Recipes

Pork and Chile Stew Gluten Free Recipe

DSCN5005 Last year a friend of ours made us his version of this great southwestern dish. His was a little soupy–I like my soups and stews to be a little more substantial, so I came up with my own version of it. It is delicious, has just the right amount of “heat”, and is good with cornbread or corn tortillas. I use whatever cut of pork is on sale at the time. Last week I found the country style bone in ribs for $1.00 a pound, so that is what I used. I cut them up with a butcher knife, and saved the bones to throw in the pot while it cooked.

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1.5 lb pork stew meat, cut in 1 inch chunks

2 stalks celery

3 cloves garlic

1 poblano, anaheim, or serrano pepper

1/2 to 2 jalapeno peppers ( how much heat do you like?)

5 medium potatoes

1/2 lb frozen mixed vegetables or 3 carrots

1/2 tsp ground chipotle pepper

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon basil

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp salt

4 Tbs olive oil

seasoned salt and meat tenderizer

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Put the olive oil in a dutch oven and turn the heat up to medium. Peel and chop the celery, peel and mince the garlic. Cut the peppers open and remove and discard the seeds, then chop them up. Add all the chopped veggies to the dutch oven with the olive oil. Saute until the garlic is tender.

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Rinse and dry the pork pieces, then sprinkle generously with tenderizer, and lightly with seasoned salt. Add the meat pieces to the pan with the veggies. Cook until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Peel and dice the potatoes and add to the pan. Add the mixed vegetables or carrots. Add in about 5 cups of water and the rest of the seasonings. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down and simmer for 2 hours.

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This is a naturally gluten free meal–there are no ingredients that contain gluten. I forgot to take a picture of it, I’ll try to remember to do that next time I make it. Delicious served with corn tortillas or cornbread. Don’t be afraid to add different vegetables to this soup. I like it sometimes with just potatoes, or sometimes with yellow squash added instead of mixed vegetables. As long as you get the seasonings right, it will be muy bueno!

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Creamed Corn

Karen · 2 Comments

There is nothing in this world like fresh creamed corn. My mother used to make it when I was growing up, and I still love it. Today we had to go back to Kanab for another adjustment to my new partial plate, and the farmer guy had his FRESH PRODUCE sign out. I knew I had to get some more of his sweet corn.

sweet corn — Sweet corn fresh from the garden

When I got home, as soon as I put the groceries away, I prepared the creamed corn. It is so easy to do you won’t believe it!

First, shuck all the ears, cut out any spots with worms, and pick off all the silks, or “hairs from all the ears of corn.

Next, cut off the tops of the kernels into a large bowl:

After all the tips are cut off, scrap the cob well to extract the rest of the corn kernels and the juice:

I had thirteen ears of corn, and it made a huge amount of corn scraped off:

After all the ears have been scraped, put the corn into a pot, and cook on medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring often:

After cooking for 10 minutes, measure out the amount you need for a meal for your family, and place in freezer bags. For two people I put two cups of corn into each bag.

As soon as you finish bagging up the corn, wash the pot. If you don’t, the corn will dry onto the pot and make it difficult to clean later.

Place the bags of corn in the refrigerator to cool off before placing in the freezer. When you are ready to cook, take a bag of corn out of the freezer to thaw out. Place the thawed corn into a saucepan, add 2 tablespoons butter, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and cook on medium to low heat for about twenty minutes, stirring often. Eat and enjoy!

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Homemade Potato Salad Recipe

Karen · 10 Comments

When we sold our house and moved into the RV, FabGrandpa decided he did not want to have to mess with a barbecue grill–cleaning it, storing it, etc. But after 10 years of not cooking out, I bought a small table top grill last summer. And we realized again how much we love to cook out.

Yesterday, we grilled a whole chicken, split in half and used some hickory chips to smoke it a bit. I cooked some fresh green beans and made some homemade potato salad to go with it. I used to only make potato salad on holidays, like Christmas, Thanksgiving, and 4th of July. But several years ago, I decided why limit myself to having one of my favorite foods only on holidays? It is soooo easy to make. So now I make it every chance I get.

One thing you need to remember when making potato salad is that not all potatoes are equal. I use only red potatoes for my potato salad, because they are “creamier” than russett potatoes or brown potatoes. So, here is my recipe:

Home Made Potato Salad Recipe

10 medium red skin potatoes

1 handful of salt

5 boiled eggs

1 bunch of green onions

4 ounces sweet pickle relish

3 tablespoons brown spicy mustard

1/2 cup mayonaise

Wash the potatoes (do not peel them) and put them in a large pot, like a dutch oven. Fill the pot with water to an inch or two above the potatoes. Add the handful of salt to the water. Bring to a boil, cover the pot with a lid, reduce heat to medium, and boil until potatoes are tender, about 40 minutes. Turn off heat. Drain the hot water off. Add ice cold water to cover the potatoes, and let them sit for about 10 minutes.

Pull the skins off the potatoes and cut out any bad spots.

potato salad recipe — Peel the potatoes after they are cooked

Dice the potatoes into a very large bowl.

Peel and dice the eggs and add to the bowl with the potatoes.

Add chopped green onions,

and the rest of the ingredients, and mix well.

Refrigerate at least one hour before serving.

P.S. Make sure all of your ingredients are labeled “gluten free” to ensure the finished product is gluten free.

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Gluten Free Cheese Cracker Recipe

Karen · 4 Comments

Before I started eating gluten free, one of my favorite snacks was Cheese Nips. You know, those wonderfully cheesy, crunchy cheese crackers. I had a box of them in my car at all times, I loved them so much. It was really hard to give them up. I have been experimenting with cheese cracker recipes since 2007, and while this one doesn’t taste like my old familiar Cheese Nips, it DOES taste good. You may also want to take a look at these slow carb recipes–many of them are gluten free too.

Gluten Free Cheese Crackers:

1 cup Gluten Free Bisquick

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 egg

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (or chipotle, if you prefer)

1 Tbs Worchestershire Sauce (be sure it says gluten free on the label)

Mix dry ingredients together in a bowl. Add cheese, and mix well. Beat the egg, butter, and Worchestershire sauce together, then add to dry ingredients. Stir with a fork until all ingredients are wet, then knead with your hands until the dough is smooth.

Pinch off bits about the size of 1-2 teaspoons. Roll into balls, then flatten as flat as you can. The thinner these are, the better they turn out. Place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees 15-18 minutes, or until crisp. Makes about 4 dozen.

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Gluten Free Coconut Cream Pie

Karen · 14 Comments

Just because I love this post, and loved this pie, I am reposting this today for your reading pleasure!

Ok, so I feel like this is really cheating, because all the ingredients for making Coconut Cream Pie are naturally gluten free. You just have to make sure the corn starch you use says “gluten free” on the label.

I love coconut cream pie, but I rarely make one. There has to be just the right alignment of the stars and the moon, and it has to be a chilly winter night, for me to even consider making one. That’s because you have to bake the coconut, bake the pie shell, then stir the filling over the hot stove. Do you hear me, Fabgrandpa? There is a LOT of work involved in making this pie.

First you have to get a coconut at the store. You could use packaged grated coconut, but if I am going to do this, I am going to do it RIGHT. Use an ice pick to poke holes in the “eyes” of the coconut, then pour the juice, or milk, into a bowl. Place the coconut on a baking sheet and put it in a 450 degree oven for twenty minutes. Then, using potholders, wrap the coconut in a kitchen towel, take it outside, and smash it with a hammer. You can really work out a lot of frustrations in the making of this pie. If anyone ever gives you a home made coconut pie, and tells you that they grated the coconut themselves, you might want to tip-toe away from them and sit over in the corner by your self out of their way. Know what I mean?

Ok, so you have roasted and smashed your coconut. Take a sharp knife and separate the coconut meat from the hard shell.

Once you get the hard shell off, use the knife to peel off the brown side of the meat. Then, you can grate it until you have about a cup of grated coconut.

Meanwhile, take your frozen gluten free pie crust out of the freezer and let it thaw to room temperature. At this point you can cuss up a storm because the dang thing is all broken. &*&@#$!!! Always, they are broken, so why are you surprised?

When the pie shell has thawed, put it in the oven at 350 degrees and bake for 25-40 minutes until browned. Take it out of the oven and set aside.

Now you are ready to make the filling. You’ll need:

1 and 1/2 cups sugar
4 tablespoons of gluten free cornstarch
a dash of salt
1 5 oz can of evaporated milk
the coconut milk you drained out of the coconut
enough water to add to the milk and coconut milk to make 1 and 1/2 cups
3 eggs, separated
3-4 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 teaspoon of vanilla

Mix all the dry ingredients together, then put the milk, coconut milk, water and dry ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Beat the egg yolks. Add a small amount of the hot filling to the bowl with the egg yolks, then stir it all back into the pot. Cook and stir two minutes more. Add the butter and vanilla and coconut and stir well. Pour into the baked pie shell.

To make the meringue, you need the 3 egg whites, 1/4 cup of sugar, 1/2 tsp of cream of tartar, and a dash of salt. Put the egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt into a mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until stiff. Add the sugar a little at a time until it is all mixed in. Spread the meringue on top of the filling, making little curls and stuff on top:

Put the pie on a cookie sheet and place in a 450 degree oven for 15-20 minutes until the meringue is browned:

The pie is now done. But, then you are just started in cleaning up the kitchen:
Dang it.

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Chocolate Covered Bacon! OH, Yes She Did!

Karen · 14 Comments

Today I made a treat for me and FabGrandpa. I have been wanting to try making some chocolate covered bacon. Yes, you read that right. You love chocolate don’t you? You love bacon, too, right? So it only be appropriate to marry those up together, I thought.

I baked some bacon in the oven until it was crispy and brown:

chocolate bacon — Baked to crispy brown goodness

Then I melted some Wilton’s Candy Melts in the microwave:

Then I dipped the bacon pieces into the melted chocolate and made sure they were covered well:

chocolate covered bacon — Looking delicious!

And then I put them on a pan and put it the refrigerator so the chocolate would set:

And then, the ultimate test:

Oooooooooooooooooo, Honey! This is delicious. Not something to eat every day, but when you want a special treat? Divine! And, no gluten. So there!

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Personal Pantry Report: Gluten Free Recipes: Enchiladas, Chicken Stew, and Fruit Cobbler

Karen · 6 Comments

In the last few days, I have been chipping away at that pantry! I have made good progress, too. On Monday, I made some enchiladas with some ground venison that the forest ranger brought us. That used up a can of enchilada sauce, a can of refried beans, a package of corn tortillas, and some cheese that was in the freezer. Not to mention that it was quite tasty!

Today, I decided to make a chicken stew.

I have never made a chicken stew before–I always make chicken and dumplings or chicken and rice, but I had some okra and a can of tomatoes that needed to be gone, so, here is the recipe I threw together:

1 whole chicken, cut in pieces

1 yellow onion, chopped

2 large carrots, peeled and sliced

3 celery stalks, chopped

4 garlic cloves, chopped

1 16 oz can diced tomatoes

1 lb frozen sliced okra

1 can chicken broth

2 potatoes

2 tablespoons olive oil

Put the olive oil in a dutch oven. When it is heated up, add the onions, celery and garlic, and saute’ until onions are clear. Add all the rest of the ingredients, along with enough water to cover the chicken pieces by 1/2 inch. Bring to a boil, then turn down heat to low and let simmer for 2 hours. Add salt and pepper to taste.

I served this with some cornbread made with a Mixes From The Heartland Gluten Free Cornbread mix. The whole thing used up a can of tomatoes, a can of chicken broth, some frozen okra, and the bag of cornbread mix–5 things gone!

For dessert today, I made a gluten free cobbler ( those who are not gluten free can make this using a cup of self rising flour instead of the gluten free baking mix):

1 1/4 cups Pamelas’s Baking Mix

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/4 cups water or milk

3/4 of a stick of butter or margarine

1 32 oz can of gluten free pie filling

1 32 oz can pineapple chunks, drained

1 tsp cinnamon

Put the butter in an 8″X8″ casserole dish. Put the dish in the microwave and melt the butter. Mix together the baking mix, sugar, cinnamon, and water with a wisk. Pour into the casserole dish on top of the butter. Do not stir. Pour the pie filling and the pineapple chunks into a bowl, stir to mix well, then pour over the batter in the casserole dish. Do not stir. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 45 minutes.

So, counting the dessert, I used up a total of 7 things today! That is a pretty good pantry cleaning day!

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More Stuff Out Of The Pantry: Meatless Gluten Free Lasagna Recipe

Karen · 12 Comments

Yesterday, I decided to make the Gluten Free Spinach Lasagna that my friend and co-worker, Nancy, gave me the recipe for a couple of months ago. This version of lasagna is so easy to make, and has a twist–a dash of cinnamon! The cinnamon makes all the difference in the world. And even though I made it with gluten free noodles, FabGrandpa kept saying, “Boy, this stuff is delicious, honey!”

Here is Nancy’s recipe:

Gluten Free Spinach Lasagna

In a large bowl, combine:

1 10 oz box thawed chopped spinach

1 lb cottage cheese

2 eggs

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

1 tsp minced garlic

3/4 tsp oregano

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp black pepper

salt to taste

The rest of the ingredients:

1 lb grated mozzarella cheese

2 large cans tomato sauce

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

1 box gluten free lasagna noodles

Bring a large pot of water to boiling, and add 3 or 4 of the lasagna noodles. Cook for 5 minutes, then turn off the heat.

In a lasagna pan or large casserole dish, layer 1/3 of the tomato sauce, 3 or 4 of the uncooked lasagna noodles, 1/2 of the spinach mixture, 1/3 of the mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle with 1/2 of the parmesan cheese. Repeat with another layer of tomato sauce, uncooked noodles, the rest of the spinach mixture, and 1/3 of the cheeses. Place the cooked noodles on top, then layer with the rest of the tomato sauce and cheeses.

Cover with foil, and cook in a 375 degree oven for 45 minutes. Remove the foil, and continue cooking for another 20-30 minutes.

The lasagna used up a box of noodles, and two cans of tomato sauce that have been hiding in the pantry, plus a package of frozen spinach and a bag of cheese from the freezer. Today for dinner, I made some salmon patties, english peas, and mashed potatoes, using up another two cans of stuff. I think I am on my way!

How are you doing on your own Personal Pantry Challenge?

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