Author Archives: familyglutenfree

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Smoothies and Drinks, Uncategorized
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Melon Matcha Smoothie

Smoothies and Drinks, Uncategorized Leave a comment
Melon Matcha Smoothie

I have been in some what of a smoothie reboot lately. If you follow my blog you know that I am a smoothie lover and I enjoy a smoothie for breakfast most mornings. Typically, I like to pack as much into my smoothie as possible.  I’ll take inventory of what fruit is getting a little too ripe or if I have extra coconut milk or leftover canned pumpkin – hey, just throw it in there.  As a result, my Type A personality  is very proud of itself for not wasting and being highly efficient, but my tastebuds are underwhelmed. So, lately, I’ve decided to put a little more effort into complimenting flavors, enjoying the seasonal goodies and trying new things.

My new ingredient to play with lately is matcha or powdered green tea. Matcha has been a hot item on all the natural food outlets lately because it claims to have high concentrations of antioxidants. The idea is that the antioxidants are at higher levels versus everyday brewed green tea. The health benefits are debatable, but I think it is an interesting way to get some antioxidants into my diet. I also love the light, crisp taste of green tea, but I rarely have it at home.  You can use matcha in smoothies, make a latte or put it in baked goods.  However, beware of the caffeine content. I made the mistake of putting a heaping tablespoon of matcha in my smoothie, then having some coffee.  Based on caffeine informer.com, 2 tsps of matcha is about 8 oz of brewed coffee.  Finally, always buy organic matcha to avoid pesticides, which can be quite high in tea.

Now what goes well with matcha in a smoothie? I tried a few things and honestly, it is delicious on its own with almond milk and a little sweetener. However, I wanted to try to find something unique and interesting and that is when I tried it with honeydew melon.

I am the only one in my family that loves honeydew melon. I think it has such a nice sweet, fresh taste, I can’t figure out why my husband and kids don’t go for it. I always bring a giant melon home, carve it up and eat melon for days. Lately though, I’ve started freezing it when I have too much, which is great. It freezes well and great as ice cubes (watermelon is awesome too) or zinged up in a smoothie.

Melon Matcha Smoothie

Melon Matcha Smoothie

Surprisingly, matcha and melon are a great together. This smoothie has a clean, fresh, light and slightly sweet taste. The amount of matcha can be adjusted based on you caffeine tolerance. One teaspoon is enough to get the green tea flavor. I hope this smoothie gives you a delicious boost at breakfast.

Melon Matcha Smoothie
 
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Vegan, Paleo, 1 serving as a meal or 2 servings as a snack
Author:
Recipe type: Smoothie
Ingredients
  • 1 cup frozen honeydew melon or unfrozen honeydew melon + 2 ice cubes
  • 1-2 medjool dates (Note: if not using a high-powered blender, substitute honey or agave nectar)
  • 1 Tbsp chia or hemp seeds
  • 1-2 tsps matcha
  • 1 handful baby spinach or kale leaves
  • ¾ cup coconut water
  • ¾ cup almond milk
Instructions
  1. Combine all ingredients in a blender.
  2. Blend until smooth and enjoy!

 

 

 

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Sweet Treats
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Mini Strawberry Rhubarb Crisps

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Mini Strawberry Rhubarb Crisps

Yes, I’m back. It has been a while, I know. The great part about blogging is, when life happens, you can put it on hold. A lot has been happening in life right now that has kept me from finding time to blog, but it has also been keeping me from cooking. I’ve been picking up some consulting hours, managing the never-ending business of summer with two kids, as well as, preparing for some life changes in the coming year. I never want to post a recipe I am not proud of or back a product we don’t really love or find a perspective that isn’t really worth discussing. Then our farm share started up and I was forced to get creative. What do you do with a boat load of fresh strawberries that only last a day or two and a big bunch of rhubarb….dessert!

Strawberries and Rhubarb

Strawberries and Rhubarb

I love strawberry rhubarb pie. I am a sucker for the sour/sweet combo and it is a perfect light dessert for summer. However, I am a horrible piecrust maker. It is something I hope to master some day, but I just can’t get it right. Even in my pre-gluten-free days, I could never get a perfect flaky crust. Usually I just bought a premade crust from the store, but the ingredients are horrible and they don’t taste that great anyway.

Filling

Filling

Crisps or crumbles are the perfect alternative to pies. They have the same great flavors and I love having some flexibility over the crumbly topping. The combinations are endless – oats, quinoa flakes, nuts, seeds, honey, maple syrup, coconut, and beyond. They have the added simplicity of not having to make dough and roll out a piecrust.

This recipe was inspired by a recipe I found on the blog Pinchofyum.com. I really liked how simple the recipe is and I like the nutty topping. I made some changes based on my personal taste and texture preferences. I also altered the recipe so it could be made into “mini” crisps. I like the mini versions because they keep your serving size in check and every crisp gets its own sticky gooey border. By the way, this recipe is also grain-free, dairy-free, egg-free, soy-free, and vegan.

Crumbles

Crumbles

My favorite part of this recipe is making the crumbly topping. I do this all using my hands, no pastry cutter or fancy tools required. After adding the dry ingredients to the bowl, simply add in the coconut oil and mix together with your hands until crumbles form.

Ready to bake!

Ready to bake!

My husband has had his share of strawberry rhubarb crisp as I developed the recipe, but he wasn’t complaining. I typically whipped up a batch after the kids went to bed and we enjoyed it together as we watched our favorite grownup shows. This will be a treat we enjoy every summer. I hope you enjoy it too.

Right out of the oven

Right out of the oven

P.S. I’ve also enjoyed a mini crisp for breakfast topped with a scoop of plain unsweetened yogurt!

Mini Strawberry Rhubarb Crisps
 
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vegan, paleo
Author:
Recipe type: sweet treats
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • Filling:
  • 1.5 cups chopped strawberries
  • 1.5 cups chopped rhubarb
  • zest from one lemon
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 1 Tbsp arrowroot powder (can also use cornstarch)
  • Topping:
  • ½ cup almond meal
  • ½ cup chopped pecans (or hazelnuts, walnuts)
  • 2 Tbsp coconut flour
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 3 Tbsp coconut oil, plus more for greasing ramekins
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Lightly grease 6 ramekins with coconut oil.
  3. Place all 6 ramekins on a baking sheet.
  4. Combine all the ingredients for the filling in a medium bowl.
  5. Evenly distribute filling into each of the 6 ramekins.
  6. In a separate bowl combine almond meal, nuts, coconut flour, and salt.
  7. Add the coconut oil and mix ingredients with hands until “crumbles form” and the oil is well distributed.
  8. Evenly distribute crumbles over filling of each ramekin.
  9. Place baking sheet with ramekins in the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until the topping is lightly browned.
  10. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes and enjoy as is or top with your favorite whipped cream or ice cream.

 

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Soup and Salad
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Crab Bisque

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Crab Bisque

Now that spring is officially here, our soup days are dwindling. However, this is a soup that can be enjoyed year round. I am a huge fan of lump crabmeat and Old Bay seasoning. Perhaps it reminds me of my summers camping on the Maryland seashore or maybe it just tastes awesome. Either way, this summer is hearty enough for cooler months, but has all the flavors of summer.

Lump crabmeat is great to have on hand in your fridge. It is precooked and ready to use as is in crab cakes, on top of salads or in this delicious soup. I like the brand available from Costco. It has a long shelf-life in the fridge and the chunks are big and meaty.

This soup is hearty enough to serve as a meal, but is also great alongside a sandwich or salad. Adding avocado as a topping, really rounds out this soup as a meal. I tried adding avocado on a whim. Usually, the thought of using my precious avocado on a soup sounded like such a waste. However, once I tried it, I was hooked. The avocado adds a cool creamy richness that enhances the soup and really makes it stand out. I hope you enjoy it!

Crab Bisque
 
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Paleo, dairy-free, grain-free
Author:
Recipe type: soup
Serves: 6 servings
Ingredients
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil or avocado oil
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 2 celery stalks, chopped
  • 3 carrots, chopped
  • 1 medium sweet potato, chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 3 cups chicken stock, vegetable stock, or water
  • 1 can crushed tomato (28 oz)
  • 1 container lump crab meat (16 oz)
  • ¾ cup full fat coconut milk
  • 2 tsp Old Bay seasoning
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 avocado
Instructions
  1. In a large pot or Dutch oven add oil and sauté onion, garlic, and celery until softened.
  2. Add carrot and sweet potato and continue to sauté for 5 minutes or until carrot and potato cook slightly.
  3. Add stock and tomato and bring to a simmer.
  4. Simmer until sweet potato and carrot are cooked completely and soft.
  5. Remove pot from heat.
  6. Using an immersion blender, blend soup mixture until mostly smooth, but with some lumps. If you do not own an immersion blender, you can blend the soup in batches in a standard blender.
  7. Put pot back on stove over low heat.
  8. Add crab, coconut milk, and Old Bay and cook for about 10 minutes or until everything is heated through and the flavors have a chance to mingle.
  9. Add salt and pepper to taste. Note: Old Bay seasoning is already salty, so be sure to taste first before adding salt.
  10. Serve warm with chopped avocado.

 

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Products I Love

Rao’s Homemade Sauces

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Rao's Homemade Sauces

When I discovered that my son had a problem with gluten, I also started taking a hard look at the food we were eating. It is amazing what you can find when you read the ingredients on the label. Products that I thought were “safe” were actually loaded with sodium, added sugar, MSG, preservatives, unknown chemicals, etc. This is so prevalent among the products we buy, I decided that the only way to avoid it was to make everything myself. Well, that is a lovely idea, but unrealistic nowadays. I do the best I can by making as much food from scratch as possible, while leaning on products that use real ingredients.

Pasta sauce is a huge example of this. I have found that 99.9% of pasta sauce at the supermarket contains added sugar and vegetable oils, such as canola and soybean. I just can’t imagine a bowl of sugar and soybean oil on the counter of an Italian grandmother cooking a pot of sauce on the stove. Yuck. When I think of marinara sauce, I think of tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, onion, spices, herbs, salt and pepper. The end.

Now I should just make my own sauce, but for me, that is just not going to happen. I’d love to someday… However, I am ok with this because I found Rao’s Homemade Sauces©.

Rao's Homemade Sauces

Rao’s Homemade Sauces

Rao’s Specialty Foods, Inc.© was founded by Mr. Charles Rao back to 1896 in New York City. It still remains in the Rao family today. They produce a range of products, including 13 different varieties of sauce, which are made from real, simple ingredients. They also make pasta, marinades, dressings, oil, and vinegar.

Here is an ingredient breakdown of my 4 favorite flavors:

  1. Tomato Basil: Imported Italian tomatoes, pure olive oil, fresh onions, fresh basil, salt, fresh garlic, black pepper, oregano
  2. Roasted Eggplant: Imported Italian tomatoes, fresh eggplant, pure olive oil, fresh onions, salt, fresh garlic, fresh basil, black pepper, crushed red pepper, oregano
  3. Roasted Garlic: Italian plum tomatoes, Italian cherry tomatoes, olive oil, roasted garlic, carrots, salt.
  4. Marinara: Imported Italian tomatoes, pure olive oil, fresh onions, salt, fresh garlic, fresh basil, black pepper, oregano

I use Rao’s Homemade Sauces© on pasta or vegetable noodles and on pizza. Their sauces taste deliciously homemade and have that distinctive bright red/yellow color from good tomatoes and olive oil. It is hearty and coats pasta well. My only complaint is that I wish they were organic.

You can find Rao’s at most grocery stores, Whole Foods, Amazon and directly from their site. One sticking point may be the price. For a 24 oz bottle, I usually pay about $6. This may seem high for a jar of pasta sauce, but I promise you pay for what you get in both ingredients and taste. Try some on my baked meatballs and check out my review of my favorite pasta, Jovial.

The goal of my product posts is to get others excited about products that my family use and love. However, it is also important that they meet the same criteria as the food I prepare myself. It has to taste great and use quality, whole, ingredients. Rao’s Homemade Sauce is a fantastic product in taste and quality. I hope you and your family enjoy it too.

Disclaimer: I am not paid or compensated in any way to review gluten-free products. I only review products that I love, use in my daily life, and feel that others can benefit from too. I cannot guarantee that you will think these products are awesome too, but it is highly unlikely.

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Soup and Salad

Slow Cooker Chicken Stock

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Slow Cooker Chicken Stock

I think everyone has had enough of winter by now. We’ve had over 100 inches of snow in one month here in lovely MA and it has also been freezing cold. Even if they could manage to get themselves over the immense snow banks, it’s too cold for my little nuggets after about 10 minutes. I’ve had it. The only silver lining I can find is that I have really been on a roll in the kitchen.

With more time indoors and at home, I’ve had the ability to try new things or make meals that usually take a little more time. One meal my whole family universally loves is roasted chicken. Who doesn’t??   With these long days, I’ve had the time to roast a chicken once a week. One 4 pound chicken will give us 1 dinner and extra meat for lunches for the following few days. What I love most though, is saving the bones to make stock.

Making stock was one skill I always wanted to master. The act of making stock is so fulfilling. It is the best way to get back to our primal nature of using the whole animal. I feel like I truly honor the chicken by using it in its entirely, without waste. It is also a great way to access some of the best nutrients, such as minerals and gelatin. Although there is some debate around the benefits of bone broth or stock, everyone can admit that stock can make an ordinary soup into something wholesome and nurturing, with a whole depth of delicious flavors to boot.

Chicken Carcass

Chicken Carcass

 

Veggies - onion, carrots, celery, broccoli stems

Veggies – onion, carrots, celery, broccoli stems

They key to making delicious stock is time. The carcass needs to simmer at a low temperature for as long as possible to extract the nutritious and yummy goodness. I have fond memories of my grandmother’s stockpot working away on the stove. However, having two young kids and interest in leaving the house, this method just doesn’t get the job done. The solution is the ever-useful slow cooker.

Finished, Unstrained Stock

Finished, Unstrained Stock

All you need is your chicken carcass, water, a tablespoon of vinegar, salt, and an assortment of veggies for added flavor. Put it all in your slow cooker and let it do the work all day. Here are some tips I use to get the most out of my stock:

  1. Use quality water, whatever you would drink.
  2. Add vegetables to enhance flavor/nutrients. Typically, I always use onion, carrots and celery. However, I also save vegetable bits, such as, broccoli stems, asparagus ends, or kale stems. It’s a great way to reduce vegetable waste and add flavor to your stock.
  3. If using fresh herbs, add them for the last hour of cooking, since they are more delicate.
  4. Leave the skin on your onions to enhance stock color. Cool trick I learned.
  5. The longer your stock cooks, the better. I typically start it in the morning and end it after the kids go to bed (8:00 or so). You can also have it go overnight.
  6. Freeze your finished stock in 1 or 2 cup increments for later use.
  7. If you have a chicken carcass but you aren’t ready to make stock, freeze it. When you are ready, just pop it into the slow cooker. No need to defrost beforehand.
Finished Stock

Finished Stock

Getting into the habit of making stock, is a great way to enhance your recipes and feel good about the way you make the most of food. The slow cooker makes this daunting endeavor, easy and doable in our busy lives. It requires a little effort, but the reward is worth every drop. Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Chicken Stock
 
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Yield: Makes approximately 8 cups of stock. Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 8-12 hours
Author:
Serves: 8 cups
Ingredients
  • 1-2 chicken carcasses (bones with skin, extra fat removed)
  • 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • Enough water to submerge chicken
  • 2 tsp salt
  • Assorted vegetables (carrots, celery, onion, broccoli/kale/asparagus stems, herbs)
Instructions
  1. Add all ingredients to a slow cooker, except for any fresh herbs if using.
  2. Set slow cooker on high (4 hour) and cook for 2 hours.
  3. Reduce slow cooker to lowest setting (10 hour) and cook for as long as possible, 8 hours minimum is ideal.
  4. Stop the slow cooker and allow to cool down for a half hour to one hour. I usually remove the whole ceramic bowl containing the stock to expedite cooling.
  5. Set up a mesh strainer over a large bowl. Pour stock through strainer to remove chicken bones and veggies.
  6. Allow stock to cool and refrigerate overnight.
  7. Remove stock from refrigerator and skim any fat off the top. The stock should be gelatinous, like a bowl of jell-o.
  8. Use within a few days or freeze for later use.