Gluten Free Apple Crisp in the Slow Cooker

I think the last time I posted I mentioned this recipe be up within the week. Yeah right!!! And that last post was Thanksgiving. It is almost the end of December and just a few days till Christmas. I hope everyone been enjoying their holiday. Spending as much time with family and being around your favorite friends. In Las Vegas, November and December are pretty slow months when your job revolves around travel (IE. I work for a rental car company). Let me tell you, December has been so busy preparing for what is coming in 2013. I can’t wait for 2013 to get here because it is going to be a good year for Las Vegas! I can see it now.

In the meantime, I made the following apple crisp twice. I’ll probably make it again for Christmas. It makes your entire house smell like cinnamon apples and it is so delicious cold with plain Greek yogurt on top. The best thing about making your apple crisp in the slow cooker, no messes and you just dump everything in all at once and cook on high for 3-4 hours. I’d recommend cutting your apples into thick slices, that way they soften up and don’t fall apart easily. The first time around I went with thinly sliced apples and it was more like a chunky applesauce. If you need to make a larger batch, just double this recipe.

Gluten Free Slow Cooker Apple Crisp
By Fallon

Ingredients
3 large apples (granny, fiji, pink lady, honeycrisp etc)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 tablespoon corn starch
1/2 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
2 tablespoons stevia
2 tablespoons walnuts, chopped
2 tablespoons blanched almond flour
1 tablespoon coconut flour
1/4 cup gluten free rolled oats
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
Dash of salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled

Directions
Peel and slice apples into thick slices, then place into the slow cooker. If you’d prefer a more chunky applesauce texture, slice thinner.

Combine lemon juice,corn starch, pumpkin spice and stevia and mix into apples. In a small bowl combine walnuts, almond/coconut flour, rolled oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt and cubed butter. With hands or fork, mush everything together until you get a course sandy texture. Place crisp on top of apples in the slow cooker. If you’d like, add some more walnuts to the top.

Place lid on top of slow cooker, set on high and cook 3-4 hours. It may cook faster so I’d recommend checking it out after 2 hours. Serve up with vanilla bean ice cream and call it a night!

I will try to check back in around Christmas, if not.. maybe before 2013.

Happy Holiday’s from Fallon’s Cucina!
Fallon

Happy Thanksgiving for TWO!

Hey Y’all! I am still around and thought it be nice to pop in and wish everyone (well if I still have any readers) a Happy Thanksgiving! This year I didn’t want to go anywhere. While I’m very thankful for our friends always offering my mama and I to come over, it just seemed right to enjoy this day with my mama. We worked out this morning, hit up Old Navy and Wholefoods (YES we had to do a little shopping!) and made our dinner together. We took a very easy approach to Thanksgiving and one I like because it is SIMPLE and you don’t have to feel guilty about gaining any extra weight.

We only eat white meat, the dark meat usually goes to my father or in the trash. This year we opted to buy a turkey breast on the bone, rather then a whole turkey. We stuffed it with fresh herbs and drizzled with olive oil, salt and pepper. Instead of roasting the turkey in the oven, we did the slow cooker approach instead. It was DELICIOUS! Super juicy, very flavorful and easy clean up. We followed this approach when making our turkey.

I roasted the sweet potatoes, sliced in circles, olive oil, salt and pepper. My mom handled the green beans (steamed) and homemade cranberry sauce. We added 2 tablespoons white sugar, 2 tablespoons stevia, 1 tablespoon maple syrup, splash of orange juice and a dash of cinnamon.

For dessert, we used the slow cooker and I prepared a homemade apple crisp. It was gluten free and I made sure to just make enough (3 large apples), so we wouldn’t have a ton of leftovers. The house smelled amazing and this is something I’ll be making more often going forward. I will share the recipe with you next week.

Cheers,
Fallon

Sunday 8.12.12

Dead camera battery, thank goodness for smart phones!

Check out these gorgeous organic pink lady apples I picked up today. I’m so glad apple season is here, this was perfectly sweet and tart, with the right crunch.

Pizza Fusion… so good!

Come back this week for the Salted Almond Butter Sunflower Seed Butter recipe I whipped up. You will need almonds, sunflower seeds, olive oil, cinnamon and sea salt (optional).

I’d say this was a successful Sunday once again. Morning spin class check, Pizza check, movies check, almond butter check, super full check!
Fallon

The Secret Recipe Club: Dried Cranberry, Grape and Pine Nut Salad

So do you remember when I started to participate in my first food club called The Secret Recipe Club? Well it is finally back this month! There have been a lot of changes to the club but all for good reasons. I’m part of Group B and today is our reveal day. I had such an awesome blog called Cafe Lynnylu. Lynne has beautiful photography skills and lives in Augusta, GA. Sometime last year I was living in Georgia and I wished I would of been able to meet up with her, if I had found her blog earlier! I could use a few photography skill tips from her. ;)

I had a really hard time deciding what to make because everything looked good. I was going to make one of her Thirsty Thursday drinks because it reminded me of the south with their fun lingo. Instead I settled for a salad. A very delicious salad with an orange honey Dijon dressing and crumbles of goat cheese! I added a very small twist to the salad and used a honey goat cheese versus plain. I took her recommendation to add red onion and it brighten up the salad and paired well with the sweet and tart flavors. I don’t usually care to put fruit in my salad but the green grapes actually worked. I like to think of this salad as a nice “winter is almost over but not quite yet” salad! Oh and restaurant quality for sure!



Dried Cranberry, Grape and Pine Nut Salad (for 1 serving) 
Adapted from Cafe Lynnylu

Salad Ingredients:
2 cups mixed baby greens
1 tablespoon dried cranberries
8-10 grapes, sliced
1 tablespoon toasted pine nuts
1-2 tablespoons crumbled honey goat cheese

Direction:
Combine greens, dried cranberries and seedless grapes. Toss with a small amount of dressing just to coat leaves and top salad with toasted pine nuts and the goat cheese. Drizzle a little extra dressing on top.



Orange Honey Dijon Salad Dressing (6 servings, 1 tablespoon size):
1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup 100% orange juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon fresh orange zest
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (I used less oil, Lynne calls for 2/3 cup)

Direction:
On cutting board, mash garlic and salt together. Place in bowl, whisk in orange juice, Dijon mustard, honey and orange zest. When combined, whisk in olive oil until dressing is emulsified. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.

 

I was getting very bored with salads but I’m glad I experimented with something different! It was definitely worth my while.
Fallon

TSRC: Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

Another month of The Secret Recipe Club has arrived and I love the blogger that was given to me this month. Erica from Stuff I Make My Husband is a featherweight female boxer and makes delicious food to fit into her low carb/high protein diet. I spent a few hours on her website deciding what to make because it all sounded good. I ended up trying her Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream because I haven’t used my ice cream maker in months and it is hot outside! If you would like to join The Secret Recipe Club, just fill out the online form.

If I didn’t have ricotta cheese in the fridge I would of followed her recipe exactly but since we don’t really eat cottage cheese, I didn’t want to just buy it for this reason. I think ricotta tastes better anyways. Although I think the cottage cheese is what makes it creamy, the ricotta cheese was a bit more grainy but other then that it tasted delicious. The ice cream was higher in protein and lower in fat thanks to the use of almond milk and reduced fat cream cheese. What really made it over the top is the use of graham cracker crumbs. This really reminded me of cheese cake since the crust is my favorite part. I really liked the recipe she shared for her low carb graham cracker version but I honestly had no time. The store-bought brand worked for us.

    

I’ve made ice cream in the past and whenever I kept it in the freezer it was rock hard and icy. Still edible but nothing that was easily servable like you get from the store. Erica mentioned to add vodka in the mix so it would stay creamy if you plan to keep it in the freezer. I thought that was a great tip and added it. Since fresh strawberries carry a lot of water, I think I needed more then 1 tablespoon of vodka. It was very hard and icy. We ended up giving it a few seconds in the microwave and it was good as new.

Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream
Adapted from Stuff I Make My Husband

Ingredients
12 ounces strawberries, washed, stemmed and sliced
6 ounces reduced fat cream cheese
3/4 cup stevia
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/2 cup skim ricotta cheese
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon of vodka (optional)
Graham cracker crumbs

Direction
In a food processor or blender, combine all ingredients except for strawberries and graham cracker crumbs. Puree until smooth. Stir in the strawberry slices.

Freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. After 20 minutes mixture should be ice cream and ready to serve. Top with graham cracker crumbs.

This was a great month! I’m really enjoying The Secret Recipe Club because I’ve met so many new people and found so many new blogs. I’m inspired constantly by everyone!

Fallon

Drunk Watermelon + Hummus

I could not believe how fast 4th of July weekend went. I don’t even think I had a second to breathe? It was also the weekend I got my Vitamix from my parents! It is definitely an early birthday gift (my birthday isn’t until July 30th) but a well deserved gift in-deed. I’ve been using it at least twice a day. I’ve made juices, smoothies and hummus so far. I’m still trying to get the right consistency with liquid to ice. I seem to like to add A LOT of ice. hehe!

My boyfriend and I had a great 4th of July. We’ve been meeting a lot of new people and I’ve finally found a female who has the same interests as me. She is also an army girlfriend and we’ve just clicked really well. Her and her boyfriend put together a small cook-out at their home and had an awesome food spread, cute decorations and big fireworks to end the night! Oh and a little Rock Band to even it all out. That game is a load of fun when you play with a bunch of people!

If you know me.. I don’t like coming empty handed! I feel if you are invited somewhere you have to bring something, anything! Carrie (my Augusta girl) and I discussed what food she should serve and what I should bring. I mentioned a watermelon filled with vodka probably be a hit with everyone. I remember having this a few years ago and loved it. Boy have my taste buds changed because I couldn’t eat it. It was a VERY drunk watermelon ;). I think at the end of the night only 4 pieces remained and it was a huge melon. Everyone was feeling good afterwards.

I also made Cilantro Lime White Bean Hummus from How Sweet It Is. I actually planned to make another dip but changed last minute when I was going through my recipe archives. I went with a healthier option knowing I could eat something healthy at the cook-out. I brought carrots, cucumber slices and pita chips to eat with the hummus. It was so creamy from the Vitamix and had a nice zest from the lime. I’m glad I went with the healthier alternative at the end of the day! To see the recipe for Cilantro Lime White Bean Hummus go visit How Sweet It Is. Her blog is amazing!

Drunk Watermelon
By Fallon

Ingredients
1 huge seedless watermelon, washed exterior
1-2 cups of vodka

Direction
Rinse the watermelon off in the sink and dry off with a towel. Take the cap from the vodka bottle and place it on a good, smooth surface of the watermelon. Mark the area with a knife and cut around the circle. Save the watermelon hole as a plug.

Take a small spoon and start cleaning out the inside. You want to make a small hole so the vodka has somewhere to go. Cleaning out the middle a little bit will help. Now pour vodka into the hole until it reaches the top. Top with the watermelon plug and let it sit. After an hour or 2 the liquid should of gone down. Once again add more vodka. Keep doing this once the liquid stops getting absorbed. We only used half a bottle of vodka, when many recipes say it will take a whole bottle. If you use a whole bottle let me know what you did differently!

This process should be done in advance at least 1-2 days. The longer it sits the better. Right before leaving I sliced it into triangles and placed into a bowl. Viola!

Enjoy,

Fallon

Delicious Fresh Berry Tart

Luckily my weekends are a time to relax and unwind. I get to spend more time in the kitchen and test out new recipes. Now that summer is here we’ve been invited to a lot of BBQs. They ask that you bring an appetizer and your own drinks. It works out really well and is just a good time to meet new people and hang out. I just wish it wasn’t so humid and hot outside! I’m sweet sugar for those mosquitoes!

I found this delicious fresh berry tart recipe while grocery shopping at Publix. I was shopping for future meals and for a BBQ I had to be at in 3 hours. We had plans to pick up some tasty cupcakes but that left us no time and at the moment no dessert. Luckily, Publix was demonstrating a delicious berry tart made with honey Greek yogurt and a premade shortbread crust. I had a sample and couldn’t believe HOW GOOD this was. Very light, not very sweet but tangy from the Greek yogurt. I picked up all the ingredients and literally had the tart ready in 5 minutes.

The only unhealthy thing about the tart would be the premade crust. I saw the ingredients, squirmed and realized I wouldn’t have time to make my own. Oh well, its not an everyday thing where I eat shortbread so I went with it. At least there was honey Greek yogurt and fresh berries that made up for it. You must make this for your next BBQ. There were practically no leftovers it was that good. I’ve got to check out more of these Publix quick recipes, hopefully they are as good as this one.

One serving clocks in at around 160 calories and 5 grams of protein. Not bad for dessert ;).

Fresh Berry Tart
Adapted from Publix

Ingredients
2 (5.3-oz) containers nonfat Greek yogurt with honey (OR 1 1/2 cups of plain Greek yogurt and 4 tablespoons of honey)
3 cups fresh mixed berries (raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, and/or strawberries)
1 prepared shortbread pie crust
1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar

Direction

Stir yogurt to blend in honey; spread one container of yogurt over pie crust. Place one-half of the berries in a single layer over yogurt; repeat both layers.

Sprinkle with sugar. Chill until ready to serve. Makes 8 servings

  

 

Fallon

PS: Fallon’s Cucina now has its own Facebook page. Please go to Fallon’s Cucina Facebook page and like it. There will be blog updates and random comments made by yours truly!

TSRC: Strawberry Crumble Bars

This time around for The Secret Recipe Club I was assigned the lovely blog Six Kilos of Pumpkin. It is so hard not to send a message and get to know someone. Instead you have to skim their blog, read older posts and get to know them that way. One thing I did notice was anything she put in the oven was in Celsius temperature. Oh oh! I felt a challenge coming on because I knew I’d have to make several adjustments to whatever recipe I was making. Some of her wording was a little different, like mince must be ground beef. That took me a second to figure out. ;)

I was expecting to find a lot of pumpkin recipes (hence the blog name) but instead I found out she eats gluten free and she keeps her recipes simple. I’m currently trying to be a good girl and if I bake anything it has to be something healthy like granola. I found her recipe for Boysenberry Crumble Bars that was originally adapted from another site that made them 100% gluten free. I skimmed both recipes and saw some changes she had made from the original so her dad could eat them since he didn’t eat gluten free. I would of loved to add coconut to these bars but my boyfriend literally hates coconut! I ended up using fresh strawberries mixed with some peach preserves and extra virgin olive oil instead of butter.

Everything baked up really well, tasted fabulous but after 1 day they were SO MOIST they literally were crumbled up bars. I made sure to convert the oil just right to butter ratio but I’m sure I could of used a little less. I also would of baked it up in a 9 x 9 square pan, then a 9 x 13 pan because it is just too large, IMO. That might be why the bars were so crumbly. Oh well, they made a fabulous topping with plain Greek yogurt. Oh and that almond crumble topping was AMAZING! It was my snack since I had so much leftover of it. ;) Plus my boyfriend liked it and that meant these weren’t going to waste. YAY!

I’d just make the crumble again and use it as granola!

If you would like to be a member of The Secret Recipe Club please click this link here. It really is a blast and it gives you an opportunity to get out of your comfort zone.

Strawberry Crumble Bars

Adapted from Six Kilos of Pumpkin

Ingredients- Crust

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup almond meal

1 cup dark brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon bourbon vanilla extract

--------- Fruit Filling

1 1/2 cups of strawberries, halved

3 tablespoons peach preserves (any flavor would work, not necessary though)

--------- Crumble

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2/3 cups sliced unsalted and dry toasted almonds

1/2 teaspoon bourbon vanilla extract

Direction

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9 x 13 pan with parchment paper. Make sure to have a little overhang which will help when removing the bars from the pan and to cut them.

Combine all ingredients from the first section except the oil. Add in the oil a little at a time to get a sandy consistency. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and pat down to make a firm base. Bake for 7 minutes or until golden brown.

In a separate bowl smash the strawberries with the peach preserves. Once the crust has cooled a bit add the fruit topping to the crust. Distribute evenly. The peach preserves made it rather runny and couldn’t be detected after it was baked up. The strawberries were definitely sweeter though!

For the crumble, combine all the ingredients into a small bowl. Add the crumble to the top of the bars evenly. Save extra to enjoy as a snack. The almonds make this crumble!

Before going into the oven.

Bake for 20 minutes, then let rest in the baking pan for 10 minutes. Remove and let cool on a cooling rack. Cool completely before cutting into bars.

I haven’t really baked with extra virgin olive oil before but lately I’ve been using it a bit more since I don’t have canola oil. It distributes such a unique and flavorful taste to these bars. It isn’t overly pronounced in the bars and thanks to the dark brown sugar, they are rich and sweet. If only I had some vanilla ice cream to eat with these crumble bars…

Fallon

Seedy Energy Bar with Almond Butter, Dried Fruit and Dark Chocolate Chips

This wonderful energy bar was inspired by a past granola bar I’ve made and blogged about. That was a REALLY good granola bar and somehow I haven’t made it since. I am now determined to continue making my own homemade granola bars. I love how versatile they are because I can add the ingredients I really like. Dried apricots are one of my favorite dried fruits. They aren’t super sweet and they make for a great snack. I only enjoy the organic Turkish variety because the un-organic kind doesn’t taste as good. Other ingredients like almond butter and dark chocolate are items in my daily diet. My inspiration for my seedy energy bar were adding in flavors and tastes I enjoy. This is a great pre or post-workout bar that offers protein and healthy fats to fuel your body in a healthy way. These bars are also 100% gluten free because I purchased the Bob’s Red Mill gluten free rolled oats for all my bar making. No tummy aches for me!

Seedy Energy Bar with Almond Butter, Dried Fruit and Dark Chocolate Chips

By Fallon

Ingredients

1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats

1/4 cup raw pepita seeds

1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds

1 tablespoon whole golden flaxseeds

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

1/3 cup Thompson seedless raisins

1/3 cup dried apricots, chopped

1/3 cup dark chocolate chips

1/4 cup creamy almond butter

1/4 cup stevia

1/4 cup brown rice syrup

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon salt

Direction

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Coat an 8- inch or 9-inch square pan with cooking spray OR line with parchment paper with a slight overhang for easy removal.

Spread oats, pepita seeds, sunflower seeds, flaxseeds and sesame seeds on a large baking sheet. Bake until the oats are lightly toasted and the nuts are fragrant, shaking the pan halfway through, about 8-9 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. Add raisins and apricots, toss to combine. (You could add the chocolate chips now but they will melt, I’d recommend waiting to mix them in at the very end.)

Combine almond butter, stevia, brown rice syrup, vanilla and salt in a small saucepan. Heat over medium-low, stirring frequently, until the mixture bubbles lightly, 3-4 minutes.

Immediately pour the almond butter mixture over the dry ingredients and mix with a spatula until no dry spots remain. Quickly add and mix in the chocolate chips, if you haven’t already done so. Transfer to the prepared pan. Lightly coat your hands with cooking spray and press the mixture down firmly to make an even layer. Refrigerate until firm for 30 minutes, cut into 8 bars.

Crunchy, nutty, seedy, chewy, chocolaty and perfectly sweet. This was my first time using brown rice syrup and I love this sweetener. A little goes a long way. I tried the syrup when it was melted into the almond butter.. ummm that tasted fabulous like a healthy caramel if that is even possible!

I also added a new category on my recipe page called Healthy Snacks. I added all my healthy baked good items under the category because I’m anticipating on adding a lot more healthful items to my blog.

They hold their shape very well.

    

I’d love to know what the nutritional stats are for these bars but the website I use isn’t very good anymore. Do you know where I could calculate the stats online?

Fallon

Quinoa Salad Recipe + More Favorite Spring Recipes

How is everyone doing? I’m currently getting ready for my big road trip. I can’t believe how much stuff I actually own. Even with  items I’ve donated I still own a lot of stuff! Moving is hard work and this is already the second time this year I’ve had to move EVER! Crazy how life can just turn around but like I said I’m ready for the adventure.

I have a delicious quinoa salad recipe to share with you from Clean Food. This was a great side dish to have with BBQ. So much nutrition is packed into this side dish, that a green leafy salad is not necessary! My favorite part about this salad was the addition of fresh mint. I’ve never used fresh mint before because I was scared of it. I went lightly for my first time and next time I’d use the suggested amount. It was very refreshing!

 

Mangoes have been so delicious lately, and when I saw this salad I knew I had to make it. Make sure when you pick  your mangoes they are slightly firm and green. They are just about ripe at this point. This recipe makes 8 servings and can be easily doubled if you’re invited to a potluck BBQ this summer!

Don’t forget I’m posting some of my favorite spring recipes and I have more below to share with you!

PS: I slightly altered some measurements to my salad and that is what I have posted below.

Quinoa and Black Bean Salad with Apricot Lime Vinaigrette

From Clean Food

Ingredients:

6 cups cooked quinoa, cooled

1 16oz can black beans, rinsed and drain

1/2 cup chopped red onion

1 mango, peeled, pitted and diced

1 cup peeled and diced jicama

1 cup halved cherry tomatoes

1/4 cup toasted sunflower seeds

1/4 cup toasted pumpkin seeds

Vinaigrette:

1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons lime juice

1/4 cup apricot nectar

1 jalapeno, seeded and minced

1/4 cup chopped fresh mint

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

To make quinoa, follow the directions on the package. This site explains it perfectly on how to prep and cook your quinoa.

Place beans, onions, mango and jicama in large bowl. Fluff cooked quinoa with fork, add to bowl and gently fold to combine.

In small bowl, whisk together all dressing ingredients. Pour dressing over salad and toss to coat. Fold in tomatoes, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds just before serving.

 

Favorite Spring Recipes continue:

Light Tastes:

Cantaloupe Wrapped in Prosciutto

Curry Honey Hummus

Marshmallow Fruit Dip

White Bean Hummus with Fresh Thyme and Basil

Caprese Salad

Broccoli Salad (My FAVORITE!)

Shredded Cabbage Slaw with Radishes, Raisins and Dijon Dressing

Wheatberry Salad with Dried Cherries, Roasted Butternut Squash,
and Toasted Pecans (Another FAVORITE!)

Wheatberry Salad

Always,

Fallon