Pernil

This is a Puerto Rican and Dominican recipe. It goes very well with tostones and avocado, gandules, etc. Sometimes I even use it in tacos. The meat is very flavorful and tender.

Ingredients:

7-8lbs pork shoulder

14-16 cloves of garlic

1 tsp. ground black pepper

1 tbsp. kosher salt

1 tbsp. dried oregano

1/4 cup olive oil

Directions:

Stab the pork shoulder several times and remove any excessive fat and skin from the meat. Do leave a layer of fat on the pork.

Blend the garlic, pepper, salt, oregano and oil in a food processor. Rub all over the meat.

Marinate the pork overnight (not necessary if you do not have time to do this).

Cook the pork in a slow cooker on high for 6-7 hours or on low for 8-10 hours.

Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies

 

Paleo Cookies
Ingredients:
1 cup Almond Flour
1/4 cup coconut flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
6 tbsp. coconut oil OR butter, room temp (not melted)
3/4 cup coconut sugar
6 tbsp. almond butter
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 1/4 cup chocolate chips

Directions:
Combine all ingredients and beat together well. Place in fridge for about 1 hour until dough is firm. Bake at 350 degrees on parchment paper for approximately 10 minutes.

Snickerdoodle Cupcakes

Who doesn't love snickerdoodles? I sure do. So when I saw this recipe on Pinterest, I knew I had to try it! Since I've made them, I can't find the recipe on Pinterest anymore, so I decided I would repost it here.The original recipe wasn't gluten free, so I altered it to be gluten free (and dairy free, but I'll just post the gluten free recipe here).



Ingredients:

CUPCAKES
2 3/4 gluten free flour (Jules or Namaste)
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup butter
1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
5 large eggs
2 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla
1 1/4 cups milk

CINNAMON FROSTING
1 cup butter, softened
3-4 cups powered sugar (I used 3)
1/4 cup whipping cream
2 tsp. pure vanilla
pinch of salt
1 tbsp. cinnamon
optional: cinnamon sugar to sprinkle on top

Instructions:
CUPCAKES
1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
2. In medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, beat butter with mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds. Gradually add sugar, and beat for 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla. On low speed, add the flour mixture and milk, beating until just blended.
4. Pour batter (about 1/4 cup) into each muffin tin.
5. Bake 18-20 minutes, cool for 5 minutes before removing.
FROSTING
1. Beat the softened butter on medium speed for about 2 minutes until smooth and creamy. Add powdered sugar, cream, vanilla, and a pinch of salt and beat for 3 minutes. Add the cinnamon and beat until combined.

La Bandera

This Dominican dish may seem complicated at first, but once you get used to making it, it’s very simple and easy to make. La Bandera, which means “The Flag”, is a very common Dominican dish. It is comprised of three main things: beans, rice, and meat (usually chicken or beef). You can add platanos fritos/tostones (fried plantains) on the side and top it off with sliced avocado. This picture shows the dish made with beef, but I'm going to tell you how to make it with chicken. 

Meat:

2 Chicken breasts, sliced into strips

¼ Yellow Onion, sliced julienne style

¼ - ½ Green Bell Pepper, sliced into thin strips

2 ½ large spoonful’s of Tomato Sauce

2 large spoonful’s of Sazón Líquido

Olive Oil for the pan

Directions:

Turn heat up to medium. Put the olive oil in the pan. Add the chicken, tomato sauce, and sazón líquido.

When chicken is cooked thoroughly, add the onion and bell pepper and cover. Do not let the onion or pepper get soggy. Heat it just enough so that it is cooked but still firm.

Beans:

1 can of pinto beans

½ cup water

1 spoonful Olive Oil

1 large spoonful of Sazón Líquido

1 large spoonful of Tomato Sauce

½ tsp. gluten-free Chicken Boullion

1/8 tsp. Oregano

Directions:

Pour all the beans with the liquid into a small pot. Save ¼ of the beans in the can. In the can, add ½ cup of water. Blend the water and the beans together until there are no bean chunks left. Add the blended beans into the pot.

Turn the heat on medium.

Add the sazón líquido, tomato sauce, chicken bouillon, and oregano. Let simmer for a few minutes. Turn the heat down to low and add the olive oil.

Rice:

2 cups rice

3 ½ cups water

2 spoonful’s Olive Oil

½ tbsp. Salt

Directions:

In a rice cooker, combine rice, water, olive oil, and salt. Turn rice cooker on and let it cook. 

***On a side note, this is the olive oil I use. It has a very distinct flavor, different than all the other olive oils you find here in the states. If you can find this olive oil, then use this kind. If you can't find it, then use any olive oil you can. It will definitely taste different if you can use this olive oil, though. 

Sugar Cookies

 

These sugar cookies are so soft! They would be perfect for Valentine's Day. :) I added some pink food coloring to mine to make them pink. 

 

Ingredients:

3/4 cup margarine or 3/4 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups gluten-free flour (I recommend Namaste or Jules)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Cream margarine or butter with sugar. Add eggs and vanilla and blend well.
Sift together dry ingredients and add to butter/sugar mixture.
Chill at least 1-1/2 hours. (if you chill too long, it's hard to roll the dough out.)
Roll on floured board to 1/2 inch think. Cut with desired cookie cutters.
Bake at 375º 8-10 minutes on a greased cookie sheet.
Cool and frost with your favorite frosting!

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Okay, so this isn't the greatest picture, but that's okay, because these taste so good!!!! I think those perfect pictures you see on websites aren't very real, either. You know it won't look that perfect when you pull it out of the oven!

Ingredients:

For Topping: 
1 cup gluten-free flour (Namaste or Jules)
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup softened butter
1 tsp. cinnamon

For Cake:
1 cup softened butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar (or honey)
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla (or almond extract)
1/2 cup sour cream
2 cups gluten-free flour (Namaste or Jules)
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt

Directions: 

Combine all the topping ingredients until it resembles coarse sand and clumps together. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
Cream the butter and sugars (or honey with brown sugar) until smooth and creamy. Add in eggs, one at a time and then vanilla (or almond extract) and sour cream.
Combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add flour mixture to batter until just combined. (Do not over mix.)

Spoon batter into a 9x13 greased pan. Sprinkle topping over batter.
Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool before cutting and serving.

Namaste Perfect Flour Blend

This is a great product! It is perfect for baking, and it even has the xanthan gum already in it. (So convenient!)

It's a great deal, too. If you want to check it out, you can do so by clicking here. (It comes in a pack of 6)

If you want just one bag, you can get it by clicking here. A 48 ounce bag is about 11 dollars. I think that's a pretty great deal!

Thanksgiving Salad

Okay, this salad isn't just for Thanksgiving, but it's a tradition in my family to make it every Thanksgiving. :)

Dressing
Juice of 1 lemon
3 cloves of garlic (crushed)
3/4 cup of olive oil
1 tsp. of salt

Combine lemon, garlic, and salt in blender and slowly add the oil while the blender is on. Chill at least 3 hours.

Salad
1/4 lb. of bacon (cooked and crumbled)
2 heads of romaine lettuce
2 cups of halved cherry tomatoes
1/2-1 cup grated swiss cheese
2/3 cup slivered almonds (toasted under broiler)
1/3 cup parmesan cheese

Combine all ingredients just prior to serving. Add dressing and toss.

Ronzoni Gluten Free Pasta

My mom sent this pasta to me recently. I was a little hesitant to try it, because in my experience, gluten free pasta is either really good or really bad. I was afraid of it being really bad.

As you know, I love Trader Joe's pasta, and there about two other brands of gluten free pasta that I love and will eat. (I am a picky eater.)

So the other day, I decided to break this pasta out and try it.

The verdict?

It's great! You should try it and see what I'm talking about. I love the fact that I can now add another pasta to my list of "good ones" I can buy. I think this brand is even at my local grocery store, unlike the other brands I love.

If you want to try it out, or have any questions about the ingredients, or if you're looking for recipes, you can check out their website here.

Fried Rice

Fried Rice can be made with different meats like salmon (yum), ham, chicken, or shrimp.
This picture of fried rice just so happens to be made with ham, but pretty much all of these meats are prepared the same way.

Ingredients: 
2 cups rice (dry)
3 eggs
1 cup peas
2 green onions
oil
1 tbsp. gluten-free soy sauce 
your choice of meat

Directions: 
In a rice cooker (or on the stove), cook the rice with the necessary amount of water. (A rice cooker will typically need less water than when made on the stove).
When the rice is finished, put a generous amount of oil in the wok and heat the wok to medium/low heat.
Scramble the 3 eggs together in a bowl and then add to the oil, using a whisk to stir them. Take the eggs out while they are still a little wet, because they will finish cooking when you put them in again later. Set the eggs aside.
Add some oil to the wok. Heat the meat and the peas. Then add the rice in the wok, add the eggs, the cut up the green onion, and the soy sauce. Mix together well.

(This does not need a lot of soy sauce, so don't overdo it!)

Enjoy!

Fluffy Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
4 tablespoons gluten-free flour (I used Jules)
1 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
cocoa powder (as much or as little as you want)

Directions:
In a small saucepan cook flour and milk until it becomes doughy, stirring constantly. Cool to room temperature.
Beat butter and sugar together until fluffy.
Beat both mixtures together on high speed until smooth. Add cocoa powder, and mix. Add vanilla and beat until combined.
Refrigerate about 1/2 hour until it is of spreading consistency.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients: 

1 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 cups (or a titch more) gluten free flour (I use Jules)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
12 oz. package of semi-sweet chocolate chips

**if you are using a gluten-free flour mix that does not have xanthan gum in it, you will need to add 1 tsp. xanthan gum

Directions: 

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. In a bowl, mix together the butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, and vanilla. In another bowl, mix together the flour, (the xanthan gum if needed), the salt, the baking soda. Pour the dry ingredients into the first bowl and mix. Add the chocolate chips.
Make balls of dough small enough so that 9-12 cookies can fit onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until brown around the edges.

May need to cool on the cookie sheet for a minute or so before removing them. 

Facebook Group

Hello there, blog followers!

I just wanted to let you know that I have a group on Facebook where I share even more than I do on the blog! If you want to follow me on there, go ahead and "like" the page, and you'll get my updates. Here's the link to the page:

https://www.facebook.com/TastyGlutenFreeFoods?ref=hl

Zucchini Bread

Do you have a lot of zucchini you need to use from your garden? Well, this is a very tasty recipe that I have no doubt you will enjoy. (As you can tell by the picture, I couldn't wait to take it out of the oven.)

Ingredients:
3 cups Jules all-purpose gluten free flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
3 tsp. cinnamon
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2 1/4 cup granulated sugar
3 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups grated zucchini

Directions:

1. Grease and flour two 8 x 4 inch pans. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2. Sift flour, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon together in a bowl.
3. Beat eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well. Stir in zucchini and nuts until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pans.
4. Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and completely cool.

makes 2 loaves

Udi's Gluten Free Pizza Crust

These pizza crusts by Udi's are a go-to option for me when I want pizza, but I don't want to spend a fortune to order it from a restaurant. These are thin crust pizzas, and they have a great taste to them, and they hold together well. They seem like what a gluten-filled thin crust pizza would be.
These crusts are also dairy, soy, and nut free.

I would highly recommend these pizza crusts to anyone.

If you don't have them in your local grocery store, you can order them here.