Recipe: Zesty Lime Tilapia

When I was in the Dominican visiting our friends we had an easy and simple way to make Tilapia.  To accompany it I made island rice and Mango Salsa that I got from Simple Recipes.

Recipes: Avocado Grilled Sandwiches

Mom and I went to a GF cooking special and the lady presented an idea of a grilled cheese guacamole sandwich.  I had never thought of putting Guac on grilled cheese but that also could be because I can’t eat the cheese.  From this small idea, we decided to do our own little spin on the grilled cheese classic.

Recipes: Spicy Turkey Avocado Wraps

We used the Goodbye Gluten wraps to create these awesome delights!

Recipes: Buckeye Balls Dessert!

I had tried this recipe with one of my good friend when I lived in Hong Kong.  They remind me of peanut-butter cups and since reese’s cups have wheat in them, I was glad to find an alternative.  I found this recipe from: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/buckeye-balls-ii/

Makes 24-30 mini Buckeyes.

Recipe: Classic Crème brûlée

While traveling through France, one of the sought after desserts was always either a perfect Chocolate Mousse or a Crème brûlée.  The whole family would taste test different ones as we traveled to find the perfect one.  When we got back Stateside, we found this terrific recipe that was so easy.

You just need few essential tools:  a whisk, a fine strainer, and   4-6 ramekins/custard cups.

Note: for best results you should let them sit over night in the refrigerator. *We did try using soy milk once & another time using half & half. Both came out ok, but to get the true creamy texture you need the real deal- the heavy cream

Recipe: Agave Spinach Salad

Tonight we decided to do a light option as a side for our Salmon.  Mom made her famous Spinach Salad- the deluxe version. It had all the normal stuff- the hard-boiled eggs and the bacon but it became the “lighter” version because we used the agave to sweeten the dressing.  It was fantastic!  If you’re looking for a way to spice up your salad give this one a try!

Ingredients:
1 container of Earthbound Farm organic spinach
1/2 red onion (chopped)
3-4 strips of bacon (cooked) **Save the bacon grease- You’ll use it in the dressing
3-4 hardboiled eggs
3 tablespoons of Agave
3 tablespoons of Red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon of bacon grease

Directions:
Start boiling the eggs for the normal 15 minutes and when those are done set them aside to cool. Next cook the bacon in another pan.  When the bacon is done, put it aside and toss in the onion into the grease.  When the onion is translucent take it out and put it in the salad bowl.  Remove most of the grease but leave about a tablespoon in the pan.  You will use this tablespoon of grease for your dressing.  In your salad bowl, add your spinach, egg, & bacon to the onion.  Toss together and then add the dressing.

Dressing:
On low heat add the agave and vinegar to the bacon grease.  Once they have mixed together toss the dressing over your salad.

Recipe: Butter Nut Squash Bake

Note from Jess:
This is a holiday favorite on my husbands side of the family! It is so delicious!

Ingredients:
1/3 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup evaporated milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups mashed, cooked squash

Topping:
1 1/2 cups gluten free Rice Krispies
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup chopped pecans
3 Tbs melted butter

Directions:
In mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs, milk and vanilla. Stir in squash. Mixture will be thin. Pour into greased casserole dish. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, until almost set. Combine topping ingredients and sprinkle over casserole. Return to oven for 5-10 minutes.

Recipe: Wild Rice Apple Cider Pilaf

Serving Size: 4

Ingredients:
2/3 Cup Wild Rice
2 Cups Unsweetened Apple Cider
1/4 Cup (1/2 stick) butter or margarine
1/2 Cup Sliced Almonds
1/2 Cup Golden Raisins
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Freshly Ground  Black Pepper
1/2 tsp. Nutmeg
1 Fresh Apple, Peeled, Cored and Chopped

Directions:
Wash wild rice in three changes of hot tap water, draining it well at the end. Combine wild rice with the cider and 1 cup water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat in low, cover. Simmer until rice is tender, but still firm, 30 to 40 minutes. In large skillet, melt the butter; add the almonds and rasins. Cook, stirring, until almonds are light brown, about 5 minutes. Add the salt, pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir the chopped fresh apple and the wild rice. Cook until warmed through, about 1 minute. Serve warm

This is delicious with Thanksgiving Dinner!

Recipe: Turkey Meatballs

Mom had seen GF bread crumbs in the grocery store and got the idea to make meatballs for our spaghetti.  We adapted this recipe from the Better Homes and Gardens- Cooking for Two book. Since regular meatballs can be a little fatting we decided to use ground turkey.  They turned out wonderful!  Sometime its fun to spice up your cooking.

Ingredients:
2 pounds of ground turkey
1.5 cups of GF bread crumbs (we used kinnikinnick gluten free bread crumbs)
1/2 cup of milk
1/2 cup of chopped onion
2 eggs
1.5 teaspoons of salt
2 tablespoons of italian seasoning
**We separated the batch into two before adding the italian seasoning so we could do BBQ turkey meatball sandwiches.

Directions:
Preheat the oven for 375 degrees. Combined all ingredients in a mixing bowl.  It’s best to use your hands to really make sure everything gets mixed in well. Scoop out a 1-2 inch ball and roll into a meatball.  Place on a baking sheet.  You will have between 2-4 dozen depending on how big you  make them. Cook in the oven for between 25-30 minutes.  You want them to be brown and cooked through the middle.  You can always check them by taking one out of the oven and cutting it in half.

With the spaghetti we had them soak in the sauce for about 20-30 minutes.  This made them saucy and moist!

Recipe: Valentine’s Cheesecake

Mom and I decided to try a little cheesecake recipe that I found online, which we then made GF and the best part is that it  happens to be Valentine’s Day tomorrow!  How perfect!  There were definitely a few things that we had to change to make the recipe GF and we did end up tweaking a few things to our taste.  The original recipe comes from: http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/03/strawberry-swirl-cheesecake.html However, we changed the recipe some! 🙂

Low Fat Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake: Gina’s Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 9 

Ingredients:
Cooking Spray
1/2 cup crushed graham cracker crumbs (Kinnikinnick brand are gluten free)
1 tbsp light butter, softened
8 oz package reduced fat cream cheese, softened
1/3 + 1TBSP cup sugar
6 oz fat-free vanilla Greek yogurt
2 large egg whites
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp all purpose flour (We used Pamela’s GF Baking  & Pancake Flour)

Fresh Strawberries to add on top.


Directions:
Heat oven to 350°. Coat an 8-inch square baking pan with non-stick spray. Mix together GF graham cracker crumbs, butter, and 1 tbsp of sugar with a fork until evenly moistened. Press evenly into bottom of prepared pan. Gently beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth using an electric mixer. Gradually beat in fat free yogurt, egg whites, lemon juice, and flour. Do not over beat. Pour over graham cracker crust. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool to room temperature. Chill a 3-4 hours in the refrigerator.

The orignal recipe called for 1/4 cup strawberry jam and we decided that it would be better to use fresh fruit instead.  I was pleasantly surprise with the taste of this cheesecake.  It had just what it needed.  It was delicious and good!  Next time, we have been thinking about making in a 6 inch spring pan to cut it a little thicker.  It’s a dessert that even the NON-GFer will like!

 

Portion Size: 1 slice

Calories: 204
Fat: 5.6 g