Lemon Layer Cake With Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

My friend Michelle brought this delicious cake over on Easter and not only was it beautiful and delicious, but I could hardly believe it was also gluten-free!  You'd never know it!  If you love lemon, you are going to love this cake!

Enjoy!
Kirsten

LEMON LAYER CAKE WITH LEMON CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

1 1/2 cups sugar
1 stick unsalted butter
3 large eggs
1/2 cup sour cream (at room temperature)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups gluten-free flour blend
3 tablespoons corn starch
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

Frosting:

2 sticks salted butter
8 ounces cream cheese (at room temperature)
1 pound powdered sugar (4 cups)
1 lemon

1)  Preheat oven to 350F.

2)  Beat the sugar and butter, then add the eggs, one at a time, then the sour cream and vanilla.

3)  Add the dry ingredients and mix well.

4)  Pour batter into 2 - 8" round, greased and floured cake pans.

5)  Bake 27 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

6)  Let cool completely, then cut each layer in half, for a total of 4 layers.

7)  Frost each layer with the lemon cream cheese frosting (below) and garnish with lemon peels if desired.

For the frosting:

1)  Mix the butter and cream cheese until well blended.

2)  Slowly add in 2 cups of the powdered sugar.

3)  Add the zest of the entire lemon into the frosting, then add the juice of the whole lemon.

4)  Add the rest of the powdered sugar and mix well.

NOTES:

~My friend used Trader Joe's brand of gluten-free flour blend, but you can use your favorite blend and I'm sure it will turn out great.

~You can use non-fat Greek yogurt in place of the sour cream - it turns out pretty much the same and cuts the calories a bit!

 




 

Maple-Glazed Pork Loin with Rosemary, Thyme and Green Onions

Tried this recipe tonight for dinner and it was sweet and yummy!  My kids even loved it!  I served it with a side of noodles with butter, garlic salt and Parmesan cheese and a salad.  Super easy and delicious!

Enjoy!
Kirsten

PS: The recipe comes from The Gluten-Free Table cookbook written by Jilly Lagasse and Jessie Lagasse Swanson (Emeril's daughters)

MAPLE-GLAZED PORK LOIN WITH ROSEMARY, THYME AND GREEN ONIONS

1 boneless pork loin (between 2 and 2 1/2 pounds)
Kosher salt
Fresh ground black pepper
1 cup chopped green onions (about 5)
2/3 cups maple syrup
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves, minced
2 teaspoons dried thyme

1)  Preheat oven to 375F.

2)  Remove, as best you can, the pork "silver", the shiny film of muscle or tendon that is sometimes on the edge of the pork loin.  Sprinkle the salt and pepper evenly over the pork and place it in a 13x9-inch baking dish.

3)  In a small bowl, mix the green onions, maple syrup, rosemary and thyme.  Pour over the pork loin and place the baking dish in the oven.

4)  Cook for 40-50 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 145F.  Be sure to baste or turn the roast every 15 minutes.

5)  When the pork is thoroughly cooked, remove the baking dish from the oven and let the pork sit for 5-10 minutes so the glaze can thicken slightly.

6)  Transfer the pork to a cutting board and slice into 1/4 - 1/2 inch slices.  Arrange the slices on plates or a serving dish.

7)  Pour some of the remaining glaze over the slices and serve.

NOTES:

~I bought a 2.5 pound package and it ended up being two loins - and that's fine!

~I highly recommend using pure maple syrup - none of that corn syrup crud!

Italian Pot Roast

Tried this recipe the other night for dinner.  It was super easy and so delicious!  The meat was so tender it was falling apart!  I felt like it needed potatoes, so I would probably add those next time I make it, but other than that - it was AWESOME!!

Enjoy!
Kirsten

ITALIAN POT ROAST

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 (2-21/2 pound) chuck roast
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup beef broth
1 cup dry red wine
1 1/2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
1 small onion, halved and quartered
2 bay leaves
4 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

1)  Preheat oven to 325F

2)  Heat oil in a large heavy-bottomed, oven-safe pot over medium-high heat.

3)  Season roast with salt and pepper.  Add roast to pan; cook for 5-8 minutes, turning to brown all sides.

4)  Stir in broth, wine, Italian seasoning, onion and bay leaves.  Cover tightly.

5)  Bake for 1 1/2 hours.  Add carrots and bake 1 hour longer or until tender.  Remove and discard by leaves.

NOTES:

~I recommend staying away from regular corn or canola oils, as they are all GMO.  I prefer to use olive or grape seed oil. 

~I always use Kosher salt for seasoning/cooking.

~Look for a broth that does not contain any artificial flavorings/colorings or MSG!  And of course, make sure it's gluten-free!

~I used a Merlot that I happened to have already open, but you could use whatever dry red you have on hand.  I recommend having a little glass while you cook!

~Like I said above, I would add potatoes to this dish.  Or you could serve it over rice, but I like the potato idea better.  I would halve the potatoes (or quarter if they are huge) and add them when you add the carrots.

~You could also do this in the slow cooker, cooking on low for about 6 hours (that's my guess).

White Sangria

This is one of the best Sangria recipes I've ever had.  It's fruity and light and perfect for a summer evening with friends!

Enjoy!
Kirsten

WHITE SANGRIA

1 bottle white wine (Pinot Grigio, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay)
6 ounces frozen lemonade concentrate
1 cup light rum
1 cup triple sec
1-15.2 ounce can pineapple tidbits (and some of the juice)
1/4 of a 2-liter of 7-up
Red apples (unpeeled-cut into small chunks)

Combine above ingredients and chill well.  Serve over ice.

~When I made this, I added a little more of this and a little more of that.  This is one of those recipes that you can do that with until it's to your liking.

~I used golden delicious apples and they worked great.  Just use a sweeter apple, not granny smith!

All-American Meat Loaf

I found this recipe many years ago and will never try another meat loaf recipe.  I just don't think it can get any better than this.  It's total comfort food served with some fluffy mashed potatoes!  My kids even like it, once I scrape off the ketchup mixture on top!  I love the whole package and I'm guessing you will too!

Enjoy!
Kirsten

ALL-AMERICAN MEAT LOAF

2 pounds ground chuck
3/4 cup uncooked quick-cooking oats
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup milk
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Topping:
1/2 cup ketchup
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons prepared mustard

1)  Preheat oven to 350F.

2)  Combine first 8 ingredients in a large bowl - except for the ground beef.  Mix well, add ground beef and mix until well combined.

3)  Split mixture in half and shape into two loaves.  Place in loaf pans and bake for 40 minutes.

4)  Meanwhile, combine the topping ingredients and mix well.  Cover and set aside.

5)  After meatloaf has cooked for 40 minutes, spoon ketchup mixture over the top and bake another 15 minutes or until a thermometer inserted into the middle registers 160deg.

NOTES:

~Do not use the 90% lean beef, you want a little fat in the meat so it's juicy and not too dry!  I sometimes use one pound of the 90%+ lean and one pound of the 80-85% lean.

~If you have young children, chop your onions small so they go undetected!

~I use all natural, organic ketchup with no corn syrup or added chemical ingredients.

~I use almond milk instead of cow's milk.

Banana Breakfast Cookies

Cookies for breakfast!  Say no more, I'm all over that!  These cookies have no sugar, except for what's in the chocolate chips and the coconut (if you use sweetened coconut) and they are super moist, totally delicious and very simple to make!  Oh, and did I mention, they are gluten free - and dairy free if you use dairy free chocolate chips!

My friend Carolyn and I made them this morning and we were pleasantly surprised with the end result!

Enjoy!
Kirsten

BANANA BREAKFAST COOKIES

3 large ripe bananas, well mashed (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup coconut oil, warmed just a little so it isn't solid
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups gluten free rolled oats
2/3 cup almond meal
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
2/3 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup chocolate chips

1)  Preheat the oven to 350F.

2)  In a large mixing bowl, mash the bananas, then add the coconut oil and vanilla and mix well.

3)  Add the oats, almond meal, salt and baking powder and mix well.

4)  Stir in the coconut, walnuts and chocolate chips until combined.

5)  Form the dough into 12 balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet and flatten them a little bit.  Bake for 14-16 minutes.

NOTES:

~I ended up adding more chocolate chips when I made them, probably almost 1/2 cup, but they would still be delicious with less.

~I also decided to make my cookies smaller, if you only make 12 cookies, they are going to be huge.  I made about 26 cookies and mine were about 2" in diameter.  They were cooked perfectly after 12 minutes, but if you make them bigger, they will need more time to cook.  I think next time I will do something in between.

 

Watermelon Salsa

This is one of my favorite salsa recipes!  Especially for summer!  Serve it with sweet potato chips or regular tortilla chips, or eat it right out of the bowl - it's that good!

Enjoy!
Kirsten

WATERMELON SALSA

4 cups diced seedless watermelon
1/2 cup small red onion, finely diced
1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro
Juice of 2 limes
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

1)  Combine the watermelon, red onion, cilantro, lime juice and jalapeno in a bowl.  Toss with the olive oil and salt.  Serve with chips.

Fish Tacos with Watermelon Salsa

This is the fish recipe that I tried the other night with the Cilantro Rice (under Side Dishes) and it was amazing!  We especially loved the Watermelon Salsa!  I think it was even better the next day and it was delicious on tortilla chips!  For my boys, I just left the salsa off.  They said the tacos were a little spicy - but they did eat them!

Enjoy!
Kirsten

FISH TACOS WITH WATERMELON SALSA

4 cups diced seedless watermelon
1/2 small red onion, finely diced
1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro
Juice of 2 limes, plus lime wedges for serving
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely diced
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
Kosher salt
1 pound skinless wild striped bass fillets
1 teaspoon chipotle Chile powder
1 romaine lettuce heart, thinly sliced
8 corn tortillas
1 avocado, sliced

1)  Make the watermelon salsa:  Combine the watermelon, red onion, cilantro, lime juice and jalapeno in a bowl.  Toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt and set aside.

2)  Preheat a grill to high.  Sprinkle the fish on both sides with the Chile powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt; drizzle both sides with the remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil.  Brush the grill with olive oil, then add the fish and grill until marked and cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes per side.  Transfer the fish to a plate and break into bite-size pieces.

3)  Meanwhile, toss the lettuce with 2 tablespoons of the juices from the watermelon salsa and a pinch of salt.  Warm the tortillas on the grill and fill with the fish, watermelon salsa, avocado and lettuce.  Serve with lime wedges and cilantro rice (under the "Side Dishes" tab).

NOTES:

~I happened to have some Mahi Mahi in the freezer, so I used that instead.  You can change out the bass for your favorite white fish.

~Make sure you do brush the grill with oil or you'll never get the fish off without breaking it apart!

Cilantro Rice

I tried a new fish taco recipe the other night and made this rice recipe along with it.  It was easy and super delicious!

Enjoy!
Kirsten

CILANTRO RICE

1 cup cilantro sprigs, plus 2 tablespoons chopped leaves
1 clove garlic
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
Kosher salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 3/4 cups medium-grain white rice

1)  Combine the cilantro sprigs, garlic, chicken broth and 1 1/4 teaspoons salt in a blender and puree.  Transfer to a liquid measuring cup and add enough water to make 3 3/4 cups liquid.

2)  Heat the vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add the rice and cook, stirring, 1 minute.  Add the cilantro puree and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook until the liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes.  Remove from the heat and let stand, covered, 10 minutes.

3)  Stir the chopped cilantro into the rice and serve.

NOTES:

~I recommend using natural chicken broth with no MSG!

~I use grape seed oil because it's one of the healthiest oils you can use.  Stay away from regular corn and canola oils, as these are all GMO.

~I like to use Jasmine rice.

~Make sure to check on the rice, once the liquid is absorbed it will start to burn and stick on the bottom - mine did not take 20 minutes!