Sunshine Muffins

These orange muffins start with a whole fresh orange, peel and all.

They are quickly made in a food processor.

If you don't have a food processor you can puree

the orange and juice in a blender.

Cut the orange into 8 pieces and drop in the bowl

with 1/2 C orange juice.

Puree about 1 minute.

Add egg and melted butter. Blend until smooth.

Add the dry ingredients;

 flour, sugar, baking powder and baking soda.

Pulse a few times just until blended.

Pour into sprayed muffin tin.

Bake for 15-20 minutes at 400. 

Let sit for 5 minutes before removing.

Enjoy warm. 

 Butter and raspberry jam would be good too.

Or let the muffins cool and glaze.

You can freeze leftovers.

Sunshine Muffins

1 orange

1/2 C orange juice

1 egg

1 stick butter or margarine, melted

1-3/4 C flour

1 C sugar

1 t baking powder

1 t baking soda

Cut the orange into 8 pieces and 

drop into a food processor.

Add orange juice and puree. 

Add the melted butter and egg.

Blend until smooth.

Add the dry ingredients and pulse 2-3 

times just until blended.

 Scoop into sprayed muffin tins.

Bake for 15-20 minutes at 400.

Let sit for 5 minutes before removing.

optional glaze

1 C powdered sugar

1-2 T orange juice

combine and spread about one tablespoon 

onto the top of each cooled muffin.

Enjoy!

Links: Stone Gable, Designs By Gollum,
Jam Hands, The Lady Behind The Curtain

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Perspective: Challenging Our "Healthy Food" Assumptions

There I sat...after weeks of unbearable pain, sitting in yet another doctors office. Sitting, hoping to find an option, any option, that might bring me some relief. The mainsteam medical world had been of little use. After several of these visits all I had to show for it was some hefty medical bills and at least one diagnosis of "crazy". Although none of the natural doctors I'd seen

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Yoga Mama's: Yoga & Birth Part 1

This is a self portrait from my first pregnancy.

Imagine a room full of women: glowing skin and swollen bellies, full with the promise of tiny sized boys and girls. Clustered in groups they are laughing, chatting, listening and sharing. A new girl sits quietly on her mat, a bit shy and unsure of what the next hour has in store. But with this group, chances are it won't be any time at all

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Quick and Easy Crab Pasta

Quick & Easy Crab Pasta

A taste of the sea, this pasta dish is so quick and easy to make but very delicious.  I used cuttlefish ink spaghetti but your favourite pasta will work used as good.

Serves 4

Prep time:  5-10 minutes

Cooking time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

500g/17 ½ oz of your favourite spaghetti or linguine, cooked as per packet instructions

3 tbsp olive oil

1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped

1 red chilli, de-seeded and finely chopped

2 shallots, peeled and finely chopped

350g/12oz pre-prepared crabmeat

100ml/3 ½ fl oz white wine

Freshly ground salt and pepper

1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped

1 lemon, juice only

Method

1.  For the pasta, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, add the sea salt and cook the linguine or spaghetti according to packet instructions, until al dente.

2.  In a large frying pan or wok heat the olive oil.  Add the garlic, chilli and shallots and fry until softened, 2-3 minutes.

3.  Add the crabmeat and cook for a further minute and then add the wine and simmer until most of the alcohol has evaporated, season with salt and pepper.

4.  Drain the pasta, reserving a few tablespoons of the pasta water. Add to the pan with the crabmeat and stir in the parsley and basil. Mix together to coat evenly, adding a splash of reserved pasta water if the mixture is too dry. Season with freshly squeezed lemon juice and serve.

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{Gluten Free Review} Steaz Iced Teaz

I don't drink a lot of sodas... sadly not for a noble "green" or dietary reason... sodas just aren't something I grew up drinking a lot of. When I got married my husband couldn't believe I didn't know how to make tea. I think southern sweet tea is literally running through his eastern North Carolina veins. We soon bought a tea-maker because he wasn't too fond of my early attempts with a pot on the stove... and he's right -- a tea-maker brews tea evenly and it's never too strong or too weak. Michael (my husband's) special blend of decaffeinated green & black tea is still my absolute favorite tea to drink.

However, I stumbled upon this canned "iced tea" a few weeks ago when I was on my lunch break at work. I went to the local grocery store to pick up a salad for lunch and I saw these teas in the refrigerated section. Honestly, I was a bit skeptical. Most store bought teas are WAY too sweet for my taste and they often have a very "canned" and/or "fake tea" taste to them.

I am SO glad I took the chance on Steaz! This tea is absolutely delicious. It is very lightly sweetened and this flavor has just a hint of mint. The mint flavor is refreshing and light and only 80 calories for 16 oz! I LOVE this tea. It tastes like authentically brewed tea. It doesn't take like the "powdered" alternative and it doesn't have a "canned" taste at all. On days when I need to pick up my lunch at the grocery store, I'll definitely be treating myself to this tea to go with it!

And I "spoke" with a Steaz representative on Twitter earlier this week and they verified that all Steaz products are indeed gluten free! I hope they will update their website soon with this information.

Do you like tea? What's your favorite kind? Do you brew your own tea at home?

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{Recipe Review} The Gluten Free Homemaker's Zucchini & Sausage

When Linda of The Gluten Free Homemaker posted her recipe for "Zucchini & Sausage" on Monday, I knew I had to make it! (So much for my menu plan this week! lol!) This is the kind of recipe I love. Super simple, one dish, and really it could be a meal all in itself!

I actually didn't change a thing to Linda's recipe (really, I didn't! I promise! lol). I even had fresh basil in the yard that I threw in at the last minute. This recipe makes me wonder why in the world we don't eat sausage for dinner more often. My husband and I both love fresh summer zucchini and the sausage (we buy locally made fresh sausage since we live in a major pork producing area) is just an incredibly flavorful addition.

Honestly, this might be my favorite way to eat zucchini now. We actually had three perfectly sized zucchinis from our backyard garden this year (not surprisingly about the only thing that survived the summer heat and crazy weeds -- I think zucchini plants would survive a nuclear blast... lol)

We served the zucchini & sausage with fresh corn and slices of a beautiful home-grown, vine-ripened tomato from a good friend who has a much greener thumb than I do! lol

Linda, thanks for such an easy and delicious recipe for summer! We loved it!

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Green Onions... and how to save them for later

Did you know you can freeze green onions for later use? Every time I've bought green onions in the past they always went bad in my produce drawer before I had a chance to use them.

I can't remember where I saw it online a few days ago, but someone froze freshly sliced green onions in a plastic soda bottle in the freezer and simply poured them out straight onto a dish when they were called for in a recipe. And why hadn't I thought of that? I love the flavor that green onions add to just about any dish, but I didn't use them often in the past because they always went bad so quickly!

So this week I bought two large bunches of green onions, chopped them finely and put them in a plastic bag to freeze. I can't wait to throw them on an omelet or a baked potato later this week!

Do you use green onions a lot? Share one of your favorite recipes that uses them!

I'm adding this post to a roundup of gluten free kitchen tips, part of Wendy's (Celiacs in the House) new series on gluten free kitchens. Make sure to check out Wendy's post about her beautiful split level home with her cozy kitchen and her recent tip on making almond milk.

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Tuna Steaks with New Potatoes & Salsa Verde

Tuna Steaks with New Potatoes & Salsa Verde

This tantalising seared tuna steak is bursting with zingy flavours from the salsa verde… mint, parsley, basil, capers, anchovies, garlic, lemon, red wine vinegar and Dijon Mustard…. Delicious!!

Serves 4

Prep time:  2 hours

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

4 x 250g/9oz fresh tuna steaks

5 tbsp olive oil

Freshly ground salt & pepper

4 handfuls of new potatoes

For the salsa verde

Small bunch of mint

Small bunch of parsley

Small bunch of basil

2 tsp capers, chopped

4 anchovy fillets, chopped

1 garlic clove, peeled and roughly chopped

1 lemon, zest and juice only

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

2 tsp Dijon mustard

Method

1.      Marinate the tuna steaks in the olive oil, salt and pepper for at least 2 hours before cooking.

2.      For the salsa verde, put all the ingredients into a food processor and blend.  If the mixture is too thick add more olive oil or red wine vinegar.  Season to taste and then set aside.

3.      Boil the new potatoes for 12-15 minutes or until cooked.

4.      Preheat a griddle pan until hot and then cook the tuna steaks, approximately 2 minutes each side.

5.      Crush the potatoes with a fork and mix with half the salsa verde.

6.      Serve the tuna with the potatoes on the side and pour over the remainder of the salsa verde.  Enjoy!

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{Gluten Free Review} Barney Butter (Almond Butter)

The first person to really introduce me to the joys of almond butter was Heather of "Heather Eats Almond Butter." After seeing the gorgeous pictures on her blog of oat bran drizzled with almonds butter, muffins made with almond butter, cookies made with almond butter, etc... I really wanted to try almond butter. I probably started reading her blog about 3 years ago and ever since if I see a new brand of almond butter on the shelf I have to try it.

At Food Lion not too long ago I saw Barney Butter on the shelf. I picked up a jar and brought it home. Since I have about 5 OTHER jars of  almond butter that are slowly being eaten, I really didn't want to open it up. But curiosity got the better of me and I tried it out.

This a very creamy almond butter. The texture is like JIF peanut butter. Personally it wasn't my favorite brand of nut butter. The texture was so smooth it seemed very processed. My favorite brand thus far (and one that's very easy for me to find) has been Maranatha almond butter. Justin's nut butter is also a favorite if I feel the need to be decadent!

I think this would be a great alternative for kids who are used to the very processed texture of JIF peanut butter and they can't have peanuts anymore. I think this brand is probably geared more towards a child's palate than adult palates. It is not overly sweet, but it does contain evaporated cane juice to give it just a hint of sweetness (again very similar to Peter Pan or JIF peanut butter brands). To create such a smooth texture this brand also contains palm oil -- which I am not against -- I love baking with palm shortening... but personally I enjoy the texture of all natural brands better.

I do LOVE that this brand is clearly marked gluten free and is processed in a completely peanut-free facility which is really important for those with peanut allergies!

What's your favorite almond butter? Do you ever drizzle it on oatmeal or ice-cream? If you don't you're missing out!

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Cranberry Glazed Chicken

Dinner couldn't be any easier than

cranberry glazed chicken. 

Serve with white or wild rice and a green vegetable.

Saute the chopped onion in a little oil. 

Add the cranberry sauce, ketchup, mustard,

 and brown sugar. Heat, stirring until well combined

 and the cranberry sauce melts.

I always use the larger 14-oz can of whole berry sauce

and store the rest in a glass jar in the refrigerator. 

Use 3-4 boneless breasts, cut into serving size

 pieces if very large. 

Put into a sprayed shallow casserole.

 Salt and pepper the chicken and pour the sauce over.

Bake at 350 uncovered for 35-45 minutes until glazed.

You can also use cut-up chicken pieces. 

Bake those a little longer, 45-50 minutes.

Cranberry Glazed Chicken

3-4 boneless chicken breasts or

1 whole chicken cut-up

1 T oil

1/4 C diced onion

8 oz can whole berry cranberry sauce

1/4 C brown sugar

1/2 C ketchup

1 T dijon mustard

In a small saucepan saute the onion in oil until tender. 

 Add the cranberry sauce, ketchup, mustard, and

 brown sugar.  Stir over low heat until 

the cranberry sauce is melted and well combined. 

Season the chicken with salt and pepper.

 Place in a sprayed shallow casserole.

 Pour the sauce over the chicken. 

Bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes until glazed.

Serve over wild or white rice and add a fresh

green vegetable.

Enjoy!

Links: Savvy Southern Style, Coastal Charm,
Designs By Gollum, Funky Junk, Stone Gable

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This Week's Menu - Meals from the Freezer

Today I'm hosting the gluten free menu swap called "Menu Plan Monday" -- this even is headquartered at Cheryl Harris' blog, Gluten Free Goodness. If you are interested in hosting this weekly event, please visit Cheryl's site to find out how to join us!

My own menu this week is filled with leftovers from the freezer! I didn't have a lot of time to prepare meals or use my slow cooker, so I'm relying on leftovers that are frozen. We had the wonderful opportunity to go sailing with friends on Saturday. It was a beautiful trip and I had an amazing time! I had never been sailing before so the day was filled with lots of "firsts!" I can't even explain what an awesome feeling it was, when the sails were released for the first time! It was exhilarating! :-)

I don't have a list of my breakfasts & snacks this week, but it's very similar to most of my weeks: fruit, nuts, boiled eggs, protein shakes, peanut butter on rice cakes, etc...

This Week's Dinners: 

• Sunday - A super quick MICROWAVE skillet meal: cubed, cooked turkey breast & gf gravy mixed with peas, corn, and brown rice. -- This will also be lunch for several days!
• Monday - Meaty spaghetti sauce served over gluten free pasta along with green beans. 
• Tuesday - Pan grilled cod (from the freezer) with a tomato & cucumber salad
• Wednesday - "Fried eggs" served over sauteed kale, onions, and mushrooms with turkey bacon
• Thursday - Salsa chicken OR ground beef chili (leftovers from the freezer) -- served in taco shells
• Friday - PIZZA night -- I'll be having gluten free pizza on Udi's crusts and hubs will order out
• Saturday - out for dinner

Your Gluten Free Menu Plans for this Week: 

• Simply leave a comment below or send me an email (gingerlemongirl at gmail dot com) to include your menu in this roundup of gluten free menu plans!  

• Renee of Beyond Rice & Tofu shared her menu for this week. She'll be "cooking for one" this week and decided to make meals that were easy to make on a small scale more as snacks and appetizers. Great ideas Renee! 

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the Best Coq au Vin

The Best Coq au Vin

A delicious and rustic French classic!  Red wine, brandy, pancetta, shallots, mushrooms, herbs & a pinch of chilli what a wonderful combination for chicken!

Serves 4

Prep time:  15 minutes

Cooking time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients

50g/2 oz butter

200g/7 oz pancetta or smoked bacon, sliced

8 small shallots, peeled

250g/8 ½ oz button mushrooms

 3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

1.5kg/3 ¼ lb chicken, jointed and seasoned with salt and pepper

4 tbsp brandy

2 sprigs fresh thyme

250ml/8 fl oz chicken stock

500ml/16 fl oz hearty dry red wine

1 tbsp tomato puree

Pinch of dried chilli flakes

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp plain flour

Crusty bread to serve

Method

1.       In a large frying pan or wok melt 25g/1 oz of the butter and add the pancetta and fry until crisp and golden.  Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.

2.      Add the shallots to the pan and sauté until slightly browned, about 5 minutes and then add the mushrooms and garlic, sauté for about 5 minutes.  Remove from the pan and set aside.

3.      Now add the remaining 25g/1 oz of butter and melt in the pan.  In batches add the chicken and cook on both sides until browned, about 10 minutes.  Return all the chicken to the pan and remove from the heat.  Add the brandy and flambé.  Remove the chicken from the pan.

4.      Add the thyme, stock, wine and chilli flakes to the pan and bring to the boil.  Return the chicken to the pan, cover and simmer for 30 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.  During the last 10 minutes add the pancetta and vegetables.

5.      Remove the chicken, pancetta and vegetables from the pan with a slotted spoon and cover with foil.  Also remove the pan of broth from the heat and let stand for 5 minutes.

6.      In a small bowl mash the butter and flour together to make a buerre manié.  Return the pan to the heat and bring to the boil.  Add ½ cup of the broth to the buerre manié and whisk together, now whisk into the rest of the broth.

7.      Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered stirring occasionally until the sauce has thickened, about 5 minutes.

8.      Season to taste and return the chicken and vegetables to the pan and coat with the sauce.  Serve with crusty bread.

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The Best Cheese Scones

The BEST Cheese Scones

These have to be the best cheese scones I have ever tasted.  The perfect savoury scone - best eaten warm spread with lots of butter!

Makes 8-10

Prep time:  15 minutes

Cooking time: 12-15 minutes

Ingredients

225g/8 oz self raising flour

1 ½ tsp baking powder

1 tsp mustard powder

½ tsp cayenne pepper

50g/2 oz butter, cut into cubes

100g/3 ½ oz mature cheddar cheese

150 ml/ ¼ pint milk

1 egg, beaten

Method

 1.  Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas 7 and lightly grease a baking sheet.

2.  Sieve the flour and other dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl and then rub in the butter.

3.  Stir in the cheese, then a milk and egg to get a soft dough.

4.  Turn on to a floured work surface and knead very lightly. Pat out to a round 2cm/¾in thick. Use a 5cm/2in cutter to stamp out rounds and place on the baking sheet. Lightly knead together the rest of the dough and stamp out more scones to use it all up.

5.  Brush the tops of the scones with a little milk. Bake for 12-15 minutes until well risen and golden. Cool on a wire rack.

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Chicago Style Hot Dogs~Franks For The Memories!

This is the dog of choice for anyone who has

ever lived in Chicago. Chicago dogs are classic and

 a big favorite of sports fans and everyone 

from "hardhats" to "power suits".

 Every neighborhood sells them.

 Everybody eats them!

An all beef frank piled with toppings.

Here are the must-have ingredients 

that you'll need to build one.

Poppy seed buns are a must! 

I couldn't find them in my area so I cheated

 and buttered the buns and sprinkled on poppy seeds.

Cut up and ready to go:
 chopped onions, dill spears, tomato wedges,
 sport peppers  if you can find them.
(I used jalapeno, you can also use
 poblano or pepperoncini)

 Simmer the dogs for five minutes.

I steamed the poppy seed buns

 on a dampened paper towel 

in the microwave for 20 seconds.

Looks great, but something is missing!

The chopped onions....don't leave anything out!

It's the perfect combo of flavors in your mouth.

The toppings must be layered in this order; 

mustard, relish, chopped onion, tomato wedges, 

dill pickle spear, sport peppers.

 It wouldn't be a Chicago dog without 

a  good sprinkle of celery salt, another must.

Don't even think about adding ketchup!

 Now, take a bite!

Sweet Home Chicago!

Enjoy!

Today is National Hot Dog Day

Celebrate!

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{Gluten Free Review} Mesa Sunrise gluten free cereal

Don't you love really bad photography of gluten free cereal boxes? You're welcome. That's the 1960's picnik treatment of my cereal box. The rounded edges are beyond cool!

Had a hankering for something sorta sweet after having a very early dinner on Monday night. I decided to open up this box of Mesa Sunrise cereal I had in the very back of the cabinet. I bought it on sale at Big Lots a few weeks ago.

Personally I wasn't really a fan. One of the main ingredients was corn and it definitely had a very strong corn flavor... which I'm not really fond of in breakfast cereal. The cereal also became soggy REALLY quickly. That's one thing I miss about "Grapenuts" cereal - it was so crunchy and stayed that way the whole time you were eating it!

Overall I think it's a healthy cereal. The ingredients are mostly organic and whole grain. One serving contains 3 grams of protein and 3 grams of fiber... which can definitely be hard to find especially in gluten free cereals. Sugar (or evaporated cane juice in this instance) is the 3rd ingredient -- still a lot of sugar, but not nearly as much as many "kids" cereals. If you want a whole grain gluten free breakfast cereal, I would definitely recommend Mesa Sunrise. Just eat it fast so it won't get soggy! :-P

Have you tried Mesa Sunrise? Did you like it? What's your favorite gluten free breakfast cereal?

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The Best Singapore-Style Noodles

The BEST Singapore-style Noodles

Wow, these are the best Singapore Noodles I have ever tasted by far! If you want an absolutely delicious but quick and easy meal, this is the one for you! 

Serves 2

Prep time:  15 minutes

Cooking time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

2 tbsp groundnut oil

2 garlic cloves, peeled and grated

1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated

1 red chilli, de-seeded and finely chopped

5 fresh shitake mushrooms, sliced

2 tsp ground turmeric

100g/3 ½ oz smoked bacon, finely chopped

1 carrot, cut into strips

1 handful of beansproats

1 chicken breast, cooked and shredded

250g/9 oz dried vermicelli rice noodles, pre-soaked in hot water for 10 minutes and drain

1 tsp crushed dried chillies

2 tbsp light soy sauce

2 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tbsp rice vinegar

1 free-range egg, beaten

Splash of toasted sesame oil

2 spring onions, sliced diagonally

Method

1.       Heat your wok until it is smoking and then add the groundnut oil.  Add the garlic, ginger, fresh chilli, mushrooms and turmeric, stir fry for 10-20 seconds.

2.      Add the bacon and cook for 30 seconds and then add the carrots, beansproats and cooked chicken, stir-fry for 1 minute.

3.      Now add the noodles and toss in the wok for 1-2 minutes.

4.      Season the noodles with the dried chillies, soy sauce, oyster sauce and vinegar; stir well so the noodles are fully coated.

5.      Add the beaten egg and stir gently for 1 minute or until the egg is cooked through.  Add a splash of sesame oil, it is now ready to serve.  Pile onto a serving plate and add the spring onion to garnish. Enjoy!!

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