Gluten Free Double Chocolate Scones

While getting ready to host a wine tasting party this upcoming weekend Ive been shuffling through all the bookmarked recipe ideas I have saved to see what weird and wonderful snacks to make. In the process Ive been finding recipes Ive been remiss in not yet posting.

I made these scones months ago for our house warming party. They were delicious. So delicious in fact no one even noticed they were gluten free which is a compliment when you can trick wheat eaters into making yummy noises over something sans flour. But shame on me for taking so long to tell you about them. They were easy, had a nice chewy consistency and took care of the scone craving I had at the time. Now that I rediscovered this recipe I might have to make them again tonight.

Gluten Free Double Chocolate Scones

2 1/2 cups almond flour
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup agave nectar
2 large eggs
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 chopped dark chocolate

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl mix almond flour, salt, and baking soda together. In a separate medium bowl mix the coconut oil, agave nectar, and eggs together until blended. Add cocoa powder to wet ingredients. Pour dry ingredients into wet ingredients and mix well. Briefly stir in dark chocolate.

Place 1/4 cup of batter onto parchment paper lined baking sheet or silicone baking mat. Repeat for each scone and space about one inch apart. Bake 12 to 17 minutes or until scones pass the clean toothpick test.

Original recipe from Celiac Chicks blog.

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Diet Information What is the diet

Below are some notes about the highlights of this diet.

I do recommend purchasing the book because it provides concise and informative explanations for the various parts of the diet as well as information about how metabolism is supposed to work. It also has recipes you can eat on the diet =)

$15.48 online
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-fast-metabolism-diet-haylie-pomroy/1113745604?ean=9780307986276

There is also an app for you iPhone users.

$1.99 app store
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/fast-metabolism-diet-app-customized/id626362411?mt=8

However the reviewers say it is only partially useful and still needs many updates.

3 PHASES

You go through these phases every week for 4 weeks (28 days)

Phase 1 - Unwind
Stress and Calm the Adrenals
Days 1 and 2


Phase 2 - Unlock
Stored Fat and Build Muscle
Days 3 and 4

Phase 3 - Unleash
The Burn - hormones, heart, and heat
Days 5 and 7

What is happening?

Step 1: Take your food and turn it into energy

Step 2: Release stored fat

Step 3: Turn newly released stored fat into energy

Phase 1 Food

This is the high-glycemic, moderate-protein, low-fat phase.

- three carb-rich, moderate-protein, low-fat meals

- two fruit snacks

Phase 2 Food

This is the very high-protein, high vegetable, low-carbohydrate, and low-fat phase.

- three high-protein, low-carb, low-fat meals

- two protein snacks

Phase 3 Food

This is the high healthy-fat, moderate-carbohydrate, moderate-protein, low glycemic fruit phase.

- three meals

- two healthy-fat snacks

THE RULES

The Dos

1. Eat 5 times a day: 3 meals 2 snacks

2. Eat every 3 to 4 hours unless you are sleeping.

3. Eat within 30 min. of waking. Every day.

4. You must follow the meal plan for 28 days.

5. Stick to the foods allowed for each phase. Religiously.

6. Follow the phases in order.

7. Drink half your body weight in fluid oz. of water every day.

8. Eat organic wherever possible.

9. Meat choices must be nitrate-free.

10. You must exercise 3 times a week, according to the phase.

The Donts

1. No wheat. 

(what?!)

2. No corn. 

(aw... that buttery salty goodness)

3. No dairy. 

(no!!! my ice cream and yogurt!)

4. No soy. 

(sauce? but I cook with it all the time!)

5. No refined sugar.

(i saw that coming)

6. No caffeine. 

(NOOO! here comes the coffee withdrawal)

7. No alcohol. 

(this... will be a test... I love my cider)

8. No dried fruit or fruit juices. 

(I will miss my morning OJ)

9. No artificial sweeteners. 

(We can use Stevia still... even if it does taste funny)

10. No fat-free "diet foods" 

28 days later...

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Halibut with Sun Dried Tomato Butter and “Potatoes”

This is one of my favorite low maintenance menus taken of course from a Rachel Ray recipe and improved upon. There are three different things to work on all at the same time (four if you add a steamed green vegetable to the mix as I do) but none of them take any effort. Its almost too easy after some of the things Ive been making, that probably means I need to start coming up with really complex menus soon to make up for it.

I have a thing about not liking plants from the lily family raw. It probably has something to do with the fact Im allergic to the flower. This I found out the hard way a couple years ago when the fella bought me a huge arrangement of purple and orange lilies. It was gorgeous and exactly my taste and my favorite colors. It should have been perfect birthday gift except for the fact that the next day I woke up unable to breath and spent the rest of it feeling like I was about to die at any second. We put the lilies outside to think about what they had done and I miraculously returned to normal.. The poor pretty lilies got re-gifted to a friend and the fella wisely has not buy me flowers since. Its better that way, I prefer my flowers alive in the ground and to be able to breath.

So though I adore garlic, shallots, leeks and on a limited basic onions they absolutely have to be cooked in order for me to eat them. This makes things interesting considering the large quantities of raw onions people seem to toss on seemingly everything Ive ever ordered in a restaurant. I also cook the hell out of

The original recipe for this called for both raw garlic and scallions, obviously that had to change I have a tried it a couple times that way and hated it so this time around I took the time to cook them both slightly before adding them to the butter spread. This I loved. It made the spread much less intense and allowed the sun dried tomato to really shine. If youre into raw lilies feel free to just mix up the butter ingredients and save yourself some time.

This horribly divine butter is great on the fish and beans but it would be sinful not to slather it on some warm potatoes. Unfortunately potatoes arent in my near future. Instead we made a much better fake out cauliflower version of mashed potatoes than the ones I posted the recipe for a week or so ago. Boiling the cauliflower made it too wet, it wasnt possible to add cream or butter to it without making cauliflower soup. Steaming solves the problem, this makes the cauliflower the right texture to mash and mix with your favorite creamy mashed potato fixings. Top it with the sun dried tomato butter and you wont know they arent real potatoes.

Drinking a glass of the Cline Viognier made this dinner even more enjoyable. Ive already talked a couple times about how much I love everything Cline so it was no surprise that I fell in love with this bottle. It was super floral (more along the lines of roses and not lilies thankfully) on the nose and the perfect balance of dry and sweet. There were all sorts of delicious summer fruits on the first sip, I got pear and a tart apple where as the fella loved that it was citrusy. With fish and faux potatoes I couldnt have picked a better wine.

Halibut with Sun Dried Tomato Butter and “Potatoes”

BUTTER
1 tablespoon oil
1 scallion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, diced
3 tablespoons softened butter
2 sun dried tomatoes in olive oil, finely chopped

In a pan warm the oil over medium heat, add garlic and scallion and cook until tender but not browned. Place in a small bowl to cool then add butter and sun dried tomatoes, combining well to create a soft butter mixture to use when serving meal.

FISH:
3 tablespoons butter
4 six-ounce halibut fillets (or whatever tender white fish you choose)
2 tablespoons flour (if you can use it)
salt and pepper

Melt the butter in the same pan you used in the first step over medium heat. Season fish fillets with salt, pepper and flour (if using it) on both sides. When butter is fully melted and foamy start pan frying fish. Cook fish about 8 minutes total, longer if using a thicker piece of fish, flipping over half way through cooking time. Transfer to a serving dish when cooked through.

“POTATOES”
1 head cauliflower, cut into rough florets
1 tablespoon butter
1/ 4 cup milk or cream (maybe less depending on how creamy you want your “potatoes”)

Place the cauliflower pieces in a steamer and cook until tender. Mash cauliflower in large bowl until the consistency of mashed potatoes. Add butter and enough milk to make cauliflower creamy. Season with salt and pepper then serve topped with sun dried tomato butter.

Original recipe from Everyday with Rachel Ray.

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Sun Dried Tomato Salad

Another day another perfect summer salad.  This one is courtesy of the Lisas Kitchen Blog where there is no shortage of out of this world vegetarian recipes.  Whenever I want to cook a really unique curry this is the blog I go to because this is perhaps the only other person as obsessed with Indian cooking as I am.  She has some of the coolest recipes and flavor combinations, stuff Id never think to cook.


Like this salad, I was a little leery of the cooked beans, raw veggies and lots of sun dried tomatoes combo but after I poured on the sun dried tomato dressing I became a believer.  The flavors are just what I was looking for an a warm afternoon when I didnt want to turn on the stove for more than 5 minutes.  The tomatoes and balsamic vinegar create a nice tangy edge for the beans. 

The fella who isnt a huge fan of tomatoes wouldnt stop eating this.  He said it was like a less evil version of mayo encased potato salad.  And hes right the parmesan cheese (I used a half nutritional yeast half ground almonds substitute for vegan parm) and garlic create a pleasant creaminess that reminded us both of mayo but without the heaviness and the fat.  And because there is no mayo involved this would be a killer salad for a picnic. 

This is another salad that is going into heavy rotation on my summer menus.

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Sun Dried Tomato and Lentil Soup

After cooking this three times, I finally stopped myself from devouring it and took a picture.  Isnt it beautiful?

 

This soup was so good it never crossed my mind to take a picture of it.  I was way too busy eating it.  Its that freaking good.  And I thought it up all by myself.

See in my odd little world Monday is my day off to have the house to myself and do whatever I please unmolested.  This usually involves laying in bed until 10 or 11.  Reading in bed with the dog.  Having breakfast while watching an episode of some mindless TV show online.  Then I spend the rest of the day grocery shopping and cooking.  Usually while singing along to Goldfrappe/Lily Allen radio on Pandora.  There are are also periodic bouts of dog love throughout the day. 

And that for me is the perfect day off.  Thats partly because Im a huge food nerd who loves to cook and also because if I dont cook on Monday I wont get a chance to the next two days while working double jobs.  I learned early on that I can put up with most anything at work as long as I know I have something good to eat on my break, it keeps me from ripping out my hair and wanting to strangle co-workers.  So on Monday I make something delicious that will re-heat well to keep me sane at work the two following days. 

The fella also benefits from this situation as he doesnt have to spend his evenings alone trying to decifer whatever gibberish Ive written on the weekly menu that he should be cooking that night, that almost never ended well.  I love him like crazy but one of his talents is not reading Emily-ese.    And yeah thats right I plan a menu every week so that everything that gets bought gets cooked.  I hear about people who go to the store throw things in the cart and hope for the best when they get home, I cant imagine it.  Its insanity.

So being the super planny sort it probably wont surprise you that my next weird admission is that Im a terminal follower of recipes. Im lost without them.  Or was until recently.  Something clicked in my brain this week and I noticed I dont need recipes much anymore, theyre more of a way to come up with a concept and then I cook it the way I would like it better.  Its worked out so far. 

Then magically on Monday I closed my eyes thought “lentil sundried tomato soup” and made it happen with no recipe guidance whatsoever.  It was a big moment for me and I was rewarded with literally the best soup Ive ever made.  Its big and thick and tasty.  Exactly what I want to eat when its cold and the lack of sun is making me a bit punchy.

Something tells me this newly concocted recipe will be in heavy rotation on the menu for the rest of the winter.  And it should be on yours too because it couldnt be easier.

 

Sun Dried Tomato and Lentil Soup

2 tablespoons oil from jar of sundried tomatoes
2 small onions, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 large stalks celery, chopped

1 bay leaf
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 cup lentils
5 cups vegetable stock

8 sundried tomatoes packed in oil, rinsed and chopped
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste

In a soup pot over medium high heat warm the sun dried tomato oil, when oil is warm add onions, garlic and celery.  Saute the vegetables until soft but not browned, agitating them often while cooking.

Add the bay leaf, thyme, lentils and vegetable stock.  Allow to come to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer.  Let cook about 15 or 20 minutes, or until lentils are tender.  Depending on how thick you like your soups you may need to add more vegetable broth at this point.

Add the rinsed sundried tomatoes and red pepper flakes to the soup.  Stir well and cook soup just until tomatoes are heated through.  Add salt and pepper to taste if necessary.  Remove thyme sprigs and bay leaf and enjoy.

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Taco Stuffed Shells

So even though I have been super busy with work, I have religiously stuck with cooking at least three times a week. I even went as far to create a binder with meal plans laid out for each month, ingredients needed, and cost of each meal. I hope to revert back to it in the future to make life a little easier as a Mom.

A lot of these upcoming meals were made a while ago... but I got so far behind posting them because of all that has been going on. Im thinking for upcoming posts that I will only submit my favorite meals for you since why would you want to see that ones that didnt impress me :)

Taco Stuffed Shells (www.budgetbytes.com) $14.65

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 medium yellow onion
• 1½ lb. ground beef
• 2 cups black beans
• 2 cups pinto beans
• 1 taco seasoning packet
• 1 tsp salt
• 12 ounces jumbo shells
• 1 can enchilada sauce
• 2 cups shredded cheese
• 3-4 whole green onions

Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Cook both in a large skillet over medium heat with the olive oil until soft and transparent (about 5 minutes). 

Add the ground beef and continue to cook until browned. Mix together the taco seasoning ingredients while the beef is browning. Once the beef is fully cooked through, add the taco seasoning and stir to combine. Drain the beans and add to the skillet. Stir until combined. Taste and season with salt as needed (I used about 1 teaspoon).

Allow the beef and bean filling to sit while you cook the pasta shells. Bring a large pot to a boil, add the shells and cook just until tender. Be sure not to over cook the shells or they will be soft and difficult to fill.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Drain the shells in a colander and rinse with cold water until they are cool enough to handle. Spray the inside of a 9×13 inch casserole dish with non-stick spray. Fill the shells with the beef and bean filling and place in the casserole dish. It’s okay if they’re not aligned neatly or if they topple over and spill some filling, it will still be good.

 

 

Once all of the shells are filled and in the casserole dish, pour the prepared enchilada sauce over top and then add the shredded cheese. Cook in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes or until the cheese is melted and everything is heated through (all ingredients are already cooked, so there is no real danger of undercooking here. You just want to get it all HOT).

Slice the green onions and sprinkle over top after it comes out of the oven. Serve hot!

Dan rated this a 4.5 out of 5 stars. I liked it because there were a lot of leftovers which meant I was off the hook cooking for a few days :)

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