Gluten Free Archives - Page 34 of 36

Cauliflower Herb Pizza Crust. Gluten-Free. Vegetarian. Grain-Free.

April 17, 2013 by Knead to Cook Filed Under: Cheese, Gluten Free, Pizza, Vegetarian, Vitamix, Wheat Free 55 Comments

After numerous attempts, I’m thrilled that today I finally got it! Any recipe takes time to develop… this one was no exception! If you follow my simple steps, I promise you will have success too! This is grain-free, vegetarian and gluten-free. Packed with flavor and you control the toppings you want on top. I baked these up earlier in the day (even the day prior) and use them when I need them.

Ingredients:

1 medium-sized head of cauliflower (I used organic), washed and cut into smaller florets (remove the stems)
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon of sea salt
1 teaspoon of dried basil
1/2 teaspoon of dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper
1/2 cup of part skim mozzarella cheese (grated)
1/4 cup of grated asiago cheese (measure it grated, light and fluffy not packed down)
1 egg
Salt and pepper

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees with your pizza stone on the lowest rack setting.

1. Make sure you’re starting with washed cauliflower that has been dried as much as possible.

2. Take your florets (with most of the stems removed) and place in your food processor or Vitamix. Pulse about 8-10 times until it looks like fluffy snow (see pic). I worked in batches so not to overcrowd.

3. Add the cauliflower “snow” to a microwave safe bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Cook in your microwave for 3 1/2 minutes. Remove carefully and let it rest, covered for 1 minute. Remove the plastic wrap and dump the cauliflower into the center of a clean dishtowel. Let this cool for about 8-10 minutes.

4. Once cool, place a large bowl underneath and twist up the towel (see pic) and ring it out. When I say ring, I mean it! Keep ringing until you literally get no water out of the cauliflower anymore. See the pic of how much water I got from one medium sized head of cauliflower (over 1 cup)! Insane! You need to do this to make the crust perfect… trust me.

5. Open the towel to reveal what looks like sugar cookie dough (best description). See pic. Add this to a mixing bowl or stand mixer bowl and add the remaining seasonings/ingredients. Adjust here what you love or omit what you don’t. Mix well in your stand mixer or with your hands. The dough is very easy to work with and will be a bit sticky but not bad.

6. I made two 8 inch crusts. Take a large enough piece of parchment paper and spray it with a non stick oil (I used Smart Balance). Then split your “dough” in half and form it into an 8 inch round or whatever size you desire. I used a rubber spatula to press the dough down and tighten up the edges. It worked perfectly! (see pic) You want to make sure that the dough is less than 1/2 an inch thick and even throughout. I started at the center and worked my way out. I then made sure the edges had no cracks and were pretty tight.

7. With a pizza peel, slide your parchment paper with dough onto your pizza stone in the preheated oven. Bake for 18-22 minutes or until golden. This will depend upon your oven. I like it more golden brown so that’s my recommendation. Then remove gently and let the crust cool.

8. I pre-made these for tonight. When you are ready to cook, make sure your oven has been pre-heated for at least one hour at 450 degrees with the stone inside. Top your crust with whatever you like and bake until cheese is melted or about 4 minutes.

Enjoy!

— Knead to Cook

Curry Chicken Chobani Salad. Healthy & Low fat.

March 21, 2013 by Knead to Cook Filed Under: Chicken, Gluten Free, Salads, Wheat Free, Yogurt 2 Comments

My friend Jenny, who we just visited over spring break inspired this recipe. She had in her fridge a similar salad and I recreated it in her honor. It is so good that I cannot stop eating it! Guilt-free because I used organic chicken and non fat Chobani instead of mayo. Totally healthy! Chobani adds much needed protein. It’s a perfect lunch idea!

Ingredients:

1.25 lbs of organic chicken tenders (cooked – I grilled mine)
3 teaspoons of curry powder
1 tablespoon of lime juice (fresh)
2 teaspoon of raw honey (or you can use agave or maple syrup)
1/4 cup of chopped dried cherries (or you can use raisins or fresh grapes halved)
Salt
Pepper
1/2 tsp of ground cayenne pepper (use less if you don’t want it spicy)
3/4 cup of non fat plain Chobani
Green onions, 2 chopped
Optional: Celery or carrots chopped, red onions, red bell peppers

Directions:

In your stand mixer, with the paddle attachment, place your chicken in the mixing bowl and turn on the mid speed. This will shred the chicken nicely but keep an eye on it and stop it when you reach the right shredding consistency. If you prefer, you can chop the chicken into pieces. Then add the remaining ingredients and mix until combined. Refrigerate in a covered container. Great served in a bell pepper, on crackers, bread or pitas. Enjoy!

— Knead to Cook

Baked Turkey Quinoa Spinach Meatballs.

March 5, 2013 by Knead to Cook Filed Under: Gluten Free, Ground Turkey, Turkey 46 Comments

Ahhh my Mondays are normally calm and not packed with appointments, this Monday was quite different. My day was filled with doctor’s appointments and finally culminated with my youngest daughter’s parent/teacher conference. I needed something that they would love, total carnivores, but something healthy, that I wouldn’t mind serving. Filled with quinoa, a nutritional powerhouse – these are totally parent-approved!
These were prepared quickly, freeze perfectly and are the quintessential weeknight meal. You can also add these to your favorite sauce for a great weeknight meal.

Ingredients:

2 lbs of ground turkey (I used lean 93%)
1 cup of cooked quinoa (any color will do)
1 medium yellow onion, diced very small
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup of chopped spinach leaves (I used baby spinach leaves)
1/4 teaspoon of red chili flakes
2 tablespoon of low sodium soy sauce, Sriracha sauce or other hot sauce that you love or Worcheshire sauce
1 tablespoon of Italian Seasoning
1 teaspoon of Oregano
Salt and Pepper
1 tablespoon of flaxseed meal
1 egg, beaten

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 and spray your baking pan with sides with baking spray. Set aside. In your stand mixer with the paddle attached, add all of the ingredients and mix until incorporated. Then form meatballs, rolling in between your hands and then lay out on your baking sheet. Repeat until you use all of the meat mixture. Bake for 35 minutes or a little more – until golden brown. Rotate them half way through the baking time.

— Knead to Cook

{No cream added} Roasted Tomato Soup.

February 28, 2013 by Knead to Cook Filed Under: Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gluten Free, Soups, Vegetarian, Wheat Free Leave a Comment

I’m on a mission to continue to eat much cleaner and that was revamping my roasted tomato soup (which normally has some cream in it). This is perfect! It was thick and creamy sans the extra fat. I love making this soup in the summer when fresh tomatoes are plentiful but honestly, you can get the worst tomatoes in the winter, like I did, and roast them and you will never know how mealy they were when they started out in your dinner prep.

This recipe has a lot of flexibility so use what you have on hand or what you love!

Ingredients:

3-4 lbs of tomatoes (beefsteak etc.), quartered
2 red bell peppers (whatever color works), sliced into large pieces
1 medium sized onion, sliced into quarters and then peeled apart
10 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
1 small 6 ounce can of tomato paste
4 cups of vegetable or chicken broth
Fresh basil for topping (optional)

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 275 degrees. Spray a large broiler pan (something with sides) with olive oil. Then toss all of your tomatoes, peppers, onions and garlic into the pan. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Drizzle olive oil and give it a good toss. Place in the oven for at least 3 hours. Then remove.

On the stove top over medium heat, place your Dutch oven. Drizzle some olive oil in the pan and add the tomato paste. Mix it over the heat until it melts nicely. Then add the vegetables and stock. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 30 minutes. Using a blender or a hand immersion blender, blend until the soup is completely pureed. Top with fresh basil leaves. Enjoy!

— Knead to Cook

Gluten-Free Baked Chobani Fonuts {doughnuts}.

February 27, 2013 by Knead to Cook Filed Under: Breakfast, Gluten Free, Snacks, Valentine's Day, Vitamix, Wheat Free, Yogurt 4 Comments

Fonuts are fake donuts AKA “not fried”, healthy dare I say? I’m not a huge donut fan but these little guys… I’ve eaten 3 today! They are minis after-all, so I don’t have the guilt that I normally would have partaking in such a treat. Gluten-free as well! I didn’t want to use any “junky” ingredients and guess what – they’re pretty good!! My kids came home and downed like 8 of them already.

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cup of almond flour (spooned into your measuring cups – not packed down)
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg (you can also use pumpkin or apple spice seasoning instead)
3 eggs, room temperature
1/4 cup (heaping) of vanilla Chobani yogurt
2 heaping tablespoons of raw honey (use regular if you don’t have it)
Extra honey, cinnamon, sugar for topping which is optional

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and spray your donut pan with baking spray. Set aside.

You can use a food processor, blender or Vitamix to make the batter creamy and fabulous. Add all of the dry ingredients and blend (if using a food processor – 4-6 pulses). Then add all of the wet ingredients and blend until smooth. Stop and scrape down the sides if necessary. Blend again. This process took about 1 minute or so. Then with a spoon, fill each well with about 1/2 or so of batter. Then bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden.

While baking, I took about two heaping tablespoons of the raw honey (you can also use maple syrup too) and melted it in the microwave until it was watery. I dipped each donut (fonut) into the liquified honey and then sprinkled some cinnamon and sugar on top. This is optional.

Enjoy!

— Knead to Cook

Mango Jalapeño Salsa.

February 26, 2013 by Knead to Cook Filed Under: Appetizers, Chicken, Condiments, Fish, Fruit, Gluten Free, No bake/cooking required!, Party Foods, Pork, Salsas & Guacamole, Side dish, Snacks, Vegetarian, Wheat Free 1 Comment

*Stamped spoon can be found at: http://www.etsy.com/people/pumpernickelandwry

Sometimes you need to lighten up a gray day with some tropical salsa. Today, is a bit gray and going to be rainy… I thought this would be the perfect way to brighten up dinner. I make this salsa early and let the flavors blend in the fridge until dinner. Top over grilled chicken, pork or fish. Or eat it straight up with tortilla chips. Perfect for a party!

Ingredients:

2 mangoes, peeled, pitted and diced
2 green spring onions, sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup of cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
1 jalapeño, seeds removed (or left in if you like the heat), finely diced
1-2 tablespoons of a better quality balsamic vinegar

Directions:

Add all of the ingredients to a mixing bowl. Give a good toss and let the flavors develop for at least 2 hours in the refrigerator. Remove right before serving and add additional balsamic if necessary.

— Knead to Cook

Classic Hummus.

February 22, 2013 by Knead to Cook Filed Under: Appetizers, Condiments, Dips, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gluten Free, No bake/cooking required!, Snacks, Vitamix, Wheat Free 7 Comments

If you’ve never made hummus, you don’t know what you’re missing. Store bought hummus pales in comparison. This took me about 3 minutes to make. It tastes unbelievably good and can be used as a dip, sandwich spread… whatever! So healthy and even the kids love it! I made it for a party that we’re having tonight to serve with some fresh veggies. Chips, pretzels, crackers… they all work as a delivery vehicle

Ingredients:

2 15 ounce cans of low sodium chickpeas (One drained and rinsed, one with liquid)
1/4 cup of toasted sesame seeds
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1/4 cup of lemon juice
1/4 cup of water
4 garlic cloves, smashed (skin removed)
1 heaping teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Add everything to your Vitamix or blender. If you using a Vitamix, set to Puree and let it run. If using a blender or food processor, blend until smooth and creamy. Remove and store in a container with a lid.

*Recipe loosely adapted from Vitamix cookbook.

— Knead to Cook

Tequila lime braised short ribs.

February 19, 2013 by Knead to Cook Filed Under: Beef, Gluten Free Leave a Comment

I love braising meat for dinner. It is the easiest & most flavorful way of cooking. It pretty much ranks up there with the slow cooker – just by means of your oven. Braising meat consists of browning it first on the stovetop and yielding a nice crust on the exterior. This process adds a wonderful depth of flavor and shouldn’t be rushed. The cooking for several hours in a liquid until the meat is falling off the bone. This process can be done with chicken, beef, lamb, pork… this time we opted for short ribs.

Ingredients:

3-4 lbs of short ribs
1 tablespoon of salt
Cracked black pepper
1 tsp of smoked paprika
Olive oil
Tequilla – 3-4 cups
4 large carrots, diced
1 large onion, diced
2 celery ribs, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
4 jalapeños, sliced down the center
Fresh thyme, 5 sprigs
8 cilantro sprigs
2 limes, squeezed for the juice (keep the remains and add them to the pot before cooking)
4 cups of beef broth

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

On the stove top, in a large Dutch oven, heat some olive oil (you will add more as needed while you cook the meat). While the oil is heating, salt and pepper each of your short ribs. Place a few in your pot at a time and work in batches. Avoid over-crowding. Cover and let brown on each side for about 4 minutes. Then remove and place on a plate until this process is completed. Then remove the last ribs and pour in your Tequila to deglaze the pan, scraping up the bits of meat stuck to the bottom of the pan. Then add the remaining ingredients.

Cover and place in your oven and cook for 3-4 hours. Occasionally, checking on the liquid level. Add additional broth if needed. Remove from the oven, leaving the pot covered and let it rest for 15 minutes prior to serving. I served over mashed sweet potatoes.

— Knead to Cook

Indian Style Chicken with Lentils and Chobani.

February 6, 2013 by Knead to Cook Filed Under: Chicken, Gluten Free, Wheat Free, Yogurt 13 Comments

I always feel the need to apologize for not taking pictures (when I do this) during daylight hours but with winter time here and some late night dinners… I have to work with what I’ve got.

As you know, I’m doing a joint giveaway with my awesome friend Lauren Kelly who wrote the following book:

Our giveaway is this Friday and the details are listed on my Facebook page on how to enter. I jumped at the chance to try some recipes from this book. So far, both recipes have knocked my socks off! Yesterday I made her oatmeal cookie bars – to die for. Last night for dinner, I made this Indian Style Chicken with Lentils and my all time fave Chobani. Everyone loved it and we had no leftovers! {good sign.}

INGREDIENTS | SERVES 4–6

1 cup lentils (I used pre-cooked lentils from Trader Joe’s last night.)

3 cups water

1⁄2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced (I used 4 but I love garlic)

1 medium onion, peeled and finely minced

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon cumin

1⁄4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1⁄2 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces

1 cup plain Chobani Greek low fat yogurt

1 tablespoon curry powder

1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce (I used Sriracha)

Directions:

Preheat broiler. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
Place the lentils and water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer.
Just before the lentils are cooked (when barely tender, after about 25 minutes), add 1⁄4 teaspoon salt, pepper, garlic, onion, lemon juice, cumin, red pepper flakes and parsley.
Toss the chicken with the yogurt, curry powder, remaining salt, and Tabasco sauce. Place chicken on foil-lined baking sheet and broil for 5 minutes per side.
Mix the chicken into the lentils and serve with rice.

— Knead to Cook

Oat Chobani PB2 Cookies. {no flour & gluten free}

January 15, 2013 by Knead to Cook Filed Under: Cookies, Gluten Free, Snacks, Valentine's Day, Vegetarian 3 Comments

I had an old recipe that I wrote down on a notepad – totally random that I discovered it and I thought I would tweak it and mess around with the ingredients and see what would happened. I made the batter two days ago and refrigerated it, only because the dough was really loose, and forgot about it. Ha ha. Life is just too busy lately. So I remembered it today before I headed out to pick up my daughter and made the batch.

I haven’t been eating cookies or really anything “sweet” that I’ve been making because my weight is down 15-16ish lbs and I’m afraid eating something sweet will open the flood gates to the sweets again. You know what I mean, right? So I reserved them for my dad and my girls to review. Everyone LOVES them. Hey, who would’ve thought. They look funky and a bit healthy but the reviews are glowing hence me sharing it with you. Now bare with me on this recipe… You MUST be flexible.

Ingredients:

1 stick of Smart Balance butter or regular butter, room temperature
1/4 cup of Chobani (vanilla)
1/4 cup of white sugar
3/4 cup of light brown sugar
2 tablespoons of PB2 powdered peanut butter
2 eggs
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1.5 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
3 cups of old fashioned oats

Directions:

In your stand mixer, blend the butter, Chobani, PB2 and sugars together. Don’t panic if it looks weird! Then add the eggs and beat well. Add the vanilla extract. Then in a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients and then add them to the wet mixture. Blend together. It will be ooey, gooey and a mess! Scoop this mixture into a bowl and cover. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or more (I let it go up to 2 days) so it can firm up. Trust me, you need to this or they will be impossible to work with

Then preheat the oven to 375 degrees. On your cookie sheet line with parchment or a Silpat liner. Scoop and place the dough about 1.5-2 inches apart. Now the baking time will vary. Normal cookies take 8-10 but I thought they were still too loose. I baked them for about 14-16 minutes or until crispy and brown around the edges. Trust me, I kept testing them and taking them out – inspection and then back in. Your oven make take a bit longer so be patient. This recipe makes a ton of cookies! 36 or so (small scoop sized).

— Knead to Cook