Moroccan Salad

This is absolutely luscious. It also happens to be amazingly healthy!

2-3 cups of mixed greens of choice
1/2 cup almonds, toasted
1/2 cup chopped avocado
1/2 cup chopped mango
1/2 cup dried cherries or cranberries
1/2 cup dried dates, chopped
1 sliced green onion
1 sliced rib celery
1 grated carrot
light vinaigrette dressing of choice

Toss and enjoy!

Tappas American Style

I actually call this "picnic dinner" although I am not sure why. Tappas American Style sounds much more accurate. It is plates of small portions of multiple foods. American style though. So there is no recipe--just recommendations. I have a large serving tray and on it I arrange plates of my absolute favorite finger foods ready to grab and eat in very small portions. I have a protien plate with gourmet salami, fan folded organic turkey breast, cheeses, deviled eggs, etc. On another plate I have veggies--carrot and celery sticks, snow pea pods from my garden, sliced heirloom tomatoes, gourmet olives, artichoke hearts, and sometimes seasonal fruits like cherries, kiwi, apple slices. The last part is the carb plate--GF of course. Crackers, breads, breadsticks,rolls (chebe is great!), pitas or chips. It is an especially good thing to serve when you are low on food because you haven't shopped in a while.....just pick out whatever you have on hand that you love to eat or go pick up a few extra goodies to add to the collection. This has become one of our favorite meals. Wonderful in front of the TV, a roaring fire, outside on the deck or on a blanket on the grass. I have a great glass of wine with it and follow up with some dark chocolate for dessert. Yum.

Cherry Horseradish Stuffed Pork Tenderlon

I invented this due to my love of horseradish and pork tenderloin. Pork tenderloin is very lean, on par with chicken, so it is a healthier alternative than some meats. I serve it with applesause or fried apples.

pork tenderloin
1/2 cup horseradish mustard
1 tsp. dried orange peel
salt/pepper to taste
1/2 cup dried cherries

Butterfly the pork tenderloin (cut down center lengthwise almost through, open it up, cut both sides parallel with the cutting board, almost through, open it up, cover with plastic wrap and pound until evenly 1/2 inch in thickness.) Sprinkle with orange peel and salt/pepper, spread horseradish mustard to within 1/2 inch of edges. Sprinkle with cherries evenly. Roll up the tenderloin lengthwise and secure with toothpicks. Bake in 350 degree oven for 1/2-1 hour until internal temperature reaches at least 160 degrees.

Portabella Pizzas

I have not tried this yet but rather, heard about using portabella mushrooms for individual pizzas to replace the crusts. Sounds yummy and so much healthier than regular pizza. And of course, you don't have to make GF crust. So....just wash the mushrooms, remove the stem, turn them upside down on an oiled baking sheet, fill with pizza sauce and top with cheese and other pizza toppings and bake at 375 until cheese is golden brown (15-20 minutes). Try white sauce (alfredo) instead of pizza sauce, experiment with cheeses and toppings and you have a terrific meal. If you use baby bellas, you could serve these as appetizers. My portabellas are in the fridge waiting to be turned into GF treats! I'll let you know how they turned out.

Gluten Free Pizza from a Restaurant!!!!

Buddy's Pizza and Uno's Restaurants both have gluten free pizzas on the menu these days. Both are very good. Uno's has a thinner crust than Buddy's but both crusts are tasty and chewy like pizza crust should be. Both places also have gluten free beer. Look on line to find one of them near you. Uno's is national, I believe. Buddy's is in the Detroit area. It has been great being able to go and get pizza to eat in or carry out and not have to make it myself!

Substitutions

I have a problem with using bean flours in recipes. Although they make the baked good have better structure and nutritional value, I don't like the bean flavor that is imparted. I have tried using soy flour to substitute in the bean flour mixes and it works just as well without the off taste. It is also nutritious like the bean flours. As long as you aren't allergic to soy, try the soy flour as a substitute and see what you think.

Spinach Salad for People Who Don't Like Spinach

This is a really good salad, trust me. The health benefits to it are also amazing. Even if you don't think you like spinach, try this one. This recipe is for 2 servings.

2 cups or more Fresh spinach leaves
1 can mandarin oranges, drained
1-2 sliced green onions
1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds
1 small can sliced water chestnuts, if desired
Dressing of choice (see below)
1 tsp. sesame seeds

Wash and spin dry the spinach leaves. Divide between 2 bowls. Top with oranges, green onions, slice almonds and water chestnuts if used. Toss with a small amount of celery seed, poppy seed or sesame dressing--bottled or home made. Sprinkly 1/2 tsp. sesame seeds on top. Hint: there is a great recipe on line that is excellent on this. Type Hudson's Spinach Salad Dressing into a search engine and you should find it.