When you're feeling a little under the weather and nothing else sounds good this is one of those soups that just seems to make it all better. It's especially good on bitter cold days too! 

I love this recipe because it's one-pot and the gluten free noodles I used are fortified with carrot, tomato, and spinach. It's a super healthy meal that the entire family will love. Enjoy!

Just a reminder, we have another great Free Gluten Free class coming up in 8 days. Visit HERE for more information. 

(Gluten Free, Can be Dairy Free)
Adapted by jalene from a recipe off allrecipes.com

Serves 6
Ingredients: 

• 2 Tbsp butter (or use extra virgin olive oil or Earth Balance to make it Dairy Free)
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp marjoram
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
• 9 cups gluten free chicken broth
• 2 chicken breasts, raw & diced into small pieces
• 1 & 1/2 cups gluten free noodles (I used Tinkyada's Brown Rice Pasta Vegetable Spirals- see below)
• 1 cup sliced carrots

Directions: 

1. In a large pot over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onion, garlic, and celery and cook until just barely tender.  Add the basil, oregano, marjoram, salt, and pepper and stir fry for 1 minute. 
2. Pour in the chicken broth and bring the soup to a boil. Add the raw chicken, noodles, and carrots and cook for 20 minutes or until noodles are tender. 

Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator. This soup can be frozen as well! When reheating be sure to not over cook so your noodles don't turn mushy. 

Oh my goodness, I'm in love with this next recipe. We seriously have had it 3 times already this month. There is this thai restaurant near us in American Fork, Utah that serves something similar to this dish. They called it Masaman Curry. It's AMAZING. So, of course I was determined to try and recreate it!

This curry is not spicy and has a mild taste so it's a great beginner curry if any of you have been scared to try it before. If you're a fan of peanut butter-even better! The coconut milk and curry blend together blissfully. 

My favorite way to cook this is with a little bit of carrots, red pepper, chicken, and cashews but you can really change out any of the veggies. (Pictured is with potatoes instead of red pepper.) I've even done it with all chicken and no veggies. Choose your own adventure folks! Whatever you decide, you're going to LOVE it! 

(Gluten & Dairy Free)
Adapted by jalene from a recipe off Food.com

Serves 4
Ingredients: 

• 1 can coconut milk
• 3 Tbsp peanut butter (we used organic)
• 1 Tbsp gluten free red curry paste (we use Thai Kitchen's)
• 1 & 1/2 tsp honey
• 1 & 1/2 tsp gluten free fish sauce (we use Thai Kitchen's)
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 Tbsp minced garlic
  
• 1 small onion (cut into 1 inch squares or chopped finely)
  
• 1 breast chicken (cut into 1 inch strips)
• 1 carrot (sliced into 1/2 inch rounds)
• 1/2 red pepper (cut into 1 inch squares)

Directions: 

1. In a skillet cook the onion, garlic and chicken until cooked through. Remove from heat, cover, and set aside. 
2. In a blender (we use a Blendtec) add the coconut milk, peanut butter, red curry paste, honey, fish sauce, and salt. Combine until smooth.  
3. Pour into a medium sauce pan and bring to a gentle boil. Add the carrots and cook for 3 minutes then add the red pepper and cook until both are tender. Stir in the chicken mixture and serve hot over rice or quinoa. Store any leftovers (covered) in the refrigerator and eat within 3 days. 

Switch it up! Instead of the 1 chicken breast, 2 small carrots, and 1/2 red pepper try any of these variations: 

• (all meat) 2 large chicken breasts OR
• (all veggies) 1 carrot, 1 potato, 1/2 red pepper (you can also throw in some nuts to give it a good protein source)

Share your favorite combination! 

Hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas! We sure did! I know this time of year it's easy to start snacking and overeating on foods you wouldn't normally... By now perhaps you're a little ready for some wholesome food. This is a great recipe my husband and I developed. It uses a cheaper part of the cow and we simply cook it longer to produce a nice juicy, pull-a-part meat. We typically serve this with a salad and it makes an amazing meal. 

(Gluten & Dairy Free)
Created by jalene & her husband Dr. Nielsen

Ingredients: 

• 4 lb chuck roast (we used organic) 
• sea salt 
• 1 cup water
• 6+ carrots, peeled and cut into 3rds (we used organic)
• 5+ small potatoes, peeled and cut in 1/2 (we used organic)

Directions: 

1. In a large crockpot low add the chuck roast. Sprinkle the outside of the roast with sea salt (liberally). Cook for about 12 hours (on low). 
2. After 12 hours, add the carrots and potatoes and continue cooking for 4 hours or until tender. 

A couple of years ago my sister-in-law made this dip for a family party...I have never seen something disappear so fast! The dip was sooooooo good it could only make a person wonder, "What in the world is in this?!" Would you believe only 3 simple ingredients? So apparently this recipe has been around for a while and to some it's well known, but for those who have never tried it...MAN. That's all I have to say. 

The thing about this recipe is it can easily be made A LOT healthier by just looking closely at labels. Typical recipes call for a can of Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilis. Be sure to find one that does not contain high fructose corn syrup. If there is any sugar in your tomatoes you'll want to make sure the ingredients label says only "sugar" and nothing else. The can I used actually didn't even have sugar. All the better! 

Next, is the sausage. You want to look for one that is first of all, gluten free, but also one that has no msg, nitrates or preservatives. (See the label below.) 

I can't stress enough how harmful MSG is to the brain! It can cause migraines, nausea, numbness, and even heart palpitations! Researchers say these side affects only are only "short term" but if it causes so much disturbance to the body, why eat it?!

Next is the the nitrates...Did you know expectant mothers are cautioned not to consume meats with nitrates? Why...because it can cause brain tumors in children! Yikes. Nitrates have also been linked to DNA mutations and cancer. 

So my intent is not to scare you but to educate you! Look for these simple BETTER ingredients and you have a wonderful & delicious dip (with no side affects!) ;)

(Gluten Free, Can be Dairy Free)
Adapted by jalene

Ingredients: 

• 8 oz of Gluten Free Ground Sausage (I used one with no Nitrates, MSG, or preservatives)
• 1 (8 oz) package of cream cheese (use Vegan Cream Cheese to make it Dairy Free)
• 1 (14.5 oz) can of Diced Tomatoes with Green chilies (I used Muir Glen's Organic Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes with Medium Green Chilies)
  

Directions: 

1. Brown the sausage. Add the cream cheese and heat while stirring until softened. Add the can of tomatoes and mix until it is well combined. Serve warm with gluten free chips. 

Store covered in the refrigerated. Can be made ahead of time and reheated just before serving. 

This next recipe is an early Christmas gift to my mom! 
Merry Christmas!! 

Whenever I think of orange rolls, I think of her and our Christmas mornings as kids. I know she LOVES them just as much as we did. It just wouldn't be the same without some this year! I've been determined to create a yummy gluten free version so we both don't feel like we're missing out. 

Hope you all enjoy them too! 

(Gluten Free, Can be Dairy Free)
Created by jalene

Makes 12
Orange Roll Ingredients: 

• 1 Tbsp yeast
• 1 tsp sugar or evaporated cane juice sugar
• 1 cup warm plain rice or almond milk (about 110 degrees)
• 1/4 cup sweet white rice flour (or blend your own from Calrose Rice)
• 3/4 cupbrown rice flour
• 1/4 + 2 Tbsp potato starch
• 1/4 cup tapioca starch
• 1 & 1/2 tspxanthan gum or guar gum
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 Tbsp baking powder
• 1 egg
• 1 Tbsp unsweetened applesauce
• 2 Tbsp honey
• 1 Tbsp orange juice concentrate 
• 1 Tbsp orange zest

Orange Roll Directions:

1. Grease 12 muffin tins with coconut or olive oil and set aside. Whisk the yeast, sugar, and milk together in a 2 cup or bigger size bowl. Cover with a towel and allow to rise. (It is ready when it has doubled.)
2. In a large bowl combine the dry ingredients: white rice flour, brown rice flour, potato starch, tapioca starch,  xanthan gum, salt, and baking powder. 
3. In a large mixing bowl add the egg and beat for about 30 seconds. Next add the applesauce, honey, orange juice concentrate and zest. Pour in the yeast mixture and the flour mixture and mix until combined (scraping the sides if necessary) and then increase the speed to medium and beat for 3 minutes. 
4. Scoop the dough into your prepared pan. Oil a sheet of plastic wrap and cover the rolls. Let rise for 30 minutes. About 10 minutes before they are ready, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. 
5. Bake for about 15 minutes or until tops are starting to turn brown. While baking, prepare the frosting. 

Orange Frosting: 
Blend together 1 tsp orange zest, 1 Tbsp orange juice, 1 & 1/4 cup powdered sugar, 1 & 1/2 oz of cream cheese (or vegan sub to make it dairy free), and 2 Tbsp of butter (or Earth Balance to make it dairy free). Makes about 2 Tbsp per orange roll. 

Christmas is coming! I can't believe its only a week away from tomorrow. It feels like I have so much to do before then... and that's why this next recipe comes in handy! You can mix it together and let the oven do the rest of the work. 

I'm dedicating this next recipe to my little sister. She has just recently found out that she's allergic not only to gluten, but dairy as well! She's going through that difficult mental transition right now of "there's nothing to eat..." OH, dear sister, I have over 200 recipes so far for you! If any of you are going through the same transition as her, I strongly suggest checking out my page: New to Gluten Free. It gives you some great starter tips and support through this time. Eating gluten (and dairy free even) is not as bad as you think! There are SO many other things you can eat. You just need to turn your focus to that. 

My sister asked me a great question the other day that maybe some of you may have wondered,  "Without drinking milk, how will I be able to get enough calcium in my diet!?" I think Popeye has the answer you're looking for...SPINACH! And if you don't like spinach, here's a list of other foods HIGH in calcium for you. The truth is, there's a lot of things you CAN eat to provide all the nutrients you need. 

So sister, I know it's super hard right now, but you'll get through it! 
PS- if any of you are in the Idaho/Utah area my sister does AMAZING flowers, etc. for weddings. You can see her talented work at Plusheventweddings.com or follow her on Pinterest at pinterest.com/plushevents. 

(Gluten Free, Dairy Free)
Adapted by jalene

Serves 4-6 people
Ingredients: 

• 1/4 lb gluten free sausage (I use one with no msg or nitrates)
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 6 eggs
• 1/2 cup plain rice or almond milk (or water also works too)
• 3 cups frozen hashbrowns
• 1 & 1/2 oz (or 1 cup firmly packed) spinach 
• 1/2 tsp sea salt, or to taste (I use 1 tsp usually)
• 1/8 tsp pepper, or to taste
• optional: more seasonings, chives, etc. (the recipe is pretty basic so feel free to add your own spark!)

Directions: 

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. 
2. Wash and dry your spinach. Chop into small pieces. Set aside. 
3. In a large skillet brown the sausage and the onion. Remove from heat. In a large bowl combine the sausage mixture, hashbrowns, and spinach until well combined. 
4. Beat together the milk, eggs, salt, and pepper and combine with the rest of the ingredients. Pour into a 8 x 6 inch glass pan (or equivalent) and smooth out the top. Bake uncovered for 50-60 minutes or until the center does not jiggle when slightly shaking the pan. 

Store any leftovers covered in the fridge. Can easily be reheated and eaten later. 

I think there's two kind of people in the world...those that like ginger snaps and those that prefer a nice soft ginger cookie! I'm a softy kind of gal. My grandma was a ginger snapper. In fact, it was about the only cookie she would keep on hand in her cookie jar! I remember eating them as a kid because I was so desperate for something sweet at her place... ha ha. She was a pretty healthy lady and actually had an entire cupboard full of vitamins! We even coined her the vitamin grandma at one point. She lived to be a healthy 97 so she was doing something right! She was such a wonderful lady. I miss her this time of year!

One day I'll work on a ginger snap cookie in memory of her but until then you can join us on the softer side... ;) 

Starchy flours such as tapioca starch or potato starch you really want to use sparingly in your baking. They turn into sugar quickly and contribute to weight gain so we usually use them sparingly at our home. I love this next recipe because I was able to make it without any of those flours! It just has one- brown rice flour. And they taste amazing! In fact, my sister-in-law said you can't even tell they're gluten free! What a compliment. 

(Gluten Free, Can be Dairy Free, Soy Free, Nut Free, Can be Corn Free)
Adapted by jalene from a recipe off Allrecipes.com

Makes 18 (1 & 1/2 inch) cookies
Ingredients: 

• 6 Tbsp butter (or Soy Free Earth Balance to make it Dairy Free, Earth Balance contains corn)
• 6 Tbsp sugar or evaporated cane juice sugar + additional sugar for rolling
• 1 egg
• 1/8 cup molasses
• 1 & 1/4 cup brown rice flour
• 1/2 tsp xanthan gum (or guar gum to make it Corn Free)
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/8 tsp sea salt

Directions: 
You can refrigerate the cookie dough overnight in an airtight container or you can bake it immediately. I found the brown rice softened a little more from refrigerating but they taste wonderful cooking right away as well. 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (if baking right away). Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Set aside. 
2. In a medium size bowl combine the brown rice flour, xanthan gum, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Fluff and combine with a whisk. Set aside. 
3. In a mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the molasses and then the egg beating for about 30 seconds, scraping sides when necessary. 
4. Add all the dry ingredients in and mix until well combined. 
5. Using a 1 inch or 1 & 1/2 inch cookie scoop, scoop out the dough then roll in a little bit of sugar. Place on your prepared pan about 2 inches apart. 
6. Bake for 9-11 minutes. Do not over bake. Allow the cookies to cool on the pan for about 2-3 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an air-tight container. 

Yum! I love these cookies! 

I have a NEW holiday favorite!!! Seriously, does anyone know why it is called "Pound Cake" though? 
After creating this recipe I can take a guess... because I LITERALLY wanted to pound this cake down! We actually ate so much that I had to made another batch to take pictures! Ha ha. 
It's that good.

My husband was surprised how moist it was and tasted like the gluten version. You could definitely serve this to people and they WOULD NOT know it's gluten free! 

I love that it's made with almond and coconut flour so it's not only gluten free but grain free as well! Almond flour is packed with great protein (among other benefits) and the coconut flour provides great fiber and is low carb. And don't even get me started on the cranberries!  After you read about the benefits you'll wonder why you don't eat them everyday! In fact, cranberries are super cheap this time of year (after Thanksgiving) so you can save $ by stocking up and freezing some now.

Well, I think you're going to LOVE it!  ;) So, without further ado...

(Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Grain Free, Paleo, Can be Corn Free)
Adapted by jalene from a recipe by askgeorgie.com

Makes about 8-10 (1-inch thick) slices
Ingredients: 

• 1 cup + 2 Tbsp Almond Flour
• 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp Coconut Flour
• 1/2 tsp xanthan gum (or to make corn-free use guar gum)
• 2/3 cup sugar or evaporated cane juice sugar
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 Tbsp baking powder (to be truly grain-free use 1 part cream of tartar + 1 part baking soda + 2 parts arrowroot)
  
• 3 eggs
  
• 2 tsp almond extract
• 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp water
  
• 1 & 1/4 cup cranberries (I used frozen) or you can do 3/4 cup cranberries and 1/2 cup diced apples

Directions: 

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large bread pan with parchment paper. 
2. In a large bowl, combine the almond, coconut flour, sugar, salt, baking powder (or sub) and xanthan gum (or sub). Whisk to combine. 
3. In a mixing bowl, add your eggs and beat for 30 sec. Add the almond extract and water. 
4. Mix the dry ingredients with the wet and mix until uniformly moist. (Batter will thicken as it sits.) Quickly fold in the cranberries. 
5. Scoop the batter into your prepared pan and smooth down the top. 
6. Bake for 45 minutes or until the top is starting to lightly brown and will slightly bounce back up with touched. 

Cut about 1 inch thick to serve. Store any leftovers (if there is any!) in an airtight container and consume within 3 days.

Every Christmas, this is a family tradition around my parent's house. Chances are, if you're a neighbor of theirs, you've probably received a bag of this yummy stuff! Now since we can't bring you a bag ourselves, I'd thought I'd share one of our favorite holiday recipes with you. 

The original recipe is slightly different then this one posted. Since we know a little more about corn syrup now a days I've altered this recipe NOT to include it. For those of you that are dairy free as well, I've also included how we made it DF so Audrey could enjoy it too! 

(Gluten Free, Can be Dairy Free)
Adapted by jalene from a recipe by her mom, Alene

Ingredients: 

• 1/2 cup butter (or to make dairy free use Earth Balance)
• 1/4 cup 100% pure maple syrup
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 4 quarts or 16 cups of air popped popcorn, kernels & small pieces removed

Directions: 

1. Pop your popcorn, measure, and set aside in a large bowl. 
2. Preheat your oven to 250 degrees F. 
3. Bring to boil over medium heat the butter, syrup, sugar and salt while stirring occasionally and scraping down the sides. Continue stirring and boil for 5 minutes. 
4. Pull the pan off the heat and add the baking soda and vanilla. Stir well to combine and then pour the caramel over the popcorn. Toss until the popcorn is completely coated. 
5. Spoon the popcorn onto a parchment covered cookie sheet and bake for 1 hour, stirring every 20 minutes. Watch carefully towards the end so it doesn't get too dark. 

You know that part in Disney's Ratatouille when the food critic takes a bite of the ratatouille and gets flashed back in time to his childhood? I think I was having one of those moments today as I savoring bite after bite (after bite) ;) of these cookies. 

I seriously cannot stop eating these! Neither can my sweet daughter... 
I had to keep telling her today to stop sneaking them because I needed to snap some pictures still! These taste so incredible, I'm so pleased how they turned out! (It was my first attempt too! Hooray!)

I adapted them from a recipe by Better Home & Gardens. It used to be my go-to recipe back in college during my gluten days. All I can remember is my roommate would make these for boys she wanted to impress...Needless to say, it always got their attention! Ha ha. 

Anyways, I learned some great tips while rolling out gluten free dough so be sure to check that out too. 

(Gluten Free, Can be Dairy Free)
Adapted by jalene from a Better Home & Garden Recipe

Makes about 24-36 cookies, depending on how big you make them
Ingredients: 

• 1 & 1/2 cups brown rice flour
• 1/2 cup potato starch
• 1/4 cup tapioca starch
• 3/4 tsp xanthan gum
• 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp butter (or to make Dairy Free use Earth Balance)
• 1/4 cup + 1 tsp shortening (I suggest using non-hydrogenated, see note at bottom)
• 3/4 cup sugar or evaporated cane juice sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 egg
• 1 & 1/2 tsp gluten free vanilla

Directions: 

1. Combine the brown rice flour, potato starch, tapioca starch, and xanthan gum in a small bowl. Set aside. 
2. In a mixing bowl, cream together your butter (or Earth Balance) and shortening. Add the sugar and baking powder to the bowl and mix until fluffy- about a minute. 
3. Add the egg and vanilla. Blend well, then add the flour mixture and mix until well incorporated. 
4. Split the dough into 4 equal parts and wrap each section in plastic wrap. Place in the fridge to cool for about 1 hour or until the dough is harder and ready to work with.
5. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F about 15 minutes before you're ready to start rolling. 

I learned some great tricks that will make rolling out your dough super easy. 

1. Pull out 1 section of dough at a time from the fridge. After finishing with the dough, place quickly back into the fridge or even freezer if you need a quick cooling.
2. Roll out the dough in between 2 pieces of plastic wrap (NOT PARCHMENT). It peels off super easy from the dough, you can see through it, and it's less expensive!
3. Roll out your dough to 1/4 of inch thick. It will hold together better. 
4. If your dough doesn't come up with the cookie cutter, no worries. Just stick your fingers under the plastic wrap and peel the dough off. 
5. Place the cookies at least 1 inch apart to make sure they don't stick to each other. 
6. Always place cookies on a cooled cookie sheet before putting them into the oven. They will hold their shape better and cook correctly. 

TO COOK: Bake for 8-10 minutes. I like my cookies before they start to turn golden so I do the 8 but when they get a little brown around the edges, they're really good too! 

We don't use food coloring so we got creative with our decorations. See below: 

Meet Audrey's 2 best pals: Dolly and Frosty! Since the moment I pulled the snowman out of my Christmas decorations box, it was love at first site for Audrey. She carries him around EVERYWHERE and they do most everything together! She'll talk to him, show him around, make him watch her eat... Cute huh. In fact, every snowman Audrey sees is called "Frosty" and she talks to them too. So when we made these cookies today she couldn't even stand it! She called them "my cookie monster frosties." 

She absolutely LOVED helping put the chocolate chips on these! We used Gluten Free and Dairy Free chocolate chips (2 big for the eyes, and 3 mini for the buttons)

Of course 2 year olds have their own rules. This is Audrey's cookie. Not bad! She was eating one chocolate chip for every one she put on the cookie but at least she had some holiday fun with mom. 

Warning: I'm supposed to tell you (by orders of the Dr.  aka my husband) that these are only to be eaten sparingly. They're not the healthiest cookie ever made so try not to eat them everyday! ;)