Zesty Orange Poke Cake

I've been busy writing an upcoming cookbook and was writing dessert recipes when this idea popped in my head!  I had to make it immediately!  You seriously can't go wrong with a yellow cake mix, freshly squeezed orange juice and orange zest. I mean, what's not to like about all that?!

This cake is not too sweet and is perfectly orangy!  You will love it warm, cold, on it's own, with ice cream, etc.  It's perfect no matter what!

Alright, alright, alright!  I'm going to stop talking now so you can get to what you came here for!  Here's the recipe:

Makes 6-8 servings
Prep. Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 6 hours
Ideal slow-cooker size: 3 qt.

Ingredients:
Cake:
22 oz. gluten-free yellow cake mix
1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup melted coconut oil
3 eggs
1 Tbsp. orange zest

Glaze:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp. orange juice
1 1/2 tsp. orange zest

Ice Cream for serving

Directions:

1. Spray the crock with non-stick spray.

2. In a bowl, mix together all cake ingredients.  Pour into crock.

3. Cover and cook on Low for 6 hours, or until cake is all the way set.

4. Mix together the glaze ingredients.

5. With a straw, poke holes into cake.  Pour glaze over top of entire cake.

6. Scoop cake out with a spoon and into a bowl.  Top with ice cream.  Or, Turn crock upside down on a plate and cut cake in slices.

Enjoy!

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

I recently asked my daughter what she would LOVE for me to make and do you know what she said?

"Chicken Noodle Soup!  But, Mom!  No veggies and stuff though Mom.  Just chicken and noodles"

You got it, Ella!  So, being the amazing Mom I am....I honored her request.  LOL

Who could say no to this face?!

I kept things very simple by making my own broth.  So, grab those veggies in your fridge and throw them in your crock with some water and chicken and get it cookin'!  You'll add the noodles at the end after you've cooked them on the stove top because no one likes soggy noodles.  Plus, Gluten-Free noddles do not hold up well in the slow cooker.  And for as long as you'll be cooking this, you don't want the noodles to absorb all the water.

I'm trying something new as you can see!  I'm going to do a few video recipes and see how it goes :)

Now, go impress your family and make some amazing Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup.

Servings: 8-10

Ingredients: 

2 cups carrots, or 2-3 whole carrots

3-4 stalks celery

1 yellow onion

4 garlic cloves, peeled

3 boneless skinless chicken thighs

1-2 Tablespoons salt (I needed to add more than I did in the video)

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon basil

1 bay leaf

2 teaspoons no-salt seasoning 

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/4-1/2 teaspoon celery seed

10 cups water

Directions: (Use a 5 quart or larger Slow Cooker for this recipe)

Place all of the ingredients into your slow cooker, adding the water last.  Cook on LOW for 8-10 hours or on HIGH for 3.5-5 hours.  With a slotted spoon, remove the veggies and bay leaf.  Remove the chicken and chop into small pieces.  Stir the chicken back into the soup.  Meanwhile, cook your desired amount of noodles according to package directions.  To serve, spoon the desired amount of noodles into your bowl, then ladle the chicken and broth over the top.  Enjoy!

Easter Recipe Roundup from "The Gluten-Free Slow Cooker"

Are you already thinking about what you're going to make for Easter?  I know, I know, you're probably making a ham, but have you thought about what you're going to serve for breakfast?  How about for dessert?

Well, your day is about to get a little brighter because I'm bringing you 3 of my recipes from The Gluten-Free Slow Cooker to help make Easter day go just a little bit smoother!  The Gluten-Free Slow Cooker is my newest cookbook and was released on October 2.  It's FULL of all sorts of recipes, from appetizers, breakfast food, main courses, side dishes and desserts!  If you need more suggestions beyond the 3 recipes listed below, I highly suggest you pick up a copy of my book and make it the easiest Easter EV-AH! ;)  How about some Lasagna Roll-Ups or Apple and Onion Pork Loin for your Easter Main course instead of the usual Ham?  The recipes are in the book!  Or, how about making some Black-Eyed Pea and Ham Soup with those leftovers?  The recipe is in the book and it's one of my FAVORITE soups ever!  You'll love it!  You can purchase it here.

Photography by JNV

So, let's talk the recipes I am giving you right now.  How about starting Easter morning off with some delicious Cinnamon Roll Oatmeal?  YUM!  It's like dessert for breakfast!  Seriously, you have to have some!  You'll thank me later!

Moving on, I'm going to suggest serving my Brown Sugar Mashed Potatoes as a healthier alternative to the traditional mashed potatoes you may usually serve.  Your family will love this new twist!  

Let's end Easter dinner on a VERY good note!  How about my Hazelnut and Chocolate Cheesecakes?!  YES, PLEASE!!!!!!!  Seriously.  You'll get brownie points for the cute individualized jar presentation!  Everyone will leave happy ;)

Alright....I'm going to get on with it now!  Here are the recipes:

Cinnamon Roll Oatmeal

Finding gluten-free cinnamon rolls can be difficult. Making gluten-free cinnamon rolls takes way too much time. Making Cinnamon Roll Oatmeal is simple and quick! Drizzle your oatmeal with a delicious cinnamon frosting, and you’ve got a decadent dessert-like oatmeal for breakfast.

1½ cups (120 g) steel cut oats

½ cup (115 g) brown sugar

1½ teaspoons cinnamon

6 cups (1.4 L) almond milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

½ cup (115 g) cinnamon frosting, storebought, or follow the frosting recipe on page 159, substituting cinnamon for the pumpkin pie spice.

» Spray your crock with nonstick cooking spray. Pour in the oats, sugar, and cinnamon. Pour the milk and vanilla over the top and give a quick stir.

» Cover the crock and cook on LOW for 8 hours or on HIGH for 4 hours.

» When you are ready to serve this, swirl in the cinnamon frosting.

RECOMMENDED SLOW COOKER SIZE:

3 quart (3 L)

YIELD: 6 servings

RECIPE NOTE

You can easily make this recipe dairyfree by replacing the cinnamon frosting with the following alternative: Mix together 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 2 tablespoons (30 ml) almond milk, and ½ teaspoon cinnamon.

TIPS & SUGGESTIONS

>> If you don’t like the thickness of your oatmeal in the morning, you can thin it out by adding a bit of milk when serving.

» You can change the flavor of this oatmeal by experimenting with different types of milk. Try coconut, cashew, vanilla-almond, or soy milk to change things up.

Brown Sugar Mashed Sweet Potatoes 

5 INGREDIENTS OR LESS

This recipe provides all the goodness of mashed potatoes, but it’s sweet and delicious instead of savory. You won’t need dessert after eating these amazingly easy sweet potatoes.

6 cups (660 g) ½-inch (1 cm) peeled sweet potato cubes

1⁄3 cup (75 g) brown sugar

6 tablespoons (85 g) butter

½ cup (120 ml) vegetable stock

» Spray your crock with nonstick cooking spray.

» Place the sweet potatoes into the crock and sprinkle the sugar over the top. Place the butter on top, and then pour the stock over the top as well.

» Cover the crock and cook on LOW for 6 hours or on HIGH for 3 hours, or until the potatoes are very tender and pierce easily with a fork. Mash the potatoes right in the crock.

RECOMMENDED SLOW COOKER SIZE:

2 to 3 quart (2 to 3 L)

YIELD: 6 to 8 servings

TIPS & SUGGESTIONS

This dish pairs well with the Apple and Onion Pork Loin on page 92, the Cranberry-Glazed Turkey Breast on page 102, and the Honey Garlic Pork Chops on page 106.

Hazelnut and Chocolate Mini Cheesecakes

These individual cheesecakes are decadent, smooth, creamy, hazelnutty, chocolaty, and delicious. They are incredibly charming, served in individual mason jars, which makes for a beautiful presentation for your guests.

1 box (8 ounces, or 225 g) reduced-fat cream cheese, softened

1 cup (230 g) nonfat plain Greek yogurt

1⁄3 cup (60 g) granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs

¾ cup (195 g) chocolate-hazelnut spread, such as Nutella

6 mason jars (6 ounces, or 175 ml, each)

» Using a stand mixer, beat together the cream cheese, yogurt, sugar, and vanilla on mediumlow speed. (You may use a hand mixer if you do not have a stand mixer.) When it is well mixed, add the eggs, one at a time. When this is well combined, add the chocolate-hazelnut spread.

Continue to mix and scrape the sides of the bowl as necessary.

» When the mixture is well combined, pour or spoon the batter evenly into the 6 jars. Leaving the lid off of the jars, place them into your crock. Carefully pour water into the crock around the outside of the jars, until the water level is about halfway up the outside of the mason jars. (Be careful not to get any water in your cheesecakes.)

» Cover the crock and cook on LOW for 4 to 5 hours or on HIGH for 2 to 2½ hours.

» When the cook time is up, wearing an oven mitt, carefully remove the mason jars from the water bath and place them on a cooling rack.

RECOMMENDED SLOW COOKER SIZE:

5 quart (5 L) or larger

YIELD: 6 servings

TIPS & SUGGESTIONS

» Tie a ribbon around each jar, correlating to whatever theme or holiday you’re celebrating.

» For serving, top each cheesecake with a dollop of whipped cream and some mini chocolate chips.

Chicken and Vegetable Soup with Rice

Recently, I had some stomach virus, which caused me to not feel so hot for 3 days.  Anytime I tried to eat something, it didn't settle well.  When I was younger, my parents would serve me either a can of Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup, or Mrs. Grass' Chicken Broth with Noodles.  I don't eat that kind of stuff anymore...it's not good for me and it's definitely not gluten-free.  So, when I want some chicken soup, I make some!

I have to say, this soup turned out PERFECTLY! When my son walked in from daycare, he said "Wow, mom!  What smells so good?!"  When I told him it was Chicken and Vegetable Soup with Rice he said he couldn't wait to try it!  This came as a huge shock to me.  

First of all, he has never liked soup.

I don't know if it's a consistency thing or what, but he just never gives it much of a chance!  This time, he did.  He proclaimed he would not eat the carrots (he's going through a "thing") but he CLEANED his bowl!!!!  Score 1 point for team mom!  

Me?  I managed to eat a bowl.  It felt great going down.  My stomach wasn't ready. LOL  However, my husband finished every last drop of that soup!  It was a definite win and a recipe we'll make over and over again.  I almost can't wait for one of my neighbors to get sick so I can bring some over!!!  (Is that bad?!!!)

Servings: 4-6 (Use a 3-4 Quart Slow Cooker for this Recipe)

Ingredients:

1.5-2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts

1.5 cups chopped carrots

1.5 cups chopped red onion

1 cup green beans (to add later)

2 Tbsp. garlic powder

1 Tbsp. onion powder

2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. celery seed

1/4 tsp. paprika

1/8 tsp. pepper

1 bay leaf

8 cups no-salt chicken stock (you can omit the salt if you're using regular stock)

Cooked rice.

Directions:

Place your chicken breasts in the bottom of the crock.

Add in your chopped carrots,

 onion,

garlic powder, onion powder, salt, celery seed, paprika, pepper and bay leaf.

Pour in the chicken stock.

Cover and cook on LOW for 6-7 hours, or on HIGH for 3-3.5 hours.

 Take the chicken out and cut it into very small cubes.

 Stir the chicken back into the soup and add in your green beans.

Cook for an additional 30 minutes or so, or until the green beans are tender.

During this 30 minutes, prepare your rice.

When your rice and soup are both ready, it's time to serve.  Place 1/4-1/2 cup of rice in each bowl and spoon the chicken and vegetable soup over the top.

Enjoy!

Basil and Garlic Salmon

First of all, sorry for the delay in posting!  I've been super preoccupied with, well....LIFE!  I'm sure you can all relate.  There are BIG, exciting things happening in my life...which I'll share with all of you as I'm able.  Your support and loyalty over the years has meant the world to me!  Thank you all for continuing to cook my recipes and view my blog!  You're the best!

So...onto this Salmon!!

This recipe came from me needing to make something for dinner because my inlaws were coming! I do some of my best work under pressure ;)  Little did I know, they wouldn't be staying for dinner, but that just gave us delicious leftovers.  LOL  

I've been completely OBSESSED with Basil and Garlic paste.  If you haven't tried it yet, you need this in your life.  It's in the produce section in little plastic tubes.  We put it in our eggs, meatloaf, hamburgers, etc.  It's SO extremely flavorful and fresh!  LOVE how convenient it is for us to use.  So, I've been using it a TON in my cooking.  It's really the perfect consistency for a nice rub, so that's what I did with it.  Mixed it with a few spices and rubbed it on the salmon!  Easy peasy!  I don't have time for complicated ;)

The result?  Delicious, flaky salmnon, packed with incredible flavor.  You're going to love it!

Servings: 5-6 Servings (Use a 3-4 quart slow cooker for this recipe)

Ingredients:

5-6 single size portions of salmon (we buy the frozen salmon at Costco)

1 Tbsp. garlic paste

1 Tbsp. basil paste

1 tsp. lemon juice

1/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

foil

non-stick spray

Directions:

Lay out a piece of foil for each piece of salmon you are cooking.  Spray each with non-stick spray and place a piece of salmon on each sheet.

In a small bowl, mix together the garlic paste, basil paste, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

With a brush, brush each piece of salmon with the paste you made.

Close each piece up like a cute little package.

Make sure they're sealed good...you want them to steam inside.  Place all your little packets inside your crock.

Cook on LOW for 1-2 hours.  Depending on the thickness of your salmon, time will vary greatly.  My suggestion is to check it and go by "feel." You will want your salmon to flake easily with a fork.

Enjoy!

Vegetable Coconut Curry

I'm going to start off with an apology.  Unlike my normal "style" there is no final picture.  Boo!

I know, I know...you're sad.  BUT, in my defense, it was Christmas Eve and my plate didn't look so hot.  LOL  

I am a HUGE fan of Coconut Curry!  HUGE!  When my husband came home with some Maya Kaimal Coconut Curry Sauce that was gluten-free from Costco (it comes in a 2 pack with Vindaloo sauce too), I about died and went to heaven!  I knew I had to do something with it.  Turns out, I had the perfect occasion.  My Uncle from California was in town and would be joining us at my Aunt's house for Christmas Eve.  Not only is he gluten-free like me, but he is Vegetarian.  I had offered to make something gluten-free and vegetarian, so it was the perfect opportunity.

So, this delicious Vegetable Coconut Curry was born!  It was SO filling and incredibly delicious!  I served it over Edamame Noodles (we buy them at Costco), but you could serve it over rice, brown rice, quinoa or any type of gluten-free pasta you prefer.  Or, eat it by itself!  Another bonus of making this recipe is it's kind of a "clean out the fridge" type recipe, so please feel free to add or delete an ingredient or two to make it work with what you have around your house. 

ENJOY!

Servings: 10-14

Ingredients: (Use a 5-6 Quart Slow Cooker for this Recipe)

2 cups chopped broccoli

2 cups butternut squash, chopped into small cubes

1 cup chopped carrots

3/4 cups chopped onion

3/4 cups chopped celery

1/2 cup chopped mushrooms

1 (15.5 oz) can Garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

1 (24 oz) container of Maya Kaimal Coconut Curry Sauce (or any other type of curry sauce you enjoy...double check it's gluten-free though)

Directions:

Place the broccoli, butternut squash, carrots, onion, celery, mushrooms and garbanzo beans into the slow cooker.  Cover it with the Coconut Curry Sauce.

No need to stir.  Put the lid on and let it cook for about 4 hours on LOW or 2-2.5 hours on HIGH.

Serve alone or over rice, brown rice, quinoa, or any type of gluten-free pasta you enjoy!

Cranberry Glazed Turkey Breast - From The Gluten Free Slow Cooker

Thanksgiving is right around the corner! Step out of your normal traditional comfort zone and try this spectacular glaze for your turkey breast straight out of my new cookbook, The Gluten Free Slow Cooker. The sweetness of the cranberries mixed with the savory onion and other seasonings make this turkey breast superb.

Cranberry-Glazed Turkey Breast

DAIRY-FREE

Ingredients:

1 fresh turkey breast (5½ to 6 pounds, 2.5 to 2.7 kg), giblets removed if yours contains them, rinsed, and dried

1 can (14 ounces, 395 g) whole berry cranberry sauce

3 tablespoons (15 g) dried minced onion

1 teaspoon parsley flakes

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon cornstarch

¼ teaspoon celery salt

¼ teaspoon granulated sugar

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions:

» Spray your crock with nonstick cooking spray.

» Place the turkey into the slow cooker, breast side down.

» In a bowl, mix together the cranberry sauce, onion, parsley, onion powder, turmeric, cornstarch, celery salt, sugar, and pepper. Pour the mixture all over the turkey breast.

» Cover the crock and cook on LOW for 8 to 9 hours or on HIGH for 4 to 4½ hours.

RECOMMENDED SLOW COOKER SIZE: 6½ to 7 quart (6½ to 7 L)

YIELD: 6 to 7 servings

Want to try more delicious recipes from my new cookbook?
Find out where you can buy "The Gluten Free Slow Cooker" here.

Cinnamon Vanilla Pearsauce - Gluten-Free

My friend Becky from Week99er came over recently to borrow a couple of my slow cookers.  You see, she has an ABUNDANCE of pears coming from her pear tree so she brought me a bag full!  I let them ripen on my counter for a few weeks and then turned them into this amazing Cinnamon Vanilla Pearsauce!  YUM!

Not only is this pearsauce SUPER easy and SUPER flavorful, but it's full of nutrients and fiber because I left the skin on.  You can take the skin off if you wish, but it really isn't necessary!

If you're the canning type, this would be great to make and can.  I am not, so you'll find I just eat it and cook with it...and will freeze the rest!  LOL

So, go get Pearsaucein'!!!!!

Servings: 20-30

Ingredients:

5 quarts (20 cups) sliced pears

1 teaspoon raw honey (or regular honey will work)

2 teaspoons cinnamon

3 teaspoons vanilla

1/3 cup water

Directions:

Place all of the pears into your slow cooker, then add in the raw honey, cinnamon, vanilla and water.

No need to stir!  Just set put the lid on and set your slow cooker on LOW for 7-8 hours, or on HIGH fro 3.4-4 hours.  Test doneness with a fork, then use an immersion blender to make it as chunky or smooth as you like it!

Enjoy!

"S'nores" S'mores Oatmeal - Gluten-Free

Oh, YES I DID!

I turned S'mores into Oatmeal!

Why the "S'nores?" in the title?

You see, on the 4th of July, we were all sitting around a campfire and my son asked for something unusual!  Let me show you...

Our FitAddict friend Andrea Lauren challenged me to make S'nores Oatmeal, so we did!

How does it taste?  Incredible.  No, for real.  It's amazing.  Sinful.  And OH SO GOOD!  And you know what?!  It's really not all that bad for you!  You can leave out the brown sugar and cut down on the calories, but I threw it in there for the kids' pleasure.  I owed them one.  They eat everything healthy I throw at them.  They make me a super proud mommy!

We used dark chocolate chips, but you can use milk chocolate if you like.  We also used gluten-free graham crackers, but you could use regular if you're not gluten-free.  

This is a super fun recipe for the kids because it's EASY to assemble and then when it's done, the kids get to "decorate" their oatmeal!  My kids are suckers for this!

Servings: 4-6

Ingredients:

1 cup gluten-free steel cut oats

2 cups almond milk

2 Tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla

Toppings:
Dark Chocolate Chips

Mini Marshmallows

Gluten-Free Graham Crackers

Directions: (Use a 2-3 quart Slow Cooker for this)

In a well-greased crock, place the steel cut oats.

Pour in the milk, brown sugar and vanilla.

Give it a stir.

Cook it on LOW for 8 hours, or on HIGH for 4 hours.

Stir and place into bowls.

Place your toppings into separate bowls and let your kids (or you!) decorate their bowls of oatmeal!

It's super fun for the kids to do!

I took a quick video of my kids decorating their oatmeal!

Enjoy!

Sriracha Creamy Shredded Chicken - Gluten-Free

What can I say?!  I was in the mood for SPICY!  Oh, let's face it, I'm always in the mood for spicy!  LOL

However....I do have a family to think about, so I feel as if I took precautionary measures to tame down the spice a bit.  My kids are 4 and 7.  They both ate this without complaints, but I did make sure they had plenty of non-fat plain Greek yogurt (we use this instead of sour cream) on their dinners ;)  They were just fine and I didn't hear any complaints.  (Unless you count the one from my husband because he didn't put any of the Greek yogurt on his....whoopsie!)

This is everything the name suggests!  It's spicy from the Sriracha, it's creamy from the cream cheese and you shred it when it's done cooking ;)  Not only does this taste delicious, but the recipe only contains 4 ingredients and is STILL delicious!  That's not an easy task, so this is a keep folks!  This would be a great recipe for those days where you seriously don't have time to fuss over dinner!

You will see below I used my chicken breasts and cream cheese frozen.  They cook up nicely that way as long as they're not too thick or they don't reach the proper temperature in time.  I buy cream cheese when it's on sale and freeze it for future use.

*see below for some serving suggestions

So, go grab these few ingredients and get crockin'!

Servings: 6-10 

Ingredients:
3-4 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts (mine was frozen)

1 onion, halved and sliced
5 Tablespoons Sriracha sauce
8 oz. 1/3 less fat Cream Cheese (mine was frozen)

Directions:

Place the chicken into the bottom of your crock and top it with the onions.

Pour the sriracha sauce over the top and add in the block of cream cheese.

If you're cooking your chicken FROZEN, cook on HIGH for 4 hours or LOW for 8 hours.

If you're cooking fresh thawed chicken, cook on HIGH for 2.5-3 hours or LOW for 5-6 hours.

Shred the chicken between two forks, then stir back through sauce in the crock.

Serve any way you choose and ENJOY!

Serving Suggestions:

Over the past couple of days, I've served this a few different ways.

The first way I served this was on GF white corn tortillas with some shredded lettuce and non-fat plain Greek yogurt in place of sour cream.

For the kids, I served this as quesadillas!  I heated up the shells with mozzarella cheese and the shredded chicken.

I also served just the chicken in a bowl with some shredded mozzarella, shredded lettuce and some non-fat plain Greek yogurt!

This would be great over salad or on nachos or in crunchy taco shells as well!  Get creative!

Fire Roasted Pepper Jack Sausage Soup #Gluten Free

I was recently asked to review Kayem Foods' Artisan Sausages and I'm so happy I did!  It allowed me to create this delicious soup!

You know how you have a bunch of things in your refrigerator you really need to use?  Yeah, that's the situation I was in.  I had broccoli with only a couple more days left in it, some carrots in the same situation and onions growing in cupboard.  LOL  I decided to throw it all into a soup and see what happened.  What happened was pure deliciousness!  

Funny story really....I actually used HOT diced jalepenos in my soup and let me just tell you something...........it was H-O-T!  LOL  I've changed the recipe below for you to use mild.  TRUST me when I tell you....you do NOT need the heat from the jalepenos!  I promise!  This sausage is delicious, but spicy ;)

Servings: 4-6

Ingredients:
1  cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped broccoli
3/4 cup chopped red onion
3 Tbsp. fresh minced garlic
2 Tbsp. mild diced jalapenos
2 tsp. Mrs. Dash Fiesta Lime Seasoning
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 package Kayem Fire Roasted Pepperjack Artisan Sausage, sliced into rounds then halves
6 cups no-salt chicken stock

Directions: (Use a 5-6 Quart Slow Cooker)

Place the carrots, broccoli, onions, garlic and diced jalepenos into the crock.

 Sprinkle in the Fiesta Lime Seasoning, salt and pepper.

Add in the sausages.

Last, pour in the chicken stock.

Give it a quick stir and cook on LOW for 7-8 hours or on HIGH for 3.5-4 hours.

This one is spicy, but SO flavorful!  You'll love it!