A Clean Bake

Perfect Rice in the Slow Cooker (Gluten Free and Paleo)

Slow cooker rice is my secret to getting dinner on the table with minimal fuss. Making rice in the slow cooker means you'll have half of dinner ready without any effort! Save yourself the time slaving over the stove by making perfect rice in the slow cooker or crockpot. Where do you stand on the whole rice thing? Are you a white rice fan, or a brown rice fan? Or, are you of the belief that all grains are the devil, and should be avoided? Me, I'm proud to have recently relocated ... Read More about Perfect Rice in the Slow Cooker (Gluten Free and Paleo)

Coconut Curry Butternut Squash Soup (Gluten Free, Paleo, and Vegan)

A year ago Sunday, I married my husband. Which meant that we not only had our rehearsal and rehearsal dinner on Halloween - a strange contrast in and of itself, particularly when your wedding rehearsal takes place on a college campus - but also during arguably one of the worst fall storms the city had seen in years. Of course. Chicago has a tradition of really making you work for your candy on Halloween - I have fond childhood memories of ditching planned costumes in favor of "Eskimo" and ... Read More about Coconut Curry Butternut Squash Soup (Gluten Free, Paleo, and Vegan)

Gluten Free & Paleo Tortillas (Nut Free, too!)

Grain free tortillas are easy to make with a few simple ingredients and a pan. No grains, gluten, dairy, or nuts, and there is an egg free/vegan adaptation option in the recipe notes. These grain free tortillas truly are for everyone! Now you can have tacos again! It’s no secret that I love a good fish taco, or the occasional quesadilla (cause, you know, that’s my cheese quota for the month), and omg, chips and guac. But, in the complex cost/benefit analysis that I have to conduct ... Read More about Gluten Free & Paleo Tortillas (Nut Free, too!)

Chicken Tortilla Soup (Gluten Free and Paleo)

It's definitely that time of year where the perma-frost sets into my bone marrow far before it does the ground and I don't expect to defrost until, best case scenario, May. In other words, it's soup season. I'm not certain when, exactly, this potent brew became my favorite soup, but my first memory of eating chicken tortilla soup was on a plane (Xoco's version is exceptional) when I accidentally swallowed a chunk of smoky, spicy chipotle pepper that seared the back of my throat, and I ... Read More about Chicken Tortilla Soup (Gluten Free and Paleo)

Cranberry Pumpkin Seed Dark Chocolate Bark (Gluten Free and Paleo)

Typically, this is the part of the post where I give you a little sales pitch about the recipe where I try to convince you to drop everything and make it. Something tells me a solid layer of dark chocolate peppered with chewy dried cranberries and crunchy pumpkin seeds and topped with a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice (which, incidentally, tastes wonderful with chocolate) needs no such introduction. I mean, just look at it. Well, I suppose you already have if you have gotten this far, you ... Read More about Cranberry Pumpkin Seed Dark Chocolate Bark (Gluten Free and Paleo)

Crockpot Pork Chops with Apples and Onions (Gluten Free and Paleo)

Crockpot Pork Chops with Barbecue Sauce, Apples and Onions. This recipe is mostly hands-off cooking time and is healthy too! Perfect for weeknight dinners. It's freezing. And it's only going to get worse. There's never a better time to break out the warm, hearty dishes than that first day that you feel the cold in your bones in a way that makes you feel like you'll never get warm (and you won't, until next July at least). I am trying to stay warm by moving around a lot. Our house has ... Read More about Crockpot Pork Chops with Apples and Onions (Gluten Free and Paleo)

Crockpot BBQ Sauce (Gluten Free, Paleo, and Vegan)

This low maintenance crockpot BBQ sauce doesn't require any stovetop cooking, and is free of refined sugar. It's also vegan, paleo, gluten free and totally hands off, thanks to your slow cooker! The ultimate set-it-and-forget-it condiment! By now, I am pretty sure you all know of my borderline-masochistic love of making my own nut butters, dips, and condiments from scratch, rather than plucking a ready made bottle off of the shelf at the grocery store and being done with it. As far as the ... Read More about Crockpot BBQ Sauce (Gluten Free, Paleo, and Vegan)

Mini Frittatas with Spinach [Freezer Friendly!] (Gluten Free and Paleo)

Mini frittatas with spinach are one of the best healthy, fast, and portable breakfast! This make-ahead frittata recipe is super freezer friendly. Just grab one out of the freezer on a busy morning, and you're set! These are gluten free, paleo, Whole30 (if you omit the cheese), and low carb.  SOMETIMES GOOD FOOD IS UGLY. There. Now that that's out in the open, we can move on. Otherwise, that would have distracted me for the entirety of this post. These mini frittatas may be ... Read More about Mini Frittatas with Spinach [Freezer Friendly!] (Gluten Free and Paleo)

Ricotta and Sage Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms (Gluten Free, Paleo, and Vegan)

For a long time leading up to this renovation, I worried. I'm a worrier by nature - if there is nothing to worry about, I'll find something - but this was pretty intense, even for me. I worried about the obvious stuff like what's this going to cost?, and how am I going to convince my husband that an all-white kitchen is going to look awesome? and how are we going to pay for this? but as soon as those issues were resolved, I moved on to the next obvious concern: how am I going to bake??  ... Read More about Ricotta and Sage Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms (Gluten Free, Paleo, and Vegan)

Nut Free Breakfast Cookies (Gluten Free and Paleo)

Cookies for breakfast!? That's right! The whole family will love these wholesome breakfast cookies. They taste great, and are a wonderful on-the-go option. Plus, they are grain free, nut free, and refined sugar free, too! If you have ever had your water turned off for any extended period of time, you know how much you depend on - and take for granted - the multiple streams of clean water on demand that you have in your home. You think to yourself "the water is off" but still ... Read More about Nut Free Breakfast Cookies (Gluten Free and Paleo)