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Tag Archives: Gluten-Free

Gluten-Free (GF) recipes do not contain wheat ingredients. To earn the GF tag on this website, a recipe must be free of wheat ingredients without any substitutions. Other recipes can be made GF by using GF flour instead of regular wheat flour or using rice pasta instead of wheat pasta for example.

Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Apples

27 Dec

I concocted this recipe for Christmas 2011, knowing I wanted to make something with sweet potatoes and apples to go with my homemade cranberry sauce and green beans. After some Google searching, I found a recipe I liked, but thought it was too bland. So, I doubled the measurements for the non-sweet potato ingredients and it was a hit!

Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Makes 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

  • 4 cups mashed sweet potatoes (about 5 medium sized sweet potatoes)
  • 1/3 cup butter
  • 2 large apples, peeled, cored, and diced (I suggest Granny Smith because the tartness of the apples offsets the sweetness of the other ingredients)
  • 1/2 cup apple juice
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 tsp. pepper
  • Dash of cinnamon to taste

Instructions:

  • Prepare Sweet Potatoes:
    • Add sweet potatoes to boiling water and cook until tender. You know they are done when the skin starts to fall off in the pot).
    • Place sweet potatoes in metal strainer. Run cold water over them for a couple minutes to cool them off.
    • Once the sweet potatoes are cool enough to handle, gently peel skin off with your fingers.
    • Mash in a large bowl using a potato masher or large fork. Set aside. (Be sure to measure potatoes before mashing to confirm you have enough).
  • Prepare Apple and Butter Mixture:
    • Melt butter in a large saucepan.
    • Add diced apples and cook until tender.
  • Combine Ingredients:
    • Add apple and butter mixture to the mashed sweet potatoes and stir until well blended.
    • Stir in apple juice, brown sugar, salt, pepper, and cinnamon.
  • When ready to serve, heat over low heat until hot.
 
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Posted by on December 27, 2011 in Holiday Side Dishes, Holiday Specific, Potatoes, Potatoes

 

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“Eggs Fantastic” Casserole

23 Nov

Aunt Jaymie
Original Source:  Gatherings Cookbook, by The Junior League

“Eggs Fantastic” is Aunt Jaymie’s family holiday breakfast. Not the healthiest meal in the world, but everything in moderation, right? After all, the holidays only come once a year. You won’t need to eat lunch after this.

Preparation Time:
Cooking Time:

Ingredients:

  • 12 eggs
  • 1/ 3 cup sour cream
  • 1 pound bulk sausage, any type
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • ¼ pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
  • ½ pound cheddar cheese, grated
  • ½ pound mozzarella cheese, grated
  • ½ pound Swiss cheese, grated
  • Salt & Pepper
  • Salsa

 Instructions:

  • Beat eggs & sour cream.  Pour into buttered 13 x 9 casserole dish.  Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, or until eggs are set.
  • Saute sausage, onions & mushrooms.  Season with salt & pepper.  Drain fat.  Spread meat mixture over eggs & top with grated cheeses.  Bake at 325 degrees until cheese melts & casserole is heated through, about 30 minutes.

Serving Suggestion:
Serve with salsa.

Aunt Jaymie’s Tips:
Bake the egg base the night before, sauté the sausage & grate the cheeses.  (Skip the onion & mushrooms). Then it’s quick to put together and bake.

 


 

 
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Posted by on November 23, 2011 in Breakfast Dishes, Casseroles, Casseroles, Eggs, Holiday Breakfasts, Holiday Specific

 

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Caprese Salad

26 Jun

(Original source: AllRecipes.com)

Caprese salad is an Italian dish, especially delicious in the summer when made with garden tomatoes and fresh basil. You may mix the ingredients in a bowl, but laying them out as described below is more aesthetically attractive and transforms this into a crowd pleasing appetizer. I prepared caprese salad for an Italian themed potluck and it was an instant hit.

Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: N/A

Ingredients:

  • 4 large ripe tomatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick
  • 1 pound fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced 1/4 inch thick
  • 1/3 cup fresh basil leaves
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • Fine sea salt to taste
  • Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions:

  • On a large platter, alternate and overlap the tomato slices, mozzarella cheese slices, and basil leaves.
  • Drizzle with olive oil.
  • Season with sea salt and pepper.

 
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Posted by on June 26, 2011 in Appetizers, Other, Salads

 

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Southern “Sweet Tea”

25 Jun

(Original Source: AllRecipes.com)

Sweet tea is known as the “wine of the South.” This delicacy is made by adding sugar to black tea while it is still hot and then blending the sweetener so that the sugar becomes part of the tea. Afterward, the tea is refrigerated and ice is added. Some people add lemon for flavor. The farther south you go, the sweeter the tea becomes. Under NO circumstances is sugar added as an afterthought once the tea is cold. That is simply iced tea, not sweet tea!

I have modified the original recipe for “Ol” Alabama Sweet Tea” so that it has a “moderate” amount of sugar, commensurate with what you might find in southern Virginia and the Carolinas. I can’t take it any sweeter, but if you want to taste Alabama sweet tea, double the amount of sugar! In the Deep South, many restaurants don’t even serve unsweetened iced tea.

Preparation Time:
Cooking Time:

Ingredients

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 gallon water
  • 1 tray ice cubes
  • 3 family sized teabags of orange pekoe tea
  • 3 cups cold water, or as needed

Instructions:

  • Pour the sugar into a large pitcher.*
  • Bring water to a boil in a large pan.
  • When the water begins to boil, remove from the heat, and place the teabags in.
  • Let steep for 5 to 6 minutes.
  • Remove tea bags, and return tea to the heat.
  • Bring just to a boil, then pour into the pitcher, and stir until the sugar is dissolved.
  • Fill the pitcher half way with ice, and stir until most of it melts.
  • Then fill the pitcher the rest of the way with cold water, and stir until blended.

* If using a glass pitcher, be careful about pouring in hot tea to prevent cracking. Consider making the tea in a heat resistant container and transferring to the pitcher later.

 
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Posted by on June 25, 2011 in Beverages, Tea

 

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Quick and Easy Vegetable Soup

25 Jun

(Original source: AllRecipes.com)

If you are new to cooking, this soup offers an ideal way to develop your culinary skills and confidence. I made this soup in June 2011 for my boyfriend at the time who had never boiled water before and I was determined to teach him how to cook. As I told him, “Food does not get simpler than this. Chop some vegetables. Dump them in a pot with water, chicken broth, and vegetable juice and boil until tender.” The result: tasty, nutritious soup to last you for the week! That’s all there is to it!

Preparation Time: 15-20 minutes
Cooking Time: 40 minutes
Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:

  • 1 (14 ounce) can chicken broth
  • 1 (11.5 ounce) can tomato-vegetable juice cocktail (I use V-8 juice)
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 large potato, diced
  • 2 carrots, sliced
  • 2 stalks celery, diced
  • 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
  • 1 cup chopped fresh green beans
  • 1 cup fresh corn kernels
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Creole seasoning to taste

Instructions:

  • In a large stock pot, combine broth, tomato juice, water, potatoes, carrots, celery, undrained chopped tomatoes, green beans, and corn.
  • Season with salt, pepper and Creole seasoning.
  • Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes or until all vegetables are tender.
 
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Posted by on June 25, 2011 in Soups

 

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Beef Chili

19 May

Aunt Gail

This chili recipe is originally from my paternal grandmother, Inez who died long before I was born. Although I never had the opportunity to meet her, I have enjoyed many of Inez’s recipes through Aunt Gail’s cookbook, No Matter What, Just Keep On Cooking!

Below, is the story behind this recipe as told by Aunt Gail: 

“[My mother] made the best chili I have ever eaten and when years later I gave the recipe to my friend, Joe Sluder, he won a Chili Cooking Contest in Atlanta, GA! This also used to be my ‘just in case’ meal. That meant just in case my kids brought home two or three unexpected friends for dinner (which often happened), I could pop this on the stove in a hurry and be sure they would be happy!”

Preparation Time:
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Serves 6-8
Freeze any leftovers. 

Ingredients:

  • 2 lbs lean ground chuck (ground beef)
  • 1 large yellow onion
  • 2 regular size cans dark red kidney beans (drain juice from one of the cans)
  • 2 (14.5 oz. cans whole tomatoes with their juice
  • Salt to taste
  • 2 to 3 lbs. chili powder (add more if you are brave enough, but taste first)!
  • 1 ½ Tbsp. cumin (add more to taste in last 15 minutes of cooking if desired- Aunt Gail usually needs to do this)
  • 2 tsp. sugar

Instructions:

  • In a large Dutch oven (this is a large pot), brown the ground chuck with the onions, stirring constantly until the meat is no longer pink.
  • Drain all of the fat from the mixture.
  • Add the rest of the ingredients, squeezing the juice from each whole tomato and breaking the tomatoes up in your hands before adding them to the pot. (Be sure your hands are clean)!
  • Stirring constantly, bring the mixture to a boil.
  • Reduce heat to low or medium low, depending on how your stove cooks and cook for 30-45 minutes. Stir occasionally.
  • Mixture is done when it has become rather thick. You don’t want runny chili.
  • Taste for seasonings and add more salt, chili, or cumin if needed. Some people can take it hotter than others.

Serving Suggestion:
Aunt Gail suggests serving with corn bread and turnip greens if you like “soul food.” Be sure to cook your turnip greens with a little fatback!

 
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Posted by on May 19, 2011 in Beef, Entrees

 

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Sautéed Spinach

16 May

Mom

Mom was an improvisational cook, so the below measurements are just suggestions since she never put exactly the same amount of ingredients in each time. Because I never asked her for the recipe, these were the best estimates Dad and I could come up with.

Ingredients:

  • Abundant supply of freshly washed spinach
  • 1 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • Small amount of diced purple onions
  • 2 Tbsp. sun dried tomatoes
  • 4 black olives, sliced once in half
  • 1 Tbsp. capers
  • 2Tbsp. crumbled feta cheese
  • 1 tsp. dried cranberries (optional- Mom didn’t use these, but it’s a nice addition)
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

  • Pour olive oil into pan. Be careful to not overdo the olive oil, as it can make the spinach soggy.
  • Add garlic, then salt, pepper, onions, sun dried tomatoes, black olives, capers, and dried cranberries if you choose to use them.
  • Cook on medium to low heat for 3 mins., slowly stirring ingredients occasionally, moving them towards center of pan.
  • Add spinach and stir towards center of pan as before, but this time, do so briskly. Cook down to desired texture. If you need to add more spinach and it starts to get dry, add more olive oil, but only after spinach has cooked down all the way and it is certain that more oil is needed.
  • Take off heat and add feta cheese, allowing it to melt on top of spinach mixture and then stir in.
 
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Posted by on May 16, 2011 in Side Dishes, Vegetable Side Dishes

 

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Simple Green Beans

16 May

Aunt Anni

(Based on a recipe from Julia Child’s cookbook)

Aunt Anni gave me this recipe for Thanksgiving 2010 when I suddenly found myself in charge of holiday food preparations while I was in the middle of studying for finals and writing papers during my first semester of graduate school. Since I was short on time, I started calling all of my aunts asking for quick, easy recipes and these green beans fit the bill.

Ingredients:

  • Green beans
  • Salt
  • Water
  • Butter and seasonings to taste

Instructions:

  • Bring a pot of water to a boil
  • Add a good amount of salt (~ 2-3 tsp. for a medium saucepan full of water)*
  • While the water is boiling, wash and trim the beans (Aunt Anni just chops about a quarter inch off both ends by the handful)!
  • Once the water is boiling, toss in the beans, bring water back to a boil, and cook the beans until they start to turn bright green (about 3-5 minutes for haricot vert and 4-5 minutes for regular beans).
  • Drain beans in a colander. Immediately turn on cold water and add a large handful of ice to the beans in the colander. Mix the ice around so that all the beans are cooled.**
  • Once the ice has melted, return the drained beans to their saucepan.
  • When you are ready to eat, reheat the beans with butter and seasonings (but watch the salt, since the water was so salty!) You can do this up to an hour ahead of time.

*Make sure you use a pot that is large enough for the beans to “swim” a bit. You don’t want them to be too crowded or else they won’t cook evenly.

** The ice gives the beans a pretty bright color and seals in the flavor.

 
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Posted by on May 16, 2011 in Holiday Side Dishes, Side Dishes, Vegetable Side Dishes

 

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Garlic Tahini Greens

16 May

Auntie Jan

Ingredients:

  • Big bunch of washed and chopped collards or kale (I strip the kale from the stalk and chop it separately)
  • 5-6 (or more) cloves of minced garlic
  • ~ 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
  • ~ 3-4 Tbsp. tahini
  • 1-2 Tbsp. honey
  • Dash of soy sauce
  • “A dash plus another dash or two” of sesame oil

Instructions:

  • Steam veggies until just right.
  • Meanwhile, in a saucepan, sauté garlic in vegetable oil.
  • Stir in over low heat:
    • Tahini, honey, soy sauce, sesame oil.
      • If mixture is too thick add more oil; if too thin, add more tahini.
      • Mixture should coat but not get claggy.
  • Mix gently with steamed veggies.

To serve:
Add pine nuts or slivered almonds. Toasted sesame seeds are yummy on top as well. Dash of fresh lemon is tasty too


 
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Posted by on May 16, 2011 in Side Dishes, Vegetable Side Dishes

 

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Danielle’s Special Salad

16 May

 This is an improvisational recipe that I created years ago when I first started living on my own. I simply blend all my favorite salad ingredients and live off of this for a few days. I love that this salad looks different every time I make it and allows ample room for creativity.


Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: N/A

Ingredients:

Salad

  • 1 head of fresh romaine lettuce or 1 bag of pre-washed romaine lettuce. *
  • 1 carrot (you may substitute for shredded carrots if short on time)
  • 1 red pepper
  • 1 cucumber
  • 1 avocado
  • 1 pack of cherry tomatoes
  • Feta cheese or mozzarella balls
  • Shaved parmasan cheese
  • Dried cranberries
  • Optional: cilantro, chickpeas, and/or tabouli

*You can use mixed greens if you like, but I always make sure there is some romaine.

Instructions:

  • Place lettuce in bottom of large bowl.
  • Add other ingredients. If preparing for company, I like to arrange the cucumbers, avocados, cherry tomatoes, and red peppers in fun designs on top of the lettuce. If you are going for a Christmas theme, use both red and green peppers.

Serving Suggestions:

  • Serve with a dinner entrée or add tuna fish/chicken salad/sardines or other type of lean protein for a deliciously healthy lunch.
  • You can serve with any type of dressing you like, but I usually eat this salad with olive oil which is especially good if you add sardines.

Chef’s Tips:

  • If stored dry (without dressing), this salad stays good in the refrigerator for a couple days.
  • Double the recipe if preparing for a large gathering.
Salad
 
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Posted by on May 16, 2011 in Salads

 

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