My favorite day of the year is almost upon us, the Super Bowl.   I love putting together a spread of fun foods to eat that are gluten free and dairy free and watching the game with friends.  This year I’ll be making some of the recipes in my 2013 Cookbook Desk Calendar.  There are some great options that you can make too no matter if you’re hosting or taking a dish to someone else’s party.  If you don’t have a copy of the calendar order it now so you’ll have it in time to cook up the recipes for the big game.  It will help you on the path to living an easy, healthy, gluten free life.

This year there will be a first for the game.  Two brothers are coaching against each other.  Jim Harbaugh for the San Francisco 49ers and John Harbaugh for the Baltimore Ravens.  Can you just imagine their parents and what that would be like?  I’m guessing they’re rooting for both.  Who are you hoping wins the game, Ravens or 49ers?

No matter who wins you’ll want to have some good eats while watching the game and the commercials.  Scroll down and you’ll see each month and some ideas on how to serve them for the big game.  This calendar is a party in a box!

Oh and don’t forget for those who own this cookbook calendar, to go to the last page and grab the Secret Code for the webpage full of photos giving more detailed directions, links to more recipes using the ingredients in these 12, plus a ton more recipes and cooking tips.

January is a must to have at the party, Jicama Tacos or Tostados.  I love guacamole and anytime I can find more creative ways to use it I will.  Here I’ve combined it with purple potatoes and mushrooms or shrimp and bay scallops.

February Little Lasagna Flowers are good since there are in single serve size.  What you use for the flower itself and the filling is totally up to you.  I give you a few suggestions for both.

March would be good if you cut up this Tunisian Frittata and served it on a pizza peel.  You know the wooden paddle you see them pull pizzas from the oven with.  I love that as a serving dish.  Easy to carry over to the coffee table or even to carry around and serve people from.

April is something you may want to keep for the celebration meal the next day when your team wins.  This Garlic Roasted Asparagus with Poached Egg and Prosciutto is a classic but with my twist of Polenta Croutons.

May is something that can be made in a large casserole and your guests can serve themselves this Easy Layered Mexican Casserole.    You could even pair it up with the Jicama Tacos.

June is also a dish you can make in a nice large casserole or lasagna pan.  It also takes just a few minutes to put together and then you pop it into the oven.  With it being winter however I would use canned fire roasted tomatoes instead of fresh for this Oven Roasted Pesto Vegetables Deluxe.

July is the month to use fresh tomatoes for this Can’t Beet California Cobb Salad and since it’s January you’ll want to swap that out for another favorite ingredient if serving it now.  I really like having some type of salad when watching the big game.

August is one of those dishes that looks really hard to make but trust me anyone can do this.  The Summer Vegetable Rosettes you see pictured here was cooked by my husband who is not a cook.  He can make scrambled eggs but doesn’t venture too far from that.  Zucchini is in season during the summer but you can buy it any time of the year.  This recipe uses cashew cream cheese as an option so if you make a batch save some for the many other recipes I’ve shared using that ingredient.

September is one of my favorite fast meals to make, Hash in a Flash.  It uses ingredients you have on hand and is cooked in one pan so clean up is fast.  If you make this serve it in a big bowl and let your guests spoon out as much as they like.

October is a very satisfying and flavorful Smoky Simmering Soup.  It’s one of those great chop and drop recipes right into your slow cooker.  Put it in there in the morning and it will be ready for you at game time.  How easy can it get!

November is another recipe that uses cashew cream cheese.  It’s a wonderful dish for those who want their big game food to be a little fancier.  Cashew Cream Yam Cannelloni served with a bechamel sauce is sure to delight.

December Mushroom Party recipes are perfect for the big game food.  Keep the mushrooms smaller so they are finger foods and not something you’ll need a fork and knife to eat.  I give you three options and the recipes for each.  You can keep them vegetarian and make the Yam Packed Mushrooms or not and make the Crabby Mushrooms or Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms.

Enjoy the game, your friends and family and the good food you’ll make.  I hope your team wins!

So, what are you going to make and who do you hope wins the game?

It’s not too soon to start prepping for Thanksgiving if you want to have control over the ingredients in the foods you and your family will be eating and save money. Yes, as you can see I am a bit of a control freak.  I like to save money, pick which ingredients we don’t eat and most of my foods to be organic.  I especially buy organic when it comes to ingredients that fall on the dirty dozen list.  We’ll be eating celery in my stuffing, potatoes will be mashed, spinach, lettuce, sweet bell peppers and cucumbers in a salad, kale in my vegetarian Cashew Cream Yam Cannelloni and green beans as a side dish.

Also as soon as I can place my order for an organic turkey I do so.  I remember the first year I made the switch to organic turkey.  It was by far the best tasting turkey I have ever eaten.  It was juicy and tasted like turkey, instead of just bland.

But for now I’ll just work on the foundations of my turkey and stuffing portion of the meal.  I’ll work on some of the other menu items closer to the date.  For instance I’ll make cashew cream cheese on Tuesday of that week so it will be ready for my Cashew Cream Yam Cannelloni.  That will be the centerpiece for my vegetarian Thanksgiving for my oldest son, Andy.

So this week I got to play more with my new Ninja Cooking System, (sent to me for free).  The more I cook with this the more I really love it.  I steam roasted two organic turkey breasts.  They were on sale for a great price so I had to snag them.  I also wanted them to slice up for lunch and dinners for the coming couple of weeks.  It’s so much better than buying lunchmeat.  Again, control over ingredients.  I get organic, gluten free and sugar free lunch meat plus save money at the same time.  These breasts came out so tender and juicy and it didn’t take long to cook them either.  I put vegetable and chicken stock in the bottom of the Ninja and put the breasts on the roasting rack.

What I was not expecting with this was a beautiful delicious turkey gravy base when I was done cooking the turkey.  You could of course buy things like this at the stores like Williams Sonoma for $10.95.  Here is what is their turkey gravy base:  Water, turkey flavor (chicken stock, salt, autolyzed yeast extract, flavors, hydrolyzed soy protein, maltodextrin, chicken fat, caramel color, soy lecithin), modified food starch, turkey broth, rendered turkey fat, natural flavoring, gdl (an acidifier).  

Can I just say yuck!  So first of all there are many ingredients in here that could contain gluten such as maltodextrin, caramel color, and natural flavoring.  The modified food starch if made from wheat should note this.  Just in case you have never used a turkey gravy base, all you have to do is add in water or milk and you have gravy.

So I made an amazing tasting turkey gravy base for free since it was what was left after steam roasting my turkey.  I also can tell you every ingredient in it and you can even pronounce them.

I then sliced the turkey off the bones and tossed those bones back into the Ninja to make turkey stock.  I ended up with 15 cups of stock.  This will be perfect for making my Gluten Free Stuffing with Pancetta Sage Sausage and the gravy.  This is a huge money saver since I’m using the turkey bones again, some vegetables and water.  The cost for those ingredients was far less than the $20 it would cost to buy that much turkey stock that usually contains sugar, which is off limits for my youngest son.  Besides if I’m eating something with sugar or sweet, I want it to be a dessert.  Again I get to control the ingredients,  save money and keep that easy, healthy, gluten free life!

I do love meatballs.  I take hiding some good vegetables inside for those who won’t eat them otherwise, as a challenge.  How many different and good vegetables can I hide and still have them taste good and something my son will eat.  You may recall my Meatballs With A Heart as a past example.

This week we found out my son will need to be on a Candida diet.  That means at the beginning no fruits or sugars at all, stay away from grains and increase those vegetables.   There’s more to it than that but that’s the abbreviated version   So basically I’m taking away all of his snacks and favorites and giving him his least favorites.

This was the inspiration for the Magic Meatballs.  These are gluten and dairy free but full of vegetables.  It includes natural antibacterial foods like garlic and detoxing herbs like parsley.

The trick to making meatballs like this is the spices you use to dominate the taste buds.  I opted for a Southwestern blend from Penzeys that is strong and flavorful and contains no sugar.  It contains salt, sweet ancho pepper, onion, garlic, Mexican oregano, Tellicherry black pepper, cayenne pepper, cumin, sweet paprika, chipotle pepper and cilantro.

I will be making many variations on this recipe I’m sure.  These are great for week days, weekends, game days or of course you an always serve these for Halloween too!

I also want to tell you about a new piece of kitchen equipment I was given to try.  It’s called the Ninja Cooking System.  It’s a stovetop cooker, oven, slow cooker and steam roaster/baker in one.  When I heard this I thought that’s too many things in one so none will work well.  I’m so skeptical.  But as I’ve mentioned before I’ve moved into an apartment and something that does many things sounded appealing being in a smaller kitchen.  I’ve also found out that when using my oven it heats the whole apartment which is not great in a warm climate.  So I busted this out of the box this weekend and started cooking like crazy.  I made my Paleo Scrapple without having to use an extra pot.  I steam roasted a turkey breast which tastes amazing and I made these Magic Meatballs.  So I’m sold.  I love it.  I can cook anything in here and it’s super easy to clean.  But don’t take my word for it, read Stephanie O’Dea’s review, from A Year of Slow Cooking.  This recipe was shared on Allergy Friendly Friday.

What do you like to hide in your meatballs?

Did you hear the latest news? Subscribers to The Gluten Free Insider Newsletter had a sneak peek.  Don’t miss out on the news.  

Announcing:

I am very excited to share with you that I have created the ultimate cookbook. Wait until you hear how it works. This is a 2013 Cookbook Desk Calendar. That means it is a calendar and a cookbook that sits on your desk in the size of a CD case!

Each month features a color photo and calendar on the front and an easy recipe on the back. Every recipe is gluten and dairy free plus instructions on how to easily make it Vegetarian, Vegan and Paleo. How cool is that?

I don’t know about your family and friends, but mine all have their own dietary needs. My oldest son is a vegetarian but can’t eat soy, my husband eats Paleo, my youngest son thinks the word vegetable is a swear word and for me it’s strictly gluten and dairy free. Having to juggle these needs and not cook 3 or 4 different main dishes for one meal has taught me how to take one recipe and make it work for everyone at the table.

This is what I’ve shared with you in the 2013 Cookbook Desk Calendar. Each recipe is coded and noted to make cooking a breeze.  I even had my non-cook husband give some a try and he looked like a master chef! Check out the August photograph, that’s his work. 

Each cookbook calendar comes in a clear case that flips open to sit on your desk or your countertop as you are cooking from the recipe. I know, brilliant right? So much goodness in a CD case the size of your hand.

BONUS: Every calendar comes with a special code to a hidden page on The WHOLE Gang website that will include additional recipes, tips, tricks, tools and how to make each recipe suit multiple dietary needs at the same time.  That means cook once and everyone eats!

This 2013 Cookbook Desk Calendar is not only great for you, but it makes a great gift for family, friends, teachers, hostesses, co-workers, employees, clients and that person who has everything. Each calendar comes in it’s own gift/shipping box so you’ll be ready to send them out as gifts. If you are giving them as client gifts there is a space in the back for you to place your business card so they’ll know who to thank!

Pre-Order Special:  I am offering you a special pre-order deal for ordering now. If you order this month you will receive $2 off the list price of $14.95 each. This discount will expire October 31st, 2012.  Even bigger savings the more you order.

Pre-Order Now!

Here’s what some folks are saying:

Hash in a Flash is a great one pot dish the whole family loved, including my 12 year old daughter. – Sara Nicole in Bellflower, California

This Vegan Tunisian Frittata has become a staple in my gluten free kitchen. Prior to making it, I wasn’t convinced that I could make a decent tasting frittata without eggs, but this recipe completely changed my mind. It is beyond delicious and on the first and second day, the leftovers were just as delicious as when it came out of the oven. Try it, you’ll be glad you did! - Ellen Allard, Worchester Massachusetts

We very much enjoyed the Vegan Tunisian Frittata. The recipe is very straight-forward and easy to follow for a quick prep meal. While it would make great leftovers, we’re yet to have any left after a meal–it’s a big hit! I would not hesitate to share this with egg eaters, the tofu is a slick substitute! We now keep a container of the easy harissa on hand so we can make this often.  - Johnna Perry Kansas City, Missouri

12 months of great meals!

• January: Jicama Tacos & Tostados
• February: Little Lasagna Flowers
• March: Tunisian Frittata
• April: Garlic Roasted Asparagus with Poached Egg and Prosciutto
• May: Easy Layered Mexican Casserole
• June:  Oven Roasted Pesto Vegetables Deluxe
• July: Can’t Beet California Cobb Salad
• August: Summer Vegetable Rosettes
• September: Hash in a Flash
• October: Smoky Simmering Soup
• November: Cashew Cream Yam Cannelloni
• December: Mushroom Party

When life gets too crazy or just too overwhelming, I cook.  I love to cook and spending a day in the kitchen really relaxes me.  Of course we then end up with tons of cooked food.  Funny these need to cook days are not scheduled and don’t happen to coincide with lots of people being at my house to eat all of this food.

Yesterday was one of those days.  I worked on creating some new recipes with new products.  I made some of my favorite comfort foods and I also worked on key ingredients needed for our Thanksgiving meal.

When I was at the grocery I picked up some turkey legs and wings, a beautiful chuck roast that was on sale, Sockeye Salmon and Lemon Sole both on sale, a long package of chicken drumsticks also on sale and two large pork butts which I asked the butcher to run through the grinder once.  As you can see I do love the sales.

Our refrigerators are now full of the following dishes and if there are any you would like me to share the recipe for,  I am more than happy to.

So yesterday I woke up early and decided I was going to cook.  I started with roasting the turkey parts at 450 degrees for 25 minutes along with onions and garlic.  When that was done I put the roasting pan on my stove, added in cold filtered water, fresh parsley and thyme sprigs, course Celtic Sea Salt, fresh cracked peppercorns and a couple of bay leaves.  Oh and the secret ingredient is apple cider vinegar with the mother.  I brought it to a boil, turned it down to simmer and covered it with foil.  This cooked from 7 am until 10pm.  It needs to cook for many hours and you can do this in a crockpot too.  I strained the stock, put it into all of those jars I save from salsas, sauces, sauerkraut and pickles.  I labeled it turkey stock and let it cool in the refrigerator.  This morning it went into the freezer and it will come back out for my Thanksgiving stuffing and gravy.  Making stock with bones is extremely good for you.  Read more here on all the benefits.

While the oven was still hot from the turkey, I made my version of shake and bake chicken legs.  These are super easy and very tasty.  They freeze up great and are perfect for the lunch box or meal at home.

I then got busy with the ground pork.  I had tons of it so I made my Pancetta Sage Sausage and froze it in portions for Thanksgiving stuffing.  I may use some of it around Christmas for Chipolatas too.  Then I made my Chorizo and froze that in useable portions.

I also made amazing little meatballs with some of the ground pork and ground turkey and a special ingredient that was given to me.  I’ll be posting this recipe soon.  You’ll want to make these for company.

With the last of the ground pork I made a sauce in the crockpot that I’ll use over pasta.  I sautéed shallots and shiitake mushrooms and then browned the pork.  Tossed in some fresh parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme.  I added in  some pork stock that I had saved when cooking off a previous pork butt.  Always save the stock these meats make.

I had also purchased fish so I really needed to cook that.  The salmon I broiled with olive oil, sea salt and cracked pepper.  I served it with green beans with a little butter (Earth Balance soy free) and lemon squeezed on top.  Simple and yum!

It was requested that the lemon sole filets be breaded and fried.  This is what a cast iron skillet was made to do!  So I tossed the fish in a gluten free flour, dipped it into an egg and almond milk wash, and then rolled it in the good almond flour from Honeyville.  Fried it in a mix of coconut oil and olive oil and sprinkled it with a little salt.  So much better than those fish sticks in a box.  Oh and my secret is to sprinkle some garlic powder into the flour and onion powder and sea salt into the almond flour.  Shhh, don’t tell anyone.  Seasoning the first layer onto the protein and then the last layer or I should say the first layer you taste, is key to that saying, it has depth of flavor.

I happen to have more than one crockpot which comes in really handy.  I have different sizes and use them at least once a week.  I made a dish in the crockpot that I had made in the oven at the beach.  It was cannellini beans with sausage and a special garlic paste.  I have to say I liked the oven method the best but for pure comfort foods this dish is wonderful.  I’ll work on sharing this recipe too as it can feed a ton of people with not a lot of money or effort.

Last but not least is my Oven Roasted Beef Stew – one of my favorite comfort foods.  I made a huge pot full in my wonderful Le Creuset round French oven.  I’ll portion this out in my soup mugs and freeze it for those cold days when I really want a bowl of beef stew.  This is another one of those dishes that I think tastes the best cooked in the oven although the crockpot is a good second option.  Again one of the keys is that bone broth that not only tastes great but is really good for you.

When it was all said and done, I had created 8 dishes yesterday.   I then settled down with a nice glass of wine to see who was kicked off The Next Iron Chef.

So, what do you do to relax?

What recipes would you like me to share?

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This is one of my favorite fall recipes for a gluten and dairy free comfort food meal.  It’s easy to make since I use the crockpot.  It’s also a meal that is not expensive since leg quarters are usually a better deal.  You can always use a whole chicken cut into pieces if you prefer.

Ever since I saw the movie Julie and Julia I’ve been reading through Julia Child’s cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking. There are so many wonderful classic master recipes that are delicious but, many contain gluten and dairy. Julia loves butter. There are also many recipes that are time and labor intensive and they taste amazing. So many of us are driving all around to sports games for our kids and mettings here and there and we’re just always on the go.  I however still want to eat a delicious meal that tastes like I spent hours making it, but it has to fit into my schedule and I’m guessing you do to.

In cooking these dishes I had time earlier in the day to prepare. I knew we would want to eat almost as soon as we got home from my hectic day.   I also knew that it would be late and I’d be tired. With this schedule I prepared the chicken and cooked it in my crockpot during the day. I also cooked the Noodles with Mushrooms right then, covered it and placed it into the refrigerator. All I would need to do when it was time to eat was reheat in the microwave.

Let me tell you the depth of flavor in this dish was amazing. I never missed all of the butter the original recipe called for or the gluten filled flour. I did change a few other things around for this dish too. The original recipe had onions and mushrooms with the chicken and a suggestion of rice or buttered noodles as the side. I just moved the mushrooms to hang out with the noodles. Julia also suggests for an additional vegetable try buttered peas or asparagus tips. Both sound good to me.

This recipe made 5-6 servings so you know what I did. I put the leftovers immediately into the freezer. This time however I placed it into containers as a meal with both the Chicken Fricassee and Noodles with Mushrooms together, topped with the sauce. Now all I have to do is pull it out, reheat and I’ll have an amazing dinner in 6 minutes. How cool is that!

Oh and by the way, this meal was super cheap to make. Chicken leg quarters are usually below $1 per pound and go on sale a lot. Next time they do, grab a large package and put it into the freezer until you’re ready to use them. Or better yet try this recipe right away and freezer the leftovers. You can also make this dish with a roasting chicken but Julia suggests never using a younger chicken such as a broiler. The flesh is so soft and tender that it will dry out and get stringy. I love her tips!

Chicken Fricassee with Noodles and Mushrooms Recipe

Ingredients:

5-6 organic Chicken Leg Quarters

2 organic onions, sliced

2 carrots, sliced

4 cups gluten free chicken stock, heated

1 cup white wine

1-2 tsp thyme

1-2 tsp parsley

1-2 bay leaves

Sea Salt & Pepper

Sorghum Flour

Corn Starch

Arrowroot Slurry – large tsp of arrowroot mixed with cold water, 2-1 ratio

Gluten-Free Noodles with Mushrooms

8.8 ounce bag of Tagliatelle Noodles by Glutano or your favorite

12 Cremini Mushrooms

Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 tsp Earth Balance Natural Buttery Spread- Soy Free, Dairy Free, Gluten Free

Chicken Fricassee awaiting stock

Directions:

Start off by prepping your vegetables. Slice your onions, peel and slice the carrots and wipe off the mushrooms with a damp cloth and slice them. Before you can put everything into the crockpot you need to brown the meat and saute the vegetables. My crockpot insert is a non-stick pan but if yours is enamel you need to use another pan. You also should make your flour mixture on a plate to have ready for your chicken. I used a ratio of 4 to 1 of sorghum flour to corn starch. Mix in your salt and pepper too.

Heat your pan and oil on medium high, add in the onions. When they start to brown take 1/3 out and reserve for the chicken dish. Add in the mushrooms to the pan and let them brown. These mushrooms and onions will be paired with the noodles. After the mushrooms brown salt and pepper to taste and add 1/2 tsp each of parsley and thyme. If you salt your mushrooms when you first put them into the pan they will release their liquid and not brown.

Remove the onions and mushrooms to the reheating/serving dish for your noodles. Next saute your carrots, then remove and add to the onions that will go into the crockpot with your chicken.

Now it’s time to brown the skin of the chicken. Make sure you have oil in your pan and that your chicken is dry. If it’s wet you will steam it instead of browning it. Brown the chicken on all sides. I did mine in batches. As each piece was done, and this took approximately 3-5 minutes per side, I pulled them out and placed them on a plate of the flour mixture. You will want to dust each side of the chicken with this mixture.

After you have done that with each piece of chicken you need to put the chicken back into that pan and cook the flour on the chicken for just a few minutes. At this point you can place your chicken into the crockpot. Add in the reserved onion, carrots and the wine.

Pour some of your heated chicken stock into the pan where you were browning the chicken and cooking the vegetables. You will want to get all of that flavor off of the pan to go into the crockpot with your chicken. Now pour that chicken stock into the crockpot along with the remaining stock. You want the liquid to cover 3/4 of the chicken. Sprinkle the chicken with 1 tsp each thyme and parsley and add a bay leaf to the stock.

Cover the crockpot and cook on low for 4-6 hours.

After that was set I quickly boiled the noodles in filtered water, drained them, tossed them with a little Earth Balance Natural Buttery Spread and the mushroom and onions. Since I was not eating this until dinner it went right into the refrigerator.

When your chicken is done, the hardest part I found was getting it out of the crockpot with the leg still attached to the thigh. It was so tender and juicy that some separated. I put the chicken onto a platter and covered it with foil until I was done with the sauce.

Left behind in your crockpot is the most amazing sauce. All you need to do is strain it over a sauce pot, bring it up to a boil and add in your arrowroot slurry. You can thicken it as much or as little as you like. With coating the chicken with flour and cornstarch to begin with, the stock that you strain out with not be thin, but have a little body to it. It can also have clumps of flour that probably won’t taste as good, so straining it does make a difference.

I heated the Noodles with Mushrooms in the microwave and served both that, and the Chicken Fricassee, with sauce on top. It was a wonderful meal.

This recipe was originally posted in 2009 but I wanted to make sure you didn’t miss this one so I’m sharing it again.

Chicken Fricasse with Noodles and Mushrooms

Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.

Some people think it’s really hard to get real food into their day.  Are you one of them?  Are you chained to that diet drink and frozen diet meal for lunch?  Well set yourself free.  It’s really not all that hard once you make a few changes, slowly and over time.

Mark Bittman asks the question Is ‘Eat Real Food’ Unthinkable? I say it is thinkable so let’s think how!

Here are 5 easy ways to add more real food into your day.

1.  Make a smoothie for breakfast. It’s faster and cheaper than the drive through window and so much better for you.  Toss into a blender some fruit, vegetables and a little water.  You can also add ground flax seeds or ground chia seeds for added Omegas. If you want to feel more full add in a little coconut oil to your smoothie.  To make it thick use some of the fruit or vegetables frozen.  I like frozen organic spinach and organic wild blueberries.

For smoothie ideas check out g-free mom who had 30 different food bloggers share their smoothie recipes during the month of January.

2.  Take a snack with you for that 3pm snack attack, long ride home, running kids around or a day full of errands.  Some ideas are bananas, apples, oranges, clementines, and even Kiwi.  Just cut the kiwi in half and wrap it before you head out and take a spoon with you.  For the apples I like to take out the core and stuff it with my 4 nut butter.  Just make sure you’re not driving while eating your snack.

3.  Dinner in crock pot. It’s so easy to do and is wonderful if you want to come home to a meal that is ready!  If you go to my Recipe tab and on that pull down menu is Crockpot, or click here.  There are some recipes to get you started.  Also Stephanie O’Dea has written two cookbooks on the subject, Make It Fast, Cook It Slow: The Big Book of Everyday Slow Cooking and More Make It Fast, Cook It Slow: 200 Brand-New, Budget-Friendly, Slow-Cooker Recipes.

4. Lunch time head to a salad bar and stick to the non-processed foods.  To do this choose wisely which salad bar you visit.  If you live in the DC/VA area check out Sweet Green.  I love them!  If you’re not a fan of what you find on salad bars and you still want to eat out, go to a restaurant that makes your order in a kitchen, not a microwave or a fast food flat top.  With the help of the wonderful internet you can check out almost any restaurant before you even get there.

5. Grab some great food magazines or cookbooks, check out food blogs (don’t look now but you’re on one) or download a food app and make something that appeals to you.  If you don’t want to purchase the cookbook until you’ve had a chance to try it out borrow it from the library.  But do a little meal shopping with your eyes first. Then check out the recipe and see if the ingredients will work for you.  Make a shopping list and pick up those ingredients.  If you’re afraid to try it on your own enlist the help of a friend.  If you think  you have no skills take a cooking class.

There are great food apps out there and one of my favorites is Cook It Allergy Free from Kim Maes.  You can customize the recipes according to your dietary needs and even create a shopping list from the recipe.  Brilliant!  Check out the video and info she shared with us a few months back.

Learning how to cook and feed yourself a nourishing meal is the best gift you can give yourself!

So there you have it.  5 tips.  I’m sure there are more great ideas out there.  If you have some please share!

A couple of years ago I stumbled upon a blog about cooking in slow cookers that was all gluten free, A Year of Slow Cooking.  I really liked the recipes I found and was encouraged to dig out my crockpot and use it again.  Every day that year there would be a new recipe.  I had some questions and emailed the blogger, Stephanie O’Dea and she actually replied to me very quickly.  I was hooked.

Then in 2009 I attended my first BlogHer Food Conference and I got to meet Stephanie in person.  She was even more bubbly and wonderful in person.  She doesn’t know this but I was so nervous to meet her.  She’s an amazing blogger, very successful and had her first cookbook out.  Immediately she put me at ease and treated me like one of the gals.

To see Stephanie in action and see her bubbly personality for yourself,  check out Good Morning America today, Wednesday January 12th in the 8am hour.

In her first cookbook, Make It Fast, Cook It Slow: The Big Book of Everyday Slow Cooking she shared her crockpot secrets of success.  It’s a great addition to your cookbook shelf and you’ll want the matching pair.

Now her second cookbook, More Make It Fast, Cook It Slow: 200 Brand-New, Budget-Friendly, Slow-Cooker Recipes has been published and it’s full of even more great recipes for the crockpot and organized by cost of dish.  Brilliant!   I opened the book right to the page of Sloppy Lentils and couldn’t wait to make it.  I’m trying to work more lentils into my diet and this looked like a great recipe.  It took me about 10 minutes to find the ingredients, prep them and start the crockpot.  Yeah, I really liked that.

I only made one change to the recipe using Coconut Aminos instead of the soy sauce.

The Verdict- we really liked it.  I think I’d like it spicy too with a little kick next time.  I served it over quinoa and cooked up some chicken tenders with chili seasonings.

The Ingredients:

2 cups lentils

1 large onion, diced

2 celery stalks, diced

1 green pepper, seeded and diced

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp chili powder

1 TB gluten-free soy sauce

1 1/2  prepared mustard

2 (12 oz) cans tomato paste

4 empty tomato paste cans of water

Buns to serve it on or rice or quinoa

The Directions:

Use a 4-quart slow cooker.  Sort the lentils and rince in hot water.  I used red lentils because I knew they would break down.  Put the lentils into the slow cooker.  Add in the onion, celery, bell pepper, spices, soy sauce, mustard and tomato paste.  Add in the water and stir to combine ingredients.  Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or until the lentils have softened.

I love 3, 2, 1 Chili because you change up what you add as your 3, 2, 1! This recipe is 3 types of beans, 2 types of onions, 1 type of meat.  You can change this up according to what you have on hand and what you like to eat.  You can even make it vegetarian and vegan.  I love to serve the Dairy Free Cheese Crisps with my chili too!

West African Chicken Peanut Stew

What do you have cooking this week?  Still soccer season here so we’re keeping it simple.  Salads with lots of good greens, veggies tossed in wherever I can and lean organic protein.  That’s a good recipe for any week.  If you are a fan of honey and you missed Friday Foodie Fix-Honey then you missed almost 40 recipes using honey.  Make sure you take a peek before you leave.

This week’s Secret Ingredient for Friday Foodie Fix is tomatillos.  Head to the grocery story or farmers market and pick some up.  They are very tasty and versatile.

Monday- Spaghetti and Meatballs with Spinach Salad

Tuesday- Unstuffed Cabbage Roll Stew – Beef, Pork, Tomatoes, Onions, Cabbage

Wednesday-  Pork Chops with apples, sauteed kale and quinoa

Thursday- Chicken with Onions, Tomatillos and Jalapeno Peppers cooked in the crockpot

Friday- Spinach and Artichoke Dip Pizza

Saturday-leftovers

Sunday- West African Chicken and Peanut Stew

This was shared on OrgJunkie.

Wow, I don’t know about other families that have kids in school, but these first few weeks are a huge adjustment.  New schedules, lots of driving, soccer practices and soccer games, school meetings, school paperwork, and the list goes on and on.  I always try to plan and get ready for the onslaught but it seems it’s never enough.  I am glad however I did take the time to plan out my menu for the month.  It’s been really helpful and has kept me from eating tons of meals on the run with not as good choices as what I’m going to make.

I was happy to have lots of Danny’s meatloaf to take me through the week either for lunches or dinners.  If you didn’t read about that recipe and get that cookbook, that recipe alone is worth the price of the cookbook.   This week we’ll have 3 soccer practices and 3 soccer games, all far away.  That means fast meals, crockpot meals  and only 1 meal out instead of 6.  With my menu I’ve included approximate prep times, active cooking and inactive cooking times.  Of course these vary from person to person.

What about you and your schedule?  What type of week will this be for you?  Have you made plans for your meals?  What ingredients do you have on hand that you can use?  I would love to hear what your week is like and what you do to make sure you are getting good meals.

Menu

Monday- Shrimp and Chorizo with Cauliflower Couscous and greens (Takes 10 min prep time, 15 min active cooking)

Tuesday- Roasted Balsamic Chicken with Figs and Onions (Takes 10 minutes to prepare, let the crockpot do the rest, 4-6 hours)

Wednesday- Crab stuffed Trout with garlic asparagus (takes 15 min to prep, 20 min inactive cooking)

Thursday- Eating out

Friday- Homemade Pizza with Udi crusts and I’m going to try it with La Cecina- Mushrooms, carmelized onions, roasted garlic, peppers, tomatoes from my garden (bread will have to be made ahead of time but if using Udi crust 15 min prep, 10 min active cooking, 15 min inactive cook time)

Saturday- leftovers

Sunday- Veal Goulash from Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef’s new cookbook (not sure since this is a new recipe to me)

This menu was also shared on OrgJunkie.

Today instead of just sharing my weekly menu I’m sharing my monthly menu for April as it begins mid way through the week.  If you want to see what is on the menu for the first 3 days of this week or you may have missed a weekly menu plan, visit the Monthly Menu Plan – March 2010 post.

I’m working on creating my menu as I wait for my gluten free flours to come up to room temperature.    This week I’m baking extra to send back with my JMU college son.  He’s really been wanting me to bake Shirley’s (gluten free easily blog) Double-Chocolate Clementine Cake ever since she shared it on Friday Foodie Fix- Clementine.  I’m also making the most requested Pumpkin Bread and Carrot and Raisin Muffins from Ali Segersten’s( Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen blog) Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook.  I’m trying a new recipe from Susan O’Brien for Granola Bars using a new product so I’ll let you know next week how they turned out.

One of my goals this month is to only buy fresh fruits and vegetables to add to the other ingredients filling my freezer and pantry.  I love when my favorite proteins go on sale and I take full advantage.  I rarely buy them at full price which is how I can have supplies of seemingly expensive ingredients in my recipes when in actuality, I got them at a much lower cost.  The seafood and meat department have weekly and even daily specials.  Get to know your fishmonger and butcher even if you are shopping where all of the products are packaged and out in the cooler shelves.  They often know what specials are coming up, what is the freshest and will look out for you.  After all, most people don’t pay much attention to service employees and your attention will be noticed and appreciated.

Another one of my goals this month is to pay attention to how much fat we are consuming.  Did you happen to catch the second episode of Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution?  He trucked in the amount of fat a school was consuming in a year.  It was totally disgusting.

We very rarely eat processed foods and when we do it’s a box of pasta, jar of pasta sauce, can of beans, jar of mayonnaise, some mustard or ketchup which does not have more than 5 ingredients and very little fat.  But you will also find in my freezer two boxes of Amy’s frozen meals and  two boxes of Organic Bistro meals that have been in there forever.  No one eats them because the have the taste for real food.

So our fat consumption comes from the oils I cook with and the cuts of meats we eat.  I do like to buy the inexpensive cuts of pork and beef that I cook very slowly and freeze the extras to have ready for meals.  Those cuts of meat have a higher fat content.

So when I was creating my menu this month I thought about eating more of the leaner versions of protein like chicken and turkey breasts, seafood, beans, vegetables, and quinoa and keeping the amount of the other meats to smaller portions.  I worked on incorporating them into my meals and my baked goods.  Because, even though I can try to sit on my high horse and say my kids don’t eat processed foods or school lunches like the people shown on Food Revolution, we still could do better.  I could do better in planning and making my meals.

So I’m offering a challenge to everyone, even those who don’t eat processed foods often.  What can  you do with your menu and your cooking to bring more of what our bodies need and less of what we don’t need? If you are eating a lot of packaged and processed goods are you willing to try and learn to make some of those dishes from scratch this month? I can tell you from experience that when most people find out they need to live without something like gluten, our first step is buying the frozen gluten free meals.  I did it A LOT!  I believe it’s really part of the learning curve and getting comfortable with a new lifestyle.  But I implore you to start to take walk away from those meals  and then run as fast as you can.

The Food Revolution starts in our homes.  Will you take this challenge with me this month?  If there is something you would like to learn how to make instead of eat from a box and you don’t know how, I’m here to help.  There are many of us here to help.  Just ask for help.

Finally, here is my menu.

1-Pastelón – Plantain Lasagna

2- Eating out at Poste Restaurant

3- A version of Steamy Kitchen’s  Ham with Mango Ginger Glaze, sweet potato hash, asparagus

4- Salmon with wild rice, mushrooms and harricot verts

5- Roasted Balsamic Chicken with Figs and Onions

6- Chicken LoMein

7- Spinach Dip Pizza

8- Burger with yucca fries, salad

9- Broiled flounder, broccoli, quinoa

10-  Quinoa pasta with roasted vegetables

11- Chicken cacciatore with rice

12- Pork chops with carrots and polenta

13- Tilapia with bok choy, onions, spinach, mushrooms

14- Chicken Tandori Pizza with salad

15- Cubano Jerk Burgers

16- Fried Shimp and Noodles

17- Mushroom Rissoto

18- Beef Buritos

19- Italian Vegetable Soup, homemade rolls

20- Sundried tomato shrimp pasta with a spinach salad

21- Calzone

22- Pork tacos with spicy slaw

23- Scallops and black beans on polenta

24- Buffalo Chicken Mini Burgers

25- Chili Piquin Vegetarian Tortilla Soup

26- Ostrich burgers, sweet potato fries, salad

27- Mahi Mahi with pineapple glaze, rice, salad

28-  my version of Steamy Kitchen Cookbook Thai Style Chicken Flat bread

29- Steak fajitas, beans, rice

30- Mexican Seafood Stew using whatever seafood I have on hand

Shared this menu on OrgJunkie.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! I hope you all have a day filled with luck and happiness.

I know I said I would share my crab veggie pizza recipe with you today but I forgot it was a holiday.  Instead I’m cooking with an ingredient often used in many Irish dishes, cabbage.    Traditional dishes like Bacon and Cabbage, Colcannon (creamy potatoes and cabbage), and Cider Braised Chicken and Cabbage to name a few.

Growing up my mom would stuff cabbage with ground beef and rice and simmer it in a tomato sauce.  I was never a fan of  ham and cabbage but I loved this dish.  My mom is a wonderful cook.  This is an old traditional Polish recipe, not Irish,  but I thought I would share this one with you today anyway.

This recipe was shared on Gluten Free Wednesdays.

Best Ever French Onion Dip from February Newsletter

March madness is upon us.  Whether it be with college basketball, Spring Break, kids spring sports starting or digging out of the winters last snow storms, it’s here.  For me that means going back to some tried and true recipes.  It also means more hands off cooking and more minute meals.  So this month’s menu plan you’ll see some past recipes and some new fast and easy ones.

Don’t forget coming up on Sunday March 7th is the Oscars.  Last week we shared some ideas on what to serve while watching the show with our Gluten Free Progressive OSCAR Dinner Party.  Check out all of the great recipes shared.  Other celebrations this month include St. Patrick’s Day on the 17th, first day of Spring on the 20th and Passover begins March 29th.

Also, if you want the recipe for the Best Ever French Onion Dip, it is part of the February Newsletter.  All newsletters will be archived under our News page.  If you signed up for the newsletter after that edition went out, you will need to visit the News to view the February edition.  You will receive March’s newsletter directly.  If you have not signed up yet, what are you waiting for?

Have a great month and as always, share with us your experiences with making any of these recipes.  Love to hear from you!

1- Roasted Spatchcock Chicken with Mushroom Stuffing

2- West African Chicken Peanut Stew

3- Pizza Soup

4- Beef Brisket with mashed potatoes and gravy

5- Posole

6- Calzones

7- Spinach Artichoke Dip Pizza, Roasted Potato Slices with Smoky Aioli Dip, Southern Fried Oysters, Flourless Sparkling Chocolate Cookies with Whipped Cream

8- Beef Brisket Vegetable Soup

9- Pizzas

10- Shrimp and Cauliflower Couscous

11- Pastelón or Sweet Plantain Lasagna

12- Scallop, Chorizo and Purple Sweet Potato Tacos

13- Garlic Garbanzo Bean, Swiss Chard, Pancetta Soup

14- Pesto Shrimp on Polenta Portobellos

15-Chili

16- Pork Noodle Soup

17- Irish Beef Stew

18- Roasted Balsamic Chicken with Figs and Onions

19- Whole Roasted Fish

20- Roasted Pork Loin

21- Chicken Enchiladas

22- Scallop Pasta with Chorizo

23- Chipotle Burger on a Bun with Tomatillo Salsa

24- Have on Hand Soup

25- Buffalo Shrimp

26- Beef and Noodles

27- Pork and Lentils

28- Winter Fire Roasted Tomato Soup with Prosciutto Topping

29- Chicken Chow Mein with Gluten Free Soy Sauce

30- Fast Pantry Soup

31- Shrimp Tostados

Don’t forget OrgJunkie has more menus.

Last week Ali and Tom from The Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen posted a Balsamic Roasted Chicken with Figs and Sweet Onions.  I immediately knew I was going to give this a try.  It looked amazing.  I don’t have a lot of time in the kitchen with soccer season and driving for hours on end.  Also, when I’m trying to do more than one thing at a time to catch up, I tend to leave the kitchen and forget I’m cooking.  Not a good combination.  I know in the fall it better be a quick meal or cooked in the crockpot during the week or we’re not eating.

I love to roast chicken in the crockpot.  Earlier this year I made a Roasted Whole Chicken with Dates and Caperberries.  That one was inspired by Elana Amsterdam from Elana’s Kitchen.

I finally got to cook this meal.  I however cooked mine in the crockpot instead of roasting it in the oven.  I’m not much on measuring but I can tell you I only used 2 onions and for me I would have wanted more.  I like a bite of onion and fig with chicken.  I also used 1 package of fresh mission figs. I didn’t know if anyone would actually eat the figs in addition to them giving the chicken a great sweetness so I didn’t want too many.  Had just enough.

I also added just a little water so I could have a sauce to serve with the meal.  I only had about 5 minutes to prepare this for the crockpot so things were flying fast.  I cut up the onions into quarters, cut some rosemary from the garden, washed the figs and the chicken and then stuffed a few onions and rosemary sprigs into the bird.  Tossed it into the crockpot on top of a couple of sprigs of rosemary.  Then I added the rest of the onions and figs. I doused it with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper and snuck in a bay leaf. Without hitting the chicken I added about 1/2 cup of water.  Then I put the lid on and set it on low for 4-6 hours.

For a recipe with actual measurements, check out Ali’s.

When I got home I put some fingerling potatoes on the stove and haricot verts.  The best part was after pulling this bird and it’s pool buddies out of the crockpot, I had an amazing sauce that I spooned over the plate.  The taste was amazing.  Oh and it was ready in a snap with no burning pans.

Thank you Ali for this great recipe and yes, it works great in the crockpot!

If you’re wondering What Can I Eat That’s Gluten Free, visit The Gluten Free Homemaker.

Chicken Fricassee with Noodles and Mushrooms

Ever since I saw the movie Julie and Julia I’ve been reading through Julia Child’s cookbook,  Mastering the Art of French Cooking.  There are so many wonderful classic master recipes that are delicious but, many contain gluten and dairy.  Julia loves butter.  There are also many recipes that are time and labor intensive and they taste amazing.    These days I spend a lot of time driving and cheering on my son at soccer games.  I however still want to eat a delicious meal that tastes like I spent hours making it, but it has to fit into my schedule.

In cooking these dishes I had time earlier in the day to prepare.  I knew we would want to eat almost as soon as we got home.  I also knew that it would be late and I’d be tired.   With this schedule I prepared the chicken and cooked it in my crockpot during the day.  I also cooked the Noodles with Mushrooms right then, covered it and placed it into the refrigerator.  All I would need to do when it was time to eat was reheat in the microwave.

Let me tell you the depth of flavor in this dish was amazing.  I never missed all of the butter the original recipe called for or the gluten filled flour.  I did change a few other things around for this dish too.  The original recipe had onions and mushrooms with the chicken and a suggestion of rice or buttered noodles as the side.  I just moved the mushrooms to hang out with the noodles.  Julia also suggests for an additional vegetable try buttered peas or asparagus tips.   Both sound good to me.

This recipe made 5-6 servings so you know what I did.  I put the leftovers immediately into the freezer.  This time however I placed it into containers as a meal with both the Chicken Fricassee and Noodles with Mushrooms together, topped with the sauce.  Now all I have to do is pull it out, reheat and I’ll have an amazing dinner in 6 minutes.  How cool is that!

Oh and by the way, this meal was super cheap to make.  Chicken leg quarters are usually below $1 per pound and go on sale a lot.  Next time they do, grab a large package and put it into the freezer until you’re ready to use them.  Or better yet try this recipe right away and freezer the leftovers.   You can also make this dish with a roasting chicken but Julia suggests never using a younger chicken such as a broiler.  The flesh is so soft and tender that it will dry out and get stringy.   I love her tips!

UPDATE:  This was submitted to Slightly Indulgent Mondays at Simply Sugar & Gluten Free.

Ingredients:

5-6 Chicken Leg Quarters

2 organic onions, sliced

2 carrots, sliced

4 cups chicken stock, heated

1 cup white wine

1-2 tsp thyme

1-2 tsp parsley

1-2 bay leaves

Sea Salt & Pepper

Sorghum Flour

Corn Starch

Arrowroot Slurry – large tsp of arrowroot mixed with cold water, 2-1 ratio

For the Noodles with Mushrooms

8.8 ounce bag of  Tagliatelle Noodles by Glutano or your favorite

12 Cremini Mushrooms

Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 tsp Earth Balance Natural Buttery Spread- Soy Free, Dairy Free, Gluten Free

Directions:

Start off by prepping your vegetables.  Slice your onions, peel and slice the carrots and wipe off the mushrooms with a damp cloth and slice them.   Before you can put everything into the crockpot you need to brown the meat and saute the vegetables.  My crockpot insert is a non-stick pan but if yours is enamel you need to use another pan.  You also should make your flour mixture on a plate to have ready for your chicken.  I used a ratio of 4 to 1 of sorghum flour to corn starch.  Mix in your salt and pepper too.

Heat your pan and oil on medium high, add in the onions.  When they start to brown take 1/3 out and reserve for the chicken dish.  Add in the mushrooms to the pan and let them brown.  These mushrooms and onions will be paired with the noodles.  After the mushrooms brown salt and pepper to taste and add 1/2 tsp each of parsley and thyme.  If you salt your mushrooms when you first put them into the pan they will release their liquid and not brown.

Remove the onions and mushrooms to the reheating/serving dish for your noodles.  Next saute your carrots, then remove and add to the onions that will go into the crockpot with your chicken.

Now it’s time to brown the skin of the chicken.  Make sure you have oil in your pan and that your chicken is dry.  If it’s wet you will steam it instead of browning it.  Brown the chicken on all sides.  I did mine in batches.  As each piece was done, and this took approximately 3-5 minutes per side, I pulled them out and placed them on a plate of the flour mixture.  You will want to dust each side of the chicken with this mixture.

After you have done that with each piece of chicken you need to put the chicken back into that pan and cook the flour on the chicken for just a few minutes.  At this point you can place your chicken into the crockpot. Add in the reserved onion, carrots and the wine.

Pour some of your heated chicken stock into the pan where you were browning the chicken and cooking the vegetables.  You will want to get all of that flavor off of the pan to go into the crockpot with your chicken.  Now pour that chicken stock into the crockpot along with the remaining stock.  You want the liquid to cover 3/4 of the chicken.  Sprinkle the chicken with 1 tsp each thyme and parsley and add a bay leaf to the stock.

Cover the crockpot and cook on low for 4-6 hours.

Chicken Fricassee awaiting stock

After that was set I quickly boiled the noodles in filtered water, drained them, tossed them with a little Earth Balance Natural Buttery Spread and the mushroom and onions.  Since I was not eating this until dinner it went right into the refrigerator.

When your chicken is done, the hardest part I found was getting it out of the crockpot with the leg still attached to the thigh.  It was so tender and juicy that some separated.  I put the chicken onto a platter and covered it with foil until I was done with the sauce.

Left behind in your crockpot is the most amazing sauce.  All you need to do is strain it over a sauce pot, bring it up to a boil and add in your arrowroot slurry.  You can thicken it as much or as little as you like.  With coating the chicken with flour and cornstarch to begin with, the stock that you strain out with not be thin, but have a little body to it.  It can also have clumps of  flour that probably won’t taste as good, so straining it does make a difference.

I heated the Noodles with Mushrooms in the microwave and served both that, and the Chicken Fricassee, with sauce on top.  It was a wonderful meal.

For more ideas on What Can I Eat That’s Gluten Free, check out The Gluten Free Homemaker.

Brad's Whale Tale Stained Glass

Happy New Year!  Well September always seems like a new year for me with the start of school for my boys.  Last year was my youngest’s first year in high school and at a totally new school where we knew no one.  His first year on the varsity soccer team, first year wearing a uniform and the first full year going to school with food intolerances.   It was like a fire drill everyday for the first few months.   Well this is our second year and hopefully we’ve learned something along the way.   With this new year we have a chance to make those adjustments learned by experiencing things the previous year.

One thing I learned was to have some good quick breakfast items pre-made and ready to go.  Also, when we get home from soccer practice at 7:30 pm or after a game at 8:30pm I’m not going to jump into the kitchen and be creative.  I need to have some “go to” meals in the freezer and others I can start in the crockpot earlier in the day that will be waiting our arrival.   On nights when I’m not driving, I can make a more involved meal but it’s still going to be eaten around 7:30pm.   This information and other things on our calendar drives what I put on my menu.

You will notice there are 5 days with nothing on the menu.  My guys will be eating out of the freezer while I’m attending the BlogHer Food Conference.   Don’t feel bad for them, there’s some great food in our freezer.  I’m really excited to meet up with fellow food blogers and learn more about creating a better blog.  It takes place in San Fransisco so if you have any recommendations on great places to eat that will take care of a gluten free and dairy free diet,  I would be very appreciative.

I hope you have a wonderful September.  Take the time to make a menu and have a game plan.  It will help for those nights with sports, back to school meetings, PTA events and whatever else they throw at you.  Even if you change what you’re having any given night, you will be better prepared for what comes your way.  Now don’t hate me after you read through my menu.  It’s a fast paced month with lots of cool events and I can’t wait.  Happy New Year!

1- Turkey Meatballs in crockpot

2- Passion Fish

3- Leftovers or Gourmet Hot Dogs

4- Grilled Chicken and vegetables

5- Teriyaki Salmon with rice

6- Boeuf Bourguignon Burger with potatoes

7- Shrimp with Andouille Sausage

8- BBQ Turkey Legs in crockpot

9- Quick Fry Pork Chops with potato hash and peas

10- Stewed Beef and Pork with Cabbage and Tomatoes

11- Soccer tournament- eat out

12- Soccer tournament- eat out

13- Ostrich Steaks with baked potatoes

14- Back to School Night -Five Guys

15- Chicken Fricassee  with onions and mushrooms

16- Beef & Bean Chili

17- Garlic Garbanzo Bean,  Swiss Chard & Pancetta Soup

18- Sandwich Stack with potato chips and half a pickle

19- Shellfish Dairy Free Risotto

20- Buffalo Chicken Wings with celery and Oven Fries

21- Veal Scallopini with shallots, green beans and fingerling potatoes

22- Quick Fry Pork Chops with sauted apples

23- Meatloaf in the crockpot

24- 28th Freezer Finds

29- Picnic at the U2 concert

30- Chicken Marsala

After spending 24 hours smelling this wonderful beef brisket cooking in my house we had to have it for dinner tonight.   I was originally making it to have on hand for other dishes like pupusas, tamales, tacos, BBQ and many others.  I decided today as I was pulling the meat out, at which time I just had to taste it, that this meal could not wait.  I think I’ve also been watching too much of Guy Fieri’s show on the Food Network, Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.  Great comfort food ideas on that show.  Couldn’t believe the hamburger stack I saw last night where the buns were actually two grilled cheeses.  Over the top or as Guy would say “Off the Hook!”

My plan was to have the brisket, mashed potatoes and green beans. Then I remembered I had all the ingredients to make Elana Amsterdam’s Nutty Bread that she posted on Elana’s Pantry.  If you read my blog regularly you know I don’t bake often because it requires measuring and too many steps. This bread only had a few steps and not a lot of liquid measuring.   This could work.   I baked the bread in the afternoon and it only took me 10 minutes to get it into the oven.  It tastes great and I loved soaking up my gravy with the bread.

Oh, and you’re probably wondering where the green beans are in the photo.  Totally forgot until I was plating the meal for dinner.  Oh well, there was parsley and chives in the potatoes.

So don’t think you need to wait until winter to make a meal like this. It’s great anytime.

Beef Brisket Ingredients:

1 large piece of beef brisket
1 cup water
1/4 – 1/2 cup Rosemary Salt -Kalyn’s Kitchen recipe
1/8 cup fresh cracked pepper
2 bay leaves crushed

Directions:

Put the beef into your crockpot and add the water.  Next cover the top with the remaining ingredients.  Make sure you put the meat in fat side up so all of that great flavor flows through the meat.  I cooked mine on low for 24 hours. It was spectacular.

Gravy Ingredients:

Au Jus from the crockpot
arrowroot slurry (equal parts arrowroot and cold water mixed)

Directions:
Strain the liquid from the crockpot into a pan.  Bring to a boil and stir in your slurry. Keep stirring until it thickens which should be fast.

Mashed Potatoes Ingredients:

8 Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
2-4 TBS Earth Balance Soy Butter or your favorite butter
1/4- 1/2 cup Almond Milk or your favorite milk at room temp
Salt and Pepper to taste
3-4 parsley leaves sniped
small handful of chives sniped

Directions:

Peel and cut your potatoes into a pot of water with salt.  Boil until tender, around 10-15 minutes.  Drain potatoes and put back into the pan you cooked them in and place on stove that has been turned off. You want to let the excess moisture evaporate out of the potatoes.  I add the butter and milk and grab my masher.  I don’t like mixers.  Now make sure you only add in a little milk and butter first, mash and see if it needs more.  If you add in too much you’ll have paste.

As for the green beans, well I’m sure you’ll come up with something great.

What is your favorite comfort foods to eat?  What to you add to your mashed potatoes?

Apple Pupusas ©Diane Eblin

I had so much fun making the Salvadoran Pupusas the other day that were filled with pork, that I have been thinking about what else to use for filling. We had friends over for dinner and I made my Mini Tomatillo Chicken Burgers and Mini Black Bean Cakes with Creamy Tomatillo Salsa and served Strawberry Margaritas.  I wanted a Mexican type dessert and had really loved the doughy goodness of the pupusas.  So I thought why not fill it with baked apples and cinnamon.

I mixed the dough for this sweet dessert just like the savory meal.  This I would change the next time I make these.  I’ll add a little sweetness.  The apples were cooked in the crockpot all day with a little apple juice, raisins and cinnamon.  I’m not very good at the shape of pupusas or working with the dough just yet.  That will never stop me from trying.  I actually think these are better shaped in the half moon in stead of a circle.

The apples were a little too wet and they kept sliding around while I was trying to shape them and poking through the dough.  I gave up and just cooked the pupusas I had created in the hot frying pan with coconut oil.  When they came out I sprinkled with Penzeys Korintje Cassia Cinnamon and added a little more apples with a scoop of ice cream (Purely Decadent Coconut milk and dairy free).  We tasted them and noted it needed more sweetness.  I made more and then drizzled them with raw honey.  This helped a lot.  We all liked them a lot more and they quickly disappeared.  I’m grateful to have such good friends to let me play with our food.  

So to sum it up, these are gluten free, dairy free, vegetarian and vegan.  They are low cost and quick to make if you don’t count the time the apples are cooking in the crockpot.  I don’t count that.

Ingredients:

6 diced organic apples, without peels
1 cup organic apple juice
handful organic raisins
1-2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp arrowroot slurry

Directions:

Add all ingredients to crockpot, set to low and cook 3-6 hours.  This made tons of filling and I’m still using the extras.  Great for breakfast topping too.

The dough is simply 2 cups of masa and 1 1/4 cups water.  Add more of either to adjust the dough.  It should hold together but not be too wet.  Just play with it and adjust as needed.

So what else are we going to use for filling for pupusas?  Let me know your ideas and we’ll play together!

Every month Book of Yum hosts Adopt a Gluten Free Blogger.  You’re supposed to make one of the recipes of whomever you adopt and then share a post on your adventure on the first of the month.  This month I adopted Blog Schmog (aka glutenfree4goofs) and my adventures in getting to write this was nothing compared to what Jess went through to make these Rock Day Taquitos.  More on my adventures later, first on to the taquitos.  I’ve always loved taquitos and the fact that these are gluten free and dairy free was a bonus!

I could never do Jess’s story justice so I insist you go to her post and find out what took place with, as she calls them, Thing 1 and Thing 2, the day she was making taquitos.

Needless to say, my recipe went much smoother.  However, I did underestimate how long it would take to roll 50 taquitos.  To make it easier I did use store bought corn tortillas.  I thought about making my own but I didn’t have time for that the evening I made these.  Instead I used organic sprouted corn tortillias.  They work well if you let them thaw slowly.  I find mine in the freezer section of Whole Foods.

Jess left room for interpretation on how I would season the chicken meat for the taquitos.  Some I made very mild for my 15 year old picky eater.  Didn’t matter, he wouldn’t eat them anyway.  The rest I added a little more spice, but hubby said it wasn’t spicy enough however they tasted really good.  Man, I just couldn’t please anyone that night.  I however thought they ALL were delicious.

Chicken Taquitos

Here they are all rolled up and waiting to be placed into the frying pan to be crisped up.  Like Jess promised, they didn’t unroll because they were all snug in the pan.  The only problem I see is trying not to eat them as you pull them out of the pan.   When I served them I added salsa and refried beans on the table to put on our plated and dip the taquitos into.

I now have 2 big bags of frozen taquitos ready to eat at a moment’s notice (minute meal), like Tuesday for Cinco de Mayo!  I’m so glad I made this.  It really was not a lot of work with the meat being cooked in the crockpot at it’s leisure.  I think I’ll make a batch with refried pinto or black beans for my vegetarian son who will be home from college for the summer soon.

So if you are looking for a great food for your celebration on Tuesday, or even a meal that will take just a few minutes to reheat during a busy week, try these.  Make your batch and do leave out the rocks.

Thank you to Book of Yum for hosting Adopt a Gluten Free Blogger.

I love to have refried beans on hand.  You never know when a party will break out or the desire for a Mexican meal.  They go together well with so many proteins, vegetables and grains.  Your options are only limited to your imagination.  So imagine how you’ll use them!

Ingredients:

Chipotle Burgers with refried beans ©Diane Eblin

1 bag dried organic pinto beans
9 cups of filtered water for soaking only
4 cups Stock- vegetable or chicken
1 onion diced
2 cloves of garlic diced
Ancho chili pepper (use your favorite chili powder) or a whole Cascabel dried pepper from Penzey’s 11,000 heat units (remove before serving)
2 tsp Ground Cumin
1 tsp Epazote
1 bay leaf
2 tsp cilantro
Sea salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Rinse and sort beans.  Put into a pot and add water so is twice as high as the beans.  Soak overnight or at least 8 hours.   Drain

Add soaked beans and other ingredients to crockpot, cook on low 6-8 hours,  and keep in mind you should learn your crockpot, everyone is different.

When done mash beans.  Remove bay leaf first. There are a few ways you can do this.  You can use a fork or a potato masker to have a chunky end dish.  You can use your blender or food processor for a smoother texture.  I like to use a hand blender right into the pot.  Whatever way you choose please be very careful if you are doing this to hot beans.  They will splatter and burn you.   Always taste before serving.
You can also set some aside and freeze.

Variations:

Tostado ©Diane Eblin

Chipotle Refried Beans- add 1-2 tsp chipotle pepper powder or 1-2 chipotle in adobo peppers chopped (spicy!)

Lime Refried Beans – add the zest of 1 Lime in last hour of cooking

Salsa Refried Beans- add 1 can Diced fire roasted tomatoes and 1 can diced green chilies

Bacon Refried Beans- add 4 slices of bacon to pot so the fat renders.  Add in onions at this point and brown.  You can either dice the bacon and keep in pot or just take out.  Then add all to the crockpot and keep going.

Black Refried Beans- substitute black beans for pinto beans

Jalapeno Refried Beans- add 2-3 diced jalapeno peppers (remove seeds to keep heat down or leave the seeds for a really spicy dish) In a pinch add 2 tsp dried jalapenos from Penzey’s.

Burn your mouth refried beans- use Chili Piquin 140,000 heat units each, add 1 to pot, do not touch peppers.

Dried Bean Guide

1/3 cup dry beans = 1 cup cooked beans
1/2 cup dry beans = 1 1/2 cups cooked beans
2/3 cup dry beans = 2 cup cooked beans
1 cup dry beans = 3 cups cooked beans
2 cups (1 pound) dry beans = 6 cups cooked beans

Roasted Chicken, Dates, Caperberries ©Diane Eblin

One of my favorite pastimes is searching through the internet for gluten free blogs that I’ve not found before.  Yesterday I was checking out Celiac Chick’s blog, great resources, and there was a video from Elana on gluten free chocolate chip cookies made with almond flour.  This got my attention.  Mention chocolate and I’m sure to follow.  I clicked through to her blog, Elana’s Pantry and found Roasted Chicken with Olives and Prunes and information on her new cookbook coming out.

First, the cookbook is called the Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook written by Elana Amsterdam.  It is scheduled to be published August 4th, 2009 and is on pre-order status at Amazon.  Now, back to the chicken dinner I found on her blog.  It looked delicious and inspired me to see what I had in the cupboards.  I was already planning on roasting my chicken so I just needed to find things to add to the bird.  I found dates and

Caperberries

caperberries.  Not many people have even heard of caperberries but I’ve found them to be a great addition to many dishes.   If you must have the full description of caperberries check out wisegeek.   The short answer is they are larger than capers and have a less intense flavor.

With my weekend being as busy as my weekdays, I wanted to cook my chicken in the crockpot instead of the oven.  This way I could start it when I had time in the late morning and it would be ready at dinner time.
The addition of the dates and caperberries added a nice flavor the meal.  The chicken did a wonderful job of creating juices for me to turn into a light sauce.  Just strain the liquid into a sauce pan, let it start to boil, and add your arrowroot slurry.

I served this roasted chicken with Seasoned Fingerling Potatoes and a salad.

I hope you will give this a try or find inspiration from both my chicken and the one at Elana’s Pantry.   Please share with us what ingredients you used and how it turned out.

Ingredients:

©Diane Eblin

1 organic whole chicken
6-12 caperberries
4-6 Medjool dates, pitted
2-4 bay leaves
1-2 tsp French thyme
Celtic Sea Salt & Pepper to taste
½ cup water
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Directions:

Clean your chicken and place it into the crockpot.  Place a few caperberries, date and bay leaf  into the cavity.  Coat the outside of the chicken with olive oil.  Sprinkle the thyme, salt and pepper on top.  Place the dates and caperberries on the chicken in the creases that can hold them such as between the wings and legs.
Set crockpot on low for 6-8 hours.  When it’s done take out the chicken and strain the liquid left behind for a sauce.  Thicken this sauce with your arrowroot slurry (arrowroot and cold water mixed together).  You can add in a little thyme, salt and pepper to taste.  Remember to constantly stir this once you add the slurry.
I served the chicken with Seasoned Fingerling Potatoes and a salad.  What will you serve it with?

It’s been cold and damp for the past few days so I was very happy that Chili was on my menu.  I’ve had this package of buffalo on my inventory list for some time just waiting to be used.  I had found it hiding at the bottom of my chest freezer when I had finally started doing inventory before creating menus.  Buffalo is a very lean meat and I hope you will give it a try.  I of course made the chili in my crockpot so I could go about my day and it could do all of the work.  I like the chop and drop method of cooking and the nights where I don’t have to stand over the pans, but have a great meal.

Buffalo & Beef Chili with Goat Eye Beans ©Diane Eblin

Oh, and eye of the goat is a type of heirloom bean I found at Whole Foods.  I was curious how they would taste so added them to the chili.  Here

Eye of the Goat Bean

is how Purcell Mountain Farms describe them:  Favorite small bean in Baja California, gray with a dark stripe which gives the name “Goats Eye” and similar in flavor to Flor de Mayo Beans, sweet, with smooth texture.  Sounded perfect for chili to me.

Now that my chili is gluten free and dairy free there are a few things I have taken out but feel free to add them in if you can tolerate them.  I use to add beer and I know there are gluten free beers but I’ve not played with them but you can.  Also, topping chili off with some shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream is a thing of the past.  There of course are alternatives to that too, but I’m personally trying to not eat too many manufactured items.  I have to say that my body absolutely loves that too.  I feel better than I’ve felt in years.  But that’s another whole post, on to chili!

Ingredients:

1 pound organic ground beef
1 pound ground buffalo
1 large organic yellow onion, chopped
1-3 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 TB ground Ancho chili
1 TB ground Aleppo chili
2 TB ground Cumin
1 TB Epazote (negates the bean effect, I get my spices from Penzeys)
1 tsp ground cayenne pepper
1 TB cilantro flakes
1 bay leaf
¼ cup mini chocolate chips (Enjoy Life)  this balances the acidity of the tomatoes
1 28 oz can & 1 15 oz can of Fire Roasted Crushed Tomatoes (fresh is always an options instead of cans)
1 cup beef stock
1 cup dried red beans and ½ cup eye of the goat beans, soaked overnight and cooked for 1-2 hours. (never let the water evaporate all the way when cooking)
Sea salt and pepper to taste
Chopped fresh cilantro for garnish
1 tsp organic virgin coconut oil
1 tsp virgin olive oil

Directions:

My crockpot has a metal lining so I can brown my onions, garlic and meat in the same pot it cooks in all day.  If you can’t do this brown it up in a separate pan with the oil and place into crockpot.

Add in the seasonings, stock, tomatoes, beans and chocolate.  Mix until combined, put the lid on and cook on low for 8-10 hours.  If you don’t have that much time it’s not a problem but the longer it can marry together the flavors the better it will taste.  I always think chili tastes better the second day.

I like to serve my chili with fresh cilantro on top.  How do you serve your chili?

I shared this on Miz Helen’s Country Cottage.

Shrimp Tostados ©Diane Eblin

We love Mexican cooking around here so having refried bean on hand is a must.  I’ve always kept canned beans but working to get away from processed foods I’ve started making my own.  What a difference in taste!  There is no comparison to beans from a can to your homemade beans in your recipes.  Beans are very versatile and you can season them up in many different ways.  Above you can see I’ve used them as the base to my Shrimp Tostados.  Don’t worry, that recipe is coming tomorrow.  I like to cook my beans in the crockpot, saves money, stove top space, and I can leave them.  You just need to check them once in a while to make sure there is still liquid in the pot.

Ingredients:

1 bag dried organic pinto beans
9 cups of filtered water for soaking
4 cups Stock- (vegetable, chicken, pork work best)
1 onion diced
1-3 cloves of garlic diced
1-3 tsp Ancho chili pepper (use your favorite chili powder) or a whole Cascabel dried pepper from Penzey’s 11,000 heat units (remove before serving)
2 tsp Ground Cumin
1 tsp Expote
1 bay leaf
2 tsp cilantro
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Rinse and sort beans.  Put in pot or bowl, add water so is twice as high as the beans or a 2 to 1 ratio.  Soak the beans overnight or at least 8 hours. Drain the beans and add the following to crock pot and cook on low for 6-8 hours:

beans
chopped onion
cloves garlic
stock to cover beans
ancho chili pepper
tsp cumin
expote
cilantro
bay leaf
Celtic sea salt and pepper to taste

The beans are done when you can mash them easily with the back of a spoon.  Remove bay leaf first and mash the beans. There are a few ways you can
do this.  You can use a fork or a potato masher to have a chunky end
dish.  You can use your blender or food processor for a smoother
texture.  I like to use a hand blender right into the pot.  Whatever
way you choose please be very careful if you are doing this to hot
beans.  They can splatter and burn you.   Always taste before serving.  If you want true refried bean heat a skillet with a little virgin coconut oil and extra virgin olive oil mixture and cook until it bubbles.

You can also set some aside and freeze.

Variations:

Chipotle Refried Beans- add 1-2 tsp chipotle pepper powder or 1-2 chipotle in adobo peppers chopped (spicy!)

Lime Refried Beans – add the zest of 1-2 Limes in when it’s time to mash.

Salsa Refried Beans- add 1 can Diced fire roasted tomatoes and 1 can diced green chilies

Bacon Refried Beans-
add 4 slices of bacon to pot so the fat renders.  Add in onions at this
point and brown.  You can either dice the bacon and keep in pot or just
take out.  Then add all to the crockpot and keep going.

Black Refried Beans- substitute black beans for pinto beans

Jalapeno Refried Beans-
add 2-3 diced jalapeno peppers (remove seeds to keep heat down or leave
the seeds for a really spicy dish) In a pinch add 2 tsp dried jalapenos
from Penzey’s.

Burn your mouth refried beans- use Chili Piquin 140,000 heat units each, add 1 to pot, do not touch peppers.

You know the great thing about writing down your plans, they get changed.  This is the fun of living in the moment.  So instead of my seafood stir-fry yesterday I decided to drive myself insane.  While Scott was out delivering our company’s Next Level Leadership™ Group Coaching program (shameless plug) I was working in my office with the most amazing aroma enveloping and teasing me all day long.  I started the crockpot in the morning and within a few hours the house smelled amazing.  This went on for 10 hours.  I finally couldn’t wait any longer and I started pulling pieces from the crockpot to taste.  Somehow I managed to get them on the platter long enough to take this picture.  I didn’t even bother with making the two sides of red beans and rice.  I had been enticed with this dish all day long and I wasn’t going to let silly side dishes or even sitting at the table stand in my way.

I had chosen to cook my Jerk Chicken and Jerk Pork Ribs.  However being frugal (which for me sometimes means lazy) I decided I would cook them in the same crockpot together at the same time.  After all they lived on farms together; why not get along in my crockpot.  I’ve cooked chicken with bacon or pancetta so why not St. Louis style pork ribs and organic chicken drumsticks and breasts.

After I had rubbed down the meats and put them into the crockpot and set it to cook all day I was concerned

how it would turn out, but the deed was done. Well it turned out great and I also learned a valuable lesson.  Don’t stay in the house all day with such an aromatic dish cooking in the crockpot unless you want to be committed by the end of the day.

So here is the recipe for both the pork and the chicken.  The principal is the same but your crockpots can be different if you choose, it’s just not required.

This is a shout out to a rock star amongst us.  Stephanie, The Crockpot Lady, is going to be on national TV again!  In case you missed it she was already on the Rachael Ray Show last summer. Stephanie writes the really great A Year of Crockpotting blog.  In 2008 she used her crockpot every single day and posted her creation on line.  Now that’s commitment!  Well now she’s going to be on Good Morning America demonstrating a slow-cooked meal.  Who knew a crockpot was a ticket to being on TV.  Where is your crockpot?  Get it out and get cooking!

So get up early, leave late for work or set your TV to record on Thursday February 19th show of Good Morning America.    After you watch it head on over to A Year of Crockpotting and leave Stephanie a message.  Or you can leave your comments below and I’ll make sure she gets them.

Congratulations Stephanie!

Kalua Pork ©Diane Eblin

Aloha!  Well this is a sad day around our house.  It’s the last football game of the season with the Pro Bowl in Hawaii.  No more football until August 6th.  Yes, I know the date of the Hall of Fame game next year.  Last year Scott and I were fortunate enough to attend the Pro Bowl to enjoy this game first hand and the wonderful foods of Hawaii.  In honor of this game I prepared a Hawaiian meal.

Kalua Pork which is usually cooked Imu or in a pit in the ground covered in taro leaves.  Since my neighborhood association would frown on a pit in my yard to cook a pig I opted for my crockpot.  To accompany the pork we had sautéed vegetables, tropical fruits and rice.  For dessert I coated macadamia nuts with chocolate (Enjoy Life chocolate chips- gluten free, soy free, dairy free) to top off the mango coconut milk ice cream from Purely Decadent.

The meal was delicious and reminded us of the wonderful luau meal we had in Maui.  It was great but still can’t beat the real thing in the islands.

Ingredients:

Large Pork Butt
1 Tb Liquid Smoke (Colgin brand is gluten free)
2 tsp Red Hawaiian Salt (found mine at Trader Joes but if you can’t find any use Sea Salt or Kosher Salt)
1-2 cups water
½ Banana Leaf
1 bay leaf

Directions:

I can only get frozen banana leaves where I live so the first thing is to let them thaw.  Pull out half of a leaf as the leaves are huge.  Rinse off and I draped mine into the bottom of the crockpot. Place the pork butt onto the banana leaf.  Top with Salt, bay leaf and liquid smoke.  Wrap banana leaf around the roast.  Pour in water and put the lid on.  I let mine cook on low for 24 hours just as if it was in the pit.  You probably could get away with 12 hours but you choose.

Pull open the leaves and take out of the pot.  Pull out the pork and remove the fat if you don’t want to eat it and the bone.  Then take two forks and pull the pork into shreds.  It will be very easy as the pork is very tender.

©Diane Eblin

Now if you can find taro leaves these are traditionally used instead of banana.  They also make great bundles to wrap up the pork in for serving for a beautiful presentation.  This was my plate at Mama’s Fish House in Maui.

©Diane Eblin

You should have lots of left over pork.  Portion it out and freeze it.  It can be used in enchiladas, quesadillas, burritos, wraps, taquitos, tamales, Asian stir-fry, BBQ, add it to pasta dishes or many other dishes.

Vegetables:
Sugar snap peas, sweet onion, broccoli, and carrots cooked in coconut oil and olive oil.

Tropical Fruit:
Fresh cut pineapple, mango, papaya, kiwi and coconut.

If you have traveled to the islands and have a favorite meal memory please share.  Mahalo.

Our feast with rice.

©Diane Eblin

©Diane Eblin

This month, as part of Book of Yum’s Healthy Resolution, they suggested that we adopt a gluten free blogger and create one of their healthy recipes.  Well I adopted Karina’s Kitchen and made her New Mexican Stew (my bowl shown).  I actually would love to adopt Karina and have her cook for me all the time.  Her food always looks delicious and everything I’ve ever made from her recipes tastes wonder.  She’s a great cook and teacher.

I wanted to try cooking with squash which is something I’ve only done once before with very poor results.  So the rules were to follow the directions as written and change nothing.  The recipe gave you a choice to add ground meat or black beans.  I wanted my vegetarian son to enjoy this with me so I went with the black beans.   I’m very happy I did. Now Karina being the wonderful soul she is, made the suggestion I could substitute sweet potatoes for the squash but I was brave and went with the squash.  It is a very easy recipe to follow and the stew is amazing.  I never knew I liked squash.  Thanks Karina!

So if you are like me and have the thought that you don’t like squash, well you need to try this stew.  I bet you will change your mind too.  Now, the real test will come from my husband who usually only eats hidden vegetables.  I’m guessing he’ll like it too.  I’ll let you know.

If you make this New Mexican Stew by Karina’s Kitchen please let us both know and feel free to send in your photos.

Some days you just need easy.  Well this meal is very easy.   The yam and the broccoli I cooked in the microwave and seasoned with chipotle when served.

The turkey breast is just adorable.  You can see the size compared to the yam.   I find these at my local Whole Foods.  If you can’t find these any turkey breast will do, you will just need to adjust the length of the cooking time and add in a little more water.

Ingredients:

1 rolled Turkey Breast
1 tsp Onion powder
1 tsp Chipotle
1 tsp Cilantro
½ tsp White pepper
½ tsp Black & Red pepper
1 bay leaf
Agave
1 tsp Organic Virgin Coconut Oil
¾ cup water

Directions:

Take off plastic but leave in netting.  Place in crockpot with water.  Drizzle with agave.  Sprinkle seasonings on top and then place coconut oil on the turkey breast.  Add the bay leaf, cover and cook on low for 4 hours.  This turkey breast actually has a built in timer but I take it out when I’m ready to eat.
Clean up is a breeze and you have a meal in no time at all.

Tonight I went back to one of the first dishes I made, Indian Spiced Turkey Legs.  They tasted really great so I thought I would make it again.  The only problem is I tend to not measure when I cook which I didn’t then and I didn’t today either.  I use my hand as a gage and used approximately a teaspoon of each with just a little more turmeric.  The turkey legs are great.

For the lentils I also got creative.  I do not have many of the ingredients that are called for in the recipes in the Complete Book of Indian Cooking by Suneeta Vaswani.  So I’m taking liberties with ingredients and some pre-mixed spice packets.  There is a recipe for Three Bean Medley that has lentils, kidney beans and blackeyed peas.  I have lentils and red beans so I’m going to use those and the packet of Sukki’s mix meant for Gobi Aloo (cauliflower and potatoes). I was supposed to have the Gobi Aloo but I forgot to buy cauliflower.  I really like that dish.  There was not enough spices for the dish I was making so I had to add more from my supply.  The verdict is not too bad but not great either.

So I need to work on my Indian cooking by sticking to recipes and buying the right ingredients.  Please share your favorite Indian recipes that I should try.

Another busy day and one where I knew I would be away from home.  You know what that means, Crockpot!  I love turkey with mashed potatoes and gravy.  I think I however alone in the love at my house.  But since I’m the cook that’s what was for dinner.

The turkey (organic of course) was so moist it fell apart as I was taking it from the crockpot.  I cooked it with the usual suspects, onion, carrots, bay leaf, salt and pepper with 1-2 cups water.  I also topped it with a tablespoon of Virgin Coconut Oil.  I forgot to take it out of the freezer but that doesn’t matter with the crockpot.  I cooked it on low for 6-8 hours and it was great.

Smashed potatoes are one of my favorite.  They can be very much like mashed potatoes but you don’t peel the potatoes.  I took a small bag of tiny organic red potatoes and tossed them into a pot with filtered water.  Bring to a boil and cook until done.  Usually around 15-20 minutes.  When I drained the potatoes I saved the water.  I wanted to keep these potatoes vegetarian and low fat so I tried something new.  Put the drained potatoes back into the pot and on the burner that is now off.  Grab your old fashion potato masher and get busy.  This is where you can add milk and butter or chicken or turkey stock for a low fat non-dairy alternative.  I didn’t want to mess with that so I just added back in some of the water the potatoes just cooked in.  It worked great.  Add salt and pepper to taste and you’re good to go.

When I took the turkey out of the crockpot I strained the once water now turkey stock and put it in a small sauce pan.  Heat that on medium so it condenses down even more.  Make slurry out of cold water (always cold with corn starch) and corn starch.  I use about ½ cup water to 1-2 tsp corn starch.  Mix that well so there are no lumps.  Add it to the boiling stock and keep whisking.  It will thicken up very fast.  Turn the heat down and keep an eye on the gravy.  It can get really thick really fast.  If this happens add in some of that potato water you held out.  Add salt and pepper to taste, a little parsley and you can now top off that turkey and dairy free smashed potatoes with great dairy free gravy.

I wanted peas too so I took the fast way and put them in a small dish, added that potato water and micro waved them.

Thanks to my crockpot, another dinner that didn’t take long but tasted like I was cooking all day long.

©Diane Eblin

Tonight’s dinner was even easier to make because I just pulled out the half of meatloaf from the freezer that I had cooked a couple of weeks ago.  If you’re going to cook it doesn’t take that much more effort to make twice as much as you’re going to eat in one sitting, especially when it’s something that is easily frozen.

So tonight we had my Meatloaf in Minutes along with a side dish of sauted onions, mushrooms, green beans and almonds.  Dinner tonight only took me 15 minutes from start to finish.

Ingredients:

1 sliced onion
25-35 sliced cremini mushrooms
2 handfuls of fresh green beans
1/3 cup slivered almonds
1 TB Virgin Coconut Oil
2 tsp olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

Slice up your onions and toss them into your heated pan with oil.  As they cook up clean off the mushrooms with a damp cloth.  If you wash mushrooms they become soggy.  Yuck.  Once onions have started to brown add in the mushrooms.  Do not add salt until mushrooms are brown.  At this point toss in your green beans.
After they cook for about 3-5 minutes clear a space in the center and add the almonds.  Let them toast a little before you incorporate into the dish.

In the mean time you can reheat the meatloaf in the microwave or simply serve from the crockpot.

There you go, dinner in 15 minutes.  Enjoy!

Each day I have a new recipe I’ll share that with you and then it will be posted under What I’m Cooking Now on the right.  When my recipes call for meats, poultry of fish they are organic or wild caught.  Also anytime I can use organic products I do.  Who needs all of those extra chemicals and fillers anyway.

Well here we go!

Monday- Shrimp and chorizo with peas and onions, rice or quinoa
Tuesday- Meatloaf, mushrooms and salad
Wednesday- Roasted turkey breast, potatoes, green beans
Thursday- grilled tuna, bok choy, sweet onions, rice/quinoa
Friday- Pork Tamale casserole, quacamole, beans
Saturday- Going out to eat with my best man
Sunday- Indian Turkey Legs, cauliflower and potatoes

Tonight’s gluten free, casein free meal was a juicy baked chicken with carrots and onions and wonderful baked red garnet sweet potatoes.  This is where multiple crockpots is great.  In my favorite All Clad stainless steel lined 6.5 quart crockpot I placed 2 rough chopped onions and 2 organic carrots, a whole organic chicken, 2 cups water, 2 bay leaves, olive oil and 1 Tablespoon Rosemary Salt.  Put the vegetables in first, next the chicken, pour in the water, add the bay leaves, sprinkle the oil on top of the chicken and then the rosemary salt.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours.  In my new 4 quart ceramic crock I placed 2 large organic red garnet sweet potatoes each wrapped in foil.  Put the lid on and cook on high for 6 hours.

The house smelled wonderful, I got to watch the games and clean up took 5 minutes.

I never thought about having multiple crockpots before I started reading Stephanie’s blog, A Year of Crockpotting.  She has wonderful recipes, ideas and info on how to use your crockpot.  Her blog is a must read.  First she inspired me to start using the one I had and then I started thinking how I could create more meals with different crockpots.
So for Christmas I asked for and received the 4 quart crockpot and a triple crockpot buffet cooker.  That was great for New Year’s Eve.

If you’re clearing out your kitchen and you pull out your crockpot that you’ve not used in a long time don’t get rid of it.  Wash it up and get cooking.  Your crockpot can save you time and money while cooking great gluten free and dairy free meals.

There are more playoff games next weekend so my crockpot will be busy.  How about yours?

2 pounds Ground beef or a chuck roast (put meat in first for roast) Can always use ground turkey, ostrich or buffalo.
1 large Onion diced
15 oz can Diced fire roasted tomatoes (I like Muir Glen)
15 oz can crushed tomatoes
4 TB Cumin
4 TB Chili powder (can use pre-mixed, ancho, Aleppo, Casabela or any combination to add depth)
1-2 tsp Cayenne (gage how spicy you want it at end)
2 tsp Expote
3 TB Cilantro
1 can organic small Red beans rinsed (can use kidney)
1 can organic Black beans rinsed
2 TB Dark Agave
1-4 cups Chicken stock (want to have all meat covered)
Bay leaf
Salt & pepper

1 white onion diced to top chili when serving

Directions:

Put all ingredients into crock pot on low for 10-12 hours.  Periodically stir if using ground meat. If using whole chuck roast you will need to pull meat apart with two forks.  It will fall apart easily.  Let cook another hour.

You can brown the ground meat before putting into crockpot but it’s not necessary.

Always taste before serving and adjust seasonings to your tastes.

If your chili is too thin you can add tomato paste.

Cube and brown meat
Mix in rest of ingredients into the Crockpot.
Cook Low 8-10 hours, High 6-8

Serve in bowl with a side of your favorite gluten free bread!

Very moist and tender cubes of meat fall apart as you eat this.  I thought the aroma was wonderful.  My husband asked “What is that horrible smell”.  The look on his face when I said it was his dinner was priceless.  He reluctantly tried a little and said, “This is better than I thought”.  So that’s what I call it.  I however like the smell of cabbage cooking with beef and tomatoes.

10 Servings

Fix it – If you can fix it don’t trash it and buy a new one

Adjust the thermostat- well we didn’t have central air but in the winter if I was cold I put on a sweater and in the summer we wore summer clothing because it was hot and there was no air conditioning.  Winter keep the thermostat at 67 or 68 and in the summer don’t go below 70.

I didn’t live in a barn- I grew up in a house with doors and they were meant to be closed to keep in that warm air.  So don’t leave your doors open like a barn door unless you actually have one and it should be open.

Storing leftovers- we always used the glass containers food came in. Washed them out and used hot water and vinegar to get the labels off.  We didn’t buy plastic ones.  No plastic to seep into our food and do us harm and the containers were already paid for.

Lower Cost Meats- Buy those cuts and cook them slowly in a crockpot.  This saves energy too.
Make it from scratch- my mom is a great baker and cook.  She can open the refrigerator and make a meal out of anything on hand.  I’m so glad she taught me that one!  Making your meals yourself with ingredients that cost less and knowing what you are eating is a gift.  I’m guessing you don’t have all those extra chemicals, preservatives and food dyes around to cook with. Make your own food.

Dish Towels- Don’t use a paper towel when a dish towel could do the job and not end up in the trash.

Newspapers- we recycled them into logs for our winter fireplace (would love to have that cool device I used to make those logs)

TV off- there were only 3 main channels and couple of upper channels that all went off at midnight. (OK I’m showing my age) There was no remote control so there was no vampire electricity because there was no sleep mode for appliances.  We didn’t spend hours with the TV on or a computer (no pc’s) using extra electricity.

Clothes Line- In the summer we hung our clothes out to dry with clothes pins. 

Now many of you may still practice these lessons and if you do I would be proud.  If not I hope this has reminded you that we all have choices to make.  Don’t be concerned about what we don’t have in life but what we do have and how we can save what’s around us.  This will save both your money and our planet.  We need to take care of our world so our children can inherit it.  Be mindful of how you live, your children are watching.  It might take a while to sink in like me, but it will.

Thanks Mom and Dad