Bone Broth

One of the best things I have started to do since going gluten free is making my own bone broth.  It is so easy.  Once you get used to using this delicious homemade stock, it is hard to use anything else.  I just save the carcass from chickens I cook, or from rotisserie chickens we get from Costco or Sam's Club.  I also used my leftover turkey carcass from Thanksgiving and Christmas.  My sister, Jenette, and daughter, Natalie, buy beef marrow bones from a butcher or rancher and use those as well.  Just throw the bones in a stock pot with water, onion, carrots and celery.  Cook on low--all day!  At the end of the day, strain the liquid off and freeze in containers, or store in the fridge to be used.  Some in our family drink a cup of broth each day and swear by its health benefits.  I love using it in soups and any recipes that call for chicken stock. 

Taco Pie

A friend of mine posted this recipe on Facebook a while ago and I thought I would give it a try.  Time went by and when I finally decided to make it, I couldn't find her post.  I went on line and found that many people had posted this recipe and many people had commented on it saying how they had made it and it was so easy and great.  People lie on the internet. . . really.  Not that it isn't good--it is, but if they used the same kind of potato flakes as I did (how many different kinds are there?), it was not quick and easy.  Because it has potato flakes and it is a taco pie, K.C. dubbed it "Potaco Pie."

Potaco Pie

Ingredients
1/4 cup butter
2/3 cup milk
1 package taco seasoning mix
2 1/2 cups mashed potato flakes (you could also use left over mashed potatoes and omit the butter and milk)
1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup salsa
1 cup shredded lettuce
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
Sour cream, optional

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium sauce pan, melt butter. Add milk and 2 tablespoon taco seasoning. Remove from heat and add potato flakes until incorporated. Press mixture into the bottom of a 10-inch pan.
2. Bake for 7-10 minutes until it just BARELY turns golden brown.
3. In a medium skillet, cook beef and onions until beef is browned and cooked through. Drain. Add Salsa and remaining taco seasoning. Cook until bubbly.
4. Pour into crust. Bake for 15 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.
5. Let cool for 5 minutes. Top with cheese, lettuce, and tomatoes. Cut and serve with sour cream.

Important Notes: 

 I was using the potato flakes that you get at Costco.  They come in little pouches that make enough for your family.  I opened one up and measured how many potato flakes came in one pouch--1 1/4 cup.  Perfect!  I would need two pouches to equal the 2 1/2 cups called for in the recipe.  I melted my butter and added my milk and then added one pouch of flakes.  As I mixed it I thought--"Hmm, this looks like the right consistency for pie crust right now.  What will happen when I add another 1 1/4 cups of flakes?"  Wanting to follow the recipe exactly, I added the rest of the flakes.  I ended up with a big bowl of taco-flavored dust.  Not very crust-looking.  I put it in the pie plate and it filled the entire plate, no room for anything else.  This is when I started to doubt the honesty of many people on the internet.  Maybe I just had the wrong flakes.  I melted more butter and added more milk and essentially doubled the crust recipe.  I divided it in half and it worked perfectly in my crust.

Also, I added some refried beans that I had in the fridge to the meat mixture. I think it helped keep the pie together.

We actually really like our "Potaco Pie," which is lucky because I have an extra batch of taco-flavored crust sitting in my freezer in a Ziploc bag!

Hot Stuff

On Saturday we went to Sam's Club and I bought a 6 pack of beautifully colorful bell peppers.  Now, 6 is kinda a lot of peppers, but I like to have them on hand to through into pasta, salads, eggs, etc.  Fast forward to Tuesday when I picked up my produce basket.  It is like Christmas day going through the basket and to my surprise (and dismay) there were 7 beautiful bell peppers in it.  holy. crap.  What is a girl to do with 13 bell peppers!!! I don't even like them that much.  They make me sooo burpy (more than usual :) ).  Luckily, I split my basket with a friend at school, so that got rid of 4 of the bell peppers. What to do with the rest of them?? Make this:

Stuffed Bell Peppers (adapted from 3-4 recipes I looked at from allrecipes.com) :

4 green bell peppers (or any color I guess. Mine were huge so I only used 4, but if you have smaller ones you could probably fill 5-6)
1 pound ground beef (I think turkey would be really good too)
1 cup cooked rice (the original recipe I looked at said 1/2 uncooked rice which made me excited because I thought "oh good, it will just bake in the oven and be so fast" wrong.  The first step is to cook the rice.  So, I thought I would be upfront about the rice and its preparation. )
1 onion, diced
1 can tomato sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon oregano
mozzarella cheese, one handful and another handful.

Preheat oven to 400. (cook the rice if you haven't already)

Slice off the top of the peppers and pull out the seeds and ribs.  Place in a baking dish that has a little bit of olive oil at the bottom to keep them from sticking.

Saute onions in a pan with olive oil for a few minutes.  Add ground beef and cook until brown.  Drain. stir in the rest of the ingredients and the rice, except the mozzarella cheese.  Once it is all combined, toss in a handful of the cheese.  (I didn't originally do this when I made them yesterday, but I wish that I had.)  Stuff into hollowed out peppers.  Cover and bake for 45 minutes.  Remove from oven, uncover, and generously apply a layer of mozzarella cheese on the top.  Bake for 5 more minutes, or until cheese is melted. They are super filling and so delicious.  But watch out for the pepper burps! Enjoy!
                                         

Before going in the oven

Hot out of the oven

Coconut Shrimp

I love coconut shrimp. End of story. Well, almost.

Now for a picture walk, followed with the recipe!









Easy Baked Coconut Shrimp (original recipe here)

18-24 medium to large raw shrimp (original recipe said to butterfly them, but I didn't)

1 cup dry shredded/flaked coconut (baking type)
2-3 eggs

Breading (flouring?)
1/2 cup coconut flour

2 T ground flax seed1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 tsp. dried crushed chili

1 tsp. white sugar

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

2. Mix breading ingredients together in one bowl. Place coconut in a second bowl, and beat the eggs in a third bowl.

3. Dip shrimp in this order: egg, breading, egg, coconut. Lay shrimp onto parchment paper. Repeat. 

4. Bake shrimp for 15 minutes, turning halfway through. 

5. Let them cool slightly, smother in sweet chili sauce, and eat all of them.

*Note* I used Panda Express's Sweet Chili Sauce. I read the ingredients and while nothing seemed gluteny, it did not say gluten-free...so I don't really know. I do know that I had planned to make my own sauce, but it contains fish sauce, which was about $5 at my Kroger. The sauce I got was only $4.30. So that and the convenience made the decision pretty easy. However, these little guys would be delicious dipped in just about anything, or on their own!

Chicken Curry w/ Spinach and Tomatoes

I love this meal.  It is quick and easy to make, and my 3 year old will clean her plate and ask for seconds every time.  What's not to love!

coconut oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 13 oz. can unsweetened coconut milk
1 cup canned diced tomatoes - I have also used fresh ones
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts or tenderloins, cut into bite sized cubes
3 cups packed baby spinach

In a large skillet heat coconut oil over medium heat.  Add the onion and salt.  Cook until softened, about 7 minutes, stirring often.  Add the curry powder and cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute.  Stir in coconut milk, tomatoes, and tomato paste.  Cook for 5 minutes.  Add the raw chicken, stir well, and cook 10 minutes until chicken is cooked through.  Stir in spinach and cook for 3 minutes or until wilted.  Season to taste with salt.  Serve over a bed of sticky rice.  Eat it until you are stuffed.

Asian Lettuce Wraps and Garlic Roasted Butternut Squash

Yesterday was a beautifully sunny day in the mid 70's and I was getting ready to go lay out by the pool.  We wanted to eat something light for lunch because it is hard to feel cute laying out in a swimsuit when you have eaten a big heavy lunch.  I pulled out a head of iceberg lettuce from our weekly farmer's market produce bag,  some spinach, cabbage, and assorted vegetables for the salads.  As I went to unwrap the beautiful head of iceberg lettuce, on the front it said "Have you tried our Asian Lettuce Wraps?" Well no, I hadn't, but they sounded good! So I went to dole.com to find the recipe but it was so hard to navigate and find the recipe on the ipad so I gave up.  I then preceded to read about 15 different asian lettuce wrap recipes, none of which I had all the ingredients for and I was not about to run to the grocery store again (we had already gone that morning).  So I decided to save the lettuce for Monday and pick up the extra ingredients on my way home from work.

So today, I was really craving those asian lettuce cups and thought to myself, I am just going to make up my own recipe of lettuce cups with stuff I already have, based on what I had read on all those different recipes.  So this is what I came up with:

*Disclaimer: I really just made it up as I went, so I apologize if you think "wtf is this?"

Coconut oil
1 pound ground beef
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, diced
some mushrooms, diced
1/3 cup soy sauce
a splash of rice wine vinegar
ginger ( I just sprinkled in some powdered since I didn't have fresh, but I would definitely recommend fresh ginger for this)

1/4 a head of cabbage, diced up

Iceberg lettuce, rinsed, and pulled into separate leaves.  

Saute the onion and bell pepper in some coconut oil for 2-3 minutes.  Add the ground beef and cook until no longer pink.  Drain.  Add a little more coconut oil to the pan and put the meat mixture back in it.  Add the mushrooms, garlic, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ginger and cook on medium low for 5 minutes.  

Scoop into lettuce leaves and eat it up. nom nom nom. I think it is good.  I am not sure. haha I kept asking Taylor what he thought about it and he said it was delish and proceeded to eat about 6 leaves full, but I couldn't tell if he actually liked it or was driven to binge due to the fact we had been fasting all day. So try it and tell me what you think! Or if you have a good asian lettuce wraps recipe you have tried and liked send it my way! 

As for the squash.  I had it so I made it like we would make roasted potatoes, carrots, or sweet potatoes.  

1 butternut squash, peeled and diced into cubes

1-2 cloves minced garlic

salt

pepper

olive oil

Preheat oven to 400.  Lather squash cubes in olive oil and sprinkle with S&P and garlic.  Bake for 25 minutes.  Delish!

Thai Peanut Noodles

I have recently become a lover of Thai food and I have always loved peanut butter, so this recipe was a natural fit.  I actually found the recipe in the P90x nutrition plan book, but have changed it a little bit.  It has become one of our favorites and before going gluten free we probably had it every two weeks. It only takes me about 15 minutes to make it.  I used to make it with fettucini noodles since they are cheaper than rice noodles, but now that is not an option, so rice noodles it is! (which is more authentic anyways)

1/2 package rice noodles
1/3 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup soy sauce
less than 1/3 cup rice vinegar (I just a 1/3 cup and just not fill it all the way to the top.  Like a 1/4 of the inch less than 1/3 cup.  if that makes sense? :/ )
2 tablespoons honey
green onions, chopped
stir fry vegetables or really any vegetables you want

Make the rice noodles according to the box.  I made them by boiling it like normal pasta and it was really hard to have them not get stuck together and then not cook though all the way.  I would definitely make the noodles the recommended way of soaking them in hot water for 30 minutes.  I think that would be easier to manage not sticking together, but I did not have the foresight to do that.

Slice up your preferred stir fry vegetables- I have used the bag of frozen stir fry veggies before but usually I just dice up some onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, carrots, and broccoli.  It makes me feel so healthy to see all those fresh veggies hanging out in one pan :).  Put a little coconut oil in a pan and saute the vegetables until they are tender.  On low heat, add in the peanut butter, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and honey.  It only takes a few stirs to get it all combined.  Keep it on low heat until the noodles are ready.

Drain the noodles and add them to the sauce and veggies.  Mix it all up so the noodles are covered and then turn off the heat and sprinkle in the green onions.  Serve immediately.  It starts thickening up and getting sticky as soon as it is done cooking so its best to eat it ASAP.

This week when I made it, I made the whole box of rice noodles so we would have enough for leftovers.  I added a little more of the sauce ingredients so that we would have enough sauce.  Feel free to play around with the proportions to suit your tastes.  I am starting to find that I use recipes more like guidelines and play around with them a lot to get exactly what I like.  I hope you enjoy it!

Kalamata-Balsamic Chicken with Feta

This is hands down one of my top 5 favorite meals.  The flavor profile here is one I could seriously eat every day and be perfectly happy with.  I've slightly adapted the recipe from the Cooking Light: Fresh Food Fast cookbook.  Per my notes I prefer it with more tomatoes, olives, and pinenuts - I like a little bit of everything in every bite!

Kalamata-Balsamic chicken with Feta

1 lb. frozen skinless boneless chicken tenderloins
olive oil
freshly ground black pepper
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved (I probably use 1 1/2 - 2 cups!)
16 pitted kalamata olives, halved (I close to double this as well)
3 tablespoons balsamic vinaigrette (use more if increasing the tomato/olive amounts)
crumbled feta cheese
basil leaves, shredded

Cover a rimmed baking sheet with foil.  Lightly drizzle/coat the frozen chicken tenderloins with olive oil and sprinkle with pepper.  Broil for 7 minutes.  Turn the chicken over, sprinkle with pepper again and broil for another 7 minutes until cooked through and lightly browned.

While the chicken cooks combine the tomatoes, olives, and vinaigrette in a pan.  Cook for a few minutes until the tomatoes soften.  Spoon over chicken.  Top evenly with cheese and basil.  Serve with/over the following recipe:

Quinoa with Spinach and Rosemary

1 cup uncooked quinoa
1 1/2 cups packed baby spinach, coursely chopped
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted (you can do more or less according to your taste)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
1/4 teaspoon salt

Cook the quinoa according to package directions.  Place in a medium bowl.  Add the remaining ingredients and toss well.

Our trip to tu-lu's!

With my baby due April 5th I was excited to have my mom, Karen, here to visit, as well as my sister, Jessica, who was on spring break from teaching school.  Naturally, there was much discussion of gluten-free food.  We made a trip to tu-lu's, a local gluten-free bakery here in Dallas that I've been wanting to try.  

We ordered three different paninis to share as well as a piece of quiche and everything was AMAZING!  It was so weird to eat so much bread after not having it for so long, but we all enjoyed it immensely!  The different breads on the paninis were so yummy, and the crust on the quiche tasted flaky and buttery and perfect.

 Then, because we couldn't decide on cupcake flavors we got a sampler pack of 6 flavors of mini cupcakes, and then proceeded to eat every last smell of them.  Soooo Good!  We left the bakery feeling satisfied and not missing gluten one bit!  I know I will be back next time I need a special treat!

Barbecue Chicken Salad

I have a confession. I am not a great chef. I prefer baking, and when baking, I am exact to a fault. If I need to add 8 ounces chocolate chips to cookies, I get out my scale and weigh it out, adding and subtracting single chips until its perfect. The same thing goes with cooking. If I need to add 1/2 teaspoon salt to soup, I will search for my measuring spoons, measure the salt over the sink, level the salt, and then carefully add it. I'm a little bit insane...

That being said, this is the one and only food I make without checking a recipe 12 times or using measurements. I don't even USE a recipe. And it always turns out right. :)

Barbecue Chicken Salad

Chicken breast or tenderloins or (in a pinch) canned chicken

Barbecue sauce (gluten-free of course!)

1-2 heads romaine lettuce

1 can corn

1 can black beans

1 jicama

2-3 tomatoes

1 avocado

Ranch dressing

Cook chicken (I boil it, but it could be baked, sauteed  or grilled), cool, and dice. Coat with barbecue sauce and set chicken aside. 

Dice lettuce, jicama, and tomatoes. Rinse corn and black beans. Toss together. 

Serve yourself. (If sharing salad, serve others). Top with desired amount of barbecue chicken and avocado. Drizzle ranch over the top and enjoy.

Note: This recipe makes a TON! I halved it, and still have some left over...but you will need extra avocados, Juliet and I can eat one together every time we have a serving of salad.

BEST. SALAD. EVER. 

Ernie's Three-Month Check-Up

Ernie with our son and cute son's-in-law.

Many of you are interested in Ernie's progress.  On January first, Ernie weighed 220 pounds, had high blood pressure, terrible acid reflux and a very gassy disposition.  He made the commitment to go gluten and lactose free for three months.  He also gave up soda pop and his favorite salty snacks.  

Three months later, Ernie weighs in at a svelte 201 pounds.  He looks great and feels even better.  His acid reflux is much improved and is not a much of a problem anymore and his disposition is now just sunny and bright (not g-a-s-s-y)!  He went to the doctor this week for a check up and the doctor said that he was a wonderful specimen of excellent health.  His blood pressure was normal and his blood work came back all in the normal range.  I am so proud of him!

The best part is that he has not felt like he has been on a diet.  There are so many things to eat that are delicious and gluten free.  Plus, he has had an amazing diet coach, chef and cheerleader (that would be me!)

Carrot Muffins

Because we are no longer baking or eating bread, muffins are a wonderful alternative.  They are easy to make and satisfy that need for a baked good.  This recipe is from the Wheat Belly Cookbook.  I put them in the freezer and then take one out for breakfast or to pop in my lunch for later.  These muffins are like a yummy, little carrot cake.  Try with a little cream cheese--Yum!

1 1/2 cups almond meal/flour
1 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup ground golden flaxseeds
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon gound nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup shredded carrots
2 tablespoons orange peel (I didn't have any, so I didn't use any.)
1/2 cup raisins (optional)
2 eggs, separated (I have made this recipe twice.  One time I separated the eggs and beat the whites and the next time I didn't.  Didn't seem to make any difference.)
1/2 cup xylitol or 1/4 teaspoon liquid stevia or to desired sweetness.
1/2 cup sour cream or coconut milk
1/4 cup coconut oil, extra-light olive oil, or butter, melted
1/2 cup applesauce
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Place paper liners in a 12-cup muffin pan or grease the cups.

In a large bowl, stir together the dry ingredients.  Stir in the carrots, orange peel, and raisins (if using).

In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, xylitol or stevia, sour cream or milk, oil or butter, and applesauce.

In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on high speed, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar until stiff peaks form.  Gently fold the beaten whites into the egg yolk mixture until combined.  Fold egg mixture into the flour mixture until well combined.  (I skipped this step and added all the wet ingredients together.)

Divide the batter among the muffin cups, filling each about half full.  Bake for 40 minutes (25 minutes), or until a wooden pick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.  Cool in the pan on a rack for 5 minutes, remove from the pan and cool completely on the rack.

Important!  The first time I made these I baked them for the 40 minutes.  It was way too long and they were very overdone.  The second time I baked them for 25 minutes and they were just right.

Shrimp and Asparagus Stir-Fry

This is a super quick and easy recipe that I pulled out of an old Good Housekeeping magazine.  Full disclosure--the picture is the picture from the magazine--we ate the stir-fry so quickly I didn't have time to snap a picture!

1 cup rice--cook as you normally do
3 tsp. sesame oil
1 1/2 lbs. asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-in. pieces
1 lb. peeled and deveined shrimp
1 tbsp. grated, peeled fresh ginger
2 tbsp. soy sauce
2 tbsp. fresh lime juice
1/4 c. loosely packed fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced

In a 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat 2 teaspoons sesame oil on medium 1 minute.  Add asparagus and cook 7 to 8 minutes or until asparagus is tender-crisp, stirring occasionally.  Add shrimp and ginger, cook 5 to 6 minutes or until shrimp are opaque throughout, stirring occasionally.  I used pre-cooked shrimp, thawed and added at just the last minute to heat through.

Stir in soy, lime, basil, and remaining sesame oil; remove from heat.  Serve over rice.

So easy and Ernie loved it.