Black Bean Soup

I really LOVE black bean anything!  "Recent research has shown that black beans provide special support for digestive tract health, and particularly our colon." -WHFoods.org   Last week we had a tasty black bean soup, made from scratch, very cheap and easy to make.  If you buy canned black beans the prep would go quicker, but I picked up dried beans and decided at 2pm I wanted this soup for dinner.  They cooked very quickly and we were able to enjoy it 3 hours later. They surprising ingredient in this soup is the juice from half an orange.  Never would have thought to add that, but it makes SUCH a difference!   I got the original recipe I stick to pretty close to at:  Hurry Up Black Bean Soup

3 Tablespoons Grapeseed Oil
1/2 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
14 ounce can diced tomatoes
Juice of 1/2 orange
16 ounce bag of dried black beans, cooked (follow directions on bag)
3 cups chicken broth, I just eyeball it till the beans are just covered
Salt and Pepper to taste

Cook the dried black beans.  Sautee the onions and garlic in the oil.  Once the onions are translucent, add the seasonings, tomatoes, squeezed orange juice, cooked black beans & pour chicken broth till beans are just covered & salt and pepper.  Cook over medium-high heat until just reduced.  Serve with sliced avocados, sour cream, cheese, tortilla chips & salsa.  ENJOY!!

Chicken Morgan

I like to make most of my meals from scratch so I can control all the ingredients and know I have healthy food for my family.  Making stuff from scratch definitely takes more time, so when my kids nap I have been doing all my prep work, as well as quiet time with the Lord and clean the house.  It is soooo nice, because when they wake up I have had some precious moments with God, house is clean, dinner is ready to go and I can just ENJOY them.  CHANGING MY LIFE!!!

My mother in law shared this delicious recipe with me, I changed it a little to make it Gluten Free and it tasted just as good.

Ingredients:

3 Chicken Breasts
2 Tablespoons butter
3 Ounces Fresh Spinach
3 Large Mushrooms
1 teaspoon minced Garlic
3 Tablespoon Chopped Onions
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
1/4 teaspoon dijon/regular mustard
3 Ounces White Cheddar Cheese or Swiss Cheese
Salt and Pepper
Paprika

Lay chicken breasts flat, slice almost all the way through to create a pocket.
Sautee the Spinach, Mushrooms, Garlic Onions, Worcestershire Sauce, Mustard in butter till the onions are slightly translucent (5 minutes or less), sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss in cheese, turn off heat.  Stuff mixture inside of chicken breasts.  Sprinkle chicken with salt, pepper, and paprika.  Put the chicken in an oven safe pan, refrigerate until ready to cook.  Cook uncovered for 20-25 minutes in a pre-heated oven at 350 degrees.

I served with Roasted Potatoes, and Berry Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing.  YUM YUM!

Best Loaded Baked Potato Soup

I first made this potato soup a couple of years ago, from the recipe in the Southern Living Cookbook.  Every time I make this I am handing out the recipe, those southern ladies sure know how to cook!!  I haven't changed it much, but if you are gluten-free be sure to sub the normal flour for gluten free all purpose flour.  I have made a rue out of King Arthur's GF all purpose and Bob's Red Mill GF all purpose, and both have turned out great.  

Ingredients:

4 Large baking potatoes, peeled, cubed & boiled

2/3 cup organic butter

2/3 cup organic all-purpose flour

6 cups organic milk

3/4 teaspoon salt (I typically add more to taste at the end)

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) organic shredded cheddar cheese, divided

12 slices of organic beef/turkey bacon, cooked, crumbled, divided

4 green onions, green & white parts, chopped, divided

1 (8 ounce) organic carton sour cream

In a large stock pot melt butter over medium heat, add flour and bring to a boil.  Boil for a minute creating a rue.  Gradually add milk, waiting to add each cup  for the mixture to thicken up.  Stir constantly, until thickened and bubbly.  Add the boiled potatoes and mash with a potato masher in the pot.  Next add the salt, pepper, 1 cup cheese, 1/2 cup bacon, 2 Tablespoons green onions and sour cream.  Cook till heated through but not boiling.  Serve immediately.  Top with the remaining cheese, bacon & green onions.  Yum Yum Yum! Enjoy!  (And let me know if you try it!!)

Chicken Sausage Stir Fry

I will post the recipe soon, I just wanted to put a visual on here of this new style of stir fry we tried this week:

Heirloom white scalloped squash from our garden (the only one we got, ha!)

Cooking the chicken sausage & onion

Yummy Stiry fry!

Greek Chicken Wraps with Pepper Olive Relish

This recipe was inspired by a dish a good friend of mine brought me after I had my second child, Emma.  It is so helpful to have friends bless you with meals when you've just had a newborn.  I am such a mess and cannot possibly think about cooking with all the change happening around me.  Anyways, thank you Laura for the AMAZING meal, you are such a good cook and I ALWAYS enjoy everything you make!  It has only taken a year for me to make this for myself, haha!  Also, for all of my gluten eating friends, Laura served us these on Ciabatta rolls - so good!

If you like the flavors in Greek salad, you are going to LOVE this.  It is different and relatively easy to throw together.  I actually prepared this before church Sunday, and I loved not having to scramble together some lunch when we got home, and was glad to fight the temptation to go out to eat.

Ingredients:
5 chicken legs (or two breasts) marinaded in Greek salad dressing
Crumbled feta cheese
Organic Corn Tortillas (if possible)
Coconut oil, salt

Marinade:
1/4 cup pitted ripe olives, diced
1/4 cup pimiento-stuffed green olives, diced
1/4 cup sliced mild banana peppers, diced
1 Tablespoon drained capers
2 Tablespoons chopped red onion
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano (or 1/2 tsp fresh)
1/8 tsp ground black pepper

Directions: First: mix the diced olives & peppers, capers, onion, olive oil, vinegar, oregano & black pepper to prepare the marinade.  Let flavors meld from 2-24 hours.  Cook the chicken (grilled is preferred), when finished de-bone & shred or slice. (You can serve the chicken warm or cold-if you want to prepare in advance)  Fry the corn tortillas in the coconut oil, flipping once as they start to puff up, sprinkle with salt.  Layer the chicken on top of the cooked tortillas, add the Pepper Olive relish and top with feta cheese.  Enjoy!

Buffalo Chicken Salad

First of all I must say SORRY for the quality of the picture!  My camera battery was dead, so I had to use my husbands phone!  But I had to have a visual, Ha!

I had my first version of this salad at a Recipe Club that I am a part of.  It is really a neat idea, you pick a theme for the night, we were meeting every other month, and everyone attempts a new recipe and brings directions how to make each dish.  You bring enough copies for everyone.  It is so fun trying new things and tasting everyone else's creations.  We have done themes such as Barbecue, Salads, Comfort Food, Brunch, Italian.  It has been really fun, we are hoping to get it going again this Fall.

Anyways, a friend of mine Katie (thank you for the inspiration- Andrew is very thankful!), brought this one night and I instantly loved it.  My husband is a HUGE fan of buffalo chicken wings, so I knew this would be a hit in our house.  I hope you will take a chance and try a new kind of salad, you will LOVE it, if you like wings that is :)

Ingredients:
5 chicken legs (or 2 breasts) I like to use chicken legs b/c when buying Free Range Organic this seems to be the cheapest cut.
1/2 cup Frank's Red Hot Sauce
1/3 cup butter, melted
Bag of mixed lettuce
1/2 cucumber, chopped (Or replace this with celery, I am just not a fan of it, but it goes great with the wing flavoring)
Handful of shredded carrots
1/2 red onion, sliced thin
Homemade blue cheese dressing (Ranch works here too)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place chicken in 8x8 pan, sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Bake until cooked through & no pink remains (About 45 min- the meat starts pulling away from the bone). While the chicken is cooking, assemble the salad & make the dressing. Next, mix the melted butter & Frank's sauce.  Coat both sides of the chicken with the sauce, continue cooking for and additional 10 minutes.  Remove from oven.  De-bone the chicken or slice if using breast meat & place on salad.  Serve immediately!  Enjoy :)  Serves 4.  (FYI for the Kiddos I left one chicken leg without sauce on it, gave them little salads & cucumbers)  I also had fruit on the side.

Filipino Inspired Chicken Stir Fry

I want to start off by saying I have been completely blessed with 4 of the most amazing sister in laws.  I grew up with an older & younger brother and of course always wanted a sister.  God knew the desires of my heart and now I have the best sisters!!  I love them dearly and they each have a special place in my heart.  My "sister" Mari is from the Philippines.  We spent some time working in North Carolina a couple of years ago and she taught my mom and I how to make some Filipino dishes.  Spring rolls, Sho Mai Dumplings & Chicken Adobo.

This dish is inspired by the seasoning and techniques Mari taught me.  Of course I think every thing tastes better when she makes it (she is a fabulous cook-among many other things!), but this one did turn out VERY good!

Ingredients:

1 cup cooked chicken meat, coarsely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 sweet onion, chopped
2 Tablespoons coconut oil
1/3 head cabbage, shredded
1 cup carrots, shredded
1 cup fresh green beans, cut "french" style
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup soy sauce

Sautee the garlic & onions in the oil over medium heat until onions are translucent.  Add the chicken, carrots & green beans and broth cook for about 8 minutes until the beans begin to soften, but are still bright green and slightly crunchy, adding more oil if needed.  Last, add the cabbage and sautee for a few minutes (do not over cook) and add the soy sauce to taste.  I usually just sprinkle it in a little at a time till it tastes perfect.  Serve over rice (or rice noodles) immediately.  Enjoy !!

Tip:  Do all your cutting earlier in the day (like when the kids are napping), so dinner comes together fast.  Use Chicken that you cooked earlier too (like in the morning or from a previous day & have it already cooked and frozen.)

Gluten Free Banana Pancakes

Ever since I heard the song "Banana Pancakes" by Jack Johnson I wanted to learn how to make my own, eat them, and "Pretend like it's the weekend...." LOL Anyways, I found a recipe that I LOVE, but since we are trying to do with out the gluten when we can I made them tonight without wheat flour.  They turned out wonderful!  I served them with fresh bananas, maple syrup & turkey sausage.  I like to throw pecans in the batter or sprinkle them on top, but my budget did not allow for "extras" like pecans this week, so no nuts for us. If you like banana bread you will LOVE these.  Let me know if you want the recipe for the original wheat version.  I think pancakes are fun to serve for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Also, I was at the library with the kids today (which was the first time I did this alone since I have had Emma). It did get a little stressful at the end when I got called up to the desk because my van door had been open the WHOLE time, ha!  Those automatic closing doors, I have more trouble with them!  Anyways, a book caught my eye: "Pancakes for Supper."  I totally picked it up, because I already knew we were doing pancakes for dinner, so I thought it would be fun for the kids.

Recipe:

1 1/2 cups brown rice flour
1/2 cup almond meal
1/4 cup arrow root powder
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 Tablespoons butter, melted
3 eggs
1 cup milk
1 ripe banana, smashed
butter & maples syrup

optional: sliced bananas & pecans for serving

Pre-heat electric griddle to 310 degrees (that is the temp that works the best on mine).  This comes together very quickly.  Just mix all the ingredients in order in a bowl by hand, or with a mixer.  If you find the batter too thick add 1/4 more milk.  Pour 1/2 cup of batter per pancake onto the griddle.  Allow to set and start to form bubbles along the edge, flip and cook a few more minutes.  I like to put a small slab of butter between each pancake as I stack them up.  Serve warm ( I keep them in a toaster oven on low until ready to serve).   Makes 12- 15 pancakes.

Gluten-Free BLTs

I usually grocery shop at the beginning of the week and come Sunday I am running low on food.  When I don't plan for lunch we end up going out to eat (I would love to save the money) or I stress about trying to come up with a meal from scratch with not much to work with in my fridge.  At his point the kids are usually tired and we're all hungry.  I have recently started to plan fast meals for Sunday lunch, after church.  It has helped tremendously (and saved us lots of money) to have something planned, I know that I have all the ingredients on hand and it can come together in less than 20 minutes.  We will have a stir fry, hot dogs, burgers, quick sandwiches, ect... This week we had BLTs and they were sooo good and I threw it together so fast.

Ingredients:
Beef bacon
Romaine lettuce leaves
Tomatoes sliced
Grapeseed mayo
Salt & pepper
Butter
Rudi's Gluten-free bread or Ezekiel Sprouted Grain Bread if you are not GF

Start cooking up the bacon, while they are cooking toast your bread.  As the toast gets done butter one side, this will be the side that is on the outside of the sandwich (my father in law first introduced me to butter on the outside of your toasted sammy oh my goodness it makes all the difference in the world).  Next slice up the tomatoes and tear off the lettuce leaves.  Once the bacon is done layer your sandwiches to your liking add the mayo last & sprinkle with salt and pepper.  SOOO simple, but oh so tastey!  We had kettle cooked potato chips ( Trader Joes sells a reduced fat chips that only has potatoes, sunflower oil & salt - I have heard chips are your best option when cooked in ONLY sunflower oil, not safflower - or any other kind of oil, so my Chiropractor says, I have not researched that for myself, but that is the chips we get.  Lays also offers a natural potato chip that can be found at local stores with the same ingredients & so does Tostidos!) and a pickle.  Fast, Simple, Delicious!

Simply Toast and Fruit

I had never thought of toast and fruit as a meal before I was married, but now I EMBRACE toast & fruit.  I look forward to making this because it is SUPER easy, practically no clean up, quick prep and I almost always have all the ingredients on hand.  My husband's grand parents served us this one Sunday evening, it was not much but what they had on hand and it was delicious.  It has become a favorite of mine to make on Sunday nights because right about then I am just about running out of food.  Now that we are striving to do gluten-free meals I don't use bread as much, but I have recently started using Udi's & Rudi's gluten-free breads and they are soooo good.  This week I made our toast and fruit on Udi's bagels, it tasted wonderful, and I didn't even feel like I was eating something without gluten.  Another favorite around here is Ezekiel sprouted grain bread, I often have that here for my boys & daughter, very good with this meal too.  Trader Joes has their own version of this and I can pick it up for 2.99 at my store, they have Ezekiel bread for 3.99 best deal around.  Anyways I encourage you to try this if you are looking for a quick meal or trying to save money by not eating meat for every meal.

Ingredients:
*Bread, bagels, or english muffins
*Organic Jam ( I read in a magazine recently always eat organic jam if you can.  Think about how much pesticides those berries soak up, and then if you boil them down it just basically a whole lot of pesticides & sugar.  Try to find sugar free too.  Trader Joes also has a relatively inexpensive organic raspberry jam sweetened with grape juice that is AWESOME.  This week I grabbed the organic jam from costco, not sugar free though)
Nut butter: Peanut butter (valencia pb (trader joes has it for a steal) if possible so that the mold Aspergillus flavus - which commonly grows on peanuts isn't likely to have started growing on the nuts yet (these nuts are harvested when smaller)) *Almond butter (Costco has a great deal on this) *Sunflower seed butter *Cashew butter
*Honey
*Cream cheese
*Sliced cheese
*Fruit can be canned or fresh (  I try to keep something canned on hand at all times like applesauce or mandarin oranges in juice so I can always make this meal.)
*Organic butter


So you basically just toast 1-2 pieces of your bread per person (depending on how much every family member eats), butter them up as they come out of the toaster.  (Make cheese toast if you prefer.) Place on a plate and set out with all the toppings and let everyone make their own toast.  Don't forget to serve the fruit in a big bowl for every one to scoop themselves.  Easy dinner (breakfast or lunch too) for mom! 

Yummy Gluten-free Summer Sandwich

I made these sandwiches last week when my mom was in town.  They turned out VERY good and a quick dinner to throw together, this will be a good meal when you are in a rush.  I used Udi's gluten free bagels which are really good, so I highly suggest them.  Occasionally there are 1$ off coupons on my blog here for Udi's brand products, so look for them :)

I actually had summer BLTs on my menu for the week, but after finishing my shopping and driving home I realized I forgot Bacon!  Well, what can I substitute?  I am forever making things from whatever I have on hand, I often start a recipe and realize oh no I don't have that....what else would work?  Most of the time it turns out fine, sometimes I discover a new recipe....although a few times my husband and I decide "better follow the recipe next time" Ha!  So I used lunch meat, instead of bacon and I actually just warmed it up for a few seconds in a skillet, it was just as good and cooked up much quicker.

Ingredients:
Gluten-free bagels (Udi's brand), toasted & buttered
Sliced turkey, heated up, Salami heated up, Cooked bacon (whatever meat you prefer)
Tomato- sliced, Lettuce, Onion-sliced, avocado-sliced- this is a must!!
Spinach artichoke dip (any favorite dip will work, I picked up this one from Costco and I had purchased it for chips originally.  I made potato salad at my in-laws and I left my mayo & mustard at their house, so had to figure out, "what else would work".)

Assemble sandwiches, serve with chips & fresh fruit.  Very easy, quick and the dip, instead of the regular condiments really made it different, felt like a deli had made it.  Enjoy!

Fresh Berry Salad with Salmon

I am always looking for new ways to use salmon.  I came up with this simple salad recently and it was great!  Really easy and such a tasty, light summer meal.

Ingredients:
Two 4 ounce Salmon fillets
Coconut oil
Salt
Soy sauce (wheat-free)
Honey
1 head of leafy romaine lettuce, chopped
Fresh berries (I used raspberries & blueberries)
Walnuts (pecans or almonds would work too)
Feta cheese

Melt coconut oil in a skillet on medium heat.  Add salmon to the soil pour 1 tsp soy sauce, then 1 teaspoon of honey on each fillet, sprinkle with salt.  Flip after 4 minutes, repeat soy sauce & honey on the other side of salmon, sprinkle with more salt.  Cook until salmon is flaky (about 4 more minutes).

Divide lettuce between 3 plates add nuts, & berries.  Top with cooked salmon & sprinkle with feta.  Serve with sweet vinaigrette.  I made mine with equal portions of olive oil & apple cider vinegar, a little honey, raspberry jam, salt & pepper, all to taste.  Enjoy!!

Chicken Kabobs

Hi readers!  I just wanted to start this post off by saying sorry I have not been on here regularly.  I actually have this "pact" with God that I can not get on the internet until I have done my quiet time with Him everyday.  Some days I don't get to that till later in the evening and others it is done in the afternoon while the kids are napping.  I love waiting till after I have spent sometime with the Lord, it really helps me keep my priorities straight.  Sometimes I forget and I will start to get on and the Holy Spirit reminds me "hey, what are you doing?"  I always find it is best to listen to his prompting, definitely don't want to quench the Spirit. Also, summer is sooo busy, grad parties, birthdays and hosting family & friend parties, there has been a lot going over here!! So all that to say, by the end of the night sometimes I only have time to check my emails and then spend some time with my hubby.  I will post as often as I can!

So chicken kabobs...... there are a ton of versions of kabobs, and I think just about every time I make them they are different.  I just wanted to give you and idea for a different summer time meal.  Take advantage of the weather and the grills while you can!!!  Earlier in the day (or before you leave for work) cube some chicken and cut veggies of choice, throw them in a zip lock back with a marinade (Italian dressing works good if you are in a hurry), coat, and then let sit for a few hours, place on skewers and grill.  I know some people who skewer on the food first thing and just turn a few times so whatever is easier for ya. Super easy and really good!!

Recipe this time:
3 chicken breasts, thawed, cubed
1 green pepper, 1/2 orange pepper cut in chunks
1 small container of mushrooms
1 sweet onion, cut in chunks

Marinade:
1/4 cup grape seed oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar ( I used 18 yr. traditional, from Olive World Olive Press- AMAZING! www.oldworldolivepress.com)
1 teaspoon All American Season (This is my favorite seasoning, buy locally or at www.mickeysrubsandspices.com)

Throw the chicken and veggies in a one gallon zip lock back, mix the marinade together (I like to make my own so I know what is actually in it and approve of everything) and add to the bag.  Turn the bag over and use your hands to coat evenly.  Let marinade in the refrigerator as long as possible, 30 minutes is better than nothing, a couple of hours if possible.  Alternate veggies and meat on skewers, grill for about 5 minutes on each side, till chicken is cooked at about 350 degrees.  Serve over Rice or Quinoa and fresh fruit.  Wonderful light summer meal!  Serves 4

2 of our favorite ingredients.

Italian Tomato Sauce Chicken

I always ate this meal growing up, our whole family liked it, but of course like most kids we had certain foods we didn't care for.  I would pull off one thing, my brothers something else, but my mom would just make it the normal way and we dissected it to our liking.  So yummy & delicious and of course I like everything now!!  Hope you enjoy trying a new chicken dish!

Ingredients:
4 Chicken breasts, whole, thawed
Seasoned salt ( or regular salt ) to taste
1 onion sliced in rings, separated
1 small can sliced mushrooms, if you have time fresh would be great!
2 (14 ounce) cans of whole canned tomatoes, quarter the tomatoes, juices drained & reserved
Oregano, Basil, Garlic, Parsley

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Lay chicken in pan, sprinkle each with seasoned salt.  Place a few onion rings & mushrooms on each breast,  then cover with quartered tomato. Mix 1/2 teaspoon (or to taste) each of the remaining seasonings in the reserved tomato juice and pour in the pan with chicken.   Cover with foil (be sure it doesn't touch the food), use tooth picks if needed.  Cook for 1 hr.  Serve over rice.  ENJOY!

Gluten Free Taco Pizza

One of the hardest things about eating gluten-free is not being able to eat pizza!  So I recently found a gluten-free pizza crust mix and tried it out this week.  It was Bob's Red Mill brand, and it was just ok.  I think I may have undercooked it.  It still tasted good, but I will be on the look out for a really good crust mix or recipe. If you feel like a good pizza, I hear Buddy's pizza has a gluten-free option.  I will be trying it out soon and let you know!

Taco pizza is one of my favorite ways to make pizza.  It is really easy, and a fresh way to use ground beef.  We had this last week on Cinco De Mayo.

Ingredients:

Pizza Crust, baked (Bob's Red Mill, Gluten-free is what I used)
1 cup Homemade spaghetti sauce (or your favorite jarred sauce)
1-2 cups Cheddar Cheese, shredded
1/2 lb ground beef, cooked & seasoned with taco seasoning (I make up my own, chili pwdr, garlic pwdr, cumin)
Shredded lettuce
chopped tomatoes or fresh salsa
1/2 avocado, sliced

Spread sauce on baked crust.  Top the sauce with cheese & ground beef.  Bake at 425 for about 10 minutes, or until the cheese is all melted and starting to brown just slightly.  Top with shredded lettuce, tomatoes & avocado.  Enjoy!

Really easy & the toppings can vary depending on what you like on your "tacos".

Chicken Parmesan

I haven't had Chicken Parmesan in a while, I used to make it with crushed up crackers, but since going gluten free, we never eat crackers!  I made this with almond meal and it was great.  Very simple dish.

Ingredients:

3 boneless chicken thighs
1 egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup almond meal
1 Tablespoon shredded parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
2 Tablespoon grapeseed oil
A few of slices of white cheddar cheese
A few cups of homemade spaghetti sauce
Cooked brown rice pasta.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix Almond meal and the rest of the dry ingredients in a wide bowl or plate.  Dip chicken in egg, coating both sides.  Next place chicken in almond meal mixture, flipping over to make sure it is completely covered.  Put oil in glass 8x8 pan, coating the entire bottom of pan.  Place chicken in the pan, bake for 25 minutes, flip, cook for another 25 minutes, until the almond meal begins to turn golden and crispy.  For the last 3 minutes put cheese on top of chicken till fully melted.

To serve:  toss pasta with sauce.  Place chicken on top of pasta, add a few spoonfulls of sauce & top with freshly grated parmesan cheese.  Enjoy!

Bacon Cheddar Meatloaf

Always looking for new ground beef recipes, this is great one!

We tried this spin on our traditional meatloaf recipe this week, and it was wonderful!  I was referred to the original recipe at : http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/bacon-cheddar-meatloaf-recipe/index.html from a friend, thanks Joslyn!

If you are dairy free, just remove the whipping cream & cheese from the recipe.

Ingredients:

2 pieces of bacon, chopped (I used beef bacon)
1/2 medium onion, chopped fine
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 egg yolk
1/2 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 Tablespoon heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 lb ground beef
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Glaze: 2 Tablespoons tomato paste, 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar, 3 Tablespoons water- mix all in a bowl, set aside.

Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.  Sautee chopped bacon in skillet.  Once crispy, remove pieces & place in a medium bowl, reserve fat in skillet.  Cook onions and garlic in grease until onions are translucent.  Add the cooked onions & garlic to the bowl, also add the rest of the ingredients (except the glaze).  Mix with hands until thoroughly combined and shape in a small log on glass baking pan.  Bake for 30 minutes, spread the glaze over the loaf and cook for 10 more minutes (until the inside is no longer pink).  Enjoy!

Cheesy Lemon Buttered Salmon

I am always looking for ways to change up Salmon.  It is such a good protein for you, ideally I would like to have it a couple times a week, so I try to spice it up to keep my taste buds watering.  We had this tonight and it was really good!

Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees.

Ingredients:
2 salmon filets (About 4 ounces each) thawed (if frozen).

Stuffing:
1 ounce cream cheese
1 large garlic clove, minced
zest of 1 lemon

Slice a "pocket" on the top of each filet- stop the cut 1/2 inch from each edge.  If the fish is thin be sure to cut at an angle.  Mix all the stuffing ingredients, spoon into pockets.  Sprinkle salt over the fish.

Crust:
2 Tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup almond meal
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Mix topping ingredients, sprinkle over stuffed salmon fillets.  Bake at 425 for 15 minutes, until salmon is flaky.  I put it under the broiler for 3 minutes to lightly brown the top.

Meatballs with Maple Barbecue Sauce

Meatballs are a great way to use ground beef.  I try to use free-range, grass fed beef, and ground seems to be the cheapest way to get it.  I am always looking for different recipes that use ground beef.  I find there is a lot you can do with meatballs.  I usually will make a double or triple batch at once, cook them up earlier in the day and freeze whatever we are not going to eat that night.  I thaw them and pair with spaghetti, I can break them up and use them for taco meat or in a shepherds pie, or keep them whole and cook them in a tasty bbq or white sauce.  Today I made extra and invited family over for lunch.

Meatball Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs of ground beef
1/3 medium sized onion, diced small
2 medium sized cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 eggs

Mix together in a bowl until thoroughly combined.  I usually use my hands.  Shape into balls place on baking sheet.  Bake at 450 degrees for about 15 minutes, or until starting to turn dark brown on the tops.

Barbecue Sauce Ingredients:

3/4 cup ketchup
1/4 maple syrup
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

Put all ingredients in a sauce pan, bring to a boil, stirring constantly, reduce to low & simmer until ready to serve.

You can place the finished meatballs in the pot with the sauce to coat, or simply serve the sauce on the side or over the top of them. Serves 5-6 people ( I consider this a double batch for our family) Enjoy!!

Bacon Mac & Cheese

After being milk & cheese free for 8 months, I am finally eating all dairy again.  While nursing I could have raw milk, it did not affect my sweet Emma, but if it was pasturized she was in sooo much pain & spit up constantly.  I had to revamp our family's eating habits.  We did get used to having less dairy around the house, but I really missed mac n cheese & pizza.  So this was the first mac-n-cheese meal I've created since Emma has been born, and the boys and I really enjoyed it!  Bonus: I added steamed, pureed acorn squash (light yellow in color) to the cheese mixture, the guys had no idea!  I told them afterwards, and they were really surprised....anyway to sneak in extra veggies un-noticed is a plus :)

Ingredients:
1 lb Brown rice pasta (I get from Trader Joes)
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons gluten free flour (I used Red Mill brand)
2 cups milk
3/4 lb sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 lb gruyere cheese, shredded
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups squash steamed & pureed (I used acorn)
Entire package of beef bacon, cooked & chopped

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Boil water & cook pasta according to instructions, drain.  Melt butter
in a large pan, whisk in flour, stir constantly on high heat for 1 minute (it should be bubbling), reduce to medium-high temp.  Slowly add milk, stir until thickened and bubbly.  Add the cheeses, reserving a 1/2 cup cheddar, and salt, mix until melted.  Last stir in the squash & cooked noodles.  Pour into a greased 9x13 pan, sprinkle the bacon & remaining cheddar over the whole dish.  Bake for 15 minutes or until starting to brown slightly.  Enjoy :)