gluten free Archives - Page 10 of 12

Healthy Banana Cookies

February 17, 2013 ·

Healthy Banana Cookies are a chewy, fruit-filled cookie made using some of my favorite foods – oats, dates and bananas. They are made from simple, wholesome ingredients, have no butter and added sugar, thus making them a healthier choice. I love the simplicity of these cookies and have to admit these cookies made a delightful breakfast! These Healthy Banana Cookies also happen to be dairy free and can be gluten free.

Healthy Banana Cookies from Alida's Kitchen

I have had this at the top of my ‘to make’ pile for months just waiting for some super ripe bananas. While we always have plenty of super ripe bananas in the house, they’re typically reserved for Pumpkin Banana Muffins or Pumpkin Banana Pancakes (or Strawberry Banana Pancakes once strawberry season hits). Fortunately, I was a muffin and pancake making machine in advance of our new baby’s arrival, stocking the freezer full of Adam’s favorite banana goodies. With a stocked freezer and 3 very ripe bananas, it was finally my opportunity to try these Healthy Banana Cookies!

Healthy Banana Cookies

Yields: approx. 24 cookies

Ingredients

3 very ripe bananas
2 cups rolled oats (old-fashioned or quick cooking work fine)
1 cup (8 ounces) pitted dates, chopped
⅓ cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
In a large bowl, mash bananas. Add oats, dates, oil, vanilla and cinnamon, and mix well. Let sit for 15 minutes.
Drop dough by rounded teaspoonful onto prepared cookie sheets. [Note: the cookies don't spread so you may want to shape them a bit]
Bake cookies for 20 minutes, or until they are golden brown. Let cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes and then move to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

These are best enjoyed the day after baking.

Coincidentally, this is also the first month of the Eating the Alphabet Healthy Recipe Challenge for 2013, hosted by Brenda of Meal Planning Magic. Each month, several bloggers will focus on healthy recipes featuring fruits, vegetables grains or legumes, from a couple different letters (this month it is A or B). I thought Healthy Banana Cookies would be the perfect healthy recipe to start off this fun series.

Filed Under: breakfast, dessert, gluten free, healthy, kid-friendly, Popular, Recipes Tagged With: alphabet challege, baby/toddler, banana, cookies, dairy free, dates, easy

Baked Balsamic Chicken

February 7, 2013 ·

Baked Balsamic Chicken is wholesome, easy and delicious! This dish can be customized to use whatever herbs you like (or have on hand) and is perfectly paired with Minute® Multi-Grain Medley! Thank you Minute® Rice for sponsoring this post.

This Baked Balsamic Chicken recipe has been a family favorite for years. The recipe was created when Greta was first born over 3 years ago and has been a regular feature on the dinner rotation ever since. The marinade takes minutes to prepare and then is poured in a zip-top bag with the chicken. Let that sit in the refrigerator until you’re ready to bake. Then you just pour the chicken and marinade in a baking dish and bake. Simple!

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Filed Under: Featured, gluten free, healthy, kid-friendly, main dishes, Popular, Recipes Tagged With: baked, balsamic, chicken, dairy free, dinner, easy, marinade, quick

Chipotle-Glazed Roast Chicken with Sweet Potatoes

January 25, 2013 ·

baked chipotle chicken with roasted sweet potatoes

I found this recipe for Chipotle-Glazed Roast Chicken with Sweet Potatoes during a sleepless night over the summer. While it sounded absolutely delicious, it didn’t quite scream “summer” to me…so I saved it for a more seasonably appropriate time. After many months of anticipation, I am happy to report this recipe was definitely worth the wait!

First you give the potatoes a head start by cooking them until they start to get tender. The timing on this may vary based on the size you cut your potatoes or your oven, but unless you like crunchy potatoes, this step is key to the success of the recipe. Meanwhile, you can whip up the sauce/rub and prepare the chicken. Then you just put the chicken on top of the potatoes and pop it in the oven to bake until the chicken is done. This recipe really could not be any simpler. The result is a light and healthy dish that is sweet, spicy and delicious!

Chipotle-Glazed Roast Chicken with Sweet Potatoes

Yields: 4 servings

Ingredients

2 sweet potatoes (10 ounces each) cut into ½-inch cubes
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, minced
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
1 teaspoon salt, plus additional to taste
1 teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 4 4-ounce portions
2-3 green onions, chopped (optional, for garnish)
Cooking spray

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a roasting or baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.
In a medium bowl, toss sweet potatoes with olive oil and pour in the bottom of roasting/baking pan. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes (tossing after 10 minutes), until potatoes being to get tender.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine chiles, garlic, honey, vinegar, salt, cumin, and cinnamon. Rub mixture over chicken breasts.
Place chicken breasts on top of sweet potatoes and roast until chicken is cooked thoroughly, about 25 to 30 minutes. Serve garnished with green onions.

Adapted from Fitness Magazine

Filed Under: gluten free, healthy, main dishes, Recipes Tagged With: chicken, chipotle, easy, honey, roasted, sweet potato

Ginger Chicken Satay

August 30, 2012 ·

Chicken Satay is one of my favorite chicken dishes. While I doubt there will ever be anything that comes close my favorite recipe, I enjoy experimenting with different versions from time to time. The thing that caught my eye in this particular version was the interesting use of pineapple juice.

The result was a subtle yet delicious Ginger Chicken Satay. The flavors are mild yet interesting. The pineapple juice isn’t obvious, but was indeed a tasty addition. The heat can obviously be adjusted to taste with the crushed red pepper. I’m not really a skewer fan, so I just grill the chicken directly instead of threading it on skewers. If you want to do skewers, then cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces before marinating. Then thread the chicken on the skewers once you are ready to fire up the grill.

Ginger Chicken Satay

Yields: 4 servings

Ingredients

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts or tenders
1 cup pineapple juice
6 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons red-wine vinegar
2 teaspoons finely chopped ginger
2 cloves garlic, chopped
Crushed red pepper, adjust to taste

Instructions

Put the chicken in Ziploc bag.
In medium bowl, combine pineapple juice, peanut butter, sugar, vinegar, ginger, garlic and crushed red pepper. Pour the marinade over chicken in the Ziploc bag. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to overnight.
Preheat grill (or grill pan) to medium high. Cook chicken 3 to 5 minutes per side, or until chicken is cooked through. Serve with additional crushed red pepper, if desired.

Adapted from Fitness, May, 2011

Filed Under: gluten free, healthy, main dishes, Recipes Tagged With: chicken, dinner, grilled, peanut butter, pineapple, satay, summer

Grilled Lemon Chicken with Parsley Sauce

August 15, 2012 ·

Grilled Lemon Chicken with Parsley Sauce is a light and healthy dish that tastes like summer. Plus it’s a great way to use some of the parsley that may be taking over your herb garden! The lemon in the chicken is subtle and fresh tasting, which serves as a nice contrast to the tangy parsley sauce. The marinade is quick and easy to make, using simple ingredients, and then pop the chicken in the refrigerator until you’re ready to grill. As with any citrus marinade, it acts quickly so can be grilled within 15 minutes. I’ve also let the chicken marinate overnight, and that works fine too. For the parsley sauce, I just toss everything in my Magic Bullet (which I love any excuse to use!), and it’s done in a minute. Easy!

Grilled Lemon Chicken with Parsley Sauce

Yields: 4 servings

Ingredients

Chicken:
zest of 1 lemon (about 1 tablespoon)
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
⅛ teaspoon granulated sugar
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken tenders or breasts (4 4-ounce breasts)
Sauce:
⅔ cup parsley
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped shallot
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Instructions

Prepare marinade: In a bowl, whisk together zest, juice, oil, garlic, salt, pepper and sugar until combined.
Put chicken in a Ziploc bag and pour marinade over chicken. Shake to coat and put in the refrigerator to marinate until ready to use (at least 15 minutes to overnight).
Prepare sauce: In a blender, add parsley, oil, shallot, vinegar, garlic, salt, pepper, and juice. Blend until smooth (about 1 minute).
Preheat grill. Place chicken on grill (discard marinade) and cook chicken on 4 to 5 minutes per side, or until thoroughly cooked.
Serve chicken with a drizzle of sauce and garnish as desired. (Store any leftover marinade in the refrigerator).

Adapted from Health, July, 2006

Filed Under: gluten free, healthy, main dishes, Recipes Tagged With: chicken, dinner, easy, grilled, lemon, marinade, parsley, sauce, summer

Black Bean Brownies

August 8, 2012 ·

Black beans and brownies…sounds crazy right? Well, as many have discovered, using black beans in place of flour is a clever way to make brownies a bit healthier (and gluten free) without sacrificing a delicious chocolaty, rich-tasting dessert. Black Bean Brownies have been on my list of things to make for years, and had I realized how easy they are to make, they would have been made a long time ago! Essentially you just throw everything in a food processor (or blender), process for a minute, pour in pan and bake.

Then comes the true test…how are they? Amazing! Mike and I were both excited to try them and very pleasantly surprised how good they are (or were…the brownies are long gone!) They have a deep chocolate flavor, a not quite cakey and not quite fudgy texture, and were some of the best brownies I’ve had in a long time!

Black Bean Brownies

Yields: 16 servings

Ingredients

1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
3 eggs
3 tablespoons canola oil
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
⅔ cup brown sugar, packed
½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided
Cooking spray (or additional oil)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 8-inch square baking dish with cooking spray (or brush with oil) and set aside.
Put black beans in a food processor and process until smooth.
Add eggs, oil, cocoa, baking powder, vanilla and brown sugar, and process until completely blended. (Note: You may need to stop and scrape down the sides a couple times during this step).
Add ¼ cup chocolate chips and pulse 5 times.
Pour mixture in prepared baking dish. Sprinkle top with remaining chocolate chips.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Put on a wire rack and let cool completely before serving.

Source: Whole Living

Filed Under: dessert, Featured, gluten free, healthy, Recipes Tagged With: black beans, brown sugar, brownies, chocolate, easy, quick

Chicken and Potatoes with Mustard Vinaigrette

July 31, 2012 ·

With temperatures hitting record highs this summer, I am always happy to be able to cook a quick and healthy dinner that does require turning on the oven. This Chicken and Potatoes with Mustard Vinaigrette can be made on the stovetop in less than 30 minutes. It’s served over a bed of fresh baby spinach, making it healthy and delicious. I’d say this dish fits the bill of quick and healthy, making it a perfect dinner!

I actually found this recipe in a magazine at least 10 years ago and gave it to my mom. She has made it regularly ever since, and everybody is happy when she has it on the menu. This salad became an instant family favorite! While the original recipe calls for rotisserie chicken, my mom bakes chicken breasts and shreds them. In this recipe, I poached the chicken. The original recipe calls for watercress, but the spinach gives the salad a bit more substance. Arugula would also be a tasty substitution. Basically what I’m telling you is that this recipe is flexible. Go with what works for you to make this a family favorite of your own.

Chicken and Potatoes with Mustard Vinaigrette

Yields: 4 servings

Ingredients

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 pound small red potatoes
salt
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon honey
black pepper, to taste
4 tablespoons olive oil
10 ounces fresh baby spinach

Instructions

Put chicken in a large sauce pan and then add enough water to cover the chicken. Add a couple pinches of salt. Bring liquid to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for about 5 minutes. Then cover, remove from heat and let sit for 12 to 15 minutes, or until chicken is thoroughly cooked.
While the chicken is cooking, put potatoes and 1 tablespoon salt in a medium sauce pan and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cook for 20 minutes.
While chicken and potatoes are cooking, whisk together mustard, vinegar, garlic, honey, and pepper in a small bowl. Gradually add oil, whisking constantly until incorporated. (Note: I then pour vinaigrette into a cruet for ease of pouring).
Once chicken is cooked, transfer to a separate bowl. Drizzle 2 tablespoons vinaigrette over warm chicken and let sit for a minute to soak in. Then use 2 forks to shred chicken.
Cut cooked potatoes into quarters (or halves, depending on size).
Place spinach in a large serving bowl. Add potatoes and chicken, and toss to combine. Serve immediately, drizzling with additional vinaigrette as desired.

Notes

You can add the vinaigrette to the serving bowl and toss, but I prefer to let others control the amount of dressing on their salad. For me, a little goes a long way!

Adapted from Real Simple

Filed Under: gluten free, healthy, main dishes, Recipes, salad Tagged With: chicken, dinner, mustard, poach, potatoes, spinach, stovetop, summer, vinaigrette

healthy grilled barbecue chicken with DIY barbeque sauce

Grilled BBQ Chicken

July 10, 2012 ·

grilled barbecue chicken with DIY barbeque sauce

I can’t believe I haven’t posted this recipe for Grilled BBQ Chicken already! It’s been almost 2 months since I posted teaser pictures on my Drumstick Party post. Oops! Fortunately there is still plenty of summer time left to fire up that grill and enjoy some tasty Grilled BBQ Chicken.

Homemade barbecue sauce is one of the easiest things to make using simple pantry ingredients. I have several homemade versions that I love. Each one is a little different and each one has its time and place. This recipe below is based on the sauce from my Pulled Chicken Sandwiches. I absolutely love the spice combination in that recipe and thought it would translate nicely to the grill. We were so pleased with the result, this is now my go-to recipe for any time we want a classic Grilled BBQ Chicken!

Grilled BBQ Chicken

Yields: 4 servings

Ingredients

1 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon brown sugar, packed
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
4 4-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Cooking spray or oil, for grill

Instructions

In a small bowl, mix ketchup and next 8 ingredients (through cumin) until sauce is combined. Set aside.
Put chicken in a Ziploc bag and pour half of the sauce in the bag, making sure chicken get coated. Put in refrigerator for at least an hour (to overnight).
Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Spray the grates with grill cooking spray (or rub with oil), if needed.
Put chicken on grill and discard the bag with marinade. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes per side, or until chicken is cooked thoroughly. Serve with additional sauce, as desired.

Filed Under: gluten free, healthy, main dishes, Recipes Tagged With: barbeque, chicken, easy, grilled, make ahead, quick, sauce, summer

Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

June 12, 2012 ·

three ingredient gluten free peanut butter cookies without flour

I was flipping through one of my holiday cookie publications recently, when I stumbled upon a recipe for Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies. Made with no flour and only 3 simple ingredients, I was intrigued by how seemingly easy these cookies were. Not only are these Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies easy to make, they are super tasty too. I was pleasantly surprised at how something so simple can be so incredible! The result is a soft and chewy cookie that is perfectly peanut buttery. While perfect as-is, a cup of chocolate chips or chopped peanuts would be a delicious addition to this recipe.

Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

Yields: 24 cookies

Ingredients

1 cup natural peanut butter (chunky or creamy)
¾ cup brown sugar, packed
1 egg, lightly beaten

Instructions

In a large bowl, beat peanut butter, sugar and egg together until blended. Put in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to firm up the dough.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment.
Drop dough by tablespoonful onto prepared cookie sheet and flatten with the tines of a fork, creating a cross-hatch pattern. (Tip: It is helpful to spray fork with cooking spray to keep it from sticking to cookie).
Bake for 8 minutes (Note: Be careful not to overbake, otherwise it will result in a crisper cookie). Let cool on cookie sheet for 10 minutes and then move to a wire rack to cool completely.

Adapted from Taste of Home: Holiday Cookies

Filed Under: dessert, gluten free, Recipes, vegetarian Tagged With: cookie, cookies, easy, entertaining, holiday, peanut, peanut butter, quick, snack

Edamame Guacamole

May 24, 2012 ·

One of our favorite cuisines is Mexican, and an essential accompaniment is (of course) guacamole. For a while now, I have been saving recipes for guacamole and finally decided it was time to make my own. I wanted to give it with a healthy twist incorporating one of my favorite foods – enter Edamame Guacamole.

This guacamole did not disappoint. There are little flecks of edamame throughout, adding a protein and fiber boost. Along with the good fats from the avocado, this guacamole is a nutrition powerhouse. The combination of the onion, chile and salsa (I used medium) give this guacamole some zip without being overpowering. Below I listed the amounts that I used, but really everything can be adjusted to taste. It is such a flexible and forgiving recipe. This Edamame Guacamole tasted so fresh and delicious, I almost grabbed a bag of baked tortilla chips and some crudites and called it dinner. Almost….but I needed to save some for a special recipe that I will be sharing with you tomorrow. Edamame Guacamole meets an old childhood favorite!

Edamame Guacamole

Yields: 2 cups

Ingredients

1 avocado, pitted and peeled
1 cup shelled edamame (thawed if frozen - that is what I used)
½ cup red onion, chopped
1 chipotle chile in adobo, chopped
¼ cup salsa
2 to 3 garlic cloves, minced
juice of 1 lime
Salt and Pepper
Fresh cilantro, chopped (optional, to taste)

Instructions

Put avocado, edamame, onion, chile, salsa, garlic and lime in food processor and pulse until smooth. Add cilantro, if desired. Tranfer to a bowl, add salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Adapted from Whole Foods