Gluten Free Cocktail Meatballs Recipe

Tonight we went to dinner at a friend's house, and we all brought appetizers.  One friend brought a bean and guacamole dip and chips, which was absolutely amazing.  Another friend brought beet hummus, which also was spectacular.  The host made homemade bread (which I was unable to eat) and an almond,honey,chocolate mixture to spread on the bread.  This was so amazing that I ate it by the spoonful.  I hope that they will share that recipe soon, so I can share it with all of you.

As you can tell, the people that come to this dinner are very good cooks.  So, I have to try to keep up with their culinary expertise.  When I am unsure about what to make, I think about some of the recipes my mother made as a child.  One of the appetizers I remember fondly was cocktail meatballs.  My mother brought it to parties and served it with toothpicks.  It was always fun eating something with toothpicks.  I remember that I always had to grab some of these early, because there were never any left.  So, I decided to make it for tonight.  I adapted the recipe my mother made when I was younger to make it gluten free.

Cocktail Meatballs

1lb ground beef
1 egg
1/2 cup almond flour
1/2 small onion, grated or 2 tbsp dried minced onion
3/4 tsp salt
Dash of pepper
1/2 tsp oregano
1 can jellied cranberry sauce
3/4 cup Heinz chili sauce
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsp lemon juice

Combine the ground beef, egg, almond flour, grated onion, salt, pepper, and oregano.  Then mix everything together well using your hands.  Form the mixture into 1-inch balls.  You should get between 25-30 meatballs.

In a skillet, combine the cranberry sauce, chili sauce, brown sugar, and lemon juice.  Simmer it on low until it is a smooth consistency, stirring constantly.  Add meatballs gently and simmer for 1 hour.  Then serve.

Tonight I decided that 1lb of ground beef was not enough to bring to our dinner, so I tripled this recipe.  No, this is not a typo.  I made 3lbs of meatballs, but we took home only roughly 5 meatballs.  So, I would say that this recipe was a huge success.

Cook's Notes:  This recipe can also be made using a crockpot.  You combine the meat make the meatballs the same way I stated above, however you place them in the crockpot.  Then you mix the cranberry sauce, chili sauce, brown sugar, and lemon juice in a skillet.  Stir it constantly until the mixture is smooth.  Then pour it over meatballs and cook it on low for 4-5 hours.  It is just as delicious cooking it this way, so do what is easier for you and your family.

I hope you enjoy making it to bring to an appetizer party or for a fun dinner of appetizers at home.

<3 Cassidy

Gluten Free Steak Marinade Recipe

Today is my daughter's 5th birthday, and she is my carnivore.  She loves to eat meat, especially steak.  So, guess what we are having for dinner?  Steak.....and corn!  In our family, I marinate the steak, and my husband cooks it on the grill.  I frequently end up cooking the corn, because my kids prefer when we cook the corn in the microwave.  (My husband and I prefer to cook the corn on the grill, but the kids outweigh us when we are making it specifically for them.)  

Our marinade is sweet and simple.  We have used it on different cuts of beef, and it always complements it well.  It is loosely based on a recipe that my brother uses, and his children call it "Daddy's special sauce."  We always enjoyed it when we visited him, so we came up with our own version.  Here it is.

Steak Marinade

2 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon tarragon vinegar

Mix all of the ingredients together in a Ziploc bag.  Marinate the steak in this mixture for at least 30 minutes.  Continue brushing the marinade over steak while grilling.

Enjoy!

<3 Cassidy  

Gluten Free Coconut Chicken Recipe

Gluten Free Coconut Chicken

2 lbs chicken tenders, slightly pounded
1 cup almond flour
2 eggs
1 cup shredded coconut
Canola oil
Apricot jam

Since you are handling raw chicken, it is important to set up all of our supplies before you handle any of the food.  You will need 2 shallow dishes and a plate.  Place the almond flour and coconut in one dish and mix it together.  Beat the eggs in another bowl.  Set out a large skillet and canola oil as well.  


Take one chicken tender and coat it in the egg.  Then coat it in the almond flour/coconut mixture.  Place the coated chicken tender on a plate and then repeat until all of the tenders have been coated.  


In a large skillet, heat a thin layer of canola oil on a medium heat.  Fry in batches until deep golden in color, 3-4 minutes on each side.  I serve the coconut chicken with some apricot jam.  It is super tasty, and it is really simple.


This is one of my family's favorite recipes.  It is inspired from a Rachael Ray recipe, but I adapted it so that it is gluten free.  I have also made this recipe with Fiber One cereal crumbs.  No matter how I make it, it is so good!  I hope you and your family like it too.


~Cassidy

Gluten Free Mediterranean Chicken Recipe

I have trouble finding chicken breast recipes that I enjoy.  I prefer eating dark meat, which I have always found to be more moist.  Therefore, I am pretty picky when it comes to cooking chicken breasts.  I have tried many methods of cooking chicken, and this is one of my favorite recipes.  I got it a couple of years ago from You've Got Supper.  It is simple, but the Mediterranean ingredients make it a little more interesting.  We make it for ourselves frequently, but I think it is unique enough to serve it to guests.  The chicken remains moist during the cooking process, and the Mediterranean flavors liven up a plain meal.  I especially like that my family can cook this recipe together.  Here is my adaptation.
Mediterranean Chicken

1 lb chicken tenders
14oz diced tomatoes, drained
14oz can quartered artichoke hearts
8 large kalamata olives, pitted and halved
2 oz feta cheese
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons dried oregano

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Combine drained diced tomatoes, artichoke hearts, olives, and feta in a medium sized bowl.  Add the olive oil and oregano and mix well.  Set aside.

Cut a 12 inch square piece of aluminum foil.  You can also use parchment paper for this.  I chose to use aluminum foil, because my children were helping me make dinner.  My son was able to rip the aluminum foil off the roll for me, while my hands were dirty from handling the chicken.

Place 2 chicken tenders in the center of a piece of aluminum foil, and spoon some of the tomato mixture on top of the chicken. Then move it onto a rimmed baking sheet.  You will need to seal the aluminum foil before you cook, but I recommend that that step should not be completed until the end.  This allows me the ability to move the toppings around if they have not been placed evenly, especially since my special little helpers enjoy spooning the tomato mixture on top of the chicken.  Repeat until all of the chicken tenders and tomato mixture are gone.

Fold the aluminum foil around the chicken and tomato mixture to form a packet.  Bake the chicken in the oven for 22 minutes or until the chicken is completely cooked.

While the chicken is cooking, I usually make pasta to go with it.  Since I do not eat many grains, I do not make a starch to go with this recipe for me.  I just eat a salad along with it.  However, I make traditional pasta to serve along side this for my husband and kids.  They like it better, and they do not have trouble with gluten.  I do think that the gluten free pasta would go very well with this recipe.

Sorry that there are no pictures.  My husband ate the leftovers before I had a chance to take a picture.  This is such a yummy chicken recipe that even the leftovers do not last long in my house!  I hope you and your family enjoy making this together just like we did.  Enjoy!

~Cassidy

Gluten Free Pizza

Pizza has been one of the things that I have missed since I started eating a mostly grain free diet.  I am not able to use the mixes, because they use flours that I cannot eat.  I tried making an almond flour crust, but I was never able to truly convince my taste buds that I was eating pizza.  Then I was on Pinterest, and I saw a recipe for a Flourless Pizza Crust by Gluten Free Easily.  I was so excited, that I put the ingredients on my shopping list immediately.  When we decided that we were going to have this for dinner, I asked my husband if he wanted to make a non- gluten free pizza for him and the children in addition to the gluten free pizza.  He thought that the recipe looked really promising, so we decided to take a chance.  I was so hopeful that this recipe would turn out well, but it far exceeded my expectations.  This is my recipe.

Gluten Free Pizza

Crust:
4 ounces Neufchatel cream cheese, softened
2 eggs
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp garlic
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Topping:
1/3 cup pizza sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Any toppings you prefer

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

You will need a 9x13 glass baking dish.  Grease the baking dish with grapeseed oil and then line it with parchment paper.  Set aside.

 For the crust, I used a medium bowl and whisk attachment on my Cuisinart Mixer.  Whisk the cream cheese until it is smooth and creamy.  Then add the eggs until they are blended with the cream cheese and smooth.  Add the Parmesan cheese and seasonings.  Stir in 2 cups of mozzarella until it is completely moistened.  Spread the mixture evenly over the parchment lined baking dish.  Bake the crust at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes, until it is evenly browned, but not too dark.

Let it cool for a few minutes on a wire rack.  When it is slightly cool, lift the crust using the parchment paper.  Depending on the amount of time you have, you can cool the crust completely on the counter or cool it by placing it in the freezer for up to 30 minutes.  The goal is to dry out the crust enough so that it will be crispy/chewy and you can pick it up in your hands.   

Once the crust is cooled, remove the parchment paper and place the crust back in the same pan.  The pan already has enough grease in it to prevent sticking.  Spread pizza sauce on the crust, and then spread no more than 1 cup of mozzarella cheese.  Then finish with whatever toppings you choose.

Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until the toppings are bubbly and look the way you like your pizza.  Let the pizza stand for a few minutes before cutting.  Then eat the most delicious flourless, gluten free pizza that you have ever eaten!

As you can see, everyone in my house loved it!  The 4 of us ate the whole thing!  It tasted just like pizza, but there was no flour in it.  I finally was able to satisfy my pizza cravings.  Since we made this, my daughter has even asked to have it again.  She likes it better than pizza with flour in it.  I was truly amazed.  I really hope that you will try it and share it with the people you love.  Enjoy!

Cassidy

Gluten Free Stuffed Meatballs

As I talked about in an earlier post, we went to a holiday celebration with a group of our friends last weekend.  I already posted the delicious Gluten Free Garlic Bread I made for the pot luck.  My husband and I enjoy cooking together, so he made Gluten Free Stuffed Meatballs.  This recipe was inspired by Rachael Ray.  We have made them before, but we have never made them completely gluten free.  They were delicious, so I thought that I would share what he did.

Mozzerella Stuffed Meatballs

Ingredients:
6 slices gluten free bread
3/4 cup milk
2lb ground beef
1 1/2 tbsp chopped garlic
1 tsp dried parsley
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp allspice
1 egg
salt and pepper
32 mini mozzarella balls
Drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Preheat the oven the 425 degrees.

Take 6 slices of gluten free bread and tear them into small pieces.  Place them in a small bowl and cover with milk.  Make sure that the bread is submerged in the milk.  Put this off to the side.

In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, garlic, parsley, Parmesan cheese, allspice, egg, salt and pepper.  Then add the bread to the meat mixture.  It is important to squeeze out the excess milk from the soaking bread.  Use your hands to combine all of the ingredients together.

Divide the meat into quarters.  Then divide each quarter into quarters, giving you 16 sections.  Take a section and form a cup in your hand.  Place 2 mini mozzarella balls in the center, and then close the top of the cup.  This should give you a nice rounded meatball.  Repeat for each section.

Transfer the stuffed meatballs onto a cookie sheet, and drizzle extra virgin olive oil over all of the meatballs.  Place in pre-heated oven for 18 minutes or until golden brown.  They should be firm when you touch them.  Take them out of the oven and serve them immediately with tomato sauce.

We did not make a tomato sauce, because the hostess made her own tomato sauce for her contribution to the pot luck.  We served the meatballs covered in tomato sauce with gluten free spaghetti, salad, and the gluten free garlic bread.

When we make this in our kitchen, we serve everything a la carte.  My mother used to tell me that I needed to eat whatever she was serving for dinner, because she was not making anything else.  The only time I could have something different was when my mother cooked something spicy.  Those are the nights I got macaroni and cheese.  So, we adopted the principle that we are not running a restaurant in our kitchen.  We try to make dinners that everyone will eat, but everyone does not have to eat everything.  We have found that this works really well for us.  For instance, I am very careful of the grains I eat.  I can eat the meatballs covered in tomato sauce, salad, and a little garlic bread and be perfectly happy.  My kids do not like tomato sauce, so they prefer to eat the meatballs and spaghetti plain.  Now my husband is the easiest one of the bunch.  He just eats it all!  The important thing is that we are all together sharing food, sharing our day, and showing each other how much we love each other.

I hope you enjoy sharing this with your family.

-Cassidy