Italian Vegetables & Rice

V8 website has a nice little recipe to that can sneak some veggies into your kids' lives (or yours for that matter).

Italian-Style Rice & VegetablesPrep: 5 minutes

Cook: 30 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 cup uncooked regular long-grain white rice
4 cups V8® 100% Vegetable Juice (Regular or Low Sodium)
1 tsp. dried basil leaves, crushed

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

2 cups frozen mixed vegetables

Directions:Heat the oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the rice and cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly.

Stir the vegetable juice, basil and garlic powder in the skillet and heat to a boil. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 15 minutes.

Stir in the vegetables. Cover and cook for 10 minutes or until the rice and vegetables are tender.

Serving Suggestion: This recipe is delicious as a side dish or wrapped with chicken and g-f cheese in a (gluten free) burrito.

7 Ingredient Chili (v8)

Some days you need a quick fix. One a cold overcast day in the Ozarks, this could work to feed some hungry family. (Note: this is obviously not night-shade free)
7-Ingredient Chili
(from the V8 website)

Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 25 minutes
Serves: 6 servings

Ingredients:
2 lb. ground turkey
1 large onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
2 tbsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
3 1/2 cups V8® 100% Vegetable Juice (Regular or Low Sodium)
1 small green pepper, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
2 cans (about 15 ounces each) red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

Directions:

Cook the turkey, onion, chili powder and cumin in a 4-quart saucepan over medium-high heat until the turkey is cooked through, stirring often.

Add the vegetable juice, pepper and beans to the saucepan and heat to a boil. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 15 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.

Serving Suggestion: Serve with baked potatoes with sour cream and chives. For dessert serve fresh apple slices.

No Tomato BBQ Sauce

I am sooo excited! Something happened today that had my #3 child jumping for joy.

We have searched and tried for quite some time to find BBQ sauce without tomatoes that is palatable for a child. (There's a reason they put sugar in the ketchup.) Since nightshades and additives are a big "no-no", store bought sauces have not worked for us. Today we had a roast in our old friend the crockpot and a some serious hankering for BBQ.

Once again I googled and searched. Then viola'!!!  There was this allergy friendly recipe made with common household items. (What a concept!) I cut, paste and printed that bad boy then handed the recipes to my hubby. "Have at it," I said. "Let us see how it turns out."

Umm.... YUM, it was!
Thank you Mr. Riches at About.com for making one night-shade free kid happy and his mama proud.


(By Derrick Riches, About.com Guide)

Sweet Mustard Barbecue Sauce

This is a mustard-based barbecue sauce, which might sound strange to a few people, but is actually a delicious Southern barbecue sauce. The combination of mustard and molasses gives barbecued meats a sweet and sour flavor.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Yield: Makes about 2 cups

Ingredients:
• 1 cup prepared mustard
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1/4 teaspoon powdered oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon powdered thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne (we left out the cayenne, because we think it's a nightshade and it was totally yummy without it)

Preparation:

Combine dry ingredients in a saucepan. Add enough vinegar to make a mixable paste. Mix well. Place over high heat and add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
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NOTE: throw this stuff in with your roast and let is simmer on slow.... melt in your mouth BBQ shall ensue.

Quick Rice YUM!

This recipe was born out of a need to make something quick with what was on hand. Also, I was truly hankering for some recipes with some coconut flavor but lacked some ingredients. So I played around and it turned out great!

Quick RICE Yum

2-3 c. cooked brown rice (sweet is yum)
2 Tbsp oil
1 tsp sesame seeds
1 large carrot, shredded
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tsp garlic, powdered (or use fresh)
1/2 tsp curry
1 tsp cilantro
1 tsp salt
1/4 c. dates, chopped (or raisins)
1/4 c. chopped almonds
2-3 c. water (or you could use coconut milk and omit coconut flour)
1 c. green beans (already cooked)
1 c. kidney beans (already cooked)
¼ c. coconut flour

In a skillet, heat oil and add sesame seeds. When they begin to pop, stir in onion and carrot shavings. Cook for a few minutes until the onions begin to get soft, then stir in curry, garlic, cilantro and salt. Combine well, then add rice, beans, nuts and dates. Add the water and stir well. Cover, bring to a boil, then simmer on low until flavor is cooked through.

Serves 4-6

The fun part of this recipe if that you can vary the beans/vegetables. You can omit the coconut if it’s not your thing. You can cook the rice/fresh green beans with all the seasonings on low (or use your handy, dandy crockpot). Have fun!