Gluten-free fruit smoothie

As I've been plugging away with my dissertation, I've still been cooking and baking, but have been looking for sneaky ways to be healthier in a hurry.  This smoothie was inspired by one that I sampled at a wellness fair a few weeks back.  Smoothies are fast, simple, easy to modify to your taste, and this one packs a secret ingredient- spinach!

Fruit smoothie with spinach
1/2 cup vanilla soy milk (or whatever milk source you prefer/have on hand)
1/2 cup non-fat plain yogurt (I've also used greek yogurt here for added protein, and the ones with fruit are yummy)
2 Tbsp ground flaxseed
1.5 cup spinach (approx large handful)
1.5 cups combo fresh and frozen fruit (I use bananas, frozen berries, pineapple, or whatever's available)

Combine ingredients in blender until smooth and enjoy!  I have made a larger batch and then frozen and thawed them out for a snack on campus.

Gluten-free Scalloped Potatoes- comfort food at its finest!

So, I tried posting this last night and gave up when it didn't work.  I will try again today as I procrastinate on work to be done for the day.  These potatoes originated when my friend, Pascale, recruited another friend to make them for my Thanksgiving potluck.  They were yummy.  I decided a month later that I wanted the creamy comfort of potatoes, so I made a batch.  They were still yummy.  Better yet, I froze most of them, and have been thawing and enjoying them this last week.  Still yummy.  So, make a batch, freeze a bunch, and thaw and enjoy again and again!

Gluten-free Scalloped potatoes

2	tablespoons unsalted butter
1	med onion , minced
3	med cloves garlic, minced
3	cups heavy cream
1	cup whole milk
4	sprigs fresh thyme
2	bay leaves
2	tsp table salt
1/2	tsp ground black pepper (more to taste...)
4	pounds russet potatoes , peeled and cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices ( the food processor works wonders for this)
1	cup shredded provolone cheese

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Meanwhile, melt butter in large pot over medium-high heat until foaming subsides. Add onion and sauté until it turns soft and begins to brown. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add cream, milk, thyme, bay leaves, salt, pepper, and potatoes and bring to simmer. Cover, adjusting heat as necessary to maintain light simmer, and cook until potatoes are almost tender.
2. Remove and discard thyme sprigs and bay leaves. Transfer potato mixture to 3-quart corningware, or pyrex baking dish, and sprinkle with cheese. Bake until cream has thickened and is bubbling around sides and top is golden brown, about 20 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes before serving (this is probably the hardest thing to do as it smells sooooo good while cooking).

Gluten free Blackberry-jam bars

So, I've been missing Hawaii a lot lately, and decided to post a recipe I concocted while out on the Big Island.  This was made with fresh blackberries I picked along the Mauna Loa Volcano. Any berries could do just fine, but the blackberries were really pretty.  Oh, and I thought of the recipe as a way to use up jam that I always seem to have a lot of from home canning.  So, just substitute in jam for the berries and sugar.  I thought the crust was a nice gluten-free shortbread of sorts and think it could be used nicely in many other recipes.  This was my first attempt at this recipe, so I would probably play around with a few things in the future, but they were still pretty yummy as is.  Enjoy!

Gluten-free blackberry jam bars

Topping

1 cup almonds processed in the food processor

1 cup certified gluten free oats

2/3 cup brown sugar

Filling

2 cup crushed blackberries

3.5 cup sugar

Crust

1 1/3 cup sweet rice flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter

1. Combine ingredients for the crust in a food processor and press into prepared cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 until lightly brown.
2. Combine filling ingredients in saucepan and boil to get to gelling point. (or substitute your favorite jam).  Then spread over prepared crust.
3. Toss topping ingredients together and press over the filling.
4. Bake in 350 oven until lightly brown on top (approx 15 min)