Scrumptious Vegetable Lasagna

So, I tried to take a picture of this, well, scrumptious lasagna and I just couldn't get one that would look good. So just imagine.

This is so good, you won't even miss the meat!

"This is my favorite lasagna" direct quote from my husband.

Scrumptious Vegetable Lasagna

12 GF lasagna noodles

2 medium yellow summer squash, cut into 1/4 inch slices

2 medium zucchini, cut into 1/4 inch slices

1 large green pepper, chopped

1/2 lb sliced mushrooms

1 large sweet onion, chopped

1 T. olive oil

1 jar (25oz) marinara sauce

1 carton(15oz) fat-free ricotta cheese

1 egg

9 slices provolone cheese

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1 cup grated parmesan cheese

Cook noodles according to package directions.

Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, saute the squash, zucchini, green pepper, mushrooms, and onion in oil until tender.

Mix together the egg and ricotta cheese.

Drain the noodles. Spread 1/4 cup marinara sauce in a 13x9 inch pan coated with cooking spray. Top with 4 noodles, a scant 1 cup marinara sauce, 2 cups vegetable mixture, 3/4 cup ricotta cheese, six halved slices of provolone cheese, 2/3 cup mozzarella cheese and 1/3 cup parmesan cheese. Repeat layers twice.

Cover and bake at 375 for 30 minutes. Uncover, and bake 10-15 minutes longer or until bubbly. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.

White Chocolate Popcorn Deluxe

Looks like ordinary popcorn right? Wrong.

It's amazing!

White Chocolate Popcorn Deluxe

8 cups air-popped popcorn

2 oz. white baking chocolate

1 t. butter

1/3 cup dried cranberries

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

3/4 t. salt

Place popcorn in a large bowl. In a microwave, melt white chocolate and butter; stir until smooth. Pour over popcorn mixture and toss to coat. Add the cranberries, nuts, and salt.

Spread onto waxed paper. Cool until set. Store in a airtight container.

Chicken Nuggets

Once you taste these, you will never wish you could eat dino-bites. These are delicious and so easy!

This is one of my stand-by recipes, I always keep the ingredients on hand for a fast meal.

This is kinda a made-up recipe, sorry about the measurements!

Chicken Nuggets

One piece of chicken per person, cut into nugget size pieces

1 cup parmesan cheese (I use the bottled kind)

2 T. lemon pepper, a packet of Italian or Ranch dressing, 2 T. garlic powder, whatever flavor you like

1/2 cup GF bread crumbs (optional, I rarely use!)

Canola oil

Put the cut up chicken into a bowl and pour on some oil. Toss to cover the chicken. Place the chicken in a bag and add cheese, bread crumbs and spices. Shake to coat.

Spread in a single layer in a 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 for 20-25 min or until done.

Serve with brown rice and vegetables.

Rosemary Mashed Potatoes

I used to think that I had a great recipe for mashed potatoes. I decided to try a whole new recipe and I'm glad I did!

These are so creamy and flavorful, the whipping cream is the secret.

You can double the recipe if needed for a larger group.

Rosemary Mashed Potatoes

4 large potatoes, peeled and quartered

1 1/4 t. salt. divided

1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

2 T. butter, cubed

1/4 t. minced fresh rosemary

1/8 t. nutmeg

1/8 t. pepper

Place potatoes in a large pot, add 1 t. salt. Cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until tender. Drain.

Place potatoes in a large mixing bowl. Add the cream, butter, rosemary, nutmeg, pepper and remaining salt; beat until smooth.

Applesauce-Glazed Pork Chops

These chops have a sweet barbeque flavor to them.

This is a quick dinner. We had them with Rosemary Mashed Potatoes and green peas.

Yum.

Applesauce-Glazed Pork Chops

4 boneless pork chops

1 cups applesauce

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 T. barbecue sauce

1 T. worcestershire sauce

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. pepper

Place pork chops in an 8x8 baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. In a small bowl, combine the remaining ingredients; spoon over chops.

Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until done.

Black Bean Chicken

This spicy chicken is a great taco filler!

Add your favorite toppings, sour cream, cheese, guac...

I modified the original recipe, I think my version is a little more flavorful.

Black Bean Chicken

1 T. chili powder

1 t. ground cumin

1 t. pepper

1/4 t. salt

2 chicken breasts

2 t. canola oil

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup frozen corn

1 cup salsa

2 cups cooked brown rice

Cut the chicken breasts into 1-inch cubes. Place cut chicken in a resealable bag.

Combine the chili powder, cumin, pepper and salt. Add to the chicken and shake until the chicken pieces are covered in spice.

Cook the chicken in the oil until no longer pink. Stir in the beans, corn, and salsa. Cover and cook over medium heat for 10-15 minutes.

Stir in the rice and serve with your favorite taco fixings!

Asparagus Fettuccine

Asparagus is my favorite vegetable. This fettuccine sauce is fast, uses hardly any ingredients and really showcases the asparagus.

If you don't have fettuccine noodles, you can use whatever's on your shelf. (I used macaroni...)

Asparagus Fettuccine

4 oz. GF uncooked fettuccine

1 lb fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 T. butter

4 oz. cream cheese, cubed

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

1 T. lemon juice

2 t. grated lemon peel

1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. pepper

Cook fettuccine according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute the asparagus, onion and garlic in butter until tender.

Add remaining ingredients. Cook and stir over medium heat for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted and sauce is blended. Drain fettuccine; toss with asparagus mixture.

Cream of Chicken Soup

So many recipes call for Cream of Chicken soup. Don't throw those out! This is easy to mix up and is the equivalent of 8-9 cans of soup!

Cream of Chicken Soup

1 cup dry milk powder

1 cup white rice flour

2 T. dried minced onions

1/2 t. pepper

1/2 t. salt

3 T. GF powdered chicken boillion (I like the brand Herb-ox)

Mix together and store on your shelf.

How to make a can of chicken soup:

In a small saucepan, blend 3-4 T. (depending on how thick you want your soup) of Cream of Chicken soup mix with 1 1/4 cups water. Cook over medium heat, stirring until the soup thickens.

It is now ready for any recipe.

GF Mix

This is a great flour mix that can be substituted cup-for-cup for wheat flour. I make a big batch of it and it stays well on the shelf.

GF Mix

6 cups rice flour

(there will be a taste difference between white and brown rice, you will just have to experiment with what you like)

2 cups potato starch flour

1 cup tapioca flour

Mix well together. It does leave a slight grainy texture in baked goods.

Muffins

Muffins are so easy to make with GF flour!

I have played around a little with this muffin recipe, and I think it's pretty good!

You can mix anything you like into the batter, or you can just leave them plain. You can also use juice, water, or other milk substitutes for the milk, but I think that the milk makes it taste the best.

Muffins

1/4 cup sugar

2 T. applesauce

2 eggs

1 cup rice flour

1/4 t. salt

1/4 t. xanthan gum

2 t. baking powder

1/2 cup milk

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Any mix-ins, 1/4 cup fresh/frozen blueberries, tablespoon of poppyseeds/lemon peel, dried cranberries, mashed bananas/cinnamon, 1/3 cup pumpkin/1 t. pumpkin spice, grated apple/cinnamon and nutmeg...

Mix with a wooden spoon the sugar, applesauce, and eggs.

Mix in the flour, xanthan gum, salt, and baking powder, do not overbeat.

Stir in the milk and the vanilla. Add in the extras that you would like.

Pour into greased muffin cups. Bake for 15-20 min at 350 degrees.

Makes 10-12 muffins.

Baked Oatmeal

Mmmmm, I was giving this recipe by a friend and love it!

It makes a big batch and stores well in the fridge.

If you aren't an oatmeal lover now, you soon will be.

The thing I like about this recipe is it's different every time you make it. My favorite combo is coconut with dried cherries and cranberries... easy to please everyone!

Baked Oatmeal

3/4 cup oil (I've tried the applesauce substitute, it works ok, makes the texture cake-like, instead of granola-ish.)

1 t. vanilla

3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

4 cups quick-cooking oats

2 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

1 t. cinnamon

1 cup milk

2 apples, cored and chopped (leave the skins on)

1 cup each of whatever you like: (you can add it all, or just a few)

raisins, coconut, dried fruit (cranberries, cherries, blueberries, apricot, banana, pineapple), walnuts/pecans, sunflower seeds...

the possibilities are endless!

Mix oil, sugar, vanilla, and eggs. Beat until yellow and glossy. Add remaining ingredients except fruit.

After mixed stir in apples and all the extras.

Spread on a greased 9x13 cookie sheet and bake at 400 for 30-45 minutes depending on how "crunchy" you like it. (I do about 42 min).

Serve warm or cold with milk, eat dry as a snack, however you like!

Gluten Free Pizza

My cookbook just falls open to this page. It's splattered, it's dog-earred, it's made alot!

Why? Because it tastes like the real thing and is good enough to serve to anyone. The Friday night pizza night is back.

When I first got diagnosed I cried when I couldn't have pizza anymore. I searched and searched for a good recipe, and this is it!
The flour mix comes from Bette Hagman, a pioneer in Gluten Free cooking.  
(I would really, really love to meet her someday, and give her a HUGE thank you!)
I changed her method a little, it just seems to mix a little better than the original.


*Update: Sorry about the confusion about the flour mix to use.  I just linked the Pizza Mix to the flour mix to use.  Does that make sense?  What you will do is make up the flour mix, it contains rice/tapioca flours, xanthan gum and some other important ingredients, mix together, and store on your shelf for whenever you need to make pizza, bagels, or French bread.  Here's the link again: Pizza Flour Mix.*

Pizza

(This makes 1 crust, double it to make 2)

Dry Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups Pizza Mix 

3 T. dry milk powder

3/4 t. Italian Pizza seasoning

1/2 t. garlic powder

1/2 t. salt

Wet Ingredients:

2 egg whites

1 1/2 T. olive or canola oil

1/2 t. vinegar

Yeast Ingredients:

3/4 cup warm water

1 t. sugar

2 1/2 t. dry yeast granules (don't double if making 2 crusts)

Dissolve the sugar in the water, gently stir in the yeast granules. Set aside and let the yeast grow until there is foam on the top of the water.

Meanwhile, place wet ingredients in the bowl of your heavy-duty mixer.

Add in the dry ingredients to the wet, then add in the water/yeast mixture.
 Beat on medium speed for 3 1/2 minutes.

Grease a cookie sheet (or 2) with shortening (this will "fry" the bottom of the crust, making it taste like it came from a take-out place). Spread the dough to make a square or circle to the thickness desired.

Let rise 10 minutes. (This is when I preheat my oven to 400 degrees). Bake for 10 minutes, while preparing the toppings.

Top with your favorite sauce, cheese, meats, etc...possibilities are endless! Bake again about 15-20 minutes or until done and cheese is golden brown.

Enjoy! This is my all-time favorite!

Pizza Flour Mix

Here is another flour mix made by Bette Hagman. She really is the Julia Childs of gluten free cooking!

This mix can sit on your shelf and when you are ready for some pizza, french bread, or bagels, you can mix some up fast!

Pizza Mix

3 1/2 cups white rice flour

2 1/2 cups tapioca flour

2 T. xanthan gum

2 (7gram) packets unflavored gelatin

1/4 cups sugar

Mix together and store on your shelf. This will make 6 cups of flour. I always make a double batch, since we go through it quickly.

Coconut Chicken

Not the greatest picture, but it sure does taste better than it looks!

I found this recipe in the newspaper when I was in college. I have made a few small changes, and don't remember how the original recipe goes, but we love this!

It's a great one-dish wonder!

Coconut Chicken

2 chicken breasts, cut into cubes

salt and pepper

2 T. oil

Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Cook chicken in oil over medium heat for 12-15 minutes. Remove from heat.

Add a can of coconut milk to the pan of drippings. Scrape up browned bits. Bring to a simmer. Combine 1/3 cup cold water and 2 T. cornstarch, stirring until smooth. Add to the coconut milk, stirring constantly until thick.

Stir in:

1/4 cup chopped almonds

1/4 cup apricot jam or preserves

1/4 cup coconut

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1 T. lemon juice

1/4 t. salt

Stir in the chicken Pour sauce over 3 cups of cooked rice and stir together.

*I make this recipe using lite coconut milk, and brown rice to make it a little healthier.

Mexican Rice

This rice is the perfect side to any Mexican fiesta!

Mexican Rice

1 cup rice

3 T. butter

Chopped onions, to taste

1/2 cup tomato sauce (half the can)

2 cups chicken broth

1 T. fresh cilantro, minced

Mix together all ingredients, except for the cilantro. Simmer over the stove or cook in a rice cooker. When all liquid is absorbed, stir in the cilantro.

Salsa Chicken

This is the easiest recipe of all time.

And it's dang good.

Salsa Chicken

2-3 chicken breasts

Jar of your favorite salsa

Corn tortillas

Taco toppings: cheese, sour cream, avocado, etc. etc.

Place chicken breasts in bottom of your crockpot. (You can even put them in frozen! Just adjust the cooking time a little longer).

Pour salsa over the top of the chicken.

Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Cook corn tortillas in a skillet over medium heat, turning every 20-30 seconds, or when golden brown and soft.

Shred chicken when finished cooking.

Make your delicious tacos and enjoy an easy night!

Layered Pudding Dessert

Hands down this is my favorite dessert, indulgence, comfort food, whatever....it's delicious!

It's so easy to make and looks impressive!

It's nutty crust, creamy cheesecake-like filling, and smooth pudding adds up to a winner. Ahhh, it's a joy-ride for the taste buds!

(I have never met anyone who doesn't love this!)

Layered Pudding Dessert

Crust:

1 cup rice flour

1 cup chopped pecans

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter

Combine until butter is cut into pea-size pieces. Press into a 9x13 pan. Bake for 10 mins. at 350. Cool slightly.

Cheesecake Layer:

1 8oz cream cheese

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tub Cool-Whip

Beat the cream cheese and sugar until creamy. Fold in the Cool-Whip until well blended. Spread over crust.

Pudding Layer:

1 large pkg. chocolate pudding

1 large pkg. vanilla pudding

6 cups milk

Combine pudding mixes and whisk in the milk. Whisk for 2 mins or until thickened. Pour over cheesecake layer.

Refrigerate until firm. (I like to let it sit overnight.) Top with more Cool-Whip and chocolate-covered toffee bits (found by the chocolate chips) when ready to serve.

Get ready to get rave reviews!

*Note: The chocolate-vanilla pudding combo is my favorite, but I have also tried coconut-butterscotch, with toasted coconut on top, and vanilla-pistachio. All very good, just would be personal preference on what you like.

Red-Sauce Chicken Enchiladas

As we all know, Mexican-type food are one of the best for our diet, corn tortillas, cheese, beans, meat...

and we know it's delicious!

The problem is the sauce, either it's full of gluten or bland, blan, blahhh.

But here's a sauce recipe that is flavorful and almost as easy as opening a can!

This is one of my go-to recipes, hope it becomes one of yours!

Red-Sauce Chicken Enchiladas

I start by cooking chicken in the crockpot sprinkled with chili powder, cut up onions and minced garlic. When done, shred or cut into cubes. Add a drained and rinsed can of black beans and frozen corn.

Then, cook the tortillas. It makes them more "bend-y" so it's easy to roll the filling inside. I just spray the tortillas with cooking spray and cook them in a skillet until golden brown on both sides.

Grate 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese.

Sauce:

2 T. chili powder

1 1/2 t. canola oil

1 cup chicken broth

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 T. cornstarch

1 cup water

In a saucepan, brown the chili powder in the oil over med. heat, stirring to keep from scorching. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Add the garlic and cornstarch dissolved in the cup of water. Stir constantly to keep from lumping. At this point, taste. If too spicy, add 1/2 cup of tomato sauce. (I usually don't, it just depends on what flavor and heat you like). Take off the heat.

Spread a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Fill a tortilla with a few tablespoonfuls of chicken/bean/corn mixture, cheese and sauce. Roll and place seam side down in the pan. Repeat until pan is full. (If there's any leftover chicken mixture I just sprinkle it over the top.) Pour the extra sauce over the top and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.

Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbly.

Serve with rice, sour cream, guacamole, or your other favorite mexican toppings!

*The best part about this filling dinner, is you will probably have enough leftover for dinner the next night, giving you a night off!

Enjoy!

Creamy Butternut Squash Soup

My favorite soup of all time!

It's easy, takes very few ingredients and the flavor and texture are too die for!

Serve with GF crackers or a GF grilled cheese sandwich.

Creamy Butternut Squash Soup

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 T. butter

3 cups cubed, peeled butternut squash (I use 3 cups frozen butternut squash)

1 medium potato, peeled and cubed

1 1/2 cups water

1 1/2 t. chicken bouillion granules (or vegetable bouillion for vegetarian)

1/4 t. salt

Dash of pepper

1/4 cup evaporated milk

In a small saucepan, saute onion in butter until tender. Add squash and potato; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Add the water, bouillion, salt and pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Cool slightly. In a blender, cover and process soup until smooth. Return to pan; stir in milk and heat through.

Killer Guacamole

When some friends have told me that they have never made guacamole, I was shocked!

This is one of life's greatest pleasures!

I got the original recipe from my mom a few years ago, but since have perfected it!

I hope you like it as much as we do.

Killer Guacamole

(this recipe can be doubled for larger crowds)

2 avocados, peeled and pit removed

1 T. lemon juice

1 garlic clove, minced

Sprinkle onion powder over the top

1/8 t. cumin (the secret ingredient)

2-3 drops hot sauce if you like a little heat

Mash to the desired consistency and eat with chips or your favorite Mexican dinner!

Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake

I made this for a Valentine's treat and it's a huge success!

If you like the chocolate-raspberry flavor combo, this is for you!

Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake

1 1/2 cups GF oreos, crushed

2 T. butter, melted

4 pkg. (8oz each) cream cheese, softened

1 1/4 cups sugar

1 cup sour cream

1 t. vanilla

3 eggs, lightly beaten

9 oz. semisweet chocolate

1/2 cup raspberry preserves

Topping:

6 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped

1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

Fresh raspberries and whipped cream, optional

Place a greased 9in springform pan on a double thickness of heavy-duty foil. Securely wrap foil around pan. Combine cookie crumbs and butter; press onto the bottom of prepared pan.

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in sour cream and vanilla. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined. Set aside 1 1/2 cups; pour remaining batter over crust.

In a microwave, melt chocolate; stir in preserves until blended. Stir in reserved batter just until blended. Drop by tablespoonfuls over the plain batter (do not swirl). Place springform pan in a large baking pan; add 1 in. of hot water to larger pan.

Bake at 325 for 65-75 minutes or until center is just set and top appears dull. Remove springform pan from water bath. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen; cool 1 hour longer.

For topping, place chocolate in a small bowl. In a small saucepan, bring cream just to a boil. Pour over chocolate; whisk until smooth. Cool slightly. Spread over top of cheesecake. Refrigerate overnight. Garnish with raspberries and whipped cream if desired.

So rich and so delicious!

Rich Fettuccine Alfredo

I found this recipe in a Healthy Cooking magazine. I don't know what's healthy about bacon, whole milk, and cream cheese....

But I do know it's dang good!

Hope you're hungry, this makes a lot!

Rich Fettuccine Alfredo

8 oz uncooked GF fettuccine

3 bacon strips

1/2 lb sliced fresh mushrooms

1 small onion, chopped

1 red pepper, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

4 oz. reduced fat cream cheese, cubed

2 T. cornstarch

2 cups whole milk

3 cups cubed cooked chicken breast

1/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese

1/2 t. salt

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Cook fettuccine according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Using a slotted spoon, remove to paper towels to drain. Saute the mushrooms, onions, and pepper, in drippings until tender. Add the garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in cream cheese until melted.

Combine cornstarch and milk until smooth; stir into skillet. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 min. or until thickened. Add the chicken, cheeses, salt; cook and stir until cheese is melted. Chop bacon in to bite size pieces and add to cheese mixture.

Drain fettuccine; add to chicken mixture. Heat through.

It will taste as if you are a fancy Italian restaurant!

Zucchini Cake

Want a real birthday cake this year?

Now you can! And it's good enough to share with all your guests.

Enjoy!

See doesn't it look like real cake?!?

Zucchini Cake

2 1/2 cups Four Flour Bean Mix (found in the flour mix section)

1 rounded t. xanthan gum

2 cups sugar

2 t. cinnamon

1 t. salt

2 t. baking powder

1 t. baking soda

4 eggs

1/2 cup canola oil

1/2 cup applesauce

2 cups grated zucchini

1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat over to 350. Grease a 9x13 pan.

In a mixing bowl, combine the flour mix, xanthan gum, sugar, cinnamon, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.

In a medium bowl, beat the eggs until fluffy and lemon colored. Add the oil and beat another 2 minutes. Pour this into the dry ingredients and mix well. Add the zucchini and stir until thoroughly combined. Fold in the walnuts (if used).

Spoon into the prepared pan and bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes, or until a tester inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool before frosting with cream cheese frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

1 8oz package cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

1 t. vanilla

1 lb. powdered sugar

Combine cream cheese, butter, and vanilla ina mixing bowl. Blend at low speed with electric mixer. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating until fluffy. Add a few drops of cream if necessary to make spreading easier.

You can store in the fridge for a few days or freeze leftovers.

Four Flour Bean Mix

This is a great flour mix to use in your GF baking experiences.

Four Flour Bean Mix can be exchanged cup for cup with regular flour.

This mix was developed by Bette Hagman, a pioneer in GF baking.

.

Four Flour Bean Mix

2 cups garbanzo (or garfava) bean flour

1 cup sorghum flour

3 cups cornstarch

3 cups tapioca flour

I mix it and store it on the shelf, up to 3 months, otherwise the garbanzo bean flour will start going rancid