Tag Archives: dairy free

Spicy Chimichurri Sauce

I played with a recipe like this when I was taking culinary classes awhile ago. I love cilantro on everything and making a good sauce with it is a great solution. I used it on chicken but your can try steak or even fish. This is a great budget friendly party favorite.

Ingredients:

4 Cups cilantro

2 Clover Garlic

1 Tbs Olive Oil

2 Tbs Cider Vinegar

2 Tbs Red Wine (or 1 Tbs Honey)

1 Lime Juiced

1 tsp Salt

1 tsp Pepper

3/4 Jalapeño Seeded and Diced

Place all your ingredients in a food processor or bender and pure well. Store in fridge in an air tight container.

For an easy meal I marinaded 3 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken thighs in half the sauce. The broiled them on each side and served with extra sauce.

 

 

 

 

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Persimmon

Winter time persimmons come out and play. They can be found all over the market. The best way to describe them is a cross between sweet potatoes and tomatoes. 

Ingredient:

4 Persimmons

2 Tbs Brown Sugar

1 tsp Salt

1 Tbs Balsamic

 

Slice each persimmon into 8 wedges. Place in a bowl and toss with sugar, salt, balsamic and sugar. Place on a well sprayed baking sheet and roast at 500 degrees for about 15 minutes until they start to brown and caramelize on the outside. Broiling works also just watch carefully.

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Bacon Brussel Sprouts

I did not start liking brussel sprouts until I was older but now I can’t get enough. I love cooking them up different ways to get brussel sprout haters to fall in love with them. This time I had some bacon around and I figured everything is better with bacon. 

Ingredients

4 Cups Brussel Sprouts (cleaned and raw)

3 Pieces of Bacon

1 Tbs Cider Vinegar

1/4 Cup Water or Wine

Pinch Salt and Pepper

Start by cutting up bacon into small pieces and toss onto a hot pan. Slowly brown the bacon to render fat. While bacon cooks slice brussels in half. Once ready toss brussels into pot with salt and pepper. Mix and cook covered over medium heat mixing every few minutes. After a few minutes add water or wine and continue to cook until Brussels are fork tender. Then remove cover add vinegar and cook till liquid is gone. Serve hot as a side to any protein.

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Paleo Bar

It’s hard enough to find a good gluten free protein bar but to find one that is not full of all the sugar and junk. Plus they are always very expensive. This version was my first paleo attempt but I was very happy with the result.

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup Sesame Seeds (black or tan)

1/2 Cup Almond Meal

1/2 Cup Pecan Meal

1/2 tsp Baking Soda

1 tsp Vanilla

1/2 Cinnamon

1 Egg

2 Tbs Honey

2 Tbs Peanut Butter

First start by soaking the sesame seeds in a bit a water for ten minutes. After that, drain seeds well by hand and place in large bowl. To that add nut meals, egg and mix well. Next, add honey, peanut butter, cinnamon, vanilla and baking soda. Mix it really well. Place into a well sprayed square baking pan. Bake at 350 for 12 minutes. Allow to cool and then slice into ten.

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Caveman Nuggets

Finally a chicken nugget recipe that is guilt free and junk free. Completely gluten free, egg free and paleo.  Using nuts to coat the meat adds even more protein. This recipe is will be a hit for the whole family! 

 2 Chicken Breast 

1/4 Cup Crushed Pecans

1/4 Cup Crushed Almonds

1 tsp Salt

1 tsp Garlic Powder

1 tsp Paprika 

1/2 tsp Pepper 

Start by cutting chicken into large chunks. I did this by making three strips and cutting each into three or four. Set chicken to the side. In a large bowl mix all the remain g ingredients. Working in batches place chicken in bowl and toss each chunk well to coat. Place coated chicken on a well sprayed or oiled baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for  10-15 minutes until golden. You may want to flip the chunks half way. Enjoy!

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Split Pea Soup

After the holidays my freezer tends to fill up with random leftovers. I found a ham hock and was inspired. This is a super easy soup in the slow cooker.

Ingredients-

6 Cups Water – Will need more later

1lb Bag Dry Split Peas

2 Bullion Cubes (gluten free, all natural)

3 Carrots Diced

1 Ham Hock or Smoke Turkey Neck

1 Pound Diced Ham

1 tsp Garlic Powder

Salt

Pepper

Start by rinsing peas and pour in the slow cooker. Add carrots, garlic powder, salt and water. Mix well and then add ham hock. Place lid on top and cook on low for 10 hours. Remove hock and mix well, pea should easily combine.  Take meat off hock and toss in soup.  Add more water if needed to get consistence you want. Finally add the remaining meat and heat on high for 30 more minutes. Enjoy!!!!

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Herb Pork Chops

Living in the italian market allows me to say that I have “a guy” for an ingredient I need! When it comes to butchers I have a guy for anything I’m craving. Last week I walked into the butcher and said give me something good. He recommended some amazing pork chops. Seems simple but these were something special. He recommended a great recipe and they came out incredible. I felt the need to share. 

Ingredients:

4 Thick Pork Bone In Pork Chops

1 tsp Salt

1 Tbs Sage

1/2 Tbs Thyme (crushed or chopped)

1 Tbs Oregano

1 Tbs Parsley

1 tsp Garlic

 

Start by salting each side of the chop. Place them on a plate and allow they to sit for a 15 minutes. In a ball mix all the remaining herbs and spices. When ready coat reach side of the pork chop with seasoning mix. Place on a foiled baking sheet and place in broiler on high. Chops will splatter so keep distance from flame. Cook on high for about 6-8 min each side. You want the coating to be golden and the inside to hit 150 degrees. I actually served this with escarole that I sautéed with drippings I from the chop.  Enjoy!

 

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Roasted Branzino

Branzino is the one of the most wonderful fishes available. You can often find it as a special in many restaurants. Normally comes whole from the grill. Randomly on a Monday night I was craving a good meal so I ran to market and got two beautiful Branzino’s and came up with a quick recipe for a very special weeknight meal.

 

Ingredients:

2 Whole Branzino Fish that have been de-scaled, insides removed and rinsed well.

1 Lemon

1 Onion

1 Bunch Parsley

2 Tbs Olive Oil

Salt

Pepper

 

Start by using a knife and making sure the fish is sliced well inside. You may need to cut a little deeper in the tail and head. Then sliced onion and lemon into rounds. On a large foiled and oiled baking sheet lay down all the onion pieces and hand full of parsley. Take each fish and oil the outside well. Then sprinkle with salt and pepper all over. Place the fish on top of the parsley and onions.  Inside each fish gently lay 2 lemon round and a few springs of parsley. Bake at 425 degrees of 30 minutes. Then place under broiler for a few minutes to make the skin nice and crispy. Serve the fish whole with a side of steamed veggies.

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Creamy Chicken and Rice – guilt free and dairy free

Being gluten sensitive causes all kinds of stomach issues. Does not matter how careful I am I still get sick once in awhile. When I do get sick I try to stick to a bland diet for few days to help clear it up. I try to come up with fun things that are super safe and wont irritate my stomach anymore. I came up with this recipe on a whim and it was great.

Ingredients-

1 Small Chicken Breast

1 Gluten-Free Chicken Broth Cube

2 Cups Water

1/2 Cup Dry Rice

1 Cup Fresh Baby Spinach

Pinch of Salt and Pepper

Start by sprinkling the chicken with salt and pepper and baking in the oven at 450 degrees until cooked all the way threw. While chicken cooks place rice in pot and add 2 cups water and broth cube. If you cant find the gluten free chicken cube then substitute water and cube for 16 oz of chicken broth.  Heat liquid and rice to a boil and cover. Cook for 10-15 minutes and mix every few minutes until most of the water is absorbed and rice is soft. Then cut add baked chicken into small piece and add to rice. Finally toss in the spinach and mix well. Cook for another minute until spinach is wilted. Serve hot with some cracked pepper on top.

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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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