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.

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.