Easy Strawberry Mango Salsa

Has it really been 4 months since my last post?! I have been cooking like a fool (and obviously not posting anything).  My little one is eating me out of house and home. It seems I buy more avocados than the store can keep in stock! Anyway, onto this amazing and fresh salsa...I have a feeling it's going to become a summer staple in our house. Tonight, it will go on grilled chicken for dinner with some broccoli on the side. Fresh, easy and flavorful! Hope you enjoy.

Easy Strawberry Mango Salsa

Ingredients:
1 mango, peeled, cored and diced
1 cup strawberries, diced
1/4 cup red onion, minced
1/2 lime, juiced
handful of cilantro, chopped coarsely
1 small jalapeño, seeded and diced or 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (to taste for spiciness)

Directions:
put all ingredients into a bowl and stir. Refrigerate until ready to use. Top on grilled chicken or salmon or eat with corn chips!

-L

Gluten-Free Whole Meyer Lemon Almond Cake

Have I ever mentioned that I love baked goods? It's one of the reasons I run a few times a week. I run so I can eat cakey delicious sweets and not feel (too) guilty! Last week I picked up a bag of fresh Meyer lemons at the grocery store without any idea of what I was going to do with them. I pondered lemon bars but wasn't feeling it, so I settled on a lemon almond cake. This cake is made with a few simple ingredients and is certainly delicious and tangy! Hope you enjoy! Recipe was inspired by The View from the Great Island

 Gluten-Free Whole Meyer Lemon Almond Cake
Ingredients:
4 large Meyer Lemons
3 large eggs
1 cup sugar
3 cups almond meal
1 tsp baking powder

1 tbs vanilla bean paste

for the icing
3 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar

1 to 2 tbs milk 

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325F

Rinse lemons and put them in a saucepan. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Boil for 15 minutes.
Drain the lemons and let them cool until you can handle them. Cut open and remove the seeds, but keep everything else. The WHOLE LEMON! Do this on a plate so you can retain the juices. Once you have removed all the seeds, put everything into a food processor or blender. 

Process until finely pureed. You will need roughly one cup of lemon puree for the cake.

Beat the eggs and the sugar until pale in color.
Add in the almond meal, baking powder, vanilla, and lemon puree. Mix until thoroughly combined.

Put batter into a greased and sugared (not floured) 9" springform pan. Smooth out the surface so it is even.
Bake for about 60 minutes, just until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool on a rack for 10 minutes, then gently release the sides of the pan and remove the cake to finish cooling.

Make the icing while the cake is cooling. Combine the sugar with the butter, vanilla and milk. Beat until smooth and creamy. Adjust the texture by adding more sugar or milk. Spread the icing on the completely cooled cake.

the cooked lemons all chopped up!

The puree

the perfect slice

Apple and Pear Sangria

 

It's been almost 2 weeks since I made this recipe...where does the time go?! Between sleep deprivation, endless espressos and two small ones keeping me busy, the days often pass without any progress on the blog. 

The night before Halloween I whipped up this fantastic cocktail. I had a feeling we, adults, would need a refreshing and seasonal libation for trick-or-treating the next evening with the kids. This was perfect! 

Apple and Pear Sangria 


1 bottle Pinot Grigio 
3/4 cup brandy 
2 cups apple cider 
1 cup sparkling pomegranate juice ( I used Izze) 
2 honey crisp apples, sliced
2 pears, sliced 


Add everything to a large pitcher, refrigerate overnight (or at least 4 hours). Pour, enjoy, relax.

Gluten Free Lemon Trifle

A perfect spring dessert!

                                                          Gluten Free Lemon Trifle

Ingredients:
15-20 gluten free ladyfinger biscuits (I used Schar brand)
3/4 cup lemonade
2 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons confectioners sugar
1 1/2 cup lemon curd (homemade or store bought), plus more for garnish if needed
2 tablespoons lemon rind, grated for garnish or fresh berries

Directions:
Place gluten free ladyfingers evenly in a rimmed baking sheet. Pour lemonade over the tops of the cookies. Let sit for about 3 minutes, carefully turning them halfway through soaking.

In a bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, pour the cream and sugar. Beat on medium speed until soft peaks form, cover and place in the fridge until ready to assemble.

Place ladyfingers in the bottom of the bowls, spoon lemon curd onto ladyfingers, then top with whipped cream. Repeat this step ending with either a spoonful of lemon curd or lemon rind for garnish. I used about 3 tbs curd for each individual trifle. 

Place trifles in the fridge for 1 hour or overnight before serving.
Makes about 5 servings.

Inspired by the Epicurean Mom and Martha Stewart

Spiced Peach-Carrot Bread

It is officially peach season in Colorado! In the last 2 months I have bought 40 lbs of peaches to eat and bake with and 20 lbs to freeze to enjoy through the winter season. I always enjoyed peaches and then I tasted a Colorado peach from the Palisade area and I fell deeply in LOVE. There is nothing like the fresh, sweet juiciness of a perfectly ripe peach. I eat about two fresh peaches a day during this time of year, I've made a peach crisp, and even enjoy a fresh peach Bellini (or two)! Today I wanted to try a quick bread...this awesome recipe comes from Southern Living which I adapted to be gluten-free and safe for this celiac girl!

Spiced Peach-Carrot Bread  

3/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
2 1/2 cups gluten free flour (I used 1.25 cups Cup4Cup and 1.25 cups Bistro Blend)
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 1/2 cups peeled and chopped fresh, ripe peaches
3/4 cup freshly grated carrots
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup milk
2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 350° F. 

Stir together gluten free flours and next 6 ingredients in a large bowl; add peaches, next 4 ingredients, and pecans or walnuts, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Spoon batter into a lightly greased and sugared 9- x 5-inch loaf pan.

Bake at 350° for 1 hour and 5 minutes or until a long wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 5 minutes. Remove from pan to wire rack, and cool completely (about 1 hour). Slice and Enjoy!

Cherry Clafoutis (gluten-free)

A traditional French dessert... how could you NOT want to eat this?! I am a little sad to say that while spending time in France a few years ago (before my Celiac diagnosis) I didn't get the chance to eat a "real" clafoutis. I did have my fair share of chocolate croissants, strawberry crepes, fresh baguettes and many other treats that, of course, made me feel very sick (but hey, I didn't know any better)!

Today I bring you an easy and delicious French dessert made of sweet cherries and a flan like middle dusted with powdered sugar, all of which is gluten-free!

Cherry Clafoutis

Ingredients:
1lb cherries, pitted (this is that hardest part of the recipe)
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup milk or almond milk
4 tbs butter, melted
1 tsp bourbon vanilla extract
4 eggs
1/2 cup Pamela's Pancake and Baking Mix
1/4 tsp salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°F.

Spray a glass 9" square pan with non-stick cooking spray and scatter your pitted cherries on the bottom. Place all remaining ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.

Pour batter over the cherries and bake for approximately 30 minutes and then cover with foil for the remaining 10-15 minutes of  baking time (so the top doesn't brown too much). Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve at room temperature.

Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Eat, Live, Run and Gourmet

                                           

a bowl of pitted cherries

ready for baking

Done! 

Simple Blueberry Peach Pie (gluten-free)

This open pie is so simple to make and tastes fantastic with the sweet ripe fruit of summer.

                                                              Easy Blueberry Peach Pie
Ingredients:
3 cups fresh peaches (peeled and sliced)
2 cups fresh blueberries
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
3 tbs cornstarch
1 gluten-free pie crust (I used a thawed GF pie crust from Whole Foods Bakehouse)

Directions:
Gently toss all ingredients together until well coated and pour into gluten-free pie crust.

Bake at 400°F for 45 minutes-- remove from oven and let cool completely. Serve with vanilla ice-cream and enjoy!

Strawberries with Chamomile Cream and Shaved Chocolate

Happy Mothers Day!

It's been awhile since my last post, but I wanted to share a easy and beautiful recipe with you. My brother-in-law made this as our dessert for brunch. I could not have asked for a more light and luscious dessert. Whipped cream perfectly infused with honey-vanilla chamomile topped over fresh strawberries is now one of my favorite treats.

                                   Strawberries with Chamomile Cream and Shaved Chocolate
Serves 6

Ingredients:
1 cup chilled heavy cream, divided
2 Honey-Vanilla Chamomile tea bags (Celestial Seasonings)
2 pints fresh strawberries, hulled and quartered
3 tablespoons sugar, divided
1 chunk best quality chocolate, for shaving

Directions:

1. Heat 1/2 cup cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until bubbles form around edges of pan. Remove pan from heat; add chamomile tea bags. Let steep 20 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl. Cover and chill until cold, about 2 hours.

2. Meanwhile, toss strawberries with 2 tbs sugar in a medium bowl to coat. Set aside to allow juices to form.

3. Strain chamomile cream through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl. Add remaining 1/2 cup cream and remaining 1tbs sugar. Using a standing mixer (or electric mixer) beat chamomile cream until soft peaks form.

4. Divide berries among bowls.

5. Spoon whipped cream over berries and top with shaved chocolate.

Recipe inspired by BonAppetite yet made extra delicious by my brother-in-law, Cory, who's a fantastic chef!

Citrus Salad

                                                                     Citrus Salad

Ingredients 

1 grapefruit

1 tangelo 

1 navel orange

1 blood orange

2 clementines 

fresh mint, chopped

sea salt

olive-oil 

Peel and slice all fruit. Spread on serving dish, sprinkle with sea-salt, mint and a drizzle of olive-oil. Enjoy this perfect winter citrus salad while dreaming of summer! 

Acorn Squash with Wild Rice, Apples, Celery & Sage

I love squash in almost all forms, baked, sauteed, roasted, pureed etc... and since it is apple and squash season, a perfect vegetarian dinner (for my pseudo veggie husband) should include both! I picked up some beautifully sweet and crunchy honeycrisp apples from the Boulder Farmers Market over the weekend. Too bad honeycrisp apples are not always in season....

Ingredients

1 acorn squash, cut in half with seeds removed

2 cups wild rice, cooked in vegetable stock

1.5 apples, peeled, cored and diced

1 celery stalk, chopped

7-10 fresh sage leaves, finely chopped

15-20 walnut or pecan halves

olive oil or grape seed oil to drizzle on squash

1 tbs butter

1 tsp dark brown sugar

salt and pepper to taste

2 tsp real maple syrup

Directions

Cook wild-rice as you normally would but using stock instead of water. Heat oven to 400F.  Brush oil on cut squash and then put squash cut side down on a baking sheet. Bake for about 20-25 minutes. 

Meanwhile, in a skillet over medium heat, melt butter and sauté apples, celery, nuts, and sage. After a few minutes, add brown sugar and toss to coat. Continue to sauté until the celery begins to soften. Turn off heat and season with salt and pepper. Mix the skillet ingredients with the cooked rice. 

Pull the squash out of the oven and stuff with rice mixture. Drizzle with maple syrup and put back into the oven for about 10-15 minutes or until the flesh of the squash is soft.  Season with sea salt and cracked pepper.

(you can make the rice mixture and pre-bake the squash in advance. This leaves only the final 10 to 15 minutes of baking, just before serving)