Gluten-Free Sesame Crusted Bluefish Sticks

Both Chris & I have distinctive nostalgia connected to bluefish. I’ll admit, I didn’t love it as a kid. I think we ate it for months on end (my Grandpa John was a fisherman for sport & gave us tons & tons of bluefish that he caught - I know freshly caught fish - I lived a ‘miserable’ childhood. What I would do for freshly caught fish on the regular now.)  Yesterday, while grocery shopping Chris came back from the fish counter with a grin & bluefish, so that’s what we had for dinner except I made it in a way that I’ve never had before: sesame crusted bluefish sticks. They're gluten free & don’t taste ‘fishy’ at all, in other words they were delicious. I really like the crunch that the sesame seeds offer. They taste great with my quick, rustic tartar sauce. If you're not a fish eater I dare you to try these & not like them.

Do you have any memories of bluefish? How do you make yours?

Mixed Berries & Banana Smoothie Bowls

If you follow me on instagram (& you should, it’s fun!) you’ll already know that I’ve been hitting the smoothie bowl train as of late. A smoothie bowl is simply a smoothie served in a bowl eaten with a spoon. The possibilities of ingredients for smoothie bowls are endless.  I like to top them with the same ingredients I use in the the smoothie portion for three reasons: (1) it looks really pretty, (2) it adds texture, (3) it’s a clear indicator of what’s blended up in the smoothie. If you don’t have time to arrange the toppings in neat little rows it will still taste the same. I like taking the extra time to make it look pretty because it makes me zen in the morning when I prepare breakfast. In case you’re wondering, Chris likes these too.

This first smoothie bowl recipe I’m sharing is a good gateway smoothie bowl because it’s sweet & familiar. So if you’re trying to work more fruit & protein into your breakfast routine this is the way to do it.

If you make your own smoothie bowls, I’d love to know what you put in yours. Please comment below!

3 Bean Escarole Soup with Garlic Oil & Homemade Croutons

Growing up my mom would make what my grandfather & father would call ’scroll & beans. For those not familiar with this language ‘scarole means escarole. If you’ve never had escarole I encourage you to try. It’s actually a lettuce but it tastes really good, almost sweet, when it’s cooked. I’ve always had it in chicken broth with canellini beans, grated cheese & crusty bread so when I found this recipe I channeled my youth & conjured up my take on this classic (to me) combination. I used three different kinds of beans because I didn’t have three cans of cannellini beans, so if you want to stick to one kind - go for it! You can skip the croutons & extra cheese if you like - but why would you want to do that? This is a quick & satisfying dinner especially while this weather continues to flirt with spring (it was 37 degrees yesterday & I think that’s pretty close to spring - today not so much.)

PS: For those observing Lent this will be a great meatless dish for your Friday dinner. Enjoy!

PPS: if you're gluten-free - skip my beloved croutons!

Easy Black Bean Soup

I've been eating this black bean soup since Saturday & I'm happily having it for lunch again, today. Granted I made enough to feed a small country but it was too easy not too & I'll confess when I cook with dried beans I always forget that those 1lb bags make A LOT.

As I just hinted at I used dried beans for this recipe, so while it is easy it is time consumptive as in the beans take about 2 hours to cook. If you have a free afternoon or some time on the weekend I recommend making this & then eating it for lunch for two weeks. You can also easily freeze it after it has cooled down.

One thing that I ask you to do to fully enjoy this soup is to top it with this cream sauce. The tanginess of the yogurt & acidity of the lime take this to another level. Do it!

PS: you can totally make this recipe gluten-free if you don't eat it with tortilla chips that have flour & you can make it vegan by using veggie stock & skipping the cream sauce.

PPS: if you don't wan to make 2lbs of beans cut the recipe in half!

Zippy Zucchini Bites

I made these zippy zucchini bites for my coworker's birthday (along with these). I call them zippy zucchini bites because I couldn’t remember the name from the original recipe I found on Pinterest when my coworkers asked me what they were. I called them zippy because they have sweet mint, spicy harissa, zesty lime & tangy goat cheese all rolled up into one little tasty bite, hence the original name. To me that warrants the name zippy, which is also just fun to say & who doesn’t love some alliteration(? <— nerd alert).

I’d make these again. You can make them ahead of time. I chilled mine overnight & then served them at room temperature. I think they’d be a perfect fresh bite for pre-Thanksgiving appetizers because they’re not heavy & really easy to eat! They're also gluten-free & a great non-carb to have on the table. Plus, any kind of rolled appetizer always looks super pretty & fancy, so your guests will be super impressed.

Simple Tapas: Spicy Baked Chickpeas

I love tapas for two reasons. One reason I love them is that they remind me of my first date with Chris. He took me to a great tapas restaurant. That was my last first date :) The other reason, which Chris didn’t know on our first date is that I love to taste different things. So I love ordering tapas. Granted there is a lot of work that usually goes into these tasty little dishes even if you’re just getting a taste. I found this quick & easy tapas dish for spicy baked chickpeas that from Claire Robinson’s 5 Ingredient Fix show (sigh I miss that show - so if you’re listening Food Network Gods please bring it back!). It’s a super easy snack to make & have on hand when guests come over for the holidays. Plus, this dish is primarily chickpeas so you can secretly provide some nutrition for your guests too!

Roasted Spaghetti Squash with Shrimp, Tomatoes & Arugula

I have a confession to make, sometimes I don’t go grocery shopping every week. Sometimes I don’t have a plan for dinner. There have been a lot of those kind of nights this weeks since I skipped my usual trip to the super market on Sunday & I’ve been left to my imagination when it comes to dinner. This spaghetti squash & shrimp dish was one of those. It was one of those that also surprised me because it was pretty tasty & easy to make.

What do you make on a whim?

Soft Serve Vegan Pumpkin Ice Cream

I had some extra pumpkin in my fridge (after making these pancakes) & was craving something sweet so I made a cross between pumpkin pie filling & ice cream for dessert. Soft serve pumpkin ice cream.

It’s vegan. It’s dairy-free. It's gluten-free. (Read: guilt-free) It’s delish!

It’s a take on my usual go-to frozen banana ice cream trick that I’ve made here & here.

Simple & Tangy Grilled Aspargus

I like skinny asparagus. Chris likes fat asparagus. I guess opposites do attract. We usually end up with the  asparagus on the skinnier side because - well because I’m married to a great man who likes whatever I cook & lets me have my way more often than not.

I love asparagus quickly cooked on the grill & then simply dressed with a little vinaigrette. Most of the time we end up snacking on them before the rest of dinner is done & we eat them with our fingers.

PS: Happiest Birthday Maggie! I love you! xoxo

Whipped Coconut Milk & Pineapple Parfait

A couple of weeks ago I was thinking (to myself, not out loud) about coconut & pineapple & how great this combination is (hello piña coladas!).  I came home & Chris had bought some ice cream  - chocolate chocolate chip for him & coconut pineapple for me. (Do I have the best mind-reading husband or what?) I had never had coconut pineapple in my life & was a little mind twisted by the coincidence.  I happily ate it & loved it.

If you love coconut & pineapple then you will love this parfait - albeit lighter than the yummy ice cream Chris brought home but ever bit as tasty.

This whipped coconut milk is thicker than whipped cream & much healthier (& less hydrogenated-whatever-is-in) cool whip. If you like fresh whipped cream but could skip the endless whisking you need to make this. It takes just a minute to whisk & you have a fluffy, thick cream  that will actually hold it’s shape sans the chemicals of the stuff in the tub.  Plus, it’s dairy-free - so vegans everywhere can skip to the pantry & stick a can of coconut milk in the fridge overnight - because it must be cold - & enjoy this dessert or breakfast.

PS: Happy birthday do my mom! Love you!

Grilled Zucchini with Chickpeas, Raisins & Garlic-Yogurt Sauce

I'm definitely a creature of habit. I like what I like. I usually like to eat at the same handful of places for lunch, if I haven't (responsibly) packed one.  When I go grocery shopping I usually buy the same ingredients with a little variation here and there depending on sales and seasonal things.  Last night I was in the mood for something familiar but different. I've been eating zucchini all week. I love it and I rarely get tired of it. According to the Today Show it's in season - so there you go - now is the time to zucchini it up.  I usually just sauté it with some other veggies like I did here but after finding Caroline Wright's recipe on food52.com's under $20, in under 20 minute meals I was on my way to buy some more zucchini.

This grilled squash with chickpeas, raisins and garlic-yogurt sauce hits all different bells and whistles that I think would be served somewhere exotic, like Morracco.  The chickpeas have a bit of pop to them in texture and even more so with the hot and sweetly warm spices.  The grilled zucchini is toothsome and even better with grill marks.  To top it off there's creamy garlic-yogurt sauce.  For those of you who think eating vegetarian food is for the birds, try this hearty dish and you'll be singing a different tune.

I am definitely adding this dish to my regularly scheduled programming.

Gluten-Free Cornbread with Jalapeño

Chris made lobsters for dinner the other night so I took care of the sides. I feel like corn or cornbread is a natural pairing with lobster so I made just that, cornbread. I adapted a recipe on the cornmeal bag to be gluten-free and spiced it up with jalapeno pepper.

What do you eat with lobster?


PS: happy 7-11 free slurpee day!

Chicken Lettuce Tacos

We love tacos at our house. In hopes to keep our sprint fare a little bit on the lighter side I opted to make our chicken tacos with butter or boston lettuce instead.  PF Chang's makes some delicious lettuce wraps so I knew they had a good chance of working & my husband liking them.  All & all they were really good & we'll definitely swap out tortillas for these gluten-free lettuce tacos again. 

What do you eat in your lettuce wraps?

Zucchini Pasta e Fagioli

I've always been a fan of pasta e fagioli (often butchered by Italian-Americans like myself as something that sounds like pasta fazool).  In plain English it's pasta with beans. My mom used to make it with tomatoes, garlic & those short cut noodles or tiny elbow macaroni.

When I have a fridge full of produce I try to use it so I don't lose it. We had some zucchini in the fridge which lead me to this new (to me) take on pasta e fagioli, I call it zucchini pasta e fagioli. I left the dried pasta in it's box & shaved my zucchini into wide noodles instead (similar to here) - making it gluten-free pasta my friends (& Auntie Pat).  It's a very rustic dish which is code for it's not super pretty but it tastes really good, so serve it just after sunset when the light is that cool blue color & you're too hungry to care about how it looks.

Spaghetti Squash with Arugula Basil Pesto

I cannot believe I've never had spaghetti squash - until last night. The gals at the office were chatting it up so much I had to try it. Turns out it's not only delish & gluten-free it's super easy - so don't worry about making your own pasta with some alternative flour to steer clear of flour allergies. No ma'am. Mother nature has done it all for us.

We will definitely be eating spaghetti squash at our house again & again very soon.

Click through for the full recipe & full photos of how to make spaghetti squash with arugula basil pesto.

Gluten-Free Pasta with Crab, Citrus & Fresh Greens

We clearly eat some pasta at our house. Don't let the "O" and apostrophe in my last name fool you - this girl is Italian & her Irish husband is now too :) Well part Italian at least.

I'm always looking for new recipes to use with the staples I pick up at the grocery store. Yes, canned crab is one of those staples since there is only so much chicken & salmon we can eat.

I jazzed this recipe up with my gluten-free pasta & some fresh greens of course.

Click through for a citrusy take on crab & pasta. Yum.

Gluten-Free Homemade Pasta

Seems as though getting healthy is trendy & I have no qualms about it. Lately food allergies are on the rise, particularly allergies to gluten - I feel like it's the new lactose-intolerance of 2013. In any event, chances are someone you know is gluten-intolerant which is no fun but there are so many options now that they too can have their cake and eat it too - or in my world pasta.

I picked up a bag of garbanzo bean flour at the grocery store (there are so many "flour" options now!) & thought I'd give it a whirl in some pasta that I adapted from this recipe.

Whether you can eat flour by the pound or none at all this gluten-free pasta will satisfy your carb craving. Oh & it's packed with tons of protein. #winning

Click through for the full recipe & photos.