The other day I wanted to make chocolate chip cookies, only I discovered that I didn’t have any chocolate chips. I had white chocolate chips though, so I decided to make macadamia white chocolate chip cookies. Then I discovered that I didn’t have any macadamias! I found some coconut and decided to make do with what I have…and I came out with a gluten free cookie that even my gluten-loving husband ate (and ate lots of them)! These cookies were inspired by Baked by an Introvert.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
• 1-1/2 cups gluten free flour blend (I use this one. If your flour blend doesn’t include xanthan gum, add some according to package directions)
• 1/2 teaspoon ...

I’m a sucker for Chinese food, but I haven’t been able to really eat any since it is hard to know what ingredients are used at restaurants. I found a recipe that looked good and I modified it to my liking…and my kids devoured it!

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced thinly
• 3 Tbs. arrowroot starch
• ½ tsp black pepper
• ¼ c. coconut aminos mixed with ¼ c. water (or ½ c. gluten free soy sauce)
• 4 Tbs. rice vinegar
• 4 Tbs. ketchup
• 2 Tbs. sweet chili sauce
• 3 Tbs. brown sugar
• 3 garlic cloves, shredded with a microplaner
• 1 tsp. grated fresh ginger
• 1 cup cashews
• 4-6 green onions, sliced
• jasmine rice
• oil for sautéing chicken

Instructions

1. In a bowl, combine c...

My good friend, Carrie, introduced me to Elena’s Pantry’s Zucchini Bread recipe a few years ago and I loved it. Since then I have made a few tweaks to my liking and the recipe is as follows. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

I’m not a huge pie fan, but I’ve always loved the filling for pecan pie. This past spring I tasted some pecan pie bars that had a shortbread crust, so I thought I’d try making them instead of paying $6 for a small bar made by someone else. These are based on a recipe I found in Better Homes & Gardens; I made these and took them to a friend’s house; they were gone so fast that I didn’t even have a change to take a photo of them out of the pan! These will definitely be served at Thanksgiving this year.

Crust:
1 1/4 c. gluten free flour blend of your choice (I like THIS one, but it does contain dairy)
1/2 c. powdered sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c...

This past week I wanted a treat, but wanted to make something that didn’t make me feel guilty afterwards. I LOVE coconut candies, so I decided to do some research on homemade Almond Joy bars. I found two recipes from The Clothes Make the Girl and Living Healthy with Chocolate and merged them. Then, I tested them on my “guinea pig” coworkers and they LOVED them!

To make coconut butter:
Put 1.5-2 c. of unsweetened flaked coconut in a blender or food processor with 1 tsp. melted coconut oil, a sprinkle of sea salt and 1/2 tsp. coconut extract. Process for about 10 minutes, scraping down sides occasionally, until smooth...