Daikon Chips w/ Guacamole! GF, V, BED, SCD!

Happy Tuesday! How's everyone's week going?

OK...serious question...Who watched the Bachelor?! :D

Guilty as charged. I know, I know...such garbage....but I like it:) I thought the prank he pulled on Desiree was not cool...not cool at all.

Also -- If you want to be on the GFHT Email List to receive my recipes in your inbox, leave me a comment with your email, or email me @ Caralyn4@gmail.com and I'll add you to the list!

So anywho...onto the Food!

I think I have a subconscious longing for chips...haha...I see people eating them on the subway all the time, and since I can't have them on the SCD, I think I subconsciously want them...which is weird, because growing up, I was never even really a "chip person!!"

Soooo, I made Daikon Radish Chips with Red Pepper Guacamole!

Wait wait wait...daikon radishes? What the heck are those?.......Well, they're those big white tube-looking veggies in the produce section. They also come looking like white carrots, but I bought the big tube -- perfect for chips.

And come on...annything with guacamole is a winner!

And it's Gluten Free, Vegan, Body Ecology Diet and Specific Carb Diet friendly!

Here's what you need: (serves 1)

1 daikon radish, sliced thin on a mandolin
1 zucchini, sliced thin on a mandolin

Guacamole:
1 avocado, mashed
1 garlic clove, grated
2 Tbsp red onion, minced
squeeze of lime
big pinch of salt
2-3 Tbsp cilantro, chopped

Mix Ins:
1/2 red pepper, small dice
6 cherry tomatoes, halved

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Carefully slice your radish and zucchini on a mandoline. Place the slices on 2 tin-foil-lined, olive-oil-sprayed baking sheets in a single layer. Spritz with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 30 minutes, flipping once halfway through.

Meanwhile, make your guacamole. Mash your avocado in a bowl with the salt, garlic, and lime. Stir in your cilantro and onion. Then, fold in your desired Mix Ins.

Serve your chips with your guacamole and devour!

This meal was fantastic! Let me just tell you about this guacamole....it is outrageous. In fact, I don't mean to "toot my own horn," but among my family and friends, I'm kinda famous for it. Whenever I go to a party, or dinner get together, people ALWAYS request me to bring my guac. I literally make like a quadruple batch, and it's gone within 5 minutes. It is THAT good. I usually don't put red peppers in it, but I wanted to get an extra veggie in there tonight:)

And the chips were marvelous! I already know that I love zucchini chips, but the daikon chips were such a pleasant surprise! They weren't super *crunchy*...they were more of a chewy texture, but that was fine with me...they were wonderful! Their raw flavor is somewhat intense, but when you bake them, they become almost nutty and scrumptious!

Would I have liked to eat this guac with tortilla chips? Yes. But were these chips the next best thing? Absolutely!

Do you have a signature party dish?

This meal was made possible by two of my favorite kitchen tools: my mandoline, and my olive oil mister! This mandoline is great because it has a hand guard, which I found out the hard way, is a must!! And then my EVOO sprayer makes it so I don't have to use chemical-laden cooking spray. Here are the ones I use:

Butternut Squash & Candied Pecan Pancakes! GF, SCD, w/ BED & V Options!

Hey guys! How's everyone's week going? Things here are great! I love Mondays...but then, you already knew that!

How do you guys like the new site?! Remember, if you previously received my posts via email, you can drop me your email address and I'll add you to my GFHT Email List! Woo!

So tonight, I made a real treat for dinner. I mean, we're talking...this should be illegal. :)

I had about a cup of diced butternut squash leftover...soooooo...I made...

Butternut Squash & Raisin Pancakes w/ Candied Pecans!!

And they're Gluten Free, Grain Free, and Specific Carb Diet Friendly w/ both a Vegan and Body Ecology Diet option!

Here's what you need: (Serves 1)

1 cup diced butternut squash, small dice, roasted
heaping 1/3 cup almond flour
1 tsp cinnamon
healthy pinch salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 egg whites (Vegan Option: 2 flax/chia eggs)
2 droppers-full of pure liquid stevia (SCD use 2 tsp honey)
3 Tbsp raisins (BED omit)

Garnish:
6 "candied" pecan halves (see directions below)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with tin foil and spritz with olive oil. Place your butternut squash on the pan, and spritz with olive oil. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake for 30 minutes, until tender, flipping once, halfway through.

Meanwhile, candy your pecans. I have a cheater's way to do this:) Take a Pyrex measuring cup (or other microwave-safe dish), and put your pecans in it. Spritz them lightly with olive oil, and then sprinkle them with a tiny bit of salt, about 1/2 tsp of cinnamon, and 1 "dropper-full" of pure liquid stevia. (Or if you're SCD, 1 tsp honey). Toss/shake them about so they're all coated. Then, microwave for 25-30 seconds. They'll come out beautifully spicy and sweet! I sometimes make this for a snack!!

Once your butternut squash is out of the oven, Mix together your dry ingredients in a small bowl. Then, in a larger bowl, beat your egg whites with your handy dandy hand mixer (or whisk) until medium peaks form. Then add in your stevia (or honey) and continue to whisk. Finally, gently fold in your dry ingredients, being careful not to deflate the egg whites too much. Then fold in your raisins. (not the squash yet).

To make the pancakes, place 1/3 of the batter onto a screamin' hot, olive-oil-sprayed, nonstick skillet. Once your cake is down, carefully place pieces of the squash on top. Let cook for about 3 minutes on the one side, and then carefully flip, and let cook for 1-2 more minutes. Makes 3 silver-dollar pancakes. Garnish with your candied pecans and any extra squash you may have.

Oh. My. Gosh. These were amazing!! I was really craving some delicious pancakes and these seriously hit the spot! In fact, if I were blindfolded, I'd think I was eating dessert!! They're THAT good!

The texture on these was so airy and light. You'd think they'd be heavy because they're made of almond flour, but just the opposite! They were ethereal! And you'd get these chewy, sticky raisins, and creamy pieces of butternut squash...simply heavenly!

And the flavor was faaaabulous! My, oh my! There was the sweetness from the squash and the stevia, complimented by the warm, spicy cinnamon. And then you'd get a pop of intense sweetness from the raisins! All on a beautiful nutty backdrop from the almond flour and candied pecans.

Seriously, do yourself a favor and make these pancakes. You will find yourself making them weekly!! 

There were several tools that made this recipe possible. First and foremost, a good chef's knife is critical, especially when breaking down a butternut squash. A good chef's knife is an investment, but it really transforms your cooking. Then, my Kitchen Aid hand mixer made beating the egg whites super easy! Plus, it's pink for breast cancer! Finally, my nonstick skillet combined with my olive oil sprayer were key players.  Here are the ones I use:

Tomato Towers! GF, V & SCD w/ BED option!

Hey Hey Happy Tummies!

I hope you all had a fabulous week! I know I sure did!

This week was full of auditions! Keeping busy and loving it!

First of all, thank you all for the helpful tips about the email-service Feedburner. Unfortunately, I tried that "widget" and it rejected my blog because it "exceeded the file size." Soooo, the GFHT Email List will have to suffice! Just leave me your email and I'll add you to the list if you'd like to receive my posts via email!

Also, I have had it brought to my attention that the links in my recipe index page link to pages that "no longer exist." No worries, I have changed the links in my index so they will now work!

Now onto the FOOD!

This. meal. was. ROCKIN!!

Like, we're talking...incredible!

Simple flavors that jive together, presented in an artistic and fun way!

And it's Gluten Free, Vegan, and Specific Carb Diet friendly!

Here's what you need: serves 1

1 tomato, sliced into 1/2 inch rounds

1/2 avocado, diced

6 button mushrooms, sliced

1 cup spinach, roughly chopped

salt and pepper

Start out by browning your mushrooms in 1 tsp EVOO. This is best done is a large, non-stick skillet. The trick to get them brown is to place them in a single layer, and then don't touch them for 3-4 minutes. Then flip. Also, don't salt them until after they're browned. After they're browned, add in your spinach and stir it so it wilts. Then add salt and pepper and set aside.

Meanwhile, prep the rest of your veggies. *Don't cut your avocado until your mushrooms/spinach is done so it stays bright green. Then, use either a ring mold, or if like me, you don't have one, you can make one out of parchment paper! I did this by making a cylander tube out of parchment that was the size of the widest part of my tomato. (For some reason tape doesn't stick to parchment, so I stapled it :P ) Then, cut the parchment tube so it is only about 6 inches tall.

Then, I got to the layering! I put one tomato slice on the plate and put it in the bottom of my tube. Then, I poured the diced avocado into the tube, spreading it out to make sure it went to the sides. Topped that with another tomato, then poured in my spinach and mushrooms. Then topped with a tomato. Then, I carefully slid the tube straight up, reavealing my tomato tower! *Carrying/balancing it to the table is a bit tricky...I actually took the tube off at the table to prevent any mushroom or avocado "casualties."

Wow. Oh. Wow.

The flavors, textures, and colors made this an all around 10! I would definitely serve this to dinner guests!

First, the flavors: Oh my gosh, you cannot go wrong with fresh, juicy tomatoes and luxurious avocados. That combination is like Sonny & Cher, Simon and Garfunkle, Elvis & PB & Banana Sammies:) It just works. So then, when you combine the earthy, savory mushrooms with that amazing combo...it's downright outrageous!

And the textures! Holy cow, this was so much fun to eat! The creamy, and rich avocados, with the juicy tomatoes, and the chewy mushrooms...it was a texture fiesta!

Finally, it was striking in beauty. The height of the dish, and the different layers and colors made this as much a piece of art, as a meal!

*And for a BED option, you could use roasted red peppers in place of the tomatoes! mmm!!

Give this dish a try if you're looking for a show-stopping, absolutely delicious dish!

Want to know what tools I used in this recipe? A great chef's knife, and big 'ol nonstick skillet. Here are the ones I use and highly recommend:

See ya tomorrow!

Email Alert & Veggie Eggie Bake! GF, BED, SCD & Vegan Option!

Hey Hey Happy Tummies! So glad to see you here!

EMAIL ALERT! So I heard all of your concerns about no longer receiving email notifications of blog posts once the switch happens.

SO - I have 2 alternatives for you:)

1. You are able to sign up to get my posts appear on your Google/Yahoo homepage, OR you can add it to your Google Reader. You can do that in the "subscribe" section on the right hand side of the new site.

2. You can message me your email address! I'm going to create a big "GFHT Email Group" and I will manually send you an email with my new posts! BEST OF BOTH WORLDS!! :D

Yay! I'm really excited about that 2nd option. You see, I called my dad yesterday, and explained to him how bummed I was that my email-readers would no longer have that option, and he came up with the brilliant idea of the email group! So thanks Dad!

Now, onto the food!

This month, I'm taking a class that meets every night between the hours of 5:30 and 9. Sooo, that makes cooking a bit impossible. SOOOO, my theme this month is MAKE AHEAD WONDERS!!

Tonight's dinner was a Veggie Eggie Scramble! A super easy, "bake it and forget it" meal that'll be waiting for you when you get home!

And no worries, my Vegan lovies! This can be made vegan by subbing crumbled tofu or tempeh, or rice for the egg whites!

And it's gluten free, Body Ecology and Specific Carb Diet friendly with a Vegan Option!

Here's what you need:

3 egg whites, beaten
healthy pinch salt and pepper
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 zucchini, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1 cup spinach, chopped
1 cup broccoli, steamed

garnish: green onion or chives, chopped

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Start by steaming your broccoli. I do this by placing my frozen broccoli florets in a pyrex measuring cup, and microwaving for 1-2 minutes! (That's the super fast/easy/no clean up way!) Drain the excess water and pat dry.

Take a small baking dish and line with parchment paper. (This makes it easier to take out after if cooks). Whisk your egg whites until frothy in a medium sized bowl. Add your spices and whisk again. Stir in your veggies. Pour into your parchment-lined baking dish and bake for 40 minutes. Serve garnished with chopped green onion or chives!

This couldn't be easier for a make ahead meal! I literally just make this before I leave, and leave it in the oven (which is turned off) until I get home!

It may not be the "fanciest" of recipes, but sometimes, you just need a meal that'll fill you up and is easy to make. Let me tell ya, the LAST thing I want to do when I get home at 9:30 is cook! So this is a great alternative!

And it is so delicious! You've seen this combination of flavors before...but that's because it's my favorite! The spicy chili powder with the warm cumin is fabulous with the sweet bell pepper and yummy broccoli.

It's a nutritional powerhouse of a meal too! Chock full of veggies and unadulterated protein!

What's your favorite "make ahead meal?"

Don't forget to bookmark www.glutenfreehappytummy.blogspot.com and leave me your email if you want to be on the GFHT Email List!

For the chopping and dicing in this recipe, a good knife is crucial. In fact, a good chef's knife is one of my kitchen essentials. They say a dull knife is the most dangerous tool in the kitchen! It is so true! A good knife is an investment, but it really takes your cooking to another level, and makes the prep work SO much easier! It actually makes chopping enjoyable! Here's the knife I use:

Welcome! Cranberry Pistachio Cookies! GF, V, SCD!

YOU MADE IT!!!!!!!! :D

New Year! New Look!

It's still the same ol' me, just with a "facelift!" :) Yep, I decided to make the switch from Wordpress to Blogger. But no worries, Happy Tummies...all my recipes are still here, and when you type "glutenfreehappytummy.com" into your address bar, you'll automatically be redirected here!

Or if you'd like to be extra amazing, you can bookmark this site!! :D

The only "glitch" may be that if you're getting my posts via email, you won't be receiving them anymore:( My appologies.

So without further ado...WELCOME!! LET'S GET COOKING!

CRANBERRY PISTACHIO COOKIES!!!

They're Gluten Free, Vegan, and Specific Carb Diet friendly, and RAW! 

Oh my gosh these were amazing. I ate the entire batch myself!! And I'm not ashamed!! :D

Here's what you need: (Makes ~6 cookies)

1/4 cup almonds
1/4 cup pistachios
4 dates
1/8 cup dried cranberries (unsweetened)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

Garnish:
1/8 cup pistachios, rough chop
1/8 cup dried cranberries, rough chop

You ready for the easiest directions ever?!? THROW EVERYTHING IN THE FOOD PROCESSOR AND BLITZ THEM UP!! That's it!! Let it run for about 1-2 minutes until a ball forms. Then, roll roughly a Tbsp of the dough into a ball, and then roll in the chopped pistachios and cranberries. Chill for at least an hour...or dig in right away if you can't resist!

How amazing were these cookies...let me count thy ways! They were wonderfully chewy, with a nice crunch from the chopped pistachio coating. They were sweet and nutty with a slight tang from the cranberries! They were absolutely wonderful!

And so pretty too! The red and green made these so whimsical and fun! They looked like they were "bejeweled" or "bedazzled!" They'd be great for Christmas too!

They were gone before I could give any away to my friends or doormen! Oops! Looks like I'll be making another batch this weekend!

Did you guys watch the People's Choice Awards tonight? All I have to say is, "Way to Go Sandra Bullock!" She received the humanitarian award for her work with a New Orleans school. It was a really beautiful story:)

Be sure to check back tomorrow for another recipe!!

As you all know by now, I have an obsession with my food processor:) I use it literally everyday. It's one of my "kitchen essentials" as it can transform your cooking from ordinary to extraordinary! Here's the one I use and highly recommend, as well as my camera!

Until tomorrow!

Turnip Chips! GF, V, BED, SCD!

Happy Monday!!

I secretly love Mondays. It’s a new start. You’ve got the entire week to make amazing things happen!

I also love Sunday nights:) I go to church on Sunday nights, so when I come home, I love relaxing and going to bed early. Haha … how old am I?? Sheesh :)

so flavorful!

Here’s what I had for dinner last night…Oh boy…sheer goodness! I was really craving potato chips! But as you know…potatoes are a “no no” on the Specific Carb Diet…so I racked my brain, and *ding ding ding!*….TURNIPS!

crispy crunchy chips!

And to keep it healthy and filling, I made a delicious cauliflower and spinach dip. I loved it. Disclaimer…you have to like spinach, but I absolutely gobbled it up!

And it’s gluten free, vegan, Body Ecology Diet & Specific Carb Diet friendly!

wow oh wow

Here’s what you need:

2 turnips, sliced thin on a mandoline
5 cherry tomatoes, halved

1 3/4 cups cauliflower, steamed
1 cup spinach
2 tsp dijon mustard
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Carefully, slice your scrubbed turnips on the mandoline. Place the rounds in a single layer on 2 tin-foil-lined, olive-oil-sprayed baking sheets. Spritz them with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 25-30 minutes, flipping half way through.

Meanwhile, steam your cauliflower until tender. Combine it with your spinach, dijon, salt, and pepper in your food processor, and process until smooth.

so green and pretty!

To plate, serve a dollop of your cauliflower/spinach dip with your chips, and garnish with sliced tomatoes.

wait a second…that’s a turnip?!?

This meal really hit the spot! I was really craving chips, and on the Specific Carb Diet, chips, or anything “carby” is illegal. So when I was able to create that satisfying crunch, and carb-like texture, I was ecstatic!

gluten free, vegan, Body Ecology and Specific Carb Diet friendly!

And then cauli-spinach dip was wonderful. I loved the tangy-zesty-zip from the dijon mustard. I will be honest of you…you have to like spinach for this to float your boat. But I do, and I thought it rocked! :) It would also make a good sandwich spread.

What are you looking forward to this week? I have a big audition tomorrow night, so I may not be able to post, but I’ll be back for sure on Thursday! See you then!

Need any of the tools I used in this recipe? You already know I'm obsessed with my food processor, but a mandoline makes chips like these possible! Here are the ones I use: