Author: GlutenFreeHolly Page 7 of 14

Gluten Free Mom of 3 Kids, 2 dogs, 2 birds, Pediatric Surgeon, Family Chef and Home Improver! Swimmer, Runner & Paddle Boarder

Sunday morning happiness

By GlutenFreeHolly

On August 9, 2015

In Gluten free

Sunday, not on call, I have a couple early morning errands, but I would LOVE to have a yummy breakfast with the kids. I don’t know about you, but I can’t start cooking until….. Until I exercise, until I take care of the dogs, until I clean up the kitchen… This one I don’t understand. I’m about to make a big mess, but I refuse to start unless the dishwater is empty, the counters cleared and wiped. Yeah, I agree, I have OCD. I try to control it, but fail…. I start breakfast at 1045… After errands, after hot yoga, after 2 cups of coffee & the kitchen is shining.

My daughter has requested waffles.. Pumpkin waffles. I’m in! I have ripe bananas, so while I’m trashing the kitchen, I’ll make banana bread.

Easy Pumpkin Oatmeal Waffles -Gluten Free

3 eggs separated

1 c milk

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 c butter, melted , plus 1 T reserved for griddle

3/4 can organic pumpkin pack

1 T apple cider vinegar

Whisk egg whites to soft peaks, and put aside. Mix all wet ingredients

2 1/2 cup gluten free baking mix (I used Pamela’s)

1 packet gluten free oatmeal mix (I used Eco-planet maple & brown sugar)

1t pumpkin pie spice

Whisk together and mix in wet ingredients

Fold in egg whites

Brush griddle w butter, cook…

gluten free flour with oatmeal

the kitchen getting dirty….why i needed it clean first….i dont know

fold it in 🙂 inhale…. yum

yum, yum, yum! not even a crumb left….

Gluten Free Banana Bread

2 eggs

1/4 c melted butter

1 t vanilla

1/3 cup sugar

2 bananas

1/4 c pumpkin pack

1 T apple cider vinegar

Mix well

1 3/4 gluten free flour ( I used Pamela’s baking mix)

If using plain flour, add salt, baking powder & baking soda

1/3 cup walnuts

1t cinnamon

Dash nutmeg

1 t pumpkin pie mix

Mix with wet ingredients

Pour into greased bread pan, top with raw sugar & walnuts

Bake at 350, 55 mins

i dont know what youre thinking, but im thinking EAT!

moist, delicious, nutritious !

Happy Sunday! Make it a great day❤️

Quinoa Crusted Quiche….Vegetarian & Gluten Free!

By GlutenFreeHolly

On August 5, 2015

In Gluten free

I’m out of ideas for dinner….and its 6 pm…and I’m on call….I don’t like to be on call, because they call, a lot. It makes me cranky. I recite “it’s my job…I love my job” and I do, but not so much the night call. It’s the fear of the unknown, waiting for the other shoe to drop. So, wimpy, whiny and trying to regain my PMA (positive mental attitude), I decide to try my hand at a Quinoa Crusted Quiche.

During the creation, I had a couple of “technical difficulties”… I never get the water to quinoa ratio quite right, but I think I got this worked out. In the end, I have a yummy, protein rich meal fit for a family of 6 :). And, my mantra has worked, the challenge of a new dish has me happily distracted!

Quinoa Crust

1 1/2 cup quinoa

2 1/2 cup water

1 t chili powder

1/2 t salt

1 T olive oil

Rinse quinoa, add everything and bring to a boil, and then simmer until ALL the water is absorbed.

Whisk in 2 eggs (Whisking makes me happy…did you know that?)

1 c shredded cheese (cheese makes me happy too!)

1 c gluten free bread crumbs

Press into greased pan ( bottom & sides) and bake at 400 for 20 mins

press the quinoa mix into a pan

Quiche Filling

Add olive oil to pan,

Sauté 1/2 red onion

1 white onion (small)

1T chopped garlic

Add 1 c chopped butternut squash

1/2 c chopped red pepper

1 can black beans rinsed

Salt, pepper to taste

1 t chili powder

2 t oregano

Sauté until veggies tender

butternut squash.. but you could use any veggies!

saute up deliciousness

a little call can’t stop me! (well, actually it can…but so far, so good!)

Once crust ready,

Whisk 8 eggs

1c shredded cheese ( I used “Mexican blend”)

Veggies

whisk that whole mess together! like it spicy? add some chipotle!

the more cheese, the better!

Pour into crust, bake 30 mins at 400

Top w cheese & serve with salsa verde on the side!

looking Good!

catastrophe averted!

PMA Success!

I really thought this was going to be a dinner catastrophe! Instead my kids each had 2 servings and it was DELISH!

❤️

Get Your Grills Ready! Grilled veggies, Sriracha Glutenfree Mac & Cheese …. and Burgers for the Carnivores

By GlutenFreeHolly

On August 4, 2015

In Gluten free, Gluten Free Dining

Its Monday night and after 4 months of an empty propane tank, I finally have a refill (many thanks to my fiancé ….as I would have just let the grill rust vs. go get a new tank) and I’m feeling inspired (And a little obligated). After reading the terrifying instructions on reinstalling a propane tank….let me tell you…I used an entire watering pot of “soapy water” to check those seals and still was a little scared when I ignited the first section. My daughter walked by right then and I yelled “GET BACK!”. Poor thing just watched Mission Impossible and looked like she was going to duck & roll.

Grilled veggies are the best… And really any combination turns out amazing on the grill. Here is my veggie combo from last night.

Grilled Veggies

1 potato sliced

1 summer squash, sliced

2 sweet potatoes. sliced

5 sweet peppers

1 cup sliced carrots

1 c cherry tomatoes

1 red onion, chopped roughly

2 sprigs of fresh thyme, sprinkled across

1T olive oil, 1T hot pepper oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper

Mix together and grill in roasting pan 45 mins

don’t they already look good!

i love, love, love this sesame oil

grilled veggies ready for the table

Sangria

While grilling, I love a glass of wine… Especially after taking my life in my hands with the tank install! I prefer red…but goodness IT IS HOTl so I decided upon red sangria. An easy, refreshing mix, and so delicious! To prepare …pour glass of red wine, add several splashes of margarita mix, ice cubes, frozen berries….yep. time to grill!

now Im ready to grill!

Sriracha Mac & Cheese

Cook gluten free Penne pasta 7-8 mins, drain and rinse, set aside

In pot, melt 1/4 c butter

Stir in 1/4 t mustard

1 tsp Sriracha

Whisk in 1/4 c gluten free flour

2 c milk, whisk gently til thick

Add 1 c cheddar cheese

Mix into pasta, sprinkle and additional cup of cheese over top, add 1/4 c Parmesan over top, garnish with Sriracha. ( I only did 1/3 of the pan as 2/5 of my house is spice averse)

Bake a 375, 40 mins

I’m pretty sure NOONE wants to hear how to cook burgers from someone who doesn’t eat meat, so I’ll keep it short!.. Basically I just mix in salt, pepper, worchestshire sauce and throw on grill. I have no idea if they even taste good….but they disappeared quickly!

Anyway, make it an awesome day!

❤️

Sunday afternoon project & a quick delicious gluten free lunch! Amy’s Tomato Soup and Gluten free Cheese Bread

By GlutenFreeHolly

On August 2, 2015

In Gluten free, Gluten Free Dining, Home organization

A year ago, I redid my pool deck tiles (they were so slippery that it was just a hazard) and saved 2 of the wood pallets, with the idea that I would do something AMAZING with them….but…..I never did. Last week they fell over with thunderstorms twice… And they are quite heavy…so back to a dangerous situation, I decided it was time to do something with them. I looked at so many amazing vertical gardens on Pinterest, but the shape of the pallets, and the need for chicken coop further delayed progress. Then…came a near fatal hit to my idea of reclaim, reuse, beautify….my fiancé said “they are really ugly, and heavy, and that’s my opinion”. True… They are plain Jane, and heavy…. So, in their place a bought 3 planters and stuck in some lime and lemon trees and was about to call it a day when I remembered the exterior paint samples I got last year to paint the patio wall.

last years project! aftee we finished, Queiro construction added tile to the floor and a cool wood slab atop this wall.

You can buy these little samples at Home Depot and have them colored to your liking. I have used these little sample bottles so many times on projects inside and out of my home!

I decided, before throwing them away, to try one last thing. So while our delicious lunch was cooking, I got out the paints! First lunch!

I needed a fast, east, yummy lunch…something like soup and sandwich, but yummier and gluten free. I decided to mix up a modified pão de queijo and serve it with Amy’s Tomato Soup. That soup is so good that even my tomato hating so loves it!

For the cheese bread, I blended

2 cups tapioca flour

1 tsp salt

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1/2 cup oil

Once well blended, I added 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, the remaining mozzarella (?1/4 cup), and 1 cup of shredded Italian blend cheese. I blended some more and then baked in muffin pans (greased) at 350 for 40 mins.

Lunch is served!

let’s eat!

While the cheese bread was cooking, a painted a base coat of blue and turquoise on the boards and moved them to the ugliest outdoor are of our house… Right by the front door. I chose this for the reasons 1. This wall cannot look worse…2. it’s close to the trash pile if I’m unhappy with the result.

the ugliest area… also used for tennis… note the poor light

My yard has a section entitled “the graveyard”. It is where all the plants that I have killed go, along with their containers…One year, I took all the dying orchids and strapped them to the trees, leaving their maintenance to nature (wise move… They’ve done great). This left a pile of hanging orchid baskets in the graveyard. I gathered these up, plus a trough basket recently purchased at Home Depot and got started.
First the base layer was painted. Next, my daughter, Anna (a wonderful au pair from Germany), and I painted some designs on the wood.

painting away

ready for the next step

The next step was to fasten the old hanging baskets and the trough basket to the pallets. We lines them with black plastic and filled them with potting soil.

the baskets could be hung by cutting the hangar off and twisting the wire behind the frame, or by nailing it to the frame

I found it easier to nail them in

The baskets were then filled with heat tolerant plants…. At this point I was wishing I was heat (and mosquito) tolerant (bienvenidos a Miami) and epiphytes that we found after yesterday’s horrible thunderstorms were placed in the natural nooks and crannies of the pallet.

finished!

So, what do you think? Keep or toss? Send your ideas for reusing pallets… Would love some inspiration!

Happy Birthday!! Room makeover for my 7 year old!

By GlutenFreeHolly

On July 27, 2015

In Home organization

My daughter turned 7 last week and she asked for a room makeover… Well and an iPad, Apple watch, party with all her friends, Legos, dance music…. The list goes on and on…. Of course, yes! She could potentially have ONE of these each year (maybe)…, but this year, I’m doing the room do-over. You see my daughters shared a room until February, when I converted the playroom into a sleek, modern, Preteen paradise! It was a great idea, but left the other room over crowded, dated, poorly coordinated and well, ugly.

horrible, dark and crowded

a panorama of chaos

The bummer of being divorced, as all divorcees know, is that sometimes, and sometimes for very special occasions, you are not with your kids physically. For me, that can be sad and difficult… especially birthdays and holidays…. But really anytime. I know they also need their Dad and I also know that I have them so much of the time… So I try to find constructive ways to spend the time that I’m not with them and deal with the strange emotion of celebrating the day I gave birth to an unbearably beautiful and unique human without being with her (I know… Wait a few more years and I’ll be lucky to get a phone call).

I put that energy to use! I go for a cleansing run or swim or clean the house from top to bottom, or work… But this time, I have a project… And honestly I’m worried that it will be hard to finish in a week!!! The room was a light moss green, but she loves pink, purple, pink and yellow and pink…

So first… I settled on a trundle bed from Wayfair. As always, it arrived fast, and in perfect condition and was super easy to assemble! It was important to both of us to have extra space – without another piece of furniture or a room darkening bunk bed.

Before setting up the furniture, I painted the room eggshell beige (took 4 coats to cover the moss…). I chose a wall for chalkboard accent stripes in “raspberry” and voila!

Remember, after placing tape, “seal” the tape lines with the base color to prevent the color from running

starting to take form!

Next I assembled an IKEA Micke corner desk (LOVE IT) and standing mirror (ISFJORDEN), and flower lights from IKEA’s past years. I decided to bunch the lights into a bouquet and paint a vase to help remind her to hang on tight to her “awesome”! I painted an accent flower over the headboard, and recoated some IKEA shelves with the same chalkboard paint. I picked up coordinating curtains and a rug at IKEA, as well!

its a little pink, right??

youre awesome… put it on your wall!

this was so easy! a canvas from michaels, a ruler and paint… done! I feel awesome, too!

coming together!

My arms are sore, but my heart is full… And I hope she loves it!

That’s it! Now it’s time for a big plate of cheese and gluten free crackers!

Have a beautiful night!

❤️

Easy, cheesy, beautiful… Tostadas! Meatless Monday is Here!

By GlutenFreeHolly

On July 13, 2015

In Gluten free, Gluten Free Dining

On call all weekend and now I want to have a nice family dinner. I have avocados that are ready to go… I’m pretending that I need a reason to cook Mexican….

Well, I don’t – and so its rice and beans and tostadas and sopes and Key Lime Pie! That’s right, Baby!

I know… I’m pretty psyched for dinner too… My daughter’s friend, who was here for a play date, took one look and asked if she can stay for dinner. Yep… That makes me feel good!

So, this is too easy! Get your beans and rice on auto pilot. I bought vegetarian old El Paso refried beans, some premade tostadas and I’m halfway done with dinner!

What you need and how-to!

(See prior posts for rice and beans, key lime pie, and sopes)

dinner prep in action! sangria, beans, sopes, tostadas & key lime pie! oh YES!

Tostadas- fry your own, or pre- made.

Old El Paso refried beans

1c shredded Monterey Jack Cheese

2 avocados

1 tomato

1 green onion

Cilantro

Warm tostadas in the oven on a cookie sheet, heat beans, spread beans on each tostada, sprinkle with cheese and then garnish with tomato, green onion and avocado.

Enjoy the easiest dinner EVER!!

i just had to take a pic… now i can take a BITE!

looks good! easy, cheesy, beautiful… super cheesy, right?!

Did you miss me? Nothing says Summer in Florida like Key Lime Pie! (Gluten free, of course!)

By GlutenFreeHolly

On July 10, 2015

In Gluten free

I’m back from vacation and it’s time to get cooking! I must admit… Since we got home I’ve been sticking to my favorites that I’ve already posted, but truly I’ve been craving Key Lime Pie. I had a little of my daughter’s maybe a month ago… It wasn’t gluten free… I only had a little of the “safe” key lime part… Well… The craving was put to rest… At least for a little while…. Nothing ends craving like worshipping the porcelain goddess..

Ok! For the good stuff. Now, by Key Lime Pie I don’t mean the green one… I mean the beautiful creamy, tart – but sweet- light yellow, makes my mouth water and my head spin with beaches and sunshine and palm trees and warm ocean breezes just thinking about it. One taste can transport me to vacation….ahhhhh. Yes. It is that good! Most like it with whipped cream. I like it with a scoop of Breyers natural vanilla. That light vanilla offsets that perfect sweet tart of the key lime. It may be the best EVER!

What you need and what to do!

Gluten free graham crackers (about 2 cups)

1/2 cup melted butter

3 T sugar

1/4 cup pecans (optional) chopped

Dash nutmeg

Process, crush or squish graham crackers, mix in (with your hands works best) everything else

Save a little of the butter and apply liberally to the pie pan.

Press the mixture into the pan.

Preheat oven to 350

I found these at Whole Foods… pretty good!

little mixing hands work perfectly!

press it all down.. save a little for garnish if you like!

In a mixer, whisk 5 egg yolks until smooth and thickened

Add 1 can sweetened condensed milk – mix well

Add 1/2 cup key lime juice

1/2 tsp grated lime zest

Pour into crust and bake at 350 for 15 mins, then chill. You can use egg whites for meringue if you like.

so yummy…. can you taste it?

if youre not using meringue, garnish with a little lime zest and reserved crust

this isnt breyers… because I ate all the breyers… but it was still good

Serve it up and Be Happy!

Blueberry Cobbler… Gluten free and 5 min prep time!

By GlutenFreeHolly

On June 21, 2015

In Gluten free

Fathers day… Longest, most beautiful summer day of the year… I wanted to finish off the the day with a yummy dessert…blueberries are in season (and even the organic blueberries are 2 pints for $6 at publix) and I saw a recipe for cherry cobbler. It looked fine, but when I think cobbler or crisp, I think BLUEBERRY!!! With Breyers natural vanilla ice cream (my favorite for 44 years) on the side… Summertime, summer solstice heaven. If you can find gluten free instant oats, you can modify this. I could only find the premixed packets, so I chose the maple and brown sugar ecoplanet gluten free oatmeal and it turned out …. AMAZING!!

Here is what you need:

1 1/2 pints blueberries

1/4 cup sugar

1/5 tsp lemon zest

2 tsp lemon juice

2 T corn starch

1t cinnamon

For crust-

1 c gluten free flour mix- I used Pamela’s

1 package instant gluten free oatmeal (maple and brown sugar)

1/2 c butter

1 t cinnamon

1/2 cup pecans

Let’s go!!!!!

Preheat oven to 350

Mix the berries with the cinnamon, sugar, corn starch, lemon zest and lemon juice.

Put in bottom of 9 ” baking dish

Mix softened butter with remained ingredients. Mix gently by hand to “cut in ” butter

Drop batter by drops across the Berry mix

Top with pecans.

Bake 40 mins 350.

oatmeal is gluten free, but there is a lot of cross contaminations… so choose a gluten free brand- like Chex or Ecoplanet

looks good… smells great… cant wait to taste it

here we go! oh yes! Happy Fathers Day!

Serve with vanilla ice cream and Enjoy!!! This is summer and it’s delicious!❤️

Happy Saturday ..& a great Sangria

By GlutenFreeHolly

On June 20, 2015

In Gluten free, Home organization, Uncategorized

I always have a hard time deciding… Red or white sangria… They are both so yummy… Red reminds me of spiced oranges and cloves and white of summertime on the water….ahhhh.

So, I got up this morning and cleaned my house… Like the kind of cleaning when you get the funky stuff from around the faucets … Scrub the showers until your arms burn… The kind of clean where you wish you hadn’t added another bathroom…

And then, aside from making incredible chilaquiles with egg for brunch and grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch (my kids don’t understand brunch… They just think it’s breakfast with a tardy slip), I painted some horrible looking doors…

Isn’t it amazing what a fresh coat of paint can do… Honestly, so often I feel like I’m doing that for my life… Not covering up the grime, the scars, the imperfections…. But relishing them… Remembering when I redid my daughters room and scratched the door… Enjoying the wrinkles, the scars… The momentos… But then doing a deep clean to wash away the bad and start fresh… But with the knowledge and experience from before.

Well… The doors look great… As does the house.. And to celebrate, I made a glass of sangria and headed to the pool… To relax and take in the sound of the parrots, the jumping fish, my crazy dogs and appreciate.

Anyway… THE SANGRIA!!!

1/2 bottle red Zinfandel.. I used Cline

1/2 bottle rose

1 cup margarita mix

1 cup crushed ice

I cup organic mixed berries

Mix, pour… Relax

Appreciate what you have… Little or a lot … For you Dads… happy Father’s Day. You truly have something to appreciate.

❤️

Mexican Lasagna- super easy deconstructed gluten free & vegetarian quinoa enchiladas!

By GlutenFreeHolly

On June 16, 2015

In Gluten free

In a hurry? Need a fast, easy, healthy dinner? I love to make enchiladas, but honestly, when I’m in a hurry, trying to roll tortillas without them breaking and cracking etc can be time consuming, hand burning and sometimes frustrating… One day, in a hurry, I tossed the tortillas in the pan, lasagna style…. Yep! Mexican Lasagna! It’s possible that the chefs of Mexico may not like this name… If not, I’m sorry… Mostly…

So, I made some rice and beans and then get started on the filling…

What you need & instructions!

In large pan, add

Oil- 1 T

1 onion chopped

1 tsp chopped garlic

1 potato chopped

Salt, pepper, red pepper & Italian seasoning to your taste

Cook on medium high until the potato is tender about 7 mins. Add:

4 small sweet peppers

1/2 butternut squash chopped & peeled

Cook several mins, then add