Home Cooking

Gluten-Free Broccoli Rice Casserole

February 17, 2012 By Gina 2 Comments

I’ve avoided making casseroles ever since I went gluten-free. I didn’t want to have to make homemade cream-of-whatever soup to replace the canned variety, since that seemed to take a lot of the convenience out of it. It is nice, though, to just make a big casserole and have lots of food for everyone, especially my children who seem to be on their umpteenth growing spurt. They loved this dish, and we actually had a tiny bit of leftovers.

This gluten-free broccoli rice casserole can easily be made as a vegetarian meal, but I added cooked chicken to make it even heartier. Since I often have leftover chicken and rice in the fridge, this was quick to pull together and get into the oven for dinner.

Gluten-Free Broccoli Rice Casserole
adapted from this recipe

3 cups cooked brown rice (I cooked mine in chicken broth for extra flavor)
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup onion, chopped
1 16oz bag frozen broccoli cut, defrosted (I just zapped mine in the microwave at 1/2 power)
4oz low-fat cream cheese
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup cooked chicken, diced (optional)
1 tsp dried basil
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees; prepare a 9×12 baking dish with cooking spray.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Saute the celery and onion for about 7 minutes or until onions are translucent. Add the broccoli and stir to combine. Add the cup of water and cook for 3 minutes or until broccoli is tender. Add the cream cheese to the skillet, breaking it up and stirring to make a creamy gravy that coats the vegetables. Stir in cooked chicken. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the rice and basil to the skillet and toss to mix. Transfer to the casserole dish and sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the top. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes.

This recipe is linked up to Friday Food at MomTrends.

Filed Under: GF, Home Cooking, Recipes

Meal Plan Monday: 2-week plan with New Meals

February 13, 2012 By Gina Leave a Comment

I’m finally trying some new recipes! While some weeks I take a look at the calendar and think, “I want things as easy as possible,” it’s nice to occasionally throw a new recipe into the mix. Thankfully, my kids will try anything once. If I see a recipe online or in a magazine, I’ll show it to them and we’ll talk about what’s in it that they already like. That sets the stage for a good attitude trying it at dinner, and it usually works. I’m eager to try the Brown Sugar Pork Chops with Onions from BHG and this Cauliflower Soup from Zoom Yummy.

As I’ve been doing in the New Year, I’m sharing my two-week meal plan every other Monday. On the other Mondays, I share my meal plan challenges. Last week, I told you how we’re running out of food. Thanks for your great comments and suggestions! Let me know if you’re struggling to meal plan so we can tackle those issues, too.

Sunday–Hamburgers, homemade fries, corn, salad
Meatless Monday–Italian Spinach Pie, GF cornbread muffins for me, garlic breadsticks for the family, salad
Tuesday–Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup, leftover GF cornbread muffins and garlic breadsticks
Wednesday–Brown Sugar Pork Chops with Onions, brown rice, green beans
Thursday–Slow Cooker Taco Pie (usually precooked beef from the freezer)
Friday–Baked Pesto Chicken, brown rice, broccoli and cauliflower
Saturday–Leftovers buffet–great time to clean out the fridge!

Sunday–I’ll be out of town, so I’m leaving Easy Manicotti for the family to heat up.
Meatless Monday–Cauliflower Soup (I’ll use GF flour), salad
Tuesday–Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos, flour & corn tortillas, tomatoes, lettuce, cheese, black beans
Wednesday–Chicken Sausage with mushrooms, zucchini, tomato and onions over angel hair pasta (GF for me)
Thursday–Quesadillas with ground beef (precooked from the freezer, and I’ll use corn tortillas), salad
Friday–Balsamic Mushroom Pork Chops, brown rice, broccoli
Saturday–Homemade Pizza (I’ll use GF bread as my crust) with olives, green peppers, and mushrooms, salad

Head over to Menu Plan Monday at OrgJunkie for more meal plans, recipes, and inspiration.

Filed Under: GF, Home Cooking, Meal Planning

Balsamic Mushroom Pork

February 10, 2012 By Gina Leave a Comment

When you get tired of eating the same old, same old all the time, sometimes a tiny bit of effort will pep things up. This balsamic mushroom topper would be delicious on chicken or beef as well, but I use it to dress up pork chops. If you haven’t used shallots before, they’re small, brown onions that have a fantastic flavor. They make anything taste special! This easy meal goes great with mashed potatoes, rice, or any other sides.

Balsamic Mushroom Pork

Boneless pork chops
Salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbsp butter or olive oil
8oz sliced white mushrooms
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 shallots, sliced
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Season pork chops with salt and pepper and lay in sprayed 9×13-inch baking dish. Set aside.

Melt butter with garlic in a saucepan. Add mushrooms and shallots, and saute for 4-5 minutes or until just tender, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and stir in vinegar. Spoon mixture over pork chops.

Bake 20-30 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees.

Linked up to Gluten-Free Wednesdays at Gluten-Free Homemaker, Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays at Simply Sugar and Gluten Free, Friday Food at MomTrends and Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty & Bedlam.

Filed Under: GF, Home Cooking, Recipes

Meal Plan Monday: When you Run Out of Food

February 6, 2012 By Gina 5 Comments

Since I’m now posting a two-week meal plan every other week, I’d like to tackle some of the meal plan challenges that come up. Often at my house, it’s often running out of food! Please tell me this happens to you sometimes, too. I’ve tried shopping for one week’s meals at a time or two weeks at a time and doing my usual stockpiling, and I still come across these problems:

I go to make one of the meals on the meal plan, and we’re missing 1-2 ingredients.
Some ingredients magically disappear, possibly snacked on during the week (hubby?).
We run out food the last week of the month, and I’ve already used up all my grocery budget.

It can be so frustrating, especially when it happens again and again (it’s like I never learn…). Menu planning generally reduces stress and helps the budget, and I know that to be true for my family after doing it all these years. So it’s worth it to tackle some of these issues. Here’s what I’m going to try:

Physically organize our food differently. I think that when you stockpile, and you see that volume in the pantry or fridge, your brain says “eat more.” We seem to go through the food faster and then run out. I’ll just keep one in the pantry and the rest in basement storage (until we need it).
Reduce my spending–add an extra vegetarian meal or use another grocery saving strategy to stretch my dollars a bit more.
Maybe I’m not buying enough? Sometimes when I make my grocery list, I write “potatoes” not considering exactly how many I need for three meals’ worth, and the same goes for shredded cheese and other ingredients. I’ll be more specific when making my list.
Portion sizes might be too big. Not long ago, I could make a 6-serving recipe and get dinner for all 5 of us plus a serving for lunch the next day. Now, all three of my kids are eating a lot more, and I find myself needing more. We either need to stick to portion control or I need to cook larger meals, or learn to stretch them with low-cost rice, pasta or potatoes.
Spend more money–but not in a reactive way. If I just “spend more” at the end of the month grabbing what we need, it will hurt the budget. I need to look at the past few months and see if we need to increase our grocery budget. I know we’ve made a change to more whole foods and fruits/vegetables; that alone might be driving our costs up a bit. If none of the above ideas help, this could be it.

It’s worth taking the time to identify and solve these small issues with my meal planning, because I’ll see big returns with smoother dinnertimes and less budgetary stress. What about you?

What challenges do you have with meal planning?

To see what we’re eating, head to my 2-week Meal Plan. For lots of meal plans and recipe, go to OrgJunkie’s weekly linky.

Filed Under: Home Cooking, Meal Planning

Meal Plan Monday: Family Favorites 2-week Meal Plan

January 30, 2012 By Gina 2 Comments

Sometimes thinking up two weeks of meals is hard! I’m just getting over a few days of illness, and I have little energy to try out new recipes. Perfect time to rely on our “family favorites,” those meals we eat all the time (most are cooked without recipes, just made from memory). Does your family eat the same meals all the time? Tacos, pizza, mac & cheese, whatever your “usual” is, it’s perfect for your family’s meal plan. Just get it down on paper and make your shopping list around it!

If you’re just getting started with meal planning, see my tips about how to get started or my Meal Plan Video. Here’s the plan for this week and next:

Sunday–Homemade spaghetti sauce, spaghetti (for them, GF pasta for me), green beans, salad
Meatless Monday–Cheddar Corn Potato Chowder, leftover salad
Tuesday–Slow Cooker Pulled Pork, buns (GF for me), carrots & celery sticks
Wednesday–Chicken Fajitas, black beans, brown rice
Thursday–Sausage & Vegetable Medley
Friday–Hamburgers w/sauteed mushrooms, sweet potato fries, corn
Saturday–Slow Cooker Broccoli & Beef, brown rice noodles

Sunday–Ginger Chicken Soup, gluten-free cornbread
Meatless Monday–Fiesta Corn & Black Bean Toss mixed with quinoa
Tuesday–Ham & Broccoli Pie (I replace the chicken and use GF Biscuit Mix instead), salad
Wednesday–Gluten-Free Chicken Tenders, Homemade Fries,
Thursday–Slow Cooker Apricot Pork Roast, cauliflower, baked potatoes
Friday–Garlic Lime Chicken, brown rice, broccoli
Saturday–We’re going out to eat (first time in ages!) for hubby’s birthday, using a Gift Card I earned from my bank’s points program

Head over to Menu Plan Monday at OrgJunkie for more meal plans, recipes, and inspiration.

Filed Under: GF, Home Cooking, Meal Planning

Dill Ricotta Rolls

January 27, 2012 By Gina 1 Comment

With all the soups I’ve been cooking lately, I look for new recipes to try as sides. I found these Dill Batter Rolls in an old recipe book and have made them twice now–once by the original recipe and once with ricotta cheese because I was out of cottage cheese. The family loved them both ways.

Dill Ricotta Rolls
adapted from this recipe

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 package active dry yeast
1 cup low-fat ricotta cheese (or cottage cheese)
1/4 cup water
1 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp dillseed
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
Nonstick cooking spray

In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 cup of the flour with the yeast. Set aside.

In a small saucepan, heat and stir ricotta cheese with water, sugar, dillseed and salt just until warm. Add the mixture to the flour mixture along with the egg. Stir vigorously until smooth, then stir in remaining flour.

Cover and let rise in a warm place until double in size (approx. 45 minutes). Stir batter down, then let rest for 5 minutes.

Spray twelve muffins cuts with nonstick spray. Spoon batter evenly into cups, and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let batter rise until nearly double in size (15-20 minutes).

Bake at 375 degrees for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

This recipe is linked to Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty & Bedlam, Friday Food at MomTrends, Feasting in Fellowship Friday at Comfy in the Kitchen, Ultimate Recipe Swap at Life as Mom, and Frugal Food Thursday at Frugal Follies.

Filed Under: Home Cooking, Recipes

Meal Plan Monday: 2 Weeks of Winter Cooking

January 16, 2012 By Gina Leave a Comment

I’m out of town right now–sunning it up in beautiful Tucson, Arizona–so it’s a good thing I left a meal plan at home for my husband. Having a two-week meal plan means I can buy groceries ahead and come home to a fully-stocked house to get through the rest of the week. It also helps keep the family from eating out (multiple times!) while I’m out of town, helping our budget and our health. For these next two weeks, I’m using a lot of my family’s favorite recipes, plenty of casseroles and soups that are easy to pull together.

If you’re just getting started with meal planning, see my tips last week about how to get started. Here’s the plan for this week and next:

Sunday–Easy Baked Manicotti, broccoli (I’m gone so they’re enjoying their gluten)
Meatless Monday–Breakfast for dinner! Sausage & Egg Breakfast Burritos, oranges
Tuesday–Slow Cooker Tortilla Soup, flour tortillas
Wednesday–Beef Tacos (from the freezer), corn shells, fixings (lettuce, tomatoes, etc.), black beans & rice
Thursday–Baked Mac & Cheese Casserole, broccoli, salad
Friday–Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Sandwiches (I’ll use a GF bun), corn, broccoli slaw
Saturday–Leftovers/clean out the fridge

Sunday–Meatball soup (I’ll replace the pasta with rice), gluten-free cornbread muffins
Meatless Monday–Homemade spaghetti sauce, pasta, green beans, Dill Rolls
Tuesday–Spinach & Feta Omelets, Rosemary Potatoes
Wednesday–Chicken breasts, baked potatoes, green beans
Thursday–Hamburgers, homemade fries, corn, salad
Friday–Chicken sausage with pasta (tossed with sauteed mushrooms, onions, zucchini and tomatoes)
Saturday–Marinated Chicken and Rice (I’ll just use brown rice), broccoli

Head over to Menu Plan Monday at OrgJunkie for more meal plans, recipes, and inspiration.

Filed Under: GF, Home Cooking, Meal Planning

Sausage and Lentil Soup

January 13, 2012 By Gina 3 Comments

Sausage and Lentil Soup
adapted from this recipe

12oz package Chicken Sausage
1 onion, chopped
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrots
1 zucchini, chopped
6 cups chicken broth (plus 2 cups water)
1 14oz can diced tomatoes
2-3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tsp salt
1 cup dry lentils
black pepper, to taste
red pepper flakes, to taste
1 Tbsp basil
1 Tbsp oregano
1 Tbsp parsley
1 1/2 tsp thyme

Brown sausage. Drain off fat and dice into bite-size pieces. In a large pot, combine all ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 1 hour or until lentils are tender. Add more water if thinner consistency desired. You can use an immersible blender to puree the soup and give it a thicker, stew-like consistency. Your choice! Serve with grated Parmesan cheese on top.

This soup can be made vegetarian by skipping the sausage and using vegetable broth. If you’re eating gluten-free, double check that your sausage and broth are GF. You can also dump the whole thing in a crockpot and cook on low for 4-6 hours (until veggies are tender). I love easy, adaptable recipes!

This recipe is linked up to Whole Food Wednesdays at Beyond the Peel, Gluten Free Wednesdays at Gluten Free Homemaker, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday at Simply Sugar & Gluten Free, Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty & Bedlam, Friday Food at MomTrends and Feasting in Fellowship Friday at Comfy in the Kitchen.

Filed Under: GF, Home Cooking, Recipes

Mushroom and Artichoke Chicken

January 6, 2012 By Gina 11 Comments

I felt very Julia Child when I was trying this recipe; I don’t usually cook with butter! I was also skeptical that my gluten-free flour would make a rich, delicious sauce, but it did. The kids loved this, and they’ve already asked that we have it again soon.

Mushroom & Artichoke Chicken
(adapted from this recipe)

1/4 cup butter
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbsp. gluten-free flour (or regular)
1 1/4 cup chicken broth
2 tsp chopped garlic
2 Tbsp lemon juice
8 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced
14oz can artichoke hearts in water
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

In a skillet, melt the butter. Season chicken with salt and pepper to taste, then add chicken to skillet and brown on both sides. Remove from pan and keep warm.

Reduce heat to medium low. Add the flour to the pan drippings, stirring constantly for 3-4 minutes to form a roux (sauce) that is golden brown. Stir in the broth gradually and continue to stir until thickened. Add the lemon juice, garlic, mushrooms, artichoke hearts with liquid, and Worcestershire sauce. Let simmer for several minutes, then return chicken to skillet. Cover and simmer for another 20 minutes, spooning the sauce over the chicken occasionally.

I served this with noodles for the kids and quinoa for me. I think it would be great on angel hair pasta as well, since the sauce can soak into whatever you place it on. The sauce is just delicious! While it took more time at the stove than most of my meals, it was nice to have something “fancy” instead of our usual meals. Let me know if you give it a try!

This recipe is linked up to Gluten-Free Wednesdays at Gluten-Free Homemaker, Friday Food at MomTrends and Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty & Bedlam.

Filed Under: GF, Home Cooking, Recipes

Meal Plan Monday: Starting a 2-week Menu Plan

January 2, 2012 By Gina 4 Comments

Welcome to 2012! I’ve been meal planning for a couple of years now, and this year I’m going to make a change to save myself time at home and also help you here at the blog. I’m going to start doing two-week meal plans and alternating the posts every Monday with more meal-planning strategies that will help you get your home cooking schedule and grocery budget under control. What do you think? So for this week:

Sunday–Salsa Verde Pork (just lazy crockpot style, frozen tenderloin with a jar of green salsa), brown rice, corn
Meatless Monday–Italian Spinach Pie, gluten-free cornbread
Tuesday–Slow Cooker Tortilla Soup, homemade bread for the family (GF toast for me)
Wednesday–Slow Cooker Beef & Broccoli, rice noodles, mandarin oranges
Thursday–Lemon Chicken, baked potatoes, asparagus
Friday–Cheddar, Corn and Potato Chowder, salad
Saturday–Hamburgers, homemade fries, leftover salad

And for next week:

Sunday–Brown Rice Casserole, salad
Meatless Monday–Green pepper & mushroom Homemade Pizza (I’ll use GF bread as my crust), leftover salad
Tuesday–Sausage and Lentil Soup (trying lentils out on my husband for the first time; I’m substituting chicken sausage)
Wednesday–Pineapple Pork Chops, brown rice, green beans
Thursday–Chicken Fajitas, leftover rice, black beans
Friday–Ham & Broccoli Pie (I replaced the chicken and use GF Biscuit Mix instead), salad
Saturday–Gluten-Free Chicken Tenders, sweet potato fries, green beans

If you can’t wait until next Monday to learn about meal planning, watch my Meal Planning vlog. For lots more meal plans and inspiration, see Menu Plan Monday at OrgJunkie.

Filed Under: GF, Home Cooking, Meal Planning