Summer Watermelon Salad...

While I was in North Carolina with Hudson visiting my family (Michael was taking Summer Hebrew so it was a great time for me to go), I came up with this luscious and juicy salad. It sounds weird at first, but even my skeptical brother gave it 5 stars. :-D Enjoy!

~Summer Watermelon Salad~

• 1/4 cup Feta cheese, drained and crumbled
• 1 1/2 quarts seeded, cubed watermelon (bite size pieces)
  
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (gluten free)
  
• 1/4 cup seeded and diced cucumber
  
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
  
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon honey (or sugar)
  
• 1 small garlic clove, minced
  
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
In a large bowl, combine the watermelon cubes, cheese's, fresh herbs, and cucumber. Make a dressing out of remaining ingredients and drizzle over salad, and stir. Refrigerate for a half hour before serving. Serve with slotted spoon. Be ready for a incredibly surprising treat!

Gluten & Sugar Free Chocolate Covered Cherry cookies...

~Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies~

2 ½ cups blanched almond flour
½ teaspoon celtic sea salt
¼-1/2 cup honey
½ cup Ghee, palm shortening, or coconut oil

1 teaspoon cherry flavoring or pure syrup (or any other flavor desired without sugar)
1 teaspoon natural vanilla flavoring 
1 cup dark or milk chocolate chips (make sure the chocolate is gluten free. I like Enjoy Life!)

In a large bowl, stir together the almond flour and salt. In a small bowl, combine oil, honey and extract. Stir wet ingredients into dry. Put dough in freezer for 30 minutes. Roll dough into several bite sized balls, lay on parchment lined cookie sheet, and slightly press cookie down. Bake at 350° for 5-7 minutes until brown around the edges. Cool for ½ hour

In a small saucepan, melt chocolate over very low heat, stirring continuously. Remove saucepan from heat and drizzle chocolate over each cookie. Allow cookies to cool on a parchment lined baking sheet. Serve and enjoy!

Blueberry Spice Cake with Peanut Butter frosting...

I was experimenting last night and made up this creation for my parents and Philip. My family said it didn't even taste gluten free and wholeheartedly gave their approval. I hope you enjoy this. It is wonderful that those of us with Celiac's or a gluten sensitivity can still enjoy dessert without having to suffer the consequences later. :-)



~Blueberry Spice Cake with Peanut Butter frosting~
2 1/2 cups blanched almond flour
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 grapeseed oil (or melted butter)
3/4 cup honey
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon gluten free vanilla extract
1/2-3/4 cup fresh blueberries

Oven: 350

Grease an 8-inch square baking dish with the oil (or butter) and sprinkle with almond flour.

Take two bowls. In larger bowl, stir in all the dry ingredients in order given. In the second bowl, mix the oil, honey, eggs, and vanilla. Whisk together well and pour into the wet ingredients. Stir together until it is well mixed. Add blueberries and stir. Pour into the baking dish and bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let the cake cool and then frost and serve.

~Creamy Peanut Butter Frosting~
1 cup creamy peanut butter (gluten free, no sugar added)
1/2 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (McCormick spices are gluten free)

Stir all ingredients together and then put in freezer for 10 minutes until thickened. Frost cake and serve!

Baked Salmon & Onions with Creamy Olive & Macadamia Nut Sauce...

It is nice to be in North Carolina for a visit! Compared to the Texas heat, it feels like paradise. :-P

Mom made some salmon today and I thought it looked kind of bare so I decided to experiment with some random ingredients. :-D This is the result and it was unanimous that it was yummy. Make the sauce before you bake the salmon so you can serve the fish right out of the oven. Just a note to say that this is gluten, egg, dairy, soy, and peanut free. :-)

Enjoy!

~Baked Salmon & Onions~

4 pieces Salmon

1 onion, sliced

Olive oil

Brush Salmon and onions with olive oil and season to taste.

Bake at 350 until it flakes with a fork.

~Creamy Olive & Macadamia Nut Sauce~

1 teaspoon ghee

1 teaspoon coconut oil

1 small onion, diced

2 small cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup macadamia nuts, chopped

1/2 cup kalamata olives, sliced in half

1 can coconut milk

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

Dash of curry

Sea salt and pepper to taste

Saute onion in ghee and coconut oil until transparent. Add garlic and stir until browned and then toss in the nuts. Watch carefully because you don't want the nuts to burn! Add in the rest of the ingredients and cook on medium low until thickened (about 10-15 minutes), stirring every couple of minutes. Pour over Salmon and serve with a sprig of fresh basil!

Creamy Asian Chicken Salad...

I was attempting to make something substantial for a nice picnic lunch. If you have ever met my super thin husband with a miraculously high metabolism (or know someone like him), you know it is hard to fill those kind of guys up. :-D He really loved this. I served it up wrapped in lettuce, gluten free style. Enjoy (and try not to drool over it too much). ;-)

~Creamy Asian Chicken Salad~

3 Chicken Breasts, Cooked and Diced
1/2 cup mayonnaise (I use THIS recipe for homemade mayo)
1-2 teaspoons fresh grated ginger
1 tablespoon coconut aminos
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil (optional)
1/4 cup diced pineapple
Sea salt and pepper to taste

Mix chicken and mayo together.
Add all other ingredients and chill for 1 hour.
Serve wrapped in lettuce.

Edit: July 1, 2010~ I took and added in about a 1/4 cup of pecans that had been sauteed in coconut oil, coconut aminos, and some honey! Simply

scrumptious!

Please vote for me...

I am one of the 20 finalists in the St. Ives Recipe Contest. Please go to facebook now and vote for my Antipasto Salad. I am currently in 2nd place but I still need a lot of help! I would count it as a great blessing to win the grand prize!

Here is the link:
http://www.facebook.com/st......ives?ref=ts

Dairy free “NO”fredo Sauce...

I wish I had a picture for this one because it is just so delectable. :-) Let's just say that the husband's favorite dish is Chicken Alfredo (of the dairy variety) and he gave this two thumbs up.

Stephanie's “NO”fredo Sauce
2 cans coconut milk
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 diced purple onion
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp. chopped fresh parsley
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 teaspoon Italian seasonings
1 tsp. salt (or to taste)
Dash of cayenne
Chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Saute onion in oil until transparent. Add garlic until just sizzling and add all spices. Cook for 2-3 minutes until well blended (if it starts sticking, add broth or water to loosen it). Add coconut milk. Stir every so often on medium low heat for around 20-25 minutes (or until it starts thickening).

Pour over spaghetti squash just before serving. Sprinkle with fresh parsley and a dash of cayenne or paprika. Enjoy!

Zesty Applesauce Chicken...

I was wanting to try something unusual and since I was out of some staples (mainly chicken stock and coconut milk) I decided to do something with applesauce. Every recipe I searched seemed somewhat bland so I started adding things. This is the yummy and moist result! I cooked this in the crock pot but I am sure it would be fine in the oven as well. You will have to adjust cooking time of course (probably 350 for 45 min-1 hour).

Ingredients:
4 Frozen Chicken breasts or thighs
1 1/2 cups unsweetened applesauce
1 T dried onion flakes
1 T raw apple cider vinegar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp powdered garlic
1 T Olive Oil
1 tsp wheat free soy sauce
1 tsp sea salt
Dash of Cayenne

Directions:
Put the frozen chicken in the crock pot. Mix all other ingredients together and pour over chicken.
Cover and cook over low for 6 hours or on high 3 hours.