Maple, Peanut Butter, Banana Overnight Oats

I haven't been having such great luck at trying different overnight oatmeal recipes until I found this one. Again I don't have a picture - I ate it before I could get a picture.

Maple Peanut Butter Banana Overnight Oats

Serves: 1

1/4 cup oats (I used Bob's Red Mill, Gluten-Free Quick Oats)

1 tbsp chia seeds 

1 tsp cinnamon

3/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk

A splash of vanilla

1/2 ripe banana, slice (I used a whole one)

1 tbsp natural peanut butter (I used Skippy natural creamy)

1 tsp. maple syrup

Small handful of pecans (I didn't use these)

Instructions:

1. In a small jar, combine oats, chia seeds, cinnamon, almond milk, and vanilla. Cover and chill in refrigerator overnight, at least 8 hours.
2. Before serving, microwave sliced bananas and peanut butter in a small microwave-safe bowl for 20 seconds, or until bananas are soft and peanut butter is melted. Add to chilled oats. 
3. Drizzle in maple syrup and top with pecans; stir until combined. Enjoy!

Apple-Rutabaga Soup topped with Walnuts and Nutmeg

Last Saturday in  my weekly produce box I received a huge rutabaga pictured here:

I really had no clue how to cook a rutabaga or what I was going to do with it. And to be honest I still have 3/4 of it left (still have to figure out what to do with it). I searched and searched pinterest, the internet, etc. and I came across a recipe for Apple-Rutabaga Soup.

I tried this recipe and thought it was delicious! It's possible that the Maple Syrup is why I loved it because I'm a sucker for good Maple Syrup. Here is the recipe that I used:










Apple-Rutabaga Soup topped with Walnuts and Nutmeg (picture below)

• 2 Tbs. coconut oil
• 1.5 cups sweet yellow onion, roughly chopped
• 1.5 cups Granny Smith Apple, cubed (this ended up being 1 apple)
• 1.5 cups rutabaga, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes (I only used 1/4 of my rutabaga)
• 1.5 cups carrots, peeled and cubed
• 1.5 cups butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed (again I only used about 1/4 of this)
• 1.5 cups sweet potato, peeled, cubed (I used 1 large sweet potato)
• 1/2 + 1 tsp salt
• 3-4 cups vegetable broth
• 2 cups almond milk (I used the vanilla unsweetened kind)
• 3-4 Tbs. high-quality maple syrup (I used 4 because I LOVE maple syrup)
• 1/8-1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
• chopped walnuts for topping (I didn't chop them, and I decided I didn't really like it, so in the future either I will chop them or try it without)
• Nutmeg for topping (also would have been good without it)

Instructions

1. Melt the coconut oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and 1/2 tsp. of salt and saute for approximately 3-5 minutes, stirring often.
2. Add the apple and the rest of the vegetables an stir well to coat them with the coconut oil. Continue to saute for approximately 10 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add just enough broth the cover the veggies, cover with a lid, and simmer for 25-30 minutes, or until the veggies have cooked through.
4. Puree the soup in a food processor or blender, in batches as needed. If you use a high-power blender, the soup should be smooth; otherwise, strain the soup using a wire mesh strainer back into the original saucepan.
5. Return the pan to the stove and add the almond milk, maple syrup, cayenne pepper, and additional 1 tsp. of salt. Stir well and return to a simmer. Serve, top with walnuts and
   sprinkling of nutmeg (if desired) and enjoy!

Sweet potato, Kale and Shrimp Skillet

I'm sorry I don't have a picture for this one, it was too delicious and it was gone almost instantly. I made a Sweet Potato, Kale and Shrimp Skillet. I would rate it fairly healthy and very delicious! I had kale and sweet potatoes from the farmer's market and needed a way to use them. 

Here is the recipe I used: 

Sweet potato, Kale, and Shrimp Skillet

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup onion, diced

Red Pepper flakes, to taste (I think I used a few too many...oh well!)
2 garlic cloves, minced

2 cups sweet potatoes, diced

2 cups fresh shrimp

3 cups trimmed and coarsely chopped kale leaves

Ground black pepper

Salt

1. In a saucepan, add the extra virgin olive oil over medium heat.
2. Add onions, and red pepper flakes. 
3. Cook until onions are soft and golden. 
4. Add garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.
5. Add sweet potato and cook until soft. It is about 10-15 minute. In case you need, add a few tablespoons of water to help steam the sweet potato (I found it helpful to put the cover on the skillet to help steam the sweet potato)
6. Add shrimp and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until they turn pink 
7. Turn the heat to low and add kale, stirring until wilted
8. Season to taste with salt and pepper

Breakfast Smoothies

Over the last few days I have been experimenting with what is called overnight oats, and oatmeal smoothies. I haven't tried too many overnight oat recipies, but the one that I really liked was Skinny Overnight Oats in a jar from Skinny Taste:
 1/4 cup quick oats
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/4 medium banana, sliced (I used 1/2 small banana)
1/2 tbsp chia seeds
1/2 cup blueberries

 Place all of the ingredients in a pint mason jar and shake it and stick it in the fridge overnight - these are best if you eat them the next day. When you go to eat them, you can eat them cold, or heat them for 30 seconds in the microwave to take the cold chill out of it.

I then continued to do some more research and discovered oatmeal smoothies, the advantage to these oatmeal smoothies is that they can be frozen, and/or kept in the fridge for up to 3 days. I tried a pineapple coconut one but it wasn't my favorite, and then I realized that I didn't have all the ingredients to make another recipe, but I found a recipe for make your own breakfast smoothies:

The basic recipe is:
1/4 cup uncooked oats (don't use steel oats, but quick or old fashioned)
1 & 1/2 tsp chia seeds 1 cup liquid (diary or non-dairy milk or juice, or combination), If using dried fruit then increase the liquid by 1/4 cup
1/4 cup low-fat yogurt (greek yogurt recommended)
1 cup fruit, fresh, frozen or canned (in it's own juice, but drained), or 1/2 cup dried fruit, or 3/4 cup fruit sauce or puree (i.e. applesauce)
OPTIONAL ADD-INS:
1 or more teaspoons sweetener (honey, maple syrup, agave syrup, or preferred sweetener)
1 or more tablespoons fruit jam, preserves, or spread
1/8 - 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon or other sweet spices 1 or more teaspoons cocoa powder
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract or vanilla bean paste

Directions: To make the smoothie, add the oats and the chia seeds to a blender, and blend until texture of flour. Add liquid to blender, then add yogurt. Add in the fruit and any other mixins, and blend again. Transfer to pint container (mason jars work well), and refrigerate overnight, or a minimum of 4 hours, so oats and chia seeds can soften. Will keep in fridge 2-3 days. Shake before drinking.

 The recipe that I concocted using stuff from my fridge (which ended up being delicious):
1/4 cup rolled oats
1 & 1/2 tsp chia seeds
1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1/4 cup Fage 2% greek yogurt
1/4 cup blueberries
1/4 cup banana, sliced
1/2 cup strawberries
1 tsp. cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. maple syrup

Follow the same directions as above and enjoy!

Gluten Free King Cake

For those of you who aren't familiar, King Cake is a traditional New Orleans cake/bread filled with various things such as just cinnamon, caramel pecan, apples, cream cheese, and basically anything else that floats your boat. There is a small plastic baby that is placed somewhere in the cake, and the person who finds the baby has to make the next king cake. Being gluten-free your options of where you can purchase a king cake are very limited. There is a place in Metarie, named the Peace Baker, and they make a very good king cake (available all year round), however their king cake is very spongey, and isn't the same as the regular kind at the store (which has almost more of a cinnamon roll type center with the different layers etc). Don't get me wrong, this king cake is DELICIOUS, but I didn't think it was quite what I was looking for. However, I think this is a great option especially if you don't have the time/patience to make your own King Cake Here are some pictures from the King Cake I purchased from there.

I then however decided that it was time to learn to make my own King Cake. I tried making a gluten free King Cake last year and it turned out okay, but I tried to get all fancy and add apples to it, and it was my first one, and I don't think I let it rise enough so it didn't come out the way I had hoped. I thought I would give it another try this year using the same recipe, and allowing plenty of time for it to rise. I used the King Cake recipe from Gluten-Free on a Shoestring found here. And to make the Bread Flour using what they suggested I ended up using the Ultratex 3 version simply because that is what I had on hand. This king cake ended up turning out to be AMAZING! The only thing I did wrong was I didn't squeeze the two ends together enough so when I let it rise it kind of separated, and baked apart, but it didn't influence the taste of the king cake at all! I would say that this was definitely a success! I may keep experimenting with different King Cake recipes to find the best one, and to determine the best way to fill the King Cake. Here's a picture of my successful King Cake endeavor:

Starting out - Gluten Free New Orleans

As you may or may not know I am currently living in New Orleans. Now, New Orleans is known for it's food, most of which is either fried, or made from a roux. This means that having a gluten allergy in New Orleans is actually quite difficult. Not only am I gluten-free, which means when I go out I would typically opt for the steak and potatoes option, but I am also trying to eat healthier while eating gluten free. I have lost 30 pounds already, and I have about another 20 to go. I am going to use this blog as a place to share some of the recipes that I have discovered to help those who are trying to eat healthy and gluten free, as well as use it as a place to document some of the restaurants that I have visited in New Orleans, and explain some of the gluten-free options.