Breakfast Muffins

This is a recipe I created for my picky eater boy. You can swap out and substitute several of the ingredients, but I don't recommend swapping more than three at a time. I've listed our optional add in's as well alternatives. They are a bit moist, and can refrigerate up to a week. Possibly longer, but they seldom last longer than that in this house. 

You will need:

1 small zucchini 

1 apple (I've used 2 before)

a cup of carrots or more

1 handful of spinach

2 bananas

3/4 cup butter

2/3 cup maple syrup

4 eggs

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon Xantham gum

(1/2 cup Arrowroot Flour

1/2 cup Tapioca Flour

1 cup Brown Rice Flour

1 Tablespoon Sorgum Flour)

OR

(3 cups all purpose Gluten Free flour)

Optionally you can also add in

*3 tablespoons Psyllium husks

*2 Tablespoons ground flaxseed

*1/4 cup Goats milk or 2 oz goat cheese

*1/3-1/2 cup ground chia seeds

*1 cup Almond Flour

Directions:

Process all fruits and vegetables till all is a nice mush and set aside

Blend all dry ingredients and set aside.

mix eggs, butter, syrup, and vanilla extract till somewhat smooth. Add in dry ingredients and mix again. Add in the fruit/veggie mush, and mix again. Portion out into cupcake trays. Bake at 325 for 30-40 minutes. Enjoy!

Banana/Spinach Pancakes

This is a fun recipe I came up with while my son was having a solid food strike (and it's also a sneaky way to get him to eat more greens). I've seen many flour-less pancake recipes online that consist of 2 bananas and one egg, but they are and taste like banana omelets. My son is one and will devour about 4 of these at a time. This recipe makes about 20 silver dollar sized pancakes.

Ingredients:

3 eggs

2 small bananas (1 1/2 large bananas)

1 cup spinach (processed down to about 1/2 a cup)

3 Tablespoons of gluten-free flour

1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder

Olive oil for frying

Directions:

Mix all ingredients, heat oil up in pan,  pour a silver dollar sized drop of batter onto the hot pan, fry each pancake for one minute on each side. 

This recipe can be dressed up in so many ways; add carrots,  leave the spinach out, add vanilla, add chocolate chips, have fun with it. 

Enjoy!

Shamrock Shake Dairy Free Alternative

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

Bear was bummed because he thought he was not going to be able to get his Saint Patrick's Day Shamrock Shake this year, but.... I had a trick up my sleeve.

One pint of Vanilla Ice cream (we used SO Delicious Coconut ice cream as a dairy free alternative).

1/2 cup Almond milk

1/2 Tsp Mint extract

Optional 6 drops of food coloring

Blend everything till smooth and enjoy!

Wild Rice Pilaf

I'm so excited to share this recipe with you. It is my very own Wild Rice Pilaf Recipe. I came up with this a few months ago and we have made it at least once a week ever since.

Ingredients:
1 bunch of Parsley (use use Italian instead of curly when we can)
4 Celery stalks
2 handfuls of baby carrots (about 20 pieces)
1 cup uncooked Wild Rice
1 Small Red onion
1 1/2 - 2 TBSP Sage
1/2 cup vegetable or chicken broth (we have also used leftover Whey from goat cheese making)
Olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste.

Directions:
Cook Wild Rice. While rice is cooking chop onion and saute in olive oil. Chop up the carrots, celery, and parsley finely. When the onions are translucent add in the rest of the ingredients. Drain the rice when it is done and stir into the vegetable mix. Add Sage and broth. Let simmer. Salt and pepper to taste and enjoy. We absolutely LOVE this served as a side with fish. Enjoy!

Fresh Homemade Pesto

 I read the ingredients off the back of a jar of pesto and said,"Hey! I can make this" so here it is. 

3 oz fresh basil leaves 
4-6 garlic cloves
3oz pine nuts
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 squeezed lemon 
Olive oil (to the consistency you like)

Optional, parmesan cheese (we skipped this because DH does not tolerate dairy)

Pan toast garlic and pine nuts in a skillet with olive oil till a golden brown. Toss everything in a blender (A food processor would have come in handy here). Blend Like crazy, stopping to stir frequently. Add olive oil to the consistency you like (some people like it a little runny and some people like it a little thicker like a paste). Blend some more, and your done! You can freeze pesto if you are not going to use it right away.

we are going to have this tonight stirred into gluten-free noodles with some tilapia and broccoli. I can't wait. Yum! Enjoy!

Stuffed Acorn Squash

I saw a picture in a magazine recently of acorn squash stuffed with some type of meat pilaf.. Unfortunately I did not get the recipe. So I created this instead and it is a new family favorite. 

You will need:

1 Acorn Squash

Ground Lamb Meat

Butter (we use an olive oil based butter)

Quinoa

Brown Rice

1 Red Onion

Cumin

Basil

Garlic

Italian seasoning

First prepare the squash:

Cut it in half and scoop out the seeds ( I save our Halloween pumpkin carving tools and they work great for this.) Put the halves cut side down in a covered dish with just a little water in the bottom. Cover and cook on high in the microwave for 15 minutes. The skin should easily give to a fork when done. Next turn right side up and put butter along the rim and inside the bowl of the squash.
Cook the Quinoa and rice up and set aside.
Dice the onion up and cook till translucent and then add lamb. Cook the lamb on the stove with onion and seasonings. When it is done stir in rice and Quinoa. Scoop into squash and serve. Enjoy!

Sumac Tea

 

 Sumac Tea of Summacaid is a lovely and refreshing drink to make in the late summer early Autumn. It is made from those lovely red plums of berries you see on top of the Red Sumac, blooming in the early fall. YOu will want to harvest them before the rain washes away all the tartness. TO test a plant for tartness rub your fingers over the berries and lick your fingers, if it's still tart, it's still good. Clip off 8 bunches or so, shake well (lots of spiders love to hide in these) and bring home..

 Put then in a pitcher and pour COLD water over the tops of the berry clusters. ( Hot water will pull out the tannins and make the drink bitter). Place in your refrigerator overnight.

In the morning take out the berry clusters and drain the rest through a sieve or fine material like an old T-shirt to strain out the tiny hairs of the berries and other particles. 

Add sugar or another sweetener to taste (I like it unsweetened) add a sprig of fresh mint and serve over ice on the last dog days of summer. Enjoy!