Gluten-free, Egg-free Donut Holes!

I don't know about you, but I've become the type of person who, when following a recipe, rarely measures. When I make my own baked goods at home, I rarely measure. I'm an eyeball-er at heart and even when I remind myself to measure for when I want to share a recipe here, I always get caught up in the excitement of creating and forget.

Because of my lack of measuring, the amounts of ingredients in this recipe are guesstimated. I came up with two guidelines to help you while making this though:
1) If the dough is too wet to roll into a ball, add more oats and flour.
2) If the dough is too dry and crumbly, add 1 tbsp of water until it has the right moisture balance in order to roll together

These donuts/donut holes don't taste like Tim Horton's Timbits. They are a bit heavier, denser and they are gluten free. And egg free. Oh, and did I mention that they're baked and not fried! That's another brownie point. Or donut point ;)

Gluten Free Donut Holes

Ingredients(approximately):

125ml Light Sour Cream(half of a 250ml tub)
1 tbsp fancy molasses
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1/4 TSP nutmeg
pinch of ground cloves
small sprinkle of salt
1 TSP ground flax seed
1/4 TSP chia seeds*
2 tbsp water
1 TSP baking powder
1/2 TSP baking soda
2 cups quick cook oats
1/4 cup buckwheat flour*
1 cup brown rice flour

1. Add ground flax and chia seeds to water. Stir once and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, add sour cream, nutmeg, salt, cinnamon, and cloves. Stir with spoon until well mixed.
3. Add baking powder, baking soda, brown sugar, molasses, and water-flax mixture into the spiced sour cream. Stir by hand until the ingredients are well incorporated.
4. Add the oats, rice flour and buckwheat flour. Stir with spoon at first, then it will easier to just get your hands into the mixture. With your hands, mix the dough until there is little to no flour/oats left on the bottom of the bowl. If the dough is too wet and sticking to your hands, add 1/4 cup of brown rice flour and continue to mix it in with your hands. If it's still to wet, add another 1/4cup. If it's too dry, add 1 tbsp of water.
5. With your hands, scoop a small handful of dough into your hands and roll it into a ball. It should be the size of a medium to large marble and look something like the picture down below.

6. Place the donut hole on parchment paper, and make nine more. Cook in the oven at 350F for 10 minutes, or until slightly crispy on the outside but still soft-ish on the inside. These are better slightly uncooked rather than overcooked, which make them much seem heavier, although still yummy.
7. Place cooked donut holes on a wire rack to cool.

TIPS AND IDEAS
- When cooled down, roll the donut holes in a mixture of honey and cinnamon(2 tbsp honey and 1 tsp cinnamon). Place back on wire rack to drip dry.
- Make chocolate donut holes by adding 2 tbsp cocoa and 1 tbsp brown sugar to the mixture before it is rolled out.
- Make donuts by flattening a roll and carefully pressing your thumb through the center. Place the donut on parchment paper and shape it so it has a more defined hole, and is rounded.
-Roll donuts/donut holes in sugar or coconut flakes before baking.
*Instead of using chia seeds, you can up the amount of ground flax to equal 1-1/2 tsp
*You can use all brown rice flour instead of adding buckwheat(I just wanted to use the rest of my buckwheat flour!)

September Salad

This salad is simple and quick to make, and very versatile. Use whatever greens you have on hand to mix things up and play with taste and texture. This can be adapted to be vegan as well.

Ingredients:

-1.5 cups cooked, diced chicken*
-1 medium sized beet
-1 carrot
-1/2 red onion
-1/4 cup green onion, diced
-1 celery stalk, diced
-2 cups mixed greens(I use kale, swiss chard and beet greens)
-1/4 cup grated fresh mozzarella cheese

Dressing:
-3 TBSP apple cider vinegar
-2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
-1 TBSP honey
-1/4 TSP mustard(yellow or dijion)
-spices of choice(I use basil, italian seasoning, paprika, ground fennel and a small sprinkle of cayenne pepper)
-small, small, small sprinkle of salt to bring flavors together
Mix all ingredients together with a fork, place in bottle or jar for serving.

1. Wash all veggies under cool water. Set aside.
2. Peel the beet and grate it(or place in food processor). Add to large bowl.
3. Grate the carrot and add to large bowl.
4. Slice onion and celery stalk, add to bowl along with green onion and chicken.
5. Rip or chop salad greens into bite sized pieces and add to salad(I always like to use my hands!) Toss and serve with dressing and grated mozzarella on top!

*Notes and Tips*

• To make this recipe vegan/vegetarian, omit the honey in the dressing for another sweetener and add chopped nuts instead of chicken. Almonds, cashews, walnuts, or even a trail mix with raisins and cranberries as well as mixed nuts would go well in this salad. Cheese can be omitted to make it dairy free, doesn't change much about the salad.
• This salad is plenty tasty on it's own, and instead of above dressing, you could easily get away with a little vinegar or olive oil instead. 
• To take this salad for lunch at work, avoid putting the dressing on. This might make it soggy.

spicy orange noodles

Monday's are my busy days. I always struggle with getting up in time for work after being able to sleep in on the weekends and then having to go to my second job in the evening. To add more crazy to the day, I rush home to make something to eat for dinner before heading out. Monday's are for quick meals, and this dish is certainly quick, tasty, versatile and filling!

Below is the basic recipe, but feel free to use whatever you have on hand. It would be delicious with shrimp or maybe some pork or chicken. Don't like the flavor of orange? You can omit it and use water or broth instead.

SPICY ORANGE NOODLES

 
 
INGREDIENTS
3 TBSP pulp-free orange juice
1/4 TSP wasabi powder(or you can use horseradish or Worcestershire sauce)
1 HEAPING TBSP tahini
1 TSP miso(doesn't matter what kind)
3 TBSP hot water 
1/4 TSP ginger powder
sprinkle paprika
pinch of cayenne pepper
Sprinkle of salt
1 package rice vermicelli(also called rice sticks or rice noodles)
mixed frozen veggies of your choice
Pot of water to cook vermicelli 


1. Boil a pot of water and add a sprinkle of salt(not much).
2. Place miso in a small glass bowl and add 3 tbsp of the boiling water to the bowl. Mix the miso into the hot water and set aside.
3. Add the whole package of rice vermicelli to the pot of boiling water and carefully push it down so that it is fully submerged.
4. Add frozen veggies.
5. Cook the vermicelli until it is not longer crunchy on medium high heat, which should take anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes. Do not leave alone, because it cooks very quickly. Strain the vermicelli and set aside.
6. Use the same pot you cooked the vermicelli in, and add your miso and all remaining ingredients. Cook on low heat until the miso is smooth and ingredients are well mixed. Turn off heat and add vermicelli and veggies. Stir well, being sure to scoop the sauce from the bottom of the pan so that it coats the vermicelli well.

This delicious dish has a slightly sticky texture and is sure to hit the spot. Best of all, it can all be done in one pot, which means a quick clean-up!

Gluten-Free Granola Bars

I've tried making granola bars in the past, when I was still able to eat oats, but for some reason or another they were never what I really wanted. When I woke up this morning I had a huge craving for something different for breakfast. Pancakes, breads, cereal and/or eggs just wouldn't do the trick today. And that's when I got creative!

These bars can be altered in many ways to suite your nutritional needs, and what you can eat. Below is a basic recipe, feel free to alter it and let me know how it turns out!

Ingredients:
2 cups puffed rice or rice crispie cereal
1 cup puffed quinoa(or puffed millet if you want)
1/4 cup sunflower seeds, de-shelled
1/4 cup almonds(shelled), slivers or whole
1/4 raisins or dried fruit
1 TBSP Chia Seeds(optional)
3/4 cup honey
1 TSP coconut oil
1/2 cup peanut butter(or nut butter of your choice)
Sprinkle of cinnamon 

Preheat oven to 350 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Add all your dry ingredients in a bowl and stir until well combined. Heat peanut butter and coconut oil either in microwave or on the stove until it has melted. Pour over dried ingredients and add honey. Stir.

Place your mixture on the lined baking sheet and press it flat so that it sticks together. You can add more honey or nut butter on top if you wish. Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until the top is browned. This can also just be placed in the freezer or fridge to harden if you want to keep it raw.

On a side note if you can't have nuts, you can always use more honey or maybe even marshmallows. You could add chocolate to the top so that when it melts and covers the top of your mixture, and then hardens once cold, it'll help to bind it together.

If you try this please let me know what you changed! This recipe is so versatile you can probably change almost anything about it. Just remember you need something sticky to help it bind.

Dressing For Health

Ever make a beautiful, healthy salad at home, or even order one at a restaurant, and think about how much good you are doing for your body, your health? All those veggies, the greens, maybe even some nuts, seeds or fruit are gently tossed into the bounty of good health sitting on your plate. And then you reach for the dressing...

Is a salad really healthy anymore when it's smothered in bottled dressing? Most dressings suffocate the individual tastes of the delicate contents of your dinner, not to mention the empty calories and sugar(and additives).

So next time you reach for the bottle of Ceasar, Ranch, Russian, French, whatever dressing, think of your poor salad and dress for health instead! A squeeze of lemon juice, drizzle of olive oil, maybe a fruity vinaigrette, or a homemade dressing like the one below...

Avocado Delight Dressing

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 Avocado, peeled and pitted
1/4 Cup red onion, sliced
1/2 TSP Pesto
2 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 TBSP Lemon Juice
Pinch of salt
1 TSP Sunflower Seeds
2-4 TBSP water

Put all ingredients in a food processor, starting off with only 2 TBSP of water. Blend until the ingredients are smooth. If you would like a less thick dressing, add another TBSP of water and blender again. Continue doing so until you have the desired consistency.

Store in an air tight container. Makes enough dressing for 2 large salads.

I Dream of Pizza...

Out of all the things I miss about not being able to eat gluten, tomatoes and cheese, is pizza. After all, how could it possibly in my wildest dreams be possible to enjoy a beautiful, soft yet firm pizza crust smothered in sauce, veggies and cheese....

Guess what? It's possible. No, I'm not lying to you. Don't believe me? Try it and see!

I posted a recipe for a pizza crust not that long ago, but I promise that this one is even better. It doesn't even contain any flour. It can be made to be vegan, or it can be covered with meat. Looking for a vegan, tomato free sauce? Try my Presto It's Dairy-Free Pesto, it's sure to please.

Ingredients:

2.5 Cups cooked rice*
2 Eggs(or egg replacement like ground flax seed in water)
2 tbsp Nutritional Yeast
1 tsp Sesame Oil
Spices(garlic powder, pepper, salt, oregano, basil, ect)**
1-4 tsp water

Add all ingredients except for the water to a large bowl. Stir together with a wooden spoon(or your hands) until everything is well mixed. You may need to add a few tsp of water so that the rice sticks together well.

Line your pan or pizza pan with parchment paper. Spread half the rice mixture onto the paper until it is the desired thickness. This will not rise or fall, whatever thickness it is now is the thickness of your pizza crust.


Bake in the oven on 350 for 15 minutes then gently flip the crust over so the other side can cook. Bake for another 10 to 15 minutes until the crust is firm. If you want a crispy crust, bake for another 5 to 10 minutes.


Remove from the oven and top with your choice of sauce, veggies and cheese. Bake until veggies are tender and cheese is melted and enjoy!

 Sauce Ideas: Tomato sauce, olive oil, pesto, make a sauce from boiled carrots, squash or pumpkin(put cooked ingredients in food processor or mash with a fork, add spices, garlic and a few cooked cranberries go really well!), Garlic butter, cream cheese...
Topping Ideas: Mushrooms, spinach, red pepper, onion, olives, shaved carrot, broccoli, zucchini, sprinkle of sunflower seeds, meat(chicken, beef, pepperoni, bacon, ham), pineapple...
Cheese Ideas: Authentic Feta(goats cheese), soy cheese, nutritional yeast, mozzarella, marble cheese, Swiss, Parmesan



*Any kind of rice can be used for this, although I haven't tried it with wild rice. Cook your rice with a little extra water to help the crust stick together.
**A little bit of spice goes a long way with this. You don't want all the flavor in the crust to overwhelm the taste of the pizza!

Presto It's Dairy-Free Pesto

In my recent months of trying to heal my body I have had to be REALLY creative in the kitchen. When all of a sudden you are given a long list of foods that are harming you(and you happen to love all of these foods), it can feel like you're meals have become limited to rice and veggies.

So here is a recipe that can spice up your rice. Kick your tomato-free pizza up a few notches. Make your taste buds SING!

With that being said, I am pleased to wave my magic wand and present to you PRESTO! IT'S DAIRY FREE PESTO!


If you've never had pesto before, it's a beautiful sauce made from basil, nuts, olive oil, garlic and Parmesan cheese. With this recipe we're going to make it vegan by using Nutritional Yeast, but feel free to use Parmesan instead!


Ingredients:
6-10 Fresh Basil leaves
1/4 Cup freshly chopped Parsley 
4-6 cloves of garlic
1/4 Cup Almonds(unsalted and out of shell)
1/4 Cup Sunflower seeds(unsalted and out of shell)
3 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 TBSP Nutritional Yeast
Water
Salt

Add your almonds and sunflower seeds to a blender(or food processor or magic bullet) with enough water to cover them. Blend until smooth. Add your garlic, nutritional yeast, basil, parsley, olive oil and salt. Blend until the herbs are mixed and the sauce is smooth.

And Presto! You have pesto!

On a side note, you can add onion, oregano, pepper, or other spices to this mix. If you want it really garlic-y, use 6 cloves, if you want it less use 4 or even 3. If you want a strong basil flavor, use 6, less, well you get the idea ;)

Enjoy this beautiful pesto on pizza, pasta, meat, fish, or to spice up salads, garlic breads, sandwiches...the possibilities are endless. Go with the flow and see what happens!