Red Beans and Rice

This is a great way to feed tons of people. It’s a phenomenal dish to make ahead because it gets more delicious when it sits in the fridge. The beans can also be made in a crock pot– just transfer the sauteed veggies and simmer on low.

Red Beans over Rice

1 lb dry red beans, soaked, drained, and cooked in filtered water

1 Cup diced celery
1 Cup diced carrot
1 1/2 Cups diced yellow onion
4+ cloves garlic, minced
3 TB evoo
2 TB dried thyme
1 tsp salt

Saute chopped veggies, oil, and seasoning while beans finish cooking. Heating the dried herbs with fat helps develop the flavor. The salt will help the onions sweat and release their moisture, preventing sticking or burning. Let the veggies cook until the onions are translucent and soft.

Add 3/4 lb cajun sausage (andouille is great, I have local pork chorizo that I love!), chopped or crumbled. For a vegan or vegetarian version, use a meatless sausage the crumbles well.

Saute over medium heat to render fat. The veggies will develop a nice orangey glow. If making a non-meat version, add 2-3 TB additional evoo.

Drain cooked beans. Gently add them to veggies and sausage. (Or if you are making this in a crock pot, transfer everything to the crock pot now.)

Add
1 Cup stock (chicken or vegetable)
1 1/2 Cups tomato puree
2 TB cajun seasoning blend

Simmer covered on low for 20-30 minutes until flavors marry. Serve over rice.

**Quick tip: Use canned red beans. Find BPA free canned beans at: http://www.re-nest.com/re-nest/food-and-cooking/product-guide-bpafree-canned-foods-107985

Salmon Cakes with Creamy Dill Sauce

This is a quick budget meal that tastes so good everyone will think you spent the whole day in the kitchen. By using a mixture of butter and olive oil, the cakes crisp up very nicely and have a wonderful salty flavor from the butter.

In your mixing bowl:

15 oz salmon, either left over grilled or canned, drained and bones removed

1 Cup bread crumbs (gluten free or traditional depending on your diet)

1 TB cajun seasoning

3 eggs

Work all ingredients together well. Let mixture rest for a few minutes so bread crumbs absorb moisture from eggs. This is especially important when using gluten-free bread crumbs which are sometimes drier than wheat-based bread crumbs.

Add both evoo and butter to a saute pan or iron skillet. Heat on medium high. Patty out the salmon cake mixture and fry 4 minutes on each side. These cakes are delicate. They only need to be turned once. Don’t push them around in the pan.

Lemon Dill Cream Sauce

Whisk together:

1/3 Cup sour cream

1 TB dill

2-3 TB lemon juice

salt and pepper to taste

This sauce can be made in advance. It keeps in the fridge for about 1 week.

Chicken and Rice Soup

Hail to the chicken carcass! I roast a chicken now and then. We actually prefer to use the meat for salads and sandwiches then make soup rather than eat it roasted with traditional sides. Poultry cooked on the bone has a richer flavor. And since these chickens worked hard to grow tasty, I feel obligated to cook them to their tastiest.

Place chicken carcass in a large (8 qt) stock pot and fill with filtered water 2 inches shy of covering the chicken. Put the lid on and set to simmer for about an hour. You can also do this in your crock pot for 3+ hours.

Once broth has reached a rich color, remove bones, leaving behind chicken bits. Add to your pot:

2 onions, chopped

1 stalk celery, cleaned and chopped (I include the leaves)

1 lb carrots, peeled and sliced

3 TB butter (Since there was no skin, the extra fat makes a world of difference to the flavor)

4 cloves garlic

3 bay leaves

2 TB thyme

1 tsp celery seed

2 1/2 Cups rice

Bring to a boil then simmer for 30 minutes. Or, in a crock pot, let soup cook on low for up to 5 hours.

Add salt and pepper to taste before serving.

Easy Beefy BBQ Sandwiches

This is so easy. Why not get a little help at the deli counter for a 10 minute meal the whole family will enjoy?

1 lb deli roast beef, sliced thin

12 oz canned tomatoes with chilies (hopefully you have some you canned this fall)

4 TB BBQ sauce, use your family’s favorite

queso fresco, sliced thin

sliced avocado

gluten free rolls or Cuban rolls depending on your diet

Slice roast beef into long skinny strips. Heat with BBQ sauce and canned tomatoes until bubbly and sauce thickens. Pile sandwich roll with BBQed beef, avocado, and cheese. Wonderful served with a crisp fruit salad!

Roasted Tomatoes Stuffed with Goat Cheese

Hot-house tomatoes are showing up in the CSA box over and over again. Fortunately, there is plenty of goat cheese in my fridge. This is a super simple appetizer or add a bean salad and have a fabulous light meal. It seems fancy, so everyone will think you worked hard. Here is the recipe per tomato so you can male as much or as little as you like.

Pre-roast the tomatoes: Wash them well, slice off the tops, and roast flat side down. Place them in a shallow baking dish drizzled with evoo. I also use my cast iron skillet for this. Roast 15 minutes at 375 degrees F.

Cool the tomatoes for a  few moments before handling to keep things in tact. They can be very squishy at this point.

Turn the roasted tomatoes over so their bald tops are face-up. Scoop out the flesh with a table spoon, removing seeds and excess fluid. (Save it for veggie stock or to toss with pasta later. Or mix it with your dog’s food, like I do.)

Sprinkle 1 tsp parmesan cheese into the cavity. Spoon in 1 oz goat cheese. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Place tomatoes cheese-side up on baking dish. Return to oven for 15 minutes until goat cheese is hot and bubbly. Let rest 3 minutes before serving.

Fluffy Grass Fed Beefy Meatballs

This is what I made myself for my most recent birthday. While we do love certain restaurants, I didn’t want to risk disappointment on my special ME holiday. So my darling one brought me several pounds of locally farmed grass fed beef as a birthday gift. Here is how to make some beautifully fluffy meat balls, sans gluten!

Add these wonderful ingredients to your stand mixer with the balloon whisk attached:

1.5 lbs grass fed ground sirloin
4 oz mushrooms, minced in the food processor
1 yellow onion, minced in the food processor
2 tsp oregano
2 tsp salt (we like salt, you don’t have to like salt this much)
1 TB fresh ground black pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced in the food processor
3 eggs
1/2 Cup rice flour

Whip it! Start on your lowest setting and work up to medium speed for about 1 full minute to ensure everything is well incorporated. At this point, you can refrigerate the mixture to cook up later, like if you had company coming the following day.

To cook:

Heat oven to 375 degrees F.

Put a thin layer of your favorite tomato sauce in a shallow baking dish. This will keep the meatballs from sticking.

Roll the meat mixture into large balls. I like mine about the size of racket balls. This recipe will make about 20-25 meatballs that size. I always make plenty when I make them so we can freeze them and re-heat them later for a fast meal.

Place them on the tray, not touching. They won’t expand so you need not separate them much. Bake for 25-30 minutes until juices run clear. Let rest 5 minutes before serving.

***Cooks Tip: This makes a rowdy meat loaf!

Lazy Asian Pasta Toss

Sometimes, there is just no energy to cook. Between holiday entertaining, while studying for final exams, or just because it’s a busy day. Get some quality pre-made sauces and seasonings for these times.

2 Cups cut up cooked chicken (grab a rotisserie bird and shred, use left overs from a home roast, or quickly broil some yourself.)
14 oz can bamboo shoots
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
1 Cup carrots, in sticks
8 oz mung bean sprouts
1/3 Cup hoisin sauce
3 TB garlic chili paste
3 TB soy sauce
2 TB sesame oil

1 lb gluten free pasta, cooked and drained

Set pasta to boil.

Heat wok with sesame oil. Toss in mushrooms and carrots. Stir fry until crisp tender. Add bamboo and cooked chicken. Toss in hoisin sauce, soy sauce, and chili paste. Heat through.

Drain pasta. Toss with meat and veggies to coat thoroughly with sauce. Add mung bean sprouts. Stir gently to incorporate. Serve immediately.

**Switch to tempeh for an awesome veggie dish!

Country Breakfast Gravy

Southern Style breakfast can be gluten free. Here’s how to top your biscuits the right way.

1 lb breakfast sausage (or veggie crumble)
1 TB sage (if not in your sausage mix)
2-3 TB rice flour
3-4 Cups milk

Crumble and brown sausage in cast iron skillet. If using veggie crumble, add 1 TB butter and sage. Once sausage is brown, sprinkle flour over sausage and stir. Let flour cook for half a minute, then slowly pour in milk, stirring constantly. Let gravy simmer on low 7-10 minutes or until thick, stirring occasionally.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

** Make ahead tip ** This gravy can be made ahead a frozen for up to one month. Thaw in the fridge then reheat in the oven or stove top.

Gluten Free Biscuits

These are the crumbly kind that make a good vehicle for gravy or can be sweetened to go beneath strawberries and cream.

5 TB butter
1 Cup rice flour
1 Cup tapioca flour
1 TB baking powder
1 TB lemon juice
1 scant Cup milk

Cut fat into dry ingredients. When mixture resembles cornmeal, add in lemon juice and milk. Stir gently to incorporate. Turn dough out onto a well floured board. Kneed, folding over constantly, until dough is firm and workable. Cut with a biscuit cutter into desired shape.

Makes 6-8 biscuits with a 2 inch round cutter.

Place on baking tray, touching slightly.

Bake in very hot oven. 450 degrees F for 15-18 minutes. Do not under cook gluten free breads.

** A quality butter substitute is great for vegan biscuits. Use unsweetened rice or hemp milk.

Hot Cocoa Mix

Oh deliciousness! Here’s what my family got  in their stockings… Cocoa mix! This is a great hostess gift for winter parties.

4 Cups raw sugar
2 Cups fair trade cocoa powder
5 Cups non-fat powdered milk
2 tsp salt
4 tsp corn starch
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Marshmallows

Place everything in a large bowl, except the marshmallows. Mix thoroughly, breaking up lumps, until powders are as uniform as possible.

Funnel mix into pint sized mason jars to 2/3rds full. Top with marshmallows. Cover jars with lids, fabric, and screw top. Attach labels with instructions to mix 1 tsp with 8 oz milk or water.