Scheduling Conflict

Good afternoon!! If you've found yourself here because of Pinterest or Twitter posts on gluten free, sugar free living, then welcome!  If you're here because you know I've been neglecting my blog and you're hoping for some good things, well - welcome also, and know there's more recipes coming!

I started school and decided to work outside my home a little.  All these things collided at once and my blog suffered.  I'm also starting a new business, and soon, my website will be linked here if anyone is interested - it will have a natural focus on the beginnings of life.   I may start to post bi weekly, just to slowly get back on my feet.  In the world of blogging that's almost suicide, but with everything going on, it's how things are going to work right now.  I love food, cooking and healthy living and love supporting others on the same path.  This is passion and purpose for me and tying all these things together in life seems the way for me to go.  I need to get through school and bring my business up to speed in order to complete the circle.

I was supposed to start yoga instructor training this year, but didn't have the money or time for it.  I'm considering doing that in the spring now, if possible.  It's something I've wanted to add to my life for years and the opportunities are in front of me and hopefully will be part of my life plan!

As a welcome back for anyone who was following (or would like to! just click follow! I'm also on twitter and pinterest!) I have a super easy, very surprisingly wonderful recipe for bread.  I can hear everyone thinking,  "Ugh! Bread!  So difficult!  So much wheat!  So much on the 'no' list!"   AHA!  But this one isn't!  You'll be glad you tried this one.  I was.

It has a rich 'nutty' almost rye flavor.  It's very very moist and good, but the secret is the baking time.  I will post the original recipe website, and then give you my run down as usual.

http://satisfyingeats.blogspot.com/2012/01/easiest-bread-ever.html

Easy Almond/Peanut Butter Bread

1 cup natural almond/peanut butter, smooth
3 eggs
1 Tablespoon vinegar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt (if PB already has salt, you can omit)
2 servings Stevia (to taste, more if you want sweeter bread)

1. Blend all ingredients in large bowl until smooth, about 1 minute.  
2. Pour into a loaf pan lined with foil for easy removal.  I used a 8.5X 4.5.  This makes the bread rise a little higher.
3. Bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees for 22-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. (Times will vary based on different ovens.  Just don't over bake or it will be dry).
4. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes.  Then remove foil and cool on rack.

First, this is such a great, satisfying bread.  Very delicious and rich.  My suggestions are such:

1. Watch your baking time like a hawk.  This is the key.  If you dry it out, it's just going to be icky and then you'll feel like it didn't turn out.  It does great right around 22-28 minutes if using a loaf pan.  I used a bundt pan (so we could have little circle sandwiches) and it required even less time, about 15 min.

2.  Use organic, no sugar added, creamy almond butter.  I know she says use peanut butter, but almond has a much lighter taste and just works really well with this particular bread.

3.  Get over the no flour aspect.  It doesn't need flour.  Really.

4.  Yes, use a little stevia even if you're going to be making ham and cheese.  It works, just trust us.

5.  Add the vinegar last.  I put all the ingredients together, mix well in my mixer and then add vinegar, mix again then dump it into the pan and into the oven stat.  Mine was pretty fluffy.  Not overmixing once the vinegar/baking soda reaction hits, is another key.  Get it blended in, then put it in the oven.  Some recipes try to replicate this by dumping a can of soda in the bread (YUCK!) but this works well, you can't taste it, and it's free of high fructose or any sugars and additives (WIN!)

Good luck and welcome back!

Beach Easy Free Friday!

So, it only took 2 weeks to to do the easiest snack in the world that is carb free, sugar free, and gluten free.   It's quick, fun and the kids will love it.  Delicious and high protein, it's a great snack to keep you going all afternoon.

Since today is a beach day for us, we are headed out to Lido Key to watch the sun set over blue Carribean waters and enjoy the surf.  I'll do a quick post today and hopefully be back Monday.  Mondays have become really busy so I'm considering moving to Tues, but I'll still love sharing my finds and gems for sugar free gluten free living so everyone can enjoy them!

Today's is grilled cheese and baked bacon.   Baked bacon is the best thing since finding 100 dollar bills on the street.  Basically, you save yourself the mess, cleanup, pesky grease burns and guessing time on cooking.  Grilled cheese is amazingly crisp like a cracker on the outside and chewy warm on the inside.

Let's start with the cheese:


I used Sargento Light cheese sticks (mozzarella) and cut them in to about 1" pieces.  I preheated my electric grill to 325/350f and when it was hot, dropped them with plenty of space between them to spread.  Also you can do this with sharp cheddar - it's much more greasy, but when you're done you have the most amazing tasting cheez-its taste alike!    Cook until brown on one side or solid, use a  pancake turner to loosen and flip them then cook another 3-4 min a side.

For the bacon, get some nice quality thick cut bacon, line a 13x9 cookie sheet with foil and place the whole package, some-what crowded, onto the pan.   Bake for 20 min for chewy bacon, 25 for moderate, 30 for crispy and 35+ for blackened/ super crunchy.

Here's pics of the order!  Enjoy your delicious snack!!

Monday Sneak Peek - Easy!

I'm actually here on a Monday.  I can hear the collective gasp from my enthralled audience.   This week will be busy and I spent an hour in Ikea this morning.  That place is a money death trap.  I went in to buy a mattress for the guest room bed, which my sister will be needing by Wed.  I ended up leaving with a lot of things, that, while I do not regret buying them, I probably didn't need them at all.   There was a replacement cushion for the couch, a set of hangers, some curtains, oh,  yes, and the mattress after all.  Ikea is one of those places where you could definitely wander for hours and then walk out of dreaming about your simple, yet, fabulously organized, small but adequate home.  It's nowhere near anyone's reality, but it makes for nice imagery all the way home.  When I walk through the door and am greeted with overflowing shelves, books and paperwork stacked in every corner and toys draping every surface, I realize the imaginary Swedish land of clean and tidy is but a pipe dream - for us, for now.  I have some of those beautiful clean lines shelves and home items.  I fell in love with a dining room table, only to find it on clearance in their dent and scratch section for a fraction of the cost.  But upon further review, I realized, I have a perfectly nice, working and usable kitchen table; why would I need another?

Let's keep this week simple, since it will be complicated by family and chaos, the idea for Friday is going to be easy.  You're going to need just a few things, but you may have them laying around your kitchen already and when it comes to making this adorable snack, you'll just be so glad you came to cook with us on Friday.   It's fun, the kids will love it, easy to do and of course gluten and sugar free.

Now, onto the important stuff.  Matchbox 20 (which you do not get to hear about much around here because we're too busy drooling over our latest creations in the kitchen and the Goo Goo Dolls)  is releasing a new album on Sept. 4 but tomorrow, they release a single from the new album.  It's called "She's So Mean" and Aol seems to have some kind of exclusive on a promo.  I searched for another source, advertising, anything, and didn't find much.  So, the link below will take you to their new song, and take a listen.  People are complaining already - too much pop, sounds like their old sound, nothing new or interesting, and people are freaking out - can't wait for the tour, so glad mb20 is making more music, and awesome sounds just like the old days.  

Pick your side and take a listen.  Are you glad MB20 is bringing out another album?  They've had some trouble in the past but Rob Thomas has a lot of talent, and while still performs on his own (LOVE the song Her Diamonds) the band was a 90's hit and should definitely be on the scene today.

Check out their new song, and get back to us at the end of this week, for a fun easy snack idea.

http://blog.music.aol.com/2012/06/11/matchbox-twenty-shes-so-mean-song-premiere-exclusive/

Saturday Morning Breakfast!

In celebration of breakfast today,  Friday's post is going to be Saturday morning!  That was the best excuse I had for not making it to my computer yesterday!  There was a lot going on and the day ended with me crashing at 8:30 at night.  I do wish I had a cup of coffee to share this interesting recipe, which I found at Food.com, but we can make due with a bowl of yogurt and almonds.

Things have come along well at the house.  Kids entertained, bedrooms cleared, and waiting for mom to show up.  I've been trying to make some menus (again yes!) to have an idea for grocery list and such, but so far I'm coming up blank.  Not sure what some good ideas are for when company is over.  There are still 300 soups in my freezer, so that's always a good fallback right? 

Let's discuss for a moment vegetarian and vegan perspectives in this blog.  I am obviously  not against eating meat in any way shape or form.  I am highly dependent on it for keeping my blood sugar regulated and my metabolic syndrome in check.   However, there are some people, like a friend of mine, who recently was told to stop eating meat - for medical reasons.  I'm going to go for an elementary and short explanation, search the web if you want more comprehensive idea of how these diets work, I don't follow them, so I'm NOT the expert!  Cutting out meat and meat products would be vegetarian.  Cutting out meat, dairy and any animal product or by product is vegan.  Vegans won't eat honey, eggs or milk because it's taken from bees and cows.  Vegetarians will or can eat honey, eggs and milk.  Everyone's food choices are what's best for them and in this blog, there's an abundance of meat.  You'll find sometimes that I've thrown in a vegetarian option (and I've tried to dabble in veganism a couple times to no avail.)  Coconut and almond milk can only go so far for a person who can't/shouldn't eat grains.  Eventually you need some substance.  Vegans can wake up in the morning and have a bowl of cereal with almond milk and go about their day.  I haven't had a bowl of cereal in over three years.  

Keep these three things in mind when you're going over some of my recipes: 

1.  Chicken stock/broth can always be substituted with vegetable stock/broth.  Always.  It's good stuff!  Likewise with milks, some recipes (not yogurt! or custards, they require different methods) can have almond or coconut milk substitute

2.  Some soups/foods can omit the meat and still taste great.  Try substituting portabella mushrooms for steak or hamburger. 

3.  Beans are also a good meat substitute.  Later, you'll find me substituting wheat flour with beans.  =) 

Today's recipe is neither vegan nor vegetarian but you can modify it to vegetarian if you like (just leave out the bacon! - what??? Leave out bacon is capital crime in my house.)

Here's my source!  http://www.food.com/recipe/carb-free-cloud-bread-411501  Yes, I changed some things,  YES! I do make the recipe as stated FIRST before making my modifications.  You can be sure this recipe is a lot of fun in my house and makes amazing hot ham and cheese sandwiches! 

Bacon Onion Cloud Bread

3 eggs separated (very carefully - no yolk in the white at ALL!)

3 pinches of cream of tartar

2oz softened cream cheese

8 drops of liquid stevia

5 green onions chopped into tiny pieces

2 pieces of bacon (cooked) and the meat parts (cut off ALL the fat) chopped into tiny pieces

Preheat the oven to 300f. 

In a mixer,  mix on high the egg whites and cream of tartar until STIFF white peaks form.  Stiff is the keyword here.  High, fluffy, and can stand in towers on their own.  

In a separate bowl, mix the egg yolks, cream cheese, liquid stevia, green onions, and bacon until as smooth as possible.  

Then, we're going to FOLD, the yellow mixture into the whites.  Don't go crazy here.  Take a spatula (bowl scraper) with a silicone end and fold fold fold, then stop.  If you over mix it, it's going to turn into a liquid and that's what we want to avoid.  Go for fluffy. 

These things tend to be a bit sticky.  Try wax paper on your cookie sheet but just cooking spray or oil is not going to be enough to keep them from sticking.  I greased my pan with liquid bacon fat (from cooking the bacon) but they still got stuck, but didn't fall apart taking them off the pan.  

Drop into large spoonfuls on a cookie sheet.  I get about 6 to a sheet and they are the size of a regular burger bun.  They do not spread so much, but leave some room.  

Bake on middle rack for 23 minutes.  Some people might need longer, some shorter, just keep an eye on it, you don't want them overly browned but white is definitely not done.  

Cool on a cooling rack and store in a plastic container in the FRIDGE!  Use two to make a delicious hot ham and cheese sandwich (heat a fry pan med heat, put some butter in it, put cheese on one 'bread' and top with meat, and another bread - fry on one side till the cheese is melty, then flip and cook another 3 min.)   This bread is also good if you add 2 cloves crushed garlic and serve with low carb spaghetti or one of the soups on this blog!

Hope you enjoy this recipe, it's a LOT of fun to make.  I have added sweet things to it too as a dessert or breakfast bread and it's always turned out well.  They are fluffy, low carb, wheat and gluten free,  interesting bread substitute and easy to pull out of the fridge and have for any meal.  

Here are some pics of the steps I took.  I DO have a camera now, but I was still using my droid for these pics!  

Have a fun weekend! 

Free Friday - Soup!

I'm going to be sliding into home with this one today!  Welcome to June today!  Just barely made it to the computer to type all this up.  I've been obsessed with beds and bread today.  Baked two batches of bread... I'm sure you'll get to see that one soon enough!  Also, went and got the kids a new set of bunks.  We were one bed short for everyone to have their own, so I fixed that today.   Now, I just need the kids bedroom flooring to be installed, and I'll be cooking with gas!  Actually, that won't change at all how I cook, sadly, because if new floors equaled gas stove, I'd have done that long ago.   As it is, I'm impaired with an electric.  There was some discussion to switch the kitchen to gas, but the long and the short was it's expensive to convert like that plus it's not exactly going to add value to the house, especially in this economy.  Most people like the convenience of electric, unless they are serious chefs and understand the importance of gas, and that's still a fairly small market.

Onto Friday!  Busy day!  The kitchen is finally quiet after a day of bustle, the bed is stacked in boxes in the living room and my vacuum never showed.   My seller was very quick to get it out to the shipping company, but those people really took their time.  I realize the holiday weekend was last week and that probably slowed down, and subsequently, backed up shipping, but seriously, it shouldn't take 2 weeks coming from Arizona.   Look out if the box is damaged, oy vey.  However, today's idea was the fact that I've been filling my freezer with soups.  I love soups, easy to eat and fairly easy to make, today's soup is Bok Choy Shiitake mushroom.  I DID get this recipe from another website!  It's certainly no brainchild of mine, though I was considering taking on a challenge with leeks...

So, I can't say that there are a whole lot of recipes out there that I haven't seriously modifed - rejoice! today's our day, I changed almost nothing in this recipe!  Shocked?  Me too.  It's ridiculously rare for me to find a recipe and not turn it into a three ring circus, or at least some semblance of a messy kitchen.  I did change up some things though.  First, I made it gluten free (DO NOT follow her recipe exactly if you are wheat/gluten free!!!!  Please be aware!  Soy sauce has wheat in it.)  Secondly I had to substitute an ingredient I didn't have and add one I loved, and thirdly, I changed one of the steps.  There is a really neat secret to getting some good flavor into your soup.  I used an idea from a friend and soaked the mushrooms in some of the broth before cooking them - it greatly reduces the oil they absorb while cooking.  They pick up the flavor and then it basically cooks down when they are sautéeing in the pan.

Here we go!

This is the original recipe:  http://feralkitchen.com/2012/05/19/bok-choy-shiitake-mushroom-soup/


Bok Choy Shiitake Soup


About 1 medium/large head of bok choy - chopped
2 cups sliced shiitake mushrooms
1 cup chopped onion
(3 ounces of grated ginger if you like)
2 tsp coconut oil
2 tBsp tamari sauce (you can find this in low sodium versions - I have some in my fridge right now!)
1 tsp dried red pepper flakes (OR szechuan pepper - which I did not have)
1 Quart low sodium chicken stock
salt/ pepper to taste
chopped chives to garnish


Start with a large sauce pan (6-8 quarts) with about 1/3 of the broth in it and the mushrooms.  Gradually raise the temperature to 'HOT'.  HAHA!  What a description!  Basically, you're not cooking the mushrooms, you want them to soak up the broth and they're ready to be taken out when they are too hot to touch, but NOT cooked!  Use a slotted spoon to get the mushrooms out, leave the broth in the pan, keep it at a simmer but be careful to not boil it all off.

While the sauce pan heats, place the oil and onion in the frying pan and cook till they are translucent.  Add the bok choy, mushrooms, ginger, tamari sauce and pepper flakes and cook about 10 minutes, or until the mushrooms are cooked.

Take all the ingredients from the frying pan and using a spatula, scrape every tiny bit of it into the saucepan.  Pour the rest of the broth in as well.  Heat to simmer and it's piping hot, ready to serve!

No, my pictures are nowhere near as amazing as hers.  I don't have my camera yet.  I am using a Samsung Galaxy S 5.0 mp3 player for a camera.  Takes pretty good pics for an mp3 player.  =)

Welcome to a great weekend!  Hope yours is filled with delicious eats and lots of relaxation!

Enjoy!

Tuesday is the New Monday

I hope everyone had a great holiday weekend, and unlike me, was not too peeved at all the places that were closed.  It's good that people are spending time with their families and everyone is on vacation mode, but sometimes you really need to get ahold of the doctor!   Ah well, I survived and so did everyone else, so here we are on Monday.  Well.  Tuesday.  Remember the post where I said even when Monday is an off day, Tuesday will just step up and take it's place?  That's totally today.  I'm so exhausted from overworking the holiday, plus not sleeping well, plus not eating well.  Ick.  Completely went weekend warrior and decided to rip out carpet and clean the house like it's never seen a mop.  Maybe I should have tried baby steps?  Time to get back on track imo.

So this week's challenge I was going to post the hint was an interesting thing I found online.  I made them last night, they turned out golden brown and beautiful, but maybe I did something wrong, because they tasted awful.  I made zucchini fritters.  I'm convinced they need to be baked like a cake at this point to maximize the flavor.   Like you would with corn bread.  Anyway, I do not feel like sharing this recipe, so we'll go on to something more creative.  Or less hassle.  One of the two.  With last week's yogurt success, I'm still over the moon about it and want to make more and more.  LOL.   Perhaps it wouldn't be such a great food blog if I post the same yogurt recipe every week though?  So here, I'm digging around in the piles of paperwork at my desk, thinking, "Ok, where did I leave that list of things I want to share on the blog?"  Then I realize I'm in dire need of an organization makeover.  There's only so much paper you can swim through in a day before realizing you're not crossing the English Channel any time soon.  =)

So, thank you for your inspiration, I cleaned out the pile of papers next to my desk and here's the list.  Amazing how many I've shared already and how many more there are to go.  I've been so obsessed with soups lately.  It seems so easy to make a soup, or eat a soup or just enjoy soup.  Easy on the stomach, great for what ails you and packed with nutrients and flavor.  If you make your own, get low sodium broth, or use a low sodium soup base like I do.   That's not to say I'll never use broth, but you can control the flavor and salt content a bit more with the soup base.

There's your hint for the day!  SOUP!  See you Friday!

Free Friday - YOGURT!!!

Can you believe it?  It's so incredible!  Ridiculously amazing and awesome!  It's FREE FRIDAY!! HAHA!  Not what you were expecting?  Ok, you're right, there's another reason to be so excited today - coconut yogurt!  I know, after 3 weeks of, "I'm getting it done, I swear!" here's our moment, finally.

I did adapt a recipe from another site, but then I've tried a few sites with no luck.  The yogurt was tasty, sweet, somewhat tart and way. too. thick.  Perhaps I interpreted the amounts incorrectly, or the bacteria worked better than last time, but it was so thick I could have cut it in shapes with a knife.

Now, I'm not going to write a long post about incubation techniques, or heating or coolers or insulation.  You can find that all over the net.  Instead, I'll give you a piece by piece of how the yogurt came together and some websites of where the information comes from.  I do use a yogurt maker (with little individual cups,) a thermometer, store bought starter, and canned milk (Goya).   One lady says, "it's not rocket science" but I think it is.  LOL.  It's very much a science and an art form all at once.  It can quickly get discouraging or frustrating but I assure you, tweaking little things you may have thought were insignificant, will make all the difference.

Also, I had high hopes I could make this completely vegan, but to no avail.  For now, I'm using gelatin, and for the average person, that's actually not bad.  Also, since I used coconut flour to help thicken it, it's a tad grainy.  If this bothers you, then I think it would work to omit it, but for now I like what it adds in flavor.  So, let's get started!  (Adapted from this website:  http://www.cookingtf.com/coconut-milk-yogurt-2/)

Sidenote:  You'll probably look at this recipe and think...."hey, this is not sugar free."  But here's the deal, the bacteria need food and sugar fills that purpose.  By the time the yogurt is done fermenting, most of the sugar if not all of it will be gone.  The sugar content will be negligible.  Much less than anything you would find in the store anyway.  I do not have exact numbers but from what I've read it's between 4 and 6 grams of sugar per cup.  Possibly.  Like I said, it's a science and an art form.


CocoYo!

2 cans coconut milk
1.5 tBsp sugar
1 packet gelatin (or 1tsp)
1 tBsp SIFTED coconut flour (SO important to sift it!)
1 packet of yogurt starter (I get mine here http://www.culturesforhealth.com/vegan-dairy-free-yogurt-starter.html )


First, always start with sterilized equipment.  One germ and you lose your whole batch.  If you colonize bad bacteria, you will get sick, so the whole batch has to be thrown out if even one cup looks or smells bad.

Get a pot, bring to a boil, put all the utensils and cups you're going to use in there and boil for 10 min.  I boil my tongs too which I use to move the cups around.

Temperature is everything.  Pour the milk (all but 1/2 cup) and sugar into a pan and bring to 180 degrees F.  While that is heating, mix the gelatin and flour into a small cup with the 1/2 cup of milk.  Whisk it until smooth, then add it slowly to the pan, continuing to whisk in the pan to avoid clumps.  You do not want it going into a crazy boil, it will break the milk and be very watery.  Bring the mixture to 180 and take it off the heat.

At this point, take a break!  You can read a book, play Diablo III, or go get a suntan.  Basically, let the milk mixture cool to 110 degrees F.  If it's warmer than that, your bacteria will die so just leave it be for a while.  If you forget and come back too much later (like I did) and find your mixture at 80, you can put the stove back on very low and start to help it creep back up to 110.  The bacteria need a warm, but not hot and not cold environment to proliferate.  So, with that in mind, when your mixture is 110 - pour in the packet of starter and mix well.   I even let mine sit for about a minute and mixed it again.

Now comes the easy part.  Pour the mixture into your yogurt cups (or whatever you're going to use) and put them into your yogurt maker (or whatever your setup is).  I personally like thick yogurt, the longer you let yours incubate, the thicker it gets, as long as there is enough sugar.  When the sugar runs out... the sulfur smell will start.  Then you're 'losing' your yogurt.  The bacteria are dying at that point.  I left mine in the yogurt maker for 15 hours.  It was very good.

As her website says - do not stir it or bother it, just take it out of the machine and put it straight to the fridge.  It will solidify up even more and be ready to eat when chilled, about 6 hours.  I'll start my yogurt process around 3pm on one day and it will be ready to eat around 24 hours later.  Plan accordingly.  =)

(pictures were taken with my droid - so not the best quality but NOT BAD!!! YAY!)

ENJOY!