Baked Polenta

My new year's resolution is to play with my food more often. I need to add more variety and learn to make additional foods a part of my routine. Polenta/Corn Meal is one of the ingredients I wish to integrate into my diet more.

I used Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Polenta/Corn Grits as the base of my dishes...both in harmony with one another. Look for my next rendition of this recipe to be a compilation of the two...I will integrate the sauce into the polenta layers to create a more traditional lasagna conversion.

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups of Gluten Free Polenta/Corn Grits
• 6 Cups of Water
• Cheese (2 cups - I used grated Low-Fat Italian Blend)
• Gluten Free Marinara Sauce
• Ground meat (about 1/2 pound)
• 1/2 Onion - diced
• 2-4 Garlic cloves- minced

OPTIONS: Muffin liners, aluminum foil, and oil

Instructions:

1. Bring the water to a boil in a soup pot
2. Add the polenta, reduce heat, and cover 
3. Stir the polenta from time-to-time to ensure even cooking and make sure it does not stick to the pot
4. When water is absorbed, place muffin liners in a muffin pan and add two tablespoons of polenta. Layer a pinch of grated cheese on top of the polenta and top with two tablespoons of polenta
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake at for 20 minutes
6. Cover with foil of you wish a soft texture...leave exposed if you wish a slightly stiff exterior to form on top 
7. Serve alone as a side dish or top with gluten free marinara sauce (or sauce of choice) and a vegetable or salad

Baked Polenta Lasagna

My new year's resolution is to play with my food more often. I need to add more variety and learn to make additional foods a part of my routine. Polenta/Corn Meal is one of the ingredients I wish to integrate into my diet more.

I used Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Polenta/Corn Grits as the base of my dishes...both in harmony with one another. Look for my next rendition of this recipe to be a compilation of the two...I will integrate the sauce into the polenta layers to create a more traditional lasagna conversion.

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups of Gluten Free Polenta/Corn Grits
• 6 Cups of Water
• Cheese (2 cups - I used grated Low-Fat Italian Blend)
• Gluten Free Marinara Sauce
• Ground meat (about 1/2 pound)
• 1/2 Onion - diced
• 2-4 Garlic cloves- minced

OPTIONS: Muffin liners (mini-dish option), aluminum foil, and oil

Instructions:

• Bring the water to a boil in a soup pot
• Add the polenta, reduce heat, and cover
• Stir the polenta from time-to-time to ensure even cooking and make sure it does not stick to the pot
• While polenta is cooking, dice the onion, mince the garlic, and combine with the ground meat and sautee.
• When water is absorbed, spray an 8x14 baking dish with olive oil and add half of the polenta  
• Layer the meat and aromatics mixture on top of the polenta base and top with the remaining polenta
• Bake at 350 for 20 minutes
• Cover with foil of you wish a soft texture...leave exposed if you wish a slightly stiff exterior to form on top
• Serve with gluten free marinara sauce (or sauce of choice) and a vegetable or salad

NEXT TIME...watch for the recipes...they are coming!

• I will add marinara sauce to the middle layer...look for that recipe to come. It will add more depth of flavor.  
• I will top with basil as a garnish and flavor enhancer

PB Protein Bites - REMIX - SOY Protein Bites

There are many people with peanut and tree nut allergies that I decided to revisit my PB Protein Bites recipe using WOW BUTTER (SOY). 

For this rendition I used the base recipe and made a few changes noted in BOLD

Base Recipe Ingredients:
1 Cup Oats
1/2 cup WOWBUTTER
1/4 cup Ground Flax Seed Meal
1/4 cup SHREDDED UNSWEETENED COCONUT
1/4 cup GLUTEN FREE CHOCOLATE CHIPS (DICED)
1/3 cup Honey (or sugar)
1 tsp COCONUT EXTRACT

Directions:

• Add ingredients to a mixing bowl/electric mixer
• Stir until incorporated
• Roll into balls (size is up to you...I generally try for ping pong ball or golf ball size
• Refrigerate in an airtight container for about 30 minutes

NOTES:

• What I noticed was the WOWBUTTER has a very "peanutty" flavor. It has about the same sugar and protein as commercial/traditional peanut butter but less oil. 
• Other substitutions/stir-ins would work well just like the nut butter recipes...have fun playing with your food!

Banana Oatmeal Scookie REMIX

What do you get when you cross a scone with a cookie? A SCOOKIE!

I took my traditional Scookie recipe and made a few changes. I removed the EGGS and replaced them with Flax Seed Eggs. I changed the flour mixtures as well. The result…moist, chewy, and light texture!

ORIGINAL: http://healthyrecipevariations.blogspot.com/2015/01/banana-oatmeal-scookies.html

Modifications: IN CAPS

1 CUP BOB’S RED MILL GLUTEN FREE ALL PURPOSE BAKING FLOUR

1/2 CUP PAMELA’S BAKING AND PANCAKE MIX
2 cups oats (uncooked)
1/3 cup flax seed meal
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup melted butter
1/3 cup brown sugar (if you use honey, increase flour to 2 cups) (this step can be omitted…especially if you use very ripe bananas)
1 FLAX SEED EGG (I TBSP GROUND FLAX SEEDS + 3 TBSP WATER … STIR TO COMBINE AND LET SIT FOR 5 MINUTES)
3 large mashed bananas (overripe is best)

OPTIONS: Add 1 cup of raisins or diced dates

HINT: For ease of clean-up, use parchment sheets to line your cookie tray!

Instructions:

1.     Preheat Oven to 400 Degrees

2.     Combine wet ingredients in your stand-up mixer

3.     Add dry ingredients 1 at a time and mix just till combined … do not over process!

4.     Cook for 10-15 minutes depending on size…the larger they are…the more SCONE-LIKE they are!

 

NEW Enjoy Life ProBurst Bites

Enjoy Life Foods is coming out with a new product that will be available in stores in March. The Enjoy Life ProBurst Bites are allergen friendly - free of milk, nuts, and soy.
 

Look for these products when they hit stores. They have a bit an outer shell and a softer inside. The dark chocolate used offsets the sweetness of the fruit and provides a rich, satisfying, fiber filled, and protein packed snack!

Each bite is about 1 inch in size and a serving is 3 ProBurst Bites! Take a few in a plastic baggie or a small container to have an after school snack or a post workout pick-me-up.

Roasted Butternut Squash Pasta

Butternut squash and pasta do not appear to be a likely combination, but they are a great pair. Roasted butternut squash bites and slightly salty imported Parmesan cheese along with the soft texture of pasta create textures and flavors that satisfy.

Ingredients (TWO SERVINGS):
2 cups of cubed butternut squash
2 cups uncooked gluten free pasta (noodles or shape of choice)
1/2 cup slices or grated imported Parmesan Cheese
4 TSP Sage (substitute Herbs of Provence or Parsley)
OPTIONAL - Garlic Clove
1-2 Tbsp Butter (I use no salt)

Instructions:

1. Remove the skin from the butternut squash with a potato peeler
2. Bake in a 350 Degree oven (I place on a non-stick aluminum foil and add one teaspoons of salt and pepper)
3. Cook until tender - it will have an outer "shell" and a soft middle
4. OPTIONAL - roast garlic in the oven with the butternut squash and add 2-4 cloves (depending on size) to the pasta 
5. When nearly done, boil water for the pasta
6. Cook the pasta just shy of the full cooking time and remove from the pot reserving 1/2 cup of pasta water
7. Add the cooked pasta, water, butter, and herbs to a pan. Stir to combine flavors.
8. Serve in a bowl or on a plate. Top with cheese.

NOTE: The squash can be diced to the size and thickness you desire. I suggest customizing the size to the pasta shape you are using. 

Yellow Lentil Soup

This soup takes very little time and effort but turns out dynamite! The soup is full of flavor and is a thick consistency. If you wish a thinner soup, you can add more liquid. This soup will make 4-6 servings depending on size.

Ingredients to prepare the lentils:
1.5 cups of DRY YELLOW LENTILS
3 cups of water

Instructions:
Rinse the dry lentils then combine with the water in a covered container. Refrigerate overnight or over the course of the day.

Ingredients for the Soup:

• 3-5 cloves of garlic (depends on size)
• 3-5 carrots (depending on size)
• 3 small red skinned potatoes (organic is preferable)
• 4 cups of water + 2 vegetable bouillon cubes OR 4 cups of low sodium vegetable broth/stock
• 2 shallots or 1/2 an onion 
• Oil (Olive, Avocado, or Walnut) 
• 2 TBSP curry powder
• 1 TSP cayenne pepper

SUBSTITUTIONS:
Substitute a small sweet potato for the potatoes
Substitute crushed red pepper for cayenne pepper

Instructions:
Dice the aromatics and add to a soup pot with 1 to 2 tbsp oil
Sautee until onion/shallot and garlic is translucent
Add the lentils, broth, and spices and cook on low heat for 1-2 hours.

Serve:
With a toasted wedge of gluten free bread or roll
With gluten free crackers

NOTE: Cover and store the soup that is not used. The soup thickens as it rests. Depending on your preferences, you may wish to add water or broth as you warm and serve what is left over. 

Gluten Free Golden Globe Party

Popcorn and Movies traditionally go hand-in-hand. Even if you do not eat popcorn each time you attend a movie,  it is an iconic image in a theater. Over time, theaters have developed to include options for eating a full meal while watching a movie, but the iconic popcorn has remained a staple.

Sunday January 8, 2017 the Golden Globes will air at 8 PM Eastern. The people at SkinnyPop Popcorn have developed a Golden Globes "Ballot" to use when viewing the awards show. If you do not have time to watch the show, you (and your friends perhaps) could fill out the ballot and see who predicts the most Golden Glob Winners! Send me a message and I can send along a ballot to you!

If you are hosting a Golden Globes Party, you may wish to include SkinnyPop Popcorn as well as other food. SkinnyPop Popcorn is GREAT plain ... or you can add some sweetness by sprinkling some cinnamon or powdered gluten free BBQ flavoring on the original flavor. You can serve the SkinnyPop Rice Cakes (Sea Salt and Cheddar work well here) with hummus and cut vegetables for a more substantial snack. Visit the SkinnyPop Popcorn website to see where you can buy SkinnyPop in your area.

If you wish to become adventurous and serve some food while the Golden Globes are airing on television, I suggest sticking to finger foods like gluten free sliders (Turkey Burgers, Veggie Burgers, or Salmon Burgers) and potato wedges. You can serve with a ketchup sriracha sauce or pesto sauce.

You may with to make Healthy Recipe Variations' gluten free peanut butter cookies and dip them in Nutella for a sweet treat...perhaps the person who predicted the most the Golden Globe winning categories can take home a few extra cookies!

Gluten Free & Allergen Friendly Expo in San Diego February 2017

Join me at the Del Mar Fairgrounds-Wyland Center February 11-12, 2017 to see the latest Gluten Free products and interact with vendors.

The event in San Diego is the first of several events in 2017. To find the full schedule, go to the Gluten Free & Allergen Friendly Expo website for details about all expos in 2017.

To purchase tickets follow this link. You can have 30% off  admission w/ code EARLYBIRD (thru 1/10).

I will be giving away 5 free tickets to ONE DAY of the expo. To enter...share with me what gluten free foods/products/meals/recipes you wish me to feature in 2017!

See you at the #GFAFExpo