The Bee's Knees Gnocchi!

Kecia Johndrow is someone I "met" online several years ago through the Feingold Association. Four years ago she opened her own gluten free bakery, Bee's Knees Bakeshop in Cedar Park, near Austin, Texas. Not only does she make beautiful baked goods like cakes, pies, brownies and cake balls; she also serves breakfast and lunch.

Now Kecia has written her first e-cookbook, Gluten Free is the Bee's Knees, A Bee's Knee's Cookbook.  A mutual friend let me know about the e-book and I bought it immediately.

The variety of recipes is great. Soups, appetizers, sides, dips, casseroles, breakfast items, entrees from Mexican to Cajun to Italian, desserts and more are included. Kecia has included answers to some frequently asked questions and shopping tips, making this a great resource for anyone newly gluten free.

She graciously has allowed me to share one of her entrees here for a little sneak peek. I had a hard time choosing because everything sounded really good.

Ultimately, I chose Gnocchi because it's one of my favorite comfort foods.  Kecia recommends topping them with a marinara sauce for a GFCF meal.  Since we do some dairy I chose to serve them drizzled with Laura's Garlic Herb Dip and a sprinkle of Asagio cheese.

I am certain mine are not as pretty as Kecia's but oh my goodness, they were delicious! I used brown rice flour and made them a little larger than Kecia recommended so they took a couple minutes longer to cook. Chris and I absolutely loved them and went through nearly half a batch between the two of us.

Here's Kecia's recipe, straight from her book:

Try it, I think you'll enjoy!

Happily shared on Gluten Free Wednesdays thanks to Linda at The Gluten Free Homemaker.

Cilantro Hummus!

Traditional hummus is one of my favorite things all year round. Whether I make or purchase it, there is almost always a container of it in the fridge. Hummus makes a great vegetarian protein snack with crackers (I especially love it with my flax crackers) or veggie sticks, and is an awesome spread on sandwiches. A favorite breakfast is simply a half a toasted gluten free bagel spread with hummus.

We love it plain or drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with sumac or paprika. Chopped olives are my personal favorite, or addiction if I'm honest, these days.

My cilantro hummus is a spring and summer favorite.  It's creamy and cool and has a fresh pop of flavor. It takes just minutes to make and can be adjusted to your tastes easily.

Made as shown below it's very mild, at least with the jalapeños I use. If you like more heat, just add another jalapeño or switch to a pepper with more kick. Habanero is my favorite. The more cilantro, the better, as far as I'm concerned. I use a large bunch - about a cup and a half of washed leaves and stems. Cilantro has many health benefits so I'm always adding it to something I'm making.

This hummus is a great way to get your raw veggies in. Above I used daikon radish. I love the look of the perfect circles and crispy bite of the radish with the creamy hummus. Our veggie selection to the right wasn't the most exotic or beautifully sliced today but they were still delicious.

Cilantro Hummus is great as a spread on a veggie burger like my Chipotle Lime and Black Bean Burgers. My favorite crackers for this hummus are my Spicy Pepita and Almond Crackers which I like for a quick lunch. This combination also makes a nice appetizer with a lighter meal.

To really amp up the color and kick, spoon a little of Gabby's Green Sauce on top.

Cilantro Hummus

3 cups Garbanzo Beans
1 large bunch Cilantro, or enough to equal about a cup and a half leaves and stems
1 large Jalapeño, seeded
1 medium clove Garlic
1/4 cup Lime Juice
1/4 cup Olive Oil
Salt, to taste

While all ingredients can be put into a food processor at one time and blended, I like to use my Vitamix for an even creamier hummus.  If you use a Vitamix you will need to use the tamp to keep things mixing and moving to blend quickly. Just add all ingredients to the Vitamix at once and blend until smooth and creamy for about two minutes.

The flavor will improve as it chills so plan on letting it sit in the fridge an hour or two prior to serving.

Enjoy!

Happily shared on Gluten Free Wednesdays thanks to Linda the Gluten Free Homemaker!