Zucchini Cheesy Bread

My Facebook page is riddled with video recipes these days.  They come across as so quick and easy. But much more time consuming then they appear.

Recently though a friend shared this recipe by Delish on Facebook and I was intrigued.  Intrigued and haunted! The Zucchini cheesy bread was in my dreams that night, so the next morning I ran out and stocked up on the ingredients. I had to!

Truth be told - any 'bread' that doesn't use flour or grains grabs my attention. That, and anything that even resembles pizza in any way.

Luckily I was given a food processor recently and it makes all the difference in speeding through the grating/grinding process. Hand grating 3 zucchinis and all that cheese could be quite laborious and time consuming.

The recipe was easy to follow though, and impressively mine came out looking exactly like the video.  And the taste!  The taste was a winner and everyone raved.  I have made it successfully three times now.
Tips to share:

1. Be sure to squeeze all the liquid out of the grated zucchini.  If it's too wet it takes twice as long to bake (how do I know? don't ask!) and it doesn't firm up as well.

2. Definitely serve it with a marinara sauce for dipping.

3. Excellent leftover too!

Enjoy!

You can find more of my art in my Etsy shop Erin Go Paint.
Or check out my daily illustrations on Instagram

Monday Motivation - The Beauty of Fall Produce

Buying seasonally gives you the opportunity to eat produce with greater flavor, and the best value.
 
 
What if the veggie art looked at tasty as the donuts or the pie? Would it inspire us to buy more - and eat more - vegetables!?

What if we kept looking at beautiful vibrant pictures of vegetables, would it shift what we crave? 

I believe it would!

It's all about the power of suggestion.

I was following an FB forum discussion this weekend on weekly food prep and there were so many who roast vegetables in bulk for the week. A brilliant and a mouth watering suggestion. Simple enough with olive oil, some fresh herbs, salt and pepper... I will certainly be roasting veggies today - and ignoring the rain.

You can find more of my art in my Etsy shop Erin Go Paint.
Or check out my daily illustrations on Instagram

What I learned from a Gluten Free Chicken Wing

I think I have always been intimidating by cutting meat. I felt like I didn't know enough about meat to cut it properly, so I avoided it. And bought everything as parts, and left any roast carving to someone else, anyone else!
Now I am not sure how you could really mess any of it up - but still I avoided because I thought I couldn't do it.

I have have more than a few assignments for Simply Gluten Free Magazine that involved cutting, carving, chopping, etc and my confidence has grown over time as I try more things.  I have found I can carve a turkey, open a rock hard raw spaghetti squash, butterfly a pork chop, create lovely pineapples cubes from a whole pineapple - and make my own drums and wingettes from whole chicken wings!

It was challenging for the first few but I got the hang of it as I went along. Also I figured if they weren't perfect nobody would care - the family was just eagerly anticipating the wings that were soon to be on the grill. So, no judgements, no mistakes, no problem.

I saved money buying the whole wings as opposed to the pre-cut packs, and put on a pot of stock with the end tips while the the wings were marinating.

 from May/June 2017 Simply Gluten Free Magazine

My chicken wing chopping experience was like most things in life - best not to fear, face it head on, give it a shot, keep trying, and practice makes perfect!

And now matter how badly you butcher them - in the end they all tasted delicious.

If you enjoy my art you can find more in my Etsy shop Erin Go Paint.
Or check out my daily illustrations on Instagram

An Indoor Herb Garden - Fresh Herbs with Dinner

I am terrible with plants. I love them but they are pretty much in the process of dying while in my care.
The bad-with-plants expression is quite often referred to as 'A Black Thumb', but I prefer to call it a RED thumb.  Red being the opposite of green, seems a more accurate description.
Red like - STOP, before you kill that poor unsuspecting plant! 

But, though I truly stink at it, I can't help but keep trying. I love having fresh herbs and flowers around.  The aroma and the beauty are unmatched. As for cooking with fresh over dry - there is no comparison in flavor.

Now as we say goodbye to summer I have been possessed  to get an indoor herb garden set up. We have been in our house over a year I have identified the best spot for them to soak up the shining sun!  The ledge has been cleared, the area set, and I started with two plants from the kitchen window sill to pre-populate the spot. A basil plant and gerbera daisy.

From Simply Gluten Free Magazine July/Aug2016

Yesterday I added rosemary and cilantro. The smell of the rosemary in the living room is amazing. Looking forward to adding more to the garden and more fresh herbs to my cooking.

You can see my more of my work in my Etsy shop Erin Go Paint. Or check out my recent 100 Day Project on Instagram

Monday Inspiration - Eat Healthy!

"Eat Healthy, Feel Healthy, Be Healthy" watercolor & ink, copyright Erin Rogers Pickering

A rainbow of fresh nutrient dense vegetables - all naturally, deliciously Gluten Free. Take a little extra time in the produce department and try something new this week. Add an extra veggie to your meal. Snack on raw carrots or slices of crisp, juicy red pepper. Make a smoothie and throw in a little kale, or add avocado for creaminess. 
Experiment, explore, enjoy!
Eat healthy and you will feel healthy - and Be Healthy!


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Gluten Free Potato Leek Soup

I am always SO sad to see summer, and sandal wearing season, come to an end.
But Fall is the start of soup season, and there is nothing quite like a fresh pot of home-made soup simmering on the stove.  Talk about comfort food.  It's cozy, warm, hearty, filling the house with a yummy aroma... and if you are making it yourself then you know it's gluten free.

I am a big fan of Potato Leek soup and made a large pot last year after setting up the shots for my Simply Gluten Free assignment from March/April 2013.  Truth be told, I had never made my own potato leek soup until I was faced with a large pile of chopped leeks.  But it was really quite easy!  We were experimenting with a dairy free diet for my daughter at the time so I found a recipe that didn't call for cream. Instead it is whipped in our magic bullet creating a very creamy texture without the milk or cream. (be sure that any beef or chicken stock you use is gluten free)

It was a tremendous success - and the batch went fast!  Now as we move into cooler, and yes sadly shorter, days... it's time to break out the soup pot and start chopping leeks!

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