Turkey Avocado Parmesan Burgers {Gluten Free}

August 27, 2014November 3, 20141 Comment

This past weekend, my dad came to visit me in Washington, DC. Not only did we venture out to a great, unique Thai restaurant, I also made him a little homemade dinner one night. Yummy burgers! They were gluten free of course. But, so great and moist.

Who does not love fresh avocados and Parmesan? I found a little gem recipe on Pinterest and created a fresh, healthy alternative to a juicy, greasy burger. And, drum roll please – my dad actually liked it!

These sweet little burgers are great. You can make them in no time at all. The ingredients are simple and it takes like 5 minutes to make your patties. Use the grill or a stovetop. I used a stovetop, because; unfortunately don’t have a backyard for a grill. But, we got to enjoy the outdoor balcony while dining.

You will need: 1 pound ground turkey (or chicken), ½ chopped yellow onion, 1 mashed ripe avocado, 2 tbsp. garlic powder, ½ cup fresh grated parmesan, salt and pepper and (this is optional) some gluten free bread crumbs.

I needed the bread crumbs to use as a binding agent, because turkey does not hold together as well as ground beef…etc.

All you need to do is dump the ground turkey (thawed out, if frozen) into a mixing bowl. Chop your onions up in tiny pieces and add them to the meat mixture. Then add chunks of chopped avocado to your mixture as well. Use a fork to mash up the blend.

Sprinkle in the garlic powder, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper and mix these in again. Use your hands to make little round hamburger patties.

Set the oven stovetop to high and spray a big cooking pan with some cooking spray. Slowly add your patties to the hot pan and cook for about 8 minutes on each side (or until lightly brown). You want to make sure the patty is cooked all the way through.

After your patties are done – add them to a gluten free hamburger bun with all the fixings. And enjoy your little slice of gluten free summer heaven! You can also pair this meal with a great glass of Red Zinfandel and a homemade salad!

Pesto Spaghetti Squash Boat {Gluten Free}

June 8, 20141 Comment

Let’s just talk about all the pluses of this simple little dish. It’s cheap (my squash cost a total of $1.50 at the grocery store). Its vegetarian and gluten free. And, you don’t have to dirty up any dishes with this meal- simply eat out of the squash itself.

You will love making this really easy dinner. One squash = dinner for two. How perfect! Or if it’s just you, eat one side for the dinner and take the other to work. Perfecto.

With spaghetti squash you get all the yummy tasty benefits of eating pasta without the wheat, heaviness and fatigue afterward.

You will need: 1 medium sized spaghetti squash, pesto sauce (store bought or homemade), parmesan cheese, garlic powder.

This is how it should look when you scrape the sides! Photo: Roasted Root

This recipe is as simple as 1, 2, 3. Put your spaghetti squash in the microwave for 1 minute. This softens it up for the cutting you are about to do! After the minute slice your squash half in two long ways.

Gut your squash. So take a spoon and get rid of all the seeds and extra junk inside that resembles a pumpkin. You are going to be eating the fleshy walls of the squash, not the soft gooey insides.

Once the insides are out, sprinkle some garlic powder over the fleshy sides. And lay the two parts of the squash face down on a baking sheet. Set the oven to 375 and cook your squash bowls for around 25 minutes.

After 25 minutes, pull them out of the oven. Use a fork to scrap the inside walls toward the direction of the center. You will see that the flesh looks very much like noodles.

Once you have scarped and filled the squash bowl with its natural ‘noodles’, add some pesto sauce and parmesan cheese.

Serve and enjoy this filling, gluten free dinner.

If you are looking for another awesome recipe for spaghetti squash, I made this yummy meal in the fall – Garlic Spaghetti Squash. It’s awesome.

Parmesan Chicken & Sautéed Garlic Onion Spinach {Gluten Free}

January 8, 20141 Comment

Working long days in an office atmosphere can make you famished. That was the case for me yesterday.

The oatmeal, soup and veggies was not holding me over anymore and something homemade and filling was smack dab on my mind as I left the office.

It was about 7 degrees yesterday in the Washington, DC area – so going to the grocery store was not an option.

So, I thought – ‘what do I have in my fridge?’ A bag of spinach and some frozen chicken! Let me tell you, a lot can come from those two items. It made the perfect lean and green meal.

You will need: 1 cup Parmesan cheese, olive oil, 2 frozen chicken breasts (thawed), salt and pepper, 2 cloves of garlic, 1 small onion, 2 heaping handfuls of fresh spinach.

First – prepare your chicken. I dipped my thawed chicken breasts in olive oil and then rolled them in the Parmesan cheese. Yum! This created a little bread like texture – but gluten free!

Line a cookie tray with foil and set your chicken on there. Pop in the oven at 350 for about 20 minutes. You want the cheese to be a little golden brown.

In a pan on the oven, drip in some olive oil. Let that heat up. Chop up an onion and 2 cloves garlic {or more – depending on how much of a flavor kick you want!} Dump these into the hot pan and sauté.

Put one handful of green spinach in the hot pan mixture and fold these leaves into the oil. Let this cook down {it will not make as much spinach as you think!} Add in the other handful and let it cook down. Sprinkle salt and pepper as needed.

Set your cooked spinach on a plate. Then, take your chicken out of the oven and plate this delicious piece of meat on top of your greens. Fit, healthy and filling!

Gluten Free Avocado Alfredo Pasta

November 18, 20131 Comment

Talk about quick and easy! Want to make an impressive meal for dinner guests, but you really don’t have the time to slave in the kitchen all day? Man, I think that sounds like a dream.

This Gluten Free Avocado Alfredo Pasta is your dream come true! With fresh ingredients and the creamy natural avocado texture, your guests or family will be scrapping the bowl for more. This dish is quick and easy to make.

OK, it takes a little longer than pouring a jar of marinara sauce on wet noodles. But with a couple extra minutes comes homemade, healthy heaven. Who doesn’t want that?

You will need: gluten free corn noodles, 2 small avocados, salt and pepper to taste, ¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese, 2 tbsp. dried basil (you can use fresh too), 3 tbsp. olive oil, 3 cloves garlic.

Yummy avocado sauce in the food processor!

Hopefully, you know how to make spaghetti noodles. Making gluten free ones is no different than regular. Let a cooking pot on the oven come to a boil and place the desired amount of gluten free noodles in the hot bowl. Let them cook. And strain when done.

Cool fact: my mom taught me this – you can throw a wet noodle against a wall and check to see if they are done. If the noodle sticks to the wall, you are done. If it falls to the ground, it needs more time in the pot.

You are going to make the avocado topping in the food processor. So, cut your avocados (take off the skin) and add the fleshy part to the processor. Add in the garlic, olive oil, basil, salt and pepper and Parmesan cheese. Blend this all up.

It may take a while for the avocados to fully mash up. You may need to stop the processor a few times and mix the avocado mixture around.

When the noodles are done, spoon out this mixture on top of them – and fold into the noodles just like any marinara or pesto sauce. Sprinkle more parmesan on top, if desired, and serve. This is a rich meal that will please a lot of parties. File this recipe away. You will use this more than you know. Quick, easy and healthy Avocado Alfredo {gluten free} Pasta! Dive in.