Black Bean Tamale Pie

Favorite cornbread recipe

1 can black beans (rinsed)
1 onion diced
1 head garlic minced
1 bell pepper diced
1/2 cup corn or 1 corn off 1 ear
1 can Rotel
1 can tomato paste
Pepper
Chili Powder
Onion Powder
Garlic Powder
Cayenne
Oregano
Cumin
Lemon juice
Water

In skillet combine beans and veggies, cook until softened.

Add Rotel, spices (to taste) and paste. Add water as needed to slightly thin the mixture.

In a greased skillet spread half the cornbread mixture, top with filling, then cover with other half of cornbread mixture.

Bake according to directions given with cornbread recipe.

Gluten and Lactose Free Macaroni and Cheese

1 package of brown rice pasta, cooked with 1/4 cup pasta water reserved
3 eggs
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (lactose free)

Cook pasta according to directions. Mix eggs and cheese and slowly drizzle in hot pasta water while mixing thoroughly. Add cheese sauce back to pasta and combine.

Gluten and Dairy Free Traditional Irish Soda Bread

Irish Soda Bread

Dry Ingredients:

2 cups gf oat flour (you can also use buckwheat, sorghum or millet)
1 cup garbanzo bean flour
½ cup tapioca flour
½ cup potato starch
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp xanthan gum

Wet Ingredients:

1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
2 eggs
4 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions:

1. Combine almond milk with apple cider vinegar and set aside. 
2. Blend dry ingredients, then add wet ingredients, mix until combined (don't knead), place in a Dutch oven, cut a cross on top of dough, and bake at 375 for 30 minutes with lid on, then remove lid and bake for an additional 15 minutes.

Beef Posole

1 lb shredded beef (leftover roast)
2 onions diced
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 cans Hatch fire roasted chiles
4 cans hominy (2 yellow, 2 white, drained and rinsed)
2 cans fire roasted tomatoes
2 teaspoons Better Than Boullion, beef
Black pepper, to taste
Epazote, 2 tsp
Cumin, 2 tsp
Oregano, 2 tsp
Olive Oil
Water (about 6 cups)

Saute onions and garlic in olive oil, when soft add remaining ingredients and let simmer 15-30 minutes.

Pasta Modo Mio

Fetticcini Modo Mio was one of my husband's favorite dishes at an Italian restaurant we used to frequent in Texas. He was asking if I remembered what it was this morning, so I found a copy of the menu online and created a Diana-friendly version.

Ingredients:

1/2 lb diced ham steak (locally processed with no preservatives)
1 jar pasta sauce
8 oz plain soft goat cheese
1 package mushrooms
1 jar artichoke hearts
1-2 jalapenos, diced
1 onion, diced
1 tbs garlic, minced
8 oz gluten-free pasta

Directions:

1. Cook ham until browned. Add veggies and saute until cooked.

2. Add sauce and goat cheese, cook until combined and heated through.

3. Serve over cooked pasta.

Green Beans and New Potatoes

This recipe comes from my long-time friend, Liz. It's so simple and so delicious.

Ingredients:

Green beans (enough to feed family)
Small red potatoes (enough to feed family)
Salt

Directions:

1. Snap green beans and place into salted water. Bring to a boil and drain. Repeat.
2. On third boil add new potatoes to salted water with green beans and cook until potatoes are done.

Spaghetti Bolognese

1/2 lb grass-fed ground beef
3-4 cups chopped veggies
1 jar pasta sauce
8 oz soft goat cheese
1 box gluten-free pasta
Olive oil
Salt & pepper

1. Brown meat. Add veggies and saute until just tender.
2. Add sauce and goat cheese, cook until cheese is incorporated into sauce and heated through.
3. Cook pasta according to directions. Add to sauce and toss.
4. Serve with grated Percorino Romano.

Picadillo Brown Rice Crust Quiche

Picadillo:

4 links of chorizo removed from casings and cooked like ground meat (can use 1 lb ground meat)
1 large or 2 medium/small onions, diced
1 bulb of garlic, chopped
2 carrots, diced
1 zucchini, diced
1 yellow squash, diced
4 Anaheim peppers, diced
6 small red potatoes, diced
habanero
salt
pepper

Brown Rice Crust:

2 cups cooked brown rice (I really like California Brown Basmati, supposedly lower to no arsenic levels)
1 egg

Quiche:

1/2 picadillo mixture
4 oz goat cheese
6 eggs

1. Brown meat. Add veggies and cook until just soft. Season with, habanero, salt and pepper to taste. You may also sweeten with some honey.

2. In a greased pan add brown rice crust mixture.

3. Mix the 1/2 picadillo mixture with goat cheese until combined. Mix in eggs until combined. Pour over rice mixture and bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes (less brown) or 400 for 30 minutes (more brown).

Freeze remaining picadillo mixture for a future meal, like a frittata, mixed with rice or tacos/burritos. 

Buckwheat Pancakes and Blueberry Syrup

I've read several places that one of the healthiest foods you can eat is buckwheat pancakes and blueberry syrup. My husband and I don't handle carbs well, so I wanted to find a low-glycemic version of each.

First I made the 100% buckwheat version of the pancakes from Simply Recipes. The changes I made were almond milk for the buttermilk and coconut sugar for the regular sugar.

Then I made a version of this Blueberry Sauce. The changes I made to it were one bag of frozen blueberries and a tablespoon of ground cinnamon since my cinnamon sticks were a few years old.

I have to say I'm a huge fan. They were not overly sweet and had lots of flavor. Now waiting to see if we have any type of blood sugar crash later.

Stir Fry

1/2 lb meat (ground or shredded pork, beef or chicken)
1 1/2 c leafy greens sliced/torn (spinach, bok choy, kale)
1 onion sliced
2 c sliced veggies (mushrooms, carrots, bell pepper, squash)
1 tbs sesame seed
2 tbs sesame oil
1/4 c gf soy sauce
3 tbs sugar (white sugar, brown sugar, coconut sugar, honey)
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tbs cooking oil
salt and pepper to taste
2-4 cups cooked rice

1. Cook meat in cooking oil.

2. Add onion and sliced veggies, saute until barely soft.

3. Add leafy greens and garlic, saute until soft.

4. Add sesame seed, sesame oil, soy sauce, sugar, garlic, salt and pepper. Toss to combine and cook for a minute or two. Serve over rice.

Grasshoppers, Weeds and Compost

I want to start documenting and becoming more serious about gardening. My garden this year isn't going to be what most people consider a traditional summer garden. I prefer to grow from Fall to Spring because our summers here in SE OK are brutal and just a few minutes in the heat triggers horrible migraines for me.

What I want to experiment with for myself are trying to naturally deter grasshoppers, kill weeds, and replenish my garden bed soil.

Grasshoppers: I found my first grasshopper yesterday and I immediately spread diatomaceous earth. I didn't see any grasshoppers today but I did find a lizard and frog in the garden.

Weeds and grass: I'm using grain vinegar to see how it affects grains and grass around my garden beds. This patch is looking a little wilted after two days of vinegar being sprayed on it.

Replenishing the soil. Once my fall/spring garden is spent, I want to plant a summer cover crop and apply compost to the soil so I can plant again in the fall. I started this compost bin in May 2012 and it started to have some beautiful compost by fall, but an armadillo found the bin and cleaned it out searching for larvae. I add shredded paper, kitchen scraps, gardening scraps and leaves. I haven't added manure yet to this batch.

Vegetable Minestrone Soup

Tomorrow is payday and the fridge and pantry are looking a little bare, so tonight I'm making another version of veggie soup (my first version is a roasted veggie soup that I need to post a recipe for). I spent some time in the garden this morning thinning out the carrots and Swiss chard so the carrots have more space to grow bigger as we are coming into spring and the Swiss chard can focus it's energy on new growth since I recently transplanted them. I also had some tomatoes, turnips, and jalapeno left over from the Fort Smith farmer's market. In the freezer I had a quart of white beans I cooked earlier in the winter, and in the pantry there were a couple cans of chickpeas. It all comes together to make an incredibly yummy soup!!! The ingredients are completely flexible based on what you have on hand. In some research, Minestrone traditionally has a bean based broth and contains whatever vegetables are in season.

Ingredients:

Onion, diced
Garlic, minced
Carrots, diced
Turnips, diced
Jalapeno, diced
Tomatoes, diced
Swiss Chard, chopped if needed
White Beans, previously cooked and frozen
Chickpeas, canned, drained and rinsed
Salt and Pepper to taste
Better Than Bouillon Vegetable Base
Oregano
Basil
Parsley
Olive Oil
Water

Heat olive oil, onion and garlic in a stock pot with a pinch of salt and pepper. Once fragrant and starting to turn clear, add carrots, jalapeno and turnips. Cook for a few minutes more to help enhance flavors. Then add remaining ingredients, enough water to cover and season to taste. Bring to a soft boil, reduce heat and simmer for at least half an hour.

Gluten and Lactose-Free Creamy Chicken Poblano with Rice

Since I discovered I'm sensitive to dairy and gluten, I was really sad over not being able to have cream sauce. Tonight I nailed a gluten and lactose-free cream sauce!

2 tbs rice flour
2 tbs olive oil
1 onion, diced
6 poblanos, roasted and chopped
1 tbs minced garlic
4 oz soft goat cheese
2 cups unsweetened almond milk
2 cups cooked chopped or shredded chicken
4 cups cooked rice
Salt and pepper, to taste

Over medium heat, combine rice flour and oil and cook until bubbling. Add onion, poblano and garlic until onion and garlic are soft. Add goat cheese, almond milk, and chicken. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until cheese melts and sauce is thickened. Serve over rice.

To make vegan omit goat cheese and chicken.

Chicken and Tomatillos on Rice

I adore tomatillos and this is going to become a favorite in our household. 

2 cups chicken diced or shredded
2 lbs tomatillos diced
1 onion diced
1 jalapeno diced
1 tsp garlic diced
1 tbs lime juice
salt
pepper
Olive oil
4 cups cooked rice

Cook the chicken if not precooked (I buy a whole chicken and separate the meat into 3 parts). Remove from skillet and set aside.

Add the tomatillos, onion, garlic and jalapeno to a skillet with olive oil, lime juice, salt and pepper to taste. Cook until the tomatillos begin to reduce and become saucy. Add chicken to skillet and continue to cook until tomatillos have completely cooked down and are no longer bright green.

Serve over rice.

Broiled Salmon with Brown Rice and Broccoli

Broiled Salmon is becoming one of my favorite quick meals. I have found that I can change out the sauce and have a completely different meal. I can also buy wild caught salmon for inexpensive ($4 for 4 filets at Aldi), frozen broccoli ($1 at Aldi) and brown Basmati rice ($3-4 for 2 lb of Lundberg at iHerb.com), $2 with the amount of rice I use for the two of us (1.5 c uncooked). Then I use a honey based sauce each time and maybe use about $1-2 worth of local honey. Bringing the total of the meal under $10. I have two sauces I've created so far that are gluten-free and I'll add more sauces to the list at the end as I create them.

Ingredients:
Cooked brown rice (as much as you need for who you are feeding, I make 3 c cooked)
Bag of frozen broccoli
Salmon filets (however many you need for the people you are feeding)
Sauce of your choice (see options below)

I allow an hour for the rice to cook if I need to cook it first. When the rice is done (I like to let it sit for at least 15 minutes after cooking), I broil the frozen salmon for about 5-10 minutes on each side, steam the broccoli (I'm lazy and do the steam in the bag even though I know it's not the healthiest way to cook it, I could try broiling it with the salmon), and make the sauce. It all comes together in about 15 minutes. Then I plate the rice with the broccoli and salmon, then drizzle with the sauce.

Honey-Soy Sauce

Honey
Liquid aminos
Vinegar (white wine, rice or apple cider)
Sesame seeds and green onions for garnish

I do about 3 parts honey to 1 part liquid aminos and .5 part vinegar. I eyeball it and mix it until I happy with the taste. I usually start with 1/4 c of honey and go from there.

Honey Mustard Sauce

Honey
Yellow Mustard
Dijon Mustard
Coarse Ground Mustard

I start with about 1/4 c of honey, then add a tablespoon of each mustard and add whatever I think is needed until I'm happy with the taste.

Sourdough Bread

A link was shared with me in an Endometriosis nutrition group on Facebook about how people who are gluten-intolerant can sometimes tolerate real sourdough. I want to give it a try, so I'm bookmarking the links for myself here and anyone else who wants to read more about it.

Top 10 reasons to eat real sourdough bread even if you're gluten-intolerant

Sourdough Bread and Starter Recipe

King Arthur Flour Wholemeal Flour

Fermented Bread

More Sourdough Info

Veggie Quiche with Brown Rice Crust

Veggie quiche with a brown rice crust is something I fall back on about once a week when I've been busy working all day and need something easy for dinner. It does take a while to cook, but the actual prep time is minimal.

Ingredients:
1 cup dried brown rice (to make 2 cups cooked)
2 cups water with 1-2 tsp chicken base or 2 cups chicken broth
4 oz goat, sheep or raw milk cheese
5-6 eggs
2-3 cups frozen veggies, thawed (I eyeball this. Most common veggies are broccoli, spinach, asparagus)
Salt and Pepper
Olive Oil

Cook the brown rice with the water and base or broth. To cook brown rice, bring to a boil then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 30-45 minutes until water is absorbed. (Even easier make more rice than you need and keep it in the fridge or freezer for future use.)

Combine the rice with 1 egg, a pinch of cheese (if using shredded, if using cream goat cheese I skip the cheese in the rice), salt and pepper to taste.

Grease a square baking dish with olive oil and spread the rice mixture in the bottom.

Then combine the remaining eggs with the remaining cheese, veggies and salt and pepper to taste. Spread over rice mixture and bake at 400 for 30 minutes.

Tomato and White Bean Soup

I'm testing a recipe from The Gluten-Free Vegan and this is my simplified version of it.

Ingredients:

1 lb white beans cooked
3-4 cans diced no salt added tomatoes
2 onions diced
2-4 roasted red peppers, diced (1-2 jars)
1 tbsp garlic minced
1 tsp basil
Dash red pepper flakes
Salt
Pepper
Olive Oil
Vegetable Base

Directions:

Cook the beans according to directions (or use equal number of cans white beans and diced tomatoes). About the time the beans begin to soften (about 2 hours of cooking after doing an hour long quick soak), saute the onion, garlic, basil, red pepper flakes, dash of salt and pepper in olive oil. Add saute mix to beans with diced tomatoes, roasted red peppers and vegetable base (to taste). Let simmer at least half an hour or until beans are completely softened. I usually let it simmer a couple hours.

I'll be serving with cornbread.

Stuffed Bell Peppers

Yesterday while Tony and I were out playing Ingress in Fort Smith, we stopped by the farmer's market and a guy was selling local, grass-fed Dexter heritage beef, so I bought a variety of cuts including some ground. I'm so excited that I get to make one of my favorites tonight, stuffed bell peppers!

Ingredients:
6 red bell peppers
2 cups cooked brown rice
1 lb ground beef
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
1 onion diced
Onion powder
Garlic powder
Oregano
Salt
Pepper

While rice is cooking, brown beef with onions.

When rice and beef are done cooking, mix together with tomato sauce and seasonings to taste (I usually use a tablespoon of each with a pinch of salt and pepper).


Stuff peppers and bake at 350 for 45-60 minutes, until peppers are soft.

Notes:
*If you want to do a vegan version, substitute black beans for the beef. That was my backup plan if I wasn't able to get ground beef.
*A dear friend recommends cooking the rice with a little beef broth for some added flavor.

Lazy Chiles Rellenos or Poblano Quiche

I came across this recipe for Lazy Chiles Rellenos from The Pioneer Woman and I created my own version to it to make it lactose-free. Tony loves this recipe and begs me regularly to make it.

Ingredients:
6 poblano peppers, broiled and chopped
4 eggs
4 oz shredded goat, sheep or raw milk cheese
1 cup non-dairy milk
Salt and pepper to taste

Crust:
Olive oil (to grease pan)
Corn tortillas or leftover rice (combine rice with an additional egg, a pinch of cheese, salt and pepper)

First, broil the poblanos on a cookie sheet lined with foil until they start to blacken. After one side is done flip them and broil the second side. Once the peppers are blackened (but not burned all the way through, I did that last night when my mom called) let them cool for a few minutes and place in a plastic bag or covered bowl to steam. After 15-30 minutes while wearing plastic gloves, peel the outer, charred skin and deseed the peppers.

Next, roughly chop the peppers and mix with the eggs, milk and cheese with a little salt and pepper to taste.

Finally, grease a square baking dish and lay out the corn tortillas or rice as the crust, then cover in egg mixture.

Bake at 350F for 30 minutes.