Tag: gluten free

Chickpea Cheddar Kefir Biscuits

Kefir takes the place of buttermilk in these savory, gluten-free biscuits made with nutrient dense chickpea flour.

Chickpea Cheddar Kefir Biscuits – Kefir takes the place of buttermilk in these savory, gluten-free biscuits made with nutrient dense chickpea flour. Healthy and delicious comfort food. | QueenofMyKitchen.com

I’ve been experimenting a lot lately with chickpea flour and Chickpea Cheddar Kefir Biscuits are my most recent creation. (Check out Chickpea Pretzels too.) I was initially drawn to chickpea flour as a gluten-free alternative to wheat flour but have come to love it for many others reasons. It’s easy to use and can be successfully substituted for all-purpose wheat flour in a wide variety of recipes, without the addition of other gluten-free flours, starches or gums. It’s also inexpensive and easy to make at home by grinding garbanzo beans into a fine powder – easily achieved with the help of a food processor or high-powered blender. But the best reason of all to use chickpea flour is that it is one of the most nutrient dense gluten-free flours available. It’s high in protein and fiber, and packed with vitamins and minerals. These Chickpea Cheddar Kefir Biscuits have twice the protein and fiber as the same size biscuit made with wheat flour. (more…)

Chickpea Pretzels

An all-American snack made healthier and gluten-free with the help of chickpea flour.

Chickpea Pretzels - An all-American snack made healthier and gluten-free with the help of protein and fiber rich chickpea flour. | QueenofMyKitche.com

Pretzels top the list of all-American snacks, right up there with popcorn, chips, and peanuts. The super crunchy packaged pretzels that line the grocery store shelves are salty and satisfying but the soft baked variety are a special treat. Warm and comforting and when dipped in mustard, deliciously addictive. But there are two problems with traditional soft baked pretzels. They’re typically made with wheat flour so they’re not safe for those with gluten allergies, and they’re a bit of a project to make. The yeast based dough needs time to rise and requires a bath in boiling water before being baked. Chickpea Pretzels skirt both of these issues. The dough is free of yeast and is made from gluten-free chickpea flour with a simple egg wash used in lieu of a water bath to give the pretzels their characteristic shiny exterior. This means that when a craving strikes you can be snacking on Chickpea Pretzels in less than 30 minutes! (more…)

Steak with Prosciutto, Roasted Red Peppers, and Smoked Mozzarella

An Argentinian inspired steak dish with a fabulous array of flavors, textures, and colors.

Steak with Prosciutto, Roasted Red Peppers, and Smoked Mozzarella - An Argentinian inspired steak dish with a fabulous array of flavors, textures, and colors. | QueenofMyKitchen.com

This dish has so much going for it!  Steak with Prosciutto, Roasted Red Peppers, and Smoked Mozzarella is easy, delicious, unique, makes a gorgeous presentation, is great for entertaining, and can be served hot or at room temperature.  In this simple recipe, flank steak is soaked in a savory, tenderizing marinade, then grilled and topped with classic Italian ingredients that create a flavor synergy you won’t find in many other steak dishes. The roasted red peppers are sweet, the prosciutto is salty, the mozzarella is smoky, and the fresh oregano leaves tie it all together beautifully. (more…)

Curry Chickpea Chicken Salad

A unique and healthy take on traditional chicken salad that uses almond butter in lieu of mayonnaise.  Gluten-free and dairy-free.

Curry Chickpea Chicken Salad - A unique and healthy take on traditional chicken salad that uses almond butter in lieu of mayonnaise. Gluten-free, dairy-free. | QueenofMyKitchen.com

Traditional chicken salad is comprised of cooked, shredded (or cubed) chicken in a mayonnaise based dressing, and usually includes chopped celery and parsley. From here the variations are endless and almost always delicious. Curry Chickpea Chicken Salad turns the classic preparation on its head by using an almond butter dressing in lieu of mayonnaise, and infusing it with curry – a fragrant blend of spices that pairs remarkably well with chicken. Throw in some chickpeas, cranberries, carrots, cashews and apple chunks and you’ve got a truly unique, and super healthy chicken salad that still manages to taste comforting and familiar. (more…)

Eggplant Lamb Burgers

A gluten-free, Greek inspired dish with bold, classic, Mediterranean flavors.

Eggplant Lamb Burgers - A gluten-free, Greek inspired dish with bold, classic Mediterranean flavors. Tahini yogurt sauce is the perfect condiment for these delicious, savory burgers. | QueenofMyKitchen.com

One of the things I love about burgers is the simplicity with which you can vary the ingredients to create different recipes. By playing with the types of meat, cheese, binders, and aromatics you can come up with a variety of delicious combinations to suit a particular theme, occasion, or dietary preference. Here I’m using lamb, feta cheese, and warm Mediterranean spices to create a Greek inspired burger that is topped with tahini yogurt sauce and sandwiched in between slices of grilled eggplant. Eggplant Lamb Burgers are packed with so much rich, savory flavor that you’ll want to make them again and again. (more…)

Healthy Salted Caramel Mini Donuts

That magical combination of salty and sweet in a gluten-free, dairy-free mini donut. Enjoy these little gems guilt-free!

Healthy Salted Caramel Mini Donuts – Gluten-free and dairy-free. Baked not fried. Chock-full of super healthy ingredients and sweetened with unrefined sugar. | QueenofMyKitchen.com

I hope people clicking through to this recipe won’t become annoyed at the title because Healthy Salted Caramel Mini Donuts don’t contain caramel. Instead they contain something that is a great healthy substitute for caramel – Peanut Butter Cookie Lara Bars (Lara Bar is the product/brand name and Peanut Butter Cookie is the flavor). Believe it or not, when you purée dates and peanuts together, which is all that a Peanut Butter Cookie Lara Bar is, you get something that tastes remarkably like caramel and not at all like peanut butter. These bars are not as chewy and gooey as caramel but they are intensely sweet, and the flavor is about as close to caramel as the combination of any two all natural, whole foods could possibly be, which is why I knew they would work perfectly in a healthy version of mini salted caramel donuts.  (more…)

Baked Quinoa Chia Pancakes

The Recipe Redux is a group of like-minded food bloggers whose mission is to inspire the food lover in every healthy eater and inspire the healthy eater in every food lover.  Each month members post recipes to their blogs following a theme set by the group moderators. 

Baked Quinoa Chia Pancakes - Gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan pancakes that will satisfy even the most die-hard pancake lover. Bake them in just 12 minutes. Healthy and delicious. | www.QueenofMyKitchen.com

This month’s Recipe Redux theme is a fun one – First Cooking Recollections. It’s always interesting to hear how someone who is passionate about their work first became interested in it. For many food bloggers that initial spark of interest in cooking happened, as it did for me, at a young age. I have vivid childhood memories of a Charlie Brown cookbook that belonged to my sister. Between the pages, that over the years became encrusted with dried bits of batter, was a recipe for Lucy’s Lemon Squares. We made those lemon squares countless times and this is where my love for anything lemon was born. Later, when I was older, I remember making Italian stuffed shells from a recipe I pulled out of Seventeen Magazine. I used that recipe so often that the paper it was printed on started to disintegrate and I had to make a photo copy, which I still have today! But the cooking memory I have that is strongest, perhaps because of the visual it creates in my mind’s eye, is that of making pancakes – a big red mixing bowl and a box of Bisquick sitting on the counter with a dusting of this classic baking mix seemingly scattered everywhere. Although there were only a few ingredients to stir together, I nevertheless made a complete mess of the kitchen, but those pancakes sure tasted good. Traditional pancakes disappeared from my diet long ago and now, when a craving for pancakes hits, I make Baked Quinoa Chia Pancakes. (more…)

Baked Zoodles Caprese

Baked Zoodles Caprese is made with zucchini noodles and tastes like lasagna. A light dish, with zesty Italian flavor and under 200 calories per slice. | QueenofMyKitchen.com

I hope the food blogosphere can handle another spiralizer recipe because this one is a gem! Baked Zoodles Caprese is zucchini noodles transformed into a dish that is a cross between quiche and lasagna.  It looks and cuts like quiche and has all the delicious savory flavors of classic lasagna, but is lighter and less filling.  When served on a small pool of warm marinara it makes a heavenly lunch or light dinner. (more…)

Chocolate Avocado Oil Cake with Raspberry Chia Filling

Chocolate Avocado Oil Cake with Raspberry Chia Filling - gluten-free, dairy-free, grain-free, paleo, and no refined sugar. The perfect clean-eating dessert.

Chocolate Avocado Oil Cake with Raspberry Chia Filling is a decadent chocolate cake made with almond flour, avocado oil, coconut sugar, raspberries, and chia seeds. To say that this cake is moist is a gross understatement.  Each melt-in-your-mouth bite is like a heavenly little pillow of intense chocolate deliciousness, so it’s hard to believe that this cake is gluten-free, dairy-free, grain-free, paleo friendly, and contains no refined sugar. (more…)

Gluten-Free Spicy Cheese Straws

Gluten-Free Spicy Cheese Straws – A classic cocktail snack! These are clean tasting Parmesan cheese straws made with coconut oil instead of butter. Crispy and delicious, they go great with wine and mixed drinks. Perfect to set on the bar while entertaining or as an accompaniment to your favorite dip. | QueenofMyKitchen.com

Most cheese straws are made with gobs of butter and cheese making them very rich. They’re likely to crumble a bit when you eat them (especially the puff pastry ones) and they’ll usually leave your fingers really greasy. Gluten-Free Spicy Cheese Straws are quite different.  They’re made with just two tablespoons of coconut oil instead of butter, and contain only a small amount of Parmesan cheese. The result is a clean tasting, crispy cheese straw that won’t crumble when you bite into it, leaving you free to hold a drink in the other hand!  They’re the perfect gluten-free appetizer to set on the bar when you’re entertaining or to serve as an accompaniment to your favorite dip.

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