Brazilian Cheese Rolls

Oh yum.  These make a delicious addition to any meal and you could say they are naturally gluten free because this particular kind of roll that is made in Brazil is made without gluten there.  This recipe comes from the Our Best Bites blog and can be found HERE.  I love their recipes and often I'll find one like this that is quick, easy, and gluten free naturally!

The type of flour you'll need for this is tapioca flour (or tapioca starch).  I've seen it in every grocery store I go to or for SURE in a natural foods store like Whole Foods, etc.  In the regular grocery store I usually see it in the baking section with other flours made by Bob's Red Mill.  It looks like this:

Everything else in the recipe is very common and you probably have in your fridge right now!  And what I love the most about this is that it is so so easy!  Stick ingredients in your blender, and then pour into a mini-muffin tin.  Without further ado:

Ingredients:

-1 large egg

-1/2 cup milk

-1/4 cup canola oil

-1 cup tapioca flour

-1/2 tsp. salt

-1/4 cup grated cheddar cheese

-1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

(add more cheese if you want to sprinkle more on top of each roll before baking!!  I did this...maybe OVERdid this and they turned out delectable.)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Put egg, milk, oil, flour, and salt in blender and blend until smooth.  Add cheeses and pulse about 2 times just to get the cheese into smaller grated pieces.  Pour into greased mini muffin tin right away and fill each tin about 3/4 of the way full (I used a mini-cheesecake pan the first time I made these and they were bigger and fluffier, so either one will work). 

Bake for 15-20 minutes until puffed and golden brown.  You don't want them to be TOO brown on the bottom.  See the difference in a picture where the original recipe is.  It's best to serve them warm, but I actually enjoyed them the day after warmed up or even at room temp!

Enjoy!

Quinoa Salad

This is a fun salad and uses quinoa (keen-wah) that you can find in any grocery store.  I used red quinoa but you can use any color.  It's high in protein too so this makes a great meal on it's own or a side dish.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1/2 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed and drained
1 cup water
1/3 cup diced fresh onion
2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and finely chopped
2 avocados, halved, peeled, seeded, and diced
1/4-1/3 cup shredded fresh Parmesan cheese
2 Tblsp. lemon juice
2 Tblsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt

Directions:
1. Rinse and drain quinoa and place in a sauce pan with 1 cup of water.  Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer, cover, and cook for 15 minutes.

2. Transfer quinoa to medium bowl.  Add tomatoes, avocados, and onions and combine well.  Whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, and salt then add to quinoa mixture and coat well.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and mix if you'd like.

Potatoes Gratin

Ingredients:

-2 1/4 lb potatoes
-4 cups of whipping cream
-6 cloves of chopped garlic
-2/3 cup fresh grated Gruyere cheese (or Cheddar)
-salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste

Directions:

Peel and wash the potatoes. Pour the cream in a pot. Thinly slice the potatoes. Place them in the pot. Add chopped garlic, salt, pepper, and a pinch of nutmeg. The potatoes should be totally covered by not "swimming" in the cream. Bring to a boil on medium heat. Stir occasionally to make sure that the potatoes do not stick to the bottom of the pot.

Arrange the potatoes evenly in a generously buttered dish. The bottom of the dish can be rubbed with garlic. Cover completely with grated cheese. Place the gratin on a baking tray just in case the cream boils over. Cook in the oven at 425 degrees F for about 30 min. Then reduce heat to 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes. Cook until the potatoes become golden brown on the top and cooked on the inside.

Serve hot. Serves 6.

Oven Roasted Potatoes with Onions

Woops! This was so good that there was none left when it was time to take the picture!



Ingredients

* 1/8 cup olive oil
* 1 onion chopped
* 1 tablespoon minced garlic
* 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
* 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
* 1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
* 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
* 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
* 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
* 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 4 large potatoes, peeled and cubed

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees F
2. In a large bowl, combine oil, garlic, basil, marjoram, dill weed, thyme, oregano, parsley, red pepper flakes, and salt. Stir in potatoes until evenly coated. Place potatoes in a single layer on a roasting pan or baking sheet.
3. Roast for 20 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, turning occasionally to brown on all sides.

Marinated Grilled Chicken

Serves 6
Marinated Chicken

1 1/2 cups Italian Salad Dressing (WISHBONE is gluten free)
1/2 cup WHEAT FREE soy sauce (SAN-J WHEAT FREE TAMARI, LA CHOY, and BRAGGS AMINO are gluten free)
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce (LEA AND PERRINS)
2 Tblsp. Dry mustard
1 Tblsp. Pepper
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 1/2 tsp. Salt
1 1/2 garlic cloves, minced
3-4 lbs. chicken breasts


Directions:
1. Mix ingredients. Pour over chicken pieces in ziplock bag.
2. Marinate chicken in refrigerator at least 1 hour
3. Grill or broil

I serve it with vegetables or a green salad (HIDDEN VALLEY RANCH DRESSING is gluten free) and twice baked potatoes.

TWICE BAKED POTATOES
Basically you bake as many potatoes as you want, then cut them in half. Carefully scoop out the insides of each half into a large bowl. Mix with sour cream (DAISY and KNUDSEN are gluten free), butter, salt and pepper to taste, cheddar cheese, and a chopped onion. Once it is adequately mixed, refill each empty half of the potatoes. Place potatoes on a baking sheet and bake in an oven at 350 degrees until the tops of the potatoes are browned (about 15 minutes).