Chocolate Hazelnut Spread || Part Deux

Remember that one time I made some dairy free chocolate hazelnut spread, then made that crazy time consuming nutella crepe cake?!

How could you forget right. 

Well, you could probably forget quite easily because you weren't the one who spent a hundred years flipping crepes. 

But I will never forget.

Chewy Flourless Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

I've been staring at this page for a good twenty minutes trying to think of something clever to right here in this post, but the truth of it is that is is too hot, my mind is focused on the two episodes of American Horror Story I have left to watch and I am currently using all my internal power not to go make a large pre-dinner snack of tacos.

I can't think right when I'm hot and hungry and in the middle of a Netflix coma.

I just cannot.

Gluten Free/Dairy Free Chicken Taquitos || Two ways

I have this thing about myself where I fixate on one thing and then over do it to oblivion until I am so sick of it I never want to think about it again.

This happens with foods, television, music, clothing, and anything else that I see/eat/listen to. 

It's why Netflix runs my life and why I've listened to the Brandon Flowers album exclusively on loop for the last two weeks.

This obsessiveness is also why I could never even begin to be a drinker or drug user. There's no such thing as recreational usage of anything when you are me.

Anyway, in addition to eating salmon cakes like they are going out of style I have developed another food addiction while out of an oven.

Being without an oven meant I suddenly developed this thing with frying foods, which is not a good thing so thank goodness I have an oven again.

Now that I do have the power to bake again, I can continue my taquito love in a slightly healthier way, but because I believe in the power of equal opportunity I shall share with you both methods of cooking these little bundles of joy.

Gluten Free Salmon Cakes

As you have probably all come to know by now, my oven is broken.

It decided to take an eternal nap starting right in the middle of cooking an Easter roast. It did take the effort to finish cooking it first though, because we train our appliances to always be kind and considerate around here.

If you follow me on instagram or twitter, (both @carinamdee) you will have noticed that I've been making these little salmon cakes a lot lately.

Thankfully, I started working on this recipe before the oven situation, so I knew I would be okay without it. 

This ones all stove, baby.

Paleo German Chocolate Cake

Last Sunday was my birthday! 

It was super low key because the weekend before we were in San Francisco, and in my old age I don't really care too much about my birthday anymore.

It's just an excuse to eat cake, really.

A cake that everyone on restrictive diets could eat, which meant a cake without cane sugar, dairy gluten or grains.

And yes, I make my own birthday cakes. I enjoy doing it, and have the excuse to make it however I want because it's my day and I can do whatever I want.

DIY Almond Milk || How to make your own Almond Flour

I got a twofer for you today because I love you that much and also because it just happens to work out that way. 

For reasons I have not yet explained to you, but will be at some point when I feel like doing it...I have found myself requireing a milk substitute without a lot of very specific ingredients. 

Particularly, I needed an almond milk that does not have vanilla or locust bean gum which does not seem to exist in the grocery world. The ones that don't have vanilla have locust bean gum, the ones without locust bean gum had vanilla. Rather rude of them to play it that way if you ask me.

But that led me here, to making my own which as it turns out is incredibly easy. 

Even better, it has only a couple ingredients. Not three hundred cancer causing ingredients that some almond milks include. (you know who you are. knock it off with that.)

Gluten & Dairy Free Acai Smoothie Bowl

In this thing called life, a lot of trends come and go. There is always the current popular thing to do, whether it is a color, hair style (I cut my hair first you guys!) or certain food items.

Soy products where a big thing once, kale was suddenly everywhere, then came in the coconut oil...and now acai. There is always a hot food of the moment.

But here is the thing about trends, they become that way because people like them. Or pretend to anyway. Remember that time bagel foreheads where a thing? I do not know who in their right mind ever jumped on that band wagon...

Because popular things became popular for some kind of a reason, I feel like it is important to try them out. Not because I want to be one of the cool kids necessarily, but just because I want to see what its all about.

Enter the acai smoothie bowl, the new kale green smoothie.

Gluten Free/Dairy Free Frozen Yogurt Pie

There are quite a few things that I have missed since going dairy free. 

For me, eliminating dairy was waaaay harder then the gluten. Partially, because dairy doesn't give me as extreme of side effects, and because there just is no worth while substitute for ooey gooey cheese.

I miss you so much cheese.

I often sit and contemplate the existence of cheese, ice cream and other delicious dairy products in my life. Should I just do it anyway? It will taste so good. Worth it or not?

My brain is obviously filled with very deep philosophical thoughts.

Kale Quinoa Salad

Being a person of strict dietary needs, and also a person suffering from extreme paranoia towards the hands of food service workers (they are obvs lying to me about the gluten content in that dish...) I am limited to a select number of restaurants to eat at. And when I say I am limited, I mean that I only have a slight panic attack at certain places because I have already eaten there before and not died, as opposed to new restaurants where I have a full on -I feel something happening to me already even though all I've had is the water- kinda of anxiety attack.

Then, I basically order the same thing every time because a) it was good and b) because maybe the other type of salad has taken a bath in wheat grass, and they won't tell me about it.

Moral of the story: everyone is out to get me, according to me.

Ratatouille

Raise your hand if you've ever watched the movie Ratatouille, and wondered what it was all about! Raise your other hand if you kept misspelling ratatouille while trying to write this blog post!

Sorry guys, I have no hands left to write this deal,  I'll have to use my elbows. Toes? Nose maybe? It's just sitting there taking up a whole lotta room on my face, being completely useless so... I guess it can get a job.

This is not going in the direction I expected..but when do these posts ever make any sense, ya know?

hashtag rambling.

Red Apple Lipstick

I spent all day today editing pictures...that I also took today...of myself.  Alright, I admit I have a problem. But I got a haircut...and I needed a new picture over there > > So, I mean it was the right thing to do.

But it reminded me that I haven't posted the iPhone selfie explosion that is my Red Apple Lipstick review!

So lets do it! Then I can pretend once again that I did something productive, when I really haven't. This week has just been a wash I think, I'm calling it already. Mayyyybe Friday I'll actually cook something. {insert crossed fingers emoji}

Spotify just pushed out Lips Are Moving into the air, and I feel like all the stars have aligned to help inspire this post tonight. Thanks Meghan Trainer, and you too stars.

Gluten Free Oliebollens

As with all of us Americans, my family line originated somewhere else. Shocker. I'm a mutt just like the rest of the country.

Although I have some some Native American royalty, a lot of German, and whatever else mixed in there, half of my DNA comes directly (as directly as directly can go) from the Netherlands.

My dad immigrated here to California with his parents and siblings when he was five or six years old, and they have been here ever since.

I'm a Dutch girl, guys. Thats why I'm so freakishly tall. Possibly why my skin is so incredibly white, or is that some Irish mixed in there?

Bacon Wrapped Dates

'Ello!! 

Today is apparently a national holiday, I bet you didn't even know it. 

National Bacon Day they say. I saw this statement a couple of times on twitter today, but was unable to verify this information.

I'm feeling very detective-y today, as I finally updated my phone for the first time in like a year, therefore was finally able to start listening to Serial. I love myself a good mystery, and am already obsessed with it. So guys, update your phones. Get the Podcast app, download all of the Serial episodes. Listen. 

You're welcome.

Gluten Free Ginger Bread Men

In the last week, the house has been covered in sparkly little lights, filled with Christmas crafts, and swallowed up in what was supposed to be the storm of the century. So what does one need to do when the weather is finally cold and wet and the inside is full of holiday spirit.

Bake.

Gluten Free Pumpkin Bread French Toast

Remember the great pumpkin bread dilemma of twenty-fourteen? Well, if you happened to have succeeded in making a batch of pumpkin bread then I got an extra little treat for ya today.

Pumpkin bread french toast guys. French toast, made with pumpkin bread. yup.

A perfect little treat for a weekend breakfast, or a for a little pre-gaming Thanksgiving morning.

Food Find Friday // Enjoy Life Seed & Fruit

Heeeyyy. 

Is Friday, and you know what that means! Another food review!

Todays spotlight shines on to (drumroll please) Enjoy Life Foods Seed and Fruit mix. woop-woop.

If you'll recall, I reviewed this particular set of snackable items back in 2012. Enjoy Life has since rebranded their packaging, and here I am once again. You can go ahead and click here for the original review.

Because the recipe remains the same, I am going to focus on some exciting things you can do with the Seed and Fruit mix. Other then shove it in your face by the handful that is.

Gluten Free Burger with Fig and Chèvre

There is a little restaurant here in town, that has become one of my favorite lunch spots. I was introduced by my previous employers, who would often take the staff out for tasty friday lunches. The restaurant was opened by a couple who also have a catering company, so the menu is a combination of smaller foods, which you can mix together for a complete meal.

On the menu are various salads, sliders, and macaroni & cheese variations. The best part of this restaurant, is that they make everything fresh from scratch, and have several gluten free options. Whenever I go, I usually order a "duo" of a bun-less slider and salad. I've tried several variations, and my favorite order is always the quinoa salad (which changes seasonally) and the fig burger. It has some kind of a name, but I cannot recall. Plus you aren't in my town, so it really makes no difference to you. But what will make a difference to your life is when you make this burger for yourself. It is so spectacularly simple, and incredibly delicious.

Spaghetti Squash & Meatballs

As part of my beat the pots-cure the migraines-be healthy enough to move to another country diet, I am trying desperately to avoid sugar and condensed carbs. Meaning no bread, no white potatoes, no pasta's and sorry to say, no cookies. That said. I happen to have the worlds strongest craving situations that ever did exist. If I suddenly develop the urge to eat a chocolate chip cookie for example, no other food will satisfy me until I eat that chocolate chip cookie. Days and weeks can go by, and I will still want one and will have eaten everything else in the cupboards while trying to avoid the one thing I actually wanted. 

Solution: Eat a darn cookie. Usually for me it only takes a bite or two to realize I was fussing over nothing, and then I get over it.
I forgot where I was going with this....
I think what I was trying to say, is don't deprive yourself. Eat what your gonna eat, just do it wisely.

Like a pasta dinner. But lets go ahead and take out the pasta part of that pasta.

Sloppy Joes

Back in the day, I was the worlds pickiest eater. Ironically, the choosiness stopped when I had to start being picky about my food in a whole different way. (read:celiac disease.)

Sloppy Joes were one of those foods that would have to be forced down my throat in order for it to ever enter my body. As I got a little older, I would spoon on just enough of the meat on to my bread to make it look like I was eating something substantial, then i would cover it in cheese to make it down the hatch. Bread and cheese, diet of picky sick children. oui.

 Over the last several years, I have had them for dinner a handful of times without much fuss, but it still was not my favorite. I probably haven't eaten a sloppy joe for a good couple of years, so imagine my surprise when I had a sudden craving for them. Like, I woke up in the middle of the night needing to eat a sloppy joe, and I was going to get it in the crockpot first thing in the morning whether I had all the right ingredients or not. Which I only sort of did.

Paleo "Cornbread" without any corn

That title makes sense, right?

Cornbread made Paleo, hold the corn. 

So really it's bread. But its really kind of cake.

Regardless, it's Paleo, it tastes good, and you can lather it in honey-butter and call it cornbread.