Shredded Potatoes and Beef Casserole {gluten, dairy, egg-free}

Pin It

In my previous life, you know the one in which we didn't have food allergies to deal with and I cooked whatever I felt like for dinner, I used to cook a lot of casseroles.  But most casseroles are pasta based and, while I do have a few gluten-free pastas I like, I really don't serve many casseroles anymore.  But casseroles can be so convenient because they usually don't require much kitchen time - just put together a few ingredients and pop it in the oven to bake (while you go fold laundry, change diapers, paint your nails - whatever).   So a few weeks ago, as I was craving something baked in one dish, I came across a bag of shredded potatoes in my freezer and a new family-pleasing dinner was born.  And as always, it has no gluten, dairy or eggs.  I imagine this one would freeze well, too.  See what you think?

Shredded Potatoes and Beef Casserole

1 lb ground beef or ground turkey
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
salt and pepper to taste
8 oz tomato sauce
1 cup peas
1 cup corn
5 cups shredded potatoes (fresh would be nice, but frozen works just fine)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  In a large skillet, saute onions in a bit of olive oil for a few minutes.  Add ground beef and brown it.  Add in garlic and other seasonings.  Add tomato sauce, peas and corn.  Cook until everything is mixed and heated through.  Transfer to a 13 x 11 baking dish.  Sprinkle shredded potatoes evenly over the top.  Bake uncovered at 450 for about 30 minutes.  Enjoy!

This recipe is being shared at Gluten Free Fridays, Foodie Friday, Fresh Bites Friday, Foodtastic Friday, Food on Friday, Weekend Kitchen Creations, Inspire Me Monday, Musings of a Housewife, Better Mom Monday, Melt In Your Mouth Monday, Make Your Own Monday, Motivation Monday, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Fat Tuesday, Traditional Tuesday, Wednesday Extravaganza, Fresh Foods Wednesday, Cast Party Wednesday, What's Cooking Wednesday, Gluten Free Wednesday, Healthy 2day Wednesday, Allergy Free Wednesday, Tasty Traditions, Frugal Food Thursday, Full Plate Thursday, Thriving on Thursday

Skillet Fiesta {gluten, dairy and egg-free}

Pin It

What is Skillet Fiesta?  Glad you asked.  Its a wonderfully tasty healthy party on your plate.  How's that for a made-up name for a made-up dinner?  Sometimes good recipes require work and trial and error, but sometimes they just happen while you're making dinner.  That's how this one came to be -and my family is pretty happy about it.  Plan this dish for one of those nights that you don't have a lot of time or energy to prepare dinner but you're really hungry for something substantial.  By the way, if you don't have quinoa on hand, brown rice would be a great alternative.

Skillet Fiesta {gluten, dairy and egg-free}

1 cup uncooked quinoa (cooked to yield about 4 cups quinoa)
1 pound ground beef or ground turkey
1 onion, diced
1 (14.5 oz) can petite diced tomatoes or about 2 cups diced fresh tomatoes
1(14.5 oz) can black beans (or about 2 cups prepared black beans)
3 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste

In a medium saucepan, cook quinoa according to package directions.  (I cook quinoa just like rice:  1 cup quinoa cooked in 2 cups water.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 15-20 minutes.)  Meanwhile, in a large skillet cook diced onion for a few minutes until tender.  Add to skillet ground beef/turkey.  Brown.  After draining cans, add in tomatoes, black beans, garlic, salt and pepper.  Cook until everything is heated through.  Once quinoa is done, add quinoa to skillet and stir to combine.  Serve hot alongside a garden salad.

NOTE:  This recipe works well to stock the freezer.  Just make a double batch and freeze one for another night.

This recipe is being shared at Ultimate Recipe Swap

Meal Plan Monday - October 1, 2012

Pin It Welcome to a new week.  Now that the cooler weather has set in, I find meal planning a bit easier.  In the coming weeks I'm looking forward to double-batching some casseroles and soups to stock the freezer.  Here's what on the plan for my family.

MONDAY - Tacos - For whatever reason my son has been asking for tacos and I've been craving them too!

TUESDAY - Sausage with Peppers, Mushrooms and Onions over Rice

WEDNESDAY - Mrs. Jolly's Chicken Casserole - I love this casserole!  It has sort of a Chicken Divan flavor to it.   It makes a nice size casserole and is great for double-batching for the freezer, which I plan to do.

THURSDAY - Spaghetti and Meat Sauce with a Salad - I've gotten a bit lazy lately and haven't made meatballs for a while, opting instead to just add ground beef to the sauce.  I haven't gotten too many complaints, though I know my son really likes meatballs.  I'll do that soon.

FRIDAY - Oven-Baked Drumsticks, Roast Potatoes and Salad  -  This is another meal my son has been requesting lately.  Glad to oblige.

SATURDAY - Ham Steak and Fried Potatoes  -  This is such a simple dinner but we never have leftovers when I make it 'cause everyone likes it.

SUNDAY - Hamburgers  -  I'm hoping my hubby will grill these for us, but we can make them indoors if the weather doesn't cooperate.

What cooler weather dishes will you be making this week?

For more inspiration, check out Gluten Free Menu Swap and Menu Plan Monday.

Summertime Chicken Salad {gluten, dairy and egg-free}

Pin It

This classic summertime dish is a favorite of mine.  It makes me smile come dinner time when I open the fridge and see it in there, just waiting for me - the preparation already completed earlier in the day.  A cool and refreshing meal at the end of a hot summer day. This also makes a great lunch that can be packed in a cooler bag and taken along to work or school.  And now those with egg allergies can enjoy it too, thanks to the tasty eggless mayo options available.  I use to use Vegenaise but I recently found an option I like much better - Spectrum Eggless-Vegan Light Canola Mayo.  If you enjoy chicken salad, go ahead and cook  enough chicken for several batches.  Shred or dice it all and freeze the extra in batch sizes so the next time you want to make chicken salad, you won't have to turn your oven on (yay!).

Summertime Chicken Salad {gluten, dairy and egg-free}

3 large chicken breasts (yields about 3-4 cups of cooked, shredded chicken)

1 cup grapes, halved

1 cup apples, diced

1 cup mayonaise (for egg-free use Spectrum Eggless-Vegan Light Canola Mayo or Vegenaise)

1 TBSP vinegar

1 TBSP sugar (optional)

1 tsp dill

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp salt

1/4 - 1/2 tsp pepper

Step 1 - Bake chicken breasts at 375 for about 30 minutes, or until cooked through.  Once cooked, shred chicken by using two forks to pull the meat apart.  If you prefer, you can dice the chicken instead of shred it.

Step 2 - Cut the apple and the grapes.

Step 3 - In mixing bowl, whisk together mayo, vinegar, sugar, and seasonings.  Set aside.

Step 4 - Toss the chicken, apples, grapes and sauce together until well combined.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.  Oh, and be sure to serve it in your prettiest serving dish.

Serve on its own, wrapped in a romaine lettuce leaf, or in a gluten-free tortilla wrap.

NOTE:  This is always best the second day, so its a great make-ahead dish.

This recipe is being shared at Allergy Friendly Wednesday, Melt in Your Mouth Monday, Better Mom Monday, Monday Mania, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Gluten-Free Wednesdays, What's Cooking Wednesday, Works for Me Wednesday, Thriving on Thursdays, Full Plate Thursday, Pennywise Platter, Life as Mom, Delightfully Inspiring Thursday, Foodie Friday, Allergy Friendly Friday, Food on Fridays

Seasoned Ground Beef and Rice {gluten, dairy and egg-free}

Pin It

I used to make stuffed peppers but I realized that my family really didn't prefer the semi-mushy cooked peppers.  I also realized I didn't like them either!  So I quit making stuffed peppers and started making stuffed pepper filling with sliced crunchy bell peppers on the side.  Its much easier and everyone enjoys the meal much more.  With its short ingredient list, this is a simple and budget-friendly dinner.  And it freezes well, so go ahead and save yourself some future cooking time by making a double-batch and freezing one for another night.

Seasoned Ground Beef and Rice {gluten, dairy and egg-free}
 

¾ cup dry rice cooked in 1½ cups water (yield approx. 2 ¼ cups prepared rice)

1 lb ground beef or turkey

1 onion, diced
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
2 TBSP Bragg's Liquid Aminos or other gluten-free soy sauce
¼ tsp pepper
½ tsp garlic powder

Prepare rice according to package directions.  While the rice is cooking, brown the ground beef or turkey and onion in a large skillet until thoroughly cooked.  When rice is ready, add cooked rice to the ground beef.  Add Worcestershire, gluten-free soy sauce, pepper and garlic powder.  Stir to combine.  Serve with sliced bell pepper on the side.

NOTE:  Double your recipe and freeze one for another night.

This recipe is being shared at Allergy Friendly Friday.

Mrs. Jolly's Chicken or Turkey Casserole {gluten, dairy and egg-free}

Pin It

Casseroles make great family dinners and this one is no exception.  This dish was served to my husband and I several years ago during a visit to Canada by none other than Mrs. Jolly (hence the name).  I enjoyed the dinner so much that I asked her for the recipe and have since converted it to be dairy-free, gluten-free and egg-free.  Though I only met Mrs. Jolly once, she has remained a testament to me, and not just because she is a great cook.  She graciously welcomed us into her home, feed us, and made us comfortable.  She was a perfect example of Christian hospitality which seems to be an increasingly lost art, yet an essential piece of what it means to be a Christian.  What did Jesus do while here on earth?  He spent time with people.  He ate with them.  He took care of their physical needs.  He had real relationships with people.  And best of all, he fulfilled their deepest spiritual need.  He still does that today! 

Back to the casserole . . . This is perfect comfort food!  Its one of my favorite casseroles and a perfect use for leftover Thanksgiving turkey.  It's also a perfect casserole to make a double-batch and freeze one.  When starting from scratch (without any leftovers) its kind of annoying to make because you have to cook your rice and your turkey or chicken, so I highly recommend making two at a time. 

Mrs. Jolly's Chicken or Turkey Casserole {gluten, dairy and egg-free}

4 cups cooked rice (1 ½ cups uncooked brown (or white) rice, cooked in 3 cups water to yield approx. 4 cups cooked rice)

2 cups turkey or chicken, cooked and cubed

½ onion, diced
2 large stalks celery, diced
½ cup slivered almonds, lightly toasted
1 cup mayo (for an eggless version, try Spectrum Canola Eggless Mayo or Follow Your Heart Vegan Gourmet Veganaise)
1 cup chicken/turkey broth ( I like Celifibr Chicken Bouillon)
2 TBSP lemon juice
¼ tsp pepper
Crushed potato chips (optional, but very yummy)

Cook 1 ½ cups white or brown rice in 3 cups water according to package instructions.  Meanwhile, dice up about 2 cups of cooked turkey or chicken (approx. 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts) as well as the onion and celery.  Mix this into a large casserole dish.  Lightly toast sliced almonds in a skillet over medium heat, stirring often.  This will help the almonds retain some crunch but you can skip the toasting if you're lazy or short on time and it will still turn out great.  Stir the toasted almonds into the chicken mixture.  In a separate bowl, whisk together mayo, broth, lemon juice and pepper.  Once rice is cooked, add into casserole dish.  Pour the mayo mixture in and stir to combine everything.  Top with crushed potato chips.  Bake at 375 for about 30 minutes.

Awesome Sandwich Bread {gluten, dairy and egg-free}

Pin It I got tired of serving my daughter dry and crumbly store-bought gluten-free bread devoid of any nutritional value.  In all fairness, there are some not-so-bad options on the store shelves, but they are pretty pricey and many of them contain egg.  So I decided to tackle homemade gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free bread and guess what?  Success!  I started with this recipe from The Wacky Waffle which is written by a friend of a friend.

But homemade bread?  Isn't that hard to make?  Doesn't that take a lot of time?  The answer, my friends, to both questions is 'no'.  Homemade gluten-free bread is not hard to make and it doesn't take a lot of time.  In fact, gluten-free bread is quicker and easier to make than wheat bread because you don't have to knead it and you only have to let it rise once.  This recipe, from start to finish, will only take about 1½ hours, and of that time, only about 15 minutes is you actually working.  In case you just don't have 1½ hours, this recipe can be made in a bread machine (though I think it turns out best when you make it the old-fashioned way)!

Take a look at the ingredients below and you'll see this is primarily a whole-grain recipe - so it's good for you.  And it tastes good, doesn't crumble and stays fresh in the fridge for at least 5 days!  It can also be stored in the freezer, sliced and ready for toasting.  

After reading through the simplified instructions, please read the "additional notes" section and the bread machine instructions below the recipe for more details.  Please try this bread!  Then come back and tell us how it turned out for you.  I think you'll be surprised at how easy it is to make and how tasty it is to eat.

Awesome Sandwich Bread {gluten, dairy and egg-free} 

1 ½ cups sorghum flour

½ cup buckwheat flour 
1 cup potato or tapioca starch
2 tsp xanthan gum
2 tsp salt
¼ cup ground flaxseed meal
1 TBSP yeast (*don’t add yeast yet if using the delay setting on a bread maker)
¼ cup oil
¼ cup honey
1 ¾ cups warm almond milk (heat about 1 minute in microwave)
1 tsp mild-tasting vinegar (distilled white or apple cider vinegar)

Whisk together dry ingredients (flours, xanthan gum, salt, and ground flaxseed).  Add yeast to dry ingredients unless using the delay setting on a bread maker.  In a separate bowl, mix together wet ingredients (oil, honey, milk and vinegar).  Add dry mix into the wet mix.  Combine thoroughly using the dough hooks on a stand mixer.  This dough is a bit too thick for regular beaters as it gets a little crazy, walking up the beaters.  You’ll know you have the right consistency if your dough is too wet to knead but too thick to pour.  Its kind of like a thick drop biscuit dough.  Transfer dough into glass loaf pan (no need to grease your pan) and let rise for 30 minutes.  Loaf should almost double in size, or be about even with the top of your loaf pan.  Bake in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for 40 minutes.  Your loaf should have a nice medium-brown crust.  Allow bread to cool in the pan until cool enough to remove; then pop bread out of pan by running a butter knife around the edges. Let bread finish cooling on a wire rack. (This prevents the bottom from getting damp.)  Once cool, slice and enjoy or freeze for later! 

Additional Notes: 

Rising:  Here’s my preferred rising method:  Pour boiling water into an oven-safe casserole dish or spare loaf pan and place in the oven.  Then place your loaf in the oven, shut the door and let it rise.  Stick a note on your oven controls to remind yourself not to turn the oven on while your dough is rising.  Oh – maybe that step is just for scattered people such as myself.

Baking:  Leave the above mentioned hot water in the oven during the baking.  This seems to help the bread retain its moisture. 

Ingredients:  Don’t leave out the vinegar!  It really helps with the rise.  Also, if you don't have buckwheat flour, you can replace it with sorghum so that your flour mix would be 2 cups sorghum flour and 1 cup potato or tapioca starch.  I like it best with the buckwheat - I think it improves the texture.

Storage:  This bread stays fresh for at least 5 days stored it in a zip-close plastic bag in the fridge, unsliced.  For longer storage, slice the loaf and store in a zip-close freezer bag in the freezer.  When its time for breakfast toast or a sandwich, simply pop your slices in the toaster and they’re ready to be enjoyed.

Bread Machine Instructions:

This bread can also be made in a bread machine!  Don’t fret if your bread machine doesn’t have a gluten-free cycle.  I have a low-end machine  without a gluten-free cycle and, although I imagine a better machine might produce better results, it gets the job done.  My machine requires that I help it along by scraping around the corners during the mixing cycle – sad, but true.  I've got my eye on this one but I'd love recommendations if you have a machine you like.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all your dry ingredients (flours, xanthan gum, salt, and ground flaxseed).  Whisk yeast into dry ingredients unless you are using the delay setting.  If using a delay setting,  you'll add the yeast last -on top of the dry mixture so it doesn't get wet prematurely.  Set aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk together all the wet ingredients (oil, honey, milk and vinegar). Transfer to bread machine.

Into your bread machine, add dry ingredient mixture on top of wet ingredients.  If using delay setting, make a little valley in the flour mixture to hold the yeast there on top of the dry ingredients.

Set your bread machine for a 2 lb loaf and let your machine do the rest.  If you do have a gluten-free cycle, use it.

This recipe is being shared at Homemade Bread Challenge, Potluck Party

Banana Bread {gluten, dairy and egg-free}

Pin It

I love banana bread!  As a child, I remember my dad making it for me.  But his version, as good as it was, was made from a box mix and was more like a dessert bread.  This gluten, dairy and egg-free version is meant to be hearty and healthy - something you'll feel good about eating for breakfast or for an afternoon snack.  If you're looking for a lighter, sweeter bread this may not satisfy, but this one has a higher whole grain content and a  lower sugar content.  The sweetness comes straight from the bananas and we all know the sweetest banana bread bananas are those darkening, mushy ones you'd never just peel and eat. 

My family enjoys this for breakfast - great with some dairy-free butter smeared on top of a nice, thick slice. Sometimes I make two loaves at a time. I slice up the second loaf, wrap it in foil and/or a freezer bag and freeze it. The slices toast up great - straight from freezer to toaster - for a quick and hearty breakfast.

Banana Bread {gluten, dairy and egg-free}

1 cup sorghum flour

½ cup potato starch or tapioca starch
1 tsp xanthan gum
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
1 ½ cups banana, mashed (about 3 large bananas)
½ cup brown sugar
⅓ cup oil
1 TBSP vanilla
2 TBSP flaxseed meal mixed with ⅓ cup water
½ cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

Step 1:  In mixing bowl, whisk together dry ingredients (sorghum flour, potato starch, xanthan gun, baking powder, baking soda, and salt). 

Step 2:  In a large mixing bowl, combine wet ingredients (mashed banana, brown sugar, oil, vanilla, flaxseed/water mixture).

Step 3:  Using a stand mixer or electric hand mixer, combine dry ingredients into wet mixture.  Combine till thoroughly mixed.  If adding walnuts, now’s the time.

Step 4:  Pour batter into loaf pan and bake at 350 for about 50 minutes, or until edges pull away from pan and cake tester comes out clean. 

FREEZER NOTE:  Make an extra loaf, slice it and freeze.  For a quick breakfast, put frozen slices in toaster and voila! – breakfast is ready!

This post is being shared at Allergy Free Wednesday.

Quick and Easy Cream of Tomato Soup {gluten, dairy and egg-free}

Pin It

I don't know about you, but as an American consumer I have become so accustomed to certain packaged foods, that I have come to believe that they can not be made at home, but must be purchased in a can.  Things like canned pumpkin, cranberry sauce and baked beans are a mystery to me.  If you can't get it in a can, then you can't have it (or so I think) because such things certainly can't be made at home.  Of course I realize that before canned pumpkin ever existed, people made pumpkin pie.  And I do know that cranberry sauce and baked beans can be made from scratch.  But it is my natural inclination to believe "I need a can of (fill in the blank)".

Now lately I've been lamenting the fact that our family can't open a can of Cream of Tomato Soup for lunch.  So you can imagine my delight and surprise when I realized that tomato soup does NOT have to come in a can.  In fact, it can be made at home and it can be quite tasty and quite easy!  Oh, and might I add that this homemade version is way healthier for you than a can of condensed soup. I don't even know what's in a can of condensed soup, but it can't be all that good for you.  But tomatoes are good for you.  They are high in vitamins A, C, E, potassium and folic acid.  They're also high in Lycopene, an important anti-oxidant. I don't want to slight those of you who have to restrict tomatoes from your diet, as my daughter did in the beginning.  Perhaps you will eventually be able to enjoy them once again, as my daughter is now (One can always hope!).

So here I share with you my very fast, very easy and very tasty recipe for gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free Cream of Tomato Soup.  It is adapted from a recipe I found in one of my most used crockpot cookbooks, Fix It and Forget It.  This recipe can, I'm sure, be made in the crockpot but I've just been making it on the stove since it's so quick and easy (hence the name).

Cream of Tomato Soup {gluten, dairy and egg-free}

46 oz bottle of tomato juice (V-8 juice states “gluten-free on label” or generic version)

8 oz can tomato sauce
½ cup broth (beef, chicken or vegetable)  ALTERNATELY:  ½ cup water plus 1 Celifibr boullion cube*
½ tsp dried basil
2 TBSP sugar
¼ cup instant potato flakes* (These serve to thicken the soup so it’s more like that can of condensed tomato soup you remember.)

In a large stockpot, combine all your ingredients.  Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently.  Cook until heated through and slightly thickened.  Serve.  This can also be prepared in the crockpot.  Freezes well so make extra!

*I've recently discovered a gluten and dairy-free bouillon cube called Celifibr.  It tastes great and doesn't have anything in it that you don't want. – Use one cube for this recipe

*Betty Crocker Potato Buds state on the label they are gluten-free.

This recipe is being shared at Life as Mom

Creamy Chicken Pie {gluten, dairy and egg-free}

Pin It

Recently, I found a yummy sounding recipe on Organized Home for Chicken Vol-Au-Vents.  It sounded so yummy and was recommended for freezer cooking (two things I like), but it had wheat and dairy ingredients.  So I waved my magic allergy-friendly wand and the results received two thumbs up from my family.  To simplify my life, I decided not to pack this creamy chicken into individual dough pockets even though that would be yummy and fun.  But you could easily do that with this recipe.  If you're craving a good old fashioned chicken pot pie, you could change the form a bit and create that from this recipe too.

Creamy Chicken Pie

Filling

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and cubed (about 3 cups)
2 TBSP cornstarch (substitute potato starch if you have a corn allergy)
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
½ tsp garlic powder
1 tsp Italian seasoning (or a combination of oregano, basil and thyme)
2 cups non-dairy milk (almond)
2 TBSP sherry

 Single Pie Crust

½ cup millet flour
¼ cup sorghum flour
½ cup potato starch or tapioca starch
½ tsp xanthan gum
½ tsp salt
½ cup cold non-dairy butter (Earth Balance or Smart Balance Light)
2 TBSP water
           

Step 1 – If you haven’t yet, bake chicken breasts (350 for about 30-40 minutes).

Step 2- Make your pie crust.  Whisk together dry ingredients (millet, sorghum, potato starch, xanthan gum, and salt).  Cut butter into dry ingredients using a pastry cutter or 2 table knives.  Add in water and work the dough, first with pastry cutter, then with hands, till everything is combined and sticks together, forming a ball.  Roll out your crust so that it covers the bottom of an 8 x 11 inch baking dish.  Line bottom of baking dish with crust allowing a little crust to come up the sides of the dish just a bit.  Pre-bake crust at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes.

Step 3 – Meanwhile, prepare white sauce.  In a small saucepan, whisk together cornstarch, salt, pepper, garlic powder and Italian seasoning.  Add non-dairy milk.  Bring to a boil stirring constantly.  Let boil for one minute, then remove from heat.  Stir in sherry, then set aside.  Should be thickened, but not too thick.  White sauce recipe is originally from http://organizedhome.com/recipes/freezer-cooking/white-sauce.

 
Step 4 – Cut up cooked chicken into very small cubes.  Add chicken into white sauce and stir to combine.  Pour creamy chicken over crust.  Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes.

Optional:  If you’d like to turn this into a pot pie, just add some veggies such as peas, corn and carrots into the creamy chicken prior to baking.  You can make a second crust to place on top of the creamy chicken if you’d like.

NOTE:  Double your recipe and freeze one for another night.

Butternut and Ham Soup with Dinner Rolls {Gluten, Dairy and Egg-Free}

Pin It

Butternut and Ham Soup with GF Dinner Rolls

I had never cooked with a butternut squash until this week, but when one showed up in our CSA farm haul it triggered a memory of a warm and wonderful soup a friend had shared with me last fall.  The soup had been so warm and so wonderful that I had requested the recipe from her and was able to pull it out this week and give it a try.  It turned out warm and wonderful - and it made enough for dinner, a batch for the freezer and a comforting bowl hidden away in the fridge for my lunch the next day (bonus!).  This recipe created by my friend Gina Shatney (yes, the same friend of the famed Gina Chicken), originally called for cream to be added, but the soup is just as wonderful without the dairy.

As for the rolls, I can't take credit for that recipe either.  That one comes from my absolute favorite gluten-free cooking blog, Gluten Free Goddess.  Her dinner roll recipe is, I'm sure just perfect the way it is, but for simplicity's sake (and because I didn't have all the ingredients on hand) I made a few changes and they turned out great.  Feel free to follow the original Gluten Free Dinner Roll recipe found on her site, or my simplified version.  I followed her recipe except I replaced the flours with 1 1/2 cups sorghum flour, 1 1/2 cups potato starch, and 1/2 cup plus 2 TBSP millet flour.  The only other change I made was to omit the Ener-G Egg Replacer and use 1/4 cup applesauce in its place.

And now for the soup (thanks, Gina!) . . .

Butternut and Ham Soup {gluten, dairy and egg-free}

1-2 cups ham, chopped into bits
2 T olive oil
1 butternut squash (peeled, seeded, chopped in 1 inch cubes.... Roast
the seeds to eat while you cook!)
1-2 cups potatoes, peeled & chopped in 1 inch cubes
1/2 cup celery, chopped
3 carrots, sliced thick
1 onion, chopped
1 bag frozen corn, thawed
salt, pepper, thyme, rubbed sage
8 cups vegetable and/or chicken broth

Heat oil & add squash, celery, carrots, onion.  Stir & cook until the onion is soft.  Add ham and potatoes.  Season to taste with salt, pepper, thyme, and rubbed sage (I like lots of thyme & sage).  Add broth and simmer until potatoes and squash are soft.  Use an immersion blender (or remove several cups of soup to a blender) to puree PART of the soup - just enough to thicken it up a bit and turn the broth a nice orange color.  Blend up to half if you want a thicker, chowdery soup.  Add the corn.  Heat soup up gently; don't boil.  Freeze leftovers for dinner another night, or enjoy the extra for lunches.

This recipe is being shared at Potluck Party Friday

Gina Chicken over Rice

Pin It

Many years back, my hubby and I were eating dinner at the home of some new friends.  They served kabobs with the most amazing chicken I've ever eaten.  Of course I had to ask for the recipe and now it is one of my family's favorite ways to enjoy chicken.  I make it often (probably too often)!  It can, of course, be made as shish kabobs, but most of the time I just throw everything in a skillet and serve it over rice (quicker and easier, ya know).  The recipe is really called Yummy Honey Chicken Kabobs and can be found at allrecipes.com.  But since my friend Gina Shatney introduced it to me, my family refers to it as "Gina Chicken".

Here's my save time/save money tip.  I wait till boneless, skinless chicken breasts are on sale.
 (Yesterday, I picked up 4 family-size packages of chicken at $1.79/pound.)  Then I prep several batches for the freezer.  I double, triple or quadruple the marinade recipe and cube an appropriate amount of chicken.  I divide the marinade and chicken into zip-closed freezer bags.  I'll use one for that evening's dinner and freeze the others.  The next time I want to serve Gina Chicken, I just grab a bag from the freezer and let it defrost and marinate in the fridge all day.  When evening rolls around, I just cut up some veggies and toss them and the marinated chicken cubes into the skillet.  Cook some rice while the chicken and veggies cook and you'll have a wonderfully simply and yummy dinner.

Gina Chicken

For the marinade:
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup soy sauce (Caution: Most soy sauce has wheat in it!  I rely on Bragg's Liquid Aminos Natural Soy Sauce Alternative
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 cloves minced garlic
Whisk all ingredients together. 

Boneless skinless chicken breasts (I use about 2 good sized breasts for my family of 5)
8oz fresh sliced mushrooms
1 bell pepper, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped

Cut chicken into bite-size cubes.  In the fridge, let the chicken soak in the marinade all day (or overnight - the longer the better!).  If making a batch for the freezer, put the chicken and marinade in a freezer bag and place it right into the freezer.  On the day you want to serve it, remove from freezer in the morning and let the chicken marinate in the fridge as it thaws.

To prepare:
Heat a TBSP oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Saute onion for a few minutes.  Add in the mushrooms.  Use a slotted spoon to scoop out the chicken pieces from the marinade, adding chicken to skillet.  Discard remaining marinade.  When chicken is cooked through, toss in bell pepper and let it cook just a minute or two longer, keeping the pepper crisp.  Serve over rice.

Meatballs {Gluten, Dairy and Egg Free}

Pin It

Meatballs have been a long-standing favorite in my family, but I always thought they were too time consuming to make from scratch.  I had become accustomed to buying the ready-made meatballs in the freezer section at the grocery store.  Can't do that anymore.  Besides, I'm pretty sure there are lots of things in those store-bought beauties that NO ONE should be eating. 


So I've discovered that making homemade meatballs is easy!  Why haven't I done this before? And to add to the ease, I always make a double batch - one for tonight and one for the freezer.  When I'm ready to eat the freezer batch, I just heat them, straight from the freezer, in my saucepan full of spaghetti sauce.  Or, when my daughter couldn't tolerate tomatoes, I heated the frozen meatballs in a broth-based gravy.


Meatballs can of course be served over rice, put in a hoagie roll, or eaten by themselves.  But for classic spaghetti and meatballs, you'll need pasta.  Our family favorites for gluten-free pasta are Ancient Harvest Gluten-Free Quinoa noodles and Schar gluten-free noodles.  We are lucky that our grocery store carries Schar noodles so we usually buy those.  If you can't find these locally, you can order them from Vitacost for a reasonable price.  (Vitacost is one of my favorite places to buy gluten-free items as well as vitamins.  Their prices are great and they have unlimited $5 shipping.  BTW, I have no connection with Vitacost - I just like it!).  Just a  note of caution:  Ancient Harvest does sell a quinoa pasta that has duram wheat in it and the box looks very similar to the gluten-free version so be careful!  I made that mistake.


This recipe can also be used to make meatloaf.  Same ingredients, just different presentation.  So anyway, here's the recipe:


Meatballs or Meatloaf {Gluten, Dairy and Egg Free}

2 lbs ground beef or ground turkey

½ cup ketchup

1 cup gluten free breadcrumbs

1 tsp garlic powder

2 TBSP Italian Seasoning (or a mixture of basil and oregano)

2 TBSP ground flaxseed meal mixed with ¼ cup water (this is the egg replacement)

Step 1- Mix all ingredients together in large bowl using your hands to mix.

Step 2 (meatloaf)- If making meatloaf, put the mixture into a loaf pan and bake at 350 for about 60 minutes.

Step 2 (meatballs) – If making meatballs, shape meat mixture into golfball size meatballs.  Place balls on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper or silicone mat.  (The parchment paper/silicone mat makes cleanup a lot easier, but its not necessary for the outcome).  Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes. 

NOTE:  This makes a double batch of meatballs – one for tonight and one for the freezer.  To prepare frozen meatballs, just cook the frozen meatballs in spaghetti sauce in a saucepan while cooking noodles separately. 

Gluten-Free Seasoned Breadcrumbs

Pin It Breadcrumbs can be a very useful ingredient.  I use them when I make meatballs, meatloaf, Chicken Italiano, chicken fingers and oven-fried chicken drumsticks to name a few.  In case you can't purchase gluten-free breadcrumbs at your local store, here's a quick and easy way to make them at home.

Buy the cheapest gluten-free loaf of bread you can find.  Let's face it - most store bought gluten-free bread is quite crumbly anyway. I usually do at least 2 bread loaves at a time because, frankly, who wants to make breadcrumbs when you really want to make meatballs?  Breadcrumbs last a long time in the freezer so it makes sense to make a bunch and have them ready when a recipe calls for them.

If you have a food processor, this goes really fast.  Just toss in a few slices at a time and process to a fine crumb.

Once you've turned all your bread slices into crumbs, spread them on a cookie sheet.  You may need to use more than one cookie sheet because you don't want to pile them too thickly.  Sprinkle garlic powder and Italian seasoning on your crumbs.  Toss to mix.  Sprinkle more seasonings depending on how seasoned you want your breadcrumbs.

Pop them in the oven for a few minutes, or until they start to brown.  You can do this fast by broiling them, but watch them carefully so they don't burn (that, of course, has never happend to me).

Let the crumbs cool.  What you don't use right away, store in a zip close freezer bag in the freezer.

Buckwheat Pancakes or Waffles {gluten, dairy and egg-free}

Pin It

After our daughter's food sensitivities were diagnosed, one of the first items we tried to recreate were pancakes.  Our family has a Saturday morning pancakes for breakfast tradition.  Without a gluten-free, egg-free, dairy-free pancake recipe, we'd have to change our weekend ritual and we REALLY didn't want to do that.  So we began with a promising looking box of gluten-free pancake mix and tried substituting egg replacer and soy milk into the recipe on the box.  What we made could hardly be called pancakes!  These things were awful!  They were so gummy that when the plate was turned upside down, these so-called pancakes stuck fast!  They didn't even think about falling off the inverted plate.  We did try eating them and we did try to appear happy but there was no fooling anyone.  So the 'glue cakes', as we affectionately call them, had to be scraped into the trash.  This was the first, but certainly not the last, gluten, dairy and egg-free baked good that went the way of all things foul.

So on to the successful pancake recipe that was birthed following this sad ordeal.  My hubby actually came up with this one. It's simple.  It's nutritious.  And it has been happily consumed in our home by family and visiting friends for the last couple years.  We hope you'll find it as pleasing as we do.


Most Saturday's, my hubby makes these wonderful buckwheat pancakes for us.  Often, we make two batches - one for the morning's pancakes and one for waffles for the freezer.  Making a batch of waffles while you make pancakes saves a great deal of time.  The waffles go into a zipper freezer bag, separated by freezer paper.  Later in the week, we pull out a few waffles, pop them in the toaster and voila - a hearty breakfast at the ready. 



Buckwheat Pancakes or Waffles {free of gluten, dairy and eggs}

2 cups buckwheat flour *see note about buckwheat flour 

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 cup applesauce

4 Tablespoons oil

2 Tablespoons honey

2 cups dairy-free milk (almond, soy, rice or other non-dairy milk)

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.  Add in applesauce, oil, honey and milk.  Mix it all together using a whisk or wooden spoon.  If the batter is a bit too thick, add in a little more milk to thin it.  Heat griddle or skillet over medium-low heat.  Spoon batter onto heated griddle - make these as small or big as you like.  Cook these as you would any pancake, watching for bubbling to let you know it's time to flip.  These are great with any add-ins you like such as blueberries, dairy-free chocolate chips, cut-up strawberries, etc.  I also recommend this wonderful raspberry syrup topping found at Tessa the Domestic Diva.


*A note on buckwheat flour:  The finished product will vary depending on the brand of buckwheat flour you use.  I recommend Hodgson Mill or Arrowhead Mills (though these aren't certified gluten-free).  Our pancakes were flat and dense when we made them with Bob's Red Mill buckwheat flour so I don't recommend it, at least for this recipe.

TIP:  To keep your pancakes warm and non-soggy, transfer cooked pancakes to a cooling rack placed on a cookie sheet in a warm low-heat oven.  That way everyone can sit down to breakfast together and enjoy fresh hot pancakes.

Gluten Free Pizza - one for tonight, two for later

Pin It

No family should be without pizza!  But pizza for someone allergic to gluten, dairy and eggs - we'll that's a challenge!  In an effort to provide "regular" foods for my family, I've worked up this very do-able pizza plan. 

When I first began making this, I made it for the whole family, not just our allergic child.  It pleased everyone, even hubby.  But allergy friendly ingredients are generally more expensive.  And it takes time and effort to make things from scratch.  So now I make this recipe just for our daughter and order a take-out pizza for the rest of the fam.  This does a few things for us, the best of which is that it allows me to make several personal size pizzas  ahead of time and freeze them.  Then when a pizza night strikes, the work is already done and pizza night once again feels like an easy meal.  The pizza dough recipe will make 3 personal size pizzas (4 if you prefer a thin crust). 

Pizza Dough: Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free and Egg-Free 1 3/4 cup sorghum flour ¾ cup potato starch or tapioca starch 1 scant tsp xanthan gum 1 tsp salt 1 TBSP Italian seasoning (any combo of oregano, basil or other Italian seasonings) A few shakes of garlic powder 1 package yeast (2 ¼ tsp) preferably Dry, Active Yeast 1 TBSP sugar 1 cup warm water (temp according to yeast package) 2 TBSP oil ½ TBSP apple cider vinegar             Step 1- In large bowl, whisk together flours, xanthan gum, salt, seasoning, yeast and sugar. Step 2- Fill measuring cup with 1 cup warm water.  Add to this oil and vinegar and pour into flour mixture. Step 3 – Mix together, starting with a wooden spoon and then using your hands to incorporate everything.  Knead long enough to mix smoothly.  If the dough is too wet, add a little sorghum flour.  If its too dry, add a little water. Step 4 – If making personal pizzas, divide dough into 3 balls (or 4 balls for a thin crust).  Roll out three 8-inch circles.  I put the rolled-out dough circles right into a pie plate or on the removable bottom of my 8-inch round cake pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit while you prepare toppings.  HINT:  If your dough is sticky, place it on a piece of plastic wrap or a silicone baking mat.  Pat it out with your hands to start flatening and forming the circle.  Then place a second sheet of plastic wrap or baking mat on top of the dough. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough, then peel away your plastic wrap and plop the dough on your cooking surface.              Step 5 – Top uncooked pizza crusts with sauce, grated “mozzarella cheese” substitute (our favorite is Daiya vegan mozzarella style shreds and our second favorite is Follow Your Heart Vegan Gourmet mozzarella cheese substitute).  Then add any toppings you like.  We like olives, mushrooms, and sausage to name a few. Step 6:  Bake at 425 degrees for about 15-20 minutes.  To freeze for later – Prepare pizza up to the point of baking, but DON'T COOK IT.  Wrap tightly with aluminum foil or freezer paper, pressing down slightly on toppings so they don’t fall off.  Set assembled wrapped pizzas in freezer.  Don’t forget to label it!  When ready to cook, take frozen pizza from freezer, unwrap and place in preheated 425 degree oven to bake for about 20 minutes.