Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

You all know that I'm not a huge baker. I used to LOVE to bake but became a bit fearful of it once I had to cut out all gluten. I'm slowly getting more comfortable with mixing flours and substituting things. The other day it was raining and lovely and I desperately wanted to smell chocolate chip cookies baking. So I set out to make these little babies and I was not disappointed! These are really delicious. Great texture and taste and even gluten lovers said they were good (which is the best compliment ever!) I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!

What you need (original recipe from Land O Lakes.com)
- 2 1/4 C all purpose flour blend (my recipe is below)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp xanthan gum
- 3/4 C packed brown sugar
- 1/2 C white sugar
- 3/4 C butter, softened
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1 package semi-sweet chocolate chips




Flour Blend


- 2 C white rice flour
- 2/3 C potato starch (make sure it's not potato flour...not the same thing!)
- 1/3 C tapioca flour
- 1 tsp xanthan gum

Combine all ingredients and store in an airtight container.








Directions


- Mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and xanthan gum in a medium bowl and set aside for later

- In a large bowl, beat the brown sugar, white sugar and butter together until fluffy

Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each one

- Add the vanilla and beat well, scraping the bowl as needed

- Add in the flour mixture in stages, beating well after each addition

- Add in the chocolate chips and stir gently to combine

- Use a tablespoon to drop the dough onto a greased cookie sheet

- Bake for 9 minutes or until golden brown (DO NOT OVERBAKE!)

- Let cool slightly (if you can be patient that long) and enjoy!! These were the perfect companions to my rainy afternoon and it makes about 3 dozen so you have plenty to share! Happy baking!

Chicken Chili

I apologize for ignoring this blog for a while! Once we got back from our beach vacation reality hit me square in the face and I haven't had much time to sit and write! Hopefully I'll be back to a regular schedule soon! Ok...on to the recipe for today!

I love making soup. I'm one of those people that enjoys hot soup even when it's hot outside (which is a good thing because it is HOT in Florida right now). Whenever I'm unsure about what to make for dinner, I can easily throw together a broth or cream based soup and add whatever vegetables and spices I have on hand. This recipe is one of the husband's favorites. It's easy, cheap and filling which makes it one of MY favorites too. You can easily change it to whatever you like or have in your fridge or pantry, but I kept it fairly simple this time around. Enjoy!

What you need (I forgot the ingredient picture because I'm smart like that)
- 1-2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded (or leftover rotisserie chicken)
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2-3 stalks celery, sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 - 3 cans of white beans (I used 2 cans white kidney beans and 1 can northern beans)
- 4 cups GF chicken broth
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- handful of fresh baby spinach, chopped
- Toppings: cheese, green onion, sour cream (optional)

Directions

- If you are using uncooked chicken, go ahead and throw them in the oven. I cooked mine with salt, pepper and cumin and a drizzle of olive oil for 20 minutes.

- Chop up your onion, celery and garlic

- Heat up 1 T of oil (I used coconut) in a large stockpot and add in the onion, celery and garlic.

- Let it sweat out a bit and add in some salt and pepper

- And some red pepper flakes

Obviously I used precise measurements for these things!

- Add in your rinsed white beans and stir

- Add in 4 cups of chicken broth

A side note about chicken broth...READ THE LABELS!! I was surprised to find that a lot of brands contain wheat in them (swanson and college inn are NOT safe). I usually use the organice low sodium kind from Whole Foods or Progresso is also safe. Ok, I'm done now.

- Add in the cumin, garlic powder and chili powder

- Let it come to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally

- By now your chicken should be cooked and cooled. Go ahead and shred it up!

- Add your chicken to the broth mixture and stir. Cook another 2-5 minutes.

- Right before serving add in the chopped spinach, you don't want it to get too wilted

- Top with whatever toppings you like and enjoy!

Have a GREAT weekend everybody!