Gluten Free Chili Beans

Here's my recipe for chili beans...delicious on a cold day, or any day for that matter!

1-1 & 1/2 lb ground beef or ground chuck

1/2 of a medium onion diced

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can stewed tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce (the reg 14 oz size)
1 can Bush's Best Kidney Beans rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons GF chili powder
salt and pepper

Brown beef with onion until meat is no longer pink.
Drain beef and return to pot.

Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, beans, chili powder and salt and pepper.

Cook over medium heat. Once soup starts to boil, you can turn it down just a bit to medium low, stirring occasionally. Simmer for about 40-45 minutes

Add more salt and pepper while cooking, if desired

Ladle chili into bowls and top with cheese and sour cream if you'd like, but it's totally yummy on it's own :)

Enjoy!

PS...this chili freezes wonderfully. Just ladle chili into ziplock freezer bag about 3/4 full. Seal halfway, push remaining air from bag and seal the rest of the way. Lay flat in freezer and store till ready to eat. Thaw in refrigerator, then heat and serve.

This recipe is linked to...

Gluten Free Wednesdays at http://glutenfreehomemaker.com
Full Plate Thursday at http://www.mizhelenscountrycottage.com/2015/01/full-plate-thursday-1-29-15.html

This Week's Menu...

Here's my menu plan for this week...I know there are a couple of repeats from last week. I never got around to making the chicken chowder and the meatloaf...well, it was so good I couldn't wait to have it again!

Monday Chili Beans http://glutenfreesimplygood.blogspot.com/2012/01/gf-chili-beans.html

Tuesday BBQ pork, mashed potatoes, & spiced apples http://glutenfreesimplygood.blogspot.com/2012/01/spiced-apples.html

Wednesday Chicken Chowder http://glutenfreesimplygood.blogspot.com/2012/01/bacon-chicken-corn-chowder-from-gfe.html

Thursday Bistro Chicken, mashed potatoes & sauteed vegetables http://glutenfreesimplygood.blogspot.com/2012/01/bistro-chickenmade-gf.html

Friday Meatloaf, salad & sweet potatoes http://glutenfreesimplygood.blogspot.com/2012/01/recipe-from-pioneer-womanmy-favorite.html

http://glutenfreesimplygood.blogspot.com/2012/01/orange-spiced-sweet-potatoes.html

Friday Favorites....Made On Skin Care Products

One of my all-time favorite movies is The Sound of Music. The music and story are wonderful...and I've always had a crush on the Captain :) One of the most well-known songs from The Sound of Music is "My Favorite Things"...You know, "when the dog bites, when the bee stings..." Well each Friday at Gluten Free Simply Good, I'll be sharing my "favorite things". And while I'm sure the crisp apple streudel and schnitzel with noodle that Julie Andrews sang about were chock full of gluten, my favorites will be gluten free, and well, some will have nothing to do with gluten at all! :) I'd love for you to share your favorites too!

This week's Friday Favorite....Made On Hard Lotion and Skin Care Products

I had been searching for a GF lip balm and had seen Made On Hard Lotion mentioned in a few different GF blogs, and saw that they offered one. I visited the website and even contacted Renee by email to ask about her products... they are gluten free! I read in the testimonials how the Made On lotion had helped some folks with eczema. All three of my kids had eczema when they were babies, and my 18 month old still has a few patches on her sweet little feet that don't seem to want to heal. The doctor has always prescribed steroid creams and has told us to use moisturizing lotion. But I have never found a lotion that worked and always hate using the steroid creams! So I ordered the Beesilk Jr. to try for my daughter, and of course the lip balm for myself too :). I have been using the lotion on her for a couple of weeks and the patches on her feet are starting to improve, which makes me a happy Mama :) Check out the Made On website. You can read about Renee, the ingredients she uses, and see her products. http://www.hardlotion.com/gifts/

Do have a favorite GF skin care product that you love??

Spiced Apples

I LOVE this apple recipe! It comes from a great cookbook, Southern Living Everyday Menus. So easy and so delicious!!
Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter

8 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced

1 1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions:

Melt 1/2 cup butter in a large skillet over med-high heat.

Add apples and remaining ingredients.

Saute 15-20 minutes or until apples are tender.

Linked to Gluten Free Fridays at http://vegetarianmamma.com 

Gluten Free Chicken and Rice Casserole

Here is one of my hubby's favorite recipes. His mom always made it and shared the recipe with me back when we were dating. He said the chicken and rice and my ranch dressing are what convinced him to marry me... :)

Anyway, the casserole is super simple. Here's the recipe made gluten free!

Ingredients:

3 boneless chicken breasts cooked and diced

1 carton Pacific Foods Organic Cream of Chicken condensed soup

GF instant white or brown rice uncooked (make sure it's labeled GF)

GF chicken broth (I use Swanson)

onion powder

Salt and pepper

Paprika (optional)

In medium bowl combine cooked chicken, condensed soup, about a cup and a half of rice, and about 10-12 oz of chicken broth. Stir.

You want the mixture to be soupy, as the rice will soak up the liquid while cooking, so I usually add a little more broth. And if I add too much I just add a little more rice.

Add in a few dashes of salt and pepper and onion powder . Sometimes I also add a little cheddar cheese too at this point. 

Once the mixture is combined, transfer to a baking dish. Sometimes I sprinkle just a little paprika on top before baking. It gives a nice flavor and looks pretty too :) Bake uncovered for 30-40 minutes till heated through and bubbly.

This recipe is linked to...

Gluten Free Wednesdays at http://glutenfreehomemaker.com

This Week's Menu...

As much as I would like to be, I am not a very organized person. But I have found that when doing my GF grocery shopping, it helps to plan out meals for the week and have plenty of GF options on hand. I also love it when other bloggers post their meal plans for the week....So I thought I'd give it a try (I know it's already Tuesday, so I'm getting a bit of a late start, but let's consider this a trial run... :))

Tuesday: Stew Beef w/ Rice http://glutenfreesimplygood.blogspot.com/2011/12/gf-cream-of-mushroom-soup-yeah.html

Wednesday: Mexican Lasagna from Linda at The Gluten Free Homemaker http://glutenfreehomemaker.com/2008/08/gluten-free-mexican-recipe/

Thursday: Bacon Chicken Chowder from Shirley at GFE http://glutenfreesimplygood.blogspot.com/2012/01/bacon-chicken-corn-chowder-from-gfe.html

Friday: Chicken & Rice Casserole, sauteed zucchini, and spiced apples http://glutenfreesimplygood.blogspot.com/2012/01/chicken-rice-casserole.html

http://glutenfreesimplygood.blogspot.com/2012/01/spiced-apples.html

Saturday: Potato Soup http://glutenfreesimplygood.blogspot.com/2011/11/potato-soup.html

Gluten Free Chili Fries

A few weeks ago, Linda over at glutenfreehomemaker.com posted a delicious looking recipe for cheeseburger fries.

Here's a link to her recipe glutenfreehomemaker.com/2012/01/cheeseburger-fries/

I made a few changes and came up with this version...gluten free chili fries....

Here's what I used....

5 russet potatoes
butter
salt and pepper
olive oil
GF taco seasoning (I used this recipe http://glutenfreecooking.about.com/od/glutenfreemixes/r/gftacoseasoning.htm but left out the cumin, cornstarch and sugar and cut up an onion to cook with the beef instead of adding onion powder)
1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1/2 of a medium onion diced

I used Rachel Ray's basic recipe for oven steak fries here http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/oven-steak-fries-recipe/index.html

But I cut the spices down and just sprinkled the potatoes with olive oil, salt and pepper and moved them around on the cookie sheet to coat. With the flavors in the meat, I though the extra spices on the steak fries were too much...

Also be sure to grease the cookie sheet before adding the fries and other ingredients, I just greased it with Earth Balance buttery spread.

Brown and break up the ground beef with the onion till beef is no longer pink.

Drain beef and return to pot.

Add about 2 tablespoons of the taco seasoning to the beef and onion and heat over medium low heat. I also added just a little water to thicken the mixture.

When the fries are done, remove from oven and spoon meat mixture on top. I did not add cheese, but you could add some cheese or cheese substitute if you'd like. We topped ours with some GF ketchup. YUM!

This recipe is linked to It's a Keeper Thursdays at http://www.everydaytastes.com/2012/01/19/its-a-keeper-thursday-recipe-project-linky-40/

Bacon Chicken Corn Chowder from GFE....

Yesterday, Shirley at Gluten Free Easily posted her recipe for Bacon Chicken Corn Chowder. It looked delicious and simple. I actually had all the ingredients, minus the corn, already on hand, so I made it for dinner last night. It was so tasty...even without the corn. Here's the recipe http://glutenfreeeasily.com/bacon-turkey-or-chicken-corn-chowder-gluten-free-dairy-free-refined-sugar-free-and-more-free/

Shirley's directions are for the microwave, but I cooked mine on the stovetop, and she gives some tips for that too. Of course, I had to cook it longer, and as Shirley suggests, add more liquid. I'm not sure if I didn't add enough stock and milk, or if I added too much chicken. I think probably a little of both, so it turned out thicker and less soupy than I intended, but regardless, it was very good!

Cheater's GF Huevos Con Chorizo....

Before going gluten free, I loved to go to the local Mexican restaurant and order the huevos con chorizo....I think I could have eaten that amazing dish 3 times a day! Chorizo sausage and eggs with jalapenos drenched in salsa, oh my goodness! Yesterday I got a craving for this delicious dish. But not having any chorizo; not knowing if I could find GF chorizo if I wanted to; and never having cooked it in my life anyway....I used what I had on hand, gluten free bulk pork sausage. I was thrilled to find it complete with a big "gluten free" label while shopping this week. I looked at a number of recipes, and basically followed this one http://whatscookingmexico.com/2008/04/13/chorizo-and-eggs/ , with a few changes. Of course, my dish didn't quite have the kick of the original with the chorizo, but it was still yummy...

Here's what I used
1 lb GF pork sausage (bulk sausage, not links) ~I have also used GF Italian bulk sausage and it gave this dish a great flavor

1 small onion diced

5 eggs

almond milk or regular milk

salt and pepper

oregano

oil or GF butter

GF salsa

GF jalapeno slices

Here's what I did

dice small onion

brown and break up sausage with the onion until sausage is no longer pink
set aside

crack eggs into medium bowl

add about 4-5 teaspoons milk (about 1 tsp for each egg)

add salt and pepper

add a few dashes of oregano

whisk together

In a separate pan, heat oil or butter on med heat.

once oil or butter is heated, pour in eggs

spoon in the cooked sausage

scramble the eggs with the sausage till eggs are done

pour egg and sausage mixture onto plate

top with jalapenos and salsa

This recipe is linked to...

Gluten Free Wednesdays at http://glutenfreehomemaker.com/

It's a Keeper Thursdays at http://everydaytastes.com/

Allergy Free Wednesdays http://glutenfreepantry.blogspot.com/2012/02/allergy-free-wednesdays-blog-hop-week-4.html

30 Great GF Blogs from celiact.com

When I was first diagnosed with Celiac Disease, I felt like I'd been turned upside down and dumped in the middle of nowhere all alone...I was lost. Even though more people are being diagnosed with gluten intolerances and sensitivities, it seems even doctors don't know that much about it. Mine, as wonderful as he is, had very little advice to give. He just told me it'd be a huge lifestyle change, that there was lots of info on the web, and that I couldn't have fried chicken or beer...(I now know there is so much more to living gluten free...)

Anyway, after three days of sobbing over the unknown, I picked myself up and starting combing the internet for anything I could find on Celiac Disease and the gluten-free diet. One of the first blogs I stumbled upon was adventuresofaglutenfreemom.com/ Heidi even listed her email address. Desperate to talk to someone, I sent a letter to this gluten free mom, pouring out all my feelings and fears. I was shocked when I actually received a reply! Heidi's blog made going gluten free seem doable and not so scary.

The more I searched, the more blogs I found; a huge community of gluten free bloggers... And I can say they really were and still are lifesavers for me on this gluten-free journey! I started accumulating so many great recipes and info from so many different sites, that I needed a place to keep it all together.... and that's why I started this blog, that hopefully helps someone else along the way too!

celiact.com has created a list of their top 30 gluten free blogs. There are some of my favorites on it. There are also so many more great blogs that didn't make this list. Check these out!

http://www.celiact.com/blog/2012/01/04/79-best-gluten-free-blogs-and-gluten-free-info-sites

Slow Cooker Orange Spiced Sweet Potatoes

This sweet potato recipe comes from an old cookbook I have called Rival Crock Pot 3 Books in One: Slow Cooker Favorites, Winning Slow Cooker Recipes, & Slow Cooker Recipes for All Occasions.

The potatoes turn out so sweet and yummy in the Crock Pot. So delicious!  Hope you enjoy.

Here's the recipe....

2 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and diced

1/2 cup packed brown sugar 

1/2 cup butter (1 stick), cut into small pieces

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

juice of 1 medium orange

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

Place sweet potatoes, brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, orange juice, salt, and vanilla in crock pot. Cover and cook on low 4 hrs or on high 2 hrs, or until potatoes are tender. 

A Yummy "Breakfast" Sandwich

So I was hungry for lunch today and got the idea to make a "breakfast" sandwich. In my opinion breakfast food can be eaten anytime of the day! So here's what I came up with...a yummy bacon and egg sandwich, with a little kick!

Here's what I used...

2 eggs

butter or oil

4 slices bacon (I use Hormel Black Label)

salt and pepper

Hellman's Real Mayonnaise

Melinda's Hot Sauce

Udi's GF White Sandwich Bread

Here's what I did...
Crack 2 eggs into medium bowl.
Salt and pepper to taste
Whisk the eggs
Heat the butter or oil in the pan
Scramble eggs
Set aside

Cook bacon according to directions.

(I always just stick it in the microwave between paper towels)

While the bacon is cooking, in a small bowl, combine a "dollop" of the mayo (as much as you'd like for your sandwich) and the hot sauce (I like things spicy, so I added quite a bit, but put as much as you like). I got a little dollop-happy and had a little of the mixture left over :)
Stir until combined.

I always heat my Udi's bread in the microwave for 10-15 seconds beforehand....So heat the bread for a few seconds and then slather the bread w/ the mayo mixture...(I slathered both sides of the bread, the more the better, right?)

Top one slice with the egg, the other with the bacon and combine.

It might be a little messy, but YUM! Enjoy!

Winter is Here

Winter has come! We had our first really cold night here last night. Of course, this made getting up early for the first day back to school after Christmas break all the more excruciating! I just wanted to stay in my warm bed under layers of blankets....but I had to brave the cold to get my son up and out the door to school. He, of course, was no happier than I to be getting up at such an early hour!

With Winter comes warm coats, warm blankets, and warm comfort food, yum! I found a yummy recipe this morning over at http://glutenfreehomemaker.com/ that I can't wait to try tonight, Cheeseburger Fries. Just the name alone makes my mouth water! Of course, not wanting to go outside today anymore than necessary, I will use what ingredients I have on hand here at the house. Check out the Homemaker's recipe here http://glutenfreehomemaker.com/2012/01/cheeseburger-fries/ I'll be using fresh potatoes and may even throw some GF salsa in with the ground beef for a little extra flavor! I'll try it tonight with my own spin on it and post the recipe soon.

Cinnamon Sauteed Bananas~Oh, thank you from the bottom of my heart Julia Child!

So for the past few mornings I've had a banana for breakfast, but this morning I was craving a little something extra. Certain I could find a recipe somewhere for bananas slathered in cinnamon, I went searching for such a recipe...and I stumbled on this masterpiece, courtesy of Mrs Julia Child....hold on to your socks...it's just that good! As Julia would say, "Bon Apetit!" Check out the recipe here

http://www.bigoven.com/recipe/cinnamon-sauteed-bananas/146024