Tator Tot Casserole

I like this dish because it's quick to put together, and everyone enjoys it - kids and adults alike!

 

1 lb hamburger
3 tablespoons featherlight flour
2 cups water
3 gf beef bouillon cubes
1 quart green beans, drained
Tator Tots, frozen (Ore-Ida is gluten free)
McCormick Season All seasoned salt

Preheat oven to 450º.  Brown hamburger and season with salt and pepper.  Stir in the featherlight flour.  Cook and stir for about 1 minute, then stir in the water.  Add the beef bouillon cubes, and simmer for about 5 minutes, until the bouillon is dissolved and the gravy is thickened.  Add green beans and mix.  Pour into a greased 9 x 13 casserole dish.  Top with frozen Tator Tots.  Season the Tator tots with seasoned salt.  Bake for 20 minutes.

Strawberry Freezer Jam

I like this freezer jam recipe because it has the fresh strawberry taste!  The clear jel thickens the jam, without having to add more sugar.

10 cups strawberries, slightly blended
1 cup Karo syrup
4 cups sugar
2/3 cup clear jel

Wash and remove stems from strawberries.  Place strawberries in the blender and slightly blend.  I like to leave a few small chunks of strawberries.  Measure 10 cups berries into a large bowl.  Add the corn syrup and stir.  In a separate bowl measure the sugar and clear jel and stir.  Gradually pour the sugar mixture into the strawberries, stirring constantly until sugar is dissolved.  Pour into pint jars and freeze.  Makes 8 pints.

I haven't been able to find clear jel lately.  I'm now using E-Z Gel that I purchased from Gygi's in Salt Lake City.  It works really well!  

When I use E-Z Gel, I use the following measurements:

5 cups strawberries, blended

1/2 cup Karo Syrup

2 cups sugar

10 tablespoons E-Z Gel

10 cups strawberries, blended

1 cup karo syrup

4 cups sugar

1 1/4 cups E-Z Gel

15 cups strawberries, blended

1 1/2 cups Karo Syrup

6 cups sugar

2 cups E-Z Gel

Chicken Nacho's

My husband and I used to make this all the time!  It's one of those "remember when" meals that we attach to early in our marriage, before we had any children!  It's a favorite!  I serve it with guacamole and salsa.  It serves 8 to 10 people.

Chicken:
Saute about 2 1/2 cups boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch cubes or 12 chicken tenders cut up, in 1 tablespoon olive oil.  Cook and stir until no longer pink, 3 - 5 minutes.  Stir in McCormick Chicken Taco seasoning packet and 1/2 cup water.  Bring to boil.  Reduce heat and simmer 5 - 6 minutes or until liquid is absorbed, stirring occasionally.

On a cookie sheet layer:
     Tortilla chips
     Cheddar Cheese
     Chicken

Broil in the oven until cheese is melted.  Watch it carefully so the cheese isn't too done - only a few minutes.

Top with:
     6 - 7 green onions, sliced
     1 6 ounce can olives, sliced
     3 Roma tomatoes, diced

Serve immediately!

BBQ Chicken Pizza

It's nice to change up pizza every once and a while.  For this recipe, use the Yummy Gluten Free Pizza Crust recipe.  Make sure your BBQ sauce is gluten free.

4 chicken breasts
1/2 cup BBQ sauce
1/2 cup onion, chopped

Cook chicken until mostly done, then add the BBQ sauce and onions.  Saute until onions are soft.

Spread the crust with another 1/2 cup BBQ sauce.

Top with:
     Chicken mixture
     1/2 - 1 cup sliced mushrooms
     1/2 of a green pepper, sliced
     1/2 of a red pepper, sliced
     1 tomato, diced

Top with 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese.  Bake at 350º for 12 - 15 minutes.

Chicken Noodle Soup

I love homemade Chicken Noodle Soup.  The Tinkyada brown rice macaroni noodles in this are great!  This recipe is one that you can easily change according to your likes.  If you like more liquid, add more water and bouillon.  If you like more carrots and celery, you can easily throw them in.  I cook everything in a big pot, to make things simple!  I add about 8 bouillon cubes, and then taste it.  I add more until I like the flavor.  This is a recipe I usually don't measure things out, I just add what I feel like!

3 1/2 quarts water

7 - 8 chicken tenders, or 2 - 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts

4 celery ribs, sliced

7 carrots, sliced

1 onion, diced

1/2 teaspoon pepper

10 chicken bouillon cubes

3 cups dried noodles

Place water, chicken, celery, carrots, onion, and pepper in a large saucepan.  Boil until chicken is cooked.  Pull out chicken using a slotted spoon and place on a cutting board.  Let rest for a few minutes, then cut into bite sized pieces.  Place back into the water.  Add bouillon, dried noodles and pepper.  Cook until noodles are tender.  Serve.

Crockpot Italian Chicken with Mushroom Gravy

Before my diagnosis of Celiac disease, I used to make a recipe similar to this with canned cream of mushroom soup.  Thanks to my diet I discovered a much tastier recipe!  The fresh mushroom gravy is delicious.  I also like the green chili's in this recipe.  It adds so much flavor!  You can serve this over rice or noodles.

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Mushroom gravy – recipe below

1 cup milk

1 can chopped green chili's

1 envelope Italian salad dressing mix

1 package cream cheese, softened and cubed

Put chicken in crock pot.  Pour mushroom gravy on top.  Add green chili's, Italian salad dressing mix and milk.  Cook all day on low.  Stir in cream cheese and cover and cook until cheese is melted.  Serve over rice or noodles.

Mushroom Gravy

Saute:  8 ounces sliced mushrooms

             ½ of a medium onion

             3 – 4 T butter

Add:  1 – 2 T featherlight

           Pinch of xanthan gum

           2 – 3 cups milk

           1 – 2 cubs beef bouillon

When I make mushroom gravy I don't ever measure anything.  I just add enough milk to make it the thickness I want.  I also add the bouillon until it tastes right.  Anyway, just saute the mushrooms, onions and butter.  Add flour and xanthan gum and stir until heated through.  Stir in milk and bouillon and whisk.  Cook until thickened.

Roasted Garlic Parmesan Potatoes

These potatoes are a little crisp like a french fry, and loaded with lots of flavor!  They are quick to prepare, and dress up any meal!

Red potatoes, washed and quartered
Olive oil
Johnny's Garlic Spread & Seasoning
Parmesan Cheese
Salt

Wash and quarter red potatoes and place in a large bowl.  Drizzle on some olive oil.  Season with Johnny's Garlic Spread & Seasoning, Parmesan cheese and a little salt.  Mix all together, and pour into a greased baking pan.  Bake at 375º for 50 to 60 minutes.  Stir potatoes every so often, so potatoes crisp up a little on every side.

Note:  You can buy Johnny's Garlic Spread & Seasoning at Costco.  You certainly can use your own spices, but this one is delicious!

Raisin Filled Cookies

This is one of my Grandmother's favorite recipes!  I was so excited when after I adapted it to make it gluten free, it still tasted the way I remember it!  It brings home floods of memories!  The recipe is called Basic Cookies, and can be adapted many ways.  It's a freezer cookie dough that you slice frozen, put the filling in and top with another slice.  It's nice to have cookie dough in the freezer ready to go on a dime.  As children, we would cut off a large slice and just eat the dough!  It was a favorite!

Basic Cookie Dough

Mix together and cream well:
   4 cubes butter
   2 cups sugar
   1 cup brown sugar
   4 eggs
   2 tablespoons milk
   2 teaspoons vanilla

Add:
   1 teaspoon salt
   2 teaspoons soda
   4 teaspoons xanthan gum
   7 cups featherlight flour

Mix in a large stand mixer.  Drop cookie dough on plastic wrap.  Form into rolls, about 2 inches in diameter, and wrap with the plastic wrap.  It makes about 4 rolls.  Chill in freezer for several hours.  This dough may be kept in the freezer for some time.

Raisin Filling

Put in blender:
   1 cup warm water
   1 teaspoon vanilla
   3/4 cup sugar
   1 tablespoon featherlight flour
   2 cups raisins
   1/2 teaspoon salt

Blend thoroughly but not too long.  Remove from blender and add 1 cup chopped nuts.  (Grandma loved larger pieces of nuts, and I do too!)

Slice frozen Basic Cookie dough rolls 1/4 inch thick and place 2 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet.  Put a spoonful of filling on top,  Place another slice of dough over the filling.  No need to seal the edges.  Bake at 350º for 9 - 12 minutes.  Do not under cook.

Lemon Pepper Tilapia

This recipe is ridiculously easy and so healthy for you!  My family loves this!  I think it's great because it's healthy, fast and so much cheaper than eating out!  I buy Tilapia loins at Costco.  They are frozen and individually wrapped.  The bag has 8 pieces of fish in it and costs around $15.  They only take about 15 minutes to defrost, and 6 or 7 minutes to cook, so they're really fast!

Tilapia
McCormick's Lemon & Pepper Seasoning

If using frozen tilapia, follow the defrosting instructions on the bag.  In your oven, place your rack about 4 or 5 inches from the broiler.  Turn your broiler on High and let your oven heat up for 4 or 5 minutes.  (My oven instructions say to keep the oven door open 7 or 8 inches while broiling.  Check your instructions before beginning.)  Spray a broiler pan with non-stick cooking spray.  Put it in your oven while it's heating up for about 1 minute, so it's nice and hot.  Pull out the hot broiler pan and place tilapia on it.  Generously season fish with McCormick's Lemon & Pepper Seasoning.  Place it back in the oven and let it cook for 3 - 4 minutes.  Pull it out of the oven and turn the fish over.  Generously season the other side of the fish.  Put it back in the oven and cook for another 3 minutes.  Enjoy!

Note:  Some Lemon Pepper seasonings are not gluten free.  Check first before using!

Twice Baked Potato's

My friend Katie introduced these potatoes to me several years ago.  It's a great way to change up potatoes as a side dish.  The flavor of the potatoes with the onion and cheese is so yummy!  

10 potatoes
1/2 of an onion, finely chopped
3 tablespoons butter
salt & pepper
milk
cheddar cheese
bacon, cooked and crumbled (optional)

Using a fork, poke holes into 10 potatoes.  Bake at 350º for 1 hour.  Cut off the tops of the potatoes, and scoop out the insides, making the potatoes into a canoe-like shape.  Put the insides of potatoes into a medium bowl.  Add the onion, butter, salt and pepper, and enough milk to make it creamy.  Mash the potatoes, mixing all the ingredients.  Put mashed potatoes back into the potato skins.  Top with cheddar cheese, and bake at 350º for about 15 minutes, or until cheese is melted.  Top with crumbled bacon.