Breakfast in our house is usually a grab-and-go affair. The two older boys get breakfast at school, and the baby gets breakfast at daycare. That leaves me to fend for my breakfast self. Mornings are crazy anyway, what with getting three kids around and out the door on time. I rarely have time to sit down and eat a leisurely breakfast. Most of the time, I end up taking it with me. It would be easy to subsist on Pop-Tarts and granola bars, but those don't actually fill me up, not to mention the fact that they're nutrition nightmares. The most common alternative for me is oatmeal.
Now, I don't go for those little bitty packets. Again, not enough there, loaded with sugar, and, well, not a wide variety of flavors. Homemade oatmeal, on the other hand, is only limited by what is in the pantry. Usually I go for some sort of dried fruit, maybe some nuts for protein, and a little brown sugar for sweetening.
Recently I came across an article in one of my magazines with brief recipes from their latest diet plan, including several breakfast recipes. One of them was for Pear-Ginger-Chocolate Smoothie (which was yummy, BTW). That got me thinking. If I could have chocolate in a breakfast smoothie, why not chocolate in my oatmeal?
Chocolate for breakfast? Sure, why not! By using dark chocolate, it actually gives you a dose of anti-oxidants. Add in banana, and it's like a banana split in oatmeal form!
A note on oats: oats are not necessarily gluten-free. Some gluten-sensitive people react to oats, some do not. If you are gluten-free due to celiac, you might want to steer clear of oatmeal, especially regular grocery-store oatmeal. If you are gluten-free due to a wheat allergy, you might want to take into account that regular grocery-store oatmeal may be cross-contaminated with wheat. I feel comfortable using regular oats, as I am the one eating them, rather than my wheat-allergic son. Bob's Red Mill does make gluten-free oats, but I have heard of people reacting to that as well.
Chocolate-Banana Oatmeal
Ingredients:
1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
1 cup water
1 very ripe banana, broken into chunks
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips (this could be made vegan if you use dairy-free chocolate chips)
Put all ingredients in a microwave-safe bowl. Allow plenty of room for the water to boil up during cooking. I use a 1-quart Corel casserole, one of the deep, square ones. Otherwise, you might end up cleaning your microwave. Microwave on High for 2 1/2 to 3 minutes. Stir and enjoy. No need for extra sugar or sweetener. Makes 1 serving.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Spaghetti Squash with Mini Meatballs
One of my youngest son's staple meats has been meatballs. However, this past week, he has decided that he is tired of them and has, of course, refused to eat them, to the point of throwing them off his high chair (he's 14 months). When the two older boys actually agreed on spaghetti and meatballs one night, it gave me an idea on how to mix up the youngest's meatball strike.
Although there are good gluten-free, egg-free spaghettis out there, they are more expensive and are not readily available in our small-town grocery stores. My favorite alternative is spaghetti squash. For well under a dollar a pound and packed with nutrition, they are a deal. Eating healthy is only expensive if you're eating a lot of meat or if you're relying on "healthy" processed foods. Fruits, veggies and beans/legumes are a better value nutrition-wise--and frequently budget-wise--than a box dinner "made with whole grain". But that's another soap box for another time.
I like to make my spaghetti sauce from scratch, eliminating preservatives and hidden ingredients. The timing of this recipe had me feeling like Iron Chef, with everything timed just right, and no wasted time. I was wishing I had my own sous-chef!
Spaghetti Squash with Mini Meatballs
Ingredients:
1 medium spaghetti squash
1 pound gluten-free Italian sausages, casings removed
8 ounces tomato sauce
14.5 ounces diced tomatoes
1 medium onion
2-3 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Preheat oven to 350°F. Cut squash in half. This is easier said than done. I wish I could share an easy secret for cutting a squash in half without a struggle. Unfortunately, I have not learned that secret. My best guess involves either a chain saw or a machete. Place squash cut sides down on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes.
As soon as the squash is in the oven, put the tomato sauce and diced tomatoes in a medium saucepan over low heat.
While the squash is baking and the tomatoes are warming, form the Italian sausage into small meatballs, maybe 1-inch in diameter. No other ingredients, just the yummy goodness of the sausage. I did one sausage link at a time, as that seemed to be a nice fit in my skillet, and I could roll up the next sausage while the first one was browning.
Place the meatballs in a skillet that has been heated over medium heat. Brown the first side for a minute or two (this helps them stay together better instead of ending up as crumbles), then sauté them until they are cooked through. Remove and keep warm. Repeat with remaining sausages until done. Add the sausages to the tomato sauce and bring heat up to medium-low. (I used two sausages worth for the sauce, and set the rest aside for my son's meals later.)
At this point, the squash is probably ready to come out of the oven. Set it aside to cool a bit so you can handle it, and continue with the sauce.
You probably ended up with drippings from the sausage. You're probably inclined to drain it off. Not so fast. This is where the flavor is going to come from. Add the onions and garlic to the drippings and sauté until the onions are tender. Add them to the sauce along with the Italian seasoning. Let the flavors meld and get happy while you tend to the squash.
Although it will have cooled some, you still may want to use hotpads. Shred the "meat" of the squash into spaghetti-like strands using a fork. It's really pretty easy!
Serve sauce over spaghetti squash, making sure each plate gets some of the meatballs, and top with Parmesan cheese if desired and/or allowed. Makes 4 servings.
Although there are good gluten-free, egg-free spaghettis out there, they are more expensive and are not readily available in our small-town grocery stores. My favorite alternative is spaghetti squash. For well under a dollar a pound and packed with nutrition, they are a deal. Eating healthy is only expensive if you're eating a lot of meat or if you're relying on "healthy" processed foods. Fruits, veggies and beans/legumes are a better value nutrition-wise--and frequently budget-wise--than a box dinner "made with whole grain". But that's another soap box for another time.
I like to make my spaghetti sauce from scratch, eliminating preservatives and hidden ingredients. The timing of this recipe had me feeling like Iron Chef, with everything timed just right, and no wasted time. I was wishing I had my own sous-chef!
Spaghetti Squash with Mini Meatballs
Ingredients:
1 medium spaghetti squash
1 pound gluten-free Italian sausages, casings removed
8 ounces tomato sauce
14.5 ounces diced tomatoes
1 medium onion
2-3 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Preheat oven to 350°F. Cut squash in half. This is easier said than done. I wish I could share an easy secret for cutting a squash in half without a struggle. Unfortunately, I have not learned that secret. My best guess involves either a chain saw or a machete. Place squash cut sides down on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes.
As soon as the squash is in the oven, put the tomato sauce and diced tomatoes in a medium saucepan over low heat.
While the squash is baking and the tomatoes are warming, form the Italian sausage into small meatballs, maybe 1-inch in diameter. No other ingredients, just the yummy goodness of the sausage. I did one sausage link at a time, as that seemed to be a nice fit in my skillet, and I could roll up the next sausage while the first one was browning.
Place the meatballs in a skillet that has been heated over medium heat. Brown the first side for a minute or two (this helps them stay together better instead of ending up as crumbles), then sauté them until they are cooked through. Remove and keep warm. Repeat with remaining sausages until done. Add the sausages to the tomato sauce and bring heat up to medium-low. (I used two sausages worth for the sauce, and set the rest aside for my son's meals later.)
At this point, the squash is probably ready to come out of the oven. Set it aside to cool a bit so you can handle it, and continue with the sauce.
You probably ended up with drippings from the sausage. You're probably inclined to drain it off. Not so fast. This is where the flavor is going to come from. Add the onions and garlic to the drippings and sauté until the onions are tender. Add them to the sauce along with the Italian seasoning. Let the flavors meld and get happy while you tend to the squash.
Although it will have cooled some, you still may want to use hotpads. Shred the "meat" of the squash into spaghetti-like strands using a fork. It's really pretty easy!
Serve sauce over spaghetti squash, making sure each plate gets some of the meatballs, and top with Parmesan cheese if desired and/or allowed. Makes 4 servings.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Let Them Eat Cupcakes
It's been a while since I've posted, and it's also been a while since my mad cupcake frenzy. Mad cupcake frenzy? you say. Yes... It all started when our department was hosting an open house. We decided that we would make cupcakes for the open house. Since there are several other people at work who are gluten-free, and because I wanted to be able to have some treats myself, I decided to take that as my challenge--gluten-free, egg-free cupcakes. 3 dozen.
That was followed shortly by my son's birthday. Every mom wants their child to be able to have a cake (or some such substitute) for their birthday. Yet another wheat-free, egg-free cake.
Then, a couple of weeks later, our church honored November birthdays during coffee fellowship after the service. Again, cake.
Add in a batch of experimental cupcakes, and that made 5 batches of cupcakes in less than a month. See, mad cupcake frenzy. Sure, I could have used cupcake recipes from one of my allergy cookbooks, except for the fact that I didn't have all the flours, and didn't have time to track them down. I also wouldn't have the satisfaction of successful experimenting, or a blog post chronicling those attempts.
For the sake of variety, I did three different kinds of cupcakes: Yellow, Devil's Food and White. Here are the recipes:
Yellow Cake
This one could be made vegan, by replacing the butter with a vegan substitute, but it really needs the yellow color, as the lack of egg yolks already makes it pale. If you want it more yellow, and don't mind food coloring, you could add a few drops of yellow coloring with the milk.
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour (I use Bob's Red Mill)
1 1/4 teaspoons xanthan gum
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup butter or margarine
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
3 teaspoons Ener-G Egg Replacer mixed with 4 tablespoons water
1 1/4 cup rice milk
Preheat oven to 375°F. Line 24 to 30 muffins cups with paper bake cups.
Whisk together flour, xanthan gum, baking powder and salt; set aside.
In a large mixing bowl beat butter or margarine with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds, just long enough to cream it. Add sugar and vanilla; beat until well combined. Mix 1 1/2 teaspoons Egg Replacer with 2 tablespoons water. Add to butter mixture and beat until well combined. Repeat with remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons Egg Replacer and 2 tablespoons water. Add dry ingredients and milk alternately to butter mixture, beating after each addition just until combined. This would be a good time to point out that this combination of ingredients tends to be thicker than traditional cake batter, and will tend to "crawl" up the beaters of a standard hand-held mixer. To avoid have cake batter forever rattling around in your mixer, use a sort of in-and-out motion when beating. Or, simple avoid the issue altogether and use a good stand mixer. This is what I'm hoping for for Christmas.
Fill cupcake liners about 2/3 full. Again, the batter is thicker, slightly gelatinous (for lack of a better word). It will not "flow" off the spoon as easily.
Bake at 375°F for 18 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in one of the center ones comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.
Devil's Food Cupcakes
2 1/4 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour
1 1/8 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shortening
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 1/2 teaspoons Ener-G Egg Replacer mixed with 6 tablespoons water
1 1/3 cups cold water
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 24-30 muffins cups with paper baking liners.
Whisk together flour, xanthan gum, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt; set aside. A whisk is highly recommended for this; both the flour and the cocoa have a tendency to clump otherwise.
In a large mixing bowl beat shortening with an electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds, or until it is creamed. Add sugar and vanilla; beat until well combined. Mix 1 1/2 teaspoons Egg Replacer with 2 tablespoons water; add to shortening mixture and beat well. Repeat twice with 1 1/2 teaspoons Egg Replacer and 2 more tablespoons water, beating well after each addition. Add dry ingredients and water alternately to shortening mixture, beating after each addition until combined. See above warning about using a hand mixer.
Spoon into baking cups about 2/3 full. Again, the batter is thicker than traditional cake batter.
Bake at 350°F for 18 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in one of the center cupcakes comes out clean. If using more than one cupcake pan, be sure to rotate half way through to ensure even baking. Cool on wire rack.
White Cake
I'm including directions for both cupcakes and layer cake here, as I made both. I made cupcakes for the coffee fellowship and an actual cake for my son's birthday.
Ingredients:
2 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shortening, butter or margarine (shortening will give you a whiter cake, and will also be vegan, assuming you use an all-vegetable shortening)
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
6 teaspoons Ener-G Egg Replacer mixed with 8 tablespoons water
1 1/3 cups rice milk
Preheat oven to 350°F. For layer cake, grease and flour two round cake pans. For cupcakes, line 24-30 muffin cups with paper baking cups.
Whisk together flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, beat shortening (or butter or margarine) with an electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds, or until creamed. Add sugar and vanilla; beat until well combined. Mix 1 1/2 teaspoons Egg Replacer with 2 tablespoons water; add to creamed mixture and beat well. Repeat 3 more times with remaining Egg Replacer and water, using 1 1/2 teaspoons Egg Replacer and 2 tablespoons water each time. Add dry ingredients and milk alternately to beaten mixture, beating after each addition just until combined. Again, be wary of the batter "climbing" the beaters if using a hand mixer.
Pour into cake pans or fill cupcake liners 2/3 full. Bake at 350°F for 30 to 35 minutes for cake layers, 20 to 25 minutes for cupcakes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool layers on wire rack 10 minutes, then remove from pans to cool completely. Cool cupcakes completely on wire racks.
For any of these, use your favorite safe frosting. For the devil's food, I used dark chocolate frosting (from a can). For the white cupcakes, I made white frosting and sprinkled them with coarse sugar.
That was followed shortly by my son's birthday. Every mom wants their child to be able to have a cake (or some such substitute) for their birthday. Yet another wheat-free, egg-free cake.
Then, a couple of weeks later, our church honored November birthdays during coffee fellowship after the service. Again, cake.
Add in a batch of experimental cupcakes, and that made 5 batches of cupcakes in less than a month. See, mad cupcake frenzy. Sure, I could have used cupcake recipes from one of my allergy cookbooks, except for the fact that I didn't have all the flours, and didn't have time to track them down. I also wouldn't have the satisfaction of successful experimenting, or a blog post chronicling those attempts.
For the sake of variety, I did three different kinds of cupcakes: Yellow, Devil's Food and White. Here are the recipes:
Yellow Cake
This one could be made vegan, by replacing the butter with a vegan substitute, but it really needs the yellow color, as the lack of egg yolks already makes it pale. If you want it more yellow, and don't mind food coloring, you could add a few drops of yellow coloring with the milk.
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour (I use Bob's Red Mill)
1 1/4 teaspoons xanthan gum
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup butter or margarine
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
3 teaspoons Ener-G Egg Replacer mixed with 4 tablespoons water
1 1/4 cup rice milk
Preheat oven to 375°F. Line 24 to 30 muffins cups with paper bake cups.
Whisk together flour, xanthan gum, baking powder and salt; set aside.
In a large mixing bowl beat butter or margarine with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds, just long enough to cream it. Add sugar and vanilla; beat until well combined. Mix 1 1/2 teaspoons Egg Replacer with 2 tablespoons water. Add to butter mixture and beat until well combined. Repeat with remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons Egg Replacer and 2 tablespoons water. Add dry ingredients and milk alternately to butter mixture, beating after each addition just until combined. This would be a good time to point out that this combination of ingredients tends to be thicker than traditional cake batter, and will tend to "crawl" up the beaters of a standard hand-held mixer. To avoid have cake batter forever rattling around in your mixer, use a sort of in-and-out motion when beating. Or, simple avoid the issue altogether and use a good stand mixer. This is what I'm hoping for for Christmas.
Fill cupcake liners about 2/3 full. Again, the batter is thicker, slightly gelatinous (for lack of a better word). It will not "flow" off the spoon as easily.
Bake at 375°F for 18 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in one of the center ones comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.
Devil's Food Cupcakes
2 1/4 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour
1 1/8 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shortening
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 1/2 teaspoons Ener-G Egg Replacer mixed with 6 tablespoons water
1 1/3 cups cold water
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 24-30 muffins cups with paper baking liners.
Whisk together flour, xanthan gum, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt; set aside. A whisk is highly recommended for this; both the flour and the cocoa have a tendency to clump otherwise.
In a large mixing bowl beat shortening with an electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds, or until it is creamed. Add sugar and vanilla; beat until well combined. Mix 1 1/2 teaspoons Egg Replacer with 2 tablespoons water; add to shortening mixture and beat well. Repeat twice with 1 1/2 teaspoons Egg Replacer and 2 more tablespoons water, beating well after each addition. Add dry ingredients and water alternately to shortening mixture, beating after each addition until combined. See above warning about using a hand mixer.
Spoon into baking cups about 2/3 full. Again, the batter is thicker than traditional cake batter.
Bake at 350°F for 18 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in one of the center cupcakes comes out clean. If using more than one cupcake pan, be sure to rotate half way through to ensure even baking. Cool on wire rack.
White Cake
I'm including directions for both cupcakes and layer cake here, as I made both. I made cupcakes for the coffee fellowship and an actual cake for my son's birthday.
Ingredients:
2 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shortening, butter or margarine (shortening will give you a whiter cake, and will also be vegan, assuming you use an all-vegetable shortening)
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
6 teaspoons Ener-G Egg Replacer mixed with 8 tablespoons water
1 1/3 cups rice milk
Preheat oven to 350°F. For layer cake, grease and flour two round cake pans. For cupcakes, line 24-30 muffin cups with paper baking cups.
Whisk together flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, beat shortening (or butter or margarine) with an electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds, or until creamed. Add sugar and vanilla; beat until well combined. Mix 1 1/2 teaspoons Egg Replacer with 2 tablespoons water; add to creamed mixture and beat well. Repeat 3 more times with remaining Egg Replacer and water, using 1 1/2 teaspoons Egg Replacer and 2 tablespoons water each time. Add dry ingredients and milk alternately to beaten mixture, beating after each addition just until combined. Again, be wary of the batter "climbing" the beaters if using a hand mixer.
Pour into cake pans or fill cupcake liners 2/3 full. Bake at 350°F for 30 to 35 minutes for cake layers, 20 to 25 minutes for cupcakes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool layers on wire rack 10 minutes, then remove from pans to cool completely. Cool cupcakes completely on wire racks.
For any of these, use your favorite safe frosting. For the devil's food, I used dark chocolate frosting (from a can). For the white cupcakes, I made white frosting and sprinkled them with coarse sugar.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
An Allergy-Free Thanksgiving: Sweet Potatoes
Thanksgiving could be a challenge for someone with food allergies. Think about all the classic recipes: green bean casserole with cream soup...sweet potatoes with a crumb topping...mashed potatoes with flour-thickened gravy...and let's not forget stuffing/dressing.
I'll tackle the sweet potatoes. There are yummy alternative recipes for the rest out there on the net, and in print. Living Without just did a holiday special edition with a whole spread of gluten-free, dairy-free Thanksgiving recipes (sadly, not all of them are egg-free, the major allergen in our house). The Gluten-Free Goddess also just posted a collection of gluten-free, mostly vegan Thanksgiving sides.
Anyway, the sweet potatoes. Our traditional recipe involves a lot of butter, coconut, brown sugar, and a crumb topping. A crumb topping made with flour and nuts. The thing I have noticed about gluten-free all-purpose flour (at least the brand I have been using), is that it sometimes has a, well, beany taste in its unbaked form. Licking the beaters after making a cake is not as sinfully delicious as it once was. I didn't particularly want to stake my Thanksgiving sweet potatoes on flour that might give questionable results in this usage.
With that in the back of my mind, and with an idea from the last go-round with food allergies, I decided to try sweet potatoes with apples. It's a blessedly simple idea, and comes together very fast. I fixed it in the twenty minutes I had one evening between the time I got home, and the time we had to leave for a community Thanksgiving dinner, although the sweet potatoes were already cooked. At that dinner, someone at our table raved about how good the sweet potatoes were, unaware that the harried cook was sitting across from them. I love unsolicited compliments!
Sweet Potatoes & Apples
Ingredients:
2-3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cooked
4-5 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced
6 tablespoons butter or acceptable margarine, divided (I couldn't give up all the butter!)
4 tablespoons brown sugar
While 3 tablespoons of the butter are melting in a medium skillet, peel, core and slice apples. An apple corer-wedger makes quick work of this step. When the butter is melted, add the sliced apples and cook, stirring occasionally until the apples are softened and slightly caramelized.
While the apples are cooking, dice the cooked sweet potatoes. You can decide how chunky you want them. I made them fairly small, because I knew my 1-year-old, 2-toothed son would be eating them.
When the apples are done, add them to the sweet potatoes in a microwave-safe serving dish. Top with remaining butter and brown sugar. Microwave on High 1 to 2 minutes, until sweet potatoes are heated through and butter is at least starting to melt. Stir to coat sweet potatoes and apples with brown sugar and butter.
There you go. Super simple and quick. Yum.
I'll tackle the sweet potatoes. There are yummy alternative recipes for the rest out there on the net, and in print. Living Without just did a holiday special edition with a whole spread of gluten-free, dairy-free Thanksgiving recipes (sadly, not all of them are egg-free, the major allergen in our house). The Gluten-Free Goddess also just posted a collection of gluten-free, mostly vegan Thanksgiving sides.
Anyway, the sweet potatoes. Our traditional recipe involves a lot of butter, coconut, brown sugar, and a crumb topping. A crumb topping made with flour and nuts. The thing I have noticed about gluten-free all-purpose flour (at least the brand I have been using), is that it sometimes has a, well, beany taste in its unbaked form. Licking the beaters after making a cake is not as sinfully delicious as it once was. I didn't particularly want to stake my Thanksgiving sweet potatoes on flour that might give questionable results in this usage.
With that in the back of my mind, and with an idea from the last go-round with food allergies, I decided to try sweet potatoes with apples. It's a blessedly simple idea, and comes together very fast. I fixed it in the twenty minutes I had one evening between the time I got home, and the time we had to leave for a community Thanksgiving dinner, although the sweet potatoes were already cooked. At that dinner, someone at our table raved about how good the sweet potatoes were, unaware that the harried cook was sitting across from them. I love unsolicited compliments!
Sweet Potatoes & Apples
Ingredients:
2-3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cooked
4-5 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced
6 tablespoons butter or acceptable margarine, divided (I couldn't give up all the butter!)
4 tablespoons brown sugar
While 3 tablespoons of the butter are melting in a medium skillet, peel, core and slice apples. An apple corer-wedger makes quick work of this step. When the butter is melted, add the sliced apples and cook, stirring occasionally until the apples are softened and slightly caramelized.
While the apples are cooking, dice the cooked sweet potatoes. You can decide how chunky you want them. I made them fairly small, because I knew my 1-year-old, 2-toothed son would be eating them.
When the apples are done, add them to the sweet potatoes in a microwave-safe serving dish. Top with remaining butter and brown sugar. Microwave on High 1 to 2 minutes, until sweet potatoes are heated through and butter is at least starting to melt. Stir to coat sweet potatoes and apples with brown sugar and butter.
There you go. Super simple and quick. Yum.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Enchilada Lasagna
Since lasagna is pretty much out (at least without either driving an hour and a half to a Whole Foods Market or spending a fortune in shipping and hoping it gets here in good shape), I've been brainstorming a decent replacement. A craving for Mexican gave me an idea for somewhat of a solution. This won't replace classic Italian lasagna by any means, but it still turned out yummy enough that the kids asked to take it for "cold" lunch.
Ingredient notes: As always, read labels. Most corn tortillas (at least in my experience) do not contain flour, but watch just in case. Go for a minimal ingredient list--usually something along the lines of corn meal (masa); lard, shortening or oil; lime. If using a commercial enchilada sauce, again read labels closely. I used the recipe from Dining on a Dime, mainly because I didn't have any canned enchilada sauce in the house.
Enchilada Lasagna
Ingredients:
9 large corn tortillas
4 cups cooked, diced chicken
16 ounces enchilada sauce (homemade or store-bought)
2-4 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1 small can black olives, sliced or chopped
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8x12-inch pan.
Cover the bottom of the pan with corn tortillas (about 3). They will overlap, and there will be gaps along the edges. This is okay. Spread with 1/3 of the enchilada sauce. Sprinkle with half the chicken and a good handful or two of cheese. Top with 3 more corn tortillas. Spread with 1/3 of the enchilada sauce and sprinkle remaining chicken over. Top with sour cream. It's impossible at this point to spread the sour cream without ending up with a big saucy mess, but try to dollop it to cover as much of the chicken as possible. Top with remaining tortillas. Pour remaining enchilada sauce over all, making sure the top tortillas are at least moistened. Sprinkle 1 or 2 more handfuls of cheese over top, then top with black olives.
Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes. Let sit for a few minutes after it comes out of the oven to allow it to set up a little. This is good with Spanish rice or salsa rice, and corn.
Ingredient notes: As always, read labels. Most corn tortillas (at least in my experience) do not contain flour, but watch just in case. Go for a minimal ingredient list--usually something along the lines of corn meal (masa); lard, shortening or oil; lime. If using a commercial enchilada sauce, again read labels closely. I used the recipe from Dining on a Dime, mainly because I didn't have any canned enchilada sauce in the house.
Enchilada Lasagna
Ingredients:
9 large corn tortillas
4 cups cooked, diced chicken
16 ounces enchilada sauce (homemade or store-bought)
2-4 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1 small can black olives, sliced or chopped
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8x12-inch pan.
Cover the bottom of the pan with corn tortillas (about 3). They will overlap, and there will be gaps along the edges. This is okay. Spread with 1/3 of the enchilada sauce. Sprinkle with half the chicken and a good handful or two of cheese. Top with 3 more corn tortillas. Spread with 1/3 of the enchilada sauce and sprinkle remaining chicken over. Top with sour cream. It's impossible at this point to spread the sour cream without ending up with a big saucy mess, but try to dollop it to cover as much of the chicken as possible. Top with remaining tortillas. Pour remaining enchilada sauce over all, making sure the top tortillas are at least moistened. Sprinkle 1 or 2 more handfuls of cheese over top, then top with black olives.
Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes. Let sit for a few minutes after it comes out of the oven to allow it to set up a little. This is good with Spanish rice or salsa rice, and corn.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Tuna Casserole
One of my all-time biggest comfort foods is Tuna Casserole. My kids and I can clean out a whole 9-inch square pan, with no leftovers. However, the usual Tuna Casserole presents a problem for our new food-allergy-free diet. Our traditional recipe relies on cream of mushroom soup and egg noodles. With wheat and egg allergies, these are out. I had just about given up having tuna casserole as long as allergies were an issue, until a couple of things came together to inspire a solution.
For the first, my mother (who is low-carb) made a delicious casserole, with a sour cream base, cauliflower, sausage, chicken and celery. Yum. It was good, but it didn't really sink in to me that this was the start of a solution to the tuna casserole dilemma.
Until the second incident. I was on the way back to work after taking DS#1 back to school after a doctor's appointment, when I caught part of a show from our local(ish) NPR affiliate, KCUR (Kansas City, MO), on which Emily Farris, author of Casserole Crazy: Hot Stuff for Your Oven, discussed the 2nd Annual Kansas City Casserole Party. (You can find the podcast of the episode on KCUR's website, under Central Standard.) After listening to discussions of casseroles, including comments from a caller who was gluten-free, I realized that I did still miss Tuna Casserole, but now I had ideas.
Pretty much winging it, I decided it was high time for some kitchen experimenting. To my delight, it turned out delicious on the first try. The kids didn't even miss the cream soup and pasta, and once again, we cleaned the pan (or at least the kids did).
A note on the ingredients. I used Mr. Dell's Hash Brown Potatoes, which has the remarkably simple ingredient list: Potatoes. This could be made more cheaply with home-shredded potatoes, but I went for convenience here. The cooking time may need to be adjusted if you use fresh potatoes. For the potato chips, I used Lay's Classic, which again, has a pretty simple ingredient list. Sour cream and onion chips are also good.
Tuna Tater Casserole
Ingredients:
2 cans (3 ounces each) tuna, drained
2 cups frozen hash brown potatoes
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1 cup frozen peas
2 cups potato chips, crushed
Put all ingredients except potato chips in a large bowl and mix well, then spread in a 8- or 9-inch square casserole dish. Sprinkle crushed potato chips over the top. Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes. This will get the hash browns "al dente"; for softer potatoes, cook for a few minutes longer. Makes 4 servings, or 3 if you have hungry boys.
For the first, my mother (who is low-carb) made a delicious casserole, with a sour cream base, cauliflower, sausage, chicken and celery. Yum. It was good, but it didn't really sink in to me that this was the start of a solution to the tuna casserole dilemma.
Until the second incident. I was on the way back to work after taking DS#1 back to school after a doctor's appointment, when I caught part of a show from our local(ish) NPR affiliate, KCUR (Kansas City, MO), on which Emily Farris, author of Casserole Crazy: Hot Stuff for Your Oven, discussed the 2nd Annual Kansas City Casserole Party. (You can find the podcast of the episode on KCUR's website, under Central Standard.) After listening to discussions of casseroles, including comments from a caller who was gluten-free, I realized that I did still miss Tuna Casserole, but now I had ideas.
Pretty much winging it, I decided it was high time for some kitchen experimenting. To my delight, it turned out delicious on the first try. The kids didn't even miss the cream soup and pasta, and once again, we cleaned the pan (or at least the kids did).
A note on the ingredients. I used Mr. Dell's Hash Brown Potatoes, which has the remarkably simple ingredient list: Potatoes. This could be made more cheaply with home-shredded potatoes, but I went for convenience here. The cooking time may need to be adjusted if you use fresh potatoes. For the potato chips, I used Lay's Classic, which again, has a pretty simple ingredient list. Sour cream and onion chips are also good.
Tuna Tater Casserole
Ingredients:
2 cans (3 ounces each) tuna, drained
2 cups frozen hash brown potatoes
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1 cup frozen peas
2 cups potato chips, crushed
Put all ingredients except potato chips in a large bowl and mix well, then spread in a 8- or 9-inch square casserole dish. Sprinkle crushed potato chips over the top. Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes. This will get the hash browns "al dente"; for softer potatoes, cook for a few minutes longer. Makes 4 servings, or 3 if you have hungry boys.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
"Ratatouille" Stuffed Peppers
One of the grocery stores had green bell peppers on sale this week, so I picked out three beautiful ones with stuffed peppers in mind. Traditional stuffed peppers, with egg-bound filling, are out for us, so I decided to improvise, using what we had on hand. It turns out we didn't have as much instant brown rice as I had thought, so we went heavy on the veggies. Onions, the tops of the peppers, a delicata squash that was sitting in the fridge, canned tomatoes and garlic. As I was mixing the filling, my middle son said, "It looks like ratatouille." (Yes, I have kids that actually know what ratatouille is, and even like it.) Although it doesn't have eggplant like traditional ratatouille--only because we didn't have any; it very well could--it seemed like as good a name as any. So, here it is, Ratatouille Stuffed Peppers.
Ratatouille Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients:
3-4 large, symmetrical bell peppers
1 medium onion, chopped
1 small delicata squash, peeled, seeded and chopped
14 1/2 ounces canned diced tomatoes, undrained
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup instant brown rice, cooked
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Cut tops off peppers and scoop out the guts. Reserve the tops for later. Place in a steamer basket in a large pot with a little water. Bring to a boil and steam for 3 to 4 minutes. Set aside.
Cut usable parts from pepper tops and dice. Heat olive oil in a medium skillet. Add diced peppers, onion, squash and garlic, and sauté until veggies are tender. Scoop into a bowl and add tomatoes with their juice and cooked rice.
Arrange peppers in a small baking dish. Fill each pepper with the filling, pressing down slightly. If there is leftover filling, arrange it around the bases of the peppers.
Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes or until heated through. My kids decided that it really needed cheese, so they sprinkled Cheddar on top, but you could easily forego that and have vegan stuffed peppers. Makes 3-4 servings.
Ratatouille Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients:
3-4 large, symmetrical bell peppers
1 medium onion, chopped
1 small delicata squash, peeled, seeded and chopped
14 1/2 ounces canned diced tomatoes, undrained
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup instant brown rice, cooked
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Cut tops off peppers and scoop out the guts. Reserve the tops for later. Place in a steamer basket in a large pot with a little water. Bring to a boil and steam for 3 to 4 minutes. Set aside.
Cut usable parts from pepper tops and dice. Heat olive oil in a medium skillet. Add diced peppers, onion, squash and garlic, and sauté until veggies are tender. Scoop into a bowl and add tomatoes with their juice and cooked rice.
Arrange peppers in a small baking dish. Fill each pepper with the filling, pressing down slightly. If there is leftover filling, arrange it around the bases of the peppers.
Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes or until heated through. My kids decided that it really needed cheese, so they sprinkled Cheddar on top, but you could easily forego that and have vegan stuffed peppers. Makes 3-4 servings.
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