gluten & egg free (damn good) choco chip cookie bars

Thanks to my friend Dana that manages Paleo Kitchen Stories I decided to see a nutritionist, allergist and internist about my digestive issues.  For many years I did a process of elimination to figure out what was upsetting my stomach, but I followed in Dana's footsteps and decided to see a professional.  Welp - come to find out that all visits brought to my attention things I didn't expect.  Allergic to all melons, kiwis AND bananas (not to mention seasonal allergies), but what's even more shocking is my sensitivity to yeast, rye and egg (whites and yolks).  Yup - eggs!  So all this while I thought I was gluten sensitive, but in reality - it's pretty much everything else that it's mixed with it that I can't eat.  Since these recent findings, I've been having to modify a ton of recipes to avoid  egg (PS - Dana is egg sensitive too so she has a ton of dairy free recipes on her site) and one of my all time favorite desserts I've been making are these chocolate chip cookie bars.  Warning - they're addicting.  Like for serious.

food (food) | everything frittata

I love the idea of quiches, but I can never eat them and feel good about myself.  They're so decadent and rich that I ultimately feel horrible after eating them.  That's why I love frittatas so much!  I think of frittatas as a baked version of omelettes and there are endless combinations out there, but my secret for making frittata truly one of a kind is...Sazon Goya!

Here is what you'll need for my all time favorite frittata:

• 6 eggs
• 2 pieces of cooked chopped bacon 
• 3 slices of cubed ham
• 1 cup of cheddar cheese (or whatever you have available in your fridge)
• 2 tbps of milk
• 1 packet of Sazon Goya
• 1/3 chopped yellow onion
• 1/2 chopped tomato

Directions:

• Preheat oven at 375 degrees
• Grease a round pie tin
• Place all ingredients into a glass bowl and whisk until mixed evenly
• Pour mixture into pie tin and bake for 30 - 35 minutes until egg is no longer runny
• Cool for 10 minutes and cut into pie slices
• Serve as is or garnish with a dollop of sour cream and salsa

food (food) | apple cinnamon strata

My parents are in town and I decided to host a brunch so we could get together with a cousin I hadn't seen in awhile.  As you can see with how much food I cover in my blog, you know I sure do love to cook so I took this opportunity to experiment by creating a sweet breakfast strata.  I'm not going to lie - I gave myself a pretty big hi-five in my mind for how well this apple cinnamon strata turned out.

Here's what you'll need:

• 4 peeled and thinly sliced golden delicious apples
• 2 large loaf or 20 rolls of 2 day old King's Hawaiian Sweet bread (you can also use a loaf of challah, cinnamon raisin or any sort of day old bread - enough to fit a 9 x 13 baking dish)
• 1 1/2 cup of brown sugar
• 1 tbsp of vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp of cinnamon
• 1 tbsp of pumpkin pie spice
• 4 cups of milk
• 8 eggs
• Cooking spray
• Maple syrup

Directions:

• Spray cooking spray into a deep 9x13 baking dish
• Break pieces of bread into large chunks and layer in dish
• In a large mixing bowl, mix apples with 1 cup of brown sugar, cinnamon, pumpkin spice and vanilla. Mix until apples are evenly coated.
• Pour mixture on top of bread and use hands to mix bread/apple mix evenly.
• In the same mixing bowl whisk egg and milk together.  Pour egg mixture over the bread and apples.
• Press down on the bread mixture to make sure that each piece absorbs some liquid.  
• Cover and place in fridge overnight.
• The next day pre-heat over at 350 degrees.
• While oven is pre-heating, sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of brown sugar over the dish.
• Bake for 1 hour and let cool for 5 minutes.
• Serve with maple syrup.(This is optional.  My folks said it didn't need it, but I think it needed a little more sugar so have it handy)

I usually don't try to test out recipes on guests - after all I want to prove that I have some skills in the kitchen - but this dish went over really well.  If you're looking for a great brunch dish that serves a lot of people, definitely try this out.  You can also add raisins and almonds which would give the dish great texture.  Enjoy!

food (food) | kanela breakfast club

On Sunday I had the pleasure of meeting up with my soon to be mommy friends at Kanela Breakfast Club in Lakeview. It's hard to keep up with great breakfast places because there are so many, but I'm glad that I had a chance to try this amazing place that I hope to return back to soon.

I divide breakfast and brunch places into 2 different categories:

• Diner style:  Which is your typical down and dirty greasy eggs, etc with no frills and no gimmicks.  At places like these you find the traditional breakfasts like buttermilk pancakes, eggs your way with a breakfast meat, french toast and omelets galore.
• Brunch and then some: These are your places that really use traditional breakfast as a platform and build upon that.  At these places you find menu items like red velvet pancakes, stuffed french toasts and eggs benedicts with pulled pork.

Kanela is a place that I would put under the "Brunch and then some" category.  In a place like this you can satisfy your sweet tooth with items like the Red Velvet French Toast, Banana Split Crepes and Bacon Waffle.  On the contrary though, if you're like me and would much rather have a bag of chips instead of chocolate, you can fill your cravings of salty foods with dishes like the Lorraine Scramble, Spicy Feta Omelet and Duck Confit Hash.

bacon waffle | chocolate covered bacon + bourbon caramel + bacon powder

lorraine scramble | peppered bacon + gruyere cheese + caramelized onions

Every dish looked so good, but I would be remiss to not mention that their fruit juices are amazeballs.  I personally had the strawberry, banana and apple, but their fresh juices varied from tomato, celery and hot sauce to orange, carrot and honey.  If you're in the lookout for a new brunch place on the north side of town definitely check out Kanela.  A couple of other perks - the place takes reservations for large groups and there's a parking lot with tons of spaces.

food (food) | egg in a window

I discovered egg in a window (aka egg in a basket, aka peek a boo egg, aka egg in a frame, aka egg in a nest) at a later age.  In fact what introduced me to the simple dish is the movie V for Vendetta, during that scene where Evey wakes up at her friend's home and for breakfast he made....eggs in a window.  I remember watching that scene and immediately thinking how I could create it on my own at home.  That was 6 years ago and to this day, this is one of my favorite breakfast dishes.

What you'll need:

• 1 slice of bread 
• 1 tsp of butter
• 1 egg

Directions:

1. Cut a hole in the center of your bread (just about 2.5 inches all around - you can use a cooking cutter in the center too)
2. Heat a pan on medium-low heat. (This temperature is important.  Keep it on a lower heat to avoid burning your bread.)
3. Add butter into pan and let each side of the bread absorb some of the butter while it's melting.
4. Once each side has been evenly coated with butter, crack the egg and gently place in the center of your bread.
5. Let it cook on one side until you notice the egg setting. Gently flip your bread/egg and cook the other side until your bread has reached a nice toast texture and your egg is fully cooked.

|Are you a fan of egg in a window? Do you have a breakfast dish that requires minimal ingredients, but is one of your favorites?|