I love burgers

So I admit

I LOVE BURGERS!

There! I said it!!

I could probably eat a burger everyday if I really wanted to.

And when im talking burgers.. Im coming from a gluten free way and not having it with a bun

Something about all the different ways to flavor the ground beef/chicken/turkey just gets me excited...

is that weird?? a little.. ill admit! haha!

anyways one of my favorite burger to make is 

Turkey Spinach

ONLY if I get to the Tuesday market however and pick up

fresh ground turkey from Hilltop Farms

Something about their freshly ground meat that just makes these burgers so so good!

Now, I only made this recipe because of one of my best gal pals 

introduced me to frozen boxed spinach....

P.

She is a great cook/bartender (makes a wicked punch)

And has a young son, so she sneaks frozen spinach into everything she can!

She had a bbq and made wicked burgers with spinach in it

So whenever I add frozen spinach into anything now 

I refer to it as A la P

Turkey Spinach Burgers A la P

you will need:

1lb of fresh ground turkey 

1 egg

1/4 cup parmesan cheese grated

4 tbsp yellow mustard

2 tbsp Epicures French Onion dip mix

1/2 cup pasta sauce (I like classico tomato pesto)

fresh cracked pepper

1 box frozen spinach (squeeze excess water out in paper towels)

1 Shallot, finely diced

how to:

mix all ingredients together in a bowl

form patties, making sure they are the same size and same thickness throughout

to ensure proper cooking

bbq at 400 degrees for 4 min a side (1/4 inch thick) or until cooked thru

cover with foil and allow to rest before serving

I top them with fresh avocado serve alongside some fresh tomato slices

National Put a Zucchini On Your Neighbours Porch Day!!

Happy National 'put a zucchini on your neightbours porch day!'

I heard that on the radio this morning.. haha

anywho...

My loves birthday was last friday

and his AWESOME sister, M,

gave him a beautiful bag of her own home grown veggies!

In that bag were 3 HUGE zucchini

which I have heard are the best for making 

Zucchini Loaf.

Then, while we were out for dinner,

M told me she tried a pin she repinned from me

Cheesy Zucchini Rice.

Both her and her hubby D agreed it was 

AMAZING!!!

Yesterday I created both.

and yes, im sharing them with you because they were 

AWESOME!!

Go to your local farmers market and get 2 big-ish zucchinis

and re create this yumminess soon while they are in season!!

Double Chocolate Zucchini Loaf
(Slightly adapted from: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/chocolate-zucchini-bread-i/detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Title&e11=double%20chocolate%20zucchini%20loaf&e8=Quick%20Search&event10=1&e7=Recipe%20Search%20Results)

preheat oven to 350
grease 2 loaf pans

you will need:

2 squares unsweeeted chocolate, melted (I did the double boil method)
3 eggs
1 cup coconut sugar or any sugar you wish (unrefined!!)
1 cup veggie oil 
(next time im going to try half cup melted butter and half cup applesauce)
2 cups coarse grated zucchini (one about the size of your forearm)
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
2 Cups gluten free flour
1 teaspoon of each: baking soda, cinnamon and salt
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

how to:

In a large bowl combine:
eggs, sugar, oil, zucchini, vanilla and melted chocolate
mix well so eggs are broken up

In a small bowl combine:
flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt
add to wet ingredients 
make sure no flour bits are left
add chocolate chips

pour into 2 loaf pans evenly
and bake for 50-60 min or until a toothpick comes out clean

I froze half of one and sent the other off to work with my love.
SO GOOD with coffee.


Cheesy Zucchini Rice
(adapted from http://bunsinmyoven.com/2012/06/28/cheesy-zucchini-rice/)

you will need:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup brown basmati rice
2 cups veggie stock
1 large zucchini coarsely grated
1 cup Daiya Motz cheese
1/4 cup parmesan cheese grated
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and fresh cracked pepper
bacon cut into small bits (optional but DELICIOUS!)

how to:

in a large saucepan place butter and olive oil over med heat
add rice and stir until rice smells toasty (1-2 min)
add veggie stock
bring to a boil
then put a lid on it and turn down heat to low
simmer for 30 to 40 min (brown rice takes longer)
until almost all liquid is absorbed
then throw in zucchini, Dayia, parmesan, garlic powder, salt and pepper
stir on low heat until combined well and resembles risotto (5min or so)

top with bacon on your plate for some texture

enjoy!!

Gluten Free Strawberry Pie, OH MY!

Nothing tastes more like summer then 

fresh Ontario strawberries!!

I found this simple strawberry pie recipe online

(http://allrecipes.com/recipe/strawberry-pie-ii/)

and adapted it and made it Gluten free!!

Thanks to Healthy Foods and More 

(bridgeport street, across from the zellers plaza)

for their 2.99 gluten free pie shells!

And!

To Herrles Market

(erb street)

for growing the WORLDS BEST

Ontario Strawberries!!

you will need:

1 frozen gluten free pie shell 

1 quart fresh strawberries

1/2 coconut sugar 

zest from one lemon (optional)

2 teaspoons arrowroot powder

2 tablespoons water

how to:

pre heat oven to 400 degrees

with a fork, poke numerous holes in your pie crust

bake for approx 10-15 min

until a little golden brown on edges

cool

in a small sauce pan on medium heat

add approx 1/4 of your strawberries 

(washed, hulled *fancy term for tops removed*, sliced and mashed with a potato masher til chunky ish)

and the coconut sugar

bring to a boil, stirring constantly

in a small dish

combine arrowroot powder and water

until disolved 

when strawberry mixture is boiled

turn off heat

add arrowroot liquid 

and stir stir stir

til it thickens

pour into a glass bowl 

cool a bit

then add lemon zest

cool more til room temp

add rest of your berries to your strawberry mixture

pour into pie shell

refridgerate for at least 2 hours before serving

I picked up So Delicious Vanilla Coconut Milk ice cream to go along

but I bet Cool Whip would be yum too!!

Enjoy!!

Amazing blog!

Woke up to a facebook inbox message from my brother:

omg and then a link to this fab blog with AMAZING paleo recipes!

http://earthenergyyoga.com/category/recipes/

Please check it out.

He sent me the link to the caprese cauliflower crust pizza

since I am on a cleanse right now

Im not eating anything really exciting except chicken fish and veggies

and my bbq is getting a workout!! hehe

once im able to eat eggs and pork again

I will for SURE be trying that pizza!!

YUM YUM!

Worlds best Egg Salad recipe

Nothing screams more like comfort food to me then a great
egg salad sammich!!

I remember my mom making these for lunch when I was younger

and I have finally perfected
thee worlds best
Egg Salad Sammich recipe!!

you will need:

6-8 hard boiled eggs*
2 stalks celery, diced
2 tbsp green onions, sliced into Os
1 heaping tbsp helmans olive oil mayo
2 tsp yellow mustard
2 tbsp chopped fresh dill
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp cumin
8 dashes of Franks Red hot sauce
S & P to taste
2 separate bowls

*how to boil eggs*
place eggs in bottom of saucepot
add water til eggs are just covered
bring to a boil, once it starts to boil
time for 5 min
then turn off the heat
cover
and let stand for 10 min
then add cold water to pot
let cool for 5 min
peel in water

how to:
separate the cooked yolks and cooked white in separate bowls

bowl #1 - yolks
Add mayo and mustard to yolks
mash until combined with back of spoon
add celery, green onion, dill, smoked paprika, cumin
Franks and some s & p
fold and evenly mix together
taste
need more salt? pepper?
add to taste

bowl #2 - whites
season whites with salt and pepper
with a potato masher
mash to medium size pieces
add to bowl #1

fold the white into the yolk mix

place on boston leaf lettuce on your choice of bread
I like Udi's whole grain loaf (gluten free)
or gluten free brown rice tortillas
I also like adding alfalfa sprouts but thats just me!

I can imagine this would be unreal on some pumpernickel bread
or a cheese bun!! dammit. I miss those!

*CAUTION!*
if you are making this the night before for lunch
do not
mix the two bowls together until the day you wish to eat!
therefore mix it the morning of!
it tends to get watery when mixed together overnight

enjoy!

Gluten Free Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Everyone has those brown bananas on their counter

but have you found the ultimate banana muffin recipe?

one that promises amazing muffins everytime?

One that delivers a crunchy muffin top

with a soft and fluffy banana-y inside?

Well.. you're in luck!

Cuz Ive been making banana muffins for as long as I can remember

way back with my mom

and now I make them in my own kitchen

gluten free of course

This recipe Im about to give you 

I found online (http://www.catcancook.com)

however

I have tweeked it and made it my own

I also have 2 versions

1 with butter and 1 without

With butter, the muffins are fluffy and crunchy topped

With applesauce, the muffins are a bit more dense but plenty moist which makes them just as tasty!

You will need 2 bowls, 1 large for wet ingredients, 1 small for dry

Also have your muffin tin ready with muffin liners in it

After stirring you wanna get those suckers in the oven asap

so the baking soda and powder do their thing and rise 

preheat oven to 350 

Bowl #1:

Mash together with a potato masher the following

3-4 brownish yellowish bananas

1/2 cup sugar (I use unrefined coconut sugar, any unrefined sugar is great!)

1 egg, beaten

1/3 cup of melted butter or 1/3 cup plain applesauce

1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice 

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

set aside

Bowl #2:

Mix together gently with a spatula

1 1/2 cups bobs red mills gluten free all purpose flour mix

(since these are muffins you dont need to add xanthan gum)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

add bowl 2 ingredients to bowl 1

mix gently with a spatula

until flour is just combined

spoon into liners

bake for 20-25 min until toothpick comes out clean

makes 12 large muffins or 10 jumbo muffins

enjoy

Beef and Quinoa Stoop

Stoop:

not quite thick enough to be a stew,

not quite thin enough to be a soup.

I currently have bronchitis 

and really just want a big bowl of

soothing/comfort/warm

What better then this protein packed

STOOP!

you will need:

stewing beef (I bought 2 packs, around $8 worth)

3 stalks celery thin sliced

 1/4 bag of matchstick carrots (just easier and fast when your sick)

1 small sweet potato diced (approx same amount as celery)

1 small turnip diced

2 cloves garlic chopped

2 containers of beef broth (1.5L)

1/4 cup dried quinoa

frozen peas (if you like)

a large glug of red wine from your fridge (HA!)

s&p

roll and tie together with cotton string:

3 sprigs parsley (stole some from my bunny Flopsie. Shes cool)

4 sprigs fresh thyme

3 bay leaves (dried)

how to:

In a large pot

add some olive oil or red palm oil

add onion, cook for a min or 2 on med high heat

then add beef, it should make quite a sizzling sound

you want that, trust me

dont touch it at first, let it sear 

thats flavor my friends!

add s&p

cook beef for approx 5 min

then add all veggies except carrots(if using matchstick, dont want them mushy)

cook veggies with beef for approx 4-5 min

then add quinoa

stir quick so quinoa is mixed around with beef and veg

then add broth

wine

garlic

and your bunch of herbs

stir

bring to a boil

then simmer for 17 min 

or 

until quinoa is done and veggies are cooked thru

last 2 min add frozen peas

enjoy!

Bacon wrapped Turkey meatloaf with more bacon

Yes.

MORE bacon

You read right

Ahhh bacon...you can never get enough!

Turkey meatloaf is something I make often

Why?

ground turkey is super cheap

and who doesn't love meatloaf?

this is jazzed up meatloaf ladies and gents!!

preheat oven at 350

take 6 strips of bacon and line a loaf pan with the edges slightly overlapping.

in a large bowl I add

1 heaping tablespoon of PC Black Label bacon marmalade 

1 1/2 (eyeballed) yellow mustard

1/4 cup pasta sauce

1 egg

fresh ground pepper

salt

2 tablespoons of epicures meatloaf seasoning

1 teaspoon of epicures poultry seasoning

mix til combined

add 2 trays of ground turkey

get your hands in there and mix it well

add to loaf pan, then gently fold over remaining bacon edges

bake for 40 min

then top with a mixture of 

yellow mustard (1/2 teaspoon), bacon marmalade (1 teaspoon) and pasta sauce (3-4 tablespoons)

(mix together well)

and bake for another 20 min 

let rest

better even the next day.. on a sammie!!

enjoy!

Quinoa Mac & Cheese (gluten and dairy free!)

This is the perfect dish for this 

"late spring blizzard" weather 

the forecast was calling for...

"late spring blizzard"...

what does that even mean!?!!

haha

I got this recipe from 

Gluten Free Vegan Comfort Food

I have made it with rice noodles and it was just as yum!

I thought I would try it with quinoa and see what happens

I also added franks red hot thick

my new obsession

preheat oven to 350

now, because this is a sauce that thickens very fast

best to have everything ready to go

measure out separately:

2 cups of milk (i used So Delicious coconut milk, however, use what you want, as long as its not chocolate or vanilla! or use reg milk..)

1 tablespoon arrowroot flour/powder (instead of reg flour. its a gluten free thickener!)

3 cups of dairy free cheese (I use Daiya, I prefer the motz over the cheddar. dont worry about measuring it, 1 bag is enough... or use regular cheese..I'm not the dairy police, I just cant have it!!)

start your quinoa

bring 2 1/2 cups salted water to boil

rinse 1 1/2 cups quinoa thru a strainer

add to boiling water, bring back to a boil

turn down to med low, time for 10 min

then add 1 cup of broccoli florets

I cut them quite small including the stems

cover and let stand for 5-8 min

or until ALL water is absorbed

chop a small shallot or onion

add to a hot large fry pan with olive oil

cook for 3 min on medium heat

get your whisk ready!!

add arrowroot powder

and wisk around with onions and oil

as soon as it disappears add 1 CUP coconut milk

continue whisking until it starts to thicken (be patient, takes maybe 1-2 min)

then immediately add the rest of the coconut milk

continue whisking til mixed up

then eyeball 1 tablespoon dijon mustard (i like grainy kind)

and 1/4 teaspoon of cumin (optional, but REALLY tastes GREAT!!)

mix and continue to cook for 2-3 min

turn heat to low

add Daiya

whisk whisk whisk until it all melts (i dunno, like 5 min maybe?)

then I added about 1 tablespoon of Franks here

as well as 1/2 cup frozen peas

add quinoa broccoli mix to cheese mix

stir to combine (spatula!)

then pour into a greased (olive oil on paper towel) baking dish

top with bread crumbs and bake for 30 min

leftovers (if you can stop yourself) store nicely

airtight container for 3 days in fridge.

doesnt freeze well.. learned that lesson

enjoy!! 

Infamous KALE chips! Nom Nom NOM!

Kale Chips!!!!

Possibly thee most

addicting

and

HEALTHIEST

snack ever...

plus I forgot to mention

super easy to whip up a batch

and have you nom nom nom-ing

in 20 min or less

I must thank Jason J for introducing me these

THANKS JASON!! :D

Ingredients

1/2 bunch of fresh ORGANIC** kale

olive oil

fresh lemon juice

cumin

paprika

salt

pepper

parmesan cheese(optional)

or

if you have epicure seasonings

I love the taco seasoning with lime and olive oil!

**I say organic because Kale is one of the dirty dozen.. meaning its heavily sprayed**

How to:

preheat oven to 350

on a foil lined baking sheet

pull the leaves off of the stems

(wash and dry throughly, if not dry, no crispy chips for you!)

and place on the sheet pan

add approx 1 tbsp olive oil (drizzle over the leaves)

juice of half a lemon (ish, depends how big your lemon is/how much kale you are making!)

sprinkle with seasonings

then toss with your hands, make sure the kale is evenly coated

space out the leaves so they have room to crisp

bake for 12-15 min total

watch after 10 min, once little brown on edges

they are done!

Don't feel guilty, PIG OUT!!

These are loaded with:

Beta Carotene

Vitamins K and C

and Calcium

Enjoy!!

Healthy "chicken wings"

I was out earlier this week with a friend

and they mentioned chicken wings...

damn! since being back on poultry I have not had any

Mmmm... I remember wing nights.

Pint of Guinness and an order of Medium wings, please.

Looking back, makes sense why I felt like ass after

Gluten intolerants worst nightmare!

So it got me thinking,

especially with this MILD weather...

BBQ!

Yes!

BBQ chicken... that tastes like wings!

What is wing sauce anyways?

Franks red and butter.

Now thats not good for anyones diet

However

Franks and coconut oil?

interesting.

Turned out amazing

served it with chunks of sweet potatoes done on the bbq

with onions (top rack, bbq aluminum tray, 45 min ish)

and sauted spinach and kale with evoo and epicures chili lime sansel

Ingredients:

1 tray of organic chicken fillets or 2 chicken breasts

skinless and boneless, cut into 1 1/4 inch strips

1 bottle of italian salad dressing

franks red hot

coconut oil

coconut aminos (like soy sauce, but WAY BETTER FOR YOU!)

How to:

Place the chicken in a tupperware container

cover with italian dressing

place in fridge, marinate for at least half hour but no longer then 2 hours

in a double broiler on low

add approx 1.5 tbsp of coconut oil

and 1/4 cup of franks red hot sauce

stir until coconut oil is melted and incorporated

add 1 tbsp coconut aminos

stir

taste.

too hot? not hot enough?

add more Franks to taste

too hot? try adding a squeeze of fresh lemon

or a 1/2 tsp of coconut oil to dilute it

BBQ on med heat (350)

quick spray with Pam

place chicken on, allowing excess dressing to drip back into tupperware

cover lid

leave for 2-3 minutes

lift cover, turn tenders

and immediately brush with franks sauce

cover and allow to cook thru

adding sauce to each side when you flip

depending on the thickness of chicken

this could take up to 10 min

place on a tray and cover with aluminum foil

allow to rest for 5 min

then

ENJOY!

All about timing...

Here is a super easy dinner I made myself tonight!

(it will make a nice meal plus a plate of leftovers)

This is all about the timing, but if you plan ahead

to put the sweet potatoes in, youre golden!

If you put the chicken in after the sweet potatoes are done

and then prep the tomatoes, put the tomatoes in at 16 min until the

chicken is done and everything will be timed perfect!

(the sweet potatoes will stay warm in the foil :))

part 1

hobo sweet potatoes

ingredients:

1 or 2 medium to large sweet potatoes

1 shallot

olive oil

how to:

slice both ends off the sweet potatoes and peel the skin off

slice halfway down, but not all the way through to allow for quick cook time

dice shallot, stuff in between cut marks in potato

drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper

fold up and bake in oven 450 for 1 1/2 to 2 hours until soft

part 2

marinated dijon garlic chicken

ingredients

2 free run organic chicken breasts

2 tbsp stone ground mustard

1 tbsp tamari sauce (aka soy sauce)

juice of half a lime

2 garlic cloves, pressed

how to:

mix mustard, tamari, lime juice, garlic together in a tupperware

season both sides of breasts with salt and pepper

submerge chicken into marinade and place in refrigerator for 2 hours

...

preheat oven to 450

1 tsp olive oil in bottom of small baking dish

place chicken in dish, bake for 20-30 min

until no longer pink inside and juices run clear

part 3

pesto baked tomatoes

ingredients

2 large ripe tomatoes

store bought or homemade pesto

garlic powder

parmesan cheese

gluten free bread crumbs

how to:

slice tomatoes in half, remove stems

salt, pepper and garlic powder the flesh

add 1 tsp pesto on top

a little parmesan and some breadcrumbs

bake at 350 for 15 minutes

then broil for 2-3 minutes

until golden on top

Enjoy!