Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Posts Tagged ‘gluten free’

Meal Plan Monday, January 2, 2012

Posted in Meal Plan, tagged , , , , , , on January 2, 2012| 8 Comments »

Happy New Year to you!

Have you updated your goals for the year? I have. And I don’t know about you, but I am working on making some changes. But it can be so overwhelming to contemplate the big changes you want to make in your life. I have learned that it is best to make a plan. (And get some encouragement (or ultimatums) from my husband!) And then start by taking some itty-bitty, baby steps. Whether you want to lose weight, find a new job, create a garden, redecorate your living room. Whatever. Baby steps. You’ll get there. And you will be able to better see that faint light glimmering at the end of the tunnel when you break it down into the small pieces. (Remind me of this later!)

I took some more of those steps today and it feels great. I don’t feel so stuck – you know what I mean?

Another one of my goals is to blog more. The past year has been rough and my relationship with food has not been very friendly so there hasn’t been a lot of new content this year – sorry. (More on this eventually, when I am ready…) I cook most days, but mostly using other people’s ideas and recipes. So I am going to work on pushing the boundaries of my comfort zone a bit. And I am working on my photography skills too. So we’ll see where things go. Who knows. Baby steps, right?

I know a lot of you are looking for “healthy” recipes right now, to go along with those new goals. Especially that one magical weight loss recipe, right? Well, you won’t find the magic one here, but you will find some pretty darn yummy vegetable based recipes! (But be sure to check out the link to Susan’s soup recipe at the bottom of this page. It may be as close to magical as we get.) And most of us could use more vegetables in our diets, right? So make sure you check out the new recipe index if you haven’t already.

With that in mind, this week’s Gluten Free Menu Swap theme is “Eat More Produce” and it is being hosted by Celiacs in the House. Be sure to check out the links on her page for more ideas.

Here’s our plan:

No-Hurry Vegetable Curry with Brown Rice – a slow cooker recipe from Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker. This makes a lot so we’ll eat this more than once this week.

Buttery Pigeon Pea Dal with Roasted Broccoli and Brown Rice

Roasted Tofu with Roasted Brussels Sprouts – I want to try a new sprouts recipe but haven’t decided on one yet. Perhaps this one?

Enchilada-Inspired Polenta Pie with Salad – a slow cooker recipe from Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker

Spaghetti and Salad – by request of the hubby. My favorite pasta is Tinkyada brand, which you can also purchase at Trader Joe’s, if you have one in your area. They sell it as Brown Rice Pasta in penne, spirals or spaghetti. But recently our TJ’s started carrying a gluten free corn pasta too. I bought some but haven’t tried it yet; guess we will this week. I will let you know if we like it!

And for my lunches I am thinking about making this: Susan’s Dirty Little Secret Soup. Warm soup just tastes so great right now…

For a special treat this week, I am making ice cream. I have avoided ice cream for the majority of the fall and I did well avoiding a lot of holiday treats but I have been craving some ice cream.  So I am making Salty Caramel from Jeni’s Splendid Ice  Creams at Home. And possibly the Pumpkin Five Spice or a Kahlua flavored one of my own creation. I can’t wait!

Have you updated your goals for the year?

Read Full Post »

Meal Plan Monday, December 19, 2011

Posted in Meal Plan, tagged , , , , , on December 18, 2011| 4 Comments »

All day today, I kept sitting down to work out this week’s meal plan, but I wasn’t getting anywhere. A mental block. And only because I had a question for my husband. But he was unreachable since he was off snowboarding. Finally he returned home and we were able to talk.

“What are we doing for Christmas this year?” I know, I know. Most of you have traditions and everything has been planned out for months. Not us. Four years ago we moved across the country, away from our families, and so we are on our own for this holiday. But that’s okay. We’re not big on Christmas.

We have made some of our own new traditions, based upon our new home and the local traditions. For one, on Christmas Eve we will head down to Old Town Albuquerque to walk around and drink hot cocoa and look at the luminarias on the plaza, or we’ll head up to Canyon Road in Santa Fe to browse the art galleries and look at the lights, also while drinking hot cocoa.

On Christmas Day, we typically go visit our friends at the Pueblo of Santa Ana and watch the dances for a while in the morning, weather dependent, of course. Then, with some juniper and pinyon burning in the fireplace, we will make a special meal for ourselves. It varies from year to year. Sometimes we’ve each made our favorite foods or something that we don’t eat very often. For me, in the past, it has been shrimp cocktail or bacon-wrapped scallops or some such thing. Another year we made spring rolls. We’ve done the traditional New Mexican thing too, and eaten tamales.

We talked about making sushi this year. But I think this evening we settled on making spring rolls again, maybe with some sushi flavors? Spring roll-sushi fusion rolls…? So now that that is settled, I could finish up my meal plan for the week.

I also asked my husband what he needed, treat-wise, to make it Christmas…but we haven’t come to any conclusions on that one. Which is okay with me since I am trying desperately to avoid the extra calories this year. If the treats are in my house, I eat them. Urgh. But my arm might be twisted to make one or two items, in addition to the limoncello that is waiting to be bottled this week. Or I might have to break out Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream At Home cookbook and make something out of there. The Five Spice Pumpkin has been calling to me from the bookshelf, as well as the Salted Caramel, especially since I have been on an ice cream-hiatus for the past three weeks. (Yes, I eat ice cream year-round!)


The theme over at Celiac Family this week for the Gluten Free Menu Swap is Holiday Favorites, and appropriately so. So be sure to head over later in the week and check out who else linked up. Maybe you will find your new holiday family favorite.

On tap for us this week:

Indian-Spiced Roasted Squash Soup with Pierogies – I only just made the soup today for later in the week. Probably with some Pierogies – Conte’s for me and gluten-filled for hubby. (Can you believe that I have never had a pierogie? I am excited to try them.) And maybe with some Roasted Cauliflower and Broccoli that needs to be eaten.

Red Beans and Rice with Salad

Chickpea and Spinach Curry with Rice

Green Chile and Cheese Tamales – for Christmas Eve

Spring Rolls – for Christmas Day. We’ll fill them with marinated tofu, lettuce, cucumbers, bell pepper, basil, cilantro, mint, rice vermicelli noodles, avocado, shitake mushrooms and maybe some sushi flavors – nori, pickled ginger, wasabi paste, cucumber, avocado, and maybe some smoked salmon and cream cheese for me! It fun to play with them!

Santa Fe Pumpkin Chowder or Spaghetti and Salad – if needed…

Read Full Post »

Meal Plan Monday, December 12, 2011

Posted in Meal Plan, tagged , , , , on December 11, 2011| 3 Comments »

Welcome to another week of the Gluten Free Menu Swap. This week our hostess is Cheryl at Gluten Free Goodness and she chose citrus as the theme. I know at our house we have been enjoying the fresh clementines that are in season right now. We each are eating at least two a day. And the Texas Red grapefruit are starting to roll in too (sorry, Florida). Other than fresh fruit, I don’t cook or bake with a whole lot of citrus, unless I am making one of my many quinoa salads or this Lemon Pound Cake.

Although, today I just happened to start making limoncello – a lemon-flavored liqueur. But I am not sure that counts for the menu swap…not really a meal, I suppose.  Though now that I peeled and juiced a bunch of lemons, I have a big mason jar of lemon juice in the frig, ready to be used. So I will be very interested in the other lemon/citrus recipes that others may post.

In the meantime, while I am looking for ways to use up all that lemon juice, here’s our plan:

Chickpea Stew with Sweet Onions and Salad – chickpea stew recipe from Lorna Sass’s Great Vegetarian Cooking Under Pressure – we didn’t get to it last week.

Indian-Spiced Roasted Squash Soup

Vegetarian Slow Pho with Roasted Tofu – vegetarian pho soup in the slow cooker from Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker.

Kitchari with Cauliflower and Peas – a new-to-us recipe.

Spaghetti and Salad – if needed…

How are you eating your citrus these days? As whole fruit or in your favorite dishes?

Read Full Post »

Meal Plan Monday, December 5, 2011

Posted in Meal Plan, tagged , , , , on December 5, 2011| 5 Comments »

With the holiday road trip sufficiently behind us, I can go back to meal planning. Last week I went to the store at the last minute, without planning, because we needed food RIGHT NOW, and so our meals were a little less satisfying than usual.

This week I will be gone most evenings, leaving the hubby to fend for himself. But I don’t like to leave him to fend for himself since that usually means he will end up eating pizza. He is fine with that, but I am not. So as has been typical of the past month or two, I have been cooking more on Sundays so that there are plenty of leftovers in the refrigerator for him to choose from throughout the week. And to save time, I have been plugging in at least one crockpot. When the crockpot is done, the contents immediately go into the refrigerator for later in the week.

On the menu for this week:

Spicy Black Bean Chili with Green Chile-Cheese Tamales and Salad – chili from Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker.

Roasted Tofu with Scalloped Potatoes and Brussels Sprouts

Tart-Hot Kidney Beans with Broccoli and Rice – the bean recipe is from 660 Curries. And if I get motivated, Bhaakar (flatbread) too.

Make-Your-Own-Pizza – on an Udi’s crust.

Chickpea Stew with Sweet Onions and Salad – chickpea stew recipe from Lorna Sass’s Great Vegetarian Cooking Under Pressure.

By the way, this week’s Gluten Free  Menu Swap theme is Holiday Treats. I am still debating whether I will be making any holiday treats this year. I will probably at least make some Buckeyes and chocolate fudge. But other than that, I am trying to avoid them this year. Although, I have a feeling that the closer we get to the holidays, the more I will want to make a few things.

Be sure to check out Angela’s Kitchen, where Angela is hosting the menu swap. This post is also linked to OrgJunkie, where you can find hundreds of meal plans, some of which are gluten free, some not. Enjoy!

Read Full Post »

Three Bean Chipotle Butternut Chili

Posted in Beans, Soup, Tomatoes, Vegan, tagged , , , , , , , , on December 4, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Still feeling like you indulged too much over the recent holiday? Here’s a healthy, hearty chili to offset some of those feelings of guilt.

Chili with Smoked Gouda-Squash Pupusas

Three Bean Chipotle Butternut Chili

Olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp chili powder

1 Tbsp cumin

2 tsp dried oregano

1 cab diced tomatoes

8 oz can tomato sauce

2 cups (or more) vegetable broth

12 oz butternut squash, peeled, seeded and chopped into chunks, pre-cooked slightly *

3 cans of beans, drained and rinsed well *

1-1/2 Tbsp chipotle pepper in adobo puree, add more or less as desired, check ingredients *

1/2 – 1 tsp salt

Heat 1 Tbsp or so of olive oil in a large soup pot. When hot, add onion and saute for about 3 minutes. Add bell pepper and saute until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes.  Add garlic and saute for one additional minute. Stir in chili powder, cumin and oregano and cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently so that spices do not burn.

Stir in diced tomatoes and sauce. Add broth and squash. Simmer for 10-15 minutes or until squash is tender (when pierced easily with a fork). Stir in beans and chipotle puree. Add more broth if needed, to get to desired consistency. Simmer for 10 minutes more or until beans are heated through. Stir in salt to taste. Serve topped with chopped avocado, cheese, green onions or sour cream.

Notes:

* This time I used pre-cut butternut squash from Trader Joe’s and I pre-cooked it for a few minutes in the microwave.

* Use any variety of beans. I used black beans, pinto beans and kidney beans.

* Be sure to check the label of your chipotle peppers in adobo, not all brands are gluten free. When I open a new can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, I throw the contents of the whole can in the blender and blend it into a puree. I store the remainder in the  freezer to use later.

Read Full Post »

Recipe Index

Posted in General, tagged , , , , on December 3, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Hello! I hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving holiday. We did. And now we’re back and catching up.

Something that has been on my to-do list for a little while is to add a Recipe Index page and I today I marked that off my list! Be sure to go over and check it out.

Back soon with a couple of new recipes…

Read Full Post »

Quinoa with Balsamic Butternut and Kale Saute

Posted in quinoa, Vegan, Vegetables, tagged , , , , , , , on November 18, 2011| 5 Comments »

My husband is frequently amused by the different pizza combinations I come up with, which are often inspired by other bloggers. Last weekend I finally got around to making Maria’s Sweet Potato Kale Pizza with Rosemary and Red Onion, and it was so full of gorgeous, seasonal flavors. The same evening, my husband made his standard (gluten-full) cheese pizza but he was intrigued by the kale on my pizza and so added some to his own. Maybe there is a possibility of his pizza tastes becoming more sophisticated? (Yeah, right.)

And so, that pizza sent my mind wandering around, thinking of the other possibilities for the flavors I had just enjoyed together. Somehow my mind landed on quinoa. And so did Maria. I laughed when I saw her Quinoa Salad with Sweet Potatoes and Kale pop up one morning last week. I was like, dang, she beat me to it! But at the same time, it wasn’t quite what I had running through my mind. And so, I introduce you to…

Quinoa with Balsamic Butternut and Kale Saute

An original by Renee, inspired by those listed above

1 butternut squash (2-3#), seeded, peeled and chopped into bite-sized pieces

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 cup quinoa

2 cups water

1 large onion, chopped

1 Tbsp oil

3 cups kale, de-ribbed, torn into small pieces

1/2 tsp salt

Vinaigrette:

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

2 tsp sugar

1 tsp dried rosemary leaves, crushed (or sage)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp minced garlic

1/4 cup olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line baking sheet(s) with foil.  Toss chopped squash in olive oil to lightly coat. Roast squash until tender, 30 minutes or so, depending on the sizes of squash pieces. Be sure to stir the squash at least once, halfway through. And give the squash plenty of room to “breathe” on the roasting pan so that they are crisp rather than soggy.

Cook quinoa in water according to your favored method (I prefer to use my rice cooker these days).

Whisk together vinaigrette ingredients and set aside.

Once the quinoa is cooked, in a large skillet, saute the onion in the olive oil until it begins to soften. Stir in the kale and allow to soften slightly. Next, stir in the roasted squash and allow to heat through slightly, especially if it had cooled down significantly (I had roasted mine the day before). Pour in half of the vinaigrette and stir to coat the vegetables. Allow to cook for 1-2 minutes, then stir in the cooked quinoa and salt. Heat through if quinoa had cooled down significantly. Taste. Add more vinaigrette or salt as desired. Serve warm.

Additions:

We had some goat cheese that needed to be eaten, so I crumbled some up and sprinkled on top as well, after the photo – a very nice addition.

I also thought that adding a can of drained and rinsed white beans might be nice and add a big protein boost (although quinoa is already high in protein).

I saved the extra vinaigrette in a small glass jar to pour over the leftovers. Quinoa has a tendency to suck up some of the flavor and make it disappear after some time in the frig.

Read Full Post »

Spicy Sweet Potato Fries

Posted in Holiday, Quick, Vegan, Vegetables, tagged , , , , , , , , , on November 16, 2011| 6 Comments »

Mmmmm…sweet potato fries.

Love them. But hubby does not. Oh well, more for me, right?

These would be perfect for serving with after-Thanksgiving turkey sandwiches. Or any old time, say, with some lentil soup, like we did this week.

Sweet Potato Fries with Lentil Soup

Spicy Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Original by Renee, but inspired by many

2 large sweet potatoes, sliced

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. (Or the highest your oven will go, if it doesn’t reach 500. The hotter, the better chance of crispy fries.) Line a cookie sheet with foil for easy clean-up.

Wash and cut the sweet potatoes to desired thickness and length. (You don’t have to peel them, I don’t.) In a large bowl, toss the potatoes with olive oil. In a small bowl, mix the remaining spices together. Then sprinkle the potatoes with the spice mixture, stirring well until all potatoes are covered.

Spread potatoes out evenly on cookie sheet. Use two sheets if they are crowded. The more space they have to “breathe”, the crisper they will be. Depending on how thick you cut your fries, the longer they will need to bake. Start with 10-15 minutes, stir them and check to see if they are tender. Bake until tender.

Also, check out Elise’s recipe over at Simply Recipes and the hints from her readers on other ways to help crisp up your fries and dipping sauce ideas. These seasoned fries I prefer to eat plain.

Read Full Post »

Meal Plan Monday, November 14, 2011

Posted in Meal Plan, tagged , , , , on November 13, 2011| 5 Comments »

This week we are working on clearing out the refrigerator in preparation for the upcoming food-filled holiday. So my meal plan is a little skimpy. Start conserving those calories now, right? (Kidding!)

This week’s Gluten Free Menu Swap theme is meatballs, which we don’t “do” in either the traditional sense, or even the vegetarian sense. This week’s host is Gluten Free Detroit Metro, so go on over and check out all the ideas. I know some of you are flexitarian, like me, and eat meat too, or perhaps there will be a surprise and someone has come up with a tasty, gluten free, vegetarian version.

On to our plan:

Leftover soups from this past week: Pesto Infused White Bean and Tomato Stew and Lentil Soup with Kale

Quinoa with Oven Roasted Winter Squash and Kale – an experiment, I will be sure to post if it turns out! I didn’t have time to make it last week…

Three Bean Chipotle Squash Chili – if I get ambitious and have the time. It’s still a recipe in my head and written in my idea notebook.

Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce and Salad

Wild Rice Stuffing with Apples and Cranberries – we both have potlucks this week, so we will be making a double batch of this to take. And there are often leftovers. Mmm.

If we need something else this week, it will probably end up being something out of our freezer. What about you – what are you eating this week before the food frenzy of next week?

This plan is also posted over at OrgJunkie. Go check out the hundreds of links over there for more inspiration!

Read Full Post »

Apple Crisp

Posted in Dessert, Fruit, Holiday, Vegan, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on November 13, 2011| Leave a Comment »

On Friday evening I hosted a Gluten Free Gals get-together. I had suggested a theme of holiday dishes to help inspire everyone for the upcoming holidays and so I chose to make two of my standard Thanksgiving dishes. Wild Rice Stuffing and this Apple Crisp.

Our GF Gals group.

My grandma made this for me for my very first gluten free Thanksgiving sixteen years ago. And we’ve been making it ever since. It is easy, with few ingredients, and tasty. My kind of recipe.

Apple Crisp

Unknown source

2 Tbsp lemon juice

4 large apples, peeled, cored and sliced *

1/4 cup brown rice flour *

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed firm *

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

2 Tbsp melted butter * see notes for vegan option

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9″ square baking dish (with butter, oil, whatever you choose to use). Pour the lemon juice directly into the pan and add the apples as you slice them. Toss the apples periodically in the juice to prevent browning.

In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, sugar and spices. Stir in the melted butter and mix well. Then stir in the pecans. Sprinkle the mixture over the apples. Bake for 35 minutes. Serve warm. It goes well with vanilla ice cream. (It’s also great for breakfast the next day!)

Notes:

* Use any baking apple. This time I used Gala. Slice your apples according to preference. I like my apples a bit thicker so that they still look like apple slices when they are done baking. If you slice them thinner, the apples will cook down and the individual slices will not be apparent, which is okay, just personal preference.

* I used brown rice flour this time. I’ve used white rice flour in the past. Other flours may work as well, perhaps even almond, for a grain-free version? Your standard flour mix will also most likely work. No xanthan gum needed.

* I reduced the sugar by two tablespoons this time around and I think it could be reduced even more. Play with it.

* I used grapeseed oil this time in place of the butter and it worked well. I would imagine that a dairy-free margarine will also work.

Enjoy!

This recipe is cross-posted over at Thanksgiving Favorites from Kim at Cook It Allergy Free. Be sure to check out all the links!

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »