Plum Bars

These are delicious! Think Fig Newton, but lots more fruit and a WAY more delicious crust, and best of all, totally gluten free! I got this recipe out of "Nourishing Traditions" cookbook:

3 cups dried apricots (I used dried plums, yes you got it, prunes, because I just bought some at Costco and they are sooooooo good! I think you could use any dried fruit.)

1/2 cup sugar (I use the evaporated cane juice)

2 cups almonds

5/8 cup softened butter, or coconut oil

1 1/2 cups flour (I used oat flour: 2 cups oats in the food processor until it becomes a powder)

1/2-3/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp almond extract (I used vanilla, because I had it!)

Cook dried plums in water until tender.

Meanwhile, process almonds to a powder in a food processor. add remaining ingredients and process until smooth. Press 2/3 of the almond mixture into a buttered 9 x 13 pyrex pan, making a thin crust. Bake about 15 minutes at 350 degrees.

While the crust is baking, remove the cooked fruit with a slotted spoon to food processor and process with 1/2 cup sugar. Set aside and let cool.

Spread the fruit mixture over the crust and crumble the remaining 1/3 almond mixture over the top. Bake at 325 for about 45 minutes. Let cool before cutting into bars. ( I found that the crust was much too crumbly even after it cooled, so I stuck it in the fridge for a bit and they stuck together nicely and the coolness was oh oh so good!)

This makes 24 bars.

Nutrition Facts

Plum Bars

24 Servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories196.2 Total Fat9.0 g Saturated Fat3.3 g Polyunsaturated Fat1.3 g Monounsaturated Fat3.9 g Cholesterol12.2 mg Sodium83.6 mg Potassium232.3 mg Total Carbohydrate28.7 g Dietary Fiber3.0 g Sugars18.9 g Protein3.0 g

Garlic Chicken Fried Brown Rice, orange slices

From my friend's gf blog: http://solfoods.blogspot.com

Garlic Chicken Fried Brown Rice

3 cups cooked rice
1 lb chicken, cut into thin strips
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, diced
1 cup peas
2-3 tbsp soy sauce (check the ingredients to make sure it doesn't contain wheat!)
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1/2 tbsp sugar

Throw the chicken, pepper, onion and garlic into a pan with some canola oil and cook on medium/low. When the chicken mixture is done, put aside. Heat the pan to medium/high and pour in about a tablespoon of canola oil. When the pan is hot, add the rice and stir around until it is heated through. Add the peas, soy sauce, rice vinegar and sugar. Toss the chicken mixture in and give it a good stir. This is a pretty large recipe and should serve about 6 people.

Crock Pot Ziti, salad

Another recipe from www.crockpot365.blogspot.com
This was a little dry to me. I think I cooked it too long. Maybe I should've checked it after four hours. Also, I added some zucchini, and I didn't have fresh mozzarella so I used some string cheese cut up.

2 16 oz. packages of ziti
1 - 2 jars of pasta sauce
48 oz. of ricotta
16 ounces of mozzarella, shredded
about 1 cup of fresh mozzarella, cubed
about 1 cup of Parmesan cheese, shreeded

Spray inside of crock with cooking spray. Dump ziti into crock. Add pasta sauce and mix with ziti. Save jar and lid. Mix in ricotta, fresh mozzarella cubes, and about 3/4 or the shredded mozzarella. Combine well. Top with remaining shredded mozzarella and Parmesan. Add about 1/4 of a cup of water to jar, screw lid on, and shake. Pour over the ziti mixture. Cook on low for 5 - 6 hours or until it starts to brown on top. I push the noodles down 2 to 3 times while cooking with the back of a large, cooking spray-covered spoon, but I'm not sure this is even necessary. None of the noodles are crispy, ever.

Crock Pot Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, peas

I am loving the crock pot this summer!
This is from www.crockpot365.blogspot.com

--1 lb lean ground turkey
--1/2 lb lean ground beef
--1 chopped red bell pepper
--1/4 cup uncooked brown rice
--1 14.5 oz can of tomatoes with Italian seasoning (the whole can, juice too!)
--1 T A-1 sauce
--packet of onion soup mix
--1 egg
--1/4 cup (or so) of ketchup

The Directions.

--in a mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients except for the ketchup and mix.
--squirt the ketchup all over the top.

You can put the entire meat mixture directly into your crockpot, or you can put it into a heat-resistant dish inserted into your crock. It is your choice. I used my 6qt Smart Pot, and put a loaf pan into it. What I like about using the loaf pan is that the fat kind of bubbles up and out over the top of the pan and then collects in the crock.

If your crock is only 4 qts, just plop the meat into the crock. You can suck away some of the fat that collects on the top with paper towels a few hours into cooking time if it grosses you out.

Cover and cook on high for 4 hours, or on low for 6-8. The meat is done when it is brown and fully cooked when you cut into it.

Let the meat sit for about 30 minutes before you slice and serve.

Squash Fritters, Summer Millet Salad, and Marinated Chickpeas

I have resolved not to turn my oven on again until October, so I went in search of summer recipes. I dug out a classic that I got from my pre-co-op days when I got my organic veggies from Greenling. I had to make a minor adaptation to make it GF.

Squash Fritters

1 lb summer squash
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. lemon zest
10 sprigs parsley
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 tsp. black pepper
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 c. GF flour (I improvised from what I had in my freezer, which was 3 parts white rice flour, 1 part potato starch, and a smattering of xanthan gum)

I'll abbreviate the instructions to say that you mix all these things together and fry 'em up real good in some vegetable oil. Be sure to get the oil nice and hot before putting anything in.

Summer Millet Salad

Apparently, millet's most common use is as birdseed, but I think it is worth incorporating into the gluten free diet. Eaten plain, I prefer it to quinoa, and it substitutes nicely for couscous. I tried making a baby cereal out of it, too, because it is a very digestible grain, but I didn't grind it well enough and it was a little too chunky.

1 c. hulled millet
2 c. water
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 c. chopped fresh basil
1/4 c. red onions, chopped
1 c. green peas
1/4 tsp. lemon juice
2 ripe tomatoes, diced
salt and pepper

In a pot, stir together millet, water and salt. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. Fluff and set aside uncovered for 10 minutes.

Blanch the peas. Stir together ingredients basil through salt and pepper. Mix with millet.

Marinated Chickpeas

1 1/2 c. cooked chickpeas
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. cider vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 tsp. fresh dill, minced
1/4 tsp. fennel seeds
black pepper

Combine ingredients and let it sit in the fridge for a bit.