Jambalaya

Pregnancy is weird.  I always heard that you crave certain strange foods while you are pregnant, like pickles and ice cream...yuck.  I keep waiting for the food cravings to kick in, but it seems like I am still in the "food aversion" stage of this.  Sadly this means my cooking has been cut way back, as in I don't really cook dinner that much anymore.  My poor husband has been eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches most nights for dinner.

This weekend I was napping and started thinking about Jambalaya for some strange reason.  I woke up from my nap and went straight to the store for the ingredients before I decided to have an aversion to this idea...haha...I like to move on my ideas very quickly!  This recipe was actually pretty easy and turned out delicious!  It makes enough for 6-8 people for dinner.  You could also make it meatless and omit the chicken and sausage, use vegetable broth instead of the chicken broth, and add shrimp or black beans at the end.

Jambalaya

• 3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 lb. sausage, sliced into rounds
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts or 4-5 boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
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• 1 onion, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, cored and diced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, cored and diced
• 1 green bell pepper, cored and diced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped 
• 2 ribs celery, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
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• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1 (14 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 1/2 cups uncooked white jasmine or brown rice*
• 1 Tbsp. Cajun or Creole seasoning 
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp. dried thyme
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
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• (optional) 2 cup sliced okra

In large soup/stock pot heat the olive oil.  Add the sausage and brown 1-2 minutes.  Then add the chicken and cook 2-3 minutes until no longer pink.  Remove sausage and chicken from pan, leaving the fat in the pan.  

Add the chopped onions, peppers, celery and garlic to the pan.  Saute 5-7 minutes over medium high heat.  Add the meat back into the pan.  Add the chicken stock, canned tomatoes, rice and seasonings.  Stir to combine.  Cover with lid and cook over medium/low heat 30-40 minutes until rice is tender.  Stir every 5-8 minutes to ensure rice isn't sticking to the bottom and burning.  If your rice is not cooked through and the liquid is evaporated add some more water until rice is cooked.

Once rice is cooked add the okra, stir, and cook 5-10 minutes until okra is tender.  

* Brown rice takes longer to cook than white rice, and sometimes requires more liquid too...just keep an eye on it.

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Gluten Free Apple Crisp

Oh Fall!  So looking forward to you for so many reasons:

1)  Moving into my second trimester!  Everyone says the 2nd trimester is much better than the first...looking forward to not feeling yucky all the time!  Did I mention I was having a baby! : )  The little munchkin is the size of a lemon right now and we are grateful for his strong heartbeat (we do not know the gender, but will refer to the baby as "he" until it is born)

2)  THE WEATHER!  Fall weather makes me so happy!  It makes me want to be outside all the time!  I just want to go outside and take really long deep breathes of the delicious Fall air.   By far the best season of the year!  All my workouts must be outside now!

3)  Our 1 year marriage anniversary in November!  Dang, that was a fast year!  A good year, and somehow I love him more and more every darn day.  He is basically the best husband ever : )

4)  Our family Portugal Trip!  My parents and 2 of my siblings and I are travelling to Portugal for a tour led by my Aunt.  We are looking forward to it!  I am really looking forward to the food!

5)  THE BAKING!  Oh so many things to bake in the Fall.  Next on my list is apple fritters...doesn't that sound divine?

My pregnancy has given me some really lovely heartburn and indigestion...yuck.  Gluten doesn't help it, so I am trying to stay away from it for a while.  I know I should also stay away from sugar, but at this point most of my food groups are off limits so I am just eating what I can.

Gluten Free Apple Crisp Recipe

5 apples, peeled, cored and sliced thin (I used Pink Lady and Honey Crisp)
1 TBS apple juice (or lemon)
1/2 tsp corn starch
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 TBS honey
pinch of cloves

Crisp Topping:
1/4 cup almond flour
1/4 cup rice flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup old fashioned oats
1 stick butter diced

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Grease an 8x8 cake pan.  Toss the filling ingredients together and set aside.  Place all of the crisp ingredients into a mixing bowl and mix until combined and crumbly.  Sprinkle a small layer of the crisp on the bottom of the pan.  Pour in filling and spread evenly.  Top with the remaining crisp topping.  Bake 30-40 minutes until crisp.  Serve warm with fresh whipped cream, mascarpone cheese, or ice cream.  This made really delicious leftovers too...if there are any!

Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Pancakes that happen to be gluten free!

I don't know about you, but my weekend never feels complete unless I have partaken in the eating of pancakes or waffles at least once.  It is just so nice to have a break from my regular oatmeal or smoothie that I eat during the week.  Andrew always makes fun of me though because as soon as I finish eating said pancakes or waffles I immediately start complaining about how my body is in carb overload and how I need to just go back to bed.  Haha such a vicious cycle : ), but totally worth it.

I have tried a few gluten free pancake recipes and most of them taste like yuck and the texture is just awkward...so I was so happy to find a recipe that actually tasted delicious!  I have also been in the Fall mood with the very slight drop in temperature so decided these pancakes must have apples!

"Everything can have drama if it's done right. 

Even a pancake." - Julia Child

Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Pancakes
adapted from fitfoodiefinds.com

Mix together the following ingredients:

1 apple diced small (I peeled mine, but feel free to leave the peel on if you want)
1 cup oat flour (grind the oats in a food processor or blender until fine)
1/3 cup quick cook oats or regular oats
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon

In separate small bowl mix together these ingredients then add to the above:

2 eggs
1/2 cup milk or milk alternative (almond, rice, cashew, etc...)
2 TBS honey

After wet and dry ingredients are mixed add and mix until combined:

2 TBS coconut oil melted

Cook on hot griddle coated with butter or coconut oil.  Enjoy with hot maple syrup and a chunk of butter.