Gluten Free

My Personal Pantry Challenge: The Beginning

The other day I wrote about some goals or things I want to accomplish over the winter. On the list of things I talked about was “eating down the pantry”. Just look at that pantry cupboard up there! It is ridiculous that we have that much stuff crammed in there for just two people! But wait! There’s more:

And more:

don’t stop–there is more:

I knew it was time to stop and get a plan to do something about it when I was putting potato chips in the cabinet under the television!

The plan now is to use up all this food before we leave Alabama in the spring. I am going to make myself get organized like I used to be in the winter of 2008. I will take an inventory before every grocery shopping trip, and make menus using things I already have. I KNOW I can do this.

Last night was the first night of the Personal Pantry Challenge. I dug around in the cupboard and found a packet of gluten free mushroom gravy mix, a can of mushrooms, a can of gluten free mushroom soup, and a can of sliced pears. I made some Mushroom Goulash and a pear salad to go with it. With some leftover rice from Sunday, it was an easy to prepare dinner. Here’s the recipe:

Gluten Free Mushroom Goulash

3/4 lb ground beef

1 onion, chopped

3-4 cloves garlic

1/2 cup frozen chopped bell pepper

6 large fresh mushrooms, chopped or sliced

1 small can mushrooms

1 packet gluten free mushroom gravy mix

1 can gluten free mushroom soup

salt and pepper to taste

cooked rice

Sautee the onions, garlic, and bell pepper until the onions are clear. Add the ground beef, and cook until it is browned. Add the can of mushrooms, the mushroom soup, and the packet of gravy mix. Cook until thickened. Serve over rice.

This one meal used up three cans of stuff from the pantry, one mix packet, and some mushrooms that were on the way to spoiling. And it was quite tasty. No picture because I forgot.

Tonight, I made chicken corn chowder. I found a package of gluten free corn chowder mix, a can of evaporated milk, and a can of chicken in the pantry. In the fridge, I had a pint of milk, three ears of corn, some leftover roasted chicken, and a half of an onion. Using them all together was another quick, easy meal, with leftovers for tomorrow.

Gluten Free Chicken Corn Chowder

1 package Mixes From The Heartland Gluten Free Corn Chowder Mix

1 large can evaporated milk

2 cans water

3 ears corn

2 large potatoes

1 can cooked chicken

1 onion

1/2 stick of butter

1 pint of milk

Scrape the corn off the cob. Peel the potatoes and dice them up. Place in a small pot, cover with water, and cook until tender, about 20 minutes. Melt the butter in a dutch oven, add chopped onion, sautee until the onion is clear. Add corn, chicken, evaporated milk, water, potatoes, and regular milk. If you have any leftover chicken handy, toss that in too. Cook over medium heat for 25 minutes.

This was a very good, thick soup, with plenty left over for another day. It used up 2 cans of stuff and a packaged mix from the pantry. Whooo Hooo! I’m on a roll!

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Pumpkin Pie, Gluten Free

Karen · 4 Comments

So, today, I used my sugar pumpkin to make a gluten free pie. Making a pumpkin pie from scratch is a lot easier than you would think. And, you get to decide what ingredients to use in it. Start with one of those little “sugar” pumpkins available in grocery stores this time of year.

To get a pumpkin ready for using in recipes, cut it in about 8 pieces, scrape out the seeds and goo inside. Spray the pieces with olive oil and place them on a baking sheet that has been covered with aluminum foil. Place another piece of aluminum foil over the top. Bake at 400 degrees for about an hour. Remove from oven and let cool.

When the pumpkin pieces are cooled, peel off the rind. At this point, you can freeze the pieces. I put about half of my pumpkin in the freezer in zip lock bags for another day. Out of the other half, I made a pie and a savory vegetable dish. For this post, I am talking about the pie.

Measure out about 2 1/4 cups of the cooked pumpkin. Put it in a large bowl and mash with a potato masher. Add 3 eggs, 1/2 cup of milk, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 tsp. cinnamon, 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice, and 1/3 cup melted butter. Mix well with an electric mixer or a whisk. Pour into an uncooked pie crust.

P9020012 — Mixes From The Heartland Pie Crust Mix

For my pie, I used Mixes From The Heartland Pie Crust Mix, but you can use any gluten free pie crust mix. I used 1 cup of the mix, 1/4 cup of butter,1 egg, and 1 tsp of vinegar. Mix well, and form the dough into a ball. Place on a piece of plastic wrap, put another piece of plastic wrap on top, and roll out very thin. Place the pie crust in a pie dish, trim the edges, and then press with a fork to form a decorative edge. Pour in your pie filling, and bake for about 1 hour in a 400 degree oven. Serve plain or with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. MMMMMMMMMM…………..

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The Haul From Flagstaff

Karen · 6 Comments

I found a lot of gluten free goodness in Flagstaff today:

From New Frontiers Grocery Store:

P9010202 — Gluten Free Almond Cake and Chocolate Cupcake

P9010203 — Udi's Gluten Free Blueberry Muffins

P9010204 — The first sugar pumpkin of the season!

From Basha:

P9010205 — Roasted salted pepitas. Yummy

And from the CorK ‘n Bottle on Beaver Street, gluten free beer:

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Shrimp Stuffed Avocados

Karen · 12 Comments

Last month when we went down to Prescott for FabGrandpa’s visit to the VA, we ate at a little Mexican restaurant there. We tried their Shrimp Stuffed Avocados and boy were they ever good! I told FabGrandpa that I would try to re-create them at home.

shrimp stuffed avocado 01 — halve and peel the avocados

Here is the version I came up with, and it is pretty darn close! This recipe makes enough for 4 servings for appetizers or 2 servings for dinner.

2 ripe avocados

1 lime

1 lb uncooked shrimp

2 tablespoons butter, margarine, or olive oil

chipotle pepper

pico de gallo (store bought or make your own. I used ready made from the produce section of the grocery store)

Cut the avocados in half, remove the pit, and peel. For two dinner servings, put 2 avocado halves in each bowl. For appetizer servings, put one avocado half in each bowl. Roll the lime around on the counter to soften it up, slice off one end, and squeeze the juice over the avocado halves.

shrimp stuffed avocado 04 — Shrimp with chipotle pepper

Peel and devein the shrimp, rinse well, and drain. Melt the butter in a large skillet. Add the shrimp to the pan, and sprinkle generously with chipotle pepper. Stir and sautee the shrimp until done, about 10 minutes.

Place half of the cooked shrimp in each bowl over the avocado halves for dinner servings, or a fourth of the shrimp on each avocado half for appetizer servings. Spoon about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of pico de gallo over the shrimp. Serve with tabasco sauce if desired.

shrimp stuffed avocado 05 — Shrimp Stuffed Avocado

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Gluten Free Fried Cauliflower

Karen · 12 Comments

Many years ago, when my children were small, our best friends introduced us to a restaurant in Atlanta that was famous for their T-bone steaks. They have been in business since 1932. At the time we were going there, it was located on Lee Street, but now it is on Lake Dow Road in McDonough, Georgia. The thing I liked best about Pilgreen’s was their fried cauliflower. It was battered in a beer batter and deep fried, and served up with seafood cocktail sauce or horseradish sauce. Either one makes it sooooo gooooodddd!

fried cauliflower 01 — Break up cauliflower into florets

Yesterday, I discovered that I had all the ingredients on hand to make up some gluten free fried cauliflower here at home. And while I was making it, I was reminiscing about all the times we ate there with Bobby and Sharon Jones and their son, Johnny. Sometimes other friends would show up and it would be a wonderful time.

fried cauliflower 02 — Bob's Red Mill Biscuit and Baking Mix

To make the beer batter:

1 bottle of gluten free beer (I used a new one I found in Flagstaff called New Grist, made with sorghum and rice, and it is good!)

1 cup of Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Biscuit and Baking Mix

1/2 tsp salt

1 egg

Mix all ingredients well and let it sit for about half an hour before using. Cut up the cauliflower into florets. Dip each floret into the batter, and deep fry in canola or corn oil until golden brown, about 8-10 minutes on high heat. Remove from oil and let drain on paper towels.

fried cauliflower 04 — Dip the pieces in the batter

I didn’t have any kind of sauce for the batch I made, but it still tasted good. Almost like they make at Pilgreen’s. This batter would also make some yummy onion rings. I made fried eggplant too!

fried cauliflower 05 — Fry them up, then drain on paper towels.

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Gluten Free On Sale?

Karen · 7 Comments

We went over to Utah to buy groceries today. While I was in town, I picked up a newspaper. This is the grocery ad on the back page of the first section of the newpaper:

gluten free sale — In a newspaper in Utah!

I have never seen an ad for a sale on gluten free products in a newspaper. I know I have been able to find gluten free items in most grocery stores in Utah (which is NOT the case in other states, like Alabama, Arizona, and Georgia). I think it is wonderful! I just wish there were one of those stores near me.

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Why, Yes, That IS a Gluten Free Cake!

Karen · 4 Comments

I haven’t been cooking much lately, other than the regular meals all hum drum, like meatloaf, baked chicken, catfish (yes, still eating it), and pork chops. I haven’t been experimenting with recipes, or making up my own, just because I have been working so much and just want to get it on the table.

So, today, I had a day off. I was yearning, craving, something sweet and gooey, so I looked in the pantry and found a gluten free cake mix, some frosting, and gluten free raspberry filling (I usually use that to make a sort of cobbler). And then my brain started swirling and spinning, thinking, “A gluten free lemon raspberry cake would be soooo goood!” I also thought to myself, “I better make it and eat it before that doctor down in Flagstaff tells me I shouldn’t eat crap like that anymore, gluten free or not.

I baked the cake according to the directions on the package for high altitude. It came out great, except for being a little lopsided. I fixed that by using a huge knife and cutting off the bump (it made a delicious treat for me!). Because this mix only makes one layer, I cut it in half to make two layers for half a cake. I spread a generous portion of the raspberry filling between the layers, then frosted the whole thing with the lemon frosting.

DSCN4987 — not as pretty as I imagined, but it is gluten free.

The finished product did not turn out as pretty as I had imagined in my head, but it tasted very good. The raspberry filling squished out in places through the frosting. Oh, well…..

DSCN4988 — Raspberry Lemon Gluten Free Cake

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