Breakfast Tacos!

Head on over to The Gluten Free Homemaker for her What's for Dinner Wednesday? blog carnival. It's a ton of fun and you'll find many meal ideas. This week it's breakfast food and next week it'll be dessert. So share your gluten free meal ideas with us and link up or just visit and get inspired.

Before I cut gluten out of my diet breakfast burritos/tacos were one of my favorite ways to eat the first meal of the day. What's not to like about eggs, meat, onions, mushrooms, peppers and tomatoes (which I can no longer have, a long story but peppers and tomatoes seem to be the cause of my hives) in an easy to eat package. I've been hard pressed however in my post-gluten gobbling life to find a wrap that would actually hold up to being filled and rolled, however I've found a solution.

Recently I started making my own homemade corn tortillas. These little beauties are so wonderful, they taste out of this world and being so darn fresh (hot off the skillet) they are perfectly pliable, a more than suitable vehicle for a breakfast taco.

These are so easy to make, you can either use a store bought gluten free wrap or make your own homemade and fill 'em up!! Get creative and have them your way.

Some fillings I like in my breakfast taco:
Eggs
Onions
Mushrooms
Bacon
Sausage
Last nights steak
If you can eat it, tomatoes and peppers... Salsa!!!

Light and easy = Egg drop soup

Head over to the Gluten Free Homemaker for What's for Dinner Wednesday, a gluten free food blog carnival where you can find many great gluten free meal/dessert/food ideas.

I was sad last week that I was unable to participate in the weekly What's for Dinner Wednesday blog carnival. I unfortunately was having a really great time in Disneyland. So there was no way I planned on missing this week. However, being away and having a great time celebrating my first 30 years left me with a lot of catching up to do on the home front.

This week I decided to do something quick and easy and that for some reason I've been craving a few times a week. Egg Drop Soup. There are many variations of this dish, but they are all pretty simple. The one I'm sharing with you is for a single serving (usually I'm making myself lunch after I put the little man down for his nap). It's perfect for those days when I'm not terribly hungry and I need something light. Not to mention having very few ingredients I can make this when I have virtually nothing in the fridge.

Egg Drop Soup

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups really good chicken broth (Its important to use a high quality good flavored broth as the majority of this soups flavor comes from it.)
2 Tablespoons finely chopped water chestnuts (optional)
Small handful of frozen peas
1 Tablespoon +/- sliced green onions
1 Egg, well beaten
A dash or two gluten free soy sauce or tamari
Pinch of parsley flakes (mostly for color, hehe.)

Directions:
Bring chicken broth to a medium boil. Add onions, soy sauce, water chestnuts, and parsley. Slowly pour in beaten egg while stirring broth in one direction... say clockwise, slowly. Egg should cook pretty much on contact with the broth. Add frozen peas and remove from heat. Salt and pepper to taste if needed. Serve

Mediterranean Lemon Chicken

Head over to Linda's blog, the Gluten Free Homemaker and check out the other gluten free dinner ideas for What's for Dinner Wednesday, while you're there add one of your favorite recipes to the mix.

Some of my favorite flavors are garlic and lemon. I've only had the wonderful privilege of eating lemons in anything for the last few years. You see, my mother is deathly allergic to lemons, even the smell of one will send her to the hospital. So the past few years as I've lived on my own (with my husband) I often choose to use lemon in my dishes.

I've tried many different recipes over and more often than not they are not "lemony" enough. If I choose to use it in a dish I like to be able to tell that its there. When I found this recipe I was so excited, from the looks of it I could just taste the luscious combination of garlic and lemon. Please enjoy this recipe as much as I have, it is not my own but I wish it was.

Mediterranean Lemon Chicken (from allrecipes.com)
INGREDIENTS

• 1 lemon
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 6 chicken legs

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
2. In a 9x13 inch baking dish, grate the peel from 1/2 the lemon, squeeze out the juice (about 1/4 cup) and add to peel with the oregano, garlic, oil, salt and pepper. Stir until mixed.
3. Remove skin from chicken pieces and discard. Coat chicken pieces with the lemon mixture and arrange, bone side up, in the baking dish. Cover dish and bake for 20 minutes. Turn and baste chicken.
4. Reduce heat to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) and bake uncovered, basting every 10 minutes, for about 30 more minutes. Serve chicken with pan juices.

Steak and Spinach salad with balsamic vinaigrette

Come join us for What's for Dinner Wednesday hosted over on the Gluten Free Homemaker. Every week we share fabulous gluten free dinner and sometime dessert ideas. We'd love for you to you to join in and share yours too.

So, I just thought I would share with you what I ate for dinner tonight. I had some leftover grilled steak from last night, sliced thinly over some of my CSA spinach, accented with crimini mushrooms, black olives and some CSA cilantro. Balsamic vinaigrette (I just sprinkled some balsamic vinegar and some olive oil on top) was my dressing of choice. I have to tell you, this was delicious. I had the same thing with the addition of blackberries the next day, tasted sooooo good. What's your favorite salad preparation?

Cheesy Egg Bake

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Some days when I look in the fridge I don't find much. I need to go grocery shopping and I just don't have the time or energy to do it that day. So I look at what I have, bits and scraps left from earlier creations in the week, enough to maybe squeak out a meal. A few eggs, some green onions, mushrooms (always have them, I'm addicted,) 2 slices of swiss cheese, the last of a bag of grated parm, and a little bit of milk in the carton.

I pull out my trusty Better Homes and Garden cookbook. I love this thing, lots of pictures, tasty and quick recipes that are fairly straightforward and easy to convert to gluten free in most cases. There are food stains on my favorite pages, some of which stick together. Not this time though, I open it up to the egg section, a culinary area I usually stay pretty far away from. I'm just not that fond of eggs unless they are scrambled, childhood incident with an over easy egg... Moving on, I start to peruse the egg section.

What do I find, a recipe that seems to be screaming at me, as I read each required ingredient my mind goes back to the bare remnants in my fridge... I have all of them, granted not in full recipe portion but enough of each to make a batch to feed my small family. Why not, I think to myself. Lets give Cheese and Mushroom Brunch Eggs a chance. I just cut the portion sizes (I think I had 4 or 5 eggs, so I cut it by quite a bit) and made the sauce gluten free. Speaking of which, which flour mix do you use for your roux, mine tends to be grainy and I'd like to try something a little different and see what results I get. Please let me know.

Cheese and Mushroom Brunch Eggs, from Better Homes and Gardens and made gluten free.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
• 2 tablespoons gluten free flour
  
• 1-1/3 cups milk or fat-free milk
• 1/2 cup shredded Swiss or Gruyere cheese (2 ounces)
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1-1/2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms, such as button, shiitake or crimini
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions (2)
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 12 beaten eggs or 3 cups refrigerated or frozen egg product, thawed
• Tomato slices, cut in half

Directions

1. For sauce, in a medium saucepan melt the 2 tablespoons butter. Stir in flour. Cook and stir for 1 minute. Add milk all at once. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Stir in Swiss cheese, Parmesan cheese, salt, and nutmeg. Cook and stir over medium heat until cheeses melt. Remove from heat; set aside.

2. In a large nonstick skillet cook mushrooms and green onions in the 1 tablespoon hot butter until tender. Add eggs. Cook over medium heat without stirring until eggs begin to set on the bottom and around the edge. Using a large spatula, lift and fold the partially cooked eggs so that the uncooked portion flows underneath. Continue cooking until eggs are cooked through, but still glossy and moist .

3. Transfer half of the scrambled egg mixture to a 2-quart square baking dish. Drizzle about half of the sauce over egg mixture. Top with the remaining scrambled eggs and remaining sauce.

4. Bake, uncovered, for 15 to 20 minutes or until heated through. Top with tomato slices, if desired. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

5. Makes 6 servings

6. Cheese and Mushroom Brunch Eggs for 12: Prepare as at left, except double all ingredients and use a 12-inch nonstick skillet. Cook half the mushrooms and green onions in 1 tablespoons hot butter until tender. Beat 12 eggs together at one time and add the 12 eggs to mushroom mixture in skillet. Cook as in step 3. Transfer scrambled egg mixture to a 3-quart rectangular baking dish. Repeat with remaining butter, mushrooms, green onions and eggs. Top egg mixture in dish with half of the sauce. Top with remaining egg mixture and remaining sauce. Bake, uncovered, about 25 minutes or until heated through. Top with tomato slices, if desired. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Makes 12 servings.

7. Easy Cheese and Mushroom Brunch Eggs: Prepare as above, except omit the first 7 ingredients and step 1. Substitute 1, 16-ounce jar purchased light Alfredo sauce for the prepared sauce. Continue as directed.

A slightly sweet twist.

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This last year I discovered a recipe for pork roast, a recipe that I was actually very unsure of trying. You see, I think my roasts should be savory, who ever heard of a sweet roast. Brown sugar, applesauce, cinnamon... PORK! It just couldn't taste right. However, I also like to try new preparations for old favorites. My husband loves a slightly sweet twist to things, so I decided to give it a go. I'm happy I did.

This has been adjusted from the original recipe, which was already gluten free. However I cut back on a few ingredients and changed the cooking method.

Pork Roast with Brown Sugar and Applesauce (adapted)

Ingredients:
2 lb boneless pork roast
1 single serving all natural applesauce
Dash of cinnamon (more or less to taste)
1/2 cup light brown sugar (lightly packed)
1 1/2 teaspoons ginger (I use freshly grated)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees

In a small bowl, mix applesauce, brown sugar, cinnamon, and ginger.

Place roast in a casserole dish, pour applesauce mixture over top of the roast and put the lid on the dish. Place in the oven for an hour (or until done when temped.)

Serve.

Baked Cavatelli

Join us for What's for Dinner Wednesday over at the Gluten Free Homemaker. We love sharing dinner ideas, whether it be side dishes, main courses or dessert. Share your ideas too, the more the merrier.

Last week I thought I would try to make a dish called baked cavatelli, I don't know why it's called that, but I made it. It was very very easy and oddly enough tasted a lot like lasagna, a very easy to put together version of it. Tasted great and made quite a bit of food.

I've learned that sometimes easier is better. I had all these ingredients on hand which also made it handy.

Baked Cavatelli:

Boil up 2 cups gluten free noodles, I like spiral noodles or macaroni noodles for my baked dishes. Drain.

While the pasta is cooking, in a separate bowl grate 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese and a jars worth of red pasta sauce (your choice.) Add the drained noodles and mix gently.

Saute some onions, italian sausage and mushrooms until tender (Make up as much as you like, you're eating this dish so adjust it to your taste,) and then add to the noodles and sauce, again mix gently.

Pour mixture into a casserole dish and bake at 350 until heated through and a bit bubbly. Add a bit of mozzarella to the top and return to the oven until melted. Serve.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Come join us over at the Gluten Free Homemaker for What's for Dinner Wednesdays. You'll find many great ideas for meals, sides and even dessert. It's fun, share your food with us.

I decided to try something this week that I hadn't as gluten free yet. I knew I didn't want to do anything fancy so I planned to just keep it simple. Simple and quick.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

All you'll need is 4 chicken breast halves, 4 thin slices of some ham or proccuitto, 4 slices of swiss cheese and some toothpicks.

Pound the chicken out between 2 pieces of plastic wrap using the flat side of a tenderizer, or a rolling pin... or however you want to do it. Just don't mutilate the breasts.

Salt and pepper each piece of chicken, lay a piece of meat and cheese down and roll. Hold in place with a toothpick.

Put in a saute pan (I use cast iron so I could put it in the oven,) just under medium heat. Cook through (took 20 minutes or so for me.) Remove toothpicks before serving. I made a mustard sauce to go on them, but I'm sure there are many other things you could do. Have fun, make it your own.

Enjoy.

The Sweeter Side.

I have a toddler that's recently turned two. This little boy has amazed me in his short lifespan, eating everything I put on his plate, especially the spicy or very unusual tasting things. From the beginning of his non-milk meals I have fed him homemade foods, pureeing my own vegetables, mashing my own fruit. I wanted him to have the best he could get, without the extra sugar and whatever else processed foods have in them, (although you can find "baby" foods that are pretty natural with not a lot of added junk.) It simply felt good to be taking good care of him.

The last couple of weeks however, his little appetite has hit a roadblock. The Dr. says it's normal for little ones his age to go through a phase like this, a lot of it has to do with texture. My little guy is also teething heavily. He's been quite slow getting his teeth in, the first one didn't break skin until 10 months and then it was another 3 before the second one came through. We still have 1/3 of the way to go before he's done.

So, vegetables are not his favorite at the moment. However, he loves fruit. So I thought to myself, what if I tried to sweeten up the vegetables. Maybe I could get some in him that way. Low and behold he actually ate some, and so did my husband, which is saying something. So here are two vegetables that I sweetened up a bit. Maybe you'll like them too. Feel free to share some of your toddler tips with me, let me know how you get your little ones to eat their foods.

Roasted Acorn Squash with Brown Sugar.
No real recipe here. I bought the squash at the market and followed the baking directions. When the squash was done I slabbed some butter on it, and some brown sugar and then stuck it under the broiler to caramelize. I served it hot with a little salt and pepper. Now, I don't normally care for squash, but this won even me over.

Caramelized Carrots
Again, no real recipe here. I sauteed the carrots in some butter until they just started to get some color on them and then added just a touch of brown sugar. These I must say were very tasty and inspired by a caramelized sweet potato and carrots baby food that my son used to love. I know, a strange inspiration... but they taste great.

Some darn yummy chicken.

One of my favorite recipe sites is allrecipes.com and I find myself there a couple of times a week looking through recipes and trying to find some that are easily converted to be gluten free. There is always so much to look at, beautiful pictures, fabulous feedback from people who have tried the recipes and a great interface. I pass the site on to anybody I talk to as a great resource for online inspiration.

One creative battle I always seem to be fighting is that of finding a new way to serve chicken. So one day while I was traipsing around on allrecipes.com I found this little beauty. It has mushrooms, it has garlic, it has balsamic vinegar. Thinking about it makes my mouth water... slightly tangy with an earthy quality that just hits the spot each time I serve it.

I hope you enjoy this dish as much as I do and if you need a little chicken inspiration maybe you've just found it.

Chicken Breasts with Balsamic Vinegar and Garlic (slightly modified)

• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3/4 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 6 cloves garlic
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 3/4 cup chicken broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 tablespoon butter

DIRECTIONS

1. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Clean mushrooms. Heat oil in a skillet over medium high heat and saute the chicken until it is nicely browned on one side (about 3 minutes).
2. Add the garlic. Turn the chicken breasts and scatter the mushrooms over them. Continue frying, shaking the skillet and stirring the mushrooms. Cook for about 3 minutes, then add the vinegar, broth, bay leaf and thyme. Cover tightly and simmer over medium low heat for 10 minutes, turning occasionally.
3. Transfer the chicken to a warm serving platter and cover with foil. Set aside. Continue simmering the sauce, uncovered, over medium high heat for about 7 minutes. Swirl in the butter or margarine and discard the bay leaf. Pour this mushroom sauce mixture over the chicken and serve.

It's pizza night.

In my house pizza is served often, my husband and 2 year old love it. They have their own gluten infected pizza stone on which to bake up a nice thin crust as often as they like. I too love pizza, however I don't have it nearly as often as I used to now that I don't eat any gluten.

I've tried many varieties of gluten free pizza and dough. A few frozen, which while edible weren't anything to write home about. Many homemade crusts I didn't find edible at all, and quite a bit of trial and error were involved in finding one that I liked.

Forget a pan crust, there really isn't anything you want in a really thick crust when it comes to gluten free in regards to pizza (in my opinion.) These are the recipes that I more often than not ended up throwing in the trash the taste and bite just not right. Gluten free bread tends to be dense, and I don't feel like chewing my pizza all night long. I'll tell you now, I used to love a pan crust, Pizza Hut was my favorite... nice and greasy. I've since switched to thin crust and I've found one I'll share.

If you have Bette Hagman's Gluten Free Gourmet (revised addition) you'll find the recipe for Pat's Thin Yeast Crust there, pg 244, mine has pizza sauce stains on it. That's what I use, it makes a wonderful tasting crispy thin crust that can be held in your hand or eaten with a knife and fork. Even my husband will eat it and tell you straight to your face that you wouldn't know the difference. I've made a couple of changes to the recipe, and you can too. Cooking/Baking is about finding your own way in the kitchen. Have fun. Enjoy this pizza with a beverage, maybe one of the gluten free beers I've tried lately would go well with it.

Pat's Thin Yeast Crust

1 1/2 teaspoons instant dry yeast granules
1 cup warm water 105 to 115 degrees (you may or may not need a bit more or less than the cup.)
1 teaspoon sugar
2/3 cup rice flour (I use brown.)
1/3 cup potato starch flour
1 tablespoon potato flour (I use sorghum here)
1 1/2 teaspoons melted shortening (I use butter)
1 teaspoon salt

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees

In a mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast in 1/2 cup of the warm water with the sugar added. Let set until yeast bubbles and the quantity doubles.

Add all the rest of the ingredients, using enough of the remaining water to get a dough the consistency of cake frosting that will spread, not run, when all ingredients are thoroughly beaten. On your pizza stone or greased cookie sheet pour your batter out. Spead with a spatula until you have a nice circle 12" to 12 1/2 " around. If you want leave more at the edge for raised sides.

Bake for 10 minutes and remove from oven, add sauce and toppings and return to the oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Chicken Smoosh

A few months back my neighbor invited me over for dinner, it was very last minute. Last minute meals out almost never go well for me, eating gluten free and not at home requires planning and and generally some mild coaching, "Yes that's ok, no... that has wheat in it." I accepted and decided to make the most of it, after all Adam was traveling and I would be cooking for one if I declined, something I tend not to enjoy.

I walked out my front door and the 100 feet or so to her front door. The family greeted me, 2 wild little boys running around screaming. I've since come to learn that they love company of any sort. It felt good to have company and the prospect of sitting at a table with people instead of at mine alone was pleasant. We all sat down, bowls were passed out, spoons, and glasses.

"I hope you can eat this," she said. "I talked to Jennifer (another neighbor,) and she told me you can't have wheat so this is what I came up with."

"I'm sure it'll be fine," I replied with a smile. I was amazed that she knew of my dietary needs and had actually tried to meet them.

The dish she prepared was simple, crock pot magic. It was like a chili but it wasn't. It was very hearty and could stand on it's own, something I knew I would like to make at home. I asked her what was in it and she gave me a rough accounting, no wheat. I could eat. We talked, the boys misbehaved and the evening was enjoyed.

A few weeks later I decided I would try and recreate the dish for Adam. Once a week I try and do something in the crock pot. It's easy and there's usually enough for leftovers, a lifesaving trait for those nights I just don't feel like cooking or we're in a time crunch. I couldn't find an exact recipe on the internet so I took a couple of different ones and used them for a starting block. Here's the end result, named by my husband who is fond of the dish and feeling playful the night he ate it.

Chicken Smoosh:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cubed

1 - meduim onion diced

1 - 4 oz can diced green chiles

1 - 15 oz can black beans

1 - 15 oz can diced tomatoes

1 - 6 oz can tomato paste

15 oz sweet corn (canned or frozen)

2 teaspoons cumin

2 teaspoons chile powder

Salt to taste

Directions

1. Add all ingredients to a crock pot/slow cooker. Cook on low 5-6 hours. Top with cheddar cheese or sour cream and a side of tortilla chips if you like and serve. Makes 4-6 servings.