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!

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.

 

Veggie Lasagna

This is such a rich and delicious lasagna, I think I actually like it better than meat lasagna with red sauce. It is a really pretty meal as well, all the vibrant colored veggies and the rich cheeses and cream sauce. So yummy.

Chunky Vegetable Lasagna

Ingredients:
1 box gluten-free lasagna noodles
3 cups chopped veggies (broccoli, red pepper, green pepper, carrots, spinach, etc.)
15 oz. ricotta cheese
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup fresh parsley
2 cloves garlic, pressed
3 Tbsp. rice flour
2 cups milk
1 egg
2 cups shredded mozzarella
3 Tbsp. butter

Directions:
Cook and drain noodles. In a large bowl, mix chopped veggies with salt and pepper. In another bowl, mix ricotta, Parmesan, parsley and egg. In a 2 qt. saucepan, melt butter, add garlic and saute for 2 minutes. Stir in flour, stir continuously stir until smooth and bubbly. Remove from heat, stir in milk, boil stirring continuously for one minute.

Layer noodles in pan, spread 1/2 of cheese and egg mix on top, layer with noodles. Spread 1/2 of veggie mix, top with 1/2 the mozzarella cheese. Layer again with noodles, spread with remaining cheese and egg mix, layer again with noodles, spread remaining veggie mix.

 Pour milk sauce evenly over top and sprinkle the last cup of mozzarella on top.

Bake uncovered for 40 minutes until hot in center and veggies are soft. Let stand for 10 minutes.

Mac n' Cheese

Well made mac n' cheese is probably one of my favorite things in the world.  I've never been a big fan of the boxed variety.....they don't taste good.  I know many college kids practically live on Kraft mac n' cheese, and it's a favorite of children all over......I don't get it. It's orange, it tastes funny.  Real, homemade mac n' cheese is the way to go....and it really doesn't take that much effort.  This recipe was built off of several other recipes and honed (I believe) to perfection.  Yummmm.

Mac n' Cheese

Ingredients:
8 oz. gluten-free elbow macaroni
1/4 cup of butter
3 Tbsp. rice flour
1/4 tsp. dry mustard
salt/pepper
2 cups milk
3 cups shredded cheese (I recommend 2 cups cheddar and one cup colby or jack)
3/4 cup crushed Cheez-It crackers (Cheez-Its are not GF....omit or substitute with a GF cheese cracker)

Directions:
Cook macaroni according to package, drain and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a saucepan, melt the butter. Stir in flour, mustard, pepper and salt. Stir until smooth and bubbly. Slowly whisk in milk. Stir continuously and cook until boiling. Simmer for a minute. Stir in cheese, one cup at a time until melted.

Stir pasta in to cheese mixture. Pour into greased casserole dish.  Crumble crushed Cheez-Its on top.  Bake for about 30 minutes.

Hamburger Stroganoff

I loved this meal growing up, and now frequently make it. This is my mom's recipe, it's so creamy and rich....and heavy! One helping of this and you'll be full and happy.

 Beef Stroganoff

1 pound ground beef
1 small can of sliced mushrooms, drained
1 can cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1 package wide egg noodles
s/p

Prepare egg noodles according to package instructions. Brown beef, drain.  Add the can of soup and 1/2 can of water, mix. Stir in the can of mushrooms. Heat thru. Stir in sour cream, heat for an additional minute or two and serve on top of noodles.

Noodle Kugel

I tried out this recipe a few weeks ago at my mom's house. It was really good, and completely unique tasting.  The orange zest, cinnamon and sugar combined with cottage cheese, sour cream and noodles made for a delightful flavor.  The original recipe came from a magazine...but I've tweaked it a little.

Noodle Kugel
1/2 stick butter
1/2 white onion, chopped
1 Tbsp. plus 1/4 tsp. sugar
salt/pepper
12 oz package wide egg noodles
3 large eggs
2 cups small curd cottage cheese
2 cups sour cream
1 cup milk
pinch of cinnamon
2 tsp. grated orange zest
2 to 3 cups cornflakes, crushed

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a casserole dish with nonstick cooking spary. Melt the 1/2 stick of butter in a skillet, add onion and 1/4 tsp sugar. Saute until soft. Transfer to a big bowl. Boil noodles, drain, mix with onions in a large bowl.  Add salt and pepper and mix. Pulse eggs, cottage cheese, sour cream, milk, cinnamon, orange zest, sugar and salt in a food processor until smooth.  Add to the noodle/onion mix, stir. Transfer to casserole dish.  Top with crushed cornflakes. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

Little thimbles

This is a really easy and yummy pasta.  These little noodles look like little thimbles and are called ditalini (I haven't seen GF ditalini, but you could use any other GF pasta).

 

Recipe:

1 box ditalini (or any GF pasta)

1/2 bag pre-washed fresh spinach

1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes

1/2 small jar of green olives, halved

fresh Parmesan cheese

fresh garlic, pressed or chopped

olive oil

5 scallions, sliced

Heat oil in large skillet, add garlic and warm.  Add green onions, tomatoes and green olives.  Let simmer for about 10 minutes.  Add spinach and saute until limp.  Toss cooked noodles with the sauce and sprinkle with fresh Parmesan cheese.

Cincinnati Chili

It's cold. This time of year I always crave warm, beef-based meals. Growing up, my g-ma always made Cincinnati Chili on New Year's Day, we always looked forward to its warmth and enticing aroma. I came up with this recipe on my own, I think it has more spice than g-ma's, but it definitely reminds me of hers.


Cincinnati Chili

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

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.