Breakfast: My Favorite Meal

January 23, 2016 Red Rose & HoneyLeave a comment

Breakfast is hands down my favorite meal of the day. I never, ever skip break or skimp out. It’s always a meal full of tasty nutrients. I am a huge believer in starting your day with a healthy meal to set the tone for your food choices the rest of the day. I am also the type of person who wakes up starving. If I skipped breakfast I would be miserable. Here are some of my favorite breakfast choices.

Oatmeal

I LOVE oatmeal. I could eat it all day long. There was a point in time where I ate oatmeal for breakfast every day for at least a year. I only eat real oats. None of that instant oatmeal non-sense here. While instant oats are a good attempt at eating a healthy breakfast they are loaded with unnecessary sugars. If you are short on time in the morning and like the efficiency of instant oatmeal opt for the plain kind. I order my gluten-free Bob’s Red Mill Oats from Amazon. They usually cost around $30 for 4 bags and I use about 1 bag per month. It’s the best value I’ve found.

Now, for some gluten-free clarification. Oats technically are gluten-free. If you compare Quaker Oats to Bob’s Red Mill you probably can’t tell them apart. Oats are not gluten-free if they are grown in a field and processed in a factory with wheat, barely and rye gains. If you have a gluten intolerance or allergy make sure you buy gluten-free oats.

I have tried so many different ingredients in my oatmeal, but I always use unsweetened vanilla almond milk, cinnamon and flax seed as my based ingredients. I actually prefer the taste of Almond Breeze almond milk, but have stopped using it because this brand contains carrageenan. I now only use the Silk brand. Cinnamon is good for your metabolism and flax seed is an excellent source of fiber. About 4 months ago I started making overnight oats. I fell in love with oatmeal all over again (overnight oats post coming soon!). Letting the ingredients sit over night really infuses the oats with flavor. Overnight oats are also a time saver in the morning. You can eat them cold or quickly heat them up. I learned from following the Acid Reflux Diet from The 30 Day Heartburn Solution that soaked oats are easier on your body to digest. Right now my go-to combo is banana and almond butter. Here are my other favorite combos:

Banana & walnuts

Blueberry & walnuts

Apple & walnuts

Banana & peanut butter

Eggs

You really can’t go wrong with eggs for breakfast. They are full of awesome nutrients including a good serving of protein. If I am having eggs without toast or a waffle, I always have 2 whole eggs. I like to have my eggs scrambled with a sprinkle of cheese and bacon or breakfast sausage. If I don’t feel like adding meat to my breakfast, I will add spinach, feta and tomatoes to my eggs. I love the runny yolk of an over-easy, but I have to have something to dip in it! Nothing beats a perfectly cooked over-easy egg with a slice of toast. Lately, I have really been enjoying heating up left rice or potatoes and veggies with an egg over easy.

Waffles

Sometimes I like switching up my breakfast and I will have gluten-free frozen waffles. I like to top my waffles with slices of banana, walnuts and organic pure maple syrup. When I buy gluten-free waffles I usually opt for the Van’s or Nature’s Path brands. One of these nutty waffles goes great with scrambled eggs.

Pancakes

When I have a little extra time in the morning I will whip up oatmeal pancakes. They’re pretty easy, filing and of course gluten-free. I like to top them with walnuts or sliced almonds and banana with organic pure maple syrup.

Ingredients

-1/2 cup of dry oats

-1 tsp cinnamon

-1 TBSP flax sead

-1 egg or 2 egg whites

-1/2 medium banana

-1/8 to 1/4 cup of unsweetened vanilla almond milk

– Dash of baking soda

-Dash of vanilla or almond extract

Directions

Warm your oven on a low heat (my oven actually has a warm setting) and place an oven-safe dish inside. Using a blender (I have a magic bullet) blend the oats and cinnamon into a fine powder, about 10 seconds. Next, add the rest of you ingredients and blend until smooth. Heat a small frying pan on low/medium head and grease with coconut oil or gluten-free cooking spray. Cooking your pancakes 1 at a time just as you would with a normal pancake. You will know it’s time to flip when you see bubbles in your pancake. As you finishing cooking each one, place them on the warm plate in your oven. If you skip this step I find these pancakes cool quickly. Once you’re done, top with your favorite toppings.

xo Miss Alyss

Hearty Chicken Tortilla Soup

January 18, 2016 Red Rose & HoneyLeave a comment

Who doesn’t love a warm bowl of soup on a cold winter day? This weekend I whipped up a delish pot of chicken tortilla soup. I prefer my soups to be on the thicker side, so I used a lot of ingredients in this recipe. My mom said my soup was a bit like chili (chili’s cousin if you will) which I am totally okay with. This recipe was pretty easy to whip up and made plenty for leftovers – perfect for the upcoming work week. My favorite ingredient for acidic dishes like chili, chicken tortilla soup and red sauce is carrots. Carrots really cut out the acidity and smooth out the flavor.

Ingredients:

1 Small Spanish Onion, finely chopped

1 Green Pepper

1 Yellow Pepper

1 Orange Pepper

2-3 Garlic Cloves

3/4 Cup of Carrots, finely chopped

1 Cup of Frozen Corn

1 Container of Grape Tomatoes

Low Sodium Black Beans (15oz.), rinsed

Low Sodium White Beans (15oz.), rinsed

4 Cups of Low Sodium Chicken Broth

1 Large Chicken Breast, Grilled

3 TBSP Tomato Paste

1 TBSP Chili Powder

2 TSP Cumin

1 1/4 TSP Paprika

Salt & Pepper to Taste

2 TSP Cornstarch (optional)

Avocado and Pepper Jack Cheese

Fresh Corn Tortillas

Directions:

I find it easier to chop all of my ingredients before I begin cooking. Chop the peppers into small, bit sized pieces and set aside. Make sure you get ride of the pepper seeds and the white insides which can make your soup bitter. Next, rinse the beans to remove any unnecessary sodium, set aside. Then use a food processor to chop up the carrots and onion (or finely chop both) and cut the tomatoes into quarters. Last, cut or shred the chicken. I used a large chicken breast I grilled the night before which I cut into small pieces. You could probably used a store bought rotisserie chicken instead.

Over low heat sautee onion in olive oil over low heat. I like to really like the onion cooked down so it becomes soft and sweet. Next, use a garlic press and add garlic to the onion. Then, add the peppers and carrots, cook about 5-10 minutes to soften over medium heat. After that add the chicken broth, tomato paste, beans, tomatoes, corn, chili powder, cumin, paprika, salt and pepper ( I did not measure, but I know I did not use more than 1 TBSP of salt). If you want your soup to be in the thicker side, add 1-2 TSP of cornstarch or skip this step. Bring your pot to a boil for 5 minutes then simmer for at least 30 minutes. While your soup is simmering, pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. Using a pizza cutter, slice the tortillas into long strips and scatter on a baking sheet. Season the tortillas with olive oil, salt and pepper then bake for 12 minutes.

The fresh made tortilla chips are my FAVORITE chip. Pop a few of these on top of a hot bowl of soup and garnish with avocado and grated pepper jack cheese.

xo Miss Alyss

Smokey Spinach & Artichoke Dip

January 8, 2016 Red Rose & HoneyLeave a comment

One of my favorite appetizers to make is this Smokey Spinach & Artichoke Dip from Food Network. It is pretty easy and so delicious. I most recently made it for Christmas Eve and Christmas. It was a huge hit with my guests! You seriously can’t go wrong with this dish. Be sure to buy gluten-free brands for your ingredients.

I made a few tweaks to the recipe by leaving out the mayo and coriander seeds. I didn’t find the mayo to be necessary since the recipe also calls for sour cream and cream cheese. In the past I have also replaced the sour cream with plain Greek yogurt. Coriander seeds aren’t an ingredient I keep in my pantry, so I left them out.

The toughest part about this recipe is squeezing the water our of the spinach. I suggest letting the spinach thaw out over night by leaving the spinach in a colander. Sit the colander in a larger bowl to catch the dripping water. You will then need to really squeeze out the remaining water. If your spinach is still a bit frozen, you can microwave it for a few minutes. Using a thin dish towel roll up your spinach and twist the ends like a Tootsie-Roll. This usually easier (and faster) with two people. I am always amazed how much water comes out of spinach. If you don’t squeeze out as much water as possible your dip will be soggy.

Now this next tip is the real winner. I like to serve this dip with fresh corn tortillas. Look for 100% corn tortillas which should be gluten-free. They come in a big bag and are usually only 50 calories each. Using a pizza cutter, cut each tortilla into 8 triangles. Scatter the slices on a baking sheet then drizzle with olive oil, sea salt and pepper. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes. These are my absolute favorite chips! They have the best crunch and stand up well to this hardy dip. You should probably make at least half a bag because your guests will gobble them up.

xo Miss Alyss