Category Archives: Gluten Free

Chocolate Cherry “Ice Cream”

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Want to live to 200 without losing your keys? Try this dessert.

I took some grief when I posted the high calorie Rocky Road Brownies, so I am going to redeem myself with this non dairy, sugar free, gluten free, artificial sweetener-free dessert. Chocolate Cherry “Ice Cream” is right out of Dr. Fuhrman’s cookbook, “3 Steps to Incredible Health, Relish it.”

Dr. Fuhrman is getting lots of media attention lately for his approach to nutrition which he believes can help us all live to infinity.

Luckily he’s an old med school buddy with Dr. Oz, so he’s now the go-to guest when Oz needs someone who is as thin as he is.

My theory about eating plans is that if they have good desserts they may be worth a second look. This recipe passed the test.

I made it in a blender and I think a food processor would be a better choice because it would blend the ingredients better. But we both loved the taste and saw no need to add any additional sweeteners to make it palatable. It was delicious!

The one change I would make is to leave it in the freezer for more than 20 minutes. I was too eager to try it, so we didn’t leave it in long enough to get really slushy. Ken thought it was a pudding; no complaints.

makes 2 servings

Ingredients for Chocolate Cherry “Ice Cream” – Makes 2 servings

garnish with a frozen cherry


1/2 cup soy, hemp or almond milk
1 TBS unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Hershey’s Dark)
4 dates, pitted
1 1/2 cups frozen dark sweet cherries, pitted

Blend together in a high powered blender or food processor until smooth.
Pour into two dishes and freeze about an hour.

Enjoy guilt free!

Naturally, swapping out strawberries or other berries would work well.
Adding a bit of almond extract would also be good.

Or you could skip the almond milk and use Irish Cream, but that would be a whole different dessert.
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Roasted Chicken and Vegetables

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This winter, while long, has provided endless reasons to use my oven for more than just brownies!
Besides roasting chickpeas, all sorts of vegetables and pork roasts, I’ve also enjoyed a few roast chickens.

roast chicken and veggies


I used to purchase only the white meat of the chicken, but new research is telling us that there are different nutrients in the dark meat and that it really isn’t that much fattier. My husband loves dark meat, making this another good reason to roast an entire bird.

And of course, the cost benefit is great. An entire chicken is about $5-$7.00 and although you cannot serve an army with one chicken, you can enjoy several meals. I love making soup with the left overs.

add lemon wheels


There are many ways to season your chicken, but I’m going to give you an easy one to get started.

Ingredients for roast chicken
1 whole chicken, with giblets removed
Salt and pepper
1 lemon cut into wheels
2-3 sprigs of rosemary or another herb of choice
2-3 TBS olive oil

cover with foil


Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Wash your chicken inside and out and let it drain. (Be sure to carefully clean your sink after this.)
Sprinkle the inside of the chicken with salt and pepper.
Place the lemon wheels inside the chicken, along with the rosemary.
Rub olive oil over the enire outside of the chicken and then sprinkle with salt and pepper.
If you have twine, you may want to tie up the legs and tuck in the wings. But your bird will be just fine if you don’t have any twine on hand.
Place chicken in a roasting pan breast side up and cover with lid or foil.
Bake about 45 minutes.
Add vegetables to the roasting pan or add a pan of veggies to the oven at this point.
Continue roasting until the juices run clear.
Chicken will take about 20 – 30 minutes per pound.
Let the chicken rest for ten minutes before you slice into it. This will help the juices stay in the chicken.
While the chicken is resting, you may want to make a simple gravy. Or save some juices for soup.

add veggies to pan after 45 min

roasted veggies in a separate pan

done

Note on vegetables
You can add cut up potatoes, carrots, onions and other vegetables to your roasting pan if there’s room.
You may also want to place other veggies, including brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes and peppers on a separate baking sheet. Drizzle a bit of olive oil over them and sprinkle with garlic salt or regular salt and pepper.
This way the entire meal is in the oven and you can put your feet up and feel smug.

This is a meal fit for company or for a cold winter’s night. Your house will smell divine and you and your family will enjoy a classic meal.
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Roasted Chickpeas

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We’re all looking for snacks that are healthier, right? Well these little peas, which are really garbanzo beans, can be roasted until crisp and flavored any way you like to create your own fun food. Seriously!
This little jewel comes from my daughter, the fitness guru, Rose. Naturally, I had to try them.

roasted chickpeas


Of course, she starts with a bag of dried chickpeas, soaks them overnight and then boils them for another hour or two.

I started with a can of chickpeas. You do as you like, but I hope you try these.

roast on parchment paper


It took about a minute to prepare them (my way) for the oven and then came the wait to see if they’d really be snack worthy.

roast till golden


While I was waiting I prepared some roasted kale. Why not fill up the oven, right? Besides now Dr. Fuhrman and Dr. Oz and the DASH diet and others are saying we need FIVE servings of vegetables each day. So the Kale chips can help reach that. But they are addictive. I blogged about them earlier, but basically, just wash the kale and cut off the stems and toss that. Put the kale leaves on a bar pan lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle with a small amount of olive oil and garlic salt. Bake about five- ten min and you’ll have an irresistible snack. When I blogged about them last time I didn’t use the parchment paper and they got much darker. This time they baked more evenly.

roasted kale chips


But back to our chickpeas, err garbanzo beans. I’ve always loved them because they hold their shape and texture in soups. And they’re so cute! Well now the cuteness level has been amped up.

ready for snack attack


Ingredients
Chickpeas – 1 15 oz can
1 TBS olive oil
Paprika
Garlic salt

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Line a bar pan with parchment paper. (Don’t use a cookie sheet with no sides or they’ll roll all over your oven or kitchen floor.)
Spread the canned (or cooked) chickpeas onto the pan.
Drizzle olive oil over peas.
Sprinkle with paprika and garlic salt or whatever else you’d like to try.
Bake about 30 minutes. Check on them now and then and roll them around.
That’s it. You’ll have little snacks that are full of protein and fiber but taste a bit like nuts.
If you want your peas (beans?) to be crunchier, bake them longer. If you prefer them softer, lessen the oven time.

So easy. A great little snack that will be paired nicely with kale chips. Rose says you can toss these on a salad to add more crunch.

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Maddy’s Strawberry Sorbet

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When I visited my ten year old granddaughter at their home a few weeks ago she said, “Nana would you like to try my Strawberry Sorbet?”

Try it!

“Yes, of course.” Strawberry is one of my “happy” foods, besides, and I’d probably eat snake if one of my grandkids made it.

Maddy pulled out a glass dish with crimson slushy stuff. We got two spoons and dug in! Delicious! Great strawberry flavor, sweet, but not too sweet and an icy texture. Perfect sorbet. I asked her how she made it.

sexy sorbet

“Well you start with a simple syrup,” Maddy explained. As if all ten year olds make simple syrup. Or even all grandmothers!

“And I add a squeeze of lemon to brighten the flavor and a dash of salt.” Now she was starting to talk like a true foodie.

She promised to make some for me the next time she came to my house. Lucky for me I didn’t have long to wait.

Alhough I did supervise her with the boiling liquid, she was very comfortable in the kitchen and the result was wonderful.

mmmm


Ingredients for Strawberry Sorbet1 quart strawberries, cleaned and stemmed
juice from 1/2 of a lemon
dash of salt
1 cup water
1 cup sugar

use half of a lemon

DirectionsWash and stem berries. Add the lemon and salt.
Put the berries in the food processor or blender.
Pulse until they form a thick mush.

For the simple syrup:
In a small saucepan, pour in the water and sugar.
Heat on medium-high until it reaches a boil.
Boil 5 minutes, stirring continuously. The water will reduce and make the simple syrup.
Add the simple syrup to the blender and mix until incorporated.
Pour into a clean container and put in the freezer.

lemon brightens the flavor

blender or food processor

make a simple syrup

Maddy in her cool hat

Strawberry sorbet


That’s it! Maddy says you can use any fruit. And you can easily cut the recipe in half or double it!

Maddy’s Strawberry Sorbet is so simple and the flavor is true and natural. I felt as if I was in Italy eating one of their famous ices.
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