Our new favorite Thanksgiving stuffing

This was a fan favorite this year!

Ingredients

1. One loaf of Gluten Free Pantry French Bread Mix, Prepared (I subbed any eggs in the directions with Ener-G egg replacer)

2. 4 Tbs. of unsalted butter or dairy free margarine

3. 1 large sweet onion thinly sliced

4. 1 celery rib, diced

5. 1 tsp. chopped sage

6. 1 tsp. chopped thyme leaves

7. 1/2 pound of bacon

8. 3 cups of low salt gluten free chicken broth

9. 2.5 tsp. salt

10. .5 tsp. freshly ground pepper

Directions:

1. Prepared gluten free bread. When cool, cut loaf into 1/2 inch - 1 inch cubes (depending on your preference). Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Toast bread cubes in 375 degree F oven for 20-30 minutes until bread cubes are fairly crunchy. Remove from oven and put bread into a large bowl.

2. In skillet, melt butter/dairy free margarine. Add the celery and onion and cook over medium heat until tender. Add sage and thyme and cook another minute. Scrape mixture into bowl with bread.

3. Cut bacon into half inch pieces and cook until crisp. When finished, use a slotted spoon and add to bowl with bread.

4. In a medium bowl, whisk together chicken broth and 3 Tbs. of bacon drippings. Add to bowl with bread. Add the salt and pepper and toss everything until the bread soaks up the liquid. Scrape into 9x13 buttered/margarined baking dish.

This can be refrigerated overnight at this point.

Cooking:

Bake stuffing for 30 minutes covered in 375 degree F oven until it is heated through. Removed foil and continue to bake another 30 minutes until the top is crunchy. Serve warm.

Serves 12
Total cook time: 3 hrs.

Oliver's Labels

This is not food related, I've been really behind on posting any new recipes over the summer. We've been cooking, but we've pretty much been cooking our tried and true recipes.

Last week I received an e-mail from Oliver's Labels and they asked me if I'd do a review on their allergy related labels. Click here to see the different designs that they offer. Because my son has multiple allergies, they sent us the "No Nuts, No Gluten, No Eggs" label. It wasn't clear to me from the website but you can get multiple allergens listed on one label.

The labels are really nice and seem like they would hold up well. The graphics are full color and are guaranteed not to rub off. They also said that the machines that they use to print the labels are eco-friendly. That's a nice bonus.

They also offer a lost and found system called found it codes. If your child loses an item the nice person who finds it can go to a special place on the Oliver Label website to virtually turn it in and Oliver's Labels will help you get it back. They said they included these in the samples, but I didn't see them in my envelope.

The labels look really nice and I'll be looking into the shoe labels that they offer. My issue with the allergy label is that it says "No Nuts". Some kids are allergic to peanuts and some kids are allergic to tree nuts (or both) and I think it would be nice to differentiate. Some people don't even know what a tree nut is. The other is the "No Gluten". Technically it works for my son because he is allergic to wheat, rye, barley and oat, but that can be a little confusing. He's not allergic to gluten, he's allergic to the proteins in wheat, rye, barley, and oat. Am I nit picking on that? Yes, probably. Do I have an answer on how to correct that issue. No, I really don't. I'm just bringing it up.

Over all I really like the labels and the company itself. I recommend them and like I said, they more than likely have found a future customer in me.

Thank you Oliver's Labels.

Steak and potato kebabs with creamy cilantro dressing

Steak and Potato Kabobs (kind of a meal on a stick)

This recipe is from Eating Well magazine. I modified it a little bit for personal taste, but it got RAVE reviews.

Ingredients

1. 1/2 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves, minced (I used a 1/4 cup because I'm not a big fan of cilantro)
2. 2 tbs. red-wine vinegar or cider vinegar
3. 2 tbs. reduced fat sour cream
4. 1 small garlic clove, minced
5. 1 tsp. chile powder
6. 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
7. 1/2 tsp. salt, divided
8. new or baby red potatoes
9. 1.25 pounds strip steak, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
10. 2 poblano peppers or 1 large green bell pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces (we used sweet green pepper)
11. 1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
12. 1 large sweet onion, cut into 1 inch pieces

Directions

1. Combine cilantro, vinegar, sour cream, garlic, chile powder, cumin and 1/4 tsp. salt and set aside.
2. Preheat grill to high.
3. Place potatoes in microwave safe container. Cover and microwave on High until just tender when pierced with a fork, 3-3.5 minutes.
4. Toss the potatoes, steak and pepper pieces with oil and the remaining 1/4 tsp. salt in a large bowl. Thread the potatoes, steak, peppers and onion chunks onto 8 skewers*. Grill, turning once or twice, until the steak reaches the desired doneness, about 6 minutes for medium. Serve the kebabs with the reserved sauce.

* if using wooden skewers, soak them in water for at least 20 minutes before grilling. This will help keep them from burning. The potatoes are heavy so use metal skewers if you have them.

I made the sauce and it was perfect for the meal. But it did not seem like it would be enough for 4 people so I doubled it. And in doing so it seems VERY vinegar-y (is that a word?). So I just kept adding sour cream and spices until it tasted like I thought it should.
To make it dairy free, sub Tofutti Better than Sour Cream or other preferred safe dairy free sour cream.
Since I'm not a red meat eater, I made a few for myself with chicken. Keep in mind if you do that, the chicken takes longer to cook. Put the chicken kebabs on first or you'll be like me and still standing around the grill while everyone is else is eating steak.

Chili-Lime Drumsticks

Chili-Lime Drumsticks (from All*You magazine)

Ingredients
1. 16 chicken drumsticks
2. Salt and pepper
3. 4 Tbs of butter or dairy free margarine, melted and cooled
4. 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
5. 1 Tbs. chili powder
6. 1 garlic clove, chopped
7. 1 tsp. sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Rinse drumsticks, pat dry and season with salt and pepper. Place in a flat layer in 2 large baking pans.
2. Mix remaining ingredients. pour over drumsticks; turn them to coat. Cover with foil; bake 15 minutes. Remove foil, turn drumsticks; bake until cooked through, 35 minutes, basting often with pan juices. Let rest for 10 minutes, then serve hot; or let cool, cover and refrigerate to serve cold.

Pasta with artichokes and tomatoes

I was STARVING at lunch time today and created this pasta from stuff I had on hand. It turned out really very well.

Ingredients

1. 4 oz of dried gluten free pasta
2. 2 plum tomatoes (chopped)
3. 1 can of artichokes hearts, drained (You'll need about 3 artichoke hearts, quartered. Save the rest for another recipe)
4. 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
5. 1 tsp. dried basil
6. 1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
7. 2 oz. Gouda cheese, chopped into bite size pieces

Directions

1. Boil pasta, drain and set aside.
2. In a pan on medium heat, saute tomatoes and garlic for 3 minutes. Then add 3 artichoke hearts that have been quartered. Heat for another 5 minutes until the flavors blend together. Add olive oil and basil and heat for one more minute. Remove from heat and stir in pasta.
3. Put pasta mixture in a large serving bowl and top with Gouda cheese.

Makes 2-2.5 servings

Chicken Dijon

Chicken Dijon - kid friendly

Ingredients

1. 8 chicken Drumsticks
2. 3 Tbs. Dijon mustard
3. 3/4-1 cup Tortilla crumbs
4. 1.5 tsp. oregano (dried)
5. 1 tsp. garlic powder
6. .5 tsp. salt
7. 1/4 tsp. course ground black pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, mix Tortilla crumbs, oregano, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Brush drum sticks with Dijon mustard. Roll drumsticks in the crumb mixture to coat.
3. Place coated drumsticks on the lined baking sheet and bake until browned and cooked through, 40-45 minutes.

Firecracker Turkey Chili (slow cooker)

This was so good! I wish we had left overs, but sadly, they ate it all. The recipe is from Weight Watchers Momentum Cook Book

Firecracker Turkey Chili (slow cooker)

Ingredients
1. 1 Tbs. olive oil
2. 1 pound hot Italian Turkey sausage, cut into 3/4 inch pieces
3. 2 onions, coarsely chopped
4. 2 Tbs. chili powder
5. 1 Tbs. ground coriander
6. 3 cans diced tomatoes with chili's
7. 2 15 1/2 oz. cans red kidney beans, rinsed and drained (I used 1 kidney and one black bean)
8. 1/2 cup lightly packed fresh cilantro leaves

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, stirring, until browned, about 5 min. Transfer the sausage to a 5- or 6- quart slow cooker.

2. Add the onions to the skillet and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 min. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the chili powder and coriander.

3. Transfer the onion mixture to the slow cooker and stir in the tomatoes and beans. Cover and cook 4-6 hours on high or 8-10 hours on low.

4. Ladle the chili evenly into 6 bowls and sprinkle with cilantro.

Per serving (2 scant cups): 198 cal; 9 g fat; 2 g sat fat; 844 mg sodium; 17g Carbs; 4g fiber

Points value: 4 per serving.

Mini Turkey Meatloaves

Mini Turkey Meatloaves (adapted from Kraft recipe)

Ingredients

1. 2 pounds ground turkey breast (preferably extra lean and organic)
2. 1.5 tsp. garlic powder
3. 1.5 cup of safe BBQ sauce
4. 1-1.5 cups safe gluten free bread crumbs (we like Corn Tortilla Crumbs)

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and spray a muffin pan with cooking spray.
2. In a bowl, with hands mix all the ingredients together until well blended.
3. Spoon in muffin tins and make an indentation in the center of each with a spoon.
4. Bake 30-40 minutes or until meatloaves are cooked through.

Serves 6.

The original non allergy friendly version of the recipe can be found here. Either way the recipe is easy and very good :)

Chicken Stroganoff

Since we are no longer "dairy free" this recipe isn't either. But you could still make it dairy free and I'll try and sub things where I can:

Ingredients:
1. 10 ounce worth of condensed cream of chicken soup (see recipe below)
2. 1/4 sour cream or dairy free sour cream (I used real sour cream, but I'm sure that dairy free would work too)
3. 2 tbs. milk, soy milk, rice milk or milk alternative of your choice (we used soy and it was fine)
4. 1 tbs. Worcestershire sauce (eliminate this if you have a fish allergy. I didn't have any so I skipped this step anyway)
5. 1/4 tsp. salt
6. 1# boneless, skinless free range chicken breast
7. 1 med. onion, chopped
8. 1 8 ounce package of sliced mushrooms
9. 1 12 ounce bag of gluten free pasta

Directions:

1. Beat soup, sour cream/sour cream sub, milk/milk sub, Worcester sauce and salt with a wire whisk until blended; set aside. Start boiling water for pasta.

2. Cut chicken breast into 1 inch pieces. Spray skillet with safe cooking spray and cook chicken over medium heat until cooked through. Remove from skillet.

3. Cook pasta and drain. While pasta is cooking, spray skillet with cooking spray. Cook onions in skillet over medium heat until slightly transparent, add in mushrooms. Cook approximately 5-6 minutes more until mushrooms begin to soften. Reduce heat to low and stir in soup mixture and chicken. Cook 3-4 minutes until mixture is heated through. Do not over cook. Serve over gluten free noodles.

Condensed soup recipe (from www.foodallergyfaq.blogspot.com):
Basic Cream Soup Condensed
Melt 3 Tbsp. safe margarine in sauce pan. Blend in 3 Tbsp. safe flour and 1/4 tsp. salt. Cook and stir until bubbly. Using wire whisk, stir in one cup of safe milk, stock, or combination. Cook just until smooth and thick. Makes slightly over 1 cup and is the same as a 10 oz. can of undiluted condensed soup.
Options:
Cream of chicken: Use chicken broth or safe bouillon as half the liquid. Add 1/4 tsp. poultry seasoning and some diced chicken.
Cream of mushroom: Saute 1/4 cup chopped mushrooms and 1 Tbsp. finely chopped onion in safe margarine before adding the flour.
Cream of celery: See mushroom, but use ½ cup celery instead of mushrooms.
You can vary the flavor by adding curry powder, garlic, onion, celery salt, lemon juice, chili powder, parsley, chopped veggies, chives, etc.

Slow cooker BBQ beef

Directions:

1. 5-6 pound beef brisket - trim off excess fat
2. 2 cups safe BBQ sauce (we use either Cattlemen's or Country Bob's)
3. 2 Tbs. brown sugar
4. 2 tsp. gluten free soy sauce
5. 1 tsp. garlic salt
6. 1/2 tsp. onion powder
7. 1/8 tsp. paprika
8. 1/8 tsp. chili powder
9. 1/2 tsp. dry mustard
10. black pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Combine ingredients 2-10 in the slow cooker. Add the brisket and turn to coat with sauce.
2. Cook on low for 9-11 hours until done.

Super easy, super yummy!

Kielbasa-bean slow cooker soup

Kielbasa-bean slow cooker soup - from weightwatchers.com

Ingredients

1. 58 oz. fat-free/low fat low sodium organic chicken broth
2. 16 oz low fat sausage, smoked or reduced-fat kielbasa, cut in half lengthwise and then sliced
3. 15 oz canned pinto beans, rinsed and drained
4. 15 oz canned black beans, rinsed and drained
5. 4 medium carrots, chopped
6. 3 medium celery, stalks, chopped
7. 1 large onion, chopped
8. 1 tsp thyme
9. 1/2 tsp. garlic powder (opt.)
10. 14 1/2 oz canned diced tomatoes, undrained

Direction
1. Mix all ingredients, except tomatoes, in a 5 to 6-quart cooker (crockpot). Cover and cook on low-heat setting at least 6 hours or until vegetables are tender.

2. Stir in tomatoes: cover and cook on high-heat setting until heated through, about 15 minutes more. Yields about 1 heaping cup per serving.

(FYI - each serving is 3 points and there are a total of 8 servings)