Celiac Handbook » Family Fresh Cooking

Creamy Banana Blueberry Milkshakes from Family Fresh Cooking

Chris — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 05:11:04 +0000

While it hasn’t been exactly hot lately (unless you live in the southern hemisphere), a milkshake is a treat that will lift the spirits of any kid or grown-up immediately. Best of all, it doesn’t have to be unhealthy. This version from Marla Meridith of Family Fresh Cooking has to be one of the heartiest looking shakes I’ve ever seen. I mean look at that cream coming off the top, this is almost a meal in itself. The goat’s milk is a tasty option as would be my favorite, coconut milk. I also think it would be fine without any added sweeteners, but then again, I don’t like things too sweet. Marla’s featured some great additional add-ins like pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and nutmeg, all of which sound amazing. Another great add-in as well as a great way to sneak some veggies to your kids is a handful of spinach — other than the added green color, they’ll never notice it as it doesn’t add a lot of flavor.

“I hope you guys love milkshakes as much as we do. With the steamy summer days that have been sweeping the USA a little relief from a creamy dreamy shake would be nice huh! Take out your favorite magazines, set up the kiddie pool pull up a lounge chair and let’s have some shakes…

Recently via my friend Barbara from the blog Creative Culinary brought my attention to a fun food event called Goaterie. “A group of people with shared interests in goat.” One eyebrow raised. And then the other. Time to get my goat on. I have always been a big fan of goat cheese, my Berry Goat Cheese Pizzas are proof of that. It was time to experiment with more….much more.

The frozen bananas blended with milk, in this case goats milk tastes like rich half melted ice cream. Amazing. If you are vegan go with coconut milk, almond or rice milk…”

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Chai Carrot Pear Muffins (Vegan & Gluten-Free) from Family Fresh Cooking

Chris — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 06:11:04 +0000

Photography by Marla Meridith

I’ve probably mentioned more than a few times that I love anything chai flavored. I drink chai tea on a daily basis, I’ve made just about chai inspired dessert known to man (maybe a little exaggeration there), and I’ll go way out of my way to get the right ingredients to fulfill this need (or obsession) that I have.

When I saw this combination of flavor from Marla Meridith of Family Fresh Cooking I was intrigued. Carrot, pear, and chai isn’t something that I’ve tried before — until now. These muffins turned out brilliantly and are something that everyone in the house (both gluten-free and not) devoured within a few hours of being out of the oven.

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“Do you remember that Chai Carrot Pear Sauce recipe I posted a few months ago? There was such a great response to it which made me really happy because it was soooooo tasty! You know what is even better….enjoying that sauce as is and then using it in these muffins!

With 2012 around the bend you know I will be sharing a slew of healthy recipes to keep your taste buds happy and your waistline slim. Let’s go make some muffins!…”

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Wild Mushroom Sauté with Bacon, Herbs and Gluten-Free Cous Cous from Family Fresh Cooking

Chris — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 03:22:31 +0000

I so agree with Marla Meridith of Family Fresh Cooking about the satisfaction you get hunting for your food. She has a great post talking about a wild mushroom hunt just outside Telluride, Colorado. Beyond the satisfaction of finding your own food in the wild, just the thought of being in Telluride would make me happy. She’s one lucky girl — living the life in one of the most beautiful spots in the U.S. and having access to such great food grown in the wild. Meanwhile, I’m sitting here in L.A. roasting in the summer heat living vicariously thorough people like Marla. Thank you Marla :)

Photos by Marla Meridith

“Last summer my awesome pal Chris proposed a wild mushroom hunt up in Lizard Head just outside Telluride. Since I never venture off piste the grand forage never happened. It was on my mind all year to get out there and do it. The day after we arrived this trip we made it happen. Mushroom hunting is a blast! Have you ever done it? It is amazing to hunt for your own food…”

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Peanut Butter Banana Cream Pie Parfaits from Family Fresh Cooking

Chris — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 22:39:47 +0000

Photo by Marla Meridith

I almost feel like an apology is in order as I’ve been posting so many desserts lately — but I won’t apologize be cause they are all so so good. Spread them out and only make one or two a week and you’ll be fine :)

If you haven’t been hearing about the many tributes for Mikey using his favorite dessert, a peanut butter cream pie — read through this post on In Jennie’s Kitchen for what is a very sad but touching story about love and friendship.

Marla Meridith of Family Fresh Cooking has posted this delicious looking recipe for a Peanut Butter Cream Pie Parfait that I’m sure would make anyone you love smile.

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“These little peanut butter banana cream pie parfaits are for Mikey. For Jennie. For their two little girls. They were created to honor a family who has lost a daddy, a husband, a great man. By now most of you have heard the sad news that Jennie Perillo lost her husband suddenly last week. In an instant a man with a vibrant life was gone. Just like that. This was not planned, prepared for or thought about. Jennie has asked that we honor him by making a Peanut Butter Pie and sharing it with our loved ones. She gave the order I am here to serve……

Last Monday was bone chilling. I was out on my daily hike glancing at the Twitter feed. In real time we started the day together with very sad news. Jennifer Perillo lost her husband. Time stands still when we lose those we love. On Monday August 8th Twitter became something we are not used to. It is usually a casual place to talk about life’s little things…..”I ate this or that.” “I went for a run & now I feel great!” “Hey friends guess what? We are pregnant!” (I am not pregnant, just saying’ those are the kinds of tweets we see regularly)…”

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Fruit and Egg Quinoa Breakfast Parfaits from Family Fresh Cooking

Chris — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 20:35:51 +0000

Breakfast has to be one of my favorite meals of the day, followed closely by dinner, and then lunch a very distant third. Besides my steady diet of bacon and eggs in the morning, I love making different yogurt concoctions adding in just about anything I have on hand, especially berries and nuts (my favorites are walnuts, pecans, and macadamias). One thing I’ve never considered adding is quinoa — it’s something I may just have to give a try. This recipe for a Fruit and Egg Quinoa Breakfast Parfait from Marla Meridith of Family Fresh Cooking calls for not only quinoa, but an egg as well. This is yet another high energy breakfast that might just make it into my morning routine.

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Photo by Marla Meridith

“Quinoa is HOT these days. People are loving it served up savory, sweet and everywhere in between. They like it in salads and for breakfast. It is a grain-like crop that is actually a tasty seed. It is high in protein and adapts well to sauces, seasonings, spices and all kinds of mix-in’s. Recently I shared my recipes for Wild Salmon with Basil Aioli and Quinoa, and BLT-A Quinoa Salad. Today I am bringing you a sweet little jars of it that you can enjoy for breakfast or mini-meals…”

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Lemon Basil Ice Cream from Family Fresh Cooking

Chris — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 02:46:05 +0000

This is the second post for a lemon inspired desert from Marla Meridith’s Family Fresh Cooking that I’ve posted in recent months. With both lemon and basil, how could you possibly go wrong? I can’t say that I’ve had ice cream with basil, but it sounds really really good.

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“I am thrilled to be paying a visit to Marla and Family Fresh Cooking today. This is one of my favorite blogs because not only do I adore Marla as a friend, but her cooking and recipes are right up my alley. I’m going to share one of my favorite summer recipes with you, with ingredients straight from my garden and my chicken coop, and perfect for this summer heat. It turns the idea of a sweet treat on its head a bit by adding something savory to the mix– it’s Lemon Basil Ice Cream!…”

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BLT Quinoa Salad from Family Fresh Cooking

Chris — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 00:40:59 +0000

Bacon, lettuce, and tomato. These have to be some of the most perfect ingredients for just about any dish. There’s the obvious choice like sandwiches, then as Marla Meridith of Family Fresh Cooking points out, it’s great in pasta too (gluten-free pasta of course), but she’s changing it up a little and adding it to quinoa — what a great idea. I’ve often used quinoa as a substitute for pasta and it has never let me down. I’ve never had it not work for me. Best of all, besides being gluten-free, it is actually grain-free as it is technically a seed. What are your favorite uses of quinoa?

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“A BLT is a great thing. Traditionally it is served between 2 pieces of bread. The same ingredients are delish in pasta too, as Vanderbilt Wife does in her BLC Pasta Salad. *Hi* Jessie, I am your Secret Recipe Club pal this month. Surprise! Your pasta looks awesome and I have changed it up a bit. Instead of pasta I am using gluten free quinoa and instead of cucumber I am using something else green….creamy avocado…”

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Lemonade Cucumber Spa Popsicles from Family Fresh Cooking

Chris — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 15:19:53 +0000

I love anything with lemon in it. I put it in nearly every glass of water I drink, I put it on chicken, I put it on salad, and countless other things that I won’t bore you with. Then there are desserts with lemon — the first one that comes to mind is sorbet, and again, there are so many things that I won’t list here that come to mind that work well with it. My kids and I have been making our own popsicles for several years now, we use everything from apples to oranges to yogurt or kefir, and of course lemon. We’ve added just about everything you could possibly imagine with it, but we’ve never thought to add cucumber. Leave it to Marla Meridith of Family Fresh Cooking to come up with something that works so well.

I can’t wait to try this out on the kids. I can hear my 8-year old with her skepticism about the weird green stuff inside of the popsicle, but if I can get her to drink a green spinach lemonade smoothie (and like it), I’m sure I can get her to try this (and like it).

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“OK, I just woke up from that dream. Since I am not heading off to a spa anytime soon, I brought the spa to me. You know that yummy cucumber-lemon water that fancy health clubs and spas have? Here is that quenching water sweetened and frozen into pop form. Just close your eyes and pretend for one blissful moment that you are at the spa.

This recipe also qualifies for Summer Fest. I have been inspired by this lively group to create all kinds of recipes using Summer’s finest fruits and veggies. In my last post I shared a favoritezucchini salad. In this post I give you sweet. The two featured vegetables of the week are cucumber and zucchini.

I had fun going savory with the zucchini and I need something sweet for dessert. I like to keep things light. These fruity, citrus pops are the great finale to any meal. They are great for steamy days at the pool or just lounging in your favorite chair dreaming about the spa…”

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Gluten-Free Mango Muffins from Family Fresh Cooking

Chris — Mon, 23 May 2011 06:16:51 +0000

Inspired by the one and only Elana of Elana’s Pantry, Marla Meridith of Family Fresh Cooking has discovered the joys of cooking with almond flour — and what a joy it truly is. Almond flour as well as coconut flour are hands down the most healthy of the gluten-free flours available. They add a wonderful flavor as well as a very low carb footprint — what more could you ask for?

Elana uses almond flour. Marla is now using almond flour. If you haven’t tried almond flour, I can’t sing its praises enough.

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“Mango is a sweet and tangy fruit that we love to eat on it’s own, in baked goodies and sweet-savory sauces. This tender, moist muffin I came up with is decadent, satisfying and fueled with high-energy ingredients. I finally got my hands on a jumbo five pound bag of blanched almond flour, a gluten free ingredient I learned about from my friend Elana of Elana’s Pantry. She said it was great, her readers agree and it was time for me to try it too.

With my lower carb lifestyle and the constant need for energy sustainable foods, almond flour is a great choice. It is a protein and healthy fat power house. As much as I like a handful of almonds as a snack I would much rather have a muffin. All the benefits of the almonds are in the flour. They are simply ground up.

The tagline over at Elana’s blog says “Healthy Gluten Free Recipes.” Without a doubt her recipes are healthy, but also jam packed with delicious flavors. She combines whole foods with great attention to detail, also with amazing simplicity. She stays true the integrity of each and every ingredient. Her recipes are easy to follow and you don’t need a gazillion hard to find foods…”

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Double Chocolate Banana Scones (Vegan and Gluten Free) from Family Fresh Cooking

Chris — Wed, 18 May 2011 05:57:04 +0000

I’ve been running into Marla Meridith of Family Fresh Cooking more and more lately. The last time was a couple of weeks ago at the book signing party for food photographer/blogger extraordinaire, Matt Armendariz — he was promoting his new book, On a Stick (not a gluten-free book).

As always, Marla and I get deep into discussion about gluten-free food and food photography — two things that will always get me talking to no end. One thing that came up was an event called the Food Blogger Bake Sale in which bloggers from across the U.S. are baking up their finest treats to sell and raise money for the one of my favorite charities, Share Our Strength (I like them so much, they get a banner at the top of this site :) The event was held on Saturday, May 14 at BLD in Los Angeles. Marla was going to be there selling her gluten-free Double Chocolate Banana Scones which by all accounts are absolutely amazing. I’m not sure how many gluten-free bloggers participated in the event, but I’d be willing to bet there were a few. This is definitely an event I’ll be following and seeing if I can get more of the gluten-free community involved in.

I’m sure Marla sold out of these scones very quickly as every recipe that I’ve tried of hers has been nothing short of fabulous. Whether you try this recipe yourself or buy a version of these at a bake sale, you will be a very happy person.

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“I hope you enjoy these chocolatey scones. The darker the chocolate the better for me, but milk or white chocolate would be super tasty too! I was tossed over whether to name these Double Chocolate Cookie Bars or Scones, but the texture was a bit more scone. They are dense, but soft at the same time with lots of chocolate flavor and a hint of banana…”

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