gluten free | YogaLoveFood

I knew these biscuits were good when my wife who was a vegetarian most of her life had me make them on a weekly basis. She also shared one with her boss at work and a couple of her friends. I’ve had no fewer than 5 of her girlfriends ask me for the recipe. So I decided to share the deliciousness on my blog for anyone to make and enjoy.

The ingredients are pretty simple. The secret ingredient is cottage cheese. They bring 28 grams of protein and I’m sure they are what make them moist and not hard and dry like most gluten free baked goods.

We get crumbled country sausage from the meat store (Light Hill Meats). It’s our local butcher and the boys call it the meat store. They have a local farm where their cows, pigs and chickens roam freely and are mindfully raised. Both my tastebuds and Soul can tell a difference.

One time I was being “cheap” and bought some baby back ribs that were less expensive at Whole Foods. I was like, let’s see if anyone can taste a difference. I prepared them the exact same way that I always do. I could taste the difference. Without even asking them, Matteo and Owen both said, “why aren’t these as good as usual”. I explained to them why and they said, let’s only buy meat from the meat store from now on. So now that’s what I do. It’s a little more expensive, but it tastes better and is better for us. Not to mention it helps the environment and local economy in a small way. So it’s well worth the extra money in my opinion.

I chop up a handful of Spinach to give it a healthy veggie flair. A couple of eggs and cheese give it more protein and the rest is Gluten Free Flour (with xantham gum) and a couple of other baking items you most likely have in the cupboard.

Here is the official list of ingredients and their measurements.

1 Cup Cottage Cheese

2 Large eggs (plus one more if you want to do an egg wash)

2 T melted butter or avocado oil

1.5 Cups GF all purpose baking flour with Xantham gum

2 t Baking powder

1/2 t baking soda

1/2 t salt

1/2 t sugar (optional)

1/2 lb cooked breakfast sausage, crumbled and cooled

1/2 Cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 Cup spinach chopped

Cook sausage and cool. I prefer the iron skillet
Preheat oven to 400 and line baking sheet with parchment paper
In a food processor or blender, combine cottage cheese, 2 eggs and melted butter or oil.
Mix dry ingredients- in a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar
Add cottage cheese mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined
Gently mix in the cooked sausage, cheese and spinach
Shape biscuits- using a large spoon or your hands, drop dough onto baking sheet
(For extra credit, beat 1 egg with 1 T water and brush tops. This will give the biscuits a golden finish)
Bake 15-18 minutes until golden brown and cooked through. Checking with a fork.
Add butter if desired, serve and enjoy

They grow quite a bit as they bake, so be mindful of that. I usually make 8-12 with this recipe. Depending on how big I want them. I think they taste better when I make only 8, but they go fast, so if I want more, I make smaller ones and have 12. They taste great heated up the next day too. They are much better warm than cold. Everyone in the family loves these, which always feels like a home run to me.

Here are the pictures of how I did it.

Let me know what you think. Also, if you try any other ingredients, let me know. We’ve done shredded zucchini before and it’s turned out great.

Enjoy

Matt

One of our favorite dinners as a family is Taco Pie. Last week our friend and neighbor Steph who has 3 young boys was looking for a new dinner idea and Chelsea told her about Taco Pie. We hadn’t made it in a while and I was reminded by her and her family how delicious it was, so we brought it back on our weekly menu.

I love it for many reasons. It’s healthy and delicious, loaded with plenty of veggies and lean protein. It can be made beforehand and reheats easily. Everyone in the family enjoys it and it’s something different that you don’t see everyday. It can also be made gluten free, which is important for me since Matteo and Chelsea both have a gluten allergy.

This delicious dinner came to us from our dear friend Peggy Curry. She wrote an amazing cook book called Damn Good Gluten Free.

I was actually with her during the time when she was getting all of the photos taken for it and putting it together. I got to help her make some of the dishes and even got a few pictures of myself with her delicious food in her beautiful cookbook.

It was one of those blessings that comes from a seemingly unfortunate situation. I had been unceremoniously fired from my job of 7 years, a week before Christmas, with a 3 year old and a 9 month old. I wasn’t worried, as I have been fired before and it always worked out fine. So I knew something better was coming. Since I wasn’t working, I was able to spend my days with Peggy and Laura Dart, her incredible photographer and help out with the making of the cookbook.

Then, long story short, covid happened, they closed the yoga studios and the beach and we moved to Tennessee.

In fact 17 years ago today, I was fired from my well paying corporate sales job and it ended up being the best thing for me. From that place, I pivoted and decided to follow my heart. I became a surf instructor, bartender, sous chef, yoga teacher, met Chelsea, became a dad, etc.

Now, back to this Taco Pie…

First gather all of the ingredients. I use organic if possible. You will need:

Can of refried beans
Mexican cheese
Onion
Bell Pepper
Zucchini
Frozen corn
1 lb Ground Chicken or Turkey
Salt, Pepper, Taco Seasonings of your choice
Ketchup
3 Gluten Free Tortillas

Directions: Preheat oven to 350

Step 1: In a large skillet (I use cast iron) add olive oil and cook down onions, then bell peppers, then zucchini. Add salt, pepper and some of the taco seasonings to the veggies as they cook. Cook for a few minutes to get a little char on the veggies and then add the corn. Take the veggies out and set aside in a bowl.

Step 2: Next add a little more oil to the pan and add the ground meat and season with salt, pepper and the rest of the taco seasonings. When the pink is gone add ketchup. Mix around and cook on low for about 10 minutes to let the ketchup and spices absorb into the meat.

Step 3: While the meat is cooking, you can prep the tortillas. I have found with the gluten free tortillas that it is helpful to bake them for a couple of minutes first so they are not as soggy.

Step 4: Add 1/3 of the refried beans to each of the tortillas.

Step 5: Place the first tortilla with the refried beans in the pie dish. Then add 1/3 of the veggies and 1/3 of the meat to the tortilla. Sprinkle on cheese and then repeat two more times building the pie into 3 layers.

Once everything is assembled you can cover and save in the fridge for later, or bake at 350 for 20 – 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and the tortillas are at your desired crispiness…Enjoy