Fighting Flare

Cinnamon Cookies

With Valentine's Day rapidly approaching, I'm feeling like I better take a break from Super Bowl snacks and get some SCD-legal sweets up on this blog, so today we're going to talk cinnamon cookies.  Sweets are a little tricky for a holiday like Valentine's Day where everything revolves around chocolate and candy hearts because, unfortunately, chocolate is not SCD-legal and neither are candy hearts.  That being said, there are still some amazing SCD-legal sweets to be had and these cookies fit the bill.  They are delicious.  They are the ones I made for the Super Bowl and everyone devoured them. 

I like these cookies because they taste great and the recipe always works.  I wish I could say I was the genius behind this wonderful recipe, but alas, I'm just a follower.  You can find the recipe, and lots of other great SCD-friendly recipes on Comfy Belly at this link here: COMFY BELLY CINNAMON COOKIES

For the Super Bowl party, I wanted to make a big batch, so I used my melon baller to scoop dough for lots of teeny tiny cookies.  I used a fork to press a cross-hatch pattern into half of them and decided to try a "thumbprint" cookie with the other half.  I used the back of my melon baller to make the "thumbprints" and then filled them with homemade blueberry jam.  So good!  For Valentine's Day, you could make the thumbprints with strawberry or raspberry jam to bring in some red.

At Christmas time, I rolled the dough into a log and kept it in the freezer so I could make slice-and-bake cookies on demand...'cause sometimes you need a cookie on demand.  This worked extremely well.  All you do is roll the dough into a log, wrap it in parchment and then seal it with plastic wrap.   When you're ready to use it, just cut slices and bake. (You may need to thaw the dough a little to make cutting easier.)

The recipe calls for blanched almond flour, so for best results I use Honeyville almond flour.  It makes a nice chewy cookie.  I've also made these with Bob's Red Mill almond flour which is much easier to find, but it makes a more chunky cookie with an oatmeal cookie texutre.  Both are delicious.  I keep meaning to try them with the cheap Trader Joe's almond meal to see what happens...I bet they will still work.  I'll keep you posted.

The only other change I make from the original recipe is in the baking process.  The recipe says to bake the cookies at 275 degrees and then flip them and continue baking at 175 degrees.  I haven't found this to be necessary and just bake them at 275 without flipping.  I do sometimes leave them in the oven after I've turned it off to crisp them up a bit more, but they are awesome no matter what I do.  Can't seem to mess them up. I love recipes like that.

So, there you have it.  The best SCD-legal cookies I've come across so far.  My daughter and all of her friends love them, so I can't ask for more than that.  :)

I hope you'll give them a try and let me know what you think.  Do you have a favorite SCD cookie that you'd like to share?  Feel free to leave links or recipes in the comments!   XOXO, Cindi

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Jalapeno Cheddar "Corn Dog" Muffins

Continuing my recap of SCD-legal, snacky, party-food recipes from last weekend's Super Bowl extravaganza, I now bring you the sweet and savory...Jalapeno Cheddar "Corn Dog" Muffin. 

They couldn't be easier to make...you just whip up the batter, pop in a bit of hotdog and bake.  I also did some without hotdogs because we had some non-meat-eaters amongst us.  I've mentioned in several previous posts that we do use Applegate Organic chicken sausages sometimes...so, now I'm going to admit that I also use their organic all-beef hot dogs on occasion.  (They appear to be SCD-safe, although I have not gotten confirmation from Applegate...still waiting to see if they will ever answer my forum question about their spices.)  Anyway, the hot dogs tend to be a tad rubbery in my opinion, not my favorite hot dogs, but they are better than no hot dogs, and they work really well in this recipe.  I served them with some homemade ketchup.  Honey mustard would be good too.

The biscuits cook up unbelieveable well considering they are made with almond flour...

The inspiration for this recipe actually comes from an almond flour biscuit recipe I found somewhere a while back.  I'm so sorry, I can't find the original source, but if I come across it again, I'll definitely link up.  I always thought it tasted more like cornbread than a biscuit, so it's perfect for these muffins. 

INGREDIENTS:

2 1/2 cups blanched almond flour

1/2 t. sea salt

1/2 t. baking soda

1/4 c. butter, melted (you can sub coconut oil or whatever fat you like)

1/4 c. honey

2 eggs

1 t. lemon juice

1 jalapeno, seeds removed, finely minced

1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

3-4 hotdogs, each cut into 6 pieces

 

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Line mini-muffin tins with paper liners.

2. Mix all ingredients.

3. Drop about a tablespoon of batter into each cup to fill halfway.

4. Press a hotdog piece into the center of the batter in each tin...you want the batter to rise up around the hot dog to mostly fill the liner.

5. Bake about 14 minutes until golden brown or a toothpick in the center comes out clean.

NOTES:

• Honey burns at a much lower temperature than sugar, so if your muffins start to get too brown too quickly, turn your heat down to 300 degree and continue cooking.  You can also rotate your pan half-way through cooking.

• If you just want to make jalapeno cheddar "corn bread" biscuits, mix everything up as directed, but instead of using muffin tins, drop spoonfuls of batter onto a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake as directed.  The biscuits are also great for strawberry shortcake if you leave out the jalapeno and cheddar. 

• Make sure you use a good blanched almond flour such as Honeyville...I resisted it for a long time, because I can't find it locally and have to order it online, but it really does make a huge difference for baking.  If you use a different nut flour, your results will not be the same as mine.  They may still be good, but most other nut flours are more coarse and your muffins will be more "rustic"...heavier, dense, possibly chunky...LOL.

That's all there is to it.  Let me know how they turn out!  Thanks for stopping by.  XOXO, Cindi

Spinach Artichoke Dip with Mushrooms, Onions and Roasted Red Peppers

Whew!  What a week...still recovering from Super Bowl mania.  As promised in my Deceptively Decadent Super Bowl Snack round-up last week, I'm sharing recipes for all of the delicious SCD-legal Super Bowl snacks that I made for the big day.  Better late than never, right?  You can enjoy these year-round, so don't wait for the next Super Bowl to dig in.

I'm starting off with my favorite recipe of the bunch...my version of Spinach Artichoke Dip.  This has to be my favorite hot dip of all time. I love how it turned out.  I was inspired by a spinach dip recipe I found on I Wash...You Dry, which unlike many dips, did not have cream cheese as a base. 

Among my many tweaks, I used fresh swiss chard instead of frozen spinach....cause that's what I had in my fridge.  I also used a bag of frozen artichoke hearts instead of canned...per SCD rules.  I wanted more veggies in this dip, so I added a chopped onion, chopped mushrooms and chopped roasted red peppers.  For the cheese, I kept the parm, but swapped in provolone for mozzarella and used fresh garlic instead of garlic powder.  The results were hot, cheese-y and supremely gratifying.  I served it with pork rinds, but it was equally delicious with raw veggies to dip in.

And it was really easy to make!  I started off by sauteeing mushrooms and onion in butter and olive oil over medium heat until soft.  Don't like mushrooms?  Just leave them out.  It's your dip.

Then I added garlic and stirred it in until I could just smell the garlic.  (Never let garlic burn or it will turn bitter.)  On top of that, I piled on the greens and cooked just until they wilted.

Finally, I piled on the artichoke hearts and roasted red peppers, mixed it all together and took it off the heat to cool.  Doesn't that look yummy already??

While my veggies were cooling down, I stacked, sliced and finely chopped some provolone slices into "shreds." (Again, cause that's what I had in my fridge and I was making it work.)

 Finally, I mixed in the cheese and mayo and poured it all into a glass baking dish.  I sprinkled some extra cheese on top and popped it in the oven.

About twenty minutes later, I had this...

And this is what it looks like on a pork rind, heading towards your mouth...

Now if you aren't already hungry enough, I will tell you that this stuff was amazing slathered on top of broiled salmon and makes a great pilaf if you mix it with rice or "riced" cauliflower...just sayin'...not that I ate a ton of it or anything.  Now go make some yourself and let me know what you think!  Next up, I'll share my mini "corn-dog" recipe, so check back again soon!  XOXO, Cindi

 

INGREDIENTS:

2 T. butter

2 T. olive oil

1 onion, diced

12 mushrooms, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 bunch fresh greens (spinach, shard, kale), washed, de-stemmed and finely chopped

1 bag (12 oz.) frozen artichoke hearts, finely chopped

1 roasted red pepper, diced.

1 c. mayo

1 c. Parmesan cheese, grated

1 1/2 c. provolone cheese, shredded

 

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Sautee onions in olive oil and butter until just sweating.  Stir in mushrooms and cook until soft.

2. Add garlic, stir just until you smell the garlic, then add the greens and cook until wilted.

3. Stir in the artichokes and roasted red pepeprs, remove from heat and let cool.

4. Mix in mayo and most of the cheese - set aside a few tablespoons of parm and about 1/4 cup provolone to sprinkle on top.  Salt to taste.  Pour into 8x8 glass baking dish, sprinkle with reserved cheeses.

5. Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes.

 

28 Deceptively Decadent Super Bowl Snacks That Won't Twist Your Gut

Seahawks Super Bowl excitement is reaching a fevered pitch here in Seattle this week.  I don't even care about football and I'm excited... 'cause it's an excuse for a party!!  And everyone knows that Super Bowl parties are all about the food and the commercials, right??  This will be our first Super Bowl on the SCD, so I've been scouring Pinterest for awesome snacks to celebrate and thought I'd share my favorite ooey, gooey, cheesey, drool-worthy SCD-legal snacks.  The gang's all here...nachos, buffalo wings, blooming onions, pizza, guacamole, dips...I don't even know where to start.

Wait, did someone say NACHOS? I love the idea of building a massive plate of nachos on top of pork rinds, bacon or mini bell peppers.  Topped with shredded chicken, ground meat, olives, cheese, guac, diced tomatoes, green onions, chopped cilantro, SCD yogurt or whatever you like...they will be every bit as indulgent as the ones that start with corn chips.

And speaking of GUACAMOLE...the possibilities are endless...I love the idea of serving it with grilled shrimp or in tiny little bacon cups. And guac deviled eggs...mmmm.

But wait, here's some more DEVILED EGGS! Bacon Jalapeno, Buffalo Chicken and even football shaped eggs are irresistable.

Need something else to stuff?  How about MUSHROOMS? I'm drooling over the Brie Stuffed Shrooms and am loving the idea of a French Onion Soup stuffed shroom...and then there's always the Pizza Stuffed Mushroom...

And speaking of PIZZA...It is totally possible to make a satisfying pizza using almond flour or cauliflower for the crust...BBQ Chicken, Grilled Chicken and Blue Cheese, Market Mediterranean and Cauliflower cheese sticks all look good to me...I'll have one of each, please!

Oops...did I skip right over BUFFALO CHICKEN?  Here it is served up in all kinds of new ways...homemade hot dogs, meatballs, pizza and cauliflower bites, oh my!

But wait, there's more...you didn't think I'd skip over chips and dip did you?  Whet your whistle for crunch with some pork rinds...perfect for dipping into spinach artichoke dip, vidalia onion dip or cheese-y queso fundido.  And what's not to love about a blooming onion??

And when in doubt, don't forget that BACON is awesome wrapped around just about anything...jalapeno poppers, avocado, shrimp, dates, your shoe...j/k.

Hard to believe that every last one of those decadent party foods is or can easily be made SCD legal!  Who says we can't still enjoy our food?  Just go easy if you're not fully in remission...I don't want to be responsible for a jalapeno induced flare.  Still not sure which of these I'll be bringing to the party this weekend, but I'm leaning hard towards the spinach artichoke dip and the brie stuffed mushrooms.  And I'm definitely testing out the pork rind nacho concept for happy hour tonight.  And maybe the blooming onion...too awesome not to try.  ;)

For all the recipes and my notes about how to tweak ingredients if necessary, just check out my SCD Snack Attack board on Pinterest.  Or click the links in the post to go straight to the recipe source.  Have a great Super Bowl weekend!!  Go Hawks!!  XOXO, Cindi

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