Seven layer salad

Let's take a salad.....originally healthy....add mayo, bacon and cheese to it. Delish! Crisp, refreshing....and totally not healthy.

There is something about summer that makes me crave this dish. Mine actually had eight delightful layers.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 bags of shredded lettuce (or you can chop/shred your own...I opt for the convenience of the pre-shredded)
1/2 package of frozen peas
2 cups of shredded cheese
1/2 to 1 cup of mayo
6 strips of bacon, fried and crumbled
1 bunch of scallions, sliced
1 green pepper, diced
3 stalks of celery, diced

Directions:
In a 9x13 pan, layer lettuce, peas, green pepper, celery and onion. Spread mayo on top of veggies. Sprinkle cheese and bacon on top. Chill for at least two hours so everything gets good and cold!

Cuban sammie

Hmmmmm, I love Cuban sandwiches and since seeing the "Tony O's Cubans" at Target Field I haven't been able to get them out of my mind. I found an easy way to make them, totally GF!

 I  love the flavor and texture of pulled pork...but didn't want to take the time to make it myself (in this instance)...because I wanted the sammy right away. I find this product at Lunds, and it says gluten-free right on the package! Yay! Most of the pre-packaged shredded or pulled meats all have sauce...which I did not want. This was a super find!

Ingredients (for MY version:):
pulled pork
deli turkey (or ham)
pickles (I used Claussen sandwich slices)
deli or spicy mustard
mayo
GF bread (I use Udi's)
Muenster or Swiss cheese
butter

Directions:
Butter the outside of two slices of bread (for grilling). Slather the inside of one with mustard and the other with mayo. Stack the other ingredients on the inside and grill to perfection!

 

You're welcome.

Delicious corn cakes with steak and pan-roasted tomatoes

This recipe for corn cakes is from Real Simple (July 2011). These were FANTASTIC! Exactly what I'd been craving - carbs, hearty - yet light, great texture and flavor and something different. I had been feeling in a cooking rut. I was really tired of the same old meals, the same old flavors.

This recipe can be simple (just the corn cakes with  a jarred salsa for topping) or more labor intensive (like I made it, with all the above pictured toppings).

Ingredients for the cakes:
1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. olive oil
s/p
3/4 cup GF all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 cup milk
1 large egg
1 cup corn kernels (plus more for serving, if desired)

Directions:
In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt and pepper. Make a well in the center of the bowl and add the milk, egg and 1 Tbsp. of oil.

 

Whisk together the wet ingredients, then incorporate the dry ingredients. Stir in the corn.

Heat 1 tsp. oil in a large skillet, working in batches, drop heaping 1/4 cup portions of batter into the skillet and cook until golden brown and cooked through. 

 

Serve the corn cakes with corn, sour cream, salsa, cheese, avocado, lime, cilantro, etc. 

For this meal, I served them as a side dish to skirt steak with pan-roasted tomatoes.

 

Enchilada hotdish

Luke refers to this dish as Mexican Lasagna....because it has layers, sauce, meat, cheese.....he has a point.

Ingredients:

24 small corn tortillas
1 pound ground beef
1 package Old El Paso taco seasoning
1/2 large white onion, diced
1 can petite diced tomatoes
1 small jar of salsa verde or green enchilada sauce
4 cups of cheese (I used 2 cups pepper jack and 2 cups of colby jack)
1 can refried beans

Directions:
Brown hamburger and mix in taco seasoning according to package directions. Set aside.

In a 9x13 baking dish, layer tortillas to cover the bottom. Spread with refried beans (as thick as you'd like) and sprinkle with 1 cup of pepper jack cheese. Layer with more tortillas. Spread out the diced tomatoes and diced onion and sprinkle with cheese. Layer with more tortillas. Spread on the taco beef and sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Layer with more tortillas. Pour salsa verde or enchilada sauce over the top and sprinkle on the last cup of cheese.

Bake until edges of tortillas are crispy and cheese is all melted.

Angus O'brien

Yum. Hotdish. Hotdish time of year is nearing a close...as the weather gets warmer we need less comfort foods....well....maybe not.

This is a simple one, and I've found awesome GF replacements for all ingredients.

Ingredients:
1 pound lean ground beef
1 can (or box of Pacific Brands GF) cream of chicken soup
1 can (or box of Pacific Brands GF) cream of mushroom soup
1 cup milk
1 bag of shredded hash browns (1 1/2 pound)
2 cups shredded colby jack or cheddar jack cheese
1 small can of French fried onions (or a small bag of Funyuns - which are GF)

Directions:
Brown hamburger, season with salt and pepper, drain. Add cream soups and milk. Grease the bottom of a 9x13 baking pan. Spread the hash browns in the bottom and then top with the meat and soup mixture. Top with the shredded cheese and the fried onions. Cover with foil and back for one hour at 375 degrees.

GF Lasagna

Yummmmmmmm. I must say, this was awesome. Probably the best lasagna ever. I had been anxious to try GF lasagna but had a really difficult time finding GF noodles. Whole Foods, Lunds, Trader Joe's and Rainbow were out of the one or two brands they carried for weeks and weeks. I looked weekly for 2 months before I found a box at Whole Foods. I bought several. I used DeBoles for this recipe - which was super easy, as they are the kind you don't have to boil first. I will be making this again - yay!

Ingredients:
1 box DeBoles lasagna noodles
1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 package of Hormel (GF) pepperoni (quartered)
1 green pepper, diced
1 small jar sliced mushrooms, drained
1/2 white onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 jar of spaghetti sauce (I used Newman's Own tomato basil marinara)
1 (15 oz) container of ricotta cheese
1 egg
2 cups Italian cheese blend (shredded)
s/p

Directions:
Brown the ground beef, season with salt and pepper (LOTS of freshly ground pepper), drain. Add diced onion, green pepper, mushrooms and garlic. Saute a few minutes until green peppers get a little soft. Stir in the spaghetti sauce and pepperoni. Remove from heat. In a small bowl, mix the ricotta cheese and egg. Add some salt and parsley (or any other seasoning you like).

In a greased 9 x 13 baking dish, begin building the layers. Start with some of the meat mixture, then top with noodles. Top noodles with half the ricotta mixture, layer more noodles, then more meat mixture (sprinkle some of the shredded cheese atop the meat) and layer until meat and cheese mixtures are all used.

Top with more shredded cheese. Bake at 350 degrees until noodles are cooked through - according to package directions.

Enjoy!

Product review: Udi's frozen pizza crusts

So far, I think this is my favorite gluten-free pizza crust. I wasn't too terribly impressed with Namaste. Bob's Red Mill Pizza Crust is also VERY good....but not as convenient. I like that Udi crust is ready to go, I just pop on my toppings (generous amounts of green olives, pepperoni and white onion) and in the oven it goes - for just 10 minutes. It's awesome. Bob's has good flavor and texture...but you have to mix the dough, let it rise, pre-bake and then add your toppings and finish baking. Good, but much more effort.

I love pizza. After first going GF - this was one of my big cravings....it's good I've found a delicious replacement.

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

 

This soup was so hearty and creamy and warm and comforting and delicious......yummmm.

Potatoes have become a weekly staple for me, while eating gluten-free....which means you can get awfully tired of potatoes - if you don't look for new ways to prepare them. This soup was really easy, and so good.

Luke had a "guys night" and I made the boys potato skins - I baked 6 small baking potatoes, halved them and scooped out most of the middle, leaving just a little in the skins. I saved all the potato I scooped out and refrigerated it for this soup. 

You could also prepare the potatoes the same day as the soup, baking potatoes just takes some time - so be prepared for this recipe to take a lot longer. You could also cube some potatoes and boil them until tender, drain and use those in the soup.

Ingredients:

1/2 pound of bacon,

2 to 3 cups of cubed, roughly cut up potatoes (cooked)

1/2 white onion, diced

10 stalks green onions, diced, divided into 2 bowls

3 cups half and half

s/p

2 cups grated cheese (I used a colby jack mix) plus more for topping.

Directions:

In a large stockpot, fry the bacon until brown and crispy. Remove the bacon strips and crumble, leaving the drippings in the pot. Cook the onions (all the diced white onion and half of your green onions) in the bacon drippings until they are tender. Stir in the potatoes. At this point, I used a mashed to push some of the onion and bacon grease into the potatoes, I think this really blended the flavors well.  Stir in the half and half and salt and pepper. Slowly stir in the cheese until melted. Add half of your crumbled bacon to the pot, reserving the rest for topping. Make sure soup is heated all the way through.

Serve with green onion, bacon and shredded cheese.

Cincinnati Chili, revisited

This is still one of my all-time favorite meals. My grandma used to always make it on New Year's Day. The aroma is to die for. Someone should make a candle or room spray of this scent....Luke would buy it by the crate.

I recently made it with Ancient Harvest Quinoa pasta - it was fantastic. This pasta is SO much better than the stuff made with brown rice. The texture and consistency were great and the flavor was awesome. I love it!

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef
1 white onion, chopped, divided
1 green pepper, chopped
1 large can (29oz.) can tomato sauce
1 can (14.5 oz) can diced tomato
2 tsp. cinnamon
s/p to taste
2 cloves garlic, pressed
2 tsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. Chili powder
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. allspice
1/4 tsp. cloves

Directions:

Brown beef, season with salt and pepper, drain. Add peppers and onion, saute a few minutes until soft. Add tomatoes and sauce and remaining ingredients. Simmer at least 30 minutes.

Serve over regular or gluten-free spaghetti noodles. Serve with warm kidney beans, chopped raw onion, shredded cheese and sour cream as optional toppings.

 

Quiche Lorraine

Mmmmm, I love quiche, especially in the fall.....warm flaky crust and creamy filling.

This is a recipe I've been using for years. I usually just use a frozen and/or pre-packaged pie crust, this was no exception - I purchased a pie crust from BitterSweet Bakery in Eagan - yum! The crust was excellent. Super buttery and flaky, here is their website: http://www.bittersweetgf.com/

Ingredients:
1 pie crust in pie pan (deep dish works best)
1 cup shredded swiss cheese
1/4 cup diced white onion
4 to 6 slices of bacon, fried and crumbled
4 eggs
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spread shredded cheese, diced onion and crumbled bacon in bottom of pie pan. 

In a large bowl, lightly beat four eggs, add 2 cups of heavy whippiing cream, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper. Pour into pie pan.

 

Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Turn the oven down to 300 degrees and bake for an additional 30 to 40 minutes. Let sit for at least 2 minutes before cutting into - it will firm up a little more once outside the oven.

Namaste GF Pizza

I wasn't super impressed with this crust, there were herbs mixed in and the flavor just didn't do it for me. The texture wasn't great, but not awful either. Pizza is mostly about the cheese and toppings (for me)anyway, but I'd like the crust to be a little better tasting. I am anxious to try another brand soon.  This dough might make great foccacia, though, with the herbs already mixed in...just bake and baste with butter and dip in marinara.....there's a thought!

This mix is really easy, you just add water, eggs and then spread on the pan and bake.

Tomato and mozzarella salad

This is a very simple and delicious side. The other night we grilled steak and I just wanted a simple dish to serve with the meat, this one is so yummy.

I sliced fresh mozzarella and baby heirloom tomatoes. I sprinkled salt and pepper over them and then drizzled on the olive oil and balsamic vinegar. I chilled it for a bit and then served it cold.

Semi-homemade tortellini with red sauce

I had never tried any of the Buitoni fresh pastas, and decided to give it a try. I purchased the Sweet Italian Sausage Tortelloni (http://www.buitoni.com/products/#/tortelloni/sweet-italian-sausage-tortelloni) and made a semi-homemade sauce for it.

I sauteed diced green and red pepper and onion in EVOO and added a clove of garlic. I added a can of diced tomatoes, 1 tsp. of sugar, a pinch of salt and some Italian Seasoning.

Serve atop the cooked tortelloni with fresh Parmesan cheese. Deliciouso!