Day 31: Blueberry Glazed Pork Loin

I know... it sounds like a bizarre combination of flavors tonight. I had blueberries in the refrigerator that I needed to create some recipe out of. I knew I would need berries for Henri's baby food (in my day 30 recipe), but what to do with the leftovers? I looked up savory berry recipes and found one that used pork chops... raspberries... and wine... all of which I could substitute for. While it would provide for a different flavor, it gave me a jumping off point.

What I ended up with is below...

Blueberry Glazed Pork Loin

GF, CF/DF, CoF, SF, NF, EF

Ingredients:

1 small pork loin (about 1- 1.5 lbs)

1 tsp garlic powder

1 1/2 cups blueberries,

2/3 cup chopped (about ½ of a medium size) onion,

¼ C Apple Juice

2 tablespoons agave,

1 TBS balsamic vinegar and

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 tsp thyme

Instructions:

Sprinkle the pork loin with a little garlic powder

Sear the pork loin in a sauté pan with olive oil then transfer to a baking dish

Bake at 350 until cooked thoroughly

Combine blueberries, chopped onion, apple juice, agave, balsamic vinegar, pepper and thyme in a blender or food processor.

Cook over medium heat until liquid reduces by about 1/3. This takes about 10 minutes.

Serve the pork sliced with a little bit of berry mixture on it. Delicious!

We had roasted red potatoes and green beans with this meal as well.
Let me know your thoughts!

Naturally,

Raych

Day 30: Pear-Blueberry Baby Food

Pear-Blueberry Baby Food

6 D’Anjou Pears, peeled and chopped

1 TBS Fresh lemon Juice

1 C Blueberries (fresh)

1/3 cup water         

½ C Baby Rice Cereal

Combine all ingredients in a medium sauce pan.

Cook on medium heat, stirring often.

Once all fruit it burst and soft, transfer it to a food processor and blend to desired consistency.

Day 29: Buffalo Chicken Pasta

What a gorgeous day today! We spent the latter part of this morning hiking through Yale forest with the kids. It was our first time using the Kelty kid carrier (so generously passed along to us) with Henri! By the time we started out back to the car, Henri was snoring in my ear. He’s such an easy-going little fella’ that we didn’t actually expect any issues. Isaac spent our hike checking out animal prints and trying to decipher them with his mommy and daddy.

We don’t often get “family time”, and today was a lot of fun! It made me feel a little guilty for all of the time Justin and I spend away from the kids, or at least not using the time as quality time. When we came home (and after family nap time) I decided to cook up one of Justin’s favorite meals. I’m just that awesome of a wife. Of course, his favorite meal usually contained gluten… and uses a jarred alfredo sauce… so I thought this the perfect opportunity to fulfill my “no processed products” rules. I would venture to make some alfredo sauce from scratch… then turn it in to buffalo chicken pasta.

This is an EXTREMELY easy meal. Of course, it is by far not the healthiest I’ve made, but I did try to use some “lower fat” options in my creams and cheeses. We'll call it our after-hike carb-loading. The meal would have been a whole lot easier if my sea salt cracker hadn’t completely broken open during my final seasoning of the alfredo sauce… I had to start all over from scratch, and was thankful we had an extra cream cheese. Something about the inch of sea salt in the bottom of the sauce pan didn’t seem too appealing.

So here is today’s recipe in its entirety. It was scarfed down by both Justin and Isaac. I have to be quick with this meal to put a little extra to the side for the next day’s lunch for me. Otherwise, the boys would have eaten that too!

Buffalo Chicken Pasta

GF, CoF, SF, NF

Ingredients:

1lb of chicken tenders, cut into small pieces

1, 8oz package of Neufchatel cheese (less fat the cream cheese)

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter

½ cup grated parmesan

1cup light cream

1 cup of 1% or skim milk

1 Tbs minced garlic

1 tsp garlic powder (I added this later, because it need a little more)

¼ tsp each Sea Salt and pepper

2-3 TBS Frank’s Red Hot Buffalo Wing Sauce (website lists as GF) Amount depends on how much heat you want.

12oz package of GF pasta

Instructions:

Chop chicken into small bite-sized pieces and cook in pan with olive oil.

Melt butter in a sauce pan

Add in cream, milk, Neufchatel cheese, parmesan and garlic. Bring to a boil.

Add in chopped (or broken) mushrooms.

Cook until thickened. This does not take long, and it will thicken more once added to the pasta

Season the alfredo with desired amount of salt and pepper

Meanwhile, prepare pasta according to package instructions. Once cooked, add in cooked chicken. And combine. Then, stir in the alfredo/mushroom mixture.

Stir in desired amount of Frank’s Red Hot buffalo sauce.

Let me know your thoughts! This is a family favorite and very easy way to get Isaac to eat chicken!

Sleeping Henri (with his hat falling down)

Me with the boys (of course, Henri's hard to see)

Daddy and Isaac

Naturally,

Raych

Day 28: Carrot Cupcakes

This afternoon I was responsible for making the dessert for dinner at my paretns house. I neeed somethign that Isaac could help me make, while Justin and Henri were napping. We decided to attempt carrot cake, since Isaac LOVES carrots.

Here is the recipe... before we head off to the 'rents :)

Isaac showing you how to bake

 

Carrot Cupcakes

Ingredients:1 cup sugar

2 eggs

2/3 cup veggie oil

1 tbs vanilla

½ cup tapioca starch

1 cup brown rice flour

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp baking powder

1 ¾ cups of grated carrots (I ran some baby carrots through the food processor)

½ cup of walnuts (I used halved walnuts, then Isaac slammed a spoon into a Ziploc filled with the ½ cup- thouroughly enjoyed by all… especially Daddy and Henri- who were trying to sleep)

Instructions:
Combine eggs, sugar and oils in a stand-mixer

Combine all of the dry ingredients and sift in to the egg mixture

Gently blend in the carrots and chopped walnuts.

Bake at 350 for approxzimately 12-15 minutes, or until cakes are firm to the touch.


We topped ours off with cream cheese frosting.




Naturally,

Raych

Days 26 & 27: Bagel pizzas and cherry cupcakes.

Ok, so I may be cheating a little this time around by putting two posts together; but let me be honest, Thursday night's dinner was bagel pizza's (using Udi's brand bagels). Isaac, Henri and I were alone for the evening. Justin was working in Pittsburg. I thought it woudl be clever idea for somethin Isaac could help assemble. It was just sauce cheese and mushrooms (Isaac's favorite). We sat in front of the TV and watched kids shows. Not a bad- Mommy-son night at all! I figured you all didn't need a picture of my bagel pizza... not very creative... so I delayed wrtting my post until today.

Tonight I made Cherry angel-food cupcakes. They were originally destined to be cherry cupcakes, but the airy-ness of the result led me to call them angel food. Perhaps it was the quantities of sugar and tapioca starch that changed my plans.

PICTURE COMING SOON!

Cherry Cupcakes

Ingredients:

1cup white sugar

2 large eggs

½ cup brown rice flour

¾ cup tapioca

¼ cup potato starch

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp xanthan gum

1/3 cup canola oil

1 TBS cup milk

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 cup frozen cherries, (keep the juice from the melting cherries!)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Combine all ingredients, adding cherries and juice last. I mashed the cherries slightly while mixing.

Fill lined muffin/cupcake tin cups about 1/2 way (these expand quite a bit)

Bake for 20-25 minutes (or until center is cooked when you stick a toothpick in)


A pretty simple recipe. and a pretty short blog... but I'm off to prep for my saturday recipe. Check it out tomorrow!!!

Day 25: General Tso's Chicken w/ Zucchini on the side

What I like most about the vaguely named "Asian" cuisine section of the grocery store is that much of it is gluten free. Of course, you have to read labels carefully, as wheat is OFTEN added into soy sauce- however, I love being able to find various mixes and rice noodles to experiment with. This evening, as I shopped with my mini-man, I found a packet of spices for General Tso's chicken. This made me immediatly crave PF Chang's... so I bought it.

The packet/brand used for
tonight's dinner

You really won't need an ingredients list for this one... as the recipe is right on the package of spices.What I can tell you, is that I subbed in tapioca starch for the flour that the recipe called for. I am in no way claiming that this mix is 100% gluten free. The ingredients appear to be, but I did not get a chance to do a company call. Also important to note, companies very often change ingredients without notice. Needless to say, I wouldn't have made the reccomendation if I had gotten sick... and so far I'm good! This meal has inspired me to make my own G-Tso's GF chicken sometime soon!


On the side tonight, I baked up some sliced zucchini with garlic, sea salt, and pepper. Cooked at 350 until soft. The whoel dish was served with brown rice.

if anyone has a delicious from scratch G-Tso's Chicken recipe, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE share it with me. I'd love to try it out!

Naturally,

Raych


***This just in... according to posts on celiac.com, this brand of GTso's seasoning IS indeed GF!! YUMMMMM!!!

Day 24: A Review of Ted's Montana Grill

We went the lazy route tonight and ate dinner out. It was gorgeous outside and a nice walk around Evergreen was perfect. We have eaten at Ted's Montana Grill in the past, but I thought it appropriate that I should give them a little plug in here, as I didn't make ANY of my own food tonight.

I have to admit that my favorite meal there is the "Montana Breakfast" bison burger. It's basically the most unhealthy item on their burger menu, with the exception of maybe one or two others (they have nearly 15 options)! It's a burger with cheese, ham and a fried egg- served with a tomato jelly. Their gluten free menu is pretty vast, but they DO NOT have a GF burger bun. While this is dissapointing, the bun is really not neccessary when you have a perfectly cooked bison burger, a fork, and a knife. Bison is a far healthier option that the usual low-grade beef that many restaurants use.

Isaac likes their bison kids sliders.
Justin opted for the healthier salad with chicken and avacodo. (Usually I'm the salad girl- so I felt like a piggy!)

Overall, I would rate this restaurant a 7 out of ten for GF. They are knowledgable about their product and how things are cooked. They have a legitimate GF menu, offer desserts (though I didn't need one), and quite the selection of sides. They lost 3 points based on not having buns, or unique GF options. I coudl order a burger sans bun just about anywhere... but maybe not bison :)

Thsi is not my most exciting recipe, but I enjoyed a night with my family and some friends far too much to sit in front of the computer for an hour :) Sorry folks!
Let me know your experiences with Ted's in the comment box below!

Naturally,

Raych

Day 23: Steak-Tip tacos with Shallot-Tomato Sauce

There are images to go with tonight's meal, but I will have to post them tomorrow, when I post my usual blog for tomorrow... I am EXHAUSTED tonight. 

It was a long day at work (grades were due) and a long afternoon trying to get paperwork done for the bakery. Never mind juggling my family- you know, the one that takes TOP priority among my "regular" full-time jobs... so tired. Due to this utter exhaustion, and my need for cuddle time with the kiddos, tonight's entry will be cut short.

I can promise you that the following recipe, our dinner tonight, was absolutely delicious and I was pleasantly surprised at how well it came out. This wasn't a recipe from any book, website or magazine- but rather a sampling of what I had in my refrigerator! I wanted something "authentic" but not too spicy for little man. It was a late dinner, spices and chocolate keep my kid up and a little nutty- I wasn't going to risk it!

So here it is... try it for yourself... maybe add some cilantro (I didn't have any on hand) or your own adaptation. 

Steak Tacos w/ Tomato-Shallot Sauce

GF, SF, EF, DF/CF, NF (Contains Corn)

Ingredients:

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon chipotle seasoning

1lb of sirloin steak tips (thin steak)

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 large garlic cloves, minced

3 large vine-ripened tomatoes, seeded, diced

1 Cup shallots, minced

Also needed/ Extra toppings:

Corn Tortillas

Shredded cheese

Avocado

Cooking the steak:

Coat both sides of all of the steak with the cumin and chipotle seasoning.

Using 1 tbs of the oil, cook the steak in a sauté pan on medium heat until it is cooked to your desired level of “done”.

Set aside to cool, then chop up into steak strips for the tacos.

The Tomato/Shallot Sauce:

In the same pan (without washing, because you get the residual spices), add the remaining 2 TBS of oil.

Saute the garlic and shallots until soft

Add in the tomatoes

Cook until the tomatoes “burst” a little and become soft.

To prepare the tacos:

Preheat oven to 200 degrees

Warm the tortillas in the microwave; fill with steak chunks, tomato/shallot sauce and a sprinkle of cheese.

Wrap each taco in foil and place on a baking sheet.

Warm in the oven for 5-8 minutes (to melt the cheese and re-warm the steak)

Serve in foil with fresh avocado slices.

This meal turned out delicious- especially considering it was just a “throw together” meal. As I’ve said in the past, our family is definitely a taco family, so any variety of taco is usually a hit.

Leave a comment if you try it out, and let me know what I can add to it in the future!

Naturally,

Raych

Day 22: Gluten Free Buttercup Squash Biscotti (Can be made Vegan)

An appropriate, if not confusing, food quote in my house from this evening, "And THAT is why I don't trust you to not feed our kids squirrel!" Can you believe my husband actually proposed the idea of hunting some squirrel and cooking it up? Apparently he saw a special today in which a chef explained that because squirrel are primarily nut fed, they have a very tender and "delicious" flesh... UHG. I told him that if I found out he gave our kids some cooked up squirrel I would seek couples therapy... haha. Later in the evening, that conversation came back, with my use of the quote above. Let us just conclude that you will not likely see a Naturally Raych blog on how to best cook a GF squirrel any time soon... Perhaps I can justify it by telling my husband that we can't be sure if the squirrel consumed left over bread in someone's backyard (or garbage), and therefore we can not deem it gluten free?

Well, dinner tonight was not of the rodent variety... it was soup and honey-maple turkey sandwiches. Our after dinner treat was where the recipe today comes from- Squash Biscotti!! I knew I wanted to find out what the differences between the different winter squash varieties were. The kobucha cupcake recipe came out so delicious that I  wanted to do another semi-sweet squash recipe tonight. Now that I am gluten free, I have missed having biscotti with a cup of coffee. Justin and I met at a coffee shop, and the coffee/biscotti combo was a big part of our dating world (of yester-year... kids and marriage change the number of dates and date locations). Finally, I have a recipe that can be adapted for various biscotti recipes- next time I'll do a basic almond biscotti!

The recipe below uses amaranth in addition to my usual GF flour staples. Amaranth has an earthy/nutty taste, which I figured would be good in a dry biscotti. While it was tasty, I might sub in a different flour next time- the amaranth can overpower the spice/squash combo in this recipe.

These biscotti are great dipped in a gourmet hot coffee, or in our case, an evening of decaf coffee while Isaac watched "Kipper" and Henri drank "Mommy juice".

Buttercup Squash Biscotti, Gluten Free and Easy Vegan conversion 

GF, CoF, SF, DF/CF (Contains Nuts, and in my case, eggs, though that can be subbed out)

Ingredients:
1 Buttercup squash (a lot like the kobucha pumpkin I used in an earlier recipe) ¾ cup of the squash puree is needed for this recipe
1 Cup Water

Buttercup Squash

-------------------------------------
1 cup brown rice flour
½ cup tapioca starch
½ cup potato starch
½ cup amaranth flour
¾ cup white sugar
½ cup finely chopped walnuts
1 tsp xanthan
1 tsp baking powder
1 ½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp ginger
¼ tsp cloves
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs (or, to make Vegan, use flax gel… 2 TBS ground golden flax with 6 TBS Water)


You can do this part the day before and just scoop and refrigerate (or you can freeze the buttercup squash mash for up to 6 months):

Slice the buttercup in half and place flesh down on a foil lined baking sheet (with edges)

Pour in 1 cup of water on the pan.

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes, or until flesh is soft.

Allow squash to cool, remove seeds and scoop out flesh.

Mash the flesh of the squash with a fork or food processor.



To make the biscotti:

Wisk the eggs, vanilla and squash puree together in a bowl

In a separate bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients.

Blend the wet ingredients gently into the dry.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Form a “flat” loaf… 6” x about 12” (only about ½ inch high)

Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes

Slice the loaf into approximately 1” slices with a very sharp knife

Allow to cool slightly, for about 5-10 minutes

Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees; bake the biscotti again for 15 more minutes, making sure there is space between them to “dry out”.

Remove and allow the cookies to cool before eating. If you like your biscotti crunchy/dry, I was informed you should leave it out overnight in a dry area. 

My 3 boys hanging out by the wood stove to keep warm,
after enjoying dinner and biscotti.

Let me know your thoughts!

Naturally,

Raych

Day 21: Split Pea Soup

A blustery winter-storm day calls for some hot and creamy soup! Tonight’s recipe was a mixture of various recipes I found online for split pea soup. We had a great ham dinner at my parent’s house last night and my mom had a little bit of ham and a hearty ham bone left over. I “inherited” a bag of dry split peas from her- she’s a crazy sale shopper, my sister and I joke that she will be prepared if there is an apocalypse. Justin was happy that I was going for split-pea soup, since it was something I had really only made a couple of times before, and never this authentic of a version; meanwhile, it is one of his favorite soups.

The verdict came in, and we decided this was a keeper. Isaac stalled in trying the soup for quite a while. I think the color and texture caught him off guard, but once he tried it he went from, “I don’t like that type of soup,” to, “This is one of my favorite soups!!” He then devoured the whole bowl. Another plus to this dish, it was a true family meal… While most meals I prepare are specifically for Justin, myself and Isaac… Henri AND our dog, Selma, were also able to partake. I did not give Henri any of the ham chunks, but he really enjoyed the peas and carrots with ham flavoring! Meanwhile, Selma was able to get the ham bone (the same one I can hear clanking all over our floor above my head- I am in our basement typing this).

So here it is; once again, let me know your thoughts!

Split Pea and Ham Soup

GF, CF/DF, CoF, SF, NF, EF- That’s right… unless you’re Vegan, you can enjoy it!

Ingredients:

2 quarts of water

1 lb dry split peas (Goya)

1 large ham bone

1 ½ C ham, cubed

1 medium onion ( I used a Peruvian sweet onion again)

1 Tbs Olive Oil

1 clove of garlic, minced

1 C chopped carrots

1 large potato, chopped small

¼ tsp Celery Salt

Salt and pepper, to taste

Soak the dried peas in the water for AT LEAST 6 hours, though you can soak overnight as well

When ready to make… chop the onion finely.

Sauté the onions in the olive oil until translucent, but not browned.

Add the onions, ham bone, potato, chopped ham, celery salt, carrots and garlic to the pot or peas and water.

Bring to a boil then reduce to medium/low heat- stir occasionally

Cook uncovered for 75-90 minutes, or until peas are all mashed, water has reduced significantly, and the mixture is a frothy green.

I mashed the potatoes with the ladle a little before I served, just to thicken slightly.

Henri enjoying his pea soup!

Selma, our chihuahua snacking on a ham bone

Isaac wasn't sure about it, but eventually ate it all!

My cute hubby, mid-bite! 

Hope you all enjoy! For those of you in CT tonight, stay home and stay safe, I can imagine the roads are a little junky!

Naturally,

Raych

Day 20: No-Bake Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies

We spent this evening at my parents house, so access to my blog was limited (so, while this was typed on the right day, I'm actually going to be posting this on Saturday). We had a nice ham dinner- which will bring me to Saturday's recipe with the leftovers- split pea soup- but more on that later!

I have to admit that today's recipe is actually my mom's recipe... and I'm sure that she stole it from someone else. Since we had dinner at their house tonight, I did not have to cook. Instead, I made the following quick little recipe to satisfy some serious chocolate cravings. It is by no means a healthy recipe, but SO yummy!

My husband, Justin, enjoying his No-Bake cookie :)

Oatmeal No-Bake Cookies

Contains Dairy, Peanut and Oats

1 stick of butter (1/4 Cup)
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 C Cocoa
1/2 C Peanut Butter
1/2 C Milk
2 C White sugar
3 C GF Oats (I used Bob's Red Mill again- it's easier to access)

Bring the butter, cocoa, vanilla, sugar, milk and peanut butter to a boil.
Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly (or it will burn to your pan).
Remove from heat and immediately mix in the oats. You may need to add a little more oats, since I've notice GF oats just don't sop up the mixure quite the same.
Drop teaspoon size gobs of the mixture on to wax paper or parchment covered baking sheets.
Allow to cool and harden.
Enjoy!

I promise Saturday will be a much more elaborate recipe, but let me know your thoughts on this one!


Naturally,
Raych

Day 19: Italian Sausage and Soup Mix

That's right- sausage and soup mix. I knew I would be making something with sweet italian sausage tonight, but was not sure of what. Then I remembered: I received an email yesterday from Grace- she was in search of a GF alternative to Lipton chicken noodle soup mix. So, being a little creative, I thought I'd decide to make some level of a chunky sausage soup. Justin said it was the best soups I've ever made- so I guess it's worth a shot to pass it along :)


While I sent my response prior to trying out this recipe (below), I thoguht it wise that I attempt it myself and maybe put a little spin on it for my families dinner this evening. The orignal recipe was one I found online, but it contained gluten and far less garlic than I remember soup mix having, so it's slightly adapted.


My response was the following...

From... Chicken Noodle Soup Mix to Sweet Italian Sausage Soup...


"2 tablespoons chicken bouillon (HerbOx and Knorr brands are gluten free)


1 teaspoon garlic powder


1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes


1 tablespoon dried onion flakes


1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning (McCormick brand is GF)


1/8 teaspoon pepper


As for the noodles... I like Schar brand Anellini pasta (they are little
"O" shaped noodles and good for soups or, I'm assuming, recipes calling for
a soup mix) I have been able to find them at Price Chopper and some Stop
and Shop's in the past. I would guess that to replce the noodles in a
packet of soup you might want about 1/3 cup- but I'll leave that up to you."



When I used this recipe today- I subtracted the noodles and added the following...


6 cups of water
1 cup of white mushrooms, cut/broken into small pieces
1 large red bell pepper
1 can of "Black-Eyed Peas"
1 lb of Sweet Italian Sausage, cooked and chopped into chunks

 Add all ingredients to a sauce pan and boil on medium until the peppers are tender



Now Grace's need for this recipe was not to make actual soup, but rather to use the mix in another recipe she had received. If anyone has a better suggestion, as I am by no means an expert on soup mixes, PLEASE leave them in the comment boxes below. If anyone has any other recipes they woudl liek me to try out, or to try to concoct, please let me know that as well. I am always up for a challenge!


Enjoy your dinner and let me know your thoughts!


Naturally,
Raych

Day 18: Jalapeno Jelly

So, lucky me now has a husband with strep throat. I'm sure you can assume how he is only blaming me for his discomfort :) For that reason, tonight's blog is super short and not my own recipe, though one I use a lot.

So, tonight was a night for leftovers... but that doesn't leave us without a recipe. This is a stolen recipe that I LOVE to make. Well, making it isn't fun, because cutting jalapenos is not fun, but you get the idea. This, served on top of cream cheese with some "Mary's Gone Crackers", is a delicious treat!

Site that the recipe was stolen from is above. Note: The crackers shown here are likely not GF!!

Jalapeno Jelly

Ingredients

12 ounces (350 g) jalapeño peppers, stemmed, seeded, and deveined
2 cups (500 mL) apple cider vinegar, divided
6 cups (1.05 K)granulated sugar
2 pouches (each 3 ounces/85 mL) liquid pectin
a couple drops of green food coloring (optional, I don’t do it)

Preparation

1. Prepare the canner, jars, and lids.
2. In the blender or food processor, puree the peppers with 1 cup (250 mL) of the cider vinegar until smooth.
3. In the large stainless sauce pan, add the pepper puree, sugar, and the remaining 1 cup (250 mL) of cider vinegar. Stir. Bring to a boil over high heat, and continue boiling while stirring for 10 minutes.
4. Stir in the pectin and food coloring (if desired). Boil hard, stirring constantly, for about 1 minute. Remove from heat and quickly skim off the foam.
5. Quickly pour the hot jelly into the jars, leaving 1/4 inch (0.5 cm) headspace. Wipe the rims clean.
6. Center the lids on the jars and screw the bands down, just until your feel resistance. The bands should be fingertip tight, not too tight.
7. Place jars in the canner, ensuring they are completely covered with water. Cover and bring to a boil and process for 10 minutes. Remove the canner lid and wait 5 minutes.
8. Remove the jars and allow them to cool completely. The lids should pop as they seal. Store in a cool, dark, dry place for up to 1 year. If the lids do not seal, then you must reprocess or store in the refrigerator and use within a few days for safety.


Easy enough, and absolutely delicious or great for gifts! Let me know your thoughts.

Naturally,

Raych

Day 17: Ratatouille

In honor of our new family pet, Fred the black rat; my French heritage; and in honor of one of my favorite kid’s movies… I decided to cook up some ratatouille tonight! While I’ve HAD ratatouille, I had never cooked it. I went to the internet to pull some recipes. With a little combining of ideas and some creativity I came up with the recipe you will find below.

For anyone who has never tried or even heard of ratatouille- it is amazing. It is pronounced Rat-a-too-ee, but despite its name, does not contain any rodent parts… or any meat at all J Ratatouille is a vegetarian dish that can be served as a side, or the main dish… but I like it as the main dish, with maybe some GF bread to sop up the yummy juices.

Now, as you read my ratatouille recipe below, keep in mind these important changes to the traditional form: 1- In traditional ratatouille, all ingredients are fried up separately, and then combined for a final stew-like dish. My ratatouille is only semi-fried (in olive oil) then baked to get that delicious texture. 2- Traditional form has a big unrecognizable mash-up of the final flavors; mine allows you to savor together or apart. 3- Traditional recipes use green bell pepper; I used yellow, for a sweeter taste and nice color. 4- Traditional takes quite a while to chop and cook… mine took 1 hour from start to finish.

Riendeau’s Ratatouille

GF, CoF, CF/DF, NF, SF, EF (That’s right… it’s VEGAN)

Ingredients:

3 TBS Olive oil

1 Medium-Large Eggplant, chopped into small cubes
2 TBS Minced Garlic (yeah, I LOVE garlic)
1 TBS Parsley (a little less if you use fresh- I would have but was in a rush tonight)
2 medium Zucchini, sliced thin
1 large Onion, cut into rings
2 large vine-ripe tomatoes, sliced thin
1 large yellow bell pepper
 1 package of sliced white mushrooms (I can’t remember the ounce size, but the size up from the smallest)

Sea Salt

Grated Parmesan cheese (I grate as I use it)
Spray Oil
 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Prepare all veggies. You’ll want this done before you start layering.

In a pan, sauté the diced eggplant in the olive oil with the garlic and parsley. Do this until eggplant in tender, about 7 minutes on medium/high heat.

While stirring the eggplant, also prepare a casserole dish by covering sides and bottom with non-stick spray or olive oil.

Pour the eggplant mixture into the bottom of the dish.

Season with salt and shred a little parmesan on top of the eggplant.

Saute the onions in oil until soft, layer on top of the eggplant.

Layer the other vegetables on top, neatly alternating between the types/flavors (see image).

Season with salt and shred a little parmesan again

Add another layer of the alternating veggies.

Season once more with salt and a little pepper, top with a little parmesan.

Cook at 350 for 45-50 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. I purposely did not overcook, to leave some “fresh veggie” taste.

Scoop out servings, being sure to include some juices from the bottom.

Enjoy!

I am willing to bet that this is going to be even better for my lunch tomorrow, but I’ll keep you all posted! For anyone wondering still why we bought a pet rat… you can ask my husband; but he is awfully cute and cuddly!

Meet Fred, our newest "family member"

If you try it, let me know your thoughts!

Naturally,

Raych

Day 16: Semi-Homemade Honey BBQ Chicken

When I say "semi-homemade" I'm reffering to the sauce for this delicious chicken... the chicken, on the other hand, was raised in our front yard and VERY homemade :)

The BBQ sauce I used for the "semi" portion of this recipe was from Dinosaur BBQ, a restaurant in Syracuse, NY- near my sister. I purchased the sauce at Wegman's up there (my first taste of the greatness that is a Wegman's). Of course, I only mention my purchase location, because I managed to go to the nearest Wegman's to me today as well- 50 minutes away! It was ridiculously crowded and extremely overwhelming. It is supposedly the largest in the chain... but made me feel like I was in the mental overload Ikea version of a supermarket. Not as fun as shopping with my sister at a store where the customers are just "regulars". This store felt like a tourist attraction.

Since I have to go back to work tomorrow I thought I would make this blog short tonight... so onward to tonight's recipe!

Covered in Honey BBQ Good-ness

Honey BBQ Semi-Homemade Chicken Wings/Thighs

I can only guarantee GF- if you pick a GF BBQ sauce.

For the wings:

chicken wings (Approx 18) or Chicken Thighs (4)

Sea Salt

garlic powder

black pepper

chipotle pepper powder

cooking spray

From NY

For the Sauce:

1 cup barbecue sauce , I used Dinosaur BBQ

1/2 cup honey

2 tablespoons ketchup

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

 Directions:

Coat pan with non-stick spray

Lay out the wings or thighs

Season as liberally as you would like (that’s why I didn’t give #s)

Bake at 400 degrees until cooked through. This took me 45-50 minutes, but I used thighs AND Wings

While it is baking, combine the sauce ingredients well.

Once the chicken is cooked through, coat it with the sauce and return that to the oven for a couple of minutes.

I served mine with corn and brown rice. YUM!

Easy night- but hey, my family got a warm meal!

Let me know your thoughts?

Naturally,

Raych

Day 14 and 15 Recipes! Turkey-Loaf and Baby Food!

Two recipes to post today... One that I made for my family tonight (and served with green beans), the other I made for my mini man (Henri) both for tonight's dinner and to send along to daycare as frozen 1ounce cubes... It's a carrot, parsnip and apple mixture which I have to imagine is good for eyesight... that is, of course, why I was always told to eat my carrots!

I have been pretty set on making MOST of the baby food that each of my kids started out on. I like knowing exactly what goes in to their little tummies; and I like having control over the organic portion of the whole thing. All I do is prepare their dishes in big vats and then freeze into nice little 1 ounce cubes. A regular ice cube tray works... but I also have little silicone baby food trays. To be honest with you, I almost prefer the ice cube trays. They stack nicer and pop out easier. The cubes are convenient because we can decide how much Henri might need at that particular meal, or even mix and match cubes. Nice.

In my yucki-ness over the last few days, I have severely neglected my recipe making. To get myself back into the swing of things I decided to make a s imple turkey meatloaf tonight. Please note that I used ground turkey BREAST... it's healthier, but it's lower in fat- so if you use the alternatives (beef or non-breast turkey) I have no promises of results :)

I really don't have any cute little quips tonight; I have an early meeting tomorrow and have to hit the hay... but here are the recipes... ENJOY!

Turkey Meatloaf

Depending on your sauce choices (ketchup, soy, etc) I can only guarantee GF and CoF :)

Ingredients:

  1 medium onion , chopped (Today I tried- Peruvian Sweet Yellow Onions)

  2 TBS Olive Oil

  3 cloves garlic , minced

  1 lb ground turkey breast

  1/3 cup GF breadcrumbs

  1 egg

  3 TBS ketchup + some to coat the top

  1 tsp Soy Sauce (I use LaChoy, because it’s the best name-brand GF option)

  ¼  teaspoon kosher salt

 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Sauté the onions in the olive oil until soft.

Combine all of the ingredients well in a bowl

Press into a glass bread dish (I sprayed mine with a little spray olive oil)

Coat the top of the meatloaf with a little bit of ketchup

Bake for approximately 45 min, or until cooked well, all the way through, and pulled slightly from sides.

 Baby Food: Here's looking at you... CARROT/PARSNIP/APPLE

(This is SO basic, I don't think you need the "what's not in it list")

2 cups of chopped carrots (or you can use baby carrots for a quicker shot at this)

½ cup of chopped parsnip

1 Cortland Apple

1 Granny Smith Apple

 

Bring carrots and parsnip to a boil in a COVERED pot of water- the water should not cover the veggies, but only come about ½ way up, your aim is to “steam” the rest.

Boil hard for 5 minutes.

Add diced apples

Boil until everything is soft. I have to be honest, I didn’t pay attention to how long this took, but it wasn’t more than 20 more minutes.

Reserve the broth- you can use that to reduce the blended mixture down to the desired consistency.

Process/Blend food in a food processor or baby-food maker to desired consistency.

Freeze or serve as you would like.

let me know your thoughts!

Naturally,

Raych