Recipe: Ham and Beans

INGREDIENTS:

2 cans or 1 lb dry great Northern beans 1/2 pound cooked ham, diced 1 small onion, diced 3 tsp brown sugar 1 clove of garlic

salt and pepper to taste 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 tablespoon dried parsley

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Rinse beans in a large pot. Add 8 cups of cold water. Let stand overnight or at least 8 hours. Drain and rinse beans. OR: (Open two cans, drain, rinse.)
2.	Return beans to pot and add ham, onion, brown sugar, salt, pepper, garlic, cayenne and parsley and water to cover. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until beans are tender. Add more water if necessary during cooking time. I generally serve over steamed brown or white rice. Enjoy!!

Recipe: Spanish Rice - Gluten Free and Vegetarian

Right before I added the rice.

Before I mixed it together, isnt it pretty!!

Ingredients:

2 Green Peppers - Optional Red, Yellow or Orange Peppers...

1 Yellow Onion

2 Tsp Olive Oil

1 Can of Corn ( You can use frozen or fresh)

1 Can of Black Beans

1 Can of Diced tomatoes

1 Can of Rotel Diced tomatoes

2 Tsp Cumin

2 Tsp Garlic Salt

1 Tsp Paprika

1 Tsp Mild Chili Powder

4 Cups cooked rice... ( I steamed mine in the steamer while cooking the rest..)

1 package of mexican cheese

Directions:

1. In large saute pan on medium high heat, add Olive Oil... 
2. When oil is hot add peppers and onions. Saute until soft.
3. Add Tomatoes, beans, corn and all spices...
4. Mix together and reduce heat to simmer...
5. Simmer 10 - 15 minutes just to warm through.
6. Fold in rice. Place in serving dish.
7. Layer cheese on top.
8. Serve hot or room temp...

Enjoy!!

Sorry I didn't get a pic of the final product! I got to excited to eat it! ;)

Minestrone Soup

Todays Menu included Minestrone soup - one of my faves!
Usually I make it with shell noodles, but since this is gluten free - we used rice. ( the recipe called for quinoa).

Everyone loved it, we added in addition to the recipe - zucchini and celery and some extra chicken broth...

Chili and Chicken tacos!! Ole!

And mexican week continues!

Here we have chicken tacos with a rice and veggie salad- ( we discovered we arent really fans of corn tortillas) But ate them anyways...
Chicken was spicy according to the kids, so next time, less spice...
For them at least, LOL

And the chili was astounding and had tons of hidden veggies, if your family doesnt like those sorts of things... My kids prefer veggies over meat so they were pleased to have it mixed in...
This was supposed to be served with home made corn chips - but I burnt them... Dang it!
I am NOT posting the photo of that! LOL!!

Enjoy this feast of the eyes!

Chicken with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce and Parmesan Kale Beans

Last night was night #2 for gluten free eating for me.
I must confess I have already started getting headaches, I assume from my body detoxing a bit and the fact that I havent had any soda in two days.
But thats okay, it means its working right??

Last night was supposed to be Salmon with Roasted red pepper sauce and a side of beans with Kale.
I dont eat fish, so I changed it to chicken. I thought it was very good. Still not sure if I like kale. But I ate it. The kids all loved the chicken, my daughter tried but didnt like the beans. ( I really think she didnt like the kale). And both boys ate everything. Of course.

I really thought the kale would cook down like a spinach but it didnt. It fought me to the bitter end. ( see what I did there - bitter/kale)  but it held its crunch.

Here are some shots I took of it...

All in all, we ate, our bellies are full and not full of gluten. Score!
Stay tuned for more!!

No Beef Chili - Recipe

No Beef Chili

Ingredients:

2 lbs of Ground Turkey

1 lb of Ground Chicken

1 Pack of Chili Seasoning

1 Small Can of Tomato Sauce ( I used Zesty Rotel Tomato Sauce)

1 Can of Rotel Diced Tomatoes and Peppers

1 Large Can of Diced Tomatoes

2 Cans of Pinto Beans

Directions:

Brown both meats with Chili packet.

Add all canned ingredients.

Simmer for an hour or more.

Serve.

Yep, its that easy!

We served ours with Cornbread Muffins...

White Chicken Chili - Recipe

White Chicken Chili - 

Ingredients

• 3/4 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cubed
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 (15 ounce) can white kidney or cannelini beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (15 ounce) can northern beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (11 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
• 1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chilies (optional)
• 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ( In place of the water and bouillon you may use chicken stock which is what I did...)

( I also used up left over chicken from my Roasted Lemon Chicken)

Directions

1. In a large skillet, saute chicken, onion and garlic in oil until onion is tender.
2. Transfer to a slow cooker. Stir in the remaining ingredients. 
3. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours or until chicken juices run clear and flavors are blended.

Vegetarian Spaghetti Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 (16 ounce) package spaghetti
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 2 carrots sliced thin
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 (26 ounce) jar meatless spaghetti sauce
• 1 (16 ounce) can cannellini beans - Any kind of your favorite bean would work here...
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes with garlic and onion, undrained
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute the onion, celery, carrots and garlic powder in oil until tender. Add the spaghetti sauce, beans, tomatoes, sugar, salt, oregano and bay leaf.
2. Bring to a boil; cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Discard bay leaf. Drain spaghetti; top with sauce and Parmesan cheese.

You can make so many variations of this dish by adding other veggies your family loves! Try some out, I would love to hear about them!! This was a huge hit with our family! Hope you enjoy!