Category Archives: Snack

“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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Magic Chips

Would you believe me if I said I could take the guilt out of potato chips?Discovering this recipe may have become a game changer. Potato chips are a huge weakness on mine. A normal serving of chips is only 15 but it is so hard to stop once you start. Well I have found the best guilt free and super easy chip recipe on the planet.

Ingredients:

3-4 Potatoes
1 Tbs Salt
1 Tbs Olive Oil

The most important part of this recipe is to use a mandolin or box grater slice potatoes thin into chips. Put all the sliced potatoes into a bowl, add salt, oil and mix gently by hand. Next, spray a large round dinner plant with non-stick cooking spray and lay potatoes out in one single layer on the plate. You will have enough potatoes to make 4-5 batches so take your time and make sure potatoes don’t overlap.
Time for the magic. Place one plate at time in the microwave UNCOVERED for 4 minutes. Chips will brown and get crispy. Make sure to spray the plate lightly with each batch. Enjoy!

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Chebe

DryMixes

I officially have a new gluten free love, its called CHEBE. I learned about it for the first time while I was planning my menu for the Gluten Free Camp I will be cooking at over the summer. I was told kids go nuts for this stuff. This is the first gluten free box bread mix I have used and I must admit I was SHOCKED by the results. This stuff has been around for awhile and it really is something special. I love any product that is easy to customize and this stuff is really great. I used it for the first time during my super bowl party and was very pleased by the results. They make a huge range of mixes and frozen doughs. The recipe is originally based off of a Brazilian Bread traditionally made from tapioca. Most of the mixes require you to add milk or water, eggs, a little oil and cheese. I have played around with leaving cheese out and also with substituting salsa and tomato sauce for milk or water. They all worked great and I am excited to keep playing with this stuff. It all comes in a small box and it super each to keep in a cabinet and always have on hand.

Whats even better about this products is the company. I had the pleasure of talking to the president and he was just amazing. He explained how his wife is forced to eat gluten free but they had been creating the product long before her diagnosis. He is passionate about the product and is creating it for all the right reasons. He loves to support the gluten free community and is doing some amazing work. A great product + a truly good company = a fantastic product for me. Chebe bread is really a Guilt Free Foodie Cutie All-Star!

I will continue to post all my creations using all the products they offer but I wanted to share two easy recipes with this review.

Bread Stick Nuggets

1 Box Chebe Bread Stick Mix

1 Cup Crushed Tomatoes

1/2 Tbs Basil

1/2 Tbs Oregano

1/2 Tbs Parsley

1/2 Tbs Garlic Powder

1/4 Tbs Salt

2 Eggs

2 Tbs Olive Oil

1 Cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Combine bread mix with oil, eggs and cheese as directed on box. Instead of the water or milk add crushed tomatoes. Knead well and roll out small nuggets as instructed on box. Bake following box. While in the oven place tomatoes and seasoning’s in a pot to mix and heat. Serve bread sticks with a side of heated tomato sauce for dipping.

Green Fiesta Rolls

1 Box Chebe Original Bread Mix

1/4 Cup Green Tomatillo Salsa

2 Eggs

2 Tbs Olive Oil

1 Cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Combine bread mix with oil, eggs and cheese as directed on box. Instead of the water or milk add 1/4 Cup Salsa. Knead well and roll out small nuggets as instructed on box. Bake following box. Serve warm with extra salsa if you want.

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Mozzarella Sticks

One of the few things I have missed since being gluten free is mozzarella sticks. Not that I ever had them very often but there is something very nostalgic about cheesy, crispy sticks of warm goodness. Normally my favorite are the drive in kind with the tomato sauce on the side but they normally weigh in at over 500 calories a serving. Well my version is not only gluten free but its also very low in fat. Even better is the kids wont notice the difference.

Ingredients:

6 Light Mozzarella Sticks ( Unwrapped and Cut in Half)

2 oz Corn Meal

2 oz Almond Flour

1 Egg

1 oz Skim Milk

1 Tbs Italian Seasoning

2 tsp Salt

1 tsp Paprika

Place the cheese sticks in the freezer while you prepare everything else. In one bowl mix the milk and egg. In the second bowl mix the corn meal, flour, seasoning, salt and paprika. Remove cheese from freezer and coat in the egg mixture. Then role the pieces in the flour mix until well coated. Then dip again in egg and pack in flour mix to make sure you wave a thick coating. Placed each one on a well sprayed cookie sheet and spray the top of each. Bake at 45o degrees for a ten minutes turning halfway until they are golden brown. Make sure you keep an eye on the and that they do not become melted.

Serve hot out of the over with tomato sauce. Enjoy!

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Pamelo

I don’t think I ever just introduced an ingredient before but Pamelo is currently in season and an item many people are turned off from. This fruit is tradition in South East Asia. Similar smell and outer appearance to a grapefruit but about twice the size. The outer layer of the fruit is very thick. The inside is a bright pink fruit with a similar constancy and texture of an orange. The flavor is a cross between a sweet grape fruit and an orange.

To prepare

Remove peel. Then slowly remove as much of the “pith” as possible including the thick marerial separating each section of the fruit. The pith is bitter and very think.

Panelo is easily eaten plan or traditionally served with a blend of sugar and chile powder blend for dipping.

Find on at any local Asian grocery store. Enjoy!

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Crispy Kale

Clearly being “guilt free” I get very excited when I find a healthy substitute for something I should not be eating. I love munching on anything that is crispy and salty but its not easy to do with out all the fat and calories. When I learned you can do the same with a vegetable I was excited. I have been making these forever and they never get old.

Ingredients:

1 Bunch Kale

Cooking Spray

Lots of Sea Salt

The first step is the most important and is better done a head of time. Rinse the kale well and dry. You can dry by patting with paper towel or laying out for a bit on some towels to air dry. Then tare the leaves of the thick center stem. Place each piece on a well sprayed and foiled cookie sheet. Then spray the kale on top well and sprinkle with salt. Bake for about 12 minutes on 350 degrees turning half way. You will know when they are done as soon as they are all crisp. Some of the tray may finish first so just remove and continue cooking the rest.

They are best eaten as soon as they are done or store in a air tight container if needed.

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Adventure Bars

The hardest thing about being gluten free is having trouble finding healthy good eats when on the go. I am a very outdoors person and I am always trying to find new things to take for long days out doors. I will not spend $3 on a gluten free granola bar. This recipe is amazing. Full of protein, gluten free, low in sugar and tasty.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 Cups Rice Crispy Cereal

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

1/2 Cup Dry Coconut

1/2 Cup Dry Cranberries and or Raisins

3 Tbs Peanut Butter

3 Tbs Honey

2 eggs

4 Tbs Splenda / Sugar

1/2 Cup Crushed Pecans

1 tsp Vanilla

1 tsp salt

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 mix oatmeal, coconut, dried fruit and crushed pecans. 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!!!!

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Pumpkin Hummus

As always I continue to look for fun new ways to use pumpkin. I was trying to come up with something fun for a brunch and I figured a pumpkin spread would work great. With an idea of hummus in my mind this is what I created.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 Cups Pumpkin
1 Can Chickpeas
2 Tbs Peanut Butter
2 Tbs Almond Milk
1/2 Vanilla Extract
Pinch of Salt
2 tsp Pumpkin Spice
2 Tbs Brown Sugar
1 Tbs Splenda

Start by blending chickpeas, almond milk and peanut butter in a food processor until smooth. Nest add all remaining ingredients. Once its well blended place in a clean bowl and store in fridge until you read to serve but for at least 30 min.

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Skinny Strawberry Milk

As a kid I loved the strawberry powder that I would stir in milk almost daily. Something about the tangy, fruity flavor that makes milk a very special treat. It’s been many years since I have had it but I came up with this completely by accident. I was working on another recipe whenI realized what I did. Not only did I recreate the nostalgia but I made in low cal and guiltless.

Ingredients:

1 Pack Sugar Free Strawberry Jell-O Mix
1 3/4 Cups Powder Sugar
Milk of your Choice

In a jar or container place sugar and jell-o. Place lid on top and shake like crazy.

When your ready to serve add 1 Tbs of mix to 8oz of milk and stir or shake. Enjoy!

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