Restaurant Imitation- Panera Edition (Gluten-free)

I LOVE Panera. It's my favorite fast food restaurant. However... now that I'm trying to eliminate gluten it's become less appealing, even more so considering that I'm still pretty much vegetarian outside of my house.  Basically, eating out has turned into dinner as an overpriced salad.  

That's why tonight's dinner made me (and Ryan) so happy! I made gluten-free flat bread and then used it to make paninis. The only substitutes in the recipe were coconut milk for almond milk (already had it open in the fridge) and I added dried rosemary for taste.

So my recipe is: 

1/4 c almond meal

1/4 c coconut flour

1/4 c arrowroot flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp rosemary (dried)

5 tbsp coconut milk (not full fat)

1 egg

Add all dry ingredients, then mix in egg and milk. Lay out flat onto a baking sheet with a spatula. Mine made enough for four slices, and I baked it for 13 minutes at 425 on a baking sheet with parchment paper. It did stick a little.

For the panini toppings I chose: 

lettuce

tomato

turkey

cheddar cheese

1000 island dressing

For our fizzy drink we had this flavored sparkling mineral water from Trader Joe's. At only $1.29 for the whole bottle, it's definitely cheaper than ordering a drink, or two, at Panera!

And, of course, I chose chips for my side :)  Potatoes in the oven with nothing but olive oil at 425 for about 35 minutes- flip halfway through. 

Ryan Makes Dinner, I Make Dessert

Like I mentioned in my last post, I am in a phase of loving anything mini-muffintin. I tried inverted Reese's a couple of weeks ago and wanted to make just regular Reese's. Simple- uninvert the original recipe :) But I also wanted to make it using the least amount of dishes as possible. For that reason and for easy pourability, I treated myself to a new cute little 1-cup Pyrex measuring cup. Using glass, I shortcut the step of heating up the coconut oil and cocoa powder on the stove and did it in the microwave! Yum Yum. 

For dinner, Ryan made gluten-free cheddar and apple pancakes. SO GOOD with pure maple syrup from the Public Market. 

Random Act of Kindness

I have been in a good mood all evening. You know why? Because I went to Trader Joe's today with my childhood neighbor (we've known each other since we were babies!)

It was her first time, and I casually mentioned that to the cashier at checkout. He stopped the transaction, rang his bell, and directed someone to get a bouquet of flowers- which he then gave to my friend for free! As if that weren't enough, he then gave each of us a reusable shopping bag free of charge! It was such a nice gesture, ugh! I came home with such positive energy. Went for a walk and then felt like being in the kitchen! 

I had this dish going before I left for shopping, but picked up all the veggies at Trader Joe's. I washed and chopped them all and added them for the last hour of cooking. The recipe doesn't call for celery, but I added it anyway, and I also added cooked rice. THIS IS SO GOOD! I can't wait to eat it for dinner tomorrow with cashews and scallions on top!

Last week I brought in red, yellow and green apples for my kindergartners to try and see which they liked best. I had one extra of each color, so I made the apple crumble recipe I made for Ryan's parents' birthday. Mmmm :)

I recently bought these mini muffin baking cups. Did you know that October is fair trade month? Ryan told me today and he found out- out of all places- on his church bulletin. These liners aren't fair trade, but it got me thinking about responsible purchasing. I know my power as a consumer. My purchases are votes on what I want the market to offer. (Yes, I'm referencing Food, Inc.). These are sustainable, chlorine-free, and made in Sweden, so I'm assuming no exploitation of workers. I'm far from perfect on this, but these only cost like 20 cents extra. Hardly a sacrifice to cast that vote. 

Anyway- I turned this recipe into little candies. I made it once before in bar version- very tasty. I didn't have enough macadamia nuts, so I did half cashews. Having made it once before, I must warn you that these have to be stored in a cool place. Don't try to take them to a cookout for a dessert... yah, I did that this summer. 

Race to the Finish

It was a beautiful day for the corn maze... 

... and shooting corn at targets. :)

 Being unusually warm in the late September sun, we got cider slushies instead of hot apple cider.

Wootwoot! Look which team won. Looking down from victory bridge onto Kara and team :p Gotta rub it in, since she beat us last time.