GF Breaded Chicken Fingers

Everyone on a special diet has at least one thing they miss from "the old days". For me, pizza is still my number one all time favorite food, though I don't get to eat it very often. Another thing that I miss is fried chicken. In lieu of fried chicken, I'd sometimes order chicken tenders or breaded chicken strips when dining out in my pre GF days. This weekend I found myself craving something from the old days and decided to try my hand at making a homemade version of chicken fingers.


I buy Udi's GF breads on a regular basis. I have found that taking my lunch to work is not only more economical, but my tummy is much happier as well. I buy Udi's brand because I think it has the best taste and texture. It also happens to be the one that doesn't upset my stomach. I've tried other brands and just am not able to tolerate them, so Udi's it is!


GF bread contains "heels" on each end of the loaf, just like any other loaf of bread. Sometimes I toast the ends of my GF bread and treat them like a bagel with the condiment of choice. Recently, though, I began saving them in the freezer with the intent of turning them into some pretty cost effective GF breadcrumbs. My timing was right on with my chicken finger craving since I finally had enough ends to try making my own GF crumbs. The method is really easy and the results superb, very similar to those of a traditional breadcrumbs albeit softer in texture. 


Today, I used the crumbs to bread marinated chicken thighs. Next time, who knows what my inspiration will be. I used Giada de Laurintilas' chicken tenders recipe as a starting point and spring boarded my way to a GF version that was pretty tasty, if I do say so myself. I served them with the GF zucchini fritters from Smitten Kitchen. Note, I found that I should have slipped the fritters into the oven for a bit after browning them in the skillet. I didn't know to do this and found that the fritters, while very tasty, they weren't cooked through. Still, this made for an enjoyable and pretty easy Sunday evening dinner. Let me know if you give it a try at your house.


One final note. I know that 1/4 cup of hot sauce may seem like a lot, but the ratio of hot sauce to buttermilk ensures that you just get good flavor from it and not any heat. You can choose to leave out the hot sauce if you need to. I encourage you to give it a try though, my four year old had two chicken strips and doesn't like anything spicy - even black pepper is too much for her. Maybe this will help you to decide for yourself whether to include the hot sauce or not.


~Enjoy


GF Breaded Chicken Thighs

• 1lb skinless, boneless chicken thighs
• 1/4 cup Frank's Hot Sauce
• 1 tbsp onion powder (not salt)
• 1 tbsp garlic powder (not salt)
• 1 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
• 1 tsp black pepper
• Lowfat Buttermilk

Cut each chicken thigh in half and place in a mixing bowl with tall sides. Add hot sauce, onion powder, garlic powder, parsley and pepper. Pour over enough buttermilk to sufficiently cover all of the chicken. Using a fork or a large spoon, stir the chicken around in the marinade until the color is uniform and all of the seasoning appears to be well distributed. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour and up to a day to allow the meat to absorb the marinade and tenderize.

Meanwhile, fit the large bowl of your food processor with the chopping blade. Break frozen bread heels in half and place halves in the bowl of the processor. Process the bread until it forms a crumbly texture and the crumbs are a consistent size. You can stop the processor and restart it after stirring the crumbs with a fork or spoon to redistribute the large pieces and achieve a more consistent product. 

Put the crumbs in a dish or plate and add 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp finely ground pepper. Mix the crumbs with a fork to distribute the seasoning and set aside.

In another dish (this one with sides) add 1 cup of Just Whites egg product or 3 egg whites mixed with a little (tbsp or two) of water and beat with a fork to combine. You want a loose egg white that will coat your chicken pieces as evenly as possible.


Remove the chicken from the marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Add a few chicken pieces to the egg white and, using only one hand (keep the other for the bread crumbs!), turn them over in the egg to evenly coat. Place each chicken piece in the bread crumb dish after you coat it with the egg. 


Using your other hand, turn the chicken pieces over in the bread crumbs taking care to pat the crumbs into any areas that are missing breading or that need a little extra coating. When finished, place the coated chicken on a baking pan that has been fitted with a silpat or parchment paper.


Place the baking pan in the oven and allow to bake for 25-30 minutes, depending on the size and thickness of your chicken pieces. Test for doneness by cutting into the top of one of the chicken pieces. The chicken is done when cooked through and the juices run clear.


Serve with your favorite condiment.

Ain't No Thing but a Chicken Wing!

As we now live 30 miles south of Indianapolis, we find eating out as a way to make it through a hectic week is not working for us. As a result, I'm trying various ways to get dinner on the table at a reasonable hour. So far, preparing ingredients ahead and using my crock pot are two methods that seem to work well. Since we're not eating out as much, I've found myself trying to make home versions of those items that we've traditionally treated as something to be enjoyed in a restaurant. Wings are one of these item. 


A few days ago, my darling hubby said that he had a craving for wings. In the past, we would have placed an order with the BW-3's just down the street from our previous house. I have occasionally made wings at home, but have found that the work to separate the wing into three parts (drummie, tip and whatever they call that other piece) to be hard work and to take way too long to allow you to make and serve them the same evening. Wanting to avoid such tedious work this time around, I decided to cook the wings the day before and then try separating them at the joint with my trusty chef's knife. Turns out this was pure genius. It took no time to work my way through enough cooked full wings to make two dozen wing pieces and I had plenty leftover for lunch or the next night's dinner.


In addition to this new method for separating the wing parts, I also wanted to complete all of the prep on Monday night so that we could have them for dinner on Tuesday. At times in the past, I've fried the wings. This is the way traditional wings are made in a restaurant. However, this is a hands on method and takes quite a bit of time as you can only fry so many wing pieces at one time, so you end up frying batches of wing parts. Then, there's the smell that goes along with deep frying. I never like to wake up the next morning and be reminded of what we had for dinner the night before, no matter how tasty it was! Fortunately, I've had great results in the past simply baking the wings and have come to prefer this method in recent years. I like this option as the skin is still crispy and the fat is rendered, so it's a bit healthier (although I'm not going to argue that chicken wings are anything but a food to be enjoyed on occasion). Because the oven method afforded a hands off option, I went with it this time so that I could enjoy dinner and family time while preparing a major part of dinner for the next night.


I have to say that baking the wings whole not only produced the crispy skin we like, but fixed my issue with separating the wing parts. Once the wings were baked and cooled, I simply took out my big chef's knife and easily cut through the joints. I discarded the chicken tips, but they smelled so good that I considered tossing them into a baggie for the freezer for a day when I wanted to make homemade chicken stock. 


The final piece to making terrific chicken wings at home is the sauce. You can buy a variety of sauces in the average grocery store. I've seen traditional wing sauce, teriyaki sauce and, of course, there's always BBQ sauce. Use your favorite or making the one below for a traditional "Buffalo" style wing. Whatever you decide, give this "recipe" a try sometime when you either want a special treat or are having friends over. 


~Enjoy!


Good as Restaurant Chicken Wings

• 1 large package of chicken wings (2 lbs or so)
• 2 good size baking sheets (mine are half sheet pans and it took both)
• Sauce (my recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Arrange oven racks so that two of the racks are in the middle to upper middle third of the oven. 

Remove chicken wings from package and place them in a strainer. Rinse the wings under cool running water until the water runs clear. Drain the wings thoroughly and place them on strips of (multiple layers) paper towels. Lay the wings in one layer, do not stack them. Using more layers of paper towel, dry the wings thoroughly.

Arrange the dried wings on a baking sheet. I found that there's a certain way that the wings fit together so that you can maximize the number you can get on a sheet. The wings can touch a bit, but you want one even layer, not stacked layers. Also, it's better to arrange fewer wings on a sheet than to over populate the baking sheet and have them steam rather than bake. If they steam you'll have rubbery wings that likely haven't rendered their fat properly, so you won't achieve that wonderful crispy skin.

Sprinkle the wings with salt and pepper to taste. This is also the time to add unique seasonings to your wings. Stick to ground spices though as fresh spices, like chopped garlic, will burn in the oven given the amount of time the wings need to cook. Good ground spice candidates include:  garlic powder (not salt), onion powder (not salt), smoked paprika or, if you're going for the sweet and spicy approach, cardamom, cinnamon or Five Spice powder. 

Place the wings in the oven, one baking sheet per oven rack, and allow to cook until wings are cooked through and the skin is crispy. The specific amount of time depends on your oven. In my oven, this took 90 minutes. 


Remove the baking sheets from the oven and allow the wings to cool. If you are preparing the chicken for use on another night, place the cooled wings in a container and refrigerate until you're ready to use them. If you plan to use them on the same day you bake them, follow the steps below once the wings are cool enough to handle.


Working with one full wing at a time and using a stable cutting board and a sharp knife, remove the wing tip and discard. Next, turn the wing up so that the joint that connects the two wing pieces is on the board and the two ends are in the air - looks like you're holding a V. Use your chef's knife to cut down through the middle of the joint (middle of the V) and apply a little pressure to separate the two parts. Place the parts in a baking dish. Cover the baking dish with foil. Place wings in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes until they are hot and steam is rising from the dish. Add the sauce and stir to evenly distribute it. Place the foil back over the baking dish for 5-10 minutes to allow the sauce to come to temperature and the wings and sauce to marry a bit. Serve your wings with traditional condiments like blue cheese and celery or try something different like sweet potato fries.




Traditional Buffalo Sauce
Most traditional wing sauces have two components - hot sauce and butter. My specific combo is below. Feel free to adjust the heat to your liking.

• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup Frank's hot sauce
• pinch of salt and pepper

Place butter in a 2 cup Pyrex glass measuring cup and melt in the microwave on defrost. When the butter is fully melted, remove it from the oven and stir to ensure an even distribution of fat and water and to make sure it's evenly melted. Add hot sauce to the Pyrex along with the salt and pepper. Whisk to combine and taste for seasoning. Adjust as necessary. Pour the sauce over the wings and proceed according to directions above. If you like hotter sauce, add more hot sauce. If you like your wings on the mild side, as I do, add the hot sauce a little at a time until you determine the right ratio for your taste.

Enchilada Casserole and Latin Inspired Garden Salad (Gluten Free, Nut Free)

This has been a very busy weekend for our family. Our daughter turned four on Wednesday, so yesterday morning we entertained six toddlers at a bounce facility. Then, my parents were visiting this week, so we spent some quality time with them. Next, my hubby's sister and niece came to visit for our daughter's birthday. This meant that a family party was in order. Finally, today is Father's Day and a nice lunch is in order to both celebrate what a wonderful dad my hubby is and to send off our company with full bellies. 


Thankfully, a few weeks ago I made crock pot carnitas. The recipe made a huge batch of delicious shredded pork so I was able to served some really yummy tacos at the time and throw the rest into the freezer for another day and another inspiration. Today, I needed a quick approach to a healthy and delicious lunch. Fortunately, the carnita meat was ready and waiting.


Below is my recipe for turning the carnita meat into an enchilada casserole. I prefer the casserole approach to enchiladas, over the rolled variety, as the casserole method gets you the same result, but much faster with less muss, fuss and, frankly, because the corn tortillas are typically briefly fried in oil, fewer calories. 


I served the enchiladas with gluten free corn casserole and a Latin inspired garden salad. The result was a meal that was satisfying, in the way that only true comfort food can be, and featured a variety of flavors and textures. Let me know if you give it a try.


~Enjoy


Enchilada Casserole

• 4-5 cups crock pot carnita meat
• 8 white corn tortillas
• 1 small can mild enchilada sauce
• 1 16 oz can tomato sauce
• 1 8 oz bag shredded Mexican blend 2% cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9x9 baking dish by spraying it with olive oil. Set aside. In a medium size bowl, combine tomato sauce and enchilada sauce, stirring to combine. Add appx. 1.5 cups enchilada tomato sauce in the bottom of the prepared baking pan. Place 4 corn tortillas in the bottom of the pan. The tortillas may overlap a bit in the middle and the deepest part of the corners will not be covered, but that's okay. Top the tortilla layer with the carnita meat being sure the meat covers the tortillas completely and in an even layer. Top the meat layer with half the cheese. Place the final four corn tortillas on top. Pour over the remainder of the enchilada sauce. 


Cover the pan with foil and place it in the preheated oven for 45 to 55 minutes. The casserole is ready for the next step when the whole casserole is bubbly on top and steam rises from all parts (middle, corners and sides). Remove foil and add the remaining half of the cheese in an even layer on the top. Return the baking dish to the oven for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted, but not darkened in color (this is important for low-fat cheese).


Remove casserole from the oven and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving. Serve with salad and corn casserole.




Latin Inspired Garden Salad

• 1.5 head of romaine lettuce, washed and drained
• 1 cup frozen corn nibs, thawed
• 1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/4 large red onion
• 1 cup carrot slices
• 1 to 1.25 cups Frito scoops or your favorite corn chips
• 1 avocado
• 1 cup shredded 2% Mexican Cheese Blend
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 2 tbsp agave
• 1 cup olive oil
• pinch ground cumin
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tbsp dried parsley flakes, crushed in your hand 

Chop the lettuce into bite size pieces and place in the salad bowl. Add the corn, carrots and black beans. Slice the onion into thin strips and add those to the salad bowl. Using clean hands, toss the salad until the ingredients are well combined. Cut the avocado in half and scoop out the two halves. Cut each half into quarters and then chunks. Top with the shredded cheese. Place corn chips or tortilla chips on cutting board and, using the heel of your palm, crust the into large chunks. Top the salad with the corn chip chunks. Set salad aside while you make the dressing.

In a clean jar with a tight fitting lid, combine the remaining ingredients to create the dressing. Tighten the lid and shake vigorously until the dressing emulsifies. Serve along side the salad.

Halibut Picatta over Brown Rice (Naturally Gluten, Nut and Dairy free)

I have been craving fish this week, no explanation for this craving other than maybe my body needs it. On occasion I try to do what I'm told, so I had salmon twice this week for lunch and made fish for dinner tonight. 


Fish is the one thing that worries me in the kitchen. I do not make fried fish because it's nearly impossible and I don't like smoke or the way my house smells the next day. Baked, grilled, poached or pan fried fish is another story. It's all pretty easy and doesn't tend to stink up the place. So, when I make fish I stick to one of those methods.


Recently, darling hubby and I placed an order with the Great Alaska Seafood. If you order enough product, the shipping is free and I'd much rather have extra fish! In addition to some truly terrific salmon, I bought a pound of Halibut. I wasn't sure at the time how I would prepare it, but came up with a concept tonight and have to say that it probably made some of the best fish I've ever turned out. I use the term "concept" in describing it as I can't really say it's a recipe. It was more a little of this and a bit of that, so the amounts below are approximate.


One note about the rice. I recently acquired a rice cooker and have to say that it has quickly endeared itself to me as one of the few unitask kitchen appliances that I can no longer live without. Not only does it make terrific tasting rice, brown jasmine or basmati are our favorite, but it makes cooking rice a breeze. Did I happen to mention that I'm not a very good rice maker either? Well this little appliance certainly fixed that issue. I wish I'd bought one years ago!


Back to the fish dish, vary the veggies to your own taste or what you have on hand. Select a white wine you like or, like me, use the partial bottle you have in the fridge. 


If you have a favorite fish recipe, please let me know. I have a few more filets in the freezer so could use some ideas.


~Enjoy!


Halibut and Veggie Picatta
1 lb Halibut fresh or thawed
1 cup red onion, small dice
1 handful carrot matchstix
1 cup colored bell pepper (I used yellow)
1 cup diced tomatoes (I used canned)
1 cup artichoke hearts (canned)
3 tbsp capers, optional
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
2 cups white wine
1 cup chicken broth
EVOO
salt and pepper
Cooked and buttered brown rice 


Heat a medium skillet with tall sides over medium heat. Coat the bottom of the pan with just enough olive oil to keep the fish from sticking. Pat fish filets dry with paper towel. Salt and pepper the fish. When the oil has come to temperature, using tongs, place fish top side down (also known as presentation side; basically the side that didn't previously have skin covering it) in the hot skillet and cover with a lid. Allow fish to cook covered for five minutes. Check fish by removing lid and checking fish to see if it has released from the bottom of the skillet. When the fish releases easily, it's ready to turn. Salt and pepper the second side of the fish before you turn it over. Allow fish to cook covered on the second side for 3 or 4 minutes. You don't want the fish to be completely cooked at this point. Remove it from the skillet to a plate and cover with foil and the skillet lid. Set aside.


Add a bit more olive oil to the skillet and follow with onion, carrot and pepper. Salt and pepper the veggies and stir to combine. Allow veggies to cook for a few minutes until soft. Add the wine and chicken broth and stir to scrape up the brown bits from the bottom. Turn heat up and allow liquid to reduce to half. Add tomatoes, artichoke hearts and capers, stirring to incorporate into the sauce. Gently place fish back in the skillet and cover with the lid. Allow the sauce and fish to cook covered for 3 or 4 minutes or until fish is flakey and just cooked through. Add parsley and stir gently to distribute throughout the dish. Remove pan from the heat.


Place rice on each plate and serve the fish along side. Spoon veggies and sauce over both rice and fish. 

Gluten Free Corn Dogs (Wheat and Nut Free)

I love corn dogs. They've always been one of my favorites and I feel like a kid each time I get to enjoy one. Unfortunately, going gluten free put a serious kink in my ability to eat them. Over the past year, I've tried a variety of gluten free cornbread recipes and have yet to come across any that I really love like I loved my Jiffy Corn Bread Mix. This was a major obstacle in my ability to turn a simple cornbread recipe (I also happen to love just cornbread) that we might enjoy on any weeknight into a special treat.


Today though, I needed to come up with something quick and yummy for lunch. Since it's a holiday weekend and the kick off to summer, I also wanted something fun and a bit festive. I added a pin to one of my Pinterest boards a few weeks ago that featured a picture of mini-muffin corn dogs and that picture has been floating around in my head ever since. 


The mini muffin version of this classic appealed to me for a few of reasons. One, the fact that I could bake the corn dogs, rather than deep fry them is so much easier (I love to cook, but admit that frying is beyond my culinary abilities for some unknown reason). Two, baking them is so much healthier, so this once or twice a summer treat can be enjoyed a few times a year. Three, mini muffins are ready made for portion control for adults and are just the right size for little hands. Finally, making these at home is so much more cost effective. I've priced the box of GF corn dogs many times in the GF freezer case and just cannot bring myself to pay what I think of as "the State/County Fair price" per corn dog. 


Well, today was the day. So, I set out to find a cornbread recipe. This time, however, rather than search for a gluten free version, I started with a simple Google search for cornbread that included a reference to my beloved Jiffy Cornbread mix. 


Viola! Success. I quickly came across the Hillbilly Housewife's blog. She had an entire page dedicated to corn and cornmeal recipes, including a terrific recipe for homemade corn dogs that looked like it would be the perfect starter recipe for my gluten free mini muffins. And, I was so right. I tweaked the recipe for my own preferences and pantry ingredients (e.g., I don't keep self-rising corn meal on hand) and to make it gluten free. 


The results were delish. My darling hubby and I loved them and it made me feel like summer is truly here. My GF recipe is below. The only thing I've changed from the way I made them is the placement of the hot dog in the muffin tin. Placing the hot dog on its side, rather than up and down in the middle as I saw on Pinterest, allows you get a better balance of cornbread and hot dog in each bite. Thanks to my darling hubby for recommending this easy change that I think will elevate this old fashioned treat just a few steps higher in your (cook)book!


~Enjoy


Gluten Free Corn Dog Mini Muffins

• 1/2 cup of egg substitute or 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup of milk
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1/3 cup Turbinado sugar
• 2 tbsp GF baking powder
• 1 tsp sea salt (fine grind)
• 5 good quality hot dogs (I used Vienna Beef)
• 1/2 cup course corn grits or polenta
• 1 cup finely ground corn meal
• 1 cup gluten free flour blend (rice, tapicoa, potato flour and xanthan gum)
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place rack in the middle of the oven. Place the mini muffin tin on a baking sheet and place it on the middle rack. Allow oven to come to full temperature while you mix the ingredients. 


Combine wet ingredients in a small bowl until well mixed. Add corn kernels and stir well. Set wet ingredients aside. 


Combine dry ingredients in a medium bowl whisking to ensure baking powder and salt are evenly distributed throughout the mixture.


Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir with the whisk until the batter is uniform. Set the batter aside while you prepare the hot dogs.


Cut hot dogs in 1 to 1.5 inch segments. Once you cut the first, use it as a guide to make cutting the rest much faster. This will also ensure that all of your muffins cook at the same rate and that you get a consistent product.


Remove the hot muffin tin and baking sheet from the oven. Using two spoons from your silverware drawer (I used a tablespoon and a teaspoon), scoop a enough batter on the tablespoon to cover the bottom third of the well. Add the batter to the first well of the mini muffin tin, using the smaller spoon to push the batter off the tablespoon into the well. Lay 1 hot dog segment sideways across the muffin tin. Top with enough cornbread batter to finish filling the well. The hot dog should be fully encased in the cornbread. Repeat to fill the rest of the wells in the tin.


Bake on the middle rack of the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until golden. Remove the muffins from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before serving. Serve with traditional yellow mustard, or if you must, ketchup. 


1 Serving = 3 mini muffins

Crock Pot Pork Carnitas (Naturally Gluten, Dairy and Nut Free)

Since we purchased our new home in January, I've been trying to find even more ways to save money. Because we eat most of our meals at home, the grocery store is the place where I can try to make the biggest gains in money saved. This focus has inspired me to try to be even more flexible in what I purchase and when. Meat is one way that I've found I can save a lot of money, buy it when it's marked down and freeze it for another day. This approach has also required me to become even more creative in the kitchen. 


My latest challenge comes from country style pork spareribs. The naming of this cut of pork is truly a misnomer as it truly looks like the butcher took a piece of fairly lean pork and cut it into long slim chunks. There is no "rib" bone, these do not look anything like your traditional baby back pork ribs that you think of when you hear that little jingle from Chili's restaurant chain. These are quite simply hunks of meat that are just waiting for divine inspiration. 


My first attempt for these is going to be carnitas. My thought is that I can serve these lots of ways:  as tacos with the traditional fixings, as burritos with the shell made from a gluten free crepe, over rice or even along side morning eggs or with a little BBQ sauce added to make pork sammies (served on a gluten free bun, of course). I see endless possibilities. 


As usual, I did a general recipe search, found one I liked and used it as a basis for my own spin. Here's the recipe I started with, my rif on this crock pot dish is below. 


~Enjoy




Crock Pot Carnitas

• 1 large carrot, cut into large chunks
• 2 stalks celery
• 1/2 medium to large onion, cut into chunks
• 2 tbsp onion powder
• 2 tbsp dried parsley
• 1 tbsp + 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp ancho chili powder
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 tbsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp chicken soup base
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tsp agave syrup
• 2 tbsp lime juice

Combine all dried and ground spices in a small jar. Crush the dried herbs as best you can to release some of their flavor. Place veggies on the bottom of the crock to create a layer of aromatics. Top the vegetables with water and then add the pork pieces in a single layer. Sprinkle with the spice mixture and add the garlic  spreading it evenly over the layer. If you have too much pork to make one layer, do one layer at a time adding spices to each layer as you go. When you have all of the pork spiced. Add agave and chicken soup base. Plug in crock pot and allow to cook undisturbed for 8 hours.

DIY Hot Chocolate (Naturally Gluten and Nut Free)

A long, long time ago, before darling hubby and I were married, we bought a large supply of gourmet hot chocolate packets and enjoyed them on a regular basis. Now that we're older and wiser (not to mention married with a child), we realize what a nutritional and financial waste those little packets were. 


Today, we still love hot cocoa, as does our daughter. The difference is that we try to make this a healthier treat and one that allows us to gain both nutritional advantages as well as satisfies our taste buds, not to mention a treat that doesn't break the bank! The recipe below also meets our needs from an allergy perspective. Make this cocoa dairy free by substituting your favorite type of milk - almond, coconut, soy, etc. Change your cocoa up by adding peppermint syrup/extract, coconut, orange or other flavorings you like.


~Enjoy

Homemade Cocoa

• 1/2 teaspoon Hershey's Special Dark cocoa powder (unsweetened, the type made for baking)
• pinch of salt
• pinch ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp agave syrup or other natural sweetener to taste (e.g., stevia)
• 1/4 cup hot tap water
• hot milk
• 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract

Mix first 4 ingredients in the bottom of a coffee cup. Add hot tap water and stir well to combine water with other ingredients. Add vanilla and hot milk. Stir until the mixture is well combined and homogenous. Serve with cinnamon stick, marshmallows or whatever way your heart desires.