Spaghetti Sauce

Spaghetti Sauce
Al’s Spaghetti Sauce


If you are making this recipe for a gluten-free guest, please read our Guide to Gluten Cross-Contact.


FYI - If you make this recipe to save money and/or time - it will do neither. It will give you the satisfaction of making a great homemade product. Truly a labor of love.

Ingredients:

2 - 28oz cans Dei Fratelli Chopped Italian Tomatoes
1 - 28oz can Dei Fratelli Diced Tomatoes
2 - 15oz cans Dei Fratelli Tomato Sauce
1 - 12oz can Everyday Essentials Tomato Paste
1 - Medium Sized fresh tomato (optional - had one on hand)
2 - Cups Cherry Tomatoes - halved (optional - had some on hand)
1 - Large (or 2 Medium) White Onion - diced
1 - 8oz package of Mushrooms - diced
2 to 3 - Medium sized Zucchinis
2 to 3 - Medium sized Yellow Squash
2 - Medium sized carrots - peeled and fine grated.
Minced garlic (you decide how much)
Penzey’s Dried Oregano
Fresh Thyme (stripped from stem)
Fresh Basil (several leaves fine chopped)
Salt & Pepper
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 - lbs Ground Chuck.

The ingredients used above will fill a 7QT pot. Scale your batch accordingly. We freeze measured amounts of sauce in a container - enough for 3-4 servings.

Directions:

Place a 7QT pot on medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to pot. Add carrot, 1/2 of diced onion, zucchini, squash, 1/3 of diced mushrooms, and garlic. Season with salt, pepper, & oregano. Stir.

Sauté until veggies are tender (about 5 - 10 minutes). You might have to add more EVOO during sauté time. Onions will start caramelize. Season with salt & pepper to taste.

Add about a teaspoon of fresh thyme and tablespoon of fresh basil.

Add all tomato products and 1/3 of diced mushrooms to pot. Using an immersion blender, blend the sauce to a texture of your liking. Reduce heat to a simmer and cover with a screen and stir often. The goal is to reduce the water content and concentrate the tomato mixture. This process will take 2 to 3 (or more) hours. Place a teaspoon of the sauce on a plate to see how much liquid spreads out from the edges. I don’t like much water in my sauce, so there’s very little. Season to taste with salt and pepper after it’s done reducing. Salting too much before reduction will also concentrate the salt. Add a sprinkle of dried oregano and more fresh thyme if you like. Stir

While tomato/veggie mixture is reducing, brown the ground chuck.

In another pan sauté the remaining diced onions, remaining diced mushrooms, and some garlic until soft. Salt & Pepper to taste.

Add ground chuck. Salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle of dried oregano. Break up and stir. Drain excess grease. If you are freezing the entire batch - allow to cool before adding to sauce. If you plan to use the sauce right away - add meat to sauce if it’s reduced to your liking.

Cool before freezer packaging. Fill sink with enough cold water ice to reach 1/2 up the sauce pot when placed into sink. Stir every few minutes.

Gluten-Free Stuffing

Submitted by Peggy


If you are making this recipe for a gluten-free guest, please read our Guide to Gluten Cross-Contact.



Ingredients:

1 loaf gluten-free bread
3 tablespoons butter, unsalted
2 carrots, peeled and small diced
2 celery stalks, small diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, peeled and small diced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cups gluten-free chicken broth
1 1/2 tablespoon fresh sage, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325°F. Slice the bread into 1-inch cubes and spread out on a baking sheet. Place in the oven and toast for 25 minutes, flipping/tossing once during toasting.

To kick this recipe up a notch, check out our excellent recipe for gluten-free croutons.

Melt butter in a large and deep cast iron or oven-safe skillet. If you do not have a large and deep oven proof skillet, you can prep the stuffing in a skillet and transfer to a 9" x 13" baking dish before finishing off in the oven. To the butter, add carrots, celery, garlic, onion, salt, and pepper. Sauté on medium heat for 15 minutes until the onions and carrots are soft and tender. If the onions or garlic start to brown, reduce heat to medium-low.

Once the carrots are tender, add chicken broth, sage, and thyme and stir to combine. Simmer for 5 minutes. Taste, and add additional salt or pepper, if needed.

Next, add the toasted bread cubes and gently toss to combine. Transfer to the oven and bake for 25 minutes. Serve warm. Makes 6-8 servings.

Croutons & Stuffing


Croutons

Gluten-Free Croutons


Special thanks to my Sister-In-Law Debi for showing Peggy how to make these for our Thanksgiving feast last year. They are great just for snacking on.


If you are making this recipe for a gluten-free guest, please read our Guide to Gluten Cross-Contact.



Ingredients:

1 to 1 ½ loaves of GF bread, cut or torn in desired size. For stuffing, pieces might be smaller vs larger for snacking/dipping.
GF Granulated Garlic
GF Granulated Onion
GF Ground Sage
GF Paprika (optional)
Salt
Olive Oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300.
Spread bread pieces on sided baking sheet. Allow to dry for at least 2 days – 3 to 4 is preferable.
Drizzle olive oil lightly over the bread and mix well.
Season to taste. Mix well after each seasoning.
Bake for 10 to 20 minutes or until GBDC (Golden, Brown, Delicious & Crunchy). Stir every 5 minutes.
Remove from oven and spread out to cool.

Note: Airbake pans won't brown as quickly. Try not to eat them all before you make your stuffing.

Tip: Instead of throwing out the heels or unused pieces of GF bread, put them in the freezer to be used later.


Gluten-Free Stuffing

Ingredients:

1 loaf gluten-free bread (or the croutons above)
3 tablespoons butter, unsalted
2 carrots, peeled and small diced
2 celery stalks, small diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, peeled and small diced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cups gluten-free chicken broth
1 1/2 tablespoon fresh sage, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325°F. Slice the bread into 1-inch cubes and spread out on a baking sheet.
Place in the oven and toast for 25 minutes, flipping/tossing once during toasting. (Skip this step If you are using the croutons you made from above recipe)

Melt butter in a large and deep cast iron or oven-safe skillet. If you do not have a large and deep oven proof skillet, you can prep the stuffing in a skillet and transfer to a 9" x 13" baking dish before finishing off in the oven. To the butter, add carrots, celery, garlic, onion, salt, and pepper. Sauté on medium heat for 15 minutes until the onions and carrots are soft and tender. If the onions or garlic start to brown, reduce heat to medium-low.

Once the carrots are tender, add chicken broth, sage, and thyme and stir to combine. Simmer for 5 minutes. Taste, and add additional salt or pepper, if needed. Next, add the toasted bread cubes/croutons and gently toss to combine. Transfer to the oven and bake for 25 minutes. Serve warm. Makes 6-8 servings.

Seasoned Rice with Chorizo



Seasoned Rice with Chorizo

Most meals around our house are like an episode of The Food Network's Iron Chef. We never know what we're going to have too far in-advance.

It usually starts with "You know we have ________ in the fridge yet".

However, in this case, I was digging through the freezer looking for a protein. Chicken - nah, just had it. Beef - nope, need to give it a rest. Pork chops - mmm nah-uh, just not feelin' it.

Tonight's secret ingredient is...Chorizo sausage! Allez Cuisine!

Now...what to do with it? This is what I came up with...

If you are making this recipe for a gluten-free guest, please read our Guide to Gluten Cross-Contact.



Ingredients:

1 cup rice (Lundberg)
2 cups of gluten-free chicken broth
(Kitchen Basics, Swanson’s, Pacific, Imagine)
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp salt
Penzey's Forward seasoning

Klemment's gluten-free chorizo sausage - sliced
1 or 2 carrots, finely diced
1/2 cup diced white onion
Salt & Pepper
Granulated garlic
Olive Oil
Green Peas (frozen, but fresh if you've got 'em)
Fresh Parsley - roughly chopped

Directions:

Combine rice, broth, butter, salt and seasoning in a pot. Bring to boil and stir once. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

Add olive oil and carrots to large pan saute on med-high heat until carrots start to soften. Add a bit of water to help steam carrots.
Add onion and stir
Season with salt, pepper, granulated garlic
Add sausage to pan and stir.
Lower heat once everything is heated thru
Add rice to pan when it's finished cooking.
Mix ingredients well.
Add chopped fresh parsley right at the end.


Until the next good eats - cook well and be well.

Al

Seasoned Vegetable Medley with Shrimp




Seasoned Vegetable Medley with Sauteed Shrimp

This veggie dish has become a favorite in our house. I make a large batch so I can have left overs. I like to make an omelet with these veggies.

This dish is all about timing. You don't want the shrimp to get done first and get cold. You don't want to leave the veggies in the pan waiting for the shrimp to get done.

The veggies will cook at different rates; you can help adjust for that by paying attention to piece size. Cauliflower and carrots tends to take longer to cook due to their density. I like to have a bit larger pieces of cauliflower, so those go in first. I try to keep the carrot slices about 1/4" thick. Broccoli, squash, and zucchini cook pretty quickly - keep a close eye on them so they don't turn to mush.

I tend to like my veggies on the crunchy side, so adjust the cooking times to suit your tastes.

If you are making this recipe for a gluten-free guest, please read our Guide to Gluten Cross-Contact.



Veggie Ingredients:

Cauliflower
Carrots
Broccoli
Yellow Squash
Zucchini
1/2 lemon - quartered
Grass Fed Butter
Olive Oil
Granulated garlic (Penzey's)
Granulated onion (Penzey's)
Tuscan Sunset (Penzey's)
Salt
Fresh ground pepper

Shrimp Ingredients:

1 lb raw, peeled, devained, and cleaned shrimp
Olive Oil
Granulated garlic (Penzey's)
Granulated onion (Penzey's)
Forward (Penzey's) Adds a bit of heat and spice
Salt & fresh ground pepper


Directions:

Place shrimp on a plate.
Season shrimp with garlic, onion, Foward, salt & pepper. Drizzle with olive oil. Mix well.
Set aside while working on the veggies

Cut veggies into bite sized pieces. Place large saute pan on medium high heat.
Add olive oil to pan. Add cauliflower. Stir.

Squeeze lemon pieces over cauliflower and add lemon pieces in the pan.
Add splashes of water to create steam. When water has evaporated, add a bit more. Do this through out the entire cooking process.

Lightly season with granulated garlic, onion, Tuscan Sunset, salt and pepper.
Stir. Allow cauliflower to saute/steam for about 2 - 3 minutes.

Heat another saute pan for shrimp.

Add carrots - lightly season - stir - add a bit more water - stir for 3 - 4 minutes.

Add a bit of olive oil and shrimp to other saute pan. Stir.

Add broccoli - lightly season - stir - add a bit more water - stir for 1 - 2 minutes.

Stir shrimp

Add squash and zucchini - lightly season - stir - add a bit more water - stir for 1 - 2 minutes.

Remove shrimp pan from heat. Shrimp should be pink.

Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of butter to veggies. Stir while melting.
Taste and add additional seasoning if needed.
Remove the lemon pieces.

Plate the veggies, top with shrimp.


Until the next good eats - cook well and be well.

Al

Carrot Cake




Gluten-Free Carrot Cake


Peggy converted this recipe she got from a co-worker. We served this cake for GIG of ECW's 5th anniversary celebration.

If you are making this recipe for a gluten-free guest, please read our Guide to Gluten Cross-Contact.



Ingredients

1/2 cup GF coconut flour (Bob's Red Mill GF)
1/2 cup GF sorghum flour (Bob's Red Mill GF)
1 cup gluten-free flour mix (Jules GF Flour Mix)
1/4 teaspoon Xanthan gum (Ener G)
1 tsp double strength vanilla (Penzey's)
4 extra large eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup coconut oil (Dr. Bronner's White Virgin)
1 ½ teaspoons salt
3 cups grated carrots
¾ cups organic raisins (Roundy's – nothing but raisins)
1 cup raw, unsalted pecans (Nuts.com - GFCO)
3 teaspoons cinnamon (Penzey's)
2 teaspoons baking soda (Arm & Hammer)


Frosting

4-5 oz cream cheese (softened)
3 tbsp softened butter
3/4 lb powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla (Penzey's)
1 tsp milk


Cake Directions

In mixing bowl cream together eggs, oil & sugar. Add vanilla. Mix in shredded carrots. Add dry ingredients. Mix with mixer for 5 minutes. Fold in nuts & raisins.

Grease two 9” round pans. Add parchment paper to bottoms. Spoon mixture into pans.

Bake at 350 for 30-35 min. or until toothpick comes clean or golden brown and pulls away from sides of pan. Cool in pan on rack for 5 min, then remove cakes from pan and allow to finish cooling on rack.


Frosting Directions

Place ingredients in mixing bowl. With mixer whip ingredients mix for about 5 minutes or until fluffy.

Frost cooled cake. Refrigerate after it's frosted to firm up frosting.

Garnish with chopped pecans.

Note: Due to the coconut oil, refrigeration of the cake will result in it being firm. Best to serve at room temperature, unless you like firm cake.


Until the next good eats - cook well and be well.

Peggy & Al



Slow-Cooker Chicken Cacciatore



Slow-Cooker Chicken Cacciatore


Slow-cooker to the rescue...again! It's been pretty busy around the Al & Peg House as of late. Weekends are doubly-busy, so in order to make good eats, we need some help. Whilst we're scurrying around the house, the slow-cooker is doing all the hard work.

Peg found this naturally gluten-free recipe:
http://www.recipe.com/slow-cooker-chicken-cacciatore/?esrc=nwrc071212pinc

The original recipe calls for chicken drumsticks, but we used thighs instead - more meat on the thighs.

If you are making this recipe for a gluten-free guest, please read our Guide to Gluten Cross-Contact.



Ingredients:

2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
1 cup sliced celery
1 cup chopped carrot
2 medium onions, cut into wedges
1 green, yellow, or red sweet pepper, cut into strips
4 cloves garlic, minced
12 chicken thighs, skinned (about 3-1/2 pounds)
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 14-1/2-ounce can diced tomatoes
1/3 cup tomato paste


Directions:


1. Combine mushrooms, celery, carrot, onions, sweet peppers, and garlic in a 5- or 6-quart slow cooker. Place chicken on vegetables. Combine broth, wine, tapioca, sugar, oregano, bay leaves, salt, and pepper; pour over chicken.

2. Cover; cook on low-heat setting for 6 to 7 hours or on high-heat setting for 3 to 3-1/2 hours.

3. Remove chicken; cover to keep warm. Remove and discard bay leaves. If using low-heat setting, turn to high-heat setting. Stir in undrained tomatoes and the tomato paste. Cover and cook for 15 minutes more. Serve vegetable mixture over chicken and cooked pasta or rice.





Until the next good eats...

Al & Peg

Crockpot/Slow-cooker Beef Roast




Slow-cooker Beef Roast


Have you ever come home from a long day at work tired, hungry and don't really feel like making anything? Yeah, that happens around our house...
a lot. One weapon we rely on is our slow cooker. It's a magic time machine - you put stuff in it [usually frozen] before work and by the time you get home - POOF! Dinner! Good eats without a wholelotta work...I'm all over that like fur on a weasle...

This is crazy simple - takes about 5 - 10 minutes of prep work before you leave for work. Simple is what I need in the morning 'cos I'm usually half asleep when I'm putting this together.

If you are making this recipe for a gluten-free guest, please read our Guide to Gluten Cross-Contact.



Ingredients:

Sliced large onion or 2 med. onions
Hand full of carrots
Stalk or two of celery
Chopped tomato (I've used tomato paste in the past, but we had fresh tomatoes to use)
Penzey's Granulated Garlic
Penzey's Granulated Onion
Penzey's Herbs de Provence
Salt & Pepper
1/2 - 3/4 cup of water or gluten-free beef broth or red wine.
2 - 2 1/4 lb Chuck Roast
1 tablespoon of Sweet Rice Flour to thicken gravy


Directions:

Place veggies on the bottom of the slow cooker. This gives the meat a bed of flavor to rest on.

Season both sides of the frozen meat with salt, pepper, granulated garlic, granulated onion, Herbs de Provence. Use whatever herbs/seasoning you like - be creative!

Place frozen meat on top of veggies.

Add liquid.

Set slow-cooker to stun (low). For us, the cooking process is about 9 hours by the time someone gets home.

Walk out the door and return 8 - 9 hours later to some really great smells!

When I get home, I strain the veggies from the liquid. After 9 hours, they've given their little veggies lives to flavor the meat and the liquid for the gravy.

In a sauce pan heat up the liquid. Make slurry with the gluten-free flour and some water. Whisk the slurry into the pan. Allow to come to a boil and thicken. If it's not thick enough, make and whisk in a bit more slurry. Turn down the heat to a simmer. Season gravy to taste.


Homage to the Herbage

If you've ever wondered what type of herbs to use, my Facebook friend Jimmy Boswell [aka the
Gluten-Free Chef] from New Zealand created this very handy chart. He suggest which herbs to use for selected meats or veggies.

http://www.foodie.co.nz/Blogs/Jimmy-Boswell---Gluten-Free-Chef/Herb-Usage-Look-up-Chart.aspx

A great tip from Jimmy -

The general rule for using dried is use ¼ dried herbs for what’s suggested for fresh amounts in a recipe. You can reverse this if dried is suggested and you have fresh.



I took the liberty of putting Jimmy's text chart into a table...

Jimmy Boswell's Herb Chart for Proteins
Protein Herbs
Beef Basil, Bay leaf, Caraway, Chervil, Lovage seed, Cumin, Garlic Fenugreek, Ginger, Marjoram, Oregano, Parsley, Rosemary, Sage, Savory, Tarragon, Thyme and Peppermint.
Chicken Thyme, Anise, Basil, Bay leaf, Borage, Chervil, Chives, Cinnamon, Cumin, Dill, Fenugreek, Fennel, Garlic, Ginger, Lovage, Lemon Balm, Marjoram, Mint Oregano, Parsley, Rosemary, Saffron, Sage, Savory and Tarragon.
Duck Bay, Rosemary, Sage, Sweet Marjoram and Tarragon.
Fish Anise, Basil, Borage, Caraway, Chevil, Chives, Dill, Fennel, Garlic, Ginger, Marjoram, Oregano, Parsley, Rosemary, Saffron, Sage, Savory, Tarragon and Thyme.
Fish - Baked or Grilled Basil, Bay, Caraway, Chervil, Chives, Dill, Fennel, Lemon Balm, Lemon Thyme, Lovage, Marjoram, Mints, Parsley, Savory, Tarragon and Thyme.
Fish - Oily Fennel and Dill.
Fish Soups Bay, Lovage, Sage, Savory, Tarragon and Thyme.
Goose Fennel, Sage and Sweet Marjoram.
Ham Lovage, Marjoram, Mint, Mustard, Oregano, Parsley, Rosemary and Savory.
Lamb Basil, Bay leaf, Cinnamon, Coriander, Cumin, Chervil, Dill, Garlic, Ginger, Lemon Balm, Lovage seed, Marjoram, Mint, Parsley, Saffron, Rosemary, Sage, Tarragon, Thyme and Savory.
Liver Basil, Dill, Marjoram, Sage, Savory and Thyme.
Pork Anise, Caraway, Cardamom, Coriander, Chervil, Dill, Garlic, Ginger, Oregano, Rosemary, Saffron, Sage, Tarragon, Fennel, Lovage seed, Marjoram, Savory and Thyme.
Rabbit Basil, Bay, Marjoram, Lovage seed, Rosemary and Sage.
Salmon Dill seed and Rosemary.
Seafood Basil, Bay, Chervil, Chives, Dill, Fennel Seed, Marjoram, Rosemary, Tarragon and Thyme.
Turkey Basil, Garlic, Marjoram, Oregano, Rosemary, Saffron, Sage, Savory, Tarragon, Thyme, Parsley and Sweet Marjoram.
Veal Basil, Bay leaf, Chervil, Chives, Ginger, Marjoram, Mint, Parsley, Rosemary, Sage, Savory and Thyme.
Venison Bay, Lovage seed, Rosemary, Sage, Savory and Sweet Marjoram.


Jimmy Boswell's Herb Chart for Veggies
Veggie Herbs
Artichokes Bay, Savory and Tarragon.
Asparagus Chives, Lemon Balm, Sage, Savory, Tarragon, Thyme, Chervil, Dill and Tarragon.
Avocado Dill, Marjoram and Tarragon.
Beans Dried Savory, Cumin, Garlic, Mint, Oregano, Parsley, Sage, and Thyme.
Beans, Green Savory, Basil, Caraway, Cloves, Dill, Marjoram, Mint, Sage and Thyme.
Broccoli Basil, Dill, Garlic, Lemon Balm, Marjoram, Oregano, Tarragon and Thyme.
Brussel Sprouts Dill, Sage and Savory.
Cabbage Basil, Caraway, Cayenne, Cumin, Dill, Fennel, Marjoram, Sage, Savory, Borage, Dill seed, Mint, Oregano and Savory.
Carrots Anise, Basil, Chervil, Chives, Cinnamon, Clove, Cumin, Dill, Sage, Ginger, Marjoram, Mint, Parsley, Savory, Tarragon, Thyme and Chervil.
Cauliflower Basil, Caraway, Chives, Cumin, Dill, Garlic, Marjoram, Parsley, Rosemary, Savory, Tarragon and Fennel.
Corn Chevil, Chives, Lemon Balm, Saffron, Sage and, Thyme.
Eggplant Basil, Cinnamon, Dill, Garlic, Marjoram, Mint, Oregano, Parsley, Sage, Savory and Thyme.
Lentils Garlic, Mint , Parsley, Savory and Sorrel.
Mushrooms Coriander, Marjoram, Oregano, Rosemary, Tarragon, Thyme, Basil, Dill, Lemon Balm, Parsley, Rosemary and Savory.
Onions Basil, Marjoram, Oregano, Sage, Tarragon and Thyme.
Parsnips Basil, Dill, Marjoram, Parsley, Savory and Thyme.
Peas Caraway, Chevil, Chives, Rosemary, Savory, Tarragon, Thyme, Basil, Chervil, Marjoram, Mint, Parsley and Sage.
Potatoes Parsley, Basil, Caraway, Chives, Coriander, Dill, Fennel, Lovage, Sage, Marjoram, Oregano, Rosemary, Tarragon and Thyme.
Spinach Anise, Basil, Caraway, Chevil, Chives, Cinnamon, Dill, Rosemary, Thyme, Borage, Marjoram, Mint, Sage, Sorrel and Tarragon.
Squash Basil, Caraway, Cardamom, Cinnamon, Cloves, Ginger, Marjoram, Oregano, Rosemary, Sage, Savory and Dill.
Tomatoes Basil, Bay leaf, Chives, Chervil, Coriander, Dill, Garlic, Lovage, Sage, Marjoram, Oregano, Parsley, Rosemary, Savory, Tarragon and Thyme.
Turnips Dill seed, Marjoram and Savory.
Zucchini Basil, Dill, Marjoram, Rosemary and Tarragon.



Until the next good eats...

Al


Everybody in the Pool (aka Hamburger) Soup



Have you ever run into a situation where you needed to use up all sorts of miscellaneous things in the fridge? Yeah, well, this is the result. We had a little of this - a little of that. Whatever was laying around got thrown into the pot. Bottom line, we really weren't following as recipe.

If you are making this recipe for a gluten-free guest, please read our Guide to Gluten Cross-Contact.



Ingredients:

1lb Hamburger
Onion
Fresh Mushrooms
1/2 cubed Rutabaga
Cabbage
Carrot
Celery
Frozen Green Beans
Frozen corn
Green Bell Pepper
Gluten-Free Beef Stock (
(Kitchen Basics, Swanson’s, Pacific, Imagine). Note: Beef stocks may contain gluten. Double check the ingredients)
Gluten-Free Chicken Stock
(Kitchen Basics, Swanson’s, Pacific, Imagine)
V8
Bay Leaf

Directions:

Sauté' green bell pepper & onion in a big soup pot [7 qt pictured here] for a few minutes.
Add a pinch a salt and pepper. Be careful with the salt, your stocks have have additional salt.
Add 2 lbs of hamburger to pan and brown.
Add a pinch of salt and pepper
Drain/remove excess grease.
Add chicken or beef broth - probably 2-4 cups total
Add bottle of 46oz bottle of V8
Add Bay Leaf or two
Add veggies that need longer too cook first (like rutabaga, carrots, celery, etc]- staggering them by a couple of minutes.
Taste for salt/pepper
Bring up to a boil then reduce heat to simmer
Cover pot and let simmer for 30 - 60 minutes stirring occasionally.
Check a carrot/celery/rutabaga - if it's a texture you like - dig in!


Until the next good eats...

Al



Beef Stew



If you are making this recipe for a gluten-free guest, please read our Guide to Gluten Cross-Contact.



Ingredients:

2 pounds beef
3 - 4 Tb Sweet Rice Flour
2 Tb chopped fresh parsley
1/4 tsp thyme
salt & pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups cubed onions
1 1/2 cups of cubed celery
3 cups cubed and peeled potatoes
3 cups sliced carrots
28 ounces beef GF broth (Kitchen Basics, Swanson’s, Pacific, Imagine)
or (Herb-Ox w/ 28 oz of water could be used instead of beef broth)

Option - replace 6 oz of stock with 6 oz of red wine.


Directions:

Preheat oven to 325.

Trim fat from beef and cut into 1.5 inch cubes. We get stew meat that's already cubed at our meat market.

Put flour, salt & pepper into plastic bag. Drop in a handful of meat, close bag and shake to coat. Remove coated pieces and set aside. Repeat this until all pieces are coated. You may need to add more flour as you go. Just be mindful as to how many pieces you have left and how much flour is in the bag - you don't want to have a lot to throw out when done.

Discard excess flour.

Combine parsley, pepper & thyme and set aside.

Put half of beef on the bottom of a Dutch oven or a big pan with a lid. Top with half the onions, half the potatoes, half the carrots. Sprinkle with half the parsley mixture. Repeat layering (starting again with the beef and ending with parsley). Pour in broth [or broth/wine mixture]. Cover and bake for 2 hours.


Al & Peg Notes:

This recipe as it's shown is fine, however, it could use a bit of jazzing up. We are making this for dinner tomorrow afternoon. We are planning on replacing 6 oz of beef broth with red wine. 6 oz equals a mini bottle of wine that you get in a 4 pack.

Edit 2/5/07 - We really like the addition of the red wine. However, it turns the sauce [and the potatoes] a slight shade of purple. It tastes good, but color is not right.

We also added a several shakes of McCormick's Grill Mates Hamburger Seasoning.

We did have to add a little extra salt after tasting it.

Creamy Broccoli and Cauliflower Soup




If you are making this recipe for a gluten-free guest, please read our Guide to Gluten Cross-Contact.



Ingredients:

1 medium onion - chopped
2 celery ribs - chopped
2 medium carrots - grated
1/2 cup of butter or margarine
2 tablespoons of sweet rice flour
4 cups of milk
1 can Progresso Cream of Mushroom soup
1 1/2 cups of cubed cheddar cheese
3 cups of chopped broccoli - steamed
3 cups of chopped cauliflower - steamed
1 teaspoon Lawry's Seasoned salt


Directions:

In a Dutch oven, sauté onion, celery and carrot in butter until tender. Stir in GF flour until blended. Gradually add milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Add soup, cheese, steamed broccoli and cauliflower, and Lawry's; mix well. Cook and stir until cheese is melted and soup is heated through. Yield: 10-12 servings (3 quarts).


If you can do lots of dairy - this is a good one. We have not tried subbing out the dairy.

Note:

You can use the same base to make potato soup by replacing broccoli/cauliflower with 6 large potatoes, peeled, diced, and cooked (about 8 cups)


Vegetable Beef End of Summer Soup




If you are making this recipe for a gluten-free guest, please read our Guide to Gluten Cross-Contact.



Ingredients:

1 - 2 pounds stew meat (not pre-seasoned or pre-marinaded)
1 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
1 32 oz carton GF beef stock
(Kitchen Basics, Swanson’s, Pacific, Imagine)
1 48 oz bottle V8 Juice
2 - 3 cups cubed fresh rutabagas
2 - 3 cups peeled & sliced fresh carrots
2 - 3 cups chopped fresh green beans
1 medium onion chopped
2 cups chopped zucchini
2 ears cooked fresh corn cut off the cob or frozen
3/4 cups of frozen peas
3 cups chopped cabbage
2 chopped Roma tomatoes
1 Bay leaf
Salt & Pepper to taste

optional: 1 packet of
HerbOx beef bouillon
optional: 1 small 5.5oz can of tomato juice


Directions:

Add olive oil to your soup pot or dutch oven and brown stew meat.
Add beef stock and V8 juice to pot and stir.
Add carrots and rutabagas. Let simmer for 10 minutes.
Add all the rest of the veggies and bay leaf.
Stir and simmer covered pot for about 3 hrs.

Rinse the bottle of V8 and add water to pot [about 1-2 cups].


Peg Notes:

The amounts of veggies can be adjusted to your tastes. I added the additional HerbOx and tomato juice because I felt there was more veggies than liquid. I didn't want to loose flavor as I added liquid, so I used the HerbOx


Minestrone Soup



This recipe is adapted from Living Without Summer 2005 issue.

It's one of our favorites and gets rave reviews from all who've tried - gluten-free or otherwise.

We save it for the fall/winter when it is cold and yucky on the outside and warm and yummy on the inside.

If you are making this recipe for a gluten-free guest, please read our Guide to Gluten Cross-Contact.



Ingredients

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
2 cloves minced garlic
1 large onion - diced
2 medium carrots - sliced
2 stalks celery - sliced
1 medium potato - diced
1 15oz can diced tomatoes
1 small zuchinni
1 tspn oregano
2 tspn salt
4 cups GF chicken broth (Kitchen Basics, Swanson’s, Pacific, Imagine)
1 cup fresh or frozen corn
1 cup fresh or frozen green bean (1 1/2" pieces)
1 15oz can kidney beans - drained & rinsed
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil (optional) or 2 cubes of frozen homemade basil pesto (See Al Notes)
Parmesan cheese (optional)



Add olive oil, butter & garlic to a large soup pot over medium heat. Saute until onion is transparent and soft.

Add celery, carrots, potato. Sauté for another 5 minutes.

Add tomatoes, oregano, salt and chicken broth.

Bring soup up to a simmer. Cover and cook for 15-30 minutes. Veggies should be tender.

Add the corn, green beans, kidney beans, zucchini and simmer for another 15-30 minutes.

Stir in fresh basil or add frozen pesto cubes and allow to melt.

Serve hot and don't eat too much. You could also top with fresh grated Parmesan cheese.


Al Notes

Since we made a double batch, we use both kidney beans and black beans.

In the summer I will make fresh basil pesto. This is usually a Saturday project for me. We have a little farmers market downtown and I'll get several bunches. I'll whiz up a batch and pour it in ice cube trays and freeze it. After about a month of pesto making, we'll have several freezer bags full of pesto cubes we can use for a whole bunch of things...like this soup!

Cashew Chicken Stir-fry

cashew_chicken

The recipe is from Taste of Home's Treasury of Christmas Recipes.

This is our favorite stir-fry recipe. The sauce has a perfect balance.

If you are making this recipe for a gluten-free guest, please read our Guide to Gluten Cross-Contact.



Ingredients

2 cups GF Chicken Broth (Campbell's Natural Goodness, Kitchen Basics)
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts - cut into bite sized pieces
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup sliced carrots
1/2 cup sliced celery
3 cups broccoli florets
1 cup Snow or Snap peas
1/4 cup GF corn starch (Argo)
3 tablespoons GF soy sauce (La Choy)
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 1/2 cups of cashews

Cooked rice (optional)


Directions

In skillet or wok, add 3 tablespoons of broth and heat.
Add chicken, stir-fry over medium heat until pink is gone (3 -5 minutes).
Remove chicken with slotted spoon and set aside.
Add garlic, carrots & celery to pan - stir-fry for 3 minutes.
Add broccoli and peas - stir-fry for 4-5 minutes - till crisp tender.

Combine corn starch, soy sauce, ginger & remaining broth and mix.
Add chicken to pan.
Add liquid to pan.
Cook and stir for several minutes - sauce will thicken.
Stir in cashews or add cashews when serving.

Al Notes:

I tend to use more chicken broth than stated. We like to have a bit more sauce.

Chicken & Wild Rice Blend with Veggies

WildRiceandChicken


The Wild Rice Blend is from Lundberg and has become one of my recent favorite meals. It simple to do, but it takes time for the rice to cook. However it gives you time to do the veggies.

The recipe for this on the bag.

If you are making this recipe for a gluten-free guest, please read our Guide to Gluten Cross-Contact.



Ingredients

1/2 cup of chopped celery
1 cup of sliced mushrooms
1 small onion
1/4 cup red bell pepper
1/4 cup carrot
1 (or more) cloves of garlic
2 tbs butter or Extra Virgin Olive Oil (I used EVOO).
2-3 tbs of GF soy sauce (GF Teriyaki sauce is used in the original recipe, but we don't like teriyaki sauce)

1 cup of Wild Blend
2 cups of water or GF chicken broth (Kitchen Basics, Swanson’s, Pacific, Imagine)
1 tbs butter (optional - you could use EVOO too)
Salt & Pepper to taste. Just know how salty the broth is before you season.

Directions

Combine rice, liquid & butter/EVOO in pot with tight lid
Bring to boil. Stir once then cover.
Reduce to simmer and cook 50 minutes.
Remove from heat and let stand while covered for 10 minutes.

While rice is cooking prep the veggies. Use you imagination - use colorful veggies!

In a pan, add butter/oil & garlic over medium heat for 2 minutes.
Add onion, celery & carrots and stir. Sauté for 3-4 minutes
Add red bell pepper. Sauté for a couple more minutes.
Add mushrooms & stir.
Add GF teriyaki or soy.
Reduce heat and stir occasionally.
Remove from heat when veggies are tender.

Once the Wild Blend is done, fold in veggie mixture.