Monthly Archives: September 2013

Halo Halo

As I continue to discover new gluten free recipes its important to talk about one of my favorites. Halo Halo is like a Philapino ice cream Sunday. After a recent trip to San Francisco I had a hands on cooking demonstrations on how to make some of the best Philapino recipes from Aunt Bing. Halo Halo is to good to be true and is something I always look forward too. Feel free to be creative with this one.

Ingredients: (this is a recipe to assemble a single serving)

1 Cup Snow Ice – either ice blended or run in a snow cone maker
1/3 Cup Sweet Beans- the best is to buy type if dessert beans at an Asian market. If that not available the you can slowly rehydrate beans in a sugar water solution.
1/3 Cup Jelly Cubes- This is another item easily found at an Asian market. Or make using a basic jell-o mix with half the water and set in a shallow baking pan . Once set, cut into cubes.
1/2 Cup Ube or Jack Fruit Ice Cream- this can be substituted for mango ice cream if needed.
4 Tbs Condensed Milk
2 Tbs Rice Cereal

Start by finding a fun clear glass. Place ice on bottom for the first layer. Next, place beans and cubes of jell-o as second layer. Then pour condensed milk on top. Top ice layer with scoop of ice cream. Finally sprinkle with rice cereal for a touch of crunch. Serve immediately and enjoy!!!!

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Apple Cider Freeze

Fall is my favorite season of the year. I love the weather, the foods, apple picking, the colors of the trees. Every year Jay and I make it a point to have one full day doing fall fun things. This year we went to a scarecrow festival, wineries and apple picking!! With the ten pounds of apples and the gallon of cider we returned with be prepared for a lot of apple related recipes. Since the weather is still warm I came up with this one. A super easy treat the whole family will love.

Ingredients:

2 Cups Apple Cider

All you need to do is toss cold apple cider into your ice cream maker and run for about 10-15 minutes.

If your don’t have an ice cream maker then freeze the cider in ice cube trays. Place frozen cups in a blender and blend until they form a snow.

Optional – For adult, pour over 1 oz of rum to slush for a festive cocktail. IMG_2887

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Salisbury Steak

My boyfriend likes to challenge me with his dinner requests. This time he wanted a classic Salisbury steak dinner. Since the store stuff is not gluten free I had to get creative. It worked out great!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pound Sirloin Steak Ground
1 Egg
1 Onion Diced
4 Tbs Pecan Meal
4 Cloves Garlic Diced
2 Tbs Tamari Sauce
2 tsp Salt
1 Container Mushroom Sliced
1/4 Cup White Wine
1 Tbs Cornstarch
1/2 Water
2 tsp Pepper
1 tsp Oregano
1 tsp Parsley
1 Tbs Butter

Start by chopping the onion and garlic as small as possible. Brown the onion in a large pan with a little spray or oil. While onions are browning place ground meat Ina large bowl and combine with egg, pecan meal, tamari sauce, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper, oregano and parsley. Once onion and garlic is done add half the mixture to the meat and save the other half in a bowl. Mix up the meat well and form five oval patties. Return pan to heat and brown each side of all meat then remove. Your not trying to cook meat completely. Now, in the pan with the drippings add the mushrooms sliced and the onion. Cook with down with a bit of butter and a small amount of water if needed. Add wine and cook till mushrooms are soft. Stir in remaining salt and pepper. Now place water and corn starch in bowl and mix well. Pour the corn starch mixture into the pan and bring to a simmer. Return meat to pan and cover. Cook for 30 minutes over medium heat, turning patties every 5 minutes. Remove and serve with extra sauce and any sides you want.

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Choclate Dipped Bacon

I am always looking for creative after dinner treats that are gluten free and anything different then the norm. After a meat day feast I have with my friends I wanted something that everyone would enjoy. I figured you can never go wrong with bacon or chocolate so I just put it together. It was a huge hit!!!

Ingredients:

1 Pack of Bacon

1 Cup of Godiva Chocolate Semi-Sweet

1/2 Tbs Rock Salt

1 Tbs Brown Sugar

Start by backing cutting all the bacon in half and placing on a foiled cooking sheet. Cook the bacon at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Once fully cooked allow to cool on a paper towel to help absorb the grease. While cooling, melt chocolate in a microwave in 10 second increments to prevent burning. Now dip each piece in the chocolate and using a spook coat each side with a thin layer. Place on a plate covered in wax paper. Continue to dip each piece until complete leaving the end uncovered to make it easier to work with and allowing some bacon to be visible. Once complete gently sprinkle a bit of salt and sugar on each one. Put plate in fridge for at least 15 min. to harden and serve cold with or without ice cream. Bacon will keep in fridge for up to one week.

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Jicama Slaw and Kangaro Tacos

IMG_2530I have an amazing group of friends that have always encouraged me to try something new and be creative. Plus they love to eat which make it easy to please them them all. This past weekend we created a meat day. 7 courses of various meats, fun sides and great drinks.

Meat Day 2013 Menu:

Wild Boar Prosciutto with Melon

Frog Legs Grilled

Elk Sausage and Peppers

Kobe Hot Dogs

Camel Meat Sauce

Kangaroo Tacos (Recipe Below)

Chocolate Covered Bacon (recipe in a later post)

The Kangaroo tacos came out great and I wanted to share the recipe. The meat was very lean and it became a super healthy dish. Substituting turkey meat would work just as great!

Ingredients-

1 Pound ground kangaroo (or turkey)

1 Pack GF taco seasoning

1 Onion Chopped

1 Red Tomato Chopped

1 tsp Salt

Juice of 1 Lime

1 Pack corn tortillas

Guacamole

Jicama Slaw Ingredients:

1 Pound Jicama peeled and finally chopped

2 Carrots Grated

1 Red Pepper Graded

Juice of 1 Lime

1tsp Salt

2 Tbs Honey

1/2 Cup Mint Chopped

1/2 Cilantro Chopped

Start by browning onion in a well sprayed pot. Once it is half way translucent and meat, tomato and season. Continue to mix while meat browns. Now add juice of one lime and cook covered on low for 15 minutes.

While meat cooks put together the slaw. I  a large bowl add carrots, pepper, jicama, cilantro, mint and salt. Mix well and then add lime juice and honey. Mix together and store in fridge until ready to eat.

To serve heat corn tortilla and add 2 spoons of meat, guac and a nice helping of slaw. Enjoy

Ricotta Cheese Apples Canapés

This is a great an fancy dessert that served cold is a great ending to any meal and is low carb. With apple season in full swing its time to get creative!

Ingredients:

1 Cup Ricotta

2 Tbs Rose Water or 2 tsp Vanilla

3 Tbs Powder Sugar

1 Lemon

2 Green Apples

1/3 Cub Crushed Nuts

Start by mixing cheese, rose water, sugar, nuts and zest of lemon. Slice apples in to round removing any seeds. Cover each piece of apple with lemon juice. Chill everything and serve with apple being the base and placing a large spoon of cheese on top. Garnish with extra nuts.

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Guilt Free Blue Cheese

I have recently learned that blue cheese is something that not everyone likes but I grew up loving it from a young age. I can’t think of anything better then blue cheese dressing when enjoy a big plate of chicken wings. But unfortunately blue cheese dressing is always hit in fat, calories and sometimes not gluten free. My version is just as good, if not better, but slimmed down.

Ingredients:

3 oz Crumbled Good Blue Cheese

2/3 Cup Greek Yogurt

1 Tbs Wine Wine Vinegar

Salt and Pepper to Taste

Mix everything together well. Consistency depends on presence. If you want it smooth mix and mash well. I prefer lumpy so I just combine everything and leave it alone. Allow flavor to come together in the fridge for at least an hour. Serve with veggies, on salad or with wings.

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Canapés

I am always looking for fun ideas for simple entertaining. I always say that finger foods are the hardest to find gf. But with a gluten free baguette on hand it’s easy. I like Sweet Christine Baguette the best. They ship frozen and can keep for 9 months. Crispy outside and soft inside. My recipe below is just one of many easy ideas but you can great creative with this.

Ingredients:
3 oz Lox or any smoked salmon
8 oz whipped cream cheese
20 Chives cut into 1/2 inch strips
1 baguette

Start by cutting baguette into small rounds an laying out on plate. Then place about 1 Tbs of cream cheese on one half on each slice. Top the cream cheese with and small piece of lox gently placed on top. Finally slide two pieces of the chives between lox and cream cheese. Enjoy!

Another great alternative is goat cheese and orange marmalade.

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Paleo Hash

Looking for breakfast sides can be a challenge if you are avoiding bread and potatoes. I always keep cabbage on hand for a simple substitute. Hash is always a classic side so my version is a great replacement.

Ingredients:

2 Cups Shredded Cabbage
1/2 Small Onion
1 Tbs butter or oil
Salt and Pepper to Taste
1 tsp Paprika
1/4 Cup Water

Start by cooking the cabbage down in a pan with water. I just put the lid on cook on a low to medium flame and stir every few minutes. Once it’s soft and more translucent drain from water and set aside. While cabbage is cooking you can slice the onion thin and add to a hot pan that was pre heated with oil or butter. Cook onion until it starts to brown. Now add the cabbage, paprika, salt and pepper. Continue to cook until it is all lightly browned. Serve with eggs for an easy breakfast.

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Tropical Kabob

I came up with this recipe by accident. A friends of mine just got a grill and is trying to learn some easy recipes. I wanted to come up with something that she would love and was as easy as grilling a burger. This is super healthy and a whole meal in its self.

Ingredients:

1 Red Bell Pepper (Cut into bit side pieces)

2 Cups Cut Pineapple Pieces (Fresh or Canned)

2-3 Chicken Breast (Cut into Pieces)

1/3 Cup Gluten Free Asian BBQ Sauce

Salt and Pepper

Place cut chicken in bowl and season with salt and pepper. Add BBQ sauce and mix well. Now using wood skewers gently place alternating pieces of chicken, then pepper and then pineapple on each until almost the whole stick is covered. Once you have used up all the ingredients place each skewer on grill and turn every few minutes to cook evenly on each side. Remove from grill and serve.

Hint: Make sure to soak skewers in water first to help prevent burning. Also spray grill top well to avoid sticking.

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