GLUTEN FREE MAPLE SYRUP GRANOLA

This gluten free granola is delicious and can add a crunch to any breakfast or an amazing snack! The nuts you put in your granola are filled with plant based protein and omega 3 fatty acids that are great for heart health. The rolled oats are gluten free and filled with fiber that is essential for digestion. The dried cranberries I used for this granola and raisins are filled with antioxidants and natural sugars (carbs) as well as some vitamin C. Granola is a great thing to prepare on the weekend and eat throughout the week because it stores well, makes a great healthy snack and is great for kids. ENJOY!

INGREDIENTS:

3 Cups of Gluten Free Rolled Oats
1/2 - 1 Cup of Walnuts (rushed roughly)
1/2 - 1 Cup of Almonds (rushed roughly)
1/2 TSP of Cinnamon
1/4 TSP of Salt
1/2 Cup of Maple Syrup
1/4 Cup of Vegetable Oil
1 TSP of Vanilla Extract
1/2 Cup of Cranberries
1/2 Cup of Raisins
 

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven on bake to 300 degrees.

In a large bowl mix the rolled oats, nuts, cinnamon and salt - mix it all together

In another smaller bowl add in your maple syrup, vegetable oil and vanilla extract. Whisk together. 

Drizzle the maple syrup mixture over the rolled oats and nut mixture and mix all together till the oats and nuts is evenly coated and there are no lumps.

Spread the bowl of ingredients on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil.

Bake the granola in the oven for 25 minutes or until it starts to golden.

Once golden remove from the oven and let cool before adding in your dried fruit. Mix and store in a airtight container (It should stay good for apx 2 weeks).

I hope you enjoyed this recipe as much as I do. If you have any comments please leave them below and I'll be happy to answer them as soon as I can! Happy cooking!!!

DAIRY FREE CHICKEN FAJITAS

Chances are you have probably heard of chicken fajitas before so no need to explain their origin, however if you take out the dairy they are relatively high in protein and nutrition. The guacamole has avocados which are high in good fats that lower your blood pressure, act as an anti-inflammatory and reduces your cholesterol; and therefore your risk of heart disease. Chicken breast is a great source of lean protein while the onions are great at regulating blood pressure and providing you with your daily dose of Vitamin C. Tomatoes are full of antioxidants and are known to help reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer and and diabetes! Sounds pretty good right! What's not to like. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

Guacamole
2 Avocados
1/4 Cup of Red Onion (Chopped)
1 Clove of Garlic
1 Lime (juiced)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Cilantro - Chopped Finely (optional) *
Tomato - Chopped (optional)*

* I did not add this item but it's not uncommon, you do you.

Other Toppings
1 Tomato (Chopped)
Pre-made salsa

Fajitas
Chicken Breast (cut into strips)
2 Small Yellow Onions (Chopped)
1 TBSP of Olive Oil
Whole Wheat Tortillas
Green Peppers (optional)*

* I did not add this item but it's not uncommon, you do you.

DIRECTIONS:

Mix/mash you avocados then add in your onions and garlic and keep mashing/mixing. Add in your desired level of salt, pepper and lime juice. - Guacamole done!

Using a large saute pan, add oil and let it warm up on the stove on medium heat. Next add in your chicken strips, season with salt and pepper. Once they are nearly cooked through add in your onions and any other vegetables you like. Let that cook and allow the chicken to absorb the juices from the vegetables until chicken is fully cooked through and until the vegetables become soft. Apx 10-15 minutes.

5 minutes before the chicken is done you can put some tortillas in the oven to warm up. Place them in the over and turn the oven on bake at 350. No need to wait for it to preheat they will only be in there for two - three minutes before they are warm and ready to be taken out.

I hope you enjoyed this recipe as much as I do. If you have any comments please leave them below and I'll be happy to answer them as soon as I can! Happy cooking!!!

LEFTOVER MEATBALL FRITTATA - GLUTEN FREE

Frittata's are Italian egg based dishes that make use of whatever you have in your kitchen. Use your imagination because the varieties are endless. I decided to use the leftover meatballs from the other night to make mine. Think egg pizza or even crust-less quiche! The meatballs contain a lot of protein while the eggs are full of vitamin A, D, E, Iron and Zinc which is good for bones, teeth, eyes and skin. Talk about healthy eating.

INGREDIENTS:

6 Eggs
1.5-2 Meatballs (chopped up) - see my previous gluten free meatball recipe
1 Small Sweet Onion (chopped)
1/4 Cup of Grated Cheese Mix (I used Mozzarella and Cheddar)
Salt and Pepper (as desired)
1 TBSP of Canola Oil
1 TBSP of Butter

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the over to broil at 360 degrees.

Place canola oil and butter in a small frying pan (must have a metal handle) and place on the stove top on medium heat.

Crack the eggs into a bowl add some salt and pepper as desired and whip the eggs.

Place the grated cheese, chopped onion, chopped meatball and whipped eggs into one larger bowl and mix together.

Place the egg mixture into the frying pan on the stove until the bottom is cooked and settled. You can tell it has settled by the bubbling that starts along the side.

When you start to see the bubbling, remove from the stove top and place in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until the top starts to become golden. 

Be careful taking it out of the oven as the handle will be hot!!! Let it cool for a minute or two, cut into pie slices and serve.

I hope you enjoyed this recipe as much as I do. If you have any comments please leave them below and I'll be happy to answer them as soon as I can! Happy cooking!!!

GLUTEN FREE MEATBALLS - PALEO FRIENDLY

Dat's a spicy meat-a-ball!!! lol Sorry couldn't help myself. I love a good meatball but never order them unless I'm dining at a proper Italian restaurant. Its kind of a crap shoot as to weather they are moist enough or taste good, especially if they dont have breadcrumbs in them; but this meatball recipe would make any Italian grandmother/mother proud! These meatballs when done right come out so juicy and great with tomato sauce or in a soup or even just by themselves. If you have leftovers you can even chop one up later and put the meat in your breakfast omelet. Meatballs are obviously high in protein so it can be a really healthy dinner option especially if your restricted by a gluten intolerance. Buon Appetito!

INGREDIENTS:

Meatballs
3 lbs - Ground beef/pork mix (you can use just ground beef if you want but the pork makes it even juicier)
1 Medium Onion (chopped finely)
3-4 Cloves of Garlic (chopped finely)
1 TBSP of Oregano
1 Egg
1/2 Cup of Parmesan Cheese (grated finely)
1 TSP of Chili Peppers (adjust to how spicy you want them
1 TBSP Salt
1 TBSP of Pepper

Olive Oil for the pan

Tomato Sauce - quick and easy option (optional)
Strained Tomato - i used Molisana Passata Di Pomodoro
Fresh Basil
Salt and Pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven at 400 degrees and oil your oven pan so it has a light layer of oil

Put all the ingredients for the meatballs in a large bowl. Mix the ingredients together with your hands. Once mixed start to form the meatballs about the size of your palm - try not to squeeze them together to tight, you dont want them to be dense.

Once meatballs are formed place them on the oiled tray. Keep going until all the ingredients in the bowl are gone.

Place pan with meatballs in the oven for 35 Minutes

Once done you can remove them and store them for later use or continue with the final steps.

In a frying pan add olive oil and a bit of the fat drippings from the roasting pan, brown the meatballs at medium heat to get a nice outer sear. Once browned on all sides reduce heat to low and add in your tomato sauce, fresh basil and salt and pepper to taste.

As the sauce warms coat the meatball in the sauce until the sauce is warmed through.

You can move the meatball into a serving bowl, drizzle the sauce from the pan on top and add more freshly grated Parmesan if you want.

I hope you enjoyed this recipe as much as I do. If you have any comments please leave them below and I'll be happy to answer them as soon as I can! Happy cooking!!!

BABA's MACEDONIAN CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP - GLUTEN FREE!

After the holidays I was feeling rundown and definitely craved some of Baba's (Macedonian for Grandmother) Chicken Noodle Soup. She makes he broth from scratch so with her guidance I was able to replicate her soup. Since we will be makings everything from scratch you can control your salt and therefore your sodium level. Also I used rice noodles so that we can keep it gluten free. If you are not feeling well Baba's Chicken Noodle is definitely a good way to go because it is packed with nutrients from the vegetables used to create the broth. ENJOY

INGREDIENTS:

1 Whole Chicken
1 TBSP Salt (to wash the chicken)
1-2 TBSP White Vinegar (to wash the chicken)
3 Carrots (Chopped)
3 Celery Branches (Chopped)
3 Small Onions (Cut in quarters)
1 Whole Clove of Garlic (cut in half)
1 Lemon (you will need the zest and the juice)
2 Egg Yokes
Rice Noodles (use as much as desired)
Salt and Pepper as desired
 

DIRECTIONS:

Wash chicken in cold water. To wash further, rub with a bit of white vinegar and a bit of salt to kill any bacteria

Cut chicken in halves or quarters and remove any excess fat

Place chicken in deep pot and add cold water (about 3 litres per kg of chicken), and 1 tablespoon of salt

Bring water to a boil and then turn to medium heat uncovered

During the first 5 minutes of boiling, skim the excess fat and foam that rises to the top

After you have skimmed, add the chopped onion, celery, carrots and garlic

Cover and let boil on low to medium heat for 1.5 hours or until chicken is cooked

Remove chicken and set aside to cool

Remove carrots and set aside to cool

Remove onions, celery, and garlic to a strainer. Use ladel to mash this mixture through the strainer into the soup. Do this for 5 minutes and discard anything that doesn't go through strainer

Add zest of 1 lemon. Add a bit of salt to season, if necessary

In a medium bowl, mix 2 egg yokes, the juice of 1 lemon and a bit of cold water. Give it a good wisk for 2-3 minutes.

Add noodles to pot. As they are cooking, slowly add about 4-5 ladels of stock to the egg mixture, stirring as you do it. This will bring the egg mixture up to temperature of the stock and will make sure the yokes dont cook.

When noodles are half way done, slowly add the egg and stock mixture back into the pot, ladel by ladel

Remove skin off chicken and shred or chop chicken to your liking. Add back to the soup with the carrots

Remove from heat and cover to hang out for a few minutes or serve right away.

When serving, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and some fresh cracked pepper make it perfect!

I hope you enjoyed this recipe as much as I do. If you have any comments please leave them below and I'll be happy to answer them as soon as I can! Happy cooking!!!