Recipes Archives - Page 2 of 6 - Caitlin Wallace-Rowland Art & Design

Green Smoothies

May 30, 2016March 27, 2018

Recently, I’ve been trying to eat more Paleo (basically eat more veggies and less carbs). That wasn’t difficult to incorporate into my lunch and dinner plans, but breakfast really stumped me. My usual breakfast was cereal (usually Honey Nut Cheerios) with almond milk or oatmeal. Both are a very carb/sugar rich way to start my day that I wasn’t super happy with. My diet is further limited that I can’t eat wheat, eggs, or much dairy (I’m gluten-intolerant and eggs and dairy also agitate my digestive system). I tried a few other Paleo breakfasts – including a potato/sweet potato/onion/bacon hash and pumpkin/banana pancakes. Both were great, but time consuming to make — so not sustainable for regular workday breakfasts.

At the perfect timing for my life, one of the blogs I read posted about incorporating green smoothies into her diet. I’d obviously heard of green smoothies before, but I don’t know why it hadn’t occurred to me before to try them for my breakfasts. My sister Kelsey makes a similar smoothie for her breakfast occasionally. But it started the wheels in motion and I’ve been green smoothie-ing for breakfast for a couple weeks now and LOVING it!

Part of the reason I hadn’t tried this sooner is that we didn’t have a blender (Drew broke ours trying to blend a spoon in it while making daiquiris for a party he threw a few years ago when I was out of town, lol!). I tried to blend my first smoothie in our food processor and that turned out terribly! I did a little research on small blenders perfect for smoothies and narrowed it down to these two: NutriBullet ($79.99) & Bella Rocket Blender ($24.99). The NutriBullet is a little more expensive and probably better for the long run, but since I wasn’t even sure I was going to like smoothies, I went with the cheaper, but still well-reviewed Bella Rocket Blender. So far, I’m perfectly happy with my choice! At just under $25, it has been working great (and I’ve been using it daily for the last few weeks). It is super easy to clean, comes with multiple cups, and even includes an extra grinding blade for grinding small seeds and such. I like that it is small enough to leave out for daily use and the design is simple and looks nice.

P.S. Feel free to use your regular blender if you have one! No need to buy a specific smoothie blender for this! I will say though, that the super easy to clean design of this is what has made me actually stick to it. If I had to take a blender apart every day to clean it, I wouldn’t do it (Drew washes the dishes in this house!).

There are a million ways that you can make green smoothies, but this is the recipe that I’ve found perfect for my daily use:

Banana Spinach Green Smoothie
makes one 16 oz smoothie

Ingredients: (feel free to modify as you wish!)
-1 1/4 cup fresh spinach
-1 cup unsweetened cashew or almond milk
-1 tsp honey
-2 tsp ground flax, chia, and hemp seeds
-1 Tbsp almond butter
-1/2 banana, frozen into small chunks
-2 strawberries

Other ingredient ideas:
-raspberries, blueberries, peaches, pineapple, pear, apples (fresh or frozen)
-coconut milk
-nuts or other nut butters
-cinnamon
-dates
-avocado
-vanilla
-cocoa powder
-oats
-coconut

Directions:
1. Place spinach, cashew/almond milk, honey, almond butter, and seeds (I usually pre-grind mine) into blender cup and blend until well blended. (I’ve read that mixing the spinach and liquid together first before adding other fruits helps to get a smoother blend and avoid small bits of spinach in your smoothie).
2. Add banana and other fruit or mix-ins as desired. Blend until well blended.
3. Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts:
258 Calories, 30g Carbs, 8g Protein, 13g Fat, 0mg Cholesterol, 190mg Sodium, 288mg Potassium, 5g Fiber, 11g Sugar

I honestly can’t believe what a difference this has made so far in my routine. It is still quick and easy to make and drink (the small smoothie blender makes it so quick and easy!). It doesn’t take any longer than making and eating a bowl of cereal! But I feel SO MUCH BETTER! I’ve noticed that I have so much more energy lately and this is just such a refreshing way to start my day. I like feeling like I’m being better and healthier to my body. I’ve even started to crave and look forward to my morning smoothie — so much so that I’ve even had another for an afternoon snack some days! I’ve been drinking a bag of spinach a week!

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Cheesy Potato Casserole

May 29, 2016March 27, 2018

This is my own take on a dish my family would always have at holiday meals. It seems like most families (in the Midwest especially) have their own take on this dish – called Texas Potatoes, Funeral Potatoes, or as I like it simply put, Cheesy Potato Casserole. It had been years since I’d had it, mostly because I can’t have cream of chicken soup (its not gluten-free!). I think condensed soups are an odd ingredient in food anyway, and I would prefer to avoid them, gluten-free or not. So here is my more whole foods version of this family staple. Drew and I don’t make it often, but it is the perfect thing to bring to potluck family or work meals when you need something cheap, easy, transportable, and that stays warm or reheats easily.

Cheesy Potato Casserole
makes one 9x13in casserole

Ingredients:
-2 lbs (32 oz) Southern style frozen hash browns/diced potatoes, thawed
-2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
-2 cups sour cream
-1/2 cup water mixed with 2 tsp chicken broth base/bullion
-1/2 tsp salt
-1/2 tsp pepper
-1/2 tsp garlic powder
-1/2 tsp onion powder
-1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
-2 cups cornflakes (make sure they are gluten-free if making gf)
-1/2 stick (4 Tbsp) salted butter

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix together potatoes, cheese, sour cream, water/broth base, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and Italian seasoning in large bowl.
3. Spread mixture into a 9×13 inch glass baking dish.
4. Sprinkle cornflakes on top.
5. Cut 1/2 stick butter into slices and spread slices out across the top of casserole.
6. Bake in 350 degree oven for 45 minutes, or until golden and bubbly.

Enjoy!

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Beef Barbacoa

May 28, 2016March 27, 2018

Beef Barbacoa

Ingredients:
-3.5 lb beef roast (de-fatted, if fatty)
-1 med/large onion, chopped
-3 Tbsp butter
-2 cups beef broth
-1 cup water
-salt & pepper to season roast

For seasoning paste:
-6-8 cloves garlic, finely minced
-2 chipotle peppers (sliced open, de-seeded, and finely chopped)
-2 tsp salt
-1 tsp ground black pepper
-1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
-1 tsp chili powder
-1 Tbsp cumin
-2 Tbsp Adobo sauce (from chipotle peppers)
-1 Tbsp tomato paste
-3 Tbsp fresh lime juice

Optional ingredients for serving:
-cilantro
-sour cream
-lime juice
-avocado
-hot sauce
-salsa
-black beans
-Mexican rice
-white corn tortillas

Directions:
1. In a small bowl, mix minced garlic, de-seeded and chopped chipotle peppers, salt, pepper, garlic powder, chili powder, cumin, adobo sauce, tomato paste, and lime juice to form a seasoning paste.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
3. In dutch oven, melt butter. Lightly salt and pepper both sides of beef roast. Sear the roast on both sides in melted butter until browned.
4. Add chopped onion to the sides of beef roast in dutch oven and lightly saute.
5. Rub seasoning paste over all sides of roast.
6. Add water and beef broth to pan, pouring beside meat, leaving seasoning paste intact on top.
7. Put lid on dutch oven, and cook in 350 degree oven for around 4 hours, or until tender.
8. Shred with a fork (I usually shred it around 3 1/2 hours in and let cook for another 30 min after) and serve!

Enjoy!

P.S. You can also make this in a crock pot, cooking on low for 8-1o hours.

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Blueberry Lemon Walnut Muffins

February 21, 2016May 21, 2018

Homemade muffins were a weekend breakfast staple in my house growing up. We would go pick our own fresh blueberries practically just to have for muffins. My mom would freeze them in big bags so we would have them for muffin making year round. We also made banana muffins, peach muffins, and strawberry muffins, but blueberry (with lemon and walnuts!) will always be my fave. Last summer, I went blueberry picking with some friends on the North shore, just outside New Orleans. I have a large bag of those blueberries in my freezer just for muffin making! The recipe we used growing up is great, but after going gluten-free, I found I didn’t like the way the muffins in that recipe came out as much. I also like this GF Blueberry Lemon Ricotta muffin recipe, but when I came across this recipe from Smitten Kitchen I knew it was bound to be great. I tweaked it a little to make it gluten-free, more lemon-y, and to add walnuts, and I’m in love with the result! The first time I made these was over Mardi Gras when Drew’s mom was in town and Susie and I had eaten them all within 24 hours. They must be good, because when I made the next batch, even Drew (who says he doesn’t like blueberry muffins) ate TWO!

Blueberry Lemon Walnut Muffins
makes 12 muffins, adapted from this recipe

Ingredients:
-6 Tbsp butter, softened
-1/2 cup sugar
-1 large egg
-3/4 cup sour cream (UPDATE: I now use unsweetened almond milk for this instead, since I always have it on hand, and it makes the batter less thick and allows the outside to get a touch more crunchy!)
-zest of one lemon or orange (at least 1 tsp)
-1 1/2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
-1 1/2 cups flour (I use GF all-purpose flour)
-1 1/2 tsp baking powder
-1/4 tsp baking soda
-1/8 tsp salt
-1 cup blueberries (use fresh, or ones you’ve frozen from fresh, don’t buy frozen)
-1 cup walnuts, chopped

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease 12-cup muffin tin.
2. In electric stand mixer, beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Add egg, beat, then beat in sour cream, zest, and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Mixture should be creamy and slightly fluffy (I use one of the highest settings on my mixer).
3. Stir together dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt) in a separate bowl.
4. Turn mixer setting down to just a stir and slowly mix in dry ingredients (in about 1/4 cup-fuls) just until combined.
5. Gently fold in blueberries and walnuts.
6. Batter will be thick (almost like a cookie dough). (UPDATE: not if you use almond milk instead of sour cream, it should be like a normal muffin batter!) Scoop into prepared muffin tin cups.
7. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes or until golden brown and when a tester comes out clean.
8. Remove from muffin tin to a wire rack to cool.
9. Serve warm with a pat full of melting salted butter.

Enjoy!

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Everything Cookies

October 4, 2015March 27, 2018

In high school, I used to make these everything-but-the-kitchen-sink cookies all the time. My original recipe makes quite a lot (I’ve downsized it here), so I would make them and my sisters, Drew, whoever was at my parent’s house or Drew’s parents house, would eat them all up. The cooler temps the last few days have me all nostalgic. Fall always reminds me of when Drew and I first started dating (8 years ago this month!), and in turn reminds me of home and high school. I was flipping through my old handwritten cookbook the other day and came across these again. This very well may be the first time I’ve made these since high school! Definitely the first time I’ve made them since I’ve been gluten-free. This is an easy recipe to make GF since it takes so little flour to begin with!

Everything-but-the-Kitchen-Sink Cookies
makes about 20 cookies

Ingredients:
-1 stick salted butter (1/2 cup)
-1/2 cup sugar
-1/2 cup brown sugar
-1 egg
-1/2 tsp vanilla
-1 cup flour (I use my GF all purpose flour + a little bit of xanthan gum)
-1 1/4 cup old-fashioned oats
-1/4 tsp salt
-1/2 tsp baking powder
-1/2 tsp baking soda
-6 oz chocolate chips (I use half milk chocolate, half semi-sweet)
-3/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
-3/4 cup shredded coconut

Directions:
1. In a stand mixer (or large bowl) cream together butter, sugar, and brown sugar.
2. Beat in egg, then vanilla.
3. In separate bowl, mix together flour, oats, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
4. Slowly mix dry ingredients into wet.
5. Fold in chocolate chips, nuts, and coconut.
6. Roll or scoop dough into balls and place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
7. Bake at 375 degrees for around 12 minutes, or until set and lightly browned. Don’t overbake.
8. Let cool on cookie sheet for a couple minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

Enjoy!

P.S. My original recipe (if you want double what’s above): 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup brown sugar, 2 eggs, 1 tsp vanilla, 2 cups flour, 2 1/2 cups oats, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp baking soda, 12 oz chocolate chips, 1 1/2 cups chopped nuts, 1 1/2 cups coconut.

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Cornbread Muffins

June 29, 2015March 27, 2018

Growing up, cornbread was a daily staple at my grandparent’s house. We had it often enough at our house too, only usually in muffin form. My grandparents made drier, unsweet cornbread (that my Papaw often experimented with and threw in whole kernels of corn or jalapenos) and my Mom always made hers sweet (and a little more cake-like) with Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix. After going gluten-free, I thought cornbread would be a quick and easy replacement for bread with meals. However, Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix is not gluten free. I’ve made many different GF cornbreads, all good, but none the same as that muffin mix. That is, until I came across this recipe by Smitten Kitchen. These are seriously the best, homemade cornbread muffins — gluten-free or not.

Homemade Cornbread Muffins (gluten-free)

makes 12 muffins, recipe from Smitten Kitchen, originally from Cook’s Illustrated

Ingredients:
-2 cups yellow cornmeal (divided)
-1 cup flour (I use my gluten-free all purpose flour + 1 tsp or so of xanthan gum)
-1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
-1 teaspoon baking soda
-1 1/4 teaspoons fine sea salt
-1 1/4 cups whole milk (I use unsweetened almond milk)
-1 cup sour cream
-8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
-3 to 5 Tablespoons sugar (depending on how sweet you like your cornbread)
-2 large eggs

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 425°F (220°C). Grease 12-cup standard muffin tin.
2. Mix 1 1/2 cups cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl.
3. In a medium saucepan, combine milk and remaining 1/2 cup cornmeal. Cook cornmeal/milk mixture over medium high heat for a few minutes, stirring constantly, until it’s thickened to a batter-like consistency.
4. Stir melted butter, sugar, and sour cream into cooked cornmeal. When mixture is cool enough to not cook the eggs, whisk in eggs and stir until combined.
5. Fold in flour mixture until thoroughly combined (batter will be thick).
6. Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups (will mound slightly above the rim).
7. Bake until tops are golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 13 to 17 minutes, rotating muffin tin halfway through baking to ensure even cooking.
8. Let muffins cool in muffin tin on wire rack for 5 minutes, then remove muffins and let cool 5 minutes longer. Serve warm with butter and/or honey.

Enjoy!

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Beef & Rice Salad Bowls

May 27, 2015March 27, 2018

This is my version of a Vietnamese rice bowl/beef salad that my Vietnamese sister-in-law makes. Lately I’ve been in love with this quick, simple, tasty, and filling meal. We’ve been making it at least once a week! (Thanks Trang for the inspiration!)

Beef & Rice Salad Bowls
makes about 4 servings

Ingredients (for the beef marinade):
-1 lb beef skirt steak, sliced in small pieces, against the grain
-4 Tbsp GF tamari soy sauce
-1 Tbsp rice vinegar
-1/2 tsp sugar
-3 cloves garlic, minced
-1 Tbsp fresh ginger, grated
-pinch of salt
-sprinkling of freshly ground black pepper
-(optional) 1 Tbsp chopped fresh lemongrass (the soft part of about 3 sticks) — (I use this if I have it on hand, but leave it out if not)
-1 Tablespoon butter (for cooking)

Ingredients (for serving):
-cooked white rice
-raw, unsalted peanuts, chopped
-lettuce
-tomato, chopped
-cucumber, chopped

Directions:
1. Combine sliced meat and marinade ingredients (soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, garlic, ginger, salt, pepper, lemongrass) in a glass or plastic bowl with a lid. Stir together. Place lid on container and return to fridge. You can leave beef to marinade for a few hours if you like, but I generally just let it sit while I prepare the rest of the meal.
2. Cook rice and prepare salad ingredients.
3. Heat skillet or wok. Over medium-high heat, melt one tablespoon butter. Once butter is melted, add beef (including marinade) and cook several minutes, stirring occasionally, until cooked through.
4. Serve beef over a bed of white rice with salad and chopped peanuts (this is my favorite, so that the rice soaks up the beef juices) or serve beef on top of salad with rice on the side.

Enjoy!

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GF Buttermilk Biscuits and Sausage Gravy

May 14, 2015May 21, 2018

In honor of National Buttermilk Biscuit Day (May 14), here is my recipe for gravy and gluten-free buttermilk biscuits.

Gluten-Free Buttermilk Biscuits
recipe from Fine Cooking’s Gluten-Free 2014 Magazine – makes 10-12 biscuits

Ingredients:
-1 1/4 cups Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour
-3/4 cup cornstarch
-1 Tablespoon sugar
-2 teaspoons baking powder
-1 teaspoon baking soda
-3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your GF flour mix already contains xanthan gum)
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-6 Tablespoons (3/4 stick) cold unsalted butter, cubed
-1 large egg
-1 cup buttermilk

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, mix together all dry ingredients (flour, cornstarch, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum, salt) until well combined.
3. Cut butter pieces into flour mixture with a pastry cutter (or a fork or two knives), until the mixture resembles course crumbs.
4. In small bowl, beat egg and add buttermilk. Mix thoroughly.
5. Pour liquid mixture into flour mixture and stir with a fork until all dry ingredients are moistened and mixture comes together into a soft dough.
6. Drop heaping tablespoonfuls of dough onto prepared baking sheet, spacing 2 inches apart.
7. Bake until golden brown, 12-15 minutes at 375 degrees.
8. Immediately transfer biscuits to a wire cooling rack. Serve warm.

Sausage Gravy

Ingredients:
-1 log Jimmy Dean mild breakfast sausage
-2 Tbsp butter or bacon grease
-1/4 cup flour (I use my GF flour mix)
-2 cups milk (I’ve made with unsweetened almond milk and it works great too!)
-salt & pepper

Directions:
1. In skillet, melt butter or bacon grease on medium-high heat.
2. Scramble and cook sausage.
3. Reduce heat to medium, add flour, and stir until slightly browned.
4. Slowly add milk, stirring constantly, until gravy is thickened.
5. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
6. Serve with warm biscuits.

These biscuits are great with gravy, butter, jam, or plain!

Enjoy!

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White Cheddar Mac and Cheese

February 17, 2015March 27, 2018

I love a good mac and cheese. The real cheese, rich, flavorful ones. Unfortunately, not many places make gluten-free mac and cheese, so if I get a craving for it I have to make it at home. No worries though, I’ve been using this recipe for a couple years and love it!

White Cheddar Mac and Cheese (Gluten-free)
adapted from this recipe, here.

Ingredients:
-1 box (at least 12 oz) penne or other shaped pasta (I like this GF kind)
-6 Tbsp butter
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-1/2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
-1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
-4 Tbsp flour (I use my GF all purpose flour)
-1 cup chicken broth
-1 1/2 cups milk
-2 1/2 cups freshly shredded white cheddar cheese (or you can use a mixture of cheeses if you prefer – I usually use at least one 8 oz block of white cheddar, then add a bit of Gruyere, Parmesan, or whatever else I have in the fridge)
-salt, pepper, Italian seasoning to taste

Directions:
1. Boil water and cook pasta according to package directions (I like my pasta al dente).
2. In large skillet, melt butter (over medium/high heat). Stir in garlic, mustard, and cayenne pepper and cook for about 1 minute.
3. Whisk in flour, stirring and cooking another minute or so until golden.
4. Whisk in broth and milk and stir constantly for 10 minutes or so, until sauce bubbles and thickens slightly (turning heat down to medium if needed).
5. Stir in cheeses until melted. Salt and pepper to taste. (I sometimes sprinkle in a little Italian seasoning as well). Stir in cooked pasta.
6. Either enjoy as is, or if you have extra time, place in glass baking dish, sprinkle with toasted GF breadcrumbs, and bake in the oven at 400 degrees for another 30 minutes or so until it is nice and bubbly!

Enjoy!

P.S. This recipe works great to add in chicken and broccoli or other vegetables for a main dish. If you do decide to bake afterwards, I would suggest only cooking the pasta on the stove until it begins to soften, but is still slightly crunchy. Otherwise baking it might overcook the pasta and get too soft/mushy. As it is baking, the pasta absorbs more of the sauce and it is delicious! But, let’s be real, I’m usually in a hurry to get dinner done after work and don’t have time for that!

Happy Mardi Gras!

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Spaetzle

December 17, 2014March 27, 2018

This is a very special recipe. It was my family’s favorite food growing up, one that was often requested for birthdays or served on special occasions like Christmas Eve (I mentioned it here). I hadn’t had it in several years (since going gluten-free), so a few weeks ago I tried working on a gluten-free version. It is just as delicious gluten-free and surprisingly simple to make for such a special recipe. Spaetzle is a type of German dumpling, if you’ve never had or heard of it before. This dish is similar to chicken and dumplings, except that these dumplings are a little more firm than your standard American dumplings.

Spaetzle
makes about 6 servings

Ingredients:
-3 cups flour (I use my GF All-Purpose Flour mix)
-1 tsp salt
-6 Tbsp melted butter
-4 Tbsp water
-4 eggs
-8 cups chicken stock/broth
-2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
-1-2 cups frozen peas
-salt, pepper, herbs/Italian seasoning, to taste

Directions:
1. In large stockpot, bring 8 cups chicken broth to a boil.
2. In medium bowl, mix together flour and salt.
3. In small bowl, beat together melted butter, water, and eggs.
4. Pour liquid mixture into bowl with dry ingredients and mix with wooden spoon until smooth.
5. Turn chicken broth down to a low simmer.
6. Press spaetzle dough through spaetzle maker or potato ricer into broth, cutting off every inch or so.
7. Stir gently so spaetzles do not stick. Spaetzle is done when it floats.
8. Scoop floating spaetzles out into a bowl. Continue process until all spaetzles are cooked.
9. Once all spaetzles are cooked, add back into chicken broth.
10. Add chicken and peas.
11. Add salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning (or herbs/spices of your choice) as desired.
12. Serve when peas are cooked and chicken is heated through.

Enjoy!

A few notes:

If the spaetzles absorb too much broth while cooking, feel free to add in more before serving. You can also thicken the broth with cornstarch or add in a can of cream of chicken soup (not gluten-free), if you want thicker broth. The first time I made this gluten-free, I also added 1/8 tsp xanthan gum, but forgot to add it the second time I made it and didn’t notice a difference between the two. If you are making this gluten-free, feel free to add it or not.

The original recipe calls for half of this one [1 1/2 cups flour, 1/2 tsp salt, 3 Tbsp melted butter, 2 Tbsp water, 2 eggs], but I wouldn’t recommend making that little, unless there is only one person eating. If you want to make it for more than 6 people, you might triple this recipe, instead of doubling the one above. Up to you. At family gatherings we’ve been known to quadruple this recipe. 🙂

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