Sriracha Honey Slow Cooker Meatballs

These meatballs are easy to make. I changed the recipe to make them gluten free and dairy free. I also used ground turkey instead of beef. I did not find them that spicy, however, my hubby's mouth was on fire. I just have a higher tolerance for spicy food. They were good, but I cannot say they are my favorite way of making meatballs.

Ingredients

1 cup of sriracha hot chili sauce 
1 cup of organic raw honey
1/4 cup of lime juice 
Ground turkey
1 cup of gluten-free panko bread crumbs (I used a little more than a cup)
1/4 cup of coconut milk
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
2 eggs

Directions

1. Combine the sriracha, honey and lime juice in a slow cooker on high heat and stir until well combined
2. In a large bowl add remaining ingredients, except for the eggs 
3. Add 1/4 cup of sauce from the slow cooker into meatball mixture, fold mixture together 2 times, then add the eggs and mix well
4. Take about a tablespoon or a bit more of the mixture at a time and begin rolling into balls. Place the balls into the slow cooker. Spoon sauce over the tops of them. Continue adding meatballs until they are all in the slow cooker
5. Reduce heat to low, cover slow cooker and cook for 4-5 hours

Baked Orange Chicken

This is a healthy recipe for orange chicken. If you enjoy it from a Chinese restaurant, make it instead! While I have never had orange chicken from a Chinese restaurant, I thought this turned out very good. I have made a similar version of this in the past. You can definitely taste the orange in this recipe.

Ingredients

INGREDIENTS

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1½ cups of cornstarch
3 eggs, beaten
¼ cup of coconut oil

Coconut oil cooking spray

Sesame seeds

Sauce 

⅔ cup of brown sugar
⅔ cup of orange juice
¼ cup of low sodium soy sauce (gluten free)
2 teaspoons of sriracha
3 Tablespoons of White Vinegar
3 Tablespoons  of organic Apple Cider Vinegar
1 teaspoon of garlic salt
1 teaspoon of cornstarch

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cut chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces 
2. In separate bowls, place cornstarch and slightly beaten eggs

3. Dip the chicken into the cornstarch then coat in eggs
4. Heat the coconut oil in a large pan over and cook the chicken until browned

5. Place the chicken in a baking dish greased with cooking spray
6. In a bowl, whisk together brown sugar, orange juice, sriracha, apple cider vinegar, white vinegar, soy sauce, garlic salt, and cornstarch

7. Pour the sauce over chicken and bake for 30 minutes (I stirred the chicken every 10 minutes to make sure every piece was coated with the sauce)

8. When done, sprinkle with sesame seeds 

Gluten Free Chicken and Dumplings

This was my first time making chicken and dumplings. I was nervous at first because I have never even eaten chicken and dumplings. My husband said it turned out good and it was delicious, so I guess I made it right! I enjoyed it too. I made the recipe dairy free and gluten free.

Ingredients

 
Chicken

2 1/2 cups of chicken stock

1 1/2 cups of cut-up cooked chicken

1 cup of carrots

1 teaspoon seasoned salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 cup of coconut milk

3 tablespoons of cornstarch

Dumplings

3/4 cups of Bisquick Gluten Free mix

1/3 cup of coconut milk

2 tablespoons of vegan butter, melted

1 egg

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Directions

• 1. In pot, heat chicken broth, chicken, carrots, salt, and pepper to boiling. In small bowl, mix coconut milk and the cornstarch with wire whisk until smooth and stir into chicken mixture. Heat just to boiling
• 2. In small bowl, stir dumpling ingredients with fork until blended. Gently drop dough by rounded spoonfuls onto boiling chicken mixture
• 3. Cook uncovered over low heat for 10 minutes. Cover and cook for 15 minutes 

Rigatoni with Vodka Sauce (Dairy free and gluten free)

This was my first time making (or even trying) a vodka sauce that was both dairy free and gluten free. It was delicious. You cannot tell that it is dairy free--my husband's words, not even mine. I was very impressed with myself because I took a dairy recipe and made it dairy free on my own. I used rigatoni made from quinoa. I will definitely be making this again for my Italian family.

Ingredients

4 Tbs. of vegan butter
1 cup of coconut milk (I used the canned coconut milk--and I used more than a cup)--Make sure you refrigerate the coconut milk for at least an hour before using
1/4 cup of tomato paste (I used about 1/2 cup)
1/3 cups plus 2 Tbs. vodka
Fresh basil
Pinch of red pepper flakes
Quinoa rigatoni
Directions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat
2. In a large fry pan over medium-low heat, melt the butter then add the coconut milk (do not use the top thick layer of the coconut milk) 
3. In a small bowl, dissolve the tomato paste in the vodka then stir into the milk mixture
4. Cook until most of the alcohol has evaporated and the sauce is thick 
5. Meanwhile, add the 2 Tbs. salt to the boiling water and add the pasta 
6. Cook, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, according to the package instructions 
7. Drain the pasta but reserve about 1/2 cup of the cooking water
8. Add the pasta to the sauce and warm briefly over low heat to blend the flavors
9. Add the basil and red pepper and combine
10. Add as much of the reserved cooking water as needed to loosen the sauce 

Raw Hemp and Chia Seed Bars

DELICIOUS! These bars are raw, gluten-free, dairy-free, grain-free, and contain no refined sugars. They can be vegan is you substitute the honey for another sweetener. These are so easy to make and taste so good!

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients
3 1/2 cups of gluten-free quick rolled oats 
1/2 cup of organic hemp seeds
1/2 cup of organic chia seeds
1/4 cup of organic flaxseeds (freshly ground)
3/4 cups of almond meal or grounded almonds 

Wet Ingredients
1/2 cup of organic raw honey 
1/2 cup of applesauce
3/4 cups of almond butter
1/2 cup of  coconut oil (melted)
1 1/2 teaspoon of organic vanilla extract

Directions

1. Put flaxseeds into a food processer or magic bullet and grind into a powder
2. In a large bowl, mix all of the dry ingredients together (oats, hemp seeds, chia seeds, ground flax seeds, and almond meal)
3. In a medium sized bowl, mix all wet ingredients together (raw honey, applesauce, almond butter, melted coconut oil and vanilla extract)
4. Take the wet ingredient mixture and combine in the large bowl with the dry ingredients and stir until well combined
5. Put the mixture in an 8 x 8 baking dish and press the mixture firmly
6. Put in the freezer to chill and until the mixture is firm
7. Cut into even size squares or bars
8. Keep in the refrigerator until ready to serve (They will get soft if left out at room temperature.)

Hemp Encrusted Baked Chicken Tenders

I have never had hemp seeds before and after making this dish, I will be having them a lot more! These chicken tenders were delicious. They were not dry, yet so crispy! I cannot wait to make more dishes using hemp seeds.

Ingredients

Chicken tenders
1/2 cup of hemp seeds
1/2 cup of almond meal
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon of paprika 
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
Pinch of of cayenne pepper
2 large eggs, whisked
Coconut oil cooking spray 

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees 

2. In a medium-sized bowl, mix together hemp, almond meal, garlic powder, paprika, salt, pepper and cayenne 

3. Dip each chicken strip in the eggs until they are completely covered, then add the chicken strip to the hemp mixture, and gently toss until the chicken strip is completely covered

4. Remove and transfer the chicken strip to a baking dish

5. 

Spray the chicken strips with some cooking spray so that they are all lightly covered

6. Bake for about 20-30 minutes, turning once halfway through, until crispy

Vegetable Pad Thai with Egg

I love making Pad Thai and I have made it a few times, always using a different recipe. This one is super easy to make and doesn't take that much time. It was delicious! To make this recipe vegan, omit the egg and honey.

Ingredients

For the sauce:

1/4 cup of Vegetable Broth
1/4 cup of Rice Vinegar 
2 tablespoons of lime juice (I used a real lime)
3 tablespoons of Honey
1/4 cup of gluten free soy sauce
1 teaspoon of Sesame Oil

Pepper

5 Eggs

Rice Noodles

Frozen mixed vegetables

Directions

1. Make the rice noodle according to the package

2. Put all of the ingredients for the sauce into a small pot and whisk to combine over medium-low heat to warm. Don’t let it come to a boil, just keep it warm while you are cooking the rest of the meal

3. Scramble the eggs and cook in a pan, sprinkle with pepper

4. Heat up the frozen mixed vegetables according to the package

5. In a large bowl, place some vegetables, some sauce, some egg, then some of the noddles and mix well

6. Then place another layer of the rest of the vegetables, sauce, egg and noodle and mix all together