Gluten free Grain Free crackers

I adapted this recipe from Elana's Pantry to suit my own tastes. This is adapted from her walnut crackers with fig tapenade recipe on her site. Just trying to give credit where credit is due and to remind everyone that very few recipes are truly original, so I'm going to call this an adaptation.

Nut Crackers

1 cup blanched almond flour (I used bob's red mill)
1 egg, whisked until frothy(not sure why, but that's what I did cause that's what Elana said to do)
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp maple syrup or honey(to give it that real cracker taste..)
1/2 cup other nut flour blend (I combined walnuts and pumpkin seads in the food processor) You can play around with these combinations.
1 tbsp olive oil

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Scoop out the dough with a spatula onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place another piece of parchment paper on top of the dough. Roll out with a rolling pin (or in my case, a uniformly cylindrical glass since I don't own a rolling pin) until the dough is even and cracker-width. remove the second piece of parchment paper. Using a pizza cutter, slice the sheet of dough into cracker size pieces. I ended up with about 30 crackers. Then bake in the oven for about 12 minutes at 350 degrees. When I first read Elana's recipe, I didn't realize you could bake with parchment paper, so I removed both pieces of parchment paper and had to basically roll the dough again directly onto the baking pan. Well, the crackers stuck to the pan and I had to destroy them to get them off. I'm going to use the crumbs as a cracker crumb topping for a casserole I think and try again the right way next time. I'm sure it turns out much cleaner and the crackers are prettier like the picture on her blog. I then topped the cracker bits(a few made it) with some canned smoked sardines and kalamata olives. It was a very satisfying "snack." I call it a snack, but it was really a meal. Those crackers are super dense, but not in a bad way. They're completely nut based, so lots of protein and fat to fill me up! If I had some decent raw cheddar or aged parmesan, I would have added that as well. Anyone who attempts this, please let me know how it turns out! Mom, I know you are tonight. I'm curious to see what yours end up like.






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My Adventures With Mayonnaise

So, my sister came over a couple weeks ago and showed me how to make mayonnaise. Well, I had recommended to her that we use my immersion blender because I read online that you can make mayonnaise in an immersion blender without having to add the oil slowly. You could just throw all the ingredients in there together and it would work. Well, it didn't and but we had a nice bacon, lettuce and tomato salad with a dressing made from our liquid mayonnaise. It tasted good, but it wasn't mayonnaise.

Well, Ethan has been really cranky and needy lately, and I thought it was due to this one tooth that hasn't popped through yet, but he has been happy as a clam the past two days and his tooth still isn't through, so I'm not sure what that is all about. Needless to say, he was a happy camper today and let me get all kinds of stuff done without whining all over the house all day :). So I decided to take advantage of his mood and get cooking! I attempted the mayonnaise again. I was determined to use the immersion blender successfully, but this time I started the right way. I added one egg to the container, and then slooooowly added an olive/coconut oil blend drip by drip. It turned out fairly thick! But then I added vinegar afterward, and it became liquid again. I tried again. Cracked another egg, but this time, added vinegar to the egg, blended then added the oil. Well, I guess I didn't pour the oil slow enough this time and it never emulsified. I added too much oil and the result was a very olivey tasting mayonnaise liquid.

I couldn't let it go to waste. Afterall, I used pastured chicken eggs and good quality coconut and olive oil. So, I turned it into a honey mustard dressing.

Honey Mustard Dressing

3/4 cup mayonnaise (homemade)
3 tbsp mustard (I used grainy brown mustard, but yellow would be classic and yummy too)
salt to taste
pepper to taste
Apple cider vinegar (not sure how much, just use as much as it takes to taste right, probably around 1/4 cup.
Raw honey ( I think I used around 3 tablespoons)
a little whey (this will make it last longer with the homemade mayonnaise)

Mix all together with immersion blender or just shake it all up in a jar.

I then had a little less than 2 cups of honey mustard dressing that I wasn't sure I would use before it went bad, and I hate wasting food, so I decided to then make potato salad with it!

2-3 lbs potatoes, red works best, but I only had russets, so that's what I used, cooked and cubed
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 cup honey mustard dressing
salt
pepper
2 hard boiled eggs, chopped
1/2 onion chopped
paprika for a splash of color. I didn't have any, but it would have been a lot prettier if I did! Oohh, smoked paprika would have been really good. Oooh and truffle oil would have been a good oil to use for the mayonnaise. Why didn't I think of that before? Oh well, next time.
Anyway, make sure the eggs and potatoes are cool before tossing all the ingredients together in a bowl and let chill in the fridge for awhile before eating.

I guess you have noticed that I didn't put a recipe for the mayonnaise. I am going to perfect it first, and then I will post my final results in a recipe format. I will master this! I'm determined.

Life With a Child

You know how people always say that once you have a baby, you forget what your life was like before you had kids? Well, I'm going to be honest and say I do remember what it was like, and at times I do miss it. I remember the nights where I could go to bed at midnight and get up at eight without a chubby toddler's foot kicking my face just as I'm drifting off to sleep, knowing that once I hit my pillow, I'd get a full 8 hours and could time when I wanted to go to bed accordingly. I also remember being able to go out with friends last minute without needing to call up a grandparent first to make sure there was a babysitter, being able to shower every day, sitting at the computer for hours on end just killing time without a child trying to claw at my shirt and crawl on my lap, right as I am sitting down to return an email. I could go on. Yes I remember all this stuff, but as the months go on, the small things that I used to relish have become so insignificant, and a distant memory. I can only imagine that as time goes on, the memories will become more distant, and while I do think of these moments occasionally when I've had a long day and want to relax, I wouldn't have it any other way. I think this is what the phrase is intended to mean:"Once you have a baby, you don't forget what it's like to be without one, you remember what it's like, but wouldn't trade it for anything."

This is my life.

Let's see what I have to say when he hits the terrible twos :)

Gluten Free Oven Baked Pork Chops, Red Cabbage Cole Slaw and Oven Fries

Yum!! Was at home all day today, so I decided to make a nice homey meal.

Oven Baked Pork Chops

2 or 3 pork chops (I used boneless)
3/4 cup corn flake crumbs
dash of lawry's salt
1/2 tsp italian seasoning
dash of garlic powder
1-2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup whey

Combine corn flake crumbs, lawry's, italian seasoning, garlic powder in a shallow bowl, add melted coconut oil and combine with fingers until all ingredients are mixed well. beat egg and whey together. Let chops soak in the egg mixture for at least 1/2 hour. I also used a meat mallet to tenderize the pork some. The whey will help tenderize as well. Coat chops with corn flake mixture and place in a non stick baking dish. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until chops are done.

Oven fries

2-3 baking potatoes, sliced like wedges.
olive oil
sea salt

Toss all ingredients. place on a baking sheet and bake in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes, then crank up the heat to 425 and bake for another 15-20 minutes, until fries are crispy, or done to your liking.

Red Cabbage Cole Slaw

1/2 head red cabbage, shredded
1 carrot, shredded
1/2 zucchini, shredded
1 celery stalk, sliced at an angle
1 cup mayo
2 tsp celery salt
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
black pepper to taste
2 tbsp minced onion

combine mayo, onion, celery salt, honey, ACV and pepper together in a small food processor, blend until smooth. Combine the rest of the ingredients with the size. Adjust spices to your liking.

Beet Salad for those who don't love beets!

So, I personally love beets, but not everyone does. It's a vegetable that doesn't really get a good rap. So, I came up with a beet salad that pretty much anyone will enjoy. It only has a faint hint of that earthy beet taste to it, but mostly you taste sweet and sourness :)

1 large or 2 small beets, peeled and shredded
2 green onions, chopped up
1 clove garlic, pressed
juice and zest of one orange,
juice and zest of one meyer lemon(or regular lemon, whatever)
1 carrot, shredded
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients and serve. It doesn't really need to marinate, but tastes much better if you let it marinate for an hour or overnight.

i added a little bit of grapefruit juice too, just because I had it on hand. Adjust the spices and quantities to your liking. My husband who hates beets tasted it and said it wasn't too bad. (didn't love it, but liked it okay..that's good enough for me!

Meal planning..trying to at least

I feel like I would be an amazing stay at home mom, but being at home all the time actually doesn't appeal to me. However, if I were, I swear, I would make my husband the happiest man. I absolutely love to cook, especially from scratch. I usually have enough time to make decent meals that are prepared quickly and taste good, but if I was at home all day, I could make awesome meals from scratch every day. Well, since I'm not at home all the time, and I do work and babysit, I don't have as much time, but I still try to cook as much as possible from scratch. Not only is it healthier, but cheaper too. One of my goals for the year is to use as much as possible from my cupboard, freezer and fridge before going out and supplementing ingredients when I don't really need to. Sometimes you just have to get creative with what you are cooking. It's taken me 7 almost 8 years to master my cooking skills, but I'd like to say that I'm pretty good at cooking from scratch without a specific recipe, and can get creative when needed. I was able to compile a list of the ingredients I have in my pantry, freezer and refrigerator right now, and I'm planning on using as much as I can with what I have, only supplementing when needed, like with milk, cheese & produce.

Here's my list

Fridge/Freezer/Cupboard Stock 1/24

Cupboard

2 lbs GF pasta

4 28 oz cans org. diced tomatoes

5 cans org. tomato paste

7 cans albacore tuna

1 lb org. dry pinto beans

1 lb org. dry black beans

1 lb green lentils

2 bags org. mixed rice

3 bags chebe bread mix

1 can coconut milk

Pamelas mix

Coconut flour

Olive oil

Coconut oil

Raw honey

1 baking potato

1 onion

3 sweet potatoes

Freezer:

2 sandwich bags frozen swiss chard

Corn

Green beans

Mixed veggie blend

1 lb ground beef

1 beef neck bone

Enough tomato mix for chili for one meal

3 pkgs pork chops(2-3 in each)

6 2 breast portions chicken breast

Peaches

blueberries

Raspberries

2 quarts smoked turkey stock

2 quarts chicken stock

Fridge:

Produce:

9 carrots

2 celery stalks

6 radishes

4 beets

6 small heads baby heirloom lettuce

1 head romaine

1 1/2 lemon

1 bag apples

3 oranges

2 grapefruit

1 head broccoli

3 pears

6 bananas

½ head white cabbage

1 turnip

6 heads baby lettuce

2 russets

Proteins:

1 pkg chicken thighs

1 pkg of 2 pork chops

7 Eggs

1 quart chicken bone broth

Condiments, dips & spreads:

Parmesan

Teriyaki

Asian Barbeque

Sweet & Tangy

Fish Sauce

Brown mustard

ACV

Braggs

Mayonnaise

Ketchup

Ranch Dressing

Hendricks Dressing

Homemade Dressing

Salsa

Sour Cream

Plain Yogurt

Queso dip

Breads:

Flour & corn tortillas

Hot dog & hamburger buns

Wheat bread

Cheeses:

Gouda

Raw Cheddar

Mozzarella sticks

Lunchmeat & Cheese

The goal is to compile meals based on all these ingredients for the next month without having to buy too much extra. I don't know if it's enough, it may not be, but that's the goal. Here are the meals that I have come up with with only a few extra ingredients that I need to buy

Menu plan

Meatloaf-make w/eggs, coconut flour, onion, veggies (include liver if possible), corn & salad

Black Bean soup made w/beef neck bone, & rotel, maybe throw some shredded cabbage in there for extra nutrients?

Chicken thighs (with San-J sauce), peppers, broccoli & rice

Autumn Pork chops with potatoes & turnips perhaps? in crock pot (on cd kitchen)

Broiled or grilled chicken breasts w/roasted beets, carrots & sweet potatoes

Chicken & dumplings & salad

(use celery, onion, carrots, leftover roasted chicken, make a roux with flour, butter & milk, thyme), top with drop GF biscuits)

Lentil stew (soaked lentils, frozen swiss chard, corn, frozen squash, carrots, diced tomatoes, chicken stock, bay leaf, onion, sea salt, pepper, potatoes & diced ham)

Tuna & pasta ( use 1 can tuna, linguine, lemon juice, salt& pepper, parmesan cheese, & broccoli)

Pizza (use tomato paste & diced tomatoes, garlic, spices, honey & ACV), crust made with chebe mix, onions, bell peppers, garlic, whatever other veggies I have lying around, nitrate free pepperoni

For breakfasts, I'm trying to incorporate other foods besides eggs and fruit, my staple. I am going to try and start making smoothies, including yogurt, frozen fruit, flax seed meal, and raw eggs. I would also like to start soaking some breakfast grains so we can have grains for breakfast too, something I normally don't do.

Anyway, this list of stuff is primarily for me, but I thought I'd share with everyone else, too.

This weekend has been a very productive weekend. I got all the laundry done and put up, the house cleaned, and refrigerator cleaned out. I also have planned meals and prepped our lunches for the week. It's amazing what you can do with two whole days off! Plus, Mark and I had plenty of time to play with our little boy. Now, the weekend is almost over and back to the typical busy week! Hope everyone had a good weekend!

Healthy Peppermint Hot Chocolate

So, in the spirit of the holiday season, I decided to make some hot chocolate this morning. Here's my recipe:

2-3 tsp cocoa powder

1 1/2 cups raw milk

2 tbsp raw honey, or stevia if you are trying to cut the calories

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp peppermint extract

dash of celtic sea salt

Mix together cocoa & salt in a large mug. Warm milk, honey, and flavorings in a pot on the stove, just until it's warm so you keep all the nutrients alive in the honey and milk. Whisk the milk into the cup with the cocoa. Serve!!