Macadamia Nut Crusted Salmon with Coconut Curry Drizzle and Roasted Asparagus

This meal combines most of my favorite things: seafood, nuts, coconut and veggies.  I cannot tell you how much flavor it has.  I made this for my husband Anthony's 29th birthday and he was in heaven.  His favorite fish is salmon so I went with some fresh wild caught salmon from Wholefoods (my favorite place for seafood) and it did not disappoint!  I strongly suggest you add this to your grain-free repertoire.  Enjoy.

A decadent mix of seafood, veggies and a grain free nut topping with a rich coconut sauce

Ingredients:
1lb wild caught salmon
1/3c macadamia nuts

1/4c pure coconut flour
sea salt
1tbs extra virgin coconut oil
2tbs coconut milk (full fat, not light)
1 bunch asparagus
macadamia nut oil

For the curry drizzle:
1 can full fat coconut milk (take 2tbs out for the fish topping)
1tbs red curry paste (gluten free)
2tsp lemon grass
1tsp curry powder
1/4tsp cumin
1/2tsp gluten & msg free chicken base powder
1/4tsp cinnamon
sea salt to taste

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 400F.  In a food processor, pulse nuts until finely chopped.  In a bowl, mix nuts, coconut flour, and a bit of salt.
2. Place the salmon, skin side down, on a baking sheet.  Top each fillet with coconut milk and spread evenly (will help the coating stick).  Then press some of the nut mixture onto the fillet so it is evenly coated (you will have some left over).  Warm up the coconut oil (hard at room temp) and drizzle over the fillets.  This will help the coating brown.
3. Meanwhile, toss the asparagus in some macadamia nut oil and sprinkle with sea salt.

The finished dish:  decadent and healthy at the same time!

4. Place the fish and asparagus in the oven.  The fish will cook at about 10minutes per inch of thickness (in my case, 20 minutes).  The asparagus takes about 20 minutes to roast, so if your fish is thin, put the asparagus in first.  Pull out when the fish flakes easily with a fork.
5. Meanwhile, make the sauce.  Heat the coconut milk in a sauce pan until warm.  Add the rest of the seasoning and whisk well.  Continue to heat until hot.  Taste and adjust as needed.
6. To serve, place the fish and asparagus on a plate.  Drizzle with curry sauce and sprinkle a bit of the leftover nut mixture over the asparagus, if desired.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Macadamia Nut Cookies, Gluten Free

Yum, yum, and yum.  These cookies are amazing.  Serve them undercooked hot from the oven topped with ice cream (Pizookie style) or fully cooked with a glass of milk.  I also froze some of the cookie dough into balls for easy fresh baking.  Best of all, these cookies are made with whole grain gluten free flours (but shhhhh...it's our secret!).  I hope this recipe finds a way into your kitchen this fall.

Warm oatmeal cookies full of melted chocolate and crunchy nuts:  where's my milk?!

Ingredients:
1c sorghum flour
1/4c millet flour
1/2c tapioca flour
1tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2tsp sea salt
1tsp xanthan gum
1tsp cinnamon
3/4c Spectrum Organic Non-hydrogenated Shortening
1 1/2c light brown sugar
1 1/2tbs vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 3/4c gluten free oats
1 heaping cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1c chopped dry roasted macadamia nuts

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F.  Line a baking sheet with nonstick foil (yes, I do this with EVERYTHING!)
2. Whisk fours, powder, soda, salt, gum, and cinnamon in a bowl.

Pizookie Style

3. In a separate bowl, beat shortening, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until smooth.  Add to dry ingredients and continue to beat until well combined.

4. With a spatula or wooden spoon, mix in oats, then chocolate chips and nuts (may need to stir by hand to combine).  The dough will be thick and sticky.
5. Place mounds of dough onto the cookie sheet (I did big cookies:  think golf ball size) spread by about 3" around the sheet.
6. Bake for about 12 minutes or until golden brown and look just underdone.  Or, take them out of the oven when they are underdone (8 min) and top with vanilla ice cream to serve them pizookie style.
7. Best if eaten in 2 days (as if they will last that long!)

Gluten Free Breakfast Bars

You might be thinking that these look a lot like my Homemade Granola Bars, and they are, sort of. These delicious hearty bars are less sweet than the original granola bars and have some almond flour for an extra dose of filling protein. They are the perfect breakfast on the go and keep best in the refrigerator. Enjoy!

Hearty breakfast on the go in a piece of cake with these bars!

Ingredients (makes 16 large bars):
2/3c gluten free oats, processed in a food processor until finely ground

3c gluten free oats
1/2c almond flour
1tsp salt
1tsp cinnamon
3c nuts, chopped or whole as preferred (I used 1c pecans, 1c macadamia nuts and 1c slivered almonds)
3c dried fruit (I used 1c chopped apricots, 1c dried cranberries, and 1c dried mixed berries)
12tbs melted butter or extra virgin coconut oil (use butter for a richer flavor, use coconut oil for it's health benefits and add some shredded coconut to the bar for a coconut flavor)
1/2c honey
2tbs light corn syrup
1tbs vanilla extract
2/3c creamy almond butter

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F.  Line a 13x9" cake pan with parchment paper or nonstick foil.
2. In a large bowl, mix together oat flour, oats, almond flour, salt cinnamon, nuts and dried fruit.
3. In a microwavable bowl, add butter or oil.  Microwave until melted.  Stir in honey, corn syrup, vanilla and almond butter until smooth.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix with your hands until well coated and moist.
5. Press mixture into the prepared pan firmly until evenly pressed into the pan.  Bake for about 30 or 35 minutes until the outsides are deep brown and the top is starting to brown but still soft in the center.
6. Remove from oven and let cool about 10 minutes.  Use the paper to help remove the entire pan of bars, cover with foil, and place in the refrigerator for a few hours before cutting (otherwise they tend to fall apart).  Once cut, store them on lined parchment paper in layers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve (they will be set the next day).

No Bake Fruit & Nut Bars

I love LARABAR's.  Love them.  Best of all, they are so simple:  their only ingredients are fruit and nuts.  This was my inspiration to make my own fruit and nut bar.  The result was a moist chewy bar that was slightly sweet but also a little salty too.  They are the perfect snack at home or away.  In fact, I am snacking on one right now as I type.

Mix and match the nuts and fruits to suit your tastes

Sweet chewy bar with all natural ingredients:  the perfect snack on the go

Ingredients:
1c roasted and shelled pistachios
2c raw almonds
1c macadamia nuts
1c dried apricots
1c dried cherries
1c dried mango
1/2c dried mixed berries
1/3c grapeseed oil (mine came out a little too oily... I would maybe try 3-4tbs and then add more as needed)
1/3c organic agave nectar

Press firmly into a pan prior to chilling

Directions:
1. Place pistachios in a food processor and grind until coarsely chopped.  Repeat with almonds and macadamia nuts.
2. In a food processor (if you have a small one, do this in batches), combine nuts and fruit and pulse until it starts to come together into a sticky ball.  Add oil and nectar and continue to pulse until combined.
3. Press into a 9x13" cake pan lined with parchment paper or nonstick foil.  Press mixture firmly and evenly into the pan.  Refrigerate 1 hour before cutting into bars.  Then refrigerate overnight to set.

Homemade Granola Bars

These rich chewy treats are so delicious and satisfying, you will be so glad you didn't buy the generic one's at the grocery store.  This recipe is extremely versatile, if you don't like an ingredient, you just add a different one.  Basically, you add the dried fruit and nuts that you like best and leave it at that.  I must make a note here that I did use butter because I really don't think there is anything better than oats cooking in butter and honey.  However, that being said, feel free to use a healthier oil if you like.  I think coconut oil would make a great substitute.  For this recipe, I used a variety of nuts and berries  but by all means do not feel obligated to follow my choices.  Explore your own taste buds.  After all, variety is the spice of life!

Chunky, chewy, sweet and salty:  this is the best granola bar you will ever eat

A stack of granola bars with a rich glass of milk makes the perfect breakfast

Ingredients:
1 2/3c quick rolled oats (If gluten free, use gluten free oats like me such as Bob's Red Mill)
1/2c granulated sugar
1/3c oat flour (I put 1/3c oats into a food processor until finely ground)
1/2tsp fine sea salt
1/2tsp cinnamon
3c dried fruit and nuts (I used 2c dried fruit and 1c nuts: specifically, I used 2c dried mixed berries including cranberries, cherries and blueberries as well as 1c of a mix of nuts including sunflower seeds, macadamia nuts, slivered almonds and pistachios.  Feel free to experiment here!  Add in some chocolate or coconut if you like, make this bar your own!)
1/3c nut butter (I used creamy raw almond butter from Trader Joe's)
2tsp vanilla extract
6tbs melted butter
1/4c honey
2tbs light corn syrup
1tbs water

Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 350F.  Line an 8x8 pan with parchment and grease the paper.
2. Stir together the dry ingredients, including the fruit and nuts.  In a separate bowl, whisk together the vanilla, butter, liquid sweeteners, nut butter and water.

Store them in a single layer between parchment sheets

3. Toss the wet ingredients in with the dry and mix until well combined and sticky.  Spread into the prepared pan, pressing firmly down so that the mix is molded to the shape of the pan and compacted.
4. Bake the bars 30-40 minutes, or until they are brown at the edges, browning at the top, and are still soft and under-baked in the center.
5. Cool the bars COMPLETELY before cutting or they will fall apart.  I chilled mine to room temperature on the counter and then again in the refrigerator until cold and then cut them into bars with a serrated knife.
6. To store, place them on parchment paper and in an airtight container.  I store mine in the refrigerator to keep them fresh.