It's Fall Y'all!!!

It's fall and it is time for soup! Seeing as how I've recently been inundated with squash, I figured I'd whip up a pot of super tasty butternut squash soup. This is a pretty straightforward recipe that will make you long for a rainy day and cozy socks. It was 88F here today so I cranked up the AC, pretended that it was 55F out, and chowed down to my heart's content! Grab a bowl and get comfy!

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

1 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and chopped
1 large onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
6 cloves of garlic, peeled
5 springs of fresh thyme, leave stripped off stalks
olive oil
salt and pepper
3 1/2 cups chicken broth

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a large cookie sheet with foil. Spray with cooking spray.
2. Dump all the veggies and thyme on the prepared tray. Drizzle generously with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss everything with your hands until evenly coated. Throw it in the oven and roast for 1 hour, or until veggies are fork tender.
3. Let cool. Dump the veggies into your food processor and add 1 cup of the broth. Process until the mixture is smooth as silk.
4. Transfer your veg blend to a large soup pot. Add the remaining 2.5 cups of broth and heat on low until simmering, stirring occasionally. Taste and adjust seasoning. Add a sprinkle of red pepper flakes if you want to add some heat. Serve with buttermilk biscuits and enjoy!

Serves 4-6

Farewell to Summer Quiche

Summer is over and fall is here! The squash are still gorgeous...so I had to say one last farewell to summer through something amazingly delicious and baked! I also love caramelized onions and had some thyme in my fridge...so I whipped this up for a fantastical dinner! Feel free to add mushrooms, or bacon, or ham, or whatever else you think would be tasty! 

Zucchini & Yellow Squash Quiche

1 medium zucchini, thinly sliced with mandolin

1 yellow squash, thinly sliced with mandolin

1 onion, thinly sliced

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
1 wedge Jarlsberg cheese, shredded
6 eggs
1 c heavy whipping cream
salt and pepper to taste
1 disc of your favorite pie dough

1. Prepare your crust in a pie pan and refrigerate for ~30 minutes. Meanwhile...over medium high heat, saute your onion until lovely and caramelized. Set aside. 
2. Prepare squash, thyme, and cheese. Have them ready to rumble. 
3. In a medium bowl combine eggs, whipping cream, thyme, and s&p. Whisk until smooth. 
4. Preheat oven to 350F.
5. Get ready to assemble your quiche!!! Remove the crust from the fridge. Put in caramelized onion. Layer half the yellow squash and zucchini over it. Sprinkle half the cheese over this. Repeat. Carefully pour your egg mixture over the squash.
6. Bake your quiche at 350F for 45-60 minutes, or until middle is set. Remove and cool for 10 minutes before cutting. 

Serves 4-6

Don't Stew About It!!!

Is it really Fall? Is that cool air I'm feeling? It could just be that we might, just might, get a little cool weather here in sweltering California! Today I made a heart warming, sweater weather, gramma approved beef & mushroom stew! It was even more delicious that I thought it would be!!!! Break out your best soup pot and get cooking people! You can thank me later!!!

Mushroom & Beef Stew
Serves 4-6

1-2 tbsp. olive oil
1.5 lb. stewing beef
1 lg onion, diced
2 stalk celery, diced
1 lb. button mushrooms, quartered
2 portobello mushroom heads, rough chopped
1/2 c. cabernet sauvignon
4 lg carrots, peeled and sliced
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. dried rosemary
pinch of saffron
4 c. beef broth
salt & pepper to taste

1. Heat 1 tbsp. oil over medium high heat in a large soup pot. Salt & pepper the beef and brown it on both sides. Remove from pan & set aside. Saute onions & celery in soup pot until tender. Remove from pan & set aside. Add a bit more oil and then cook the mushrooms all at once until reduced by about half the volume. Remove from pan (keep the juice too!!!) & set aside.
2. Pour wine into pan and deglaze but scrapping up all the delicious brown bits!
3. Add everything, including any drippings that have accumulated, back into the pot! Add in your beef broth, bay leaf, rosemary and saffron. Bring to a boil. Add carrots. Stir and bring to a boil once more. Reduce heat to simmer and simmer for at least an hour. I let mine simmer away all day and it was glorious! Taste for salt & pepper and add what you need.
4. Serve over a bed of warm grits or polenta or bake up a bunch of mile high biscuits! Enjoy!!!

What's For Breakfast?

Since discovering my gluten allergy, I have avoided most flour based breakfast foods. That means no pancakes, waffles, crepes, biscuits and/or muffins...so sad!!! A lot of the gluten free recipes are super gross...grainy consistency with weird gumminess going on from too much xanthan gum! I've been experimenting with gluten free breads and have discovered what works and what totally doesn't work!!! This morning I decided to whip up a little Dutch Baby, gluten free style, and it was amazing!!! Here's the recipe for all of you breakfast food fans!!!

My Dutch Baby right after taking it out of the oven!

Gluten Free Dutch Baby

4 Servings

2 tbsp butter

3 large eggs, room temperature

1/2 c milk

1/4 c tapioca flour*

1/4 c sweet white rice flour*

pinch of salt

Lemon wedges

Powdered sugar

1. Preheat your oven to 375F.
2. In a medium bowl whisk together the eggs and milk. Add the flours and salt and whisk the batter until it is smooth.
3. Place butter in a 10-inch cast iron skillet and place skillet in oven to melt the butter. Once the butter is melted (about 5 minutes), remove the skillet and swirl the butter around to make sure the pan is coated. Pour in the batter and place skillet back in the oven. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until puffed up and browned on the edges. 
4. Remove your Dutch Baby from the oven! It will deflate immediately...so don't freak out! Cut it into 4 pieces and serve, squeezing lemon juice onto each serving and then sprinkling with powdered sugar! 

*You can also use 1/2 c. all-purpose gluten free flour instead of the combo I used...or regular all-purpose flour as far as that goes! 

Thai Tuesday!

True confessions: I have the constant urge to ditch all of life's responsibilities jump on the nearest plane or steamer ship and head off to a great adventure!!! Sadly my pocketbook does not allow for this kind of galavanting...so instead I took an afternoon to read through some of my more exotic cookbooks in the hopes of having the scent of a foreign land fill the air! As I cracked open The Original Thai Cookbook by Jennifer Brennan I had no idea what I was in for! It was like I was reading a letter from a dear friend who had invited me on their summer vacation and was enticing me with tales of far away places! It was a dream come true!!!! I was whisked away to a land of noodle vendors, where the sweet scent of lemongrass drifted through the evening air and I knew I needed to whip up a Thai feast! I concocted a menu, after liberally marking recipes I wanted to make, and decided on the following: Kao Dom Gai (Chicken & Rice Soup), Pra Ram Long Song (Braised Beef & Spinach), Pad Woon Sen (Fried Cellophane Noodles) and Kanom Kluk (Coconut Pancakes). Everything was delicious but the winner of the savory dishes was the Pad Woon Sen!!!! Salty, crispy, garlicky with a hint of fish...HOLY MOLY was it amazing!!! Below is the recipe for the Pad Woon Sen...but if you want the other recipes you'll have to hit up your local used book store to find a copy of this amazing cookbook!!!  Now go have an adventure!

The book that started it all!  

Pad Woon Sen

The recipe:

3 tbsp vegetable oil

6 cloves garlic, chopped (I put in 10...but who's counting?!)

1 1/2 c. raw shrimp (can use chicken or beef)

8 oz. cellophane noodles (bean thread noodles), soaked in hot water until soft, drained and cut into 3" pieces

2 eggs, beaten

2 tbsp fish sauce

1 tsp ground black pepper

4 tbsp roasted peanuts, coarsely pounded

1 c. bean sprouts

1 heart of celery (4 inches of the bottom of a stalk of celery works great!), finely chopped

1 tbsp cilantro leaves, chopped

In a wok, heat the oil and fry the garlic until golden. Add the shrimp and cook until just turned pink. Place in the noodles, stirring and tossing. Make a hole in the center of the mixture and pour in the eggs. Slowly stir the eggs until set and the break and mix them with the noodles. Season with fish sauce and pepper. Stir in peanuts, bean sprouts and celery and cook until heated through. Garnish with cilantro leaves and serve. 

Additional ideas: you can also add in shredded carrots and sliced tomatoes for more vegetable goodness! This recipe lends itself to additions of deliciousness! 

Serves 4

It's Always Baking Season!

I don't know about you, but my garden is overflowing with zucchini. I've had a giant one hanging out in my kitchen for a couple days now, as well as a couple of super ripe bananas, so I decided to put them to good use! Even though it's a million degrees outside I heated up the oven and busted out my favorite whisk (yes...I have a favorite one) and made some amazing gluten-free zucchini banana bread! It's heavenly!

Gluten-Free Zucchini Banana Bread
Makes 2 loaves

270 grams superfine white rice flour
93 grams arrowroot (or potato starch)
45 grams tapioca starch
12 grams xanthan gum
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 c granulated sugar
1 c packed dark brown sugar
2.5 c grated zucchini
3 large eggs, at room temperature, beaten
2 ripe bananas, peeled and mashed
1/2 c vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat your oven to 325F. Grease two standard 9-by-5-inch loaf pans and set them aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients (rice flour through brown sugar) and whisk to combine , working out any lumps. In a separate medium bowl, combine the zucchini, eggs, bananas, vegetable oil and vanilla, stirring well.  Create a well in the center of the flour mixture, and pour in the zucchini mixture. Mix with a spatula to combine.
3. Divide the batter evenly between the two pans, smoothing the tops with a wet spatula (if you want to be fancy.) Place loaf pans in the center of the oven and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of each load comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 30 minutes in the pans. Remove from the pans and transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Eat Your Greens: DIY Salad Table

Look Ma...it works! 

The weather in California has been ridiculous this year! HOT, HOT, HOT, HOT, and more HOT! It has brought spring on super early and I had this idea to not only build a compost bin, but to make my very own salad table. One of my cool friends built one and it looked like a genius idea! I did some research, found one that I liked the most, and adapted the directions to meet my needs. Here is your very own DIY tutorial to build a delicious salad table. Happy building everyone!

1. Gather your supplies:

• 7- 2x4x96 untreated lumber
• 4- 1x7x60 boards for shelves
• 4- 2in. locking swivel casters 
• 1 box of 2 1/2-inch galvanized deck screws
• Staple gun and 1/2-inch staples
• 3-by-5-foot roll of aluminum window screening
• 3-by-5-foot roll of 1/2-inch mesh hardware cloth (galvanized wire mesh, comes in a roll)
• Measuring tape
• Pencil
• Square (if you're feeling super exact!)
• Hammer
• Drill
• Circular saw
• Scissors 
• Tin snips
• 1 pound of 1-inch roofing nails (totally optional...I didn't use any except for holding the cute labels on!)
• Seeds for 12 rows of lettuces, about 8 packets
• 1- 2.5 cu feet bag of potting soil
• Paint stir stick or yard stick cut to 30 inches 
• Cute tags to label your greens

2. Cut your wood:

From your 2x4s:

• Cut 4- 36" pieces (these are the legs)
• Cut 4- 58" pieces (these are the long sides of the frame)
• Cut 7- 30" pieces (these are all of your cross pieces)

From the scraps you should have or be able to cut:

(these get attached to the legs and support your top and bottom shelves)

• 4- 12" pieces
• 4- 8" pieces

Shelving:

I was a genius and didn't measure before I went and cut my boards in half. There was NO NEED!!!! Leave your 1x7x60 boards whole and make your shelves with them...or get sassy and cut them however you want them! 

3. Make your salad holding shelf:

Just the frame

• Take two of the 58" two-by-fours and attach them to two 30-inch two-by-fours with 3 galvanized screws. 
• Attach the interior cross pieces 18 3/4-inches from each end of the long piece, making three equal sections. You now have your basic frame! 

The window mesh and hardware cloth

• Decide which side of your frame is the prettiest and flip your frame so the pretty side is down. 
• Pulling the window screen tight as you go, staple it to your frame. Trim excess off. 
• Center the hardware cloth, pull it tight and staple it to the bottom of the frame. Trim off any extra with the tin snips (I totally wore gloves for this part because this stuff can rip your skin up!) Oh...and you may notice that my hardware cloth is smaller than my frame...that's because I used leftovers that were 2 feet wide, not 3 feet wide! This worked fine but your mini-farm will have more support if you get the 3 feet wide stuff! 

4. Make some legs:

• Go get your rad leg pieces (36") and your shelf support pieces (12" and 8" pieces).
• Attach the 8" pieces, matching the ends of the piece with the leg piece. I just used two screws to attach them. This is the bottom end of your leg and your bottom shelf is gonna sit nicely on top of this piece!

• Next up your gonna attach the 12" pieces to the top end of the leg. I used a spare 2x4 to help me space it so that the salad shelf sits right on top of this piece. Once again, I used 2 screws to attach the two pieces together. Check it out! 

• Next up...casters! Flip your legs so that you can attach the casters to the bottom end. You might want to use an extender on your drill because the dang caster kept getting in my way! 

• Do this for all 4 legs!!!! And take a dance break!!!

Dancing legs! 

5. Attaching the legs:

You may need to recruit a second pair of hands at this point. I went out to my sidewalk and looked up and down the street. My neighbor was out in his yard and I recruited him to help with the cause! He just held stuff and I did all the hard stuff! 

• Keeping your salad tray upside-down, attach each leg to each corner with 3 screws. Make sure that the legs are flush with the sides of the tray. 

• Flip the table right side up and admire your handy work! 
• Let your neighbor go home for a while and drink a glass of water! 

6. It's time to make the storage shelf! 

• Grab the two remaining 58" 2x4's and and the three 30" 2x4's
• Take the 58" two-by-fours and attach them to two 30-inch two-by-fours with 3 galvanized screws. Then attach the final 30" piece in the center of the frame. 
• Attach your shelf wood onto the frame 

• Go back out to your sidewalk and find a neighbor to help you lift the shelf onto your table. I nearly had a hernia trying to lift mine by myself! It was a great moment in time! 
• Attach the shelf to the legs. You may need to have your neighbor help you push the legs to make it all square up...not saying that I had to do this...but...

7. CRAFT BREAK!!!!

By this point in time I was exhausted and sunburnt! I needed a full on craft break! I busted out my label supplies and made these cute tags to add to my table:

These are little wood pieces I bought from Joann's, black acrylic paint applied with a sponge brush and white paint pen. TADA...CUTE TAGS!!!!

8. Let the planting begin! 

• Divide your potting soil equally between the three sections
• Using either the paint stir stick or yard stick, create 4 furrows in each section

• Sprinkle your seeds in each furrow. I used about a packet for each 1.5 rows 
• Push the dirt over the seeds so that they are fully covered
• Label your rows with whatever cute labels you decided to use
• Using the mist or shower setting on your hose, gently water your seeds. Make sure that the dirt is thoroughly soaked but don't blast the dirt so that the seeds go flying out before they have a chance to grow! 
• Water about every 3 days
• Lettuce will be ready to trim in about 30 days! 

And now you are ready to eat your greens like a pro!!!! 

If you like videos...check this out Salad Table Video 

Curry Rubbed Roasted Chicken!!!

When I was at the store the other day whole chickens were on sale for 83 cents a pound!!!! That's like stupid cheap...so I stocked up!!! My standard roasted chicken recipe wasn't really floating my boat, even though it is totally delicious, so I decided to mix it up! Years ago Oprah published a super tasty curry rubbed chicken recipe and that was all I could think about. I wanted that recipe but with a little bit more spicy goodness. I've combined a couple of recipes together here to make this amazing chicken! Serve this with rice and some tasty green vegetables to help cool your mouth off. You could even make a lovely apple chutney to go along with this warm and spicy dish.

Roasted Curry Rubbed Chicken

1 whole chicken, 3-4 lbs.

2 tbsp sweet paprika
1 tbsp chili powder
8 tsp curry powder
4 tsp onion powder
1 tbsp kosher salt
2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp ground sage
1/4 tsp ground ginger

4 tsp olive oil
1 yellow onion, peeled and quartered

1. Preheat your oven to 425F (Yes!!! Make it a hot!!!) Line a roasting pan with heavy duty foil. Set it aside. 
2. In a small bowl, mix together all of the dry ingredients. Take your chicken out of the fridge and dry it off with a paper towel. 
3. Rub the inside and outside of your chicken with the olive oil. This will help the rub stick so be sure to do this! 
4. Now take the rub and rub in ALL OVER the inside and outside of your chicken. Use ALL of the rub! Don't be afraid!!!! Use it all!!!!
5. Stuff the onion into the chicken cavity and place your chicken in the roasting pan.
6. Place in oven and roast for 75-85 minutes, turning at least once during the cooking process. Make sure your chicken is done. The internal temperature should be at least 165F. 

Delicious Cauliflower Pizza

As a person who can't eat gluten I often find myself longing for a delicious pizza. That tasty cheesey goodness and toppings piled high...ah...those were the days!!!! It would also be genius if there was a pizza that wasn't ten million calories per slice!!! I mean...who wants to eat a measly little tiny skinny slice of pizza...we all want to take a big juicy bite of a nicely appointed slice of pizza! Today I tried out a recipe that I found on Pinterest and was pretty darn satisfied! I changed the recipe a little...because that's how I roll...but here it is...the recipe for my delightful lunch!

Cauliflower Pizza
Makes 4 personal size pizzas, 5PPV per pizza

Crust:
2 eggs
2 cups fat free shredded mozzarella
2 cups raw shredded cauliflower (use a ricer, cheese grater or food processor for this)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup fresh basil, julienned

Toppings: (feel free to add whatever you want at this point!)
1 cup marinara sauce
1 zucchini, thinly sliced
1 yellow squash, thinly sliced
1/2 white onion, thinly sliced
Sliced deli ham (or whatever meat you want...or none if you don't want any!)
Basil Ricotta

Basil Ricotta:
1 cup low fat ricotta cheese
1 tbsp fresh, chopped basil
pinch salt
fresh ground pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 450F. Line two cookies sheets with either silpat mats or greased parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the shredded cauliflower, eggs, mozzarella, basil and garlic. Mix it all up with your hands! Divide it into 4 equal parts and press it out onto the lined cookies sheets so that each one is nice and even. Mine were about an 8" circle. 
3. Bake the crusts for 12-15 minutes.
4. While the crusts are baking, mix the ricotta, basil, and s&p together in a small bowl. Set aside. 
5. Remove the cookie sheet from the oven. Top with marinara sauce. Add sliced zucchini, squash, onion & ham. Drop dollops of the basil ricotta on top of the vegetables. Press the dollops so that they are a little bit flat. 
6. Put the topped pizzas back in the oven and bake for 5-10 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
7. EAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Black Bean Goodness

So yesterday I forgot to take the chicken out of the freezer and in an effort to be thrifty, I rummaged through my meager "pantry" in an attempt to find something that I could turn into dinner. What I found was a can of sardines, some canned tomatoes, black beans, and lots of random rices! Of all the options the black beans looked the most promising...so I was off to Pinterest to see if I could dig up a recipe to make some burgers. Eureka! I found a low fat recipe, and because I'm crafty, switched it up a little bit because I don't know about you, but this girl doesn't have "artificial smoke flavor" readily available! Here's the deliciousness that I came up with:

Black Bean Burgers!

Black Bean Burgers

Makes 4

3 PPV per patty

1 tbsp chia seeds, smashed with mortar and pestle
3 tbsp warm water

1- 15oz. can black beans, drained, rinsed and mashed

2 gloves garlic, minced

1/4 c. old fashioned oats

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Cooking spray

1. In a small bowl, combine the chia seeds and water. Let sit for 5 minutes until the mixture thickens. 
2. In a medium bowl combine all ingredients and mix well with your hands. Divide the goo into 4 equal patties and place flat on a plate. Refrigerate for 30 minutes, until firm.
3. Spray a large pan with cooking spray and heat over medium high. Cook patties until browned on both sides, about 5 minutes per side. Best eaten the same day you make them, but they are ok microwaved the next day for lunch :)

All-Purpose GF Flour Mix & A Little Cornbread!

As you may have seen on Facebook or Instagram I received a fabulous gift in the mail this week! Someone sent me a copy of the latest Gluten-Free Girl cookbook (check out her blog here: Gluten-Free Girl) and so far the cookbook is genius!!! Since it was SUPER HOT outside today, naturally, I decided to bake! Oh...and to make black bean chili! I wanted some delicious cornbread to go with my chili but I didn't have any of the good all-purpose gluten free flour mix that I like. Luckily for me, Gluten-Free Girl Every Day has a recipe for an all-purpose flour mix! I had to get crafty because the recipe calls for potato starch and I'm allergic to potatoes...so I used arrowroot instead and ended up with super delicious, fluffy and delicate cornbread. I doused mine with butter and honey and watched an episode of Psych to wrap up my Saturday! Here are the recipes for both the flour mix and the cornbread!

Gluten Free All-Purpose Flour Mix

300g sweet rice flour
400g millet flour
300g arrowroot starch (or potato starch)

Pour all of them into a large bowl and whisk until well mixed. Store in an airtight container.

Sweet White Corn Cornbread

1 1/2 c. GF all-purpose flour
2/3 c. sugar
1/2 c. white cornmeal
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/4 c. milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 c. vegetable oil
3 tbsp butter, melted and cooled

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease an 8x8 square pan with either butter or cooking spray. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, mix all dry ingredients. Whisk to mix.
3. In a 2 cup measuring cup mix milk, eggs and oil. Pour into the flour mixture and whisk. Add melted butter and whisk until all lumps are gone. Pour into prepared pan. 
4. Bake for 35 minutes or until lightly browned on top and toothpick comes out clean. Top with butter & honey! 

Cali-Persian Fest!

Many thanks to the June issue of Bon Appetit and my lovely friend Hannah for a weekend of RIDICULOUSLY amazing food! We ate like royalty! The menu included Shirazi Salad, Shallot Yogurt, Jeweled Rice, Grilled Saffron Rack of Lamb and Rose Water Shortbread Cookies! The recipes are all from Bon Appetit but the inspiration to actually make all of this dreamy food was a visit from a my dear friend, who came to take care of me post-surgery. All of the recipes in the Cali-Persian article are AMAZING!!!! If you don't have this issue run, don't walk, to the closest store and get it! You will be in love!!!! I'm only going to share one of the recipes here because it uses rose water and it is a delightful dessert that is gluten free! Happy cooking everyone!

Rose Water Shortbread Cookies

½ tsp. ground cardamom

1 ½ c. white rice flour, plus a little for rolling if needed

¾ c. powdered sugar

½ c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 large egg

1 tsp. rose water

1 tsp poppy seeds

1.     Whisk cardamom and 1 ½ c. rice flour in a medium bowl and set aside. Using an electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in a medium bowl until smooth. Add egg and rose water and beat to blend.

2.     Reduce mixer speed to low; gradually mix in dry ingredients (dough will be stiff). Cover and chill at least 6 hours or overnight.

3.     Preheat oven to 300F. Scoop level tablespoonfuls of dough and using lightly floured hands (I didn’t need to flour my hands!), roll into balls. Place on parchment lined baking sheets, spacing about 1 ½” apart. Using a fork or another utensil that can make a decorative pattern in dough, flatten balls to a ¼” thickness. Sprinkle cookies with poppy seeds.

4.     Bake cookies until firm but still pale, 20-25 minutes. Transfer to wire racks; let cool. (Makes about 3 dozen cookies)

For the love of pumpkin!

I am completely in love with fall!!! I love the smell in the air, the crisp leaves underfoot, the bright orange, yellow and red decorations & the piles of pumpkins spilling out of every shop front! I especially love pumpkin pie...topped off with a good dollop of fresh whipped cream...YUM! I am also a HUGE sucker for anything labeled "Pumpkin Smoothie"! Unfortunately most of the smoothies out there in the world have about ten billion calories and would totally thwart all of my weight loss efforts. Being bitten by the pumpkin bug earlier this week, I played with a few recipes and came up with one that is delicious and pretty darn nutritious! Happy fall!!!!

Pumpkin Smoothie
Serves 1

4-5 ice cubes
1/2 c. nonfat milk
1/3 c. pumpkin puree
1/3 c. nonfat vanilla yogurt
1 whole ripe banana
Several shakes of pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. maple syrup (optional!)

Put everything in your blender and hit the on button. Once it's all blended, dip a spoon in and taste it to make sure you have enough spice going on. Add more spice if you need it. Pour it into your favorite smoothie glass and enjoy!

2-3 Points Plus Values (2 without maple syrup, 3 with)

Hamburger Cornbread Casserole

My sweet friend Laura requested that I post something a bit more on the healthy side...and seeing as how she has a house full of cute kids to feed...I figured that this casserole would be fantastic! This casserole came about from a hankering for cornbread and a thawed out pound of ground beef as well as some random mushrooms that I used instead of beans to save the Weight Watchers points! I love that the casserole was perfect on a hot summer night but would also make a cold winter evening totally cozy! This is a great meal for a family or a house full of friends! 

Hamburger Cornbread Casserole

1 lb. ground beef, 95% fat free

1 large onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 portabella mushrooms, chopped

1 14oz. can diced tomatoes

1.5 tsp Italian seasoning

2 tsp chili powder

salt & pepper to taste

1/2 c. flour (I used gluten free but all-purpose is great)

1/2 c. cornmeal

2 tbsp sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 egg beaten

1 tbsp canola oil

1/2 c. milk

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Coat an 11x7 in. baking dish with cooking spray.
2. In a large skillet, cook onion and garlic over medium heat until onions are just starting to get soft. Add the mushrooms and sauté for 4-5 minutes. Add the meat and cook until meat is no longer pink; drain. Add the tomatoes, chili powder and Italian seasoning; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Taste your filling and add salt & pepper if it needs it. Transfer to an the prepared casserole dish. 
3. For topping, in a small bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt. Combine the egg, milk and oil; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Spoon over filling; gently spread to cover the top. (You could add cheese to the topping if you want to be decadent!)
4. Bake, uncovered, for 14-18 minutes or until filling is bubbly and a toothpick inserted into topping comes out clean. Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting. Yield: 6 servings.

Note: You can really go crazy with the filling in this! You could add corn, celery, fresh chopped tomatoes, beans, zucchini, spinach (cooked & drained) or any number of other deliciousness! It's super versatile so use whatever you have in your fridge! 

Apple Brown Betty

I've been sitting on my couch all morning staring at a giant pile of Granny Smith apples in my kitchen, periodically dreaming about the fabulous combination of cinnamon and apples that happens in a Brown Betty! Apples always make me think of fall...and I always miss my time in Maine when I think of fall. One perfectly crisp fall day I even went to an apple orchard and picked baskets and baskets of Empire apples. They were so sweet and crunchy that they made my taste buds sing and we cooked up some delicious treats from the glowing red baskets of apples! Fall in Maine is a dream...and I so miss the cold bite of fall air on my checks as the weather turns. As summer comes to an end I have found myself wishing that it were fall more and more! I lasted until about 11:30am until I fully gave in to my pinings for fall and whipped up some delicious individual dessert treats!

Individual Apple Brown Betty
Serves 8

Topping:
1/2 c. butter, at room temp
1/2 c. dark brown sugar
1/2 c. old fashioned oatmeal
1 tsp. ground cinnamon

Filling:
8 small Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored & thinly sliced
1/2 grated nutmeg (as in 1/2 of one of the whole nutmegs!)
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. lemon juice
Cooking spray

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Spray 8 small ramekin with cooking spray and set aside.
2. In a small bowl cream together butter, sugar and cinnamon. Stir in oatmeal. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl toss prepared apples, nutmeg, cinnamon and lemon juice.
4. Spoon apples into prepared ramekins. Top each with oatmeal mixture. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until apples are soft and topping is crunchy. Serve with whipped cream if you'd like but I just ate mine as is!

Here's to a little fall...in August!

Gluten Free HEAVEN!!!!

Tonight I was DYING for chocolate!!!! Rich, dark, mouthwatering chocolate! The kind you can only get at that fancy restaurant that you only eat at when you've won the lottery! That was the kind of chocolate I was in need of! Luckily for me...my cupboard was stocked with all kinds of goodness and, as a result, my tastebuds were blessed with the joy of this ridiculous dessert!!! Brace yourselves...the fat content is OFF THE CHARTS...but so is the flavor! Enjoy!!!!!

Flourless Chocolate Cake


1 c. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, plus more for the pan
1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder, plus more for the pan
1 1/4 c. heavy cream, divided
8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
5 large eggs
1 c. granulated sugar
1/2 c. creme fraiche
1/4 c. confectioners' sugar

1. Heat oven to 350F. Butter a 9-inch springform pan and dust with cocoa.
2. In a medium saucepan, heat the butter with 1/4 cup of the heavy whipping cream over medium-low heat until the butter is melted. Add the chocolate and stir until melted and smooth; remove from heat. 
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, granulated sugar, and cocoa powder; whisk in the chocolate mixture.
4. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and bake until puffed and set, 35-40 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 1 hour. Run a knife around the edge of the cake before unmolding. 
5. Using an electric mixture, beat the remaining 1 cup of heavy cream, creme fraiche and confectioners' sugar until soft peaks form. Top the cake with whipped topping and your favorite berries! 

Serves 16 (8 PPV for my Weight Watchers fans)

Here Comes Summer: Turkey Kebabs

Summer is on its way my friends and good old MS (Martha Stewart) has once again hooked me up with an AMAZING recipe! The meat is seasoned with mint, garlic, red onions and feta cheese and then garnished with a simple tomato-mint-onion vinaigrette! Just imagine all of those flavors but with home grown tomatoes and fresh picked mint from the garden!

Turkey Kebabs in Lettuce Cups
(Adapted from Martha Stewart Every Day Food)


2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil (or less if you use an oil mister!)
1/2 small red onion, half thinly sliced and half grated
1 lb. ground turkey breast
1 garlic clove, minced
1 c. fresh mint, 1/2 chopped and 1/2 left whole
2 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
salt & pepper
1 c. grape tomatoes, halved
2 tbsp. red-wine vinegar
Butter lettuce, leaves separated, washed & trimmed

1. Set your grill pan on medium-high and get it heating. Lightly oil the grill pan. Soak the sliced onions in warm water for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, gently combine (use your hands!!!) grated onion, turkey, garlic, chopped mint, feta and 1/2 tsp each of slat & pepper. Divide mixture into 8 equal parts and make sausages shaped "kebabs". Spray girl pan once more with oil mist and put your kebabs on the "grill" until cooked through, 12 minutes, flipping once.
2. Drain sliced onions and toss with 1 tbsp. oil, whole mint, tomatoes and vinegar. Season with salt & pepper. Serve kebabs in lettuce leaves, topped with onion salad!

Serves 4
5 Points Plus Value (for my WW friends!)

A Gluten Free Purim

No...I'm not Jewish! But I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and I am teaching seminary this year! Seminary (if you don't know) is an early morning class designed for high school students that helps them get to know the scriptures better and this year we're studying the Old Testament! We decided early on that we would celebrate all of the Jewish holidays and this week is Purim! Yippee for Esther being brave and BOOOOOOO on Haman!!! If you want to know the harrowing details you can check out the book of Esther in the Old Testament...but let's just say that she risked her life several times to save her people.

As with every celebration...I have to make food! Today was no exception! I found a recipe for a lovely Purim brunch coffeecake and adapted it to meet my gluten free needs! The results...PURE GENIUS!!!!! This cake is moist and hits all of the happy places on your tongue! Happy Purim everyone!

Gluten Free Blueberry Purim Coffeecake

Batter:

2/3 c. sugar

1/2 c. unsalted butter, softened

2 tsp. lemon zest, grated

1 large egg, room temperature

1 1/2 c. gluten free all-purpose flour (I used King Arthur)

1 tsp. xanthan gum

2 tbsp. poppy seeds

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 c. sour cream

Filling:

2 c. fresh or frozen blueberries, washed and drained on paper towel

1/3 c. sugar

1 tbsp. gluten free all-purpose flour (I used King Arthur)

1/4 tsp. fresh ground nutmeg

Make batter:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour a 9" springform pan.
2. In a bowl beat together the sugar and butter until fluffy.
3. Add lemon zest and egg and beat for 2 minutes on a medium speed
4. In another bowl mix the flour, xanthan gum, poppy seeds, baking soda and salt. Add to the butter mixture alternately with sour cream. The batter will be thick! Spread over the bottom of the pan.

Make filling & assembly:

1. In another bowl combine filling ingredients and spoon over the batter.
2. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with confectioners sugar on top once cooled.
3. Serve warm or cold. Great with whipped cream.

A Butternut Squash Dream

The soup...before the immersion blender

Tonight I had the missionaries over for dinner. Actually, let me start at about 8:30pm last night...I was standing on the overlook at the Golden Gate Bridge and my phone rings. It's the missionaries..."I wonder what they need," I thought. They were calling me to remind me that I had signed up to feed them the very next day! OH DANG! What in the world was I going to feed them? I scoured my kitchen and came up with a frozen ham bone, some frozen cubed butternut squash, onion, celery, carrots, a bunch of apples and some salad fixings. I had a plan. I'd make some soup, a salad, biscuits and an apple crisp.

The soup was going to be a hodge podge of vegetables and flavors that I figured would work together. After smelling the deliciousness simmering on the stove all day I tasted the fruits of my labor and almost fainted! My mouth was full of this rich, smoky and deep flavored broth. It was amazing! Here is the recipe for a spectacular, almost vegetarian soup!

Butternut Cauliflower Soup

1 large ham bone

1 large onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp. vegetable oil

1.5 pounds chopped butternut squash

6 large carrots, peeled and roughly chopped

4 stalks celery, washed and roughly chopped

1/2 pound mushrooms, roughly chopped

1/2 head cabbage, roughly chopped

4 sprigs thyme

4 stalks flat leaf parsley

1 bay leaf

8-10 cups turkey or chicken stock

kitchen twine

1. In a large soup pot heat oil over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic until onion is opaque, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add squash, carrots, celery, and ham bone. Pour enough stock over to cover the ham bone. Tie up the thyme, parsley and bay leaf with the kitchen twine. Bring it to a boil. Cover and simmer for 5-6 hours.

2. Remove herb bundle, ham bone and any meat bits from the broth. Add the mushrooms and cauliflower. Bring the soup back to a boil and cook until the mushrooms & cauliflower are soft.

3. Using and immersion blender, blend all of the vegetables until the soup is thick and smooth. If the mixture is too thick, feel free to add some warm broth.

4. Serve with a bit of parmesan cheese grated on top and some biscuits hot from the oven. Your family will swoon!

Serves 8

Here...fishy, fishy, fishy....

Ah...fish tacos!!!! Why they weren't a part of my childhood, I will never know, but as an adult I am FULLY in love with them! I love how fresh they are and how you can eat your fill and not be unhealthy. I love that you can use pretty much whatever fish you want and that you can get them from carts on the streets of LA! I love the sour bite of vinegar and the crunch of cabbage. Fish tacos are AMAZING!!!

I recently decided to make my own and after a complete FAIL of a first try I did a little research and came up with this recipe. Enjoy!!!

Fish Tacos

Makes 8 tacos

1 red onion, thinly sliced

About 1 1/2 c. red wine vinegar

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. dried oregano

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1 pound flaky white fish (cod or catfish will totally work here!)

Salt

Corn tortillas

Sour cream (or Mexican creme)

Tomatoes

Shredded cabbage

Cilantro

2 limes, cut into wedges

Marinated onions:

1. Slice red onions and place them in a bowl
2. Pour enough red wine vinegar over the onions to cover them
3. Allow them to sit for at least 30 minutes

Seasoning and cooking the fish:

1. Mix olive oil, chili powder, cumin and a dash of salt in a small bowl
2. Cut the fish into slices about a finger's width wide
3. Place fish on a plate or platter and drizzle the "marinade" over the fish
4. Rub the mixture all over the fish and let sit for 20 minutes
5. Heat your oven to 350F
6. Line a cookie sheet with foil and spray with cooking oil
7. Place fish on cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes, just until fish is cooked through

Assemble your tacos:

1. Heat your tortillas
2. Load up your tortillas with all of the good stuff (fish, onions, cabbage, tomatoes, sour cream, cilantro...)
3. Squeeze a lime wedge over your tacos and eat!