Category: Recipes

Tuna Burgers

- Meaghan Penrod

Ingredients:

  • 2 cans of tuna (packed in water)
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup cream of rice or gluten free bread crumbs
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
  • Ghee or coconut oil for pan

Recipe:

  1. Heat a skillet (preferably cast iron) over medium heat with ghee or oil.
  2. In a bowl, combine tuna, egg, cream of rice or bread crumbs, salt, and Old Bay. Mix with your hands or a spoon until combined.
  3. Split mixture in half and form each half into a ball. Press the ball until it’s a flat (about 1/2 inch thick) patty.
  4. Place patties in skillet and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side or until each side has a nice, golden crust.
  5. Optional: After the first side cooks for 2-3 minutes, I flip the burger and add mozzarella cheese on top so it melts while the bottom cooks!
  6. Serve with toppings of your choice! I love mayo or guacamole 🥑

Pumpkin Spice Coconut Bread

- Meaghan Penrod

Typically whenever I find myself with an abundance of eggs, I try to make a recipe that needs a bunch! We’re lucky enough to have farming neighbors who share their eggs with us and this week those chickens were on a roll! So I decided to whip up something with coconut flour. If you’ve never baked with coconut flour, it requires lots of eggs!

I’ll typically slice this bread up and eat it for breakfast throughout the week! I smear it with almond butter and chia seeds. And sometimes banana! So yummy and filling.

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup coconut flour
  • 1/2 cup coconut oil (melted and cooled)
  • 2 tbs honey
  • 6 eggs
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • Optional: one scoop of collagen peptides (I’m obsessed with these so I’m adding them to everything!)

Recipe

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  2. Mix eggs, coconut oil, honey, baking powder, vanilla, salt, pumpkin pie spice, and collagen (optional) in a bowl. Make sure the coconut oil is liquid, but cool enough not to scramble the eggs!
  3. Slowly mix in coconut flour and mix until combined with no lumps.
  4. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper and press dough into it.
  5. Bake for 40 minutes. Let cool and enjoy!

Deep Dish Pizza

- Meaghan Penrod 10 Comments

Since being diagnosed, deep dish pizza was really the only thing on my Celiac bucket list that I just couldn’t seem to find.  Understandably I guess, since gluten is pretty key in that whole thick crust thing.  But being raised in the Midwest, I was dying for some deep dish.  I grew up on that delicious, caramelized crust that was every bit as tasty as the sauce and cheese and New England pizza just wasn’t doing it for me.  All you can get around here is super thin crust that, to me, tastes like cardboard.  Even before being diagnosed, I just wasn’t a fan of any of it.  My husband is from the New Haven area, which is famous for it’s thin crust pizza, so we’ve had many debates about which crust is best! I just can’t understand why you’d want your crust to taste like cardboard when you could have it taste good…? Haha You can take the girl out of the Midwest, but not the Midwest out of the girl I guess.

Anyways, it was always on my to-do list to just go ahead and try to make it.  As they say, if you want something done right, you gotta do it yourself.  Well, as fate would have it, I was watching my favorite Food Network show–The Kitchen–and Jeff Mauro made a Detroit-Style pan pizza.  I watched him make it and honestly it didn’t look too hard! I figured I’d just go ahead and give it a try.  Some important things I learned from my experiment:

  1. I don’t know if it’s the gluten free flour or what, but my food processor could NOT handle making this dough.  On the show, he just threw everything into the food processor, pressed pulse, and it formed into a little ball.  Wanna know what mine did? It started smoking lol And it was the same type of food processor too! So now when I make the dough, I just make it in a bowl.
  2. You need a little bit more flour than his recipe calls for.
  3. Your dough isn’t going to rise as much as his does, but it’s all good.

So after living and learning, here is how I make it! I start by getting 3 cups of gluten-free all purpose flour into a bowl.  Then I add in 2 tsp salt, 1 tsp sugar, and 1 tsp dry active yeast.  Yeast is one of those things that I think people are sometimes confused about.  As long as it’s not brewer’s yeast, it’s usually gluten free! The little packet I bought said “contains no wheat or gluten” right on it just to reassure people.

Mix up all your dry ingredients until they’re combined and then slowly add in 1 cup of warm water.  At that point, I just put some olive oil on my hands and get in there.  I mix it all by hand and then start kneading it.  Keep folding and kneading it for about 10 minutes.  I find this incredibly relaxing lol But I also love all things sensory–play dough, slime, etc. Once it’s nice and kneaded, plop it into an oiled bowl and put some plastic wrap over it.  Find a spot in your kitchen that’s kind of warm and leave it there for a couple of hours.  It should rise a little bit, but don’t expect anything crazy.  Jeff’s doubled in size, but that’s just not gonna happen for us.

  

After a few hours, you should be good to go.  Now it’s time to get it in the pan.  The key to that caramelized crust is to cook the pizza on HIGH heat with LOTS of olive oil so it essentially fries.  So preheat your oven to 500 degrees and drizzle a healthy amount of olive oil in an 8×8 pan.

   Make sure you spread the oil up onto the sides too.  You want the sides of the crust to fry and get all crispy/caramelized as well!

Then you’re just going to press your dough into the pan.  Spread it out evenly.  I’ve done it where you make the middle thinner and do a more defined crust and also where the whole thing is the same thickness…both work just fine! So it’s really up to you.

I used quite a bit of olive oil so it kind of overflowed into the dough.  Try not to let that happen haha But it’s not the end of the world if it does.  Next, you’re going to add a layer of pepperoni and diced mozzarella cheese. That’s right, I said diced! The Detroit-style uses cubes of mozzarella cheese, but really whatever you want to do is fine.  I’m sure shredded would be great as well!

  

At this point, you’re going to drizzle a few lines of pizza sauce.  I just use jarred pizza sauce–typically the Classico kind.  And then you can top the sauce with a little more pepperoni if you’d like….I say the more the better.

Now you’re just going to put it in the oven on the bottom rack for 10-20 minutes.  It honestly depends on your oven.  My pizza is usually perfect between 15-20 minutes, but your oven might work harder than mine, so just check on it!

   

   

 

Not too shabby, eh?? I was super satisfied and my husband couldn’t stop raving about it!! He’s asked me to make it several times again already! WIN.

 

 

 

Ingredients:

  • Pizza Dough
    • 3 cups all purpose gluten free flour
    • 2 tsp salt
    • 1 tsp sugar
    • 1 tsp dry active yeast
    • 1 cup warm water
  • Toppings
    • Jarred pizza sauce (about a cup, depending on your preference)
    • Block of mozzarella cheese (you’ll use about 1/2 an 8oz block)
    • Pepperoni (I use Hormel or Applegate)
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions

  1. Add flour, salt, sugar, and yeast to a bowl.  Mix together.
  2. Pour in warm water.  Put some olive oil on your hands and then begin to mix the dough together until it’s all incorporated and cohesive.
  3. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes.
  4. Place ball of dough in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let sit in a warm spot in your kitchen for about 2 hours.
  5. Preheat oven to 500 degrees.
  6. Add olive oil to a metal 8×8 pan and then press dough into it, spreading evenly.
  7. Top with a layer of pepperoni.
  8. Add cubed pieces of mozzarella (about 1/2 inch cubes)
  9. Drizzle pizza sauce in lines down the pizza.  3-4 lines is usually good.
  10. Top with another layer of pepperoni (optional)
  11. Place on bottom rack in oven and bake for 10-20 minutes or until edges are brown and cheese is melted.
  12. Let cool and enjoy!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Veggie Frittata

- Meaghan Penrod

I’m a creature of habit.  I always sat in the same seat in class, whether they were assigned or not.  I park in the same area every time I go to a place.  And I default to salad for lunch almost every day of the week.  In the summer, that’s perfectly fine and I pretty much never get sick of it.  I’m able to get so much gorgeous produce from the local farmer’s market or farm stand so I’m always excited to try that week’s haul.  But in the winter, I pretty much get the same produce from the grocery store every week and it’s easy for salads to get boring.  Plus, I don’t always want a cold lunch when it’s so cold outside.  I’ve always loved warm meals and frequently when asked what I feel like eating, I’ll say “Idk..something hot.” lol

So the other weekend, we went to visit my husband’s sister who lives on a farm in New Hampshire.  Her chickens have finally started laying eggs, so she sent me home with a ton of them.  As I was in my kitchen that Sunday trying to figure out what to make for lunch that week, I figured a frittata would be a great way to 1) mix up my usual salads with something warm and 2) use up all those eggs I now had in my fridge.  I’d never made a frittata but I figured it couldn’t be too hard!

I had lots of leftover veggies in my fridge so I figured I’d just throw them all in.  You can use whatever veggies you want! Anything you think would taste good with eggs.  I’d say throw in whatever veggies you normally like in an omelet.  I happened to have cherry tomatoes, spinach, onions, mushrooms, and yellow peppers.

I heated 2 tablespoons of olive oil in my cast iron skillet over medium heat and then began sauteing all the veggies, which I had chopped into bite-sized pieces.  

As the veggies cooked, I cracked 10 eggs into a bowl, added in 1/3 cup of almond milk, 1 tsp salt, a few dashes of pepper, 1 tsp of Italian seasoning, 1 tsp of basil, and  whisked it all up until it was mixed.  Then I added in a handful of shredded cheddar cheese.  It was probably about 1/2 a cup, but it’s up to you! I honestly don’t think you could use too much or too little cheese haha Just add it based on your preference.

As I said, I used 10 eggs, but that was because they were on the smaller side.  If I had large eggs, I probably would have only used about 8. But just like the cheese, it honestly doesn’t matter that much! As long as you have enough egg mixture to fill your skillet, you’re good.

Once the veggies were pretty tender, I poured in the egg mixture and let it cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes.  Just until the edges started to pull away from the sides of the skillet.

Then I popped it into the oven at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes.  You just need to cook it until the egg looks fully set in the middle.  Once it was done, I let it cool on the counter.  Then I cut it into slices and popped them into tupper ware containers for the week.  Super simple and it made for such a yummy lunch! I looked forward to eating it every day! I’ll be doing this more often for sure. Especially since there are so many different combinations of add ins!

Ingredients:

  • 10 medium eggs or 8 large eggs
  • 1/3 cup milk of your choice (you could also use heavy cream for a richer frittata)
  • 2 cups chopped veggies of your choice (I used cherry tomatoes, spinach, onions, mushrooms, and yellow bell pepper)
  • 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil (or butter)
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 1 tsp dried basil
  • 1 tsp salt
  • pepper to taste
  • cast iron skillet

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Heat olive oil in cast iron skillet over medium heat.
  3. Chop your veggies into bite-sized pieces and add to skillet. Cook until tender.
  4. In a large bowl, crack your eggs then add in milk, Italian seasoning, basil, salt, and pepper.  Whisk together until mixed and add in cheese. Give it one final mix.
  5. Pour mixture into skillet and allow to cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until you can see the sides begin to pull away from the skillet or begin to cook.  No need to stir the mixture! Just let it cook.
  6. Pop skillet into the oven and let cook for 10 minutes or until the center is fully set.
  7. Let cool and enjoy! If meal prepping, you can slice and place in separate containers.

Lasagna Soup

- Meaghan Penrod

If you follow me on instagram, you probably know that I absolutely love the show The Kitchen on the Food Network.  I watch it every weekend and I get so many good ideas from it! A couple weeks ago, Katie Lee made a lasagna soup and I had just happened to thaw out some ground turkey that I didn’t know what to do with…it was perfect. And I had all the other ingredients already on hand! How often does that happen?!

In her recipe, she cooks hers in the slow cooker and uses lasagna noodles.  This was a last minute thought for me, so I made mine in my dutch oven pot! You could also totally use GF lasagna noodles to really give it that feel, but I didn’t have any on hand and I didn’t think it made much of a difference.

These are ingredients I pretty much always have in stock: chicken broth, canned tomato sauce, canned diced tomatoes, and gluten free pasta! You can make so many different things with them and they’re easy to buy in bulk! I’ve started buying from Brandless and it’s saved me a lot of money! I can get cans of organic tomato sauce for $3! Plus they have 3 cartons of veggie broth for $3 as well! Everything on their site is $3 and mostly organic.  So fabulous.

So I started this recipe off by browning my ground turkey in my dutch oven pot with a little bit of olive oil.  Once it was brown, I poured in my diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, a chopped onion, and the whole carton of chicken broth.  I added a little water as well just so it had some extra liquid.  I added in a few sprinkles of salt/pepper, parsley, basil, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Then I got it simmering and let it cook, covered for about 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes I added in my pasta and let it cook, covered, until the pasta was tender.  At this point it was looking good and you could totally just eat it as is! That’s actually how my husband ate it, because he doesn’t like melted cheese.  I KNOW.  What a weirdo, right? lol I’m obsessed with melted cheese and I knew it’d really amp up that “lasagna” feel, so I went for it.

 

I dished my soup into an oven-safe, Polish pottery bowl and then put two slices of provolone cheese on top.  I just LOVE the taste and cheese-pulliness of it (that’s not a word and I’m not a chef lol). I put my toaster oven on broil and put my bowl in for about 5 minutes or until the cheese was golden brown and bubbly.  (I decided to use my toaster oven rather than my regular oven to save some energy!)

 

It came out lookin’ gorgeous. I topped it with a little GoVeggie Parmesan cheese and some more dried basil and it was ready to go!

I loved it SO much and will definitely be making this again and again. It’s such a warm and comforting meal for the winter and it’s really so easy! If I had gone to the grocery store before making this, I probably would have gotten fresh basil and some mozzarella cheese to add as well.

 

Recipe

Serves 4

  • 1 lb ground turkey
  • 1  carton GF chicken broth
  • 1 box gluten free pasta (lasagna noodles or any other shape)
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 tbs olive oil
  • 1 can tomato sauce
  • 1 can diced tomatoes, not drained
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 tbs basil
  • 1/2 tbs oregano
  • 1 tbs parsley
  • 1 tsp red pepper flakes (more or less depending on how spicy you like)
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Provolone cheese (2 slices per bowl)
  • Shredded mozzarella (optional)
  • Parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top at the end (optional)

Instructions:

  1.  Brown ground turkey in dutch oven pot with olive oil and chopped onion over medium heat.
  2. Once it’s browned, add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, chicken broth, and water (if you want it thicker and less soupy, leave the water out). Stir.
  3. Add in basil, oregano, parsley, and red pepper flakes.  Salt and pepper to taste.
  4. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for 10 minutes at a low simmer.
  5. Add in box of gluten free pasta and simmer, covered, until pasta is tender.
  6. Dish soup into oven-safe bowls and top each bowl with 2 slices provolone cheese.  If you have mozzarella cheese, sprinkle a bit of that on top too.
  7. Put oven or toaster oven on broil and put bowls in for about 5 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and browned.
  8. Sprinkle a little Parmesan cheese and basil on top, let cool for a few minutes, and enjoy!

Taco Mac and Cheese

- Meaghan Penrod

Two of my absolute favorite meals are tacos and macaroni and cheese.  If you’ve read my other posts, ya’ll know that I served mac and cheese at my wedding lol And if I wasn’t afraid that tacos would ruin my wedding dress, I would have served those too! Both foods are just so comforting and delicious.

I also find that when I’m in a rut of what to make for dinner and I’m not feeling like I’m in the “mood” for anything, tacos always sound like the perfect thing! And I mean, mac and cheese is something I’m always in the mood for lol I’ve tested various versions of mac and cheese (buffalo mac, Alfredo mac, etc) and I’ve made taco mac and cheese in the past before…but recently I decided to try it again and it dawned on me to switch up how I made it.  Let me tell you, this small tweak made ALL THE DIFFERENCE.  Holy cow.  My husband and I couldn’t get enough of it.

So the first few times I tried making it, I would just add taco seasoning to my ground turkey as I was cooking it.  That’s how I made tacos so I figured that made the most sense! Then I’d just make mac and cheese as normal and mix in the taco-flavored meat.  WELL, one day as I was about to do this, a light bulb went on…I thought, “Instead of adding it to the turkey…why wouldn’t you just add it to the cheese sauce?” BINGO.  The taco flavored meat added a nice kick to mac and cheese, but when you add the taco seasoning to the sauce, it really gets that taco flavoring throughout the whole dish! It gives the sauce a lovely color and kicks it up about a million notches.  Who knew?? (Probably someone…lol just not me).

So to get this miracle started, boil your noodles according to package directions and drain.  While I’m boiling my noodles, I also heat a skillet over medium heat with a little coconut oil and brown my ground turkey.  As it’s browning, I add a tsp of salt and a tsp of pepper.  I will also add in half a diced onion as well.  Cook it, stirring occasionally, for about 5-7 minutes or until the turkey is brown and the onions are just about translucent.  At this point, I add in 1/2 bag of frozen mixed peppers and 1/2 a bag of frozen corn.  I mix it up and then put the top on the skillet to let it all steam and cook through.

With the noodles in the drainer, I use the pot I cooked them in to make my cheese sauce.  It’s usually still warm AND you save some dishes.  Win.  So I put that pot back on the stove, but this time on low-medium heat.  To the pot, I add 1.5 tbs of Earth Balance butter.  You could use regular butter as well, I just like to cut down on dairy a bit.  Once the butter melts, add in about 2 tbs of gluten free flour and whisk it around.  It should make a roux–a kind of thick glue-like mixture that has a dark golden color. That’s what makes your mac and cheese thicken up!

I typically use Bob’s Red Mill all purpose flour.  But whatever you have on hand works! Cornstarch works as well.  Once your flour and butter are fully mixed and have formed your roux, add in 3/4 cup milk.  I use almond milk (again to cut down on dairy and calories).

Whisk the milk into your roux and then slowly start to add your cheese.  I use about 1/2 cup of white cheddar and 1/2 cup sharp yellow cheddar.  Whisk while you add and wait for it to melt in before you add more! Feel free to tweak your sauce if it’s too thick or not thick enough.  Everyone has their own preference!  Once all my cheese is melted and mixed in, I add a packet of McCormick’s Gluten Free taco seasoning and mix it all up.  McCormick is really great about calling out allergens in their ingredients!! They do make a taco seasoning that’s labeled gluten free, but if your store doesn’t have that, you can just get their original taco seasoning! It’s gluten free as well.  Just check the back.  Wheat, barley, or rye will be in bold black!

I add my noodles back into my cheese sauce, mix, and then add in my ground turkey and veggie mixture! Top with some crushed, gluten free tortilla chips and you’re all done! Enjoy!

Recipe

  • 1 package gluten free pasta (I like Tinkyada brown rice pasta)
  • 1 lb ground turkey
  • 1/2 bag of frozen, mixed bell peppers
  • 1/2 bag of frozen corn
  • 1/2 a white onion, diced
  • 1 tbs canola or coconut oil
  • 1 tsp salt and pepper
  • 1/4 cup crushed gluten free tortilla chips (I used Tostitos)

For the sauce

  •  1/2 cup white cheddar shredded cheese
  • 1/2 cup yellow sharp cheddar shredded cheese
  • 3/4 cup almond milk (or your choice of milk)
  • 1.5 tbs Earth Balance butter (or your choice of butter)
  • 2 tbs gluten free flour or corn starch
  • 1 packet Gluten Free McCormick’s taco seasoning

Instructions

  1.  Boil your package of gluten free noodles according to package directions.  Drain and set aside.
  2. Heat a skillet over medium heat and add your oil.  Add in diced onion and ground turkey.  Season with salt and pepper and brown.
  3. Once the meat is browned, add in 1/2 bag of peppers and 1/2 bag of corn.  Mix and put top on skillet.
  4. Put empty pasta pot on low-medium heat.  Add in Earth Balance and let it melt.  Once it’s melted, add in flour and whisk together until roux is formed.
  5. Slowly pour milk into roux while whisking.
  6. Once roux and milk are fully mixed, slowly add in your cheese, mixing as you add.  Make sure it melts before you add more!
  7. If the sauce is too thin for your liking, add more cheese.  If it’s too thick, add more milk.
  8. Once the sauce is mixed, dump in your taco seasoning packet and mix thoroughly.
  9. Pour pasta back into pot and mix into cheese.
  10. Mix in turkey and veggies.
  11. Top with crumbled gluten free tortilla chips and serve!

 

Chocolate Protein Mug Cake

- Meaghan Penrod

Growing up, my mom loved to bake! My sisters are 10 and 11 years older than me and I can remember when they were teenagers, all their friends would call my mom June Cleaver…like from Leave It to Beaver? It’s an old show, so don’t worry if you don’t get it lol Once my friends starting coming around, they all called her Betty Crocker (Betty, for short).  We just ALWAYS had something freshly baked for dessert, whether it was her famous chocolate cake, a cheesecake, German chocolate cake, red velvet cake….it was mostly cake lol She hated making cookies and pies, but she loved herself some cake.  So every night, her and I would always have a piece of cake plus a glass of milk (she liked 2 ice cubes in her milk, I liked one).

Don’t get me wrong, she was fantastic at instilling healthy eating habits in me! She packed my lunch every day with a protein, a carb, a fruit, and a vegetable.  For dinner, we always had TWO vegetables on the side instead of just one.  So overall, I learned really great habits! But my mom always said, she’d rather not be stick thin if that meant she got to enjoy her dessert every night.

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Veggie Quinoa

- Meaghan Penrod

So don’t get me wrong, I love quinoa.  I make it a lot. The texture is killer and the nutritional benefits are through the roof! But…I mean…it can be kinda boring.  Unless you add a ton of flavor to it, it’s kinda bland. So over the years, I’ve tried different things to spice it up a little! Usually, I’ll just mix 1/2 quinoa and 1/2 brown rice together and then cook it. That way, my husband doesn’t realize he’s eating quinoa lol But if I’m planning on having straight up quinoa as a side, this is one of my favorite ways to make it!

Essentially, I just use any veggies I have on hand and add it to the quinoa! Typically I always have peppers, onions, and mushrooms…so those are the usual suspects.  But I’ve also added corn, peas, tomatoes…pretty much whatever is on hand! And when I tell you this comes together in less than 30 minutes, I mean it.  I rarely ever make anything that takes longer than that! haha

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Crazy Easy Mac and Cheese

- Meaghan Penrod

So the other day at the grocery store, they had pork shoulders buy one get one free.  Great deal! So on Monday morning, I put my pork in the slow cooker with plans to have pulled pork for dinner.  Usually while I’m at work, I’ll brainstorm some ideas for what else I’m going to have with whatever meat I thawed out…but on this day I was stumped.  We had just had mashed potatoes for dinner the night before and I didn’t want to do potatoes two days in a row….and rice didn’t seem like a good choice.  Then suddenly it hit me, MAC AND CHEESE.  We had pulled pork and mac and cheese at our wedding, so clearly it’s a household favorite haha

Normally I like to make mac and cheese and then bake it to get it crispy, but I wasn’t going to get home until kinda late and I wanted something that would come together fast! I kinda just threw this mac and cheese together (in 15 minutes, no lie) and it turned out SO GOOD.  So I’ll let you guys in on the recipe…really nothing fancy.  Just simple, easy, and DELICIOUS.  I used earth balance vegan butter and almond milk to cut down on the dairy, but you could totally use any kind of butter or milk that you’d like!

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