Baked frittata

Did you notice no photos for this recipe? That is because we ate it all before thinking to stop and take a picture! Picture in your mind a casserole of layered potatoes, sautéed vegetables, savory slices of sausage, and a crunchy topping of cheese.

This is a breakfast dish so delicious and hearty that I’ve made it for dinner on more than one occasion.  It covers all the basics: starch, protein, vegetables – and is completed by a serving of fruit on the side.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

While the oven heats, slice 4 russet potatoes (mine came out to about 2 pounds) into 1/8 inch slices. A mandolin or food processor with a slicing blade is a great help for this if you don’t have a steady hand and/or a sharp knife. If you don’t have a sharp kitchen knife, go ahead and put that on your holiday wish list because it will make your life easier and safer in the kitchen.

Boil the potatoes in salted water until tender. Drain and run cold water over them until they are cool enough to handle. Set aside.

Saute one chopped onion and one package of al fresco country-style chicken breakfast sausage over medium high heat until the onion is softened. I like this brand of chicken sausage because there are no nitrates, minimal ingredient list, and calories/fat are within my budget. They come in at 50 calories per link and remember that this serves 8 people. You can substitute regular pork sausage, bacon, cubed ham, or turkey bacon…whatever you like or happen to have on hand. This is where you can let creativity shine. Add spinach and feta if you like it. Add green peppers and mushrooms if those are your favorites. Set this mixture aside.

Now it’s time to whip up some eggs. I use a combination of eggs plus additional egg whites. For this recipe I use 6 whole eggs plus 4 additional egg whites. It cuts calories while preserving the taste of real eggs. I’ve tried several egg substitute products and haven’t been impressed by them – but if that is what you enjoy, go for it. To my eggs and egg whites I add salt and pepper.  Nothing too fancy.

Now it is time to start layering.

Spray a 9 X 9 baking dish with cooking spray. Add a layer of potato slices. Top with your vegetable/meat mixture. Add 1/4 cup shredded cheese. I’m a fan of sharp cheddar but use whatever you have on hand or your favorite.  Or omit completely. I make this without cheese for my daughter and she loves it.

Repeat the layers and finish with potato slices on top.  Pour the beaten eggs over the top to fill in all the spaces. Top with 1/2 cup of cheese (it may sound like a lot of cheese – but the total recipe uses 1 cup and serves 8 people so it breaks down to an acceptable amount).

Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 30 minutes or until the eggs are cooked through and the top is browned.

 

Enjoy!

Melissa vs. the Juicer

I’ve always been one to embrace new kitchen gadgets. Love ‘em in fact, except for the excess room they take up in the house…mental note: next house will have to have a kitchen gadget storage pantry. I was watching the Dr. Oz show on TV and the levels of arsenic found in simple things like processed apple juice  (and before I get a lot of comments I do understand the difference between organic and inorganic arsenic . I also understand the FDA has members with financial stake in getting products out the the consumer)

With $20 in Amazon.com gift cards burning a hole in my pocket, I decided to equip our home with a Breville juicer. Fresh juice made from organic apples grown in the USA. What could be better? Silly, silly, woman.

The juicer arrived, all stainless steel and big blades, and mesh. I was prepared with a big bag of apples from earthfare.

Rule number 1 with the juicer: Have the piece that covers the feed tube handy when you put hard items in the juicer. First attempt = apples raining in my kitchen. Initially cautious dogs decide this new noisy machine may not be a bad thing if it’s going to throw food at them and hover around the kitchen waiting for the Breville volcano to erupt again.

Once I came to that understanding, all went well. I juiced the entire bag of apples and the taste (once I skimmed off the foam) was very sweet and incredibly fresh. I found I needed to cut it with water for a taste more to my liking.

Next experiment was a “green juice”. We all know we should have more leafy greens in our diets, but in the winter I just don’t feel up to eating a huge salad every day. Enter the juicer. I put in an entire head of romaine, an apple, 2 cucumbers, a little lemon and ended up with something I could enjoy. A little fresh ginger would have zipped it up a bit, or maybe some pineapple.  But it is healthy and baby steps towards including larger amounts of greens in my diet (and my husband’s).

The leftover pulp can be mixed into dog food for a little extra fiber and nutrition or dumped out into your compost pile for a no-waste approach.

If you have a juice blend you really like, please share it in the comments below; I can’t wait to try more combinations!

Enjoy!

GF, dairy-free, corn-free, soy-free birthday cake

My little girl is going to be 10 in just a few days – and this year the birthday cake was a bit more of a challenge with all the new allergy requirements. It had to be gluten free for me (so I didn’t contaminate my pans), soy free, dairy free and corn free for Anna…that’s a lot of “free”. Plus I wanted it to taste good. No sense in eating birthday cake if it doesn’t taste good.

This cake did take planning and I did have to order a few of the ingredients online, but it came together easily. I actually ended up making it twice because I flipped one of the layers of the first batch on to floor. Happy dogs, but not enough cake left for human consumption. It ended up being a good thing because it gave us an extra layer for Anna and her friend to decorate and for a taste test (always important!)

The recipe is taken from Annalise Robert’s book Gluten Free Baking Classics.

Makes 2 eight inch or 9 inch rounds or 24 cupcakes

2 cups sugar

4 large eggs

2 1/2 cups brown rice flour mix (I ordered this from Authentic Foods. It is sold under the name GF Classic Blend) The secret here is extra finely ground brown rice flour. The stuff in the stores is too gritty to produce a fine crumb on baked goods.

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon baking powder (Hain brand does not contain corn)

1 teaspoon xantham gum

1 cup canola oil

1 cup milk substitute (I used almond milk)

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Position rack in center of oven. Line 2 nine inch round pans with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray (note: some cooking sprays contain soy. I ended up lightly brushing the pans with canola oil)

2. Beat eggs and sugar in large bowl of electric mixer at medium speed for one minute. Add flour, salt, baking powder, xanthan gum, oil, milk, and vanilla. Beat at medium speed for 1 minute.

3. Pour batter into prepared pans [note: I reserved some batter and stirred in melted Enjoy Life brand chocolate chips then placed spoonfuls on top of the raw vanilla batter and swirled with a knife. Marble cake!] Place pans in oven and bake 30 to 35 minutes (40 min for 8 inch pans, 18-20 minutes for cupcakes) or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

4. Cool cake layer in the pans on a rack for 5 minutes. Use a small knife to cut around the edges to loosen cake and invert the cake onto a rack, peel off parchment, and cool completely.

5. Frost as desired.

Frosting:

I used a recipe from Wilton for buttercream frosting. I found I needed to double this and then had some left over.

1 cup shortening (Spectrum organics makes a shortening that is only palm oil)

1 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract

4 cups sifted powdered sugar [note: I had to go online to King Arthur Flour to buy "glazing sugar". This is powdered sugar without the addition of cornstarch]

2 Tablespoons of milk substitute (I ended up using 3 T for a better spreading consistency. It is pretty thick)

Beat in the electric mixer until combined well.

The decorations on the cake are just melted Enjoy Life chocolate chips piped onto parchment, frozen, and applied to the cake, but you could absolutely tint the icing and do a more traditional decoration.

Being the home health coach

When I went through the Institute for Integrative Nutrition it was with an eye on learning more about dietary theories and to help deal with the gluten free lifestyle I needed to adopt.  Now the stakes are higher – my nine year old daughter was recently diagnosed with a lot of food allergies (and a lot of environmental allergies on top of that).

We knew from the time she was a few months old that she was allergic to milk. The pediatrician kept telling us that she was fine, she was gaining weight, a lot of babies throw up, a lot of babies have rashy faces…but I knew there was something with the formula that wasn’t agreeing with her. After going back and forth on that issue I finally told the pediatrician I was changing Anna’s formula and she could either recommend something or I would figure it out myself. Within a day of being on soy formula the vomiting after feeding stopped. Then the rashes went away, and the colicky periods stopped.

We did try milk again on the pediatrician’s advice when Anna was older – and I still remember the frantic phone call from my mom, who was watching Anna at the time, describing how Anna was breaking out in hives all over her body and how the pediatrician’s nurse advised benadryl immediately and to watch for breathing problems.  That was it as far as I was concerned: no milk. I learned how to substitute for milk, how to bake well without milk or butter – and Anna ate a very healthy diet.

Fast forward and she has been getting hives for years. Huge welts all over her body. Luckily, they don’t itch and seem to go away on their own. Her father and I divorced and of course I notice she has hives more when she has been with him than with me. I seceretly believe he is feeding her things with milk or not being careful when eating out. She also has horrible seasonal allergies and I know he is not giving her the prescription medication as directed because the pharmacy records indicate he hasn’t refilled it or transferred it. We go to her recent physical together this year and I request a referral to an allergy specialist; did I mention we changed pediatricians? This pediatrician agrees and wants to run some blood work to look at allergies and look at other potential causes for chronic hives.

The results come back and she is very allergic to just about all the molds, grasses, and tree pollens they tested for. Her milk allergy is confirmed. However, she is also allergic to wheat, corn, tomato, peanuts, soy, and egg white (very mild). I feel like a crappy mom because I am just as guilty of feeding her these things as the evil ex is. She does eat less wheat at my house because I am gluten free, but I keep graham cracker sticks and peanut butter for her to snack on, regular bread, etc.

That afternoon I talked to the ex and he agreed to remove these things from her diet at home and to go to the allergist with us for further testing and education. Then I went to earthfare and found cereal, coconut milk yogurt, bread, and a few yummy things for school lunches. I showed Anna what she COULD eat and left the focus there. Her attitude was amazing and she told me that she was lucky I was a health coach. There hasn’t been an issue about eating or snacks and she has liked everything that I’ve prepared. It takes more thought and in some ways I feel like I’m starting all over when I go to the grocery store. The first time I went shopping for dairy free took about 2 hours. The first time I had to shop gluten free took hours. Now I’m shopping gluten, dairy, corn, soy, peanut free….on a positive note, it means a lot of fresh veggies, fresh fruit, lean cuts of meat. Processed stuff is kept to the minimum. It is a healthy way of eating and she will get all her nutrients and fiber. With time the planning will go quicker as I have certain meals and products I know work.

It gives me yet another area of health coaching that I have personal experience to help future clients with. There is the health coach side that says, “we can do this, this is healthy, no worries!” and then there is the mom side of me that feels so sad that her daughter has to scrutinize every little thing she puts in her mouth and overwhelmed about the prep work for lunches, the research before eating out, the sheer amount of work this entails. Then the mom side is a bit guilty because I see children I work with every day that are so sick and have so many restrictions – this really is nothing. My child is healthy and happy and one mistake will not kill her, just give her hives. But it’s my nothing to be sad about, so today I’m going to feel a little sad and then move on to what I can do.

Orange chocolate chip scones (gluten free)

It has been cold and rainy in NC – we had some blissful sunny days last week in the 70s and 80s; I thought Spring was here and pulled out my capris and short sleeve shirts. March is mercurial, so rather than wish for the sun I decided to warm up my kitchen with a baking project.

These scones are not sweet, other than the sweetness from the chocolate chips and hint of agave. You could dust the tops with some coarse sugar before baking for a little added crunch and sweetness or serve with a little orange marmalade for breakfast. Or tea.

Gluten Free Orange Chocolate Scones
2 cups blanched almond flour
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ cup chocolate chips
1 tablespoon orange zest
1 egg
3 tablespoons agave nectar

1. In a large bowl, combine almond flour, baking soda, chips and zest
2. In a smaller bowl, combine egg and agave
3. Mix wet ingredients into dry
4. Knead dough with hands if necessary to ensure proper distribution of ingredients
5. On a parchment lined cookie sheet, form dough into a circle that is about ½-inch in thick
6. Cut dough like a pizza, into 8 slices.
7. Bake at 350° for 10-15 minutes
8. Serve

 

recipe credit: Elana’s pantry

Gluten free cooking class

Thanks so much to everyone that came out for the gluten free cooking class yesterday at the Healthy Home Market! There were a lot of good questions, plenty of yummy dishes to sample, and I was so impressed by the group’s baseline knowledge of gluten intolerance vs. celiac. Not only that, but a manager of the store came in after class to sample some leftovers and wanted to know if I could do more cooking classes…I don’t think I could make it a monthly thing, but if there is enough interest I would love to do another one. Maybe gluten free baking? Gluten free vegetarian or vegan dishes? Let me know what you want to see and I can put it together.

For Saturday’s class I wanted to do a walk though of a typical day – so I made a breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert.

Breakfast: Easy omelet wraps

 

This is one of those great make-ahead dishes. Prepare any ingredients you like in your omelets. For example, I love spinach and feta cheese, but for class I prepared a variety – onions, mushroom, ham, etc. The day (or night before) whip up your chosen ingredient(s) with an egg. Pour onto a preheated nonstick skillet and cook through (flipping once). Layer between paper towels and put in a ziploc bag in the fridge when cooled. In the morning, gently reheat the egg and wrap in a gluten free tortilla.  Optional add-ins: salsa, guacamole, etc…

Lunch: Quinoa salad

Combine cooked, cooled quinoa (cook according to package instructions) with chopped vegetables. I like using carrots, celery, tomato, cucumber, red onion, and colored peppers. Add a little bottled vinaigrette (for class we used Newman’s brand balsamic vinaigrette) and mix.  You can add whatever vegetables you have on hand; some ideas:

Sun dried tomatoes, feta, and olives for a Mediterranean flavor

Fresh basil, fresh mozzarella cubes, and tomatoes for Italian version

If you would like to make your own dressing, here is one of my favorites:

Caesar Vinaigrette

1 large garlic clove, minced

1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 Tablespoon anchovy paste

¼ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

½ teaspoon Tabasco sauce

Juice of 1 lemon

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

1. Place the garlic, mustard, anchovy, Worcestershire, and Tabasco in a small bowl and mash them into a paste with a fork.
2. Add the lemon juice and stir to combine. Whisking constantly, slowly add the olive oil in a steady stream. Continue to whisk until the dressing thickens.

 

This can be stored in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 1 week. Let it return to room temperature before using.

Dinner: Chicken with rice noodles and vegetables

3.5 oz rice noodles

1 cup reduced sodium chicken stock

4 Tablespoons cornstarch

4 Tablespoons gluten free tamari soy sauce

4 teaspoons brown sugar

2 teaspoons canola oil

½ pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, trimmed and cut into thin strips

4 large garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons fresh ginger

6 oz white mushrooms, sliced

2 cups broccoli slaw

1 cup matchstick carrots

1. Plunge noodles into a large bowl of hot water; let stand until softened
2. Meanwhile, to make sauce, whisk together broth, cornstarch, soy sauce, and brown sugar in a small bowl until smooth
3. Heat nonstick skillet over high heat; add 1 teaspoon oil and swirl to coat pan. Add chicken and stir fry until browned. Add garlic and ginger and stir fry until fragrant – about 30 seconds; transfer to medium bowl.
4. Heat remaining oil in skillet. Add mushrooms, broccoli slaw and carrots. Stir fry until crisp-tender, about 6 minutes. Re-stir cornstarch mixture; add to skillet along with chicken. Stir fry until sauce bubbles and thickens, about 2 minutes. Stir in noodles and stir fry until heated through.

 

GF Peanut Butter, Oatmeal, and Chocolate Chip Cookies

From Glutenfreegobsmacked.com

 

Recipe makes 24 -28 small (1.5 inch) cookies or 12 -18 large (2.5 inch+) cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 cup vegan smart balance

1/2 cup white sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup peanut butter

¼ cup almond butter

1 egg

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

2/3 cup millet flour + 1/3 cup sweet rice flour

1/2 GF-certified oats (OR 1/2-2/3 cup sliced almonds)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup chocolate chips (OR peanut butter-chocolate chips, or chocolate chunks, etc)

½ cup raisins

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F if baking (not freezing) the cookies.

Cream together smart balance, white sugar and brown sugar for 4 minutes on medium.

Add vanilla and egg.  Beat mixture again for 2 minutes on medium-high.

Add nut butters.  Beat again for 2 minutes on medium-high.

Add flour(s), oats, baking soda and salt.  Mix again.  Dough will be exactly like regular cookie dough.

Quickly and carefully (so as not to mash them) mix in the chocolate chips and chocolate chunks.

If you are freezing the cookies, form in to the size ball that you want.  Place the balls on a plate so that they are not touching. Place the plate of cookie balls with a loose covering of plastic wrap in the freezer for 20-30 minutes.  When the balls have hardened and are no longer super-sticky, move them into a freezer-ready package (freezer bag or other type of freezer container).  Use as you would any other frozen cookie ball.  Remove as many as you wish and bake at 350F for 15-18 minutes (small cookies) or 22-25 minutes (larger ones).  Watch the baking time as it will vary based on the size of your cookie, how frozen/cold the cookie dough, and your oven.  The photo above shows the golden brown tinges that you are looking for to determine “doneness”.

If you are baking the cookies right away, shape into balls. 

Place the cookies on a cookie sheet covered with a silpat or parchment paper.  Bake for 11-13 minutes for small cookies or for 15 – 18 minutes for large ones.

Remove from the oven when the top begins to turn golden brown. (See the photo above.)  Allow the cookies to cool for 3-4 minutes before attempting to move them on to a cooling rack.  Cool and pack for transport to work (or to a hiding place in the kitchen for your secret stash of goodness).

 Eat well, be well!

Melissa

Steel cut oats

When was the last time you had a truly delicious bowl of oatmeal? I’m not talking about the little packets of oatmeal with all the sugar and artificial flavors and colors; I’m talking about a hearty, chewy, yummy bowl of real oatmeal that takes time to cook.

Did I lose you when I said “it takes time”? Hang on a minute because steel cut oats can be made the night before and reheated in the morning.  My favorite brand is gluten -free Bob’s Red Mill; it is available in the grocery store, health food store, and online.  

The night before:

Cook oats according to the package directions. Use water, non-dairy milk, or regular milk as the cooking liquid.  When the oats are finished cooking, divide into serving size microwave storage containers. Stir in some dried fruit, chopped nuts, 1 Tablespoon of brown sugar…whatever you want in your oatmeal.

In the morning:

Your oatmeal will be a brick. Don’t panic; add a little milk and pop it in the microwave.

Eat well, be well!