Comfort Food Archives - Strength and Sunshine

Microwave Gluten-Free + Vegan Mac & Cheese For One (Allergy-Free ‘Easy Mac’)

July 17, 2017 by Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine 77 Comments

Missing out on that ‘Easy Mac’? Not anymore! This microwave gluten-free, vegan, and top 8 allergy-free mac & cheese for one is just the recipe you need! Nothing beats a quick and easy bowl of macaroni and cheese for lunch that’s healthy and doesn’t require pots and pans!

It’s okay guys, I know, I cried tears of joy too! There’s no denying my obsession with mac and cheese. From curry, to one-pot, even super “out there” versions. You can keep a girl away from the gluten and dairy, but you can’t keep a girl away from her mac! Now I’ve always been curious to try cooking pasta in the microwave. I love my microwave, it even ranks above the iron, and I could cook anything in there. But could I really cook gluten-free pasta in the microwave and not have it come out…mushy and sad or hard and dry? This could’ve posed a messy challenge, but never something I wouldn’t risk, all in the name of macaroni and cheese!Read More

Gluten-Free Chicken Nuggets

October 5, 2016 by Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine 75 Comments

Just what the kids love and the moms can feel good about giving! Gluten-Free Chicken Nuggets that are healthy, homemade, and free of the top 8 allergens! Everyone can rejoice with this classic childhood dinner recipe and bring the health back to the family dinner table!

You didn’t think I’d leave with just the side dish to one of the most favorite classic childhood dinner meals, did you? Never! I like to finish things I started; never leave a meal incomplete! Now, I’ve told you about my weird cravings for fish sticks awhile back, but chicken nuggets are something even stronger! Chicken nuggets are always a thing in our house (and still are a huge staple in my brother’s, 22-year-old, diet. I know…I did the grocery shopping!)

Chicken nuggets are sadly so ultra-processed and full of fillers, oils, and weird unnecessary things (even the allergy-friendly brands). Needless to say, I hadn’t had some good ole’ chicken nuggets in years. I missed that childhood favorite, dipped in pools of ketchup. Damn the gluten, soy, egg, dairy….(really, why do that have to make everything with soy, even the more “allergy-friendly” brands?) Soy is cheap and GMO…I guess that’s why. So unnecessary!

But hey, that just gives me a new challenge in the kitchen to tackle, which is fine by me. This old favorite of mine mustn’t be keep away from my belly! Have you ever met a child who scorned chicken nuggets? I don’t think so! It’s a fast food staple too and you know I won’t even begin to rant about that! It’s bad enough buying the processed ones at the grocery store, but the fast food versions? NOOOOO!

My healthy golden nuggets are breaded in crushed corn flakes, spices, and some mustard to help the breading stick, then baked to perfection in the oven with not a drop of oil in sight. Say goodbye to anything that’s a slurry of ground-up scariness or deep-fried and soaked in oil. You can pronounce the name of each ingredient here, see them all laid out, and probably have everything right in your kitchen at this very moment.

We can call these “classy nuggets”. Not only will the kiddos love them, but you, my dear (older) reader, will too! Since I feel as though I’m part kid, part adult, I know these are approved by the masses. Totally approved by the food allergy folks! Chicken nuggets are essential to any childhood, there’s no debate there! I guess there could be debate if you don’t make it homemade. Good thing you no have homemade tater tots, homemade ketchup, and now homemade chicken nuggets!

When your kids come running home from school and asking, “What’s for dinner? Chicken nuggets? Please!”, you can now heed to their demands of nuggets and ketchup without a hint of guilt. You’ll even have a perfect dinner for yourself as well! The whole family can sit down at the table and savor this childhood and family classic. A dinner full of conversation, healthy food, allergy-freedom, laughs, and love awaits!

Gluten-Free Chicken Nuggets

Gluten-Free Chicken Nuggets

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Cook time

25 mins

Total time

25 mins

Just what the kids love and the moms can feel good about giving! Gluten-Free Chicken Nuggets that are healthy, homemade, and free of the top 8 allergens! Egg-free, dairy-free, soy-free, nut-free, no problem! Everyone can rejoice with this classic childhood dinner recipe and bring the health back to the family dinner table!

Author: Rebecca Pytell

Recipe type: Main

Cuisine: American

Serves: 4

Ingredients

1 lb Chicken Tenders
2 Tsp Dijon Mustard
Breading:
3 Cups Corn Flakes*
1 Tsp Dried Parsley
1 Tsp Dried Oregano
½ Tsp Paprika
½ Tsp Garlic Powder
½ Tsp Onion Powder
¼ Tsp Black Pepper
¼ Tsp Turmeric

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Cut the chicken tenders into 1-inch pieces and place in a bowl with the dijon mustard to coat them.
In a large plastic bag, combine all the breading ingredients and crush to a fineness of your liking.
Pour the coated chicken into the breading bag and shake to coat.
Add the fully coated chicken to a greased baking dish with any additional breading sprinkled on top, and bake for 25 minutes in the oven.

Notes

*If you're allergic to corn, you can use a crispy rice cereal!

As they say, dinner is served! This will satisfy any chicken nugget craving you have, I guarantee you! I know my next task is to make homemade fish sticks…I will…eventually. For now, these nuggets will suit us all just fine. With some ketchup and potatoes, we just can’t go wrong!

So tell me:

+ Are/were your kids (or you) a chicken nugget lovers?

+ What’s a dinner meal you always asked for growing up?

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Italian Chickpea Casserole

January 14, 2015 by Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine 175 Comments

A hearty plant-based meal the whole family will love. This gluten-free, grain-free, and vegan Italian Chickpea Casserole is the perfect weeknight meal to nourish the body with classic and comforting flavors.

I’m never really sure what people use to define a casserole. I assume it just means it was baked in a casserole dish, could easily be freezed in bulk, and provides endless leftovers. When I think of casserole, images of the stereotypical housewife pop in my head. Hair up, apron on, oven mits covering the hands as she bends down to remove the “casserole” from the oven and present it to the family waiting ever so patiently at the table.

What I also imagine is a heavy cheese and meat laden dish full of sadness. It may provide comfort to the family in that moment, but it will leave them dragging and sluggish for sure. We all want a comforting meal at the end of a long winters day, don’t get me wrong, but I think there are better options. Which leads me to my version of a healthy plant-based and allergy-free casserole.

Not only is this super healthy, but it will also leave you satisfied and full of plant-based energy. If I still need to convince you, then let me tell you have easy this is too! All you have to do is gather your ingredients and layer them in a casserole dish. Then bake and serve (or freeze!). I even made a cute step-by-step assembling guide in case you need a visual 😉

Since Italian food just brings images of comfort to mind, I thought I’d roll with that flavor theme. Plus, Italian flavors like tomatoes ad basil and crowd pleasers all-around. From picky children to meat-loving husbands, everyone will love this! This dish makes about 4 servings, but it could easily be doubled or tripled with a larger casserole dish and more ingredients!

Italian Chickpea Casserole

Ingredients: (serves 4)

+ 1 Large Spaghetti Squash (About 3 Cups when cooked and shredded)

+ 2 1/2 Cups Cooked Chickpeas

+ 1 Medium Zucchini Sliced (for 16 slices)

+ 1/2 Cup Sliced Black Olives

+ 3 Large White Mushrooms (for 8 slices)

Homemade Tomato Basil Sauce:

+ 1 Can No-Salt Added Tomato Sauce

+ 1/4 Cup Chipped Fresh Basil

+ 1 Tsp Chopped Garlic

+ 1/2 Tsp Onion Powder

+ 1/4 Tsp Black Pepper

+ 1 TB Dried Parsley

Additional Toppings:

+ 1 to 2 TB Nutritional Yeast

+ 1 TB Dried Parsley (for sprinkling on top)

Directions:

+ Preheat the oven to 350°F.

+ Microwave the spaghetti squash for 5 minutes or until you can easily cut it and fork out the strands. Prep the rest of your veggies and set everything aside.

+ In a bowl combine all the sauce ingredients and give everything a good stir.

+ In a 8×8 casserole dish, assemble the casserole as shown in the above graphic. Start with the squash, chickpeas, zucchini, olives, mushrooms, and finally the sauce. Now top the casserole with nutritional yeast and an extra sprinkle of parsley.

+ Place the casserole in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes.

Healthy hearty goodness! Saucy, “cheesy”, and full of wonderful comforting flavor.

Now that I’ve made my first “casserole”, I think I need to try my hand at some more. They are just too easy and the perfect all-in-one meal.

Have I told you about my un-dieing love for nutritional yeast? I probably poured about 5 more gallons on this after I took the “pretty” pictures. I can’t get enough of that cheesy stuff! So what I mean to say is…the nutritional yeast is NOT optional here 😉 You MUST use it, haha!

So tell me:

+ What do you think of when you hear the word casserole?

+ What’s your favorite classic comfort food?

*Recipe linking up for the week! WIAW, Allergy Free Wednesdays, #RecipeFridays, #RecipeOfTheWeek, #StrangeButGood, Gluten-Free Wednesdays, Real Food Friday, Gluten-Free Fridays, Tasty Tuesdays, Savoring Saturdays, Healthy Vegan Fridays, Real Food Recipe Roundup, Tasty Tuesdays, Meatless Mondays, Lena’s Tasty Tuesdays!*

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Chocolate Buckwheat Mug Cake

September 3, 2014 by Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine 79 Comments

I need all the comfort I can get right now. May that be going to bed before 9 every night, calling my mom every day, or eating “cake” for breakfast. That’s right. Cake. Really though this kind of cake is just a pancake with out the “pan”. Some ingredients, just cooked a different way. Full of good for you morning fuel with whole grain flours, flavor, and some protein “frosting” to tie it all together. Plus this cake has the addition of omega 3s from the flax egg used. I’d say this cake is a “sin” in disguise. I dare you, tell someone you had chocolate cake for breakfast (plus frosting), tell a friend who is trying to lose weight, and watch their eyes go wide. Don’t keep them hanging for long though. Tell them you know the secret. Everyone can have their cake and eat it too!

Back to the comfort aspect for a second. I first made this cake a few weeks before I left home and then I made it again on my last morning at home. Then I made it again my first weekend (last Saturday) in my dorm. I was going to make pancakes, but I was scared and just didn’t feel like going all the way down to the kitchen that morning. So the microwave in my dorm room would suffice. But it was okay since this cake makes me and my tummy so happy.

Buckwheat is my favorite flour, well maybe my favorite grain. I just love the robust earthy taste. It just works so well in gluten-free vegan baking and cooking. So homey and so comforting. Then add chocolate to that and I could just fall on the floor right there, in pure happiness. Which happens all the time 😉

I was so nervous making this the first time because I had no idea how long to microwave it for. I wanted it to cook and be cake (not mush), but I also didn’t want it to blow-up and overflow. Plus I wasn’t using a mug. I used a ramekin. Ramekins are just prettier and work just as well. Obviously on my first try, I had a success and I knew this would be a recipe I would be making again, and again, and again, and finally sharing with you on the blog. The food gods always seem to be on my side 😉

For my pancakes I usually use a fruit or veggie puree. I never use flax or chia eggs. But I thought using one here would be my best bet for getting a perfect cake rise. It is so cool how foods can mimic other foods. Like a flax egg really acting as a real egg. Except a lot better, healthier, and cruelty-free! I’m going to have to try a flax egg in a pancake recipe now…

Another fun thing about this cake is that it is so quick to make. Really just one minute in the microwave and BAM! You have chocolate decadence. So if you wake-up feeling tired and sad (like I did on Saturday), and you don’t feel like going through the whole pancake process, just make a mug cake and you will get the same satisfaction. You could also make it for dessert too. If you want a super healthy cake before bad, just whip this bad boy up and you good to go.

Chocolate Buckwheat Mug Cake

Ingredients: (serves 1)

+ 1 TB Milled Flax Seed (+3 TB Water)

+ 1/4 Cup Buckwheat Flour

+ 1 TB Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

+ 1/2 Tsp Baking Powder

+ 1/4 Tsp Baking Soda

+ 1/4 Tsp Cinnamon (optional)

+ 8 Drops of Liquid Stevia

+ 3 TB Water

Chocolate Protein Frosting:

+ 1 TB Chocolate Protein Powder

+ 2 TB Water

Directions:

+ Prepare you flax egg in the mug or ramekin you will be using. Combine the tablespoon of flax and 3 tablespoons of water in the mug and let sit for 5 minutes.

+ In the meantime measure out your other ingredients. When the flax egg is ready, add all you ingredients except the water and give it a quick stir. Then add the 3 table spoons of water. Stir to get a think cake batter mixture.

+ Place the mug in the microwave and cook on high for 1 minute. Depending on the power of you microwave you may need 30 seconds more.

+ While that is quickly cooking, combine your protein powder and water to make you frosting. When the cake is done, take it out (carefully! It is hot!), and top with the frosting.

The last step is to do this. DIG IN! Hello chocolate cake! If you have trouble getting up in the morning, the allure of chocolate cake just has to get you out of bed! Come on! CAKE! Cake that you can feel good about eating too. I see many mug cake variations in my college future. I already have one in the to-share recipe file, but I have tons of other versions brewing. Breakfast kids, breakfast is the BEST meal of the day and I don’t want to hear otherwise 😉 Now go make some cake!

So tell me:

+ Everyone has comfort foods, what are yours? Mine are any breakfast food I make, potatoes with coconut butter, and apples with nut butter! (Comfort foods don’t have to be unhealthy!)

+ What were your go-to breakfast in college? I hope it wasn’t the stereotypical cold pizza!

Side note: You know what’s nice to have in your dorm? A mini coffee maker. Not a Keurig, but a good old coffee pot with a reusable filter! Just pour in water, add ground coffee and brew!

*Recipe linking up for the week! WIAW, Allergy Free Wednesdays, #RecipeFridays, #RecipeOfTheWeek, #StrangeButGood, Gluten-Free Wednesdays, Real Food Friday, Gluten-Free Fridays, Tasty Tuesdays, Savoring Saturdays, Healthy Vegan Fridays, #Foodie Friday, Real Food Recipe Roundup, Gluten-Free Tuesdays, Tasty Tuesdays, Meatless Mondays!*