Flour Free/Gluten Free Quiche

Quiche is one of my favorite foods, even if it isn't low calorie the way I make it.  But it's a great way to use up chopped leftover meat and veggies or those eggs that are nearing the "best by" date.  Plus not only is it great out of the oven, a slice cold for breakfast or lunch is also great. and a very filling light meal. I've also made this with coconut alternatives to the dairy with decent success and substituted almond cheddar cheese (Lisanatti Foods in Oregon makes a good one that melts really well)

But what to do for a crust that's gluten-free if you are out of gluten-free flour

Try shredded hash brown potatoes.  The top is a wonderful little crunch and the bottom is softer but still holds together.

Crust

3 1/2 to 4 and 1/2 cups shredded hash browns thawed and blotted well with a paper towel to remove any moisture.  (My pie pan is fairly large so I used 4 and 1/2 cups)
1/2 stick butter, melted

Mix and pat into and up the sides of a pie pan.

Bake at 450 F. 22-25 minutes (edges should just begin to brown a little).

While that bakes mix:

10 slices cooked bacon, chopped
1/3 cup of chopped onion
(or substitute a cup of cooked leftover protein and veggies for the bacon and onions)
5 large or 4 Extra large eggs
1 cup cream
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
4 shakes of black pepper
2 shakes crushed red pepper
4 drops of hot sauce (I used Singing Smoke from

• Scoville Brothers Hot Sauces

I never liked hot sauce at all until I tried theirs, handcrafted in Indiana. Online ordering is easy, they have a ghost pepper one, but if you like mild the Singing Smoke and Cowboy Crooner are amazing in adding a little depth to all kind of savory recipes.

When the crust is done, fill with egg filling, and lower heat of the oven down to 325 F.  Cook for an additional 50-55 until center is set and crust is browned.  Let stand 3 minutes, then serve.

Oriental Beef Marinade

This weekend I was looking for an oriental style steak marinade but wanted one without the added sugars of many Asian cooking sauces.

This made a great marinade and flipping the steaks a few times on the grill cooked perfectly without burning.  It would also make a great marinade/stir fry sauce for veggie "beef" strips.

Asian Steak Marinade

1/3 cup Hoisin sauce
3 Tablespoons soy sauce or coconut aminos
2 Tablespoons Mirin (Japanese cooking wine)
1 and 1/2 Tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon powdered garlic
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh ginger.
dash of cracked pepper

Mix together and marinate steaks in a gallon zip lock bag for 2-4 hours.  Drain and grill.

Gluten Free Thin Pizza (Vegan)

This is the best gluten-free pizza crust I've tried of the chewy/crisp variety (as opposed the softer, foldable New York Style or thick Chicago Style  It's also really easy to make just needing one bowl, a glass for the water, a mixer and your measuring tools.  You can bake it on a pan or a pizza stone.

It's a great platform for a simple sauce, some fresh mozzarella and a bunch of chopped veggies or whatever topping you like, without a boatload of carbs, eggs or wheat.

Gluten Free Pizza Crust

1 cup warm Springwater, about 110F 

1 tablespoon sugar or honey

1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast  

1 1/4 cups Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour (my fav is King Arthur GF Flour)

1/4 cup almond flour (you can substitute more all-purpose or oat flour if you have a nut allergy)

1 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon psyllium husk powder (OR 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum)

2 tablespoons olive oil

INSTRUCTIONS

Combine the warm water, sweetener, and yeast in a glass measuring cup. Whisk to combine.

While the yeast is proofing for 3-4 minutes, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and psyllium husk powder (OR xanthan gum) in the bowl of a stand mixer, or use a large bowl and a handheld mixer, but you WILL want to use a mixer for this, not a spoon -  to get the right texture.

With the mixer running on low, slowly add the yeast mixture and oil. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat for 3-4 minutes.  This is key, if you don't do it this long the batter will be too runny.

Using an oiled spatula, form the dough into a ball in the center of the mixing bowl. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425F. Oil a 12-inch round pizza pan.  If you would like a thinner crust use a 14-inch pizza pan. Using oiled or wet hands, press the dough into the pan.  The dough will shrink slightly during baking, so press the dough as thin as you can to cover the pan. Let rise for another 5-10 minutes (depending on how thin you want it)

Bake for 15-20 minutes. Remove from the oven and add your desired toppings (I used veggies, pineapple, and dairy-free cheese). Bake for another 10-15 minutes depending on your toppings. Let cool for a few minutes before slicing. If you are sensitive to soy which most dairy free cheese is made of use 1 or 2 Tablespoons of nutritional yeast (not the same thing as baking yeast, ask at the natural food store for where it is found).

Solving the Puzzle of Short Eyelashes - DIY Tme

Lash growth products are all the rage right now.  Some are available only by prescription (as they can have some less than desirable possible side effects) and others are available from various beauty companies.  Prices are not cheap though, with some of the high-end ones as much as $150 for one tube.

I tried one of the more expensive ones.  It made my lashes slightly longer after several months, but it made my eyes itch terribly and even cutting back to using a couple of times a week I ended up with a stye in both eyes, which I have never had before. The problematic ingredient may have been isopropyl cloprostenate which is a type of medication called a prostaglandin analog, commonly used to treat glaucoma.  Yes, it has hair growing abilities but at higher levels can cause some serious side effects including changes in iris color, eye infections, and vision impairment.  Even if my product had only a small amount that is NOT something I want to put around my eyes.

So what to use to make my stubby eyelashes longer without irritation?

DIY time. This lash serum is all natural, it's easy to make and it costs less than $2 per ounce to make.  I saw results in 3 weeks, though I was applying both day and night (note:  it does leave a slightly wet finish to the lash so in the daytime it's this or mascara but not both).

The rosemary and lavender essential oils both promote hair growth and help prevent hair loss.

Castor oil is hands down the best carrier oil to use if you’re looking for any type of increased hair growth including your hair, eyelashes, and eyebrows. It’s literally food for your hair because of its follicle nourishing fatty acids, proteins, and vitamins that help lock in moisture and nutrients, protect the hair shaft and encourage dramatic hair growth. It has been used to reduce thinning hair, and even help prevent hair loss. And it's non-irritating. So why not give it a go on lashes?

How to make:

You will need a one-ounce glass bottle.  I got mine from Royal Green Market through Amazon, 4 for $9.99. 

You will need one or two clean mascara tubes (do NOT reuse one that previously contained mascara).  I got a couple from Elaia Beauty LLC through Amazon for $8.99.  They are clear, making it easy to see when you need to refill and the rubber insert you pull the brush through to remove excess product easily removes so you can wash and sanitize the whole thing before refilling.

Lastly, though you can find cheaper castor oils, I went with the cosmetic grade black castor oil from Jamaica from IQ Natural, through Amazon, for $13.99  Black castor oil is slightly more alkaline than regular castor oil and is made without any chemical processing.

Lastly, two bottles of essential oil from the local health food store (or Amazon if you want to order everything online).  I can use these in my diffuser as well as making the lash serum as a little goes a long way.  I paid $17 for two 1-ounce bottles at a nearby health food store that was having a sale.

Making the serum is easy.

In 1-ounce glass bottle with stopper, add 1 drop each of essential oils of lavender and rosemary. (if you get two drops by accident no worries, that's not enough to irritate the eye, at least not for me).

Fill remaining bottle a little more than 3/4 of the way with castor oil (if you fill it to the top it will overflow when you add the stopper). Put on the stopper/ lid and roll in your hands or shake to let product blend.  Using the funnel that came with the Elaia brand mascara tubes or the stopper from the 1-ounce bottle fill the mascara tube, adding rubber insert and brush to close. Store remaining mixture in the 1-ounce bottle in a cool, dry place.

Apply at least once per day. It can be used on eyebrows as well, though I make sure I wash my face first to keep the mascara brush as uncontaminated as possible.

McMakeover - Healthier Chicken McNuggest

Ingredients in Chicken McNuggets

White boneless chicken, water, food starch-modified, salt, seasoning (autolyzed yeast extract, salt, wheat starch, natural flavoring (botanical source), safflower oil, dextrose, citric acid, rosemary), sodium phosphates, seasoning (canola oil, mono- and diglycerides, extractives of rosemary). Battered and breaded with: water, enriched flour (bleached wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), yellow corn flour, food starch-modified, salt, leavening (baking soda, sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium aluminum phosphate, monocalcium phosphate, calcium lactate), spices, wheat starch, whey, corn starch. Prepared in vegetable oil (Canola oil, corn oil, soybean oil, hydrogenated soybean oil with TBHQ and citric acid added to preserve freshness). Dimethylpolysiloxane added as an antifoaming agent.

MMMM - dimethylpolysiloxane, used in making Silly Putty, it's also a critical ingredient in Rain-X.  It's also found in Wendy's fries.  Or at least their old "unimproved" fries, the new ones seemingly made out of shards of salt licks.

And what's TBHQ? That's tertiary butylhydroquinone, a butane based preservative, which among many other things, is used in the stabilization process of explosive compounds. One to four grams of TBHQ can cause some serious symptoms that will make the flu look like winning the lottery.  Five grams of TBHQ can kill you.

Many of the store bought nuggets don't have those two particular ingredients, but they are still full of things like sodium phosphates, caramel color, methylcellulose, and " spice extractive", even if they come in little dinosaur shapes.

No thanks, I'll eat at home.  Happy Meal toy notwithstanding, if my grandchildren want "McNuggets" my chicken will come with a beak, not a beaker. Ad in some homemade brad with a thin slice of cheese and a little salad and they will say "McDonald's WHO?

Ingredients in a Johnson household McNugget.

Fresh grain-fed chicken breast, grated fresh ginger, a squeeze of lemon juice, butter, flour, cayenne pepper, extra virgin olive oil, a cast iron skillet.

Chop one extra large chicken breast into large nugget sized pieces.  If you have the patience to cut them into little dinosaur shapes like the frozen grocery store nuggets have at it.  Mine are shaped like pieces of chicken.  I'm creative that way.

Dip each piece in a mixture of a few tablespoons of melted salted butter to which you've added about half a thumb sized piece of fresh ginger, grated and a splash of lemon juice.  Dredge in a small cereal bowl of flour to which you've added a few pinches of cayenne pepper.

Cook in a medium/hot cast iron pan with just a little EVOO until lightly brown on both sides (turning with tongs), reduce heat, cover and cook until done.  Remember, you are just lightly browning, not frying in a lot of oil.  Just a few minutes is all it takes and it turns out buttery, savory and oh so juicy.  Serves two for a light meal or snack.

Frangipani - Natural Skin Care that Works

I've reviewed a few bath and body lines here but there is one product line that is a personal favorite.  Like any review, I will not accept free product or payment and I don't promote something that I don't personally have in my house and use.  I share because this is what I would share with my family, which now, includes you folks.  I also, would rather promote the "I DID build this" small business owner, especially an Indiana one.

Indianapolis based  Frangipani Body Products  specializes in all-natural skin care and body products and has one many skin care world awards including a 3rd Annual Beauty with a Conscience Award.

When I first saw the products in a local magazine when I was living in Indiana, I didn't know it was an Indy-based company. When I checked out all the positive feedback on Facebook from others with similar ages and skin types, I HAD to order some. The owner and creator of the products, Tracy Land, originally had been making them to heal her own skin, as she battled the skin condition rosacea (which I have as well) then sold it to a few friends while she worked in the Quality Assurance end of IT.

Tracy continued to develop the concept and when her position was eliminated, instead of just picking up an unemployment check, she started refining the products, producing the products and selling to the public, using word of mouth, farmer's markets, trade shows, etc.  I can only imagine how much telephoning, strategy, business planning and legwork that was. The product was a hit and is now carried in a number of stores, including Whole Foods, in addition to being available online.

My skin has done so much better with natural products in the long term.  My skin is very fair and cantankerous on a good day and the rosacea has made my cheeks irritated and red since grade school. Put it this way - kids used to call me "Beet Face" and even as an adult, people were always asking how I got sunburned.  Not anymore!  I love the Frangipani products for what they've done for my rosacea.  They may cost a  bit more than what you can get at the drug store, but conventional products use a LOT of water and fillers to keep production costs down, meaning you use more product for the same effect. Frangipani products are also seriously less in price than most department store lines (you have to pay those 20-year-old supermodels you know), which frankly, did nothing to help my rosacea despite many claims otherwise.

Frangipani products contain only plant-based ingredients, and almost NO water. Only a small amount is needed so the product is quite long lasting which makes it a value.  Compared to what I spent at the Lancome and Clinique and Estee Lauder counters over the years for things that only made my skin redder and more irritated. . . a bargain!

Sure, I could go out and get buffed and abraded and bo-toxed, quick, fake fixes. I prefer a product that heals the skin in the long term, helping it glow from the inside out.

I have no desire to be 20 again, (which is like 2 in dog years). Aging gracefully is wonderful.

The Frangipani products.  So many - cleanser, creams, serums, Shea butter creams that would be perfect for gals OR guys to make work-worn hands feel like velvet, lip balm, all kinds of things.  The skin care selections range from blemish prone skin of a teen to OMG, I remember 8 track tapes! My favorites are the cleanser and the facial serum. I love gel cleansers but they dry my skin.  Cream cleansers remind me of Grandma's Ponds Cold Cream and make me break out if I use every day. The Frangipani cleanser is smooth and very creamy but it lathers just enough to clean and rinses completely, without rubbing,  leaving my face soft without having to irritate it with a washcloth. To exfoliate, there is an exfoliating product that's plant oil based with little jojoba beads that gently get rid of dry skin, as they gently dissolve. I use that in the shower every morning in place of the cleanser.

I'm thinking the facial cleanser might work well for guys for shaving.  The faint coconut and olive oil based scent is very pleasant but NOT girly. Tracy does not use fragrance oils in her Frangipani line, but only essential oils, much gentler on the skin while still smelling wonderful.  

What Rosacea?

The blemish serum is also great.  Even with super dry skin I still was getting acne like breakouts and clogged pores from various sunscreens I am pretty faithful in using. The Blemish Serum is very moisturizing but it doesn't result clog pores at all and it has some essential oils with healing antiseptic properties that are very beneficial to acne-prone skin.  I had found that with many serums I'd get blocked oil glands that left bumps on my face that took forever to go away.  In the morning, the Blemish serum, under the Shea Butter Cream or the wonderfully smelling Regenerating Flower Cream (which I use in the Winter), leaves my skin soft but super smooth and helped clear up those bumps, even if I wear sunscreen or foundation over the top of it. I alternate that with the Protective or Regenerating Serums at night for extra help with dry skin and the rosacea.

I also love the body oil, (you have to try that one) it's rice bran oil based so it soaks right in after bathing avoiding that whole, "Honey I just got out of the shower and moisturized and would love a hug", wherein he complies and you go shooting out of his arms like a watermelon seed and bounce off the walls, ruining the mood). And both the grapefruit and the lavender blends smell incredible but not overpowering

Check the website out (just click on the Frangipani name in purple at the start of the post).  Everything can be shipped promptly and the beautiful amber recyclable glass bottles are carefully packaged so there is no breakage (and trust me on the body oil thing.)