Stagg chili is gluten free

Another company puts gluten free on the label. Thank you Stagg.

I’m still here. Sorta. 🙂 Since I’m gluten free for life, you won’t get rid of me that easy! I’m blogging more often at JessieGunderson.com and busy with my five Thinglets, five acres and being a home school junkie. Haha! Anyhow, if you subscribe you won’t miss it when I post. I’ll just stick to the best of the best. Thanks for being patient.

 

Gluten Free Cranberry Rice Bran Muffins

Great for when you are on the go. These muffins fluff up good and have a slightly sweet flavor. They are not a “bran muffin” in the dense and hearty way but just happen to benefit from the rice bran instead of simply using flour. Not to mention they freeze really well. I have been making large batches, freezing them in packs of two and pulling them out the night before we have appointments in town etc. The kids think appointment day is such a treat now!

Gluten Free Cranberry Rice Bran Muffins: Yield 12 muffins

Dry Ingredients:

• 1 C. rice bran
• 1/2 C. tapioca starch
• 1/4 C. sorghum flour
• 1/4 C. sweet rice flour
• 1/4 C. packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 C. soaked craisins (set aside until last)

Wet Ingredients:

• 1/3 C. butter or shortning
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 to 3/4 C. cold water

Combine DRY ingredients excluding brown sugar.

Cream together:

• 1/3 C. butter or shortning
• 1/4 C. packed brown sugar

Add 2 eggs and beat approx 2 minutes to combine.

Add dry mixture and stir. The dough will be dry.

Add 1/2 C. cold water and mix, adding up to 1/4 cup more as needed to make a custard-like dough. It should be able to be scooped with a spoon but not too thick. Most gluten free doughs are much thinner than their wheat counterpart. This is the only way you will not get a hocky puck for a muffin! Spoon into prepared muffin tins.

Bake at 375% for 15 minutes covered with tin foil or an upside down foil roasting pan.

Bake another 4-5 minutes uncovered until a toothpick comes out clean.

ENJOY

 

Want another cheesy idea?

Or… how to make a grown up rice cake lunch. 🙂

Without bread, I find it amazingly difficult to come up with things for lunch. Rice cakes are one of my quick solutions to that problem. If you get tuna in the bag package, this lunch can be easily eaten on the go. Yay!

What you’ll need…

• tuna
• gluten free rice cakes
• cheese slices
• cilantro (if desired)

The drier the tuna the better because those rice cakes will desintigrate with the smallest amount of water. If you want to amp it up a bit, sprinkle red pepper flakes or paprika on top.

The cilantro and pepper flakes make this lunch all grown up! I bet this is pretty healthy too for anyone counting calories.

Best way to make pizza rice cakes.

One of the hardest things for me is coming up with lunches that are simple, fast, kid pleasers. Simple and fast rarely goes along with gluten free. Not only that but the words cheap or inexpensive are almost a joke. But I’ve got no choice. With three boys and myself all eating gluten free, budget wise is a must!

Here is one of our simple meals using regular groceries (not specialty) that also saves precious time during the middle of our school day.

It doesn’t seem that there should be a science to making rice cake pizza’s but by trial and error I have come up with some helpful tips.

One – NEVER EVER put the sauce directly on the rice cake. Unless of course you like soggy food. Experience has taught me that the sauce can melt a hole right throught the middle and cause quite an interesting anomoly. Donut shaped pizza!

Two – Don’t ever let the boys make their own pizza rice cakes using cheese sticks! If you haven’t ever tried to microwave a cheese stick I am here to tell you, do not attempt!

Three – Well, I guess there isn’t a three. So here is a lovely picture of one of the Thinglets’ favorite lunch meals. Enjoy!

One of the easiest meals I can come up with.

Most days I just need a no brainer when it comes to feeding myself. The Thinglet’s “go to” power meal is rice cakes and peanut butter. How is it that kids can eat PB&J until it comes out their ears and not get sick of it?

When you need something decent and have only about 10 minutes to prepare you can cook this easy, naturally gluten, milk, nut, egg and soy free meal in a snap. Even I can do it!

Steam some brown rice. Costco has a package of precooked organic brown rice that has a sweet (not earthy and dry) flavor. It is a little spendy for rice but a great quick lunch especially if you need something gluten free to take to work.

Cut up one large chicken breast, toss in balsalmic vinagrette (always double check ingredients with dressings) and cook in a skillet over medium high heat until done. Serve with the rice and a bit of cilantro. Wa-la!

For an on the go meal, refrigerate or freeze the bite size chicken in meal portions and grab the Costco rice bowls to go.

You’ll poke your eye out!

We almost had an eye casualty on the Fourth of July and all because of my brilliant idea to make Sish Kabobs.

When there are small (and medium) kids in the house… okay even adults… use extreme caution with skewers, especially those of you who are hand talkers!  Poor Thing 1 took a stick to the corner of his eye when his younger brother wheeled around to say something.  The whole thing went down rather dramatically and when the smoke settled even Daddy had to apologize for overreacting.  But dang, those things are tricky. 

So, if you dare you might want to try this recipe we whipped up in red white and blue for the 4th.

This is my Honey, who is the star of this recipe and how I see him most days…

I’m very short, hence the upward angle and he wants you to know he “cleaned up” his gotee after I took this picture. 

Little Pee Wee is often tagging along with him in the evenings but only if the Bubba is busy elsewhere!  Mr “I’m Sooo Teeooo (2)” is quite jealous of Daddy time.

Honey Lemon Chicken Kabobs:

 

Do I really have to go there?  (Shopping List):

The truth is this is a recipe you can make with almost anything you have lingering around in your refrigerator or need to use from the garden.  Just beware of that bottom shelf, it’s a doozie no telling what might be “lingering” there. Ha

• red/white/blue baby potatoes (any will do but these were so cute)
• tomatoes
• red onion
• sweet peppers
• chicken
• 1 lemon
• honey
• oh and rice, I almost forgot Jasmine Rice (my favorite)

If I can do it you can do it! (The Recipe):

This is another of those recipes where it would be smart to make the rice first but I forgot so I had to wait.  Darn.  After various taste tests we have decided that Jasmine rice is a family favorite.  What is your favorite rice?

Cut chicken and veggies into bite size pieces for “skewering” and if necessary cut baby potatoes in half.

Squeeze one small lemon, 2 heaping tablespoons honey and 2 tablespoons olive oil into a small bowl.  Combine and coat chicken pieces with the lemon dressing.  Drizzle veggies with any remaining dressing.

Grill to perfection starting with the potatoes then chicken and finally veggies.  I’m not even going to attempt a Grilling lesson, my husband told me never step in on a man’s grill! 🙂 Make sure the chicken is cooked through.

Serve atop a bed of rice and enjoy!

For dessert check out my new chocolate chip cookie recipes here.

This has been another recipe for the “What’s for Dinner Wednesday Blog Carnival” Hosted by the Gluten Free Homemaker. Thanks for stopping and check out more great ideas here!

Thanks for Summer Two for One Special

Have you ever been in a deep cave or a long tunnel?  I’ve been in both. 

We have old mines in a town not too far from where I grew up that tell a story of the dreams of many ambitious families who hoped to build fortunes by sending there strong men into the dark day after day.  There are countless numbers who didn’t make it out of mines like this one.

I’ve also traveled through what is thought to be the worlds longest underwater tunnel on the Trans Tokyo Bay Highway in Japan though it is traveled by millions I thought I  might not make it out!

If you have ever experienced it you will understand the feeling of awe in the blinding reality at the “end of the tunnel” or at the top of the long climb out of that dark cave.  First, it’s the realization that you were holding your breath and you breathe in the air as if before you had been unable to inhale. 

Next its like the world is new as you experience the sun on your face and the many many colors of nature around you.  How could you forget in those short moments what beauty awaited you?

Emerging from winter this year has been like that for me.  I grew up here in the North so I’m no stranger to hard winters and I’m also quite fond of the clean blanket that is tossed out over all who tarry giving familiar surroundings a sort of ethereal curiosity.  None-the-less, this was an exceptionally long hard winter, both by natural purposes and emotionally, physically etc. 

I’ve never been happier to welcome Spring. It seems to me that the earth was just as ready and practically lept over the normal events of Spring and has puddle stomped it’s way into Summer in a matter of a few short weeks.

The sun is shining, the garden is planted and I’m so thankful for summer! 

Hubby says I’m “dripping with detail”!  I’ll take that as a compliment.  

Finally getting to it.

Here is my “Thanks for Summer Two for One Special”:

Veggie Tray Lunch:

What you will need:

• various yummy veggies
• cheese (if desired)
• dressing or hummus for dipping

I reused a disposable tray and lid I had from somewhere, it was perfect.  To note, DO NOT cut up the sweet pepper in advance it flavors everything in a 2 foot radius. It just so happens that’s almost the entire frig.

I filled this tray each morning and gave the kids free rein to eat from it at will.  It really helped curb the munchies and even took place of lunch one day this week.

My Thinglets had their reservations but when I sliced the sweet pepper and gave each a nice thin “shoestring pepper fry” they were pleasantly surprised.  They were also quite sure that tomatoes were not on the approved list until I sliced a few in half and had them try without the shock of that spurt of juice when you bite into it whole.  You guessed it, no complaints!

The veggies and cheese were such a hit I went one step further.

Summer Pasta Salad:

What you will need:

• BroccoliGF noodles (16oz)- No that’s not a typo I did a little research and though Tinkyada calls this it’s Fussilli Pasta it appears to be truly the Broccoli Pasta shape.  Read the link it’s quite a kick!
• chicken if desired (this is delicious as another use for the bbq chicken left-overs)
• various veggies
• parmesan cheese (if desired)
• garlic
• olive oil

If I can do it you can do it (Recipe):

If you’ve made the veggie tray or have vegetables on hand this dish is a cinch to whip up.

As soon as I got the The Bubba and Pee Wee down for their naps I boiled up the noodles.  The key is to make the noodles according to package directions and allow time to chill before your own clan is pounding down the door for dinner.  I like to rinse and pat dry before serving or chilling GF pastas.

Just before the door came crashing in (not really but you’d be surprised) I prepared my veggies.

I used 2 chicken thighs, 2 dozen cherry tomatoes (some cut in half for the Thinglets), 3-4sm sweet peppers sliced in strips, 1/4 cup parmesan cheese and 1 heaping tablespoon of minced garlic.

All you have to do now is drizzle in a little olive oil (just enough to coat the noodles and get the cheese to stick), toss in the vegetables and chicken then pour a glass of lemonade, put up your feet and soak in the sun!

This has been another recipe for the “What’s for Dinner Wednesday Blog Carnival” Hosted by the Gluten Free Homemaker. Thanks for stopping and check out more great ideas here.