Nut Butter Cookies -- Gluten-Free

Last month, I posted a recipe for flourless, nut butter bread.  In the comments section, my friend Vanessa posted a recipe for flourless, nut butter cookies.  I finally tried making them today, and they are to die for!!

You only need three ingredients:  1 cup of nut butter, 1 cup of sugar, and two eggs.

Mix all the ingredients together.

Drop on cookie sheet and bake at 350* for 12-15 minutes.

These were so easy (my hubby actually made them--his first time ever baking cookies)!  They are sooooooooo delicious!  Vanessa said she's mixed in chocolate chips, nuts, and coconut with great results.

Thank you for a great recipe, Vanessa!!!

Nut-Butter "Bread" -- Gluten Free

An acquaintance gave me a recipe for a gluten-free "bread" made with only 4 ingredients:  nut butter, eggs, salt, and baking soda.

I thought to myself, "This lady MUST have left an ingredient out somewhere--like flour?--or else she's crazy."  But I guess I'm crazy, too, because I decided to try it anyway.

You first blend the ingredients in a blender (recipe with amounts at the bottom of this post), then you spread it in a pan.  I lined mine with parchment paper, and it worked nicely.  I used an 8x8 glass pan.  The mixture is a thick paste.

You then bake it.  

Somehow, by some miracle, this thick, gooey, nut-butter paste rises and turns into bread!  Here it is sliced.

It's actually light and fluffy!!

I then topped it with apricot All-Fruit and tasted it.

It was actually good!!  All the kids devoured it and were asking for more.  

The lady who told me about it said that you can also add squash, applesauce, nuts, raisins, etc, and it still rises well.  I think that next time I will either add applesauce, honey, or use a sweetened nut butter.  I used a natural one, so the bread itself wasn't sweet at all.

Anyway, this was a very successful experiment!!  If you add something different and it turns out great (or awful, for that matter), be sure to let me know!!

Here's the original recipe:

1 cup nut butter

4 eggs

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

Blend all ingredients in a blender and spread into a small greased or parchment paper-lined pan and bake at 350* until done.  (I baked it for 25 minutes in my 8x8 glass pan).

By the way, my hubby and I wanted to figure out how much this costs to make.  He bought a large jar of Peter Pan peanut butter at Wal-Mart (no HFCS, but still sweetened).  I only added in a couple of cents for the salt and baking soda, as we buy baking soda in bulk and it only uses 1/4 tsp salt in a batch.  The cost we came up with was $1.90 a batch.  Waaaaaaaaay cheaper than the gluten-free Udi's bread, and everybody in the family can eat this, including Little Love #5!!  And if you're the type who's avoiding grains, this is virtually all protein and is very filling!  You also don't need to put nut butter on the bread, since it's already made of it!

ETA:  I refrigerated the bit that was left overnight.  Today, it's just as soft and moist as it was yesterday.  YAY!!!

Enjoy!!!

Quesadillas -- Some Gluten-Free!!

Most of you know that I've been on bedrest for the past several weeks, hoping to put a stop to my preterm labor.  As long as we make it to midnight tonight, she'll no longer be considered a preemie!!!  So thank you so much to those of you who have prayed.  It'll be nice to have a full-termer after my last two being preemies.

Anyway, while I've been on bedrest, my poor Mr. Man has been doing most everything in the house, as well as going to work on work days.  One of the many chores he's had to undertake is most of the cooking.  Thankfully, I have several quick and easy recipes, meal ideas, and snack ideas that he's been able to employ, without resorting to boxed/prepackaged junk food (most of the time).

One such meal is quesadillas.  

Few meals at our house are truly simple, as most people would define simple.  We have three children who are gluten-free, and our youngest is also severely allergic to dairy, tropical fruits, and tapioca, among other things.

We start quesadilla meals by making peanut-butter-and-fruit wraps for our youngest daughter.  We make these on corn tortillas, sometimes fried, sometimes not.  She doesn't care either way.

Next, we do the quesadillas for the other gluten-intolerant children.  They also get the corn tortillas.  Last, we do them for my hubby and I and our older children, typically with whole wheat tortillas.  Simply put them in your skillet with the filling of choice--over medium-high heat--and cook for a few minutes until the cheese melts or your filling is warm, flipping once or twice.

When we need something super-fast, we just put in cheese.  Sometimes we do them like pizzas, with pizza sauce, pepperonis, and mozzarella cheese.  Tonight, my hubby made simple ham-and-cheese ones.  

They're also good with scrambled eggs, green peppers, and bacon for breakfast ones.  Great dipped in salsa or by themselves, they're easy to wrap up and take on-the-go.  They literally take minutes to make, and everybody loves them!

What interesting fillings do you like in your quesadillas?

Chicken Tortilla Soup -- Gluten Free!!!

This soup has been my number one craving throughout this pregnancy.  I always use my big cast iron pot and double the recipe (except the meat) so that I have plenty of leftovers in the fridge!

Even the kids love it!  Here's the original recipe, and I'll post my changes below it.

1 lb chicken, cubed and cooked
1/2 tsp garlic
1/4 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 cup chunky salsa
1 cup frozen corn
2 cans chicken broth
black beans
tortilla chips
cheese

Throw all but the last 2 ingredients in your pot, and bring to a boil.  Break up some tortilla chips in your bowl, pour soup over them, and top with cheese.

When I make this recipe and I'm in a hurry, or while I've been on bed rest, I often use a can of chicken instead of cooking some.  Instead of using chicken broth, I use water and add a bit of Better than Bouillon to it.  The original recipe didn't actually call for beans, but it's so much better with them!!  I use whatever kind I happen to have already cooked in the freezer.  If I don't have any cooked, I'll cook a package of lentils and throw some of them in.

If you need the recipe to be gluten-free, make sure you use a gluten-free salsa, etc.  This is one of the quickest, easiest, and yummiest meals!!  I LOVE soup--especially in this colder weather!!

Green Smoothies

I few times recently, I have had people ask me what my favorite green smoothie recipes are.  While I know that there are wonderful recipes out there, I don't use any recipes for ours!  We buy whatever fruits and veggies are in season or on sale, and we throw whatever we have into our smoothies.

I typically start with an apple, pear, or both.  We also typically throw in a very generous handful of spinach.  From there, it can vary greatly.  For example, yesterday's smoothie had an apple and a pear, a large handful of fresh cranberries, carrots, frozen strawberries, several leaves of cabbage, 1/2 a cucumber, frozen broccoli, and some romaine lettuce (we're actually out of spinach).  I may mix it up today by using an orange, green leaf lettuce, grapes, peppers, etc.  No matter what mix I use, my kids guzzle it down!

I do also add water to help thin it down some.  Otherwise, it's pretty thick.  My Little Love #5 is severely allergic to dairy, so I don't use any kind of dairy base like milk, yogurt, etc.  I also can't use bananas, avocados, or various other tropical fruits because of her allergies.  But my kids have never complained.  Any time the smoothie seems a bit too tart or bitter to me, I'll either add a large dollop of Polaner All Fruit or local raw honey.  But this is a rare occurrence.

So grab some fruits and veggies, grab your blender, don't worry about specific recipes, and enjoy your fresh fruit-and-veggie smoothies!!

Sausage and Rice Skillet -- Gluten-Free!

Here's another one of our favorite recipes.  It's sooooooo easy to make and easy to change-it-up for some variety.  Can you tell we like sausage?  And rice?  And cheese?  (If you missed my last cheesy sausage recipe, catch it here.)

Here's what goes into it:

3 cups rice (measured dry)

1 lb sausage (any kind)

beans (any kind), however much you want

corn (canned, fresh, or frozen), however much you want

stewed tomatoes (canned or make your own)

cheese

Start your rice cooking.  Once again, I use my rice cooker so that I don't even have to think about it again until I'm ready for it.

While that's cooking, get out your sausage.  My absolute favorite sausage for this meal is Whole Foods' spinach feta chicken sausage.  It's soooooooo delicious!!

My Mr. Man's favorite in this is chorizo.  We've made this recipe using all different kinds of sausage.  Each one adds its own flavor, so that's an easy way to add variety to this recipe.  I usually throw in whatever we happen to have around.  If you're making this recipe gluten-free, make sure that your sausage and other ingredients are all gluten-free.

Squeeze your sausage out of its casing and brown it.

Once it's browned, you'll be adding everything else.  If you have a large skillet, you'll be able to do everything in it.  If not, put your sausage into a large pot and add everything there.

Add your cooked rice...

...add your stewed tomatoes...

...add your beans (this is another way to add variety to this meal.  My favorites in this recipe are black beans, but I'll grab whatever I happen to have the most of in the freezer.  Right now it's pinto beans, so pinto it is!)...

...and add your corn.

Mix it all up and let it cook until it's all heated through.

Once it's all finished, top with cheese.  I typically use a fiesta blend, but right now I have a huge bag of cheddar, so I used that.  See how much you can switch this up and how easy it is to just use whatever you have on-hand?  I typically scoop some out for my Little Love #5 before I add the cheese, since she's severely allergic to dairy.  However, since the sausage I used already had cheese in it, she can't eat this batch anyway.

Once the cheese is melted, it's ready to enjoy!  Mr. Man loves eating it on chips.  I love simply eating it with a fork.  

So go make some and let me know what your favorite sausage and bean combo is!

Cheesy Sausage and Rice -- Gluten-Free!!

Ok, I didn't know exactly what to call this recipe, but it is DELICIOUS!!  My youngest can't eat it because it's full of dairy ingredients, but my other gluten-free kids can!  It's pretty fast and easy to make.  (Sorry for the semi-blurry pictures.  My camera lens desperately needed a cleaning.  Future ones will be nice and sharp!)

Here's the recipe:

3 cups rice (measured dry)
8 oz cream cheese, cubed
2/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup butter, sliced
1/2 cup milk
1 cup pumpkin, canned or otherwise
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 lb browned sausage (andouille is my favorite!)

I know, I know.  At this point you're freaking out because this recipe has pumpkin in it.  Pumpkin mixed with cheese and cayenne pepper.  Because pumpkin's just supposed to be mixed with cinnamon and clove and baked in a crust and topped with whipped cream, right?  WRONG!!  Trust me.  While pumpkin pie is super-scrumptious, so is this!  The final result is not pumpkiny-tasting.  It's perfect.  Just be brave and try it--you won't be disappointed!!  And it's nearing that pumpkin time of year, so what better time to try this recipe?

Start by cooking your rice.  I use a rice cooker, and I LOVE it!!

When the rice is nearing the end of its cook, brown your sausage.  My absolute favorite in this recipe is Whole Foods' andouille sausage.  The combo of the cheesy sauce and the spiciness of the sausage is to die for!  Today I used a simple smoked sausage, because I got it on sale for super cheap.  If you're making this recipe gluten-free, make sure that your sausage is a gluten-free sausage.

Next, combine the cream cheese, butter, parmesan cheese, and milk in a saucepan.  Cook on low, stirring frequently, until everything's melted.  Stir in your pumpkin and cayenne until heated through.

Add the sausage, then stir in your rice.

That's it!  You're done!  All you have left is to eat and enjoy!

Buckwheat Pancakes

We have several food allergies and intolerances in our family.  Two of our children are gluten-intolerant, and one is allergic to dairy and tapioca, among other things.  This means that some people can eat whole wheat bread, and some can eat gluten-free bread but our youngest can't eat either (anybody have any gluten-free bread recipes that don't use tapioca in them?).

I found a buckwheat pancake recipe and with a few substitutions made them safe for the whole family.  They're delicious!!  We typically quadruple the following recipe and freeze some of the pancakes to make peanut-butter and jelly sandwiches later on.

Buckwheat flour can be a bit pricey sometimes.  We buy organic hulled buckwheat groats in bulk once a year from a local co-op and grind them ourselves.  Here are what buckwheat groats look like.

This year we bought 50 pounds.  I'm thinking that next year we may have to do 100.

We just use a simple hand mill, purchased for around $60 online.  It works great for us, has stainless steel parts, and comes completely apart for cleaning.  It's so easy to use, even my kids can help grind (and they love to do it!).  It takes longer than electric mills, but the price was right!

Here's the original recipe and our substitutions:

2 cups buckwheat flour

2 t baking powder (gluten-free is necessary for us)

4 T sugar (we use turbinado--yum!)

1 t salt

2 eggs, beaten

2 c milk (I typically do 1 cup almond or rice milk and 1 cup water)

4 T melted butter (We do just under 4 T of applesauce instead)

splash of vanilla

Enjoy!!