Quick and easy Tomato Soup

Ingredients:

1 can chicken broth

1 can diced tomatoes

3 cloves garlic chopped or pressed

2 tbsp dried oregano

1 tbsp italian seasoning

1 tbsp dried basil

1 tbsp dried parsley

1 tsp fennel seed

1 tsp red pepper

1 tsp ginger

Mix all the ingredients and heat! You may want to cut the tomatoes into smaller chunks, or even puree them, but that would turn a 2 minute recipe into 5 minutes and sometimes you want that soup right now!

Michelle's Famous Cheesecake

This one is actually from my friend Michelle:

Ingredients

Crust

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 cup + 1 tbsp rice flour

1 1/2 tsp xanthan or guar gum

1/2 stick unsalted butter or margarine (room temp)

1 egg

1/4 cup white sugar

Filling

2 1/2 lbs cream cheese (softened)

1 3/4 cup white sugar

2 1/2 tbsp white rice flour

1 tsp xanthan gum

5 eggs

2 egg yolks (6 eggs total works instead)

1/4 cup heavy whipping cream (in an emergency substitute with sour cream)

• Preheat oven to 400 F and lightly grease a 10" springform pan (9x13" works as well)
• Combine cocoa powder, flour, xanthan gum, sugar, 1 egg, and butter (it looks too dry, but trust me, it works)
• Place in the bottom of the pan, and spread evenly to the edges.
• Bake 15 minutes and allow to cool
• Increase oven temperature to 475 F
• In a large bowl combine cream cheese, sugar, flour, xanthan gum, eggs and yolks and mix thoroughly
• Add cream and mix only enough to blend
• Place a pan of water (preferably metal) on the bottom rack (If you don't have a bottom rack, fill cupcake pans with water and set the cake on top of them)
• Pour filling over crust and bake for 10 minutes at 475 F
• Reduce temperature to 200 F and continue to bake for 1 hour
• Turn oven off and leave cake in there for another hour
• Chill overnight.

Serve cold topped with your favorite fruit, chocolate, whipped cream, or plain!

Do not open the oven while the cake is baking. Cheese cake requires lots of steam (hence the pan of water) and opening the oven will let it all out and it will crack. (Still perfectly yummy though, just not as pretty)

German Pancakes

Ingredients:

2 tbsp butter

3 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1/6 cup sourgum flour

1/6 cup tapioca flour

1/6 cup potato starch

(Or 1/2 cup of your favorite GF flour)

Vanilla, Rum, or Almond extract (I recommend rum)

• Place butter in a very large, oven ready pan (Paella pans work best, brownie pans work well, some frying pans will do). Turn oven on to 450 F.
• Whisk together the remaining ingredients in a medium sized bowl. (Mixers work well, but are not required)
• Once the butter is melted and sizzling pour the batter into the pan
• Bake 12 minutes (try to avoid opening the oven during this time) until edges brown.

Serve immediately before it deflates. Top with lemon juice and powdered sugar, a fruit compote, or eat plain. Makes 1-2 servings. When doubling the recipe you can use the same pan (provided it's big enough), turn it to 400 F, and cook about 20 min.

Rating (0=inedible, 10=food of the gods): 7.5

This is my favorite breakfast recipe. Very easy to make, and very quick as well. The 12 minute cooking time is just about perfect to make the fruit compote (or grab a quick shower!). The high protein and medium carbohydrate combination is just about perfect to get you through the morning.

I keep a container of this flour mixture on hand. It is remarkably good for chewy things (bread, pancakes, etc) and makes an easy recipe even easier.

Pictures coming soon.

Thai Pineapple Chicken Curry

Ingredients:

1 can coconut milk

2 tbsp fish sauce

5 tsp red curry paste

1/8 cup sugar

1 tsp crushed red pepper

1 tsp ginger

1 tsp curry powder

1/2 lb chicken

1/4 cup onion (chopped)

1 red bell pepper

1 green bell pepper

1/2 cup crushed pineapple

• In a large frying pan or wok whisk together the coconut milk, fish sauce, red curry paste, sugar, red pepper, ginger, and curry powder. Bring to a boil and allow to simmer 7 min.
• Add onion
• Cut chicken into strips and add to the sauce. Let cook ~10 minutes
• Slice peppers into strips (or chop if you prefer) and add to sauce
• Add pineapple

Serve over rice (makes 3-4 ser

vings), or allow to simmer an extra 10 min and serve as soup (makes 2 small servings).

Rating (0=inedible, 10=food of the gods): 8

This tends to be a bit spicy. If you're a wuss (or are sensitive) don't add any crushed red pepper, serve with lots of rice (and maybe milk to drink), and add some milk to the sauce.

This would also be fantastic with chopped/sliced mango, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, and many other things I haven't thought of yet. Feel free to experiment and use up those ingredients in your fridge!