Gluten and Dairy Free Snack Time!!

I am definitely a snacker. I believe that you should eat smaller meals throughout the day, rather than 3 massive meals. It is much better for your metabolism so why not do it? So here are a few of my favorite snacks to make at the beginning of the week and enjoy all week!

Black Olive Hummus 

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked garbanzo chickpeas (about 1 1/2 cans)

1/4 cup Sesame Tahini 

2 clove fresh garlic 

1 t salt

4 T lemon juice 

1/2 can black olives

1/4 extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup cold water

If you are using canned garbanzo peas, be sure to drain and rinse.

Be sure to stir the Tahini as it may have settled. 

This is a super easy recipe using a food processor or blender. Put all ingredients into the processor except the water. 

Blend the ingredients together. While the processor is running, slowly add in the water. 

You may have to stop the blender and use a spatula to scrape down the sides. 

Blend until smooth! Yup thats it!! Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. 

Serve with your favorite gluten free crackers or veggies!

Gluten Free Snack Mix 

Ingredients: 

5 1/2 T of Olive Oil

2 1/2 T Worcestershire sauce (Lea and Perrins is GF!!)

8 Cups Gluten free chex-style cereal

1 Cup almonds (or any other nut of your choice)

4 Cups butter free popped popcorn 

2 t GF Seasoned Salt (Lowry's is GF)

1 t Garlic powder (McCormick's is GF)

1 t Onion powder (McCormick's is GF)

1 cup dried cherries (optional) 

Preheat oven to 250°

Place olive oil, Worcestershire, seasoned salt, garlic powder, and onion powder in a large roasting pan and stir to combine.

Add in your cereal, nuts, and popcorn. Stir all together so the seasoning coats all of your ingredients. 

Bake uncovered in oven for one hour. Every 15 minutes remove from oven and stir around.

After the hour, be sure to let cool and toss in your dried cherries (optional) before you enjoy!

helpful hint: this could always be a wonderful gift for a friend!

Thanks Y'all!

-Wise Wife 

Thanks Eat Easy Montgomery!!

Last night my husband and I had the amazing opportunity to attend an awesome pop up dinner event hosted by Eat Easy Montgomery. They describe themselves as "an underground dining experience featuring progressive cuisine in one night only engagements." Who would have thought something like this exists in Montgomery, AL!! Chef Josh Quick was the head chef of the evening. and truly inspired me. He prepared a delicious succotash of okra, green tomatoes, and a curry broth. From that moment until now, I have had succotash on my mind. I decided I would cook a different version so I could get my fix tonight.

Here we go! Thanks for the inspiration Chef Josh Quick and Eat Easy Montgomery! 

Tonight I am serving the succotash with a SUPER SIMPLE baked scamp fish. Scamp is a type of grouper, but you could use any type of white flaky fish you love. Yes its GLUTEN FREE and DAIRY FREE!! 

We will start with the fish so it can marinate while you are preparing the succotash. 

Baked White Wine Scamp

Ingredients: 

1 c white wine (don't cook with something you wouldn't drink)

1/4 cup olive oil

1 1/2 T Lemon juice

1 t salt

1/2 t pepper

2 filets of scamp 

Mix all ingredients together (except for the fish) and whisk to combine. Salt and pepper the fish filets on both sides. 

Place fish in a baking dish. Pour the marinade over the fish and let marinate for about 30 minutes while you prepare the succotash. 

Bake at 450° for 10 - 12 minutes. 

Summer Succotash 

Ingredients: 

2 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 1/4 cup fresh butter beans (or lima beans) or frozen for convenience 

2 Ears of corn (about 1 1/4 cup kernels if using frozen)

1/2 Vidalia onion

juice of 1/2 lemon

1 1/2 T chopped parsley 

Salt and pepper to taste

(If you are using frozen butter beans you can skip this step.) 

Add the butter beans with 2 cups water and a dash of salt. Bring water to boil and let simmer for 20 minutes.

Drain and set aside. I like to let the butter beans cook while the rest of the succotash is coming together. Just be sure to start it about 10 minutes before you begin the rest of the succotash. 

While your butter beans are cooking, prepare your veggies!

Cut the kernels off of the ears of corn

Dice your onion 

Chop your garlic

Dice your tomato

Chop your parsley

Heat your olive oil over medium heat in a medium sauté pan 

Add in corn, onion, and garlic. Sauté for 5-7 minutes. 

Add your butter beans into the corn onion mixture.

Add in tomato and lemon juice and stir to combine. 

Remove from head and add in salt, pepper, and parsley. 

Enjoy!! 

Thanks Y'all!

- Wise Wife

My Version of Chicken Chorizo Paella

Well.. It's Monday again! Time for

ONE POT MONDAY

For this Monday, I was craving a little spanish flair. What's better than paella? But how do you make a paella gluten free and healthy? I took on the challenge and I believe I have succeeded.

Emily's Chicken and Chorizo Paella 

Ingredients:

1 bell pepper (I chose orange)
3 Cloves garlic minced

1/2 red onion
1 medium tomato 

1 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3/4 pound gluten free Chorizo sausage
1 3/4 c Brown Rice

dash of Saffron

1/2 T Italian seasoning

1 t chili powder
 T lemon juice 
4 Cups low sodium, gluten free vegetable broth
2 Cups cooked Chicken


Here we go!!!

Go ahead and get your ingredients chopped so you can move through the recipe smoothly. 

You will need to remove the casing from the sausage. Simply run a knife along one side of the sausage and the casing should pull right off.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and add in the Chorizo. Cook for 3-4 minutes.

 Toss in your chopped onion, bell pepper, and garlic and sauté until onions are translucent (4-5 minutes)

Add in the saffron, Italian seasoning, chili powder and stir to combine. Be sure not to add too much saffron. It has a strong taste!

Add in your rice and stir to combine.

Sauté for 3 minutes.

Add in your vegetable broth and lemon juice and give it a quick stir.

Add in your chicken and tomato and stir to combine. Cover and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer  for 45 minutes, or until all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is fully cooked.

Feliz de Lunes!!

Thanks Y'all!
-Wise Wife

I'm Seeing GREEN...

Pesto that is. I love having a garden in my back yard full of veggies and herbs. We seem to always have an abundance of basil, so I decided to make some pesto. It is SO easy and even easier when it's dairy free. I will give you my original recipe for pesto and also the dairy free version. I always can the pesto in the summer and freeze it so we can use it all winter long. 

Pesto can be used in SO many ways! I use it for pasta, as a dipping sauce for bread, as a sauce for baked chicken, but really the possibilities are endless.  Today I am just going to show you how to prepare the pesto and later on will show you all of the yummy things you can make with your pesto!

If you don't have a garden, no worries. You can use fresh basil from the grocery, you will just need to buy a few packages. 

If you are using basil from your garden and have some stems with flowers, they are fine to use! In fact, they have a stronger flavor than the leaves. 

Also, make sure you wash EACH leaf from your garden! There are many bugs that like to hang around basil and we don't want them in your pesto!!

This recipe makes one pint of pesto, the amount you would use per pound of pasta. If you are a pesto lover like my family, we use just under a pound of pasta so we have a little more pesto than pasta. 

Deliciously Easy Dairy Free Pesto 

Ingredients:

4 Cups fresh basil

3 T toasted pine nuts

4 cloves garlic, smashed

3 T Buttery Spread, softened (I used Earth Balance)

1 1/2 t salt

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil 

First and foremost, if you plan to make several batches and freeze the pesto, make sure you sterilize the glass jars before you fill them with pesto. I find the easiest way is to run them through the dishwasher. 

Preheat oven to 350°. 

Lay out your pine nuts on a parchment covered cookie sheet. 

Toast in the oven for 7 minutes or until lightly browned. DO NO OVER TOAST! If the pine nuts burn, start over. If you use the burnt pine nuts, it will ruin the taste of the pesto. 

Smash 4 cloves of garlic with the back of your knife.

Time to get out your food processor or blender because this is why this recipe is SUPER easy!

Add the 4 cups of basil to the food processor 

Then add in the pine nuts.

Then add the buttery spread, garlic, salt and olive oil. 

Pulse until smooth.

If you plan on using the pesto right away, you may now enjoy! 

If you are going to freeze for the winter,  simply pour the pesto into your sterilized pint sized canning jar. 

I do make some pesto that has cheese in it for my husband. He just loves it and I don't think he shouldn't be punished because I am allergic to dairy. The pesto is made the same way as above, I just tweak the ingredients.

Pesto with Dairy Ingredients: 

2 C fresh basil

2 T pine nuts

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 c fresh grated Parmesan

3 T fresh grated Romano Pecorino 

1/2 c olive oil

3 T Butter, softened 

Go ahead and freeze the pesto right away and you can enjoy it for months ahead. The pesto will be fine in the freezer for several years... if it lasts that long (no way in my house!)

Thanks Y'all!

-Wise Wife