Recipe Corner - (Sweet) Potato Roses

This was my first year hosting Easter dinner, and I was excited to try out a new recipe I saw on Facebook:

 

I adapted the recipe somewhat - using sweet potatoes instead of regular potatoes and no cheese.  But they were super easy AND super scrumptious!

Pre-baked roses looked so pretty!

I sliced the sweet potatoes using my handy mandoline (definitely a MUST HAVE for any kitchen).  Swirled the spices in the olive oil, layered the potato slices over a slice of bacon, spread the oil, and rolled them up.  Easy peasy.  I ended up using a mini muffin pan for baking . . . I'd advise toothpicks to hold them together if you're using a regular size muffin pan.

Turkey from Honey Baked Ham
Sweet Potato Roses from my kitchen!

Then I baked them, and they smelled delicious!  I am definitely making these again.  They were a huge hit at dinner, and my husband said I can make them any time I want.  

What are some of your favorite holiday dishes?

Recipe Corner - Zucchini Lasagna

As you probably know, I'm supposed to be wheat, corn, and potato free . . . and rice noodles tend to be pretty nasty.  Which means that if I want any type of noodle dish, I need an alternative.  For a while, I've been using my kitchen contraption for turning zucchini into noodles . . . and those are really good.  But it's nice to mix it up every once in a while . . . even if you're still eating the same food.  This dish was inspired by a recipe I found for making enchiladas with zucchini.

First, I sliced the zucchini very thin with my mandolin.  I found mine on Amazon, and I absolutely love it!  It's perfect for slicing anything . . . including apples to make apple chips!  

I cut two zucchini in half, both across and long ways.  Then I sliced them with the mandolin fairly thin and placed the first layer in my greased 8x8 pan.  Since it's just myself and my husband, this was the perfect size dish for us.  But since it ended up so tasty, I'm planning on making it in the full-size pan next time.

Next, I cooked up 1lb. ground beef (I'd use more if you're using a bigger pan) with a little seasoning and mixed in spaghetti sauce.  I then alternated zucchini and the meat mixture until I was out of meat sauce.  I placed a layer of mozzarella cheese on top and baked it in the oven for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

And voila!  This really was tasty AND low calorie AND gluten-free.  You could also make it dairy free by removing the cheese or using dairy-free cheese.  I'm planning to experiment with this more . . . maybe substituting shredded chicken for the beef.  Or making an enchilada-esque lasagna.

Recipe Corner - Pecan Pie Cheesecake

This post is a few days late (ok almost a week) . . . But surely all will be forgiven when you see the amazing and decadent dessert I'm sharing with you today!  I've made this cheesecake twice now this week (one for each Christmas celebration we had - it's been fun experiencing our first Christmas together as a married couple and celebrating with both sides of our family.) And it's been a delicious treat to share with both families.

I found the recipe via Pinterest (check out my page for many more food pins) and ultimately used the recipe from Lil' Luna (which can be found here).  Fair warning - this cheesecake is extremely rich and decadent.  Go easy on the serving sizes.  :)

Pecan Pie Filling

The first time I made it without the crust since we're gluten-free, and I couldn't find any vanilla wafers that were also gluten-free.  Still tasted amazing.  The second time we made it with a crust, and it was still amazing.  Another change I made was substituting honey for the dark corn syrup.  I did a 1-1 ratio substitution; however, you can use the corn syrup or do another substitution.  My family decreed the pecan pie filling bottom absolutely the sweetest part of this cheesecake.

Once the pecan pie filling is made and in the pan, the next step is cheesecake (my favorite part)!  I would advise letting the pecan pie filling part cool in the fridge while you mix the cheesecake to keep the cheesecake from filling the center and pushing the pecan pie filling up the sides.

Next came the hard part - letting the cheesecake sit overnight so that we could mix up the topping and finish it the next day.  But the topping tastes and looks amazing!  And, as an added bonus, it hides any mistakes or imperfections in your cheesecake top!  I do recommend, however, baking your cheesecake in a water bath.  This helps prevent cracking.  But also wrap the bottom of your cheesecake pan with tinfoil to avoid getting water inside.

And voila!  You've got an amazing and decadent dessert perfect for any special occasion!  As an added bonus, I used my leftover heavy whipping cream to make my own whipped cream - 1 c. whipping cream + 2 tbsp. sugar/honey + 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract.

What do you think?  What's your favorite dessert?  

Recipe Corner - Gluten-Free Paleo Flatbread

From my pizza days . . . back when I didn't care about eating wheat.

I really enjoy pizza . . . it's a comfort food.  With my O-blood type, however, "normal" pizza is absolutely out of the question as are most "gluten-free" options on the market (they typically include potato or corn of some variety - the only brand I've found so far without wheat, corn, OR potato is California Pizza Kitchen).  Regardless, let's just say it's very difficult to satisfy my pizza craving when pretty much my only option is making my own.  Not that I don't enjoy making my own pizza.  I really do enjoy that . . . worked as a pizza delivery girl/pizza maker for a few years in college.  But it's hard to find a pizza dough recipe that I can actually eat AND tastes good.  I found one on Thrive Market (it's made with tapioca flour and tastes pretty good.)  The one I'm going to share with you today works best if you cut it in small squares rather than large pieces . . . like a flatbread.

I adapted the recipe from this one for a Chicken Alfredo Flatbread.  First, mix together 1c. almond flour, 1 egg white, and 1/8 tsp. salt.
I was pleasantly surprised at how easily it turned into a dough ball with such little liquid.

Next, roll out the dough ball between two layers of parchment paper.  You'll want to make it pretty close to paper thin so that the thick flour will bake more crisply.  This dough recipe was originally a cracker recipe - I thought the original flatbread recipe crafter was pretty ingenious for combining recipes.  Bake the crust at 325 for 8 minutes.

Third, while your crust is baking, pick your toppings!  The original recipe was a Chicken Bacon Alfredo flatbread.  Given that pretty much all commercial alfredo sauce has corn or potato of some variety, I opted for a more traditional pizza.  But I did go with some spinach, tomatoes, and chicken.  And LOTS of mozzarella cheese.  It's the best!

Fourth, add your sauce to the rolled out dough.  Note that you leave the dough on one of the two pieces of parchment paper you used to roll out the dough.  Spread out your sauce and get ready for the fun part!

Fifth, add your toppings!  This looked pretty tasty, if I do say so myself.  Once you've added all of your toppings, broil it on high for 5 minutes or until the cheese is slightly golden.

And voila!  You have a wheat-free, potato-free, corn-free flatbread pizza!  You could even make it dairy-free by substituting a dairy-free cheese or nixing the cheese altogether!

I hope you try this recipe soon!  If you do, let me know how you like it in the comments section!