Tag Archives: wheat-free

Crash-Free Oatmeal

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I’m going to start posting a series of recipes here just so I can keep up with them.  I like having a reference of things I can do in a hurry without having to rely on my brain to think something up.

 

It’s simple:

1/2 c. old-fashioned or quick oats

1 c. almond milk

 

Microwave for 3 minutes.  That’s it.  There’s enough sweetness to the almond milk that you don’t need to add sugar.  For a little zing, sprinkle with salt after cooking.  Just a pinch.  You’ll think you added margarine or butter.

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Shoepeg Salad

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shoepeg

It’s amazing what a fresh vinaigrette can do for canned vegies.

Sometimes we forget to add the pimento.  Sometimes we use red onion instead of green.  Sometimes we throw in chickpeas or diced carrots or water chestnuts.  Use your imagination.  It’s all good.

Vegies
* 1 1/2 cups celery, chopped
* 1 (15 ounce) can baby green peas
* 1 cup green onion, chopped
* 1 (4 ounce) jar diced pimentos, drained
* 1 (11 ounce) can white shoepeg corn

Dressing
* 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
* 1 to 2 T sugar or Splenda (start small and add as needed)
* 1/4 cup canola oil
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon dried dill

Blend ingredients for dressing and toss with vegies. Simple, yummy and healthy.

This is not my recipe.  If anyone finds out who invented it, give them a prize and then tell me who they are.

 

Happy Kale Soup

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ImageI had a dream last night: I was talking to someone about how much I love kale. This morning is sort of gray and green, cloudy and rainy behind the lush foliage on the trees that look like June more than early April.

So I’m thinking it’s a day for my happy kale soup, which incidentally has sausage, beans and onion, but for me it’s all about the kale.  The other stuff is in there just to keep it happy.

For anyone that wants to play along, here’s what you’ll need:

Soup kettle or Dutch oven big enough to hold a mountain of kale
A big cooking spoon or paddle (mine is wood)
Extra virgin olive oil — 2 T, more or less
One large onion, coarsely chopped. (Vidalias are a favorite, but a nice red is pretty.)
One package of smoked sausage (turkey, beef or pork, depending on the moment), sliced or diced
One can of white beans (Great Northerns are my fave)
Chopped kale (fresh or bagged; can use can in a pinch, but it’s not the same)
One box or two cans of broth: chicken, beef or vegie — (no MSG, please).
Season-All or Mrs. Dash to your liking

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Heat about 2 T olive oil in your kettle. Add the onion and saute until soft. Throw in your sausage and continue to saute for 2-5 minutes, depending on how long you’re willing to stand there.  Add kale, in batches if necessary, and toss until it wilts.  Add beans and broth and bring to a simmer.  At this point, it’s ready to eat, but I like to simmer for at least an hour so all the flavors blend together and the beans and onion are really, really soft.

I can’t look at that first picture and not want to make cornbread to go with.  That particular bread is my jalapeno cheddar version, and you can find that recipe here.

Eggplasagna

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Eggplant is just an amazing thing.  I love it breaded with cornmeal and fried, or made into a casserole with bread crumbs or even in chili.  But this may be my favorite way yet.  It makes being wheat-free a little more happy.

INGREDIENTS:eggplant
Olive oil
1 Vidalia onion, chopped
1 T. minced garlic
1 lb. fresh ground meat (pork, beef or turkey)
Seasoned salt to taste
1 T. chopped parsley
1 jar prepared pasta sauce (I used Classico Tomato & Basil)

1 large eggplant, peeled and diced
1 lb. sliced fresh mushrooms
1 large bag clean fresh spinach
1 c. grated parmesan
4-6 slices provolone (enough to cover pan)
2 c. grated mozzarella

Heat 2 T. olive oil in skillet and saute onion with garlic until onion is soft. Transfer to LARGE bowl (you will be adding other stuff to this).

In same skillet, brown ground meat until pink is gone. Drain fat if necessary and stir in seasoned salt and parsley. Add to bowl with onion and garlic, add jar of pasta sauce and stir until mixed well. This is your kitchen gravy and it’s great with pasta or French bread, too. But back to the plan.

Prepare a 9” x 13” pan. I lined mine with foil that I then sprayed with cooking spray.

Put enough gravy in the pan to cover the bottom and reserve the rest for the top.

Back to that skillet. Heat more olive oil if necessary, add eggplant and stir occasionally until eggplant begins to sweat and soften. Spread out on top of gravy in 9” x 13” pan. Layer mushrooms on top of this.

This is the last thing for the skillet: the spinach. It will be a huge pile but as it cooks it will shrink down to nothing. I promise you. Once the spinach is wilted and soft, stir in the parmesan cheese. Then spread this on top of the eggplant and mushrooms.

Cover with a layer of provolone cheese.

Then cover with the rest of the kitchen gravy.

Top with mozzarella.

You can put this straight into the oven or stick into the fridge and heat up later.  Either way, it takes about 30-40 min in a 350 degree oven.  You might need to turn on the broiler to brown the cheese on top if you’re in a hurry and you like it that way.

Serves four hungry people, more if you add sides/and or bread.  We had fresh corn on the cob with ours.