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.