MERRY CHRISTMAS

MERRY CHRISTMAS

I have done a lot of Christmas baking recently.  Cookies, Fudges, Bark and much much more.  Forgot to take pictues of all of them. Here are some photos.

Also wanted to take the opportunity to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas.

New recipes will be coming in the New Year.

Gluten Free Oatmeal chocolate chip mini muffins

Gluten Free Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins

I adapted the recipe from  http://www.virtuallyhomemade.com/2015/03/gluten-free-oatmeal-chocolate-chip-muffins.html  to get this recipe for mini gluten free  oatmeal chocolate chip muffins.

They came out pretty good.  Next time I might add some shredded zucchini to the batter.

INGREDIENTS

1 large omega 3 egg

1/4 brown sugar

1/2 cup canola oil

1 cup gluten free rolled oats

1 Tbs Pure Vanilla Extract

1 cup plain 2% Greek Yogurt

1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup Gluten Free Oat Flour

2 teaspoons  baking soda

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

3/4 teaspoons xanthan gum

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 cup enjoy life mini chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly spray a mini muffin pan and set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the egg, oil and brown sugar together.  Then add in the oats and vanilla extract.  Mix thoroughly and set aside.

In a small bowl add the yogurt, milk and baking soda,  Stir and set aside

In another bowl mix the oat flour, baking powder,  salt, xanthan gum, nutmeg and cinnamon. Add this to the egg sugar mixture alternately with the yogurt mix.  Stir in chocolate chips

Fill the muffin tins and bake for about 15 minutes.  Allow to cool and then remove from pan. 

Great with a cup of tea or coffee.

Dip and Salsa

I made a salsa over the weekend as well as a bean dip.  Forgot to take photos along the way so only a few photos are available.

The recipes are very simple and got two thumbs up by my niece who is a vegan. :)

The salsa was easy to make and contains, rinsed can of black beans, 1 small red onion diced, 1 jalapeno pepper seeded and finely diced, 1 red pepper seeded and diced, 2 smaller peppers diced not sure what variety they are they came from a friends garden,  about 1 cup of diced diced pineapple, ground cumin and the juice of 2 limes. Mix everything together and refrigerate until ready to serve.  The salsa is great with oven baked tostitos scoops.

The bean dip is based on a recipe by Nigella Lawson.  It is super easy to make and very delicious. The recipe is one canned drained and rinsed white kidney beans, half of a large lemon juiced, 2 Tablespoons smooth peanut butter, a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and ground cumin. Whiz it in a mini chopper and serve.

I am ending the post with a photo of Daisy.  It is too cute for words :)  My niece took this photo.

Please try these recipes.  They are easy to make, healthy and very delicious :)

Working on recipes and new addition

Been a busy week.  Got a new puppy last weekend so that has taken up much of my time.  I have been working on some new recipes. Made muffins this morning, two different cauliflower crust pizzas, white chili and broccoli cheese soup.

Here are some pictures of my works in progress as well as some of Daisy my new puppy :)


Here are the pictures of the cauliflower crusts.  I made two different versions.  They turned out okay but not as crispy as I would like.  Will have to work on the recipes and cooking of them to get them just right. They may not look so good and have to be eaten with a knife and fork but they sure do taste good :)

White Chili cooking away on the stove top.

Broccoli Cheese Soup and my little helper :)

So this is what I have been up to this past week.  Will end the blog with a picture of Daisy and her new haircut :)

Le Creuset and recipe in development

This is my brand new Le Creuset Pot.  I finally had enough airmiles and I redeemed them to receive this pot.  I LOVE IT.  

To christen it I decided to make braised turkey thighs.  This is a recipe in progress and I will continue to work on it once the weather gets cooler.  Stay tuned.  Below are some photos of the dish.  The first is the browning of the meat and adding of ingredients then the lid went on and in the oven for nearly two hours. The final picture is the final product.

Brand new pot without the lid on it :)

Roasted Red Pepper Zucchini Bean Soup (Its vegan as well)

This is one of the easiest soups to make.  It only contains 6 ingredients. It is a very filling and delicious soup.

Chop the zucchini into chunks, then chopped the onions and the roasted red peppers.  

In a large stock pot add the vegetable stock.  I used Epicure Vegetable Bouillon Base and water.  Then add the chopped vegetables to the pot.  Then add the 3 cans of navy beans that have been drained and rinsed to the pot.  Stir everything together add pepper. I used Epicure Tuxedo Pepper Blend which is black and white pepper. Bring the soup to a boil then reduce the heat to low and cover until the zucchini is nice and tender.

Once the zucchini is tender carefully puree the soup with an immersion blender.  Taste for seasonings, adding more pepper and a pinch of sea salt if needed.

Dish the soup up in a bowl and add a drizzle of olive oil, if desired.  This soup is wonderful anytime of year but really good on those cold winter days or damp fall evenings.

INGREDIENTS:

5 Cups Chopped Zucchini

4 Cups Chopped Onions

1 Cup Chopped Roasted Red Peppers

3 Cans (6 Cups) Navy Beans, drained and rinsed

5 Cups of Vegetable Broth

1 Teaspoon of freshly ground pepper

Pinch of Sea Salt

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Chop the zucchini, onions and roasted red peppers.  Add to stock pot

2. Drain and rinse the navy beans and add to the stock pot.

3. Add the vegetable stock to the pot.  I used Epicure Vegetable Bouillon Base and 5 cups of water.

4. Bring the soup mixture to a boil.  Then reduce heat and cover with lid.  Simmer until the zucchini is tender.

5. Once the zucchini is tender puree the soup using an immersion blender.

6.  Taste for seasoning adding more pepper and salt if required. 

7.  Serve soup in a bowl with a drizzle of olive oil.

Enjoy!!

Cauliflower Corn Chowder (and its VEGAN too :) )

Nothing is as good as a bowl of soup or chowder even if its the middle of summer and the weather is HOT!!  Had some veggies to use up so I made this chowder. A few ingredients and its easy to make.

Chopped 2 onions, 2 cauliflowers, 1 sweet potato and remove the kernels from 2 corn on the cob.

Melt 1 Tablespoon of Coconut Oil in a large pot.  Once it is melted add the onion and sweet potato. Cook for 3-5 minutes until the onions are just starting to turn translucent.

Then add 2 cups of Vegetable Broth and then add the cauliflower.

Carefully stir the cauliflower into the pot and then add the can of coconut milk and the corn kernels and ground black pepper.  Stir carefully.  Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and cover the pot with a lid and cook until the cauliflower is tender.

Once the cauliflower is cooked remove 2 cups of the mixture and allow to cool before pureeing in a blender.  Once it is pureed, add back into the chowder and stir.  Taste for seasonings and add sea salt and pepper if needed.

Once the chowder is heated though.  Serve up in a bowl and enjoy.  This chowder would be great served with some crusty bread on the side.

INGREDIENTS:

2 small heads of  Cauliflower, cut into florets

1 small Sweet Potato, peeled and diced

2 small Onions, peeled and diced

3 Corn on the Cob, kernels removed

1 Tablespoon Coconut Oil

2 Cups Vegetable Broth, ( I used Epicure Vegetable Bouillon Base and water)

1 can Light Coconut Milk

Sea Salt

Ground Pepper

INSTRUCTIONS:

Peel and dice the onions.  Peel and dice the sweet potato. Chop the cauliflower into florets.  Remove the kernels from the corn on the cob.  Be careful when doing this.

Melt 1 Tbs of Coconut Oil in a large pot.  Once it is melted add the onions and sweet potatoes. Cook until the onions are just starting to become translucent.  Add some ground pepper I did 5 turns of the pepper mill.  Stir.

Then add the cauliflower florets and the vegetable broth.  Stir together.

Add the can of coconut milk and corn kernels and stir together.  Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat and cover the pot with a lid.  Cook until the cauliflower is tender.

Once the cauliflower is tender remove 2 cups of the chowder and allow to cool slightly.  Once cooled puree in a blender and add back into the pot.  Stir it all together it should be chunky and smooth at the same time.  Taste for seasonings and add more sea salt or pepper if needed.  Once the chowder is heated through serve in a bowl.  ENJOY :)