Kale Salad with Sesame Dressing

Kale is an odd vegetable. I’m not completely sold on it yet. I do like it certain ways but this was the first time I tried to cold/raw. It has a very distinct flavor and texture but it is packed full of nutrients.  This salad is very crisp and refreshing. It is also very simple to make. The dressing really accentuates the bold flavor of the kale. This would be a good, healthy addition to your holiday meal – swap it for something not so healthy (maybe the cheese ball??)

8 oz of fresh kale (organic is best)

½ cup shredded carrots
½ cup shredded cabbage (we used red)
Dressing
3 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp toasted sesame oil (you really need this to get the full flavor)
¼ cup rice vinegar
1 tsp sugar or honey
1 tsp sea salt
½ tsp black pepper
½ tsp ground ginger
1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds (heat in a skillet for about 5 minutes to toast seeds)

• In a large serving bowl, combine kale, carrots and cabbage.
• In a small bowl, combine dressing ingredients.
• Drizzle dressing over salad and refrigerate for about 30 minutes before serving.

Sunny Breakfast Skillet

Today you get a double post!! It was Kid’s Choice night at dinner and my son, of course, picked “breakfast”! He requested eggs and strawberry waffles (waffle recipe will come later!). I decided to throw together this little dish and it is amazing. The potato pepper mix gives the eggs a nice bed to lay on with a little gravy in the middle. I always post breakfast recipes in the mornings but if you don’t know what you’ll need it is kind of hard to make it. Therefore, I decided to post this tonight so you can prepare to make it in the morning! This makes about 4 servings.

Hashbrown mix

2 medium sized potatoes, diced
1 medium bell pepper, diced
½ cup onion, diced
4 slices turkey bacon, diced
1 cup raw kale
1 tsp sea salt
½ tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp olive oil
Gravy
1 tsp butter or olive oil
1 Tbsp GF flour (or starch)
1 tsp black pepper
½ tsp sea salt
½ tsp garlic salt
½ tsp parsley
1 cup almond milk
4 eggs

• In a large skillet, sauté hashbrown mixture for about 15 minutes or until potatoes are cooked and slightly crisp.
• In a small sauce pan, melt butter for gravy and add in flour, parsley, salt and pepper until you get a thick paste. Slowly add in milk and bring to boiling, stirring constantly until the gravy starts to thicken. Add more milk if necessary.
• Move the hashrown mixture to one side of the skillet, crack eggs into skillet and cook on each side until you reach your desired egg (over easy, over medium, etc.)
• Spoon hashbrown mixture onto serving plate, drizzle ¼ of the gravy mixture and top with a cooked egg.

Smoked Chicken Antipasto

My husband hates olives – with a passion. Therefore, I don’t make many things with them but I love antipasto! Sometimes I just make a little bit for myself since I know no one else will eat it. This is a different take on the traditional version but it’s still delicious! Instead of using salami or pepperoni, I added some leftover smoked chicken and it worked great. Serve this as a side dish or it is also good on crackers or pita chips. Makes about 1 cup.

¼ cup cooked chicken, diced

¼ cup kalamata olives, sliced
¼ cup artichokes, chopped
¼ cup roasted red peppers, chopped
½ tsp white wine
1 tsp Italian dressing (I’ve used red wine vinaigrette also)

• In a small bowl, combine chicken, olives, artichokes, and peppers.
• Pour wine and dressing over mixture and stir until combined.
• Refrigerate at least 30 minutes before serving.

Cranberry Pear Crisp with Lavender Crumble

If I could bottle the smell of this dish, I could make millions! This dessert smells absolutely wonderful cooking and tastes even better! I love a good fruit crisp. They are so easy to make and very versatile. I’ve already posted a couple crisp recipes – Cherry Rhubarb is one of my favorites also! I haven’t made a pear crisp before but I needed a quick dessert one evening and my mother-in-law brought over TONS of fresh Asian pears so I thought I would try. I love the combination of pears and cranberries. I also like adding just a little something extra and I thought that lavender would complement the fruits nicely. It turned out great! This would be a perfect addition to your holiday menu!

6 pears, peeled and sliced into ¼” slices

½ cup dried cranberries
½ cup chopped pecans
1 Tbsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp allspice
¼ cup coconut sugar
2 Tbsp GF all purpose flour
1/3 cup fresh pear juice (or apple juice)
Topping
1 cup GF oats
¼ cup potato starch
¼ cup rice flour
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ cup butter or coconut oil
1 tbsp fresh lavender, finely chopped

• In a large bowl, mix together pear slices, cranberries, pecans, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, coconut sugar and flour. Carefully mix with your hands until fruit is coated with dry mixture.
• Pour fruit mixture into a greased 3 qt baking pan or a 9x13 pan and drizzle fruit with juice.
• In a separate bowl, combine oats, potato starch, rice flour and cinnamon. Cut in butter or coconut oil.
• Blend butter and flour mixture with a pastry blender until it resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in lavender.
• Sprinkle topping mixture evenly over fruit.
• Bake at 350°F for 50-60 minutes or until crumb topping is slightly brown. Let cool for about 10 minutes. Refrigerate leftovers.

Red Wine Cranberry Sauce

So if you want to have a cranberry sauce that doesn’t come out of a can this holiday season, try this recipe! You can even leave out the wine, but it does give it an extra flavor (don’t worry, you cook out all of the alcohol). This has just the right combination of sweet and tart plus it is made with natural ingredients – no high fructose anything, preservatives, etc. We served this over some chicken and it was delicious. It would also be good on a turkey sandwich or just as a small side dish to your Thanksgiving feast. Who cares how you eat it, just as long as you give it a try! This makes about 2 cups of sauce.

12 oz fresh cranberries

1 cup fresh grapes
2 cups red wine (I used some leftovers from an already opened bottle – no need to waste wine!)
¼ cup orange juice
1/3 cup stevia or sugar or honey
½ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp chili powder
½ tsp roasted garlic

• In a large saucepan, combine cranberries, grapes, wine and juice. Simmer over medium heat for about 15 minutes or until berries and grapes start to pop. 
• Add in sweetener and seasonings.
• Using an immersion blender, blend mixture until smooth. Add more or less sweetener/spices to taste.
• This recipe gives  a slightly tart flavor with just a hint of spice (not much at all!). Store any leftovers in a sealed container in fridge.

Gluten Free Stuffing & Stuffed Acorn Squash

Since it is getting close to Thanksgiving – I figured I’d better share one of my favorite stuffing recipes. This one is a keeper! This year will be hard on us for traveling to families for dinners. However – we will not be missing out on delicious holiday meals! We may get strange looks and some feelings may get hurt – BUT there is no need for me (or the rest of us) to suffer just from eating foods we can’t handle anymore. I will be making all of our foods ahead of time and just bringing them along. This stuffing will definitely be on our menu! It has such a wonderful flavor with the sage and oregano. My favorite way to eat it is stuffed into an acorn squash. The squash gives it the right amount of sweetness to complement the savory flavors. I hope this little dish makes its way to your family table this year!

1 lb of turkey sausage

1 onion, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
2 carrots, diced (or ½ cup)
1 apple, diced (I used a sweet red but any kind will work)
1 tsp garlic, minced
2 Tbsp olive oil
6 slices of gluten free bread, dried and cubed
¾ cup turkey broth (or water)
1 tsp dried sage
½ tsp dried oregano
1 tsp sea salt
¼ tsp paprika
¼ tsp cumin
¼ cup pecans, chopped

• In a large skillet, brown turkey sausage with olive oil. Add in diced onions, celery, carrots, apple and garlic until cooked through.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine sausage mixture and bread crumbs. Add in seasonings and broth or water.
• Mix until well combined and bread is moist. Stir in pecans.
• To prepare the acorn squash: cut lengthwise and discard seeds. Pierce shell with a knife and put in a glass 2 quart dish, cut side down. Pour ¼ cup water over squash and microwave for 5 minutes. In a large baking pan, place the two pre-cooked halves of acorn squash cut side up.
• Fill squash with as much stuffing as will fit in it. For the remaining stuffing, pour into a greased 9x13 baking pan.
• Bake stuffed squash at 375°F for 20 minutes or until stuffing has started to brown.
• For the extra stuffing, bake at 375°F for 30 minutes or until stuffing is brown and is cooked through.

Lemon Thyme Bread Braid

I’ve said this before, but I love bread. I love everything about eating it and baking it. I love the kneading, the rolling, the rising, the smell – I love it all. This gluten free bread tastes and smells amazing. It would be perfect with a bowl of warm soup in the fall/winter or alongside a quick salad in the spring/summer. My one note (as you will see in the picture) is to make sure you don’t forget about your rising bread braid or it could turn into a bread turkey. Yes – my boys said this tasted great but it did resemble a turkey – not so much a braid. Don’t worry – I’ll bake again and post a better (more braid-like) photo!

1 pkg of Bob’s Red Mill Homemade Wonderful Bread mix

2 whole eggs
2 egg whites
1 ½ cup warm almond milk
¼ cup olive oil
1 tsp tarragon vinegar (or cider vinegar)
1 Tbsp fresh lemon thyme
Potato starch for kneading bread

• In a small bowl, mix the contents of the yeast package (from the bread mix) with the warm milk and let set for 5 minutes. In a large bowl, blend bread mix, eggs, vinegar, oil and yeast mixture with a mixer for about 2-3 minutes.
• Pour dough mixture on to a clean surface dusted with potato starch. Sprinkle the top of the dough ball with a little starch to keep your hands from sticking. Knead dough a few times and separate into three equal pieces. Form each piece into long skinny strips. Mine ended up being about 2 inches thick and 10 inches long. Braid the strips of dough together. Place on a greased baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and let rise for about 30 minutes.
• Note: Don’t let the dough rise too long (I forgot about mine for about an hour).
• Bake the braid for about 40-50 minutes at 350 °F or until cooked through and slightly brown.
• If your bread starts browning too quickly, cover bread with foil and continue cooking. Remove from oven and let cool for about an hour.