Cumin Spiced Red Lentil Burgers

These were good, but a little dry. I don't think I would use this particular recipe again. I would like to try another lentil burger recipe. I wasn't a big fan of the yogurt sauce. All in all, they were tasty but I have had better.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups of red lentils 
Extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
3 medium carrots, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 of teaspoons ground cumin
1/4 of teaspoon cayenne pepper
3/4 of cup gluten-free bread crumbs (I used a little more than 3/4 cup)
1/4 cup of dried parsley leaves
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup plain coconut milk yogurt
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Coconut oil cooking spray

Directions

1. In a large pot, cover the lentils with cold water by 2 inches and bring to a boil over high heat

2. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer the lentils until they are very tender, about 10 minutes then drain the lentils well
3. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees

4. In a medium skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until golden

5. Add the carrots and two-thirds of the garlic and cook until the carrots begin to soften

6. Stir in the cumin and cayenne and remove from the heat

7. Mix in the lentils, bread crumbs, 3 tablespoons of the parsley, and the eggs

8. Form the mixture into sixteen 1/4-cup burgers.
9. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking oil 

10. Bake until cook and crispy, about 10 minutes on each side
11. In a small bowl, mix the yogurt with the lemon juice and the remaining garlic and 1 tablespoon of parsley

Gluten-Free/Vegan Pancakes

I wanted to make gluten-free pancakes, but also vegan. These were really easy to make. I think they tasted pretty much the same as regular pancakes. I enjoyed them! Add blueberries, strawberries, or whatever you'd like to them.

Ingredients

1 1/2 Cups of gluten-free pancake mix (I used Bob's Red Mill)
1/4 Cup of applesauce (Or 1 egg-for non vegan)
3/4 Cup of almond milk (You can use any type of milk)
1 Tablespoon of canola oil
Vegan butter
Pure organic maple syrup

Directions

1. Combine the pancake mix, applesauce, milk, and oil in a large bowl ad mix well
2. Place some butter in a pan and pour the pancake batter into the pan 
3. When the batter starts to bubble, flip it, and cook until done
4. Serve with pure organic maple syrup

Tuscan Chicken w/ Spaghetti Squash

This chicken is really easy to make. You throw a bunch of herbs and spices together, then rub it on the chicken and bake. 

Ingredients

Chicken breasts
Coconut oil cooking spray
1 tablespoon of garlic powder
1 tablespoon of tomato powder
1 tablespoon of salt
1 tablespoon of pepper
1 tablespoon of onion salt
1 tablespoon of dried rosemary
1 tablespoon of dried basil
1 tablespoon of dried parsley
1 tablespoon of red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon of coriander
1 tablespoon of cumin
1 tablespoon of  of oregano
1 tablespoon of dried thyme

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
2. Mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl
3. Rub the spice mix on both sides of the chicken
4. Place the chicken in a baking dish sprayed with coconut oil cooking spray
6. Bake for 20-30 minutes 

Paleo Snickerdoodle Muffins

These muffins are sort of like cupcakes. I made a frosting to go with them. They are nice, light, and fluffy! They can be vegan if you substitute the egg with applesauce.

Ingredients

Muffins

1/3 cup of coconut flour

1/8 cup of almond flour (I did not have this so I use brown rice flour, I used a bit more than 1/8)1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon 
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder 3 eggs
1 egg white 
1/4 cup of honey 
1/2 tablespoon of vanilla 
1/4 cup of canned coconut milk 

4 tablespoon of melted butter (I use vegan butter)

Frosting 

1/3 cup of honey 
1 tablespoon of cinnamon 

1 1/4 tablespoon of coconut flour 

2 1/2 tablespoon of coconut cream( the thick coconut cream skimmed off the top of the canned coconut milk)
1 tablespoon of sugar 

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
2. Line a muffin tin  with 10 cupcake liners
3. Place the coconut flour, almond flour, cinnamon, and baking powder in a small bowl and mix together with a whisk
4. In another bowl, combine the eggs, egg whites, honey, vanilla, and coconut milk, beating together well
5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, whisking until well combined
6. Add the melted butter to the batter and mix in well
7. Let the batter sit for 5 minutes to allow the coconut flour time to absorb the liquids.
8. Divide batter evenly between cupcake liners and bake for 20-22 minutes

For the frosting...

1. Place the honey, cinnamon, and coconut flour in a bowl and beat with a mixer until well combined
2. Beat in the coconut cream, the mixture should be thick and glossy
3. Add the cinnamon and mix well

Lentil and Spinach Curry

I really enjoyed this. I made it because my husband wanted to try something Indian inspired and it was Ash Wednesday which means no meat. He liked it except for the onions because he is not an onion fan. When I make this again I will have to omit the onions.

Ingredients

1 cup of red lentils
2 cups of water
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp of ginger, grated
2 tbsp of olive oil
2 tsp of curry powder
2 tbsp of tomato paste
Chopped spinach

Directions

1. In a medium pot add the oil and the onions

2. Fry the onions and stir them until they soften 

3. Add the garlic and the ginger and continue to stir. Then add the curry powder and stir well

4. Add the lentils and water and bring to a simmer

5. Let the lentils cook for 15-20 min then add the tomato paste and stir to combine

6. Stir in the spinach leaves and mix well. Once the spinach as cooked, serve

Oven Fried Chicken

There were a few ways to make this chicken. I stuck with the original recipe because it was simple and did not require a lot of ingredients. When is was cooking, it did not look like the picture from the recipe. I was feeling a little discouraged, so I added more flour to each piece of chicken. When it was finally done...my husband and I enjoyed it.

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Ingredients 

Chicken tenders
4-5 tbsp of butter (I used vegan butter)
1 cup of gluten free flour (I ended up using more flour. You also can use any type of flour you want.)
½ tsp of salt
½ tsp of pepper
2 tsp of paprika

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place butter in a baking pan and place it in the oven to melt
2. Combine all the ingredients besides the chicken in a large ziploc bag, then add the chicken and shake to coat
3. Take the baking dish out of the oven once the butter has melted and place the chicken on it

4. Bake for 10-12 minutes, then flip and bake another 10-12 minutes. Bake longer if you want extra crispiness 
5. Remove to a plate lined with a paper towel to soak up any excess greaseimmediately.

Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie

I have never had shepherd's pie before because traditionally it is made with beef and lamb covered in mashed potatoes. I was willing to give it a try if my husband found a recipe that I could substitute turkey for the meat and sweet potatoes for the white potatoes. And he found one! It's a crock pot recipe and it turned out really well. I enjoyed it!

Ingredients

3 cups of mashed sweet potatoes (I used a bit less)
1 lb. lamb, beef or turkey (I used turkey)
2 cups of frozen peas (You can use any frozen vegetables you want, like celery, corn, carrots, etc.)
1 onion (I used 1/2 an onion)
2 cloves of garlic
1 Tablespoon of herbs de provence
1/2 cup of beef broth (I used vegetable broth)

Directions

1. Brown the meat on the stove with the onions, adding the garlic and the herbs towards the end
2. Plop the meat mixture in the crock pot and stir in the frozen vegetables and mix well

3. Pour the broth over the mixture

4. Using a rubber spatula or a large spoon, spread the mashed sweet potatoes over the top of the meat

5. Cook on LOW for 5-6 hours
6. Turn the crock pot to HIGH and take off the lid and let sit for 30 more minutes to make the sweet potatoes crusty