It's been a while since I've posted a recipe. So I figured, what's the best food to start up again? Donuts, of course.

I have this weird obsession with donuts and my goal in life is to make them as healthy as possible, but still taste good. Maybe when I master that, I will share my goodness (and by goodness I mean donuts) with the local folk.

So here are my sweet potato pie mini donuts. Gluten free, vegan, and maybe even paleo.

Ingredients:

• 1 large sweet potato, cooked
• 1/4 cup gluten free oats
• 1/4 cup almond milk (or milk of choice)
• 1/2 - 1 cup almond flour (if you want your donut more gooey-ish, use less flour)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• 1 egg white
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 drops of stevia sweetener (or 1/4 cup sugar)

Topping:

• Handful of gluten free and vegan marshmallows
• Small drizzle of almond milk
• Some cinnamon for garnish

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Put all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. You can add more flour if you want your donut consistency to be thicker.
3. Pour your mixture in a donut pan, your Baby Cakes Donut Maker, or a muffin pan (like I did, just make sure to not add too much batter in each cup.
4. Let bake for 20-30 minutes until filling is cooked.
5. Take out of oven and let cool. 
6. If using muffin pan, pop out your little cakes and let cool. After cooled, take a water bottle top and cut out the middle. (thanks Undressed Skeleton of this neat idea).
7. Add marshmallows and milk in small bowl and microwave for 10-15 seconds or until melted (could take 30 seconds, but you want to make sure it doesn't burn, so only microwave for 10 seconds at a time).
8. Dip the tops of your cooled donuts in marshmallow and let cool. Place in refrigerator for quicker hardening. The tops are still a little sticky, but that's okay! It's ooey gooey goodness.

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Every weekend, I try to make the perfect pancake without the help of another recipe. This is a delicious pumpkin paleo pancake.

Ingredients (makes 2 pancakes)
1 egg
1/4 cup almond milk
2 tbsp pumpkin puree
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tbsp coconut sugar 
1/4 cup Outrageous Baking gluten free flour

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1 tsp coconut sugar
1 tbsp maple syrup
handful of shredded coconut
drizzle some gluten free, dairy free chocolate chips

Steps:
1. In a bowl, mix the first 5 ingredients until well blended.
2. Add in the flour and mix. If the batter seems too dry, add some more almond milk.
3. On a medium heat, non-stick pan, spoon your pancakes and let fry for 4-6 minutes on each side. You'll know your pancakes are flippable when they look like they aren't sticking to the pan. Test this out by putting your spatula under it lightly.

4. To make the coconut maple syrup, melt your syrup in the microwave (about 10-15 seconds).
5. Mix in the coconut sugar and shredded coconut and pour on top of your pancakes.
6. Top with some chocolate chips.

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I can't find the exact post, but I remember coming across a similar recipe over at Stone Soup. Although not gluten free, I turned it into my own.

Ingredients:
Gluten free pizza mix
1/2 potato sliced thinly (I used a mandolin)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 (or less) sprig of rosemary
salt and pepper to taste
optional red pepper flakes

Steps:
1. Prepare crust as directed on package
2. Coat your pizza pan with a little bit of olive oil (I used a pan because my gluten free crust was really hard to work with)
3. Place crust on pan
4. In a small bowl, mix together your potato slices and olive oil
5. Place potato slices on top of pizza and sprinkle with s and p and red pepper
6. Place in 370 degree oven and let cook for 10 minutes
7. Take pizza out and put rosemary on top
8. Put pizza back in oven and bake for another 10-15 minutes or until crust is cooked throughout

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I came home today and had a craving for a chocolate chip cookie. A gooey one at that. So I made a delicious cookie in my mug in the microwave and in seconds!

Ingredients:
1 tbsp coconut butter
1/4 cup almond flour
1 tbsp coconut sugar
1 tbsp agave
1 egg
handful of Enjoy Life dairy-free chocolate chips

Steps:

1. Melt butter in mug
2. Mix in sugar, agave, egg in with the butter
3. Add in flour and mix again
4. Mix in chocolate chips
5. Microwave for 1 minute
6. Let cool

Easy as pie! Well.. easy as an easy chocolate chip cookie in a mug!

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I don't understand WHY I keep coming back to these combinations, but it's such an amazing taste, it's hard not to cook with them. Like my recent GF pear, fig, and prosciutto pizza.

I have to be honest though.. I have never eaten prosciutto EVER. But I was walking around Whole Foods the other day and I was like, that sounds like it would be good. So I bought a few slices, because let's face it, at $32 a pound for a meat I've never tasted, would be absolutely absurd! I'll stop rambling and get to the important part...

Ingredients:
GF pizza crust mix
1/2 sweet onion, sliced
1 Asian pear, sliced
1/4 cup dried figs, sliced
a few slices of prosciutto, ripped to pieces
drizzle of olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
optional: vegan or rice mozzarella cheese

Steps:

1. Make your crust as directed on the package and place crust on pizza pan
2. In a saute pan, add your onions and balsamic and let shrink/caramelize
3. After you see a good caramelization happening with your onions, throw in your sliced pears and coat with the balsamic vinegar- cook for about 5-10 minutes
4. If using cheese, put cheese as your first layer
5. Dump the rest of your ingredients on top of the crust
6. Drizzle the top with olive oil
7. Place in oven at 350 degrees and bake until crust is brown (usually 20-25 minutes)

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This dish was not planned in my weekly meals last week. And I know I sound crazy when I say that I plan out my weekly meals. But this came about when I wasn't feeling so well and all I wanted was a bowl of chicken noodle soup, knowing I couldn't have noodles. So here is my EASY version of an alternative to chicken noodle soup.

Ingredients:
3 cups water
1 cup quina (washed and strained)
Chicken bullion square
2 sticks of carrots (chopped into pieces)
1/2 onion (chopped)
1 tsp basil
1/4 to 1/2 cups of tofu squares (some packages come already cut)

Steps:
Put all ingredients except for tofu in a pot and bring to a boil.
Bring down temperature and let simmer for about 30-45 minutes, depending on how soft you want the vegetables.
Add in tofu squares and let sit for another 10 minutes.
Enjoy!

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I love experimenting with new flavors and combinations, but sometimes I also love trying out other blogger recipes. I've been following Culinary Karma for a little while and I somehow always end up making her rice krispy treats for a snack. To me, it tastes amazing. Just make sure to eat it when it's right out of the fridge, otherwise it may melt just a little.

Make sure to try out the recipe here.

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I saw this beautiful piece of fruit come across my Facebook page the other day. I must say though... I have always HATED grapefruit. Mainly because they are too tart. But it looked so pretty that I had to try The Forest Feast's recipe.

I tried this recipe at home in the oven first and I actually just recreated it in our office toaster (which has a broiler option too).

Ingredients/Steps:

• Cut your grapefruit in half
• Sprinkle brown sugar and cinnamon on top of each half
• Broil on med to high for 5-7 minutes
• And Enjoy!

Also, make sure to eat this with a grapefruit spoon or something OTHER than a plastic fork. It definitely makes for a messy snack during a work meeting :)

 This was my plate for my work meeting.

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These quinoa sushi rolls turned out delightful, if I don't say so myself. It was even super filling and I only had one roll! Saved the other for work the next day and people stopped me in the kitchen to ask me if I made them myself. Sure did.

Ingredients:

• Quinoa
• Seaweed sheets
• Sliced cucumber
• Sliced carrots
• Vegetable or chicken broth

Steps:

1.  Before you do anything else, put 1 cup of washed and strained (with those strainers with super small holes) in a pot with 2 cups of broth. I actually had a chicken cube thing that I put in with my water.
2. Bring to a boil and let simmer for about 10-15 minutes or until the quinoa absorbs all the liquid.
3. Take off of heat and let cool until sticky- may take 10-15 minutes (or stick in fridge)
4. Place your seaweed sheet on a sushi roller (or wax paper) and spread your quinoa across the top.
5. Place your vegetables in the middle and roll. 
6. Squeeze with your roller or wax paper until quinoa has stayed in place.
7. Cut into pieces.

Depending on how tight you roll and how sticky your quinoa is, you may get some messy pieces, but guaranteed, it'll taste delicious!
I paired this with some delicious shredded Brussels sprouts salad - recipe coming soon!

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I have been doing really well at this whole no wheat and no dairy thing. But as you may have read in my butternut squash pizza recipe, I LOVE pizza and it was really hard to give it up.

Today, I made a pizza with the following ingredients:

• Udi's gluten-free pizza crusts
• Homemade tomato sauce
• Rice Dream dairy free cheese

You the know what to do next...

For the homemade tomato sauce I combined the following ingredients in a bowl. I don't give specific measurements as you can add as you'd like and taste along the way!

• 1 can of tomato paste
• 1 can of water
• garlic powder
• agave
• onion powder
• basil
• parsley

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This whole gluten-free, no wheat or dairy products, is really making me explore new ways of eating my favorite foods. As you can see, one of my favorite foods is PIZZA. I could probably eat pizza every day, so I made a compromise and made my own healthy alternative.

Ingredients:
1 butternut squash sliced into medallions (you can also use eggplant)
1 cup of canned pineapple
1 cup (or as desired) dairy free mozerella cheese
1/2-1 cup (or as desired) homemade sauce (recipe below)

Pizza Steps:

1. Put your sliced butternut squash on a baking pan and bake on 350 for about 30-40 minutes
2. Once soft-ish, take out of oven and put sauce on each medallion, put back in over for 5 minutes
3. Lastly, add cheese and pineapple to the top of the sauce and bake for the last 10 minutes

Sauce Ingredients:
1 can of non-spiced tomato paste (if you use one with spice, you probably don't need to add the below spices)
fill can back up with water and add to paste
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp basil
1 tsp parsley
1 tsp Emeril's seasoning (or Lowry salt)
2 tsp agave (or brown sugar)

Sauce Steps:

1. Mix all ingredients in a small bowl
2. Save (freeze) the sauce you don't use for future pizzas

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This cake helped me make my kitchen the messiest it's ever been. But I managed to bake this two layer bad boy all while my dad and I were watching Skyfall. I even managed to bring it with me to Black Hawk (casino in Colorado) without him even noticing.

Since I am not eating wheat or dairy and it was still Passover, I decided to use Yammie's flourless chocolate mountain cake as an inspiration.It's definitely gluten free.

Cake Ingredients:
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups dairy free chocolate (I used Enjoy)
6 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup coffee
1 tbsp vanilla
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp salt

Ganache Ingredients:
2 cups dairy free chocolate
3/4 cup coconut milk (you can substitute for heavy cream)

Cake Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Grease 2-3  8 inch cake pans with coconut oil
3. Melt coconut oil, vegetable oil, and chocolate in a pan on med to high heat
4. In your mixer, mix eggs and sugar at high speed for 5 minutes
5. Add coffee and vanilla 
6. Add cocoa and salt and mix until combined
7. Mix in chocolate mixture and beat more
8. Pour batter into pans (divide by two or three) If you only have one pan, bake each layer separately
9. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until fork/toothpick comes out clean

Ganache Steps:

1. Melt chocolate and coconut milk on stove top
2. When melted, pour into a separate bowl and place that bowl in ice water and whip until it becomes more fluffy
3. Fill ganache between layers
4. Spread on to your cake and and decorate with coconut flakes 

If you want to make your cake taller, you can double the ingredients or use smaller pans.

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