Gluten Free Chocolate Cake

http://mystoryinrecipes.blogspot.com/2013/06/gluten-free-chocolate-cake.html

This was great. I made it for Ila's 2nd birthday cake with unsweetened whipped cream on top. I used fructose instead of sugar so my mother in law could eat it.

I didn't think the gf flour mix smelled bad. It just smelled different. I liked it a lot. The bean flour mix is a nice alternative to other starchy gf mixes.

Mashed Celeriac / Celery Root

I made celeriac like I would mashed potatoes (with butter and milk). It was ok. It doesn't mash up easily like potatoes do, so I used the food processor. I liked it for the first few bites, but it isn't my favorite thing to eat by itself. I'd prefer it mixed in with potatoes. It would probably be good as the topping on shepherds pie though.

Sweet Potato and Kim Chi Pancakes

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Sweet-Potato-and-Kim-Chi-Pancakes-350207

I made this using trader joes Kim Chi and yams (orange) from my CSA. Except they call them sweet potatoes. I really liked this. David liked this too but not as much as me. Next time I'll use the whole 10 oz package of kimchi. It would have been fine with that much.

Fig Bars

http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/fig-bars/fb7d27c1-c0d5-4d3d-8bf9-d72e6cbe9488

Very good. David really liked this because it wasn't too sweet. It's a lot like the raspberry christmas bars my family makes at christmas. I left out the sugar from the filling, it really wasn't necessary.

Sour Cream Ham Supper

From the Dana Carpenters 15-minute low carb recipe book. David loves the stuff in there since it's meaty.
He especially liked this recipe.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pecans and Avocado

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/roasted-brussels-sprouts-with-toasted-pecans-and-avocado

David doesn't like brussels sprouts, but he liked this. He said roasting makes them taste better, so I'll have to remember that for future side dishes with brussels sprouts. We made a half batch and ate it all, but it was a bit too much veg for 2 people.

Red Onion Tarte Tatin

http://www.manusmenu.com/red-onion-tarte-tatin

This was very tasty. I left out the sugar though, onions are plenty sweet on their own. I think for my 9 inch springform the crust was far too thick and it took a whole hour before it started to turn golden. Next time I should use less crust, maybe 3/4 or half the recipe.

I used my new food processor to mix the crust and it was awesome. Mix flours, then mix with butter, then pour in cold water in thin stream while mixing. It came out great after refrigeration and rolled out easily.

Greens in peanut sauce

http://thelocalcook.com/2009/10/31/greens-in-peanut-sauce/

I made this with tatsoi from my csa box. It is a lot like bok choy. David thought it was bitter. This might be better with a different green. Next time I get tatsoi i think i'll chop it up small in a saute with other veg.

Coconut Almond flour biscuits

http://www.eatwellpdx.com/2012/09/coconut-almond-flour-biscuits/

These were pretty good. We had them with sausage gravy. Now what to do with the yolks...

Chile Relleno Casserole

http://www.genaw.com/lowcarb/chile_relleno_casserole.html

I like the spiciness of this, but I think it has way too much cheese. I would prefer a higher egg:cheese ratio. I used pepper jack and 2 4 oz cans of diced green chilies. It was still only mildly spicy.

Low Carb Pizza Crust II

http://www.genaw.com/lowcarb/deep_dish_pizza.html

Very similar to http://lrhrecipes.blogspot.com/2013/01/low-carb-pizza-crust.html.
We both liked it, but it does bother me that it has so much cheese. I think I liked the other one better.

Broccoli Quiche with Ham (crustless)

http://www.genaw.com/lowcarb/broccoli_quiche_with_ham.html

This is pretty good for not having crust. Of course, crust would make it better, but its still pretty good.  I used 10 oz of fresh broccoli (including stems) and followed the microwave directions and it worked fine.

Mock Danish

http://www.genaw.com/lowcarb/mock_danish.html

I started a low carbohydrate eating regime. I'll be adding more low carb recipes that use the l-c label.

I like this pretty well. I make this using Trader Joes or Philadephia cream cheese since they have fewer carbs.  This is good when beat well so the cream cheese is almost completely mixed in (or completely using stick blender). Also I cook the mixture 2 minutes in a cereal bowl and then invert onto a plate. I top with lots of cinnamon and sometimes a little butter. This is best when cooled off to be only slightly warm. Also, I use one scoop of TJ stevia instead of splenda.

Net Carb: 2.5
Makes 1 serving

Sausage Gravy

http://fabulesslyfrugal.com/freezer-meal-recipes-biscuits-and-sausage-gravy/

I made this with oat flour and it worked well. I freezed extras too and haven't had a chance to test them yet.

Buckwheat Biscuits

http://blueberriesandblessings.com/2013/03/20/what-were-eating-wednesday-glutenfree-buckwheat-buttermilk-biscuits/

I made these with oat flour instead of rice flour. They turned out pretty well, but I did add extra buttermilk since the batter was too dry. We ate them with sausage gravy. I don't know how they taste plain.

Snickerdoodles

I made snickerdoodles recently with oat flour instead of wheat. It was a half batch of the recipe in betty crocker cookbook. I added 1/2 tsp xanthum gum and the cookies seemed to have no difficulty holding together. I baked them 10 minutes which turned out to be too long. The cookies were crisp throughout and I was looking for a soft middle.

Dirty Rice

http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/dirty_rice/
Dirty Rice

David really loved this. I did not add the extra oil during cooking as there was enough fat from the bacon and pork. Also I didn't have cajun seasoning but made my own with this recipe http://allrecipes.com/recipe/cajun-spice-mix-2/. Also I used brown basmati rice and bell pepper. There was plenty of heat in the cajun spice mix so I didn't miss the jalapeno at all.

David said he wished there was more liver in it since you can't really taste it. There is another dirty rice recipe I ran across that has more liver in it http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/dirty-rice-recipe/index.html that I can try next.

Note: I've made this with 1/4 lb ramps, where the white ends are sauteed first and the greens added later. It works well with varying proportions of sausage & chicken liver. I didn't add bacon this time either, and it wasn't missed. Also I used leftover rice.

Buckwheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

http://glutenfreecooking.about.com/od/glutenfreecookierecipes/r/gfchocolatechips.htm

These worked great. Very rich though.

Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/claire-robinson/flourless-peanut-butter-cookies-recipe/index.html?ic1=obinsite

I made these recently. I halved the sugar and added 1 tsp baking powder. They turned out really well, better  than regular pb cookies I think. They were chewy and moist even after completely cooling.

Chorizo and Eggs

http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/chorizo_and_eggs/

For this recipe I used Johnsonville brand Chorizo, which is so mild that I feel like it barely qualifies as chorizo. I think this is sort of more spanish style, since it is made from actual meat cuts and not weird tendons and crap like mexican chorizo tends to be. (which grosses me out.)

We ate it with sour cream and avocado on corn tortillas.

Strawberry Ice Cream

Semi-based on http://simplystated.realsimple.com/2011/07/05/homemade-strawberry-ice-cream/
Strawberry Ice Cream

I made ice cream twice this week. The first was vanilla. This strawberry recipe is the same except you add pureed strawberries along with the cream and vanilla. The recipe link at the top tells you to use a pound of fresh strawberries, preserving half for chunks that you mix in at the end. I had less than half a pound of fresh (several days sitting in my fridge, getting old!) strawberries for sure, maybe only a third or fourth pound. I pureed them in my mini food processor as fine as I could, but that food processor isn't that great. (Everyone seems to have a real food processor except me. The mini one I have came with my emulsion blender as an extra attachment.)

Anyway. This was so so good. I couldn't believe how good it was.

So here it is:

2 cups heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 lb or less fresh strawberries, pureed

more strawberries cut in chunks to mix in at the end, optional. (see top link for more info)

Make sure ice cream bowl is frozen solid.

Whisk sugar into the milk. It will take a couple minutes of whisking in order for the sugar to dissolve. Add pureed strawberries, cream, and vanilla extract to milk. Pour into turning ice cream maker. It will take 25-30 minutes until done. Then it can "ripen" for 2 or more hours in the freezer if you like. But its not really necessary, you can eat it right away.

Vanilla Ice Cream

This is a slight variant of the recipe that came with my cuisinart ice cream maker. It is my basic recipe that I use most often.

2 cups heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Make sure ice cream bowl is frozen solid. 5 hours in the freezer is not long enough. I made this after a 5 hour freeze and the ice cream turned out more like soft serve. I think it needs overnight at least.

Whisk sugar into the milk. It will take a couple minutes of whisking in order for the sugar to dissolve. (Some recipes tell you to heat it up, but I think this is unnecessary and just adds a lot of extra time since you have to get the milk cold again. The cuisinart recipe book uses the cold whisking method.)

Add cream and vanilla extract to milk. Pour into turning ice cream maker. It will take 25-30 minutes until done. Then it can "ripen" for 2 or more hours in the freezer if you like. But its not really necessary, you can eat it right away.

Banana Oat Blender Pancakes

http://beautythatmoves.typepad.com/beauty_that_moves/2013/02/the-pancake-bowl-and-banana-oat-blender-pancakes-recipe.html
Banana Oat Blender Pancakes

I've made this twice now. They are my new favorite pancake, gluten free or not. The banana flavor is still mild but makes the pancake so tasty. Also I like the subtle oat flavor too. Its a nice change from regular pancakes.

This recipe is barely enough for me, david, and Ila. Really I'd like to do 1.5x the recipe for us. If you serve it with a side then it would be enough, but I just really like pancakes so who knows.

1.5x recipe for quick reference (since I make this at least twice a month):
3 cups rolled oats
1 7/8 cups milk
1.5 ripe banana
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1.5 tablespoons maple syrup
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1.5 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 T baking powder
2 eggs

Piri Piri Chicken / Carrot Tabbouleh

http://thestonesoup.com/blog/2013/08/2-golden-rules-for-substituting-meat-fish/#

I made both piri piri chicken and carrot tabbouleh and liked them both.  The chicken was great charred in the pan. I added the reserve sauce to the pan to cook it for a few seconds and it was great. Ila liked it too.

Chicken and Peanut Sauce Noodles with Broccoli

I bought some rice noodles from TJ's and wanted to make a peanut base for them. It is loosely based on this recipe: http://www.food.com/recipe/thai-noodles-with-spicy-peanut-sauce-99918

12 oz fresh rice noodles (Trader Joes)
1 head broccoli, stem + florets, chopped
green onion, chopped
1/2 can or whole (small) can water chestnuts, sliced
1/2 lb raw chicken, chopped
sesame oil for sauteing

Sauce:
1/4 cup peanut butter
3 T rice vinegar
1 T honey
3 T water
3 T soy sauce
1 clove garlic, minced

The noodles take only 2 minutes to cook so I did them last. The chicken and broccoli I started at the same time as the sauce, steaming until soft so that Ila can eat it easily. Without toddler, I would leave them a little bit crisp if possible.

Start water boiling for noodles in a pot. Put a little oil in a skillet and saute chicken. Mix all the sauce ingredients in a separate pot and heat up around medium. When broccoli is done, add to sauce. When the chicken has browned, add to sauce. Use chicken saute pan to saute the green onion after chicken has been added to sauce. Put noodles into boiling water when water is ready and other items are either done or nearly done. Cook for 2 minutes, then drain and rinse with cold water. Then add noodles to sauce and toss.

Anyway, all three of us liked it a lot. There was a small serving left over.

Notes: David prefers this over pasta. I've made it over rice pasta and it was good.

Next time try over ramen noodles.

Primal Breakfast Casserole

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/primal-breakfast-casserole/

I used 2 lbs of rutabagas in this recipe. I couldn't find turnips. I used hot pork sausage. It was overflowing in a 2 quart 8x8 dish, and turned out to be too wet for my liking. I would make this again if I spread it thin in a 9x13 dish instead. I added red bell pepper and a green hatch pepper too. Ila did not like this. I'm not sure if it was the spice or the rutabaga, but she wouldn't eat any of it. David liked this a lot more than I did.

Notes: David said not to use hot sausage next time though, since it was overpowering. Especially for the leftovers.

Blueberry Pancakes

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/todds-famous-blueberry-pancakes/

I double this recipe even for our tiny family (of me, dh, and a 1 year old) since it is so yummy and I want leftovers. I used fresh blueberries and it was so good. You don't need to wait an hour either, just cook as soon as it is mixed.

Rhubarb Crisp

I made rhubarb crisp tonight with some rhubarb I bought at the farmers market here. It was only a dollar for a bunch and was enough for this recipe. http://www.food.com/recipe/rhubarb-crisp-93946

I did put in only 1/2 cup white sugar, and increased the oats to 1 cup. David and I both really liked it. I would add in more rhubarb next time. I had a bit over 4 cups this time, but it could have done with 6 or 8 cups.

Update: It works best with something between 4-6 cups. Also the topping is great with just the 1/2 cup oats as called for in the recipe.  So in future, just have between 4-6 cups rhubarb and 1/2 c white sugar, with everything else as written.

---------
gf and sugar free variant:
filling:
1/2 cup honey
8 cups rhubarb
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup gf flour (bob's red mill)

topping:
1/2 c sucanat
1 cup oats
1/2 cup gf flour (bob's red mill)
1/2 cup butter

This was not very good. I used bob's red mill gf all purpose flour and it did not perform well with the wetness of the dish. It rose to the top to make a strange spongy texture on top. It has done this with a corn casserole too, which was a custard. So if I make this again I will use a different flour, maybe oat flour.
-----------------------
gf variant #2

3/4 c sucanat
6-8 c rhubarb
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 c oat flour (finely ground)

topping:
1/2 c sucanat
1 cup old fashioned oats
1 cup oat flour
1/2 cup butter

This turned out great.

Rice Pudding

http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/rice_pudding/

Great recipe. I've only used arborio rice with it so far, see adjustments at bottom of page. I love rice pudding and this is a great one.

Notes from first time making it:
Turned out great--much more creamy than baked rice pudding. I kept the heat below boiling like she said, and the egg did not curdle. I think I will try sweetening with honey next time (less than 1/4 cup).
SO good. Try with 1/4 cup arborio next time, it was VERY thick. I put raspberries in it and it was so divine.
(I should point out that I used arborio rice instead of the short grain white the recipe called for. Had I used short grain white, it would not have turned out so thick.)

Notes from second time making it:

Using arborio rice, the recipe needs an extra 1/4 cup milk (or a 1/2 cup) or it will be too thick. I used whole milk and it was great.

Quick Cole Slaw

http://www.grouprecipes.com/37428/old-fashioned-cole-slaw.html

I made this to go with some sloppy joe leftovers. This is good on the side or as a part of the sandwich. It adds a nice crunch which I like, so I think it is great with the sandwich. David gave it a 3.5 mainly because he doesn't care much about cole slaw. But I think it was pretty good! Ila didn't care for it much thought. She threw it on the floor:)

I call this "quick" in the title because it uses store bought cole slaw (shredded cabbage and carrot).

Note, 8/2020: David liked it this time. I used "21 seasoning solute" from Trader Joes in lieu of salt/pepper/celery seed, primarily because it had celery seed in it and I didn't have any.

Dijon Fish Cakes

http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/dijon-fish-cakes-00000000057186/

I did not have dijon mustard so used spicy brown. This was a great way to use up tilapia. David liked it quite a bit, which is saying a lot. I would definitely make it again. Two cakes per person is about right when there is a side dish. The cakes are filling.

Almond Cake with Apricot

Based on http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Almond-Cake-366229
Made this recipe with this frosting: http://lrhrecipes.blogspot.com/2013/07/whipped-cream-frosting.html

I doubled the recipe and baked in 9 inch cake pans. I put parchment paper on the bottom of each pan (in addition to the greasing and flour dusting) and that was essential. I changed the recipe to 1 cup regular granulated sugar per recipe. 4 drops of almond extract is less than 1/16 of a teaspoon, so I just put in a tiny bit. Also I used Honeyville Almond flour. I used Bonne Maman apricot preserves and spread a thick layer in between the cakes, and a thinner layer on top. There was still some left in the jar but not a lot.

This was a big hit. Very tasty cake. I will make it again but with Trader Joes almond meal next time as it is cheaper.

Whipped Cream Frosting

http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/recipefinder/cranberry-vanilla-cake-whipped-cream-frosting-recipe-ghk1212

2 cup(s) heavy (whipping) cream
1 cup(s) confectioners' sugar
1/3 cup(s) crème fraîche or sour cream
1 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract

Prepare Frosting: With mixer on medium speed, whisk cream until soft peaks form. Reduce speed to low; add confectioners' sugar, crème fraîche, and vanilla. Whisk until stiff peaks form. Spread frosting all over cake. Garnish with sugared berries. Cake can be covered and refrigerated up to 1 day. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before serving.

Notes:
This held up well for several hours unrefrigerated, being driven in a warm car for an hour and then being reapplied after sliding off a slipper jam cake top. I even used regular whipping cream and it held up extremely well. This is enough to frost a 3 layer cake I think. I reduced the recipe because I had ~1.25 cups cream and it frosted a 2 layer cake just fine.

Tilapia Po' Boys

http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/tilapia-po-boys-00000000057184/index.html

I have a whole package of frozen tilapia fillets that I need to use up soon, and this is one of the recipes I've found to use it up. David isn't the biggest fish fan either, but this recipe fries up fish and then you eat it in a baguette. Which he did like.

It could be that the baguette was too small (10.5 oz is what the store had), but there was more fish called for in this recipe than would fit on 4 sandwiches. If the baguette is small, 10 or 12 oz of tilapia is plenty for 4 sandwiches, or two hungry people. I used some generic fish seasoning I had in a packet in the cupboard (a salt free one). He had a hard time deciding between 3.5 and 4 on this one. This could benefit from some tangy sauce, like a horseradish sauce or something. But we didn't have any. I served this with pickles, lettuce, and mayo. I liked it too, but it was somewhat bland.

Pie Crust

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/pie-crust-recipe/index.html

This recipe turned out really well. I used lard and butter as called for, but used a pastry cutter since I seem to be the last pie maker who does not have a food processor. I put the dry crumbs in to a bag and then added water to the bag and mixed it with my hands that way. Even though it wasn't "frozen" fat and I touched it a lot, it was still flaky and good, and reheated the next day was still flaky. I refrigerated it and then rolled it out on my silpat with a rolling pin. It worked very well, didn't even try to crack.

Blackberry Sorbet

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Blackberry-Sorbet-108070

I had two 12 oz bags of frozen blackberries I wanted to use and this recipe looked perfect. It worked well, but turned out to be too sweet. I would use only 1 cup or even 3/4 cup sugar next time so it is more tart. I did put through a wire mesh to get rid of the seeds and I'm glad I took the trouble. The finished product did take many hours to freeze up, and it is not near as smooth as store bought sorbet so the seeds would have made it  very gritty. (I even blended it in a blendtec before putting in the ice cream maker, so I think the level of smoothness is just how homemade sorbet is. I've never done it before)

The blackberry flavor has an over-ripe taste to it. I'll bet this would taste better with fresh blackberries or another kind of berry. But these blackberries were weird in this form.

Spinach and Bacon Quiche

https://web.archive.org/web/20190408035624/https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/spinach-and-bacon-quiche-recipe-2131172

This recipe is very tasty. The filling volume requires a deep dish 9 inch pan. It also required 1 hour and 10 minutes to bake. I used frozen spinach since the fresh I'd bought was bad. I just put on a bit, not even a cup of wilted. It turned out to be plenty. I also used precooked bacon I had on the fridge. I cut up 12 slices. I didn't use the full 1.5 cups of cheese either.

The cream wasn't overwhelming, but I'm sure it would taste well with half-n-half or some combination with cream and milk. I used heavy cream and it was rich but I had no trouble eating 2 pieces.

Notes 6/14/14
I made this again exactly as written in the recipe. It was great! It cooked in 45 minutes.

Greek Orzo Pasta Salad

http://thealisonshow.com/2012/05/perfect-orzo-pasta-recipe.html

I really liked this salad. All the little extras makes it very fun. I used toasted pine nuts and not sunflower seeds, and regular raisins instead of golden. I also added ~1/4 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes. My family liked it a lot too. I didn't have quite enough orzo so I subbed elbow macaroni. Both pastas were whole wheat too and it was a great flavor.

Paleo Pie Crust

http://www.elanaspantry.com/paleo-pie-crust/

I made this crust and pressed into a tart pan. I put 4 peeled/sliced mealy peaches and mixed with 2 T flour and 2 T sugar, then put filling into tart and baked at 350 for 40 minutes. The crust was ok. I think it would compliment the right filling, but the peaches still tasted mealy so the dish wasn't that great to me overall.

I didn't like this as well as normal crust. I didn't eat the edges. The crust was mostly cooked on the bottom, but perhaps more time in the oven would have helped.

Pressure Cooker Hungarian Chicken

http://www.food.com/recipe/pressure-cooker-hungarian-chicken-170094

This was very good. It took an hour total to make. I used whole wheat rotini instead of egg noodles. I used a  14 oz can of diced tomatoes instead of a medium tomato. That probably added a bunch more liquid than would have been in there, so I let the sauce reduce the whole 15 minutes as recommended. I used smoked paprika, which was not hot at all. I could have put in double the amount, but the flavor was still good as is.  The sour cream addition was great. I put in just under 4 lbs of bone-in chicken leg quarters (3 quarters). I pulled off the skin and split the thighs from the legs (3 of each).

This would feed 4 I think. It fit easily into my 4 qt pressure cooker. I also added 2 carrots cut in 1 inch pieces and 8 frozen brussel sprouts. The brussel sprouts were for sure overcooked, but still tasted well I think.

Ghirardelli Chocolate Chip Cookies

http://www.ghirardelli.com/recipes-tips/recipes/chocolate-chip-cookies

This recipe is from the back of the 60% dark choc chip bag. Except it calls for 10 oz of chips, which is how big the bag is. I made this today using whole pecans. David really liked them. He is a fan of dark chocolate likes pecans better than walnuts.

Mexican Bean Salad

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/mexican-bean-salad/

I loved this salad. I used half the salt and sugar called for and put in garbanzo beans instead of black since that's what I had. Next time I will also halve the oil and vinegar since there was too much.

This is best eaten in the first couple days since the cilantro will turn brown and there is a lot of starch released  into the oil which makes it thick and weird.

Berry Crisp using frozen berries

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Mixed-Berry-Crisp-101940

When I made this the topping fell in and the dish became thick as glue. It would probably work better if I'd melted the butter instead of keeping it chilled like the directions say. I will try that next time.

Roasted Almonds

http://www.elanaspantry.com/how-to-roast-almonds/

I roasted some raw almonds and it worked well. The salt did not stick, but the almonds were still very tasty.

Green Thai Curry with Chicken

The instructions on the green curry paste bottle that "Thai Kitchen" makes say to put in 1 or 2 tbsp of paste for 1 can of coconut milk. I made the recipe that way (2 tbsp) and it was so mild I could barely taste any flavor. It really needs 2 or 3 times that amount. It wasn't hot at all either.

I added diced onion, carrots, and potatoes and let simmer until cooked. Also added cooked chicken somewhere in the simmer time. It would have been nice to add some fresh basil but I didn't have any.

We ate it on brown rice. David and I liked it, but it was very lacking in flavor. Also I did not add sugar as the bottle suggested and was glad. It is plenty sweet from the coconut milk.

Baleada Tortillas II - winner! / flatbread

http://foodwishes.blogspot.com/2011/03/fresh-homemade-flour-tortillas-in-no.html

I doubled this recipe and used lard from a local farm. It was fantastic. David said it tasted just like what he'd hoped, and similar to what he remembered authentic tortillas to taste like from his mission. I measured 16 oz of flour for this recipe and used less than 1/4 cup during kneading. For the water I microwaved 1 cup of water for 1 minute and the temperature was right. The dough was very easy to handle. Divide into 12 (or 6 for a single batch. I think the video says to do 8 per recipe, but that makes too small a tortilla). I let it rest in a large mass and split up after resting. Then I rolled out between two silpats. My octagon one is the perfect size, the tortillas were the same diameter as that one and were perfect.

If you use this for flatbread you could make them thicker. I think mine were around 7 or 8 inches diameter and they worked well as tortillas.

Baleada Tortillas I - loser!

http://cocinahondurasymas.blogspot.com/2010/03/baleadas-catrachas.html

This recipe sort of bombed. I put in 2.5 TBSPs of soda instead of tsps, and it tasted horribly bitter. The recipe needed more than twice the liquid called for as well (I did 1 cup plus a little bit of warm milk). I will try another recipe before I do this one again in tsps.

Cheddar and Dill Scones

http://kt-recipe-box.blogspot.com/2008/06/cheddar-and-dill-scones.html

These were great. I've had them once before, but several years ago at a melville breakfast. I made the mistake of pressing the dough into 9 inch cake pans instead of pie pans. I guess I didn't read it closely enough and the scones were thinner than they should be. But still good! David really liked them, both texture and flavor.

Sloppy Joes

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/super-sloppy-joes-recipe/index.html

This was great. It is done in less than 30 minutes too. David loves it. We halved the brown sugar.or at least did not pack it into the 1/4 cup, and it was a perfect amount of sweetness. I put in 1.25 lbs of meat as called for. We used giant buns and even then the recipe could easily have filled 6 buns, likely more.

Hamburger Buns

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/beautiful-burger-buns-recipe

I didn't want to go to the store so made homemade hamburger buns. They were really great. David liked them especially. I couldn't really taste it with the rest of the hamburger fixings distracting me, but David said he could and it made it a better hamburger. Maybe I'll make them for special occasions.

Roasted New Red Potatoes

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Roasted-New-Red-Potatoes/Detail.aspx

I followed this recipe and also put in some herbs de Provence.  I did not measure the potatoes, oil, salt, or pepper either. I baked it 25 minutes or so at 450. Worked great! Very tasty.

Asian Lettuce Wraps

http://chinesefood.about.com/od/fusionrecipes/r/lettucewraps.htm

This would have been better if I'd used fresh chicken breast instead of canned. Also, we used romaine lettuce which was difficult to roll because of the thick spine. Next time we'll try butter or iceberg lettuce or something without much of a spine.

Breaded and Baked Mustard Chicken Drumsticks

http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/breaded_and_baked_chicken_drumsticks/
Breaded and Baked Mustard Chicken Drumsticks

This recipe looks promising, but I didn't follow it exactly so it didn't turn out as well. I did not have dijon mustard so used yellow, which made it more bland. Also I used matso meal instead of breadcrumbs, another mistake. Finally, I baked it on a rack instead of directly on the tray so it took an extra 20 minutes to bake, even though nothing was touching and there was plenty of space, but it relied completely on convection so there was no direct heat.

David thought it was "ok". I would make this again if I followed the recipe exactly.

Quick Banana Cream Pie

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/banana-cream-pie-iii/

I made this using a graham cracker crust (using only 2 cups pudding because of the small crust, which I think is the equivalent of 1 instant pudding package)

I layered 1.5 sliced bananas on the bottom and sides. Then blend 1/2 cup whipped cream and 2 cups pudding and spread over bananas. Then put the rest of whipped cream on top.

This pie is not my normal style but did it because it was fast and easy.

Garlic Bread

http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/garlic_bread/

This was great. I made it with 3/4 the amount of butter and it was enough. This was very garlicky too which I liked.

Best Brownies

from the Hershey's 100th anniversary cookbook.

1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup hershey's cocoa
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Bake at 350. Mix wet ingred first, then add dry. Put in 8x8 or 9x9 greased glass dish for 20-25 minutes. (I use 8x8 and it works great).

Note: I tried making this with 3/4 cup honey instead of sugar and it was totally ruined. It tasted weird and was cakey like I used applesauce instead of butter.
I've also made this gluten free/dairy free by using coconut oil instead of butter and bob's red mill gf flour blend for the flour. It was fantastic. I cooked it 20 minutes and it was at least as good as the original version.

Honey Vanilla Ice Cream

http://kathdedon.wordpress.com/2012/09/06/homemade-honey-sweetened-vanilla-ice-cream/

My mother-in-law can't have sugar, so I like to make honey sweetened desserts when she comes for dinner. I made this one yesterday with my ice cream maker and it turned out well, except it had too much vanilla. I spilled some in when I measured the first teaspoon, but then put in less the 2nd teaspoon, so I'm not sure how much was in there. But next time I'd reduce to 1.5 tsp and see how it is.

Ketchup

I made some homemade ketchup that is fermented, based in a 3/4 recipe of this: http://nourishedkitchen.com/homemade-ketchup/ .  I would have used the recipe in Nourishing Traditions, but I didn't have fish sauce so went with the other.

I used maple syrup in the recipe. And I don't have raw apple cider vinegar, only regular, which is what I used.

I have used this twice. Once as a topping for meatloaf, which turned out very well. Meatloaf topping is nice when it is sweet, and I know some meatloaf toppings tell you to mix brown sugar with ketchup. I used straight homemade ketchup, and it was every bit as sweet.

The second time I used it was as regular dipping ketchup. And it was horrible! It is way too sweet. I'm not sure if I did something wrong, but the maple syrup flavor made me sick due to how sweet it was. I definitely will not be using this for dipping, and probably won't make it again.

Mexican Chicken Lime Soup

http://marianutrition.blogspot.com/2011/10/mexican-chicken-lime-soup.html

This was really good. I also had sour cream with it. It was pretty spicy. I used 2 large chicken breasts, about 2 lbs. They were shredded.

Scotch Eggs

This is from a Paleo cookbook I recently purchased called Well Fed. Someone blogs about the recipe here: http://lowcarbcookery.wordpress.com/2012/01/16/scotch-eggs-from-well-fed/

Anyway, it is really good. I used almost all of a 3.75 oz bag of pork rinds. I probably coated them too thick, it is hard not to, so I was running out of the 2 oz and so crushed more. We each had one as the main course of dinner. It felt really fancy, and is a great way to have eggs be the star of the meal. David loved the pork rind. Non-paleo versions of this recipe on line use breadcrumbs instead of ground pork rind, but even if I had the choice I'm not sure i would use breadcrumbs after seeing how much David liked this.

Update: I am not loving the leftovers. It is too strong flavored for me. Maybe with another kind of meat or different seasonings, but as is it is not that appetizing to me. It would be better if the meat later was thinner, maybe with 3 oz ground meat per egg instead of 4.

Grain Free Porridge

Loosely based on http://www.thefitnessdish.com/?p=11957.

1 Tablespoon ground flax seeds
1 Tablespoon coconut flour
1 Tablespoon chia seeds
1/2 Tablespoon coconut oil or grass-fed organic butter (put in at end)
1/3 of a very ripe large banana (or one whole small one), mashed/smashed

~ 1 cup whole milk

1 tsp honey

1/2 tsp vanilla extract (put in at end)

1 egg

cinnamon

few raisins and unsalted pepitas (good for texture, but optional)

So measure out first 3 ingredients into small saucepan. Add half the milk and stir on medium until it starts to cook. It will expand, but never really gets thick. Then add honey cinnamon, and banana. Add more milk, cooking a few more minutes. Beat egg separately and whisk into hot porridge. Don't let the heat be too high, this is making a sort of custard pudding by adding the egg. When it looks like the egg has thickened and cooked after a few minutes, you are done. Stir in butter, vanilla, raisins and pepitas.

Calamari Steaks

Based on http://www.food.com/recipe/calamari-steaks-81489. I tried to paleoize it by using almond flour and skipping bread crumbs. It was very strange. And dredging in almond flour never works very well. The calamari itself was really odd. I don't think I'll buy any again, even it if it is cheap like it was this week.

David did not eat any because he is very anti squid. So only I ate it. And the rating is mine.

Paleo Chocolate Cake in a mug

Yesterday was chocolate cake for breakfast day, and though we've had it on the calendar for many years have never actually managed to do it. Until yesterday.I made chocolate cake in a mug based on this: http://www.delightedmomma.com/2012/09/3-minute-chocolate-paleo-mug-cake.html

It was good. I halved the honey though, and I'm glad I did. It became drier with time, but was pretty good for a 3 minute paleo cake. It was the right sweetness for morning. Sweet, but not too sweet.

Green Bean Casserole from scratch

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/best-ever-green-bean-casserole-recipe/index.html

This was good, but I used arrowroot starch instead of flour and it made the onions stick together and bake strangely. It worked fine as a sauce thickener though. And I left out the panko. So that definitely brought this down a notch. David said it wasn't much better than the green beans plain, but I thought it was still fun and will try it again sometime, maybe without any flour coating the onions.

Quick Tiny Chocolate

1 Tbsp coconut oil, melted (or at least softened)
1 tsp unsweetened cocoa
2 tsp peanut butter
1 tsp honey
a few pecans

Mix all except pecans until smooth, then stir in pecans. Use a very small dish. Put in freezer for 5-10 minutes.

Now you have a quick tiny chocolate.

Measurements are all approximate. I'm sure about the cocoa measurement, but everything else is a guess.

Serves 1!

Brussels Sprout Hash

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Brussels-Sprout-Hash-with-Caramelized-Shallots-240411

David hates Brussels Sprouts. He said he would rate steamed brussels sprouts a 2. And he rated this dish a 3.5. So that is some progress. But as good as this was, it took forever to make (mostly because I didn't fully read the directions and didn't realize the extent of slicing involved. Also, I HATE peeling shallots. It takes forever and ever.

Next time I think I'll just do onions instead of shallots and chop the brussels sprouts really fast any which way and not do the careful cutting the way they want.

Sauerkraut

I used the fermented Sauerkraut recipe form the book Nourishing Traditions (which I totally dig), and it is reprinted here: http://www.passionatehomemaking.com/2008/02/homemade-sauerkraut.html

And I did make whey to use in this recipe and others as I describe in a post I'll make soon.

Anyway, the sauerkraut is yummy with pork or other meat/fish. We ate it with pork and it was great. I love the caraway seeds. David likes it too and he is a major sauerkraut fan (though he's never had fermented).
I chopped up one large head of cabbage (which yielded quite a lot) and ended up doubling the recipe to spread between two cans. You do need to pound the cabbage a bit as the recipe says. I used  my metal meat pounder.

Meatloaf with Liver

http://www.holisticsquid.com/nutrient-dense-meatloaf/

This was really good. I used 91/9 beef, pork sausage, and 1/4 lb liver (pureed), though I should have used more because I couldn't taste it at all. I'm glad I used leaner beef since there was plenty of fat in the sausage, and more might have been too rich.

I added some ketchup on top (lacto-fermented paleo for us) and some bacon (uncooked strips) on top. The bacon was a mistake since it didn't cook well, but the ketchup was a great addition.

Roasted Pork Loin

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/roasted-pork-loin/

This was really great. I had a 4 lb roast that was really thick, and it needed more like 1 and 3/4 hours to get to 150.  I also doubled the spices and it was really great. I wish I'd had people over to eat with us.

The wine sauce was a must as well, especially since we ate it with homemade sauerkraut (fermented) and the sauce gave the kraut a nice extra flavor.

Low-Carb Pizza Crust

http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/pizza/r/deepdishpizza.htm

I made this as written but with only 4 eggs, based on recommendations in the comments. I also used shredded parmesan cheese for the entire cup mentioned in the recipe. I baked it 25 minutes and it was golden when I took it out. It turned out well. David said he liked it as well as the cauliflower, but the cauliflower was more crunchy. This was good, though you do need a fork for the middle pieces. The big plus was there was no cauliflower taste, if you want a change from it.

Also, this was not deep dish. It was pretty thin.

Paleo Bread

http://www.elanaspantry.com/paleo-bread/

This is excellent. I baked it 40 minutes in a glass 8x4 inch pan.  I like this better than the coconut bread, it is lighter. Or maybe I just wanted something new and like them equally. Not exactly sure on this one.

Plum Crisp

Plum Crisp (wheat free)

Filling:

4 cups plums, halved and pitted (or 5 pears sliced)

2 tbsp cornstarch

½ cup apple juice

1 tsp cinnamon (or nutmeg if using pears)

Topping:

2 cups blanched almond flour

½ tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp nutmeg

¼ cup coconut oil

¼ cup honey or agave nectar

1 tbsp vanilla extract

Mix filling. Mix topping roughly (will be semi-wet). Sprinkle over filling in 8x8 pan.

Bake 45 minutes at 350 covered with aluminum foil. Remove foil and bake 5-10 more minutes until top is crisp and golden brown and juices bubble. Let cool 30 minutes, then serve warm.

So that is the recipe. It is loosely based on a recipe from the Gluten-Free Almond FLour cookbook, by Elana Amsterday. The problem is that instead of fresh plums, I used canned plums that were 10 years old and mush, so the topping sunk in and never crisped up. The original recipe calls for pears and a tsp of nutmeg in the filling instead of cinnamon. Next time I'll follow it exactly. I don't think almond flour recipes are as forgiving as wheat flour.

Beef Liver and Onions - I

Adapted from http://allrecipes.com/recipe/absolute-best-liver-and-onions/
I have recently discovered that DH is a big fan of liver and onions. I have had chicken liver at christmas, but I've never had beef liver before, so I made it tonight.

It tastes a lot like chicken liver. And it wasn't disgusting, but it was definitely strange. I modified the recipe to use 1/2 and 1/2 coconut flour to almond flour, instead of wheat flour since I'm not eating wheat right now.

David didn't really like it. He said the texture was too soft, and that's because anything other than wheat tends not to crisp up well in a breaded crust.

Also, I made a pound of it and there was more than half a pound left. The servings on the link there are ridiculous, I'm sure it could feed at least twice what they put there if they used a few more onions.
I sauteed one onion per person, and that seemed about right.

I won't make this recipe again unless I'm eating wheat and I can get the breading crispy. But my Julia Child french cookbooks have several other recipes in them for chicken or beef liver. And there are a lot online too. So I'm not done with liver yet.

Roasted Broccoli

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Roasted-Broccoli-with-Asiago-241614

I liked this more than David. I used 1/4 c of parmesan cheese in this.

Ginger Mahi Mahi

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/ginger-glazed-mahi-mahi/

I made this tonight. It was nice, but the flavor wasn't strong enough for me. It needed a sauce I think to put on after cooking. David liked it, but not as well as some other fish.

Bacon with onions and apples

I've been doing a dairy version of Paleo (lacto-paleo), or grain-free, for the past week. Eggs seem to be making me sick in the mornings, so I'm trying other things for breakfast. Oatmeal and cereal are definitely not grain-free, so I've looked on paleohacks.com for some ideas.

Today I cooked 5 pieces of center cut bacon, 1 thinly sliced small granny smith apple, and 1 thinly sliced medium onion. I cooked the bacon first, then poured off most of the grease, then sauteed the apple and onion on medium or a little lower for 20 minutes or so until very soft. I ate it with the bacon, not mixed together but often some bacon and saute in each bite. It was so divine. I'm not going to eat bacon every day or anything, but this is definitely going to happen once or twice a week.

(I had center cut left over from some cooking light recipes, and I think regular bacon slices are longer so I'd probably only use 4 of those.)

David didn't try this. I ate it all. All mine.

According to daily plate, this meal is 406 calories if you assume 1.5 tbsp bacon drippings.

Shrimp and Spinach Curry

http://paleodietlifestyle.com/curried-shrimps-and-spinach/
Shrimp and Spinach Curry

This was really good. I've never made a curry before, and blending the sauce as it says in the directions made it perfect. David hates shrimp, so this is going to me a laura only dish. The spinach was nice in it as well.

Coconut Bread

http://nourishedkitchen.com/coconut-flour-bread/
Coconut Flour Bread

So I'm not sure how noticeable it is or not, but I'm doing a grain-free regime now, coupled with a goal to eat 50 effective grams of carbohydrate (or less) per day for 30 days (and possibly longer depending on how it makes me feel). Today is day 4. I had one miserable week of my life several years ago where I ate only 20 effective carbs per day, and that is definitely too low and not sustainable at all (which it wasn't meant to be anyway). I'm also following a Paleo/Gary Taubes style thinking bent, where fat is fine, and important for satiety.

Hence my desire to make this bread.

David has not tried this. He is out of town. But I like it. It is not something I would eat more than one slice per day. It is mostly a way to eat nut butters, or have something to spread cheese on. It is also helpful for getting some calories in a low-carb way when I don't want meat. I tend not to be a big meat eater, and so I'm only eating one meaty meal a day on my grain-free kick. I'm having vegetables and avocado daily and am  having eggs for a meal or snack. So this bread is a nice addition. We'll see how it goes.

This bread has the consistency of cornbread. You can taste the coconut for sure. At times it seems like you might be chewing shredded coconut (which you basically are, except it is dried powdered coconut). The coconut flavor is mild though, and you definitely need to drink water with it.

Mine turned out a little denser than the picture in the original recipe, that may be because I used butter and coconut oil instead of ghee. I don't have any ghee. I also used raw unheated coconut flour that is high in fiber. There are more processed coconut flours out there that may have less fiber and perform different in baking. I don't have any experience with them, and this is the first thing I have ever made with coconut flour.

Lamb Leg Steak

I bought a bit of lamb at the store when there was a sale. It was deboned, which was nice.

I marinaded it for a half hour, then seared it on the stove 2 minutes per side, then lowered the temp and covered, checking periodically. I really don't know how to cook meat that well. This ended up cooked medium at the end, which was fine with me.

Marinade:
lemon juice
olive oil
salt
pepper
minced garlic (or crushed) (I used 2 big cloves)
basil

I left the marinade on the lamb in the pan during cooking and then scraped out the blackened garlic bits as they cooked and served it with the lamb when it was done.

DH really liked it. I served this with this side dish.

Roasted Butternut Squash, Radicchio, Onion

http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/roasted_butternut_squash_radicchio_and_onion/
Roasted Butternut Squash, Radicchio, Onion

This was very tasty. The radicchio has a bitter flavor that balanced well with the sweetness of the squash. When the author says to cut into wedges, I think quarter wedges are fine. Make sure not to cut off the ends before roasting since the onion/radicchio will fall apart otherwise.

Catfish

I bought some fresh catfish the other day. I'm trying to buy fish when I see it is fresh and not previously frozen to see if it tastes different. I'm not really sure yet, since I've only done it once, but David really liked this fish.

1 catfish filet (mine was ~2/3 lb)

I used almond flour (plus salt/pepper) and coated it slightly, then roasted the fish at 350 for 15-20 minutes. I was going to do 500 for 15, but something in the oven was smoking so turned it down. So the time is approximate.

DH really liked it. His reaction after tasting the fish was a good sounding "hmm" of surprise as opposed to the really long chewing for the lobster disaster earlier this week.