Gluten Free Almond Flour Double Chocolate Brownies Recipe

Here's a quick lower glycemic chocolate treat for you. I made these last night and was really impressed at how well they turned out! If you can tolerate almonds & eggs, I highly recommend these tasty little brownies. They are very fudgy & chocolately without a lot of sugar or simple carbohydrates.

Since I'm seriously watching my "sweets" intake, I ate one of these little brownies and wrapped the rest of them up and froze them. Michael loved them and took 2 to work with him. I don't feel bad about him eating these little brownies because they are full of healthy fats & just a little bit of sugar.

Almond Flour Double Chocolate Brownies
free of gluten, dairy/casein, and soy
created by carrie forbes of gingerlemongirl.com
printer-friendly recipe

Dry Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups (252 grams) blanched almond flour
1/4 cup (26 grams) cocoa
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup sugar -or- palm sugar (I used palm sugar)

Wet Ingredients:
1/4 cup canola oil  -or- your favorite oil
2 eggs
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons applesauce
1/2 teaspoons liquid vanilla stevia (optional -- but adds a bit more sweetness!)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Optional Add In's:
1/2 cup allergen free chocolate chips like Enjoy Life

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 x 13" baking dish with parchment paper or spritz with non-stick cooking spray or oil. Whisk all dry ingredients together in a large bowl. In another bowl whisk together all wet ingredients. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and finally fold in the chocolate chips. Pour the batter into the prepared 9 x 13" baking dish and spread evenly throughout with a spatula. Bake for 30-35 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out (mostly) clean - you may run into chocolate chips, so there may be a little on the toothpick, or until the brownies, spring back just a little when you gently touch them. Allow to cool in the pan for 30 minutes, then cut into 24 brownies with a sharp knife. Eat one or two slowly and enjoy them! They are filling since they are made with almond flour! Wrap the rest & freeze! Pull one out when you need a chocolate fix!

Carrie's Notes:

• I added the weight measurements for the flours in this recipe for those that weigh their ingredients. If you don't use weight measurements, please note I pack almond flour in a cup much like you would brown sugar. 
• I used palm sugar in this recipe to lower the overall white sugar content and glycemic index. Feel free to use the sugar or sugar substitute of your choice.
• Egg-Free - I'm fairly confident this recipe would work using a flax seed or chia seed egg substitute if you are intolerant of eggs. Here's a handy Vegan Egg-Free Baking Substitutes Chart. 
• I used canola oil, because it's what I keep on hand... but use the oil you like best! 

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Easy Chocolate Muffins

Just two ingredients.

1 box chocolate cake mix and 1 can pumpkin

 That's it! Nothing else.

 Scoop into paper-lined cupcake pan.

 Bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees.

Now serving chocolate muffins.

Very easy in a pinch!

You don't taste the pumpkin. Try this recipe using spice cake mix in the fall.

Oh, I also put in 1/2C of chocolate chips. 

Easy Chocolate Muffins

1 box chocolate cake mix

1 15oz can regular pumpkin

Mix together with beaters. Batter will be very thick.
optional: add 1/2C chocolate chips.

Scoop into sprayed or paper lined cupcake pan

Bake at 400 for about 20 minutes,

Makes 12-16 muffins

Links: Sweet As Sugar Cookies

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A Tantalising & Healthy Tuna Recipe

Pan Seared Tuna with Salsa

This tantalising tuna dish is bursting with colour and cool-salsa flavours – a very healthy dish.

Serves 4

Ready in 20 minutes

Ingredients

2 limes

2 tsp paprika

4 tbsp light soy sauce

Salt and freshly ground pepper

4 tuna steaks

8 tomatoes

1 red onion

1 garlic clove

2 red peppers

Juice of 1 lemon

6 tbsp freshly chopped coriander

Lime wedges, to serve

Method

1. Grate the rind and squeeze the juice from the limes. Mix the lime rind and juice with the paprika, soy sauce and 6 tablespoons water.  Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper, pour over the tuna steaks and leave to marinate.

2. Meanwhile, finely chop the tomatoes, red onion and garlic. Then deseed and chop the red peppers.

3. Mix together the tomatoes, onion, pepper, garlic, lemon juice and coriander and season to taste. Cover and set aside.

4. Heat a non-stick griddle pan until very hot. Add the tuna and cook for 7-10 minutes, turning halfway through and basting frequently with leftover marinade.

5. Serve the tuna hot with the salsa and garnished with lime wedges.

Cook’s tips

v  This recipe works equally well with any fish steak or fillet.

* For all your cooking & kitchen needs please visit http://www.recipe-shop.co.uk

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Confessions Of A Valentine Junkie

Confession #1

I was the girl in grade school who romantically envisioned that her carefully decorated, home made paper bag Valentine holder would be brimming full of sweet somethings from admirers...secret and known, teachers, friends and the like. Alas, as fate would have it, there was no bag small enough to make mine seem full.



Confession #2

I was the day-dreaming high school girl

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{Gluten Free One Pot Meals} Quick Chicken & Broccoli Skillet Recipe

Cute & super cheap "diner-style" wide flat bowls we found!!

Love this quick, one pot skillet meal Michael & I came up with tonight. It literally took us less than 20 minutes to make dinner, that included all the prep work & cooking!

After my health assessment at the gym yesterday I knew I needed to be more serious about cutting back on added fat and sodium. Even though we've really cut back from portion sizes, salt, and types of fat we use... I know I'm still adding too much to meals inadvertently.

So dinner tonight has no added salt. Feel free to add some if you'd like. It also has very little fat, but TONS of flavor. I've been using Kitchen Basic's gluten free unsalted chicken broth for months! I love using it in soups and stews, but it's also nice as a light sauce in one pot dishes like this!

As with most of the one pot meals I'll be sharing, this recipe is just an outline. Feel free to play. Use flavors or seasonings that suit your family's tastes and health needs. I used Mrs. Dash's salt free Caribbean Citrus for the meal tonight. I thought it added a really zesty & fun flavor to the dish. Next time I might even add a splash of pineapple juice to the broth to compliment the seasoning!

The meal cooked in about 15 minutes. I decided to just make it a one pot meal so there would be less dishes to wash and really... it's just so much easier to store the leftovers!

Quick & Easy Tip: For the cooked brown rice in this recipe I used Bird's Eye Steamfresh brown rice in a microwavable bag.  Another great option is Uncle Ben's Ready Rice, it's already cooked and just takes 90 seconds in the microwave to heat up (and it's completely gluten free whole grain brown rice!) If want to make pre-cooked brown rice for this week, this is a great way to do it: Brown Rice Bowls, from the 30 Days GF Quick & Easy Meals series.

Quick Chicken & Broccoli One Pot Skillet Meal
-a recipe template by Carrie Forbes of Gingerlemongirl.com -
free of gluten, dairy/casein and soy

Ingredients:
1 lb. boneless chicken breasts or skinless chicken thighs (breasts are healthier, but I only had thighs in the freezer)
1 tablespoon olive oil or non-stick cooking spray
3-4 cups fresh (or frozen) broccoli florets
1 cup sliced mushrooms (fresh or canned - just make sure to rinse canned thoroughly, to remove excess salt)
1 small onion, finely chopped (-OR- If you're in a hurry just use 2-3 tablespoons of dried onion flakes)
1-2 tablespoons sweet rice flour
1 1/2 - 2 cups unsalted chicken broth
2 cups cooked brown rice
freshly ground pepper
2-3 teaspoons garlic powder (we love garlic!! Also of course you can just use fresh garlic)
2-3 teaspoons Mrs. Dash's salt free Caribbean Citrus seasoning (or your favorite flavor!)
*Optional: 1 tablespoon chopped roasted red peppers -or- pimientos to sprinkle on each serving

Directions:
Cut the chicken into bite size pieces, the smaller the pieces the faster they will cook in the skillet meal! Add olive oil or non-stick cooking spray to your large skillet and heat until it sizzles. Add chicken to hot skillet and cook for about 4 minutes on each side until it's browned and cooked through. Add broccoli, mushrooms, and onions to the skillet and stir. Sprinkle sweet rice flour over all ingredients in the pan and slowly pour in 1 1/2 - 2 cups of unsalted chicken broth over the vegetables and chicken. Add remaining seasonings and stir. Cover dish and cook for 5-10 additional minutes until the sauce thickens slightly (and it will continue to thicken when it's cool) and is simmering! Makes 4-6 (about 1 cup) servings.

Enjoy!!

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Pastitsio-My Big Fat Greek Casserole

This is a good winter dish that can be made ahead of time. It's warm winter spices make it perfect for a cold snowy day. The flavors of cinnamon and nutmeg enrich the meat sauce and nutmeg perks up the white sauce.  It's a lot like lasagna, but with an unexpected new taste.

Layers of pasta, meat sauce, white sauce and cheese.

Gather ingredients.

 Saute onions and garlic in butter until tender.

 Brown the beef and add remaining ingredients.

 Let simmer uncovered.

 Start white sauce with 3T butter.

 Stir in 3T flour and cook 1 minute. Add salt and pepper.

 Whisk in 2C milk.

 Bring to a boil and whisk until thickened.

 Remove from heat, then add 1/4C cheese and 2 eggs.

Whisk until smooth and stir in a pinch of nutmeg.

 Pasta pot, meat sauce pot and white sauce pot, ready to assemble the casserole.

 Drain cooked ziti, return to the pot and stir in 2T butter and 1/2C cheese.

 Spoon half the pasta into a greased casserole. Spoon the meat sauce on top.

 Top with remaining pasta.

 Pour the white sauce over all. Tap the casserole to help the sauce settle. Sprinkle with 1/4C cheese.

 Bake at 320 for 45 minutes until golden.

 Let sit for 10 minutes.

 Cut into squares.

 Serves 6.

Love the leftovers!

Serve with a big fat Greek salad and crusty bread.

Pastitsio

Meat Sauce

1 to 1-12 lbs ground beef

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 T butter

1 t salt

1/4 t pepper

2 t cinnamon

1/2 t nutmeg

1 t oregano

6-oz can tomato paste

8-oz tomato sauce

1/2 C red wine

Saute the onion and garlic in 2 T butter in a large sauce pot. Add meat and brown. Drain excess fat and add remaining ingredients. Simmer about 30 minutes while you prepare the white sauce and cook the pasta.

Pasta Layer

1/2 lb ziti pasta

2 T butter

1/2 C Romano cheese, grated (1 C total used)

Cook the ziti, drain and return to the pot. Add the butter and Romano and toss. Set aside.

White Sauce

3 T butter

3 T flour

1/2 t salt

dash pepper

2 C whole milk

1/4 C Romano cheese, grated

dash nutmeg

2 eggs, slightly beaten with a fork

Melt butter in sauce pot until bubbly, Add the flour and whisk for about 1 minute until cooked. Add the salt. Whisk in the milk and bring to a boil, whisking constantly until thickened. Remove from heat and let cool a bit. Whisk in the Romano and eggs, until smooth. Add dash of nutmeg.

Assemble and Bake

Grease a 9X13 casserole. Put in half the pasta. Spoon on the meat sauce. Top with remaining pasta.

Pour the white sauce over the top. Shake or tap the casserole dish to help the white sauce settle in.

Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 C Romano cheese on top.

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting. 

Enjoy!

Links: Remodelaholic

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New Month, New Challenge

I joined a gym.

There. I said. it. Now I have to do it. 

I had no idea how incredibly intimidated I would feel.

Before I was married I was a member at Curves. I even worked there for a short time. It was a great gym for women, but the work out was very routine and actually after a while I was a bit bored.

I know I need the intensity of a regular "gym." But at the same time this is one of the biggest hurdles I'm going to face. To get in there with fit, lean, healthy people and have to show the world how unfit I really am.

So here it goes... trainer session is next week... until then I have time to get more comfortable about being there. Thursday is day one.

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