A Med Week

Last week I made one of my favorite meals with a flavor profile from the Mediterranean...The array of foods included Greek Tabbouleh, Falafel with Yogurt Sauce, Roasted Red Pepper Hummus, and a Med Salad.  It was a Med week being that I enjoyed leftovers of this meal for an entire week-and somehow, it never got old! Here are a few of the recipes to try...they're both budget-friendly, healthy, and prep very quickly!

First up...Falafel. Falafel are basically pureed chickpeas + spices that are formed into round balls.  Traditional falafel is fried, but this recipe broils them, which cuts down on a large amount of the fat.  Falafel is usually served in a pita; if you require GF, place falafel on a bed of leafy greens, or pair with Tabbouleh instead!
  Falafel with Yogurt Sauce

INGREDIENTS

1 16-oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 yellow onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

2 T cornstarch

1 tsp coriander

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 tsp grated lemon peel (or lemon juice)

3 T parsley

DIRECTIONS

1.  Process all ingredients in a food processor until the mixture forms a thick paste.

2.  Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray.  Preheat the broiler. 

3. Form the chickpea mixture into small balls, about the size of a golf ball.

4.  Place the balls on the cookie sheet.

5.  Broil the falafel for 2-3 minutes.  Turn the balls over and broil them for 3 more minutes, or until browned. 

Serve with plain yogurt of choice.

Note:  You can use 1/2 an onion or completely cut it out if preferred.  If onion is omitted, add 1 T lemon juice and 1 T water.  Add more liquid gradually if needed.

 Next Up...Tabbouleh.  Tabbouleh is a classic Med salad usually made with bulgur (a cracked, ground form of whole wheat).  Instead of using bulgur, I used quinoa to make it gluten free.  Any GF grain would substitute great in this recipe...Rice, millet, buckwheat, etc.  This recipe tastes best after a night in the refrigerator...Serve with hummus if desired, add falafel on the side,  & top your salads with this light grain mixture!
This grain salad is great to take as a side dish to spring dinners, bbq's, etc.  Enjoy:-)

Tabbouleh

INGREDIENTS

2 medium lemons (or lemon juice)

1 c quinoa (or grain of choice)

2 c water

1 cup fresh parsley

2 green onions

1 large tomato

1 small cucumber

2 T olive oil

1 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 cup Feta cheese

DIRECTIONS

1.  Squeeze lemon juice into medium bowl.  Add olive oil, salt, and pepper.  Set dressing aside.

2.  Cook quinoa according to package directions on stove-top.

3.  Thinly slice green onions, using green and white parts.  Slice cucumber in half lengthwise, scoop out and discard seeds.  Dice cucumber and add to bowl.  Chop parsley and add to bowl.  Mix all ingredients well to combine. 

4.  Add all ingredients in step 3 to cooked quinoa.  Mix together until incorporated.

5.  Add dressing (step 1)  to quinoa mixture and lightly stir until grain is coated.

Add feta cheese to top salad, if desired.   

 
Falafel Recipe adapted from ADA cookbook, Tabbouleh recipe adapted from CM cookbook, pictures taken from Pinterest.

Homemade Cinnamon-Nut Granola

It's Spring! Here is a healthy, refreshing snack to welcome this amazing weather we've been having! (and I'm just a little excited about it;-)
Most store-bought granola is super high in sugar, sometimes fat, and calories.  The beauty of making it yourself-you can control all of these factors and create a healthier, much much cheaper, and tastier granola of your own!
This Cinnamon Nut Granola is one of the best recipes I have found after attempting to find the perfect granola recipe for years.  It is low in fat & sugar and high in flavor and crunch-Yum!!! 

The granola takes about 15 minutes total from prep to the end of baking...Add it to some fruit and yogurt and create your own parfait! Little ones love to create their own.  The parfaits are  something kids can help prepare as a healthy snack or breakfast treat. We made these at Cooking Matters with the family classes and the kids LOVED to help cut the fruit, stir the granola, and create their own parfaits! Talking about the fruit and each component with your kids while they create their parfait is a great way to introduce healthy, new foods...Letting them help will encourage participation in trying new offerings as well!

Homemade Granola

 INGREDIENTS

2 T honey

1 T canola oil

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1 pinch sea salt

1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (GF certified oats for gluten free)

2 T sliced or chopped almonds (or nut of choice)

1/4 cup dried fruit of choice

DIRECTIONS

• Preheat oven to 350
• Mix honey, canola oil, cinnamon and sea salt in a large bowl, using a whisk or fork.
• Add the oats and 2 T almonds, and stir until coated thoroughly with the honey mixture.
• Coat a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray, and spread oat mixture evenly onto the baking sheet.
• Bake for ~12 minutes until lightly browned, stirring every 5 minutes to cook granola evenly.  Remove from oven and cool completely, before placing in a bowl. 
• Stir dried fruit into cooled granola.

Notes:
 I add 1/4 cup dried millet to the oats before cooking.  Millet adds a great crunch to the granola and stretches the recipe a bit.

Granola can be stored in an airtight container for up to three weeks-I store in mason jars.

 

 

Yogurt Parfait

INGREDIENTS

Granola

Fresh or frozen fruit of choice

Fat-free plain or vanilla yogurt

(Soy yogurt or lactose free for lactose intolerance)

DIRECTIONS

Cut fruit into bite-size pieces
Layer 1/4 cup yogurt into each of six parfait cups or bowls, followed by 1/4 cup fruit, and 2 T granola.
Repeat layers one more time, ending with a layer of granola.
Top with optional sliced almonds if desired.

*Recipes adapted from CM cookbook. 
~Both recipes are gluten free~

Orange Edamame Grain Salad

Here's another great Cooking Matters recipe that I tried the other night...I tweaked a few ingredients, (based on what I had in my pantry) and this is what I came up with! It's an easy, delicious spring salad to take to dinner parties or bbq's! 

Orange Edamame Grain Salad

Serves 12, 1/2 c per serving

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup (uncooked) short grain brown rice (or quinoa!)

1 cup slivered almonds

1 cup shelled edamame beans (in the frozen section)

1 can Mandarin oranges, drained

3 green onions

1 cup dried currants (or cranberries)

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup honey

1/8 tsp pepper

1/4 cup olive oil

Pinch of Sea Salt

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cook rice according to package instructions.

2.  Set rice aside once cooked in medium bowl to cool.

3.  Preheat oven to 350.

4.  Spread almonds onto sprayed baking sheet.  Bake approx 10 mins or until almonds are golden brown. (or microwave for ~2 mins) Set aside.

5.  Cook edamame according to pkg directions until just tender. (I microwaved with a small amount of water) Set aside in refrigerator to chill.

6.  Drain mandarin oranges and rinse and chop green onions.

7.  In a medium bowl, mix oranges, dried fruit, edamame, green onions, and almonds with rice.

8.  In another bowl, whisk together lemon juice, honey, pepper and sea salt.  While still whisking, slowly drizzle in the oil until a dressing forms.

9.  Pour the dressing over the salad slowly using only enough to coat rice lightly and mix well. You probably won't need all of the dressing!  (Use leftovers for salad) Let salad rest at room temp for 10 mins to allow flavors to combine. 

Bon appetit!

Nutrition Facts: Serving Size: 1/2 cup

Calories: 210, Total Fat:10 g Fiber: 3 g Protein:4 g

 

Notes:

Use any type of nuts or dried fruit to your preference.

Add chicken to leftovers to create a rice bowl.
Use leftover rice (that has already been cooked) for a quick assembly!

Add any type of cooked beans or veggies to the salad, and experiment using different types of grains-I'm going to try quinoa next!

Guilt-Free Chicken Alfredo!

I am SO excited to share this new recipe with all of you! You read right- guilt-free! One of my participants in the nutrition class I teach mentioned she had heard of alfredo sauce made with yogurt. (as we were discussing all the wonderful uses for plain yogurt) What a great idea!
So I did some research, slightly tweaked a recipe from www.runnersworld.com, and came up with a delicious "pasta" meal.  Instead of pasta noodles, I used spaghetti squash (which can be used as a substitute for pasta noodles).  Using spaghetti squash allows you to get extra great nutrients in your meal, while acting as a pasta all at the same time!
Feel free to mix up the veggies to whatever your liking-I used asparagus, Mexican squash, zucchini, mushrooms, and spinach. 
While comparing this recipe to a regular homemade alfredo sauce, the fat and calorie differences are HUGE.  I compared this recipe to an average alfredo sauce, and here is what I came up with: Less than 300 calories/serving and ~5g fat for the yogurt chicken alfredo recipe. 
Average chicken alfredo=1015 calories/serving and 75g fat. Wow!! I'd say that's a big difference, thus making this recipe worth indulging in:-)
Lastly, I used chicken sausage, which serves as a lower-fat substitute to a pork sausage. 
If you make nothing else in this recipe, start with the sauce and make your own meal from there! (Sauce ingredients are bolded)
Hope you enjoy!!

Yogurt Chicken Veggie Alfredo

INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon butter
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons cornstarch
Couple Pinches of ground nutmeg
3/4 cup low-fat, low-sodium chicken broth
3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt or soy yogurt
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Cajun spice, optional 
1 large spaghetti squash (or brown rice noodles)

3-4 chicken sausage links, cooked and sliced into bite sized rounds

1 zucchini, sliced

1 yellow summer squash, sliced

4 asparagus spears, cut in fourths

1/2 cup sliced mushrooms

3 cups spinach
DIRECTIONS
Cut spaghetti squash in half.  Place face down in glass Pyrex pan.  Add just enough water to cover the bottom of the dish.  Cover with plastic wrap and microwave for 12 minutes. Set aside.

OR

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add brown rice noodles; cook according to package directions.

Saute all veggies in pan with 1 T canola oil until al dente. Set aside.

While spaghetti squash or pasta cooks, melt butter in a large nonstick pan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook two minutes.

Combine cornstarch and nutmeg in a small bowl; whisk in chicken broth until smooth. Pour into saute pan, raise the heat, and bring sauce to a simmer, whisking occasionally.

Remove pan from heat.
Whisk in yogurt until smooth. Add veggies and meat.

Using a spoon, scrape seeds out of the middle of the squash and throw away.  Using a fork, scrape spaghetti squash out of it's shell, & place on plate like noodles.  Add sauce mixture to top. Season with salt and pepper and top pasta with Parmesan cheese and Cajun spice if desired. Serves four.

Yogurt Biscuits with Dill

I'm on a yogurt kick..Tonight I made a creamy mushroom soup & was craving biscuits.  I found a regular yogurt biscuit recipe online (not GF), made some substitutions,and here is what I came up with-My favorite biscuit recipe yet! I haven't found a biscuit recipe I have loved, but I think this one made the cut.  To make a regular, non-gluten free version, substitute 2 cups flour for the sorghum and starch.  Omit the xanthan gum. Enjoy!

Yogurt Biscuits With Dill

INGREDIENTS

1.5 C sorghum flour

1/2 c tapioca starch

1 tsp xanthan gum

pinch of sea salt

1 T baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 cup smart balance (or butter)

1 cup low fat greek yogurt or plain yogurt of choice (soy for dairy free)

1/4 cup dill

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 400.

Mix dry ingredients.  Cut in butter to dry mixture until small crumbles.

Gently stir in yogurt and dill with a spoon.

Place dough on a lightly floured surface and knead 5 times.

Press out dough until it is about 3/4 inch thick.

Cut out biscuits with a glass or biscuit cutter.

Place biscuits on an ungreased baking sheet and bake for ~9-10 minutes, making sure not to overbake.

Makes 10 biscuits.



A Spiced-Up App

...A tasty appetizer.  For sushi night tonight, I made a spiced-up edamame recipe.
This recipe comes from Food and Wine magazine and was enjoyed by all-try it out for a fun new twist!

Chipotle Garlic Edamame



INGREDIENTS

One 14 oz bag frozen edamame in the pods

1 T olive oil

1 tsp chipotle chili powder

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 tsp ground cumin

Coarse sea salt

black pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Bring a large saucepan with the bottom 2 inches filled with water to a boil.  Steam the edamame on top of rubber steamer.  (or steam whole bag in microwave according to package directions). Drain and pat dry.

2. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil with the chipotle powder, miced garlic and ground cumin. 
3. Add the edamame pods and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is softened, 1 to 2 minutes.  Season the edamame with sea salt and black pepper and transfer to a bowl.  Serve warm or at room temp with soy sauce. (Tamari for a gluten free alternative)

What is edamame?

Edamame is soybeans in pods.  Edamame is a great source of fiber and is a plant-based, complete protein! It's a healthy, inexpensive and low-fat snack to enjoy any time of the day. 

My "go-to" Chicken Recipe

A recent favorite of mine has been this simple, baked chicken (or salmon) with mustard sauce.  It is so easy and full of flavor!

I always have plain yogurt on hand (soy) to use interchangeably with both my cooking and baking.  Plain yogurt is a great fat substitute, can be used to make sweet or savory dips, used in place of sour cream, etc etc. Plus-you'll receive all the great health benefits yogurt has to offer; It's a great source of calcium, protein and healthy bacteria! I would highly recommend always having a container of this great stuff on hand;-)

With that being said, yogurt is used to make a tasty sauce for the chicken in this recipe; it is a great alternative to your average fat & sodium-laden cream of chicken, cream of mushroom, or sour cream that is called for in many creamy sauce recipes.  Enjoy!!!

And I know...two chicken posts back to back...but-more exciting recipes to come soon! (once my life/work schedule slows down a bit:-)

Baked Chicken With Mustard Sauce

INGREDIENTS

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast (or salmon)

1/4 cup white wine

1 tsp garlic powder

 1 tsp onion powder

Mustard Sauce:

1 cup nonfat plain yogurt (I use soy)

3 T grainy mustard

2 tsp honey

2 tsp gluten free soy sauce (tamari)

2 T dill (optional)

Salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350

2. Place chicken in greased baking dish.

3. Sprinkle chicken with garlic, onion, salt and pepper.

4. Mix together the sauce ingredients and pour over the chicken.

5. Bake for ~25 minutes, or until chicken temps out at 165 degrees.

Serve with your favorite greens and roasted carrots.
Serve on top of quinoa or brown rice!

(Above picture from elanaspantry.com)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

~Swahili Chicken~

Yum. My favorite food in the world=Curry dishes of all sorts. I was given a curry cookbook for Christmas from which I made this Swahili Chicken last night.  Every so often, I try to follow a recipe (and not just make it up)...and each time, I am oh-so-impressed with what following a recipe can do! Crazy.  Anyways, this recipe is awesome; it has a really different bite unlike any curry blend I've had before.  It was a super easy, one-bowl recipe.  The variety of Indian spices, lemon juice and yogurt gives the chicken great flavor and requires no added fat. Enjoy!

Swahili Chicken

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

1 chicken, cut into 8 pieces

4 tsp finely grated ginger root (or 1.5 tsp ground ginger)
6 garlic cloves, crushed

2 tsp ground turmeric

1 T paprika

1 tsp ground cinnamon

8 T lemon juice

2 tsp ground cumin

1 T ground coriander

2 tsp dried red pepper flakes

1/2 cup plain yogurt

(I used soy yogurt for lactose free, optional=more yogurt than called for )

1 T honey

salt and pepper

1/4 bunch fresh parsley

Yogurt Dip

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1/2 tsp cumin

DIRECTIONS

Place the chicken pieces in a large mixing bowl.  Mix together the remaining ingredients, (minus parsley and yogurt dip ingredients) season well, and pour over the chicken.  Mix well to combine, cover, and marinate in the refrigerator for 6-8 hrs or overnight if time permits.

Place the chicken mixture in a shallow, lightly greased, ovenproof baking dish. Place parsley on top, and cook in a preheated oven at 300 degrees F for 1.5 hrs, covering the dish with foil for the last 30 minutes of cooking. 

Stir yogurt and cumin together to make yogurt dip. Set aside.

Serve with brown rice or flat bread, and yogurt dip on side for chicken.

Lastly, the chip-like food on the plate is made from udad-dal (lentil flour).  I ventured into an Indian food store a few weeks ago looking for spices; definitely a fun store to spend way too much time in-and any store that revolves around cooking is 10 x more exciting than going to a shopping mall to me:-)  These chips are served as an appetizer dipped in a yogurt sauce at my favorite restaurant, (in Boulder) Sherpas.  To prepare, heat in a skillet on both sides, and serve.  They are made up of lentil flour, a little oil and whole cumin. 

Recipes x Three!

Healthy, delicious and low-budget friendly- the recipes below provide all three!  My current rotation is centered around budget-friendly, delicious recipes to meet the population's needs we provide classes for. Working with the underprivileged continues to teach me so much each day...A few facilities we teach at are mental health clinics, inner city schools, a homeless group (my favorite class) and a church food pantry. 
Along with their nutrition lesson, the members learn how to cook new recipes each week with a professional chef; they are then given a grocery bag full of food to take home and make the same recipes that week for their families.  (This is their "homework" each week...not too bad of an assignment, I'd say;-)
Each week they report back to me whether or not their family enjoyed the recipe; they all LOVE these Turkey Tacos and Pineapple Salsa.  I won't bore you with the nutrition portion of the lesson, but will add in a few healthy nutrition facts that make these recipes so wonderful. Enjoy!

Turkey Tacos

Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS:

1 can pinto beans

1 pound ground turkey

1 cup tomato sauce, no salt added

3 T tomato paste

1 T chili powder

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 tsp cumin

Sprinkle of cayenne (optional)

White Corn Tortillas (Make your own or store bought)

Toppings:

1/4 medium head of lettuce, chopped

2 large tomatoes

1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped

1 cup plain, fat free yogurt

DIRECTIONS:
1. Drain and rinse pinto beans.
2. Coat large frying pan with cooking spray.  Brown turkey over medium high heat.
3. Add pinto beans, tomato sauce, tomato paste, chili powder, garlic,oregano, salt, pepper, cumin and cayenne to the frying pan.  Stir well.
4.  Reduce heat to medium and cook until thickened, approximately 15 mins. (At this step, I added~1/2 cup water to thin/expand the sauce a bit.)
5.  Place portion of meat mixture into each taco shell, and add toppings as desired along with mango salsa on top. Enjoy!!!

(My favorite-Use leftover meat mixture and toppings the next day to make a taco salad!)

                                   -----------------------------------------------------------------

A nutrition bit: Using yogurt as a substitute for sour cream greatly reduces the fat and calories for a creamy topping-Our classes love it!

Using ground turkey in the place of ground beef reduces the amount of saturated fat you're consuming in this recipe as well.

Draining and rinsing the beans reduces the sodium content greatly; This recipe is lower in sodium, saturated fat and calories that your standard, beef tacos.

2 tacos: 300 calories

11 g fat

3.5 g sat fat

Fiber 5 g

Protein 24 g

----------------------------------------------------------------

This Salsa definitely makes this meal; it has a bite from the jalapeno and is a great, sweet addition to the tacos.  We ate the salsa on top of our tacos; we also served it as a salsa with corn tortillas chips...Make this salsa with mangoes, grapefruit, watermelon, oranges-many fruits can be substituted, but pineapple is my top pick;-)

Pineapple Salsa

INGREDIENTS:

2 large cans pineapple tidbits or chunks

1 large cucumber

2 medium green onions

1 medium jalapeno pepper

2 medium limes (or lime juice)

1/2 tsp salt

Pinch of cayenne pepper

1/4 cup fresh cilantro

DIRECTIONS:

1. Drain and rinse pineapples.

2. Dice pineapple and cucumber. Finely chop green onions and place all in a small bowl.

3. Cut jalapeno pepper in half and remove seeds. Dice and add to mixture.

4. Cut lime in half, squeeze juice into mixture.

5. Add salt, cayenne and cilantro.

6. Mix well, cover, and refrigerate for at least one hour before serving.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 One last fun recipe...3 in one tonight:-) (Way too many recipes to share, and not enough time to blog!) LOVE this salad...

Northwest Apple Salad

INGREDIENTS:

3 apples of choice

2.5 cups plain or vanilla fat free yogurt

1/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

2 large carrots, shredded

1 tsp cinnamon

1 T honey

DIRECTIONS:

1. Chop apples into bite size chunks. Place in bowl.

2. Add yogurt, walnuts, cinnamon and honey. Mix well.

3. Fold in carrots.

Add currants, craisins or raisins (as pictured) if desired.

Enjoy!

~All 3 recipes are Gluten Free~

To make recipes lactose free, use soy or lactose-free yogurt

A few Spiced Breakfast Muffins

As Julie Powell baked her way through Julia Child's cookbook, I would love to (someday!) bake my way through the Gluten Free Gourmet's Bread cookbook by Bette Hagman. I highly recommend this cookbook; it is by far one of the best GF bread cookbooks I have experimented with yet!  The GF baker I was able to work with at CSU this summer recommended Bette's cookbooks to me.  They are super easy to make ingredient substitutions, and give a good basis to start a recipe.  I have altered these two muffin recipes out of her book, and came up with the following:
I love these two muffin recipes for a few reasons; They both are super moist, gluten & dairy free, and low in fat & sugar.  These both use some of my favorite winter veggies; butternut squash, sweet potatoes and pumpkin.  These ingredients all serve as a fat substitute (for a large part of the fat) and aid in keeping the muffin extra moist and flavorful. 
I may just have a slight obsession with winter squash, thus I always have some on hand, leading me to use it as a substitute in many of my baked recipes.  For the first muffin recipe...

 Date-Walnut Muffins

Serve these healthy muffins for brunches, teas, or as a breakfast muffins.

Yields: 8-10

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup Sorghum flour

1/4 cup Brown or White rice flour

1/4 cup Potato starch

1/4 cup Tapioca starch

1/4 tsp Xanthan gum

1 tsp Baking powder

1/4 tsp Baking soda

1 tsp Allspice

1.5 T Agave Nectar

1/4 tsp Salt

1/3 cup Pitted dates, chopped

1/3 cup Chopped walnuts

4 T applesauce

6 T Butternut squash, cooked and mashed (or canned)

1/4 cup-1 T Rice or almond milk

1 T Lemon juice

1 Egg, slightly beaten

1.5 T Molasses

1/2 tsp Vanilla

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 400.  Spray muffin tins with nonstick cooking spray. 

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flours & starches, xanthan gum, powder, soda, spices and salt.  Add the chopped dates and walnuts, and tumble to cover them with flour.

In a medium bowl, blend together the applesauce, squash, milk + lemon juice, egg, molasses, and vanilla.  Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the liquids, stirring until just combined.  Spoon the batter into prepared cups and bake ~18-20 minutes.  Serve warm, with a cup of Joe:-)

 

Substitution: You may substitute any winter squash, including pumpkin for the butternut squash as you wish.

    Sweet Potato Cranberry Muffins

Yields: 6

These muffins have a tart, sweet taste and a wonderful texture.

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup Brown rice flour

1/4 cup White rice flour

1/4 cup Potato Starch

1/2 tsp Xanthan gum

1/4 cup Agave Nectar

1 tsp Flaxseed meal

1 tsp Baking powder

1/2 tsp Salt

1/4 tsp cloves

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1 Egg

1/4 cup rice or almond milk

1/4 cup cold mashed sweet potatoes (or canned puree)

2 T pumpkin puree (optional, will increase moistness)

2 T canola oil

1/2 cup Cranberries, frozen, chopped

1/4 cup walnuts, chopped and toasted (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375.  Spray muffin tins with non stick cooking spray.

In a mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients.  In a smaller bowl, combine the egg, milk, sweet potato, pumpkin, and canola oil.  Beat with a fork or spoon until well blended and smooth.  Stir into dry ingredients until just moistened.  Stir in the cranberries & walnuts.

Fill the muffins cups 2/3 full and bake for 18-20 minutes.

Serve warm
&
Bon Appetit!

 TIP: I have found with all gluten free bread products, it is best to slightly underbake them; If baked to the total time suggested, products will turn out dry and the life of the product is decreased tremendously.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A nutrition bit...

Using molasses in muffin/bread recipes adds a

great deal of the recommended daily intake of Iron. (Molasses

is a simple sugar (primarily sucrose), so use sparingly) 

With homemade GF products, I try to increase the nutritional

value of the product in every way possible by choosing

nutrient dense ingredients

to ensure the product is not simply a starchy bread with no

nutritional value. (As a large amount of GF

products on the market are-lacking nutritional value)

Warning: All molasses is not equal in value; pay close attention

when choosing which molasses brand to buy.

Molasses is the by-product of the juice of sugar cane or beets.

Based on the type of molasses you use, will determine the nutrition value of the molasses. This is all based on whether the molasses comes from the first, second or third boiling of the molasses.

Depending on the number of times it is boiled, the color of the molasses will vary. Blackstrap molasses provides 20% of the daily value of calcium, 9% DV of potassium, and 25% DV of Iron per 1 Tablespoon.

When purchasing, look for "Blackstrap Molasses" on the label; this

will ensure you are choosing the highest iron-containing type of molasses.

                                                             

Golden Barrel contains 25% DV of Iron, as compared to

Grandma's, which only contains 8% DV of Iron.

To convert the above recipes using regular, all purpose flour:

Substitute all starches and flours (first 3-4 ingredients) with all purpose flour with a  1:1 ratio.  Ex: Subsitute 3/4 cup all-purpose flour for the rice flour and potato starch in the above recipe.  Omit xanthan gum.  That easy. You have a non-gluten free recipe!

And lastly,

GO BRONCOS!!!
Picture from delectablyfree.com

Have a Mexican dinner night with Enchilada Soup!

Tonight I was craving Mexican food...chips, salsa, enchilada sauce and soup.  Those four things.  Soooo I raided my pantry, and found I was missing the key ingredient (enchilada sauce). Bum.mer.

 I looked to foodnetwork.com which had a great enchilada sauce recipe. I realized I have never made homemade enchilada sauce-so easy!  After making this simple (and quite tasty) enchilada sauce, I threw together a soup which turned out to be what I've termed: 

Smoky Chipotle Chicken Enchilada Soup.

This recipe is:

Quick (the quick after you get home from work late, and have no idea what to make for dinner)

Healthy

Mexican food craving satisfier

&

Gluten Free.

Enjoy!

Smoky Chipotle Chicken Enchilada Soup

                          INGREDIENTS

2-3 large chicken breasts, cooked and chunked

1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1 can great northern beans, drained and rinsed

~2 cups chicken broth
1 c frozen corn

1 can diced green chiles
1/4 cup cilantro. chopped (or 1 T dried)

Salt and pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS

Place all ingredients in large soup pot on stove.  Turn on med-high and let simmer for ~25 minutes.

While the soup is cooking/simmering, make the following enchilada sauce recipe:

Smoky Chipotle Enchilada Sauce

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon sorghum flour (or all purpose for non gluten free)
• 1/4 cup chili powder
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 10 ounces tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 cup liquid smoke
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS

In a medium saucepan heat oil, add flour, smoothing and stirring with a wooden spoon. Cook for 1 minute. Add chili powder and cook for 30 seconds. Add stock, tomato paste, liquid smoke, oregano, and cumin. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and cook for 15 minutes. The sauce will thicken and smooth out. Adjust the seasonings.

Lastly...

Add 3/4 of enchilada sauce mixture to soup pot.  Stir continuously and let simmer.  Will be a thick soup base when done.  Add more or less enchilada sauce & spices as desired. Refrigerate or freeze remaining sauce for an enchilada Mexican night...and your homemade sauce is already complete!

Top soup with crumbled tortilla chips, more cilantro and slices of avocado.

Tips:

• Experiment with enchilada sauce-If you have a favorite canned type you enjoy, use it in the place of the homemade sauce to save time. (will be ~ 2 cups of sauce needed)
• Omit the liquid smoke if you don't prefer a smoky, chipotle taste.

Garbanzo Beans...In a cake!

If you liked the espresso black bean brownie recipe that I posted a few months ago, you should try this cake out!

Below is a recipe I was pleasantly pleased with @ Christmas...Most Flourless Chocolate Cake recipes are loaded with added butter and sugar.  I tweaked a healthier version that I found on allrecipes.com (that uses garbanzo beans) and came up with this super rich, chocolate addict satisfier. This cake is high in protein and fiber, and much lower in added sugar than your average chocolate cake recipe.  There is no flour, making it gluten free!
Enjoy:-)

Garbanzo Double Chocolate Cake

Serves: 12

INGREDIENTS:

1.5 c semisweet chocolate chips

1 (19 oz) can garbanzo beans, rinsed

 (I used 1 16 oz can garbanzo's and 3 oz great northern beans)

4 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup honey

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp baking powder

3 T cocoa powder

Directions:  Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9-in round cake pan.

Place the chocolate chips into a microwave-safe bowl.  Cook in the microwave for about 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds after the first minute, until chocolate is melted and smooth.

Place the beans and eggs into a food processor.  Process until smooth.  Add the honey, sugar, baking powder, vanilla and cocoa powder; Blend well with bean and egg mixture, until you have a pureed batter.  Pour in the melted chocolate chips and blend until smooth, scraping down the corners to make sure chocolate is completely mixed.  Transfer the batter into prepared cake pan.

Bake for 40 mins or until a toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean.  Cool.

Pour and smooth glaze over top and sprinkle with ~ 1/2-3/4 cup sliced almonds. (toasted).  Place in refrigerator until ready to serve.  Serve with whipped cream or lowfat vanilla ice cream.

Glaze:  Melt 4 oz (1/2 c) dark chocolate chips and 3 T butter in small saucepan, stirring until smooth.  Remove from heat, stir in 1 T milk, 1 T agave nectar (or honey) and 1/4 tsp vanilla extract.  Let cool slightly, cover cake.