Jan 29, 2010
Posted by Lisa Milone on Jan 29, 2010 | 8 comments
Three years ago I decided to cook my first dinner. I know it’s surprising that I had gone so long without actually cooking, but I typically just prepared foods instead of baking and cooking from scratch. It’s just easier that way. Let’s put it this way, I had no idea what I was doing. My mom had given me a wonderful crock-pot when I moved into my first apartment, but it basically just moved from cabinet to cabinet. One night I decided that I wanted to make a real dinner. It dawned on me that the crock-pot in the cabinet would be the easiest way to make this meal possible. I threw chicken breasts, mushrooms, and onions in a crock-pot with some spice mix and left it to do its thing. It came out delicious! Whoever invented this magical cooking device deserves a hug and a high five.
After that meal, the crock-pot went back in its carrying case and back in the cabinet. I’ve moved seven times since I received this gift of easy cooking. Each time I moved, the crock-pot found itself a new cabinet to call home. FINALLY, the other night I thought I’d give it another try now that I really enjoy cooking. What did I decide to throw in there this time? Brisket! This brisket isn’t just any brisket either; it’s southwestern brisket. You will be blown away by the amazing flavor that is cooking into this meat while you’re working or running errands. It’s truly magical.
I slightly modified this recipe from the Food Network. I’m so glad I stumbled across it and gave it a try. Also, Smitten Kitchen used this recipe to create some tasty brisket tacos! I served this over fried polenta squares and topped with crumbled goat cheese and red peppers.
Ingredients:
3 pounds beef brisket
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
5 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1 Spanish onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 1/4 cups water
1 (14.5 oz) can whole peeled organic tomatoes, with their juices
2 whole canned chipotle chiles en adobo (not 2 cans!)
2 bay leaves
6 tablespoons molasses
Season the beef generously with salt and pepper, to taste. Heat a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil and heat just until beginning to smoke. Add the meat and cook, turning once, until browned on both sides, about 10 minutes total. Transfer the meat to the slow cooker; leave the skillet on the heat.
Add garlic, onion, chili powder, coriander, and cumin to drippings in the skillet and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add vinegar and boil until it’s almost gone, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Stir in water and pour the mixture over the brisket. Crush the tomatoes through your fingers into the slow cooker; add the tomato juices, chipotles, bay leaves, and molasses. Cover the cooker, set it on LOW, and cook the brisket until it pulls apart easily with a fork, about 9 hours.
To serve, leave the meat in the slow cooker and use 2 forks to pull it apart and stir it evenly into the sauce; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Remove and discard bay leaves.
Jan 27, 2010
Posted by Lisa Milone on Jan 27, 2010 | 11 comments
I’ve been trying to find time to sit down for days to post this recipe. Is it just me or is life always a little bit crazier at the beginning of the week? Tonight I’m cooking a wonderful dinner for my friend Annie as a birthday gift. I’ll be sure to post the recipe for the meal by the end of the week (I promise). I’ll give you a little hint as to how easy this one is.. two words.. crock pot.
Okay, now for the yummy recipe. This recipe can be used to make a bread or muffins. Since I’m a huge fan of anything I can grab and go, I always choose muffins. These probably aren’t the best choice for breakfast, but I always start my day with them when I make them. I know, I know.. It’s not multi-grain or loaded with protein. They’re also great as a mid-day snack or even a little dessert. I almost forgot to mention an important part! I have had so many family and friends eat these and have no idea they are gluten free, dairy free, or soy free! Truly tasty. Give ‘em a try and see for yourself.
Ingredients:
3 ½ cups gluten-free all-purpose flour
1 tsp xantham gum
1 ½ cups turbinado raw cane sugar
1 ½ tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
1 ½ tsp salt
1 can (15 oz) organic pumpkin puree
1 tsp vanilla
½ cup water
1 cup coconut oil (melted and cooled)
2 eggs (beaten)
1 cup allergen free chocolate chips – I use Enjoy Life Foods brand
Preheat oven to 350° F.
In a large bowl, combine flour, xantham gum, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, & salt. In a separate bowl, combine oil, water, vanilla, pumpkin and eggs; stir into dry mixture until moistened.
Stir in the chocolate chips.
Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups about three-fourths full. Bake muffins for 25-35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Let the muffins cool for five minutes and then move them to a wire rack to fully cool. Recipe makes 24 muffins.
Jan 18, 2010
Posted by Lisa Milone on Jan 18, 2010 | 4 comments
I hope you had a wonderful weekend. This was the first truly relaxing weekend I’ve had since about mid-December. Friday night my friend Shelby came over to hang out and cook dinner. Sharing meals with friends is one of my favorite things to do.
We were making something pretty simple for dinner, so there was definitely a good reason to make dessert. I wasn’t sure what I was really in the mood for though – cake, pie, tarts, etc. It was down to pumpkin chocolate chip bread or apple pie. Apple pie won hands down. The pie was so delicious. You can’t really go wrong when you combine cinnamon, sugar, & fresh apples.
CRUST
Ingredients:
2 ½ cups GF Flour Mix
½ tsp salt
1 tsp organic cane sugar
1 tsp xantham gum
¾ cup coconut oil (room temperature)
1 egg lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla
About 7 tbsp water
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, sugar, and xantham gum. Slowly add in coconut oil in small amounts until it becomes a course meal.
Add in the lightly beaten egg and the vanilla and mix with a fork until dough is formed. Note: Be patient, this takes a little bit of time.
Knead dough while slowly adding in water a tablespoon at a time. Once the dough is a good texture, stop adding water. If you add too much water, it will make the dough sticky and hard to roll.
Place dough on wax paper lightly coated with GF flour. Place another sheet (it might take two sheets layered) on top so that the dough is sitting between sheets of wax paper. Roll until the dough is flat and about a centimeter thick.
Peel the top sheet of wax paper off and flip the dough (still rolled out with the bottom wax paper on) over the pie dish. Peel the remaining layer of wax paper off and press the dough into the pie dish.
When I do this, the crust typically breaks. DON’T WORRY! If it does break, just piece the dough together to cover the dish. Trim any overhang off of the edges. You can probably tell in the picture I posted that I did this ☺ Crumble any pieces of remaining dough, mix in a little bit of sugar and cinnamon, and save for topping.
Using a fork, poke several holes in the bottom of the crust.
FILLING
Ingredients:
6 medium granny smith apples
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup organic cane sugar
2 tbsp melted coconut oil or GHEE
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp lemon juice
Peel, core, and slice apples. Place in a large mixing bowl and add lemon juice. Stir.
Melt two tablespoons of coconut oil or GHEE. Mix this with the brown sugar, cane sugar, and cinnamon. Mix with the apples.
Spoon apples into the crust until the pie is filled to the top of the pie dish. Pour juices over the top and sprinkle with the leftover crust crumbles.
Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 350, and bake for 20 more minutes.
Enjoy with a scoop of vanilla ice cream (coconut ice cream is my new fav!).
Jan 14, 2010
Posted by Lisa Milone on Jan 14, 2010 | 6 comments
I have a confession to make. I have a sweet tooth and I think I always will. Baking cookies and cakes from ingredients that I had never heard of seemed like an expensive risk to take. I decided that instead of trying to create a recipe from scratch, I really needed to just find a great recipe to satisfy my sweet tooth. Luckily, my lovely co-worker Jordan told me about the BabyCakes cookbook! I immediately went out to buy it and was so pleased to find so many tasty recipes. It was honestly pretty difficult trying to only pick one recipe to make last night. I decided to go for something classic – chocolate chip cookies! If you don’t already have the cookbook from BabyCakes, click here to get the details. I highly recommend it! Also, be sure to visit their website for more information about the bakery!
Ingredients:
1 cup coconut oil
6 tablespoons homemade applesauce or store-bought unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
1¼ cups evaporated cane juice
2 cups Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free,
all-purpose baking flour
¼ cup flax meal
1 teaspoon baking soda
1½ teaspoons xanthan gum
1 cup vegan chocolate chips (I used the Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips)
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 325. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together the oil, applesauce, salt, vanilla and cane juice. In another medium bowl, whisk together the flour, flax meal, baking soda and xanthan gum. Using a rubber spatula, carefully add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and stir until a grainy dough is formed. Gently fold in the chocolate chips just until they are evenly distributed throughout the dough.
I didn't have a melon baller, so I just rolled about a tablespoon of dough into a ball.
3. Using a melon baller, scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing the portions 1 inch apart. Gently press each with the heel of your hand to help them spread. Bake the cookies on the center rack for 15 minutes, rotating the sheets 180 degrees after 9 minutes. The finished cookies will be crisp on the edges and soft in the center.
4. Let the cookies stand on the sheets for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack and cool completely before covering. Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days.
I can’t say it enough – I LOVE THESE COOKIES! My friends, family, and co-workers love them too. My favorite way to eat these is with a glass of chilled almond milk. It’s perfection! I hope you give them a try!
Jan 12, 2010
Posted by Lisa Milone on Jan 12, 2010 | 8 comments
Happy Tuesday! I don’t know about you, but I’m still trying to get used to a normal schedule now that the holidays are over. I really miss sleeping in, but black tea every morning has been a huge help! I have wanted to try a new brand of tea lately. Any ideas?
I wanted to share this simple, healthy recipe. Pico & chips is a long time favorite of mine. Pico de Gallo is easy to prepare and tastes great with chips, added to taco salad, and is even a tasty addition to an omelet in the morning.
Pico de Gallo
Ingredients:
6 Roma tomatoes, seeded and finely chopped
½ onion, finely chopped
½ jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped
½ cup chopped cilantro
Juice of one lime
Salt & Pepper
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Cover and chill for an hour. Serve with tortilla chips.
Tortilla Chips
Ingredients:
12 6″ sprouted corn tortillas
1 cup coconut oil
Salt
With a pizza cutter or large knife, cut the tortillas into quarters.
Heat oil over medium to medium-high heat in a large saucepan or skillet. Tip: if the oil is the correct temperature, it should bubble up when a tortilla slice is dipped in.
Fry the pieces for 1-2 minutes on each side. They should be crisp when they’re ready. If they still bend, they aren’t ready yet.
Remove with a large spoon or tongs. Place the chips on paper towels to cool and sprinkle with salt.
Hi, I’m Lisa. My body isn’t too fond of gluten, cow’s dairy, or soy. 