Arepa BBQ Sandwich

During the summertime, my craving for BBQ sandwiches increases. This is my first summer eating gluten free, so it has been an adventure trying to convert all of my favorite recipes. I knew what I wanted, but was not feeling up to making sandwich buns. Enter the Arepa. This little puff of corn goodness is so easy to make, and is more than satisfactory in place of a bun. I used the same technique to make the Arepas that Shauna taught us, so I will not re-post a recipe for that, since she has done such a good job on it. The only change I made was instead of cooking them on a skillet or flat top first and then baking them in the oven, I just lightly oiled the outsides and popped them straight into the oven on a baking sheet. Super simple. I baked them for maybe 20 minutes...pretty much the time it took me to cook up the BBQ pork.

Arepa BBQ Sandwich

Technique for Arepas HERE

For the BBQ pork, I just took a pound or so of cubed pork and cooked it up with some sauteed onions, and added my favorite GF bottled BBQ sauce along with some salt, pepper and garlic powder for some extra spice. So easy! I then split the arepas with a thin knife and piled on the pork!! MMM, so tasty!

Quick Little Ditty: Cool Broccoli Caprese Salad

The other night, my family invited us over for pizza and root beer-our traditional Friday night celebration. I was asked to bring a salad, but I had very few 'salad' ingredients available to me. I don't like going to the grocery store on a Friday night-it's way too busy, so I threw together a few ingredients to make this wonderfully delicious salad. It was so easy to make, and consisted of things I had already in my fridge.

I sauteed up some frozen broccoli, just to take the bitterness out, then stuck it back in the fridge to chill. I then added some minced white onion, diced mozzarella, grape tomatoes, torn fresh basil leaves and drizzled balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Toss that together with some kosher salt and pepper, and voila! You have a lovely, quick, tasty salad! It went perfectly with our pizza, and the colors were beautiful.

I think that tonight for dinner, we will toss the leftovers with some quinoa and maybe a grilled chicken breast. It is so easy and versatile, who wouldn't want to try this?

Quick Little Ditty: Basil Cream Fruit Salad with Mango Crisps

Sometimes I just want something quick, really good, light and refreshing to eat. I don't want to put a ton of time or effort into it, but I do want it to taste good. And I don't want to feel guilty about eating it either :)

This is the perfect recipe for a time like that. It is simple, quick, and super tasty. Use whatever you happen to have on hand, and it makes for a perfect treat. Sometimes I even mix fresh with canned. I'm talking about fruit salad, of course!

There is no right or wrong fruit to put in, just toss in what you have and what you like. My fruit salad happens to have fresh watermelon, orange wedges and cherries with canned (drained and rinsed) peaches and pears. On top, just a dollop of lightly agave-sweetened whipped cream and a chiffonade of basil. For a perfect sweet/tart crunch, sprinkle over some dehydrated mango chunks (Just Mango).

The perfect treat for a hot June day (or any day for that matter) !