Tuna Noodle Bake

Tried this recipe tonight for dinner and it was awesome!  My kids ate it too, they complained a bit about the peas, but you really couldn't taste them, so they did eat it.  If you can have dairy, adding some cheese to it would be yummy, but I kept it per the recipe for this first time.  It's definitely comfort food.  I served it with corn bread muffins (Pamela's gluten-free mix) - yummy!

Enjoy,
Kirsten

PS:  The recipe comes from the Recipes For Gluten-Free Kids (fun eats from breakfast to treats) cookbook.

TUNA NOODLE BAKE

4 tablespoons dairy-free margarine, divided
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons sweet rice flour (mochiko)
1 1/2 cups soy milk or other dairy-free milk
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried mustard
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
4 cups cooked gluten-free macaroni, rotini or other small pasta shape
2 cans (6 ounces each) tuna, drained and flaked
2 cups peas
1/2 cup crushed potato chips

1)  Preheat oven to 350F.  Melt 2 tablespoons margarine in small skillet.  Add onion and garlic; cook and stir 2 minutes or until softened.

2)  Melt remaining 2 tablespoons margarine in medium saucepan over low heat.  Whisk in rice flour; cook and stir 2 minutes without browning.  Stir in soy milk; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; simmer 2 to 3 minutes or until thickened.  Stir in Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, mustard and thyme.

3)  Combine pasta, onion mixture, tuna and peas in a large bowl.  Add sauce and combine.  Transfer to a shallow baking dish or casserole.  Sprinkle with potato chips.  Cover; bake 15 minutes.  Uncover; bake 10 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

NOTES:

~If you are dairy-free, follow the ingredient list above, I did use butter when I made it.

~I stay away from soy, so I used vanilla almond milk.  Yes, the sweetened one.  It tasted great, but you could also use unsweetened rice or almond milk, or the unsweetened almond/coconut milk blend would be good too.

~I always use kosher salt for savory recipes.

~I used Schar gluten-free rotini, but any small noodle would be great.

~I used white albacore tuna, that is my favorite type.

~I used frozen baby peas and I thawed them in the microwave for just a minute before adding them in, but probably just throwing them in frozen would work too.

~I didn't measure, but I'm thinking I used more like 1-1 1/2 cups of potato chips.  I thought that would make it appealing to my boys.  I put it in an oval casserole dish, so 1/2 a cup of chips wouldn't have even come close to covering the top.

~I didn't do this, but I think it would be yummy to drizzle a little bit of melted butter over the chips before baking, however, if you're trying to keep it lower cal, then skip that for sure!

Smothered Pork Chops

This is an absolutely delicious dish.  Many times pork chops are dry and I was worried, since this recipe calls for thin cut chops, but they are seriously moist and delicious!  It's also pretty spicy, which we love!  My boys even liked the chops, I just served theirs without much sauce.  They also loved the sausage, not the potatoes so much, but we are working on that!  My husband and I loved it so much - it's one of our new favorites!!

Enjoy!
Kirsten

PS:  This recipe comes from The Gluten-Free Table cookbook, by Jilly Lagasse and Jessie Lagasse Swanson

SMOTHERED PORK CHOPS

4 thin-cut pork chops
Emeril's Original Essence Seasoning or Cajun seasoning of your choice, to taste
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more as needed for the roux
2 tablespoons gluten-free all purpose flour blend (we've used Arrowhead Mills)
1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced (about 1 1/2 cups)
3 to 3 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon water (optional)
1 pound gluten-free smoked sausage, sliced
1 medium-size potato, peeled and diced (1 1/3 to 1 1/2 cups)

1)  Season both sides of each pork chop with several sprinkles of Essence Seasoning, salt and pepper.

2)  In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil and sear the chops for 2 to 4 minutes on each side, or until they begin to brown.

3)  Remove the chops from the skillet and set aside.  Lower the heat to medium and add more olive oil until you estimate that there is again about 2 tablespoons of oil in the pan.

4)  Add the flour blend and cook for another 2 to 4 minutes, stirring constantly so the roux doesn't burn.  The mixture should turn the color of light peanut butter.

5)  Add the onion, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook another 5 minutes, or until the onions have softened and are coated with the roux.

6)  Stir in 2 2/3 cups of the chicken stock until the roux mixture has blended smoothly into the stock.

7)  Return the pork chops to the skillet, along with the bay leaf, and cover.  Simmer on low heat for 30 to 45 minutes, stirring the roux mixture occasionally.  If the gravy becomes too thick, add enough of the remaining chicken stock to thin it out.  If the gravy is too think, incorporate the cornstarch and water mixture to thicken it up.

8)  After the chops have simmered for 30 to 45 minutes, add the sliced sausage and diced potatoes.  Re-season the mixture, re-cover and simmer for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.

9)  Remove from the heat and discard the bay leaf.  Serve each chop with a heaping pile of sausage and potatoes along with a healthy spoonful of gravy.

NOTES:

~I ended up using 8 chops and it worked out fine.

~I used a gluten-free Cajun seasoning that I had in the pantry.  I'm sure any g-free Cajun seasoning would be fine!

~I mixed the spices in a Ziploc bag first, then put them onto a plate to roll the meat in them, that made it easy to blend the spices together well.

~I used my favorite gluten-free flour blend, which is on my blog under the "Gluten Free Flour Blends" tab - it's the one from the Gluten-Free Recipes for Kids cookbook (not the one for bread).

~I used Klement's smoked polish sausage.  The package was more than a pound, but I used the whole thing.

~I did use the cornstarch and water to thicken up the gravy.

Beef Stew

I tried this recipe the other night and it was awesome!!  My kids didn't really like it, although my little guy did like the meat.  They have never really had much soup/stew, so I think they just don't dig the whole texture, but I guarantee adults will LOVE it!!

Enjoy!

Kirsten

PS: The recipe comes from the Deliciously G-Free cookbook by Elisabeth Hasselbeck.

BEEF STEW

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 pounds lean cubed stew beef, trimmed of excess fat

1/4 cup brown rice flour

2 teaspoons gluten-free sweet or hot Hungarian paprika

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 large onion, sliced into thin rings

2 slices gluten-free bacon, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons gluten-free tomato paste

1/2 cup dry white or red wine

4 cups gluten-free beef broth

4 carrots, cut into 1-inch chunks

1 large sweet potato, cubed

2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1)  Sprinkle the salt over the meat.  On a sheet of wax paper, mix the brown rice flour, paprika, and black pepper.  Roll the beef cubes in the flour mixture to coat them.  Set aside.

2)  Heat 1 tablespoon of the canola oil in a large heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the beef and cook, turning the pieces once or twice, until they are golden, 5 to 7 minutes.  Transfer the beef to a plate.

3)  Add the remaining 1 tablespoon canola oil to the skillet, and add the onion, bacon and garlic.  Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, until the onion begins to soften and brown.  Then reduce the heat to low, add the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute, stirring well.  Add the wine and bring to a simmer.

4)  Return all the meat and any accumulated juices to the skillet.  Add the beef broth, scraping up any browned bits and pieces from the bottom of the pan.  Bring the stew to a steady simmer (you may need to raise the heat to medium).  Cover and simmer until the meat is fork-tender, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

5)  Add the carrots and sweet potato to the stew and cook for 30 minutes, until the carrots are tender.  Spoon into warmed soup bowls, garnish with the parsley and serve.

NOTES:

~I like kosher salt for salting the beef.

~I try to stay away from canola oil, since it's mostly GMO.  Olive oil or grapeseed oil are much better.

~I prefer a red wine for a beef dish.

Banana Bread Bars With Brown Butter Frosting

I usually freeze any over ripe bananas and use them later for smoothies, but I had a good supply already in the freezer and quite a few seriously ripe bananas on the counter, so I decided to bake some banana goodness today.  I was about to search for a new recipe when I happened to see a post on Facebook with this recipe!  The original recipe is not gluten-free, but I used my favorite g-free flour blend and they turned out absolutely INCREDIBLE!!  Seriously, these are dangerous!  They are so super moist and yummy, you'd never in a million years guess that they are gluten free!  So save those bananas and give this recipe a try!

Happy Banana Baking!
Kirsten

BANANA BREAD BARS WITH BROWN BUTTER FROSTING

1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
1 3/4 cups (3-4 large) ripe bananas, mashed
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups gluten-free flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Brown Butter Frosting:

1/2 cup butter
4 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
3-4 tablespoons milk

1)  Heat oven to 375F.

2)  Grease and flour a 15x10-inch jelly roll pan.

3)  In a large bowl, beat together the sugar, sour cream, butter and eggs until creamy.

4)  Blend in the bananas and vanilla extract.

5)  Add the flour, baking soda and salt and blend for 1 minute or until thoroughly blended.  Stir in walnuts.

6)  Spread batter evenly into pan.  Bake 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

7)  Meanwhile, for frosting, heat butter in a large saucepan over medium heat until boiling.  Let the butter boil, stirring often, until it turns a delicate brown and remove from the heat immediately.

8)  Add the powdered sugar, vanilla and milk.  Whisk together until smooth (it should be thicker than a glaze, but thinner than frosting).  Using a spatula, spread the brown butter frosting over the warm bars (the frosting will be easier to spread while the bars are still warm).

NOTES:

~I did not have a jelly roll pan so I used a 15x11-inch cake pan.  I think any pan that is close to that size would be fine.

~My bananas were small, so it took 6 to measure 1 3/4 cups.

~I used my favorite gluten-free flour blend, which is listed separately on the "Gluten-Free Flour Blends" tab.  It's the one from the Gluten-Free Recipes for Kids cookbook, just make sure it's not the one for breads.

~I used vanilla almond milk in the frosting.  I put in the 3 tablespoons that the original recipe called for and the frosting was SUPER thick, so I just dumped more in until it was the right consistency.  I guess it to be an extra tablespoon, but you might have to add more or less, just play with it.

~I did not add the walnuts for this first time trying the recipe because I wanted my kids to like it, but I think adults would prefer it with the nuts, I think it would cut down on the sweetness of the frosting.

~The frosting dries very quickly, even on the hot/warm bars, so spread it out quickly and then leave it alone!

Comments!

Sweet gluten-free friends,

I want to encourage you to leave a comment if you try a recipe and like it!  On the other hand, if you don't like it, you can keep that to yourself!  Just kidding!!

Seriously, please leave some comments!  I would love to hear your opinions and maybe even suggestions if you changed something in a recipe and liked it!

Life has been busy lately, so I've been a little slow adding new recipes, but I'll try to get a few more added soon!

Thanks for visiting!

Kirsten

Pamela's Chocolate Chunk Cookie Mix

My take on PAMELA'S CHOCOLATE CHUNK COOKIE MIX:

All of the Pamela's products that I have tried have been AWESOME!!  Two of my favorites are the pancake mix, which is gluten-free, but not dairy-free and the cornbread mix, which is also gluten-free and at the moment, I can't remember if it's dairy-free or not.  They are incredible!

So the other day I tried this cookie mix.  It was also delicious!  The cookies are a tad darker in color than a regular chocolate chip cookie because they have a little cocoa powder in the mix.  They are gluten-free and dairy-free and super yummy.  My 5 year old son, Will, said that they were the best cookies I've ever made!

On the package, it says to flatten the cookies a bit before baking them.  It also says that the cookies will spread when you bake them.  Well, I did flatten them a bit, but I don't think they spread, but that was actually good, because they were sort of "cakey" and thick, which is a nice change from the flat, crunchy chocolate chip cookie.

Oh - and the dough is delicious too.  That is always one of my favorite things about making chocolate chip cookies - THE DOUGH!!

So, here's another Pamela's product that I can highly recommend.  The only negative thing I can say about them is that one bag only makes about 14 cookies! (Or maybe I just ate too much of the dough!)

Happy Baking!

Kirsten