easy meal ideas

Ultimate Gluten Free Cookies

Posted on by prissymuskoka

Finding a wonderful homemade gluten free cookie recipe can be difficult. Prior to my husbands celiac diagnosis, I had many family cookie recipes I would make. But ofcourse they all have wheat flour, so I have been working at converting them all.

The cookie dough base of this recipe can be used to make endless cookie possibilities.

Cookie Dough 

1 cup soft butter 

1 1/4 cup firmly packed Brown sugar 

2 Eggs 

1/2 teaspoon vanilla 

1 cup + 1 table spoon Gluten Free Flour mix (I mix 1/2 cup Bob RedMill All Purpose Gluten Free flour, 1/8 cup + 1 tablespoon Gluten Free Coconut Flour, 1/4 cup Gluten Free Chickpea flour and 1/4 cup Only Oats Gluten Free Flour )

1/4 teaspoon guar gum

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Additions: 

Add whatever your heart desires to the cookie dough. For today’s cookie I mixed chocolate chips, raisins and gluten free oatmeal. But shredded  coconut, cranberries and nuts are delicious additions too! 

1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips 

1 cup raisins 

1 cup gluten free oatmeal. 

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 


1) Preheat oven to 350

2) Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Blend in eggs and vanilla. Add flour, baking soda, salt and spices. Mix well. Stir in gluten free oats. Put in fridge to cool – atleast 20 minutes.

3) use a heaping teaspoon to drop onto parchment paper cookie sheet. Leave space between cookies as they will spread out while cooking


For crispy cookies I bake for 18 minutes:


For more soft cookies I bake for 15 minutes or less. This picture compares my 18min cookies to my 15 min ones. 


As you can see the baked 15 minute cookie on the right is more lighter in colour and less crispy. 

Hope you enjoy these cookies as much as our family does! Even my dad raves about these cookies!

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Gluten Free Pho 

Posted on by prissymuskoka

I had left over roasted vegetables. Not sure how I wanted to eat them; I decided to make a gluten free vegetable Pho soup. 

The night before,  I had roasted mushrooms, red onion, zucchini, peppers, celery, broccoli and a  clove of garlic in a little olive oil, drizzle of vegetable broth and fresh ground pepper. 

So I dumped the leftovers in a pot, put in a full package of Campbell’s beef broth, a heaping 1/4 teaspoon of Chinese Five Spice, tablespoon of Gluten Free Soy Sauce, tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce and let it simmer. 

In another pot, I cooked up al dente rice vermicelli noodles. 

I placed the cooked noodles on the bottom of the bowls. Then poured in the soup! 


It was a hit! 


Enjoy! 

End of Summer Gluten Free Bean Salad 

Posted on by prissymuskoka

Hard to believe the end of summer is here. Back to school, work and Fall. 

As I grapple with behaving and eating healthy, I decided to make a bean salad to take for my lunches this week. 

At a recent Farmer’s Market in Muskoka, I bought a dried bean salad mix from Spill The Beans ( www.spillthebeans.ca ) This seems easy and my bean mix selection is already done for me. 

I have modified the Spill The Bean recipe slightly as I didn’t have all the ingredients she recommended to add to her “Hearty Fearty” bean salad. 

1) Soak the dried beans and then cook as per the Spill The Bean packaging 


2) I diced up a red onion, 1/2 cup of mini carrots and a cup of peas from fresh pods 


3) I whipped up the recommended salad dressing: 2/3 vinegar, 2 table spoons honey, 1/2 cup of oil. I added 1/2 table spoon of freeze dried cilantro. 


4) after the beans cooled, I mixed in my other ingredients, then poured in salad dressing over the top! 

Voila my lunch is made for the week! 

Enjoy! It’s yummy! 

And check out Spill The Beans! Highly recommend! 

www.spillthebeans.ca

Chicken Stirfry 

Posted on by prissymuskoka

I don’t always think to do stirfry in the summer. Maybe because we tend to think BBQ and fresh salads for summer. After a large family gathering, I was left with a variety of fresh veggies from my veggie tray – button mushrooms, carrot slices, peppers, mini tomatoes and broccoli. 

A stir fry seemed like the most logical option to ensure I wouldn’t waste my veggies! 

Throw in some left over chicken and an easy chicken stir fry is created! 

Chicken Stir fry: 

Sliced vegetables – carrots, mushrooms, peppers, broccoli, tomatoes…it really is endless 

1 can of  Sliced water chestnuts – they bring the crunch 

Pre-cooked chicken cut in strips or chunks

1 small cooking onion – diced 

2 Tablespoons Gluten Free Soy Sauce 

1 Tablespoon of Gluten Free  worstshire sauce

2 Teaspoons white sugar 

1/4 cup + 1/3 cup vegetable broth 

1/4 Teaspoon (heaping) of Chinese Five Spice

2 Tablespoons Corn Starch 

2 Tablespoons Sesame Oil 

Rice Noodles – I like the super thin style. Rice Stick is the style I prefer:


Preparation: 

1) Heat up Wok. Drizzle Sesame oil on wok. Drop in diced onions. Cover. 

2) Mix up onions. Throw in vegetables. Pour in 1/4 cup of vegetable broth. Cover for 5 minutes. Stir. Continue to cover for 5 minute intervals until veggies are cooked to your liking. 

3) Add chicken. 

4) In a large measuring cup mix remaining vegetable broth (1/3 cup), Soy sauce, worstshire sauce, sugar, five spice and corn starch. Mix well and add to the wok. Cover and mix after 5 minutes. 

5) Mix in dry noodles. Cover for 5 minutes. Stir, cover and repeat until noodles are tender.  

Enjoy! 

Chickpea Greek Salad

Posted on by prissymuskoka

Summertime is a time for fresh and refreshing meals. I wanted something different for work lunches but not sure what. With a quick look in my pantry I decided to whip together a chick pea salad.  

This salad is high in fibre and protein. It is easily adaptable to add your favourites  

Chickpee Greek Salad

1 can chickpeas 

1 can (no salt added) diced tomatoes 

6 green olives sliced 

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese 

1/3 cup diced onion 

Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes 

2 tablespoons Greek Clubhouse seasoning 

1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1/4 cup Greek salad dressing 

1/3 cup balsamic salad dressing 

Directions: 


1) drain chickpees and rinse before dumping into a 1.75quart bowl. 

2) drain canned tomatoes and the mix in with chickpees 

3) add all other ingredients and mix well let sit atleast 12hpirs before serving. 

This is such an easy salad that you could add (if desired) cucumber chunks, pasta, black olives….the tweaks are endless! 

Enjoy! 

It’s a wet salad so I use a serving spoon with the slit in it to take off excess fluid when serving! 

It’s easy to take it in a container at work 


I like to serve it with garlic Naan bread. 

Gluten Free Pineapple Upside down cake 

Posted on by prissymuskoka

My dad’s favourite cake is an upside down pineapple. For a recent family gathering I decided to bake one! 

Who wouldn’t enjoy the caramel, almost toffee like coating with pineapples and cherries?!?! 

Pineapple Upside Downcake 

1 Gluten Free Cake mix 

1 cup heaping with Brown sugar 

1 can pineapple slices 

1 container of candied cherries 

1/2 cup Butter 

1) Mix up GF cake mix of your choice per box instructions. Set aside 

2) Drain can of pineapple. Set aside 

3) Prep cake pan by covering bottom and sides with butter then dusting with flour. This greatly stops the cake from sticking to the pan. 

4) Melt butter.  Mix in with brown sugar on bottom of cake pan.  


5) Using fork spread mixture and pat down evenly all over bottom of the pan 


If you like more brown sugar goodness to your cake  just add more brown sugar and butter to your original mixture  – like below:


6) Place pineapple and cherries on top of brown sugar 

You can be creative! 


Or 


7) Pour cake batter on top. Try to spread evenly   


8) Bake as per cake box instructions. I like to use the tooth pick method to ensure my cake is cooked. 

9) Enjoy! 

Hope you enjoy this pineapple Upside down cake as much as we do!  

Fresh cherry Gluten Free Pie 

Posted on by prissymuskoka

I couldn’t resist the fresh cherries in the market. First of the season; sweet and refreshing. 

The only downside of any type of fresh fruit is it can spoil quickly. With a large bag of fresh cherries and not wanting to waste even one the only option was to make a fresh cherry pie! 

A cherry pie is simple to make and tastes amazing! How could I resist? 

Fresh Cherry Pie: 

Fresh pitted cherries – atleast 2 heaping cups. You want to have a full pie shell. It can be painstaking to pit each cherry but fresh cherry pie tastes so much better then can. 

1/4 tsp of pure almond extract 

Pinch of salt 

3 heaping tablespoons of gluten free minute tapioca 

2 tablespoons of softened butter 

1) Preheat oven to 385F   

Place pitted cherries in a bowl. Add almond extract, salt and tapioca. Mix well 

2) Prepare pie shell. Refer to my earlier post about my amazing Gluten Free dough! 

3) Place cherry mixture into pie shell. 


4) Place Gluten Free Dough over cherries. I personally like the fence style for pie tops. I place small dips of butter in the wholes of the crust 


5) Place pie on middle rack of oven. Cook for 50-60 minutes or until crust is golden brown and cherries are bubbling. 


Enjoy!! 

Summertime Deliciousness ~ BBQ Portabello Mushrooms

Posted on by prissymuskoka

Summertime is definitely all about sunshine, warm weather, the great outdoors and bbqing! Nothing like taking your meal to the next level with a delicious but simple portabello mushroom bbq recipe! Its the perfect side for summertime meals! And the best part?! It is simple and quick to make!

BBQ Portabello Mushrooms

Portabello Mushrooms

Balsamic Vinegar

Olive Oil

Grated Parmesan Cheese

1) Wash and clean portabella mushrooms. Drizzle balsamic vinegar and olive oil over the mushrooms. Lightly sprinkle parmesan cheese over the mushrooms.

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2) Place mushrooms directly on heated bbq. Keep bbq on low temp. Cook for 20 minutes then enjoy!

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Now you may be thinking – “what to have with these mushrooms?!?” For this meal I decided to go with the mantra of simple so I threw some fresh asparagus in tin foil (After drizzling it with olive oil, sprinkling with parmesan) It will cook the same time as the mushrooms!

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I also used my ActiFry and did up some french fries! No added oil and the fries will turn out just as good if not better (and healthier) compared to deep frying.

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Pan fry some lightly Gluten Free Floured tilapia.

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Then enjoy a wonderful, super tasty meal!

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Sunday Summer Dinner Pizazzed with Stuffed Mushrooms

Posted on by prissymuskoka

It’s been a wonderful summer weekend: warm sunny weather, swimming and visits with family and friends. Now it’s almost supper time on a Sunday as the weekend comes to a close…what to have that’s simple but still delicious and ends the weekend meals on a high note…..how about stuffed mushrooms?!? My family love mushrooms and most dinner meals somehow incorporate some mushrooms in it- whether it be in a salad or side dish. On this particular Sunday I have 6 mushrooms to work with….I’ve already decided on Ribs and brocholli but what else can I make with little fuss?!? Not feeling like a salad I decide to make up some stuffed mushrooms!

Ofcourse I only have a part package of mushrooms! But no worries, any amount of mushrooms can easily be stuffed!

This recipe can easily be adapted to taste, spices and with whatever you have in the house! All you need is the base ingredient: cream cheese!!

Stuffed Mushrooms: 

Cremini mushrooms – these are my favourite to use due to thier flavourful taste

Half a brick of cream cheese softened

one shallot diced

one garlic clove diced

Spices ( I like to mix together ClubHouse Roasted Garlic & Pepper, Clubhouse Greek, Clubhouse Italian, Clubhouse Parmesean & Herbs and Mrs Dash Original) – about 2 table spoons for the mixture (more or less depending on how flavourful you like it.)

Pepper – I like to use freshly ground pepper

Shredded cheese

1) Preheat oven to 400 degree.

Clean out the mushroom tops- snap out the stem and with a butter knife gently scrape out the hymenium (the gills).

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2) If you have time, sauté the shallot and garlic in a bit of butter. *You dont have to saute the shallot and garlic but it is a smoother flavour if you do* This time I didn’t saute as I was trying to save time-but my husband prefers the flavour when I do sauté

3) Mix the shallot, garlic into the cream cheese. I find a fork works great.

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4) Add spices and pepper. Mix

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5) Stuff the mushrooms with the cream cheese mixture using a small spoon

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6) Top with shredded cheese – use what is on hand. This time I used old cheddar.

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7) Cook in oven for 30minutes. Then enjoy!

I used to think making stuffed mushrooms would be hard work and only enjoyed them at restaurants. I am so glad that I started to make them – they are so easy and it doesn’t take much time to whip them up!

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