Chicken Basil Pasta

I recently found a recipe website that I love! It’s called Eat Better America. We’ve made a few successful recipes from this site that I’ll try to post soon, but the one we made tonight….oh, it was delicious. I had to post it right now. I modified the recipe just a little bit, so here’s my version:
Chicken Basil Pasta

1 T. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 Roma Tomatoes, diced
2 C. cubed cooked chicken
3 T fresh basil, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp Tobasco Sauce
8 oz pasta (I used Tinkyada spaghetti noodles)

Prepare pasta according to directions. Meanwhile, heat oil in skillet on medium heat. Add all other ingredients and cook until tomatoes are soft (about 5 min). Serve over pasta. Sprinkle a little parmesan on top if you want.
When I made this, I was looking at it wondering why it wasn’t more “saucy.” If you’re as concerned as I was about the lack-of-sauce, just have a little faith and try it out. It doesn’t need sauce. It’s perfect just the way it is.

Chicken-Bacon Roll Ups

Last week my husband made this delish dish, so I  thought I’d pass it along.  I was nervous about the sauce, but it really was great! I’m way sad I didn’t take a picture of this one.  My husband always makes pretty food.
Chicken-Bacon Roll Ups
Here’s what you need:
3 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (pounded flat) 6 slices cooked bacon                                                                3 slices muenster cheese (cheddar or provolone would work too)
Mix together for Sauce:
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup apricot jam
Here’s what you do:  once you’ve pounded your chicken flat, lay a slice of cheese and 2 bacon strips on there.  Now roll them up and stick toothpicks in them to hold them together.  Put them in a 9x13 baking dish and pour sauce over top.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 35 min, until chicken is cooked.
We ate it with baked potatoes and we thought it would probably also be good over rice.  We also thought if you weren’t into the sauce it would be good with regular bbq sauce, but try it first.  See what you think…it’s good stuff!

Something New...

Finally I did it. I tried something new again, and it NOT disapoint! I made this recipe for Pesto Chicken and Sweet Potatoes from Crockpot 365 and it was absolute heaven! Because we simply couldn't last one meal without some kind of carb, I served the chicken over Tinkyada Spiral pasta, which I covered in a little butter and a lot of parmesan cheese (I felt justified since this version of pesto didn't call for any). It was delicious! I highly recommend this one.

For Dinner This Week...

I thought I would share one of my current favorite dinners. It's so easy. Tinkyada is by far my favorite brand of gluten-free pasta. It's great because it can hold-up to a little over-cooking and the texture really is just like "real" pasta. This Classico Pesto is delicious. I bought it for about $2.50 at WalMart. At Super Target I saw a Classico Sundried Tomato Pesto that I'll be testing out ASAP.

All I did was cook the pasta according to the directions and then stir in the Pesto, right from the can. I didn't add any meat, I don't think it needs it. If you want meat I think chicken would be yummy. I also have a recipe for homemade pesto if you want to try that.

Here's What's For Dinner Tonight

Another new recipe...this one earned my husband's approval. =)

TOFU MEATLESS TACOS

1/2 c water

1/4 c lentils, rinsed and drained

1/4 c chopped onion

1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce (or enchilada sauce)

1/2 package taco seasoning (5 tsp)

8 oz firm tofu, drained and finely chopped

In saucepan combine water, lentils, and onion.  Bring to boil; reduce heat.  Cover and simmer 30 min or till lentils are tender & liquid is absorbed.

Stir in tomato or enchilada sauce and taco seasoning into lentils.  Simmer uncovered for 5 minutes.  Stir in tofu; heat through.  Serve on warmed tortillas or taco shells.  Top with lettuce, tomato, cheese, avocado, and salsa.

Spinach Lasagna

My sister-in-law made this for us this weekend and it was delicious! We'll be making it again soon.


SPINACH LASAGNA

1 (16 oz) container cottage cheese
1 (10 oz) package frozen spinach (thawed and drained)
3 C. Mozerella cheese
1/2 c. parmesan cheese
2 eggs, beaten
1 (26 oz) jar spaghetti sauce
1 box Oven-ready lasagna noodles (I use Tinkyada)

Preheat oven to 350. Mix cottage cheese, spinach, 2 cups mozerella cheese, 1/2 c parmesan cheese and eggs. Layer sauce, cottage cheese mixture, spinach and noodles in 9x13 pan. Repeat layers and top with 3 noodles, sauce, and 1 cup mozerella cheese. Bake 45 min. Let stand 10 min before serving.

Awesome Sugar Cookies

It's been forever since I've posted. That's mostly because it's been forever since I've tried anything new. I guess I've been a little lazy. Today I snapped out of it. We needed sugar in a BAD way. I found a new recipe for sugar cookies on the Sunflower Market website that I changed just a little and I loved the way they turned out! Try it...

Sugar Cookies
1 c. shortening (I like the "butter flavored" for baking)
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla
3 c. Gluten-Free Flour Blend (I used Bob's Red Mill "All Purpose.")
1 1/2 tsp. xanthan gum
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 c. sour cream (I have used vanilla yogurt instead with equally great results)


Cream shortening and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix well. Mix together dry ingredients and add to creamed mixture with sour cream; mix until smooth. Cover bowl and chill for at least 1 hour. Roll dough 1/4 inch thick and cut into shapes. Bake for 8-10 min at 350 degrees. Frost when cooled. I like this frosting.


***I meant to put a picture right here of the most precious little girl with frosting all over her hands and face. If it weren't for the frosting all over my own hands, I probably could have accomplished that. Oh well.

Sunflower Market

Today we went shopping at the Sunflower Market, which is new to our area.  You really ought to see if there's one by you!  It's a famer's market store, so lots of local and gluten-free stuff.  I buy my quinoa there in bulk.  I also like their prices on some mixes and canned things.  They have great produce for awesome prices (not everything, look for what's on sale).  It surprised me, however, that I found whole milk for my baby for $1.69 a gallon!!!  I was planning on stopping at a "regular store" on my way home, assuming that it would be really over priced.  That'll teach me!

Go check it ou!

Against the Grain

One of my favorite places to shop is called "Against the Grain."  I like this store because EVERYTHING in it is gluten-free.  I discovered today that they have a website and you can buy things online if you're not from Utah.  They have the most delicious things!  You can buy the most incredible sugar cookies in the world, with frosting that will change your life!  The cookies and cakes (whole cakes or by-the-slice) have both passed the "Phil-thinks-they-taste-real-test."  A little pricey, of course, but so worth it!  They sell most of the same mixes, pastas, frozen stuff that all the other stores sell.  They also sell lots of "normal" pantry items (dressings, sauces, soups, candy, etc) that maybe you didn't know you could eat.  That's where I learned the fabulous information that I can eat that cheesy brocolli Progresso soup.  Divine.  

They have food storage kits.  Seriously.  And they're really cool!

If you're interested go to the link.  I know you can pick up fresh baked goods at least one day a week and maybe you'll really like it.  Also, they make special order pies and other Thanksgiving delights.

Anyway...Just thought you'd like to know.

Broadening our Horizons...

The Little Tiny and I are in need of some new lunch ideas. She is currently obsessed with peaches, wants nothing else. I am completely bored with sandwiches. In hopes of inspiring her to like more fruits again, I made us a delicious smoothie for lunch. It consisted of:

 1/2 c vanilla yogurt, 1/2 c orange juice, 1/2 c frozen mixed berries, 1/2 frozen banana, and 2T milled Flax. 

  It was great. I gave her some in her own cup and she was in heaven. Then, in a split second she had some how dumped it all down the front of her. My first thought was, why do I do things like that and create more work for myself? Well, because it makes her so happy, and that's what Oxy Clean is for. =) I spent the next half hour chasing her around trying to get her dressed again.

Does anyone have any lunch time ideas to share? Anything at all that doesn't involve putting something between two pieces of bread? Let me know...

Salsa Chicken

My least favorite part of the day is deciding what to make for dinner.    This inspired me to start making a monthly menu, that way it's already decided for me.  It works great. Every month I ask my husband what he wants to eat.  There are a few that always come up, one of which is Salsa Chicken.  I got this recipe from my mom.

Salsa Chicken

3 chicken breast halves (about 1 per person), cut in small pieces

1 1/4 c. Salsa (I like mild, but if you like things really spicy, go medium or hot)

1 1/4 c. apricot jam (I can usually only find Apricot/Pineapple and that's great too)

Rice or Quinoa cooked per package

Cook chicken on stove top or in electric skillet in 1-2T extra virgin olive oil.  When chicken is cooked through, add salsa and jam.  Cook until sauce is bubbling.  Serve chicken and sauce over rice or quinoa (we like the quinoa but rice is good, too).  You can add as much chicken and sauce as you want, so this is a really easy/versatile recipe.

Serve with steamed brocolli.

Small side note:  as I was finishing typing this post, I could feel my daugher putting stickers on my back (she loves stickers all of a sudden).  When I finished I looked and saw she has actually covered me with stamps!!!  Where do you suppose she was sending me? I hope somewhere warm.  And where on earth did she find 37 cent stamps?!

Here's what's for dinner tonight...

The smell of that roast in the crockpot is making us all crazy with anticipation!  We are HUGE Cafe Rio fans in this family, so when we found a recipe that is almost as good as their sweet pork, it quickly became one of our favorites.  It doesn't taste exactly the same, but it's really really good!

The day we make this we eat it on tostadas.  We start with a corn tortilla then layer on the black beans, sweet pork, shredded lettuce, cheese and ranch dressing.  It's amazing!  Then day two we usually eat it for lunch on Nachos with just the meat and cheese on chips.  Delicious again.  Then on day three we typically eat the meat in tacos, sometimes enchiladas.  These combos can go on for days.  We usually vacuum seal some to eat later in the month as well.  Try this out!  I think you'll like it!

PORK BARBACOA
2 or 3 lb. pork loin roast (or 5-6 chicken breats)
1/2 c. dark brown sugar
1/2 c. worchestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. ginger powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. dry chili powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
2 Tbsp. dried minced onion
1/2 tsp. chipotle chili pepper (more if you like it spicy)
1/2 to 1 c. water (I added 1/2 c. and it seemed to work fine.)

Cook in crock pot for6 hours onlow or 4 hours on high. Shred and then add:

1 (15 oz.) can of red enchilada sauce
3/4 c. dark brown sugar 

Not Yo Mama's Meatloaf

I was never a big fan of meat loaf, until one fine day when my mom made this little number. My mind was forever changed. This is what we had for dinner tonight and Phil is anxiously awaiting eating the leftovers for lunch tomorrow. =) Here’s the recipe:

Cheeseburger Meatloaf

Combine:
1 lb. ground beef
½ c. gf oats
1 tsp salt
1 egg
1 c. grated cheese

Shape into a loaf and put in loaf pan.

Combine sauce ingredients:
1 ½ Tbsp prepared mustard
½ c. brown sugar
2/3 c ketchup

Pour sauce over meat loaf. Bake (uncovered) for 1 hour at 350.

We eat this with baked potatoes.

Introducing: Placos

"Placos" are what we like to call our variation of Tacos. I'm not really sure why. But they're good. This isn't anything spectacular, but we like them this way so I'll pass it along.

We cook our corn tortillas on the stove in a little extra virgin olive oil. Then fill them with this delicious mix:

Cook 1 lb ground beef on stovetop
Add 1 can black beans, cook through and strain beans and meat.
Add 1 med potato, shredded and cook approx 5 min.

Top with regular taco stuff, but definitely avocado and fresh lime juice.
We eat this almost weekly. =)

More Meal Ideas...

For breakfast today I had my favorite cereal, Rice Chex, which only recently became gluten-free. What a blessing that was! My favorite way to eat this stuff is over yogurt with fresh fruit on top. Delish!

My husband and daughter are sick today. I wanted a lunch that would be tummy-friendly and this was perfect!! I love this tomato soup! It's ready to serve so you just pour it out and warm it up. I've seen it at most health food stores, but this one I bought at Harmon's. I also had a grilled cheese sandwich with my Whole Foods GF Sandwich bread and it was great!

My dinner suggestion is actually from last night. We LOVE spaghetti squash!! It's a great alternative to pasta. Most people probably know how to make this, but I had no idea. For those like me, here's the directions:

Spaghetti Squash Dinner

1- Spaghetti Squash (serves 2 adults and one cute baby)
1- bottle of your favorite spaghetti sauce. I'm cheap so i like Hunt's Zesty & Spicy
1/2 - 1 lb cooked ground beef or italian sausage

Cut squash in half length wise and clean out the seeds. Lightly brush edges and inside with extra virgin olive oil (I don't have a brush I use my fingers). Place squash cut side down on cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 1 hour. When you pull it out use a fork to pull the squash away from the edges so the inside looks like a bowl of noodles. Leave it inside the shell (I don't know what the outside is really called) and pour you meat and sauce over the "noodles." Stir it up and eat it right out of the shell. Try it, I bet you'll like it.

Chewey Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Can you tell that I like junk food?  It's hard to find good gluten-free treats, so any that I have I will put on here.  Today I made these cookies and I love them!  I think they're even better than "normal" cookies.  If you try them, let me know what you think!

Chewey Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 eggs, beaten

1 c. sugar

1 c. peanut butter

1 c. chocolate chips

mix ingredients in the order they are listed.  Bake on greased cookie sheet for 10-12 minutes at 350.  Allow to cool 10 min before removing from cookie sheet.

HOLY DELICIOUS!!!!

Tonight our Namaste Blondies were gone, and I couldn't stand the idea of not having dessert. I got on the CrockPot 365 blog for some inspiration and found a Peach Pie recipe. It was amazing! It took me less than 5 minutes to throw together. I put it in the crockpot at about 5 and we ate it at about 9:30.

Here's my version of the recipe:

1-29oz can peaches, with juice
1 1/4 c. gf baking mix (I used Pamelas. Not baking gluten-free? Use Bisquick!)
1/2 c. brown sugar
2T melted butter
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg

Pour peaches in the bottom of your crockpot. In a separate bowl, combine all other ingredients. Mixture will be really crumbly. Pour over peaches and press down slightly with your hand. Cook on high for 4 hours. Top with vanilla ice cream.

This was so easy and we LOVED IT!

TUESDAY'S PIZZA

I hate to brag, but this one is delicious! This is Pesto/Tomato/Spinach Pizza, with homemade Pesto sauce. So easy, and SO good!

Ingredients:

GF Pizza crust, prepared per package instructions

3 Roma Tomatoes, diced

enough baby spinach leaves to cover pizza

1-1 1/2 cups mozerella cheese

1 recipe homemade Pesto

3 c. Fresh Basil (I buy mine at Whole Foods)

1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced (I use 2.5 tsp of the bottled/refridgerated stuff)

1/4 c. pine nuts

1/4 c. parmesan cheese

1 tsp salt

dash pepper

Blend ingredients in blender or food processor (this takes a little TLC in my blender)

Spread sauce evenly on crust. Top with spinach leaves, however many you want. Top those with all the tomatoes, then cover with cheese. Bake until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbling.

About crust. I've never made a crust from scratch, perhaps one day, but not today. It took me some trial/error to find crust mixes that I like. I like the Gluten-Free Pantry French Bread & Pizza Crust mix, but it's really really soft. Blue Chip (I buy this at Macey's) has a pizza crust mix that has the texture of actual pizza crust. The best part? It has enough for 3 pizzas! Since this discovery we go through at least one package per month. This is another product Phil says tastes "real", so there you go.

Here's one last look, in case you weren't already convinced.

Slacked on the menu today but....

I had to work today and I had a pretty busy day anyway so I sort of slacked on photographing my fantastic meals. However, my neice and nephew came to play for a while today. He has celiac and I thought I'd tell you what he brought for lunch because it was stuff I like.

These crackers are great, I think they have a little better texture than rice crackers. I think you can get them at just about any grocery store. There are several flavors, I really like the ranch ones.

Yes, you can eat this brand of taquitos! These are also sold just about everywhere. The chicken and beef are both gluten-free. I haven't found any other brand of frozen taquitos that is gluten-free, but I like these ones so I don't really care. Let me know if you find anything delicious to share!

DAY 1

Here is my first daily menu post. You should know that I'm not a master photographer, and I have no clue about food presentation. Consider yourself warned. =)


Breakfast!!!

This is a pretty typical breakfast for me. Yoplait Yogurt is all gluten-free (that could always change so check labels). This muffin is one of my new favorite recipes! It's Quinoa Banana and it's amazing. I may have eaten more than one....but this is about what I eat, not how much, right? ;)

Here's the recipe:

Banana Quinoa Muffins

2 mashed bananas

2 Tbs Canola Oil

1 egg

1/2 C fat free milk

3/4 tsp vanilla

2/3 C Rice flour (I used Bob's Red Mill All Purpose, you can use plain rice)

1/2 C quinoa

1/3 C sugar

1 3/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

dash nutmeg

1/2 C chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 375. Combine bananas with wet ingredients, mix well. Mix dry ingredients in another bowl. Combine mixtures but don't stir too much! Grease muffin tin, fill 12 muffin cups. You can fill them almost all the way as these don't rise much. Bake for about 16 minutes. You won't be sorry.

Lunch

I had leftover Bear Creek Potato Soup. Did you know you can eat that? The brocolli and chilli ones, too! I love them because they're so filling and they're not terribly high in calories. I always add extra brocolli, this one has cauliflauer and carrots, too. The other half of the banana went to the little sugar bear. Actually, so did most of this half, too.

The bread is Whole Foods' brand rice bread. This is the first time I bought it and I'll for sure buy it again! It's in the frozen section. It's about the same price as other brands out there but it's a bigger loaf, therefore actually cheaper. It tastes pretty good. I'll be honest, I'm not a big fan of gluten-free bread anyway, but this is a good one. I always toast GF bread. Then it's as if it's supposed to be the texture/density that it is. =)

FYI, I also like Kinnikinnick's Rice Bread. I've found it at Harmon's and other health food stores like Good Earth. It tastes a lot like the Whole Foods bread.




DINNER

This is one of our favorite recipes! It's called Mandarin Chicken, it's from my mom's ward cookbook and it's divine! I love recipes that are simple and don't call for any "weird" ingredients (weird=something I don't keep in my pantry..._). It's served over quinoa, and the orange mushy stuff is acorn squash with butter and brown sugar.

Mandarin Chicken Recipe

3 Chicken Breasts (you can leave them whole but I cut mine into smaller pieces)

Sauce:

3/4 c. sugar

1 Tbsp soy sauce

4 Tbsp ketchup

1/2 c vinegar

1/4 c chicken broth

Pour sauce into 9x13 pan.  Roll chicken in beaten egg and then cover with corn starch.  Fry on stovetop in 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil.  Place chicken ontop of sauce in pan and bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes.  Serve over rice or quionoa with brocolli.

About quinoa....it's delicious. It's a whole grain, high in protein and fiber. It has a really great texture and taste. It's a nice alternative to rice, which gets a little old. Phil was just enlightening me about how it comes from South America and something about the Spanish overcoming the aztecs....anyway, you can read about it here, but definitely try it if you haven't already.

DESSERT


Unfortunately, I completely devoured this before taking a picture. These treats are our all-time favorite dessert ever in our whole lives! You can buy this on Amazon, or at Whole Foods, Good Earth, or Harmon's. I add 1 cup chocolate chips and 1/2 cup cinnamon chips (I use the Hershey brand...they're only around during the holidays so you have to stock up!).

A sample of my weekly menus...

My husband suggested that I blog about the things I eat in a day so people would know that on a gluten-free diet you don't just have to eat soy-powder-waffles (are those even real?).  What a great idea!  While it probably won't be all that impressive, hopefully it will give you some ideas.  Tomorrow the menu tracking starts...

Welcome!

So here it is!  My all-time favorite gluten-free recipe, for the sake of starting things off right.  This is one I got from my mother-in-law's neighbor and it's a great cookie recipe.  My husband even says they tast "real."  That's how you know.  Here it is:

1 2/3 C. GF all purpose Flour

1/2 tsp Baking Soda

1 tsp xanthan gum

1 tsp salt

1/4 c. butter (non hydrogenated canola shortening if you need it dairy free)

3/4 c. packed brown sugar

1/3 c. sugar

2 tsp vanilla

1 large egg

1 c. chocolate chips (can use dairy free)

1/4 c. nuts (optional, but fantastic!)

Preheat oen to 350, grease cookie sheets

Stir together all dry ingredients except sugars, set aside

Beat butter (soft, but not melted) with sugars, vanilla and egg. Mix thoroughly until light and fluffy.  This is key.

Slowly add in dry ingredients.  Drop cookies on sheets and bake approx 10 min.

VARIATION: I love to swap half the vanilla for 1/2 tsp almond extract, and then 1/2 cup butterscotch chips and 1/2 cup white chips instead of chocolate. Delicious.

They're amazing.  Now go try 'em out.

Do you have a recipe to share? Leave me a comment and you can get yourself published right here on my blog. =)