Friday, April 23, 2010
Another dairy-free mama...
shares her story in this article. While it is difficult to give up certain foods, doing it for the sake of our little ones makes is so much easier to stay the course.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Chimichitos! Ole!!
This recipe is from Sam the Cooking Guy. Have you ever seen his show? So funny!!
Part chimichanga (the crunchy outside) and part burrito (the inside) this is made totally simple by using a rotisserie chicken. But the crunchiness is from baking, not frying.
Ingredients
2 cups cooked (rotisserie) chicken, shredded OR just bake your own chicken and shred it
1 4 oz can diced green chilies
3/4 cup red salsa
1/2 cup enchilada sauce
Four 8 inch flour tortillas (whole wheat, if you can find them!)
cilantro, if you like
Heat oven to 350 degrees F. In a non-stick pan, combine chicken, salsa and green chiles, mix until just heated through. Heat tortillas in microwave about 30 seconds to make them pliable.
Spoon 1/4 of the chicken mixture on each tortilla and roll up—sides in first then over the top to keep everything in. Place on a greased baking sheet and very lightly rub top of burrito with vegetable oil.
Bake until just starting to get golden brown,15-20 minutes. While they cook, warm the enchilada sauce.
Spoon warm enchilada sauce on a plate, place baked chimichito on top, add you're done! Sometimes (when we're really hungry) we skip the enchilada sauce alltogether, and just eat 'em plain. Of course, for the non dairy-free version, adding sour cream and cheddar cheese would be awesome.
We were so rushed at dinner last night that I forgot to take a pic. And the leftovers are gone already (they're THAT GOOD!). So you'll just have to make them yourself to see what they look like. Sorry!
Friday, March 5, 2010
Chicken Parmesean
It doesn't look like it's dairy free, does is? But it is!
I found a mozzerella flavored substitue at Trader Joe's, and while it isn't actually cheese, it's not bad. Wish I could remember the name of it, but the wrapper got thrown away. I'll update you on the name after my next trip to TJs.
Ingredients:
1 egg
breadcrumbs (either the Italian seasoned ones, or plain - just add your own seasonings)
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 jar of your favorite pasta sauce
1 box whole wheat spaghetti
In a shallow bowl or plate, whisk your egg. In a second bowl, dump your breadcrumbs. Now coat each chicken breast first in egg, then in breadcrumbs. Remember to keep one hand the "wet" hand and one the "dry" so you don't end up with wet clumps of breadcrumbs on both hands. :-)
Pour a little sauce into the bottom of a baking dish - enough to cover the bottom. Arrange your coated chicken breasts in your baker, and pop into a 350 oven for 15-20 minutes. Turn you chicken over, and cook for another 10 minutes or so. Finally, pour more sauce over the top of the chicken and add a little of the cheese substitute to the top; turn the broiler on so it gets melty and bubbly. Serve atop whole wheat pasta.
I found a mozzerella flavored substitue at Trader Joe's, and while it isn't actually cheese, it's not bad. Wish I could remember the name of it, but the wrapper got thrown away. I'll update you on the name after my next trip to TJs.
Ingredients:
1 egg
breadcrumbs (either the Italian seasoned ones, or plain - just add your own seasonings)
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 jar of your favorite pasta sauce
1 box whole wheat spaghetti
In a shallow bowl or plate, whisk your egg. In a second bowl, dump your breadcrumbs. Now coat each chicken breast first in egg, then in breadcrumbs. Remember to keep one hand the "wet" hand and one the "dry" so you don't end up with wet clumps of breadcrumbs on both hands. :-)
Pour a little sauce into the bottom of a baking dish - enough to cover the bottom. Arrange your coated chicken breasts in your baker, and pop into a 350 oven for 15-20 minutes. Turn you chicken over, and cook for another 10 minutes or so. Finally, pour more sauce over the top of the chicken and add a little of the cheese substitute to the top; turn the broiler on so it gets melty and bubbly. Serve atop whole wheat pasta.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Sloppy Joes
This recipe comes from the Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book: Celebrating the Promise, 14th Limited Edition 
Ingredients:
1 pound lean ground beef or ground turkey
1/2 cup chopped onion (1 medium)
1/2 cup chopped green pepper (1 small)
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
2 tablespoons water
1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
Dash bottled hot pepper sauce (optional)
kaiser rolls or hamburger buns, split and toasted
In a large skillet cook meat, onion, and pepper until meat is brown and veggies are tender. Drain off fat. Stir in tomato sauce, water, chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, garlic salt, and hot pepper sauce. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Serve on toasted rolls.
I found some really yummy sweet potato fries in the frozen foods section of our local Target. They were the perfect compliment!
Ingredients:
1 pound lean ground beef or ground turkey
1/2 cup chopped onion (1 medium)
1/2 cup chopped green pepper (1 small)
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
2 tablespoons water
1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
Dash bottled hot pepper sauce (optional)
kaiser rolls or hamburger buns, split and toasted
In a large skillet cook meat, onion, and pepper until meat is brown and veggies are tender. Drain off fat. Stir in tomato sauce, water, chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, garlic salt, and hot pepper sauce. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Serve on toasted rolls.
I found some really yummy sweet potato fries in the frozen foods section of our local Target. They were the perfect compliment!
Friday, February 19, 2010
Butternut Squash Soup
This is one of my family's favorites!
Ingredients:
1 medium sized squash (butternut or acorn are our favs, but I'm sure other kinds would work, too)
1 can chicken broth (try to use one without MSG!)
1tbs butter (I know this *technically* disqualifies the recipe as dairy free, but you can omit it if you're really being strict)
1 pkg frozen meat ravioli or tortellini (cheese ravioli is yummy, too, but not dairy free.)
dried parsley flakes
1 tbs minced onion flakes
pinches of nutmeg, thyme, oregano, basil... whatever you like!
salt and pepper to taste
Step 1 is to roast the squash. Cut it lengthwise (start with the bulb, which is easier to cut because it's hollow) and scoop all the seeds out of that bulb end. Lay the cut side down in a baking dish or jellyroll pan (a cookie sheet with a lip around the edge). Pour about a half inch of water into the bottom of your dish, and bake at 375 for 45-1 hour, until the flesh is golden brown and soft. Let it cool off before scooping out the insides.
Once your squash is cooled and scooped, plop all that orange goodness in a large stock pot. Add your chicken broth, and enough water to reach your desired consistency. Some people like their soup thin, but my family like it fairly thick, so we don't add as much. Stir. Add your butter and spices. Stir. Let this simmer for a while (20 minutes, maybe?) Then my favorite part - blending! I use my trusty stick blender, but a food processor or blender would work just as well. Blend your soup until smooth.Return it to your stockpot and add your pasta, cooking it according to the package directions. I notice that the pasta tends to suck up a good amount of water, so I usually add more to return the soup to a perfect consistency. If you accidentally added too much liquid earlier on, you're in luck! The soup will thicken. :-)
I've seen other recipes that call for apple, leeks, and other goodies. Have you tried any of these? I'd love to hear how it turned out.
Ingredients:
1 medium sized squash (butternut or acorn are our favs, but I'm sure other kinds would work, too)
1 can chicken broth (try to use one without MSG!)
1tbs butter (I know this *technically* disqualifies the recipe as dairy free, but you can omit it if you're really being strict)
1 pkg frozen meat ravioli or tortellini (cheese ravioli is yummy, too, but not dairy free.)
dried parsley flakes
1 tbs minced onion flakes
pinches of nutmeg, thyme, oregano, basil... whatever you like!
salt and pepper to taste
Step 1 is to roast the squash. Cut it lengthwise (start with the bulb, which is easier to cut because it's hollow) and scoop all the seeds out of that bulb end. Lay the cut side down in a baking dish or jellyroll pan (a cookie sheet with a lip around the edge). Pour about a half inch of water into the bottom of your dish, and bake at 375 for 45-1 hour, until the flesh is golden brown and soft. Let it cool off before scooping out the insides.
Once your squash is cooled and scooped, plop all that orange goodness in a large stock pot. Add your chicken broth, and enough water to reach your desired consistency. Some people like their soup thin, but my family like it fairly thick, so we don't add as much. Stir. Add your butter and spices. Stir. Let this simmer for a while (20 minutes, maybe?) Then my favorite part - blending! I use my trusty stick blender, but a food processor or blender would work just as well. Blend your soup until smooth.Return it to your stockpot and add your pasta, cooking it according to the package directions. I notice that the pasta tends to suck up a good amount of water, so I usually add more to return the soup to a perfect consistency. If you accidentally added too much liquid earlier on, you're in luck! The soup will thicken. :-)
I've seen other recipes that call for apple, leeks, and other goodies. Have you tried any of these? I'd love to hear how it turned out.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Baked Chicken, Wild Rice, and Yummy Honey Carrots
I had planned to make Sloppy Joes tonight, but opened the freezer to find it was empty of ground turkey. Doh! Thankfully, I had a few other meals I could whip together. This is one of our faithful standbys...
Baked Chicken
Ingredients:
3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1 egg
Your favorite seasonings (I use McCormick's Salt-Free All Purpose)
In a shallow dish, whisk one egg. In a second shallow dish, dump breadcrumbs and add seasonings. Rinse and pat dry chicken breasts. Dip breasts first in egg, then in breadcrumbs and place on a baking sheet. Top with a tiny drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of seasoning.
Bake at 350 for 15 minutes, flip, and bake an additional 15 minutes. Make sure your chicken has time to rest after removing it from the oven.
Yummy Honey Carrots
Ingredients:
Frozen, crinkle cut carrots (or, if you're a super-woman, you can cut fresh carrots)
Honey
Dried cherries or cranberries
Cook frozen carrots according to package directions. Remove from heat and drain off liquid. Drizzle with a tablespoon or so of honey, and let this warm through. The honey should get nice and melty. Give everything a good stir so your carrots are glazed. Add in a handful of dried fruit (I used dried cranberries from Aldi).
Wild Rice:
I used a box of Rice-a-Roni, but I'd LOVE to be able to make my own healthier version. Do any of you have a wild rice recipe? Send it my way!!
All in all, this meal was a hit. Aaron cleaned his plate and asked for seconds. Actually, on the carrots, he ate his entire portion, some of Daddy's, a second full portion off the stove, then more of Mama's. These were carrots, people. Do you know how crazy that is?!?
look at his plate... do you see that the carrots were the FIRST thing to be eaten? Unbelievable! :-)Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Cubed Steaks
Tonight's dinner was pretty simple, but a special request from my husband.
Ingredients:
1 pound cubed steaks
1 large white onion
that's pretty much it. I swirled a little olive oil in the bottom of our stainless steel skillet, then added the steaks over medium high heat. A pinch of black pepper over each; about 5 minutes per side or until cooked to your liking.
In a second skillet, I added the onion strips (cut your onion in half, then place cut-side down; cut slices and separate the pieces - did that make any sense?) and another swirl of olive oil over medium heat. Toss the onion in the oil and keep stirring lots to be sure the onion doesn't burn. If you start seeing burned edges on the onion strips, just add a little more oil. Cook the onions as much as you like. The more brown they get, the sweeter they'll taste.
Top the steaks with the carmelized onions. Add a squirt of ketchup or BBQ sauce for dipping. YUM! We also served sweet potato and a side salad to round out the menu.
Ingredients:
1 pound cubed steaks
1 large white onion
that's pretty much it. I swirled a little olive oil in the bottom of our stainless steel skillet, then added the steaks over medium high heat. A pinch of black pepper over each; about 5 minutes per side or until cooked to your liking.
In a second skillet, I added the onion strips (cut your onion in half, then place cut-side down; cut slices and separate the pieces - did that make any sense?) and another swirl of olive oil over medium heat. Toss the onion in the oil and keep stirring lots to be sure the onion doesn't burn. If you start seeing burned edges on the onion strips, just add a little more oil. Cook the onions as much as you like. The more brown they get, the sweeter they'll taste.
Top the steaks with the carmelized onions. Add a squirt of ketchup or BBQ sauce for dipping. YUM! We also served sweet potato and a side salad to round out the menu.
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