Harvest Apple Bars (gluten free)

It is the first day of October. My favorite month. The leaves peak with their fall color in my hometown of Pennsylvania in October. I was supposed to be bringing you a pumpkin recipe today. In my mind pumpkin is all that is fall and besides I LOVE everything pumpkin. Pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin carving, pumpkin seeds...you get the picture. I am crazy about this gorgeous gourd. 

Tomato Tofu Bisque

Rich and I rented What to Expect When You're Expecting last night. It was such a hilarious movie! For the record nobody looks like Cameron Diaz's character Jules when they are pregnant. The movie brought back a lot of memories from my pregnancy. I remember the constant  nausea. Feeling tired after sleeping for 9 hours at night, how uncomfortable those last three months were, and the most  precious moment when I first held my daughter.
When I was pregnant tomato was the word. I craved tomato products in all its various forms. Pasta, pizza, marinara sauce, ketchup, and my favorite Panera Bread's Tomato Soup. Alas, I've tried to eat at Panera since going gluten free, but I inevitably end up sick. So I've tried my hand at coming up with my favorite tomato soup. It is gluten free, dairy free, and vegan too.

Tomato Tofu Bisque

17.6 ox Pomi Tomato Sauce
12 oz of Silken Tofu ( I use Nori-Nu)
1/4 tsp of sea salt
1/8 tsp of pepper
1 tsp of garlic crushed
1 tsp of minced fresh basil

Combine all ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. Pour into a sauce pot and heat on medium low whisking until near boil. Serve in bowls and garnish with basil. Serves 3-4.

Stay strong and carry on!
Brooklynn

Apple Pie Smoothie

This morning I woke up and had to whip up breakfast fast! I had to be at work  early and needed to eat and get my workout done pronto. I received these delicious Macintosh apples in my organic produce delivery last week and have been enjoying them immensely.  Now that fall is officially here ,well not really in South Florida,I just pretend the palm tree frawns change color like the leaves do up north. I miss autumn in Pennsylvania SO much every year. Nostalgia got the best of me this morning so I created this great breakfast shake invoking memories of warm apple pie coming from my Grandma's oven on crisp fall days.

Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal

This is my third baked oatmeal recipe on the blog. You could say I'm slightly obsessed with this recipe. I absolutely love to eat it this way every morning.  I've had carrot cake on the brain lately. My  29th birthday is less than a month away and it is my favorite cake! This is not a rich as the real deal carrot cake, but it is sweet enough for breakfast and wholesome enough to power you up for the day.

Will you Muffin Me? Apple Cinnamon Muffins (gluten free&dairy free)

I love my Blueberry Streusel Muffins and I woke up at 5 am yesterday with a hankering for muffins. I didn't have any blueberries or raisins, but I had this perfect lonely golden delicious organic apple in the crisper drawer in the fridge begging to be used. This recipe is almost identical to the blueberry recipe with a few minor changes. It is gluten free and dairy free. I used blonde coconut sugar as the sweetener which is a natural sugar derived from the blossoms of the coconut tree and has a low glycemic index. A perfect recipe for the strike sugar September initiative.

Zen Peach Smoothie

I woke up this morning STARVING. That little run yesterday must have jump started my metabolism. It is days like these that I don't want to wait for breakfast. My body needs to eat now. I have been wanting to create a smoothie with silken tofu to break away from using protein powder. I thought it would be very "zen."

Zen Peach Smoothie

1 peach peeled, pitted and sliced ( or 1 cup of frozen peach slices)

1 cup of unsweetened vanilla almond milk

1/3 cup of silken tofu

1/8 tsp of liquid stevia ( or less to taste)

1/4 tsp of vanilla extract

Ice ( use less if using frozen peaches)

Place all ingredients into Blendtec or blender and process until smooth. I topped my smoothie with a dash of nutmeg.

Let's Connect!

You can now follow me on pinterest and twitter @LeanGourmet. Also on the sidebar of the blog you can sign up to have the blog emailed to you. I have a facebook page too!

Until next time stay strong and carry on!

Brooklynn

Dessert for Breakfast:Peach Cobbler Baked Oatmeal

I can still remember those hot summer days swimming  in my grandparent's pool with my cousins and siblings. Pap and Nana had a huge in ground pool enclosed by a fence in the back yard surrounded by their garden and orchard trees.  I remember one Sunday afternoon the whole family was over for swimming and a family barbecue. The peach tree was brimming with fruit. My Uncle Kenny got out a ladder and picked a bunch of fresh ripe peaches. My mom turned those gorgeous peaches into a lovely peach cobbler. 
Last week my husband, Rich, had picked up a huge crate of peaches last week, and I couldn't help but think back to this pleasant summer memory. One of my favorite and older recipes on this blog is my baked oatmeal.  With cobbler on the brain and a love for sweet breakfasts I created this lovely fruited breakfast treat for this week.

Nana & Pap with all their Grandkids. Miss you Nana.

Cashew Milk

Source: bluntcard.com via Mandy on Pinterest

Early in my grandpa's, or "Pap-Pap" as I call him, career he was a milk man. He worked for Marburger Dairy Farm in western Pennsylvania. My mom has told me stories on how she would go with him Saturday mornings in the milk truck for deliveries. She had to be on the road with her dad by 3:00 am for those deliveries so people could enjoy fresh cold milk with the Saturday morning paper. My mom would sleep in the truck until sunrise and some times they would stop for a doughnut for breakfast. I love stories like that. Eventually my grandpa was promoted to a manager position and then later would move on to work at Armco Steel Mill in Butler,PA. Earlier this year I learned how to make cashew milk from the Spunky Coconut. It is so EASY and yummy.  I use cashew millk for everything I would use cows milk for and I love the taste. The cashew milk will last in the fridge covered for about 5 days if you haven't fininshed it yet:) I store it in my Weck 1 liter juice jars I love how it reminds me of my Pap-Pap.

Summer Butternut Squash Soup

I first had butternut squash soup at this swanky little salad place in West Palm Beach called Field of Greens. You place your order and they make your salad right in front of you. It is fast food gone healthy. I've been dying to learn how to make butternut squash soup and today I have a delicious light and savory soup for you to try that is dairy free and gluten free. The most time consuming part is roasting the squash.

Trail Mix Cookie Bars (gluten free, dairy free)

Don't you just love snacks that taste good?! When I first started eating a clean whole foods diet I thought my life would forever consist of baked chicken breast and steamed broccoli. Wrong! I thought I would be deprived of sweet treats and have endless sugar cravings after kicking the white stuff habit; sugar that is. One of the hardest and easiest transitions for me was giving up white sugar. After I stopped eating it, baking with it, and buying packaged foods with sugar and corn syrup I did go through a detox. I got through this by increasing my intake of fresh fruit and using more natural sugar alternatives like honey. Dried fruit especially dates and raisins can really help you satisfy  your sweet tooth craving without giving in. What made this process easy was the positive reaction I felt in my body, my clearer skin, and also being cavity free for the last two years! Today's recipe is a great snack to stash in your purse, carry along for road trips, or feed your hungry toddler after you pick her up from school. 

Streusel Topped Blueberry Muffins (gluten free, dairy free)

 I am upon the 1 year anniversary of living a gluten free life style. It is almost impossible to believe. This year has been an incredible amout of trial,error,learning, and more error. I have been "glutened" by myself or by another party on accident a handful of painful times. The first gluten free blog I started reading after learning my plight was The Gluten Free Girl. She is a fabulous writer and describes some gluten free foods "as more a texture than a taste." My first trip to Whole Foods to explore the world of gluten free gourmet was a sad disappointment as far as finding substitutes for my beloved ezekiel bread, muffins,bagels, & cereal. I found a lot of the packaged products to be loaded with sugar, starches, and carbs. I ended up leaving the store with just produce, some various protein sources, and quinoa. Thus began my quest to discover and create delicious, wholesome gluten free foods. I kept getting good reports and thumbs up for the gluten free fair that I was creating in my kitchen and this blog was born.
Today's recipe is a celebration of this milestone; it will literally be a party in your mouth. This muffin is light, fluffy, has a delicate crumb topping, and is moist. Did I mention it is gluten free? If you've thrown in the towel with gluten free baking give this recipe a go. Let me know what you think!

Streusel Topped Blueberry Muffins (gluten free, dairy free)

Muffins

1 cup of brown rice flour ( I use Bob's Red Mill)

1/2 cup of potato starch (I use Bob's Red Mill)

1/2 cup of blanched almond flour ( I use Honeyville Farms)

1/2 tsp xanthan gum

1/2 cup Blonde Palm Sugar

1 TBS baking powder

1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 cup of blueberries, defrosted if using frozen

1/4 cup of chopped walnuts

1/3 cup refined coconut oil melted

1 tsp of vanilla extract

2 eggs beaten

1 cup of cashew milk or coconut milk

Streusel Topping

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

1/4 cup Blonde Palm Sugar

2 TBS of brown rice flour

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1&1/2 TBS refined coconut oil melted

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a muffin tin well. I use a food grade rubber silicon muffin tray and lay it on top of a regular steel muffin tin to give it support. I grease it well and my muffins come out easily once cooled.

Prepare streusel by mixing all the ingredients for topping in a bowl mixture should be course and moist, but not wet. Set aside. Mix brown rice flour through sea salt in a large mixing bowl with whisk. Place blueberries in a separate bowl and add 1 TBS of flour mixture to the berries and toss. This keeps the berries from sinking in the batter.

In a third bowl mix oil, vanilla, eggs and milk then pour into dry flour mixture and stir well to combine then add in berries. Load muffin tray with batter and top with streusel topping. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden and test with a toothpick in your biggest muffin; if it comes out clean they are done!

Today's Workout Blip:

Today's workout from my Get in Shape Girl Bikini Plan worked shoulders and triceps plus I did my 35 minute step mill workout. The funniest and one of the challenging exercises from today was crab taps. I lost my balance several times and had to perform 20 reps for 3 sets each. Here is a demo below from you tube.

Let's Connect!

You can now follow me on pinterest  and twitter @LeanGourmet. Also on the sidebar of the blog you can sign up to have the blog emailed to you. I have a facebook page too!

Until next time stay strong and carry on!

Brooklynn

Buckwheat Baby Cakes!

I have always loved breakfast. I have always loved pancakes. My freshman year of college IHOP had all you could eat pancakes for $4.99. Rich and I were friends at the time and I was invited along with the gang to the couture dining experience at The International House of Pancakes or IHOP. Well as the story goes all the guys decided to have a pancake eat-off contest. And oh yes I joined too! And I won! I out ate 6 college guys. I ate 13 IHOP pancakes fully loaded with syrup and butter. I even rotated the different flavors of syrup between plates of cakes. Needless to say I didn't eat pancakes for months! I know my parents hoped that I applied that steadfast iron will to my studies and not just pancake eating contests.

Those glory days are behind me and I stick to reasonable sized portions; see the picture above? Just kidding. I eat like 2 maybe 3 on a good day. Enough about me and onto today's recipe Buckwheat baby cakes. Did you know that buckwheat is not "wheat" at all ?! Me neither until  a year ago!  It is a "nutritional giant"that grows wild in Asia and rhubarb's cousin. My first experience with buckwheat pancakes was at the tender age of 8 or so on a family snow skiing trip. Mom made them. I hated them. Somehow through the years I've developed a taste for buckwheat. It is definitely a distinct taste of its own. On first bite it may not be true love, but give it another go. After all second chances are a beautiful thing don't you think?

topped with Tap n' Apple butter, honey, and sliced almonds
photo by Rich

Buckwheat Baby Cakes

1 cup of buckwheat flour ( I use Arrowhead Mills Organic Buckwheat flour)

1 cup of all purpose gluten free flour mix ( add 1/2 tsp xanthan gum if not in mix)

2 TBS rapadura or coconut sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp sea salt

2 eggs separated

1/4 cup grapeseed oil

2 cups of buttermilk ( I use Saco; I mix the powder in with dry ingredients and add the water with eggs/oil)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 apple grated

Mix buckwheat, g-free flour, sugar, baking powder, sea salt, and cinnamon ingredients in a bowl with a whisk and set aside. Next separate 2 eggs. Place whites in a bowl and beat with mixer until stiff peaks form. Set aside. Combine yolks, oil, vanilla, and buttermilk and add to flour mixture. Fold in whipped egg whites and then add grated apple.I grated my apple with a cheese grater.

Preheat griddle and oil it. Pour batter onto griddle and flip cakes when edges are set and tops have bubbles. Enjoy!

Today's Workout Blip:

I may have been silent the last few days on the blog, but I've been knocking out my workouts for week 5 of my Get in Shape Girl Bikini Plan  the past 2 days. I griped about Monday's pull ups exercises in the last post. I surpassed my own expectations and managed 2.5 reps the first set and 1.5 reps set 2 and 3. I did the remaining reps assisted with the machine to get a total of 10 reps. My trainer Kyra recommended that I practice an additional 1 or 2 times a week following my workout for that day. I really want to get to 12 full reps unassisted pull ups by week 8! I also did a new exercise per the plan that I love stability ball pike + pushups. This exercise will work your mummy tummy for sure! I really felt it in my lower abs and believe me after baby that is a difficult area to tone up. Give it a go and keep your core tight and strong while performing this exercise.

Let's Connect!

You can now follow me on pinterest  and twitter @LeanGourmet. Also on the sidebar of the blog you can sign up to have the blog emailed to you. I have a facebook page too!

Until next time stay strong and carry on!

Brooklynn

Simple Crunchy Granola (gluten free)

 Here at the Lean Gourmet Kitchen we are serious aboutbreakfast. I mean just look at that face; nothing gets between us and breakie!

Today’s recipe is crunchy, slightly sweet,and just like us a little bit nutty (sshhh don’t tell the neighbors!)  I found this recipe for this delicious homemade granola out of magazine in 2009. Since adopting a gluten free diet I have found that store bought gluten free granola is expensive, overly sweet,and lacking in protein.

What I love best about this recipe is you can “shop” your cupboards and use what you have and adapt it to your taste and own preferences. Simply use this recipe as a guide and get creative!

Simple Crunchy Granola

2 cups of gluten free rolled oats

1 heaped cup of unsalted raw nuts ( use a combo if youlike)

¼ mixed seeds ( I love chia, sesame, pumpkin, sunflower)

¾ cup unsweetened shredded coconut ( I’ve made it with orwithout, both ways are good!)

1 tsp of ground cinnamon

5 TBS of maple syrup or honey

3 TBS of grapeseed oil or virgin coconut oil

1&1/2 cups of dried fruit ( use small pieces as large chunks of apricot and prunes become rock hard!)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Don’t skip the parchment paper your granola will stick and burn to the panL . If you have been following my blog I suggest you buy stock in the stuff asI use parchment paper frequently. In a large mixing bowl toss the oats through cinnamon together until combined. Then drizzle the honey or maple syrup and oil over the granola and stir until well coated. Spread granola out on parchment paper lined pan ( don’t worry I haven’t forgotten the fruit!) and bake for  25 minutes or until golden brown and toasted.Then remove from oven and stir in your dried fruit. Cool and store in an airtight container. It should stay fresh for about 2 weeks if its not all gone by then! We enjoyed our granola with cashew milk; yes you read that right and you can find out how to make cashew milk here.

For my granola feature in this shot I used hemp hearts, chia seeds, almonds, raisins,& walnuts.
I didn’t have any coconut so I omitted it in the granola that is pictured.

Hey Mickey! She likes it she really really likes it!

Today's Workout Blip:

I worked out at home yesterday and thus skipped my incline treadmill workout. So today I did a little combo and performed incline HIIT; oh Lord! I found this workout from PBfingers.com and pinned it here.

Let's Connect!

You can now follow me on pinterest  and twitter @LeanGourmet. Also on the sidebar of the blog you can sign up to have the blog emailed to you. I have a facebook page too!

Until next time stay strong and carry on!

Brooklynn

Lemon Glazed Blueberry Doughnuts (gluten free, grain free,dairy free)

Picture by Brooklynn

One of my favorite Saturday morning memories is my mom, Bonnie, stopping at the local Robert's bakery after the midnight shift at the local steel mill and bringing home pecan rolls and doughnuts for breakfast. I can still see my little brother's  blue eyes light up upon seeing the white cardboard box wrapped in string.  Robert's Bakery was a family owned business in my hometown of Butler, PA. It has since closed as many of my favorite local businesses back home. Those days of gluten fried goodness are behind me, but I still wanted my two year old Isabella to experience Saturday morning doughnuts. Today we broke from our traditional Saturday morning pancake regimen, despite her protest, and I made the vanilla version of the Spunky Coconut's Chocolate Doughnuts with a lemon glaze. This batter does require use of a doughnut pan as it is not thick enough to roll out and shape. I picked a pan up at my local Home Goods store for $9.99 yesterday. Now I know what you are thinking. Doughnuts, healthy? Really? To that I say yes! The main ingredient is natural almond butter. These doughnuts are a different experience than your traditional, but just as good with a glass of ice cold milk!

Picture by Brooklynn

Lemon Glazed Blueberry Doughnuts (gluten free, grain free,dairy free)

I followed the recipe of  the vanilla version of the Spunky Coconut's Chocolate Doughnuts and
my modifications include:
1/4 tsp regular liquid stevia (instead of vanilla stevia)
1/4 cup of coconut milk
4 TBS of coconut flour
1/2 cup of blueberries
I added all the ingredients listed in the origional recipe into my Blendtec including the berries and pureed until thick and smooth. I had to use 4 TBS of coconut flour as the berries thinned the batter. My batter's consistency was too thick to pour out of the blender. Makes 6 doughnuts.
Lemon Glaze
2 TBS of homemade clean powder sugar (recipe below)
1 tsp of FRESH lemon juice
Mix the powdered sugar and juice then drizzle onto cooled doughnuts with a spoon.
Clean Powdered Sugar Recipe
1/3 cup turbinado sugar
1/2 tsp arrow root powder
Place ingredients into food processor and blend until a fine combined powder is formed.

picture by Brooklynn 

She loved them and told me they tasted like cake

Today's Workout Blip:

Today's workout came from  my workout plan the Get in Shape Girl Bikini Plan. I decided to workout at home since we were on a lazy Saturday pace and it was getting too late to take Isabella to the gym child care. I also love working out at home so Bell can see me exercise and how fun it is to be active and healthy. We set the example; right parents? The workout was three giant circuits or rounds of  11 exercises performed for the required number or reps one after the other. It was an intense 30 minutes! My favorite exercise was the plank knee drive it really rocks your core muscles! I performed my reps in a full pushup position( not on my knees) and did 10 per leg. Give it a whirl! I also completed my 20 burpees a day challenge. For cardio I performed 10 rounds of 50 seconds jump roping with 10 seconds rest between jump roping. I use my gymboss interval timer. There is also an App for Gymboss in the Apple store! It was short, sweet and intense.

Let's Connect!

You can now follow me on pinterest  and twitter @LeanGourmet. Also on the sidebar of the blog you can sign up to have the blog emailed to you. I have a facebook page too!

Until next time stay strong and carry on!

Brooklynn

Power Cookies

Today’s recipe is a cookie, but it packs a powerful nutritional punch and is gluten free and dairy free. Speaking of punches the husband and I were knocked out with a nasty cold this weekend while our two year-old has been running circles around us. Oh parenthood. Perhaps these cookies will provide healing and rejuvenation; probably not, but they are a great treat.

Power Cookies

1 cup of certified gluten free oats ground up in food processor

2 cups of blanched almond flour

1 TBS baking powder

¼ cup honey

¼ cup coconut oil melted

1 cup of cooked, peeled, mashed, and cooled sweet potato

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp of pumpkin pie spice

½-1cup of sesame seeds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. I used my Exopat Matfer to bake my cookies on. Place coconut oil, honey, potato, vanilla extract, and pumpkin pie spice into Blendtec, food processor, or blender then process till smooth. Tip: measure out your oil first and then the honey in the same measuring cup because the honey will slide out easily due to the oil. In a separate mixing bowl combine, ground oats, almond flour, and baking powder. Mix to combine. Add the sweet potato mixture to the flour mixture and stir to combine.  Place sesame seeds into a cereal bowl. Scoop dough with a cookie scoop or tablespoon and then form the dough into 1 inch balls with palms of your hands. Next roll ball to coat in sesame seeds and place on baking sheet. Repeat till cookie sheet is filled then bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Today’s Workout Blip:

I skipped my HIIT and cardio session yesterday and today’s full-body and circuit with cardio due to this wicked cold. Sometimes your body has got to rest! I’m hoping to get back to the gym tomorrow and definitely by Monday.

Let's Connect!

You can now follow me on pinterest  and twitter @LeanGourmet. Also on the sidebar of the blog you can sign up to have the blog emailed to you.

Have a wonderful RESTFUL weekend. Until next time stay strong and carry on!

Brooklynn