Banana Ice Cream

Recipe from the blog The Kitchn 

Ingredients

3 large bananas (more or less depending on how much you want to make)

Method

1. Slice the bananas and then place in the freezer for 1 1/2 hours

2. Put frozen bananas into a food processor and continue to pulse until smooth. You may have to stop to scrap the sides down with a spatula, but it will eventually become a cream

3. Serve and EAT!!!

Dana is pretty much the best sister ever for finding this recipe for I was seriously on the edge with my new diet... The whole cutting out sugar thing was not working for me, especially since it was Dana's birthday! I didn't want to have to sit and watch my whole family eat cake or ice cream so, she found an alternative. This recipe is MAGIC!!! Not only does it only include one ingredient, but it allowed me to eat ice cream! That is pure joy for me, since that is my number one weakness. Some might say, it just tastes like mushed up, cold bananas and I have to agree with them. However, this is so much more for people who are unable to eat ice cream regularly or want to lose weight. Ice cream no longer has to be put on restriction for we have stumbled upon an easy way to get our fix. I highly recommend this to anyone who is a banana lover like I am because once you try it, you will never stop eating it! 

Sweet or Chocolaty Donuts

This recipe has been altered from the Living Without magazine along with an Alton Brown glaze recipe. 

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups white rice flour

1 cup granulated sugar

7/8 cup potato starch

1/2 cup tapioca starch

1/2 cup plus 1 teaspoon chickpea flour or soy flour

4 teaspoons xanthan gum

1 teaspoon salt

1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder 

7 1/2 teaspoons instant dry yeast

1 1/4 cups of warm milk or your choice or water

1 1/2 sticks of butter, melted

2 large eggs, lightly beaten 

4 cups vegetable oil (or more)

-Extra sugar, powder or cinnamon

Method:

1. Place rice flour, granulated sugar, potato starch, tapioca starch, chickpea flour, xanthan gum, salt, baking powder and dry yeast in a bowl of stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or hand mixer) Beat briefly to combine.

2. Add milk, melted butter and eggs to dry ingredients. Beat for 5 minutes at medium speed.

3. Let dough rest for 20 minutes in a warm, draft- free area. 

4. Cut 5 by 5- inch square of parchment paper. Spoon dough into pastry bag fitted with the widest tip or use a plastic bag with the bottom corner cut off to create an opening. Pipe a donut shaped circle onto each parchment square. Set square on baking sheets and let proof for 20 minutes in a warm, humid environment. 

5. In a deep skillet of electric fryer, heat oil over medium heat until oil reaches 350 degrees. Gently slide 3 or 4 donut sheets into the oil and fry 4 to 6 minutes or until golden brown. Use a slotted spoon to remove the paper and gently turn the donut. Cook another 2 to 3 minutes. Remove to a tray lined with several sheets of paper towels. 

6. While still warm,sprinkle donuts with sugar, powdered sugar or cinnamon if desired. 

**If you want to bake the donuts instead of frying them, after step 3, do the following:**

1. Spoon dough into a pastry bag fitted with the widest tip or use a plastic bag with the bottom corner cut off to create an opening. Pipe the dough into a donut mold, filling it up about halfway.

2. Bake in a pre-heated oven (at 350 degrees) for 8 minutes. Next remove the tray from the oven, flip the donuts over in the mold, and put them back in the oven for another 2 minutes, or until golden brown.

Glaze Ingredients

1/4 cup whole milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups confectioners' sugar 

Method

1. Combine milk and vanilla in a medium saucepan and heat over low heat until warm. Sift confectioners' sugar into milk mixture. Whisk slowly, until well combines. Remove the glaze from heat and set over a bowl of warm water. Dip donuts into the glaze, 1 at a time, and set on a draining rack placed in a half sheet pan for 5 minutes before serving.

Chocolate glaze ingredients

1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1 Tablespoon butter

1 Tablespoon corn syrup

1 Teaspoon hot water

Method

In a medium bowl, microwave chocolate chips, butter and corn syrup on 50 % power for 1 minute, stirring frequently until completely melted. Stir in 1 teaspoon of hot water, until the glaze is thick and smooth. Add another teaspoon hot water if the glaze is too thick. Use immediately to glaze donuts. 

Who doesn't love a good donut? Since I have been on my gluten-free diet I have been deprived of my donut cravings, so Dana and I decided to mess around in the kitchen and try to create some delicious donuts that we both could eat. Our first attempt was on Easter and it was a major success. We found this recipe and found it to be so delicious we almost ate the entire batch right out of the fryer. Even my dad said they were really good. The second the donut batter hits the hot oil you get the sweet aroma of fried dough. It's light, fluffy and golden brown in a way that is familiar to anyone who has ever had a donut. For me, donuts remind me or waking up early and going garage sale hunting or those mornings right before our soft ball games. So I was super excited to be able to make gluten-free donuts that were delicious.

The second attempt at making the donuts, we had decided to double the batch so we would have extras to take into work. One of my co-workers was just diagnosed with Celiac so I wanted to make a treat for her that she could enjoy. You should have seen her face when she found out they were gluten-free. Needless to say, all the donuts were gone in the first five minutes.

However ,the second time we made the donuts we decided to try baking them instead of frying them so they wouldn't get soggy overnight, but they turned out slightly different. The taste was the same, but the texture was a little more dense. The one that was fried seemed much more light and fluffy. But the difference in texture might have been because of the alterations we had made to the recipe. In the second attempt we used less potato starch and more tapioca starch because we had run out and we figured they must act relatively the same. Regardless of which way you choose on making these donuts, they will easily satisfy your cravings.  Donuts no longer have to be for only those who can handle the "gluten."

Another note I may add: the regular glaze seemed to be super sweet so use lightly instead of dunking them.

Coconut Curry Fish or Chicken

Sweeten up dinner with a light, fresh salmon or chicken dish. You can't beat the taste of the coconut curry sauce with tender vegetables inside. It will make any night a special one! 

Step 1

Step 2 

Step 3

Step 4

Step 5

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp coconut oil

4 cloves of garlic, pressed

3 ribs of celery, sliced

2 inches of ginger, peeled, grated

4 carrots, shredded

1 tsp Fish sauce (optional)

1/2 tsp Thai Kitchen green curry paste

3 small zucchini sliced

1 cup green beans, trimmed and cut in half

1 Can Thai Ktichen Coconut Milk

1 lb of cubed white fish (or chicken)

5 leaves fresh basil, thinly sliced

Directions:

1.  Heat oil in large frying pan on Medium high

2.  Add garlic and celery.  Stir for 4-5 minutes until crisp-tender

3.  Add carrots and ginger.  Stir for 5 minutes.

4.  Add Fish sauce, curry, 1 cup of broth, zucchini, and green beans.

5.  Cover and let cook for 5 minutes.

6.  Shake can of coconut milk then add to pan.  Next add the remaining broth.

7.  Bring to low boil then add meat.  Reduce heat to medium.  Cover and let cook for 10 minutes for fish, 15 - 20 for chicken.

8.  Spoon into shallow bowl and top with fresh sliced basil.

This recipe my mom had found from the website LivehealthWise.com 

My mom discovered this recipe the other day while browsing the internet for recipes I could try. She was extremely tired of hearing me complain about how I don't have anything good to eat since I started my diet. To be honest, I really miss eating Indian food, or anything flavorful with spices like curry. She had stumbled upon this website and asked me about it, so after reviewing the recipe I thought I would give it a try. I will admit, I am almost always willing to try anything involving coconut milk or curry, however, I was a little unsure of how this dish would turn out. In the end I was pleasantly surprised and I must say this is one of my favorite dishes! Regardless of if I am on this diet or not I would probably still eat this dish no matter what! In the first bite your taste buds are introduced to numerous flavors that blend so well together that it leaves you craving more. It is simply delicious. Plus, once you reach the salmon or chicken, you will be in for a sweet surprise. It literally melts in your mouth and it is so soft and sweet it is unbelievable. I prefer this way of cooking my fish because there just doesn't seem to be any other way to get it as soft and tender as this. If you are a fan of fish or chicken I would definitely recommend this recipe in a heart beat!!! I don't know what could be better than this recipe for it meets all the requirements for a great meal: hot, sweet, fresh and filling! Who could ask for anything more? 

Lemon Yogurt Herb Chicken

Freshen up some plain old chicken with fresh lemon yogurt herb sauce which can be used as a main dish or a nice addition to a salad.

Step one: Get a glass bowl and mix together the following herbs; parsley, thyme, rosemary, paprika, coriander seeds, lemon juice, along with lemon rind plus salt and pepper. Slowly stir into the yogurt.

Step two: Place chicken in a deep dish and pour sauce over the chicken evenly, cover with foil tightly and place in a preheated oven (350) for approx. ten minutes.

Step three: Finish cooking on stove top for another 10 min or until cooked through.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup plain coconut yogurt

2 cloves of garlic, crushed (1 tsp. minced)

a healthy pinch of the herbs (parsley, thyme, rosemary) 

1 Tb. Paprika 

1 Tb. Ground coriander seeds 

Graded rind and juice of 1 lemon

1 Tsp. salt

1/2 Tsp. pepper

2 Tbs. sugar (optional) 

** original recipe called for sugar but we decided to not use it

As you all may know I love my proteins, however, recently I have been in a slump when it comes to chicken. Chicken has just become dull and unappealing so I needed a way to spice it up and make it more attractive to my taste buds. Dana was surfing the web and found this great recipe from a blog called Adora's Box in which we adapted due to my diet. Normally the recipe called for one whole chicken but instead we changed it to chicken strips that way we could use it for other things like salads, not to mention that it just cooks faster. Plus, we decided to use coconut yogurt (plain) rather than normal just because I am unable to use any other types of yogurt. And we also decided to take out the sugar in the recipe due to my diet. So, for those of you who are looking for delicious foods that are low in sugar this is an extremely easy and satisfying recipe. Thanks to Dana I learned to love chicken again and consider all the different possibilities that a chicken can be made.

Sweet and Spicy Skewers

Sweet and spicy skewers grilled on the stove top or grill makes an excellent meal for a nice refreshing summer night.  

First, pick your ingredients I like to put red onions, zucchini, yellow squash and sweet and spicy Italian sausage. That way the sweetness from the onions once caramelized complements the tartness of the vegetables. Then top it off with slices of sausage to add flavor and some kick. 

Then place on the stove top or grill while turning it every few minutes. Overall, approximately 30 min on low heat, or just enough to make sure that the sausage is all the way cooked through. Finish off the dish with some freshly cut nectarines or peaches. 

I was running late and craving some sausage so Dana my sister came up with these skewers. They were so delicious I ate them so fast! There is nothing more satisfying than combining meat and vegetables on a stick. It just is an elegant way to eat and fun to make. The best part is that you can combine any vegetables you would like and adjust it to anyone's taste. See in my family, food is extremely hard to deal with just because everyone has different tastes. I am allergic to half the world's foods and Dana and I both have Celiac. Sara is a vegetarian and my dad doesn't like to try new things. Dana doesn't like seafood or relatively spicy food. My mom is like me and willing to try anything, but obviously you can see, dinner is a tough order. These skewer are probably the best way to personally make an order that everyone can enjoy! So if you are like my family I highly suggest you taste these skewers for they are delicious, simple and healthy. Enjoy!! 

Freshly squeezed Orange Juice Popsicles

Treat yourself to a summer delight that is actually good for you! Freshly squeezed orange juice full of vitamin C. Nothing like getting that beach body ready by eating something healthy and delicious.

First start by squeezing 5 large oranges and then strain the pits out so that way you only get  the pure orange juice. Next step, cut up one lemon and squeeze the lemon to get the juice. Once it has been strained, mix the freshly squeezed orange juice with the lemon juice.

Next pour the mixtures into the molds and freeze overnight. **You can use any Popsicle molds you want, sometimes a dixi cup works just as well.**

Once the juice has been frozen over it is ready to eat! Enjoy a nice healthy summery treat.

These popsicles saved my life! I was craving something sweet since I am not allowed to have sugar due to my new diet I had to think outside the box. Well, I decided that since it is summer I would want something cold and since ice cream is out of the question I will have to go to the next best thing. POPSICLES! Since I can't use any sugar I had to rely on naturally sweet fruits to give me that sweet taste that I crave.  I absolutely love orange juice, so why not just freeze it and put into a popsicle? I strongly suggest this recipe to anyone who has a sweet tooth but can't have ice cream or wants a nice healthy light snack. Plus, what a great way to stay cool in the burning heat of summer! 

Sweet and Savory Memorial Parfait

A sweet and savory parfait is a nice treat to celebrate the Memorial weekend and still be light and healthy. Filled with sweet coconut yogurt and tart berries makes the perfect combination that will put a smile on anyones face. 

Ingredients:

1 pint of plain coconut yogurt or any yogurt 

Strawberries

Blueberries

Raspberries

Blackberries 

Method:

1. Very simple, start with a layer of yogurt, about 4 big spoonfuls in order to get a nice thick base for the fruit.

2. Next go for the Strawberries. Make sure it is just enough to for a layer, you don't want to under or over stuff the parfait.

3. Then add another layer of yogurt on top of that. This one should be thinner than your first layer. 

4. Continue this process mixing the fruit until you end with a nice layer of yogurt on top. 

5. Serve immediately 

I was having a very difficult time finding something that I could eat that allows me to stick to my diet, but still be festive for Memorial day. So, I thought why not go for a parfait! This way I can substitute regular yogurt with coconut yogurt and still stick to my diet. Nothing is worse than being on a diet during summer or holidays. So, it is important to find recipes that are delicious and will not leave you feeling left out of all the celebration. I will admit before I found this recipe I did throw a little tantrum for I wanted nothing more than to eat ice cream or chips for the holiday. However, I couldn't bring myself to cheat so I just had to get my thinking cap on and be creative. I think in the end I made the right choice and I was super satisfied with the results. Overall, I has a great memorial weekend that was stress free and full of family and delicious food. I can only hope that yours was the same.