Tomato Free Chili 2

Tomato Free Chili 

Ingredients:

1 lb ground meat
1 can Black beans, drained
1 can Kidney Beans, drained
1 medium Onions, diced
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1 large Carrot, diced
1 stalk Celery, diced
2 c Tomato Free Sauce (click here)
2 Tbsp Chili powder (leave out if nightshade free)
1 tsp Cumin (increase to 2 tsp if leaving out chili powder)
1 Tbsp Cilantro
1/2 tsp Oregano
1 tsp Salt
black pepper to taste
Olive Oil
Water

Instructions:

Heat oil.

Add meat onion, vegetables, salt, peper and garlic until browned.

Add tomato free Sauce and seasonings.

Heat until bubbling, the reduce heat and simmer.

Add water to desired thickness and simmer until veggies are tender and flavors are set.


Makes 6 servings.

No Tomato Chili

For those looking to avoid night shades to avoid any inflammation they made contribute to....

No, it's not "the same" as "real chili"... but it sure is nice and yummy on a cold winter night!

No Tomato Chili

1 lb of ground meat (lean turkey, beef, chicken)
2 cans of beans (light/dark red kidney beans or mix one can of black with one can kidneys)
1 small onion (if tolerated)
1 Tbsp garlic
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp cilantro
salt (to taste)
black pepper (to taste) 
1 15 ounce can of pumpkin (or carrots)
1 15 ounce can of beets
1 small can mushrooms (optional, if tolerated)
Extra water

1) In an adequate sized pot, brown ground meat, onion, and garlic in a skillet on med/high heat.
2) While meat is browning, place canned pumpkin and beets in a food processor and puree'.
3) Add seasonings into pot with the browned meat mixture.
4) Finally, mix in pumpkin mixture and simmer on low heat until seasonings blend through.

Helpful Hints:
*For those unable to use canned ingredients or those just wanting to save $$$, dried beans can be soaked and cooked ahead to add to this recipe. Also, fresh pumpkin/carrots/beets can be steamed and pureed for the  sauce.

*We like our chili rather "stew-ish."  You may prefer a chili with more liquid (hence the "Extra Water" in the ingredient list). Do what works for your pallet! 

*You will note that there is no chili seasoning in this chili. That is because of the nightshades in the red pepper  in the seasonings. If you can tolerate night-shades, by all means add in chili seasoning! It adds to the flavor immensely.

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!

Crock Pot Roast & Cobbler

There's a nippy feeling in the air. I even saw a small flock of geese in their V formation flying over just the other day! Fall is coming. It makes me think of the fair, hay rides, wearing jackets in the morning waiting on the bus and running barefoot in the afternoons when the day warmed. Also, the last of the garden was usually coming in and grandma would make lots of soup. Mom would have that crock pot a bubbling.... the smells getting off the bus would make you run to the house to just get a taste!

I got so excited last week I ran out and change my lawn decorations then came in and threw a roast in the crockpot! 

Then I tried something I had wanted to for a long time.... Crockpot Cobbler!  It worked wonderfully. 

I threw it all in and we came home Sunday to a dinner my sweet grandmother would have been proud of!

My crockpot seems to be my best friend on busy days. One of the few things you can just leave running and come back in a few hours to enjoy! With not eating out very often I have come to appreciate this little device in so many ways in the last several years. So dearies.... pull that thing out of the back of your closet, remove the dust and crank it up! It's time for some yum!

Cobbler in a crock pot!

Easy Roast!
Roast
Salt
Garlic (opt.)
Onion
Carrots, celery, potatoes (or sweet potatoes!), green beans or other fresh veggie.
Water (apprx. 2 cups)

Brown the roast in a pan first with the salt, onion and garlic then place in the bottom of the crockpot.  Chop veggies and mound on top of the meat.  Pour water over the top.  Place on lid and turn it on.

3-8 hours depending on your crockpot settings!

Tip:  You can make cobbler in your crock pot too!  Just place the fruit and liquid in the bottom, pour on the topping, place the lid on and keep the setting low.  Fresh fruit or frozen fruit works best for this.

Gluten Free on a Diet??

It January.  I think every ad I see right now has to do with taxes or diets.  Sigh....

I read an article quite a while back that stated an interesting fact.  It said that family memebers who were not gluten intollerant, but ate the gluten free diet tended to gain weight. So that explains it!  (And I thought it was all the GF cookies I made. Ha!)  The gluten free diet can tend to have more calories that a standard diet because of the extra protein and good fats (nuts, oils, seeds).  I have to say that I am much healthier having gone through this whole process with my family (and a bit heavier also). 

So these past couple of weeks I have been working on menus that included recipes that I could pull out my portion and then let the family have at the rest.  I picked up a "Weight Watchers" 5 ingredient/15 minute recipe book (sounds about my speed most days) actually had a slew of recipes that I could prepare for my family!  Recipes like "Lemony Broccoli", "Pears and Greens Salad", "Orange Chicken" and even a quinoa recipe!  I did have to leave off some cheese here or there.  It was so nice not to have to fix me a seperate "diet" meal.

It inspired me!  I have an old Weight Watchers Points counter.  So I'm attempting to become more aware of the portions I eat with my family.

Here's a little something for you...

"Baked Salmon"

1.5 pounds salmon (usually sectioned into fillets)
1/3 c. lemon juice
salt & pepper (to taste)

Preheat your lovely oven to 400.  Arrange fish, skin side down, on pan (I like my stoneware pan).  Salt and pepper fish.   Drizzle the juice on top. Lay a piece of foil over the top of the dish.  Bake approximately 20 minutes.

Servings: 4
Points: 7 per serving

Serve with a big salad and some rice prepared the way you like... Better than a resturant!

Meat Loaf with a Twist!

One night I was in the kitchen and running behind.  (Imagine that... seems more the norm.)  I had planned on hamburgers for dinner, but just did not want to roll out the patties.  Didn't want to stand there and flip... I was just in a non-conformist mood.  So I had this idea!  Meatloaf! 

Meatloaf is a word that has not been spoken in our household since tomatoes became a "no-no" in our main dishes.  I honestly had never known that meatloaf could be made without ketchup.  What to do?? I improvised and dug through my cabinets and concocted the following recipe.  It was truly not a beautiful main dish... being rather colorless.  (You can read here about my thing on colorful foods.)  I served it up to my family with some steamed broccoli on the side and held my breath!

My kids never cease to amaze me (on so many levels).  They scarffed that loaf down and asked for more.  I actually ended up making another for a Sunday meal at a friends house a few days later.  You just never know....

(This recipe could easily be adapted for your crockpot.)

I've posted my recipe and a copy of a completely different meatloaf recipe from the LivingWithout Magazine.  Both are sooooo yummy!

You Just Never Know Meatloaf

1 lb. ground meat (beef or turkey)
2 tbsp. dried onion flaked (or fresh)
1 tsp. garlic powder (or fresh)
1 tbsp. salt
1/2 c. gluten free oatmeal

Mush all this together in a bowl.  Knead until seasonings are completely mixed in.  Shape into a round "loaf" and place in large frying pan.  (I have surgical stainless steel pans that have "weighted" lids that help keep the moisture in and cook more evenly.  If your pans are not like this... just watch it a bit more carefully.)  Heat the frying pan on medium heat. You can brown one side of the meatloaf then flip it over or just leave it be.  It's up to your tastes.  I just put the lid on that baby and turned the heat down on low until it was done in the middle.  The oatmeal helped keep the moist loaf together.

Next time, I think I will shred some veggies and mix them in the loaf.  Anyway to get a veggie in a kid.

OK... if you WANT to... you CAN put ketchup on top!

==========================

This recipe comes from the http://www.livingwithout.com/ website.  (One of my fav magazines.)

Gluten-Free Meat Loaf
Serves 4

This unusual take on the classic American favorite contains no garlic, onion or peppers. You can substitute your favorite shredded vegetables in place of the broccoli and carrots. For a hint of sweetness, replace 4 tablespoons lime juice with an equal amount of orange juice.

2 pounds ground beef
2 cups mixed shredded broccoli stems and carrots
2 teaspoons lemon juice
½ cup + 2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons apricot jam

1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2.Put all ingredients into a medium mixing bowl. Knead with your hands or mix with a wooden spoon until all ingredients are well blended.
3.Form meat mixture into a loaf and place in a shallow baking pan. Bake in preheated over for 35 minutes or until cooked through. Serve hot.

Each serving contains 622 calories, 45g total fat, 17g saturated fat, 3g trans fat, 159mg cholesterol, 14g carbohydrate, 182mg sodium, 1g fiber, 40g protein.

Recipe by Liz Scott.

Great Northerns!

I have discovered a new thing. Yep... yet another "new" thing. White beans.


I suppose that growing up in the South influenced my genre of edible beans. I can smell them now, those beans in a big pot simmering on the cast iron stove. We did not use humidifiers in the wintertime, we just cooked a pot of beans and the steam “humidified” the house in the process. We had lima beans, butter beans, butter peas, pinto beans. Of course, the beans were always served with corn bread [buttermilk cornbread at grandma’s house]. Ah, those were the days.

My honey, on the other hand, grew up in the North. His favorite beans seem so foreign to me - lentils, split peas, etc. I am not sure I had ever tried a lentil before I married. I am not sure he had ever learned to eat cornbread with beans for a meal before we married.  Marriage can be such a good thing.
In addition, I never knew what a “great northern” bean was. I never even realized that white beans were the main ingredient used to make all those tons of baked beans eaten at every church gathering and picnic. In my mind, the color of a bean ranged from green to brown or purple. Funny what we seem to overlook in life.

Alas, in our multiple-allergies world, I have rediscovered white beans. They have a mild flavor that just picks up the seasoning of whatever you are cooking them with. Alone in a bowl, the kids will not touch them. However, mix them in with some seasonings and maybe some protein and there are no leftovers to be found after a meal. You can even use the dry beans and throw those babies in a coffee grinder to make some “bean flour” for instant thickener or for high protein flour. My favorite thing has been to make “cream of bean” soup… replaces the dairy and wheat laden “cream of mushroom/chicken/celery” soups in so many recipes. A little water, bean flour and your favorite seasonings and “Viola’!” you have soup!

So dearies…tonight’s offering was made because I had left over chicken in the fridge along with a mess of great northerns. I threw a salad and apple slices in to round things out. I then had to make a plate for my honey before the kids licked the skillet clean. Enjoy!

Great Northern Quick Skillet Chicken
2 cooked chicken breast (or used canned gluten free)
½ white onion
1 tsp. dried Garlic
1 tsp. Salt
Cooked Great Northern Beans (about 2 cans)
1 tsp. Oregano
1 tsp. Parsley

In a skillet, throw in your chicken, onion garlic and salt. Sauté it a bit. Then add in the beans and other seasonings. Simmer for about 10 minutes. (I added a little water while simmering…. Because my beans needed it.)

Serve with a salad, rolls or rice.

Serves 4 (if you have hollow-legged growing children)
Serves 6 (if you eat normal portions)