Strawberry Jam

 

2 lb fresh strawberries, hulled

4 cups sugar

1/4 c lemon juice

 

 

1. In a large bowl, crush strawberries until you have 4 cups of strawberries. I used a potato masher and not the blender because I like pieces of strawberry in my jam.

 

2. In a heavy bottom pot mix strawberries, sugar and lemon juice. Stir over low heat until sugar is dissolved. Increase heat to medium and bring to a rolling boil. Stir constantly until mixture reaches 220 degrees. Remove from heat.

 

3. Pour about two inches of water into a large saucepan, place mason jars upside down in the water, place the lids in there as well, put pot cover on and boil for 12 minutes.

 

4. Using sterile tongs lift jars and lids out and place on paper towel lined platters. Pour strawberry jam into jars. Put lids on securely. Place a rack in a large pot, put the filled jars in, not touching each other, put pot cover on and bring to a boil for about 12 minutes.

 

5. Remove jam jars from pot and let cool on counter until completely cold. Jars will "ping" as they cool and seal.

 

6. Only refrigerate if jar has been opened.

 

 

Note: I made my jam with two cups of mashed strawberries and 1 1/4 cups sugar, and two tablespoons of lemon juice; boiled the mixture for 20 minutes or until temperature reaches 200 degrees. It made enough jam for a jar and a half.



Cheesecake cupcakes



 

12 vanilla wafers

8 oz. 1/3 less fat cream cheese

1/4 c sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

6 oz. fat free vanilla Greek yogurt

2 large egg whites

1 tsp. cornstarch

 

 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Line 12 muffin pans with cupcake liners. Place a vanilla wafer in each liner.

3. Beat cream cheese and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add vanilla, greek yogurt, egg whites and cornstarch and mix until combined.

4. Spoon equal amounts into cupcake liners. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on wire racks. When completely cool, place in refrigerator. Serve cold with fresh sliced strawberries and berries.





Summer Pasta Salad

5 oz. spiral pasta (I used GF rice pasta)

1/3 c sundried tomatoes (sliced into strips)

2 Tbsp. capers, drained

2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

1 1/2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil

salt & pepper

2 Tbsp. freshly shaved parmagiana-reggiano

1 cup spinach leaves

1 cup sliced grape tomatoes

 

1. Boil pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water and set aside.

2. Mix sundried tomatoes, capers, balsamic vinegar & olive oil in a container.

3. When ready to serve, pour dressing over pasta and toss. Season with salt & pepper. Add spinach leaves and grape tomatoes and serve.


Note: Eat all of the salad on the same day. We discovered that putting the leftovers in the fridge made the GF pasta hard. I don't know whether heating it up would have softened the pasta -- we just dumped the leftovers.



Garlic Dijon Herb Salmon

 

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp Herbs de Provence

1 tsp red wine vinegar

1 tsp olive oil

2 Tbsp dijon mustard

4 (6 oz) salmon pieces/ fillets

Salt & fresh ground pepper

 

 

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

 

2. Spray a baking sheet with vegetable oil. Place salmon pieces on pan, and salt and pepper them.

 

3. Mix garlic, Herbs de Provence, red wine vinegar, olive oil, and dijon mustard in a small bowl. Spoon one teaspoon of mixture on each salmon piece, and spread it over the top.

 

4. Bake salmon in oven for 15 - 18 minutes or until done to your satisfaction. Serve hot.

 





Granola, Oh, Granola

 

 

 

3 cups old fashioned oats

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup honey

3 Tbsp. brown sugar

1/4 cup sliced almonds

1/4 cup golden raisins or dried cranberries

salt

 

 

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

 

2. In a large bowl mix oats, vegetable oil, honey & brown sugar. It's easier if you use your hand.

 

3. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Spread oat mixture on parchment paper evenly.

 

4. Bake for 15 minutes, stirring every five minutes. When 15 minutes are up, add sliced almonds to oat mixture and return to pan for another 7 - 10 minutes, making sure to stir every five minutes. Make sure that you do not allow the granola to brown too much.

 

5. Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 15 minutes before you add the dried fruit and stir. Sprinkle some sea salt or pinch of cinnamon.

 

 

Note: This is a great snack. Wonderful on yogurt and sprinkled over ice cream as well.

 

 





Cauliflower Cheesy Bread

This is good. Experiment with seasonings to jazz it up.

 

1 cup cauliflower, grated

1 egg, beaten

1 cup shredded fresh mozzarella

1/2 cup cheddar or any other cheese

 

 

1. Preheat the oven to 360 degrees.

 

2. In a medium bowl mix the grated cauliflower, egg and shredded mozzarella until well blended.

 

3. Line a cookie tray with parchment paper and spray lightly with vegetable spray. Pour the cauliflower mixture into the lined pan and spread out into a rectangle shape.

 

4. Bake for 30 minutes. Once time is up, remove from oven, and flip the cheesy bread. Sprinkle cheddar cheese over the bread. Sprinkle your seasonings over the cheese (I used salt, pepper, garlic powder & rosemary), return to oven and bake for another 10 minutes.

 

5. Remove from oven and let sit for about 10 minutes before slicing into quarters. You can serve with marinara sauce or eat it on its own.



Balsamic Chicken and Roasted Vegetables

 

2 boneless chicken breasts, each sliced in half to make four breasts

3 medium carrot, sliced

2 cups of broccoli florets

1 medium sweet potato, sliced

10 spears of asparagus

1/2 red onion, quartered

salt & pepper

 

Marinade:

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 Tbsp. brown sugar

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 Tbsp. fresh rosemary, chopped

2 Tbsp. thyme or oregano

4 leaves sage, chopped or 1/2 tsp. dried sage

 

 

 

1. Preheat the oven to 365 degrees. Salt and pepper both sides of chicken breasts and place in a baking dish. Arrange onions around dish and set aside.

 

2. Drizzle some olive oil in a large baking dish. Arrange vegetables in the dish -- I kept the vegetables separate. Sprinkle salt & pepper and tosh vegetables.

 

3. Mix marinade ingredients together. Spoon half of marinade over chicken breasts, making sure to coat both sides. Spoon the other half of marinade over the vegetables, making sure to coat all sides.

 

4. Place both dishes in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Serve immediately.