Gluten-free tortillas

Posted on March 2, 2014 by ade12hoops

Simple. Delicious. Easy.

These are the best tortillas we have eaten since going gluten-free. We actually prefer them over regular tortillas. I got the recipe from the blog Art of Gluten-Free Baking and made a few substitutes and additions. These will change your gluten-free life!

Ingredients:
2 cups Pamela’s Artisan Gluten-free Flour blend (you can find at Kroger and Natural Grocer)
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
2 teaspoons aluminum free baking powder
1-2 tablespoons of tomato powder (optional or your favorite spice)
5 tablespoons unsalted organic butter, cold and cut into 1 tablespoon pieces
3/4 cup warm water

Each batch makes about 8 tortillas – we usually double the recipe.

In your food processor mix flour, salt, baking powder and tomato powder.

Add your butter pieces and mix until it looks like wet sand.

Then add the warm water and mix until a dough ball forms.

Place the dough ball in plastic wrap or in a container with a lid for 30 – 60 minutes at room temp. This will help distribute the water through the dough. You can refrigerate the dough if you aren’t going to use it the same day.

When you are ready to make tortillas, roll the dough into 8-9 balls.

Then roll out the dough balls. We use two pieces of parchment paper and a rolling pin unless you have a tortillas press. Then place the tortilla in a pan heated to medium with oil (we use Grapeseed oil). Cook for about 60 seconds while bubbles form on the top and then flip and cook the other side.

We love to use them as tortillas for homemade breakfast burritos. We fill them with a mix of breakfast sausage, eggs, green chili, hash browns and spinach. Then we roll them up in foil and freeze them for a super simple and delicious breakfast during the week. Just stick them in the oven for 30-45 minutes while getting ready and then grab and go!

We have also made them and then cut them into triangles for homemade tortillas chips and they were a HUGE hit.

There you have it…gluten-free tortillas that you will love. Thank you to the Art of Gluten-Free Baking for figuring out this awesome recipe!

Simple DIY All Purpose Cleaner

Posted on May 13, 2013 by ade12hoops

There are so many products that we use around the house and don’t realize they include toxic chemicals and are harmful to our health and our families. This is a recipe from one of my favorite blogs, Wellness Mama, for a natural, chemical free all purpose cleaner. We keep two bottles (of different scents) to use in our kitchen and family room for counters, table tops and floors as well as in the bathroom.

You only need four ingredients and a spray bottle (I reuse an old Method spray bottle):

1 tsp borax
1/2 tsp washing soda/baking soda
1 tsp liquid castille soap
essential oils as preferred for scent – we love peppermint (about 15 -20 drops) and lavender orange (8 drops lavender and 10-12 drops orange)

I boil water on the stove in a teapot and then pour into a non-plastic pitcher and add the above ingredients and stir. I let it sit until it cools and then pour into the spray bottle.

Even though there are only 4 ingredients, some of the ingredients might be foreign to you. Above is a picture of each of the ingredients except for the essential oils (essentials oils can be purchased at Natural Grocers, Whole Foods, health food stores and distributors.) There are different grades of essential oils as well as organic versus non-organic…those are next on my list because I don’t know enough about them to recommend a specific kind.

For castille soap, I use the unscented Dr. Bronner’s because it is an organic soap made from extra virgin coconut, olive, jojoba and hemp oils. It can be purchased online, at Natural Grocers, Whole Foods, etc. We also use it as our laundry detergent, either the almond or lavender scent. Just a capful for a load of laundry since it is a concentrated soap. Normal laundry soap is one of the MOST toxic cleaning items in your home.

Borax, sodium borate, is a mineral that has been used for a long time as a component of detergents and is a natural laundry booster. It can be purchased at your local Target or other large box retailer. The same goes for purchasing baking soda or washing soda.

Not only does this give you a toxic free all purpose cleaner…it provides it at a much lower cost than purchasing already made at the store. Make it once and you will be hooked!

If you want to check the toxicity level of any of your household cleaning products you can do that by going to EWG’s cleaning product database and typing in your products.

Happy cleaning!

Fresh Perspective

Posted on May 8, 2013 by ade12hoops

Fresh Perspective is a favorite recipe in our household as it allows you to use whatever is “fresh and in season” or straight out of the garden to change up the dish. This is a main dish idea shared originally by a friend and we have altered to make our own.

Before I share the recipe, I thought it was also appropriate to share another “fresh perspective”. Cornered Tomato got a face lift with a new color palette, new logo and new design – a”fresh perspective”. Check it out and if you like what you see, check out the company, Chooba Rue Design, and artist, Holly Beals, behind the new look.

Fresh Perspective Recipe

1 sweet potato
1-2 red potatoes
Aidells pre-cooked chicken apple sausage
1 container of cherry or grape tomatoes – or those out of your garden
a small bundle of spinach
1 can of pineapple or a fresh pineapple
fresh addition ideas for those items in season include squash, artichokes, peppers, broccoli, carrots, kale…the options are endless
Italian seasoning mix (oregano, rosemary, etc), red pepper flakes, spices of your liking

Preheat oven to 350. Cube the sweet potato and red potatoes. Spray olive oil in your casserole dish and place the cut up potatoes in the dish. Cover with Italian spice mix (oregano, rosemary, etc) and red pepper flakes (add based on your desire for spiciness) and then pour a bit more olive oil over the potatoes, stir and cook only the potatoes for 30-45min at 350 (the smaller you cut the potatoes, the less time you need to precook them – if you don’t precook them the potatoes will still be tough when everything else is cooked). While potatoes are cooking cut the chicken apple sausage into thin slices, rinse the tomatoes, cut the pineapple (if necessary), rinse and chop a couple handfuls of fresh spinach and anything else you want to add to the mix.

Potatoes should be starting to get a bit softer at the end of their cooking time. Take the casserole dish out of the oven and add all other ingredients. Stir together and add some more of the same spices listed above and some of the pineapple juice (if using from a can – if fresh pineapple the juice will seep out of the pieces). Return to oven and bake another 30 – 40 minutes or until the little tomatoes start to pop.

Enjoy this “fresh perspective” all year round with a different twist in each season.

Spicy Stuffed Chicken

Posted on April 17, 2013 by ade12hoops

Will you make that again…soon…how about tomorrow? I knew I had found a winning recipe when I made the Spicy Stuffed Chicken Donielle posted on her blog. Here is the recipe with a couple of ideas and additions to her original recipe.

Ingredients:

3 chicken breasts – we usually do 6, double the recipe and freeze the extra in glass containers that can be put straight from the fridge into the oven – purchasing chicken breast cutlets help when pounding the chicken
4-6 oz shredded pepper jack cheese
1 cup frozen spinach, thawed and drained or fresh spinach steamed
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp cajun or spicy mix – I use the Fajita Seasoning from Savory Spice and believe this really makes the flavors and recipe pop with pizzazz
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350
Pound each chicken breast down to about 1/4 in thick
Mix cheese, spinach, salt and pepper in bowl
Place 1/4 cup of the cheese mix on each chicken breast and roll up the breast putting a toothpick in to hold the roll.
Place in an 8×8 pan (place additional rolls into glass containers for freezer)
Brush or spray each roll with olive oil and sprinkle the seasoning over the top. If you have any cheese mixture left sprinkle that over the top too.
Bake 30-40 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly cooked through (use a meat thermometer and check the temp of the chicken – should be 165 – 175 degrees)
Remove toothpicks, serve and enjoy!

Spinach Artichoke Dip

Posted on March 23, 2013 by ade12hoops

This is a new family favorite recipe in our household. For years my husband has made a crowd pleasing spinach artichoke dip that is a hit at parties…it includes mayo and cream cheese. So I made this spinach artichoke dip (found at Paleo Spirit) and had him taste test it to see how it measured up…after 1/2 the batch was gone before I could get it out of the pan, we both concluded that this is our new favorite dip recipe. It yields a creamy but dairy free version of our original recipe…

How is that possible? That was my initial question and until I tasted it I was doubtful. The secret is cashew cream. Cashew cream is very easy to make at home and the Paleo Spirit website is also where I found the simple recipe. They key here is to make sure you start the cashew’s soaking in water a day before you want to make the dip.

Raw Cashew Cream (recipe from Paleo Spirit):

1 cup raw, whole cashews (make sure they are not salted or roasted)
fresh, filtered water

Rinse your cashews, put them in a bowl and cover them with water and allow to soak at least 2 hours but preferably over night.
Drain cashews, rinse and put them in a food processor with 1 cup of filtered water.
Blend on high for a couple of minutes until you have a creamy texture

Makes 1 1/2 – 2 cups of cashew cream…perfect because that is exactly what the spinach artichoke dip calls for.

Spinach Artichoke Dip (recipe from Paleo Spirit):

2, 10 ounce boxes of frozen, chopped spinach
2, 14 ounce cans or jars of artichoke hearts (I prefer jars and ones that have a bit of spice added)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, diced (about 1 cup)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 1/2 – 2 cups cashew cream from above recipe

Defrost spinach and squeeze out extra water
Drain and chop artichokes
Saute onion in olive oil for about 10 minutes and then add garlic and cook for another minute
Stir in the artichokes, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper and cayenne pepper and let them heat
Add in the spinach and lemon juice and let them heat
Now stir in your cashew cream

It is best served warm – use sliced cucumbers, red bell peppers, blue corn tortilla chips or any type of cracker for scooping and enjoying this amazing and healthy dish! It would make an excellent March Madness treat…

Chocomole pudding…

Posted on February 1, 2013 by ade12hoops

Chocolate pudding made from avocados?!!! If your response is anything like mine, it is hard to envision a chocolate dessert pudding that is made with avocados. You might be seeing a green pudding but rest assured the pudding is not green, it doesn’t taste like avocados and it IS good and healthy. Did you know that avocados are packed with good fats and have more useable protein for your body than a steak?

You will just have to try it for yourself. Do a fun taste test – serve it to friends and family that have not watched you make it and do not know what ingredients are included. The pudding is not super sweet but instead is reminiscent of a dark chocolate flavor. The avocados are simply there to add “pudding texture”. I found the recipe here and then added a few notes and modifications which are included in my recipe below.

Ingredients:

2 avocados – the riper the better your pudding will mix and be a better texture
2 Tablespoons of honey (raw and unfiltered is the best)
1/3 cup cocoa
2 Tablespoons of melted coconut oil
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
Unsweetened almond milk – add to your desired creaminess
Agave – add a bit to enhance texture and sweetness

Directions:

The recipe requires a lot of taste and texture testing throughout to get your desired pudding (bummer, right?!!). Combine all ingredients (except for the almond milk and agave) in a blender or food processor and puree until you reach your desired consistency. This is where I added a bit of almond milk and agave to create a creamier texture and a bit sweeter taste. Place in the fridge and allow it to get cold – usually takes about an hour – and then enjoy and surprise your friends with your interesting and tasty creation!

Easy Quinoa Mac and Cheese

Posted on January 29, 2013 by ade12hoops

Mac and cheese is a crowd pleaser and this crowd pleaser is a bit healthier than the usual mac and cheese since it is made with quinoa. Quinoa is a healthy grain-like crop…it is actually a seed and can be found at your local super market. It cooks easily and quickly. I found the quinoa mac and cheese recipe here. I made some changes to the recipe and have included my rendition of the recipe and directions below. Both husband and friends liked this one!

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts
1.5 cups of quinoa (we used organic quinoa purchased from Costco), rinsed and drained
2-3 cups of frozen broccoli
2 eggs
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
seasoning of your choice – I used a hickory smoke seasoning
crushed red pepper to taste
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1.5 cups of grated cheddar cheese
2 pieces of Ezekiel bread (sprouted grain bread found in the freezer section)

Directions

Marinade your chicken in your favorite marinade, grill and cube
Cook quinoa according to the package instructions
At the same time steam the frozen broccoli
Preheat oven to 350. Grease 13×9 inch casserole dish with butter or coconut oil
Toast the 2 pieces of Ezekiel bread and put into a blender (we used a Cuisinart drink blender) and create bread crumbs
Whisk together the eggs, milk, seasoning, crushed red pepper and garlic. (you can choose to add or subtract any seasoning you would like)
Mix the whisked ingredients with the quinoa, cheddar cheese, broccoli and chicken in the greased casserole dish. (You can choose different meats or vegetables or omit them all together.)
Top with the bread crumbs you created and sprinkle with a little extra cheese
Bake 30 – 35 minutes
Enjoy

Vanilla Extract

Posted on January 23, 2013 by ade12hoops

Now that the Christmas season has come and gone and we have given our gifts to our friends and family, I can post what we did and how we did it. This is a fabulous gift anytime of the year. It is a gift that keeps on giving!

The idea came compliments of Sprinkles of Parsley

Making your own vanilla extract – did you know that all extract, if you have any in your cupboards look at the ingredients, is alcohol and the spice or flavoring such as almond or peppermint or vanilla? So here’s what we did.

We purchased little bottles from The Specialty Bottle Company
We purchased Bourbon Vanilla Beans from Beanilla
We purchase a middle-of-the-line, unflavored vodka.
We spread the bottles and vanilla beans out one evening in December on our table and had some fun making vanilla extract for our friends and family.
We cut the vanilla beans in half length wise and then in half width wise as this exposes the seeds. We started by putting 2 strands in each bottle but had enough to put 4-6 in each bottle.
Then we used a funnel and poured unflavored vodka over the vanilla beans until the bottle was almost full and placed the cap on.
Once all bottles were completed we made labels. We used round labels and chose a font we liked and printed them on our computer. I then took distressed ink and colored them in a festive color and added a ribbon around the top of the bottle.
Remember these must “sit” for 6 weeks prior to use so be sure to start early or include a date on the label that reads, “Use after”…

Ingredients needed:

20-40 bottles, depending on how many you want to make
¼ – ½ lbs of vanilla beans (they do have organic available on different sites)
Unflavored vodka – we went for a middle of the line, Sky Vodka
Ribbons in festive colors
Labels for front and back of the bottles

Label Lingo:

Front

Vanilla Extract, Use after _________________

Back

The vanilla beans must steep for 6 weeks. When your extract runs out fill your bottle with unflavored vodka and allow to steep again for 6 weeks. You will always have homemade vanilla extract. Ingredients: Bourbon vanilla beans, vodka

Foot Scrubs

Posted on December 9, 2012 by ade12hoops

This post deviates a bit from what you normally see in the form of recipes, but I want to share with you other items that can optimize your health (the skin is one of our biggest organs and absorbs what you put on it into the body)…AND make fabulous Christmas gifts. This idea comes from one of my favorite blogs, Wellness Mama. I took her recipe and picked out some bottles and went to work making some Christmas gifts.

The wonderful thing about this recipe is the simplicity and the fact that Epsom salt has magnesium which many of us do not get enough of in our diets. Magnesium is also a wonderful detoxifying agent. The scrubs can be used on hands, feet and the body. The best part of making your own Christmas gifts…you know exactly what ingredients are included and can be sure there are no nasty chemicals that many of our beauty products contain.

Here are the ingredients you will need and then I encourage you to visit the Wellness Mama page above for her recipe on amounts and ideas on different combinations – we made Vanilla Lavender and Cinnamon Peppermint. Love them!

Epsom salt
Almond oil or olive oil (we used almond oil)
Liquid castille soap (we used the unscented Dr. Bronner’s baby soap, found at Natural Grocers)
Lavender oil, vanilla, peppermint oil, cinnamon – depending on the scent you choose

Amazing muffins and my life

Posted on November 2, 2012 by ade12hoops

My life has been turned upside down in the last three weeks with a diagnoses of breast cancer at the age of 32. I write this with overwhelming gratitude to those that turned my life back from upside down. The community of support has been overwhelming – from family to friends to co-workers – I am in awe of their kindness. I will post more as time goes on about our process and path through this breast cancer journey on another blog titled “The Boobie Bunch” – there will be a link in the menu bar of Cornered Tomato.

This specific post gives a shout out to my friend Sara as this is a recipe from her kitchen. The muffins are something she made us that we devoured. People are volunteering to bring food for my upcoming surgery and given that I don’t eat gluten, dairy, soy or sugar…that leaves most people wondering, what food can I make her? Well ice cubes are always good…:) Kidding, just kidding! I am filling up my recipe link here on Cornered Tomato with recipes that we have invented or tried from others that we love. This allows anyone to come and pull a recipe that we will be able to eat. Once again, I can’t thank my family, friends and community enough for the joy you have brought in this difficult time as well as our strength and humor from our Father.

Sara’s Amazing Muffins

2 1/2 – 3 cups oat flour – depending on consistency you want – purchase oat flour in the bulk section at Vitamin Cottage or Whole Foods or purchase oats and use a food processor to grind for oat flour
2 tsp. aluminum free baking powder – you can get aluminum free at any grocery store
1 tsp. cinnamon
4 Tbsp. coconut oil
1 1/2 tsp. egg replacer (we used part of a real egg) mixed with
2 Tbsp. rice or oat milk – we used unsweetened almond milk
1 Cup cold applesauce
1/2 Cup honey

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine oat flour, baking powder, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Add the coconut oil and using a wire pastry cutter, cut it into the dry ingredients until it’s the texture of a course meal. Add applesauce and honey to egg replacer, and then pour into dry ingredients, mixing until combined but still lumpy. Line muffin cups (9-12 depending on size you wish your muffins to be) with liners. Fill each cup with batter. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown on top.

Eat and enjoy!