Meatless Lentil Taco Salad - Really Good! Serves 6

If you like the idea of one or two meatless meals a week this is a good one to try.  I tested it on 4 teens ages 15-19 and they all really liked it!

• 1 tablespoon cooking oil
• 1 medium onion, diced -  about 1 cup
• 1 teaspoon garlic diced ( I use the diced garlic in a jar from Costco)
• 1 cup dried brown lentils
• 1 package taco seasoning (or make your own)
• 2 1/2 cups vegetable broth ( I use water and bouillon paste or cube)

In large skilled heat oil over medium heat.  Saute onion and garlic.  Rinse your dried lentils.  Add the lentils to the onions and mix.  Stir in the taco seasoning and saute about 1 more minute.  Add vegetable broth and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer covered until the lentils are tender about 30 - 40 minutes.  Remove cover and simmer until the mixture is thickened.  Using your potato masher or a fork mash up the lentils a bit.

To serve:  crush some taco chips on your plate, spoon the taco lentil mixture over the chips.  Add lettuce, sour cream, salsa and grated cheddar.  Could also be rolled up in a tortilla or a pita.  Serves 6

To make into a freezer meal you could place the garlic, onions, lentils and taco seasoning into a zip lock freezer bag.  To cook thaw overnight in fridge and fry until onions are softened.  Then proceed with the vegetable broth and simmering.  I think this could also be done in a slow cooker by preparing everything up to the simmering stage and then cooling and freezing.  Then on the day of cooking place in slow cooker to cook until lentils are soft.  

This recipe is adapted from Epicurious.

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Bars

I am trying to come up with a selection of easy gluten free baking recipes that use a minimum amount of ingredients.  Many times I read comments on the internet where people say they don't want to try baking gluten free because there are so many different flours.  I figure that fine rice flour is much like white all purpose flour and if I can adjust some recipes so that they will only use rice flour or one other flour it will be much like baking before our celiac/gluten free days.  The nice thing with this recipe is that it does not require guar gum or xanthan gum.  The teenagers came home from school and each daughter said "wow, these are good!" can I have another one?".  These are my kids who do not require a gluten free diet so I figure the chocolate chip bars pass the taste test!

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Bars - Easy!  Delicious!

1 c butter, melted
2 c brown sugar
2 large eggs
3 cups fine rice flour - I use Asian
2 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup dates, finely chopped
Mix in order given.
Spread in a lightly greased 9 x 13 baking pan. Bake @ 325 for 30 minutes until golden brown and tester inserted comes clean. Chill before slicing.

Green Bean and Ham Freezer Meal

This is a quick easy to make recipe - great way to use up ham and turkey stock from Thanksgiving dinner!  Serves 6
Sauce:
400 grams frozen green beans
3 cups turkey or chicken stock
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
2-3 cups ham cut into strips (400 grams)
1 tablespoon oil
1/4 cup flour (I use rice flour to make it gf)
Rice:
2 cups rice
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
3 cups water
Method:
Saute onion and ham in 1 tablespoon oil in large saucepan.  Stir in flour.  Slowly add the 3 cups turkey/chicken stock.  Cook until thickened, stirring constantly.  Add beans and simmer until beans are tender.

While simmering the sauce prepare the rice:
In rice cooker or on stove place the rice curry powder, salt and pepper in the 3 cups water.  Cook until done.

Serve Ham and Bean sauce over the curried rice.
Serves 6.

Notes:
I have made it both in the saucepan and in the slow cooker.  In the saucepan the sauce evaporates a bit and the beans do not get overcooked - it is my preferred method.
In the slow cooker you will want to use less stock or a more concentrated stock - probably 2 cups as it will not reduce at all.   You could add a good quality bouillon cube to the sauce to give it more flavour.  DO NOT add extra salt to this recipe as the ham  and stock will give it enough salt.
To make it a freezer bag  recipe prepare with the tips for the slow cooker.  You need not saute anything if you do not want to.  Use frozen green beans.  Place in freezer bags.
Thaw overnight in fridge for freezer bag cooking.  Heat up in a sauce pan until beans are just tender.  Or heat up in slow cooker until beans are tender.  I cooked it in the slow cooker for 8 hours on Low.

Sweet and Sour Oriental Pork Crock pot Freezer Meal Gluten Free

400 grams diced lean boneless pork                  

1 kg frozen oriental style vegetables
1 19 oz. can pineapple chunks, including juice
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons cornstarch - see notes
2 teaspoons oil

Method:
Place raw diced pork into bottom of crock pot.  Place frozen vegetables on top.  In 2 cup measurer mix together the remaining ingredients.  Pour over vegetables.  Cover crockpot and cook on Low for 10 hours or on high for 4-5.  Serve over rice.  This makes 6 generous servings.  .
Notes:

• For 6 adults cook 2 cups brown rice in 4 cups water.  There is enough topping and rice for 6-7 adults.
• I used raw pork loin from Costco.  The kids thought it was chicken :).
• My sauce was not quite thick enough so I stirred in one tablespoon mixed with a little cold water into the crock pot about 15 minutes before supper.  You could keep out a little juice and the cornstarch and add it at the end if you prefer.  I have increased the cornstarch in the recipe to reflect this.
• I used peanut oil as that is my oil of choice with stir frys - I find it gives a nice flavour. 
• To make freezer meals have large zippered freezer bags on counter and add all ingredients to the bag doubling or tripling recipe as desired.  I would leave bag in fridge overnight before placing in crock pot in the morning so it is frozen but not a solid brick.  

Chicken Florentine Freezer Meal

Makes 2 Casseroles - Servings 2 x 6 servings
600 grams raw boneless chicken breasts diced or leftover cooked chopped chicken
2 - 300-400 grams frozen chopped spinach thawed and drained ** see notes
200 - 300 grams mushrooms - sliced
1/2 cup butter - divided
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 cans (284ml/10 fl oz) cream of Mushroom Soup
2 tablespoons Italian Seasoning
1 cup half and half cream
1 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
2/3 cups bacon bits divided ( I used Costco Hormel real crumbled bacon)
2 cups shredded Mozzarella, divided

Lightly oil 2 casserole dishes 9" or 10"
Put 1/4 of diced chicken on bottom of each casserole dish.
In saucepan over medium heat melt 1/4 cup butter.  Saute mushrooms, add spinach and saute a bit more.
Cool Spinach mixture.  Place half of mixture into each casserole dish.
Add remaining 1/4 cup butter to saucepan.  Melt over medium heat - stirring contantly.  Stir in the garlic lemon juice, cream of mushroom soup, Italian Seasoning, half and half and Parmesan.  Pour 1/4 of the sauce mixture over each casserole.  Divide remaining chicken over each casserole. Cover with remaining sauce.  Sprinkle crumbled bacon over each casserole.  Top each casserole with shredded cheese.  Wrap and freeze immediately.  Or - bake one at 350 for 25 minutes and freeze the remaining one.  Thaw frozen casserole before baking.  Serve over hot cooked pasta.  I cooked the pasta while the casserole was heating up.  I do not like freezing pasta so I keep them separate until serving.

Notes:

• Instead of spinach I used fresh swiss chard from the garden - steamed and chopped.
• I used reduced fat Cream of Mushroom Soup - it was gluten free - always read ingredient list
• I made one with frozen raw chicken breasts and one with leftover diced chicken - both were equally good

Gluten Free One Dish Thrifty Meal

This simple meal and be varied to your tastes with different seasonings, cheeses, meats, etc.  Based on a recipe from Food.com

Thrifty Meal
1 large onion, diced
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon canola oil or other cooking oil
1lb pound lean ground pork (or other ground meat)
4 cups of stewed, diced or home canned tomatoes
2 cups water
10 ounces gluten free macaroni - I used Tru Roots Ancient Grain Penne Pasta from Costco
salt and pepper to taste
parmesan or cheddar cheese
optional spices to add: parsley, oregano, greek seasoning etc.
* you could also add a cup of canned beans, corn or peas or chopped frozen spinach or swiss chard.

Heat oil in large saucepan.  Add onion and saute.  Add ground pork and fry until done.  Add remaining ingredients (except cheese) and simmer for about 20 minutes or until pasta is cooked.
Sprinkle on parmesan when serving.

* I added a little extra water while simmer the mixture.
* this served 5 of us and the next day we sprinkled grated cheddar on the leftovers and heated it up in the microwave.  Leftovers served 3.
 (I'll add a picture next time)

Flour tortilla

Gluten Free Flour Tortillas 
 

Makes about 5

1 cup white rice flour
1 cup tapioca flour 
1 tablespoon white sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt 
2 teaspoons guar gum
2 tablespoons shortening 
3/4 cup water

Mix together the rice flour, tapioca flour, white sugar, baking powder, salt, and guar gum. Mix in the shortening with your fingers until well combined. Add the water and mix well. If the mixture is still dry, add a little more water. Heat an ungreased skillet on medium-high heat. Roll out tortillas quite thin and cook each one on the hot pan until it begins to bubble. Then flip it and cook until the bottom has some brown spots. Stack them on top of each other covered by a dish  towel. These keep well in a zip lock bag in fridge.  Warm slightly before using.  Tip:  I have rolled these out on sheets of parchment and then frozen them.  They are really easy to take off of parchment and place in heated skillet.  I press the tortillas out using my Birds Hill Pie Machine - I just use the flat dies that come with it.