Oatmeal cookies

A fresh cookie, still warm from the oven is a thing of beauty.  These bad boys are a masterpiece!  Once again, Karina, at Gluten Free Goddess, has out done herself.  These are really, really good cookies!

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine in a bowl and beat until smooth and creamy:

2/3 cup Spectrum Organic Shortening
1 1/2 cups organic brown sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened organic applesauce
2 teaspoons bourbon vanilla extract (I used regular old vanilla extract)
2 tablespoons agave or honey

In a separate bowl whisk together the dry ingredients:

1/2 cup rice flour or sorghum flour
1/2 cup oat flour [certified gluten-free Lara's Oats]
1/2 cup potato or tapioca starch
1/4 cup vanilla rice protein powder [I used Nutribiotics] (Karina noted that if you don't have or don't like rice protein flour you could sub in another GF flour, I used millet flour)
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

Slowly add the dry ingredients into the creamed mixture, beating to combine.
When the dough is smooth, add in the following, by hand, and mix well:

2 cups rolled oats- certified gluten-free Bob's Red Mill or Lara's Oats
1/2 cup raisins

Use a spoon or ice cream scoop to measure out the dough, and using your palms make 28 to 30 round balls. Place the balls of dough on a cookie sheet about two inches apart. Don't flatten them.

Bake in the center of a preheated oven for about 12 to 15 minutes, until they are golden. They will be quite soft until they cool.

Using a thin spatula, remove the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes approximately 28 to 30 cookies.

For Karina's witty commentary click here, her photos of the cookies are to die for too!  Then when you're drooling sufficiently go into your kitchen and bake some gluten free oatmeal cookies, you will not regret it!

A lunch for little P

In the never ending quest to find fun, interesting, and healthy lunches I turn once again to What's for Lunch Wednesday.  I always enjoy looking at the super cute lunches that some kids are opening up around the country.  For Paulo on this day he feasted on baked potato sliced up, a couple of carved carrots-the carving was a huge hit with him and with his lunch buddies-and some grape tomatoes in the main section.  Some raw goat cheese-we're experimenting with goat dairy!-and dried cranberries to satisfy his sweet tooth and the last section has strawberry coconut yogurt with a sprinkle of gluten free vanilla cereal on top.  Not pictured, for snack, was a rice cake with sunbutter and jam on top which, interestingly, he's decided he doesn't like.  He loves rice cakes with Tofuti cream cheese and jam but the sunbutter was not a hit....note to self, no sunbutter on rice cakes....check!

For more lunch inspiration visit What's for Lunch Wednesday!

Maple Brussels Sprouts and Rutabaga

I'm always looking for different ways to eat Brussels Sprouts.  It's one of those vegetables that I despised as a child.  Really, really hated!  As an adult I tried them again and found that they weren't as terrible as they used to be.  Now, I actually like them.  I think though one of my favorite ways is the raw Brussels sprout salad, but this was good too.  The maple is not overpowering but you can definitely taste it.  Rene loved it, Paulo....well he tried it.  Sometimes that's as far as we get!

Maple Brussels Sprouts with rutabaga and walnuts
Brussels Sprouts trimmed and halved
2 rutabaga, peeled and diced
1 shallot, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons real maple syrup
2 tablespoons dry cranberry
2 tablespoons walnuts
1 tablespoon earth balance butter spread

Steam the Brussels sprouts until fork tender.  Boil the rutabaga in salted water for around 10 minutes, also until tender.

Heat the butter in a saute pan, add the shallot and saute until soft.  Add the steamed Brussels sprouts and rutabaga.  Drizzle on the syrup and toss with the dry cranberry and walnuts, stir well to combine.  Simmer for 2-3 minutes, serve hot.

Spicy coconut rice

Shallot, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1 cup brown rice, soaked and rinsed
1 cup vegetable broth
1 cup coconut milk
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
olive oil

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

In an oven safe pan, saute the shallot in olive oil until tender, add the garlic and saute for one minute more.  Add the brown rice and allow to toast for two minutes, stirring frequently.  Pour in the broth and coconut milk, stir well.  Add the paprika and cayenne and stir well to combine.  Place the pan in the oven and bake for one hour, stirring after 30 minutes. 

Plan B

Sometimes you think you've done everything right when you leave for work in the morning.  Meat defrosted? Check.  Beans in the crock pot?  Check.  Crock pot turned on?  Check.  Crock pot plugged in????  Whoops.  I was supposed to come home last night to a pot of cooked beans, instead I came home to an unplugged crock pot and a pot of soaked beans, beans that had soaked for a long, long time since I started them soaking Wednesday night!  I actually picked up the phone and dialed Pizza Caboose.  It rang twice, then I hung up.  For one, it was already 5:30 and it would probably take until 6:30 or 7 for them to make, bake and deliver my pizza-that's just too late for a little guy that needs to be in bed early for school.  Two, I didn't want to spend the money.  Three, I had enough food to figure out a plan B.  This was my plan B:

Steamed broccoli with honey dijon sauce.  Fingerling potatoes simmered and then broiled for a crispy shell.  And tempeh, sauteed, topped with red onion, portobella mushrooms and a few slices of raw Cheddar style cheese.  Paulo's was the same except he had some thin steak and no onions or mushrooms.  Rene, I turned his steak into a sandwich with the mushrooms and onions when he finally made it home-long day at the shop yesterday. 

What I was reminded of though was the importance of having a well stocked refrigerator and pantry.  I was able to improvise and everyone was happy, well fed and, best of all, I know where everything they've eaten came from.  I cannot say that about Pizza Caboose.  Don't get me wrong, we love their pizza, but ever since Paulo's allergy diagnosis it's been harder and harder to go out to eat.  There are simply more things on the menus that my son cannot eat than there are that he can.  And he gets frustrated, which upsets me, which upsets him, it's a vicious cycle.  That's one of the reasons I cook as much as I do, this way I know I can give my son something that will make him happy-he is a very appreciative eater-and keep him healthy. 

So, what's your go to plan B dinner?  What do you do on those nights when dinner does not go according to plan?

Spinach and quinoa salad

Leafy green vegetables are so important and yet seem so hard to get sometimes.  This is a quick and easy, very filling, dinner salad that is loaded with greens in the form of baby spinach.  Baby  spinach is very tender, mild tasting and a good way to start getting more greens in your diet.

To a bed of baby spinach add:
1 3/4 Mandarin oranges peeled, separated and sliced in half
1 apple, thinly sliced
1 pear, thinly sliced
1/2 cup grape tomatoes, sliced
5 radishes, quartered
1 cup cooked quinoa, to sprinkle on top

In a blender combine the following:
1/4 Mandarin oranges
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup basil leaves
sea salt
Blend until smooth, pour over the quinoa and spinach salad, toss well and add more dressing if desired.  Serve by itself or with sandwiches for your hungry boys.

What's for Lunch Wednesday

It's that time of the week again! I love Wednesday, I get loads of inspiration from the What's for Lunch blog.  I enjoy perusing other moms and dads' attempts at getting their kids to eat good healthy, whole, REAL food. 

This is Paulo's lunch today, he has a dish of potato gnocchi soup, I am loving the glass containers my mother in law gave me for Christmas, he can warm up his lunch in the classroom microwave and I don't have to cringe at the thought of him eating plastics.  In his divided container he has a Mandarin, some vanilla coconut milk yogurt, blueberries, grape tomatoes, green olives and some new chips we're trying.  They are actually yams and carrots but we'll see if he figures that out and A. loves them or B. hates them or C....somewhere in between. 

For more lunch time inspiration visit What's for Lunch at Our House.