Category Archives: Lunch

Turkey Wings

As thanksgiving gets closer, I am trying fun new ideas. I really don’t feel like making the turkey this year since basically I am the only one that eats it. Plus with the combination of Hanukah  and thanksgiving I also want to cook up pot roast and other Hanukah treats. Turkey wing are easy and quick plus they are a fun treat for the whole family.

Ingredients:

12 Turkey Wings (Feeds for well, if using for Thanksgiving I would plan about 2 a person along with all the other food)

Cooking Spray or Oil

2 tsp Salt

1 Tbs  Paprika

1 Tbs Garlic Powder

2 Tbs Old Bay or Poultry Seasoning

Start by rinsing all the wings well. Place them in a large bowl and add all the seasonings. Mix them together so that everything is coasted in spice. Place each wing on a well foiled and sprayed baking sheet. Make sure wings do now touch and spray the tops. Bake for 60 minutes at 450 degrees.

Serve hot and enjoy!!!

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No Guilt Hamburger Helper

I am not sure if hamburger helper is still around. Since its not gluten free I have not looked for it in years but in college it was my go-to meal. Easy to put together and impossible to mess up. The other-day I looked into my refrigerator and I had a ton of extra gluten free macaroni leftover. I instantly was craving  hamburger helper. My version is low fat and packed with veggies.

 

Ingredients-

5 Cups Cooked Gluten Free Macaroni

1 Family Size Package of the Frozen Low Fat Cheese Sauce mixed Veggies or Broccoli in microwavable steamer bag

1/3 Cup Tomato Sauce

1/2 Pound Lean Ground Beef

1/2 Cup Diced Onion

1 tsp Salt

1 tsp Pepper

2 tsp Garlic Powder

Start by browning onion in a large sauce pan. Once the onion begins to become translucent, add ground meat and continue to cook until meat is no longer pink. While meat is cooking heat veggies in bag as instructed on package. Return to meat and add tomato sauce, salt, pepper and garlic and mix together. Cook over low heat for a few more minutes or until liquid is almost gone. Now, toss in pasta and mix gently. Turn off the flame. Finally, add all the veggie’s and cheese sauce from the bag and mix to combine.

Serve hot with grated cheese. Enjoy!!!

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Mom’s Chicken Soup

Growing up chicken soup was the medicine for everything. As soon as weather changed the big soup pot came out. It makes a ton of food for a week and this time if year the extra broth is great to freeze and use for the holidays. Homemade chicken broth is always gluten free, all natural and can be added to any dish.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 Pound Carrots (cleaned and chopped into rounds)
1/2 Head of Celery chopped
2 Parsnip ( cleaned and chopped)
2 Onions (cleaned and quarter)
5 Cloves Garlic (cleaned and chopped)
1 Bunch Dill
1 Bunch Parsley
1 Medium Full Uncooked Chicken (cleaned)
1 TBS Salt
2 tsp Pepper

Start by bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once boiling toss in chicken, lower water to a high simmer. Let the chicken cook for an hour. Now toss in everything else and gentle stir. Leave the parsley and dill in a bunches. Let the soup cook about another 30 min or until veggies are soft. Taste and adjust seasoning. Some people like the veggies mushy and cook it longer. Now comes the messy part. You need to separate everything. Let the soup cool for a few minutes and then CAREFULLY remove the the chicken. The chicken with fall apart easily so do this carefully, you may need help. Place then chicken in a bowl and clean off all the bones and skin. Save the meat in another container and toss the rest. Then remove the dill and parsley and save some for serving. Next, carefully remove the veggies into a bowl and strain broth. I normally have about 6-8 quarts of broth. I quickly freeze half of it in different containers and then save everything else for meals. When your read to serve just heat the broth and veggies. Place shredded chicken in each bowls and top with the soup. Enjoy!!!

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Twisted Calzone

I am continuing to play with all the Chebe Bread products and this stuff is really amazing. I think its been over 5 years since I had a Calzone and I always loved them. Its like everything good about a pizza but with a lot more love. My version is lighter, fresher, filled with veggies and always gluten free. This recipe made two really big ones. We sat down for dinner and I was so excited to dig in. Jay loved it so much he ate half of mine :/ It must have been good 🙂

Ingredients:

Dough:

1 Box Chebe Bread Mix

2 Eggs

1/4 Cup Homemade Sauce (recipe below)

1/2 Cup Grated Parm Cheese

2 Tbs Olive Oil

1/2 Tbs Oregano

 

Sauce:

16 Oz Can Crushed Tomatoes

1/4 Cup Fresh Basil

1/4 Fresh Parsley

1 Carrot

1/2 Onion

1 OZ Red Wine

1 Tbs Oregano

1 Tbs Sugar

1 tsp Salt

1 tsp Rinsed Capers

Cheese-

1 Cup Freshly Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

1/2 Cup Spinach Ricotta Spread – Sautéed onion and shredded frozen spinach, drain and add to ricotta along with salt and nutmeg.

Start by making the sauce. Chop onion and carrot and sauté in a pot. While it cooks chop basil, parley and capers and add that to the pot. Mix well and add tomato’s. Bring to a simmer and stir in sugar, salt, oregano and wine. Cover and bring to a boil. Then lower to simmer and cook uncovered until the consistence you want is achieved (about 10 minutes). You will a lot of extra sauce for dipping.

Now to the dough. Place all the ingredients in a bowl and kneed together by hand. Once it is well mixed I separated it into 2 big balls. But you could easily make it into 3 or 4 if you have smaller mouths to feed 🙂 . Then on a piece of tin foil, I took the first ball and worked it into a large oval shape. On one half I spread half the ricotta. Then on top of the cheese I added 1/4 cup of the now chunky sauce and then finally topped it with 1/3 Cup Mozzarella Cheese. Make sure to leave the out edge free of toppings to make sure you can seal the whole thing. Now fold the other end over to make a pocket around all the cheese and sauce. Fold over the edge and press down with a fork around the edge to seal well. Place the finished products on a ungreased foil baking sheet. Repeat again with the other ball out dough. Place both on the same baking sheet and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. Bake at 375 for 25 minutes.

Serve hot with extra sauce on the side. Enjoy.

 

 

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Mediterranean Chicken Burger

I love all my international and fancy foods but something about a burger is always appealing. It is one dish that can easily be customized and adjusted to add a punch of flavor.  I like heathy alternatives like salmon and turkey burger but I wanted to kick it up a bit. This chicken burger is made fresh chicken breast, roasted peppers and a blend of herbs.

 

Ingredients:

2 Chicken Breast – Cut into cubes or 1 1/2 Pound Ground Chicken

1 Egg

1/3 Cup Ground Pecans

1 Red Pepper

1 Tbs Dried Oregano

1 Tbs Italian Seasoning

2 tsp Salt

1 tsp Pepper

2 Tbs Balsamic

1/2 White Onion Diced

Start by placing pepper under the broiler or in a 500 degree oven. Turn every few minutes until the outside starts to blacken all over. While pepper is cooking add onion to a hot pan that is sprayed well. Cooking onion over medium heat, add a 1/4 of water after a few minutes and cook until onions is translucent. Next, lower heat and add balsamic and cook until very little liquid remains. When onions are done place in a blender or food processor. Once pepper is black remove skin, stem and seeds and add to onion. Blend it all together an place in a large bowl.

If using full chicken breast take the pieces of the chicken and grind them up in the food processor. Add chicken to the bowl with pepper and onion mix. To that add one egg, oregano, salt, pepper and italian seasoning. Mix it all together. Then add the pecans and mix again.

Heat a pan to medium high heat and spray well. Place about 6oz size patties of the mix into the pan. Cook each side for four minutes until they are golden brown on each side.

I served the patties on two large slices of eggplant roasted, instead of bread. Use any burger toppings you want and enjoy!!!

 

 

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Del Real Frozen Gluten Free Foods

It continues to be a challenge anytime I want an easy GF option when I am hungry and in a rush. Very few companies have come up with anything that is quick, easy and enjoyable. Even tho I love to cook I am always looking for something I can just throw in the microwave and serve. Del Real has come up with a large product line of frozen mexican foods that are all 100% gluten free. What is unique is that the purpose of the line is to be a great frozen mexican option and it is inherently GF.  Items range from side dishes like rice, to grab-and- go items like tamales and then great main dishes like carnitas, pork in green sauce, beef pot roast that are all made to feed 4-5 people.

As for the quality all the products everything is top notch. I travel to mexico a lot and lived in Central America for a bit and all the flavors are original and delicious.  Tamales are one of my favorite street foods and hard to find frozen and GF but these are just perfect. I actually had to hide the last ones in the freezer from my boyfriend. The rice stood out because most flavored rice mixes contain something that is not GF safe but this mix was great. It went well with everything we tried.

If your looking for an easy option to keep around this stuff is for you. Since everything is inherently gluten free, its a solution for family’s feeding gluten free and none gluten free individuals.

They also made some great clips with fun recipe ideas:

http://youtu.be/pt5ywxIStCE

Check it all out at: http://www.delrealfoods.com/

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Blue Cheese Slaw

This time of year I try to come up with new football snacks. Chicken wing are my favorite but I always need extra celery and carrot so. This is a great combo and is a fun side dish to any chicken dish.

Ingredients:

5 Carrots Grated

4 Medium Celery Stalks Finally Chopped

1/2 Cup Blue Cheese Dressing (try my healthy version)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Mix everything together and allow it to chill in the fridge. Stir and serve with grill chicken and baked wings.

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Cat Fish Nuggets

I love fun new twists on classic dishes. Fried catfish is normally something that is not gluten free. My version is baked, not fried.  Breaded with nuts, corn and spices that add a great punch of flavor.

Ingredients:

1 Pound Catfish Pieces (no bones or skin)

1/2 Cup Corn Meal

1/4 Cup Crushed Pecans

1 tsp Salt

1 tsp Casshion Seasoning

1/2 tsp Chili Powder

1 tsp Garlic Powder

1 Egg

2 Tbs water

Mix together one egg and water in a large bowl. Rinse the fish and add to the egg mixture. Place fish aside. In another bowl combine corm meal, pecans, salt and spices. Now place a few pieces of fish at a time in the cornmeal mixture and coat each piece. Place each coated piece of coated fish on an oiled baking sheet and bake at 400 degrease for 12 minutes.

Serve with a dippings sauce. I combines ketchup, hot sauce and sweet relish.

 

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Raindbow Baked Fries

Who does not love a side a fries with a good burger or sandwich. The salty, well seasoned crispy finger food that can be picked up and dipped into a mix a fun sauces. Well I am always looking for healthier alternatives. The idea of deep fried potatoes with no nutritional value is painful. My version is baked, and filled with all the good stuff. Plus the fun colors make it look great on your plate.

 

Ingredients –

2 Cups Baby Carrots

1 Medium Eggplant

1 Zucchini

1/2 Cups Salt plus 2 teaspoons for seasoning.

1 Tbs Cajan Seasoning

1/2 Tbs Olive Oil

Cooking Spray

The first step is to prep the eggplant. Start by cutting the eggplant into large rounds and laying on a baking sheet. Using the half cup of salt, cover each piece, then flip and do the same on the other side. Let the eggplant sit for 45min- 1 hour allowing the salt to pull a lot of the water away. Turning the eggplant slices over mid-way is helpful.

While the eggplant sits. Slice the zucchini in half and then each side into three long pieces. Cut each strip into thirds so that you have two inch sticks. Toss the zucchini sticks into  bowl. Add the carrot sticks to the bowl.

Once eggplant is done rinse each piece very well with water and pat dry. Slice each round into half inch thick strips. Add eggplant to the bowl of carrots and zucchini. Lightly mix them up by hand and coat with some nonstick spray. Add olive oil, 2 teaspoons salt and cajan seasoning. Toss everything together and then lay it all out flat and a large, foiled, well sprayed baking sheet. Baking at 450 degrees for about 30 minutes, turning half way.

Enjoy!

 

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Jicama Slaw and Kangaro Tacos

IMG_2530I have an amazing group of friends that have always encouraged me to try something new and be creative. Plus they love to eat which make it easy to please them them all. This past weekend we created a meat day. 7 courses of various meats, fun sides and great drinks.

Meat Day 2013 Menu:

Wild Boar Prosciutto with Melon

Frog Legs Grilled

Elk Sausage and Peppers

Kobe Hot Dogs

Camel Meat Sauce

Kangaroo Tacos (Recipe Below)

Chocolate Covered Bacon (recipe in a later post)

The Kangaroo tacos came out great and I wanted to share the recipe. The meat was very lean and it became a super healthy dish. Substituting turkey meat would work just as great!

Ingredients-

1 Pound ground kangaroo (or turkey)

1 Pack GF taco seasoning

1 Onion Chopped

1 Red Tomato Chopped

1 tsp Salt

Juice of 1 Lime

1 Pack corn tortillas

Guacamole

Jicama Slaw Ingredients:

1 Pound Jicama peeled and finally chopped

2 Carrots Grated

1 Red Pepper Graded

Juice of 1 Lime

1tsp Salt

2 Tbs Honey

1/2 Cup Mint Chopped

1/2 Cilantro Chopped

Start by browning onion in a well sprayed pot. Once it is half way translucent and meat, tomato and season. Continue to mix while meat browns. Now add juice of one lime and cook covered on low for 15 minutes.

While meat cooks put together the slaw. I  a large bowl add carrots, pepper, jicama, cilantro, mint and salt. Mix well and then add lime juice and honey. Mix together and store in fridge until ready to eat.

To serve heat corn tortilla and add 2 spoons of meat, guac and a nice helping of slaw. Enjoy