Tomato free Chili

I had practically written off making anything like chili once I had to get rid of tomatoes. Until I read some blogs and a suggestion was made. Then I decided to give it a try. Here is the recipe that I used as my starting point. And this is what I came up with:

Gluten free Dairy Free Tomato free Chili

2 pounds lean ground beef or turkey
2 cans red kidney beans drained and rinsed or mild chili beans
2 cans great northern beans or white kidney beans drained and rinsed
1 15 oz can pumpkin
1 15 oz can carrots
1 15 oz can beets
40-48 oz chicken broth
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder or use fresh cloves
1/4 tsp pepper
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp paprika

Put carrots, beets and pumpkin into blender and purée. Add a little chicken broth to make it easier. Set aside. In large pot brown meat. Add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Turn onto low. Cover. Simmer.  Enjoy with corn chips or corn bread!

Now go enjoy your delicious bowl of awesomeness!!  

The happy girl

The fat rain drops pounded on the ground.  It echoed through the chimney; plink, tink, plonk.  It gushed out of the gutters and onto the brown grass.  There was freshness in it as the drops poured from the gray cloud-filled sky.  I sat, looking out the window, as the rain drops hit the puddle that had formed in the folding chair. I have always felt a sadness that went along with rain.  And this time was no different. 

Cassie was happy today though.  There are so many days when she is just sad, grouchy, and angry and those days always seem to be followed by rainy days.  She can feel it coming, and it doesn't make her feel well.  I think, from what I can determine from her mood and actions that it down right hurts. 

When I was a teenage girl and I was babysitting, I loved the children I cared for…for the most part.  Having children looked fun and easy.  Now, as I am in my 17^th year of mothering/parenting, etc., I have found that the fairy tale only exists in pieces; small glimpses of wonderful-ness.

There are fairy tale moments, indeed.  There are glimpses of beauty in motherhood. And when they happen I pause and try to take in those precious pieces of my day. They don’t last, but THEY are what make parenting worth it…especially when many moments are filled with the day to day, and the hurts, trials and troubles of life. 

One of my struggles has always been in knowing what each child needs and finding a way to meet those needs.  Months ago we eliminated food dyes and other dyes from Cassie’s life followed by ridding her of gluten.  The change in her has been extremely significant. She is happier.  She talks more.  She actually talks to people outside of our house….sometimes. She is sweet and funny.  And when she has a bad day I find myself searching again for answers and ideas that could help her to be happy. 

As of late, the topic or thought on my mind has been trying to determine a cause for these hard days and then a solution. I haven’t found it yet, but I’m sure through prayer and pondering I will be led to the right information that will bless our lives as a whole.  

Gluten Free Flax Bread

I found this recipe for gluten free bread in my desperate search to replace bread made with wheat and white flour.  I don't eat a lot of bread but once in a while would like toast or a sandwich.  The kids eat bread a lot more than I do.  When I eat it I want it to taste as much like regular bread as possible.  While its extremely difficult to make a good gluten free bread I have found that it can be done.  Here are some great places to find good recipes:

"The Gluten Free Gourmet" by Bette Hagman
"The Gluten Free Gourmet Bakes Bread" by Bette Hagman
"Special Diets for Special Kids" by Lisa Lewis, PhD

I've used a few of the recipes from these books and from others.  Many times they are SO pricey to make that it's better if I just go purchase a loaf or two.  This recipe came out awesome the first time, no tricky techniques required.  I have even used different flour blends in it with good results.  The flaw with the recipe is that it makes too much for the normal loaf pan and it spills over the edges and all over the oven. The reviewers warned about this, but did I listen...nope.  I just HAD to try it myself.  Haha!

I decided to adjust the recipe to fit into a regular loaf pan so that I wouldn't have to go and purchase a new pan.  Below you will find my adjustments to the recipe.

Gluten Free Flax Bread

1 cup gluten free flour mix
3 Tbsp garbanzo bean/chick pea flour
6 Tbsp potato starch
3 Tbsp cornstarch
3 Tbsp flax seed meal
2 tsp. xanthan gum
1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
3/4 tsp salt
3 eggs
3/4 cup water or almond milk or coconut milk (I do half water and half dairy free milk)
1 1/2 Tbsp coconut oil, melted
2 1/4 Tbsp honey
1 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar

Combine flours, flax, starches, gum, yeast, and salt in a large mixing bowl. In the mixer, combine wet ingredients together and then add the dry. Scrapes the sides of the bowl.  Mix on medium speed for 4-5 minutes.  Pour into 1 greased loaf pan.  Let rise to the top of the pan in a warm, but turned off oven for about 40-80 minutes. Bake at 350F for about 40 minutes. Remove from pan. Cool and slice.

GF/DF Oven fried chicken Yummy!

My grandmother shared this delicious recipe with me in the recent years.  I asked her for the recipe again a few months ago and then I lost it.  I was thrilled to find the recipe again on this page. My family absolutely loves it!  I changed it to make it fit our needs.  Now it's gluten free and dairy free....and STILL delicious!



Oven Fried Chicken

This simple oven fried chicken is coated with a seasoned flour mixture and baked with a little butter.
Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

3 to 4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or tenders
1/4 cup corn flour
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/3 cup  dairy free butter or olive oil
Preparation:

Directions for oven fried chicken recipe
Preheat oven to 425°.
Wash chicken and pat dry with paper towels...if desired. In a bowl with a lid, combine flour, paprika, salt and pepper. Place lid on and shake to coat chicken with the flour mixture. I ended up making a second batch of the flour mixture and threw that in until it was evenly coated.

Put butter in a shallow baking pan; place in oven to melt. When butter is melted, arrange chicken in the baking pan in a single layer, (if using bone-in chicken, place skin side down and add an extra 10 minutes to baking time, after flipping). Bake at 425° for 30 minutes; turn and bake 5 minutes longer, or until chicken is tender and done. Oven fried chicken recipe serves 4.

GF/DF Corn Bread recipe

So...I wanted to make cornbread to go with my friends chili for our get-together this week.  I made some last year and it was okay, but nothing to make me go WOW. It was simply OKAY.  I have made really yummy cornbread for years and the idea that just because I am eating gluten free means I can't have good corn bread was just NOT okay in my book.  Ludicrous!  I am a FIRM believer that if you have a good recipe you can always make delicious food.

I decided to pull out my original recipe...my go-to recipe...for cornbread.  It's one I have altered and adjusted over the years, to my taste.

Gluten Free/Dairy Free Corn Bread

1 1/4 cup Featherlight Flour mixture
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
3/4 cup corn meal
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 cup almond milk (or other dairy free milk)
1/4 cup coconut oil
1 egg beaten

Grease an 8x8 or 9x9 inch square pan, or a round pie plate, or casserole dish.  Set aside. Combine dry ingredients in large bowl.  Mix well.  Stir in milk, oil and egg.  Mix just until moistened; making sure that any large clumps are broken up.  Pour batter into prepared pan.  Bake @ 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes.  Or for glass or dark pans bake @ 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
These make great muffins too.  Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.  For dark pans: 375 degrees for 15 minutes.

This recipe came out moist and delicious!  I LOVE sweet cornbread, so if that's what you like you might enjoy this treat!  This tastes scrumptious with pumpkin butter spread onto it too!  Happy Fall!

Oh...the Featherlight Flour Mixture is as follows:

1/2 cup rice flour
1/2 cup potato starch
1 cup tapioca starch
1 cup cornstarch
3 tsp potato flour

The original recipe comes from Bette Hagman's The Gluten Free Gourmet Bakes Bread book.  I altered it slightly to fit my needs.

Hummus

My new obsession...hummus.  I've had it a few times over the years and I have enjoyed it, but have always thought of it as a treat for a special occasion.  I'm not quite sure where that thought came from. Since I have recently started a gluten free/dairy free diet I am constantly on the look-out for foods that are delicious and fit the diet.  While at a recent Bridal Shower, I had hummus and was reminded of how yummy it is.

I started looking up recipes and talking about it.  This weekend we went to Kansas City to spend time with my husband's brother and his family and also attend the temple there.  While at the store with my sister-in-law I mentioned hummus and she showed me one she really liked.  I HAD to try it out.  It was so yummy!

Today, all I wanted was hummus. So, I got out the ingredients and began making it.  Find the original recipe here. I added parsley to the recipe because I found it on another page, but I can't seem to find the link anymore.  If I find it, I'll post it.

Hummus

·  1/4 cup (59 ml) fresh lemon juice or 3 Tbsp lemon juice

·  1/4 cup (59 ml) tahini

·  Half of a large garlic clove, minced

·  2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for serving

·  1 teaspoon kosher salt

·  1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

2 Tbsp parsley crushed

·  One 15-ounce can (425 grams) chickpeas

·  2 to 3 tablespoons water

·  Dash of ground paprika for serving

In the bowl of a food processor, combine tahini and lemon juice. Process for 1 minute. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl then turn on and process for 30 seconds. This extra time helps “whip” or “cream” the tahini, making smooth and creamy hummus possible.

Add the olive oil, minced garlic, cumin and the salt to whipped tahini and lemon juice. Process for 30 seconds, scrape sides and bottom of bowl then process another 30 seconds.

Open can of chickpeas, drain liquid then rinse well with water. Add half of the chickpeas to the food processor then process for 1 minute. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl, add remaining chickpeas and process for 1 to 2 minutes or until thick and quite smooth. Most likely the hummus will be too thick or still have tiny bits of chickpea. To fix this, with the food processor turned on, slowly add 2 to 3 tablespoons of water until the consistency is perfect.

Scrape the hummus into a bowl then drizzle about 1 tablespoon of olive oil over the top and sprinkle with paprika.
Store homemade hummus in an airtight container and refrigerate up to one week.

Now go...spread it on your bread instead of mayo or mustard...dip your veggie sticks into it...and scoop it with your favorite tortilla chips or vegetable chips.  

Traveling and eating Gluten Free/Dairy Free and food dye free can be a challenge!

We are going to visit family this weekend and need to be prepared with food for my lovely Gluten Free/Dairy Free diet and Littlest Miss's dye free diet. We discussed possible options with family and decided to go with tacos.  Therefore, today I am making myself some corn tortillas for the occasion.

I found a recipe here that is very simple and easy to follow.  

I have a flour tortilla press that is electric and does the same basic thing that a corn tortilla press does.  I covered the cold plates of the press with plastic wrap and pressed the dough in that.  You can also place your dough ball between the plastic wrap and press it down with the bottom of a small pot. (got that idea from a youtube video on making tortillas)

Then I placed the tortilla on a hot cast iron pan, that is dry; without any oil or butter.  Cook it for about 1 minute and then flip and cook for 30 seconds or so.  They seem stiff at first but if you put them in a linen cloth inside a glass dish they get nice and soft and PERFECT for tacos or any other meal.

I spread some dairy free butter on it and dribbled some homemade peach jam inside.  THAT was delicious.  Most of the time I DO NOT feel like I am going without or missing anything by doing this GF/DF diet. Instead, I am getting more creative.

Get creative with your food today!!

Gluten Free Cookie Dough Bites...YUM!

I seriously DID NOT think these would taste very good.  But, I was wrong.  So very wrong! These are yummy! I found the recipe here. They are SO good when they are warm and gooey; fresh out of the oven.  If they have a chance to get cold, you can place them on a paper towel and heat them for about 7-10 seconds, in the microwave, to make the chocolate chips gooey again. I will admit that they didn't last long in our house, since the batch only made 1 1/2 dozen.  Next time I will double the batch so it fits better in my Ninja blender...and lasts a bit longer than an hour. LOL!  My kids even liked the dough.  Littlest Miss was asking for thirds on her little spoon.  I wonder how these babies would taste with Ghirardelli Classic White chips.  My notes are un-bolded so that they stand out a bit from the original recipe. ;)

Gluten Free Cookie Dough Bites

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups canned chickpeas, well-rinsed and patted dry with a paper towel (I used the entire 15 oz can, so as not to waste.  Worked out just fine.)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons (165 grams) natural peanut butter (can use PB2 from gym to make healthier, check your labels)(I used 2/3 cup of Skippy natural or Jif Natural)

1/4 cup (80 grams) honey (agave would be amazing too!)

1 teaspoon baking powder

a pinch of salt if your peanut butter doesn't have salt in it

1/2 cup (90 grams) chocolate chips (I used dairy free)

Directions

1.    Preheat your oven to 350°F / 175°C. Combine all the ingredients, except for the chocolate chips, in a food processor and process until very smooth. Make sure to scrape the sides and the top to get the little chunks of chickpeas and process again until they're combined.

2.    Put in the chocolate chips and stir it if you can, or pulse it once or twice. The mixture will be very thick and sticky.

3.    With wet hands, form into 1½" balls. Place onto a Silpat or a piece of parchment paper. If you want them to look more like normal cookies, press down slightly on the balls. They don't do much rising. (I scooped them with my Pampered Chef medium sized cookie scoop and then flattened them gently with my hand onto my baking stones. Worked great, was super duper easy, and took less time too!)

4.    Bake for about 10 minutes. The dough balls will still be very soft when you take them out of the oven. They will not set like normal cookies. (I left them on my baking stones for about 10 minutes before transferring them to the cooling rack.)

5.    Store in an airtight container at room temperature (or in the fridge) for up to 1 week.

Gluten Free and junk free barbecue sauce

Today I wanted to make the boneless ribs that I bought when they were on sale a couple of months ago.  They just sound good.  I have been eating gluten free for 2 1/2 weeks now and want to continue my journey to see the results.  I took out the barbecue sauce and read the label. Sure...it's gluten free...but not junk free.  I cringe every time I see high fructose corn syrup on a label. That the first ingredient on the list.  Great!  Bottled junk. 

I went searching online and found this recipe.  It's easy and I made a couple of modifications to make sure it is gluten free and to accommodate the fact that I didn't have everything on the list.  I may try it with honey next time.  Be sure to check out the recipe on the blog to see where I altered it.


Gluten Free Barbecue Sauce

INGREDIENTS:

1-1/2 cups Light Brown Sugar, packed {this step is crucial so the vinegar is balanced}

16 oz. can tomato sauce

1/2 cup Apple Cider Vinegar

1/2 cup Water (optional)

1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce (Lea & Perrins in the USA is Gluten Free...check the label)

2-1/2 teaspoons Ground Mustard

2 teaspoons Paprika

1-1/2 teaspoons Kosher Salt

1 teaspoon Black Pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Measure and add all ingredients to a large bowl and whisk well until the sugar has dissolved and the spices are thoroughly distributed. Serve immediately or cover and store in fridge or freeze!

*NOTE* for a thicker sauce, simply omit the water. :)

Also, to keep this sauce high-fructose corn syrup free, use an all-natural or organic ketchup, but even better... make your own! 

I made 1/2 a batch this time, just in case it didn't turn out.  But I am pleasantly surprised!  It is sweet and tangy, just the way I like it!  I poured the entire amount over the boneless ribs in my crock pot.  I'll make potatoes and veggies to finish off the meal.  I can't wait to see how it turns out!

Have a fantastically wonderful day!

Gluten free meals can be tricky...or maybe not!

Thinking Gluten Free and Greek...

Gyros

1 small onion

2 Tbsp chopped fresh Italian parsley

2 garlic cloves, pressed

1 lb. ground turkey

½ tsp dried thyme

½ tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

2 tsp olive oil

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Finely chop onion.  Chop parsley.  Press garlic into mixing bowl.  Add onion, parsley, turkey, thyme, salt and pepper.  Mix vigorously until well blended.  Add oil to skillet; heat over medium-high heat for 1-3 minutes or until shimmering.  Form turkey mixture into four thin, rectangular loaves, about ¼ in thick.  Cook 1-2 minutes on each side or until browned.  Place skillet in oven and bake 6-8 minutes or until loaves are no longer pink. 

Yogurt sauce

½ cup plain yogurt

2 garlic cloves, pressed

1/8 tsp salt

2 Tbsp fresh Italian parsley

¼ cup fresh cucumber, finely chopped

½ -1  tsp lemon juice to taste

Fresh dill to taste

Mix in small bowl. Serve.

Featherlight Rice Flour Mix (Bette Hagman's The Gluten Free Gourmet Bakes Bread..with a slight change)
1/2 cup Rice flour
1/2 cup potato starch
1 cup Tapioca flour
1 cup Cornstarch
3 tsp potato flour 

Gluten Free Pita Bread
2 1/2 cups GF flour
2 tsp xanthan gum
2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp active dry yeast
2 Tbsp olive or canola oil
1 cup warm water (105-110 degrees)

In large bowl combine 1 cup flour with the salt, sugar, and yeast. Add the oil and water. Beat vigorously for 3 minutes, then stir in the rest of the flour, along with the xanthan gum, 1/2 cup at a time. The dough will be a rough, shaggy mass that will clean the sides of the bowl. If the dough is moist, add a small amount of flour. Kneed for a couple of minutes in the bowl. Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Divide dough into 8 pieces. Shape into balls on the counter, and cover with a damp linen towel or tea towel. Let rest for 30 minutes. Use the palm of your hand and flatten the dough. Finish with a rolling pin, flattening the dough into a 6" disk. Place each round on a square of foil and place directly onto oven rack. Bake for 5-8 minutes or until they are slightly golden at the edges. Let cool, place in ziplock bag to store. 

Have a wonderful, gluten free and tasty weekend!

Let's get back to basics!

Back to basics.  What does that mean for the food we eat? I love to over-think things sometimes and for the longest time just couldn't wrap my head around anything besides casseroles, spaghetti, fried/baked chicken, etc.  And while those dishes are delicious and yummy and simple, I have learned that there are easier ways to nourish your body.

It's really this simple:
fruit
veggies
meat
nuts
beans

There ya have it! It can get boring at times to eat just those items, so you have to get creative with it.  Why not take a large zucchini, slice it in half, spread some olive oil and seasonings and either bake it or grill it.  YUM!  Have some seasoned chicken on the side, or a handful of nuts.

Be aware that when buying nuts, especially when you are trying to eat healthy and use only natural ingredients, make sure the nuts you buy are only salted or plain.  I buy salted peanuts and plain almonds.  Both can be purchased at Walmart and Sam's Club...among other places.  Don't be confused...dry roasted, honey roasted and other kinds of nuts usually have unwanted ingredients in them.  Stay away from them.

When buying canned fruits be sure that it only contains fruit, sugar and water or...if you can be so luck to find it...fruit and water.  Put down the cans that use high fructose corn syrup and grab the healthier choice.

Veggies are similar...make sure the canned version has a veggie, salt and water or just veggies and water. When fresh is not available or too expensive, it's perfectly fine to consume canned goods.

I don't use beans very often, especially not those that are still hard and in a bag.  Haha! I am lost when it comes to what to do with them.  It's probably easy to soak and cook them but I just never get around to doing it.  I enjoy baked beans but have to read the label very carefully.  So, it might just be better for me to buy a bag...darn it.  We also enjoy black beans in our Mexican dishes.

Tacos are fun and can be very healthy too.  Make sure your taco seasoning does not have any form of MSG.  Good luck on that one!  Haha!  I had a hard time finding one so now I make it from scratch.  Here is the recipe I use:

Taco Seasoning

¼ cup chili powder

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. onion powder

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 tsp. oregano crushed

2 tsp. paprika

2 tbsp. cumin

2 tsp. sea salt (optional)

1 tsp. black pepper

Place all ingredients into an airtight container.  Seal and shake.  Use about 3 tbsp. per one pound of meat.   

Also, try using corn tortillas for a change.  You can bake/cook them if you like.  They usually have less "GUNK" in them.  AND they are Gluten Free.  You can also make these from scratch.  Here is another recipe. And yet another one. Simply search for corn tortilla recipes. 

In my search for a healthier lifestyle I have read and heard MANY many times that a lot people are gluten intolerant and don't even know it.  I have wondered about it for myself several times but still have not done anything about it.  Yet...I'm starting to think I probably should.

Here is a link that is a quick read but has helpful information.

Happy and healthy eating!