3/4 Cups Chicken Broth

10 Olives Chopped

1/3 Cup Chopped Parsley

2 tsp Salt

1 tsp Paprika

Microwave riced cauliflower for 6 minutes. While that cooks place peppers in a sprayed pot and cook. When cauliflower is done pour into the pot and add broth. Once boiling add all remaining ingredients and stir well. Cook over medium heat until liquid is gone.
Enjoy!

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“Hell-o” Fruit Salad

I am giggling while I write that title because if you knew Jay’s mom you would understand why I love this very bubbly, caring and amazing person. Ellen is always super supportive of all my endeavors regardless of what I may be up to. She knows that I take very good care of her son and that normally means feeding him well. Since Ellen was born and grew up in the Philippians I am consistently exposed to new dishes that I would have never tried. Jay often misses his mom’s best dishes and Ellen does her best at sharing the recipes for me to re-create at home. Momma Ellen will always make the best but I am told my replications are pretty good. This is another one of her famous Philippines dishes. We shared it at our Super Bowl party and it was a hit.

Whenever Momma Ellen calls it is customary to say “Hell-o”

Ingredients:

1/2 Can Condensed Sweetened Milk

1/2 Bar Cream Cheese

2 Big Cans Tropical Fruit Salad in Light Syrup

1 Big Can Sliced Peaches in Light Syrup

1 Small Can Little Oranges in Light Syrup

1 Jar Coconut Jelly (Find in Asian Store) Optional*

Start by draining all fruit very well. I placed it in a colander in the sink for 10 minutes. Place cream cheese and condensed milk in food processor or mixer and blend it together until smooth. Pour fruit in bowl and then pour milk mix on top. Mix it all together well and place in fridge for two hours before serving.

ENJOY!!!!!! Thanks Momma …

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Spinish Dip Made Lite and Easy

I have been making this for awhile and I am not sure why I never wrote out the recipe. It is a great crowd pleaser and inexpensive to make for a bunch of people. A lot of restaurants version are NOT gluten free and packed with fat. I always make a big amount and have extra to play with. Stay tuned from a bunch of leftover recipes.

Ingredient:

2 Cups Ricotta Cheese

1 Package Frozen Chopped Spinach

1/2 Onion Diced

2 Cloves Garlic Diced

Salt and Pepper to Taste

1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce

1/2 Nutmeg Ball

1 Tbs Olive Oil

Start by cooking the onions and garlic in olive oil. Add frozen spinach and cook down while mixing everything together. Drain of all the extra water and add salt and pepper then lower flame. Next, add cheese and mix well. Grate in half a nutmeg ball and add Worcestershire Sauce. Mix well and taste. Add salt and pepper if needed. You can serve warm or cold with tons of cut veggies or chips.

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