Tag Archives: food

Low Sugar Holiday Nuts

Maple, Holiday Nuts

Hello, my name is Melanie and I’m a snacker. I feel like there should be a support group for people like me. If I don’t have a little nosh, I’m completely ravenous during the next meal and I’ll eat everything in sight. Snacks are essential.

But snacks aren’t as easy as they might be for the glutinous. I can’t just grab a granola bar and call it a day. But that’s where nature comes in, nature’s granola bar is nuts! And I eat a lot of ’em. But lately I’ve been wanting a way to spice things up. The old, raw nut routine wasn’t cutting it anymore. I’ve also been on a low sugar kick lately, so I didn’t want to just douse them in cinnamon sugar like most holiday nuts and call it a day. Although, that would probably be delicious. And yes, I’m already talking about the holidays. Don’t act like you haven’t been mentally adding everything in Target to your wish list already. WE ALL DO IT.

Holiday Mixed Nuts

Here’s the recipe for Low Sugar, Holiday Nuts 

1 tbsp coconut oil
1/2 cup raw, unsalted cashews
3/4 cup raw, unsalted pecans
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cardamom
1 tsp maple syrup
Sea salt

Melt the coconut oil over low heat. I used a cast iron skillet, but you could probably get away with any kind of skillet. I just think cast iron makes everything taste better. Ok, so once you’ve got the coconut oil melted, toss in the cashews and pecans, cinnamon and cardamon. Stir frequently and toast until tan. I always like toasting cashews because they’re light in color and you can tell when they are done. It’s nature’s timer. When everything looks nice and toasty, add the maple syrup, give it a good stir and just a little more toast to caramelize the syrup. Finish with a healthy dose of sea salt.

Confession: I ate this whole plate. Worth it.

love,
melanie

 

Crustless Quiche

gluten free, dairy free quiche If there was an Olympics for taking on more than you can handle, I’d be winning the gold, silver and bronze. And it’s my fault, I know. I seek out the craziness. It’s one of my very few character faults. 🙂

I knew this week was going to be brutal, so I planned ahead. I’m also good like that. Here’s one of my favorite plan-ahead breakfasts. It’s great for those days when even making a smoothie is too time-consuming. Just grab, go and heat it up at work before your morning meeting. Or cram it in your mouth while changing lanes on your morning commute. 

crustless, gluten-free quicheIngredients
1 lb of ground sausage
Veggies of your choice (I used sautéed zucchini and topped with tomatoes)
6 eggs
1 cup of almond (or regular) milk
1/4 cup of nondairy liquid creamer (or half-and-half)

Brown sausage and sauté your veggies. Wisk eggs, milk and creamer together. Add sausage and veggies to egg mixture. Top with tomatoes if you want to make it look half-way presentable. If not, I won’t judge. This is a working (wo)man’s breakfast. Bake in a preheated oven at 400 degrees until the center is set– about 30 minutes.

Easy as quiche.

love,
melanie

The Gluten-Free RV: The Beginnings

A typical gluten-free meal for me. Yes, that's a lot of mayo.

A typical gluten-free meal for me. Yes, that’s a lot of mayo.

Now children, gather round, I’m going to tell you a deeply personal story. Once upon a time in grad school I started to get very, very sick. I had debilitating stomach pain. I was hospitalized several times. I had mysterious rashes, unexplained tiredness and nausea. I knew every bathroom within a 50 mile radius of my apartment. It was a miserable, unpleasant, and downright scary time. Sometimes the stomach pain would get so bad, I would think “ok, this is the end. I’m really lucky I didn’t decide to get a cat so he wouldn’t eat my face off when I die.” Really. I thought that.I saw so many doctors and the inside of more depressing waiting rooms than I care to remember. I had so many tests run and everything came out negative. Many doctors brushed me off. “You’re in your 20s, you are young, it’s just stress,” they’d say. I lived in fear of food and on the recommendation of one doctor, ate a very bland, low-acid diet of peanut butter crackers, bananas and chicken soup.

I was sick for years. YEARS. I lived a miserable dietary existence. I was ready to just accept my fate as a weak, sickly individual until I saw one last doctor. This particular doctor suggested cutting out certain foods to see if my pain stopped. I cut out gluten, dairy and nightshades. My pain disappeared. I had more energy than I had in my entire life. I actually enjoyed eating again.

I worked the nightshades back into my diet with no problem. Then I tried the dairy. Still very little problem as long as I didn’t overdue it. I was scared, but I also tried adding the gluten back into my diet. The stomach pain and nausea came back soon after.

I’ve now been gluten-free for a couple of years. And it’s been glorious. I don’t miss “real” bread, pasta or the pain they once caused me. I eat fresh, beautiful foods without abandon. And guess what?! I cook them all out of my Airstream!

So to make a long story short, I want to share those foods with you in a new column I’m calling “The Gluten-Free RV.” The title makes sense now, huh?!

Thanks for listening, ya’ll. I love you and I hope you’ll enjoy.
melanie

 

 

Maple and Rum Horchatas

horchata1I like my milk heavy on the coffee. Is that how that saying goes? No? What I’m trying to say is a big glass of plain, dairy milk makes me cringe.

The first time I encountered horchatas was when I lived in L.A. I was scared to try them because I thought they were a big ol’ glass of watery milk. But we ordered one anyway and boy was I was wrong! Horchatas are refreshing, delicious and made from rice water and almond milk– which I actually enjoy. I also enjoy a little refreshing nip of rum–if you know what I’m saying.

Here’s my recipe for the perfect adult horchata.

Ingredients

  • 1  cup of uncooked long grain rice
  • 5 cups of water
  • 3/4 cup of unsweetened almond milk
  • 1/2 tablespoon of vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup of maple syrup
  • 4 shots of your favorite rum (We used Sailor Jerry’s for the nutmeg and cinnamon flavors.)

horchata2

Pour the rice and water into a  blender.  Blend the rice until it breaks up, but isn’t total mush– about 1 minute. Let rice and water stand at room temperature overnight.

The next day, strain the rice water into a pitcher. Discard the leftover rice. Whisk the almond milk, vanilla, cinnamon, maple syrup and rum into the rice water. Serve over ice.

So much more refreshing and relaxing than a glass of milk!

What is your favorite summer drink?

love,
melanie

Tart, Ginger Cranapple Juice

homemade cranapple juiceIt seems like everyone is juicing lately. I have to admit, I’ve been on a couple of juice cleanses and I absolutely hated it. Let’s be real, ya’ll. No green juice is ever better than a real bacon and egg breakfast. And to be honest, I feel better eating high protein, low carb instead of the other way around.

But George loves apple juice. He is such a little kid sometimes. And I do worry about the boy’s sugar intake. I can be a real mom sometimes. So, I was looking for  a way to make a healthier, lower sugar, apple juice. Here’s what I came up with:

Ingredients

  • 2 Granny Smith apples
  • 1/2 inch of fresh ginger
  • 1/2 cup of cranberry juice (no sugar added)

I don’t have a juicer, so I made this one in my blender. It works well, but it would be smoother if you choose to make it in a juicer.

Peel, core and cut the apples into bite-size chunks. Peel and cut up the ginger. Add the cranberry juice to the blender first, then add the apples and the ginger. Blend until smooth and pour over ice. Enjoy!

Cranapple ginger juice

Tart and gingery! Have you ever tried a juice cleanse? Do you think it lives up to the hype?

love,
melanie

Dark Chocolate, Salted, Caramel Rice Krispies

rice_krispiesCan you all tell this month has been kicking my butt? Easy projects have been key lately. Lucky for you (and me) this recipe is super easy!

I wanted to make Rice Krispies for a work luncheon, but I had to do something a little different. So, I thought, why not substitute caramel for the marshmallows?! Then I got real crazy and added sea salt and chocolate– my favorite combo.

Ingredients:
3 cups of Rice Krispies
1 package (14 oz.) of caramels
2 tablespoons of butter
5 squares of dark chocolate (or enough to drizzle on top)
2 pinches of sea salt

Directions:
Melt butter in a double boiler* over low heat. Add caramels and stir until candy has completely melted together. Add Rice Krispies to the caramel one cup at a time. Stir quickly! Take off the heat and spread into a greased pan.

Break chocolate into little pieces and melt in either a double boiler or a microwave. Drizzle onto the Rice Krispies. Sprinkle sea salt on top.

*If you don’t have a double boiler (I don’t) you can always place a slightly larger pot on top of a smaller pot of water to create the effect.

rice krispies with carmel and dark chocolateGeorge said it reminded him of a grown-up version of a Star Crunch. I take that a huge compliment.

love,
melanie

Breakfast Pizza

Pizza with an egg on top!
Pizza with an egg on top!

It’s no surprise that breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. My first date with George was actually to iHop. On the weekdays, we usually don’t have enough time to make an elaborate breakfast, but on the weekends, we go all out. This weekend we wanted to try something different.

We are also obsessed with pizza. (Who isn’t?!) George and I would eat pizza every night of the week if we could. So we decided to combine two of out favorite things: pizza and breakfast!

We made this breakfast pizza from a store-bought, gluten-free crust. We topped it with pizza sauce, cheese, pre-cooked sausage and uncooked eggs, then baked according to the directions written on the crust. It tasted amazing! And as George and I like to say, “Put it on the menu!”

How have you reinvented your standard meals? Let me know in the comments!

love,
melanie

New Orleans Honeymoon

nola20001

nola40001

One of my favorite parts of the graveyards in New Orleans were the painted tombs. Colorful in life, colorful in death, right?!nola60001 nola60002 nola70001 nola80002Standing beside Voodoo Priestess, Marie Laveau‘s (disputed) tomb.

nola100001

nola30001For our honeymoon, George and I decided to forgo the traditional, all-inclusive beach trip for a darker, and dare I say, more exciting vacation to New Orleans.  And we didn’t regret a minute of it. The food was amazing, the history was rich and the beer was flowing!

As you can tell from the pictures, we visited several graveyards and we brought along cheapo, disposable cameras. I kind of love the way the pictures turned out. They are a little creepy, over-saturated, and look much older than digital photos. We also forgot to charge the digital camera– happy mistake! I brought the disposable cameras on our ghost tour too, but none of the pictures turned out. I think a ghost ruined the rest of our film!

If you are thinking about doing something a little off the beaten path for your honeymoon, I would highly recommend it. Get out there and see something new!

Did you go anywhere “different” for your honeymoon? Are you planning to go somewhere “different?” Let me know in the comments.

love,
melanie

 

Gluten-free, Puffy, Berry Pancake

pancake

After discovering my gluten-intolerance, I haven’t really missed bread, pasta or traditional desserts very much. The one thing I did miss was pancakes. Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day– and it’s the most important, right? And nothing, I mean nothing, gets me out of bed faster than a piping hot cup of coffee and a giant pancake.

Gluten-free, Puffy Berry Pancakes (adapted from Primal Blueprint Quick and Easy Meals)

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons of butter
1 cup of fresh or frozen berries (I used frozen raspberries and strawberries)
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat butter and berries in a 10-inch oven-proof skillet over medium heat.

As berries heat, separate eggs into two bowls, one for egg whites and one for yolks. Beat the egg whites until peaks form. Then, add the vanilla and cinnamon to the egg yolks and whisk by hand. Fold the egg yolks into the egg whites.

Pour the egg mixture on top of the fruit in the skillet and spread it out evenly. Cook on the stove for 2 minutes on medium heat. Move the pan to the oven and cook for 12 minutes or until the pancake is puffy and brown on the edges.

Remove from the oven and top with butter and powdered sugar or a drizzle maple syrup!

What is your favorite meal of the day?
love,
melanie

Infused Strawberry Vodka Lemonade

infused strawberry vodka lemonadeInfused vodka is one of those things that seems really difficult and maybe a little snobby, but it’s actually stupid-easy. Making grilled cheese is harder than making infused vodka, I swear. For this recipe, the hardest part is waiting a week for the fruit to mingle with the vodka.

Infused Vodka Ingredients

  • Enough fruit of your choice to loosely fill a mason jar (approximately 2 cups)
  • Approximately 12 oz. of vodka (I recommend at least triple-distilled)
  • A cool, dark place and patience

To make infused vodka all you have to do is wash and cut your favorite fruit, put it in a mason jar, and then fill the jar with vodka. Screw the top on the jar and leave in a cool, dark place for a week. Shake everyday, if possible. One week later, drain out the fruit and voila, you’ve got infused vodka!

I tried several different fruit-infusions: blueberry, lemon and strawberry. By far, the strawberry was the best. Below is the recipe I made with the infused strawberry vodka. I actually don’t usually enjoy vodka, one too many bad college nights, but this recipe made me a believer in the magic of the clear spirit.

Infused Strawberry Vodka Lemonade

  • Two shots of infused strawberry vodka (recipe above)
  • 6 lemons
  • A handful of ice
  • 2 tablespoons of sugar

Squeeze the juice from six lemons. Add the sugar and vodka to the lemon juice. Pour or shake over ice.

strawberry lemonade detail

Tip: I like to put my drinks in mason jars with lids, so I can easily shake the drink. James Bond style.

This recipe will make 2 small-ish drinks or one large-ish.  😉

Did you have any special spirits over the holiday weekend?

love,
melanie