I love to gather my family and my friends around the table and cook for them. I genuinely enjoy to take the care and time to craft something delicious to serve them! The love of cooking wasn’t something I grew up having, it was only after I had children with allergies that I began the process to discover not only how I could get them to eat healthier and within the confines of their food allergies, but how it could taste amazing as well. This unlocked a journey of self discovery where I grew to find a I had a passion for cooking- a complete surprise! Now, most weekends, you will find me experimenting in the kitchen from complex and healthy recipes to simple and junk food recipes.
Most of the recipes I post are Gluten and Dairy Free but can be modified either way. Also, follow my Instagram (@heidirclark) for a lot of recipes that I don’t post here!
Breakfast and Snacks:
*Hot Chocolate Pancakes (Yep.)
*Bacon-Egg Cups (Dude. Bacon in a cupcake tin with eggs= Perfection.)
*Mega Stacked Toast (Eggs, Bacon bits, Avocado, Cilantro…)
*Baked Eggs in a Stuffing Cup {Perfect for Thanksgiving leftovers}
*Easy Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal (kid approved and great for a few days!)
* Veggie Quiche (Breakfast at Ellen’s!)
*“Trail-Mix” Cookies (gluten and dairy free, these are full of healthy ingredients! and, umm– and peanut butter and sugar…)
*Chewy Granola bars (My site’s #1 recipe! the picky Gluten-lovin‘ hubs loves these!)
*Quinoa Granola (made with equal parts oats and quinoa, this high protein snack is healthy and low in sugar!)
*Healthy No-Bake Energy Bites (like cliff bars!)
Sides and Soups:
*Black & White Chicken Chili (A light, healthy, FORMAL soup indeed!)
*THE BEST Potato Bacon Soup (The name says it all…)
*Supreme Pizza Soup (Perfect with cheesy bread)
*Veggies Galore! w/ Chicken and Parmesan (Easy, delicious and perfect served over quinoa!)
*Pizza Rice! (Just like Pizza! … ok, not really but it’s good!)
*Black Rice & Chicken Soup (A pretty, visually appealing soup that is fun to serve!)
*Heidi’s Mexican-esque Rice & Beans (Meatless Mondays made delicious…)
*Green Quinoa (I make this a lot, simply altering veggies and sometimes using rice instead of quinoa.)
Dinners and Desserts:
*Anasazi Beans and Rice with a Fried Egg (Good for breakfast, lunch OR dinner!)
*Sorghum Salad with Fried Egg and Avocado (Good with quinoa too!)
*Oven Baked Chicken with Tomato & Basil (delicious over quinoa or rice pilaf)
*Skillet Eggs with Chorizo (Perfect for dinner OR breakfast!)
*Eggplant Parmesan (With a GF option, SO good!)
*Hot Chocolate Cake Balls (perfect for showers, parties and in-general any time you want to impress someone!)
* Banana Bread Cake Balls (Yum Yum Yum Yum)
*No-Bake Pumpkin Spice Cookies (perfect for fall and winter!)
*Hazelnut Mudslides (great with or without alcohol)
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First of all – why am I Gluten-Free? This seems to be a question I’m asked a lot. (I’m also mostly dairy free- I occasionally have cheese– what is life without cheese, no?)
This is a LONG story but to briefly summarize, I MISS GLUTEN! It is delicious! Bear, my oldest, has a rare genetic disorder. (You can read about it on the “William’s Syndrome” tab.) He was tested inconclusively for Celiac’s Disease and it was suggested that I put him on a GF diet for his health- because of his syndrome, he has a 1/3 chance of developing it. Also, part of William’s Syndrome is the propensity towards ADHD and ADD and going GF is a treatment for that as well so it seemed like a good choice for us. On a separate note- I read an article that said that c-section babies have an 80% higher chance of getting Celiac’s Disease and since both of my boys were born via c-section I choose that for Bug as well.
As far as I go- I’m also Gluten-Free now, with occasional cheating! Since none of us has to be Gluten-Free for serious health reasons, it makes my life much easier as far as not having to be super, super careful. We have flex room in our diet. The reason I decided to be GF too is partly because I have to cook that way for my kids and partly because while on an elimination diet while nursing Bug (because he had some severe food allergies that caused open sores on his face and body- we eventually found out he was allergic to dairy and eggs) I noticed that when I added gluten products back into my diet that I didn’t feel as well. I can tolerate gluten in very small doses but get physically ill when I overindulge. SO- that being said- if I come across some great GF recipes I’ll pass them along to you, but for now, if you are new to this, read this first article and feel free to pass along information to me as you come by it! Thank you and good luck!
*Gluten Free for Dummies (for people new to GF or for people who have gluten free friends/family and are scared to ever have them for dinner.)