Pork Chops

These, served with mashed potatoes and gravy, constitutes one of my husband's all time favorite meals. Pork chops are super easy, generally inexpensive, and best of all- naturally allergy friendly.

Pork Chops

Ingredients:

Pork chops

Oil

Rosemary leaves

Salt

Pepper

Beef or Chicken broth (I use Wolfgang Puck stock found at Fred Meyers)

Use a heavy pan - cast iron, anodized aluminum, or a good stainless steel pan is best. Non-stick pans will suffice, but they won't give you as good of a crusty caramelized exterior. Heat the pan on the stovetop on medium high. Season the chops with salt and pepper.

Add the oil. Don't add oil to a cold pan. Add the thawed chops gently. Leave the chops alone for 3 to 5 minutes. Right before you flip the chops, take some rosemary leaves and rub them between your palms over the pan. this will bruise the spices and make the oils come out. The goal is to rub them and allow them to fall onto the meat and oil.

Once the edges of the chops start to come up slightly from the pan, it's time to flip the chops. DO NOT use a fork, only use tongs or a metal spatula. If you try to flip too early, the pork could be stuck to the pan and tear, making the pan very hard to clean and ruining the caramelization.

Cook the chops on the new side until the edges come up from the pan, like before. Add some more rosemary and flip them. When they are done, take them out of the pan and set aside on a warm plate.

Add some water, wine, or broth to the pan and scrape up the browned bits on the pan. This will deglaze the pan. The liquid will boil shortly and begin to evaporate off, making gravy. 

Amazing, Delectable, Mouth-Wateringly Delicious GF Pecan Pancakes with Tropical Syrup

I like this recipe. A lot. I might actually fantasize about eating it every morning for the rest of my life. With every bite, I was shocked and amazed at how good it was. I must say though, under normal circumstances the contributing peices of this amazing breakfast/dessert should not be separated. Part of my awestruck wonder at how much I loved what I was chewing came from taste testing the syrup on it's own (a little yuck!), and then with plain pancakes, and then with pecan pancakes and syrup without the powdered sugar. I can't really explain it.  I just know that when combined, something magical happens. 
AND did I mention it was both easy and super low fat?

Amazing, Delectable, Mouth-Wateringly Delicious GF Pecan Pancakes with Tropical Syrup
For Pancakes follow my newest gluten free pancake recipe, with the optional addition of chopped pecans.

For Tropical Syrup

Ingredients:
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
juice from 1 orange (I don't have a orange squeezer, so this was just the juice I could squeeze be hand. I did not strain the juice)
juice from 1 lemon (Poured in 1-2 Tbs prepared juice each for both lemon and lime).
juice from 1 lime
1/2- 1 tsp cinnamon
Powdered sugar for dusting

Combine in a saucepan, boil 5 minutes. The end result will be thin, but that's good.
Dust your freshly made pecan pancakes with an ample amount of powdered sugar (corn- free if necessary), pour on the syrup and take a bite of sweet tropical heaven :)

In case you are wondering I am technically allergic to oranges, but thankfully it's one I can cheat on occasionally :) 

New and Improved GF Vegan Pancake Recipe

We have pancakes a lot. They are such an easy and quick to make source of grains, and my 2 year old LOVES them. I also love their versatility, low cost, and how easily they travel! All around, the perfect gluten-free breakfast/ snack food. 

I've been a tad frustrated lately with my previously posted pancake recipe, it doesn't seem to want to cook through in a reasonable amount of time! This recipe confirmed my long-time suspicion that applesauce would be the key to a lovely, fluffy, cakey-golden pancake :) Those who are not fond of apples, no worries- the taste is undetectable. 

New and Improved GF Vegan Pancake Recipe

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cups sorghum flour

2/3 cups tapioca starch
1 Tbs. baking power

2 tsp. baking soda

2 Tbs sugar

1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp xanthan gum

1/2 cup applesauce
1 1/2 cups water

1 Tbs vanilla

optional: 1 tsp cinnamon (when made with cinnamon, the inside of the pancakes turns a deep reddish hue. I think it's fun :), mini chocolate chips or pecans(sprinkle into wet batter on griddle)

Oil

Thoroughly mix together dry ingredients. Add applesauce, water, and vanilla. You are going for a thin, easily pourable batter. Anything too thick won't cook through. I like to mix my batter in a pitcher for easy pouring.

Oil griddle or skillet and do so between each batch, or they won't brown well and they don't seem to get as fluffy. Heat to 250- 300 degrees Fahrenheit (medium-low). Pour pancakes as large as you like, but small- medium seem to com out best. Sprinkle with mini chocolate chips, or nuts if you like. Pancakes should produce thin, glassy bubbles as they cook. When these all burst, and the edges look a bit dry, flip your pancake. They are done when both sides are golden brown and center is fluffy. 

These pancakes are incredibly low-fat, which is nice, but I feel they are missing something when served with pure maple syrup. I like to add a *small* amount of butter or margarine to my syrup for a fuller flavor. 

Tip of the Passing Spare Moment- Shredding Produce

Unless otherwise specified, when shredding produce use the coarser "shredders". If you go too fine, most fruits and veggies get pulpy.

Also, when adding shredded fruit or veggies to a mix you will be baking (meatballs, zucchini bread etc...) press between paper towels several times to absorb excess juice, then fluff with a fork before adding to mixture.

Tip of the Passing Spare Moment- Bread Crumbs

When making gluten free bread crumbs, the simplest way is in a food processor, or something similar. I save all the bread heels, the crusts I cut off for my son, or bread that has become too dry to eat in a bag that is NOT air tight. This allows it to dry out further.

Break the crusts into quarter size pieces, and give it a whirl until your bread becomes crumbs!

      

My "Cheater" Meal- Spaghetti

Everyone needs a break now and then, and I've always felt that despite the ease with which it is made, spaghetti with meat sauce retains a measure of cozy elegance that is difficult to beat. I can no longer enjoy tomato sauce, but I don't mind going with my back-up plan on occasion so my family can.

This particular night we made it extra easy- using paper plates for quick clean up!!! 

Super Simple Spaghetti

Ingredients:
2 8oz boxes rice spaghetti
1 1b ground turkey or beef
1 jar Prego Natural (I prefer the garden vegetable)
1 tsp sugar
2 Tbs water

Cook pasta according to package directions.
In a large skillet brown meat, drain. Add jar of sauce, sugar and water, and warm until heated through.
Serve meat sauce over cooked pasta.

Viola! Allergy friendly dinner in under 15 minutes.   

Apple-Meatballs

I know what your thinking. "Apple meatballs? Is she insane?".
Answer: not in this particular case.
AND I have proof. After mentioning on Fbook my meatball success, I received this message from one of my dear, sweet middle school girlies:
"Hmmm....sounds gross....might have to convince me different ;)"
Let me tell you people, I did. The next time I saw this little sweetling I just happened to have a tupperware container holding a meatball in my purse. The result? Five 7th grade girls competing over the remains of my giant apple-meatball, and one request that I bring more next week :)
These were actually the result of poor planning on my part. My recipe called for shredded zuchinni, but I had none. Figuring apples were similar in texture, I switched up the spices and give this a whirl. Feel free to check out the original recipe at http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/2010/04/turkey-meatballs-with-asian-noodles.html#ixzz1AnFlrQuU

Apple-Meatballs

Ingredients:
1 lb ground turkey
1lb ground beef
1 1/4 cups gluten-free bread crumbs (Ener-G loafs crumb easily)
1/4 cup flour (I used sorghum)
2-3 medium apples (I used gala), shredded
2 Tbs grated fresh ginger
½- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper
½- 1tsp lime juice
1 tablespoon molasses
3 tablespoons honey
sea salt and black pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Shred apples and press out moisture with my tip of the passing spare moment.

In a large mixing bowl, break apart and blend the ground meats with the gluten-free bread crumbs and flour, using a sturdy wooden spoon. Add in the grated apple and ginger, and spices. Mix just until blended, try not to over mix- this will toughen the meatball. Add in the fresh lime juice, molasses, and honey. Mix lightly, I used my hands at this point.

Form 24 meatballs using your fingers to round spoonfuls of the mixture. They should be roughly the size of a golf ball. Place the apple-meatballs on the lined baking sheets as you roll them.

Bake the meatballs on two center(ish) racks of a pre-heated oven for about 20 to 30 minutes until no longer pink inside. Prepare sauce as they cook. Place the baking sheet on a cooling rack. Serve with rice, veggies and Sweet and Spicy Asian-y Sauce.

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Sweet and Spicy Asian-y Sauce

Ingredients:
Light olive oil
hot pepper flakes, to taste
4 tsp fresh grated ginger- or to taste
6 tablespoons molasses
4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3 Tbs Sesame oil
3 Tbs mirin
3 Tbs cooking sherry
3 Tbs brown sugar
lots of salt to taste
black pepper to taste
1 tsp lime juice

Heat oil in a medium sauce pan. Add hot pepper flakes and grated ginger and stir fry for 1-2 minutes. Add remaining ingredients, simmer 5 minutes and taste. Adjust flavor according to your taste.

Gluten-Free Vegan Doughnut Holes

It's true!! You CAN still have doughnuts!!! My father-in-law, who is gluten-free, had not had a (legitimate!) doughnut in a long time, so we had fun surprising him with these awhile back :) This makes a big batch. You may want to half the batch on your first go-round, until you get a feel for what your family can handle. 

Gluten-Free Vegan Doughnut Holes

Ingredients:
1 Tbs Ener-G egg-replacer mixed with 1/4 cup water, or 2 eggs
2 cups buttermilk or replacer
1/4 cup butter or shortening, melted
1 2/3 cups tapioca flour
3 1/3 cups sorghum flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp salt
2 tsp xanthan gum or 1 Tbs guar gum
1/2 cup sugar mixed with 1 tsp cinnamon (to taste) set aside in a bowl

Beat eggs, buttermilk, and melted shortening in a large bowl with a whisk.

Sift dry ingredients into a separate bowl, and combine. Fold slowly into wet ingredients, mixing by hand with a wooden spoon. When ingredients are mostly combined, use your hands to knead a few times to make sure the ingredients are fully incorporated.

Let dough rise for 15 minutes.

Heat 2-3 inches of canola oil in the bottom of a pot until very hot (375 degrees F).

Scoop balls like you would for cookie dough and carefully drop into hot oil with fingers, being careful not to splash. Cook until light golden brown, rolling through the oil so one side doesn't burn, or overcrisp. You will need to cook just a few at a time, but this still goes quickly.

Remove doughnuts from oil with a slotted spoon and set on layers of paper towel to absorb oil. While still quite warm, roll each doughnut in the cinnamon-sugar mix (or just sugar) to coat fully. You may also apply a glaze of your choice at this time.

Vegan "Buttermilk" for Baking

So, so simple. 

Vegan "Buttermilk" for Baking

Ingredients:
1 Tbs lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, or white vinegar
Plain or unsweetened milk alternative of choice

Place juice or vinegar in a glass measuring cup and add enough of the milk alternative to make one cup. Stir, and let the solution sit for 10 minutes before adding to your recipe.

No-Bake Cookies

Mmmmm (mouth watering). I'm sorry world, for not posting this earlier. 

No-Bake Cookies

Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup rice milk (or milk product of choice)
1/2 cup shortening or butter
4 Tbs cocoa powder

1 Tbs vanilla
1/2 cup sunbutter (or peanut butter replacer of choice)
3 cups certified gluten-free oats

Combine first group if ingredients in a medium saucepan. Heat to boiling, stir 3 minutes.

Stir in vanilla and sunbutter, adding oatmeal last. If mix is too wet add a tablespoon more oats. Use two spoons to drop onto wax paper, working quickly as mix hardens to crumbling fast! Do not double batch.

If some of the mix dries before you can make a cookie of it, save it for ice cream topping!

Tuna-Noodle Casserole

 Hooray, comfort food! Winter is not complete without thee :)
This recipe contains goat cheese, because although my son and I are allergic to dairy, we both can tolerate goat dairy products on occasion. If that doesn't work for you, insert non-dairy cheese sub of choice. I even made this recipe with vegan cheese sauce once, and the result was pretty good.
My non- allergy-food-eating husband, who, incidentally, does not like fish, told me about 5 times last night how good this meal was- going so far as to say "If you opened a restaurant someday, you should serve this". That man is wonderful :) 

Tuna-Noodle Casserole

Ingredients:
3 cups medium rice noodles (I used a mix of shells and spirals)
1/2 cup gluten free bread crumbs (may be omitted if necessary)
1 Tbs shortening, melted mixed with a pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups mixed veggies (I used chopped broccoli and sweet peas)
1/4 cup shortening
1/4 cup gluten-free flour blend
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp black pepper
dash cayenne pepper- more if you like a zing!
2 cups rice milk (or plain non-dairy beverage of choice)
2 cans of tuna, drained (Costco brand is soy free!!)
1 cup goat chedder cheese cubes (or cheese sub of choice)
1/4 cup pimentos or chopped roasted red pepper

Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain and set aside. Meanwhile combine bread crumbs, melted shortening, and a dash of salt; set aside.

For sauce, in a medium saucepan cook broccoli in 1/4 cup shortening until tender. Stir in flour, salt, dry mustard, and black pepper. Add milk all at once; cook and stir until slightly thickened and bubbly. Stir in sweet peas and cook until heated through. Combine cooked noodles, sauce, tuna, cheese cubes, and pimentos.  Transfer to a 2-quart casserole. Sprinkle with crumb mixture. Bake, uncovered, in a 375 degree oven for 20-25 minutes or until bubbly and top is golden.

Risotto

Risotto is so simply delicious. It ranks among our "guest quality" allergy-friendly dishes. It is also fairly quick to make, although it does involve some time dedicated to stirring. If you can tolerate them, feel free to add 1 clove garlic and 1/4 cup fine chopped onion in with the bell pepper.

Risotto

Ingredients
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced thin
3 Tbs olive oil
1 cup uncooked arborio rice
28 ounces chicken stock or reduced sodium broth (I use Wolfgang Puck stock- no onions or garlic)
1 Tbs nutritional yeast flakes or 1/2 cup parmesan, shredded fine
1/8 tsp black pepper
8 ounces chopped cooked chicken, warm

In a small saucepan heat stock to boiling, then reduce heat to simmer for remainder of cooking time (it is important to keep broth hot!).

In a large saucepan cook yellow pepper in oil until tender-crisp. Add rice, cook and stir over medium heat until rice begins to brown, and edges become transparent, 2-3 minutes.

Slowly add 1 cup hot broth to rice mixture, stirring constantly. Continue to cook and stir over medium heat until liquid is absorbed. Add another 1/2 cup broth to rice mixture, stirring until liquid is absorbed. Add remaining broth, 1/2 cup at a time, until broth has been absorbed and rice is tender. If all the broth is used and rice is still a tad crunchy, it is ok to use 1/2 cup water.

Stir in nutritional yeast, or parmesan cheese, pepper, and chicken.

My son felt the world needed a photo of his dinner too :)

Everything-Free Chex Muddy Buddies

I love Muddy Buddies!! A substitute recipe was a must-have.

Everything-Free Chex Muddy Buddies

Ingredients:

9 cups Corn Chex® or Rice Chex®,

1 cup semisweet enjoy life chocolate chips

1/2 cup sunflower-seed butter

1/4  cup shortening + pinch salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar or corn-free powdered sugar

Into large bowl, measure cereal; set aside.

In 1-quart microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips, sunbutter and shortening uncovered on High 1 minute; stir. Microwave about 30 seconds longer or until mixture can be stirred smooth. Stir in vanilla. Pour mixture over cereal, stirring until evenly coated. Pour into 2-gallon resealable food-storage plastic bag. Add powdered sugar. Seal bag; shake until well coated. Spread on waxed paper to cool. Store in airtight container in refrigerator.

GF Sloppy Joes

Simple and delicious, Sloppy Joes are a staple in our home :)

Sloppy Joes

Ingredients:

1 pound lean ground beef

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard

3/4 cup ketchup

3 teaspoons brown sugar

salt to taste

ground black pepper to taste

GF burger buns from my recipe

In a medium skillet over medium heat, brown the ground beef, onion, and green pepper; drain off liquids.

Stir in the garlic powder, mustard, ketchup, and brown sugar; mix thoroughly. Reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Tip of the Passing Spare Moment- Barley

If you are suffering from a wheat allergy, as opposed to celiac disease, you may be able to tolerate barley. If so, your job just got a whole lot easier. Barley flour can be purchased at your local health food store (ask about ordering in bulk if this works for you) and it can replace wheat flour 1:1 in most recipes. I tend to add just a smidge of xanthan gum to help reduce crumbling, as barley contain's a considerably lower gluten content than wheat flour. It is similar to whole wheat cake or pastry flour and cannot be used to make a loaf of sandwich bread. The flavor is great, I prefer it to wheat in some sweets. When storing goods made with barley just leave out uncovered, as odd as that sounds. It seems to gather moisture more heavily than GF or wheat flour and will become soggy if sealed, but I think the taste and texture actually improve when left out overnight.

Just to clarify, though: Barley can only be used as a wheat substitute by those with an allergy to wheat. Those who are gluten intolerant, have celiac's disease, or are allergic to gluten should not consume barley because it does contain gluten.

Nachos/ Taco Lasagna

This dinner is amazing. Seriously, I kind of amazed myself this time. It also contains goat cheese, which my system tolerates as long as I don't over-do it, but I know it's not for everyone. My suggestion, if you don't already have a favorite cheese-sub and you know you can't handle goat products, would be to try Daiya. It is both soy and dairy-free, and melts really well. The cheddar tastes a bit like American Cheese, or Velveeta. To be honest, I have not tried my lasagna version yet, it's still just a theory- but I'm thinking it will be great when I do, and much lower fat. 

Nachos/ Taco Lasagna

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef or turkey

1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chili peppers, drained OR

1 12 ounce jar of fire roasted red peppers

1/2 cup water

1 cup sour cream (I use soy/dairy-free Wayfare brand)

1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning mix or my recipe

1 can black beans, drained

2 avocados, diced

8 ounces shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese (I use goat cheddar)

1 (18 ounce) package corn tortilla chips or 6in corn tortillas

For Nachos:

In a medium skillet over medium heat, brown the ground meat and drain fat. Add the red peppers, water, sour cream, black beans and taco seasoning mix. Let simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.

In the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish, place a layer of corn tortillas. Cover with a layer of the meat mixture then a layer of cheese. Repeat this process until the last layer is cheese. You can broil this if you wish, but I prefer it as is.

Garnish with avocados and serve!

For Taco Lasagna:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

In a medium skillet over medium heat, brown the ground meat and drain fat. Add the red peppers, water, sour cream, black beans and taco seasoning mix. Let simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.

In the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish, place a layer of corn tortillas. Cover with a layer of the meat mixture then a layer of cheese. Repeat this process until the last layer is cheese.

Cover and bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly.
Garnish with avocado