Walnut Cherry Muesli

I've been wanting cereal lately... oh God... if you are gluten sensitive or intolerant, you know what misery this can be! Have you ever walked the cereal aisle, hoping to find one of your childhood favorites suddenly converted to gluten free? (Think: raisin bran, cheerios, grape nuts... not to mention the now vast array of organic ones like Kashi and Peace brands.) Well, gluten free cereals do exist, but they are few, far between, and expensive (and, at least the ones I've tried, not very tasty). So my alternative to the cereal craving is usually granola. I just finished eating a batch of my grain free granola and wanted something a little lighter, such as my simply granola with gluten free oats. The problem is this: we do not have central air in our wonderful (yet old) 1925 bungalow. So when the temps rise to the dreaded 90 and 100 degree weather, the oven is absolutely off limits.

So no simply granola for this cereal-craving-pregnant chic. :(

Oh what to do! Lament in the pools of sweat dripping down my face? I think not! How about some no bake, super easy, just mix and serve muesli to cure that craving?

Just what the doctor ordered. Turn to this yummy muesli for your next gluten free-summer-cereal-craving and you'll be satisfied (just like I was this morning!).

Walnut Cherry Muesli

1 cup gluten free rolled oats
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup dried cherries
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
1/4 cup shredded coconut

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Serve with yogurt or almond milk and top with sliced bananas or fresh berries.

Speaking of pregnant chic, check out that bumb! Me and my babies (Cooper, 19 months, and baby boy Buffington. Yes, that's right, we're having another boy!). 

Curried Potato Salad (vegan)

This is a super simple potato salad that is dairy and egg free (no mayo). We had our first batch of red potatoes in our CSA box last week, and I was anxious to turn them into a delicious salad. Since we also got a big bunch of cilantro in our CSA box, I thought I'd pair the two together and add some curry for a creative take to the standard in American summer side dish: potato salad.

I used my curry vinaigrette (AKA "Liquid Gold", which by now I am keeping a jar of it pre-made in the fridge) for a quick, go-to way to dress this salad. And by keeping it free of mayonnaise, you can have more peace of mind to take this to your outdoor BBQ's and pick-nicks by not having to worry about keeping it refrigerated.

You can eat this salad right away after making it, but I think it's even better the next day when the potatoes have had the chance to absorb all the wonderful curry flavor of the dressing.

Curried Potato Salad

1 1/2 pounds small-medium size red potatoes
salt, pepper
1 green onion
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 cup curry vinaigrette

In a medium-large saucepan, place washed potatoes (skins on), and cover with at least 1/2 inch of water. Heat to boiling, then reduce heat to gentle boil and cook for 10-15 minutes, until potatoes are fork tender. Drain water, place potatoes in a bowl, and refrigerate for an hour or so to cool.

Remove potatoes from refrigerator and bowl, and chop into medium size chunks. Add back to bowl. Salt and pepper potatoes. Chop green onion and add to potatoes, along with cilantro. Top with curry vinaigrette.

With a large spoon, carefully stir potato salad to incorporate all ingredients and distribute the vinaigrette.

Artichoke Salmon Salad

I was in a salmon kick last week and made tons of it one night so I'd be sure to have plenty of it as leftovers throughout the week. And I did. I felt like I was eating salmon for lunch and dinner for days! By the end of the week, I needed to come up with a way to use my remaining salmon in a unique way.

Based on one of my staple tuna salad recipes, I simply replaced the tuna with cooked, flaked salmon and voila!, a new favorite recipe is born. This is really creamy and rich (thanks to the good fat and omega 3's of that wild, Alaskan caught salmon), but yet it perfect for a light lunch when paired with simple greens or tucked inside a brown rice tortilla.

A couple of notes: I used canned, water packed artichokes to save on time, and you could also used canned, wild caught salmon if you don't have any cooked salmon readily available.

Artichoke Salmon Salad

Salad:
1 cup flaked, cooked salmon
1 green onion
3 artichoke hearts

Dressing:
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
2 tablespoons mayonaise
2 tablespoons plain yogurt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
5 drops liquid stevia
salt, pepper

Put salmon in a bowl. Chop green onion and artichoke hearts and add to salmon. Combine all dressing ingredients, whisk, and pour over salmon salad mixture. Mix until combined. Salt and pepper to taste.

Curry Vinaigrette

This recipe was inspired by a recipe from my friend's CSA newsletter. She made their version of it and served it over mixed greens one night when we were over for dinner, and my husband and I could not stop raving about it. I came home and knew I had to come up with a curry vinaigrette recipe of my own. I am a curry lover, and if you are like me, you will swear by this vinaigrette. It's become my new favorite; I love it so much I've dubbed it "the liquid gold." 

I'm into super simple mixed green salads these days as a product of our extremely hot weather, so that is how I've been using this dressing the most. However, I also think it would be delicious drizzled over some steamed kale or grilled veggies. 

Curry is such healthy a spice to add into your lifestyle. The turmeric is what makes it that beautiful yellow-gold color and it is beneficial for preventing cancer and is healthful in so many other ways!

Curry Vinaigrette

1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoon honey (preferably raw)
1/2 tablespoon curry powder
salt, pepper
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Add dijon mustard through apple cider vinegar in a small bowl and whisk to combine. While continuing to whisk, slowly stream in the olive oil until emulsified.

Serve over mixed greens or over any steamed or grilled veggies.

Stevia Sweetened Lemonade

Since summer is officially here (and we've had the summer weather to prove it), I figured it's about time I post this recipe: stevia sweetened lemonade. I love this stuff, and so does my family. We make a pitcher of this almost daily when it's hot out. It's nice to have an alternative to water, something with no sugar whatsoever, so you can drink with absolutely no guilt. Light, refreshing, and healthy!

The cool thing about this recipe is that is serves as a base recipe for all kinds of lemonades. If you want to add a little flair, try crushing a 1/2 cup of ripe strawberries in the bottom of the pitcher before adding the rest of the ingredients. Or add a handful of fresh mint. Or switch out the lemon juice for lime juice and add some cilantro. The options are endless!

Stevia Sweetened Lemonade

4 cups water + 2 cups ice
1/2 cup lemon juice
12-15 drops liquid stevia

In a large pitcher, add add ingredients and stir.

Enjoy!

Morel Mushroom Parmesan Pizza

This recipe I'm sharing with you today is quite possibly the best gluten free recipe on this blog to date. I mean, it's A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!! My husband and I created this together, based off a suggestion from the morel mushroom guy at our local farmer's market a few weeks back. After talking with the guy, who not surprisingly was doting on the wonderful, one-of-a-kind flavor of the morel mushrooms he was selling, we decided to buy a few (and I mean a few, as in no more than 4 ounces, which still ended up costing us $11!). He promised we would not regret it (and for $11 mushrooms, he'd better not be lying). His serving suggestion was to toast some parmesan topped french bread in the oven for a few minutes and top them with sauteed morel mushrooms. It sounded simply enough, and yes, delicious. The only problem is that we don't eat french bread in our house, or any bread that contains gluten for that matter. So it got me thinking... what about a morel mushroom topped parmesan pizza? I knew I had a few Udi's pizza crusts in my freezer that I could pull out...

So that's exactly what we did that night for dinner. And spent the entire dinner oohing and ahhing over this darn good pizza. My husband (who does not abstain from gluten completely) said it was the absolute best pizza he's ever eaten, gluten free or otherwise. And I agreed. In fact, it was so good that we made the same pizza a few nights later, trying it with portabellas instead (since we were out of those $11 morels the same day we bought them). The result of the second time around? Almost as good, the morel version was just slightly better in our opinion, but both versions delish.

So my recommendation is that if morels are in season in your area, and you can afford it, go for the gusto. If not, try some portabellas. Either way, you'll be floating up to heaven on a dreamy pizza cloud for the few minutes it will take you to scarf down this delectable pizza.

And please, let me know your thoughts if you try this recipe. (And you should try this recipe!)


Morel Mushroom Parmesan Pizza (AKA the best pizza known to man)

1 Udi's gluten free pizza crust
2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed or grated
3/4 cup shaved parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 ounces (approx. 1 1/2 cups whole) morel mushrooms or 2 portabella mushrooms
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Place pizza crust on a baking sheet and drizzle olive oil over the top and add garlic. Spread both evenly over crust with the back of a spoon. Spread parmesan in a even layer over oil and garlic. Bake for 7-10 minutes until cheese is bubbly.

Meanwhile, heat remaining olive oil in a medium saucepan. Slice mushrooms and add to pan. Season with salt and pepper. Saute for 5-7 minutes, until mushrooms are soft.

When crust is done, pull out of oven and spread sauteed mushrooms over crust in an even layer. Slice and enjoy.

Serves 2.

Herb & Olive Quinoa (gluten free, sugar free, dairy free)

Doesn't this dish just look happy? Like a quinoa confetti of sorts. It's such a great dish to serve in the summer because it tastes great at room temperature and does not need to be refrigerated. Not to mention (as I do in all of my posts about quinoa), it has amazing health benefits. The protein and amino acids alone! I love it because it is so full of protein and yet so light on the tummy. I always end up going back for seconds.

This dish is super versatile. Use any kind of olives and herbs you have on hand. For the herbs, I just plucked a variety from my new garden. I really like the purple basil in here because provides a beautiful contrast in color from the green of the other herbs. I purposely made this dairy free, but I think a handful of feta cheese would also be tasty.

Herb & Olive Quinoa

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 small yellow onion
1 garlic clove
1 1/2 cups quinoa
2 1/4 cups water
pinch salt
1 cup mixed green and kalamata olives, chopped
1 cup loosely packed mixed herbs (I used green and purple basil, cilantro, and mint), chopped
1/2 toasted almond slivers or chopped almonds

Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over med-low heat. Chop onion and garlic and add to pan. Cook for 3-5 minutes, until onions are translucent. Add quinoa and cook and additional minute. Add water, bring quinoa to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to low. Cook 15-20 minutes until water is absorbed.

Once quinoa has cooked, transfer to a serving bowl and add olives, herbs, and toasted almonds. Toss to coat.

Serve immediately or at room temperature.