Gluten Free Flax Bread Recipe

I'm really excited to try this recipe from my friend. It's gluten and yeast free and FULL of  FIBER! Love It! It's Low Glycemic too.

Gluten Free Flax Bread
2 cups flax seed meal
1 Tbls baking powder
1 tsp salt
1-2 Tbls sugar equivalent
5 beaten eggs
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup oil

Preheat oven to 350 degres and prepare a 10x15 baking pan with oiled parchment paper.

Mix dry ingredients using whisk. Add wet ingredients and mix well. Spread batter evenly on pan and then let sit a couple of minutes to thicken up.

Bake for about 20 minuts (until it springs back when you touch it). Yields 12 slices

Gluten Free Beans and Rice

This is one of the first recipes that I made up when I started eating Gluten Free.  I needed something that I could take to a pot-luck lunch with friends and this turned out to be a yummy hit!

Gluten Free Beans and Rice

1 Can Black Beans (or any of your choice, rinsed)

2 1/2 Cups Cooked Brown Rice

5-6 Tablespoons 505 Southwestern All Natural Green Chile Sauce (I purchased it at Costco.)

1/2 can (small can) Olives

1/8 cup Coconut Milk (or Sour Cream) I used Coconut Milk from a leftover meal. I used it as a Creamer.

2 Cups of Shredded Cheese

Combined the first five ingredients in a small baking dish along with half of the cheese.  Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top of the bean mixture.  Cover with tin foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes.  This recipe can be microwaved. 

Serve with Chips (I used Blue Corn. Everyone thought that was neat.)

Mama's EVERYTHING Salad

This is a staple meal in our home. When I am feeling guilty for not feeding the family enough of the "rainbow foods" we add this to the menu. This is a salad with the main green being spinach. However, there ends up being a lot more mix-ins then spinach when we're finished.

The basic idea to making this salad is to make it hearty enough to work as a meal. So here is an idea of what we add to make this salad filling and refreshing.

Mama's EVERYTHING Salad

In a family sized bowl mix together the following Mix-In's:
Colored Peppers
Carrots
Celery
Sprouts
Tomatoes
(Any other fresh vegetables you want to add.)
Chopped meat (chicken, turkey, ham, fish, etc.)
Chopped or shredded cheese
Seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, sesame, etc.)
Nuts (almonds, cashews, pecans, etc.)
Fruits (apples, dried berries, etc.)
Croutons
A dash of sea salt, organic Season All, Mrs. Dash, etc.

Put a layer of Spinach (or salad greens) on a plate and scoop the Mix-In's onto the greens. Add any dressing you want and, ENJOY!

Spinach Rotini Pasta Salad

This is a delicious and very filling spring and summer time meal. This recipe comes from the back of the Heartland Whole Grain Rotini box. You can add or take away many different ingredients with this recipe. I've seen red onions and even strawberries in this dish. Olives are another idea. This was definitely a hit with my husband and four year old! MMM!

Spinach Rotini Salad

Ingredients:
12 oz Heartland Whole Grain Rotini
4 oz fresh baby spinach
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup Italian dressing (any oil based dressing will work)
3/4 cup tomatoes, diced
4 oz pepperoni, julienne (I use turkey peperoni if I use meat in the recipe)
8 oz Cheddar cheese, shredded (I use Mozzarella, it has less fat)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Cook rotini according to package directions. Rinse with cold water and drain. Combine all remaining ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Add pasta and mix well.

Black Bean Salad

This is one of my favorite quick meal ideas! You can use this recipe as a salad or as a filling for pitas or tortillas. This is also a good base recipe that allows you to add or take away a lot of things. We felt like this salad was a light and tasty summer type recipe. We got this off of our Bush's BEST Black Beans can. There website is a great resource for some great recipes that include beans.

Black Bean Salad

Ingredients
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 (15 ounce) cans whole kernel corn, drained
8 green onions, chopped
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 avocado - peeled, pitted, and diced
1 (4 ounce) jar pimentos
3 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 lime, juiced
1/2 cup Italian salad dressing
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
-Optional Add Ins-
Raspberry vinaigrette instead of Italian
Kidney Beans
Colored Bell Peppers
Cherry Tomatoes, sliced

Directions
In a large bowl, combine the black beans, corn, green onions, jalapeno peppers, bell pepper, avocado, pimentos, tomatoes, cilantro, lime juice, and Italian dressing. Season with garlic salt. Toss, and chill until serving.

Garden Style Southwestern Chili

Garden Style Southwestern Chili

I won't give exact measurements on every ingredient because of the varying sizes that this meal could be prepared in.

Stewed Tomatoes with their broth (you can use canned, bottled, or fresh tomatoes)
1 can tomato paste
Canned Green Chili Enchilada Sauce
Salsa (to taste)
Taco Seasoning (to taste)
Garlic Clove (pressed)
Onion (chopped)
Meat (I use Chicken or Beef)
Colored Peppers (green, red, yellow, orange, etc.)
Corn (canned or fresh off the cob)
Finely chopped crookneck and/or Zucchini Squash
Hand full of Spinach chopped
Black Beans (with juice, if canned)
Kidney Beans (drained)
Chili Beans
Brown Rice (cooked)

This recipe turns out so tasty! We love to make it into burritos or a chip dip. As the cold weather sets in it will be a nice warm treat in a bread bowl!

Why Beans?

According to The World's Healthiest Foods Website "Black beans are a very good source of cholesterol-lowering fiber, as are most other legumes. In addition to lowering cholesterol, black beans' high fiber content prevents blood sugar levels from rising too rapidly after a meal, making these beans an especially good choice for individuals with diabetes, insulin resistance or hypoglycemia. When combined with whole grains such as brown rice, black beans provide virtually fat-free high quality protein. You may already be familiar with beans' fiber and protein, but this is far from all black beans have to offer.

When researchers analyzed different types of beans, they found that, the darker the bean's seed coat, the higher its level of antioxidant activity. Gram for gram, black beans were found to have the most antioxidant activity, followed in descending order by red, brown, yellow, and white beans."

Freshen Up That Pizza

Sometimes I just feel like a really easy meal. You know, like a frozen pizza. But I can't stand the thought of consuming all of the fat that comes with it when there is often little nutrient value in most pizzas. So I have started to freshen up our pizzas.

I purchase a basic pizza like cheese or spinach garlic mushroom, or spicy chicken. Then I cut up all kinds of fresh veggies (mostly from our garden) like Peppers, cherry tomatoes, Squash, onions, etc. Then I add the low fat turkey pepperonis for my husbands sake:).

These pizzas are always delicious! If you can find one with whole wheat crust, you're all the more healthy.

Have Fun and be Daring and Creative! You might surprise yourself on how much you enjoy it!

Hummus and Whole Wheat Pita Bread

This is not a new idea! But it is a fast and healthy idea for a quick lunch or snack.

Hummus and Whole Wheat Pita Bread

We scoop a few flavors of Hummus on our plate and break up whole wheat pita bread or simply tortillas, dip, and eat. Talk about Easy! Our preschooler even enjoys this. He likes to make shapes with the tortillas and then scoop up the hummus himself.

Hummus is made out of Garbanzo Beans (Chickpeas.) They are pureed and mixed with oils and other ingredients to make a very healthy and tasty food.
We enjoy the Athenos brand of Hummus. They have several flavors to choose from.

Roasted Red Pepper
Garlic
Dill
Pesto

Hummus is a very healthy food. Chickpeas are filled with nutrients like fiber, protein, magnesium, and iron. All of these things can help lower cholesterol and the risk of heart attacks. Iron can energize the body and unlike red meat, chickpeas are low in saturated fats and calories. You can also keep your blood sugar levels balanced by eating Hummus. These are just a few of the great nutrients that you'll find in Hummus. Perhaps the best part is that it tastes Great!

Enjoy!

Clove Broth Soup: Sooths A Sore Throat

This is a soup recipe that I created this week for a severe sore throat that my son and I had. I needed some type of natural pain relief in the form of a soothing food source. I also wanted to use antiviral and antibacterial nutrients as well.

This soup was not only soothing with it's taste, but the smell was just as comforting. The flavor is a sweet and salty flavor. The clove has a very slight numbing effect on the tongue. But I was thrilled by this because I had sores on my tongue and throat. The soup took the edge off my sore throat for about a half hour or so. I'm sure the healing agents helped even longer.

Clove Broth Soup
Approximately (8) 1 Cup Servings

2 14.5 oz. cans Chicken Broth (not low sodium)
1 large Chicken Breast (boiled in the broth and cut with kitchen shears when cooked through)
3 medium Garlic Cloves (pressed), 4 Garlic Cloves if minced (chopped)
1 Red Onion (sliced and chopped)
3/4 -1 teaspoon Ground Cloves
1 teaspoon Organic Natural Season Salt (with Sea Salt)
1 14 oz. can Organic Wild Rice
2 handfuls Broccoli Florets
2 Tablespoons Honey

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan following the order set out above. Boil the chicken in the broth until cooked thoroughly. Add all other ingredients except Honey and bring down to medium heat (just under a boil, like you're steeping tea). Cook for up to 10 minutes.
Take from heat and add honey. Stir together and serve.

Healing agents abound within this soup. Chicken broth has both salt and vitamin B's. Garlic and Onion are both antiviral and antibacterial. They are also great sinus decongestants. Cloves are an antiviral, antibacterial, antiseptic and a mild anesthetic effect. Honey also has antibacterial nutrients.

Do not overcook this soup! You want to keep as many of the nutrients active as much as possible. Try not to microwave this soup if you are heating up leftovers. Try to keep it as health filled as possible.

Enjoy! Visit this wonderful website to learn more about these healthy soup ingredients:
The World's Healthiest Foods.