Fresh Summer Lumpias

I learned this recipe from my father-in-law who is a retired chef and a native Filipino! This would be a perfect lunch on the go, especially on a summer day. You can fill the lumpias with ANY ingredients. This is a method, not a recipe.

Ingredients:
Rice Paper or Tapioca Sheets
Cooked Chicken, Shrimp or both, thinly sliced
Green leaf lettuce
Daikon Raddish, julienned
Cucumber, julienned
Carrots, jullienned
Avocado, sliced
Garlic, thinly sliced
Fresh mint or basil
Peanuts, Almonds, or Walnuts, chopped
Soy Sauce, Oyster Sauce, and/or Thai Chili Garlic Paste (for dipping)

Directions:
1. Soak the rice paper or tapioca sheets in water to soften.
2. Lay the sheet on a plate. Place the lettuce down on one side, followed by all other toppings except for dipping sauce.
3. Roll up the sheet into an egg roll-type wrap.

4. Set aside to dry slightly.
5. Serve cold with dipping sauces.

Chocolate Crinkles

Ingredients:
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 squares (4 oz) unsweetened chocolate, melted
2 cups granulated sugar
4 egg replacements
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups Bob's Red Mill Baking Mix
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup confectioner's sugar

Directions:
1. Mix oil, chocolate, and granulated sugar.
2. Blend in one egg at a time until smooth.

3. Add vanilla.
4. Stir flour, baking powder and salt into oil mixture.

5. Chill several hours or overnight.

6. Heat oven to 350.
7. Drop tsp of dough into confectioner's sugar. Roll in sugar, shape into balls.
8. Place about 2 inches apart on greased baking sheet.

9. Bake 10-12 minutes.
DO NOT OVERBAKE

As you can see, some of the sugar stayed visible, but much of it baked in. My dough was a little too wet. I'm not sure if that was because of my ingredient replacements either with the flour or the egg replacements, which are very liquidy. You may want to add another 1/4 to 1/3 cup flour to see if you can get the powdered sugar to stay on the outside of the cookie.

Wheat and Egg-Free Cut-Out Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:
1 lb margarine
1 lb/2 1/4 cups sugar (I used unprocessed sugar, like sugar in the raw, which gave my cookies a "whole-grain" look)
4 tsp baking powder
2 lbs/6 cups Bob's Red Mill Baking Mix
4 egg replacements

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Mix together margarine, sugar, eggs, then flour and baking powder. Don't add all the flour right away, save some to roll in and work in.

3. Roll out the dough and use cookie cutters to cut out your favorite holiday shapes.

4. Bake until the edges are golden brown (about 8-10 min).

Fried Chicken

Ingredients:

Chicken breasts, sliced in half to make them thin
Canola oil
Soy milk
Garbanzo flour
Gluten-free Corn Flake Crumbs
Salt and Pepper
Ground Chipotle

Amounts of everything will differ depending on how much you want to make.

1. Mix together garbanzo flour, corn flake crumbs, salt, pepper and ground chipotle, place in bowl. In another bowl, pour in soy milk. Set the bowls along side your frying pan.

2. Heat oil in a deep pan about 1/4-inch deep.
3. Bathe chicken in soy milk, then flour mixture, then place in hot oil.

4. Cook 2-3 minutes on each side, then remove from oil and place on paper towel lined plate to drain and cool.

Cornbread Stuffing with Apples and Bacon

I know that Thanksgiving has come and gone, but this delicious stuffing is so enjoyable, you'll end up wanting to make it for Sunday dinner too!

 *Recipe from Sprouts Farmer's Market

Ingredients:
6 cups Pamela's Cornbread, cubed 1/2-inch to 1-inch, made in advance and dried out for a few days

10 ounces bacon, chopped into 1/4-inch pieces
4 Tbsp butter
2 small yellow onions, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
2 fuji apples, peeled, cored and chopped
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Leaves from 12 sprigs thyme, finely chopped
Leaves from 2 sprigs sage, finely chopped
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Directions:
1. Fry bacon until crisp, remove from pan and set aside.

2. Add butter to the pan and melt. Add onion and celery, saute until golden brown, about 6-8 minutes.
3. Add apples, walnuts, thyme and sage and cook until the apples soften, about 4-5 minutes.

4. Toss in a large bowl with cornbread cubes, broth and cayenne pepper. Mix well.

5. Pour into a buttered baking dish. Cover in foil and bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes.
6. Remove foil and continue baking until the top turns golden, about 20 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

Low Carb Zucchini Muffins

I adapted this recipe I found on Food Network's website. The recipe was originally from George Stella.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups Bob's Red Mill Biscuit and Baking Mix
1/2 cup small diced zucchini
3 eggs or egg replacements
3/4 heavy cream, or soy coffee creamer
1/2 cup club soda
1/3 cup sugar or sugar substitute
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon

 This is the egg replacement powder after the water has been added.

 Soy coffee creamer.

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease a 12 cup muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray or butter. Sprinkle a little flour mix into each cup.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together all the ingredients until completely blended. Fill each muffin cup with an ice cream scooper and bake for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until tops start to brown.

4. The muffins are done when lightly browned and a wooden toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Remove and let cool before taking out of the pan.

Bacon-Wrapped Asparagus

This is a hit at my husband's workplace potlucks. I don't know why; maybe it's the bacon???

Ingredients:
2 bunches asparagus
1 package bacon
Toothpicks

Directions:
1. Cut the ends off the bottom of the asparagus.
2. Wrap the bacon around 3 stalks of asparagus. (You can do more or less, I just find this seems to kinda, sorta help cancel the calories in the bacon by having a few more greens)

3. Secure the bacon with toothpicks.
4. Grill bacon-wrapped asparagus on medium heat until the bacon is done.