Category Archives: Snack

Fruit Salad Roll Up

Shopping at the Italian Market can really play tricks on me. I make it a point not to bring a lot of money with me but I still tend to over do it. I got home and had an insane amount of fruit. All super colorful and fresh. I wanted to make a fun snack and this is what I came up with. Its like a fruit filled spring roll. The colors are so great that it makes a great presentation.

Ingredients:

4 Rice Papers

1 Kiwi

1 Banana

1/3 Cup Blue Berries

The first thing is to prepare the fruit. I started by slicing the kiwi into rounds and then each slice in half. The banana I cut in long vertical strips. The berries I kept the same. Next I places one rice paper in warm water for a few seconds to help loosen it up. Then I place the paper flat on the table and on one end I place on piece of the banana across, top it with a layer of kiwi, then a few blue berries. Now just roll it all up tightly and place on a plate. Repeat with remaining fruit. I served with a simple yogurt and peanut butter sauce.

Try using any fun fruit you have on hand. Make sure its colorful and that the textures are various. I think strawberries would be a great addition.

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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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Sicilian Deviled Eggs

Deviled eggs are starting to appear on menu’s again. Not the same my mom made but crazy new combinations of flavors. I was planning on have people over and needed some fun easy to eat finger foods.

Ingredients:

1 Dozen Hard Boiled Eggs

1 Tbs Capper’s

15 Green Olives Diced

1/2 Cup Greek Yogurt

1 Tbs Paprika + More for Garnish

1/4 Chopped Fresh Parsley

1 tsp Salt

1 tsp pepper

1 Tbs Honey* Optional

1 Tbs Mustard

Start by slicing eggs in half. Place all the whites on a platter and all the yolks in a bowl or container. Add all the remaining ingredients to the yolks and mix with a hand held food processor or a mixer. Place mixture in a well sealed plastic bag and chill in the fridge for 2 hours. When your ready to serve, cut the tip of the bag in one corner and pipe the mixture into each egg white making a peak. Place all the eggs on a platter and garnish with parsley and paprika for color. Enjoy!

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Edamame Guacamole

I was asked to make a healthy guacamole recipe for on online clip and I had never even heard of. Edamame is packed with good vitamins and protein. The texture is more chunky then regular avocado guacamole but if would prefer it more smooth add a small amount of yogurt or oil. Super simple and totally worth a try!

Ingredients:

2 Cup Edamame
Juice of 1 Lime
1 tap Salt
1 Chopped Tomato
1/4 Cup Chopped Cilantro

Throw everything in a food processor and blend very well. Adding oil or yogurt will create a smoother consistence.

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Heroset

I grew up eating this stuff by the bucket. Being from upstate New York I have a true love for apples in any form. Heroset is a Jewish apple dish created as a sweet spread for Matzo. Its crunchy, sweet, nutty and spiced to perfection. And I was really happy to find some amazing gluten free Matzo to go with it.

Ingredients:

5 Diced green apples with peel on (or use your favorite apple)
1/2 Tbs Cinnamon
2 Tbs Honey
2 Tbs Brown Sugar
Juice of One Lemon
1/2 Cup Red Wine
1 Cup Walnut

Dice up all the apples into small chunks and place in a big bowl with lemon juice. Mix together so that all the apples are coated well with lemon. Now I placed about 1/4 of the mix at a time into a food processor and crushed it up a bit more but this step depends on preference. Some people like larger chunks and other like it very fine. Once your done with apples add walnuts to the food processor and crush. Add nuts to the bowl of apples and add all the remaining ingredients. Combine everything together and serve with Matzo.

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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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Demo Recipes and the News

Last week I was at William Sonoma in center city doing a fun demo. The wonderful folks at Greensgrow Farm gave me a great mix of goodies to use and I came up with a great recipe you can find below. They had white sweet potatoes and beets in season and I made a great little spring inspired dish of roasted potatoes, my famous pesto and a blend of beets and ricotta cheese.

The goal of this demo was to market a Cooking Class I will be teaching in May. Here more info:

Topic: Undercover Gluten-Free: Vietnamese Cuisine

Winner of NBC’s “Next Local TV Chef” competition Chef Laura Hahn will reveal gluten-free techniques! Vietnamese Food is full of fresh new flavors and is a great cuisine to learn for spring and summer cooking. In two hours you will learn how to create an entire Vietnamese meal at home for friends and family. The class will make using rice papers, rice noodles and grape leaves easy. Discover new ingredients that are surprisingly gluten free.

Recipes will include summer rolls, sauces, stuffed grape leaves and rice pudding!

Location: Greensgrow Community Kitchen at St Michael’s Lutheran Church: 2139 East Cumberland Street

They have 15 tickets remaining. Click Here to grab a spot

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As for the recipe I created at the demo. Everyone loved it!!! A great dish for any event!!!

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Ingredients:

2 Large White Sweet Potatoes

3 Tbs Pesto (my famous recipe can be found in a recent blog)

3 Tbs Butter

1/2 Tbs Garlic Powder

1/2 Tbs Onion Powder

2 tsp Salt (separated)

1 tsp Pepper

1 Cup Ricotta

3 Roasted Beets

Start by boiling potatoes for 10 minutes. Remove them, dry well and then cut into even bit size chunks. Toss in a bowl with garlic powder, onion powder, 1 tsp salt and pepper. Throw into a large pan with butter and pan fry until they begin to brown about 5 minutes. Now toss onto baking sheet and roast at 450 degrees for a few more minute. Watch the potatoes so they don’t burn. You may want to give them a toss after a few minutes of broiling. Once potatoes are nice and golden remove and allow to cool. Place into a large bowl and toss with pesto.

For the cheese you first want to slice and peel the beets. Place them in a blend and whip up. You may need a splash of milk to get it going. Then add the ricotta cheese and 1 tsp salt. Remove from blender and place in the fridge to help firm up.

Now just plate the potatoes with a nice scoop of cheese next to it. I like to add a little extra dab of pesto to go with it.

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Low Cal Protein Bar

I have wrote about my granola bars in the past but Since I make them every week I am always changing them around. I made a new one with week and they came out so great I wanted to share. Plus this one could be made nut free if needed.

Ingredients:
2 Cups Rice Crispy Cereal

1 1/2 Cup Old Fashion Oat Meal (gluten free)

1/2 Cup White Raisins

3 Tbs Peanut Butter

2 Tbs Honey

2 eggs

4 Tbs Splenda / Sugar * Optional

1 tsp Vanilla

1 tsp sal

1/3 Cup Dry Skim Milk

In one bowl mix peanut butter and honey and heat in microwave for a few second to loosen. After it cools add vanilla, salt and sugar then mix well and put it aside. In a larger bowl and oatmeal and fruit. Return to the first bowl with peanut butter and mix in eggs well then add this liquid mix to the dry bowl and continue mixing. Finally, add the rice cereal to the mix and mix everything together well. Press mixture into a square baking well greased baking dish and cook for about 15 minutes at 350 degrees until golden brown. Allow to cool and then cut into bars. Enjoy!!!!

Butter Scotch Bars

I continue to make homemade granola bars weekly since the gluten free ones at the store are crappy and expensive. They are fun to make and a great snack. This version was inspired by my trip to Harry Potter World and the amazing Butter Beer drinks. Plus it was about time a made a granola bar with out nuts for anyone that has a nut allergy.

Ingredients –

1 1/2 Cups Gluten Free Oatmeal

2 Cuts Gluten Free Brown Rice Cereal

1/2 Cup White Raisins

2 Eggs

1/4 Cup Almond Flour

1/4 Cup Coconut Shredded and Unsweetened

2 Tbs Butter

4 Tbs Brown Sugar

Pinch Salt

1/4 Milk Chocolate Chips

1 Tsp Vanilla

Start by melting butter in the microwave. Add brown sugar and vanilla to melted butter and mix well. Now in a large bowl add Oatmeal, raisins, coconut, salt, and almond flour. Mix the dry ingredients (not including rice cereal yet) well and then add melted butter and sugar mixture. Continue to mix. Once evenly mixed add eggs and again mix together. Once well combines add rice cereal and chocolate chips. Continue to mix gently being careful not to crush the rice cereal. Pour the whole mixture in a well sprayed square baking dish. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes until sides are browning. Allow to cool and cut into 12 even bars.

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Italian Rainbow Cookies

My favorite cookie as a kid was always the Italian Rainbow Cookies. The fun, sprinkles and choclate all in a cute package. Plus my grandmother loved marzipan and I could never get enough of the sweet almond goodness.
Living in the italian market I am surrounded my amazing baked goods. I wanted to re-creat my favorite gluten free. It came out great on the first try. This is a must have!!!

Ingredients:
Four eggs separated
1 Cup Butter Melted
8-10oz Almond Paste (marzipan)
3/4 Cup Chocolate Chips
A few drops each of blue and red food coloring
1 Cup Sugar

(The original recipe I worked from added 2 cups of almond flour and another half cup butter. I did not use it with my version but may play around with substituting some almond flour for the sugar next next time.

Start by separating eggs into two bowl. Whisk the whites until you get high peeks and place aside. To the bowl with the yolks crumble in the almond paste and mix. To the yolk and almond paste bowl add the melted butter and sugar. Mix very well until all the lumps are gone and mixture is smooth. Now fold in eggs whites and mix carefully.

Now separate this mixture into three bowls as even as possible. Mix a few drops of blue into one bowl, a few drops of red into the other and then leave the remaining bowl untouched.

Line three equally sized rectangular baking pans with wax paper and individually pour one batter into each pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes utile top starts to firm and before sides brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool. After ten minutes use the wax paper to remove each layer and then place them on top of each-other. Now melt the chocolate in a bowl. Spread the chocolate over entire cake with the chocolate so that the entire thing is covered. Allow the whole thing to harden in the fridge. Then slice into square pieces.

Store in fridge and slice as needed. Cake freezes well.

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