Cauliflower Bites - Who Needs a Deep Fryer for a Tasty Appetizer?

Craving a sweet or savory appetizer that is not just tasty but it's full of nutritious goodness from cauliflower?

Cauliflower bites - baked, not fried, easy to make regular or gluten free, and no deep frying.

1 head Cauliflower, chopped into bite sized florets
1/2 cup gluten free flour (Almond works nicely)
3/4 - 1 cup Water or Almond Milk
2 tsp Garlic Powder (optional)
1/2  tsp Salt
1/2 cup  Orange Sauce (I like Iron Chef brand) or your favorite gluten-free BBQ Sauce

INSTRUCTIONS:


Preheat the oven to 450 F. (230 C.)

Place cauliflower in a bowl and set aside.

In a small bowl mix the flour, water/milk, garlic powder (if using) and salt. For a thinner consistency, add more water.

Dip the cauliflower into the batter and place on a lined (I used foil which made for some crispy crunchy spots on the final outcome) baking tray. Be careful not to make the batter too thick on the cauliflower.

Allow the cauliflower to bake for 25 minutes.

Remove the cauliflower from the heat and coat with the Orange Sauce or BBQ. Bake for another 15 minutes.

Remove from the heat and serve immediately.  Recipe can easily be cut in half for a snack for two. It's also good over rice as a main course with extra sauce on the side.

Hey Gorgeous - A female Owned Beauty Company that is the (Bath) Bomb

My husband is a mechanical engineer by trade, but he is a team leader for a group of engineers that travel the world to his employer's many facilities to troubleshoot things that make my brain tired.

He always brings me back a gift, sometimes something delightfully tacky from an airport gift shop (sucker with a scorpion inside an example) but very often bath and beauty products as I just LOVE them. (You know your husband loves you when he'll drive 100 miles to find a Boots store in London to get you the skin lotion you can't find in the States any longer).

This was a wonderful surprise from South Africa, where his company has a large production facility, and after trying some of their products I made my first online order.

The company is called Hey Gorgeous.

I had to say I was impressed with their online presence, verified customer reviews., and how quickly and safely the products got here, traveling many thousands of miles.

"All of our products are formulated by real women for real women and are made with the highest quality organic and natural ingredients that are completely beneficial for the skin. From organic essential oils to bio-dynamically grown botanicals and fruit and nut oils, these ingredients are individually and carefully selected from local suppliers (wherever possible) for their ability to heal and nurture the skin naturally. Seekers of more natural cosmetics and skin care alternatives can now try our gorgeous products and experience the difference of completely natural skin care. The benefits will reveal a complexion that is soft, supple, and glowing."

Hey Gorgeous.  They use all natural products, lots of essential oils, all carefully crafted for the best in skincare without being a lab experiment.  Don't panic when you look at the online prices - they are listed in the "Rand", the countries currency which is about 7 U.S. cents for each of their dollars, so the prices were quite reasonable, including the shipping. More than drugstore but much less than department store brands.

But hey, they had me at cupcake bath bombs (photo is from their website).

https://hey-gorgeous.co.za/

I won't review them compared to my husband's DIY bath bombs that looked like pink sticks of dynamite. (and came with their own antique "blaster's handbook")

I also ordered the  Hey Gorgeous Gogi Berry Face Mask, and a Marshmallow body wash (it's the little kid in me but I LOVE the scent of marshmallow).

The products arrived within 10 days, very well wrapped and in great condition.They shipped the body wash with a different cap than the one you use to dispense (which was enclosed) to avoid leakage which was a great idea.

I LOVE the smell and feel of the products.  The Rosehip night cream had a wonderful smell and texture.  I'm not sure it was as  moisturinzng as the shea butter cream I normally use for for normal, normal/dry skin I think it would be excellent.

 The mask was listed as follows:

The most exciting benefit from Goji berries is its anti-aging potential. Goji berries contain 11 of the 22 essential dietary trace minerals, including calcium, potassium, iron, zinc, and selenium. Though each performs different functions in skin, they all help fight off the damaging effects of free radicals, and many encourage the production of collagen and elastin, helping to maintain tautness and flexibility. Many minerals also are essential to the skin’s ability to heal and regenerate itself. Our gorgeous Goji Berry Face Mask will smooth and hydrate the skin, plump up fine lines and leave your skin feeling incredible.

I have to agree, with just a few minutes of application my face was plump and soft and smooth, with a light gentle fragrance and unlike 90% of the over the counter products I try (I have rosacea and its resultant acne) - it didn't irritate my skin or cause any new breakouts. After just one use of the mask  my skin was calm and soothed.

The body gel, I added to my evening bath water for an all-natural bubble bath and it left my skin soft and smooth and smelling so good. (Never underestimate the spouse that smells like a Rice Crispies Treat).  I can't wait to use it in the shower tomorrow when I do my every other day hair wash.

Hey Gorgeous is female owned and operated and so far I love the products I've tried and I've already placed another order for more bath products and hair care.

Click on photo to enlarge and read the ingredient list.

You can see the natural ingredients listed on the jars.

Note:  Since this is a foreign company the first time I tried to order my credit card declined it with a fraud alert. This is NOT unusual for ordering from overseas.  A quick phone call to my credit card company cleared that up and was so worth it and I was able to re-place the order within minutes. The online ordering site is an internet secure one but my credit card company just saw the continent and flagged it.

Food Sensitivity Test Results - Surprise!

Well, I got my results from the EveryWell Food Sensitivity Test.

There were a couple of surprises.  I have always known I'm sensitive to wheat if I eat a bunch of it, but it only showed as moderate as far as a food trigger.  Yet, every time I eat breakfast cereal (with the exception of Rice Chex or the specifically labeled Gluten Free Rice Crispies) my IBS goes nuts.  I figured it was the dairy, but switching to almond milk didn't help.

That made a quick breakfast problematic as a couple of eggs with even gluten-free toast would set me off as well.  The only thing I'll eat before the drive to the office or church/Bible study is my Go Macro Bar (assorted flavors), with gluten-free, no soy, no GMO ingredients, just oats, raisins, coconut, brown rice, natural sweeteners, and nut butter. It literally is the ONLY quick to eat packaged food that I like for breakfast that doesn't trigger an IBS flare-up (and all the flavors of the bars are really filling and tasty though the coconut granola is my favorite!)

My biggest food sensitivities? (those the test said I have a "high reactivity to)

Soy (Nor surprised as many people are sensitive to it, and I knew if I ate too much meat-free soy-based products my IBS flared up big-time

But the big surprise?

Malt

Yup, an ingredient in almost all breakfast cereals and prepackaged breads (not to mention the single malt scotch I sip on weekend evenings). It's in my breakfast cereal, it's in my packaged cookies, it's in my beer with pizza, it's in the Vitamin C powder I take every single day. It's no wonder I live 10 feet from a bathroom.

Malt is hard to spot in packaging -  it's usually listed as:

Malted barley (or corn, etc)
Malt Extract
Malt Vinegar
Maltodextrin (technically not a malt but may be made from wheat so I'm including it)
Maltose
Malt Syrup
Ethyl Maltitol
Isomalt
Hydrogenated Isomaltitol
Isomaltitol
Maltitol
Maltol
Malt Sugar

It looks like I'm going to be eliminating a TON of processed food and my occasional nightcap is going to have to be brandy  (which is distilled from wine) instead of single malt Scotch.  I also checked my favorite frozen pizza brand Connie's and it has BOTH malt and soy.  On the plus side, the runner-up favorite pizza, Chicago's Home Run, is malt and soy free, so as an occasional treat (as it has wheat) I'm good.

On the moderate food sensitivity, some things I"ll have to watch out for are:

Dairy  - except for mozzarella (I knew this already just from experience)
Apples - I LOVE apples :-(
Barley (which includes some brown rice syrups)
Wheat Bran (oat bran appears to be OK)
Gluten
Wheat
Chicken Eggs
Avocado (not a huge fan anyway)
Sweet Potato (regular potato OK)
Mushrooms

Moderate means I can probably have them on a special occasion but not as a regular part of my diet.

On the plus side - there are 80+ foods that are NOT triggers for me including almost all fruits, nuts, veggies, meat, honey, cocoa, tea, and coffee.

I am so glad I spent $199 for this easy at home test.  Yes, it is NOT a true allergy test but it explains some of the foods I thought were "safe" were actually likely triggering my chronic IBS.

Everly Well Food Sensitivity Test - Review

Any of you who have visited here for any time know I have some "gut" issues.  I had ulcerative colitis as a teen and as an adult displayed all the symptoms of IBS.

I've gotten better through eating "cleaner" food with less additives and junk, but still, there are days I'll eat something pretty plain and get an attack.

I've never done the test for Celiac - I'm sensitive to wheat (but do fine with Einkorn ancient grain flour) but I don't know about other food sensitivity issues.

So when I read about a test I can take at home to measure my immune response to 96 common food triggers for less than $200 and no charge for a doctor's visit,  I was in.

From the well-regarded folks at EveryWell, it's not a true allergy test (those are done through a doctor's office) but does measure your food sensitivities to craft an elimination diet with the least effort

The box arrived from EverlyWell pretty quickly and there were clear instructions as well as an online tutorial on their website where I first went to register my product. Everything you need is included, bandaids, gauze, alcohol swab (I would have preferred Bourbon) instructions, a biohazard mailer, the paper that collects your blood drips and the lancelets.

It required blood collection.  I was hoping for spitting in a cup or something but the scientist part of me know there would be a blood stick.  Users have said it's pain-free.

Remember I'm a redhead - redheads and pain are a whole 'nother animal, but it was only a very quick "poke", not one I'd volunteer for on a daily basis (as evidenced by how I sent their box back with my results) but worth it, if it means a calmer gut. For you non-redheads you will probably say "Boy is that L.B. a WIMP!"

But secretly I think the video provided, which shows a young lady picking up the lance, not actually poking her finger, then delicately letting the drops of blood fall to the paper editing out the "Son of a (*#)@*" scene that occurred at my house.  Just saying.

But I'm a wimp.

One word of advice - they recommend running your finger under warm water 30 seconds then hold your hand down at your side shaking it a few times.  Don't do it longer than that (don't ask me how I know). Still, they said I might have to "milk" my finger (by rubbing in a circular motion) to get a drop of blood.

Nope - in typical LB fashion, my very warm finger bled like nobody's business when meant I had to be FAST to get the drops collected, but I got it done with minimal mess and after the initial surprise of a poke, my finger didn't hurt at all.

It's all boxed up (they supply everything) and I will mail back to the lab first thing in the morning.  I'm supposed to have the results by email in less than a week.  I'll keep you posted.  So far I'd recommend this as a product for being easy to use and understand! They literally walk you through it with online and paper tutorial.

From their website;

Our Food Sensitivity test measures your body's IgG immune response to 96 foods that are commonly found in western diets.

An improvement in food sensitivity symptoms after eliminating the triggering food source is always the best test. Rather than randomly eliminating foods over many months and assessing your change in symptoms, you can have a directed elimination plan. An antibody IgG immune response can offer guidance on what foods may be the best to eliminate. Note that this test is not a food allergy test, which measures severe allergies that can be life-threatening conditions. Food allergy tests measure IgE antibodies and can't be currently taken at home. This test also cannot diagnose Celiac Disease. Food can trigger an immune response which may manifest itself in physical symptoms such as: Dry and itchy skin Other miscellaneous skin problems Food intolerance Feeling bloated after eating Fatigue Joint pain Migraines Headaches Gastrointestinal (GI) distress Stomach pain

Perfect Guacomole

Guacamole is one of those "love/hate" dishes for some people.  I used to hate it until I tried actually GOOD guac and not some runny and bland Mexican fast food versions.  It also is full of healthy fats so even if watching calories, it's a great nutritious snack with some veggies or gluten-free paleo-friendly crackers.

Unlike many popular recipes for this dish, I leave out the tomato and garlic  (though I might use a little tomato for photo garnish ). You can also leave out the onion if you don't eat onions.  The key is using the grocery store avocado (Hass)  which are ripe but not so ripe they are mushy.  The avocado should yield to a gentle squeeze of your hand. Friends don't let friends buy mushy avocados.  If all the store has are hard ones, take them home and put in a bag with a couple of bananas which will help ripen them in a day or two.)

4 medium ripe avocados, halved and pitted
1/2  cup finely chopped white onion
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 small jalapeño, seeds and ribs removed, finely chopped
3 tablespoons lime juice (about 1 and 1/2 limes)
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin OR coriander
1 teaspoon salt
dash of black pepper
4 dashes hot sauce (optional - I love Scoville Brothers Singing Smoke brand)

INSTRUCTIONS

Use a spoon to scoop the avocado flesh into a medium sized serving bowl, discarding any browned bits.  Promptly add remaining ingredients (except hot sauce) and mash using a  fork, or potato masher until it's at your preferred texture. If using hot sauce, gently stir in after mashing - to taste

I often add a pinch more salt, but taste first and add extra salt after.

Store leftovers in a tall narrow container to reduced the top surface area that may brown.  Cover well with plastic wrap (note, if you use onions in yours, placing a good chunk on top of the guac will help reduce the browning, though you will wish to remove any small areas that do brown before serving leftover.)

Vegan "Chicken" Soup

This is a quick easy soup that you can have on the table in less than 20 minutes. (and it's way better than canned soup).

2 cups water and 2 cups vegan "chicken" brothveggie broth
1/2 cup diced carrots
1/2 cup sliced celery
1/4 cup diced sweet onion (optional)
1/3 cup mushrooms, thinly sliced (I used two different varieties)

1/4 pound gluten-free noodles
small handful of shredded spinach

2 cups diced veggie chicken.

Saute carrots, celery, and onion (if using) in a teaspoon or two of extra virgin olive oil (or butter) for 2-3 minutes to soften.  Add liquid and bring to a low boil and simmer 9-10 minutes.  Add noodles and cook 8 minutes more, adding mushrooms the last couple of minutes.

Add protein and bring to a boil, adding in spinach to wilt in the last minute or so.

Season to taste (I used a couple of dashes of salt and pepper, a pinch of Italian seasoning, a dash of crushed red pepper and 2 pinches of thyme).

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