In My Pantry: My New Favorite Snack

Sabra Hummus and Archer Farms organic Blue Corn Tortilla Chips are our new favorite snack. I can't even count how many containers we've devoured over the past month. It's our go-to snack on weekend afternoons and on weeknights before dinner. It's delicious, healthy, and filling.

Sabra Hummus is clearly labeled gluten free on the lid, and we love both the Roasted Red Pepper and Roasted Pine Nut flavors.

What's your current favorite snack?

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post. It's a product I bought, loved, and wanted to share with you!

As Good As Gluten featured on Pocket Change

Recently, I was contacted by Renee at Pocket Change asking if I'd like to be featured in their Best of the Web series. I was honored to say "yes" and be included in one of their posts that share a wide variety of projects, products, ideas, and recipes from across the web. My feature was posted on Wednesday, and you can view it by clicking here.

I also wanted to share with you a product I came across on Pocket Change - POMx Bars. I love POM juice, and had no idea they made bars (all of which are gluten free). Have you tried POMx Bars? I'd like to try them, so I'll be searching for them when I'm grocery shopping.

Thai Turkey Burgers with Peanut Sauce

Yummy! Thai Turkey Burgers with Peanut Sauce are juicy, healthy, filling, and uber flavorful.

I served the burgers on top of mini Cornbread Hamburger Buns. This may sound like an odd pairing, but the gluten free buns had just the right amount of sweetness to balance out all of the flavors. I ended up doubling the peanut sauce recipe because I love it and really wanted to slather my burgers with the tasty and savory sauce! I highly recommend it.

I did make few changes to the recipe...
     ·I made smaller patties to make sliders.
     ·I used my GF Soy Sauce Substitute in place of the soy sauce.
     ·I topped with good ole lettuce instead of baby spinach.
     ·I don't have sesame oil, so I used extra virgin olive oil instead.

Click here for Thai Turkey Burgers with Peanut Sauce recipe from Iowa Girl Eats

Asian Edamame Fried Rice

I devoured this Asian Edamame Fried Rice. It's healthier than take out, quick to prepare, very filling, and tastes delicious!

This is my first attempt making homemade fried rice at home, and I'm so happy with how it turned out. I did make few changes to the recipe...
     ·I don't have a wok, so I used a non-stick skillet which worked perfectly.
     ·I cut the recipe in half and used one whole egg instead of a combination of egg and egg whites.
     ·I used my GF Soy Sauce Substitute in place of the soy sauce.
     ·I used extra virgin olive oil in place of the Smart Balance oil.
     ·I cooked shelled edamame instead of using ready-to-eat edamame.

What are your favorite fried rice recipes?

Click here for the Asian Edamame Fried Rice recipe from Skinny Taste

In My Pantry: Udi's Gluten Free Hot Dog Buns

Mike made brats with sauteed peppers and onions and homemade French fries for our first meat meal after Lent ended a few weeks ago. It was delicious, and I was able to enjoy my brat and peppers on a bun, thanks to Udi's.

I really like Udi's Gluten Free Hot Dog Buns. They taste pretty close to a regular hot dog bun, making them As Good As Gluten. While the flavor and texture is similar to Udi's Hamburger Buns, I prefer the hot dog buns over the hamburger buns. For me, the bread to meat ratio is better with the hot dog buns than the hamburger buns. But, I have yet to try a Udi's product that I didn't like.

Sorry for the poor iPhone photo quality. I was so excited to eat meat, that there was not time to take a proper photo!

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post. It's a product I bought, loved, and wanted to share with you!

In My Pantry: Van's Natural Gluten Free Waffles

I am totally impressed with Van's Natural Foods Gluten Free Waffles. Not only are they totally natural, but they taste As Good As Gluten (a.k.a. As Good As Eggo).

I never even ate frozen waffles before I was gluten free, but I'm definitely eating them now just because I can! These delicious even passed my gluten-eating husband's test, so I know they're good.

I came across these tucked in the frozen food section at Target for about $2.50. It's a rare occasion to find such a great tasting gluten free product not be charged at a price premium. Thank you Van's!

I'm definitely buying these again, and I'll be looking out for more gluten free products from Van's to try. Any suggestions?

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post. It's a product I bought, loved, and wanted to share with you!

General Tso’s Chicken

YUM!! This recipe for General Tso's Chicken is fantastic! The chicken is juicy and flavor. The sweetness from the honey and the ginger make this dish super flavorful.

While the recipe serves 4, it only served 2 in our house. It was that good! Since it's healthier than take-out, I'm sure it all balances out in the end. :)

General Tso’s Chicken
Adapted from Everyday with Rachael Ray

Ingredients:
·1 egg white
·5 TBS cornstarch
·1 TBS plus 2½ tsp GF Soy Sauce Substitute
·1 tsp ground ginger
·1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into ¾-inch pieces
·2 TBS plus 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
·1½ TBS honey
·1½ TBS rice vinegar
·1 bunch green onions, sliced
·2 tsp minced garlic
·Green vegetable and brown rice for serving

Directions:
In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg white, 4 TBS cornstarch, 1 tsp soy sauce substitute, and ½ tsp ginger. Stir in the chicken to evenly coat it.

In a small bowl, combine 1 tsp EVOO, remaining 1½ TBS soy sauce substitute, 1 TBS cornstarch, ½ tsp ginger, honey, and rice vinegar.

Heat 2 TBS EVOO in a large non-stick skillet. Add chicken and cook, turning once, until meat is no longer pink (about 5 minutes).

Remove chicken from the skillet and add green onions and garlic. Cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Stir in the honey and oil sauce mixture. Return chicken to the pan and cook, stirring, until sauce is thick and the chicken is cooked through (about 1-2 minutes).

Serve with brown rice and a green vegetable.

Yield: 4


I've also shared this recipe on: Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Gluten Free Wednesdays, This Week's Craving

Mac & Cheese Patties

Mac & Cheese Patties, served with a side of GF BBQ sauce, are a quick and tasty way to repurpose leftover mac & cheese. Making six thicker patties, as opposed to making smaller and thinner patties, helps the patties stick together better when cooking.

Mac & Cheese Patties
Adapted from Everyday with Rachael Ray

Ingredients:
·2 cups leftover gluten free mac & cheese (I used leftover Saucepan GF Mac & Cheese)
·¼ cup white onion, chopped
·2 TBS gluten free bread crumbs
·1 egg, beaten
·Gluten free BBQ sauce, for serving

Directions:
Combine all ingredients, except for the BBQ sauce, in a large bowl. Mash together and then form into 6 patties. Cook in a nonstick skillet over medium heat until golden in color. Serve with BBQ sauce.

Honey Glazed Ham

This Honey Glazed Ham is smoky and sweet. The honey and ginger glaze compliments the smoky ham perfectly, resulting in a tasty ham.

Mike made this Honey Glazed Ham for us to celebrate Easter (and the end of our meatless Lenten season). It was delicious! We enjoyed it served with a side of vegetables and mashed potatoes.

Honey Glazed Ham
Ingredients:
·1 cup honey
·½ cup apple cider vinegar
·1 tsp ground ginger
·½ cup lemon juice
·½ cup brown sugar
·½ cup bourbon
·⅓ cup Dijon mustard
·¼ cup orange juice
·1½ tsp ground cinnamon
·1 tsp cloves
·1½ tsp minced garlic
·1 smoked cured ham, about 6-10 pounds

Directions:
For the glaze, combine all ingredients (except ham) in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Stir until mixture is warm and sugar is dissolved.

Preheat oven to 350˚. Place ham in the bottom of a heavy roasting pan. Brush some glaze over the ham and cover the roasting pan with foil.

Bake until thermometer inserted into the center of the ham registers at 115˚, about 2 hours. Remove foil and brush ham with glaze. Bake ham for an additional 30 minutes, brushing the ham with glaze every 10 minutes. Glaze should be golden and caramelized and ham should be fully heated through.

Let ham sit for 5-10 minutes before carving. Serve on a platter with warmed glaze drizzled on top of ham slices.

Crockpot Refried Beans and Warm Bean Dip

Last week I made these easy and delicious Crockpot Refried Beans from my friend Jamie's blog. They taste great and make a ton. I froze a good portion of the recipe to incorporate into future meals. We enjoyed Crockpot Refried Beans as a side dish and I incorporated them into this delicious Warm Bean Dip...

 

Warm Bean Dip
Adapted from Life as a Lofthouse

Ingredients:
·4 oz. Neufchatel cream cheese, softened
·½ cup sour cream
·1½ cups Crockpot Refried Beans
·½ batch Homemade Taco Seasoning
·2 cups shredded cheese (Mexican blend, Cheddar, or Colby Jack)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350˚. Mix together cream cheese and sour cream in a large bowl. Stir in refried beans and taco seasoning until combined.

Spread mixture evenly into the bottom of a greased 8x8 baking dish. Sprinkle the top with cheese.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until cheese is melted and slightly browned. Serve with tortilla chips.

Happy Easter! and Mexican Vegetarian Casserole

Happy Easter! Not only are we celebrating Easter today, but Mike and I are celebrating the end of Lent - which means we can eat meat again. When my hunter huband recommended we give up meat this year for Lent, I thought he was sick. While it was a sacrifice for us, it wasn't as hard as we had expected it to be. Yes, it was torture smelling people grilling on our night walks. It was hard to be the ones eating grilled fish at a cookout as our friends indulged in meat, but we made it and I'm proud of us! Needless to say, we will be enjoying a lot of meat over the next few days.

I'm shocked that through this meatless Lenten journey I've discovered that I like seafood, mushrooms, and cottage cheese. I found that I like mild fish beyond tilapia, salmon, and even shrimp! I also feel different; I feel better but I can't describe it. On the days that I did not get enough protein, I definitely felt bad. But overall, I felt better through this meatless Lenten season.

My husband and I both agree that we could keep going on this meatless quest (excluding seafood) if we wanted to. We don't want to, but we will definitely be incorporating more meatless meals and seafood into our weekly dinner plans. 

Here's a recap of some of my new favorite meatless main dishes that we had during Lent: Black Bean and Sweet Potato Tacos with Chipotle Sauce, Cilantro Lime Tilapia Tacos, Spaghetti Squash, Portobello Burgers with Caramelized Onions and Aioli and Cornbread Hamburger Buns, BBQ Portobello Pretzel Burgers, Mike's Cornmeal Fried Shrimp, and this Mexican Vegetarian Casserole...

This Mexican Vegetarian Casserole is really, really, really good! The southwest flavors are tasty, the texture is creamy and cheesy, and meat lovers won't even miss the meat. This meal reminds me of Santa Fe Chicken, sans chicken.

Mexican Vegetarian Casserole
Recipe inspired by food.com

Ingredients:
·1 – 16oz bag frozen corn
·1 – 15oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
·1 – 8oz container sour cream
·1 cup salsa
·2 cups shredded cheese (Mexican blend, Cheddar, or Colby Jack)
·1 – 15oz can diced tomatoes
·6–10 pickled jalapeno slices, chopped
·2 cups cooked brown rice
·½ tsp each – black pepper, cumin, dried cilantro, and onion powder

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350˚. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Stir well and then spoon into a greased 13x9 baking dish. Bake for 40-50 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving. Serve with tortilla chips (optional).


I've also shared this recipe on: Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, This Week's Craving

Garlic Shrimp Fettuccine

Garlic Shrimp Fettuccine is super flavorful, tasty, and simple to prepare.

Now that I like shrimp, Mike has put together a simple and flavorful recipe to prepare it. We've enjoyed it over brown rice and with the recipe below for fettuccine alfredo. Both ways are delicious.

Garlic Shrimp Fettuccine
Ingredients:
·½ lb pre-cooked shrimp
·1 TBS butter
·1 tsp minced garlic
·1 tsp Italian seasoning
·Dash of black pepper
·1 recipe Low Cal Fettuccine Alfredo

Directions:
Prepare Low Cal Fettuccine Alfredo according to recipe. Note: Reserve 1 cup of starchy cooking liquid before draining the noodles.

In a medium non-stick skillet, melt butter. Add garlic, Italian seasoning, pepper, and shrimp. Cook shrimp for 3-4 minutes.

In a large dish, combine cooked pasta, prepared alfredo sauce, and reserved cooking liquid. Place pasta in bowls and top with cooked shrimp. Serve with a green vegetable on the side.

Yield: 2-3 servings

Nutella Dipped Strawberries

Since my recent discovery of Nutella, I've been obsessed with eating Nutella every way possible. Nutella Dipped Strawberries are my new favorite "healthier" way to enjoy Nutella. Not only are they easier than making chocolate dipped strawberries, but they taste better too. What couldn't taste better smothered in Nutella?! :)

Nutella Dipped Strawberries are more of a process to share instead of a recipe. I wash and dry the strawberries, then take a spoonful of Nutella and spread it along the bottom of each berry. I enjoy immediately, but if you had an ounce of willpower I'm sure they would refrigerate well for a day or so.

Spicy Shrimp with Peanut Noodles

This meal consists of sweet peanut noodles topped with spicy shrimp and crunchy water chestnuts. I absolutely loved it!

This meal has just the right amount of spice for me. If you don't like spicy dishes, gradually add the hot chili sauce, taste, and adjust the amount of spice according to your taste buds.

Spicy Shrimp with Peanut Noodles
Ingredients:
·½ lb pre-cooked shrimp
·½ cup cornstarch
·2 TBS extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
·1 - 8oz. can water chestnuts, drained
·1-2 TBS Sriracha hot chili sauce
·1 TBS lime juice
·1 recipe Thai Peanut Noodles

Directions:
Prepare Thai Peanut Noodles according to recipe. In a medium bowl, toss shrimp with cornstarch. In a large non-stick skillet, heat EVOO and add shrimp. Cook for a 2-3 minutes on each side, until they begin to brown. Add water chestnuts, hot chili sauce, and lime juice. Stir well and cook for 3-4 minutes, or until flavors are mixed well together.

Serve spicy shrimp and water chestnuts on top of a bed of peanut noodles.

Yield: 4

Jalapeno Cheddar Grilled Cheese Sandwich

This Jalapeno Cheddar Grilled Cheese Sandwich is spicy, crunchy, and savory. It is quick to prepare and tastes just like a jalapeno popper. Yum!

Jalapeno Cheddar Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Ingredients:
·2 slices of gluten free sandwich bread (I used Udi's White GF Bread)
·2 tsp butter
·1 slice of cheddar cheese
·2 tsp Neufchatel cream cheese
·6-10 slices of pickled jalapenos

Directions:
Spread the cream cheese on one side of the bread. Top with pickled jalapeno slices, cheddar cheese, and another slice of gluten free bread. Butter both sides of the sandwich and place in a small nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook for 3-4 minutes, flip the sandwiches and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Serve immediately.


I've also shared this recipe on: This Week's Craving

Nutella No Bake Cheesecakes

Nutella No Bake Cheesecakes are indulgent and delicious. A sweet and fluffy Nutella cheesecake layer sits on top of a bed of crunchy cookies, all topped with a layer of sinfully sweet homemade whipped cream. Delectable!

There is no chance at self control with these Nutella No Bake Cheesecakes. Unless, of course, you cut the recipe in fourths like I did. I wouldn't recommend cutting the recipe down; I definitely regretted not having more of these to enjoy!

Nutella No Bake Cheesecakes
Adapted from My Baking Addiction

Ingredients:
·10-12 homemade gluten-free Oreo cookies, crushed into crumbs
·3 TBS butter, melted
·2 tsp pure vanilla extract
·1 cup whipping cream
·2 TBS sugar
·1 – 8oz. package Neufchatel cream cheese, softened
·⅔ cup Nutella

Directions:
In a small bowl, stir together cookie crumbs and melted butter. Divide the crumb mixture evenly between individual serving dishes and press mixture into the bottoms of the dishes to form a crust layer.

In a large bowl, beat whipping cream, sugar, and 1 tsp of vanilla with an electric mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form.

In a separate large bowl, beat cream cheese and Nutella with an electric mixer until smooth. Add remaining 1 tsp of vanilla and mix to combine. Using a rubber spatula, fold in half of the homemade whipped cream until well blended and no streaks remain. Refrigerate extra whipped cream until ready to serve.

Evenly spoon filling into the serving dishes on top of the cookie crust. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

Garnish with reserved whipped cream and shaved chocolate to serve.


I've also shared this recipe on: This Week's Craving, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday