What You’ll Need:

1. For Maple Frosting -

2 Tbl. Softened butter

2 Tbl. Maple syrup

1 ¼ cup powdered sugar

2. Assorted fruit and berries

(We used strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, bananas and kiwi)

3. One box Glow Gluten Free Snickerdoodle Cookies

Instructions:

1. Blend together the butter and maple syrup.
2. Gradually beat in the powdered sugar until frosting is smooth.
3. Spread evenly on cookies.
4. Decorate cookies with fruit and berry toppings!

Jill Brack is a featured In The Kitchen contributor and the passionate owner of Glow Gluten Free cookies. For more about her click here for her full bio and all of her articles!

This delicious and healthy treat was just featured in our latest Contributors Corner video and we wanted to be sure that you had the recipe.  Try it out and carry these around for a protein and fiber filled snack that is yummy and satisfying.  They are so easy to make and if you make them for your next party you will be sure to impress, enjoy beauties!

Ingredients:

2 15-ounce cans of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
3 tablespoons of olive oil
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground hot paprika
1 teaspoon sea salt
Pinch of red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Toss chickpeas with oil and spices until evenly coated. Spread two rimmed baking sheets.
3. Roast, shaking pan occasionally, until chickpeas are golden and crunchy, about 35 minutes. Let cool completely (up to an hour).  Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Robyn Youkilis is a featured Healthy Living contributor and a passionate “foodie” who thrives at matching pantry staples with fresh, seasonal ingredients. For more about her click here for her full bio and all of her articles!

Ingredients:

• 1 grapefruit
• ½ avocado
• ½ shallot or 2 Tablespoons red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon white balsamic vinegar (can also use regular balsamic, apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar)
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• salt and pepper

Directions:

Using a sharp knife cut the skin and all of the bitter white pith off of the grapefruit. Working over a bowl, cut in between the membranes to release the sections.

Arrange the segments on a plate.

Slice the avocado and shallot and add them to the plate with the grapefruit.

Drizzle oil and vinegar over the salad then sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Quinn Asteak is a featured In The Kitchen contributor and an holistic-health coach/ cooking teacher teaching people to have fun in the kitchen! For more about her click here for her full bio and all of her articles!

Pizza, pasta, desserts, burgers and more have all been getting a bad rap lately.  I’ve never been a fan of catergorizing food as bad or good.  The truth is food is meant to be delicious.  For this month’s recipe, I took a trip to India to hook up the flavor profile of a traditional Italian favorite: Pizza.

Using store bought garlic naan as the base (or your own gluten-free version) and layering it with a homemade Tikka Masala sauce, fresh roasted veggies, a sprinkle of paneer and a drizzle of cilantro chutney, this pizza will nourish your  body, feed your appetite for adventure and impress any guest!

Eggplant Tikka Masala Pizza

Ingredients

20 Spinach leaves

4 Slices of Naan

2 Roma Tomatoes, diced

1 Roma Tomato, sliced thinly

1 Eggplant, halved and scored

½ cup Paneer, crumbled

1 Garlic Clove, grated

½” Ginger, grated

2 TB Tikka Masala paste

1 TB Cilantro Chutney

2 tsp salt

olive oil

Directions

For Eggplant

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F

Using 1 tsp salt per eggplant half, rub salt in eggplant flesh and let rest for 15 minutes.

Using room temperature water, completely rinse salt from eggplant and dry with paper towels.

Rub grated ginger and garlic over eggplant halves. Make sure to push fine pieces of ginger and garlic into the scored grooves of the eggplant. Drizzle with olive oil and place face up on a cookie sheet.

Roast in oven for 40 minutes

Remove from oven and let rest for approx. 5-10 minutes to allow steam to escape. Using a spoon. Start from one end of the eggplant and scrape the flesh away from the skin. It will be easy since you have already scored the eggplant.  Chop it into bite size pieces and set aside until ready assemble pizza.

For Sauce

Place diced tomatoes and tikka masala paste in a small sauce pot over medium-low heat.  Mix once in the beginning, allowing paste to flavor tomatoes.  Let sit for 10 minutes and allow the tomatoes to break down.  Stir once more and reduce pot to a simmer. Let rest for 5-10 minutes more. Sauce will be ready.

Assembly

Spread 1-2 TB of sauce on naan bread and then place 4-5 spinach leaves, followed by 2-3 tomato slices, followed by eggplant and a sprinkle of paneer cheese.

Return pizza to oven at 400 degrees F for 10 minutes. Although paneer does not melt well, the heat will enhance the mild flavor.  Remove from oven and drizzle each slice with a bit of cilantro chutney. Enjoy!

This article was written by In The Kitchen guest contributor Shelley Chapman, for her bio and contact information please visit here.

Ingredients for Snickerdoodle Crust:

4 Glow Gluten Free Snickerdoodle cookies

2 Tbs. melted butter

Ingredients for Lemon Filling:

2 eggs

¾ cup sugar

2 Tbs.  GF Garbanzo Bean Flour

1 ½  Tbs. lemon zest (about the zest of 1 lemon)

2 Tbs. fresh squeezed lemon juice

Powdered sugar for dusting

Instructions for Snickerdoodle Crust:

1. Preheat oven to 350 and line an 8×8 pan with parchment paper
2. Pulse cookies in food processor until they are fine crumbs or crush in a plastic bag with rolling pin or mallet
3. Toss cookie crumbs with cooled melted butter and press into pan
4. Bake until golden, about 10 minutes and cool completely

Instructions for Lemon Filling:

1. Beat together all filling ingredients and pour mixture over baked crust
2. Return to oven and bake for 20 minutes
3. Cool completely and use edges of parchment to lift from pan
4. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and cut into squares

Jill Brack is a featured In The Kitchen contributor and the passionate owner of Glow Gluten Free cookies. For more about her click here for her full bio and all of her articles!