Gluten Free Croutons

I've been away for far too long. Life has been pretty busy and hectic but it's time to try to start posting again and bringing back my love of food. I can't guarantee I'll update as much as I'd like, but I will do my best to record my journey with food as I go about my day to day life.

In the time I've been away, I've been busier with work and have also been diagnosed with Celiac's Disease. This means I have had to go gluten free. I'm still adjusting and learning and, well, it has been a bit frustrating most of the time. I'm still finding my way and have been obsessing and learning and freaking out and stressing and dealing - sometimes all at the same time! But I feel like I may finally be settling into this new life so I hope to be able to continue this blog but add in these new adventures in food. My main focus of this blog will still be to celebrate all foods, but I'll throw some specifically gluten free things in every now and then.

Along this new journey, I've had to reinvent some foods that I haven't been able to easily find or, to be honest, just taste awful. A lot of the meals and creations I have previously made are already naturally gluten free, but some things require a little creativity. And, in certain cases, some store-bought items...

Pan Roasted Tomatillo Salsa

This is by far, one of the best salsas I've had. I have a soft spot for salsa verde because it's mild but packs a lot of flavor. Plus, the sweetness from the tomatillos is a little, added bonus. I've never made a salsa like this before and it's now one of my favorite things. I would be lying if I said I didn't eat a big spoonful every time I walked into the kitchen...

Cod Fillets with Blood Orange Citrus Sauce

I think I have a bias towards cod. It's just so mild and there is so much you can do with it! If you look at my fish recipes on here, about 99% are cod. Maybe I should broaden my seafood selections a bit...

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

This is another one of those spur of the moment recipes that happened by chance.

Tuscan Cauliflower, Tomato, and Bean Sauté

I've been working on this little at-home challenge where I'm trying to eat more vegetables every day. Some days I achieve my goal, some days I don't. But the good days outweigh the bad and I think I'll eventually hit the amount that I'm happy with each and every day. In an effort to help me succeed, I'm trying to whip up these awesome side dishes that serve more as the main entrée than the actual side.

Poached Cod with Shallot Butter Sauce

I love trying out new recipes for fish. And most of the time, that fish just happens to be cod. It's our favorite. And when I say our, I mean my son and I. My husband just won't touch it! Well, I guess I should say that he won't touch the kind I make. He only likes it fried. Why? Because then you don't taste fish, of course!

Mediterranean Quinoa Stuffed Avocado

I'm on a quinoa kick. And I'm always looking for new things to do with avocados, so why not combine the two! This one was inspired by a recipe a friend shared on Facebook. You can find it here: http://theleancleaneatingmachine.com/2014/01/17/quinoa-stuffed-avocados/

The original was more of a Mexican-flavored meal so I decided to change it up and bring on some completely different flavors. The only way to go, of course, was Mediterranean style!

Naked Jalapeño Poppers

My husband and I are big fans of jalapeño poppers. It's been quite awhile since we had them though because the fried goodness just isn't good for you. Tasty? Oh yeah. But to eat a lot of them is just soooo not gonna happen around here.

Pureed Cauliflower Soup

We're totally on a cauliflower kick over here. My son absolutely loves it so I've been trying out some different things. I did the (suddenly so popular) cauliflower pizza crust but I need work on it some more. I think it could be much better so more on that later.

I've also done it steamed with carrots and then seasoned with butter, salt, and pepper. It's really good, but kind of boring. But, hey, if my kid will eat it then I love it.

Mediterranean Baked Cod

This one. This one is probably one of my favorites. And my son's favorites. You just have to love when your six year old's new favorite dinner is fish, right?

(Did I mention he's six now? When did this happen? He was just a tiny baby, wasn't he? Well, my little man just had a birthday and at least I can say that I'm handling this one better than I handled it when he turned five. Not sure why since six means he's officially a kid and not my baby anymore. How can he not be my baby anymore? How will I get through this?! Well, after I commented that he was getting so big, he proceeded to reassure me that no matter how old we both get, he'll be my baby forever. He knows just what to say to get to this momma's heart...)

Okay, mini meltdown over. Now I can get back to the recipe...

Quinoa and Pomegranate Salad

You may have thought that quinoa was just a trend, but it's here to stay. It's delicious, it's versatile, and it's really good for you.

It can get boring eating it plain though, so I like to add fun things to mine. This one is so great because it's not your traditional hot side dish. Because of the mild flavor additions, it's best served at room temperature. This allows all the flavors to meld together nicely and softly pronounce each one.

It goes with pretty much anything, but it's so good and filling that I could just make this a meal!

Chicken Breasts with Quick Wine Cherry Pan Sauce

We eat a lot of chicken over here. And because of that, I'm always looking for new ways to jazz it up.

Crock Pot Italian Sausage with Potatoes, Onions, and Peppers

I love my Crock Pot. But really, who doesn't? I'm a big fan of it for a lot of different reasons but the stand-out is giving me good food with little effort. And on a busy work day when there is soccer practice after school, nothing sounds better.

Tomato Cucumber Salad with Mango

Have you ever had one of those days where you're just craving something veggie packed and fruity at the same time? I have. On many occasions actually.

Crock Pot Chicken Breasts with Potatoes, Onions and a Rosemary Herb Sauce

Man, I just love my crock pot. I don't love when I go to make something only to discover I have everything but one key ingredient. (We'll just call that a tiny bit of poor planning on my part.) That poor planning did lead to this impromptu chicken though. And since it was really tasty, I'm not too distraught over my initial meal not happening.

Steamed and Buttered Red Potatoes

If there's one thing my mom always goes to in terms of potato dishes, it's this. She's made it for years and always just whipped it up every time. She never followed a recipe but knew exactly what she was doing so it was the same delicious flavor every time. Moms are funny like that...

Grilled Honey Mustard Pork Chops

Since warmer weather is finally here, I've been working on some new grilling recipes. I've been getting bored with chicken lately so I've turned my focus to pork. We bought a large tenderloin at Costco a few weeks ago and after cutting it up and portioning for a ton of meals, I left a little bit out and cut it into chops. I new I wanted to grill them but it took me a couple days to decide how and with what.

I had written a crock pot recipe for a honey mustard chicken a few days earlier so I decided to adapt it a bit for the pork and the grill. It seemed like the perfect combination. After a few tweaks to my original mustard sauce, I had a glaze that worked great with the fire.

Baked Greek Lemon Chicken Thighs

Chicken and Greek flavors are meant for eachother. I don't usually dive too far into those flavors because my husband isn't really a fan, but I'll try to incorporate subtle flavors into our meals sometimes. This chicken doesn't have a strong Greek influence, but the basic flavors are there. The lemon and oregano infuse the chicken nicely and the garlic adds a nice bite without being overwhelming.

Grilled Shallots with Thyme

I love shallots. They're so cute and have such a wonderfully subtle onion flavor that they're the perfect addition for many dishes. They're best for when you want a hint of onion but don't want to overwhelm things. And because they're so mild in flavor, they work great as a side dish all on their own.

These grilled shallots are fantastic when paired with a grilled steak or even barbecued chicken. You can change up the herbs to compliment your other dishes for a custom taste every time! I added the balsamic for a little tang but you could easily leave it out if you aren't a fan. Or try some red wine vinegar or a little lemon juice for some variations. The sky's the limit here!

Homemade Ranch Dressing (Without Buttermilk)

Okay, it's not that I have anything against buttermilk, it's just that I never have it in the fridge. I don't keep it 'just in case' so spur-of-the-moment recipes that require it don't happen around here. Ranch dressing used to be one of those things that I couldn't make because I never had the buttermilk. Now, I'm not normally a super huge fan of ranch dressing, but sometimes you just have to have it! And, I got tired of not being able to have it because of that one ingredient. So I improvised. And I tweaked. And I ended up with a dressing that is awesome using ingredients that you probably already have. No special grocery store visit needed just to top your salad. Or dip your vegetables. Or however else you'd use it.

So if you're in the mood for some ranch dressing, don't be discouraged if you don't have any buttermilk! Give this one a try and you won't miss the other kind.