Fudgy Black Bean Brownies

      Gluten free shmuten free, I can eat the yummiest brownies without any flour in my life. These are moist, fudgy and dense, and semi-guilt free. Not to mention you cannot even tell they're the healthier version!

       Just to keep you updated, this gluten free diet has made a huge difference for me. I feel more energized, I've had basically no headaches (compared to multiple a week) and my body just seems to feel way healthier and things are working more smoothly. I'll give it a couple more weeks before I change the focus of the blog completely, but don't be surprised when/if I do, because I have a feeling it's going to become Gourmet Taste for the (Gluten free) College buds. If you're thinking about trying out a gluten free diet I highly recommend it!

        I hadn't baked gluten free yet, and I figured it was about time because I was really craving chocolate. My friend Shelby, who is health conscious as well and is trying out a gluten free diet, shared this recipe with me with rave reviews and I totally second her opinion.
       My roommates all really liked them as well, and in unanimous agreement we thought the black beans were not even noticeable. I even made the same recipe at home with my mom the other day and she loved them.

        The success of this recipe has me contemplating trying other ones that previously had me a little sketched out.... Like chickpea muffins. Maybe those will be next! I have also heard about using avocado as a base for baking, and I can see that tasting prettttty good. We'll see what I come up with next ;)

       There are always options to make this recipe healthier. I followed it exactly, but if you are super health conscious you could try applesauce for oil, and some sort of sugar substitute.

Buff Chick Dip for the AFC Championship

        The Patriots beat the odds and made it to the AFC championship game, so a celebration was in order. A bunch of us got together to watch and everyone made food and drank beer (GF beer in my case, of course), you know how it goes. Unfortunately the final score was not in our favor, but it was still a good time watching!

        We had everything we needed.... chicken wings, loaded nachos, stuffed celery, all kinds of chips and salsa etc etc etc. I made buffalo chicken dip which is always a necessity at football parties, and the whole dish was gone before the end of the first quarter. It was so delicious, and super easy to make. And it's cheap using canned chicken meat but you don't have to tell anyone that ;)
        There's no way you can go wrong either. I mean it's chicken, cheese and buffalo wing sauce.....

          In most buff chick dips, all the ingredients are mixed together, but I decided to layer it so it has a nicer appearance. Not like it matters because it gets demolished in like five minutes anyways but still I like to try and make it look pretty :) I didn't get to take a picture after it came out of the oven and all the cheese on the top was melted because the kitchen/the entire house was hectic so there wasn't much time for blogging!

        So if you have a football party, or any type of gathering for that matter, you can't go wrong with buffalo chicken dip!

Rosemary Pork Chops w/ Apple and Brown Butter Sauce

      So I'm back to school to round out the last semester of my third year in college. It'll be a tough one, taking six classes and trying to squeeze in as much waitressing as I can, so I'll have to do the best I can fitting in some blogging time. Good healthy food sure helps with stress, and blogging is kinda therapeutic for me anyways, so I'm going to try to do it as much as I can.

This recipe will show you, we're off to a good start...

      Pork chops with apple sauce is a kind of old fashion, traditional meal I'm sure many of you will be familiar with. I like it, but it sure needed to be amped up a little bit and this is definitely the way to do it. I was sooooo happy with how it came out, I wish I had made 10x more. Its sweet and tart and delicious, and the quinoa absorbed the sauce really nicely, making it all go very well together.

And it's gluten free!! Without even having to try....score!

      Another bonus is the pork chops were on sale at the grocery store (as they often are), so this meal ended up being very budget friendly, and after getting a $185 speeding ticket on my way back to school, unfortunately I am having to be extra cost conscious!
      This meal doesn't take long, so it's great for a decently busy weeknight. Time constraints shouldn't sacrifice flavor! The leftovers heated up deliciously the next day, which I very much appreciated after a long day of classes. Sooooo yummy.

Recipe was altered from Allrecipes.com

Tilapia w/ Thai Coconut Curry Sauce

   Continuing on with the gluten free recipes, this one is definitely a winner. It was so flavorful and was a delicious way to dress up an otherwise bland tilapia. My mom and I cooked it together for a little dinner date and we couldn't get over how yummy it was. And gluten free. And healthy. And I am happy.

        The sauce was so good, and you can alter the amount of heat to your preference. It would also go great over chicken, and you can substitute the vegetables in the recipe for whatever you have on hand.

        Its got a good kick, but the sweetness of the brown sugar and coconut milk makes it a really delightful meal. Serve it with some brown rice, and I promise you'll be impressed!

Recipe altered from CookingLight.

Juicy, Healthy and Gluten Free Meatloaf w/ Flaxseed

     I loooooooove myself a good meatloaf, and anyone who claims they don't like it has never really tried it and just has that childish connotation that its the mystery meat in the cafeteria. I can agree, a loaf of meat doesn't sound like the most eye appealing dish in the world, but when you know how moist and tender and flavorful and oh-so-delicious it is, it starts to look pretty damn good.
     Recently we made one from a recipe from the Wheat Belly book and it was amazing. So tender and juicy, the flavor was great and it was healthier than your average one, because instead of using breadcrumbs, it called for healthy ground flaxseed, and of course we used lean ground beef.

         Featured above is my brother's plate where the meat to vegetable ratio is always slightly off balance, but being an active 17 year old boy, I think its ok. Especially when the meat is this delicious....... Jeeeez I wish we had leftovers!
         Honestly it was one of the best meatloafs that I've ever had, so I'm not missing the gluten too much yet! If these are the type of meals I'm eating, I am totally fine with that!

Recipe from WheatBelly Cookbook

Cauliflower Pizza and A Potential Change of Focus

     So the purpose of my blog in the first place was to post college friendly recipes - meaning cheap, healthy, and fairly easy/quick, but I think I might have to throw in another spin on that. I've had quite a bit of health and digestive problems my whole life, and medication and eating pretty healthy doesn't seem to change that, so my mom and I have both decided to try out of gluten free diet, thanks to some research, some public television presentations, advice from doctors and a book called Wheat Belly.

(Shown below is the Wheat Belly Cookbook, not the actual Wheat Belly book that goes more in depth about the side affects and health problems associated with consuming wheat. The book talks about just omitting wheat, but we've decided to just go all out gluten free, which includes wheat, rye and barley )

       
        This book goes through all the symptoms of someone who is really affected by ingesting wheat, and how excluding it from your diet can make some remarkable changes. So with fingers crossed my mom and I are going to embark on this gluten free (and potentially frustrating and annoying - but we'll deal with it) journey, and I'll see what recipes I can come up with and post on here. If all goes as planned and I notice a big difference in how I feel from avoiding all that is wheat/gluten, then I will change the focus of my blog to college cooking for the "glutards", as it's called.
       I had seen many recipes for a cauliflower crust pizza during my food-gawking-blog-searching internet escapades, and I figured that would be a good start. I mean it's pizza! So maybe I wouldn't feel so upset leaving behind my yummy whole wheat bread and easy frozen pizzas and pasta and all that is breaded and fried....if my first gluten free meal was a delicious pizza that didn't taste all so gluten free. And it didn't!
      Now it doesn't have the same doughy consistency of a normal pizza so if you just get that thought in your head it'll be an easier transition (not that its a bad consistency at all, I really liked it). It does have very similar flavor, if not better because the cauliflower is seasoned with dried herbs and garlic powder, so it tastes delicious.

       Even if you aren't gluten free/wheat free, this is a good option for a low carb, low calorie pizza substitute that is still just as delicious. It does take some more work than just throwing some sauce on a precooked dough, but to make it easier you can make them and bake them ahead of time and store them in the freezer for easier use on a busier night. So no excuses! (Though I'm sure I'll try to find some for myself during the next few beginning weeks of getting used to this way of eating....)

      After microwaving the cauliflower as it says in the directions, really make sure to ring out all of the moisture that you possibly can, so it doesn't end up steaming in there and it crisps up nicely!

Cauliflower Crust Pizza- GF

Click here for recipe found at tastykitchen.com