Chewy N'Oatmeal Raisin Cookies - (SCD)

This is really Lucy Rosset's Cinnamon Cookie recipe with minor tweaks. Four years ago my son was on a rotation diet and I made these with pecan meal instead of almond flour. The result reminded me of chewy oatmeal raisin cookies. I have found them to be even better with this ratio of pecan meal and almond flour.

The original recipe can be found in Lucy's Specific Carbohydrate Cookbook sold at Lucy's Kitchen Shop, Digestive Wellness, and Amazon. It is grain-free and junk-free. There is also a wonderful Garlic-Parmesan Bread recipe in this book that is one of our favorites.

Chewy N'Oatmeal Raisin Cookies (SCD)

4 TBSP. Butter, melted
1/3 Cup of Honey
1 1/3 cup Pecan Meal
2/3 cup Almond Flour
1 teas. Cinnamon
1/8 teas. Salt
1/4 teas. Baking Soda
1/2 cup Raisins

Preheat oven to 285 degrees. Butter a cookie sheet or place a piece of parchment paper on it (preferred). Mix melted butter and honey in a small bowl. Combine dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl (except raisins). Stir wet ingredients into dry. Stir in raisins. Roll into 1" balls, place on cookie sheet and flatten slightly with hand. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes until done.

This post is linked to Fightback Fridays and Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays.

Great Recipe - Creamy Cilantro Lime Sauce from The Dairy Free Diva (SCD, GFCF, Nut-Free)

I saw this tasty recipe for Creamy Cilantro Lime Sauce on Stephanie of The Dairy Free Diva's site. It sounded so yummy I immediately began to think of ways to use it. Shrimp Salad? On Mexican food? Hmmm. I just happened to have some cooked chicken breast in the fridge and it was perfect for chicken salad. The lime and cilantro flavors go so well with chicken. I used all mayo, instead of part mayo/part sour cream, and added it to one half pound of cooked and finely diced chicken breast. I now have a new favorite chicken salad for lunches. Thanks Stephanie!

Grain-Free Butter Cookies (SCD)

This is adapted from Elana's "Star Cookies for St. Lucia". I found this recipe and Elana's website just in time for our first SCD holiday season. My son was three then and was thrilled to have these cookies, they have been a favorite ever since. The other great thing about this recipe...the cookie dough. It's makes the best cookie dough, Gordon and I sometimes eat more than we bake! I have adapted it to the SCD and replaced the coconut oil with butter, as my son has a severe coconut sensitivity.

This post is linked to "Calling All Cookies" at the Sensitive Pantry.

Grain-Free Butter Cookies

2 1/2 cup Almond Flour
1/2 teas. Sea Salt
1/4 teas. Baking Soda
1 teas. Cinnamon
1/2 cup (one stick) Butter, melted or very soft
5 TBSP. Honey
2 teas. Vanilla Extract
1/2 teas. Almond Extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line one or two cookie sheets (depending on how much dough you've nibbled on) with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients. In a small bowl combine the wet ingredients. Stir wet ingredients into dry.

If you are not making cut out cookies: Chill in refrigerator for one hour. Roll into one inch balls, place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and lightly press down. Bake 7-10 minutes until very lightly browned.

To make cut out cookies, chill dough in freezer for one or two hours. (You can also keep dough in the freezer to have on hand) Cut out several 6 inch by 6 inch squares of wax paper. Roll a golf ball size of cookie dough between two sheets of wax paper. Peel off top sheet and cut out cookie shape. Flip over onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Peel off other piece of wax paper.
Bake 7-10 minutes until very lightly browned.

Basil Chicken Salad (SCD, GFCF)

I planted some basil and other herbs with my flowers this year. It's so nice to have fresh herbs on hand. You can make the basil oil the day before, it's even better. I let my crock pot cook the chicken for me while I'm at work. The next day I throw the bones and bits back into the crock pot to make broth.

1 cup Basil Leaves, rinsed
3/4 cup Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
2 cups Chicken, cooked and diced
1 10-oz container Grape or Cherry Tomatoes, sliced in half
1 small Red Onion, finely diced
2-3 TBSP Red Wine Vinegar
1 teas Dijon Mustard or Dry Mustard Powder
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
Salt and Pepper to taste

Blanch the basil in boiling water for about 5 seconds, then rinse with cold water. Squeeze out the water. Add to blender with oil and pulse to combine. You can chill it overnight for more flavor.

Add chicken, tomatoes and onion to a large mixing bowl. In a small bowl, add basil oil, vinegar, mustard and garlic. Whisk until combined. Toss with chicken. Salt and Pepper to taste.

Go Ahead Honey, It's Gluten-Free- Wish Upon A Star Burgers with Looney Sauce

Go Ahead Honey ...It's Gluten-Free, is a web event that's has a different theme each month. This month's host is Katrina of Gluten Free Gidget. The theme: Dinner with Disney.
My recipe was originally inspired by a hectic morning. I am not a morning person. Well, actually I'm just not a weekday morning person. My son G takes breakfast and lunch to school. It's just too early for me to be creative. This is one of my morning tricks, and it's sooo easy! The sauce is my take of "Fry Sauce", a local favorite at about any fast food joint in Salt Lake City , Utah. That's where I lived as a teenager. I am not a ketchup fan but I did like fry sauce. The name of the sauce isn't from Disney. Whenever my son has a favorite balloon he calls it "Looney" and plays with it just like a stuffed animal.

For the burgers:

In the frozen section of the meat department in any grocery store purchase 100% all beef frozen patties, keep frozen until use.
Metal star shaped cookie cutter and a steak knife

Looney Sauce:

2 TBSP. Mayonnaise (for SCD use homemade)
3 TBSP Ketchup (for SCD use homemade)
2 TBSP Carrots, cooked and pureed

Fry hamburger patties over medium heat until cooked through. Transfer to a plate. When cool enough to handle place cookie cutter on patty, press down with one hand and cut away with the other.

For the sauce: whisk mayo and ketchup until smooth. Then whisk in carrot puree.

For homemade SCD legal mayo recipes: SCD Recipes

For homemade SCD legal Ketchup: SCD Girl and SCD Recipes

All Star Chicken Nuggets (SCD, GFCF, Nut-Free)

Who says a SCD mom can't compete with those frozen nuggets in cutsie shapes! Once upon a time, the only way to get my child to eat anything was to shape it into a star. These were a big hit. Although I'll have to warn you to make them at your own risk. I've burned my fingertips a few times. If you're not a daredevil then you can just shape them into patties. This makes a large batch which you can keep in the fridge and nibble on for a couple of days, or individually wrap and freeze. Believe it or not, these are actually good for breakfast.

3 cups Chicken, cooked
1 cup Vegetable, cooked (Carrots, Zucchini, Green Beans, etc)
3/4 teas Sea Salt
Spices to taste: Good options are Cumin, Chili Powder &/or Minced Garlic
2 Eggs
Oil or Butter for frying

Put chicken, veggies and salt into processor and pulse until just shredded. Put into a mixing bowl and season to taste. Mix in eggs.

If you're going to fry into shapes (again, at your own risk) you need metal cookie cutters, tongs, two spatulas and a butter knife. Heat your oil or butter in a non-stick skillet over a medium heat. Oil a cookie cutter and place in skillet. Carefully spoon in chicken mixture. After a few minutes when the first side is slightly browned, flip and cook on second side. When both sides are lightly browned put cookie cutter/nugget on a plate. With tongs in one hand holding the cookie cutter, use a butter knife to go around the edge of the nugget/cutter to free the nugget. It took me a few times and a few burned fingertips to get this down. Now I usually have two skillets going at once and can crank them out fairly quickly.

Go Ahead Honey, It's Gluten-Free- Pimento Cheese Spread

Go Ahead Honey ...It's Gluten-Free, is a web event that's has a different theme each month. This month's host is Shirley of Gluten Free Easily. The theme: Make Me a Happy Camper. Pimento Cheese Spread fits the bill perfectly. This recipe is simple and easy. It's a nice take along for a camping trip or picnic. It travels well and is great on bread, crackers or piled into a stick of celery. However, don't let it's simplicity fool you, Pimento Cheese Spread is the gem of Southern Cuisine. In fact, it's an icon on a pedestal all it's own. No southern childhood memory is complete without a pimento cheese sandwich served on gummy white bread. And no party guest list is complete without it. Whether it comes to the trailer park soiree dressed in an old margarine tub with an unmatched lid, or it sits next to the caviar and fois gras on a dish of crystal, it's quite simply expected to be there. It's even popular at the Masters Gold Tournament. Southerners are just wild their Pimento Cheese Spread. A few years back, the Atlanta Journal Constitution devoted their entire food section to Pimento Cheese Spread. There are lots of creative things to do with it: put on burgers, deviled eggs, make into fritters, fry it, bake it...the list is endless. The recipes are endless too. Everyone has their own rules and reasons. For me, the cheese has to be freshly shredded. Purchasing pre-shredded cheese just will not work. Perhaps it's the starches they put on it to keep the shreds from clumping that ruin the texture for me. Anyways, here's my version, it's simple and heavenly, and you don't have to be from the South to savor it. I've also included some links to articles and recipes you might enjoy.

Pimento Cheese Spread (SCD)
8 oz. Block of good Sharp Cheddar Cheese
4 oz. jar Pimientos, chopped, do NOT drain
Mayonnaise (for SCD use homemade)
Salt and Pepper
Dash of Cayenne Pepper (optional)

Grate the cheese by hand. In a mixing bowl mix cheese and pimientos, juice and all. Add mayo in spoonfuls until it's the consistency you like it. Season to taste. Some folks like theirs creamy and will use a mixer to blend it. This keeps well in the fridge for a few days.

Pimento Cheese: It's a Southern Thing

Learnin about Pimento Cheese

2003 Pimento Cheese Invitational

Paula Deen's Recipe

Leek and Chicken Salad (SCD, GFCF)

There's lots of vegetables in the produce dept. that I notice but never purchase. I'm never sure what to do with them, or even know what some would even taste like. My goal is to incorporate more of these into our everyday fare. If you don't have any leeks, diced celery and a little minced onion would work nicely. I usually crock pot a small chicken and use the meat for a salad or casserole. This is a very simple salad and makes a good lunch for work.

2-3 cups Diced Chicken
2 Leeks, sliced into 1/4" rings, use tender green parts
3 small apples, diced
Salt and Pepper to taste

Dressing
1/2 to 1 cup Mayonnaise (for SCD use homemade)
1 teas Lemon Juice
1 TBSP Honey
1 to 2 TBSP Oil (I use Flaxseed Oil, to make my coat shiny)

Put sliced leek in a colander and rinse well. I like mine in smaller pieces so I dice them a little more. Put in a skillet with a little oil or broth and saute until tender, 5 to 8 minutes. Cool. Toss with chicken and apple. Season to taste. Whisk dressing ingredients together and toss in. Chill.

Chicken and Avacado Salad (SCD, GFCF)

We really like avacadoes, you may choose to not use as many.

1 or 1 1/2 pds. Chicken, cooked, bite size pieces
1 Red Onion, diced
1 Large or 2 Small Tomatoes, diced
1/2 Cup Celery, diced, (optional)
2 large or 4 Small Avacadoes, diced
1/2 Cup Fresh Cilantro, chopped

Dressing:

1/2 Cup Mayonaise
2 TBSP Olive, Vegetable or Flaxseed Oil
2 teas. Chili Powder (homemade blend for SCD'ers)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Put chicken, veggies and cilantro in a bowl and gently toss. Combine dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Toss with veggies. Chill and serve.