Recipes

Homemade Banana Bread

Ingredients:

  • 3 very ripe bananas, mashed
  • 1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 1/4 cups gluten-free baking flour
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • Crushed walnuts and dried cranberries (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350F. In a large mixing bowl, add sugar, eggs, bananas, vanilla extract, baking soda, and salt. In a medium-sized bowl, melt the butter. Add the flour the bowl with the butter and mix throughly. Then add the mixed butter and flour into the large mixing bowl. Add the walnuts and cranberries. Mix with a hand blender. Pour the mix into a loaf pan and bake for 1 hour. Let the bread cool and slice and enjoy!

Also, try my Nutty Banana Bread recipe.

Breakfast Casserole

Ingredients:

  • 3 slices gluten-free bread, coarsely torn*
  • 2 chicken sausages, cut**
  • 1/2 cup reduced fat pepperjack cheese, grated
  • 3 medium eggs
  • 1 cup of low fat milk
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a baking pan and evenly place bread pieces in the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle with sausage pieces and cheese. In a medium bowl, beat eggs, milk, salt, and pepper. Pour over bread mixture in the pan. Bake for about 40 minutes or until mixture is set and the casserole has browned. Enjoy! Now you can eat breakfast for dinner!

* I used Rudi’s GF Multigrain Bread

** I used Apple-Chicken Sausage for additional flavor. You can use any kind of savory sausage!

Veggie Lasagna

Ingredients:

  • 8 pieces of Tinkyáda Organic Brown Rice Pasta Lasagne*
  • 10 ounces of frozen chopped spinach, thawed**
  • 1 cup broccoli, chopped
  • 1 cup asparagus, chopped
  • 24 ounces of marinara sauce
  • 8 ounces part skim ricotta cheese
  • Mozzarella cheese, grated
  • Italian spices
  • Olive oil
  • Salt

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the lasagna in a large pan of boiling water for approximately 10 minutes, allowing the lasagna to cook. Add spinach, broccoli, and asparagus to another pan; add olive oil, Italian spices, and salt to the veggies. Allow to them cook for approximately 5 minutes. Layer a large rectangular dish with marinara sauce followed by 3 pieces of lasagna. Make sure the lasagna completely covers the surface area of the dish. Then add half of the prepared veggies and spread evenly. Add half of the ricotta and spread evenly. Repeat the layering: add sauce, followed by 2 pieces of lasagna, veggies, and ricotta. For the last round of layering, add a thin layer of sauce, 3 pieces of lasagna, the remainder of sauce, and mozzarella cheese to cover the sauce. Bake the lasagna for 30 minutes.

*I have been using Tinkyáda lasagna for many years and have made many delicious lasagnas! However, feel free to use any brand of gluten-free lasagna that is to your liking

**You can also use fresh spinach if you desire

Chocolate Coconut Slices

Ingredients:

  • 6 ounces milk chocolate, melted
  • 4 1/2 ounces desiccated coconut
  • 4 ounces caster sugar
  • 1 egg
  • dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 325°F. Pour melted milk chocolate into a foil-lined 7 inch square tin. Beat egg and add coconut and sugar. Mix well. Spread evenly over chocolate. Top with cranberries.  Bake for 25 minutes. Allow the chocolate slices to cool. Lift out of tin and slice.  Enjoy!

This delicious recipe is by courtesy of Mary, Rosie’s lovely mom from Cow House Studios in Wexford County, Ireland.

Asparagus Soup

Ingredients:

  • 8-9 sticks of asparagus, cut
  • 2 tsp. unsalted butter
  • 2 cloves, whole
  • 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 onion, chopped
  • 1 1/2 tsp. rice flour
  • 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1 cup low-fat milk
  • 2 tsp. mozzarella cheese, grated

Boil the cut asparagus. In a saucepan, melt the unsalted butter and add the cloves, ground cinnamon, and chopped onions. Sauté the mixture until the onions have browned. Then add rice flour to the saucepan and sauté for another 2 minutes. Add black pepper, salt, and the boiled asparagus to the mixture. Stir well. Put the mixture in a food processor for 3-4 minutes or blend until smooth. Put the blended mixture into a pot on the stove. While on low to medium heat, add milk and mozzarella cheese to the soup. Stir and add water to desired consistency (thick or smooth soup). Serve hot and enjoy!

 

Mozzarella + Tomato Bites

Ingredients:

  • 1 package fresh Mozzarella cheese
  • 3 medium tomatoes
  • 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
  • 1 tsp. parsley flakes*

Slice the mozzarella and tomatoes to  approximately 1/2 inch slices. Add salt, pepper, and parsley to the olive oil and mix well. Arrange the mozzarella slices on a plate, place a tomato on each mozzarella, and drizzle the olive oil concoction over the the mozzarella and tomato bites.

*Use fresh parsley if available

IMG_8543

Spicy Chicken Quesadilla

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound of boneless, skinless chicken breast
  • 1 tbsp. of olive oil
  • 1 onion
  • 2 medium green peppers
  • 1 cup of Mexican Cheese
  • 1 bottle of mild/medium taco sauce
  • 1 head of iceberg lettuce (finely chopped)
  • 1/4 cup of cilantro (chopped)
  • Sour Cream
  • Taco Seasoning
  • Cooking Oil Spray (PAM)

Kitchen Aids:

  • Quesadilla Maker

Cut the onion into long strips and sauté in olive oil in a skillet. Cut chicken into thin strips. Add the chicken into the skillet with the onions. Add taco seasoning and continue to sauté the chicken until it is almost cooked and onions are lightly browned. Cut the green peppers into strips and add it to the skillet. Sauté until all of the ingredients are cooked. If necessary, add additional taco seasoning to taste.

Turn on the quesadilla maker and spray with cooking spray. Place one tortilla on the maker. Layer with chicken mix, lettuce, cilantro, cheese, and taco sauce. Place second tortilla on top and close the quesadilla maker. Heat the quesadilla per instructions given with the maker (usually  3-4 minutes). When ready, carefully remove quesadilla from maker and cut into six pieces. Serve with sour cream. Enjoy!

Milk Cake (Kalakand)

Ingredients:

  • 1 small container of ricotta cheese, water strained
  • 1 can of condensed milk
  • 1 cup of Instant Nonfat Dry Milk

Combine the ricotta cheese, condensed milk, and instant nonfat dry milk in a large, microwave-safe mixing bowl. Stir well. Microwave for five minutes. If the mix starts to rise, stop every minute, open the microwave door to let the air in. After the five minutes are complete, stir the mixture again. The mixture should be thicker. Microwave for another five minutes. Again, pause if the mix is rising. Stir throughly. The mix should be even thicker now. Microwave for about 2-3 minutes more depending on the consistency. Remove from microwave and stir well. Let the mix cool for 20 minutes or until room temperature. Then transfer the mix from the mixing bowl to a rectangular dish. Refrigerate. When ready to eat, cut the milk cake into small square pieces. Store any left overs in the refrigerator.

Artichoke au Gratin

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 8 oz. pepperjack cheese
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
  • 2 cloves of garlic (chopped)
  • 1 jar artichoke hearts (drained, chopped)
  • Optional: Chopped Jalapeño Peppers, 1 tsp. garlic powder

Preheat oven to 400°. Mix mayonnaise, pepperjack cheese, Parmesan Cheese, garlic, artichoke hearts, and any additional ingredients. Microwave for five minutes. Stir well. Bake at 400° for 20 min. Serve warm.

Homemade Alfredo Sauce

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter
  • 2-3 oz cream cheese
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 1 cup reduced fat (2%) milk
  • 1/6 cup of white cheddar, grated
  • pinch of ground black pepper

Melt the butter in a medium sized saucepan on medium-high heat, and then add garlic powder and cream  cheese which continuously stirring. Then, add a little milk at a time while stirring to even out the consistency. Stir in the cheddar cheese and pepper. When the sauce reaches a smooth consistency, turn off the heat. Add in freshly cooked pasta and serve hot. Enjoy!

And you can try this delicious Peppered Alfredo recipe with substituting the store bought alfredo sauce and cheese for this homemade sauce!