Apple and Berry Crisp

Here’s another delicious recipe from the Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free Cookbook by Susan O’Brien. I made this last weekend and plan on whenever I’m craving something sweet with some crunch. It is delicious! And to make this recipe easy, use whatever fruit you have in the house. That’s what I did. It all worked out!

Ingredients:
Fruit
4 cups apples, peeled,cored and slice
5 cups strawberries, fresh or frozen
3 cups raspberries, fresh or frozen
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 T arrowroot (you can use cornstarch too)
1 T o.j. (I used lemon since I didn’t have orange juice)

Topping:
6 T agave nectar
2 cups oats or rice flakes (I used Eden’s rice flakes – my first time, turned out great!)
1/2 cup brown rice flour
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp all spice
1 cup walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup butter (calm down, it’s for the entire recipe!)

Preheat oven to 350

In a large bowl, combine fruit, cinnamon, nutmeg and arrowroot. Squeeze the orange juice over the fruit and toss again. Place the fruit in a 9 x 13-inch pan that has been lightly coated with olive oil (I used the biggest dish I had that would fit all the fruit and it still turned out for me)

Cover with foil and bake for about 45 minutes, until hot and the fruit is beginning to bubble (I don’t like to use aluminum so skipped this too)

While the fruit is baking, mix together the agave nectar, oats, flour, cinnamon, allspice and walnuts. Cut in the butter until mixture is crumbly.

Remove the pan of fruit from the oven and spread the topping over the fruit. Return the pan to the oven and continue baking, uncovered, for another 20 to 30 minutes, or until the topping is browned.

Serve hot or at room temperature. The crisp will thicken as it cools.

Crock Pot Hearty Veggie Soup

Winter is at the tail end of its cycle. Here’s a recipe that will give you enough servings to get you through it…while keeping you warm and nourished. It’s my Mom’s and whenever I make it, I think about her and how much I love her.

Feel free to add in other veggies and make it your own – and start some great memories of your own!

Crock Pot Hearty Vegetable Soup

2 lb cross-cut beef shanks (I use any cheap cut of organic meat but something with a bone in it adds a lot of flavor)—also I only use about ½ lb of meat, but the more meat you use the tastier it is)
1 tablespoon salt
1 ½ tsp Worcestershire sauce
Dash pepper
2 tsp dried parsley flakes
1 medium onion
1 pkg frozen cut green beans, thawed
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup sliced pared carrots
1 cup diced peeled potatoes or turnips
1 can (16 oz. whole tomatoes)
2 cloves garlic

Combine all ingredients in Crock-Pot.
Add water to cover barely (about 2 cups); stir well.
Cover and cook on low setting for 12 to 18 hours (on High setting for 5 to 7 hours. Remember all crock-pots vary in their cooking time)
Before serving, remove meat and bones; cut meat into bite-size pieces and stir into soup.

6 servings (about 3 qts.)

Need an at-home cooking assistant? Here are two free ones

My parents are the smartest, most supportive and resourceful people I know. This has become most apparent to me over the past four years as a novice home owner who knows nothing about garbage disposals, hot water heaters and furnaces. I always call them to get the answers I need, fast.

When I asked my parents how they became ever so resourceful, instead of the answers I was expecting like “school of hard knocks” and “trial-and-error” I got “we just google the problem”. Genius!

I got on the “Google=All Knowing” bandwagon myself when I was trying to figure out how to juice ginger. If you ever find yourself hung up on some cooking directions or mystery ingredient, check out some of the audio and visual assistants below:

Cooking demo

Start Cooking

Onward and upward my fellow budding chefs!

“Creamed” Spinach

This is another great comfort food recipe for these snowy, wet and dark February days. I double this recipe and then have it available all week. It’s easy to warm up in a pan for each time you want something hot and “creamy”.

Nutritional yeast is one of the lesser known ingredients in this recipe. You can find it in the bulk food section of Whole Foods. It has lots of B vitamins and adds a cheesy flavor without any dairy.

1 1/2 lb baby spinach or 1 1/4 lb frozen spinach
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
2 Tbsp butter or oil
2 Tbsp rice flour
1 cup plus 2 Tbsp almond milk
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast ( I usually add a lot more. Try a little if it’s your first time using NY but if you like it, add more if you want)
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
pinch of grated nutmeg (optional)

1. If using fresh spinach, wash it, drain it, and cook it in just the water clinging to the leaves from the washing, then cool under cold running water and chop coarsely. If using frozen spinach, thaw

2. Cook the onion in a small heavy pan over moderately low heat, stirring often, until softened. Add the flour and cook, stirring continually, for a further 2 minutes. Add the milk off the heat and stir in well. Bring back over the heat to a simmer and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring and making sure it doesn’t catch on the bottom.

3. Mix in nutritional yeast, salt and nutmeg. Add the spinach and cook, stirring, until heated through.

Hunker Down and Watch Some Football Turkey Chili

I made this chili on Sunday as I watched the Steelers and Eagles pull out feel good victories in the NFL playoffs. It comes from the Healthiest Meals on Earth Cookbook.

I made some adjustments so the recipe would be gluten-free. If you are GF too, make sure your spices are GF as companies use gluten as an anti-caking agent in spices. I know McCormick spices are GF.

This chili is so wonderful and warming. It makes enough for meals through out the week…or if your team is still in the playoffs, for another football Sunday.

Turkey Chili with Cashews and Kale

Prep Time: 15-20 minutes
Cook Time: 30-40 minutes

Ingredients

1 T of Olive Oil
1 yellow onion, finely diced
2 to 3 garlic cloves, minced
1.5 pounds of ground turkey or chicken
1 tsp dried oregano
2 T chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp cayenne pepper (I omitted this)
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 cup of gluten free beer (Red Bridge is a great choice)
2 T tomato paste
1 can of kidney beans, drained
1 can black beans, drained
1 can diced tomatoes
1 cup of colored bell pepper (I used frozen peppers)
1 small zucchini or yellow summer squash, sliced into half rounds
1 cup kale, stemmed and torn into bit-size pieces
1 carrot, grated (I just thinly sliced the carrots)
1/4 cup of cashews. chopped (put in a plastic bag and use a hammer to chop)
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 to 2 T fresh lime juice, optional

In a 4-6 quart saute pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the turkey and cook until browned, for 5-6 minutes. Add the oregano, chili powder, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, and salt and saute for 2 minutes. Pour in the broth and beer. Stir in the tomato paste. Add the kidney beans, black beans, tomatoes, bell pepper, zucchini or squash, kale and carrot.  Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the cashews and cook for 5 to 7 minutes. Add the cilantro and lime juice, if using.

Enjoy!

Recipe: Blau’s Carrot Ginger Soup

This soup is delicious and great for winter as carrots are a winter vegetable and ginger is a warming spice, great for these cold and dark January days.

It originally didn’t include the coconut milk but during a cooking class with a client, her creative juices started flowing and she had the urge to add coconut milk to the recipe I provided. The result was a bit of terrific. Enjoy – just like we did!

Blau’s Carrot Ginger Soup
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Yields: 4 servings

Ingredients:
6 carrots
1 can of coconut milk
1 medium onion
1 teaspoon sea salt
4 cups water
6-inch piece fresh ginger, juiced
Fresh parsley to garnish

Directions:

1. Wash, peel and cut carrots and onion into chunks.
2. Place vegetables and salt in a pot.
3. Add water and bring to boil. Cover with a lid.
4. Simmer on low heat for 25 minutes. Add coconut milk with ten minutes left.
5. Peel ginger root and place into blender. Add 1/4 cup of water and blend.
6. Transfer soup into blender, adding water if necessary to achieve desired
consistency.
7. Garnish with parsley.